Blogging for Dummies 2nd Edition Blog http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/ en sales@hopstudios.com Copyright 2009 2009-07-16T19:55:28+00:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/images/feedburner_graphic.jpgBlogging for Dummies 2nd Edition Book Blog Feed Blogging For Dummies III: Look for it in 2010! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/W__jaisEWeE/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/blogging_for_dummies_iii_look_for_it_in_2010/ About the Book I did something pretty exciting this week: I signed a contract to write the third edition of “Blogging For Dummies!”

“Blogging For Dummies, 2nd Edition” came out in January of 2008. Shane Birley was my co-author, and we had a lot of fun (there was also some stress) in working through the book. We really poured as much knowledge as we could into the 368 pages of the book, but you can never cover everything. Doing a third edition is going to give us a chance to respond to the feedback we have received from readers, and to get even more great information into the book. So much has happened in the blogosphere in the year and a half since the second edition was published!

The third edition will be published in January 2010, and I’ll let you know as soon as it is available to pre-order on Amazon.com. In the meantime, we’re about to embark on the writing part of the job, so if you have any suggestions for things that simply must be part of the third edition, or that we got wrong or missed the first time, leave a comment and let us know! This is a great chance to shape how the book comes together so that it is exactly the resource your need!

imageThere was some other exciting “Blogging For Dummies” news in the last couple of weeks: I received copies of “Blogging For Dummies, 2nd Edition” that looked a little odd. Turns out the book has been translated into Italian! “Blog per negati” is what the book is titled in Italian. It’s pretty fun to see it, even though I don’t speak Italian myself. There is also a “Blogging fur Dummies” (German).

]]> 2009-07-16T20:55:28+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/blogging_for_dummies_iii_look_for_it_in_2010/ Explore the Ball Possibilities with AdHack http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/QIIn37FpqKU/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/explore_the_ball_possibilities_with_adhack/ AdHack (people-powered advertising) wants you to Show Us Your Balls! They’ve created part 1 of an awesome video campaign for .... well, you get to decide! Here’s the idea: You watch the video then write the script for the sequel. AdHack will actually film the top script and then promote your contribution. Wow, creative control and free publicity. You can’t lose. Business and Blogs, Cool Stuff Here’s your starting point:

Want to learn more? Visit http://adhack.com/balls.

AdHack founder James Sherrett says, “The brands that succeed in the world of open advertising harness the power of hearing what passionate, powerful consumers have to say. These are the folks who benefit most from commissioning AdHack commercials and advertisements. They have the balls to let go.”

]]> 2009-02-05T00:46:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/explore_the_ball_possibilities_with_adhack/ Bloggie Nominations Are Open http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/2nT_wKdBJk4/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/bloggie_nominations_are_open/ Nominate yourself and all your favorite blogs for the 2009 Weblog Awards. Nominations are open January 1-12. You can vote on the finalists from January 22-February 2, and the winners will be announced in March at SXSW. There are tons of categories to choose from, and besides the “Best New Weblog” category the only requirement is that the blog fit the category and have been around sometime in 2008. Cool Stuff, Events and Conferences Here’s the list:

  • Best Web Application for Weblogs
  • Best Australian or New Zealand Weblog
  • Best Asian Weblog
  • Best African Weblog
  • Best European Weblog
  • Best Latin American Weblog
  • Best Canadian Weblog
  • Best Photography of a Weblog
  • Best Art, Craft, or Design Weblog
  • Best Food Weblog
  • Best Fashion Weblog
  • Best Travel Weblog
  • Best Weblog About Music
  • Best Gossip Blog
  • Best Entertainment Weblog
  • Best Sports Weblog
  • Best Weblog About Politics
  • Best Computer or Technology Weblog
  • Best Topical Weblog
  • Best Teen Weblog
  • Most Humorous Weblog
  • Best Writing of a Weblog
  • Best Microblog
  • Best Group Weblog
  • Best Community Weblog
  • Best-Designed Weblog
  • Best-Kept Secret Weblog
  • Best New Weblog
  • Lifetime Achievement
  • Weblog of the Year

 

]]> 2009-01-08T21:30:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/bloggie_nominations_are_open/ Take a Class: Managing the Blogosphere http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/wFO88Q_utaI/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/take_a_class_managing_the_blogosphere/ Events and Conferences I’ll be teaching a course at UBC this spring called “Managing the Blogosphere.” It’s part of a series of courses on social media taught by some of the most prominent of Vancouver’s social media tech space. If you’re interested in taking the class, here’re the deets:

The blogosphere is where social media combines with content to produce ground-breaking outreach and impact for your organization. This course explores the theory of why blogging is today�(tm)s most popular area for businesses to spend marketing dollars, and gives you some of the hands-on skills you need to get started yourself. Set up a blog, develop content, learn about RSS, comments, and integration with social networking sites like Flickr, Digg, del.icio.us and others. Topics also include reaching out to bloggers who can help you accomplish your marketing and business goals. The class includes real-world case studies and a forum for brainstorming and discussion.
3 Wed, Mar 4-25, (no class Mar 18), 6:30-9:30pm; UBC Robson Square. $375+GST

Registration is via the UBC site.

]]> 2008-12-23T19:39:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/take_a_class_managing_the_blogosphere/ I’m Big in Asia http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/g1RmVeVSi48/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/im_big_in_asia/ Business and Blogs While in Singapore in November, I did a radio interview on the program “The Living Room”, which airs morning and evenings in Asia. The interview will be streamed live when it is played on the show and can be heard on the website: www.938live.sg next Monday, Dec 1, 10:10am - 11am (remember to check what time that will be for you!).

There will a repeat telecast that same evening at 10:10pm to 11pm. (For those in Asia, there’ll be yet another audio repeat on Channel NewsAsia (audio content only) at about 2:30 am.)
In addition, there is another interview currently posted on the homepage of JobsDB.com.

]]> 2008-11-28T18:42:01+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/im_big_in_asia/ Asia Pacific Corporate Blogging Masterclass http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/y0HXS411IB8/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/asia_pacific_corporate_blogging_masterclass/ Events and Conferences imageExciting news! Susannah Gardner will be traveling to Malaysia and Singapore at the beginning of November 2008 to teach a masterclass level course on corporate blogging. The course is sponsored by Salvo as part of their corporate communication series, and is aimed at helping businesses develop their own blog as a two-way communications and marketing tool. The conference is primarily intended for business executives who recognize the promise of blogs for viral marketing and public relations, managers who want to improve their organization’s online presence, or professionals who are interested to learn how blogging and search engine optimization works.

This will be a basic level course for participants who have no prior knowledge of blogging (but you do need to be interested!). Participants will be given the opportunity to develop a blog and write content from scratch. A Certificate of Completion will be issued to all those who complete a minimum of 90% of the total hours of the Masterclass.

Malaysia: 3rd and 4th November 2008, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur
Singapore: 6th and 7th November 2008, Royal Plaza on Scotts

Masterclass-At-A-Glance
Day 1
9:00-10:30 Introduction to Blogs
10:45-12:30 Blog Tools and Techniques
1:30-3:30 Using Blogs for Marketing
3:45-5:30 Blogging and Your Company

Day 2
9.00-10:30 Blog Best Practices
10:45-12:30 Writing Effectively
1:30-3:30 Comments and Community
3:45-4:45 Blogs and the Law
4:45-5:30 Wrap Up Discussion

Please   if you are interested in attending: 
Tel: +65 6297 8545
Fax: +65 6336 3779

]]> 2008-10-06T18:03:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/asia_pacific_corporate_blogging_masterclass/ Attend IZEAFest Virtually—Video Streaming http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/4CPAj3CVEK4/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/attend_izeafest_virtually_video_streaming/ You, too, can watch my talk “Improving Your Content” at IZEAFest (Oh, and everyone else’s talk, too!) Blogging Tips, Events and Conferences

Live Broadcasting by Ustream

]]> 2008-09-12T15:30:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/attend_izeafest_virtually_video_streaming/ Learn and Earn: The IZEAFest Mantra http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/3uKrbkse4V4/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/learn_and_earn_the_izeafest_mantra/ Keynote Jeremy Schoemaker (www.shoemoney.com) is kicking off the conference with a keynote about his rollarcoaster ride from employment to millions. Events and Conferences Jeremy SchoemakerFour years ago, he was $50K in credit card job, weighed 420 lbs, a heavy smoker, and generally not doing great—not holding down jobs, sleeping in, playing a lot of MMORPGs. He did have some mad programming skills (which he used to mass mail through dating sites) until he called on the carpet for spamming by what he calls a “live one.” Two years later, they married. Jeremy credits her with giving him a work ethic.

What he’s learned? The key to success is: Hard Work.

There are some other important things to learn, but what it really boils down to is working hard, and managing your time.

Other key skills:

  • Developing work habits
  • Making progress every day
  • Do the stuff that makes money first
  • Do what other people won’t (That might mean spending money!)
  • Don’t give in to fear; don’t make excuses

And then Jeremy has some tips for people starting Web businesses:

  • Build sites for people, not search engines.
  • Build a brand.
  • Survive without Google. (“What would happen if Google stopped indexing me tomorrow?”)

At this point, Jeremy makes a pitch for great content; that having good content will allow you to survive technological mishap. A good design doesn’t hurt either. (Totally setting things up for my talk, which is next!)

  • Don’t settle.

I really loved his tips for hiring people. He gives a basic Internet skills test (show me your Digg profile, find 10 things I’ve sold on eBay, etc.) but he also gives them what he calls a 50/50 test. He asks them to create an Excel spreadsheet and record the results of flipping a coin 100 times, and to predict what the next result would be. Most of the time, Jeremy says, the job applicant doesn’t do the task, but gives a logic answer. But that’s not the point—the point is to DO WHAT IS ASKED. Love that—any job involves doing things you don’t necessarily get the point of doing, but you still have to do it. Remember his first point? Work Hard.

Awesome talk!

]]> 2008-09-12T14:13:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/learn_and_earn_the_izeafest_mantra/ Send Me to SXSW! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/T4dPfMnU3YI/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/send_me_to_sxsw/ Events and Conferences This year I managed to get two panel proposals in for the SXSW Interactive Festival (one of the biggest Web conferences each year) in 2009. We (that would be me and my other panelists) think both would make interesting sessions for attendees, but we need help getting the panels on the final schedule. SXSW lets attendees vote on all the panel submissions they receive in order to determine what gets covered during the festival. So, if you like our ideas, we’d love for you to visit the SXSW Interactive Panel Picker and vote for our sessions.. Here’s what we proposed:

Newspaper Websites Don’t Have to Be Awful
Dig into the toolbox used by web designers who specialize in newspapers, magazines, and news blogs. See how they handle online publishing needs: dynamic and archived content, community building, advertising, editorial flow, deadlines, and breaking news. A nitty-gritty breakdown of the many technical tools available for today’s news publishers.

and

Micromafia: Building a Local Small Business Support Network
No small business is an island. When your business is only a couple of people, you desperately need advice and support, but most networking groups are too big. Explore an easy-to-implement, innovative way to collaborate with local entrepreneurs in a focused, how-we-built-it presentation based on chapters in Vancouver and Seattle.

If you wouldn’t mind—and if you think these would make good panels—please vote for them.  Go click on the panel picker, login (quick and free), and vote.  You can even vote if you’re not attending SXSW.

Thanks!

]]> 2008-08-22T18:27:01+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/send_me_to_sxsw/ Get to Know ExpressionEngine, My Favorite Blogging Software http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BloggingForDummiesBook/~3/W8ooyFUZ1-o/ http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/get_to_know_expressionengine_my_favorite_blogging_software/ Hey, if you’re in Vancouver this September, consider coming to the EE Roadshow on 9/26. This is a half-day conference that will introduce you to one of my most indispensable tools for blogging and web design—ExpressionEngine. Here’s all the pertinent info from the Web site http://www.eeroadshow.com/: Blogging Tools, Events and Conferences The EE Roadshow is an event for ExpressionEngine users and developers. It is part training, part brainstorming, part networking and all wonderful.

  • If you’ve ever wondered how to make ExpressionEngine work better for you in your job, this is the event for you.
  • If you’ve ever wondered how the other developers make EE jump through hoops and roll over, this is your event.
  • And if you also happen to wonder what EE developers look like in person, well, don’t miss this.

ExpressionEngine’s online community is friendly and productive and supportive, one of the best on the Internet. The EE Roadshow is our way of bringing ExpressionEngine users and developers together in a real-world way.

The Details
Friday, September 26th
Vancouver, BC
1-5 p.m. (then stay for the part-ee!)
$50 per person

That gives plenty of time for you out-of-town folks to arrive, and gives the folks in town a great way get out of the office early.

Other training events can cost hundreds of dollars. Our low price: $50. That’s just the price of one cup of $50 coffee!

Check out the eeRoadshow sessions. We are covering everything from basic EE setup to developing your own custom module. And there’ll be special guests from EllisLab (the folks behind ExpressionEngine), as well as interesting prizes.

About EE Roadshow

The first ever EE Roadshow is brought to you by Boxcar Marketing, Venn Communications and Hop Studios, three passionate EE development companies who want to help bring ExpressionEngine to every Web site in the world.

]]> 2008-07-31T18:29:00+00:00 http://www.bloggingfordummiesbook.com/blog/get_to_know_expressionengine_my_favorite_blogging_software/