I Confess, I have Sinned!!

Have you confessed?
Originally uploaded by Patty - watersmedia.com

I have committed what I feel to be the No.1 blogging sin.

NOT BLOGGING REGULARLY

My only excuse is that I have been SO busy.

I am organising for Latimer Hinks (as well as all my other duties) a total revamp of the corporate identity, new website, new posters, new copy, new banners etc etc. I'm run off my feet! I should have an image of a guineapig in a wheel!

BUT

Blogs must be regularly updated to hold interest. I even wrote Top Ten Blogging Tips - and consider the list as Top Ten Commandments.

For some reason I have placed "regularly updating" at number 9 - i think i need a rewrite!

What do you consider to be the ultimate blogging sin?

Social Media Risks + Benefits

Web 2 - definition

Web 2 is basically a massive networking utility which enables you to share and take information from all over the world.

Ten years ago you may have been aware of everything that mattered.
Five years ago, you had to be really selective about what you took in.
Today, it's impossible.

Users must be selective about what they "take in". Businesses must be selective about what information is freely available about them.

Social media networks can be abused as Virgin Atlantic recently found via Facebook use. As a result 13 Virgin Atlantic staff were sacked (thanks to Out-law.com)

Virgin Atlantic considered the behaviour "totally inappropriate" and that the posting of the comments broke its staff policies.

Used correctly Facebook and similar sites can be used promote your business effectively - and at no cost (apart from time). A MUST in todays economic climate.

So, how do businesses protect themselves.

In order to combat this behaviour from employees it is time to ensure that staff internet policies are "Facebook ready". Ensure you have correct policies on place to protect your business and your reputation.


You may want to read previous posts by Social Networking Guineapig -
Social Networking Sites + Employment, do they mix?
Blogging - the Risks

Blogging Benefits - identify yourself as an Industry Expert

Blogging, like any marketing or networking activity is about building your brand. With lawyers and other professionals that means showing your expertise, engaging in conversations about your expertise and publishing your expertise.

Blogs allow all of this and certainly do a better job than most firm's rather static websites.

Over in America a new study by eMarketer shows a further benefit - 38% of reporters rely heavily on blogs for finding new story ideas and 29.5% use blogs to locate experts in particular fields. Reporters will search Google blogs to find an area of interest - they will then call/get in touch with the author of the blog.

This is great FREE publicity -it obviously takes time, effort and considerable patience to set up your blog, but this far outweighs the benefits.

So, if you have not yet started to blog, now is the time to consider the idea. Your name in print identifying you as an industry expert should be enough to "spur you on"!

Bloggers Code of Conduct Required?

charleyBook
Originally uploaded by Hackintosh

Blogging is becoming more and more popular. There are now over 94 million blogs worldwide (according to Technorati) and according to recent research (conducted by YouGov) bloggers are unaware of their legal position when posting online.

Only 5% of users are clear of their legal rights and responsibilities when posting comments.

77% are uncertain or unaware of where the law stands

33% have read the legal terms and conditions for posting comments

42% think bloggers should be held to the same standards as journalists when publishing information. But of those who blog 27% belive they should be subjected to the same rules.

34% of bloggers would be opposed to a bloggers code of conduct - 32% would support it

Here is a suggested bloggers code of conduct from Tim O Reilly.

We bloggers should be aware of the need for care when using the internet at work and the importance of individual responsibility in posting messages online.

A blogger who posted offensive messages about a police officer's newborn baby and wrote about his perceived mistreatment at the hands of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service was prosecuted under the Telecommunications Act relating to the sending of an electronic message.

Employers are also unaware of their legal rights as to what they can object to in an employee's blog. Employers warned to be wary of blogs

Social Networking Guineapig has tackled this previously Blogging - the risks.

Consider carefully what you want to say in your blog, and as mentioned in the Code of Conduct, don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person! Blogging can be fun, addicitve and educational - let's try to keep it that way.

Women & Blogging - what would you give up?

Recently BlogHer and Compass Partners co-sponsored a US study that provides insights into women who blog and women who read blogs.

Apparently:
36.2 million women write and read blogs every week and of these approximately half
consider blogs reliable source of information.

I find this fact a little unsettling. Blogging is more about exchanging thoughts and opinions than about facts. You're free to say what you want to say in the way that you want to say it.

It is great to take on board others opinions, they can show a subject from a different angle - but unless you are reading a blogger with authority on a subject (see Judith's Divorce Blog) then what you are reading should not be assumed to be correct.

Here are some light hearted results from the survey - women would give something up to keep the blogs they read and/or write:
- 55% would give up alcohol
- 50% would give up their PDAs
- 42% would give up their i-Pod
- 43% would give up reading the newspaper or magazines
BUT, some things are sacred … only 20% would give up chocolate!

You'll find the full survey here and a link to the actual presentation

North East Digital Awards - call for help - only 1 day to go!

charleyBook
Originally uploaded by Hackintosh

After the 28 March, entries into the North East Digital Awards will be judged. The entries with the most votes will be shortlisted – and a winner selected from that shortlist by the judges.

Both Judith's Divorce Blog and Social Networking Guineapig were entered a couple of weeks ago into the Digital Users, Best Use of Blogging category.

We are responsible for "getting votes" for our blogs. So much for being shy - we've got to get out there and shout about what we're doing!

So, this is our last call for help, our last stand! - take a look at our entries and if you like what you see, please take the time to vote.

We'll keep you updated with our progress. Apparently it may take up to a month before the winners are announced.

North East Digital Awards - 2nd Entry!

Not to be left out, Social Networking Guineapig decided to submit an entry to the North East Digital Awards in the Digital Users/Best Use of Blogging section

Here's the blurb from their site:

The North East Digital Awards celebrate high-quality innovation, media professionalism and technical excellence in the digital world. Want to know what that really means? Our easy to navigate web site will provide you with all you need to know about the awards and their categories.
Its easy to browse, won’t give you convulsions, isn’t mission impossible and, fingers crossed, won’t self-destruct in five seconds! You can vote, interact, submit an entry or source a supplier.

Latimer Hinks now have two blogs in the running with only 10 days to go. Why not take a look, and if you like what you see - make a vote!
Social Networking Guineapig and Judith's Divorce Blog - Thanks

Confessions of a Blogger

Confessions.JPG
Originally uploaded by aabomb

Bloggers the world over preach on how to make a blog successful. I have committed what I feel to be the No.1 sin.

My only excuse is that I have been SO busy. I am organising for Latimer Hinks (as well as all my other duties):
1) A Bi-annual Charity Ball (Friday May 16th)
2) A Trustee Presentation (Thursday 27th Feb)
3) An Annual Dinner (Friday 29th)

The No.1 Blogging Sin that I have committed is....

Not Blogging! It has been over a week since my last blog.

Blogs must be regularly updated to hold interest. I even wrote Top Ten Blogging Tips - and consider the list as a Top Ten Commandments.

For some reason I have placed "regularly updating" at number 9 - i think i need a rewrite!

Helpful Roundup for Bloggers

Throughout this experiement the Social Networking Guineapig has come across all manner of information, podcasts, videos and tips from fellow bloggers that I thought it sensible to dedicate this post to the bloggers and their links without which I would most certainly have struggled.

1) Roger Coathup - 21 Thoughts
If I had not attended the excellent presentation on Web 2 by Roger, the Social Networking Guineapig would not have come into being!

2) Judith Middleton - Judith's Divorce Blog
If I did not have the blogging support of Judith, Partner at Latimer Hinks the Social Networking Guineapig would have no relevance

3) LeeLefever - Common Craft
For his most excellent In Plain English Videos. Wiki's and RSS feeds were gobbeldygook to me until I viewed Common Craft's very simple videos

4) The Online Marketing Blog
for the list of submission URLs for web directories which saved a tremendous amount of time

5) Feedburner and Google Analytics
great services to monitor blog traffic (which be warned, can become addictive!). Feedburner also publishes the blog through RSS feeds.

6) Networking Sites
for providing the opportunity to chat and share knowledge with people/businesses who have similar interests

7) The Internet/ Web 2.0
for providing the potential to target the largest audience in the world! Social Networking Guineapig has been viewed throughout the world, Peru, Canada, India, Russia - the list goes on.

8) The Podcast Sisters
for their weekly informative social media, social bookmarking etc etc podcasts.

Well, that rounds it up for today. There are many more helpful bloggers out there and once you find remember them:

• subscribe to their RSS feed
• bookmark them
• start a converstation/get to know them

See, I have taken the advice onboard!

Stilletto Boot Camp - Pure Technology, just for the ladies!

Yesterday I attended a presentation on Pure Technology, part of the Stilletto Boot camps for women. The group was quite small and the format for the presentation was forum/discussion style - which worked really well. Ideas/suggestions were bounced from the panel as well as the attendees.

I must admit that at first i felt like a "fish out of water". Most attendees worked with film/media so I imagined them to be quite savvy and up to date. There was also a lovely lady who owned a B&B by Hadrians Wall - Holme House. But as the afternoon wore on, we all found we had something to say.

The expert panel consisted of:

Judith Peacock - Further Consultancy (technology, marketing, databases etcetc)

Joscelyn Upendran - de Burca (e-learning and business)

Zahra Zomorrodian - FNA Films (video production/film makers)

Jo - Ki-media (emails marketing, website optimisation etc etc)

Some items discussed:

• How social networking is now taking over email as a marketing medium


• Keywords/keyphrases and placement. Top tip - don't use "click here", give the link a name (which will be picked up by search engines)
• What do you consider to be a good online experience
• Youtube, marketing videos
• Viral emails
• Emails and the legal issues (which Joscelyn will respond to)
• What is web2
• Is it worth having a business presence on Second Life?
• How to promote your blog
• Bookmarking
  

Judith is going to summarise the afternoon's discussions and forward the information along with links. I may be able to let you have a look!

The session drew to a close and as I was leaving Judith and Joscelyn asked if Latimer Hinks would be interested in publicity for our blogs/digital presence. Apparently for a law firm in the UK we are quite forward thinking and progressive! I said we would be VERY happy to... so watch this space!

I am now going to join the CopeBusiness Forum and use this to share knowledge and further our social networking!

Blogging - the risks

Charley With iBook
Originally uploaded by Hackintosh

People are landing in hot water with employers over blogs about their work.

Recent figures show that 39 percent of ‘bloggers’ admit that they have posted sensitive or damaging accounts of their employer, workplace or colleagues on a weblog, or on-line diary.

Shocking, you better believe it!

• In 2005 bookseller Waterstone's was reported to have become the first employer in the UK to sack a member of staff because of comments he made about the company on his online diary, or blog. See here
• Catherine Sandersons's "La Petite Englaise" internet diary/blog made headline news when Catherine, who worked for accountancy firm Dixon Wilson, was sacked when her Paris-based employer objected to her blog. She was later awarded £30,000 for unfair dismissal - and was given a book deal in the process! - in the end it all worked out well for Catherine.
• A US airline attendant calling herself Queen of the Sky was fired over "inappropriate images" on her anonymous blog. She is currently filing a discrimination complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

A new term has emerged as a result of this new phenomenon. According to UrbanDictionary.com, to be "dooced" means "losing your job for something you wrote in your online blog, journal, website, etc."

So, please consider the following advice from Latimer Hinks Solicitors and ensure that you have policies in place to deal with blogging issues.

Be Aware of Staff Internet Blogging - Nick Poole, partner at Darlington law firm Latimer Hinks, is warning employers to update their policies to cover internet blogging following a judgement made in a Paris employment tribunal that could have repercussions in the UK.

Businesses to be Aware of the Bloggers -As weblogs, or ‘blogs’, become increasingly popular, Nick Poole, employment law solicitor at Darlington law firm Latimer Hinks is warning the region’s employers to beware of the risks represented by these sites.

Also thanks to the Electronic Frontier Foundation for - How to blog safely about work or anything else

Top Ten Tips - Blogging for Beginners

I recently posted a question on LinkedIn, a business networking site. To say that i am exceptionally pleased with the response is a slight understatement!

I have compiled the responses to give you a Top Ten Tips for Beginner Bloggers.

1. Promote and claim your blog through Technorati. The more you are mentioned in other blogs, the higher your Authority.
2. Bookmark you blog/entries to sites such as digg, del.icio.us, stumble, facebook etc
3. Include an RSS feed (i use Feedburner to publish my feed (it's free))
4. Check for keywords related to your blog topics. Use them in articles and titles of posts
5. Post comments on related blogs with links back to your blog
6. Partial quote other relevant blogs and add content of value
7. Make use of Feedburner PRO services. They are now free and can optimise, publicise and monetise your blog
8. Ensure you have something worth reading
9. Update regularly
10. Ping your blog

And, as an added extra, for loads of information on blogging visit Problogger

I wish i'd known all of this when i first started my blog. Many many thanks to the LinkedIn members who responded to my original question