shannan paul’s very official blog this blog provides really insightful opinion on the world of social media. It should as its written by someone who works for PEAK6 (click on the link and enjoy the photo!) overseeing the integration of social media into PR and marketing. Shannan is yet another great online writer who is a woman, I don’t say this with surprise more in a sense of “come on you guys”. It seems to me that men are being left behind in the writing and opinion stakes online. Surely we are not simply relegated to the under the hood (bonnet if in the UK) talks of the technical stuff. Is it the case that a woman’s advanced sense and willingness to communicate gives them the upper hand in all things social media? this from her own about page:
Shannon Paul works as the communications manager for PEAK6 Online, parent company of OptionsHouse.com, OptionsNewsNetwork (ONN.tv), and WeSeed.com. Here she oversees the integration of social media communication into PR and marketing strategies for the company’s three brands, including an online retail stock and options broker, a web-based options news and education site, and an online community that allows people to learn about the stock market through investing in virtual stock portfolios.
Before joining PEAK6 she worked in New Media with the NHL Detroit Red Wings where was responsible for creating and implementing the team’s social media strategy. During her tenure she also worked closely with the NHL to inform its understanding and integration of social media from a league level.
Shannon is a Detroit native, karaoke fiend, and a recent Seattle transplant. She lives in the heart of Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood with her husband Adam and the world’s oldest living St. Bernard named Jupiter.
The ideas and opinions expressed in this blog belong solely to her and do not reflect the views of her employer or colleagues. Shannon is so consumed by communications issues, information in general, social media and current events that she hardly ever remembers to pick up the dry cleaning or renew insurance contracts. She also enjoys writing about herself in the third person even though she would never speak this way.
techfluff.tv is a great blog, its video based but best pf all it is written by the gorgeous and talented Hermione Way.
The picture is for a charity calendar featuring some london based geek entrepreneurs. Ha Hermione a geek! She is a 24 yearold journalist who runs techfluff.tv said “I think Geeks are the rock stars of today.” She is probably right.
This is her about page
Hi! The Internet, everyone loves it, but I would marry it if I could! Mmmmmm, kissy kissy url. I started TechfluffTV to report on growing European Internet culture, the London/Euro tech scene and also pull in other interesting/funny content I’ve spotted on the web.
What can you expect to find here? Our fabulous show reporting on events, startups and news from the European tech scene, plus other cool websites, videos and fun stuff we find on the web.
I try to include video in my posts as much as I can because online video is my thang!
xfactor blog I really like this because they got such a near official looking url and the site is so free with its criticism and appraisal of the show. Particularly with the recent controversy.
The Nod not so much a blog but interesting none the less. There is a vested interest, my company provides the video content for the site. And here it is, we think Tori Campbell the presenter deserves to be a star so that is why I am writing this. She is simply the best one take wonder I have ever worked with!
alice and kev is really interesting. Using Sims 3 the writer has creative a narrative blog about two homeless sims, they live on a park bench surviving of freebies.
The writer is Robin Burkinshaw, a student of Games Design from the UK.
This is how he describes the blog and what it was trying to do
This is an experiment in playing a homeless family in The Sims 3. I created two Sims, moved them in to a place made to look like an abandoned park, removed all of their remaining money, and then attempted to help them survive without taking any job promotions or easy cash routes. It’s based on the old ‘poverty challenge’ idea from The Sims 2, but it turned out to be a lot more interesting with The Sims 3’s living neighborhood features.
I have attempted to tell my experiences with the minimum of embellishment. Everything I describe in here is something that happened in the game. What’s more, a surprising amount of the interesting things in this story were generated by just letting go and watching the Sims’ free will and personality traits take over.
In creating a hopeless father and a loser daughter Robin has actually set the scene for a compelling story. I was hooked after just a couple of posts. It is interesting that blogs don’t lent themselves to stories though, Robin has had to create an upfront link to his first post so people can get to the beginning of the story, otherwise the danger is you read the end before the beginning!!
Brilliant idea and it also shows how far The Sims has come since it first hit the scene.
scaryduck this site is genius, because it is written by a genius. Alistair Coleman, it won the 2002 Guardian blog of the year and is still going strong. It is funny and true and has more charm than a new born baby.
operation nice here is a blog that makes me feel good. I don’t usually like the “lets all be nice” brigade as I don’t feel the world is often that nice a place however, reading this and I could belive it is a nicer place than I often think. This if a cut and paste from their about.
Don’t you love it when people go out of their way to be nice? Like when someone waits to hold the door for you. Or when a stranger waves you into a line a traffic. Or even when a coworker shoots you a friendly smile along with a “have a nice day.” If everyone was a little bit nicer to the folks they encountered each day, perhaps the world would be a more pleasant place. Operation NICE was initiated to remind you that a little NICE goes a long way.
And this is the writers own profile
Hi, I’m Melissa! Welcome to my blog! I believe that kindness can change the world, so it’s my mission to spread the concept of being nice, as simple as that may sound. I hope you’ll have a look around!
Again this would normally all turn me right off but the stories and the motive are hones and wrapped up in very little schmaltz and the blog is very well designed and written. I really lie it and will add it to my own rss reader right now! Also note yet another top blog from a woman. I will make it my mission to find a male authored blog that isn’t about gadgets!
Is technorati one of the best blogging directories and tools on the net? I am not sure the top 10 blogs as listed by them never changes, I don’t see the badge on very many new blogs either, perhaps an iphone app like TED or All Things Digital would re energise the site. My other issue is that there is no real editorial, nothing to read, no comment it is almost a link exchange or a way of getting your page rank to increase. That said I am a memberTechnorati Profile, to get your blog noticed you have to join so many directories and sites otherwise it is all a huge waste of time writing in the first place! If anyone knows of a one stop blog directory that doesn’t cost a fortune I am in!!
Cards of Change this site was featured in Metro newspaper this morning. It is a bit commercial in that the writer has already announced that a book will follow. I’d ask the question why would I contribute unless the proceeds from the book go to charity? The idea is that if you are laid-off or made redundant what do you do with your old business cards? Write an appropriate message on it and up load it here. So my praise apart from the one for original idea, goes to all those great creative minds who find the funniest things to write. I love sites that are created by the contributors. Post Secret is one of my all time favourite blogs, ever.
Ordinary People Change the World I love blogs about unsung heros and this is one, It also wins the prize for being one of the most inspirational blogs you can read. It is a bit US centric, in fact very, but it is a great read. Blogging is about content and this site brims with it.
Running From Camera This is simply genius, he sets the camera on self timer to fire after 2 seconds and sees how far he can get. Absolutely brilliant, the two phots below were taken just two months apart but he seems to have started thinning in that very short space of time!
Jeffery Archers Official Blog I do hope he doesn’t mind me saying that this is surprisingly very interesting. I say that because I simply don’t sign up to his politics or some of his past. This is a fascinating insight to A0 the man and b) a lifestyle a million miles from most regular people. I also thing that his views on the characters he met while “doing porridge” is humane and even more surprising. It is also a very well written and regular blog and is a chronicle of our times through an interesting pair of eyes. As recognised by the times it is the very best cult blog, yes I did say cult.
Lady Banana I am giving this blog the respect of a first second review! I’ve stumbled it and would love to help more people to find it. It is a great collection of interesting stuff and thoughts from London based Lady Banana. Last time i reviewed it I called it a Seinfeld blog, because it is simply about stuff, the everyday things made very interesting. She must spend hours just wandering around the net, she finds such interesting things to read look at and join. This is a quality blog from an obviously smart lady. I have come to the general sweeping conclusion that women do make the best blogs ever.
kinetic world is a fantastic blog about all manner of kinetic design or
THE SOURCE FOR KINETIC, ELECTRONIC, SOUND, STEAM, AND FIRE ARTS NEWS, INFO, AND RESOURCES
I loved it from the moment I saw the T Shirt post. It is simply a collection of interesting bit and bobs but goes to the heart of all the best niche design blogs. It is very visual and will capture the eyes and minds of the casual surfer. Good Stuff.
It is so hard to find really great blogs, especially new ones, it means that I post irregularly and cant guarantee new content for the readers, so I am going to attempt to post links to some great posts. The sort of post that gets notices and causes buzz on the blogosphere. I’ve always avoided the down right popular preferring the more non commercial personal blogs. However, tracking the common buzzy sites you notice that the interesting blogs that are truly well written do have a chance to rise to the top and deserve a bity more of a push. They are not all about SEO marketing or how to get more traffic! So expect a few more emotional stories and some simply interesting bits and bobs.
This is genius and made me laugh out loud. If you find yourself wondering about your white culture just imagine any of your black friends liking anything on the list. This sort of blog is simply great, it will be used in comedy routines and probably end up in some kind of add campaign it really is that good.
idents.tv If you work in the business I do this is a fantastic site. If you watch tv this is an interesting site. If you are interested in branding this is a great tool. A collection of very upto date channel branding idents and a collection of other interesting clips make this a very good best blog. It is all very high quality stuff, the video is all of the best quality. No problem recommending it as a Best Blog Ever.
The Fist of Blog I do like collections blogs. Random things of interest from the net are quirky. there is not much to this site I was originally drawn to it becasue of this posting on you tube and this comment on the original site looking through the posts it seemed like one of those brilliantly quirky collections of random things. There may be too little commentary for some tastes but I found this an excellent way to spend a coffee break at my desk.
Pictures of Walls is one of those brilliant ideas. Not really a blog, just a great site. Funny pictures of graffiti signs or simply strange and interesting walls. All the content is user generated. I came across this using stumble upon. Still one of the best ways of finding interesting pages on the net.
Rod Drury this is a personal view of the internet and things technological that is informed and very well written. It should be, this guy is one of the most successful entrepreneurs from the New Zealand tech sector.
I hate the fact that the internet is littered with tech blogs that rise to the very top of the top listings. They are in the main dull and tecky, considering my love of gadgets, I’m not sure how so much boring drivel can be written about such beautiful, tactile objects of desire. Rod may not be flowery but his comments are on the money. Go read and enjoy.
this from her own about page:
