Some great tips from Matt Thompson at "What Makes A Great Blog: Principles for Success: A Poynter/NewsU Webinar."
Thompson's favorite blogs:
Romenesko
Dallas ISD
The Daily Dish
Lifehacker
Kottke
Lemondrop
Thompson said he organized his blogs by priority the "rock stars" and "great reads," using a RSS feed at www.google.com/reader
Thompson also talked about the 7 ways to affectively blog
Focus, Frequency, Links, Community, Voice, Visuals and Workflow
Focus: What is your niche? Aggregate and be aggregated. What purpose do you want your blog to fulfill?
Before you start ask: What is your shared interest? How will people engage with one another? How will you attract more people to your blog?
Frequency: ask: What brings us back? Make sure there is a reason for people to come back to you, Thompson said. Posting frequently is the key to boosting blog popularity, however, great content trumps everything - if you only post once a week make sure it's great content. He suggested a daily round-up and using comment as posts.
Links: Give love to get love. Thompson suggests trackback - post links to other blogs - they may link back to yours and help you increase your community. He said it's important to engage in other blogs. He suggested using http://blogsearch.google.com
Other key suggestions: It's the value of the short post. People like links and lists.
Community: It's like being a beat reporter - get to know your community - engage with them and think of ways to strengthen that bond ... perhaps a live chat or create a post from their comments - it'll increase your frequency and let them know you are listening. Encourage interaction but set clear boundaries - let them know up front that if they do not play nice - they will not be allowed to play at all.
Voice: Decide what the blog is going to be. Is it going to be a behind the scenes way of how you get your stories and then write them? Is it a way keep track of how you digest the news? Is it a journal of the receipts you try? According to Thompson first person does not decrease your credibility.
Visuals: Thompson called it "The 1,000 foot view," looking at a blog from far away. He suggests using photos or other tools to break up large blocks of text to keep people from being overwhelmed visually - the value of digression!
Workflow: Think of it as just another tool in your tool box. Make it work for you, integrate it into your workflow: write a short post "teaser" about the interesting interview you just did or the question that won't stop nagging you. Then close the circle and Tweet or Direct Message (DM) or Facebook (FB) that the story is done and send people to it.
This will increase your frequency.
Other tips: Let people know you blog - use your byline ... add to newspaper byline - reporter blogs regularly at www.yaddayadda.com
Absorb your competition - link to them but be the place to come for all the news on your issue.
It's a great place for College students to cut their teeth. They must own the process of blogging, direct their own focus and content. Get them excited about the ownership, Thompson said.
Remember it's not a column - it's organic - it will grow as you grow.
Finally, Thompson said there is not one way to blog - start slow with a basic blog - let it expand has your community grows.
For more classes at Poynter check out Poynter News U
Visit Thompson at SnarkMarket, vita.mn
If you want to read hash tags from the class on Twitter search #nuwebinar
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Facebook Privacy Guide
I created this privacy guide to help Soldiers protect themselves. Hope it helps the rest of you.
FacebookPrivacyGuide.ppt
FacebookPrivacyGuide.ppt
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Military and Generational Miscommunication
As Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li pointed out in Groundswell; the Internet is no longer a sandbox that can be walled off, it is fully integrated into all elements of business and society - including the life of many junior officers.
When Gen. B.B. Bell, commander U.S. Forces Korea, decided to block 13 popular social networking sites on May 15, 2007 a line of demarcation was drawn between senior military leaders and the junior officers largely comprised of Generation X born between 1961 and 1980 and Generation Y or Millennials born between 1981 and 2001 as defined by William Strauss and Neil Howe in their books Generations and Millennials Rising. This is only one example of the generational divide in communication and understanding, which has led to and will continue to lead to the attrition of junior officers unless something is done to bridge this gap.
Baby Boomers worked relentlessly, often sacrificing their marriages, family and personal lives as pointed out in Leonard Wong's study "Generations Apart Xers and Boomers in the Officer Corps." In his report, Wong points out that GenXers and Milennials, have deployed more than their Boomer counterparts and used social networking tools like video conferencing and Facebook to stay connected to their family and friends.
Connection to home equals comfort, comfort equals retention.
When the military started blocking those tools, it was just another example of how out of touch the senior leadership was with the needs of today's young leaders according to Mark Gebicke's essay "Military Attrition Better Data, Coupled with Policy Changes, Could help the Services Reduce Early Separation."
It's this atmosphere of mistrust that disenfranchises military youth and further accentuates the gap between senior military leaders and the Gen X Captains and Millennial Lieutenants.
I want to discuss three points in which GenX junior leaders are different from their Booker bosses.
First, unlike their Boomer bosses these young leaders are more comfortable with technology; secondly, culturally they are indifferent to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. And finally although they work hard they demand a work-life balance that their supervisors have sacrificed for careers.
Let's look at how GenX and Boomers relate to technology.
Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John M. Keane noted in a February 15, 2000 report, that the number of captains who were leaving the military had sharply risen. This was only two years after the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel released a message expressing little concern with the attrition of junior officers.
What changed?
The Army went from downsizing in the post-Cold War era to fighting a series of wars, wars that are fought as much on the ground as it is in cyberspace.
Currently, a third of all adult 18 and older have a profile on a social network site like MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Those numbers are higher when we look at the incoming Millennials and younger GenXers - 75 percent of American adults 18 - 24 and 57 percent of 25 - 34 year olds have a profile on a social networking site, and 65 percent of American teens 12 - 17 use these same sites, according to a January 2009 memo issued by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The fact that these young leaders are more technologically savvy might accentuate the gap in communication with senior leaders but it also makes them one of the military's greatest resources.
They are more aware of world affairs and use these tools not only to connect to friends and family while deployed, but as tools for career development, research, to multi-task and organize their ever increasing work load allowing them more time at home to watch their son play basketball or their daughter soccer.
By not allowing access to these tools the senior leadership sends a clear message that what junior officers need is unimportant, which continues to disenfranchise these officers encouraging them to leave, losing valuable resources for the military.
Serving one's country is honorable but not all defining for this younger generation of volunteer service members. Unlike their Boomer bosses born between 1946 and according to Strauss and Howe, neither GenXers nor Millennials expect to work for one employer.
That acceptance gives them the ability to envision other possibilities for themselves beyond the military.
Many 30 year olds have had an average of seven different jobs according to Peter Ronayne's paper "Getting the 'X' Into Senior Executive: Thoughts on Generation X and the Future of the SES."
Now let's look at how GenXers and Boomers differ in their views of sexual orientation. In that same paper, Ronayne points out one of the positive aspects of this "spiraling career pattern," pursuing a profession across many sectors, is the experience they gain working with a range of individuals that cover the American spectrum.
The GenXers entered a military focused on peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The Millennials, like their grandparents' generation, believe in family, community and teamwork - they have almost institutionalized volunteerism, according to Art Fritzson, Lloyd W. Howell, Jr., and Dov S. Zakheim's paper "Military of Millennials."
They want to serve; however, not when that service includes the degradation of their peers.
An issue recently brought to light by the "firing" of First Lieutenant Daniel Choi, an Iraq war veteran and West Point Graduate, who openly admitted to being gay while serving in the New York Army National Guard, in an open letter to the president and congress and posted on CNN.com.
Many of these young leaders, who grew up with openly gay peers in high school, believe in equity and solidarity, and the U.S. military's policy on homosexuality feels inappropriate and offensive to them.
Finally, let's look at how the generations balanced work and family life. Their patriotism, coupled with an unwavering want to improve the human condition, inspires them to endure many facets of the military they feel is contrary to their belief system. But that optimism and perseverance is not infinite.
Senior leaderships dogged "careerism" and loyalty to the military is in direct opposition to the younger officer's desire for work-life balance. In Millennials Rising, Howe wrote that GenY is deeply committed to family, community, and teamwork. They volunteer at a higher rate and seek work at non-profits. They do not work for money but for a sense of community and family.
Called the "neglected generation" by M.J. Stephey in Time magazine in 2006, 13 GenX was born into a time of soaring divorce rates and working mothers. As "latchkey" children they learned to fend for themselves and developed a strong sense of self that is often misinterpreted at arrogance. However, they crave that familial connect they did not get in childhood and many have found it through their service in the military according to Wong's research.
In closing, young officers have proven that they are willing to leave a job that no longer provides what they need to develop professional or personally, according to Ronayne's research.
These young officers are an asset the military cannot afford to squander. They bring a needed sense of esprit de corps back to the services, they invigorate a stale sensibility and they demand a moral code that is higher than the military has seen in years.
If the leadership does not reconcile itself with this new generation they will continue to lose talented and inspired individuals to attrition which will create an even larger gap in institutional knowledge in the future.
The gap in communication and understanding is not insurmountable. These young officers were brought to the military by their desire to help people and their want to serve. Mentor young officers - actually listen to them. Ensure that they have the technology they need to complete their mission, amend Army policy to better reflect current law, policy, and culture and make real effort to ensure they have the time to attend the significant events in their families' lives.
Knowledge is power, we're ready to talk, are you?
(note: from a speech written by me for the PAOCQ course)
When Gen. B.B. Bell, commander U.S. Forces Korea, decided to block 13 popular social networking sites on May 15, 2007 a line of demarcation was drawn between senior military leaders and the junior officers largely comprised of Generation X born between 1961 and 1980 and Generation Y or Millennials born between 1981 and 2001 as defined by William Strauss and Neil Howe in their books Generations and Millennials Rising. This is only one example of the generational divide in communication and understanding, which has led to and will continue to lead to the attrition of junior officers unless something is done to bridge this gap.
Baby Boomers worked relentlessly, often sacrificing their marriages, family and personal lives as pointed out in Leonard Wong's study "Generations Apart Xers and Boomers in the Officer Corps." In his report, Wong points out that GenXers and Milennials, have deployed more than their Boomer counterparts and used social networking tools like video conferencing and Facebook to stay connected to their family and friends.
Connection to home equals comfort, comfort equals retention.
When the military started blocking those tools, it was just another example of how out of touch the senior leadership was with the needs of today's young leaders according to Mark Gebicke's essay "Military Attrition Better Data, Coupled with Policy Changes, Could help the Services Reduce Early Separation."
It's this atmosphere of mistrust that disenfranchises military youth and further accentuates the gap between senior military leaders and the Gen X Captains and Millennial Lieutenants.
I want to discuss three points in which GenX junior leaders are different from their Booker bosses.
First, unlike their Boomer bosses these young leaders are more comfortable with technology; secondly, culturally they are indifferent to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. And finally although they work hard they demand a work-life balance that their supervisors have sacrificed for careers.
Let's look at how GenX and Boomers relate to technology.
Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John M. Keane noted in a February 15, 2000 report, that the number of captains who were leaving the military had sharply risen. This was only two years after the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel released a message expressing little concern with the attrition of junior officers.
What changed?
The Army went from downsizing in the post-Cold War era to fighting a series of wars, wars that are fought as much on the ground as it is in cyberspace.
Currently, a third of all adult 18 and older have a profile on a social network site like MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Those numbers are higher when we look at the incoming Millennials and younger GenXers - 75 percent of American adults 18 - 24 and 57 percent of 25 - 34 year olds have a profile on a social networking site, and 65 percent of American teens 12 - 17 use these same sites, according to a January 2009 memo issued by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The fact that these young leaders are more technologically savvy might accentuate the gap in communication with senior leaders but it also makes them one of the military's greatest resources.
They are more aware of world affairs and use these tools not only to connect to friends and family while deployed, but as tools for career development, research, to multi-task and organize their ever increasing work load allowing them more time at home to watch their son play basketball or their daughter soccer.
By not allowing access to these tools the senior leadership sends a clear message that what junior officers need is unimportant, which continues to disenfranchise these officers encouraging them to leave, losing valuable resources for the military.
Serving one's country is honorable but not all defining for this younger generation of volunteer service members. Unlike their Boomer bosses born between 1946 and according to Strauss and Howe, neither GenXers nor Millennials expect to work for one employer.
That acceptance gives them the ability to envision other possibilities for themselves beyond the military.
Many 30 year olds have had an average of seven different jobs according to Peter Ronayne's paper "Getting the 'X' Into Senior Executive: Thoughts on Generation X and the Future of the SES."
Now let's look at how GenXers and Boomers differ in their views of sexual orientation. In that same paper, Ronayne points out one of the positive aspects of this "spiraling career pattern," pursuing a profession across many sectors, is the experience they gain working with a range of individuals that cover the American spectrum.
The GenXers entered a military focused on peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The Millennials, like their grandparents' generation, believe in family, community and teamwork - they have almost institutionalized volunteerism, according to Art Fritzson, Lloyd W. Howell, Jr., and Dov S. Zakheim's paper "Military of Millennials."
They want to serve; however, not when that service includes the degradation of their peers.
An issue recently brought to light by the "firing" of First Lieutenant Daniel Choi, an Iraq war veteran and West Point Graduate, who openly admitted to being gay while serving in the New York Army National Guard, in an open letter to the president and congress and posted on CNN.com.
Many of these young leaders, who grew up with openly gay peers in high school, believe in equity and solidarity, and the U.S. military's policy on homosexuality feels inappropriate and offensive to them.
Finally, let's look at how the generations balanced work and family life. Their patriotism, coupled with an unwavering want to improve the human condition, inspires them to endure many facets of the military they feel is contrary to their belief system. But that optimism and perseverance is not infinite.
Senior leaderships dogged "careerism" and loyalty to the military is in direct opposition to the younger officer's desire for work-life balance. In Millennials Rising, Howe wrote that GenY is deeply committed to family, community, and teamwork. They volunteer at a higher rate and seek work at non-profits. They do not work for money but for a sense of community and family.
Called the "neglected generation" by M.J. Stephey in Time magazine in 2006, 13 GenX was born into a time of soaring divorce rates and working mothers. As "latchkey" children they learned to fend for themselves and developed a strong sense of self that is often misinterpreted at arrogance. However, they crave that familial connect they did not get in childhood and many have found it through their service in the military according to Wong's research.
In closing, young officers have proven that they are willing to leave a job that no longer provides what they need to develop professional or personally, according to Ronayne's research.
These young officers are an asset the military cannot afford to squander. They bring a needed sense of esprit de corps back to the services, they invigorate a stale sensibility and they demand a moral code that is higher than the military has seen in years.
If the leadership does not reconcile itself with this new generation they will continue to lose talented and inspired individuals to attrition which will create an even larger gap in institutional knowledge in the future.
The gap in communication and understanding is not insurmountable. These young officers were brought to the military by their desire to help people and their want to serve. Mentor young officers - actually listen to them. Ensure that they have the technology they need to complete their mission, amend Army policy to better reflect current law, policy, and culture and make real effort to ensure they have the time to attend the significant events in their families' lives.
Knowledge is power, we're ready to talk, are you?
(note: from a speech written by me for the PAOCQ course)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Don't be offended if I un-friend you
Some people connect hoping to find old school friends, a job, network, or to see if they can get more followers than Ashton Kutcher. Regardless, of why they connected at some point everyone wonders: Is it time to disconnect?
For me connecting has been an amazing adventure into the powerful world of social media. We are seeing right now how it's changing the world in Iran. And don't get me wrong, I've connected to some amazing people in the social media world and learned a great deal. However, there comes a time when you have to decide - is this a professional place or a personal place.
I never thought I'd have to draw that line - I'm a neurotic hippy and believe in communal living. I'm fond of saying I don't have an esoteric bone in my body. So, for me it's always been a personal place and I didn't mind sharing that place with my professional contacts. It's a place where I'm supposed to be safe to share my joys and vent my frustrations. We all have bad days, right. The problem Im having is I no longer feel like I can be myself - so I'm going to start disconnecting. I'm leaving this job soon for Iraq and I don't want to feel as if I can't be honest about how I feel during what will obviously be a very stressful time. I want to know that the groups of people sharing my virtual world are there to support me and love me - warts and all.
So, please don't be offended if I un-friend you, it's nothing personal.
Maybe we can be friends again in the future.
For those also contemplating disconnecting here are some tutorials.
LinkedIn:
Disconnecting is as easy as going to the "Connections" screen, click "Remove Connections" at the top right-hand side, and then choosing and confirming who you want to disconnect from.
Twitter:
Go to the Profile page, click on "Followers," click "Remove," and if you don't want them to follow you click "Blocked."
Facebook
Click on "Friends" tab at top of page. Click on "All Friends" tab in the upper, left hand corner of the page. Click on the big "X" to the far right of their name. To block someone go to "Settings" in the upper right hand corner of the page. Click on privacy – at the bottom of the page is a box type the person's name and click the "Block" button.
If you are worried about reprisal don't
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn none of them will inform your connection that you disconnected from them.
On Facebook and Twitter you can go one extra step and block people – this makes them unable to see you at all like you don't exist.
For LinkedIn if the disconnected individual invites you to connect again, they will get an error message saying something to the effect that "This user cannot be invited at this time".
If they contact you directly - you have to decide how to explain yourself. I'm for ignoring the issue personally or announcing it on my blog - depends how I feel that day.
If you decide that you want to reconnect you can re-invite the person you disconnected from, in which case the connection will be fully restored
The ability to disconnect makes me feel like I have some, small seminence of power over my own life.
For me connecting has been an amazing adventure into the powerful world of social media. We are seeing right now how it's changing the world in Iran. And don't get me wrong, I've connected to some amazing people in the social media world and learned a great deal. However, there comes a time when you have to decide - is this a professional place or a personal place.
I never thought I'd have to draw that line - I'm a neurotic hippy and believe in communal living. I'm fond of saying I don't have an esoteric bone in my body. So, for me it's always been a personal place and I didn't mind sharing that place with my professional contacts. It's a place where I'm supposed to be safe to share my joys and vent my frustrations. We all have bad days, right. The problem Im having is I no longer feel like I can be myself - so I'm going to start disconnecting. I'm leaving this job soon for Iraq and I don't want to feel as if I can't be honest about how I feel during what will obviously be a very stressful time. I want to know that the groups of people sharing my virtual world are there to support me and love me - warts and all.
So, please don't be offended if I un-friend you, it's nothing personal.
Maybe we can be friends again in the future.
For those also contemplating disconnecting here are some tutorials.
LinkedIn:
Disconnecting is as easy as going to the "Connections" screen, click "Remove Connections" at the top right-hand side, and then choosing and confirming who you want to disconnect from.
Twitter:
Go to the Profile page, click on "Followers," click "Remove," and if you don't want them to follow you click "Blocked."
Click on "Friends" tab at top of page. Click on "All Friends" tab in the upper, left hand corner of the page. Click on the big "X" to the far right of their name. To block someone go to "Settings" in the upper right hand corner of the page. Click on privacy – at the bottom of the page is a box type the person's name and click the "Block" button.
If you are worried about reprisal don't
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn none of them will inform your connection that you disconnected from them.
On Facebook and Twitter you can go one extra step and block people – this makes them unable to see you at all like you don't exist.
For LinkedIn if the disconnected individual invites you to connect again, they will get an error message saying something to the effect that "This user cannot be invited at this time".
If they contact you directly - you have to decide how to explain yourself. I'm for ignoring the issue personally or announcing it on my blog - depends how I feel that day.
If you decide that you want to reconnect you can re-invite the person you disconnected from, in which case the connection will be fully restored
The ability to disconnect makes me feel like I have some, small seminence of power over my own life.
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