Blogtipping: Blogging Me Blogging You

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Ed LeeA blog I like: Ed Lee’s Blogging Me Blogging You

Things I like:

1) Ed’s brighter than the average person and his posts show it. Always insightful.

2) Ed Tracksback and he comments. He engages in the conversation not just on his own blog but on others. He understands social media.

3) Ed brings a trans-Atlantic perspective to public relations. He reflects on his experience both in the UK and Canada. Just enough difference of perspective. Not the same old same old view of the pack.

Tip: Ed, the embedded video is great. Please include pictures with all your posts. The right pictures draw attention, enhance the appearance of the page and reinforce the headline.

It's hard getting started again

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Writer's BlockI’ve just returned from my vacation and I’m about to begin blogging after an absence of almost two weeks.

But what to write? I’m having a hard time getting back into the blogging state of mind.

I frequently tell new bloggers or those considering starting that they should not over-think their first posts. I tell them that the biggest mistake they could make would be to try to write something profound or truly memorable right off the bat. If they do, they could join the ranks of those who have been walking around with the “great American novel” locked in their brains for years. They never get it written down – good or bad.

And now I’m having the problem. I’m searching for something with real meaning. And I don’t have it.

So, a question to any bloggers who read this: Have you had this problem? How have you gotten past the short term block and back into the blogging routine?

 

Thanks for the picture to mjutabor.

A great handout idea: del.icio.us bookmark page

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Kami Huyse picked up a great presentation handout idea from Todd Defren:

I assembled a purpose-built del.icio.us page to accompany my presentation. So, no handouts, just one simple URL that contains all the links. Hat tip to Todd Defren for the idea, who is using it to track the meme of the social media release and who just got some coverage of the idea in the issue of BusinessWeek on the stands now (not bad, Todd).

Kami's del.icio.us page
Great idea. I have a couple of presentations coming up in the next couple of months. I’m going to try this and see how the audience likes it.

Feedflare for New PR Digg Site

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Constantin BastureaConstantin Basturea has posted step by step instructions for Feedburner users to add an “Add to New PR” feedflare to their posts. (Mine should show up at the end of this post.)

The instructions are very clear. Even a total coding incompetent like me was able to follow them and successfully add the feedflare to my Feedburner feed.

Thank you Constantin for another great addition. You are making the New PR Digg site an even more accessible resource.

Society for New Communications Research calls for awards nominations

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Society for New Communications ResearchShel Holtz points out that the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) has opened nominations for its new awards program.

The SNCR says that the awards “will recognize excellence in the use of new communications models and solutions.” Nominations must be submitted by September 8, 2006 and the awards will be granted later in the autumn at the society’s inaugural research symposium. Case studies for the winning awards will be published in the society’s online New Communications Review.

Rick Spence asks for input on readers' podcast preferences

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Rick SpenceBusiness writer Rick Spence has been asked by a friend (wonder who?) to start a podcast. Before doing so, Rick wants to learn more about his readers’ interest in podcasting.

He asks:

Do you listen to podcasts? Where, and when? Do you listen live, or download to an iPod? Do you have favorites you listen to regularly? Why do you listen to them? What have you gotten out of them?

Help Rick make up his mind about whether to podcast. Tell him about your podcast habits.

PR Girlz join the conversation

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Another blog has joined the Thornley Fallis community – PR Girlz.

Thornley FallisPublic relations is an industry that is populated predominantly by women – at this year’s PRSA Counselors Academy, one presenter suggested that approximately 70% of PR practitioners are female.

And yet, PR bloggers are overwhelmingly male.

This imbalance became the topic of conversation in our office. And it spurred several of the women in Thornley Fallis to action. They decided to launch a group blog, PR Girlz. Jennifer Nebesky, the first of the PR Girlz to post, said:

I decided to enter the world of blogging when I noticed that there were not many women in the blogosphere talking about public relations…the glorious and the not so glorious work we do. It is my mission to get the conversation about women in PR started…who knows, one day we might dominate the social media world just like we dominate the PR world – one can only dream!

Welcome to the PR Girlz. We look forward to having you as part of our community.

Shel Israel outlines Global Neighbourhoods; asks for comments

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Shel IsraelShel Israel has posted a preliminary overview of his new book project, Global Neighbourhoods. And he’s asking readers for advice about how he can make the book stronger, tighter and more useful.

Israel introduces the new book in the following way:

In some ways, Global Neighborhoods will be a sequel to Naked Conversations. I have great pride in the last book, but was never completely happy with the last section in which we attempted to paint a big picture that went beyond blogging into something called a Conversational Era. While accurate, the term has not caught on, nor do I think it is suited to describe the enormous fundamental change being created by a connected world. Global will attempt to paint a bigger picture of what the world, and large organizations will look like a few years down the line from today.  Naked Conversations examines the cause of the change.  This time I am more concerned with the effects of the change.

Read the rest of Shel’s overview and give him your input. It’s our chance to shape Shel’s thinking before he leaves for his world research tour with Rick Segal.

Are you a member of my community?

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Who are you?My community is the people whose blogs I read and communicate with. My community is also the people who read my thoughts on this blog. Some enter into a conversation through comments and trackbacks. Some are silent.

The people who I read and link to may be much more important to me than I am to them.

It’s a bit like the false intimacy we all feel with Katie Couric or Peter Mansbridge. They sit across the room from us every evening and project their personalities onto the world around us. We feel like we know them. But they know us only as demographics and ratings.

Celebrities have known this false intimacy for years in the people who walk up to them, address them by their first name and start to ask questions about the personal details of their lives.

The blogosphere is a bit like that. In the PR world, I regularly read Hallett, Holtz, Hobson, Israel, Eggertson, Jones, Baradell, Basturea, Defren, McKay, Cody, Rubel, Clarke, Jenkins, Papacosta, Demopoulos, Sansone, and Fallis. I frequently comment or trackback to their sites. Of course, I am only one of dozens of people who do this. So, if I asked these folks if they think of me as part of their community, I wouldn’t kid myself about their answer. Some would respond with “Who’s Joe Thornley?” Others might go so far as to say, “I know him. He comments or leaves trackbacks to my site from time to time.” Does this make me part of their community? Maybe. But very much on the periphary. Is this bad? Not at all. Community is built over time.

The traffic numbers on my site tell me that there are many people who read my blog, but who have yet to comment on it or link to it. I’d like to know who you are.

So, a request. Please help me to know my community better. Leave a comment on this post to let me know who you are, what part of the world you hail from and what you do. (e.g. PR, advertising, student, etc.) And if you have your own blog, please write a brief post with a trackback to this article. I want to add you to my blogroll.

Then, check back to see who considers me part of their community.