Archive for the 'Favourites' Category

by Angie Macdonald

Yang-May : “I’m delighted to say that Angie Macdonald is joining ZenGuide as partner, specialising in web-content writing and blog management/ editing for businesses. She has a background in teaching and drama, freelance journalism and high-performance coaching.

Enjoy!”

Let’s face it, finding ideas for your business blog isn’t always easy. There may be times when you’re overflowing with thoughts and ideas and others when you hit a blank wall, or rather, a blank screen. Nothing. Zilch. Your readers are waiting for their weekly or even daily update, and you have nothing to say. Panic sets in and you haven’t a clue where the next idea is going to come from.

Relax. You’re in good company. Any writer worth their salt will be able to recount tales of when the muse deserted them. But what they may not tell you, is that there are many ways to encourage the muse to return, to free up the brain and get those creative juices flowing again.

History is full of stories of inventors who had their moment of revelation at a time when they weren’t consciously working on a project. Take George de Mestral for example, the inventor of Velcro ™. After a walk with his dog one day, they both returned home covered in burrs, the plant seed-sacs that cling to animal fur and fabric. Mestral immediately studied one of the burrs under a microscope, and saw all the small hooks that enabled the burr to cling to tiny loops in the fabric of his trousers. In that moment he decided to design a two-sided fastener, one side with stiff hooks like burrs and the other side with soft loops like the fabric of his trousers and Velcro™ was born.

Taking a tip from Mestral’s book, my advice for any blogger looking for ideas is clear your head. Go for a walk. Get away from your computer, let your mind wander and see what comes up.

Experiencing something new, whether it be listening to different music, changing radio channels, or exploring an unknown part of your city, can all lead to you having fresh ideas. Just the other day I picked up a copy of Harper’s Bazaar for the first time. At first, flicking through the pages of beautiful people and society gossip, I felt like an alien newly acquainted with the species. Everything was so unlike my usual reading tastes – I have a fondness for .net magazine and Gardens Monthly. I wasn’t necessarily looking for ideas, but before I knew it, I had reached for pen and paper and was writing down idea after idea for blog posts. Posts I never even knew I wanted to write.

How observant are you? It’s so easy to switch off as we go about our day, talking on the mobile or plugged into an iPod. When was the last time you noticed a flower blooming in your garden? Or looked at a plaque or engraving on a building as you pass by on the bus? The more you notice in the world around you, the more you will find to comment on. And ideas for blog posts will arise.

As you go about your day, ask yourself questions about the people you encounter, the situations you take for granted. Why are things the way they are? Who is the person serving you? Curiosity starts with the question, “I wonder why…?”

Remember, the world is full of ideas and creativity. It’s a matter of how receptive you are to the ordinary that can lead to blog posts full of interest and vitality. It only takes a bit of imagination to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel in need of a walk.

Photo: thanks to underconsideration.com

Someone asked me the other day if she needed a blog since she already had a website. It struck me as we chatted that there are probably many people who are not clear about the differences between a website and a blog and what some of the advantages of having a blog are, over and above the benefit of having a website. My friend is a writer but the advice I gave her is also useful and relevant for solo professionals and small businesses so I thought I’d share them with you here:

A website

• A typical brochure-style website gives you several pages with your brochure information on it. This can serve you very well as it gives you clients/ readers/ customers all the factual information they need to know about you and your business/ books/ services

• A website like that is pretty much static. Once people have been once and read whatever is there to read, they don’t really need to come again unless they need to be reminded about something eg your office address when they are coming to visit you

• It can do well with search engines provided your designer has included search engine optimisation within the design

• You can update the website yourself fairly easily once your web designer has shown you a bit of HTML. This can be useful for a “Latest News” page. But you usually have to delete the old text to make room for the new text unless you’ve got the capability to add additional news items and additional pages.

• A website is not interactive - you are stating your message to your audience and they can’t interact in any way although people can usually email you via the Contact page.

A blog

• A blog alongside your website enables you to update content easily - as easily as writing an email using a web-based email account.

• You never lose the old content from a previous “post”. This is particulary useful if your latest “latest news” item is a follow up item to your previous “latest news” items. eg. Last month your news was “I’ll be appearing at the Hay Literary Festival…”; this month you can write “When I appeared at the Hay Literary Festival, we had a lively discussion about the publishing industry…”

• You can archive your posts according to date or subject eg “Book Events”, “Current Novel”, “Publishing Industry” and eventually build up a body of work

• Search engines LOVE regularly updated pages. They are likely to throw you up near the top more often and you’ll start appearing all over the internet as you write more and more. Your posts that are never deleted from months ago will be found by someone searching on a particular topic and that will introduce them to the rest of your blog. For example, my post on Malt Loaf on my arts blog Fusion View keeps getting picked up by a range of people from France across to South America even though I wrote it around a year ago - and hopefully, that means more and more people are discovering my blog through atypical searches (ie not by a typical searching like “Malaysian/ UK writer”, for example)

• And that is exactly the reason I started blogging as a writer. Almost two years ago, my presence was disappearing off the internet - my books website itself was just not enough to keep me active and live on the web. Traffic to my site was pitiful. Since I started blogging, I’m all over the web and my arts blog Fusion View has over 8,000 unique visitors a month.

• A blog is interactive and you can easily engage with your readers/ customers, building up loyalty and trust

• You can add multi media such as pictures, audio podcasts and videos very easily

• A blog has what is called an RSS feed that sends out notifications (like radio signals) to the rest of the web whenever it is updated so you don’t have to sit and wait for people to come and find you, it automatically tells people about your latest update.

• For solo professionals and small businesses, it may take time to blog but after the initial set up costs and some training, it’s a very cost-effective way to promote your presence online - which is very important if you have a limited budget.

Both

If you don’t already have a website, discuss with your web designer using the blog platform - you can create numerous static pages for the brochure part using the same blogging software: you don’t need to pay for a website plus a blog. Traditionally, some web designers charged you by the number of pages because the old technology meant that they had to hand code and link each new page. If you incorporate your website as part of your blog, once the blog is designed you don’t have to pay extra for the number of additional pages - that’s all part of the package.

My books website www.yangmayooi.co.uk is actually part of the Fusion View blogging platform - when you arrive at www.yangmayooi.co.uk, you’ll see the URL is in fact www.fusionview.co.uk/yang-may-ooi/. The brochure pages - click at the top of this page on the various links to Who We Are and What We Do etc - are all part of the pages facility in this blogging platform for ZenGuide, included at no extra cost.

And finally…

Yes, it’s true that I’m a blog evangelist, especially for smaller enterprises. It’s such a great way to make a big impact on limited resources that in my mind, you’re really missing a trick if you don’t take advantage of this great interactive web tool!

Photo: thanks to serc.carlton.edu

The British Library is building a collection of blogs. This collection will form part of the UK Web Archiving Consortium (UKWAC) initiative to archive websites of research interest. The archiving of blogs is part of a wider project to archive UK websites for future generations. The UKWAC website explains:

For many, the web has become the information source of first resort. From keeping abreast of latest news and accessing online journals and datasets, through to finding information about travel and sport, the web has become the information tool of choice.

However, despite our apparent dependence on this medium very little attention has been paid to the long-term preservation of websites. Indeed, with the life of an average website estimated to be around 44 days (about the same lifespan as a housefly) there is a danger that invaluable scholarly, cultural and scientific resources will be lost to future generations.

To address this problem, a consortium of six leading UK institutions is working collaboratively on a project to develop a test-bed for selective archiving of UK websites.

The six institutions are The British Library as lead partner, The National Archives, The National Library of Wales, JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee), The Wellcome Trust and The National Library of Scotland. The project began in June 2004 - a news report from ZDNet at the time wrote: “Each member of the consortium will choose content relevant to its subject. All types of Web content will be included, from government documents to blogs.”

To me, this is a clear indicator that blogs are now moving into their prime. From the public perception of their being the personal journals of misfit geeks or kids a few years ago, blogs have come a long way in a very short period of time. They have evolved into business communications used by an increasing number of top notch businesses as well as by solo professionals and small enterprises - including GlaxoSmithKline (Alliconnect blog), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ BTW blog) and Avis (We Try Harder blog). And now, they are being taken seriously by researchers, academics, scientists and the guardians of the UK’s intellectual heritage.

I wonder if it’s only a question of time now before blogs and other social media are studied at university level as art forms in their own right? After all, these days you can take degrees in English Literature, Film Studies, Photography, Visual Arts, Design etc - considered by previous generations as not sufficiently serious to be subjects of study. When the first novel appeared two hundred years ago, it was greeted with derision and even horror by the intellectuals of the day who viewed poetry - and in particular classical poetry - as the greatest form of literature. Look at things now, with the novelists now the literary heavyweights and poets, sadly, much less high-profile. So, who knows, we may soon be able to apply to study an MA in Blogging…?

Disclosure: I am also delighted to say that I was recently invited to submit my writing and culture blog Fusion View for archiving as part of this project. The email from the British Library’s Web Archivist said: “We would like to invite you to have your site included in this important collection for Internet research. We will be selecting some 150 key sites to form the basis of the blog’s collection until August 2007 but archiving will continue into the future.”

Photo: of the British Library Reading Room thanks to imagesonline.bl.uk

Some recent conversations I’ve had with executives and professioals has got me thinking: what’s in a name?

For many companies and businesses who have a natural affinity with innovation and early adaptation of new technology, a business blog is something they have embraced with enthusiasm. They see it as a great way to keep in touch with their clients and customers and to showcase their expertise. However, for other businesses still wondering if communicating online with their stakeholders in this way is something for them, the notion of a blog comes with a bundle of negative pre-conceptions - it’s for teenagers and loud-mouthed mavericks, it’s not a proper platform for serious business communications, it’s about trivial things like what I had for breakfast this morning.

Many busy professionals and senior-level executives have said to me that they don’t have time to read blogs. They aren’t interested in what someone had for breakfast. (What is it about things people have for breakfast that’s become this catch-phrase for blogging?) They’ve got too many emails to get through. What possible business value is there in spending their limited time reading a stranger’s blog?

When working with some clients, I’ve recommended that it may be an idea to re-think this interactive online thing that they are implementing. It’s just a tool that allows you to upload information quickly and easily in reverse date order - you can sort the information into categories and link to other information. What about defining it by what content or information you’re putting on it? If it’s a place where you are offering additional resources to your clients eg you are sharing your expertise for free online; or you are pointing them to other resources they can find on the web; or you are putting up your materials from a conference or workshop - why not refer to it as a Resource Centre? Or what about focusing on the objective of why you want this social media tool - is it to stimulate discussion and engage your stakeholders in conversation? Well, what about calling it a Discussion Space or Conversation Corner?

This simple re-thinking of what the tool is has opened up for my clients a whole range of possibilities which have excited them about the blog platform - a complete transformation from their previous scepticism and uncertainty. For the one setting up a Resource Centre, the creative juices started to flow and they brainstormed a long list of information, resources and articles they could post on their site. For the one creating a Discussion Space, they began to look for contributors to write articles with different views around one theme so that readers might be prompted to add to the discussion via the discussion responses facility (ie comments).

And for those coming to read or participate in such spaces, they are immediately entering an added value space that offers Resources and Discussion, rather than a potentially time-wasting personal diary thing called a blog.

For me, I enjoy reading blogs or discussion spaces or newsletter or whatever you call them, especially blogs by:

• industry experts eg high-profile marketing guru Seth Godin (whose blog is on The Times’ list of top 50 business blogs),

• trend watchers/ news breakers eg TechCrunch and Mashable

• writing and book lovers eg Bibliobibuli

• colleagues eg X-Culture by Silvia Cambie

• friends eg massage therapist Melanie Crowe

• other Asians/ Orientals eg British Born Chinese

I generally steer away from blogs by journalists and reporters like those on the Guardian or the BBC - though I do sometimes find it useful to go to those blogs as well. My reasoning is that I read or hear these paid writers’/ commentators’ views anyway via the news and traditional media channels. The joy of blogs is to hear the voices and encounter the thoughts of those who don’t necessarily already have a grand outlet like the premier news channels for sharing what they have to say. I like the democracy and clamour of the ordinary individual adding to the discussion. I keep them all on my blog aggregator and pick and choose a few to dip into over lunch or when I feel like being stimulated.

Which blogs / resources/ newsletters/ whatever do you like? Add a comment and share your favourite with me!

Photo: thanks to raisinsawdust on flickr.com

NOTE: ZenGuide is updated Mondays and Thursdays

I’ve been checking out business and political blogs in the UK to see which business and political leaders blog. I’ll be bringing you various of these blogs on ZenGuide from time to time. My overall impression is that not many business people or political figures in the UK have blogs at this point and the ones that are around range from those that are informative, articulate and all about transparent communication to those that are, well, hardly blogs at all and more like static press releases with the word “blog” stuck on the title. I’ll be focusing on the great blogs rather than the not so great ones as I think it’s more rewarding to learn from good examples than have a laugh at bad ones.

So, here is one that I think is a sterling example of a great blog, which will hopefully inspire you. Joe Duckworth is the Chief Executive of the Isle of Wight Council and he has a blog on their website called “Joe Blogs”, a clever take on the name that we use in the UK when referring to your typical average everyman “Joe Bloggs”.

It looks like he started the blog in November 2006 as that seems to be the oldest entry on the page and there isn’t an “Archive” section you would normally find on a blog to indicate that there are older posts. He has blogged on average about twice a month since then.

His tone is informal and direct, as if he is having a chat with you or dropping you a line by email. It’s easy reading and it’s very easy to get to like the guy very quickly. For me, his informal tone does not undermine his authority as the Chief Executive but rather makes him an approachable leader. In particular - and this is the key to why I think he has a great blog - he does not shy away from the tough stuff. In his first post in November last year, he says (my emphasis) “We are only two star which is not very good. But did you know 40 percent of our services are in the best 25 per cent in the Country. The average for other councils like us is half of that. So, don’t shy away of things which are unacceptable, but more recognition about where we are flaming good.” He acknowledges the negative, which is something that many leaders can find difficult to do. When he balances it with a positive, the effect on the reader is “OK, fair enough. That is a good point he’s made about the Council” - ie. his credibility in stating the good thing is strengthened by the fact that he is prepared to acknowledge the bad point, it’s not just spin to tell us how great the Council is.

Later in January 2007, he blogs (my emphasis again) “For example this week I got my first glimpse of the staff survey results. They are still interim results as the consultants complete analysing the data. I have to admit that it made uncomfortable reading. Staff clearly are not happy with certain aspects of working for the council. As I have said before we are going to take these results very seriously and act on them. Furthermore we are going to publish the results - warts and all. The council I want to be chief exec of is open and honest and we are prepared to take the knocks because we know that we are going to deal with them and ensure that issues are dealt with properly.” Again, to make those admissions about unhappy staff and his personal response of discomfort about the results - that takes a strength of character. His openness to publish the results is consistent with this straight-talking. So when he says “the council I want to be chief exec of is open and honest “, you believe that he means it. Organisation and nations are a reflection of the people who lead them and we can see that Joe is open and honest from his blog and we can trust that he will lead the Council by example.

I was also particularly impressed when I emailed the Isle of Wight Council via their contact form to say that I couldn’t subscribe to his blog using Google Reader as there did not seem to be a feed. I got a reply back from Matthew Pattinson, the Council’s analyst and web developer within a couple of hours. He created an RSS feed there and then for me and has put it up onto the blog for other people to subscribe as well. To me, that immediate response and the tone of Joe’s blog together gave me a sense that the Isle of Wight Council is all about getting the job done and is focused on providing service to its constituents and stakeholders.

In contrast, I also found a couple of other UK councils that purported to have Chief Executive blogs but these were all statice brochure type pages that read like press releases. One of them labelled each post “Blog No. 1″ , “Blog No. 2″ etc - hmmm, a blog is the thing itself like a magazine is a thing and each article in it is a post. That simple mislabelling plus the press release style text gave the sense that this organisation didn’t have a clue about what a blog is meant to be. They also did not have feeds and I emailed them in the same way as I emailed the Isle of Wight Council via their contact form, asking about the feed. To date, over a month later, I am still waiting for their reply.

Going back to Joe’s Blog, I’d like to offer a couple of suggestions for making the most of the blog, if I may:

• Add an Archive and a also a Category section for easy searchability in the future as Joe fills the blog with a body of work

• Make it easier to find the blog from the Council’s main page - I had to really search for it to find it. I think it’s one of the strengths of the site and of the Council’s conversation with its stakeholders.

Joe also writes frankly about his family’s personal experience of crime in his post on 03 April. What a horrendous experience and my sympathies go out to them. He moves on to discuss local policing and tackling not just crime but fear of crime. This mix of personal and professional discussion in his blog is the sort of thing that will make the readers keep coming back and keep having trust in this straight-talking leader.

Continuing my Twitter watch, I see that the Arabic news channel Al Jazeera has set up a Twitter account to bring its friends news updates direct to their mobile phones. You can sign up to Twitter and add them as a friend at http://twitter.com/AJEnglish.

The BBC also has a Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/bbcnews if you want to compare reporting styles and different cultural approaches.

For an American perspective, you can check out CNN tweets at http://twitter.com/cnnbrk

Related posts

What is …. Twitter?

Another presidential candidate on Twitter

Following my post looking at the use of online multi-media by the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, co-ordinated by Team Hillary, I’ve just heard that her rival Barack Obama has signed up for a Twitter account.

You can now get his hot-off-the-press tweets of his campaign trail. Well, in theory anyway: his last update at the time of my writing post said “1 day ago”. He - or his staff - are going to have to gain a bit more momentum with Twitter to have any credibility at all with the technoscenti.

In contrast another presidential candidate, John Edwards, has been on Twitter for longer and has been tweeting much more prolifically.