Blog Day 2009: Thinking about podcasts

Every year I celebrate Blog Day. This rules around this day are:

1. Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting
2. Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending them as part of BlogDay 2009
3. Write a short description of the Blogs and place a link to the recommended Blogs
4. Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st) and
5. Add the BlogDay tag using this link:
   http://technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2009 and a link to the BlogDay web site at http://www.blogday.org

I've pointed you to the podcasts that I listen to, but thought that this would be a great opportunity to provide a bit more information:

1. Beyond the Book - The site says: "Copyright Clearance Center's Beyond the Book program explores issues facing the information content industry and helps creative professionals realize the full potential of their works, while encouraging respect for intellectual property and the principles of copyright." Christopher Kenneally has a nice interview style, which makes these very listenable and interesting. The programs are generally 30 minutes in length (weekly).
   
2. Future Tense - This is a program out of ABC News Radio in Australia that explores "the social, cultural, political and economic fault lines arising from rapid change." These are often about technology, but in a broad sense. Weekly, 30 minutes in length.
3. Six Pixels of Separation - This weekly podcast provide information on digital marketing, new media and personal branding. The web site provides very good show notes. The podcasts vary in length from 20 - 60 minutes.
4. Marketing Over Coffee -This weekly podcast is indeed about marketing and contains interesting insights. The show notes on the web site are excellent. Shows are 30 minutes in length.
   
5. T is for Training - This is a twice monthly podcast with Maurice Coleman as the host. The show features a fluid number of librarians and library trainers talking about a broad range of issues, concerns, ideas, techniques, etc. loosely related to technology training that is conducted in/by libraries. Information on how to actively participate in the show recording is on the web site and all are welcome. URLs mentioned during the shows are posted to del.icio.us under T is for Training. The shows are 60 minutes in length. {Full disclosure - I'm often a part of this podcast.}
   

I am especially liking the marketing podcasts that I'm listening to. They are lively, interesting and contain useful ideas.

When do I listen to podcasts? I download them to my PMP (personal media player) and listen to them when I'm commuting (bus) or traveling (train, plane). That means that I don't always listen to them immediately, but that's okay (for me).

BTW If you have recommendations for interesting podcasts, please leave a comment on this blog post.

Previous Blog Day post:

• Blog Day 2008: Five blogs worth knowing about

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Technorati Tag: blogday2009

Article: Why blogging is good for your career

The article presents many reasons why blogging is good for your career. Adrienne Waldo provided this one:

Especially for someone just out of school, a blog is an excellent supplement to a résumé. It serves as a sort of enhanced writing sample because it allows employers a unique look at your personality in addition to seeing that you can, in fact, write. It also shows that you're tech-savvy and motivated -- both extremely important qualities to have in today's job market.

The question is - are you blogging? Are you shining a light on your knowledge and why you're a difference-maker?

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Technorati tag: Blogging

Blog post: 10 Mistakes That Could Be Killing Your Blog

Leo Babauta explains 10 things he thinks are killing our blogs and I'd like to add a few more.

• Not including photos or graphics. They capture people's eyes and can be useful illustrations. With the photo on the right, I'm making you think...what do pens have to do with blogging? mmm...writing?
  
• Being negative all the time. Whining has a place, but likely not in every blog post (or in the majority of a blog's posts). Pull positive people towards you by being positive.
• Writing for other bloggers. Sometimes we fall into the trap of writing for other bloggers and using language that they understand. If that's your audience, then it's fine, but I suspect that you want other people to be reading and enjoying your blog too.
• Not promoting our blogs. We're web 2.0 people, so use web 2.0 tools to promote your blog.

Can you think of other ways that people are killing their blogs?

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Technorati tag: Blogging

Meet the Bloggers

Today I'm joining David Rothman and Ken Fujiuchi during a session at the New York Library Association annual conference to talk about blogging. Below are my slides for the session.

Meet the Bloggers: Who Me?

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: blogging nyla2008)

Addendum 11/9/2008: David Rothman's slides

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Technorati tags: Blogging,NYLA2008, nyla08

Where is your "reference shelf"?

Where do you store information that you want to refer to again? Where specifically do you store web resources?

There is not one correct answer. Likely you have bookmarks in your Internet browser. You might also have bookmarks saved online in a service such as del.icio.us. And you might have stored information in a blog or wiki.

I have stuff stored in all of those places! Although I have uploaded the bookmarks (favorites) from my Internet browser into del.icio.us, I still look in my browser first. There are a few items (generally related to Second Life), where I look in del.icio.us first.

But for items related to digitization -- a topic that I follow closely -- I always look in my Digitization 101 blog first. I have made it a habit of placing things in the blog that interested me and that I wanted to find again later. And it works for me.

What works for you?

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Technorati tag: Blogging, del.icio.us

Blog Action Day: Focusing on Poverty

The idea of focusing on poverty for Blog Action Day (Oct. 15) was set months ago, yet it is very timely. The world wide economy is in turmoil and everyone is being affected, especially those who make less that the median income and those who are below the poverty line.

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the median income in the U.S. in 2007 was $50,233. The official poverty rate in 2007 was 12.5 percent.

How does the government define poverty?

As defined by the Office of Management and Budget and updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2006 was $20,614; for a family of three, $16,079; for a family of two, $13,167; and for unrelated individuals, $10,294.

Blog Action Day is about taking action, so today think about your income and resources, and those of the people around you (especially other family members). It is likely that someone in your family or someone near to you is living below the poverty level. Find a way to reach out to that person and to offer appropriate assistance in love. If you are uncomfortable reaching out to that person, consider a way of doing it anonymously. A gift card to a supermarket or gas station might be greatly appreciated, for example. If you have food left over from your garden, consider sharing it. (Remember that is it better to have it eaten than to have it rot and go to waste.)

After you have done that, then spend time thinking about how you can save money in the coming months as our economy tightens. Look at the big and little things, keeping in mind that even changing 1-2 things can make a big difference in remaining financially secure.

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Technorati tag: Blogging

Blog Day 2008: Five blogs worth knowing about

The directions for participating in Blog Day are pretty easy:

1. Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting
2. Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending them as part of BlogDay 2008
3. Write a short description of the Blogs and place a link to the recommended Blogs
4. Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st)
   

Here are five blogs that I think you might enjoy:

• Zen Habits -- There is something in this blog for everyone. Lots of tidbits and helpful hints to help you be more productive. This blog is written by Leo Babauta who lives on Guam.
• Skaneateles Real Estate News -- Okay, so you're not interested in real estate in Skaneateles, NY. But perhaps you'd be interested to see how a real estate agent is using a blog to communicate with her current and prospective clients?!
• Seth Godin's Blog -- Godin is an author and speaker, who has influenced how we think about marketing. He blogs about marketing, customer service and other topics. He is definitely worth reading (or skimming if you're short on time).
  
• Bt the Bayou -- This is both a personal and professional blog written by John Whiteside in Houston, TX. John truly believes in using social media, and has used the tools to become better connected professionally to people across the continent as well as those located in Houston.
• Cookin' in the 'Cuse -- Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows is the premier food blogger in Syracuse and whatever she writes is worth reading. And if you like to cook, her Multiple Cheeses Rigatoni Pasta recipe is easy and delicious!
  

That's it! Happy Blog Day!

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Technorati tag: BlogDay2008

What are you doing on Oct. 15?

Last year, I participated in Blog Action Day on my Digitization 101 blog. This year, I'll blog here on Oct. 15 on the topic of poverty.

Blog Day (Aug. 31) and Blog Action Day (Oct. 15) gives bloggers worldwide a chance to step out of their normal routines and topics. While Blog Day is fun, Blog Action Day is series and fun. Blog Action Day is a chance for bloggers to make a difference. And each year, participation on these days grows.

If you are unfamiliar with these two days, check them out. You'll find Blog Day a nice challenge. On Blog Action Day, you will be part of a large conversation on poverty. Poverty touches all of us directly or indirectly. With the economy as it is now, it is a topic we need to focus on. I hope you'll join the conversation.

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Technorati tags: Blog Action Day, Blogging, Blog Day

Article: Parents Work the Web

The Post-Standard published an article yesterday on what are generically called "mommy blogs".

The Web has long been a source of expert advice for people, including parents. But increasingly, parents are turning to blogs and social-networking sites to meet other parents, feel part of a community or get advice from other parents who have faced the same problem, rather than the experts.

I was among those quoted in the article:

When you work in a business, you go down to the coffee pot during the day, and there’s always a conversation going on. With the online tools, it’s like going to the coffee pot.

What was interesting to me were the number of people in the article with a connection to the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University including myself, David Lankes, and Jen Liddy. I was also thrilled to see them introduce a new blog on the Syracuse.com web site authored by Peggy Liuzzi called Child Care Matters. I've known Peggy for several years and she is a very knowledgeable woman who is passionate about good child care.

Oh...so...is the fact that parents are using online tools to connect and learn from other parents shocking? Nope. I would find it more surprising if they weren't doing that.

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Technorati tag: Blogging

Article: 101 Things To Do For Hubbers And Bloggers

Thanks to Laura Solomon for finding this. We all run "out of steam" on occasion, so lists like this are helpful. Here are some ideas from the list:

29. Enter a blog contest to get more exposure.
30. Encourage your readers to leave comments.

70. Submit a sitemap to Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
71. Search for your articles in Google.
72. Setup a profile for yourself to network your blog on a social network

89. Try out a new template on your blog.
90. Update your keywords and title tags.
91. Write about the free online services your enjoy.
92. Write a constructive profile page.

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Technorati tag: Blogging

Tips for conference bloggers

With conference season coming (but you didn't think it had its own season), it's time to remember this document, Tips for Conference Bloggers." This is a short (six-page) document with valuable tips on how to blog a conference. Some key tips:

• Do some upfront preparation, e.g., locating any speaker bios and photos, finding sessions descriptions or other known information.
• Don't feel that you must capture every word. "Sometimes even just three key points will do, as long as they capture the relevant parts of the speech or of your analysis."
• Consider your posts to be work in progress. Enhance them after the conference -- make additions and corrections, if necessary.
  

The authors advocate live blogging, but that is not always possible. In fact, depending on your style, you may find that having time to sift through your notes after a conference session will yield a better focused blog post.

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Technorati tag: Blogging

What education level is needed for reading your blog?

What level of education is needed in order to read your blog? This tool will help you find out. If you are trying to write for everyone, then consider aiming for an elementary school level.

Blog post: The Ultimate Guide to Blog Usability: 36 Tips and Resources

VirtualHosting.com has "generated a list of 36 tips and resources for you to implement in order to ensure maximum usability." Tips include:

• Set up your own domain name
• Test your links before publishing a post
• Develop a short autobiography
• Use subheadings for long posts
• Be aware of your use of color

If implementing a few of the tips will be helpful to you and your readers.