WebRev Blog

Well, friends, another glorious weekend is in sight.  Before we head off to enjoy the last of Spring, let's wrap up some loose ends from the last couple of weeks.

Facebook - The new champions of your privacy

 

(At least according to them...if you believe that, be sure to "like" the Facebook and Privacy Fan Page.)  We're still waiting for some indication that they understand it's wrong to impersonate users to suggest friends - until that happens, be sure to "Remove" any contacts you've imported to FB Friend Finder.  For background on this see Lesson Learned the Hard Way: Do NOT Upload your e-Mail Contacts to Facebook, and So, what's up with Facebook, anyway?

 

The Online Job Search

 

This week, we discussed  The Online Job Search.  Mashable also has a great post, 3 Ways to Ace Your Job Interview with Social Media.  Check it out.

 

Also, you will need to provide an e-mail address for any job application you submit online or electronically.  It's important that your e-mail address reflect you in a professional manner.  Cutsie nicknames are not ideal - it's better to use some version of your name, if at all possible.  The Oatmeal has some additional (mostly tongue-in-cheek) information about what your e-mail address says about you.  (Apologies to all AOL users.)  Click HERE  to read the list.

 

You can get PAID for doing that?!

 

Are you addicted to Facebook, or Twitter, or social networking in general?  Did you know you can now make a career out of it?  That's right. SimplyHired.com has a whole list of social networking jobs available right now.  Also see SocialNetworkingJobs.org, and Social Media Jobs on Ning.

 

You can also get paid to blog.

 

If you enjoy doing what it takes to get profiles and posts to the front page of the search engines ("Search Engine Optimization," or "SEO"), you can get paid to do that, too.  There are also jobs available in online profile management.

 

Keep in mind that with a few exceptions, this work is generally freelance, and part-time.

Have a good weekend!

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This is the final in this week's series, types of blog posts.  We've covered the essay, search engine bait, such as reviews, lists, link posts, and polls. We also talked about some different types of media posts, and how to use controversy to attract traffic and generate discussion.  Now, let's put on our journalism hats, and talke about some of the various types of news posts.

Live Blogging

 

Live bloggers cover an event "live," by providing periodic updates throughout the event.  This can be done in the format of microblogging, or written blog posts, or through video updates, or a combination.  Sometimes bloggers team up, and cover the event from different perspectives.

 

(Also see:  Live Blogging Tips, by Lee Oden and ProBlogger - Tips on Live Blogging)

 

Aggregator

 

Some bloggers provide a customized aggregation of news stories for their readers, with or without editorial commentary or summaries.  The Drudge Report is a good example, as is Salon.

 

Punditry

 

We talked a little about op-ed (opinion-editorial) posts yesterday, when we were disussing "ontroversy."  Political pundits write op-eds about political news.    Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter are examples of political pundits on the right in the U.S., and Arianna Huffington and Markos Moulitsas are examples of pundits on the political left in the U.S..

 

Fake News

 

If covering real news and politics bores you, you can try making up your own news.  Just be sure that your readers actually know you're doing this for entertainment purposes.  We've previously talked about using satire in blogging.  The Onion (a fake news site that covers every topic imaginable) is a site that has done this successfully, as has The People's Cube (a fake communist site, mocking communists), and Scrappleface (a satirical press release site).

 

News Media Analysis

 

In lieu of reporting the news, commenting on it, or making up news, you can also analyze how everyone else is doing it.  There is an ongoing battle between the so-called "dinosaur media," (print media and network news), and "new media," (cable news, and online media), and this overarching dialogue provides a great basis for in-depth analysis.  One site that is very popular for doing this is Newsbusters.org.

I hope you've enjoyed this series.  If you have any comments on this series, or suggestions for future series, I'd love to hear them!

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This week, we've been reviewing some of the different types of blog posts.  We've covered the essay, and search engine bait, such as reviews, lists, link posts, and polls. Yesterday, we talked about some different types of media posts.  Now, let's talk about posts that are great for drawing traffic from the social networks - controversy-generating posts.

When we talked about polls, that controversy can be a double-edged sword; overdo it, and you're going to get spammed with traffic you don't even want.  But it's fine to expand your readership by being just a little bit controversial, so as to invite vigorous discussion, debate, and return readership. 

Ask Questions

 

People love to give their opinion, and a blog post that is bascially an open-ended question can be a great discussion starter.  Some bloggers use these to drum up traffic on the weekends, or on their slow days.

 

Satire

 

Poking fun at ourselves, or at our competitors can be a good way to express a point, as it keeps things "light," while still generating thought and discussion. 

 

Critiques/Debates

 

In political blogging, this is called "oppo," or "opposition research."  To do a critique, simply choose an article from your feed reader that interests you, and write a counter-argument to it, pointing out what was lacking in the post, or what part you may have disagreed with.  Again, don't overdo it (See Top 10 Worst type of Blog Post - and how to fix them). 

 

Op-Ed

 

This type of post can be in essay form, as we discussed earlier, or may be more in the form of a "rant," which is far less organized, or more personal.  Rants tend to be observations on current trends, and often contain elements of satire or humor.

Have you seen or written posts that successfully used controversy to generate traffic?  Please share!

Also see:  Why Blog Controversy is a Good Thing (Even if it's about you)

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

Congratulations! We made it through the week. Let's end with a silly answer to a silly question:  Does Facebook contribute to the spread of syphilis?

Yes, that is a serious discussion happening all over the web right now, internationally (Google: syphilis facebook, to see the various perspectives).   It started when a British "health expert" announced that he'd found a link between Facebook usage and the rise in syphilis.  Then followed a retort from Facebook, and doubt from bloggers over the logic behind the connection.  Then, those bloggers were chastised for apparently not understanding correlation vs. causation.  Which sparked more satire and hillarity about "safe" social networking.  Something tells me this is going to get worse before it gets better.

Online security is a legitimate concern for any social networker.  Thankfully, however, it still not possible to transmit human diseases electronically.  Whether or not social networking contributes to the spread of social diseases can be an interesting discussion, as long as we keep things in perspective.  Let's remember that more and more people are using the web to communicate and meet each other, now.  Before they met online, they were meeting using personal ads, dating services, and singles clubs.  People have met (and still do) in bars, and clubs and at Wal-Mart for years, now.  Is there any reason to believe that the method of meeting can affect the probability of contracting a disease?  Probably not.

The real story here, I believe, is that we are likely to see more and more stories of this type (such as the Craigs List prostitution stings), as certain authority figures seek to use the "public health issue" tactic for gaining more and more control of the web.  We need to remember not to take every "news" story we hear at face value - but to evaluate the information for truth and objectivity. 

And no, you cannot get syphilis from Facebook.  You can't get pregnant there either.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.