Columbus Social Media Cafe
Mar 19, 2008 Blogging
Kristen and I went to the Columbus Social Media Cafe meeting. If you’re blogging in Columbus, you really ought to come be a part of this. Next meeting will be at the end of April at the Worthington Library but I’ll give y’all a heads up closer to the date. (If you’re on Facebook, the media cafe has a group there and they’ll send you reminders so sign on up!) One of the goals is to build something a lot like this: Vocalo.org where the Columbus public has an impact on media discussions. So let’s be part of the conversations, folks!
Here’s more info from the people behind all this:
We at WOSU and COSI have been wondering how we could do more to help our community cope with some challenging issues. We asked ourselves:
What if we — your local public broadcaster and science museum — and those of you who are the local blogging experts got together and learned how to use Social Media to bring back that great American tradition of the community taking charge of its own problems?
Here’s what we’re wondering:
Could we use social media and our many talents and resources to breakthrough the bureaucratic barriers that seem to block so much local reform?
Could we gain enough support and understanding to shift our education system so that our children are equipped to face the sometime harsh realities of the world?
Could we start to make sense of what our aging population, our health care system and even our food system may mean to us?
What other issues should we be discussing with an eye toward change?
Many local bloggers have deep subject knowledge and are also part of existing communities that also care and know a lot.
We have a big megaphone—radio and web site—and some great resources—a centrally located facility with cutting-edge technology (studios and a mediaLab) that we could add to the mix.
Can you imagine what we might be able to do together?
From First Meeting of the Columbus Social Media Cafe
I’ve been watching the media cafe blog for awhile but thought I wasn’t the kind of blogger they want, i.e., one that focuses on Columbus issues. But they want all of us, whatever we’re blogging about. Kristen and I are going to rally the mommy-blog contingent. What we have to say is valuable and important and we’re vital members of our community — we need to be there!
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Tags: columbus social media cafe, Erica, wordpress
What I did today (instead of working)
Mar 7, 2008 Blogging
I’ve been wanting to do something like this for awhile and I finally did it this week since I had a bit of space in my work schedule. So if you’re in Central Ohio and you’re blogging, c’mon down!
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Tags: coding, columbus blog directory, joomla
Story of my life
Feb 23, 2008 Blogging
Maybe I’m lucky enough to get to show you first because it’s been making the rounds! (Brett smirked, especially because I showed it to him and then headed down to the basement to growl at the computer screen.)
xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe
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Tags: internets
If you use Firefox and Google Reader
Feb 22, 2008 Blogging
You must get this extension: Better GReader :: Firefox Add-ons
It lets you click within your google reader to open a person’s page, which means no more clicking through the reader and opening a new tab or page so you can comment or read past the short excerpts. That way when you’re done reading (and commenting) you just keep scrolling through your reads. Yes, my friends, you never need to leave your feedreader to read your blog friends!
Excerpts of feeds? DRIVE ME CRAZY. I know some of you are all about the stats (and may I mention that if you have wordpress and are hosting you can use the feedburner plugin to see how many people subscribe to your feed regardless of where they’re reading — no it doesn’t help your ad stats but it’s good for the ego).
It’s rare that I click through to read a whole entry because I’m subscribed to (I just checked) 269 blogs so yes, generally I scan (a bunch of those are work-ish related and a handful of total timesuck mp3 blogs but that’s also not counting my livejournal friends list). But now my feedreading life is easier!
Please join me in the goodness that is Better GReader.
(I assume, of course, that you’re already a Firefox person and not using that bane of the web designer’s existence, Internet Explorer. And if you’re not, join the beauty that is the opensource platform!)
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Tags: firefox, google reader, greader, rss feeds, wordpress
My big old site
Feb 7, 2008 Blogging
I think I need to start taking down some archives. My site is just too big, my database is just too complicated. I think that what I’d like to do is whittle things down and streamline it. The reason NOT to do it just yet is that the ridiculous size of my archives gives me great search engine juice and frankly, I need my hits to stay up while I work on selling my book.
So that’s another reason I hope to sell my book. Fame, fortune and a smaller blog. (Truthfully I do not expect fame or fortune — just more opportunity. But a smaller blog, now that’s a realistic goal!)
I’ve got a bunch of work to do but want to write an Actual Blog Entry today if I clear my desk soon enough. Here’s hoping!!
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Tags: archives, blog disasters, platform, wordpress