The art of blog searching

Tips on choosing the best search engines

More than 10 million web logs call the information highway home. With that many blogs online, it's no wonder that the race is on to perfect and promote search engines. Jonathan Dube offers some great tips on searching blogs in an article published on Poynter Online.

Tags: Blogging, Blogs, Internet, Technology, Media, Journalism, Media by Sistrunk

New video tools for high-tech bloggers

Keeping up with technology in the blogosphere

Forget words and photos. Many web logs are incorporating moving images - and one blogging service aims to make producing and displaying such video easier. Details: Associated Press/Forbes.

Tags: Blogs, Blogging, Video, Technology, Internet, Media, Media by Sistrunk

Learn how everything works!

Secrets revealed

Whether you're building your own home network or just curious about the buzz on Wi-Fi connections, you can find out how it all comes together at howstuffworks.com. Not into high-tech? That's OK. Learn how bread works. Find out how bread can be considered technology. Really! Seeing double? Discover how twins work. The website offers something for everyone - even entertainment and travel "stuff." Search through hundreds of articles on those topics that interest you the most.

Tags: How Stuff Works, Learning, Education, Technology, Health & Living, Media by Sistrunk

Skywatchers, unite!

Earthlings to get a better view of the Mars spectacular

On Sunday, October 30, the Red Planet will be 69.4 million kilometers (43.1 million miles) from Earth -- a distance that in galactic terms is less than wafer-thin and will not be equaled until 2018.

Skywatchers are rubbing their hands at the opportunity. The last time Mars swung so close to Earth, Hindu seers foretold of war, European astrologers predicted love and Germany reported a rash in UFO sightings. AFP/Yahoo and NASA tell the complete story.

(Perhaps we should have the X-Files team on hand, just in case some UFOs decide to make an appearance. Where is Mulder, anyway?)

Tags: Mars, Space, Science, NASA, Technology, Media by Sistrunk

Microsoft joins Yahoo on digital library alliance

Internet giants continue competition and collaboration

Microsoft has joined a Yahoo-backed effort to digitize the world's books and other works to make them searchable and accessible to anyone online. The software giant said it would work with the Open Content Alliance (OCA), set up by the Internet Archive, to initially put 150,000 works online.

Microsoft says its approach aims to avoid the legal tussles met by rival Google Inc. Microsoft says it will sidestep hot-button copyright issues for now by initially focusing mainly on books, academic materials and other publications that are in the public domain. The OCA, unveiled earlier this month by a group of digital archivists and backed by Yahoo, H-P and Adobe, says it has also signed up Microsoft Corp. and more than a dozen major libraries in North America, Britain and Europe. More from Reuters and BBC News.

Tags: Books, Open Content Alliance, Online Library, Technology, Internet, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Business, Media by Sistrunk

Bus ride shook a nation's conscious

Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer, dead at 92

Rosa Parks, the dignified African American seamstress whose refusal to surrender a bus seat to a white man launched the modern civil rights movement and inspired generations of activists, died Monday at her home in Detroit, the Wayne County medical examiner's office said. She was 92. Read her obituary in the Washington Post.

Tags: Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Movement, History, U.S. History, American History, Black History, African American, News, Media by Sistrunk

Communicate with color

Understanding how color impacts your message

First impressions are lasting impressions, and web designers (novices and professionals) have only a fleeting moment to engage a visitor. According to the Institute for Color Research, "all human beings make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or item within 90 seconds of initial viewing, and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone." The institute's website goes into further detail.

The importance of color selection and coordination as it applies to web design is often overlooked. "Your colors are part of your message. And depending on which message you wish to convey, the colors you choose can either support, emphasize, or contradict your message," emphasized Michael Fortin, Ph.D.

So what's involved in effectively using color in website design? Factors include the influence of individual color perception, color mix, gender preferences, emotional responses to color and how culture can affect those responses. Colors convey specific meanings, but the precise interpretation is influenced by the viewer's perception and identity. There are innate perceptional differences among us. Ask a group of people to think of blue, and each will imagine a different shade and hue. Knowing that individual color perceptions exist and compensating for them speeds client site approval and overall satisfaction. To learn more about using color effectively in web design, click here.

Color impacts us in other ways as well. A noted psychologist, Dr. Deborah Serani, writes about chromotherapy - the use of color and light to bring health and balance into one's life. Serani recently wrote an article on the influence of color in our daily lives.

She said, "As a psychologist, I feel that there are many ways with which one can create a sense of well being. I am open to all kinds of experiences, and like to hear when people try something new that has been meaningful to them." For a detailed description of chromotherapy, visit Serani's blog, Psychological Perspectives.

Tags: Communication, Color, Web Design, Marketing, Chromotherapy, Psychology, Therapy, Health, Media by Sistrunk

Google: The hits keep coming

Internet giant gives peek at classified ad service; could take on eBay

Google Inc. apparently has plans to expand into classified advertising - a free service that might antagonize some of the Internet search engine's biggest customers, including online auctioneer eBay Inc. On Tuesday many people who dissect the online search engine leader's every move discovered a link to a page inviting people to list things like a used car for sale, a party planning service and current events. Google confirmed the development of the service a few hours after taking down the link.

"We are testing new ways for content owners to easily send their content to Google," the Mountain View, Calif.-based company said in a statement. "We're continually exploring new opportunities to expand our offerings, but we don't have anything to announce at this time."

Details: Associated Press/Forbes.

Tags: Google, Google Base, Classified Advertising, eBay, Technology, Media by Sistrunk

Brand blogs capture the attention of the business world

Informal network of consumer opinion may be emerging

Some companies are starting to pay attention to blogs dedicated to brand-name goods. For these bloggers, intertwining their personal stories and commentaries gives them a stake in defining the brand's image while linking them with fans of similar mind across the country.

Some writers almost seem to worship their favorite products. For instance, Darren Rovell not only blogs about Gatorade. He wrote an entire book about the sports drink! But Rovell says he tries to balance the positive with the negative. So is brand blogging the beginning of a new trend? Check out Tania Ralli's story in the New York Times and decide for yourself.

Tags: Blogs, Media, Media by Sistrunk

McDonald's touts "quality" in ad campaign

Fast-food giant combats critics

McDonald's is kicking off a two-day media event to tout the quality of its food and combat critics who say its burgers and fries are unhealthy. New print ads tout McDonald's "top quality USDA eggs" and "high-quality chicken", and the company already has a Balanced Lifestyles initiative to promote physical activity. Details from CNN.

Tags: Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, PR, Media, Business, Health, Nutrition, Media by Sistrunk

Hurricanes in America's Midwest?

AdSense places perplexing ad

This writer is not one to bite the hand that feeds her. (Well, I'm not sure this particular hand "feeds" me yet, but I digress.) An interesting Google ad appeared on this page Sunday morning. The ad read:

"Missouri Hurricanes. Don't Be a Victim of the Next Big Storm. Protect Your Home and Family!"

I live in St. Louis, Missouri. Our fair city sits in the Midwest. You can even say we're in the central plains, nowhere near any oceans or gulfs. The last I heard, this was not hurricane territory. Did I miss something?? Should I gas up the car and prepare for evacuation?

A dear blogger friend of mine has warned me several times not to click on my own Google ads. The company has hard fast rules against that, he says. He whispers that the company is "evil" when it comes to inappropriate clicking, so I make sure I follow the rules. But the curiosity is killing me! This inquiring mind really wants to know where the link takes you.

Publish and perish

Fog of love, withering and weaning, and everything in between

Elizabeth Royte provides a writer's guide to the many stages of publishing in this piece in the New York Times.

Tags: Books, Publishing, Writing, Media by Sistrunk

When bad weather is good news

All weather all the time, and then some

While Hurricane Wilma creates havoc around the Gulf of Mexico and threatens Florida, the folks at Weather.com are pulling all-nighters. Without question, the past year has been a busy one for anyone tracking storms.

Traffic on Weather.com doubles on hurricane days, spiking to more than 7 million unique visitors. As recently as five years ago, the rush would have taken down the website. Now, crazy days are expected during hurricane season, with extra servers ready to handle the crush. "Everything goes into overdrive," says Joe Fiveash, who manages the site. Details: Forbes.com.

Tags: Media, News, Journalism, Internet, Hurricane, Wilma, Weather

Blogging: Writing and design mistakes you don't want to make

Tips on attracting and maintaining your readers

Whether you're blogging for fun or business, you want to make a good impression. After all, your web log is an extension of you. It represents you. And first impressions are important.

Jakob Nielsen writes a comprehensive piece on the pitfalls to avoid when designing your blog. He begins with a summary that got my attention immediately:

Weblogs are often too internally focused and ignore key usability issues, making it hard for new readers to understand the site and trust the author.

For those writers who publish professional blogs, one piece of advice cannot be stressed enough. Make sure your content is Internet-friendly! Traditional print media and marketing techniques often don't work on the web. Just ask George Popescu, an expert in online journalism and teacher at the university level, or talk to web designer Adrian Miu. George and Adrian hone their respective skills in Bucharest, Romania. I'll let George's blog, Strangers on the Net, kick off this discussion.

Tags: Blogging, Blogs, Weblogs, Web Design, Internet, Technology, Media, Marketing, Writing

The growing market for slightly used books

New trend creates a nation of amateur booksellers

The Internet is creating a new and fast-growing category in the book-selling market -- the barely-used book. An increasing number of consumers are snapping up used volumes online at invitingly cheap prices. These aren't yellowing copies of out-of-print titles but often unblemished copies of newly published books -- sometimes available just a few days after a book's official publication date. Details from The Wall Street Journal Online.

Tags: Books, Literature, Reading, E-commerce, Internet

Does print media need its own iPod?

Reaching for the high plains of digital media

In an attempt to leave the forest of dead trees and reach the high plains of digital media, every paper in the country is struggling mightily to digitize its content with websites, blogs, video and podcasts. But is that enough? At least one writer strongly believes that the newspaper industry needs an iPod moment. You decide after reading a New York Times article by David Carr.

Tags: Technology, iPod, Newspapers, Media

Flirt - the easy way

Tracking the evolution of friendship

Yesterday it was "C'mon, baby, light my brain cells." Today it's "Flirt - the easy way." As life would have it, an article on flirting recently appeared on Shirazi's blog, Light Within. Click here to read an intriguing post.

Tags: Internet, Technology, Romance, Culture, Light Within Shirazi

This, too, is Pakistan: Thatta Kedona

Rural project showcases cultural dolls, toys and folklore

Thatta Kedona is a remarkable project in rural Pakistan where high-quality toys and dolls are crafted. Many volunteers from Western countries have visited and coached village people in the self-help project since 1991. The dolls and tin toys reflect regional cultures of Pakistan. The products generate cash income for the farming families through the local cooperative-like NGO (non-governmental organization). For details, click on the header ("This, too, is Pakistan: Thatta Kedona").

C'mon, baby, light my brain cells

Internet dating marries anthropology - maybe

Researcher Helen Fisher says we're hardwired to be attracted to certain people. An e-dating site is putting her theories to the test. Fisher believes that the type of person we are attracted to is linked to our neurons, etched by a combination of hormones, brain chemicals, and childhood experiences. So what does that have to do with online dating? You be the judge. Check out this story at BusinessWeek Online.

Tags: Internet, Online Dating, Anthropology, Culture

South Asia Follow-up: Remember the children

Commentary

The big quake that hit South Asia left thousands of mourning parents. According to an editorial in yesterday's Christian Science Monitor, half of the victims were children. Thousands of children who survived are homeless, including those pictured above.

Meanwhile, another survivor story comes out of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. After four days, rescuers pulled a five year-old girl out of the rubble. This was a shot of good news as hopes faded on finding other earthquake survivors. The youngster whispered, "I want a drink." Details from The Associated Press.

Tags: Earthquake, Pakistan, South Asia

For President under duress, body language speaks volumes

Examining Bush's nonverbal skills

Fidgety. That's one way to describe how President Bush looks these days as he battles one crisis after another. Among them: the hurricanes and the resulting fallout; the controversy surrounding Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, trusted advisor Karl Rove, and two GOP congressional leaders; and the war in Iraq. Columnist Dana Milbank takes a closer look in Washington Sketch.

Tags: Media, Public Relations, PR, Bush

When language, culture and technology mix

On the lighter side

I can always count on blogger AsianSmiles to come up with unusual posts on culture, media and language. Need a break from the drudgery of deadlines? Check out our friend's post on her interesting online experience.

The U.S. takes a new look at homelessness

Officials seek solutions in wake of Katrina and Rita

More than 700,000 Americans are homeless. Nationwide that means that one in 400 people are without a home. A USA TODAY survey of 460 municipalities reported results to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Recent images of families displaced by the hurricanes are giving the issue of being homeless greater prominence.

Tags: Homeless, Hurricane, HUD, FEMA

The blogs are coming!

Yahoo expands its news search to include what it calls "grassroots journalism"

Some 750,000 blogs and other user-generated content will soon show up on Yahoo News search pages. This new venture will be a supplement to traditional media offerings. This experiment will test the public's appetite for information from alternative sources. Google launched its own blog search last month. For more information on Yahoo's online search tool, check out stories from The Associated Press and Forbes.com.

Tags: Blogs, Yahoo, Technology, Internet, Media, News, Journalism

Quake in South Asia: Stories of miracles emerge

Signs of hope amid crisis

There are no words that can adequately describe the tremendous loss caused by powerful earthquake that hit Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. In the midst of this tragedy, reporters are uncovering glimmers of hope and the stories of miracles. One such story surfaced in a report carried by the Washington Post on Monday.

GARHI HABIBULLAH, Pakistan, Oct. 9 -- Zakar Hussain felt sick when he saw the school. Moments earlier, it had been a two-story stone-and-concrete building filled with hundreds of girls in blue-and-white uniforms. Now it was a heap of rubble, enveloped in a cloud of white dust. Already, he could hear the screams. And somewhere inside was his daughter.

Zeeshan sits on rubble of his house destroyed by a huge earthquake in Gari Habibullah, 56 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan. Bodies lay in the streets and villagers pulled debris from collapsed schools and mud-brick homes with their bare hands on, desperate to find survivors.

"Maria! Maria!" Hussain shouted, as hordes of other desperate parents converged on the scene. For nearly 30 minutes, he said, he frantically circled the flattened building, peering between broken concrete slabs with his weeping wife at his side. Then, amid the cacophony of cries, Hussain heard a familiar voice. "Abu!" the 14-year-old girl shouted from somewhere beneath the wreckage. "Father!"

After hearing his daughter's voice, "I felt I could move all this debris," said Hussain, whose bloodied and bandaged hands bore witness to his struggle. He and his brother pounded on the rubble for 15 minutes and finally opened a two-foot-wide hole. There on the other side, he said, was his daughter's tear-streaked face.
He grabbed her by the chin and pulled her, uninjured, to safety.

"I was very sure I would die," recalled Maria, a wavy-haired girl who says she wants to be a doctor. The teenager said she was sitting in Urdu class with 62 other children on the ground floor of the building when the earthquake struck. The teacher, Miss Yasib, had just begun the day's lesson, on "friendship and responsibility."

At the first jolt, many children ran for the exit, and some escaped outside, Maria recalled. But then the ceiling caved in, trapping her and several dozen other children in a dark space about two feet high. After she heard her father's voice, Maria said, she crawled about 30 feet through the gloom toward a pinprick of light, which grew steadily wider.

About 50 girls were pulled from the shattered building alive, according to Hussain and Mohammed Shafik, the school watchman.

Again, this story appeared in Monday's Washington Post. Of course, casualty figures and other information have been updated since then. The 50 girls, including Maria, were very lucky. The same could not be said of all of their schoolmates. Still, there is something very compelling to say about this story of one determined father and his daughter. To read the entire article, click here.
The blog (web log) FM chronicles other miraculous events following the quake. Light Within offers an initial timeline of events surrounding the earthquake as well as a listing of relevant websites in a post entitled "This is Pakistan." As always, comments are welcome.

Tags: Earthquake, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, South Asia

Podcasting enters the classroom

High school integrates new technology into the curriculum

The word podcasting represents the blending of two other terms and their definitions - Apple's iPod and broadcasting. According to Wikipedia, podcasting is a method of publishing files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically by subscription, usually at no cost.

Education represents one of the newer venues taking advantage of podcasting. Click on the header ("Podcasting enters the classroom") for details.

Missouri News: Politicians take note of bloggers

Blogs exerting force in regional politics

The state auditor's personal Wal-Mart investments. The governor's eating habits. The credentials of political hopefuls. Missouri bloggers are increasing in number and getting bolder in their commentaries. Jo Mannies of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch examines the bloggers' growing presence.

Tags: Blogging, Blogs, Internet, Technology, Media, News, Journalism, Politics, Current Affairs, Missouri

World's smallest film festival

Event celebrates mobile phone movies

Europe's first film festival for movies shot with mobile telephones opened this weekend in Paris. Short films from the festival, including animations, sketches and mini-documentaries, can be viewed on both cheaper Java phones and high-end smart phones, allowing more accessibility for consumers and opening up a larger market to the festival’s unique content. Details from BBC News.

Tags: Technology, Media, Mobile Phones, Films

"You are my community"

Thoughts and prayers are with families in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan

A few days ago, my blogger friend Shirazi wrote so eloquently on the topic of community from an online perspective. The post is titled You are my community.

About 1 a.m. U.S. Central time on Saturday, I learned about the earthquake that shook Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. I checked with my Pakistani friend to make sure that he, his family and his friends were OK. They were. The news about the quake saddened me. At that time, the casualty numbers were relatively low, but even one death and one injury impacts us all. I said a prayer and went to bed. When I awakened hours later, I saw that the number of casualties had increased substantially and that the number was rising quickly. At this writing, at least 400 children were reported to have died when their school collapsed in northwest Pakistan.

Asia is part of my community. It is for this reason that I offer my prayers and light a candle, especially since the powerful quake and aftershocks occurred as Muslims celebrated the holy days of Ramadan. May we all offer our support for our friends in the countries impacted by the devastation.

Tags: Online Community, Earthquake, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, South Asia

Post-hurricane housing crisis: follow-up

Evacuee hotel program extended

Nearly a a half million people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina will remain in hotel rooms beyond the Oct. 15 deadline set for their relocation. The Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency made the announcement Tuesday. The agencies said the program, which is in effect in 48 states, would be extended indefinitely. Details:

• Washington Post

In related news, the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency questions whether federal money should be used to restore flood-prone parts of New Orleans. For Rep. William Shuster (R-Pa.), the answer is NO.

• Washington Post/Associated Press

Economic impact of Katrina: more unemployment

New Orleans to cut staff

According to Mayor Ray Nagin, New Orleans has to lay off as many as 3,000 workers, about 50% of its total payroll, because of the damage done to the city's finances by Hurricane Katrina. The announcement, made by Nagin on Tuesday, was a concession to a mounting financial crisis across the region that was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Details:

• Bloomberg.com

Meanwhile, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has prepared a memo outlining policies to guide the post-Katrina building process. According to EPI, "the recommendations cover policies for local hiring, prevailing wages, health care, training, and ensuring a voice in the process for residents of the affected areas. They mustn't be left behind again."

• Principles for Gulf Coast Reconstruction

Tags: Economy, Labor, Public Policy, Business, Hurricane Katrina

Europe wrestles with U.S. over control of the Internet

Global technology news

The 25 countries in the European Union (EU) are putting additional pressure in the United States to turn over control of the Internet to the United Nations. The U.S. insists that the information highway must remain under its control for strategic reasons. Details:

• EE Times

Tags: Internet, Technology, Media, News

New addition to the blogosphere

In Step with Education

This writer is now publishing a second blog - In Step with Education. Readers interested in this topic will find postings on a wide spectrum of education issues. The site is designed to be a forum for parents, teachers, students, community leaders and policy makers. Curious? Take a peek:

• In Step with Education

The argument for "a moral reconstruction of New Orleans"

Reporters ask 25 "urgent" questions

Mike Davis & Anthony Fontenat of The Nation recently spent a week in New Orleans, as the city remained submerged in anger and frustration. The reporters conducted extensive interviews with relief workers, community activists, urban planners and neighborhood folks, then pulled it all together into a gripping piece.

• The Nation

Back to school for Katrina children

Hugs before homework

At Mayfair Elementary in Baton Rouge, things are still a bit disorderly -- there are only two computers, and the makeshift offices are filled with constantly arriving boxes of materials -- but the school has become a bustling center of learning for nearly 200 children who need stability. Mayfair is one of two schools for Katrina evacuees in the East Baton Rouge Parish District, and part of a growing legion of efforts in Baton Rouge and around the country to help one subgroup of Katrina evacuees: children. Details:

• Christian Science Monitor

Tags: News, Education, Baton Rouge, Hurricane Katrina

Housing crisis continues for Katrina families

Problems may escalate due to unkept government promises

More than 100,000 Hurricane Katrina victims still live in makeshift housing. Some 400,000 are in hotel rooms. According to a report in Sunday's Washington Post, the Red Cross is scheduled to end hotel stipends to storm victims in two weeks. Hundreds of shelters already have closed. What options exist for Katrina families? Details:

• Washington Post

Meanwhile, you may want to check out Katrina "Facts at a Glance" posted on the Red Cross website:

• Red Cross

Tags: Media, News,Hurricane Katrina, FEMA, Red Cross