Archive for 'technology'

One Year Blogiversary

I have been blogging for a year and it has been a roller coaster ride. I began with a less than enthusiastic attitude because I was not sure about the process and there were tough decisions and commitments to make.  But now I am so happy that I tackled the learning curve because starting the blog helped me find my personal brand and gave me a reason to learn more about internet technology. Now as my first year of blogging comes to a close I have my arms up and I am screaming and laughing down the roller coaster’s big hill! It has been a worthwhile endeavor.

Blogging does not have to be a huge time commitment either. Heck, you can even use Twitter.com for micro blogging to begin building an online presence in a little by little kind of way that will add up after a few months (btw, I would be honored if you follow me on Twitter).

Examples of easy and popular software used for creating blogs include WordPress.com, Blogger.com, and TypePad.com. WordPress and Blogger offer ways to get started in blogging for free with just a couple of clicks. Blogger is an easy way for a non-techie person to get started within minutes. WordPress has more options that may be needed as a blogger becomes more experienced. It also offers excellent search engine optimization but it has a slower learning curve for the inexperienced.

An easy way to have your blog hosted on a domain name of your choice is to go with a hosting company that includes blog set up. I can highly recommend my hosting company www.hosting.com where you can set up a dedicated domain name for your blog for $45 per year. They have excellent customer service and you should feel free to call them with even the most basic questions about your new blog.

I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but blogging really is a cutting-edge way of being involved in your industry and providing proof of knowledge and technology savvy. The best thing that happens when you start blogging is that whole new relevant and deep discussions take place and new networking relationships and industry connections are made.

Reverse Mentoring

Chris Brogan’s post on using social media in the classroom prompted my thoughts on this one. Thanks Chris!

There is an opportunity for “reverse mentoring” with technology. Reverse mentoring means a younger person can guide and teach someone older than they are.

Of course, we all know there are many skills and ideas the older generation can teach the younger generation, but think of how the younger generation can give back through technology which they tend to be so comfortable with. This could be crucial because one of the integral ideas for career success that young people need to learn is reciprocity in networking. This type of mentoring can open the door to dialogue and both sides benefit as in the traditional mentoring relationship. Not to mention the increases in self-confidence and time saved that will be gained as both parties get up to speed, one with technology and the other with networking.

Writer vs Infopreneur

In a previous post I talked about Robert Allen’s definition of an infopreneur. This month one of my favorite organizations, The World Future Society, has a very good article titled The 21st Century Writer. Fascinating stuff and another way of further defining the career option called infopreneur although they don’t use the term infopreneur in the article.

Reading this article reminds me that the key to cutting edge infopreneuring is taking advantage of the newest technology and knowing how to mix the media to provide people with the information they want the way they want it. Maybe that is text, blogging, audio, video, slides, some sort of mixture…who knows? The point is the possibilities are endless for creative, tech savvy infopreneurs!