Notepad Necessity

This post sort of falls into the category of "Common Sense -- Which Isn't." A few of my friends who are MySpacers have complained that they type up a long blog entry directly in MySpace, only to have their hard work vanish when they hit the Submit button. They have figured out a secret that hardcore bloggers should know, regardless of their blogging program. Compose your entries in Notepad (or the text editor of your choice) first, save it as a text file, then copy and paste it into your blog's composition screen. You can do the formatting and add the HTML for links at that point. This way, if things go screwy, at least you have a backup. Ditto if your blogging program's server crashes or something goes terribly wrong. Do I practice what I preach? I should.

Ianism.com

It is with great joy to announce that my friend Ian Scott has rejoined the world of blogging with Ianism.com. Ian's takes on life, religion, and politics are always very personal and controversial. I don't always agree with his conclusions, but find his posts very intellecutual stimulating. Check it out and see what you think.

LiveJournal

I started my very first serious blog using LiveJournal. In fact, that is where I still maintain my main blog, where I link out to my various projects across the Web, as well as write the occasional socially conscious post or funny observation about life. I'm a paid member, which means I have more control over what my blog looks like (custom templates and such), the methods by which I can post, and the ability to bake my blog into the framework of other of my websites. Here it is!

Life In The Fast Lane

I finally upgraded to high speed Internet this past week, and what a difference it has made in my online activities -- including blogging! My updates transfer from the editing screen live onto my blog in record time. High speed also helps save time when I am visiting the blogs of my friends, and researching interesting sites to write about. High speed is not mandatory, but highly recommended for serious bloggers.

Blog Reviews - Is Your Blog Up For It?

The Blog Talker will include reviews of blogs. If you would like me to review your blog, or if you know of a blog you think I should check out to be included here, shoot me an e-mail and I'll check it out.

Flock

Last week I tried out Flock, a new browser. Flock is excellent for bloggers because it has a menu button that connects you directly with your blog. So, I can be in the middle of Web surfing and get an idea for a blog entry, click on the button, and I have a blank form into which I write my blog entry, and send it to my blog. I sometimes have to do some reformatting afterwards, but it is still uber convenient. Another thing about Flock is if I visit an interesting Web page, I can right click on it and select "Blog this" in the menu, and the form will come up with the page title and link already baked into the form. All I have to do is write an annotation.

Blog Safety

I've seen a few news reports about the popularity of kids blogging, particularly having to do with their safety. Apparently in their young innocence they can give out too much information online. Well, this certainly is not limited to youngsters. Older folks can be vulnerable also, particularly women, the elderly, the lonely, the handicapped (mentally and otherwise) -- it is so tempting to be trusting and to use blogs as a platform for all kinds of personal information. Here are some guidelines everyone should bear in mind:
1) Don't give out your full name. This is a "do as I say, not as I do" situation -- as a freelance writer and Web person I already have a significant profile on the Web, but the average person doesn't need to.
2) Don't give out contact information like your phone number or home address. This should be obvious as to the reason.
3) Don't give the name of the specific place where you work.
4) Consider the privacy of others and don't give full names or post photos without permission (preferably in writing).
If you can think of othe safety tips please leave a comment.

Updating

I never understand people who get blogs and then never update them. Sure, there are the obligations and pressures of real life -- work, family, hobbies -- but there is always time for blogging. Entries do not have to be long; in fact, usually a paragraph or two will suffice. Many visitors will not be bothered to scroll through long blog posts. A good plan is to set aside one or two 15-minute blocks per week to update. It will keep your blogging chops fresh and your readers happy.

MySpace: My Place?

The number of users on MySpace seems to be growing exponentially. Even I bit the bullet and decided to get a couple of pages there, a personal one and a band page. Personal users seem to be a bit on the younger side, and very much youthful in culture: clubbing, music, shopping, and such. Still some of my friends, both younger and mature, decided to connect. The band pages are excellent means for musicians to network, and I was surprised by some of the names with MySpace pages, especially Peter Gabriel. Four MP3 files, a biography, tour dates, and more, MySpace is a free and convenient way to make an EPK (electronic press kit).

Why Do We Blog?

Why do we blog? Is it a narcissistic, exhibitionist desire to put our lives out there for strangers to read? Is it a desire to compile information about hobbies, work, dreams, in one place? To log interesting websites that we, in our infinite wisdom, believe others should read?

Why do we blog? Please leave your comments, and a link to your own blog if you have one.

The Blog Talker: First Post

Welcome to The Blog Talker, the new blog about blogging. You can expect to find a series of short, helpful, and informative posts about the art and craft of blogging, including philosophy, ideas, and subjects. As well, we'll be presenting some of the best examples of blogs across the Internet -- everything from personal weblogs, to music, art, politics, and religion. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.