Weblog

Wednesday, 18 November 2009

  • Currently
    All the Stars and Boulevards
    By Augustana
    "Boston"
    see related

    connecting the tweets.

    Last week's Stamats SIM Tech Conference in Boston was full of valuable lessons about Web communications, social media and digital marketing. I chronicle those observations on the professional blog, while this entry is one more excuse to marvel at the connectivity of the Internet.

    This was another instance where I met a lot of people I've only communicated with via social media: many via Twitter, some through Facebook. Since we're Web communicators or techies or others who have come to use online technology in our work roles and personal lives, it's no surprise we've saturated the most popular virtual communities. In past years when this Xangaspace was more of a going concern, such meetings involved fellow bloggers. But the result is always the same: Folks are just as nice, if not even better, once met in real space.





    And we had a real-life #pancaketweetup at the South Street Diner in Boston! It now seems that all Web higher ed conferences must have a #pancaketweetup, and since Lane Joplin and I, co-founders of this virtual breakfast phenomenon, were both there, having one seemed almost required. Good food + good company = always a good time.

    A final observation on my use of social media: I came away with four new Facebook friends and 22 new mutual Twitter follows (I'm following them; they're following us). This seemed to be the norm among those I spoke with. Twitter has a lower barrier for connection: your bio info is minimal, the interface is simple and you don't get bombarded with Facebook quizzes and Farmville requests. Say what you will about Twitter, but it's now what I consider the first step in connecting.

Sunday, 18 October 2009

  • Currently
    Measure for Measure
    By Icehouse
    "The Flame"
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    the $8 part warming solution.

    When you own a house, any time you can solve a significant problem with an $8 part, you'll be thankful. Especially when it involves heating your home here in the frozen tundra.

    It was a blustery early October day when I saw that my old octopus boiler should have kicked on. It didn't. I checked everything I could and decided to seek professional help. But I was a bit at sea; the person who worked on the house's boiler and plumbing for decades still hasn't returned a call from years ago, and many local furnace firms don't have the best reputation. While out for a birthday gathering for a friend, my pal Dan brought up the name of Northeast Heating, saying they did great for him.

    A good furnace guy, of course, is in demand this time of year. The first time I called John from Northeast Heating, he said he was on a job and I should call at 8 a.m. the next day. I did and he guessed he could show up around lunch time. Another call from him and I was busting a move for the home front.

    John showed up limping, saying he'd had several knee surgeries and had, against his best instincts, bowled the night before. He was a gregarious, funny gentleman and had a silent sidekick named Virgil, a bald and muscular man. They came directly from Central Casting, it seems. After rattling around the furnace, John deduced the problem was a thermal coupler. A thermal coupler, turns out, is an $8 part against which the pilot burns and the most common thing to fail in these kinds of boilers. However, he needed a 36-inch thermal coupler, and apologized profusely for not having any in the van.

    I didn't hear back from John for a few days, which was a concern, so I called him Thursday morning (at 8 a.m., of course). He apologized, saying he'd lost my number but he could probably stop by on Friday. Then he mentioned having another job in the area but he'd lost his notes and wasn't sure what it was. He has a bit of an organizational problem, it would seem.

    But he called and met me Friday, and less than a half-hour later the thermal coupler was installed, the boiler was purring and the house was warming up again. Considering the house had fallen below 50 degrees on cold nights, the $8 part and $60 in labor was quite a bargain.

Sunday, 27 September 2009

  • Currently
    Grand Ledge
    By Paul Baribeau
    "Ten Things"
    see related

    using good old-fashioned networking to find student bloggers.

    I’m happy to say that our student bloggers are off to a flying start this year. I can barely keep up with them! But also of note to those in higher education is how the contributors came together. The old-fashioned way. Networking.

    bloggers

    This year’s group includes:

    - Sherrifa Bailey, a senior public justice and psychology major, McNair Scholar and all-around uber-involved person
    - Christopher Cook, a sophomore English major, writer and devourer of pop culture
    - Steven DiMarzo, a junior human development major, director of student affairs for Student Association and admissions intern
    - Tiffany Duquette, a secondary education and French major studying in Paris, and member of the Laker women’s ice hockey team
    - Tess Kaczorowski, a senior theatre major and dramaturg for the student honors production Blood Relations
    - Leah Matthews, a senior elementary education major and co-captain of the women’s swimming and diving team
    - Katherine Raymond, a junior journalism major, environmental writer for The Oswegonian, secretary of Students for Global Change
    - Jose Terrero, a senior journalism and creative writing major, active fraternity member, writer, admissions tour guide
    - Meghan Upson, a junior business administration major active with alumni relations and the business dean’s council
    - Lizz Wetherby, a junior public relations major, Laker Leader orientation guide and my intern

    Most of them I met at various times and identified as potential bloggers. I interviewed Sherrifa for a story and knew she’d be great. I know Tiffany from being a faculty mentor for the women’s ice hockey team. I saw Katherine give a presentation about her group’s activities and read her work in the campus paper. Worked with Meghan on a couple of projects related to her PR internships. Steven asked me about blogging after hearing me present at a student leadership conference. Lizz came to me as an intern because one of her best friends interned here after taking a class from me.

    Others were recommended via canvassing my campus contacts. Tess came through a request to the box-office manager for someone who could address the performing arts. I contacted our swimming coach, a blogger himself, who recommended Leah. After a meeting of our social-media team, admissions recommended Jose (who I’d met before in his efforts to start an entertainment publication). As for Chris … he just wandered into our Web developer’s office as a freshman looking for a work-study job and we quickly learned he was a good writer.

    So, for the most part, we obtained our bloggers through good old-fashioned networking … and, moreover, from having a genuine interest in getting to know our students. Like most colleges, we don’t pre-approve blog postings — just pre-approve the students who do them — so we need to know we can trust them with the Internet version of a live mic. Plus, recruiting good and interesting people more often than not leads to good and interesting blogs.

Sunday, 20 September 2009

  • Currently
    Break Up
    By Pete Yorn, Scarlett Johansson
    "Wear and Tear"
    see related

    man vs. self: wasn't pretty, but it was a finish.

    The last time I'd felt that crappy going into a 5K was probably high school. My semiannual sinus condition picked a bad weekend to show up, but I trained for and remained committed to doing Saturday's 10Kan 5K yet again this year. So a couple of Neti pot treatments and lots of tissues later, I was convinced to give it a go.

    In the abstract, there are three internal challenges for the runner: pain, endurance and airways. While all those years of wear and tear on my body meant I had tightness at times and a left kneecap that sort of wanted to stay on Schuyler Street, pain wasn't a major player. Thanks to the crash training, endurance was less of a factor than previous years. But breath ... ah, sweet breath, it's so hard to get your wind when your sinuses close up for business. I did my best, but impaired breathing almost won.

    Almost. I made it through and, somehow, even took a minute off last year's time. Having people along most of the course cheering you on sure is a nice motivator. And when I see a finish line, I can still dig deep and lay it all out. I finished 4th in my category -- just out of the medals -- and 57th overall. But I finished. And that, to me, is always the most important thing.

Sunday, 13 September 2009

  • Currently
    Beautiful Midnight
    By Matthew Good Band
    "Going All The Way"
    see related

    uh oh. another entry about training and running.

    I type these words six days away from my annual foray into the 10Kan 5K. The workouts are going very well, but the days before the event are when I start asking myself: Why? Why would I want to subject my body to the punishment? Why would I want to potentially embarrass myself by running slow or stopping to walk?

    Good questions, but life is about finding and pursuing challenges. No one has ever mocked me for running slow or walking part of a 5K. Au contraire, spectators and other runners are always encouraging, especially when they see someone who needs a boost. That encouragement, the feeling of crossing the finish line while people cheer you on, knowing that you've set and accomplished a goal are all great reasons to do it.

    A few things I still need to work on:

    * Stretching. You'd think a 109-year-old person would know better, but I'm not stretching enough. Not only does it minimize the soreness of the workout, but helps with feeling better the next day.

    * Running loose. Even with stretching, I tend to get too tense when running. I really have to loosen up, stride out the paces and not put pressure on myself. Running is supposed to be fun and, while it is a test of wills, making it stressful takes the enjoyment out of it.

    * Pacing. I always go fast out of the gate and have since I was the rabbit in high school. With my knees, one could argue I should run harder while they're working. But sometimes I need to suck in my pride and run a little slower if it means I can run longer.

    Today's workout music was the Matthew Good Band's Beautiful Midnight. Gotta love an album that starts with cheerleaders chanting K-I-C-K-A-S-S [clap-clap-clap clap clap-clap] that's the way we spell success and has songs like "Load Me Up" throughout the workout to provide jolts of energy. I have discussed the importance of music while training, but I do 5Ks without music, as there are plenty of other things to focus on while running.