Websites You Need to Know About

What's hot online? Or at the least, what should you be in the know about, especially if you're in the media? Here to help with its annual checklist of online must-knows is The Guardian's "100 Essential Websites."

The creators note plenty of familiar players here -- Facebook, Twitter, Flickr -- as well as some we may be hearing more about in 2010, such as Tumblr, Posterous, Listorious, Spotify and Pitchfork.

As the article notes: "... The smash hit of 2009 has been (apologies: I know this will cause pain) Twitter, where 1,000-word stories are reduced to 140-character tweets. Short attention spans R us.

"Twitter's rapid growth and open programming interface have given the site a wide impact. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of ancillary sites and services have been launched to help Twitter users post pictures, track followers, or – more usefully, from a commercial point of view – find out what the "hive mind" is thinking."

And what about music?

"Music has been a significant player in the growth of the web since Napster, and its influence continues to grow. Spotify has made the biggest impact this year, gaining mindshare lost by Last.fm and Pandora. Meanwhile, Pitchfork has expanded its role as the web's authoritative music magazine, and The Hype Machine came to prominence as a source of instant erudition by tracking the music blogs."

The list has something for everyone, with categories ranging from microblogging, search and the link economy to gaming, film and celebrity gossip.

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More Advice from a Master Blogger

When you're looking to rejuvenate your blogging routine, a good place to start is one of several tip sheets by social media expert Chris Brogan. "Write Better Blog Posts Today" is his latest post on the subject.

Granted, his blog is geared primarily for those most interested in blogging as a marketing tool. However, would-be journalists and others in the media also will find plenty to get them thinking. Today, for instance, he writes about selecting subjects, titles, style and language:

"Above all else, when choosing your preferred subject, consider writing about something that will be useful to others. Equipping other people to succeed (like I attempt with this blog) is a great way to build your prominence within the space. If you’re really into knitting, don’t just write that you love knitting; show people how you created that amazing iPhone cozy, and explain why you prefer wood to aluminum needles (hint: airport security)."

and

"I try to write in a conversational tone, and yet informative. This is my choice of style. You might choose a more formal tone. You might choose a more conversational tone. Blogging, overall, is a bit more conversational than traditional journalistic style, written as if you and I are conversing. This suits most people just fine."

or

"And finally, if no one’s reading your stuff, you’ve gotta consider why. Is it bad writing? Is it too long? Is it not visually broken up for people’s eyes to scan? Is the topic too minor for people to consider? Or are you posting at the wrong times? There are lots of things to troubleshoot. Just don’t leave it be. Try something. Try something with each new post."

Brogan ends by linking to many of his previous posts on blogging, including his "best" advice, how to blog every day and brainstorming.

For more on blogging, see:

• Luckie's 7 Rules of Blogging - D'oh!
• Godin Talks Blogging with Groundswell
• Just Blog It! Tips for Blog Writers

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"Googled" -- A Good Read on an Icy Day

Now that Fall term is officially completed at LBCC, I'm doing some "research" over the break, beginning with reading Ken Auletta's new book, "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It." (I already have my students read Jeff Jarvis' book, "What Would Google Do?" for Media & Society.)

Twenty-four pages into "Googled" and I can see I might blast through it in a few days (especially if the ice outside continues to hold the family hostage...). As other reviewers have noted, it's a fast read that covers a lot of ground that's already appeared in a lot of stories about the fabled company.

While many readers already know the story behind the company's beginnings and its geeky founders, the strength of the book so far is Auletta's insider access to Google as well as key media and advertising industry players. So he can observe: "Google engineers don't make gut decisions. They have no way to quantify relationships or judgment. They value efficiency more than experience. They require facts, beta testing, mathematical logic. Google fervently believes it is shaping a new and better media world..."

Auletta discusses some of the issues highlighted in his book and more up-to-date information (e.g. Chrome and the Google Phone) in Friday's online Q&A in the Washington Post. Asked about his access to Google execs, including the founders, while writing the book, he says: "(Larry) Page and (Sergey) Brin are not garrulous executives, like many corporate types. They are not consumed by their wealth, which now hovers around $15 billion each. But they each have a jet airplane, and new families, and at 36 are spending a bit more time smelling the roses."

Other links:

• Auletta talks to Terry Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air."
• Auletta on C-SPAN's "Q&A."

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How to Make a Worm Composting Bin -- Really!

And now for something completely different...

This past term, while wrapping up my MBA at Willamette University, I worked with a group that examined the possibilities for composting in the university's food service. It was an interesting project in which we ultimately recommended the university contract with a local company in order to reuse 100 percent of Willamette's food waste, which the company would haul away and use as "fuel" for its large-scale worm composting operation.

Anyway, my daughter Alison just arrived home from college and shared this FUN video of a couple of guys -- the Enviro-Mentals -- and their quest to build a handy worm composting bin. So if you're into sustainability or just gardening and finding a use for all those daily food scraps, enjoy this humorous and helpful video.

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p.s. One of these guys -- Hal Brindley -- also has a very cool website that shows off his wildlife photography!

Luckie's 7 Rules of Blogging - D'oh!

I can always count on 10,000 Words by Mark Luckie to reinforce the blogging lessons my students are learning this term in News Reporting and Photojournalism -- post often, check your spelling, add links...

So today Luckie has seven reminders for those new to blogging, or those who've been at it awhile but may be getting lazy. Here's his take on frequent posting: "If your posts are months apart and your last few posts apologize for not blogging enough, do your readers and yourself a favor and just close up shop." Ouch!

Other no-no's: Talking down to readers, going off topic, turning off comments, not supplying an RSS feed.

"A blog isn't just about writing," Luckie reminds us, "it's about stimulating conversation and discussion. If your readers have no way of responding to a post then you look like a jerk. Even worse: turning off comments on a particular post because someone disagrees with you." D'oh!

If you don't have Luckie's 10,000 Words on your blog list, you should.

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Get a Free Copy of Seth Godin's New Book

Those of you who follow my blog, know that I'm of huge fan of marketing guy Seth Godin.

If you'd like to find out why, I'm guessing you will find the answer in his new book, "Linchpin." The best part is if you act NOW you can get a free copy of the book. Really. I just did.

So don't delay.

rob

Seth, you're welcome for this free plug...