Recently in social media Category

Timing is everything.

By rb smail on April 15, 2009 6:51 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks
I've spoken here at length about my relationship with Twitter. I've been watching it grow and change over the last two years, and continue to see the dynamics shift, depending on what I'm doing and where I'm focusing my interests. Recently, prodded by my partner-in-crime Nikki Massaro Kauffman (@NikkiMK on Twitter), I have expanded my circle to include a cadre of high ed bloggers like @rachelreuben, @bradjward, @KarlynM, @kylejames, @mherzber, and added them to @markgr (an amazing higher ed web professional whom I've actually been following since last year's Web Conference here at Penn State. Plus, he knows my name. So there.). To top off the list, I'd even added @chrisbrogan who is generous in his time, webinars, and sharing information in general. But for a guy who's got 62,555 followers? You watch him work his magic, you don't interfere.

Until today.

Continue reading Timing is everything..

Twhite noise.

By rb smail on January 15, 2009 3:33 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks
Earlier this week, Nikki Massaro Kaufmann wrote a post on .eduGuru about how to not expand your Twitter network (warning: be prepared for major tongue-in-snark). You can read the entire post yourself, but the basic rules that get you nowhere are:

1. Limit your followers with an arbitrary number;
2. Only follow cronies; and
3. Be a taker, not a giver.
Twitter is about conversation and engagement. There is no one size fits all, no magic number to follow, no single best app to handle twitter. In fact, I maintain that your personal answer can--and will--change as your situation changes.

Sometimes, you've just got to roll with it.
Continue reading Twhite noise..

Selective hearing.

By rb smail on January 14, 2009 12:42 PM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks
As I pointed out yesterday, the RSS feeds I'm subscribed to have continued to expand geometrically, and trying to stay on top of them can be likened to shooting the rapids on the Colorado River. Don't believe me? Take a look at my iGoogle page, which is set up in tabs for easier reference (ha!).

igooglefeeds.jpg
psufeeds.jpg

Obviously, some of these bloggers are more prolific than others, but as you can see in the closeup, there are 35 blogs in the PSU tab alone.

That's a lot of blogging.

So how to keep your head above the water? I'm thinking to start small.

First, clean house. Most of these links have been culled over the last three years, and I am willing to bet that a number of them are abandoned, out of date, or simply no longer a focus of my current interests.

Second, re-add selectively. A great article I just found was from the the technotheory blog.

Third, find your must-reads. As a generalist, I'm interested in a lot of things. Some blogs, however, are key. Know what your immediate community is doing, saying, and thinking. That's key. Then go back and fill in the cracks when you can.

Three tips. Start small. Be selective. A little focus, and some selective hearing, can dampen out a lot of that background noise.
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Robin2go

Robin Bradford Smail

If it’s a good idea and it gets you excited, try it, and if it bursts into flames, that’s going to be exciting too. People always ask, ‘What is your greatest failure?’ I always have the same answer—We’re working on it right now, it’s gonna be awesome! —Jim Coudal