There are very few studies of Black Canadians in sports and even fewer, if any, on Asian Canadians, Native Canadians and racialized females. However, because Canadian views on “race” have been influenced by the United States due to our proximity (Coakley & Donnelly, 2009) and the fact that many Canadian athletes go on to play in professional American sports leagues, the statistics on Blacks from these leagues can be applicable in a Canadian context. Some of these statistics around representation are staggering (see Table 1). It is interesting to note that the percentage of Blacks in Canada’s total population was 2.5% in 2006 (Statistics Canada, 2006) while the U.S.A. had a 12.6% Black population in 2010 (United States Census Bureau, 2011).

Table 1 – Note: Values are percentages, retrieved from:
Lapchick, R. (2010, April 29). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: Major League Baseball.
Lapchick, R. (2010, June 9). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Basketball Association.
Lapchick, R. (2010, September 29). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Football League.

There is a blatant overrepresentation of Black players in the NBA and NFL; while the MLB’s numbers may seem more reflective of the population, a closer look is needed to reveal the overrepresentation there. Looking at the statistics of certain player positions in the NFL and MLB reveals even more insights into the issue of representation (see Table 2).

Why then, is there so much disparity not only in the overall representation but by position as well? There are popular stereotypes that cite biological reasons; these say that Blacks, through some sort of natural selection, have a genetic advantage over other races. However, this reasoning is quite precarious. The science and biology of race has long perpetuated the idea of intellectual racial superiority and has been used for the justification of colonization, slavery, and genocide. In fact, the Human Genome Project has verified that there is no classification of races as a biological concept (Coakley & Donnelly, 2009). This pseudoscientific belief has immediate consequences for education — if teachers perpetuate the stereotype that Blacks are genetically built for sports, this not only diminishes the significance of athletic achievement amongst Black students, but it also reduces their intellectual expectations. The reasoning will then be: if Black athletes do well at sports, it must be because of their natural physical abilities whereas White athletes (who supposedly are not as blessed biologically) must have excellent character, exercise a strong will, and possess great intellect to achieve the same success (Coakley & Donnelly, 2009).

When educators encourage Black students to join sports while discouraging academics, they fail to recognize the full potential and educational aspirations of many Black students. These students then begin to believe the stereotypes and reduce the importance of their academic performance while giving priority to their roles as athletes (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2009). It is more likely that Blacks excel at these sports not because of biological advantages but because they see sports as the only path to success or for Black inner-city kids, a ticket out of poverty (Siegel, 2003).

Table 2 – Note: Values are percentages, retrieved from:
Lapchick, R. (2010, June 9). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Basketball Association.
Lapchick, R. (2010, September 29). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Football League.

Sadly, even when Blacks make it into the professional leagues, they still face many inequalities. In Table 2, we see that there is great underrepresentation in sports positions that traditionally are leaders on the team: quarterbacks, centers, pitchers, and catchers. Furthermore, the few Blacks who do become quarterbacks in the NFL (e.g. Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Jason Campbell, and Vince Young) experience continuous controversy and scrutiny throughout their careers. The lack of representation of Blacks in leadership or positions of authority is even further evident when examining the non-players in sports leagues: head coaches, staff, and owners (see Table 3).

Table 3 – Note: Values are percentages, retrieved from:
Lapchick, R. (2010, April 29). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: Major League Baseball.
Lapchick, R. (2010, June 9). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Basketball Association.
Lapchick, R. (2010, September 29). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Football League.

This begins to paint a disturbing picture. Black students may make progress towards professional sports believing that sports may be their only avenue to achieve success — only to be marvelled at for their physical sample. Watching the NFL Combine bares a chilling resemblance of a time when Blacks had no choice but to perform physically for a living:

He reported how the slaves, eager to impress potential masters who they perceived as kind, would sometimes cheerfully respond to buyers “…pinching their limbs to find how muscular they were, walking them up and down to detect any signs of lameness, making them stoop and bend in different ways that they might be certain there was no concealed rupture or wound..”
(A slave auction in 1857) (PBS, 2001)

The NFL Combine is a showcase of college football players who perform physical and mental tests to demonstrate their size, health, speed, agility, and strength to teams that may potentially draft them. At the Combine, representatives from all teams gather to observe the players and run them through drills to test how fast, strong, and agile they are while the sports media wonder in awe at the physical feats and performances of the players. The NFL draft then takes place afterwards where teams, after making their evaluations, will pick the players who performed best to join their teams.

Ironically, as player salaries rise and ticket prices increase, it becomes harder for those in a lower socio-economic status [a large portion of whom are Black (LaVeist, 2005)] to attend the games. Consequently, Black players once they are drafted, then enter the league mostly as running backs, wide receivers and defence to then play for a mostly White coaching staff, a mostly White managerial team, get paid by a White owner, and compete against each other as a group of mostly Black players in front of an increasingly White group of fans (Siegel, 2003). The good news is that they get paid.

Is this the sole aspiration educators want for Black students? Surely there is nothing wrong with being a professional athlete, but should this be the only hope for a Black student? In today’s society we wonder why Black youth are increasingly stigmatized — but have we taken a close enough look at what happens in our schools? There are many ways teachers can make a difference and the first is by examining their own attitudes, expectations, and behaviours. Teachers need to acknowledge their biases and not be quick to label students as, “low achievers, learning disabled, drop-outs, disruptive, trouble-makers, problem-students, rebellious, and individuals who are likely to get into illegal activities” (James, 2008). Teachers also need to have the same expectations of their students and use fair treatment for all. If little is expected of a student — whether academically or athletically —they will provide little effort. Finally, teachers should help students develop an understanding of their own cultural identities along with the identities of the other students in the classroom. Both students and teachers must learn that cultural differences should be appreciated rather than critiqued against a Eurocentric standard. Students’ identities need to be reflected in the curriculum; they need see role models that they can identify with culturally to show them that there are no constraints on what they can achieve. Teachers must illustrate to students that they can be artists, plumbers, politicians, or inventors, and not just limited to rappers and sports athletes.

Bibliography

Coakley, J., & Donnelly, P. (2009, February 12). Race and Ethnicity: Are They Important in Sports? Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies (Second Canadian Edition). Canada: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

James, C. (2008, August 12). Stereotyping and its consequence for racial minority youth. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from Ontario Human Rights Commission: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/issues/racism/racepolicydialogue/cj/pdf

Lapchick, R. (2010, April 29). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: Major League Baseball. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport: http://web.bus.ucf.edu/documents/sport/2010_MLB_RGRC.pdf

Lapchick, R. (2010, June 9). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Basketball Association. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport: http://web.bus.ucf.edu/documents/sport/2010_NBA_RGRC.pdf

Lapchick, R. (2010, September 29). The 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card: National Football League. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport: http://web.bus.ucf.edu/documents/sport/2010-NFL-Racial-and-Gender-Report-Card.pdf

LaVeist, T. A. (2005). Disentangling Race and Socioeconomic Status: A Key to Understanding Health Inequalities. Journal of Urban Health
, 82 (2), 26-33.

Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2009, December). Policy and guidelines on racism and racial discimination. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/resources/Policies/RacismPolicy/pdf

PBS. (2001, February 1). People and Events: The Weeping Time . Retrieved April 06, 2011, from Africans in America: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2918.html

Siegel, D. (2003, Spring). Race and Sport. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from Sport: In Search of the American Dream: http://www.science.smith.edu/exer_sci/ESS200/Raceh/Raceh04.htm

Statistics Canada. (2006). Visible Minority Groups. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from 2006 Census of Canada: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=92338&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=802&Temporal=2006&THEME=80&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=

United States Census Bureau. (2011, March). Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010 Census Briefs. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf

Exemplary science teaching will have 3 core features:

1. The use of differentiated instruction (DI)
2. Open inquiry and investigation
3. The integration of science, technology, society, and the environment (STSE)

At the heart of these 3 features is one fundamental theme: reflecting students in the curriculum. The result of supporting this theme is greater student participation and access to higher order, critical thinking.

Photo on left by Rbut

Differentiated Instruction (DI)

DI can be explained as a teaching strategy that provides various options for students to learn based on how they learn best.

Reflecting back on my secondary education, science was only ever taught to a narrow group of students. If you learned best using logic or mathematics you probably would have done very well in science; if not, you may have struggled. Today’s science teacher will need to be aware of the multiple intelligences (MI, teachers love acronyms!) that exist in the classroom and use DI to engage all the different types of learners.

As a part of inclusive education, it is also important for science teachers to modify their pedagogy to teach all kinds of learners, especially with the many perspectives, behavioural, and cultural differences that exist in the classroom. When an educator teaches as if all students have the same cultural background or the background that the educator is familiar with, they can unknowingly marginalize students. This marginalization especially occurs when teachers fail to recognize their biases.

A crucial idea in using DI involves both the student learning about themselves and the teacher learning about and from the student. How can you best teach a student if you don’t get to know more about them? One of the ways I like to start the process is by giving students (as early in the term as possible) a multiple intelligence quiz as well as an interest survey. The MI quiz helps both the student and teacher learn more about how that student learns best. It’s not about how smart they are, but rather how they are smart.

Moreover, it helps the teacher not only offer options for the student to learn based on their strengths but also offer opportunities to help them positively improve their weaknesses. These options can be presented by giving students the ability to choose the content of the learning task, the process by which the task is done, the end product of the task, or the environment in which the task takes place — while assessing the same curriculum goals for all students.

The interest survey I administer asks the students questions like:

• What is your favourite activity or subject in school?
• What are three things you like to do when you have free time?
• Do you prefer to work individually, in small groups, or in large groups?

This gives me vital information that I use when preparing to present curriculum to the students. By representing the student’s interest and learning styles in the curriculum, I can create learning tasks that the students find interesting and engaging. The importance of differentiated instruction should not be played down by science teachers; implementing DI is an excellent way to build community and a positive, supportive learning environment in the classroom.

Open Inquiry and Investigation

Curiosity and discovery of the unknown are central driving forces in the field of science. Exemplary science education should be based on facilitating these driving forces. Thinking back on my science education, tasks that involved investigation and inquiry were often pre-determined, highly structured tasks that only required students to confirm results and perform the final steps of a lab experiment.

Today’s example of exemplary science teaching will involve methods that move away typical cookie-cutter, “recipe” types of inquiry to more open, amorphous types of inquiry [PDF]. In an open inquiry experiment, educators provide guidance and facilitation toward the learning goals while allowing the students to develop the experiment themselves and discover the methods, questions, and results. In my teaching practice, I hope to use open inquiry-based learning as a tool to help students draw on prior knowledge, perform analysis, and achieve engagement in a fun and pleasurable way. Especially in way that encourages creativity by allowing them to make mistakes and take risks.

I hope to be able to facilitate the process of learning by giving problems to students and allowing them to solve them by relying on their own thinking while guiding students through questioning. Furthermore, I’ll need to focus on the process of the investigation and not entirely on the final result. As an educator, it’s sometimes hard to give up control in the classroom. However, I believe an important feature in exemplary science teaching is putting the classroom focus on the students rather than the teacher — allowing the students’ interests to guide the direction of the inquiry. This is a necessary element of reflecting students in the curriculum.

Integration of Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment (STSE)

Science is traditionally seen as an emotionless field reserved for science professionals and “nerds”. However, science has far reaching implications in our world, ones that affect families, the environment, politics, economics, and technology. There may be a widespread lack of scientific literacy and critical science thinking in our society and thus a responsibility lies with educators to correct misconceptions and make science relevant and relatable.

Exemplary science teaching addresses these concerns by integrating science with issues in technology, society, and the environment (STSE – yay another acronym!). Encouraging students to address the impact of science on these issues will help connect science to human values and everyday life. STSE education involves understanding science concepts, engaging in open inquiry, and critiquing the role of science.

In my teaching practice, I’ve seen firsthand how students are able to engage in higher level critical thinking by implementing STSE in the classroom. During my first practicum in a Grade 11 Chemistry class we discussed political, economical, environmental, and social issues surrounding the horrific Bhopal accident of 1984. The students were able to critique the science decisions made during the accident and think critically about the social decisions regarding the fallout. The activities helped to raise their consciousness around social justice and the role that science can play in who benefits or loses in society.

STSE education helps students make informed, educated, science literate decisions by giving students an opportunity to see the world from a multiplicity of views and cultural contexts. It gives meaning and relevance to science by allowing students to incorporate their opinions and values with the way science is done. Science can now be related to everyday actions and decisions and helps to increase science literacy.

In my pedagogy as a science teacher, I aim to pursue exemplary science teaching; teaching that first and foremost reflects the students in the curriculum. To take it a step further, students should be the curriculum. I look forward to implementing differentiated instruction is a way that helps students learn more about themselves and allows me to get to know more about them. I hope to show students the value in making mistakes and taking risks by providing a variety of continuous assessments, providing feedback and direction. I hope to provide inquiry and investigations that are less structured and more open, encouraging students to think and analyze instead of just following directions. In addition, the implementation of STSE will be a focus in my science pedagogy personalizing science for students and preparing them to be science-literate stewards of the future. With continuous reflection and analysis, I hope to continue learning more about being a great science teacher and to dynamically improve and tweak my pedagogy to best achieve student success.

See the article for print-ready versions: http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/toronto/archive/2010/04/23/a-ttc-etiquette-campaign-the-ttc-doesn-t-know-about-with-printable-posters.aspx

Google Mail conversation chains

Offline Google Mail

Google Mail Spam Protection

Google Mail Themes

Google Mail Voice and Video Chat

(via google.co.uk/googlemailvideos)

But will tax increases ever be enough?  What we need is a smarter solution to this, and the answer is telecommuting.

So you want less cars on the roads in Toronto? Well, how do you want folks to get to work?  I guess you expect them to take the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission or fondly known as Take The Car)?

Ha!

Try taking the Yonge line downtown in the morning and let me know how many trains you have let pass you because they are too full.  Try waiting on a bus in the winter and count how many unfrozen toes you have left when you finally get on a bus with enough space.  And fares are going up, again.

Telecommuting is the perfect solution to Toronto’s congestion issues.  We’ll reduce traffic congestion, increase worker productivity through the reduction/elimination of travel time, and have a potentially profound positive impact on the environment.  Hey, we might even be able to fit riders on a subway car in the mornings.  There are plenty of other benefits, including increased work/family balance, increased job satisfaction, and reduced stress.

I’m sure there are many ways Toronto can encourage companies to adopt telecommuting as a standard way of operating their business, either through tax cuts or other incentives.  It would just take a little creativity instead of just taking the easy way out by just taxing more and more.

If you drive, would you pay added tolls or taxes and continue to drive to work?  What do you think about the idea of working from home?

What I’ve noticed:

Things got cliquey. Unpopular opinions were quickly and combatively damned.  There’s nothing wrong with having a different opinion, even if it’s wrong.  But tolerance for diverse viewpoints is no longer a strong point for Friendfeed, as it was at its peak.

Those who agree with me will admit they’ve held back opinions and participation because of this.  I believe this is a big contributor to the decrease of interaction in Friendfeed.  Where have the political discussions gone?  What about the important conversations about race, world issues, etc.  And I mean real discussions, not just a thread full of affirmations.  This has been a real loss for Friendfeed as it has affected the number of interactions on all threads.  And what we’re left with is what Scoble is troubled by, which, more or less, I agree with.

Now, it’s not all bad.  I appreciate all the random stuff that pops up on Friendfeed.  I just wish there was more balance.  It’s easy for anyone to speak up when they know most of the people around support their view.  However, if we don’t encourage diversity of opinions, all we encourage is the echo chamber effect.

This is not to say that I’m done with Friendfeed, because I still find it very useful and rewarding.  I just don’t use it as often or for the same purposes.  Do I think Friendfeed is doomed?  No, definitely not.  However, I think there needs to be a change in mentality of the community.

What’s been your experience with Friendfeed lately?

Until July 11, people running Windows XP or Vista can pre-order upgrades to the home version of Windows 7 at $64.99 instead of $129.95 and the professional version for $124.99 instead of $279.95 “while quantities last.”

With sweet new features and an improved user interface, I have to admit I’m tempted to jump on this and pre-order.

[polldaddy poll=1738999]

@courtenay
“The Third Jesus” by Deepak Chopra. . . uh, I didn’t know there was a second Jesus.
7:52 PM May 7th, 2008 from twhirl

@theelusivefish
no choice but to save @zoeDisco from the doughnut. SAVE YOURSELF ZOE >heroic leap at box<
1:23 PM May 9th, 2008 from im

@shey
Why didn’t the alarm bells go off when I decided to wear a white shirt the day I’m having KFC for lunch? [Yes, I favourite my own tweets sometimes ]
12:54 PM May 12th, 2008 from web

@lesliecarbone
wishing I could take as many naps as twitter does
7:30 PM May 19th, 2008 from web

@jpostman
Client is sending me 300 MB file. Maybe they’re teletransporting someone by FTP?
4:04 PM Jun 4th, 2008 from web

@hsojeel
I am pretty [sure] that if Jesus had the choice he would have turned water into beer.
12:07 AM Jun 18th, 2008 from web

@mashable
Every year, hundreds of people die of Twitter addiction. Don’t be the next victim. (I’m FriendFeed and I approve this message)
4:35 PM Jul 2nd, 2008 from web

@JaysonFlint
I just saw Santa Claus in shorts and a white T, or maybe that was Kenny Rogers…oh well
1:28 PM Jul 7th, 2008 from HelloTxt

@corvida
Here’s how to pitch me: Send me a blog post about your service so that I can copy/paste it . I’m kidding lol
6:51 PM Jul 9th, 2008 from twhirl

@itafroma
You know, this Jason Calacanis newsletter is like a bad blog that I can’t comment on to tell the blogger how bad it is.
6:22 PM Jul 17th, 2008 from web

Here are some stats that you may or may not find interesting:

Traffic

Total Pageviews: 19,661
United States: 61.91%
Canada: 10.85%
United Kingdom: 7.00%
Australia: 2.09%
India: 1.45%
Germany: 1.39%
Philippines: 0.77%
Netherlands: 0.75%
Turkey: 0.72%
France: 0.67%

Sources
google / organic: 26.61%
friendfeed.com: 18.52%
stumbleupon.com: 9.01%
twitter.com: 5.28%

Most Popular Posts

20 Obscure People You Can Follow on Twitter and FriendFeed and Not Get Bored

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5 Interesting Ways to Use FriendFeed

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FriendFeed Participation Levels

Social Media Narcissism

My Rant on Loren Feldman

Posts

57 posts

579 blog comments

18 categories

~150 Feedburner subscribers

42 MyBlogLog members

Thanks once again for the great interactions, I hope we’ll have many more in the upcoming year

I’ve found there are [VERY] generally, two schools of thought on Social Media and it’s future.   There are the skeptics who I call Type X thinkers, and the believers who I call Type Y thinkers.

Type X  (Skeptics or Pessimists):

This school of thought sees Social Media as a big, never-ending popularity contest rife with narcissism: “Look at me, I’ve got 5,000 followers, I’m awesome!”

Skeptics also adopt the idea that Social Media has no real ROI and if it does, there’s no standard way of quantifying it. Some base it on page stats, while others base it on influence via network size but most find it hard to tie it back to $$$, market share, etc.

Even though the most hardcore of skeptics cannot deny the existence of the growing phenomenon that is Social Media, most are cautious about taking it too seriously.

Type Y (Believers or Kool-aid drinkers):

Type Y thinkers see Social Media as the incumbent future of interaction on the web. They are avid tutors for those still stuck in Web 1.0 and yearn for the mainstream adoption of Social Media. Contrary to the skeptics, they believe that Social Media ROI can be measured effectively; while being linked to revenue, market share, and other corporate benchmarks.

In addition, the Believers foresee more to Social Media than just revenue. They see an opportunity for real world social change through activism, community building, and awareness.

I’m not trying to label you

I’m sure no one fits perfectly into either description; I consider myself a Type Y thinker, I’d really love to see Steven Hodson’s impossible dream of social technology come to life. On the other hand, I’m still a little skeptical about Social Media ROI.

How do you see Social Media?

Web design is harder than you think.

I don’t just move pretty pictures around in Photoshop Fireworks — there’s a lot of thought, consideration, and a certain amount of instinct involved in everything I do.

I’ll spend more hours on your project than you think.

The outcome of your final project is a reflection of myself — I’ll need to make sure it’s up to my own standards in addition to yours.

When you say you want a “basic” website, I don’t believe you.

You want a few pages of content that doesn’t change over time? That’s basic.

I do not, in any form or circumstance or by any amount of persuasion, want to be a business partner in your venture.

You might want to try going to people who have money and are willing to invest in your business, I’m not a venture capitalist.

If you’re a first time customer, I’m not interested in discounting my quote because you promise to give me more projects in the future.

But if you are a repeat customer, you will definitely get discount anyway.

I truly believe the content you incorporate on your site is more important than any “fantastic” design I create.

You worry about the content, let me worry about the design; with some minor crossover of course.

If I get input on your content, you get input on design.

I don’t want to be your copy writer and I don’t want to be your Human Photoshop Brush — the project will just flow smoother if we’re both a little flexible.

No, I will not design your logo for $50.

Your logo will often be the first piece of communication between your business and a potential customer. Why wouldn’t you want to invest appropriately in that?

I have, on occasion, wanted to fire a client.

Many reasons for this, some of which I have already listed here.

Still not sure if this post was a good idea or not.

I think many people, especially non-techie [ultra-] small business startups, really have no experience in web design projects or really any kind of design project and kinda make it up as they go along. Patience is key in these situations. I’ve found that even the most inexperienced clients are willing to learn from and listen to you if you can empathize with them.

As a client or a designer, what confessions do you have?

Go back and read some of your old posts

Sometimes you’d be surprised at the discussions your blog has generated or even how one of your ideas has spread across the blogosphere.  This is a good exercise to rebuild any lost self-confidence so you can get right back on that horse.

Start reading your RSS feeds again

Chances are you’ve not only stopped blogging, but you’ve stopped reading RSS feeds too.  Catching up with your blogging acquaintances is a great way to get inspired and catch up with the latest ideas.

Join discussions

…on blog posts, Friendfeed, SocialMedian, etc.  Get engaged again and throw your opinions out there on Twitter.  See what folks are saying about your favourite topics on social news sites and rant chat away!

Summarize your time off

You probably reorganized some life priorities while you were away.  How did you spend your time usually slotted for blogging?  Let folks know how your real life is going.

Respond to a hot topic

…with a fresh perspective!  Try not to re-enter the echo chamber.

Setup drafts

Have an idea for a post? Create a draft and add thoughts little by little as they enter your head. As time goes by, string them together and mold them into a bigger thought that flows well.

Set realistic goals for blogging in the future

How often do you really need to blog? What are you trying to accomplish with your blog?  Louis Gray reminds me that you don’t really have to blog everyday unless you’re being paid to do so.

So here I am, trying to follow my own advice.  I’ve taken these steps in hopes of not only blogging on a more regular basis, but having more realistic expectations.  I’ve gone back and read some of my old posts and I still can’t figure out why people are so interested in what I have to say, but I am grateful for it.

Have you recently overcome a blogging hiatus, funk, sabbatical, or whatever?

I had TechCrunch and Scobleizer on the list but their recent redesigns look great!

Hopefully, without sounding like another design snob, I’d like to list some popular blogs that I hope get a redesign in 2009.

In no specific order:

1) Lifehacker

Really its not just Lifehacker but all the Gawker Media blogs.

2) LouisGray.com

Louis Gray has a great blog with some of the most interesting thoughts and topics out there, and a fresh design would be a great complement.

3) Techipedia

So much potential here, would love to see a design that incorporates the logo well.

4) Read Write Web

Read Write Web is one of my favourite blogs and the layout and typography isn’t really that horrible.  It’s mostly the header and logo that bug me.

5) ProBlogger

I used to like ProBlogger’s design — not sure what happened.  Maybe it was the increase in ads or maybe I got tired of reading Helvetica in such small font sizes (one of my web pet peeves).

6) The Last Podcast

Frederic runs a great blog here as well, but this template needs to go.

7) ChrisBrogan.com

I don’t actually have any real beef with his current design, personally I just loved the previous one so much more.  Bring it back Chris!

8) Performancing

Very helpful blog but I’m not a fan of fluid width layouts plus it really could use a refresh.  Not friendly with 17” monitors either.

9) Web Strategy by Jeremiah

Earlier this year, Jeremiah asked what he could do to improve the way his blog looks.   I suggested he change the background to white instead of light gray.  But now, I’m asking for more

10) Micro Persuasion

Not sure how flexible Typepad is, but I’d love to see what could be done here.

Now, before I get anyone lashing back at me, please consider that my intentions are not to be critical of these blogs as a whole.  I just think the visual aspects warrant some improvement.

Do you agree or disagree?  What sites would you add to this list?

Read the rest here on my guest post at PulseAndSignal.com.

But before the iPod fanboys and fangirls and Microsoft haters start getting on my case, keep in mind that these are my preferences, you aren’t going convince me to go get an iPod, k?

So here are my top reasons why. 

1. Wireless sync
2. The Zune software is way better (in my opinion) than iTunes or Windows Media Player
3. The value is great for the features you get
4. It’s really easy to use and I have no issues with the types of files I sync
5. It can store music, videos, photos, and now games
6. I also think Zune Social is pretty cool

So fellow Zune lovers, what else do you love about your Zune?

National Anti-Poverty Organization
The mission of the National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO) is to eradicate poverty in Canada by promoting income and social security for all Canadians, and by promoting poverty eradication as a human rights obligation.

Daily Bread Food Bank
Providing food and resources for hungry people; mobilizing greater support, involvement and action; Creating social change to reduce poverty through research, education and advocacy.

North York Harvest Food Bank
The North York Harvest Food Bank works towards the relief of hunger in communities throughout northern Toronto. The Food Bank supports emergency food programs, partners with perinatal programs, advocates for change on issues affecting food bank use and works with like-minded organizations to develop innovative and respectful ways for our clients to access culturally appropriate and personally acceptable food at no cost.

However, that doesn’t mean I stopped reading! To make up for my absence, I’m including links to some key articles I’ve read in the past month so you can read them too. Hope you find them as interesting as I did!

Bloggers Need To Learn To Respect Some Traditions

FriendFeed Is Growing Nicely Regardless Of What Scoble Says

I’m Doubling Down My Subscriptions Because of FriendFeed Lists

The social media bubble that wasted your time

With FriendFeed Lists, I Start to Organize the Noise

FriendFeed’s Progress Out of the A-Listers’ Garage

Introducing Twitter to Your Non-Geeky Family

My Social Media Mission 2008: Collecting Genuine Relationships

FriendFeed is not killing blogging [Time Management 101]

What would FriendFeed look like in a Zombie Attack?

Our Social Media behavior smothers discussion

What does getting smarter really mean?

The Politics of Lining Up (for a Bus)

Enjoy!

In accordance with Blog Day 2008, here are 5 blogs I’m reading that I recommend you read as well:

One Little Cog
Blog of Ehren Cheung, web marketing & data coordinator at the Dundurn Group.

Shannon Whitley
Blog of developer/systems admin, Shannon Whitley.

Pulse and Signal
Commentary on the impact and potential usefulness, of technology (social media, consumer/emerging web tech) on health communication and social marketing.

Rick Mahn
Exploration of social media & web 2.0’s strengths and failings.

Jeffrey Simms Photography
Blog of photographer, Jeffrey Simms.

And for good measure, be sure to subscribe to one more…mine

introspective snapshots

When going through the process of adding / friending / following in social media, we often look for a common characteristic in our ‘friends’.  These characteristics can be anything, from the love of tech, design, political affiliation or religion or any other type of culture.  Why do we do this?  It’s an attempt in the perpetual battle of finding the the signal amongst the noise, but on that journey, are we falling prey to too much narcissism?

Here’s my concern:

If we only encourage interactions with people who are like ourselves by religion, politics, language, industry, etc., and shy away from everything else, will that not enclose us in a bubble?

Some Effects of the Bubble

One effect is that we end up with groupthink and an increasingly larger echo chamber.  A false reality is created by the purposeless regurgitation of ideas, everyone sheepishly agreeing with everyone else, and the ensuing lack of perspective due to isolation from the rest of the space.  Being open-minded isn’t enough.  What good is it being open-minded if there aren’t encounters with other perspectives?

Another effect is a related to the echo chamber: just pure boredom. Hearing about the same old topics over and over again can result in social media fatigue and blogger burnout.  Personally, I’d rather comment on someone else’s post rather than perpetuating a worn-out topic.  Sometimes, a comment can be just as meaningful as a post. (Heck, Disqus even thinks comments are blog posts)

Other effects include the suppression of different points of view which pushes folks to hold back on their level of engagement; and the isolation of those who dare to share all of the topics they like.

My Advice

• Diversify your friend subscriptions
• Encourage constructive discussion
• Backup your opinions with facts
• Empathize so you can be open-minded to see other viewpoints — you will learn more and appreciate others, and have others appreciate you for understanding them
• Being open-minded also involves welcoming a variety of topics from unexpected sources
• Be patient, you may have to endure some noise to gain more signal

In the end I think this will help you have more meaningful interactions, bring an added excitement to learning, and achieve greater satisfaction in your social media journey.

Is following a diverse group of people important to you?

It’s a head-to-head league with 10 teams, with 8 showing up for the Live Draft.

Here’s my starting roster:

QB Tony Romo (Dal – QB)
WR Wes Welker (NE – WR)
WR Bernard Berrian (Min – WR)
RB LaDainian Tomlinson (SD – RB)
RB Jamal Lewis (Cle – RB)
TE Kellen Winslow (SD – RB)
W/T Jerricho Cotchery (NYJ – WR)
W/R Thomas Jones (NYJ – RB)
K Adam Vinatieri (Ind – WR)
D Terrence McGee (Buf – DB)
DB Nate Clements (SF – DB)
DB Leigh Bodden (Det – DB)
DL James Harrison (Pit – DL)
DL E.J. Henderson (Min – DL)

On the bench:

Donald Driver (GB – WR)
Brett Favre (NYJ – QB)
Chester Taylor (Min – RB)
Joey Galloway (TB – WR)
Jon Kitna (Det – QB)
Devin Hester (Chi – WR)

And here’s my draft order (in brackets is the overall pick #):

1. (2) LaDainian Tomlinson
2. (19) Jamal Lewis
3. (22) Tony Romo
4. (39) Thomas Jones
5. (42) Wes Welker
6. (59) Kellen Winslow
7. (62) Bernard Berrian
8. (79) Jerricho Cotchery
9. (82) Adam Vinatieri
10. (99) Terrence McGee
11. (102) Donald Driver
12. (119) James Harrison
13. (122) Nate Clements
14. (139) Brett Favre
15. (142) Will Witherspoon
16. (159) Chester Taylor
17. (162) Leigh Bodden
18. (179) Joey Galloway
19. (182) Jon Kitna
20. (199) E.J. Henderson
21. (202) Ernie Sims
22. (219) Devin Hester
23. (222) Mason Crosby

Know your stakeholders and their expectations

For most situations, the most important stakeholder is the client.  Be sure to nail down exactly what it is they require the project to produce and make sure your team has the ability to convert on time and on budget — meeting all specifications.

It also helps if you get you know your stakeholders.  Discover how they like to operate and analyze tendencies — you’ll be able to anticipate their reactions and create a better working relationship.

Know your team members and their strengths

Now that you know what’s the client expects of the project, be sure to pick team members with specialties that match up well with the project needs.  Also, be weary of the warnings signs: members who have the wrong attitudes, have too many other projects on their plate, or those who don’t get along well with others.  You’ll want a team that will gel and put the needs of the project first.

Initiate and sustain communication

Don’t wait on the team to come to you, its your job to go to them first.  To be able to manage risks and anticipate disasters (not wait for them to happen), you need to consistently be in communication with team members.  You’ll be able to respond to new kinks in the plan and re-organize more easily, if necessary.

This is also true for your stakeholders.  Make sure they are well informed of the project status and any major blips that have occurred.  The last thing you want is an uninformed, nervous client; it makes the team look unprofessional and can have a negative affect on your relationship with the client.

Be their leader

As leaders, project managers must set goals and motivate team members to achieve or exceed those goals.  However, this requires a great deal of respect from the team.  The project manager can gain this respect by:

• Leading by example.  Show the level of work ethic and work quality you expect from your team by actually performing at that level.
• Sell your vision to the team to build their commitment to the project.
• Encourage positive, ‘can-do’ attitudes.
• Praise victories in public and correct failures in private.

Be human

People change their minds, make mistakes, and have emotions.  Be prepared to not only manage people as clients and team members but also as human beings with diverse arrays of perceptions, experiences, and behaviours.  A good project manager will be able to correct misunderstandings and mitigate conflicts while keeping the project running smoothly.  Be empathetic, fair, and understanding; you’ll find your team will be more efficient, creative, and happy.

What tips do you have for managing relationships with clients and team members?

Check out Rahsheen’s blog.