This will be a big, big deal if it's anything close to what's promised:
• Google Friend Connect
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Challenge Time: Panorama
First one of our bloggers to successfully use this site to create and embed a panoramic photo into their blog wins a genuine Stan Lee "No Prize!"
Seriously, this can be really cool:
• MagToo.com (Beware auto-starting audio)
Seriously, this can be really cool:
• MagToo.com (Beware auto-starting audio)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
10 tools to help you blog
Read Lifehacker every day? You should.
Today they're posting what they're calling Top 10 Tools to Get Blogging Done, and it's a pretty decent list.
Some of them might feel a little over your head if you're just starting out, but some of them ("Make reusable templates for posts and images") seem fairly easy and straightforward.
• Top 10 Tools to Get Blogging Done (Lifehacker)
Today they're posting what they're calling Top 10 Tools to Get Blogging Done, and it's a pretty decent list.
Some of them might feel a little over your head if you're just starting out, but some of them ("Make reusable templates for posts and images") seem fairly easy and straightforward.
• Top 10 Tools to Get Blogging Done (Lifehacker)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
MySABlogs Book Club: Tipping Long Tails
Want an early start on that Summer Reading?
Try these two books, both vital to understanding the Web:
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Long Tail by Chris Anderson
Both aren't new by a long shot — in point of fact, within online worlds, both are somewhat old hat by now — but if you haven't checked 'em out yet, by all means, get to work. You'll need to know this stuff.
Try these two books, both vital to understanding the Web:
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Long Tail by Chris Anderson
Both aren't new by a long shot — in point of fact, within online worlds, both are somewhat old hat by now — but if you haven't checked 'em out yet, by all means, get to work. You'll need to know this stuff.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Adjust your schedules accordingly ...
From today's New York Times:
• Tension Over Sports Blogging
The National Collegiate Athletic Association issued new guidelines this year: in women’s water polo, bloggers are allowed three posts a quarter and one at halftime; in fencing or bowling, 10 posts are allowed for each day or session.
• Tension Over Sports Blogging
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Common photo upload error (with solution!)
Hypothetical: You've uploaded a piece of art (or you TRY and you think it failed) into your blog (using this handy-dandy method).
At that point, you either A.) Lose the code that it supplies you with or B.) think it didn't work.
And so then you try to upload the image again, and you get this error:
What gives?
What gives is that a file by that name already resides in the directory for your blog, and MT won't allow you to overwrite it. Any attempt to upload a file by the same name will not work. (Note: Aside from our hypotheticals listed above, this can frequently happen when you're uploading a file with an exceedingly common name ... for example, "Cowboys.jpg" or something like that.)
Now, adopting a naming convention that makes each image more or less unique will help minimize these conflicts. I usually throw the date in front of every image/item I upload ... 041708_cowboys.jpg, or something like that. (It also helps when we're trying to track down an item in a large directory.)
In the short term, try re-naming the file ... Cowboys2.jpg or, better yet, 041708_cowboys2.jpg ... and then upload it as usual.
And, as always, contact us if this doesn't work.
At that point, you either A.) Lose the code that it supplies you with or B.) think it didn't work.
And so then you try to upload the image again, and you get this error:
What gives?
What gives is that a file by that name already resides in the directory for your blog, and MT won't allow you to overwrite it. Any attempt to upload a file by the same name will not work. (Note: Aside from our hypotheticals listed above, this can frequently happen when you're uploading a file with an exceedingly common name ... for example, "Cowboys.jpg" or something like that.)
Now, adopting a naming convention that makes each image more or less unique will help minimize these conflicts. I usually throw the date in front of every image/item I upload ... 041708_cowboys.jpg, or something like that. (It also helps when we're trying to track down an item in a large directory.)
In the short term, try re-naming the file ... Cowboys2.jpg or, better yet, 041708_cowboys2.jpg ... and then upload it as usual.
And, as always, contact us if this doesn't work.
Friday, April 11, 2008
What bloggers can learn from newspapers
Oh, the irony. The always-excellent Copyblogger rattles off five lessons bloggers can learn from newspapers to boost their own circulation.
Seriously.
No kidding.
Anyway, Simon Payn says bloggers should put an emphasis on brevity, getting the lead at the top and writing really good headlines.
Good stuff. Read it.
• Five Lessons From Newspapers to Boost Your Blog’s Circulation
Seriously.
No kidding.
Anyway, Simon Payn says bloggers should put an emphasis on brevity, getting the lead at the top and writing really good headlines.
Good stuff. Read it.
• Five Lessons From Newspapers to Boost Your Blog’s Circulation
Monday, April 7, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Two critics take newspaper bloggers to task (and why they're wrong ... sorta)
So a joint study by a Ball State/Nevada-Reno group has some depressing news for bloggers ... sorta.
Now, this is, obviously, an area where I take at least a little issue. Not the least of which: where would you put the stuff you find in the local blogs you're monitoring? How about, oh, I dunno ... a blog?
In point of fact, a whole helluva lot of blogging — and this goes doubly for political blogging — is spent linking to stuff dug up by other blogs.
Newspaper bloggers, to probably put too fine a point on it, don't like doing this.
Hence, they have to work a lot harder to find a conversive audience ... Which is one of the problems the Ball State/Reno folks list as a reason to not blog.
Sorry, just developed a nosebleed.
Anyway, from my perspective, using local bloggers as a research tool almost goes without saying ... but that can be done as part of a blogging routine that really wouldn't take too much more time than just reading said blogs in the first place.
To follow that up, we all have to remember that our readers are really used to being passive because, y'know, we've treated them that way for a few dozen generations. It might take them a while to catch on that they're invited to the party.
It's part of the industry's need for instant ROI — "Well, they haven't taken to it and I've been doing it a couple weeks now ... guess that won't work ..." — that we really need to get over.
The study also sort of suggests that a big problem with developing conversive audiences is, well, lousy blogging.
I can't argue with that, too much.
This, however, leads me somewhat obliquely to another attack, this one from an opposite flank:
That came from the almost always awesome Web 2.Oh...Really? blog, penned by Craig Stolz, in an entry entitled Why Journalists Should *Not* Become Bloggers.
If I'm reading him right, and let's assume for our purposes that I am, he's making the case that while blogging teaches the essentials of online journalism, too many people are depending upon blogging as the silver bullet of new media. He also seems to indicate that reporters are unlikely to blog effectively in the first place, so it's time to stop forcing blogs down their throats.
I'm unconvinced, though, that blogging can't be effective in a newspaper context. I also really don't see the harm of letting people hash out their new chops in a blog setting causes that much harm. Especially when you consider his alternative offering:
Again, I can't argue with the underlying concept here, but if you can't trust a reporter to figure out a text-based thing like a blog, do you really expect them to be able to come up with something that much more advanced?
I mean, I'd like to improve my basketball game, too, but dropping me on the court for a game of one-on-one against LeBron probably won't help too much.
You really DO need to go to kindergarten (oh, okay, pre-K) for at least a little while before making the jump to 5th grade.
This has gone on long enough, and you should read both of these items, because they're great food for thought if nothing else ...
• New study finds that newspaper blogs fail to increase public dialogue
• Why Journalists Should *Not* Become Bloggers
"The results of our study call into question whether newspapers are wasting valuable staff resources," Demo said. "The time it takes a reporter to post a blog entry that attracts 10 or fewer comments could be time better spent in other areas. Newspapers might consider spending staff time monitoring blogs as sources of news rather than trying to re-create the blogosphere on their Web sites."
Now, this is, obviously, an area where I take at least a little issue. Not the least of which: where would you put the stuff you find in the local blogs you're monitoring? How about, oh, I dunno ... a blog?
In point of fact, a whole helluva lot of blogging — and this goes doubly for political blogging — is spent linking to stuff dug up by other blogs.
Newspaper bloggers, to probably put too fine a point on it, don't like doing this.
Hence, they have to work a lot harder to find a conversive audience ... Which is one of the problems the Ball State/Reno folks list as a reason to not blog.
Sorry, just developed a nosebleed.
Anyway, from my perspective, using local bloggers as a research tool almost goes without saying ... but that can be done as part of a blogging routine that really wouldn't take too much more time than just reading said blogs in the first place.
To follow that up, we all have to remember that our readers are really used to being passive because, y'know, we've treated them that way for a few dozen generations. It might take them a while to catch on that they're invited to the party.
It's part of the industry's need for instant ROI — "Well, they haven't taken to it and I've been doing it a couple weeks now ... guess that won't work ..." — that we really need to get over.
The study also sort of suggests that a big problem with developing conversive audiences is, well, lousy blogging.
I can't argue with that, too much.
This, however, leads me somewhat obliquely to another attack, this one from an opposite flank:
Blogging is essentially the Head Start program of digital journalism–a way to ensure that even the most needy and disadvantaged are at least minimally prepared for the greater educational challenges ahead.
... The problem is, they create a lousy user experience–and may do late-adopter journalists more harm than good.
That came from the almost always awesome Web 2.Oh...Really? blog, penned by Craig Stolz, in an entry entitled Why Journalists Should *Not* Become Bloggers.
If I'm reading him right, and let's assume for our purposes that I am, he's making the case that while blogging teaches the essentials of online journalism, too many people are depending upon blogging as the silver bullet of new media. He also seems to indicate that reporters are unlikely to blog effectively in the first place, so it's time to stop forcing blogs down their throats.
I'm unconvinced, though, that blogging can't be effective in a newspaper context. I also really don't see the harm of letting people hash out their new chops in a blog setting causes that much harm. Especially when you consider his alternative offering:
Blogs aren’t even kindergarten in new media.
Get a reporter, an editor, a producer and a developer to sit down together. Have them figure out how to report on some important civic event without writing a story at all.
Welcome to Middle School.
Again, I can't argue with the underlying concept here, but if you can't trust a reporter to figure out a text-based thing like a blog, do you really expect them to be able to come up with something that much more advanced?
I mean, I'd like to improve my basketball game, too, but dropping me on the court for a game of one-on-one against LeBron probably won't help too much.
You really DO need to go to kindergarten (oh, okay, pre-K) for at least a little while before making the jump to 5th grade.
This has gone on long enough, and you should read both of these items, because they're great food for thought if nothing else ...
• New study finds that newspaper blogs fail to increase public dialogue
• Why Journalists Should *Not* Become Bloggers
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
They're punks, and we're not (but we have to be)
I'm mere pages into the Richard Laermer/Mark Simmons book "Punk Marketing" and so far, it's well worth the read.
Now, the book relates to audience segmentation via new media and how it affects the business of marketing, but the principles also can apply to the journalism, which is facing the same problems re: saturation of the market and the rapid development on niche publishing that's stealing market share from the mass-market-friendly print publications.
Long and short of it: Bloggers and other online upstarts are the Sex Pistols. Us? Think Barry Manilow. Or maybe, if we're being generous, Donna Summer.
A few important pieces from these two simple paragraphs:
• "A demand for revolt delivered in our own language": Blogs are written in the plainest of language, often in short, easily-digested bites, and they are — truth told — often a bit profane. (Or at least PG-13.) In other words, they read like a lot of people talk.
Contrast with even the best daily journalism, which is written in as neutral a tone as possible and then thoroughly edited, often by 2-3 ever-more-cautious editors, usually with an eye toward not offending anyone ...
The result? The stories don't sound like people talking. They sound like stereo instructions.
• "Energy and vitality": This is, at least in part, another by-product of the above.
Bloggers tell you what they know when they know it. They go back and add stuff as they go, correcting errors (and providing clarification) where necessary.
Traditional reporting involves gathering all the facts, checking them, then putting them through the editing process.
Safe, to be sure, but the end product is often lacking in both energy and vitality.
• "Complacent music industry": I'm using this more as a backhanded swipe at the news industry, which (as a whole) indeed did slumber through most of the Web's earliest stages of development ...
Even today, many papers seem more concerned about protecting their own turf than blazing new trails.
Bloggers (and other new media types) have no such concerns. They can try new stuff constantly, and they'll figure out what works ... even while the rest of us are just creeping into the game.
• "Raw and unstructured ... created with glee": The enthusiasm many of these bloggers bring to the party can't be matched by something as mundane as professional obligation.
That comes across in the writing every bit as much as in the content.
A shorter way to put it: Blogs can be fun. Even blogs about wonky/serious stuff.
Why? Driven by their own passions, the bloggers make it that way. (See, also, the aforementioned ability to experiment and try new things.)
In traditional newswriting, fun has its place ... but it's a fairly limited, even segregated place.
ALL THAT SAID, as a metaphor, this "punk rock" thing has its flaws.
Punk wasn't the first "for the people" music form to come down the pike ... although, arguably, the loudest ... and it wasn't even the most recent. (Rap, anyone?)
I would argue the online revolution is significantly more profound, in ways we haven't even imagined yet, and the bloggers are just the first wave of whatever's coming next.
But, hopefully, this thing can help you sort of frame exactly what we're up against here, and why now, it's more important than ever that you start to understand blogs, and what makes them tick.
• "Punk Marketing"
Now, the book relates to audience segmentation via new media and how it affects the business of marketing, but the principles also can apply to the journalism, which is facing the same problems re: saturation of the market and the rapid development on niche publishing that's stealing market share from the mass-market-friendly print publications.
Long and short of it: Bloggers and other online upstarts are the Sex Pistols. Us? Think Barry Manilow. Or maybe, if we're being generous, Donna Summer.
In the late seventies, punk was a shot heard around the radio as a beyond-refreshing change from the tired old formulaic music of the time. It was a call to action, a demand for revolt delivered in our own language. The punk rock that burst rudely onto the scene ... was replete with energy and vitality and shook the complacent music industry to its core and scared the crap out of disco-infused freaks that were running/ruining the whorish record business.
The records were raw and unstructured and had the unmistakable feel of something created with glee by the people for the people.
A few important pieces from these two simple paragraphs:
• "A demand for revolt delivered in our own language": Blogs are written in the plainest of language, often in short, easily-digested bites, and they are — truth told — often a bit profane. (Or at least PG-13.) In other words, they read like a lot of people talk.
Contrast with even the best daily journalism, which is written in as neutral a tone as possible and then thoroughly edited, often by 2-3 ever-more-cautious editors, usually with an eye toward not offending anyone ...
The result? The stories don't sound like people talking. They sound like stereo instructions.
• "Energy and vitality": This is, at least in part, another by-product of the above.
Bloggers tell you what they know when they know it. They go back and add stuff as they go, correcting errors (and providing clarification) where necessary.
Traditional reporting involves gathering all the facts, checking them, then putting them through the editing process.
Safe, to be sure, but the end product is often lacking in both energy and vitality.
• "Complacent music industry": I'm using this more as a backhanded swipe at the news industry, which (as a whole) indeed did slumber through most of the Web's earliest stages of development ...
Even today, many papers seem more concerned about protecting their own turf than blazing new trails.
Bloggers (and other new media types) have no such concerns. They can try new stuff constantly, and they'll figure out what works ... even while the rest of us are just creeping into the game.
• "Raw and unstructured ... created with glee": The enthusiasm many of these bloggers bring to the party can't be matched by something as mundane as professional obligation.
That comes across in the writing every bit as much as in the content.
A shorter way to put it: Blogs can be fun. Even blogs about wonky/serious stuff.
Why? Driven by their own passions, the bloggers make it that way. (See, also, the aforementioned ability to experiment and try new things.)
In traditional newswriting, fun has its place ... but it's a fairly limited, even segregated place.
ALL THAT SAID, as a metaphor, this "punk rock" thing has its flaws.
Punk wasn't the first "for the people" music form to come down the pike ... although, arguably, the loudest ... and it wasn't even the most recent. (Rap, anyone?)
I would argue the online revolution is significantly more profound, in ways we haven't even imagined yet, and the bloggers are just the first wave of whatever's coming next.
But, hopefully, this thing can help you sort of frame exactly what we're up against here, and why now, it's more important than ever that you start to understand blogs, and what makes them tick.
• "Punk Marketing"
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
And a belated congrats to the star player
I should've posted this last week, but we here at MySABlogs happily clap Ramiro Burr on the back for his "Online Impact" award at the True Awards.
Burr has combined his own credibility (even celebrity) within the Latin Music scene with solid blogging techniques and a relentless determination to make his Latin Notes Now month-in and month-out our top-performing blog.
Those who only see the numbers have no idea how much thought and planning Ramiro puts into his blogging ... I'll be honest, I find it amazing.
Just take a look at what he tacks onto the bottom of his posts:
I wish I could tell you that's all generated by some great code I pulled out of the great beyond, but it's not. That's hand-coded, by Ramiro!
It's that sort of dedication to the craft that's made him a top performer, and an award winner.
Again, belated congrats!
• Latin Notes Now
Burr has combined his own credibility (even celebrity) within the Latin Music scene with solid blogging techniques and a relentless determination to make his Latin Notes Now month-in and month-out our top-performing blog.
Those who only see the numbers have no idea how much thought and planning Ramiro puts into his blogging ... I'll be honest, I find it amazing.
Just take a look at what he tacks onto the bottom of his posts:
I wish I could tell you that's all generated by some great code I pulled out of the great beyond, but it's not. That's hand-coded, by Ramiro!
It's that sort of dedication to the craft that's made him a top performer, and an award winner.
Again, belated congrats!
• Latin Notes Now
Interesting point ...
I'm not even sure how I ended up coming across this post by Massachusetts media consultant Paul Gillin, but it set off a small bell for me, although I take a finer point to it than I think he was intending.
His overall point is "Don't Let Tools Distract You," good advice he translates into "don't start a blog for the sake of starting a blog."
As it relates to business, he has a point that companies try to shoehorn in "the new hot thing" rather than focus on what tools work best for the job.
Now, that point doesn't mean much in our situation, as I think there isn't a beat in the world that couldn't be better served by the inclusion of a well-executed blog.
But what he says about looking at the needs of your readership and working backwards to MEET those needs relates significantly to our task here. (Remember my Backbone Theory? It's kind of like that.)
• Paul Gillin: Don't Let Tools Distract You
• MySA Bloggers: Backbone Theory
His overall point is "Don't Let Tools Distract You," good advice he translates into "don't start a blog for the sake of starting a blog."
People often start by choosing tools and work backwards to solve problems. Maybe management has just issued an order to start blogging, or the tool is seen as a tactic to improve search performance or it just seems like the thing to do.
As it relates to business, he has a point that companies try to shoehorn in "the new hot thing" rather than focus on what tools work best for the job.
Now, that point doesn't mean much in our situation, as I think there isn't a beat in the world that couldn't be better served by the inclusion of a well-executed blog.
But what he says about looking at the needs of your readership and working backwards to MEET those needs relates significantly to our task here. (Remember my Backbone Theory? It's kind of like that.)
• Paul Gillin: Don't Let Tools Distract You
• MySA Bloggers: Backbone Theory
Monday, March 10, 2008
Your blog should be your beat
I hesitate a bit to link to the Journalism Iconoclast for the second time in a couple weeks ... partly cuz I like to mix things up but mainly cuz, at 15-16 years or so my junior, he comes close to "young whippersnapper" territory for me.
That said ...
He makes some points in his latest entry, Blog your beat to connect with your audience, that I find as revolutionary as they are borderline self-evident.
If that seems a little contradictory, I apologize. Specifically:
We've been saying that for a long, long time in these parts. Also:
There's a fair amount more in there. Indeed, what he says might not be as earth-shattering as the force with which he says it. I can neither confirm, nor deny, whether I agree with all his sentiments.
• Blog your beat to connect with your audience
That said ...
He makes some points in his latest entry, Blog your beat to connect with your audience, that I find as revolutionary as they are borderline self-evident.
If that seems a little contradictory, I apologize. Specifically:
Most good beat writers at newspapers are experts in a niche. Take a local court reporter for example. A newspaper’s local court reporter might be the only media person in the world with intimate knowledge of how that court system works and of the legal issues surrounding the community. That’s a niche to exploit.
We've been saying that for a long, long time in these parts. Also:
Beat Blogging allows reporters to fill in readers as news is happening, not just after news has marinated for a day. But good Beat Blogging requires more than just a savvy reporter. It requires editors and a newsroom culture that allows it.
There's a fair amount more in there. Indeed, what he says might not be as earth-shattering as the force with which he says it. I can neither confirm, nor deny, whether I agree with all his sentiments.
• Blog your beat to connect with your audience
Friday, March 7, 2008
Twitter: What exactly is that?
This video from Lee LeFever breaks down the essence of Twitter in fairly simple terms:
We have a few people already using the service (Roy's At Large, Joe's Spurs World and Andy's Weathervane, to be specific) and they have put the spurs to it with some success. (Andy's Twittering about the storms yesterday was spot-on.)
Couple things as it relates to us at MySA:
• For our purposes, we're generally not as interested in "What you're doing" as "What have you learned?" It's a fantastic way to distribute newsy bits in small chunks.
• It's a perfect medium for filing info via cell phone.
• Even if you don't feel the need to USE Twitter, it will benefit you to play with it on your own enough to understand it. (This is one of those "Future of communications" sorta things that I think you'll eventually find useful.)
There are a few problems with using it for the site, I should caution:
• Twitter's been known to go down, often for significant periods of time ... and usually at the worst possible moment.
• It's a little cumbersome to tweak stuff once you've posted it. So you have to be pretty careful you don't mess up, even if you're in a hurry.
Anyway, it's really important you explore Twitter, and if you have any ideas on how to use it, please let us know.
• Video: Twitter in Plain English (via SocialMedia.biz)
• Twitter.com
• My Twitter page
We have a few people already using the service (Roy's At Large, Joe's Spurs World and Andy's Weathervane, to be specific) and they have put the spurs to it with some success. (Andy's Twittering about the storms yesterday was spot-on.)
Couple things as it relates to us at MySA:
• For our purposes, we're generally not as interested in "What you're doing" as "What have you learned?" It's a fantastic way to distribute newsy bits in small chunks.
• It's a perfect medium for filing info via cell phone.
• Even if you don't feel the need to USE Twitter, it will benefit you to play with it on your own enough to understand it. (This is one of those "Future of communications" sorta things that I think you'll eventually find useful.)
There are a few problems with using it for the site, I should caution:
• Twitter's been known to go down, often for significant periods of time ... and usually at the worst possible moment.
• It's a little cumbersome to tweak stuff once you've posted it. So you have to be pretty careful you don't mess up, even if you're in a hurry.
Anyway, it's really important you explore Twitter, and if you have any ideas on how to use it, please let us know.
• Video: Twitter in Plain English (via SocialMedia.biz)
• Twitter.com
• My Twitter page
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
What she said: Learn scripting!
Sometimes, perhaps too often, I feel like a parrot channeling Mindy McAdams ... but again, she hits one out of the park with her latest post, Why you should suck it up and learn to script.
I know as printies, the prospect of learning something as simple as HTML might seem daunting ... because, hey, I once was one of you. When I interviewed for my first Web job, they wrapped things up by asking me to code up a Web page using nothing but a text editor, a raw photo and print from an AP article.
I corrected the article for AP style, turned it in, and meekly left ... convinced I didn't get the job.
Remarkably, they hired me, and within a couple weeks I had picked up more than enough HTML to do the job ... and since I've been able to build on that knowledge base.
In sum, this ain't rocket science. If you can thrive in as competitive and difficult business as journalism, you can learn to code.
Benefits include the satisfaction of being able to do something yourself, as well as a certain insight into the mindset necessary for programming. Once you start learning, you'll see evidence of that mindset in other things, too. It's difficult to explain.
But not hard to learn.
Read Mindy, and then follow her instructions. (Or ask me, I have some ideas.)
• Why you should suck it up and learn to script
I know as printies, the prospect of learning something as simple as HTML might seem daunting ... because, hey, I once was one of you. When I interviewed for my first Web job, they wrapped things up by asking me to code up a Web page using nothing but a text editor, a raw photo and print from an AP article.
I corrected the article for AP style, turned it in, and meekly left ... convinced I didn't get the job.
Remarkably, they hired me, and within a couple weeks I had picked up more than enough HTML to do the job ... and since I've been able to build on that knowledge base.
In sum, this ain't rocket science. If you can thrive in as competitive and difficult business as journalism, you can learn to code.
Benefits include the satisfaction of being able to do something yourself, as well as a certain insight into the mindset necessary for programming. Once you start learning, you'll see evidence of that mindset in other things, too. It's difficult to explain.
But not hard to learn.
Read Mindy, and then follow her instructions. (Or ask me, I have some ideas.)
• Why you should suck it up and learn to script
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Gentlest of reminders: Please don't tinker with posted material ...
I revisit this every now and again, but please, please, please don't go back in and make changes to your posts once you've handed 'em off to us?
What happens is, we edit it, post it, and then -- depending on your login -- when you make changes, it automatically unpublishes the entry.
Then we get an angry phone call later wondering why the entry hasn't been published yet.
So, please, if you need to make changes, just let us know.
What happens is, we edit it, post it, and then -- depending on your login -- when you make changes, it automatically unpublishes the entry.
Then we get an angry phone call later wondering why the entry hasn't been published yet.
So, please, if you need to make changes, just let us know.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Learn a little HTML ...
Pat Thornton, who like me is a native of the Cleveland area (although he was born while I was in high school), publishes a blog under the name "The Journalism Iconoclast."
Today's topic is A little HTML never hurt anybody, and I heartily second that.
His contention is that journalists should, at a minimum, know how to bold-face, italicize, and embed links.
But of course, y'all know how to do that, right?
Summing up his post: "Many journalists are already being asked to blog. Can you imagine blogging without knowing how to make a proper link?"
I'm resisting the urge to make a snarky comment, so let's shut it down for the week.
Talk to y'all later ...
• A little HTML never hurt anybody
Today's topic is A little HTML never hurt anybody, and I heartily second that.
His contention is that journalists should, at a minimum, know how to bold-face, italicize, and embed links.
But of course, y'all know how to do that, right?
Summing up his post: "Many journalists are already being asked to blog. Can you imagine blogging without knowing how to make a proper link?"
I'm resisting the urge to make a snarky comment, so let's shut it down for the week.
Talk to y'all later ...
• A little HTML never hurt anybody
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Questions about LinkedIn?
This isn't entirely blog-related, but kinda.
Copyblogger, which is an intriguing if sorta soul-stealing site I enjoy, has a rundown of methods to use LinkedIn to find sources for stuff. (There are pros, and there are cons.)
I'm posting this cuz there was some curiosity about some of this "social networking" stuff.
• How to Use LinkedIn to Create Authoritative Content
Copyblogger, which is an intriguing if sorta soul-stealing site I enjoy, has a rundown of methods to use LinkedIn to find sources for stuff. (There are pros, and there are cons.)
I'm posting this cuz there was some curiosity about some of this "social networking" stuff.
• How to Use LinkedIn to Create Authoritative Content
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
How To ... Manage Categories
This is actually pretty simple, but an incredibly powerful tool when used correctly.
Create your entry, as usual. Then take note of a box you might never have noticed before:
(If it's not there, contact me.)
Click on it and pull down to see a list of available categories:
Either select your preferred category from the list or move to the very bottom of the list and select "Add New Category" (Again, if that doesn't show up, let me know ASAP):
You'll get a box like this:
Just type in a new category title, hit "add" and there ya go. Once the entry is published, you've successfully added a category to the blog.
As always, if you have any questions, let me know.
Create your entry, as usual. Then take note of a box you might never have noticed before:
(If it's not there, contact me.)
Click on it and pull down to see a list of available categories:
Either select your preferred category from the list or move to the very bottom of the list and select "Add New Category" (Again, if that doesn't show up, let me know ASAP):
You'll get a box like this:
Just type in a new category title, hit "add" and there ya go. Once the entry is published, you've successfully added a category to the blog.
As always, if you have any questions, let me know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)