Focus on Less to Accomplish More

Not one for New Year's resolutions, I still plan to tack this "How to Simplify" blog post by "Zen Habits" master Leo Babauta on a bulletin board where I can see it every day. Babauta wrote this timely reminder on setting priorities with small businesses in mind, but individuals will benefit as well.

Spelling out a mantra for success in this Mashable post, he offers these tips for focusing on higher-impact tasks:

• Ask yourself: what one project will have the biggest impact on my future ... ? Focus on this.
• Every day, pick three most important tasks to complete, and do them before anything else.
• At least one of the most important tasks should move that high-impact project forward.
• Delegate lower-impact tasks that still need to be done. Only allow yourself to focus on the highest-impact tasks.

It doesn't get much simpler than that. As I mentioned at the outset, his advice is geared to entrepreneurs but there's no reason students and the rest of us can't do the same. And where he suggests delegating lower-impact tasks, you could delegate a limited amount of time, say 15 minutes, to those lower priorities.

He sums up this part of his article nicely:

Each day, choose three tasks that will have the biggest impact, and do those first. Any other tasks you get done that day will be gravy.

As one of the first respondents to Babauta's post commented: It's simple but timely advice "in today's cluttered fast pace world."

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(Photo credit: "fast pace world" by Jennifer Buehrer, courtesty of Flickr.com)

What's Your Brand? Do You Stand Out?

I was meeting with a friend today and the conversation turned to "personal branding." People recognize that success stems not only from developing skills and expertise, but also from others seeing you as a "go-to" person in your organization, whether it's a business, non-profit group or volunteer project.

With that in mind, check out the Personal Branding Blog by Dan Schawbel. In the past week alone his blog focused on "personal branding secrets," improving your blog, and using your brand to get into the college of your dreams.

It's good stuff. And I'll be sharing it with my journalism students this term as they launch their blogs and refine their own brands.

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(Photo credit: "fiddling with black and white" by Splodgy Pig, courtesy of Flickr.com)

Why We're Teaching Students to Blog

At LBCC we're jumping into blogging with both feet. We're primarily doing it because it is one of the skills that the next generation of journalists will have to master, especially as the media gravitates more toward the Internet and all the various platforms (i.e. blogs, social networks, Twitter).

Alfred Hermida of Reportr.net lays out the case for colleges to teach blogging in this post on MediaShift. As he notes:

"The blog has emerged as a powerful platform for journalists to provide context, analysis and interpretation, often including behind-the-scenes information that does not fit into the structure of a traditional news story. It has also provided journalists with a way to communicate with readers in a more conversational and informal tone, rather than in an abstract voice of authority."

We started blogging last term in the News Reporting class. The results were mixed, with some students picking up on the assignment while others struggled to get into the routine. Some of the results can still be seen in the "Student Blogs" section of this blog.

Winter Term we'll be expanding blogging to both the Feature Writing and Photojournalism classes. In Feature Writing the students will choose particular topic areas on which to focus throughout the term, while the Photojournalism students will use the blog as sort of an ongoing portfolio of their work, including background about their various photo projects.

I'm looking forward to both these term-long workshops.

(Photo credit: "What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging" by andyp uk, courtesy of Flickr.com)
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Free Speech and the Internet

Jeff Jarvis, the one behind BuzzMachine, makes a compelling case for free speech on the Internet in this interview. As you'll see, he's an eloquent advocate of the First Amendment and why those who want to censor the Internet need to rethink their position.

Watch and appreciate.

Note: This video, an interview on the CBS program "Eye to Eye," is kind of dated, but you never know where or when you are going to stumble upon a gem.

Newspapers 2.0: Reinventing the Media

Newspapers, it would seem, are rapidly coming to the end of their press run. It's shocking to many just how fast the bottom has fallen out of the industry. (Penny stocks, anyone?)

As they struggle to continue their print editions, newspapers are joining in the scramble for the elusive online business model that will keep them the premier information providers in many markets.

In today's edition of MediaShift, Mark Glaser surveys the alternative business models that newspapers are trying in order to survive into the next decade.

Obviously, newspapers spent way too much time counting their profits and not protecting their information franchises over the past decade. Now faced with reality, most still don't get it. It's not just about making the transition from print to online, but evolving to become the go-to source of information and related services in their markets.

Which brings me back to Charlie Beckett's notion of "supermedia," where journalists and consumers collaborate through a variety of evolving media, including Facebook, e-mail, Twitter, and whatever comes next in the social networking revolution. I don't think it's enough for newspapers to evolve into and create local "portals," which just look like another place to hit readers with ads.

Media entities -- for-profit and non-profit alike -- have to find new ways to add value for some next-generation audience of media consumers. A daunting challenge, indeed.

Other industries have had to reinvent themselves, and not everybody has survived. Why should newspapers be any different?

Note: This just in ... study shows just how cautious newspapers are toward new media. See Reportr.net.

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(Photo credit: "The Newspaper on the Press" by Vin Crosbie, courtesy of Flickr.com)

Oregon Snow - Dec. 17, 2008

Here are some more snow scenes from around Oregon, courtesy of Flickr.com:


"Work's over, time to go play in the snow!" by sean dreilinger.


"The Storm" by ishkamina


"Ski Morrison" by The One True b!X

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Oregon Snow - Dec. 15, 2008

"Oregon Snow" by 1001 words

This is one of the hundreds of photos posted today on Flickr.com that chronicle Oregon's first snow of the season. Some others include:

• "First Snowstorm of the Season" by kightp
• "Fanno Creek" by merrick monroe
• "IMG_1913" by dnkemontoh

What got me thinking about searching for these photos is Charlie Beckett's discussion of "networked journalism" in his book, "Supermedia: Saving Journalism So It Can Save the World."

Chapter 2, "Is It a Bird? Is It a Plane? No! It's Supermedia!" includes an interesting flow chart showing how the media and readers work collaboratively to cover a breaking news story. The story evolves through the use of Twitter, Flickr, e-mail, Facebook, Web sites, and personal blogs compiled by journalists along with readers -- all simultaneously contributing words, sounds and images.

So, Monday my family and I are in the middle of a snow day -- Oregon's first storm of the season -- and wondering what the rest of the state looks like. Television news is great if you don't mind waiting til some station gets around to it, and the focus naturally is on Portland or Eugene. The newspaper arrived late this morning and the next edition will arrive and be buried on my driveway tomorrow morning. And the newspaper's Web site isn't much help.

In contrast, I can get hundreds of different pictures from around Oregon via Flickr. And my Facebook account is alive all day with reports from friends who are either enjoying the day or coping with travel. With some additional online searches, I can find all kinds of information that's more relevant to my family and neighbors.

As Beckett notes: "The public will help choose, research, produce, and disseminate the journalism. ... Networked journalists have to be aware of the potential resource this kind of platform offers, both in terms of information gathering, but also in building a consumer community."

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LBCC: Sign Up for Winter Term Journalism

Winter term will be busy at LBCC when it comes to journalism. Three classes are on the docket:

• Feature Writing (JN217): Sure the lead and nut graf still matter, but we're not stopping there. We'll venture into commentary, reviews and other fun explorations, including expanded blogs. MWF 11-11:50 a.m.
• Photojournalism (JN134): Taking photos for print and online publication. Going beyond landscapes to show people in action... WF 9-10:50 a.m.
  
• Media & Society (JN201): Take a tour of the media, where's it's been (Newspapers are so last millennium!) and where it's going (What? You don't have a blog?!). TR 9-10:50 a.m.
  

The number of seats available is shrinking fast. Don't be left out. To register online, start here.

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(Photo credit: "Paparazzi 1" by JAG1, courtesy of Flickr.com)

Social Networking 101

So you've started your own blog, you're on Facebook and you're building your connections on LinkedIn. Now what?

If your goal is to "build your brand" or that of a group to which you belong, Mike Fruchter has provided an excellent checklist of all you can do to become a player in the world of social networking. In "35 Tips for Getting Started with Social Media" he provides a checklist full of great reminders, such as No. 31:

"Be omnipresent on all the networks. I should be able to find out about your latest happenings, and or statuses if I am browsing your Facebook profile, Linked profile, Twitter or FriendFeed stream."

And for those less adventurous than others, Mike offers this encouragement in tip No. 21:

"Don't knock it until you tried it at least once. Be open to trying new multimedia applications that enable self promotion, audience engagement, brand retention and participation. Experiment with podcasting, creating video, slide shows, or creating and posting any type of original user generated content."

I gotta go, I've overlooked some items on the list...

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"Am I too Old for Facebook?" Find out in this blog post from September.

(Photo credit: "Thoughtful" by adrenalin, courtesy of flickr.com)

End of Term Humor: 'Font Conference'

If you haven't seen this short on CollegeHumor.com ... enjoy.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Thanks to Greg Dewar, editor-in-chief at the Commuter, for finding this gem.

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Blogosphere 2008: Who's Out There Anyway?

Who blogs? A new survey by Technorati breaks it all down.

For the quick overview, see the fine summary -- "What We Now Know About Blogs" -- on Mindy McAdams' blog, Teaching Online Journalism.

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