Retweet Buttons on Blogger?

Hey, Jeremy --

Any tips on adding a retweet button to individual posts? I tried tweetmeme, but it kept hiccuping.

Thanks!

Sheri

Sir Ken Robinson


Barry Schwartz

Blogging For Change Slideshow (Day Two)

Of course I'm going to post something on the Tooth Fairy! HA!

This HILARIOUS YouTube video is a discussion between two ditzy Tooth Fairy trainees. HA!

Sheri

You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy?

Too much caffeine?

Last week during the class, I read this article, ‘Energy Shots’ Selling Vigorously, from New York Times. This is a quite interesting Phenomenon of Caffeine based ‘Energy Drink’.

The energy shots are usually 2 oz. small bottle packed with caffeine. Some of the facts are astonishing. Here’s a few

1. The power drinks costs 20 times as much per ounce as Coke.
2. It tastes so bad that most people hold their noses and down it in a single gulp.
3. Despite the economy recession, sales of ‘energy shots’ soars.

I wonder, why? Do we still lack of caffeine? There is the Mountain Dew, Red Bull, Rockstar and etc, let alone thousands of Starbucks and other coffee shops around. However,

1. People want a jolt of caffeine without having to drink a big cup of coffee.
2. Especially students cramming for exams or partying into the night, construction worker, or drivers looking for a lift.

Caffeine is good to help you have a burst of energy for a few hours, but too much caffeine could give you negative side effects such as dizziness, headache, muscle tension, anxiety, dehydration, and etc.

Shall we pay more attention when we buy these energy shots?

me postum

Ok I guess I'm supposed to post to this blog. Looking at the blog I can't see that anyone else has posted although the moderator has mentioned getting comments from other seminar members. So maybe I shouldn't be doing this. Dave Goodale. Google email: Whatistobe

NPR's Three-Minute Fiction Contest

It's not quite too late to enter NPR's Three-Minute Fiction Contest, but it will be soon. You have until 11:59 pm Friday night, July 18 to submit an original story no longer than 600 words. The prize is an on-air interview, your story read nationally, and the book "How Fiction Works." Click the link for official rules and other legally-type stuff.


Remember, it's the fame, not the fortune.

Adjusting privacy settings...

Gaining traffic to your blog...

Use Web 1.0 presentation abilities to add your blog to and participate in blogger media systems such as Technorati, and add your URL to search engines such as Bing, Google, Open Directory, Yahoo. Google is especially important, so be sure to take their advice for improving your visibility in their search results.

Use Web 2.0 social media functions to become part of the blogging community. Set up a blog list or links list of your favorite related sites on your blog. Comment on other blogs regularly. Become a regular on exchange networks--community-based surfing and social bookmarking sites such as:

Delicious
Digg
reddit
StumbleUpon

Become part of a social network to find like-minded individuals, and link your network to your blog. The top business and personal social networks include:

Facebook
LinkedIn
MySpace
Xing

Or, build your own social network system through services such as Ning.

Use Web 3.0 technology crossovers to keep people up-to-date even if you or they aren't able to reach a computer. Use services such as Twitter; make a mobile blog entry (video); or, create a podcast (video) and add it to iTunes.

Adding video to your blog...

Have you received your invite?

Some of you mentioned not receiving an invite for the blog yet. While it seems as is a few of you already accepted, I resent all the invites that were not yet accepted. If you have yet to receive the invite, it may have gone to your spam box. Check there, or let me know if you still haven't received it.

This is our test

Test test test

Blogging for Change Slideshow (Day One)

Blog Types

Edublogs are blogs written with the purpose of education or instruction, often used in conjunction with in-person instruction. Examples include:

Organizing for America
TeachFor.US
Blogmeister


Political blogs are a form of citizen journalism, commenting on and criticizing government. Examples include:

Crooks and Liars
Huffington Post
Wonkette

Project blogs are temporary blogs used to record a project, highlighting goals and achievements, and ending upon completion of the project. For more information on project blogs, visit:

Publishing a Project Weblog by Jon Udell

Cause blogs are blogs written in support of a particular cause. They may combine some or all of the above blog types, but focus a individual or group of causes to inform and organize readers into action. Examples include:

Feministe
Towleroad
TreeHugger

Getting Started: Creating a Blog

Places you can create a blog:

Blogger

WordPress

Blogging: Legal Dangers

Other instances of bloggers that have suffered legal threats:

Bloggers, Beware: What You Write Can Get You Sued by M.P. McQueen

What you can do:

Media Bloggers Association

Blogging: Political Dangers

Wikipedia on Fouad al-Farhan

Other bloggers that have suffered political persecution:

Kareem Amer (BBC / Wikipedia)
Nay Phone Latt (BBC / OpEdNews)

OT: Mass Blinding at Stadium of Fire

Note: this was the piece I was outlining in our first exercise in class.

The SLTrib recently reported on a piece of deception at the Provo Stadium of Fire. While Glenn Beck blubbered out a bit of the Flag Code, Brad Pelo and his Merry Band of Tricksters used the giant 90-by-150 foot flag as the quarter in the vanishing quarter trick and only pretended to burn it. When others pointed out the trickery,

"Pelo defended the apparent deception and suggested that those pointing out the subterfuge are detracting from the ceremony and its celebration of American ideals."

Well from my cynical point of view, deception certainly seems to one of the American ideals embraced and celebrated by many of Beck's ilk -- Mark Stanford's famous recent hike along the Appalachian Trail comes to mind -- but it's worth looking at exactly what Beck was reading:

The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
US CODE: Title 4,8 k.

If fakery, trickery, and deception are dignified, then WWE Wrestling should be winning more Emmys and being scheduled into more Sunday schools.

People whose ideas of patriotism run to buying Chevies seem to me to be clueless when it comes to the flag. It's the symbol of our country, not another variation of the smiley-face sticker to be pasted willy-nilly everywhere one can find a place. The flag deserves thoughtful respect and the Flag Code spells out what is proper and what is not.

Seth Butler has put together a collection of photos illustrating the many abuses of our flag and I've been spending time telling the scout leaders in my ward why I think the Scout flag program is disrespectful and why I'd prefer to pay them to NOT put a flag on my lawn.

(a) It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.

(b) The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.

(c) The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all weather flag is displayed.
US CODE, 4,6.

The scouts put the flags up when it's convenient and take them down at the same time. They don't care about the weather and their manner of putting the flags out is no more brisk nor ceremonious than the manner of the people delivering phone books to my porch. I guess those cheap flags (made in China) could be all-weather -- they're made of the cheapest plastic that will take dye -- but I don't think the pitiful pieces of PVC used as flagstaffs by the scouts qualify as "stationary."

But the scouts certainly aren't the only offenders. You can go through Seth Butler's collection and find may others but there are a handful, plentiful locally, that I find particularly annoying.

(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever.
CODE 4,8

Gimme a break. I see this daily on TV and in the newspapers.

(j) No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations.
CODE, 4,8

Every dip-wad athletic team in the country seems to have flag patches. These also seem to me to violate this section:

(e) The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
CODE 4,8

I guess I'd be OK with players on the bench having the flag patches, but anyone actually playing football is looking to soil and possibly damage the flag.

And one that used to be worse than it is now:

(b) ... When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.
CODE 4,7

Fixed firmly, not rolled up in the back window with the kids and dogs. And forward and to the right, where the flag is usually displayed.

The flag leads.

Going for the video. On my shopping list when I can get this Marine version.




Warning: Loud and noisy soundtrack.