It’s been a long 29 days and Europe and all I can say is that the trip was FANTASTIC!
I had tons of fun with the girlfriend (despite all the arguments that came with the trip), and this trip was definitely good for the relationship.
Since I arrived, I’ve been too busy catching up on shows and sorting out my photos (while dreaming of an iPhone 3G). Let me get those out of the way before I start blogging again.
It’s good to be back although I miss the traveling and the sightseeing. I’ve been away from internet life for more than a month now ever since exam period started in April. It didn’t help being away from home and staying in hostels around Europe. Fortunately, I was able to use the net once in a while which I will write about soon.
It’s been a while since I last blogged. Actually, since my university life ended last week after I took my last exam, my life online took a break too - my unread emails kept on piling up, RSS feeds were untouched, time spent on Facebook was close to none and Twitter usage dropped significantly. I’m not sure why but I’ve been busy with other things like the work here in Yahoo! and planning for my Euro trip which is happening in 2 weeks. I’ve to start picking up with my online activities again before I leave for my trip because I won’t have any time to blog or read RSS feeds then.
Fortunately, I came across this presentation by the Fake Steve Jobs a.k.a. Daniel Lyons from the Web 2.0 Expo recently, which inspired me to login to WordPress again and start writing. It’s a keynote that “You Gotta See” according to Stephan Spencer. Daniel Lyons, being a senior editor for Forbes and a blogger, talks about the shift that’s happening between traditional and new media. The most interesting part of his presentation was the background info on why he started his blog. I won’t go on too much and just let you watch his keynote. Enjoy!
After reading this very insightful post by Daryl on the power of Twitter, I was inspired to write something about how I’ve been using Twitter recently and how I should change the way I use the tool.
For the past week or so, I feel like I’ve turned Twitter into a MSN Messenger because of the number of replies I’ve been tweeting out and receiving. Replies are fine if used in moderation but our Twitter archives can’t be just be full of @ symbols because the rest of our followers might consider our replies as Twitter noise. I say might because receiving replies between other people can be powerful in a way if it leads to spin-off replies/tweets that can further build the conversation.
Jyri Engestrom, co-founder of Jaiku, hit the mark when he said that the success of all these web 2.0 applications and services depend on the social object(s) which they are built upon. These objects are the reasons why we connect or follow people on Twitter. It’s this whole ‘People Like Me’ concept again. For instance, I follow @chrisbrogan because I find the social media links (the social objects) that he shares both useful and interesting. In my opinion, Twitter is a better way to share links compared to LinkRiver or Del.icio.us because of it’s real time feature - you can share a link and get a quick response from your followers.
After much thought, I decided to come up with Twitter-themed days to share links that I find online.
Productive Mondays - It’s the start of the week so I’d like share GTD or productivity links to help everyone start the week on the right note.
Social Media Wednesdays - I’m going to miss the discussions and presentations during social media class every Wednesday but it doesn’t mean that the sharing should stop.
Flickr Fridays - I have no time to take photos anymore so I just browse Flickr almost everyday. Photos inspire me and I’m sure it can inspire others too in some way or another.
Del.icio.us Sundays - When @skaplan asked me to use del.icio.us about 3 years ago, I didn’t really expect it to be any use to me. As I used it more and more, del.icio.us evolved to become my permanent bookmark keeper and I can’t thank Steve enough.
I won’t stop using the @ symbol in Twitter but I won’t let it replace instant messengers. (Though I second Daryl that Twitter is way better than MSN). I will just continue to experiment with my tweets to hopefully unleash to full power of Twitter.
I’ve been converted to a Robbie Williams fan recently after watching a DVD of his concert at Knebworth. What We Did Last Summer: Live at Knebworth is one of the best concert DVDs out there. So pick it up or rent it when you can. It’s going to be worth it.
We wrapped up blogging last week in Social Media class, and after watching the DVD close to ten times in a span of two weeks, I was inspired to write about what bloggers can learn from Robbie Williams, as ‘a singer, a songwriter and a born entertainer’. Here it goes.
1. Engage Your Readers - Throughout the concert, Robbie tried to engage the crowd whenever he could. He told stories and he even had a massive karaoke session with the audience when he sang “Strong”. As a blogger, you can engage your readers by posing a question, asking for opinions or by replying to comments to keep the conversation going. ProBlogger advices that “Posting Less Frequently Can Lead to Higher Reader Engagement“.
2. Put 110% - I heard some of the songs in the DVD for the first time but because Robbie put so much effort in the singing and performance of each number, I ended up liking all the new songs. If you put effort into writing every blog entry, then readers will be coming back for more. Neil from Pronet Advertising suggests ways on how to get more readership/popular through content.
3. Be Real - One of the reasons why Knebworth was a memorable concert is because we saw the real Robbie Williams. He was honest and wasn’t afraid of showing his true self. Being real is what bloggers need to do if they want to build a long term relationship/conversation with their readers. Write to Done says that bloggers should ‘write from the heart’ and ‘reveal’ themselves.
4. Be Passionate - Robbie’s energy on stage comes from his passion for what he does. In this concert especially, it shows through. If you blog about topics that you’re passionate about, then your readers are likely to enjoy and benefit from your writing. Here’s a good article from Blog Herald about passion and blogging.
5. Say Thanks - Robbie Williams wouldn’t be who he is now if his fans did not buy his records. At Knebworth, he showed how much he appreciated how his fans stayed with him throughout his career. Blogging relations is about the act of reciprocity. If you get mentioned in a another blog or receive a comment, leaving a simple ‘Thank You’ note will go a long way. NorthxEast provides 15 ways to thank your loyal readers.
As a give-away, here’s my one of my favorite songs from the DVD. I think it also is a good representation of the tips above. Enjoy! (Although YouTube doesn’t do justice. Buy the HD DVD.)
