LB's Rambles

Keeping it Transparent

2009-12-16T16:02:40-05:00

If you had to sum up the FTC's new regulations for bloggers and social media, you could do so in one word: transparency. While I personally think the rules are a bit excessive, the Federal Trade Commission's new rules are in effect, and that means we all have to live with them.

Mashable has a good summary of what's involved, with some tips on the best way to keep yourself transparent and compliant.

Scary

2009-12-15T05:57:00-05:00

This would be funny if it weren't so true. At Ragan.com, "Virtual PR Coach" Susan Young offers 10 things that clients say that scare PR pros. Come to think of it, they're pretty funny even if they are true. Ditto for the comments left on the article...

"Who Killed the Curate?"

2009-12-14T14:50:40-05:00

Now THERE's a good, old-fashioned, English-Golden-Age style title for you. And it's a Christmas mystery to boot - the murder takes place on Christmas Eve. But there's more in "Who Killed the Curate?," by Joan Coggin, our book reviewed this week on the Classic Mysteries podcast - you can hear the full review here.

The added factor in Coggin's book is the heroine (and detective figure), Lady Lupin Lorrimer Hastings, known as "Loops" to her friend and perhaps the most scatterbrained detective character you'll ever meet. Her mental processes, as expressed through the book's hilarious dialogue, are stunning, to say the least - and quite funny. It's a good Golden Age mystery (dating from 1944) for the holiday season.

In season or out, if you enjoy classic mysteries, please join me at www.classicmysteries.net to continue discussing them!

Moving Up With the Droid

2009-12-14T10:54:22-05:00

I'm quite happy with my Droid phone, as I've said before. There are more than enough apps already for my taste; granted, there are a lot more available for the iPhone, but I am not convinced that I need an app to make farting noises at various times. Certainly there seem to be enough to allow me to use my Droid as a news reader, follow favorite comic strips, update Twitter and Facebook and even play some games.

So it's interesting to see that I'm obviously not alone - even Time has let the Droid dethrone the iPhone as "Gadget of the Year. Amazon's EndUser blog has details and links - and some commentary which pretty well echoes my own thoughts on it. I've always sort of envied the iPhone, but the AT&T tie was (and remains) a dealbreaker. My own envy factor has decreased tremendously. I'll continue to take the Droid - probably even when Verizon, as rumored, gets the iPhone. We'll see.

Hat tip: Instapundit

Facebook Privacy

2009-12-12T09:46:59-05:00

By now, you've probably read about Facebook's revised privacy policies. If you are active on Facebook, you've probably been greeted by large pop-ups suggesting you walk through the new guidelines and the new settings.

That's good advice. You may find - much to your surprise - that your settings and your privacy are not what you think they are.

Writing at MediaBizBloggers, Shelly Palmer has some excellent suggestions - and some thoughts about why the concept of "Facebook privacy" is an oxymoron. He also has some pointed things to say about Facebook's mostly third-party apps, which underscores my own refusal to get involved with them.

R. I. P. "Editor & Publisher" and "Kirkus Reviews"

2009-12-10T13:21:26-05:00

Another mainstay of print journalism is no more. The Nielsen Co. announced today that it is pulling the plug on Editor & Publisher, which has been one of the industry bibles for a century or so. They are also closing down Kirkus Reviews, one of the last remaining print sources for early book reviews and a publication which has proven invaluable to librarians for a very long time. Crain's New York Business has details.

Nielsen is still trying to sell off a host of other publications, including Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, and AdWeek.

Improving Social Media Karma

2009-12-10T12:16:27-05:00

You'll find bloggers and other social media wise people talking about their karma - or the karma of admired and respected bloggers. Writing for American Express's OPEN Forum, author Rohit Bhargava offers 10 suggestions for improving your own social media karma. A lot of the ideas are familiar and fairly obvious - be positive, be helpful, don't snark, comment and participate in others' blogs, etc. - but they're useful reminders of what we should be doing to build good rapport with our readers.

Hat tip: Ragan's PR Daily newsletter.

Beautiful Libraries

2009-12-08T08:25:47-05:00

Maybe it's because I'm married to a librarian, but these photos of beautiful libraries, courtesy of oddee, are really impressive. Not sure why my own personal library isn't in the group, though...

Hat tip: Instapundit.

"The Journeying Boy"

2009-12-07T10:03:18-05:00

Sometimes a mystery reader can't make up his/her mind between a classic puzzle mystery or a good thriller. So here's a good compromise, containing both kinds of mystery in a single novel: "The Journeying Boy," by Michael Innes. It's our book reviewed this week on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the review here.

The two threads of the story: first, there's a young man hired as a tutor, to accompany the teenaged son of a prominent scientist as he goes on holiday to distant relatives in Ireland; the second concerns a Scotland Yard investigation into the peculiar murder of an unknown man in a London movie theater. Innes carefully provides clues that often keep the reader ahead of the characters in the novel, but there are more than enough puzzles, surprises, twists and a great deal of humor, including some slapstick, to satisfy any reader. If you enjoy mysteries, this is a fine one.

And, if you enjoy mysteries, have you visited www.classicmysteries.net yet? You should...

Google and Your Privacy

2009-12-07T06:06:41-05:00

We've all seen sorry examples of what can happen when somebody tries to use Google to look up your name. How do you maintain your privacy when you can so easily be Googled? Orin Kerr, at the Volokh Conspiracy, has a modest proposal which sounds like it might work for some people, anyway...

Hat tip: Instapundit

Facebook Revamps Privacy Again

2009-12-02T20:24:57-05:00

Facebook is taking another whack at the way it lets its users handle their privacy. This time, they're eliminating one of what I've always felt was the least useful features - regional networks - in favor of giving users much more control over who gets to see what.

Facebook's growth this year has been beyond phenomenal. SoftPedia notes that Facebook started the year with 150 million subscribers worldwide. They just passed 350 million, which was the occasion for Facebook honcho Mark Zuckerberg to post a memo to users about the new privacy features.

MediaPost has a good summary of the changes and more information about what's going on at Facebook.

Navigating with the Droid

2009-12-02T13:25:02-05:00

I must admit I'm really enjoying my new Droid phone from Motorola and Verizon - not least because it keeps me on the Verizon Wireless network. But it is also a pretty amazing navigation device, using Google Maps' turn-by-turn directions.

The system got a terrific writeup from AutoBlog, which compares it not only to Garmin and Tom Tom but to built-in dash systems from some automakers. The Droid comes off very well in the comparisons - better, I fear, than the iPhone. It may not be the only reason for you to consider the Droid - but it's a pretty powerful argument.

Hat tip: Instapundit

Hate to Say "I Told You So"...

2009-12-01T18:29:35-05:00

...but I told you so. There's absolutely no surprise in Consumer Reports' latest survey of wireless customer satisfaction: according to this report on MediaPost's MoBlog, Verizon comes in on top among the four major US carriers...and AT&T comes in last in 19 of the 26 cities covered by the survey.

According to this report, AT&T's problem may be caused by the overwhelming popularity of the iPhone. Perhaps so. But unless and until the AT&T network can handle the traffic - and is far more accessible, for example, in New York City than it is today, I don't see these ratings changing much.

"13 to the Gallows"

2009-11-30T12:30:22-05:00

The subject of this week's podcast review on our "Classic Mysteries" podcast is a collection of four plays written by John Dickson Carr, the acknowledged master of the impossible crime story. The plays collected in "13 to the Gallows" surely must have baffled and pleased theater audiences when originally produced in the 1940s, and I am delighted to find that they have now been reprinted and made available to today's mystery readers. You can listen to a full review here.

The plays all feature impossible crimes or locked room murders. In all, Carr is scrupulous about providing playgoers with clues to the correct solution, even as he carefully misdirects their attention away from those clues. Two of the plays were co-authored with British radio producer Val Gielgud, but all are quite clearly the product of Carr's ingenious plotting and masterful atmospherics. Add an introduction and afterword essays by Tony Medawar and you have a fine gift for any classic mystery lover.

If that last description fits you, by the way, please join me at www.classicmysteries.net where we can discuss this and many other books and mystery writing in general. I hope to see you there.

Cyber Monday

2009-11-30T05:30:00-05:00

Today is "Cyber Monday," the day when online shoppers traditionally are supposed to be out there ordering gifts online for family, friends and themselves. If you're planning to order anything from Amazon.com, let me again ask you to use the box on the upper right corner of the page, which will give me a small commission. If you want to see some of Amazon's Cyber Monday specials, click here. It's not just books - DVDs, electronics, cameras, clothing - you name it. And thank you.