It happens to the best of us.

If you’ve ever started a blog (and given that there are roughly a kagillion or so blogs on the Internet, there’s a good chance that you have) you may be familiar with this scenario:

You’re all excited. You’re convinced this is your ticket to fame and fortune. You craft what you think is pure genius, words that Shakespeare and his would-be blogging cronies would envy. Your fingers shake as you hit Publish Post. You tell all your friends and relatives that you’re A Blogger. You feel like you’ve won a Pulitzer when someone comments on your words of wisdom. You vow to post something Every. Single. Day.

And then, after a few weeks or months, it happens.

You skip a few days, then weeks, thinking that nobody will really notice. Weeks become months. You start feeling that every post must be perfect, free from errors, go viral in nanoseconds, attract hundreds of comments. You come down with a raging case of Blog Guilt.

And there your blog sits, collecting dust, trapped in blog purgatory.

You, my friend, have lost that blogging feeling.  (Cue up The Righteous Brothers.)

It’s like our blogs are a car and our posts are the battery. If you find yourself in such a situation (as Will admitted to me when we found ourselves paired up as partners for this project), here are 10 ways to jump-start your blog to try and get your blogging mojo back.

1. Do a restaurant/movie/book/TV show/area attraction review. People love to get opinions from real people who they already trust. As a book blogger, I know that my readership looks to my blog (and others) for interesting books. If you’re not a reader, have your kids write a book review or blog about your favorite books from childhood. Re-read them now as an adult and tell how they have or haven’t changed. Discuss a recent movie or TV show. Tell your readers about a little-known or off-the-beaten path attraction in your community.

2. Offer up your commentary on issues in the news. You don’t need to be a political analyst or a lightning rod for the hot-button issues of the day, unless that’s your schtick. Do you have a personal connection to an issue that’s being discussed in the news, either locally or nationally? Those are the kind of posts readers connect with and that help to put a human face on the issues.

3. Poll your readers. Ask them what topics you’re an expert in. You may be surprised at their answers. That could lead to a series of lists or Q and A posts.

4. Pop culture is blogging gold. When I attended BlogHer in August 2010, then YouTube sensation 12 year old Grayson Chance performed. I didn’t know who the hell he was (he’s a boy teen-star singer type, for those not in the know), so I blogged about my befuddlement – and needing a Facebook lifeline from my other 40-something year old mom friends. That post went platinum, becoming my most popular post for months and, two years later, is still among my top posts. You never know what will resonate with people.

5. Photos, photos, photos. Did I mention photos? Readers love photos. And you know what? You don’t have to have a fancy-schmancy $3,000 Nikon to do a photo post of your garden, your holiday traditions, your everyday routine, or your dinner. If you think you do, you’re just post-crastinating on writing your blog post.

6. Speaking of dinner, you don’t need to be a food blogger to write about food. Do you make a mean minestrone or manicotti? Set a place for your reader at your table and give us the recipe or wax nostalgic about a dish or restaurant you once loved.

7. Dig through your archives. What were you writing about a year or six months ago? Are there updates? Changes? Maybe your readership would be interested in hearing how a situation or a problem turned out.

8. Be charitable. Do you support a particular non-profit organization? Is there a cause that has touched your heart? Are you participating in a charity fundraiser? Tell your readers about it. (As a former director of development, I recommend double-checking with the nonprofit itself before using logos. Chances are, they’ll welcome and greatly appreciate the additional public relations.)

9. Ask for guest posts. Bloggers are a compassionate bunch. We love to help each other out, so put out a call soliciting guest posts to include on your blog. A blogging friend would be thrilled to recycle a favorite post from their site to attract new readers.

10. Hang with like-minded friends. Here in Pittsburgh, the blogging community is a pretty social bunch. We have a Facebook page (Pittsburgh Bloggers) and in-person events such as Pgh Tweetups and Podcamp Pittsburgh, just to name a few. If you’re not nearby, see if your community offers something similar or try to organize a blogging get-together. (And blog about it!)

Soon, you may find that you’ve been able to bring back that blogging feeling for good – before it’s completely gone, gone, gone.

Melissa Firman, a corporate content writer and editor for independently and self-published authors, has been blogging since August 2008 at The Betty and Boo Chronicles. She writes about the books she’s reading, the novel she’s writing, the perplexities of pop culture and politics, raising a child with autism, and getting dinner on the table … all with a native Philadelphian accent and a love for her new city of Pittsburgh.

Connect with Melissa,

Flashback: Move-in day!

Continuing education past high school is a tough choice to make. Students often can’t wait to get out of school and set out on their own, but the benefits of a continued education can sometimes far outweigh the costs.

Sure, you’ll be drowning in student loans for a while, but the training you receive at a good school can prepare you for a career in a field you truly love. College, certification courses, and even some extra technical training can make a world of difference on your resume, and your general outlook on your field.

Here are a few reasons you should consider a continued education after high school.

The Search for Employment

It’s a tough market out there for anyone searching for a job without some extra education on their resume. Employers are being pickier than usual, and candidates really have to shine in order to get an interview in almost every professional field.

It isn’t enough just to have passion. You have to demonstrate experience to get your foot in the door, and education is one way to get that much-needed experience.

The technology industry is heavily driven by certifications rather than degrees. Just taking the time to grab a few certifications can pay off for you. The difference between tech support and project management is often determined by qualifications. Having a few certifications that prove you know how to do something is a big deal. Some companies require specific certifications for many different reasons. A data center running primarily HP servers might want someone with HP certifications in order to maintain warranties and ensure that the job gets done right.

The choice of whether or not to go to college is an important one that could very well change your life. Even if you don’t go for a degree, many continued education institutions offer classes and certifications that can help you get the edge you need during the job search.

Some of the Best Ideas Come Out of College

This one might not be advertised on the flyer a university passes out, but some of the biggest companies in the world were founded in a dorm room at a college or university. Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, and countless other businesses started out as an idea thought up by a student and supported by the tools made available by a learning institution.

During college, you’ll meet like-minded individuals that share some of the passion and desire you do to make a mark on the world. The inspiration for the next Facebook could very likely come from a class or a dorm room discussion. A lot more comes out of a learning environment than just smarter students with a degree.

A Little Knowledge Goes a Long Way

There are some things that are just easier to learn in a classroom than they are on the job. While the opposite is certainly true in many cases, there are techniques and practices an experienced professor can teach you that you might not see being properly utilized in the job market. This could actually put you at an advance. You’re often learning these skills from someone that has been there and gone through the trial and error process more than a few times.

Businesses all across the world have on-the-job training. These training courses teach you how the business wants specific tasks done. What they don’t prepare you for are the unforeseen circumstances that don’t come up every day. A little extra education goes a long way here, and it may give you the edge you need to excel rather than just get the job done.

No matter your preferred method of education, it’s important not to rule it out as a possibility. If you ever feel trapped in a given career, a quick course or certification can actually propel you into a different field of your choice. It’s that foot in the door that can make a difference in your life.

Social Media in Four Questions, Interview #1 from Eric Williams on Vimeo.

I decided to not be passive at Podcamp Pittsburgh this year. So, in order to create some content, I hooked cheap lapel and headset mics to my Kodak Zi8 and interviewed attendees (mostly at the meet and greet before the actual conference).

I asked four questions of everyone:

1. What’s the best thing about social media?

2. What’s the worst?

3. What makes Pittsburgh social media unique and special?

4. What one stupid question would you like to ask everyone?

In a few of the interviews, question 4 was phrased in reference to Chachi Says: The Vidcast. Ask @chachisays if you need an explanation.

This is interview #1, conducted with Will Reynolds Young (@theebayk1d).

 

I always welcome impromptu interviews about subjects that I love. I hope to see you at Podcamp Pittsburgh Next Year!

Miguel Helft’s, May 13, 2011, New York Times article “Facebook, Foe of Anonymity, Is Forced to Reveal a Secret” discusses Facebook’s PR smear campaign against Google’s Social Circle. As a rule, Facebook prides itself in transparency. “Having two identities for your self is an example of lack of integrity,” Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg has been quoted. However, Helft’s article debunks Zukerberg’s statement by providing testimony from sources at Facebook’s PR firm, Burson-Marsteller, that Facebook anonymously planted critical articles about Google’s Social Circle.  Shortly after this incident, experts from various aspects of the industry came forward in agreement that Facebook made a mistake by remaining anonymous. “It’s just unacceptable,” said Tom Goldstein, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. “Journalists should announce who they are and people who deal with journalists should announce who they are and where they are coming from.” David Kirkpatrick author of “The Facebook Effect, also points out, “Doing this anonymously is an obvious contradiction of Facebook’s oft-stated values.” The main issue is not that Facebook engaged in a smear campaign but that they did so anonymously through the PR firm. Chief executive of the Public Relations Society of America Rosanna M. Fiske says, “In the essence of the public relations code of ethics 101, that’s a no-no.”

Facebook defends their actions by releasing a statement pertaining to Google’s use of third party information. However, Helft reveals in his article that users of Google services opt-in by linking their Google Accounts to the service Social Circle searches. So even in the statement Facebook issued they lack transparency.

Evident throughout the article is Facebook’s inability to cope with Google playing in the social game. Arguably, Facebook is losing ground and using slimy tactics to try and gain an edge. Instead of using this strategy they should engage Google to rekindle their previous partnership. Furthermore, I disagree with Facebook’s directive to their PR firm for anonymity in these and other issues stated, specifically Facebook’s privacy issues.

It is hypocritical that Facebook accuses Google of using third party information when Facebook as a company has been controversial in their own use of members’ private information.  I believe in the most ethical behavior when dealing with matters of the public arena and individual privacy. If I were Facebook in this matter I would have addressed this issue in serious and transparent manner and admitted to my wrong doing through apologetic public statement. If I were Facebook in this situation, I would have created a media campaign highlighting the detrimental issues of Google’s new service and educated users about how their personal and private information would be used. This would garner respect and loyalty with the current customer base and help gain new members.

In conclusion, I find ethical behavior creates customer loyalty and builds brand trust.  Practicing high ethical standards and transparency as rule will ensure repeat business and build brand loyalty. It would be wise for Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg to follow his own advice, “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.”

Eldon, Eric. Facebook’s Failed Privacy PR Campaign Against Google: An Industry Practice, Poorly Done. 12 May 2011. 26 May 2011

<http://www.insidefacebook.com/2011/05/12/facebooks-failed-privacy-pr-campaign-against-google-an-industry-practice-poorly-done/>.

Helft, Miguel. Facebook, Foe of Anonymity, Is Forced to Explain a Secret. 13 May 2011. 26 May 2011 <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/technology/14facebook.html>.

1. Advanced Task Killer –  easily terminate processes running on your Android device.
2. AndChat – simple yet functional IRC Client.
3. Astrid – To-Do list as a Widget
4. Backgrounds – hundreds of beatiful backgrounds.
5. Bump – easily swap contact information between Android, iPhone and iPod Touch Devices.
6. Trapster – alerts you to speed traps and road hazards.
7. Documents To Go – full featured document editing.
8. Dropbox – Sync files between computers and your device
9. DroidLight – a simple flash light
10. FourSquare – location based check-in game
11. Gmail notifier – separate notification types per each Gmail account
12. iSyncr  – easily Sync your Droid device with your iTunes
13. ICE: In Case of Ememrgency – easily access Ememergency contact information.
14. Last.Fm – much more than your tradtional radio
15. LiveScore – easy access to all sport scores.
16. My Backup Pro – Super simple back-up.
17. NewRob – An Google Reader application
18. Robo Defense – A fun yet simple game
19. Seesmic – The best twitter application out there
20. SMS Backup – back-up all your sms messages to your gmail
21. TV-Guide – Easy TV and Simple Listing
22. Voice – the most amazing Voice application to date.
23. WeatherBug – An weather app that easy an easy widget and tool bar in addition to a full app
24. Yelp – Reviews for where you are or where you may be going.
25. Zillow – check current real estate values, listing, and sales

Any apps you see missing? Any you do not like? Comments are welcome.

I will be attending PodCamp Pittsburgh 5 in person for the first time. Last year I attended PodCamp Pittsburgh 4 via the online streaming provided by Vivo. In addition to attending this year I am also assisting on the organization committee helping work out the details of the event. I am excited for a week-end of fun where I can learn, interact, and apply with fellow Pittsburghers. I have already purchased my VIP ticket and hope to see you there! Last year 365 people attended! Check out the video archives.

WHEN: September 17th – Meet & Greet at AlphaLabs in the Southside
September 18-19 – Sessions 9 to 4pm daily

WHERE: The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, 420 Boulevard of the Allies, 15219

HOW MUCH: Free! For $25 you can be a VIP Sponsor and get a nice swag bag. Register here

Learn More
Register
Video Archives
Vivo

I hope to see you there!

~Will Reynolds Young

Social media is becoming one of the main tactics of marketing, but its popular initiative can be useful and successful not for all the businesses.

Before taking the decision about an implementation of social media into the company’s activity, the organization should think about pros and cons of such innovation: it will give an understanding what some of the main benefits and challenges of this marketing tactic are.

Social Media is cheap or even for free! Social media can be a very economically effective marketing strategy. Using such social networks as Facebook or Twitter advertisements the company can get most of the social media marketing done with for a very low cost or totally for free.

However Social media may be free in advertising cost it requires continual time and effort in order to create a positive and relevant presence of the company. The time spent on this activity can be for initiatives which may suit the company business better. If the company can not set aside the resources and time in order to support its social media accounts then it isn’t a useful initiative.

Social media can assist in creating buzz around the company. News is spread quickly in the sphere of social media and this can help to create an engaged audience for the brand of the company. Social media creates a platform for free publicity for new resources, products, and so on.

All news is not always good news. Sometimes news is spread too fast for the company to keep up with the reactions from its followers. Any person can have a voice and he can use it to offer its opinion about the organization, with or without its consent.

Social media can help the company to improve relationships with its current customers. It can help increase purchase frequency of current customers and strengthen relations. The company’s customer relation levels can increase based on relations nurtured with the help of social media.

Social media is not perfect for customer acquisition. In the case, when the company’s main goal is to immediate and quantifiable results for customer acquisitions it may not get the results it would like.

These are few of the big quantity of pros and cons of social media. The company that wants to use social media in its activity should remember that all businesses are different and while social media may be an effective marketing channel for some, it does not necessary mean that every business should just jump right in! It takes time and commitment the same as every other marketing strategy that is used by the company.

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!
5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.
6. That’s Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you’re welcome. (I want to add in a clause here – This is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’ . That will bring on a ‘whatever’).
8. Whatever: Is a woman’s way of saying F– YOU!
9. Don’t worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’ For the woman’s response refer to # 3.

* Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology.

* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause they know it’s true!!!

I found this really funny I hope you do too, feel free to pass it on!

This Christmas I was gifted a Motorola Droid running the Android 2.0 OS by Google. Previously I had been a Blackberry Pearl 8130 user for 3 years. Both phones are on the Verizon Network and carrying the same type of required data fields and generally have the same variation of features. So currently I have had my Droid, as most call it, for just about 1 month and have found plenty of things I miss and don’t.

The single most irritating issue with my Blackberry Pearl was the fact the memory was not there. Meaning even if I could find an application I wanted in the very limited and expensive app world I usually couldn’t install it. The application I did have installed on my Pearl were UberTwitter, Pandora, Google Sync, Gmail, and finally Facebook. Just having those applications installed took all of the on board memory of the Blackberry Pearl often to the point where the phone would just start deleting messages and missed calls before they were even shown. To put the icing on the cake for this issue the Pearl had a MicroSD slot but you could only use that for music, pictures and videos. This pretty much renders the expandable memory useless. From there another huge issue I had was the battery. With Blackberry emerging into a market of apps that their phone weren’t made for you just ate battery. In the last year of owning my Pearl I got in the habit of carrying an extra battery with me at all times behind the phone case. I also carried a phone charger and wall charger along with an emergency charger that ran on AA batteries in my glove compartment. One of the great advantages of the Blackberry at the time I bought it was a cutting edge phone for business users. It combined your business and personal calendars along with your email all on one device. However, without withe large corporate Exchange server this becomes difficult to manage and rather repetitive. Another point to make when I bought this phone was I had choice between the Blackberry Pearl, Blackberry Curve, and the LG. Before you go crazy on me in comment, yes the rather new to the market iPhone was a choice at this time. If you know me and follow me on Twitter (http://Twitter.com/TheeBayk1d) you know I am not a big fan of AT&T however, I am a big fan of Apple and do own a several Apple Products (MacBook Pro, Apple iPod Classic, PowerMac G4.)

Before I go on to the most important part of this article you must know my reasons for not using AT&T service. Throughout my life I have had every single major carrier at some point. I started with a prepaid phone on AT&T quickly switch to Cricket Wireless then to T-Mobile, Sprint and now Verizon. What I have found about AT&T is they always end up being more expensive of a service for my and our family use. We currently have three phones sharing 4,000 minutes, unlimited messaging and two internet enabled devices. Since the we have such a high plan coupled with we have always had at least one line on Verizon for the last 10 years they treat us very well. I am not about to give that up for a higher priced plan and arguably less coverage and service.

When searching for a new phone as I have been for the last year I constantly considered the iPhone coming to Verizon and the new phones coming to the market but it was always a large disadvantage to choosing the best of the current bunch of phones. I knew in November after hearing about the release of the Droid and how many people were thrilled with it’s service that I would be either purchasing it myself or receiving it by January.

There are many amazing features of the Droid and still many I can’t believe they over looked. Among the features I miss from the Pearl are spell check and a great prediction software. I can say with a certainly suretype on the Blackberry is the best text prediction software I have ever used. It learns from how you type, it learns from how often you use words and it still helps you spell things correctly. The Droids physical keyboard is very nice however there is NO I repeat NO spell check built-in on the Droid anywhere. You can download applications for spell checking but they will not work for gmail. Comparing the reviews of the Droid Keyboard I do not see it as bad as many say. While the Pearl keyboard was another keyboard that was widely critiqued and I had title issue with it. The Droid Keyboard has some room for improvement  though. The keys could use a raised surface and that would make a world of difference. The biggest flaw in the Droid keyboard is the alternate keys. It has a row of numbers, then symbols, and finally random symbols mixed with often used characters. Overall in comparing what the Droid has vs what the Blackberry has is a world of difference.

To conclude this article I am going to layout my Pros and Cons of the Droid in chart format.

Pros
Market Size – There have been very few application that I have wanted that the market has not had.
Open Market – Having an Open Market means you are open to so many more applications and you get updates quicker and more often.
Open OS – Allowing modification of the OS allows you to do virtually anything you want with your phone you can imagine.
Physical Keyboard – Love having a Physical Keyboard – Never been a fan of the Virtual Keyboards.
Tethering is easy/ not limited – Tethering on the Droid is as easy as installing an Application on your computer and on your phone. (Edit: Verizon no longer allows Tethering with the Motorola Droid with the new Fyro update)
Expandable Memory (16gb included to 32gb) – My biggest problem in the Blackberry was lack of memory.

Cons
Spellcheck – Imagine sending important business emails without spell checking them, A major oversight!
Multi Touch – Nowhere near as big as a con as I originally thought.
Google knows all – Google with the Droid has your location, email, and contacts along with preference all in one device!

Will “theeBayk1d” Reynolds Young

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