rorowe's online life

Reflecting on BarCamp Philly 2009

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:41:00 +0000

Yesterday, I attended Philadelphia's 2nd BarCamp, an organic, unconference, where the attendees dictate the sessions, and you get out of it what you put into it.

This years' BarCamp was even more appropriate for me, as I had some of my personal learning network attend as well. We had never met in person prior to that morning of BarCamp, but through Twitter, Google Docs, and Wave, we decided we would present something. After some delicious bagels, freshfruit, and coffee (okay, I had a Pepsi), we posted 2 sessions, and found an empty classroom to begin planning.

Kevin Jarrett posted his session, "Teaching as a Second Career" first thing, and had a small, but dynamic turnout. Being that most of the BarCamp attendees were developers, designers, consultants, and artists, it was a great session for anyone even curious about becoming a teacher.

After attending Things that SUCK (a group exercise), we decided to skip session 3, and grab some lunch at Cosi to continue our planning for the afternoon session, Social Media Survival Guide for Schools.

For a handful of educators, who hadn't met prior to the morning of BarCamp, to collaborate, and present, just shows you how powerful something like BarCamp is to a community. The best thing about it: We're still learning from it! (Our Google Doc, my Twitter List of the 6 of us, and the BarCamp Philly Flickr Pool, for example)

Enjoy, and I hope to see you next year for #3!

Thoughts before Printing

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Last time I blogged, it was about fax machines. This time, I'm gonna get green on yas a little, with a simple message:

"Think before printing."

Since I've been working at Staples Copy & Print Center, I've witnessed more environmental atrocities than I ever thought possible. It's not my place as a "sales associate" to tell people not to print things, but there are limits. My quick list of things that should never be printed: Powerpoint Presentations (They're meant to be presented, not read! If you're printing a hundred copies for your audience, they're going to ignore you as you present, then either throw away the handouts or file/forget about them.), EBooks (They're called "EBooks" for a reason, folks! Read 'em online!), anything Copyrighted (Because it's usually against the law to do so.), and Wikipedia Articles (Again, they're online, and not going anywhere anytime soon, so trust they'll be there, or save a version of the page on your desktop...but keep in mind, that wikis are designed to change so check back regularly.).

I don't want this to turn into a rant, (which may happen because I just spent about $80 on printer cartridges) but instead, just ask that you think before printing that huge document. Ask yourself "Why" you need it printed as opposed to on the computer. Think about what your audience will do with the printed material after you give it to them. Test your ability to do without or work with less, maybe printing one desk reference guide instead of enough for your entire office, for example. You just may save yourself some cash, some trash, and some hassle of empty ink cartridges.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lykle/2965877993/ by Lykle de Vries

Just the Fax 101

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:57:00 +0000

As I continue to work at Staples while I'm revamping my life's goals, I'm always amazed by one of the most interesting, annoying technological inventions ever created.

Let's start with the important stuff. Lemme dispel some myths that cause people to get all miffed when they have to fax somethin', k?

1. Fax machines DO NOT send your originals. You do not have to make copies for yourself before you "send them". Maybe "sending a fax" is a misnomer. Or, maybe we've all just forgotten that "fax" is our dumbed-down word for facsimile which means, "An exact copy, replica, or duplicate."

2. A fax machine is nothing more than a scanner, a telephone modem, and a printer. No teleporters, matter deconstruction/reconstruction devices, or even laser beams (usually) can be found anywhere near a fax machine. You place your original document so the machine can scan the print, which it then turns into data that can be sent over a phone line...(and this is important)...to another fax machine. Which brings me to #3.

3. Fax machines are worthless unless there are two. You need a fax machine (I'm including computer-based faxing as well) to send, and another to receive. If the sending machine appears to not be doing anything...it may be waiting for the other to respond. One of the biggest complaints customers give us, is that our fax machine is sleeping, when really, it's waiting for the receiving machine to wake up!

4. Read your confirmation sheet!!! You wouldn't believe the time wasted because confirmation sheets aren't looked over. Here's a hint: If it says "Okay", and the correct number of pages is there, and it displays the correct fax number...It got there, folks! I promise! (This doesn't mean the receiving fax still has paper or toner to be able to print the facsimiles, but the data got there.) On the other hand...if your confirmation sheet says "busy" or worse, "no response"...well, I'll give you 3 guesses.

Personally, I think fax machines need to go away. Scan it, email it as an attachment, and be done with it. Not only does faxing waste paper, but it requires a landline phone, and again, at least 2 fax machines. Does anyone have a valid use for this antiquated junk? (bonus points if an 8bit musician comments) Got any other tips I missed?

And...no matter how hard you try...it is impossible to fax a cat.

photo credit: anomalous via Flickr

Earth Hour 2009: Turn off, Vote Earth

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:53:00 +0000

I've been Twittering about Earth Hour 2009 for a few weeks now, but the time has come to make the "official" rorowe.blogspot.com post about it. At 8:30pm (in your time zone), flip off all your lights and unnecessary electrical items for an hour to show your support to keeping our planet livable.

Last year, I turned my lights out, lit a few candles, but still played on my laptop. This year, we are planning a backyard campfire cookout. I plan on practicing my "night" photography, and Twittering to make everyone aware of the electrical power we waste daily with unnecessary lights, vampire power, etc.

While I'm not doing much tonight for Earth Hour (maybe less is more?), here are 10 ideas (I borrowed ideas from others, for this list as well) to celebrate Earth Hour 2009.

1. Take a walk! Bring your camera, your dog, your children, and tour your neighborhood. How many houses have their lights off? (Be positive today. Pointing out houses/businesses who are wasting energy isn't what today is all about.).

2. Play outside! Remember flashlight tag, manhunt, capture the flag? Have a glow-in-the-dark soccerball? Put it to use and gain the bonus of exercise!

3. Do what my girlfriend is doing , and meditate, practice your yoga, and enjoy Earth's natural energy.

4. Have an Earth Hour Rave like Rachel Depp (http://twitter.com/1indienation) did when she recorded a series of amazing Earth Hour commercials for http://12seconds.tv. Grab the glow sticks, and call your friends over, and have fun! Music is allowed!

5. Ask your favorite restaurant is participating, or whether they could dim the lights for you for a romantic, Earth Hour, candlelit dinner.

6. Blog, Twitter, 12 (seconds), and photograph your Earth Hour activities!

7. Participate more than once, by coming to our Second Life Earth Hour party tonight (during PST's Earth Hour). Sicily Heartsdale made free shirts!

8. Join EarthHour.org's mailing lists and groups, join the World Wildlife Federation, and show your support for our Earth.

9. Use the time while your lights are out to replace all your bulbs to compact flourescents (CFLs). Inspect your house for opportunities to let in more natural light!

10. And the easiest...Take a nap! What better way to not use electricity, than to sleep for an hour. You'll wake up refreshed, and will have helped the Earth. :P

What are you doing?

Got more ideas? Share them! This is a GLOBAL event, and since it takes place during your individual timezones, you can even watch other parts of the world

7 Things: a meme

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:38:00 +0000

It looks like I procrastinated long enough to be tagged with the "7 things" meme twice! First, I was tagged by the environmentally-conscious, amazing educator, Matt Montagne, followed by my fellow Central PA social media guy, Brian Polensky.

So, here goes:

1) Most people know me as a cellist/violinist, but I originally went to college (Mansfield University) as an oboe major because my high school phased out their string program. I started cello in 3rd grade!

2) I have never been in a hospital (aside from visiting friends/family). *knocks on wood*

3) One of my favorite jobs, was a 4am-12pm shift at a corn/soybean seed warehouse operating a forklift. It was a summer job with Pioneer Seed, and finishing work at noon meant I had the whole rest of the warm, summer days to swim, spend time with family, etc.

4) I'm horrible at math! Really! Terrible! But, ironically, I love numbers, data, and statistics. If I could do anything with my life, it would be to improve my numbers skills and learn how to pass it along to students.

5) In college, I wrote a series of short (under a minute) 12-tone piano pieces based on my piano abilities.

6) I have two younger brothers, neither of which finished high school, but both have respectable jobs that they are proud of and enjoy going to everyday.

7) I didn't start driving until I was 22 years old (when I got my license before student teaching). My first car was a 1993 Ford Taurus.

I'm tagging:

http://www.momgoesgreen.com/

@fallingwings

...

(I told you I was awful at math)

THE RULES ARE:

Link your original tagger(s) and leave a comment on this blog posting when you’ve “memed”.
List these rules on your blog.
Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

BarCamp Harrisburg! January 10th, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:13:00 +0000

I'm a greenhorn when it comes to unconferences, social-media, and presenting, but BarCamp Harrisburg, will be my 2nd BarCamp this year, and I gotta say, I'm pretty excited!

My "virgin BarCamp experience" was in Philly this past November. The one-day event introduced me to so many amazing people, and a ton of great ideas, that I was itching to find the next unconference to attend. Little did I know, Harrisburg would be the my next! This time, I even intend on hosting a discussion (based on using open-source apps), which is a little scary, but it's all part of the experience!

BarCamp Harrisburg will be hosting at Temple University's Harrisburg Campus, on January 10, 2009 from 9am-5pm. It's free for all social-media types (check the wiki for registration details). With the size and popularity of our monthly Central PA "Tweetups", I'm excited to participate in BarCamp Harrisburg. I hope to see all my Central PA friends, and I'm looking forward to meeting new folks!

p.s. if you have questions, find me on Twitter! @rorowe

Catalyst's (can we recycle more?)

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:17:00 +0000

I have a great story today, which brightened my otherwise, hectic workday at Staples.
As a student at Upper Moreland Middle School, Mr. and Mrs. Rosenzweig both taught (math and life science, respectively). I only had Mrs. Rosenzweig, but I can tell you the few lessons I remember the most. Learning to spell her name (which still comes in handy even as I write this post!), was as simple as singing the letters to the Mickey Mouse Club Theme Song. Learning the different parts of a cell was a easy as singing the cellular rap.

and...

The letters we wrote, on unbleached, recycled paper, to companies asking them to recycle more.

Fast forward to present day, I'm working at the Copy & Print Center at Staples, busily printing holiday calendars, Christmas letters, Masters Thesis papers, and so on. Mrs. Rosenzweig and her husband come in for a printing project. I recognize her and she recognizes me back (I think my name tag helped).
Then...she asks,
"I noticed you don't recycle waste paper here?"
I instantly flashed back to that lesson, and told her, that it was one of my first suggestions upon starting my job at Staples. She said she was proud of me for speaking up about it, and then she took it a step further. She asked for Staple's Corporate phone number and address!

In these crazy times, economically, environmentally, and technologically...with our education system and parenting styles being forced into change...sometimes it just takes one small catalyst to put things into motion. If you're not that catalyst, who is? If you're not that catalyst, why not?

(Yes, I was watching Heroes while I was writing this. Hence the title)

Plodt what you're thankful for (a little experiment)

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Anyone that reads this blog (I know there's a couple of you at least, thank you!) either follows me on Twitter, knows me in person, or somehow found me from other social media. I also know that we all CARE. I've written and thought about how to leverage social media to help people before, but this time is a little different. Consider this experiment, a test of the tool, and a brighten your holiday spirit kind of project.

So I bring you Plodt.

Plodt, simply gathers tagged Tweets, and graphs them for you and your friends to see. Once you follow Plodt on Twitter, you enclose keywords in asterix along with a number. (it also tracks hashtags). So for example:

"I just won the lottery!!! *happy10*"

Now for the experiment: Ya ready? For the rest of the month, when you're *thankful* for something (tying this in with the holidays, get it?), tag your Tweets! It will be fun to see what everybody is thankful for at the end of the month/season!

photo credits: turtlemom_nancy, and Plodt's page via Jing.

Three Days Later, and I'm still on a BarCamp Philly High!

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:48:00 +0000

Philadelphia's first-ever BarCamp was held this past weekend (Saturday, November 8th, 2008) at University of the Arts, and it was an amazing experience! BarCamp's "unconferences" where all the content, the sessions, the workshops, are all offered by the attendees. The schedule is created the morning of BarCamp (not preplanned in advance like other conferences), and everyone is invited to present, host, and participate.

You can see our schedule board as well as a few of our sponsors...

After Roz and JP welcomed all of us, we all rushed, excitedly to our first sessions, which were all about an hour-long. There were 7 sessions total, and I got to attend all but one (because I volunteered to watch the registration area from 12-1pm.)

Kevin, from Comcast Interactive Media, presented a discussion session on "Your Great Idea and Why it Hasn't Happened Yet". It definitely had us all thinking about our challenges and psychological barriers that keep us from DOING our ideas.

In fact, while BarCamps usually don't have an over-arching theme, Philly's seemed to be

"JUST DO".

Just doing...like my artistic business cards made during Rachel's session: "Making Your Own Business Cards and craft it up / Nanowrimo - find out how to write a novel in 1 month!" despite having no visual arts background.

I also got to talk about motivation, as in, "How do you motivate yourself to write an novel in one month?"

The final session, hosted by Whitney, was "Quit Your Job! Pick my brain about going independent". She prefaced the session by telling us not to quit our jobs. Then, we learned how hard it can be to work for yourself, but that it can be done.

Be highly organized with paperwork, charge what you're worth, don't pass-up benefits, and manage your time & money wisely, were all important talking points.

Every session was a learning experience, but so what every, single interaction I had with fellow BarCampers. All 170 registered attendees were intelligent, friendly, and ready to jump-in and participate, making the whole event, from the kick-off party at P'unk Ave, to the after-party at National Mechanics, a HUGE success!

I'm not working in social media, or development, or webdesign, and I don't have a reason to start coworking yet, but that didn't stop me, or anyone else, from having an great time, at an awesome unconference.

My wish list to social-media sites (and Septa)...

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Dear Santa (or Twitter, or Gmail, or Google Maps, Septa, etc),

I've been very good this year, trying out all of your awesome services, most of which are totally free. I've obeyed all the crazy Terms of Service agreements and privacy policies. When I've have problems, complaints, or just simple suggestions, I've used all of your customer satisfaction tools to report them.

But, now I feel like I just need to rant a little, and I hope it won't move me from the nice list over to the naughty list, but I have to. Here are some of my biggest feature/failure requests to some of my favorite companies. If you have solutions, or similar requests, lets build a big list to Santa!

GMail: I only ask one thing...Why can't I assign multiple labels using a single filter? There are other services (i.e. OtherInbox) that are stealing away my bacn because you make it too difficult for me to easily sort and organize the mass volume of emails that come to me.

iGoogle (with canvas view): Your top canvas-view apps are GMail and Google Reader...yet, for me to label, sort, and archive my emails, I still need to launch the sites in their own pages. Why only put half the app in a canvas view? It only wastes my time, adding an extra step to my process.

Twitter: Ya know, actually...you guys have been doing awesome, lately. My biggest complaint lately, is that sms seems sluggish, delaying messages for sometimes hours! (I woke up with my cellphone's inbox, including the 2gb memory card FULL! because it didn't recognize my "off" command.) I know you guys are posting status updates when necessary, it's just frustrating when you post something I've known about first-hand for days. That is all. :)

Oh, and Septa...our transit company for Philadelphia area, and the company I love to hate. I realize you're not even close to participating in social media, but you should. Whoever's got the Septa account on Twitter, you're on the right track (no pun intended), but now that I'm back in the area, I've noticed how silly some of your policies are. Being forced to pay a $2 onboard surcharge for not buying your tickets in advance is fine...except when you close the train stations at noon (or don't open them at all on Sundays). Your refund policy for getting the $2 back, is just a waste of time for both your passengers and your company.

Thanks, Santa!

photo credits (in order of appearance): P Pogo, ivanlanin, rorowe (me)

44th President (elect), Barak Obama

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:37:00 +0000

Tonight, the United States makes history. Electing our first African American president. Incredible numbers of voters of all ages, ethnicities, beliefs turned out to vote.

Watching the returns on TV, the commentary on Twitter, and having this overall vibe, has been an amazing experience for me.

While I sit at home, day-dreaming of what our next four years could be, I'm ready for change.

And that is progress, folks!

photo credit: jarito

Temporary Phone Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:06:00 +0000

So, last week we had the Phillies World Series parade, where I had planned on meeting up with friends from all over the state. I knew Twitter and my cellphone would be the best tool in the enormous crowds, but I didn't want to broadcast my cellphone number for the world to see.
Alas, I couldn't find a running Septa train to get me to the parade, but I did find a solution for my phone.

http://inumbr.com

I heard about Numbr.com a few months ago on Twitter, as some of my followings were preparing to attend an educational technology conference. They wanted to be able to contact each-other, without losing all privacy by giving out their cellphone numbers. The idea is simple (I have no idea how it actually works, only that it does!): You click on the "get a free number" link, it then assigns one (you can choose one in your area code, too). From that point, you put in the phone number you want it forwarded to, along with some settings like automatic forwarding to voicemail, blocking telemarketers, and more. Most importantly, you set how long your free, temporary number will last before it automatically expires.

The timeliness of this post is mostly due to the fact that I wanted to keep my current "inumbr" through the duration of BarCamp Philly (November 8, folks!!!), so I can network on the go. I'm hoping this solution works for others attending BarCamp, or any other event. For a brief video walk-through, watch below:

p.s. I will post my inumbr via Twitter on Wednesday. ;)

photo credit: Karmalize

When Networks Collide

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:37:00 +0000

This past Monday, I ventured to the Old City section of Philadelphia for a planning meeting for BarCamp Philly. I've never been to a BarCamp, a Podcamp, an Ignite event, or any other social media meetup aside from Harrisburg's monthly Tweetups, but I knew that by participating in the planning, I'd feel more comfortable attending the unconference on November 8th.

So I met some of my Twitter friends, gloriabell and phillygrub, then met some new ones, like interjection and stellargirl at IndyHall (link to their site). After the planning, though...the fun stuff happened.

We made the decision earlier in the day to go to National Mechanics (an awesome Old City bar) to watch the World Series. This was game 5...the one that will go down in history as the first-ever, suspended (due to rain) World Series game. My new "Philly network" was about to collide with my "high school network" since some of my old high school buddies live in the city. After a few direct messages via Twitter, jcourts shows up, along with a few friends. THEN, a local (as in, lives near me, not near the city) decided to meet us at natmechanics for the game. I ended up hitching a ride home with him (he's not on Twitter...yet), thus saving myself the jog in the rain to catch Septa home!

With all the social networking these days, MySpace for "teens", Facebook for "students", LinkedIn for "professionals", Twitter for...umm...everybody, it's interesting to start seeing these different networks collide like they did for me Monday. I only wonder how many of us are ready for these types of collisions...

photo credit: ME!

p.s. WOOHOO PHILLIES!!! CONGRATS ON WINNING THE '08 WORLD SERIES!!!

Responsibility for your OWN actions

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:28:00 +0000

Ever have someone in your social networks use profanity in their Tweets, status updates, or blog posts? Do some of your MySpace/Facebook friends post pictures of things that you don't want to associate with?

When I was actively teaching, I was much more concerned about not only how I acted, but also how my friends behaved around me and online. As my networks grow, it has gotten to the point where I can't be everyone's mother.

If you have other peoples' data (status updates, images, audio, video) aggregating on your Twitter pages, Facebook profiles, blog comments, and so on...

How much control do you exert over their online behavior?

If someone you follow curses, or is just disgusting, is that an immediate "stop following", or do you send them a private message asking them to clean up their act? I've come to realize that this situation is similar to hearing profanity at the mall, your children seeing an angry driver flipping someone off, etc. If you have no control over that, is online any different?

photo credit: k bost cc: by-sa 2.0

Escaping the Echo-Chamber

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:51:00 +0000

Can you hear me? Hellooooo? No, no, not you guys. Everyone else.

This darn echo-chamber, walled gardens, the bleeding edge, the next big thing, WHATEVER! Guess what? Most people aren't hearing it. They either don't know, don't get it, or don't care. I love being a first adopter of all things tech, but sometimes I feel like a space cadet, especially when I'm talking about something I learned from my PLN (personal learning network). I always start by saying something like, "This academic I follow on Twitter shared a story about..." or, "A friend of mine...". I think most of my close friends and family have gotten used to me using the word "friend" interchangeably with "person I know from the internet", but I'm sure I still get strange looks every once in awhile.

I think things like CNN mentioning Twitter, CSI:NY basing an episode on Second Life, and wedding photographers using Flickr help bring social media out of the echo chamber, and into peoples' everyday lives, but I'm not doing my part. Today, I asked myself:

"Why do I use social media?"
"What would [insert family member, friend, colleague, etc] get out of social media?"
"How could I show [insert (one of above)] social media without seeming pushy, dorky, etc?"

Another post will be forthcoming in the next few days...because I honestly can't answer all of my own questions yet. I can create examples of productive socmed use, but I realize there's always that extra noise that comes with it. All of this will hopefully round up some thoughts before Harrisburg's (Central PA's) first-ever Podcamp.

photo credit: Plamen Stoev

Put it to good use.. [Blog Action Day, 2008]

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:24:00 +0000

Social-media...are we doing it right?

I used to read about a homeless blogger (I can't find his blog anymore, which worries me, actually), and how the perception of homeless people was usually way off target. When I taught in Philadelphia School District, travelling between 9 different schools, scattered throughout my favorite city, I saw my share of homeless people.

We're all taught to never talk to strangers, but some of these people became non-strangers to me, as I saw them weekly, sometimes daily. Sometimes, all it took was a, "How are you today?" to put a smile on their face. Sometimes, it took me donating a few hours in a soup kitchen with the Boy Scouts to know that I was helping.

We've gone from a time when homeless used to mean "lazy", "addicted", or "criminal", to a time when homeless simply means, "can't afford a place to live". I've always had a roof over my head, whether it be my parents' house, a college dorm, or an apartment. The closest I've ever been to homeless, was during a wilderness survival outing for a merit badge (ask me how comfy my bed of ferns was!).

I have to wonder, if all this social-media could be doing something greater than sharing what I had for breakfast today. How about a tweet like this: "Just helped a man eat for the first time in a week." What if Twitter, blogging, BrightKite was actually being used to fight poverty? What if every Tweet I received meant a penny, or maybe a dollar, towards a charity for the poor? If you can Twitter, or blog, you have more "wealth" than someone who can't. Trickle-down economics, right?

I'm not finished with this thought...or the actions that may come from it...
photo credit: davco9200

Tweetup, October-style

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:29:00 +0000

THURSDAY! Yeah, it's the 3rd one of the month already, so I'm gearing up for another trip to Harrisburg, home of my favorite social "real-world" network. It's always exciting to see the first few tweets asking, "When is the Tweetup?", "Who's coming?", etc. as we get closer to the Tweetup.

I've been asked recently, "Why go all the way to Harrisburg just to meet people you see online everday?". It's a valid question, especially with travel expenses (I'm happy, though, that fuel is getting cheaper!). Tweetups are a way to share all that stuff that doesn't fit in 140 characters (or 12 seconds), or doesn't translate well in type. We share new networks we've found, tips on blogging, Twittering, or "filtering the noise". We do this all over a couple of beers, and some non-bear chili.

A quick note to any Philly Twitterati: If anyone's interested in tagging along, let me know via Twitter or email. I have the most fun, and get the most out of these Tweetups when new people come.

The details: Thursday 10/16/08 7pm-9pm @ ABC In Harrisburg. (here for map)

Is social-media worth the time?

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:34:00 +0000

Before I start, you already know MY answer to the title is an outstanding, "YES". The question is meant for you...or the person who's not quite into social media yet.

I ask based on a conversation I've been having repeatedly with a close friend who's business is computer game design, audio/video editing, and other sorts of content creation. Their business seems like it would be perfect for a social-media aspect of it. At the very least, you'd think the owners would be into social-media, right?

Well, here's the deal: They're worried about the time sink involved in social networking, whether it's Twittering, blogging, or whatever. Their business lives are spent behind a computer doing everything from audio composition/mixing/recording, to advanced 3D modeling and texturing work, with video components added in for fun. I completely understand that time is of the essence, especially when it comes down to the wire with deadlines.

I think the best way to do this, is to suggest a test. For the next week, I am going to log how much time it takes me to check my various social-media outlets, specifically these main ones:

iGoogle (including: Google Reader, Gmail)
Twitter
Plurk
Strands

I'll log how long it takes to get through everything using a Google Spreadsheet. My goal is to convince people that social-media could take less than an hour a day (and can easily be spread throughout the day if necessary).
A couple flaws in my experiment: First off, I can't get away with checking my networks once a day. It just won't work for me. The matrix has me way too deep, *laughs*. Secondly, I'm not giving up mobile access (my friend currently doesn't own a cellphone, and would rather not use one ever). Finally, there are a number of variables that I can't control. But that's okay!

So, what do you think?
photo credit: AlbertNL

What advice would I give Oreo?

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:01:00 +0000

Today, via Twitter, Chris Brogan asked:
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan/statuses/947563490" target="_blank">View chrisbrogan’s tweet</p>
I'm not a social media expert by any sense of the word, but I'd like to think I have a good idea on how to utilize things like Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, Flickr, etc. for the good of a company (or at least, myself). So, here's what I'd do:

I'd sell the Oreo brand on some sort of family-friendly event. Family portraits with oreo cookies and milk mustaches, where all the pictures are uploaded to an Oreo-themed Flickr account, maybe. The families can choose to save, transfer, or possibly print out their shots, and Nabisco/Oreo could ask permission to use some of them in future promotions?
I think the other component would be to have the families share the experience via blogging, their own photos, text messages, etc. (This is the part that I think most brands would be concerned about because of the possibility of bad press.)

Am I on the right track here? I like trying to think like I know this stuff, or like I have the first clue how to market something. Got a better idea? Something I should change? Lemme know!

What would you ask a seasoned blogger?

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:51:00 +0000

I've been blogging for awhile now, but I don't claim to be an expert. In fact, my post today is just as important to me, as it might be to my readers. I ask this question:

What would you ask a seasoned blogger?

For example, last week, I spent a few hours searching for CSS and template tips to add my Torley Texture background, and change my list of tags into a tag cloud. I know practically nothing about CSS other than the idea behind it. That's something I'd ask a seasoned blogger for help learning.

I also recently added Google's AdSense ads to my blogs, in hopes that someday I'll earn enough money from them to at least fund a domain name and maybe even hosting. No loss if I don't, but it never hurts to try, right? That's another thing I'd ask a seasoned blogger: "How do I make money off a hobby blog?" (or is it even possible).

So, what would you ask? What if you actually *could* ask someone who knows his/her stuff, and would sit down and help you?

photo credit: edrabbit

Can we go paperless?

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:37:00 +0000

After starting my temp agency assignment, and while trying to keep up with all of Steve Dembo's Google Academy tweets, I came to a realization about my own habits...

I am closer to living a paperless lifestyle than most. (Thanks, Google!)

I don't print emails, because Gmail archives them forever. Similarly, all my contacts are saved in Google Contacts (now a separate page!), or my cellphone. I've been scanning (or snapping cameraphone shots) of all receipts that I want to save, and syncing them to Evernote. I've even given up paper maps in favor of Google Maps either on my laptop, iPod Touch, or cellphone!

I'm definitely not the tinfoil-hat type, so privacy concerns don't, umm...concern me, but wasting paper does. Today, I photocopied invoices (which were originally triplicate carbon-copies), then had to file the originals. Following that, I dug through a Xerox box full of receipts, travel records, notes scrawled on napkins, business cards, and more. So, I ask...wouldn't Google and Evernote (and whatever else you needed) help you slow down your use of paper?

I need your thoughts, folks. I want to make a statement here, but I need to know I'm not nuts on this...

photo credit: AP_PHOTOS

Should I Learn CSS?

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:59:00 +0000

Back when Geocities was new and fun, while I was almost a college sophomore, I sat and learned html enough to make myself a simple webpage. Then, Blogger came along, and I thought to myself, "Blogging sounds like it's all about the content!" so I gave that a shot. It still required a little bit of html, but most of it was as simple as filling out a form.

Webdesign has seemed to multiply into not only html, but javascript, java, xml, rss, ajax, flash, php, umm...whatever, I know I'm missing some, but you get the point.

So, notice the new layout? (if you're reading from the feed, ya won't see it) I took the layout I chose from Blogger's selection (Minima), and looked up sites that would help me do what I wanted. Most of the edits were copy/paste, but everytime I make a little change in the code, as opposed to just dragging and dropping a new widget into the layout, I begin to wonder whether I should actually learn cascading style sheets.
I've always toyed with programming and markup languages, but I've never gotten proficient in any of them except html. I've even played with Ruby and C++, so I'm definitely geek enough to tackle them. Is it worth it though?
Anyway, here are the two sites I found that helped with my template edits, mainly my new tag cloud, and the background images (while leaving the content and sidebar backgrounds white).

http://phy3blog.googlepages.com/Beta-Blogger-Label-Cloud.html
http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/2007/03/background-image-for-blogger-template.html

Enjoy, and give them some page hits if you need similar help with your pages!

After the Tweetup

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:59:00 +0000

Last night was my 3rd Harrisburg Tweetup, and this by far was the smallest attendance, since I've started going...but don't get me wrong; it was still a great night out, and there was still plenty to talk about!
We started out on the deck with Dave, Kathleen, Vicky, and myself. It's always funny to see a group of "strangers" try to meet, as Andrea (didn't get her Twitter name) found out. It made for a hilarious story, but at least she got a free drink out of it.
Aaron showed up shortly after, followed by Justin and Daniel. We joked about the "non-bear chili", and the HUGE (I'm not exagerating) salad Andrea got. We talked about Twitter's learning curve (or lack of one?), and our lack of wifi at the ABC last night. Gadget etiquette was also joked about (turns out, I'm allowed to keep my phone out on the table during Tweetups)
As it got a little chillier (still no bear, though), we moved inside. I responded to a few Central PAers' Tweets asking how the Tweetup was going, so later on we had James and Sara show up for a few beers and their normal restaurant/political conversations (which I find myself more and more interested in, lately).

So, I've made a decision: I intend on making every Harrisburg Tweetup even though I'm no longer living in Central PA. Why, you ask? Because these people rock!

HBG Tweetup: This time I have a favor to ask

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:15:00 +0000

Coming up, on the 18th, is Harrisburg's monthly Tweetup (I've blogged about it before). It'll be on the deck, of Appalachian Brewing Company, in Harrisburg, from 7-9-ish.
I always take something valuable home with me, whether it's a new social-media site to checkout, or advice for dining out in Harrisburg. I've made great friends ("unconsumated" until I met them, lol), and really enjoy the conversations both on the deck and online before and after the Tweetups.
This time, though, I have a favor for the Harrisburg Twitterati. I need to convince a friend that he needs to be aware of and active on Twitter (and other social-media) for his livelihood. I'll explain - My friend owns Idryonis Studios, a development and gaming company located in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. While their business is still quite young, they're doing alright. BUT, all of their business has come solely from referrals and luck (being in the right place at the right time, sorta things).

I believe Twitter and other social-media can improve those connections, and hopefully bring in more!

So I'm asking on Thursday, how do I show, explain, teach, and help Idryonis develop a plan to maximize their online presence (besides their amazing website)? I hope to be able to take away (in addition to the always great conversation), some sketch of an idea. Examples of how it's helped each of us, and examples of how it could help them.
Comments to get me/them started before the Tweetup? Leave 'em in the comments!

Almost 400 miles/10 Gallons of Gas! [hypermiling]

noreply@blogger.com (rorowe) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:27:00 +0000

I shouldn't have to say anything more...but I will. By using MyMileMarker, I've been able to track my mileage since July, 2007, and improve my driving habits significantly.

Hypermiling.

Simply put, hypermiling is "hacking" your vehicle's EPA listed fuel economy rating. For example, my 2002 Saturn SL1 has a listing of 23 (city), 34 (highway), and 27 (combined). According to MyMileMarker, my combined average is 34.6!

So, how do I do it? Drive slower (55mph, no more!). Coast to stops (or even better, time your traffic lights), and accelerate slowly. I'm including my delicious page of hypermiling links, because it's how I learned. The thing that sticks with me most is this quote,

"When you're stopped, your car gets 0 miles per gallon."

I'm still learning too. I'm certainly not an expert like Wayne Gerdes, or those "Prius guys", so I still have much to learn. I've been experimenting with Potential Parking and Ridge Riding to see if it helps.
The biggest thing I worry about is safety, though. It's not worth my life, nor anyone else's, just to safe a couple bucks in fuel. That means, NO DRAFTING (usually, lol), and you actually have to be more aware of your surroundings and traffic flow. I recently applied for a Hypermiler decal from the Hypermiling Safety Foundation, which was formed specifically to make people more aware of hypermiling, and make hypermilers safer in their pursuits of greener travel.
While my goal would be to never have to drive, when I'm forced to, I'd rather do it as efficiently, cheaply, and the least dependant on oil as I possibly can. Wouldn't you?