eNetworking 101: The Blog

Blog Day 2008: Five blogs worth knowing about

The directions for participating in Blog Day are pretty easy:

Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting
Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending them as part of BlogDay 2008
Write a short description of the Blogs and place a link to the recommended Blogs
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!

Technorati tag:

BlogDay2008

Labels: Blogging

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.

Technorati tags:

Blog Action Day,

Blogging,

Blog Day

Labels: Blogging

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.

Technorati tag:

Blogging

Labels: 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.

Technorati tag:

Blogging

Labels: 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.

Technorati tag:

Blogging

Labels: 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.

Labels: Blogging