douglaswelch: Welcome everyone to tonight’s New Media Chat. This will be our last chat until 2010. Watch the event listing at the New Media Interchange Community site – http://community.newmediainterchange.com
douglaswelch: for information on upcoming chats
douglaswelch: You can also read the New Media Interchange blog or subscribe to the NMI Mailing mailing list at http://newmediainterchange.com
j_oliveroconnell: Hi Marylynn
douglaswelch: If you wish to see my smiling face, I have my still picture web cam up at http://douglasewelch.com/webcam/
douglaswelch: With that said, welcom everyone!
douglaswelch: Just before some of you arrived Jennifer had a great question about blogging. I will get to that in just a moment
marylynn3: Hi j_oliveroconnell
douglaswelch: First, though, a client of mine found out their WordPress blog had been hacked, and I wanted to issue a word of warning.
douglaswelch: Just like your computer, WordPress blogs (those you host yourself on your own web site) need to be updated on a regular basis.
douglaswelch: When you log into your WordPress blog, you will see a notice that it is time to upgrade and usually a few clicks will
douglaswelch: do it.
j_oliveroconnell: Oh, okay.
j_oliveroconnell: So just click on that update button and that does it?
douglaswelch: If you don’t upgrade your WordPress installations, you can get hacked and people can insert
marylynn3: Ugh, I tend to wait a while b/c of plugin issues that can arise with WP updates
douglaswelch: bad things into your blog and use it to try and infect other people.
j_oliveroconnell: Thanks for that.
j_oliveroconnell: I wasn’t sure what the benefit was.
douglaswelch: Yes, with the latest versions of WordPress, it is pretty much a one-click situation.
douglaswelch: Yes @marylynn3 you can run into issues with plugins if you are using older plugins or a large number
douglaswelch: of plugins.
marylynn3: I usually do an ftp upgrade. Really need to do this again
douglaswelch: In this case, this was a blog we set up years ago, but was never really maintained as the project hasn’t launched fully yet
douglaswelch: Friends informed the owner of the site and we are trying to find ftp username and passwords to access the site and clean it up
douglaswelch: @marylynn3 I find the Automatic Upgrade is wonderful. A few clicks and it is done. Makes it much more likely that people will upgrade their sites, too
keri: Is this a problem at all for blogs on Blogger?
douglaswelch: @keri No, since blogger (as well as WordPress.com) host the blogs on their ite, they will be performing and upgrades or changes as necessary
douglaswelch: for everyone that uses their service.
douglaswelch: This note is for those, like myself, hosting WordPress blogs directly on our web sites.
douglaswelch: Let me also make another call for all of you to make sure you have ftp user name and passwords for any sites you set up. Too
douglaswelch: many times we have to go on a hunting expedition to find them.
douglaswelch: Any other questions about WordPress?
j_oliveroconnell: How do I get rid of the border around my image?
j_oliveroconnell: That’s part of the problem with not updating enough–I forget where all the settings are!
douglaswelch: There is a basic HTML element called IMG. If you upload and manage your images in your posts
douglaswelch: using WordPress, when you upload a new image there are a series of options you can change.
douglaswelch: Some might be under the Advanced area.
j_oliveroconnell: So go into HTML and delete the code?
douglaswelch: You are looking for something labelled BORDER. Set BORDER=0 and you turn off hte outline on linked images
j_oliveroconnell: Cool. I’ll see if that works.
douglaswelch: If you are going into the HTML, then you can add BORDER=0 to the IMG tag
douglaswelch: i.e. 
j_oliveroconnell: Works!
douglaswelch: I add the HSPACE and VSPACE to move the text away from the image a bit
j_oliveroconnell: Thanks.
douglaswelch: This is only an issue on images that are also links. The border only appears there.
j_oliveroconnell: Gotcha. I’m still learning the differences
douglaswelch: Ooo, techie questions tonight. (SMILE)
marylynn3: Douglas you have switched to a new template, haven’t you?
j_oliveroconnell: lol
douglaswelch: @marylynn3 Not recently on my blogs, no. I did make a new design for my static HTML landing page, though, at http://douglasewelch.com
douglaswelch: I might try and design something similar for the blogs, too, though. That is much more work, unfortunately
douglaswelch: Designing templates is somewhat of an art
j_oliveroconnell: I believe it. But it makes it so much more personable
douglaswelch: Ok, let me return to Jennifer’s earlier questions about blogging — trying to come up with ideas on how to do it more often
marylynn3: On how to blog?
douglaswelch: I always joke that I keep my high-tech analog information device at hand to capture ideas — i.e. my paper journal
j_oliveroconnell: No, just fresh content
j_oliveroconnell: Same here. The memo pad on my Treo is constantly used
douglaswelch: A big part of blogging, podcasting, etc, is capturing the ideas you already have. You have to integrate your blogging into
douglaswelch: you life and eveything has the potentional of spinning off into a blog post, etc.
douglaswelch: The sad fact is, we throw away tons of content every day, because we don’t capture it
j_oliveroconnell: I agree. My Christmas list includes a flip camera
j_oliveroconnell: lol
marylynn3: Then take what you see and observe and spin it to your topic / specialty.
douglaswelch: As an object example, this experience I am undergoing with the hacked WordPress blog. I am already workong on a blog post for it
douglaswelch: Yes, it is important to take video, even if you aren’t sure how you might use it. Sometimes it takes a bit before the use presents itself,.
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j_oliveroconnell: So I need to take some of my Tues with Transitioners talks and post them as blogs
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douglaswelch: For me, if I am going to be at an event anyway, such as a hike, a festival etc, I take video, audio, maybe do a quick stand up interview with someone
douglaswelch: @Jennifer Oh yes, I make sure that all of the talks I do are captured and placed online.
douglaswelch: The amount of people that can attend in person are a fraction of the audience you might find
marylynn3: LOL @Jennifer!
douglaswelch: online.
douglaswelch: Don’t let your great content get away! Capture it in some form
j_oliveroconnell: @Marilyn–hey, gotta put it out there!
j_oliveroconnell: That would be the easiest weekly update
marylynn3: I hear ya. Douglas is king of repurposing with a purpose!
j_oliveroconnell: Although there really is so much more I can do–I just have to ponder it more.
douglaswelch: So, Whenever I have an idea, I get it into my journal as quickly as possible, It is a bit weird when I do this
douglaswelch: at dinner or something. People think I am writing down what they are saying . (LAUGH)
j_oliveroconnell: LOL. Or texting
douglaswelch: Keeping a list also gives you somewhere to turn for ideas when you are feeling out of ideas
douglaswelch: You flip back through the list and before you know it you have something to write on.
j_oliveroconnell: So repurposing content, lists
j_oliveroconnell: video content
douglaswelch: Ah, that said, I think I stumbled upon my “theme” for 2010, during our walk today.
douglaswelch: Some of you may know I chose a word to guide me through the year. The first year was “Visibility”, The next was Leadership and this year, 2010 will be —
marylynn3: @douglas cool!
douglaswelch: WRITING!
j_oliveroconnell: Aha!
keri: My topic for my blog tomorrow came from what the woman in front of me was purchasing at Target
douglaswelch: I have so many ideas I HAVE to put down in some structured way, outside of blogging itself. I am thinking eBooks right now, but some could turn into larger projects
douglaswelch: @Keri Yes, Exactly! That is exactly what you should capturing. Sometimes the oddest things trigger wonderful ideas
marylynn3: Do tell @Keri
douglaswelch: Another great trick for me is my daily RSS Feed reading. I really don’t read magazine anymore, but I subscribe to hundreds of web sites, blogs, etc
j_oliveroconnell: My problem is, by the time I sit down to write them in full, I’ve run out of steam.
keri: I’m blogging 30 days of green holiday actions. Avoid mylar decorations
j_oliveroconnell: @Keri-very smart
douglaswelch: As I read through these articles, I “share” those that intrique me most. In this way, I capture them for myself later AND share them with everyone else
douglaswelch: Booo, no mylar, bad for the animals. 🙂 At the Big Bear Nature Center they had a project for people to bring in mylar ballons and such and mark where they found them on a map
marylynn3: @keri thats great
douglaswelch: BTW, if you are a Facebook Friend or Twitter follower, you will see these shared items lprefaced with “I Like This –”
douglaswelch: Series are a wonderful way to develop content. I am working on a series of Career Prescriptions for the Career Opportunities column and podast
douglaswelch: It gives you a direction for a number of weeks that really helps. They are really good if you are trying to get a little ahead on your writing in
douglaswelch: preparation for a vacation, etc.
douglaswelch: I used to have to write on a 6 week lead time for the magazine in San Diego so this was always very important
douglaswelch: ** What series can you create for your blog or podcat?
douglaswelch: I starred that so I can come back and find it later in the transcript.
j_oliveroconnell: Good idea.
douglaswelch: Another tip: Interview people whenever you can
douglaswelch: You never know who you might meet on your travels, so it is always important to be ready to grab an interview with someone at the drop of a hat
douglaswelch: This is how I got my interview with Nolan Bushnell as few years ago
douglaswelch: We were at his uWink restaurant for a Geek Dinner and he greeted us there. We sat at the bar and talked while he waited for his dinner.
douglaswelch: Interview relieve you of the burden of writing something new out of whole cloth and they also allow you access to the interviewees
douglaswelch: network of connections. One of the first things they will do is tell all their
douglaswelch: friends and contacts to check out the interview on your site. Bingo! New, possible readers, listeners, viewers
douglaswelch: Next question? Followup on this one?
douglaswelch: BTW, you can find all the items I tag “New media” on this public Google Reader page — http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user%2F09082832049334459741%2Flabel%2Fnew%20media
douglaswelch: You can find everything I share in Google Reader at http://www.google.com/reader/shared/douglas.welch
j_oliveroconnell: Thanks, Doug. Very helpful
douglaswelch: One item that came out just today for iPhone users is Dragon Dictation for the iPhone
douglaswelch: It is free for the moment in the iTunes App store
douglaswelch: You can also use serivces/apps like AudioBoo, Utterli and others that allow you to record audio and then immediately post it to your blog
marylynn3: All the cool tools are made for iPhone 😦
douglaswelch: Well, Utterli and others can be used by calling a phone number and recording that way. No need for an iPhone.
douglaswelch: In face, I was using them back in my pre-iPhone days
douglaswelch: You can also post photos to Flickr and then blog them directly from Flickr to your blog
j_oliveroconnell: Hmmm… that’s generating ideas
douglaswelch: I love checking out new tools as I find them. I am never really sure how I might use them, but they can come in handy
j_oliveroconnell: Because I haven’t used my Flickr account in a while
douglaswelch: I use Flickr all the time. First, it is a great way to share with others using your network there, it allows easy blogging directly to your site and you can even
douglaswelch: create slideshows and widgets to place on your blog that always show
douglaswelch: the most recent pictures from your Flickr account
douglaswelch: I use this on http://lafridaycoffee.com
douglaswelch: in the righthand sidebar
j_oliveroconnell: I like that coffee pic!
douglaswelch: There is a term I coined a few years ago — New Media Multiplier
douglaswelch: Your goal is to get as much use out of each piece of content as possible
douglaswelch: i.e. post to Flickr and Facebook, then post to blog, then Twittered. Each of these
douglaswelch: uses hits a slightly different audience.
douglaswelch: The same applies if you are doing a live streaming web show. Sure, do it live, but make sure you also get a good recortding of it
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douglaswelch: to then podcast out to all your existing subscribers so it just shows up in their podcast viewer i.e. iTunes
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douglaswelch: Hey sarah!
sarahchar: hey hey!
douglaswelch: I think of the New Media Multiplier like the bonus levels on a pinball game. 1x, 2x, 3x, Bonus. Each usage brings a new value to the content
j_oliveroconnell: That is also a goal for 2010–using all my media to its maximum benefit
j_oliveroconnell: And consolidating where I can
j_oliveroconnell: I just linked my blog to Yahoo and Twitter
douglaswelch: Yes, maximum benefit — for both YOU and YOUR CONSUMER!
j_oliveroconnell: @Doug-exactly. Esp. for the consumer!
douglaswelch: Your goal is to give people as many ways as possible to “stumble upon” you and your work
douglaswelch: You don’t really know who you audience is, so you have to place your content where it can be discovered by your audience
j_oliveroconnell: Makes sense. Once I can start podcasting, I’ll have that area covered.
douglaswelch: Cool. You also want to have a YouTube Channel for video and upload your videos, picture and such to Facebook. Again, slightly different audiences in each location
douglaswelch: I try to be a good example in this using my own blogs and such. I try something out and see what people say. This is how the Google Shared items in Twitter started.
douglaswelch: I figured if I annoyed people, they would let me know. As it happened, these are some of the
douglaswelch: most re-tweeted and Facebook commented items I send out. They are natural conversation starters
douglaswelch: Questions? Comments? New Topic?
douglaswelch: Just through it out there!
marylynn3: I’d like to learn more about enhanced podcasting – not even sure how to add photos or even a pdf to an audio podca
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marylynn3: This may be a subject for another chat session.
douglaswelch: @marylynn You know I think enhanced podcasts, containing photos and stuff, are basically a dead issue.
marylynn3: Ok. Either audio or video or slideshow?
douglaswelch: They are a great concept, but the fact that they are limited to iTunes (for the most part) has kept them from gaining any sort of foothold
sarahchar: i just did a little photoshoot today to teach my cousin still photography basics before his trip to China
douglaswelch: @Sarah Very cool
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marylynn3: @Sarah – cool!
sarahchar: i’m so used to lensing my world.. i forget how uninitiated people are around me
douglaswelch: I think you gain a larger audience by releasing a standard m4v video file with audio and still photos which is playable on nearly any PMP (Personal Media Player) and computer
j_oliveroconnell: @Sarah. I miss that. I used to be that way
j_oliveroconnell: Took some great pictures on my overseas trips
douglaswelch: In most cases, if you want to produce an enchanced podcast, you will need to provide 2 podcast feeds, one for the enchanced and one a more plain jane type of file
sarahchar: @j_o.. right! you shouldnt stop. photography is an art.
douglaswelch: Hi Michael!
sarahchar: art can keep you whole
melawshe: hello Doug – Please don’t call me old media
douglaswelch: @marylynn3 Did I make sense on the enhnaced podcast issues?
douglaswelch points urgently
douglaswelch: Look, look, over there…its….old media! Aieiieeeiee!
j_oliveroconnell: @Sarah–I totally agree. I still have my Nikormat. Just need to take it out again
douglaswelch laughing
j_oliveroconnell: @Doug ROFL!
marylynn3: @Douglas I think so
sarahchar: @j_o and Doug.. lmao
douglaswelch: @marylynn If you want to talk more in-depth we can start a thread on the Community site where we can dig in a bit deeper
sarahchar: film is not dead!
douglaswelch: @Sarah @Jennifer …and with the Internet you have so many more people you can share your work/art/hobby with who are truly interested in what you are doing
melawshe: hahah – Ok – Michael Has a question for the new media folk – What sources do YOU trust for Information?
douglaswelch: I think the sharing is what really helps us connect to others AND it can help us improve our art
j_oliveroconnell: @Michael. Define trust?
douglaswelch: @melwshe What was it that Reagan used to say…”Trust, then verify”
douglaswelch: I find the most important thing to do in today’s environment is go off “half cocked”
sarahchar: art and communication go hand in hand.. one alone is not greater than the sum
douglaswelch: I see so many people start ranting about something only to find out — sometimes moments later — that there was much, much more to the issue
douglaswelch: that was initially reported.
j_oliveroconnell: I think risk is the element that is necessary
douglaswelch: I find that I am constantly looking for the under-heard, the under-seen voices in the world
douglaswelch: This does mean I have to work much harder at establishing bias, trust, validity though
douglaswelch: Something that a lot of people don’t want to take the time to do
sarahchar: @Doug.. that’s journalism in its purest form! ..er.. isn’t it?
melawshe: OK, Doug.. but is rumor part of Journalism?
douglaswelch: Yes, I think it always has been. Rumor is a part of life and cannot simply be divorced from it
j_oliveroconnell: What separates rumor from journalism is the verification
j_oliveroconnell: The investigation
douglaswelch: People will act on rumor. Is that right? Probably not, but that won’t stop it from happening
melawshe: Where do you find your verification?
douglaswelch: @melawshe Much like a good journalist — multiple sources
j_oliveroconnell: Local sources
j_oliveroconnell: Gauged against national/common sources
douglaswelch: One voice — possible story. Multiple sources (not just multiple repeats of same source) points to a story
douglaswelch: Volume does not equal validity. 🙂 Shouting it louder does not make it true
j_oliveroconnell: And just because it’s repeated doesn’t make it true either
j_oliveroconnell: That the whole multiple repeat thing
keri: Unfortunately, the Internet is heavy with multiple repeats of minimal sources
j_oliveroconnell: @Keri-very true
douglaswelch: There was an interesting part to the recent Tiger Woods story. The BreakingNews Twitter account was chastised as sensational
douglaswelch: when they described his injuries as “severe”
douglaswelch: The fact was, though, and they were able to show proof. This is exactly the term used in the police report that was
douglaswelch: the source for their story.
douglaswelch: It is important to realize that just becuase something is seen on Twitter or in a blog doesn’t necesarily make it untrustworthy
douglaswelch: I see people doing that all the time and it irritates me. There are useful and significant news sources outside the mainstream, just as there
douglaswelch: are lousy news sources in the mainstream media
douglaswelch: I don’t think you can judge a source simply on where it broadcasts its stories
j_oliveroconnell: I think they simply read; there is no investigation involved.
j_oliveroconnell: I grew up in Chicago–hard news town. What masquerades for news today doesn’t even compare
douglaswelch: There will always be people who want to be led, like sheep, in what to do, what to read, what to eat and what to think. Bad media takes advantage of that fact to create
douglaswelch: — in most cases these days — blind fear.
douglaswelch: Can we do anything about that? Not sure. You can’t change other people by force. They have to come to that change on their own
douglaswelch: You CAN provide a good example, good direction, good media to make it easier for them, though
melawshe: Now “hard news town” Chicago owns the local paper in LA nad fires the remainder of the hard news LA Time
douglaswelch: @Jennifer I can only blame the journalists so much for the current state of journalism, too. The fact is, journalism, as it was once practiced has no respect from teh public today
j_oliveroconnell: @Melaw–as I said, it doesn’t compare to the days of Kurtis and Royko
j_oliveroconnell: Monopolies and special interest rule the day
douglaswelch: @Jennifer I think you need to go out and find today’s Kurtis and Royko, where before you simply read the most established and respected papers that published their columns
keri: michael, dinner will be ready in 30-45 minutes. Must go. Interesting. Bye all.
melawshe: Bye!
j_oliveroconnell: Bye!
douglaswelch: I dont’ think we can only bemoan the loss of old school journalism. We have to got out there and find what we are looking for. People are producing it already, it simply
douglaswelch: takes more work to find it
douglaswelch: This is, I think, one of the most powerful aspects of New Media — the ability for voices to be heard that otherwise were
douglaswelch: lost in the sea of gatekeepers in traditional media
j_oliveroconnell: It is also the power to package yourself as you want
j_oliveroconnell: And not some corporate model
j_oliveroconnell: That’s what I find attractive
douglaswelch: In the past, our media choices were pre-filtered, mainly due to the high cost of producing media. Today we are in a post-filtered world where we have to find our own
douglaswelch: best/favorite/trusted sources
douglaswelch: @Jennifer Exactly. Put yourself out there and find an audience that sees you as important, trustworthy, useful, etc
douglaswelch: it can also be scary, of course, as now you have NO EXCUSE to not producing and distributing your media.
j_oliveroconnell: @Doug-working on it, working on it!
douglaswelch: That throws some into analysis paralysis even worse than the thought of facing a book editor or sending your script to an agent
douglaswelch: I constantly remind myself that the reasons I haven’t done everything I say I want to do reside 99.999999% in myself. We have to take the initiative to fly. no one can do that for us
douglaswelch: I see we have broken our typical 8 pm barrier, so I will start to wrap things up now.
j_oliveroconnell: This has been delightful! Happy Holidays and New Year, everyone
douglaswelch: Thanks to everyone for joining us tonight. The transcript of tonight’s chat will appear on the New Media Interchange blog (http://newmediainterchange.com) and the New Media Interchange Community site
douglaswelch: (http://community.newmediainterchange.com)
sarahchar: k.. nite!
j_oliveroconnell: Goodnight!
douglaswelch: The conversation continues 24/7 on the NMI Community Site. Post your questions and comments there and we will all chime in.
douglaswelch: Our next chat will be in January 2010. Watch the web sites and NMI mailing list for announcements!
douglaswelch: For more information about me, visit http://DouglasEWelch.com
douglaswelch: Be well and have a very Happy Holiday Season!
douglaswelch: Our LIVE Reading of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” will take place on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 3pm Pacific time. Join us!
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