Mark Cuban wrote that newspapers, and The New York Times in particular, are making a mistake by publishing blogs. But blogs are really an extension of newspaper reporting.
Archive for the ‘Web 2.0’ Category
Bits: What I’ve Learned as a Blogger for The New York Times
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
Posted in Blogs, Media, Web 2.0 | Leave a Comment »
When the Ex Blogs, the Dirtiest Laundry Is Aired
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
I’m not really surprised to learn of blogs being used as weapons during and after divorces. I was a little surprised to see that the practice is prevalent enough to attract the attention of mainstream media.
I was not a blogger when I went through my divorce, and my ex barely knows how to turn on a computer. I think I have enough sense not to blog about my dirty laundry, but it’s a truly scary thought to imagine my ex using a blog to attack me.
Posted in Ethics, Human Interest, Trends, Web 2.0 | Leave a Comment »
Blogging Is Just My Hobby
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 6, 2008
The headline pretty much says it all, “In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop,” as the quite young profession of blogging has lately experienced high-profile and early deaths. The bloggers themselves were not so young, but they were not so old, either.
Many professional bloggers are essentially piece-workers, getting paid by the post. And speed is the key to success, since the first blogger who breaks a story gets the glory. Miss out on being first, even if it’s the middle of the night, and the rewards are much smaller. It’s a high-pressure profession, and now professional bloggers are asking whether Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Blogs, Career, Health, Human Interest, Media, Web 2.0 | Tagged: blogging, Blogs, Health, mortality, stress | Leave a Comment »
Why You Should Be a Good Citizen
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 1, 2008
What does it mean to be a good citizen? Perhaps it is my upbringing, or the few months I spent in the Boy Scouts, but I associate good citizenship with helping others. Perhaps the election season provoked this line of thinking, but the political and governmental aspects of citizenship are not what is on my mind today.
Instead, I am thinking of citizenship in the broader sense of being a member of a community. It is commonly accepted that we humans are social creatures, and the communities that we form and join are fundamentally important parts of our lives.
When I juxtapose those two ideas above, about good citizenship and the role of communities, I reach the conclusion that those who help – “good citizens” — are greatly responsible for Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Blogs, Web 2.0 | Tagged: citizenship, community, helping, social networking | Leave a Comment »
BooTube vs Wired
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 21, 2008
I thought you could see just about anything on YouTube, but now that Google’s deep pockets are behind it, the site has to be more careful about little things like copyright infringement and other complaints. Suing Google could be very lucrative. Wired reported the story, “Humorless Metalheads Shut Down Popular YouTuber.”
Three humorless guitar heroes who were lampooned in a series of YouTube “shredding” videos have had the clips pulled offline after citing copyright infringement.
Here’s a clip that is still on YouTube, from the Jimmy Kimmel show.
But, some websites are bolder, and Wired is one of them. They followed up their report with another one, “The Parody Guitar Videos Banned By YouTube,” complete with the embedded videos Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Human Interest, Media, Web 2.0 | Tagged: parody, Video, Wired, YouTube | Leave a Comment »
Blog Power! Even the TSA Can Change
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 19, 2008
Have you heard about the Transportation Security Agency’s (TSA) new blog? It got lots of press, and lots of ridicule. Many claim it is just a public relations (PR) stunt for an agency that’s as lowly-admired as the IRS. Some held out hope that the TSA would actually listen to the comments people posted on the blog. But the hopeful ones are in the minority, from what I could see.
Well, it appears the TSA already deserves some props. Here’s an excerpt from, “TSA changes practice based on passenger blog comments“: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Blogs, Travel, Web 2.0 | Tagged: Blogs, TSA | Leave a Comment »
What Are Your 43 Things?
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 18, 2008
I heard about the 43 Things website a long time ago, and my first reaction was that it was odd. The idea is that you create a public list on their website of things that you intend to do. Any kinds of things at all. And by doing so, you become part of the 43 Things social network, which is where it gets rather interesting.
The funny thing is, not quite a year ago I decided to try it out. I made my own list (only 8 things, as I recall — 43 is just a random number). And, feeling secure in the anonymity of the Internet, they were highly personal, deeply important goals, fundamental things that I wanted to change about myself and in my life. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Human Interest, Networking, Web 2.0 | Tagged: 43 places, 43 things, goals, objectives, social networking | 2 Comments »
Home Agents Calling for Barack Obama
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 5, 2008
OK, I’m impressed. I got a friendly email from the Obama campaign (I’m not really so gullible to believe the candidate sent it personally, but his name on it is a nice personal touch). It invites me to call people and urge them to vote for Obama.
Do I have to go to a phone bank somewhere to do this? Do I have to sit through some training so I know what to say? Do I even have to get up from my chair? No, no and no. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Centers, Politics, Technology, Web 2.0 | Tagged: barack obama, Call Centers, home agents, outbound calling, Politics, presidential election, social networking, Web 2.0 | Leave a Comment »
