Alphablogs

Looks like this will be one of those “mark your calendar” events in Vancouver.

Bridging Media: Addressing the Challenges - this Saturday, March 29, 2008, 9:45 am - 3pm

Aimed to provide a bridge between the two communities of film/television and interactive/social media, I think this event comes just at the right time. The expertise we have here in Vancouver is remarkable, and the panelists assembled for this event have a lot to share in the short time they have available, so it looks like the whole day will be power-packed.

The tools are here and easier to use than ever, and the panelists are articulate and experienced in the slippery ever-shifting world of web/mobile/social media. Its free, its informative and it can change what you think you might know about social media, and more. Plus there is a door prize: a free pass to nextMEDIA, just before the Banff Television Festival.

Want to know who’ll be there? Go to the registration site and take a peek.

And did I mention that lunch is sponsored? Yes it is a free lunch!

Brainchild of Megan Cole and Erica Hargreave, the event now has a terrific team putting this together, with good will and sharp skills:  Cinci Csere, Monique Trottier and Monica Hamburg. I’m really glad to help out with this event and be in their company!

Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing video series. Isabella Mori talks about what goes on in the mind of a blogger, and  I play a little with the camera as she speaks.

Back in January, Vivien from Inspirationbit started an ambitious project – the social media mega project. The idea was to bring together information on the most important social media tools by asking bloggers to contribute their posts on the topic.

(The other participants are - for Del.icio.us: Aaron Stroud from On financial success; for Facebook: Ina from Inspiring Wear; for flickr & zooomr: Brian Auer from Epic Edits; for Stumbleupon, youtube, myspace: Karen Zara from a1-fan-fun; for Sphinn. Simonne from All tips and tricks; for Second life: Dandellion from Metaverse; for Mixx, netscape, squidoo: Pearl from Fresh perspectives; for Sk*rt, blogging zoom, bvibes: jhs from Colloquium; for Digg, reddit: Vivien at InspirationBit; and for Technorati: Monica at Me like the interweb.)

Here on Alphablogs, we hosted the section on LinkedIn. What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is an online network of more than 20 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.

When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.

Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals.

Here are the submissions:

At All Tips and Tricks, Simonne says:

I still see LinkedIn as a cool place to meet people you’ve once known and forgot about them, a place to start building new connections, and why not, a place to check on your potential bosses or partners.

In an interview with Vivien at Inspirationbit, entrepreneur Rastin Mehr observes

I kind of like LinkedIn’s Q&A - it is like sitting in the boardroom of traditional companies and eavesdropping on what the old school managers think about the current state of Internet industry. Traditionally having that kind of close encounter required knowing a friend, who knew a friend, who knew a friend within a corporation.

Here is an absolutely fabulous guide on how to use LinkedIn for your job search, plus it’s followed by a slew of more links to posts on LinkedIn. Fantastic job, Jacob from JobMob!

And I don’t know if this counts as entries to the project, but if you go to this post, you’ll find a few great success stories about LinkedIn that bloggers Lisa Gates, Gerrit Visser, Terrence Seamon and Director Tom shared with me in response to this project.

Most group writing projects I’ve participated in had many more entries than this one. I wonder why we had so few for this project? Here are some thoughts:

First, I think I could have gotten way more participation had I signed up with the Yahoo LinkedIn bloggers group. Why didn’t I do that? Because I’m only a superficial user of LinkedIn. After spending about 30 minutes trying to hunt down the LinkedIn profile badge I was required to show on this blog in order to become a member of that Yahoo group, I gave up. If I was a more well-versed user of LinkedIn, I probably would have known exactly where to pick up that badge, or, alternatively, I wouldn’t have given up after 30 minutes.

This is an example of something I have observed before: Even though these types of social media are free and open, there is still an invisible barrier between superficial and in-depth users. The fact that I had more submissions regarding Twitter on my other blog - a social media tool on which I spend quite a bit of time – bears that out.

Second, I suspect that group writing projects are part of a culture of bloggers who may not be hard-core social media types. For example, if you google for “group writing project” on Twitter pages you get – 9 hits. Nine. On LinkedIn? Zero. On my other site? 31. Yes. Little old Change Therapy with her under 1,000 posts has more than three times more hits on that topic than Twitter.

Group writing projects seem to be something that’s done much more by bloggers in the self improvement / productivity / “artsy” world than by the people who dominate social media: geeks (who have blogs but are constantly exploring the outer technological edges of the world) and people who like to chat and socialize, who often don’t have blogs.

What do you people think?

Every Friday, I post a blog entry related to breast cancer. It all started here, with Susan Reynold’s and Connie Reece’s breast cancer activism. (Actually, that wasn’t my first post on the subject since, sadly, I have more friends battling with this. The first post was about a great fundraiser for my friend and soulmate Haedy. And as I’m writing this, another friend of mine is getting ready for mastectomy on Tuesday.)

Anyways, so today I dugg around in Stumbleupon to see what they have to offer on the topic. Here’s what I found:

Let’s start with this - click on it, it’s fun - something that always motivates me.

I am protecting my ladyberries because it’s too late to save my mom/ sister/ daughter/ friends. I will save the world one breast at a time by getting outside.

Okay, so today I’ll get out and do some gardening.

Now let’s get scientific:

U.S. scientists are developing a breast cancer screening test that checks a woman’s saliva for evidence of the disease. They say they’ve identified 49 proteins in saliva that can actually distinguish healthy women from those with benign breast tumors and those with malignant breast tumors.

NEW YORK, NY - Researchers have identified a specific group of microRNA molecules that are responsible for controlling genes that cause breast cancer metastasis.

And here is some information on breast cancer among men.

Now for more breast cancer activists:

In 1989 Jan Adrian became one of the 1.8 million women in this country diagnosed with breast cancer. Treatments recommended to Jan focused on the physical body, leaving psychological, social, and spiritual needs unmet. Healing journeys - Cancer as a turning point was founded as a result.

Making memories writes:

It is our intention to “make a difference” in the lives of those suffering from this devastating disease. Our wish-granting service helps put the realities of this terminal illness aside, if just for a few days, while providing the opportunity for a family to spend quality time together. Our hope is that every metastatic breast cancer patient will be able to pass from this world comforted with the joy of having left his or her family a final beautiful memory—something the family will look back on and remember for a lifetime.

Oh, and don’t leave without clicking here to donate a mammogram.

Does some of this feel a bit too pink and commercial?

At the end of 2001, Barbara Ehrenreich, noted feminist author, published a long article in Harper’s Magazine. It was sharply critical of the ‘breast cancer movement’, suggesting that effort was placed into mammography and pink ribbons that could be better used elsewhere.Ehrenreich was diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing conventional therapy even while suggesting that she did not believe it was very effective.

HERE IS THE TALK Barbara Ehrenreich gave at Breast Cancer Action in San Francisco, CA:

I have to say that this here is definitely an example of commercializing breast cancer: http:// breastcancerawarenessribbon.info/. There is a site exactly like this for every conceivable breast cancer keyword. (Which is why I’ve written the link in such a way as to not create “google juice” for that site).

This cat, on the other hand, deserves all the juice I can give!

(This post is being submitted to the social media megaproject, started by Vivien at InspirationBit. The StumbleUpon section is hosted by Karen Zara).

Here it is: another terrific video from Lee LeFever’s Common Craft Show.

(This post is being submitted to the social media megaproject, started by Vivien at InspirationBit. The Twitter section is hosted by none other than myself at Change Therapy)

Over the past year or so that we’ve been posting to the Alphablogs site there have been some tremendous changes in the adoption of dynamic websites as a much more common practice than in the past. We’re proud to be part of this wave.

Terrific designers are doing wonderful things with WordPress and Drupal, making the world a better place for many of us. As the social networking/marketing fusion occurs at an increasingly rapid pace, we see many people standing in the dust, holding their few remaining belongings and asking with their eyes, “What happened?” as they watch the big buses recede over the horizon. And the question remains: what to do now?

We can look to history. In the very old days there was a phrase about the world wide web (or was it the internet?) “Get on it or get out of the way.” There are still some people asking, “Get on what exactly?” “What does it have to do with my business?” Well if you watch, learn and participate, the answers will come to you through participation. All you have to do is jump in and start swimming, and we can help you do that.

What if you don’t even care about the technology, but just want to have a website that you can update and maintain yourself, one that is as dynamic and changeable as the seasons, but with continuity and presence? Well this is the moment for you. It’s all happening now and it’s easily available and affordable.

A year ago we dedicated Alphablogs to provide a bridge for the individual entrepreneur or the very small business or consultancy - a communications bridge that would make use of all this wonderful new(ish) easy to use and easy to update web technology. We knew that many clients don’t need a big huge setup. We knew that not everyone can afford a total communication PR package. Others want to keep their costs as low as possible. Some small-business people just want to have a website, and some arts organizations heard they needed blogs, and some artists were ready to take that step into this form of publishing of their work, or self-promotion. In our work for real estate clients, we became aware of many dynamics of the process. It was simple to take what we knew, and offer it to the entrepreneurial clients who could use these skills.

Now we see the environment has sped up tremendously, and there is a new dynamic social marketing component that has really gone mainstream in the last year. Everyone is using the same buzzwords. If you don’t know where to start, how to approach it, or what to do, we can help smooth your entry. Some people say: “I don’t want a blog or any of that other stuff. I just need a website.” We can help you do just that - and just in case you might want to blog someday, the site we create for you will be ready for that (because we create your site using WordPress to begin with.)

(Thanks to Jabbara Edwards for her photo of Zeppi at Valdez Island)

Nettie: Your Emotional Blog Advisor

Dear Nettie,

After spending a delightful weekend away I came home to a totally disturbing message when I tried to log into my blog. 403. Forbidden. I freaked out! I was locked out of my own blog! In despair I tried to contact tech support with repeated emails. I was plagued with visions
of all my past posts, links and connections destroyed, swirling down the toilet. Everything lost. Gone. And I was angry, helpless, frustrated, desperate.

My question for you is this: how do I handle the intense feelings? Why do events like this have such a profoundly disturbing effect on me, and what can I do about my reactions?

(The problem, by the way, was eventually solved, but it took me a long time to recover my emotional equilibrium.) Do you have any advice for riding these waves?

signed,
Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here.

AAYWEH (as in ‘Oy vay’), unfortunately I know exactly how you feel.

Why does the world suddenly turn into a maelstrom of emotional chaos when something like that happens? I’ll tell you why: Because the internet is an incomprehensible black hole. Well, at least for most of us. When we get clubbed over the head by something on the internet, it’s like our fears of the bogeyman materialized, the monsters from under the bed have grabbed us by the ankle, the slimy sea creatures from the deep waters are wrapping their tentacles around us.

(Who’s calling me dramatic? You just wait until it happens to you!)

Honestly. We don’t know much about the internet (like, where exactly does it live??) and many of its mechanisms are quite mysterious. When something goes wrong it’s not like stubbing your real toe against a real rock. We can see what’s happening, we know the cause of the pain, we swear to high heaven, and then it’s over.

But who really knows where frankenstein.org is lurking, what it looks like and when it will attack again?

Enough of the whining. What can you do?

• Knowledge is power. As anyone who’s ever watched Scoobiedoo knows, when you take a flashlight to a monster, it usually evaporates. Almost all the internet related problems we mortals experience (i.e. those of us who don’t have two PhD’s in computer science) have been seen and dealt with before. And what’s that magic flashlight? Forums! If there’s a problem, there’s a forum where people talk about it – and about its solutions.
• Think back to a panicked moment in your life a few years back. The time you left your keys in the ignition and locked the car, leaving it in a bad neighbourhood. Remember how horrible it felt then. Then compare it to how it feels now. Big difference, isn’t it? Arm yourself with the knowledge that this time around, too, you won’t feel awful for a long time. Often just knowing that shrinks that dreadful feeling.
• Feelings of fear, anger and frustration ALWAYS find their way into your physical body. Right away. That’s the main reason why they feel so gross: knots in the stomach, a vise around the chest, knees like you’re suddenly 93. So go deal with the body! The worst thing you can do is eat potato chips and flop in front of the TV. Go out for a vigorous walk, get on your treadmill, turn on the music and dance!
• I also hear that backing things up helps. A rumor? Check it out for yourself.
• And of course there’s always a good glass of single malt.

Nettie

If you have a burning question or concern, send it right over to Nettie using the simple form on our Just Ask Nettie! page, or add it to the comments section below.

Today is Friday. You know the drill. Frozen Peas and Boobs on Ice. We’re all working on making breast cancer become obsolete.

Today I’d like to show you what Voxant is doing about helping people with breast cancer. They have put together a news feed on anything related to breast cancer. If you embed the feed in your blog and follow these instructions, any resulting revenue will go to the Frozen Pea fund, plus Voxant will donate an equivalent amount.

Today you can find me over at Reader Appreciation Project, where I wrote a guest post on appreciating those readers who we sometimes forget – fellow bloggers.

Reader Appreciation Project is a great blog that concentrates exclusively on how to best appreciate and interact with our readers. Example posts treat topics such as

• How do readers feel about monetization?
• How far do you want to go with pleasing your readers?
• Stepping outside your blogging niche.

Most posts are followed by a good comment conversation. If you’re wanting to build more and deeper community on your blog, Reader Appreciation Project is a great source of information.

As you can see, our Alphablog media dog is learning fast! He’s been reading some Barrington Nevitt, an old colleague of Marshall McLuhan’s. (Yes, he can read. Why not?)