The Blogging Life: 16 Months and 87 Countries Later

This blog has been around for 16 months, so it’s time to take stock. Some posts have been better than others, admittedly, and there have been dry periods, when other projects have distracted me from blogging for weeks. But I’m stickin’ to it until I literally run out of words.
Since I’m taking stock, I’ll be egotistic for a moment and share a few amazing facts about my readership. One of my favorite analytic tools is FlagCounter, which you can see in the right-hand margin of my blog. Flag Counter, among other things, tells you from where in the world your readers have visited.

School Communications 2.0 has received:

1,782 visits from the United States (I’m going to assume that 100 of those visits were from the author)

290 visits from the Philippines

243 visits from Canada

169 visits from the United Kingdom

141 visits from India

107 visits from Malaysia (who knew?)

77 visits from the Netherlands

66 visits from Australia

And the list goes on, with a good number of visits from countries in Europe, as you might expect. But it’s when the numbers begin to dwindle down to single visits that I’m reminded how awed by the Web I continue to be. Here are just a few of the visits that fascinate me:

4 visits each from Jordan, Vietnam, and Kenya

2 visits each from Croatia, Moldova and Oman

1 visit each from Mongolia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan and Morocco.

And finally, on March 27, I received a single visit from the Holy See (Vatican City State).

My guess is that someone at the Vatican stopped by to read my post about the Pope’s YouTube page. Perhaps the Official Papal Social Media Guy. Whatever. The point is, he stopped by.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

It’s so Nice to be Quoted…

Issuu has a quote from School Communications 2.0 at the top of its media blog, which explains the small flood of visitors to my blog in the past week. (I suppose I should resume posting!)

From the top of Issuu’s “In the Media” page:

Here’s what the media are saying about Issuu. Be sure to check out our testimonials too.

“We’re big fans of Issuu.”
- TechCrunch

“What a breath of fresh air! Digital publishing done right.”
- Issuu reviewed on The Future of Publishing

“The first word that comes to mind with Issuu is ‘awesome.’”
- Dallas Marketing Services

“Issuu is the IKEA of documents.”
- Technology and Opiniated News

“Downloading a PDF and reading it in Adobe Preview is sooooo 2008.”
- Quickrelease.tv

“This is an awesome app that I intend to use frequently.”
- School Communications 2.0

I appreciate the mention and definitely appreciate the link. Thanks, Issuu.

Speaking of which, I used Issuu as an example in my presentation, “Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Reach Your Audience,” at last week’s National School Public Relations Association conference in San Francisco. People seemed to love the application. “And it’s free?” they kept asking me. I’m always a bit floored by the fact that people still think there’s a catch to Web 2.0. But hey, we’re school folk and we’re jaded.

Top of the ‘Net

I hope to provide you with “Top of the ‘Net” every weekend, which will usually be a list of not-to-be-missed web discoveries. Tune in!

Just when you think the Internet is saturated and things can’t get any more interesting, you discover new sites and blogs that just blow you away. I love to stumble across sites that make me ask: “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Three such sites come to mind, each one notable for its creativity. You must check these out:

1. One of my favorite blogs is Cake Wrecks, a clever blogspot blog that’s been around for just over a year and is “eating up” the competition on Google page ranks. Here’s the tag line for this blog: When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong. This is a hilarious site, create by Jen Yates, that feeds off the submissions of whacky looking cakes that readers have either made, ordered or received. Among other things, this site, and the others I list here, are successful because the owners write well. Look for great captions and subtitles. Here’s a sample cake photo from Cake Wrecks:

The title above this entry (which included a seriously long menu of “horse” cakes) was: Why beat a dead horse…when you can eat one?

Yates has written a book, naturally, and is selling a variety of T-shirts, affectionately called “Wreckwear.” Her contributors and fans (legions of them) are called Wreckies.

Now why didn’t I think of that?

2. Again, a site that lives and breathes based on the contributions of others: AwkwardFamily Photos. This one, which was featured on The Today Show last week, was also passed along by my work colleague, John Resanovich, who is always sending me cool sites. Warning: Before you go on AwkwardFamilyPhotos, take a bathroom break. Otherwise, you’ll have an accident from laughing so hard. These are some of the most hilarious photos you could imagine.

Here are a couple of samples from Awkward, also notable for its spot-on captions and subtitles.

This one is titled: Joy Ride

And this one is called Mommy-the-Pooh:

3. Finally, I must introduce you to Good Magazine’s examination of a series of photos of the insides of people’s refrigerators. They were produced by photographer Mark Menjivar, and collectively make a fascinating statement about what our refrigerators say about us. For example:

Here’s what the caption says:
Carpenter/Photographer | San Antonio, TX | 3-Person Household | 12-Point Buck | 2008

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Check out These Youngest Bloggers

I am often humbled by young people, and their grasp of technology is just another case in point. It’s a good thing I’m not interested in attracting thousands of readers or in making millions from my blog. Because frankly, the kids  are wuppin’ my ass.

I recently stumbled across youngestblogger.com, which lists the site’s choices for the “World’s Top 100 Youngest Bloggers.” The list, which is constantly refreshed, ranks the most successful blogs by authors aged 18 and under, and is based on the blogs’ Technorati and Alexa ranks, number of inks by other blogs back to these kids, and the number of readers who subcribe to these kids’ blogs..

Naturally, I was curious and found myself rooting around for hours, checking out the wares of these young writers and thinkers. I felt light-years behind the digital revolution as a result.

Here are just a few of the highlights, blogs I found especially wise, novel and successful:

Spencer Tweedy’s Blog – I love Spencer Tweedy, not only for his name but for his blog. He is all of 13 years old, just wrote about his Bar Mitzvah, but also weighs in on topics like the way Barack Obama uses the Internet. His writing is fresh and fun, and I love his use of multimedia – including family photos and videos from the web. And on his favorite music list? “A Whole Lotta Love” by Cream. Is this kid great, or what?

The Blog at the End of the Universe — A 13-year-old blogger who calls himself pacer521 maintains this political blog and describes himself thusly on his About Me page: I am a 13 year-old slightly liberal writer living in Los Angeles, California, and my work has been cited and published across the web. I am a full time blogger here so if you like my work, please come back frequently, as I will post new work daily. I greatly encourage comments and answer back to all credible ones.

Pacer521’s politically astute posts are among the most interesting I’ve read, and I’m apparently not the only one who feels this way. The blog receives anywhere between 20 and 80+ comments per post, depending on the topic. I especially like Blog at ther End of the Universe because pacer521 is not doing this for the money – the blog is free of any advertising. Instead, he’s doing it purely for expression. His blog has received more than 388,000 hits.

WPCandy – Number 1 on the youngestblogger list is 16-year-old Michael Castilla’s blog, WPCandy. Michael exclusively focuses on Wordpress, the blogging platform, and how to use it. Many adults I know would be lost by the techspeak in Michael’s blog, but anyone who’s blogging or interested in blogging should check in with this site. I have a feeling that Michael has a bright future ahead of him.

The Ultimate Neopets Cheats Site – Talk about finding a niche. Chloe Spencer, the 17-year-old blogger, is number 24 on the Young Bloggers list and writes exclusively about neopets, the virtual pets universe. Nothing spells success more in the blogging world than being invited to speak about your successful blog at conferences run by adults. You can find a 3-minute video of the poised Miss Spencer speaking about her site at the Blogher conference in Chicago on YouTube.

By the way, if you’re looking for work, Chloe is hiring. I think I’m neo-jealous.

To see more work by these and other youngest bloggers, check out the list at youngestblogger.com. I would also highly recommend checking out the site of the first-ever Teens in Tech Conference, held last weekend at Microsoft in San Francisco. Maybe you’ll learn something.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Public Engagement – The Obama Way

1817 study of the White House south facade bas...

Image via Wikipedia

Those of us in the public information business, particularly the non-profit public information business, should rip a page out of the Barack Obama public engagement manual. The lessons are many.

A case in point – the new whitehouse.gov website, a clean, well-organized, interactive place that makes the previous White House website look like your grandmother’s kitchen cabinets. Old, outdated and hard to open.

The new site invites you in. After all, you are the owner. With videos of Obama’s Inauguration address and the whistlestop tour, a White House 101 Fun and Facts page, a frequently updated blog, and the Briefing Room, a way to keep tabs on the President, whitehouse.gov has been overhauled for the 21st century.

Prominently displayed on the home page is a link to the Office of Public Liaison & Intergovernmental Affairs (OPL-IGA), “the front door to the White House through which everyone can participate and inform the work of the President.” When you reach the Public Liaison page, you’re invited to email your thoughts and ideas to the White House. When was the last time 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue asked you for anything? Other than taxes?

It’s a new day indeed. Check out whitehouse.gov.

BlogSpine

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

A Long Break and Brain Mush

Call it holiday bliss, call it writer’s block, call it whatever you like. But a month-long vacation from this blog has been psychically healthy, financially disastrous, and a boon to my free time.

Still, I walked around New York City; Wilmington, NC; and other places I visited during the holidays with a guilty conscience. What about the blog? What about the blog?

Suffice it to say, School Communications 2.0 fell by the wayside while I scrambled through department stores looking for gifts, did the annual Yankee Swap with my work colleagues, decorated the tree, baked pecan pies and red velvet cupcakes, entertained friends and family, drove to North Carolina, and soaked in quality time with my college kids and my extended family.

There were several highlights during this break, a few of them bordering on the surreal:

I joined with the townspeople of Kure Beach, NC, as they gathered together on New Year’s Eve to welcome 2009 with the annual dropping of “the lighted beach ball. ”

I toured a gorgeous home in Wimington that whispered “retirement,” “golf and tennis,” and “quality of life” into my all-too-eager ears.

I wrote a piece about tracking Santa Claus on Google Earth.

I ran out to buy “just one more thing” for my kids at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and was the only person in the store. Then I walked out empty-handed.

I played Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture with my kids, and came in last.

I did virtually no work for two weeks.

But alas, all good things must end. The vacation is a distant memory already. And I’ve returned to the thinking, working world. My body has, anyway.

So yes, my next post will return to the subject of education and technology — I promise. That is, if my brain hasn’t turned to mush from inactivity.

Nominate Little Old Me!

I know I’m just a pre-teen in the Edublogs bloggers’ universe of seasoned pros, but I think School Communications 2.0 has been around long enough to get a few measly nominations to the Edublog Bloggers’ Awards. So think about it, would you?

The nomination process is relatively simple. You just go to this site and fill out the form. The only catch? You have to have a blog to nominate, because you have to write a post about the contest and link to the Edublogs contest page.

But beyond that, you simply have to contact Edublogs and list the name of my blog. That’s it!

I may not win, but at least I’ll get to dance the Pasa Doble.

Teaching Around the Firewall

Edutopia recently explored how teachers have gradually found ways to teach around the firewall in “Stumbling Blocks: Playing It Too Safe Online Will Make You Sorry.” How do teachers teach in school districts that block Facebook, Twitter, and many Web 2.0 applications that can enrich learning and encourage lively, hands-on learning?

When I present to school districts about Web 2.0 tools and technology, I often run afoul of the firewall in a given school district and can’t use the system to display these tools.

So how are teachers working around overprotective content filters to use Web 2.0 tools in the classroom?

Edutopia’s piece, written by Suzie Boss, advocates four steps teachers can take to teach in spite of the system:

1. Befriend the keymaster

2. Innovate in Safe Places

3. Teach Good Digital Citizenship

4. Advocate for Access

Here’s what Antero Garcia, a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School System, says about putting up walls to keep Web 2.0 out of the classroom:

“Sooner or later someone is going to expect my students to be able to quickly and effortlessly post to a blog, add to a wiki, or collaborate via some sort of social-networking protocol. And once again, my school will have failed to prepare them for such a task.”

Word to the wise.

Nings for Educators

I have recently discovered Nings, social networking sites for people of similar interests. You can see a few of my Ning memberships in my sidebar — the Website Owner Zone, Twitter GoGetters, etc. Nings are great platforms for communicating with other people who share your passions, to share links to great sites, to announce events and conferences, and more. You can also start your own blog on these Nings, or cross-post from your blog to the Ning for others to read.

Each of these social networks was created by someone who signed up for an account on Ning, created a network, and then invited in friends, colleagues, and/or students to interact around specific educational topics.

There are dozens of Nings out there for educators, so I thought I’d share a few with you and encourage you to explore them and think about joining. You can get email updates once you become a member and it’s a useful way to share best practices in education.

1. The Global Education Collaborative

This is an online community for teachers and students who are interested in joining global education projects. With more than 800 members, the site encourages users to post media, blogs, and ideas for advancing collaborative education worldwide. Some of the groups-within-the-group include “Global Awareness Curriculum,” “Student-Driven Podcasts,” and “Primary Teachers Collaborating.”

2. Classroom 2.0

This is a social network for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in education.
“Beginners” are encouraged to become “part of the digital dialog”. This is a very active Ning, with more than 13,000 members and lots of resources designed for digitally savvy teachers and administrators.

3. School 2.0

This Ning describes its purpose as “a larger discussion of how education, learning, and our physical school spaces can (or should) change because of the changing nature of our social and economic lives brought on by these technologies.” There is also a wiki associated with the site, which you can find at www.School20.net.

4. Independent School Educators Network

This 1,200-member network shares tips and share best practices in classroom technology. It also has a list-serv you can subscribe to at ISED list-serv, the SchoolComputing Wiki, an ISE group on Flickr, and join in the conversation at EdTechTalk.com.

5. Ning in Education

A general education Ning with more than 2,000 members. If you’re looking for a place to share general information, tips and to seek out advice, this is the place to go.

6. Coming of Age

This site was established to enable people to meet and discuss “Coming of Age: An Introduction to the NEW Worldwide Web,” an ebook about blogging, podcasting, and other applications, and how they can be used in the classroom. You can also get your free copy of the eBook at this Ning site.

7. Smart Board Revolution

An example of how specific Ning groups can be. This 500-member community shares best practices, tips, ideas and lesson plans on using interactive whiteboards in the classroom. A great idea.

8. Teachers 2.0

This Ning of more than 200 members who help one another to learn and use technology tools ranging from PowerPoint to Web 2.0.

The good news is that if you haven’t found a Ning to your exact liking, you can start one of your own. And Ning has recently launched an ad-free platform specifically for educators.

Here’s a very tool video about setting up a Ning, geared specifically for educators, from falconphysics on YouTube:

Touched by the Better Angels of Our Nature…

In the aftermath of the Presidential elections, those of us who supported Barack Obama are basking in the glow of victory. But my friends and relatives who supported John McCain ought to know that we are well aware of the challenges that lie ahead. There really is no time to gloat. And since both candidates took the high road on Election Night, why shouldn’t we?

In the interest of healing, then, there’s no better time than today to extend an olive branch across the aisle and roll up our shirtsleeves to start working on the future.

A nice little blog out in the sphere is attempting to do just that, with an ingenious idea that’s catching on. Zefrank.com has launched a visual way that readers can send photos in to express their hope that when the celebrations have died down, we can reach out to one another and embrace, at least through the Web. The site is called From 52 to 48 With Love, and you can submit your photos directly to Zefrank. Naturally, the photos sent in have to be vetted first, since Zefrank has noted that some submissions haven’t been nice. But check out just a few he has displayed on From 52 to 48:

My favorite, though, is the following photo, which quotes a wise man on the subject of unity. You may have heard of this guy:

In case you can’t read it, here’s what the sign says:

Dear 48:

To quote a great American: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” — Abraham Lincoln.

We’re all in this together…

Love and respect, 52

This post, incidentally, is dedicated to my husband, the McCain supporter.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Next Page →