The Mark Dykeman Web Niche

Welcome to a regular feature at The Uncanny Broadcasting Brain Blog called Featured on Fridays.  Every Friday I will introduce you to one or more of the blogs and bloggers that fill my newsreader.  These are blogs that I genuinely enjoy and read regularly.  In this installment I’m featuring a male blogger full of pithy quips…

Chip’s Quips is the brainchild of Sterling “Chip” Camden.  This is one of several blogs authored by the talented Mr. Camden.  Chip’s motto (the blog’s, not necessarily Chip’s…  oh, you know what I mean) is:

 A tiny spark of wit for a highly flammable world.  

In other words, expect a explosion of words and ideas around this guy’s blog.  He writes about software development, technology, current events… you name it.  Chip was an early supporter of The Uncanny Broadcasting Brain Blog and for that, I award to him: a special spontaneous and imperfect haiku.

If you seek knowledge

Fiery, combustible wit

Try Chip’s Quips - smokin’! 

If you’d like to be reviewed in Featured on Fridays, don’t hesitate to drop me an E-Mail (see About Me page) or leave me a comment.  Note:  haikus are optional.

I’m a blogger and I’m an introvert.  I’m trying to put those two things together, including some of the social media information that I’m absorbing.

The new blog is called The Mighty Introvert.  I want to write a blog that might help empower a large group of people who are smart and talented, but who aren’t always comfortable around other people.  Some people thrive on contact with other people.  Some of the rest of us can handle other people for awhile, but then we need our time alone to recharge.

The new blog is on the Blogger platform.  I’m starting it there mainly to experiment with that platform as well as learning a bit about Google Adsense.  Yes, yes, the dark side beckons… 

Which leads me to my next topic:  platform change.  While I love the WordPress.com blogging platform, I’m starting to find it a bit restrictive and limited for some future plans that I have.  Over the next 6 - 12 months, The Uncanny Broadcasting Brain Blog may move from its current platform and hosting to a bigger, better platform.  This change might occur sooner depending on how well my readership grows.  I think it will happen, it’s just a matter of time.

Having said all that, I might still keep this blog and domain as a “home” blog of sorts, but its look and feel may change over time.  I’m still pretty attached to it.  After all, it does have my name.  

So if any of you brilliant and talented readers have any advice about migrating from wordpress.com to a bigger, better solution that’s not terribly expensive, please feel free to leave a comment here or you can send me an E-Mail at the following address:

dykemans

At

nbnet

dot

nb

another little dot thingee

ca

If I’ve totally confused you, please check the About Mark Dykeman page, OK?  It’s at the end of the page.  (Note:  I’m trying to avoid being spammed.  But I still want lots of legitimate E-Mails!)  Thanks!

There are few things that turn me off of a blog as much as when it’s not easy to comment on the blog.

There seem to be a few different systems in the blogosphere for blog commenting. Some are built into the blogging platform (i.e. Blogger, WordPress.com, Moveable Type, etc.) Other blogs seem to use exclusive systems that require you to create a user ID. Some commenting systems are… well, I don’t get them, but I’m still fairly new to the game.

Some people disable the future to allow anonymous commenting - maybe because they want to avoid abuse or spam. Some people don’t want comments at all. Maybe other people just want to control who comments and when.

I don’t think those are very compelling reasons.

Look, blogging is an interactive medium. I post, you read and comment, I respond to your comments, and so on. It’s built to work that way.

Do you really want to prevent someone from commenting on your work just because they want to stay anonymous or if they don’t want to go a lot of trouble to communicate with you? I understand that there are a few trolls out there who can make your life miserable if you give them a crayon and a piece of toilet paper, let alone a blog comment section. However you might get a loyal subscriber or two if you let them give you feedback in a way that’s comfortable to them. Who knows, maybe they are just shy or paranoid about revealing their identity? Maybe they lack self-confidence and they want to test the waters first. Who knows?

There are alternatives out there that still let you maintain control:

• use comment moderation
• use Akismet, or some other tool to block the spam
• delete offensive or unwanted comments if you really want to

I realize that I may be taking a simplistic view which might or might not fit in with your personal blogging strategy.

On the other hand, if you really do want to build up a loyal following, shouldn’t you consider making it easy for your readers to contact you?

 EDIT:  well, I guess I didn’t follow my own advice very well.  I’m using Blogger for The Mighty Introvert and didn’t realize that I had put restrictions on comments.  Ooops…

Here is a simple list of some of the things I’ve enjoyed recently. Check them out!

Ideas for those of us who want to write quality, memorable content:

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-write-fascinating-content-that-readers-will-remember/

http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/10/29/copywriting-101/

Ideas for those of us who want to write quality, memorable content without looking like a n00b:

http://www.marcorichter.net/blog-traffic/publishing-posts.html

Here’s an interesting tool to analyze the readability of your blog:

http://textalyser.net/

Link to the website of Jonathan Rauch, who I mentioned in yesterday’s post on introversion:

http://www.jonathanrauch.com/jrauch_articles/

About the effects of poor sleep:

http://jonathanfields.com/blog/are-your-sleep-habits-making-you-fat-nasty-and-dumb/

Here are a couple of posts about marketing, viral and/or social:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/22/the-secret-strategies-behind-many-viral-videos/

Would you like to buy a personalized pen?

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/11/21/im-not-dating-your-cookie/

And, finally:

If you always wanted to play with a lightsaber, look here:

http://www.guerrestellari.it/slas.html

Enjoy!

Note:  this post is being cross-posted (manually) from a new project called The Mighty Introvert.

Introversion caught the attention of the mainstream media a few years ago with a high profile essay in the Atlantic Monthly by Jonathan Rauch called Caring For Your Introvert. Rauch’s essay, in which he claimed to be an introvert, received a huge response from readers. In fact, this article is the most popular article of the magazine’s on-line version.

Rauch was interviewed by fellow writer Sage Stossel in early 2006 in the article Introverts of the World, Unite! to talk about the impact of his article. The response to Rauch’s article was so powerful that the Atlantic Monthly shared reader responses in a 2006 follow-up article called The Introversy Continues.

If you are wondering if you might be an introvert, I’d recommend that you read Caring For Your Introvert. It’s a good overview on the topic.

Can a content creator hit the big time without paying their dues?  Are content creators exploited in the process?

Why Social Media Are Like Slavery and SMO Equals Abolitionism presented a very strong position about the lack of compensation from social media sites.  Social media creators/participants are “used” by these sites to make money. Tadeusz Szewczyk, as well as the author of Gilded Crown of the Hypocritical Social Media Czar, argue that social media users are used to provide content or hype for social media sites while other people make money off of their efforts.  Szewczyk argues that this is a form of slavery or exploitation and he argues that SEO 2.0, SMO (Social Media Optimization), and SMM (Social Media Marketing) are ultimately the way for content creators to publish content without being exploited.

First of all, I think there is some truth in what he is saying.  There is no doubt that the corporations and entrepreneurs that host social media sites are making money off of the (unpaid) labors of social media users.  After all, there are ads on those sites, so some money is flowing into the coffers as the result of the users’s hard work.  And like his colleague states, I believe that there are people out there who are using their “power user” status to help companies market ideas or products.  I’m not going to judge that; frankly, I think it would be great to be in that position.

However, I still have difficulty with thinking of social media users as slaves or “the exploited”.  I think there are three ways to classify social media users in terms of how they profit from social media practices:

1. genuine enthusiasts who are just in it for fun and entertainment
2. social media users who are trying to establish a reputation and following with the goal of making income
3. social media users who are making income through their skills and reputation

Clearly all three groups are making money for other people, although the third group are receiving some form of compensation.  The first group of users, probably the largest, don’t care about making money.  The second group, however, are potentially the most exploited because they are putting in hours upon hours of work for these media companies without financial compensation.

If you look at it in black and white terms, it seems quite unfair.  However, there are other groups who are similarly exploited.  In other industries, they are called interns.  Or apprentices.  Is there any difference between these types of people and the second group of social media users?

Apprentices are students on work-study programs.  They work long and hard for little compensation, at least in the short term, with the intent of learning knowledge and skills to “qualify” them for a future career.  At the end of the apprenticeship, the student becomes a qualified practioner.  This method of learning has been practiced by the trades for centuries.  Artistic or creative professions (journalists, illustrators, lawyers) have used internships for years as a means to impart experience to people who want to follow a certain career path.  They receive poor pay, work long hours, and ultimately are hoping for a “big break” to make a name for themselves.

Don’t interns sound a bit like our second group of social news users?

Thing is, intership is a bit different than an apprenticeship.  Apprenticeships are defined programs that ultimately qualify an individual to become a practicing tradesman, perhaps a master.  Interships are less structured and more about making contacts and gathering resume material.  You could argue that the worker is being exploited in their quest to learn a trade whether they are apprenticing, interning, or practicing social media work. 

At the same time, there is a common thread between these three groups of people:  they are investing time and effort for rewards down the road.  They start their careers with some knowledge and minimal practical experience.  They must study, network, and practice their skills.  Mentors and sponsors are key ingredients that can make or break the aspirations of these novices.  However, they should all enter these paths with their eyes wide open and with an understanding of the rules of the game.  They are “putting in their time” or “paying their dues”.

Yes, social media owners are making revenue from the efforts of their users.  In fact, their business models are highly dependent upon voluntary labor.  However, if you look at the second group of social media users as interns, does that change your opinion about the exploitation argument?  Granted, social media does not seem to have organized itself into internship programs, but is that a possible direction to level the playing field?  Would that answer the exploitation charge?

The fact remains that if you enter willing into a certain field AND you are choosing a profession or occupation when you have other valid work opportunities, can you honestly say that you are being exploited?  At the very least, you cannot be considered to be a slave.  You can quit at any time.   Or,  you can take a chance, work your ass off and maybe, just maybe, you’ll acheive your goal.  You won’t know unless you try.  Just understand the sacrifices and trade-offs that you’ll be making.

Having said all that, if someone can find a better way to bypass this type of internship, more power to them.  However, internships exist for a reason.  Think about that.

The first brainwave experiment

If any of you volunteered for this experiement, the first little test is ready to go.  Check it out!

This topic has been much on my mind of late, encompassing the three sets of stakeholders noted above.

This article took a very strong position about exploitation of social media creators/participants whose work is “exploited” by corporations or powerful individuals to make money.  As you can see in the Comments section of the post, the author and I disagreed a bit.

To me, this is part of the overall issue of the balance of power between content creators and content publishers/distributors.  Except that it’s probably three-way when you consider the consumer.

I think this is worth a few posts, don’t  you?

My Technorati rating has improved over the past few weeks - only 283,265 more blogs to go… 

Battlestar Galactica (reimagined) is quite possibly one of the finest SF television series ever.  I find myself intrigued by the wide range of characters, especially secondary characters like Tigh, Boomer, and Tyrell.  One of the most intriguing elements of the show is how they’ve changed sex for some key characters (Starbuck, Boomer, Cain…)

I wish I had a new car

I hope my new WebUpon article gets 50,000 hits.  Just because.

I need to get more sleep.

I used to spend my on-line hours quite differently than I do today.

Here is a list of the MMORPGs that I have played over the years.  Note that I’m going to include one old-style MUD because I really, really liked it:

JediMUD (primitive but fun)

Everquest (yes, I used to be an EQ addict of sorts)

The Kingdom of Loathing (one of the best written games, ever)

Kingdoms of Chaos

Gothador (another that I played for a long, long time)

Entropia Universe (formerly Project Entropia)

Alien Abduction Agency (really liked this one for awhile)

HoboWars

I probably tried at least two dozen other games, but of course I can’t remember any of them…

Sometime I’ll write about my all-time favorite PC games.

On another note, I’m thinking about writing about introverts, maybe turn it into a blog.  I wonder how many introverts are out there?