Blogging your Way to Success

Recently, I have been dabbling in the idea of starting my own blog outside of Beginning Newswriting and Reporting class. However, a few questions arise:

What in the world am I supposed to write about? Who would want to read what I have to say? Do I have the qualifications to write a “real” blog? And, what about my time? Do I have enough?

Luckily for my fellow, future bloggers, I have the answers.

According to Nathan T. Wright of Lava Row, you can write about anything at all. Wright presented "The Brand of You" at Simpson College tonight, in which he talked about making yourself a marketable brand. One area of branding Wright encouraged was blogging.

This means that if you're interested in writing a blog about sex and relationships like Glamour Magazine's blogger Erin Meanley- whose most recent article was entitled “Can We Please Discuss the Hotness That Was Last Night’s Dancing with the Stars?” -you can!

There are all types of readers around the world, so you shouldn’t ever worry about people not being interested in your blog.

And remember, anyone can write a blog. You just need to have the drive.

Don’t know how to get started? Here are some sites to help you out:

- Wordpress

- Tumblr

- And of course Blogger

Overall, they follow the same general set-up. You just have to find the one that is right for you.

As Wright said, “There is no barrier to entry.” You just need to have the will and the time (at least once a week) to get your blog going.

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Security Hole in Twitter Proves to be a Problem

Twitter.com users got an unwanted surprise early this morning.

Due to an exploited security hole on the Twitter website thousands of Twitter.com users were unwillingly taken to other sites just by mousing over a link in their Twitter feed. At the same time these users were sending tweets to others spreading the exploit.

This "hole" is from the onMouseOver JavaScript code. Although most of the exploited security hole users used the hole for pranks or promotional purposes it was still a big annoyance to many.

Last month Twitter.com had the same problem with a exploited security hole and seemed to have fixed it. That is until this morning. A recent update to the site, not the new Twitter, is being blamed for the new hole surfacing. However, it was only the website users who were affected. Mobile device and twitter app users were untouched.

No long-lasting harm has come from this incident but it does pose a problem for the future. If someone uses a security hole for a harmful reason rather being funny or promotional, it could prove to be a big problem for
Twitter.

Twitter users can now return to using Twitter.com safely, for now.

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iPad App to Capitalize on Newspaper Subscription Deficit

Can you think of the last time you actually opened up a newspaper to gather your daily information?

I remember in Junior High School having to read the newspaper for a class, and found it pretty boring. Not enough color. Less than adequate visual and pictorial stimulation. Dry news to a 13-year-old.

It's no secret that young adults, and even some middle aged adults, also find the newspaper to be deficient and obsolete as a method for gathering news about the world.

So what are people doing about it?

The larger newspapers around the country are realizing that subsidizing their output into online-only distribution methods may in fact be the best way of sustaining themselves. Why? Because the vast majority of the general public finds news online and sees no need to buy a physical newspaper. Why? Because who wants to wait for days when you can access to top stories of the day in seconds?

But condensing to online-only outlets isn't the only option. At least not to Apple.

With the introduction of the iPad in the last year, Apple has found another way to bring the world wide web to your finger tips. Functioning just like a bigger version of its sister products, the iPod touch and iPhone, the iPad allows for mobile creativity and networking like never before.

So how does the iPad have anything to do with the news?

For corporate or tech-savy people who like to be informed (or those who genuinely enjoy the news), Apple and the iPad are strategizing ways to overcome the newspaper subscription deficit by bringing news apps right to you. There are already apps out there for msnbc.com, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other new related sources for the iPhone and iPod touch. But what the iPad is rumored of intending to do, is let the newspapers themselves in on the deal.

Right now this is pure speculation, but the potential of putting this idea into the works could have a lot of positives.

Apple has already allowed for users to share their personal data/demographic information in functioning with certain apps, which can be very useful for publications looking to lure advertisers and customers. If newspapers and advertisers have a more select target market (i.e. iPad users) they may in fact be able to save face...and possibly gain some new customers in the process.

Problems with this idea would be that Apple could potentially take a hit from potential sales. According to Roger Fidler, digital publishing chief at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, Apple could lose out on 30% of the subscriptions sold through the App Store, and another 40% on advertising from publishers' apps.

"Newspapers are wary of Apple becoming a middle-man," Fidler said. Publications preferred to offer the app as part of a subscription to their papers’ print versions. “Instead, they must use Apple as an intermediary with subscribers."

There are obviously a lot more kinks to work out with this proposed idea:

-Who is going to benefit more from this 'partnership'?

-Will this only fuel the monopoly that is Apple?

-Can Apple find a way to satisfy its audience while doing a the civic duty of saving the newspaper subscription plunge?

If there is something that can be taken away here, it's that people and places are recognizing the decline in print media and want to take steps to aid and adapt to the technological changes that accompany it.

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Social Media as a 'Social' Tool Yesterday is a Marketing Tool Today

Social medias as a social network are transitioning to an intriguing marketing tool for marketers.

Many businesses are using social medias as a marketing tool now that it is figured out what does and doesn't work, and that it needs to be integrated into a marketing plan.

Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses releases information after a study done on marketers specifically focusing on top 10 media questions marketers want answered.

1. What are the best tactics to use?

2. How do I measure the effectiveness of social media?

3. Where do I start?

4. How do I manage the social balance?

5. What are the best sites and tools out there?

6. How do I make the most of my available time?

7. How do I find and focus my efforts on my target audience?

8. How do I convert my social media marketing efforts into tangible results?

9. How do I cohesively tie different social media efforts together?

10. Does social media marketing work, and if so, how effective is it?

This study also revealed that many marketers are wanting to learn more about the social medias and take full advantage of the many free social media tools.

Of the marketers put under used for questioning, the majority of them used Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook were at the top, but at the same time Twitter and LinkedIn were also the two social networks that marketers wanted to learn more about.

Social medias are being used more frequently than not especially for marketers. The what does and doesn't work with in social medias is now starting to be acknowledged in marketing.

So even with the use of social media platforms such as Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook, there is still more that marketers are wanting to learn about these still newer forms of social medias to establish their foothold in the market.

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