Blog
Thoughts and things I care to sharelinks for 2007-06-25
- Wondering how I missed this little piece of news – I’m a Feedburner users and have at least a half-dozen feeds being managed by them. Good for Feedburner!
Another new facet of Rick
In yet another aspect of my changing career, I’ve started writing for 451 Press on their Minneapolis, MN blog. Currently I’m the lone author here in the northland for this blog and I’m really looking forward to covering the “city beat” of my home city.
Yes, I’ll be writing about something other than technology, blogs, personal brand, and myself. This is one more step in the direction I took in early April when I decided that corporate life no longer had a place in my professional life.
So off I go on another adventure, I’m excited to see how it turns out. I’ve been writing technical documents & manuals for many years, blogging for about 3 years and looking for an opportunity to do something different. Head on over to the Minneapolis, MN blog and don’t hesitate to let me know what you think!
Ustream.tv, Embedded Video and RSS Feeds
Really frustrated that the embedded video posts I’ve used Ustream.tv to record don’t seem to show up in my RSS feed. Videos posted from either Google’s YouTube or Microsoft’s Soapbox work fine!?!?
I use Feedburner to handle my RSS feed from my WordPress blog – anyone else run across this?
Making the most of WebcamMax
A video blog post about using WebcamMax.
Let me know if this video does not show in your RSS feed! I’m really interested in figuring that out.
UPDATE: Of course turning on my microphone would have been a great idea.
UPDATE II: I must have really been tired when I finally posted… I had my headphones plugged in when I recorded and didn’t realize it. So, I thought I didn’t have sound on the vid – figured out my confusion in the morning… 🙂 Ugh! Kinda funny though!
Getting behind on news and writing
Ugh, it’s been a busy couple of days around here and I’ve fallen victim to the most insidious of tasks – home improvement. Yes, the house is looking nice, with the downstairs completely painted and trimmed. But I’ve fallen behind in keeping up with news and some writing I had planned. Oh well, we’ve got over half of the house painted!
New Poll: User Polls
I was curious what people think of user polls, so here’s a poll on it:
Please let me know what your thoughts are on the topic of user polls. Do they add any value or interest? What questions would you like to have polled?
Personal Branding and Experimentation
If you asked me two years (or so) ago if I would ever entertain the idea of video blogging, I probably would have said “no”. That is one of the first things I have to point out for those getting started working on their personal brand. Don’t overlook anything that will expand your brand presence!
Since starting blogging and learning to promote my brand, there are more opportunities to get yourself recognized than one can believe. It simply requires a little effort on your part, but you can be your own PR department. You can point out your skills and your talents. It’s up to you to publish articles and talk about your area of specialty and how you bring value to clients. Only you can give your perspective and work to help answer questions about you.
Of course, there is more to personal branding than just talking about yourself, to be of real value you need to provide value to your readers, listeners or viewers. And that brings me to my main point for this post – experimentation.
Since I’ve always been a tech-geek more interested in how technology works rather than how to use it, I’m historically a rather conservative user of technology. However, since my awakening to personal branding I’ve found it much easier to start leveraging new technologies and ideas.
Some of the really useful technologies to personal branding is the rise of personal broadcasting. The ability to broadcast your ideas (yourself) either by recordings or live audio/video is a stunning milestone in our fast-paced world. Three years ago, I was hesitant to even put my name out on the web, but through several years of participation online, I’ve found that it gets easier.
The real trick is to not let yourself be tied to one service or community. Don’t spread yourself too thin, but get your name out there in as many places as you can. Use the new personal broadcasting services to your advantage. Find a topic that you are passionate about and talk about it.
Invite other bloggers to participate and polish it up before publishing it on YouTube and such. Have peers & associates sit in with you and discuss your topics of interest. Get it out there, and most importantly, get it linked in your blog if you don’t publish it there first. More than anything else, don’t be afraid to get yourself out there and to experiment. Find what works for you and use it.
What do you do for your personal brand? I’d love to know how you experiment with new media and make it work for you!
A little offline time – getting things done
So yesterday I had a realization that I had a number of chores around the house that simply couldn’t wait any longer. Between a faulty electrical breaker for my office, to painting the living room, I couldn’t take it any longer.
I’ve had a massive lack of inspiration and I believe it was from having a number of real-world tasks that simply have been pushed off too long. So I’ve taken yesterday, today, and again tomorrow to get them done and out of the way. I’m feeling better already about having these things completed – Amy and I have been trying to find the time for several house-related things for quite awhile.
So, I’ve not been online consistently this week, but will be starting again on Monday. I’ve got some ideas that I’m playing around with and want to get my office in some reasonable appearance before turning the camera on (that’s a hint).
Anyway, getting things done is a great feeling. I should do this more often!
Of Root Beer and Video Blogging
So I was broadcasting live on blogTV tonight, not doing much but browsing and reading. I happened to strike up a conversation with John Leeke about root beer. Interesting talk, and I wish I had the foresight at the time to record that portion of the broadcast. This is one aspect of personal broadcasting that really brings back the feeling of community. Kind of like sitting on your front porch and talking to neighbors as they walk by.
Video Post – Tuesday June 12, 2007
After my first video post, I’m testing a few new things before really creating good content. This post is really to test out some work before posting, and also to see if the changes to my RSS feed will include the video feed instead of coming up blank. You’ll also note that this video clip is hosted at both YouTube and Microsoft Soapbox. I wanted to see how how both came through the RSS reader.
Again, feel free to let me know what you think – or suggestions you may have. Also if you have questions or things you would like to talk about, then
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
I think it’s safe to say that @GovEvers should stop blocking audits in Wisconsin and open the books…
“Only AMERICAN citizens should vote.”
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
Wrong. Democrats are solely responsible for hours-long airport lines.
They voted to defund TSA three times and won’t even entertain a conversation about reopening it. Why?
They’re using it as leverage to stop enforcing immigration laws.