Archive for » December, 2008 «

Dec

The definition of a gossip is someone who reveals personal, and sometimes intimate information (true or not) about others, often sensationalized to make the story more interesting and exciting.

It’s not uncommon to read gossip or see videos online of politicians or celebrities. Often, the person written about/filmed doesn’t have a chance to defend themselves, say they would rather not have a story shared, or issue a rebuttal.

In some cases they don’t even know the story/video exists.

Some will say, “If you’re in the public eye, you’re fair game.”. “It’s the cost of stardom.”

What about those NOT in the public eye? Are they fair game to be written about/filmed? Gossiped about?

Today’s Lesson

As bloggers we love to share what we know. We often tell stories of our past, our present and our dreams for the future. Our stories are online. We put ourselves in the public eye of blogosphere.

But, how detailed should the information be when others are involved in “our story”? Should we name names? Should we only hint at whom we’re talking about? Or should we completely avoid writing about others?

According to the comments on “Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are”, most bloggers admit they are quite transparent. However, does that mean we need to expose our friends, family or fellow bloggers? Share stories that affected their lives that are told to us in confidence? Include their mishaps in order make our posts sound more interesting, funny and/or believable?

What if someone takes our words and use them against that person? What happens when what we write creates a rift between them and us? What happens when our words cause us, or others to lose jobs or relationships? What happens when what we wrote isn’t the complete truth?

We can apologize and beg for forgiveness, but the story will remain “somewhere” on the world wide web forever, even if we delete it.

We need to ask, “is it worth it”?

Today’s Assignment

Do you think there’s ever a time when it’s proper to “name names” in our blogs?

Should we ask permission before we include stories on our blogs that shares the experiences of others?

Have you ever gossiped about or shared photos of someone else, only to later regret it?

Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Photo Credit: speartoons

Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Writing Tips 33 Comments

Dec

Ready, Aim – Focus!

Barbara Swafford

Hello Class!

I’m proud to introduce you to your “substitute teacher” (guest writer) for today. His name is George Angus, author of Tumblemoose Writing Productions.

Please take your seats.

Mr. Angus, welcome to the BWAB classroom.

The floor is yours.

Greetings Class!

Feel free to call me George. I’ll start off the lesson with a short story, and then we’ll move onto the assignment for the day.

Let’s get started.

I remember how excited I was to write and publish the very first post on my blog. I had so much to say. There was this big wide world of blogging just waiting for me to open, explore and write about. Every day I found something new and I wanted to share all of it with everybody.

After about six weeks of generalized posts I started wondering where my blog was heading. As I reflected upon this question I discovered I didn’t have an answer. The blog had staled somewhat and there were some minor design issues that needed tending so I had my blog analyzed. I’m glad I was in the position to be able to do that. Amongst the seven or so pages of suggestions, one in particular stood out: “George, focus on writing.” Wow. Just like that I knew what I had to do. Since then my blog has a very specific focus and I’ve seen traffic numbers jump and I’m inspired with each post I write.

Today’s Lesson

The lesson here is simple: If you are serious about this blogging journey, find your niche and stick with it. Focus on whatever field it is that you have chosen and become an expert in the topic. It makes no difference if you are an expert, just act like one. In my former life I trained folks to teach classes in Emergency Medicine. Their biggest fear was public speaking and the advice given to those folks applies here as well: Fake it ‘til you make it.

Is your passion home improvement? Great! You’re an expert! Blog about it. Are you the best cook in your circle of family and friends? That’s right, expert. Blog about it.

The point here is to find your inspiration and your passion. Focus your blog posts on topics that pertain and you are well on the way to being an expert in your field. Once you are on topic, traffic that is specifically geared towards your topic will start heading your way. If you stay focused on your topic, the only direction you can head is up!

Today’s Assignment

• When you think of what are you the most passionate about in life, is that the subject of your blog?
• When you are writing, does your topic make you feel the most inspired and exhilarated?
• If your blog is not about that for which you have a passion for, what’s stopping you?

George Angus is the author of Tumblemoose Writing Productions, with a tag line of “Freelance Writing and Writer’s Resources”. In a post titled: “Writer’s best of, a poll and a prize”, George recaps his favorite posts. While there, dig through his archives and find more of his great work.

Photo courtesy of acobox.com

Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Writing Tips 50 Comments

Dec

When Your Truth Is Different Than Mine

Barbara Swafford

I learned a great lesson in the power words while serving on a committee to write an employee manual.

With all of us being in management positions, we knew what actions would be grounds for dismissal, however, we also knew each word in the manual had to be perfect. The misuse of one word could completely change the meaning of a sentence, which in turn, could lead to a discrimination law suit.

The example that comes to mind is:

Instead of saying “you will be terminated if you (fill in the blank)”, the wording read, “You may be terminated if you (fill in the blank)”

As most of us know, it’s never black and white. There can always be extenuating circumstances.

This lesson came into play last week when I was working on my “The Unseen Benefit Of Commenting” post. The words flowed. Within a short period of time I had the whole post written. I hit save and began the editing process.

As I reread what I wrote, I realized the words I used could be misconstrued as a type of medical/psychiatric advice. My first thought was to add a disclaimer stating “I’m not a doctor, blah, blah, blah…, read at your own risk….”.

My second thought was, “I need to rewrite this post”

I did the latter.

Today’s Lesson

When we blog, we often get carried away with our words. We want to share our experiences and opinions. We know what worked for us, how things affected us, and we feel it may work for others, too.

Let’s face it, we often blog in an attempt to help others.

But, what about those who don’t think like us? What about those who read what we wrote and take it literally. What about those who read between the lines and don’t read the words that say, “I think”, “It’s my opinion”, or fail to read our “Terms of Use” policy? Or those who are looking for someone to blame? Someone to sue?

With our blogs being read worldwide by people from all backgrounds and education levels, it’s important we consider our potential audience. Although many people visit our blogs, the majority are not commenting. Students may be using our blog posts as part of their assignments, and/or some may make a life style change based on what we wrote.

Choosing and using the right words shows we’re blogging responsibly.

Today’s Assignment

Have you ever read something and taken it to be the truth, only to be mislead?

Before you publish a blog post, are you editing it so your words cannot be misconstrued?

Have you ever heard of someone being hurt by the written word?

Although the wording on some blogs may not fall into this “category”, I’m curious to hear how others deal with the specific wording in their posts.

P.S. This is also a great time to check your “Terms of Use” or “Disclaimer” policy. If you don’t have one, click on mine (in the header). You’ll find a link at the bottom where you can get one for free.

Photo Credit: Caveman 92223
— Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Lessons Learned, Writing Tips 43 Comments

Dec

NBOTW – I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Barbara Swafford

I love to read blog posts that make me think. You know the kind. You leave the page contemplating what you’ve just read and sometimes the words motivate you to take action.

The following two blogs always leave me wondering. Thinking. Hence, they’ve made the list for (Not So) New Blogs Of The Week (NBOTW).

In no particular order they are:

1) “Someday Syndrome” by Alex Fayle. In this blog (workshop) Alex asks questions such as:

* Do you drag yourself out of bed? Not looking forward to what the day holds?
* Have you put aside childhood or teenaged dreams in an effort to get on living life?
* Do you think that you should be doing something else but aren’t quite sure what it is?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then yes, you suffer from Someday Syndrome. Specifically you suffer from the strain called Someday My Ship Will Come In.

Alex performs experiments on his volunteer “Lab Rats” who suffer from “Someday Syndrome” and then posts the results in future articles. Throughout his blog Alex sprinkles his “someday lessons”; great quotes which are well worth contemplating.

2) “Sources of Insight” by J.D. Meier.

When I read J.D.’s post titled: Lessons Learned From Peaceful Warrior, the lessons he listed prompted me to print the page. Where else can you find dozens of “one liners” that nail it, spot on?

In this post, the lessons are, in part:

# There are no ordinary moments
# A Warrior acts; only a fool reacts.
# What do you do if you can’t do what you were born to do? Everything has a purpose — it’s up to you to find it.
# Make every move about the move — that one moment in time.
# Don’t fall into the trap — If only I had this, I’d be … If only … , I’d get to be happy.
# If you don’t get what you want, you suffer. If you get what you want, you still suffer.
# You control you. Master you.
# Don’t pin your success on outcomes.
# The people that are the hardest to love, probably need it the most

Aren’t those great lessons? By clicking on the post title you’ll have access to the rest of the article.

Both J.D. and Alex are frequent visitors to Blogging Without A Blog and can often be found in the comment section. For those of you have missed visiting them, I guarantee, you won’t be disappointed. Take time to dig through their archives for many great gems.

Welcome again Alex and J.D.

Enjoy your reign as (Not So) New Blogs Of The Week.

Photo Credit:H. Michael Karshis

Category: Archives, New Blog Of The Week 29 Comments

Dec

Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are

Barbara Swafford

Online it happens all the time. People claim to be someone their not.

You’ve heard the stories. Perverts pretend they’re teenagers and befriend young children. Scammers send emails to unsuspecting people and tell them they’ve won a million dollars or are heir to a fortune. Those with an online presence are warned their Paypal, Ebay and/or credit card account needs updating.

In some cases, online relationships have lead to stalking and even death.

It’s behind their computer screen where they hide, typing words that may not always be true.

Today’s Lesson

Blogging is no different. We’re online. It’s inevitable we’ll “meet” someone who is not who they say they are.

Last week when Diana Freedman of U Stand Out commented on “The Unseen Benefit Of Commenting” post, she said, in part,

You can learn even more about people from their blog posts/comments than in person, too. I have friends who still keep LiveJournals, and it’s amazing how emotional people can get in their blogs when they NEVER would have made themselves seem so “vulnerable” during in-person conversations.

Diana’s comment reminded me of the recent political race. Blogs were filled with hateful, mean and disgusting comments. Many were written by people who chose to not use their real names.

The emotions were boiling over.

What about bloggers and blog visitors?

Are blogs an outlet? A place where they can honestly express their emotions? A safe place where they can first “test” what a reaction will be? A place where they can share their true feelings with others and not feel they’re being judged? A place where they can read what others are saying and when they feel comfortable, “come out” and share their thoughts, too?

Or do some feel their online presence gives them permission to lurk in blogosphere? Prey on unsuspecting individuals? Hide their true personality?

What if we were to meet other bloggers in real life? Would we be convinced they are the same person whose blog we read? How would they come across? Kind, well mannered, and/or caring? Angry, negative and/or filled with hatred? Or would they be exactly the same as they project themselves to be online?

I fall into the category of being transparent. What you “see” is what you get.

What about you?

Today’s Assignment

How transparent are you?

Have you ever befriended someone online only to find out they’re not who they said they were?

Have you ever used the internet to voice an opinion you would never speak of in real life?

If so, did it aid in your growing process?

Blogging has the potential to expose us to thousands of people. Feel free to share how your online presence has opened your eyes to the realities of the internet.

Photo Credit: zappowbang’s photostream