It's on! Battle for control of the interverse!

Stargate TV-show fans know that as Teal'c has told the Jaffa many times that the Goa'uld may be powerful but they are NOT gods, I will tell you bloggers that Darren Rowse and Steve Ruebel may be a-list respected bloggers, but they also are NOT gods.

You hear about it whenever Rowse and Ruebel are right about something, but it gets "forgotten" when thay are not (anybody remember "lifestreaming" which was going to replace blogging? hahahahaa!)

Why Lifestream? To Model Leonardo Da Vinci - Steve Rubel

www.steverubel.com/why-lifestream-to-model-leonardo-da-vinci - Cached

Jun 26, 2009 – There have been a number of posts since I wrote yesterday that I am quitting blogging in favor of lifestreaming. A few of you wrote in ...

And who can forget that groundbreaker, Google BUZZ?

Google Buzz: We Might Be On To Something

www.dailyblogtips.com/google-buzz/ - Cached

Feb 11, 2010 – To illustrate my point: I received a Google Wave invite early on from a friend,... Darren Rowse also posted a similar post on Problogger. ...

Now, in July 2011, everybody's suddenly an expert on Google +1! It's amazing! They're spilling out of the woodwork! (there's also a lot of confusion about the Google+1 button and the Google facebook alternative. Are they one and the same? Related? Totally different? What is YOUR understanding of that? Care to leav it in comments, please?)

I was moved to comment on one of these "Google expert" articles. I wrote (see image above) that bloggers shouldn't act like lemmings and walk off digital cliffs on the say-so of Rowse or Rubel.

Here's a new knee-slapper for ya! Rubel now thinks TWITTER should be SCARED!

He bloggeth thus: "Social media networks have typically have one of two lineages - not both. They either first catch on with teens and twenty-somethings or they catch on with nerds (of which I count myself as one). Eventually there’s overlap.

Group A Graduates (Youth) Friendster, MySpace, Facebook and now Tumblr I would argue

Group B Graduates (Geeks) Blogs, Twitter, Friendfeed (RIP) and now Google+ I would say

I am seeing a lot of the same patterns here as when Twitter took off at SxSW several years ago. Except this time it’s much faster! Media, brands and celebs are jumping in. And, by it’s nature, Google+ can be a much more public network than Facebook will ever be."

"The bigger they are, the harder they FAIL."



Tags: problogger, Micro Persuasion



Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and Dave Lucas are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Dave Lucas and staff.

Google Vs. Facebook Vs. Twitter

I could hardly believe my eyes! Talk about drastic measures! This is as drastic as drastic gets!

I have concluded that the following article by Steve Rubel could serve as a lesson for any blogger who has suffered through the indignity of having his or her blog deleted beyond recovery. It's entitled "¶ Why I Adopted a Scorched Earth Policy, Dismantled Two Blogs and Jumped to Tumblr in a Single Weekend" written by the same fellow who was lead lemming in the "Posterous / Lifestreaming" movement (if indeed there ever was such a movement).

Perhaps its symbolic, but that’s exactly the approach I took to my digital presence this past Memorial Day weekend. I started a fresh new site on the future of media over on Tumblr. Then I promptly turned around and slashed both my TypePad-powered blog, which I ran from 2004 to 2009, and my Posterous blog, which I started with some fanfare back in 2009. With just two clicks of a mouse I rid the web of literally thousands of blog posts, some of which I am proud of - others less so - and redirected the URLs to the new site.

Now before you write off this decision off as simply a mid-life crisis, let me explain why I did so. There’s actually a method to my maddness.

I fundamentally believe that we are entering the next great era of the web - The Validation Era. In this age of too much content and not enough time, the public will increasingly need to hear things validated across four interconnected media clovers that are converging across four different screens - phones, tablets, PCs and TVs. To be successful, businesses and individuals will need to continually ensure their engagement spans the media cloverleaf.

These four media spheres include:

* Traditional media - powerful mainstream brands like CNN, the BBC and more
* Tradigital media - emergents like TNW, Politico and others that have social DNA
* Owned media - corporate/brand content (web and apps) that emulate media
* Social media - digital embassies in the big hubs - Twitter, YouTube, Facebook

That’s why I decided to jump to Tumblr and why I didn’t stay with Posterous or move to Wordpress or SquareSpace, all of which are solid platforms.

Tumblr is a truly unique hybrid. It sits squarely in the center of the Media Cloverleaf.

The premise appears interesting enough: "too much content, not enough time" (basically a new spin on the old "information overload") - and an emerging platform - tumblr.com - which the author sees as a "media cloverleaf".

OK - I actually LIKE that "media cloverleaf" descriptor. Keep in mind that "media presence" is illusory. Andy Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" concept applies here.

But then, Mr. Steve Lifestreamer revealed the apparent catalyst behind his self-inflicted blitzkreig: Google's +1. Oi vey! The digital finger snapped, and he responded immediately! Knee-jerk! I wouldn't call that "going where the media is" one bit!

I am sure you’re scratching your head as to why I deleted my old blogs, scorching the ground I once resided on. The answer is Google.

I believe that Plus One, if adopted, is a game changer. These endorsements, plus Facebook likes and other social signals, will help tell Google what to pay attention to and what to let fade away. I want to make it easy for Google. The only way to do so was to scorch the earth. Anything more will confuse it. I want one site to earn the +1s, not three.

Oh yeah - me too - I jumped on +1 - but I also signed up with MySpace, twitter and facebook long before each became wildly popular - and I also signed up with a bunch of "losers" who are no longer in existence!

And I'm on tumblr! I won't lie to you - I jumped on it after I saw that my buddy Little Miss B, Yarah Bravo, had opened a tumblr blog. I saw a platform with many desirbale features which could serve as a backup blog should any ills befall my blog*spot home! The former Lifestreamer closes his article with these words:

Today, the media spans four clovers and Tumblr seems like the perfect play. Time will tell.

Indeed. I guess we can write "Lifestreaming" off at this point? Tumblr is the new "it"??? OK. I'll play along!

Just like the tornados that nearly wiped Joplin off the map and surprised the folks in Massachusetts, "digital disaster" could strike at any time. You should always have a PLAN B, and save your blog on a CD or DVD!

By way of, by way of, by way of...

Here's another thought provoking article which deserves to be paired with this one, via Lindsay Oberst via Amplify via Mashable (donchajustluv referrrrals?)





Tags: lifestreaming, tumblr



Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and Dave Lucas are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Dave Lucas and staff.

Digital Aborigine Discovers Cyber El Dorado (Again)

The week ahead looks to be a very busy one for me on three four fronts: work, blog, literary and personal! After a really relaxing Sunday, I'm ready to tackle anything that lies ahead!

Let me tell you about Sunday first. Spent a good part of the day in the outdoors, which included a couple of walks, a bike ride and an intervention in
the case of a baby bird who had tumbled out of the nest.

This particular Sunday I also took the opportunity to do a bit of cooking! I was up (as usual) around 0500 and prepared a delicious full-course breakfast for all, including my famous "Happy Day/Secret Recipe" pancakes, as well as my special crowd-pleasing coffee!

The first walk came right after breakfast - I walked over to Stewart's to pick up more eggs, The Sunday New York Times and Times Union - and I played a win4 number for good measure. By the time I got back the rest of the house had awakened and were just sitting down to the fantastic breakfast. I retired to the parlor to read the papers and by the time I was through it was around 0930 - that's when I hit the outdoors, arriving back around 1:30pm, which is when I hit the internet for awhile.

Then around 4pm I began preparing a special dinner, as an old friend was coming by at 6. I decided upon my award-winning (no kidding!) Hungarian Goulash - the recipe actually given to me by the one the Road Warriors several years ago.

We had a great visit - great wine - great dinner - and he brought a special dessert! So, back to my week ahead: it's the fund drive at the station. I'll be busy each evening working on a few new blog articles as well as a DVD training course I'm writing for professionals related to my field. And then there's that book I've been writing... Yes, I'm back with the word processor, picking up where I left off several months back.

Last Friday after Wall St. closed, I checked my stocks - they're doing better than I expected! No, I didn't buy in to the LinkedIn IPO, but I will be looking into digital-storage firm Fusion-io, set to go public this week with shares expected to go for around 15 bucks each.

TODAY, Apple-man Steve Jobs is scheduled to unveil an online storage service iCloud (I HATE THE CLOUD CRAP) at the annual developers conference in San Francisco. That will get a lot of press.

The Week That Will Be June 6th Onwards...

Gigi Ibrahim, an Egyptian blogger and activist — she wears the 'hat' Gsquare86 on Twitter — spoke to The Lede via Skype in late January from an Internet cafe in Cairo - she's part of the youth movement that sparked the uprising in Egypt. Ibrahim and other Egyptian youth appear on this week's Time magazine cover.

Ibrahim is familiar to BBC viewers — her webcam a TV studio, her Twitter account a tool to connect with journalists across the world. “It’s important to me to be kind of like a citizen journalist, because our press here, not everything gets broadcast,” she says.

The 24-year old Ibrahim, the subject of a PBS report (video below) is one of the new generation of Arabs. There are many, many more just like her, waiting to answer revolution's call. Perhaps more importantly, in need of solid leadership once the revolution is complete.


PS - Steve Rubel, if you're reading this, this girl is everything "Life-streaming" is all about! Wouldn't you agree?

Freedom Fighter Gigi Ibrahim جييييج

Friends, these are difficult times. The worst of times for some. There is a family with good hearts looking forward to the holiday time ahead. But for them, the coming Christmas looks a little sparse.

They are neighbors, good people, who have fallen on hard times but haven't fallen down low enough (i.e. "lost everything") to qualify for free government relief and church-related hand-outs. They're on the edge of the abyss.

I'd like to raise anywhere from $300 to $500 - I know they'll appreciate whatever amount comes in. While it may not seem like much, it can help with holiday groceries and a few presents!

If you'd like to help, any amount you can give by clicking on the gold "Donate" button under the masthead to the right of Google Ads on the sidebar of this blog will be appreciated. (Right now, taht account is totally EMPTY - so every penny that goes in between now and noon New York time on Christmas Eve will be given to the needy family.) No amount is too small, but let's keep the minimum at USD $2, okay? THANK-YOU and Peaceful Blessings!

Share the Spirit! Help A Needy Family Make It Through Christmas.

The Blogosphere is a virtual community of millions of web logs - websites run by everyday people of all walks of life from around the globe, posting their opinions on a litany of topics online.

And it is a vibrant one: bloggers come with a great variety of backgrounds, educations, and specializations. It is within this community that college professors and soldiers, musicians and engineers, teachers and journalists, and others meet and discuss political news every day.

It takes a long time to get noticed in the blogosphere, and that's often after you've networked and made connections. My sense is that someone who works hard and puts out consistently good content will develop a readership. There's a tiny spark of hope that some of those reading your posts will have connections and will promote your blog. So, perseverance and output have to be first in order of importance to the successful blogging life. ( 1 )

Reciprocal linkage is the essential lubricant that makes the blogosphere purr with contentment. If somebody's throwing you traffic, you should either (a) give them a link-back update, or at a minimum (b) keep them in mind for future linkage. Because you don't want to end up on the wrong end of a kharmic unbalance in the 'sphere, where you're always taking and never giving.( 2 )

So what to write about? The easiest place to find blog fodder is Memeorandum, which has an algorithmic formula that automatically updates to tell you what the hot topics are in the 'sphere. ( 3 ) The technically ignorant among you can use google trends... nothing wron with that!

Above all, remember that S-E-X sells -- I was caught off-guard several years ago when I woke up one day and checked my blog stats and saw THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of hits! Where did these visitors come from? I just happened to have a post up already regarding a local teacher who was having sex with her students! That was an eye-opener for this blogger! The Other McCain (so FULL of info!) types ( 4 ) : "Back when I was blogging to promote Donkey Cons (BUY TWO!), I accidentally discovered something via SiteMeter: Because the subtitle of the book is "Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party," we were getting traffic from people Googling "donkey+sex." You'd be surprised at the keyword combinations that bring traffic to a ... blogger who understands this. Human nature being what it is, the lowest common denominator is always there, even if it's sublimated or reverse-projected."

TAKE PICTURES! Americanpowerblog ::: Bloggers are going to publish stories and pictures that the left-wing media establishment won't touch. Hence, photo-journalism is not only on the wave of the media future, it's a tremendous opportunity for people to get out into the public realm, to interact and find stories that are in demand. ( 5 )

And now for a few "Don'ts" ...
Don't "announce" when you're going out of town or where you will be at X o'clock

Don't post personal information about your family online. I've been stalked by those who can't stand what I write, for example, one blogger found my home address by researching property tax records and used that to threaten me and my family. If you speak truth to power, you'll make some enemies, but be not afraid. The brighter your light of moral clarity, the more vicious will be the pushback from the totalitarians on the left. Be true to yourself and put truth and values first and foremost in what you do. I'm confident those who combine diligence with talent can make it as a successful blogger.

DO ESTABLISH AND SHARE Linky Love ...
There are blogs that you are likely a fan of. Link them often. Let them know you link them too. Establish relationships with bloggers like yourself with similar interests. Make sure to make comments now and again at those sites, reciprocate links to your blog posts with links to theirs. Don't just link the big blogs, link your buddies. Heck, look for an excuse to do so. Also, keep a robust blogroll. Update it. Someone blogrolls you, you blogroll them and visa versa.

Pimp Your Blog...
And don't be afraid to do it. I write daily emails to a whole bunch of blogs, including the biggies like Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit, HotAir, Michelle Malkin, Gateway Pundit, The Other McCain, and many people on my blogroll up, sideways and down. In addition, make sure that the search engines know your blog exists! You can do that here:

http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl/

http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/

http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html/

http://www.technorati.com/signup/

http://www.technorati.com/ping/

http://www.feedburner.com/

Get your SEO tips 'n tricks here ...

Google Webmasters

Technorati Developers

VERY IMPORTANT Add a blogroll to your website - I don't see as many of these as I used to! They are a source of backlinks!

Do your blogging "job" properly - originate, mix and re-work your content! Do some original reporting (ie - make your opinion/analysis the emphasis of the post). If you simply rehash/copy-paste someone else's blog post, forget about it. There are some fair-use issues here, but there's an awful lot of variability in what people think that means. To some, no more than 1/4 of your blog post can be anything you copy/paste. For me, it's the quality, not the quantity. I've exceeded that 25% threshold but not to the detriment of my posts. There have been times, as in the case of breaking news, that most of your post will point to a current event unfolding right now. Just note that the more original reporting you do, the fewer posts you will write, but they will likely be of higher quality.

I emphasize: don't be copycat, but if you must, give a H/T or credit or otherwise recognize your source! And of course be sure to link your blog with your twitter or Facebook or whatever social networking platform(s) you are active in.

OK! Ready to point your blog in a new direction? Good! Last "Don't" --- DON'T ANNOUNCE IT OR TRY TO EXPLAIN IT OR TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Nobody cares! As the Nike folk recommend: "JUST DO IT!"

(1)(5)American Power Blog
(2)(3)(4)The Other McCain

Tags: blogging 101, blogging 101

Blogging 101 ::: THIS IS HOW WE DO IT