bellevue college

This is a dauntingly long list of links, I know. It’s my handout for the Blogging and Social Networking 101 class, which is finishing up tomorrow, but I’ve added the links that I’ll be talking about in class while walking people through the basics of using social networks.

If you want an example of SEO in action, take a look at the links and the titles, since the majority of these were created by writers with an interest in SEO. Notice that most of the URLs are made of search friendly words, rather than numbers. Many of the titles take the form phrase:phrase, in order to maximize the keyword juiciness.

Contents:
General Social Media Resources
Facebook Resources
Google+ Resources
LinkedIn Resources
Pinterest Resources
StumbleUpon Resources
Twitter Resources
SEO Resources
Google Analytics Resources
Youtube Resources
Promotion Resources
General Blogging Resources
Social Networking and Blogging News Resources

GENERAL SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES:

Mentioned in class:
Comparing the top five social networks: http://mashable.com/2011/08/10/social-network-comparison/
Comparing the social networks: http://social-networking-websites-review.toptenreviews.com/
Way to shorten URLs and monitor which are being reshared: http://www.bitly.com
Way to check your name on social networks: http://namechk.com/
Way to look at your social media presence: http://www.klout.com
Social Media and Privacy: Best Practices for Maintaining Your Personal and professional Identities: http://www.nten.org/blog/2010/04/28/social-media-and-privacy-best-practices-managing-your-personal-and-professional-identities
Cartoon History of Twitter and Social Networking: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/cartoon-history-social-networking_b6160

Technical:
10 Social Media Mistakes We Bet You’re Making: http://www.businessinsider.com/10-social-media-mistakes-we-bet-youre-making-2010-9
10 Things Social media Marketers Should Know about Millennials: http://socialtimes.com/socialmedia-marketing-millenials_b31715
Best Free Social Media Tracking Tools: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/02/18/social-media-tools/
Five Myths About Pushing Social Media Marketing Content: http://socialtimes.com/five-myths-about-pushing-social-media-marketing-content_b55978
How to Actually Become Friends with Social Network Connections: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-powerful-connections-through-social-media-2011-1
How to Crack the New York Times Popularity Code: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/12/20/how-to-crack-the-new-york-times-most-emailed-list.html
What Social Network is Right For You? (2010): http://lifehacker.com/5472223/which-social-network-is-right-for-you
Winners and Losers of Social Networking: http://mashable.com/2011/04/12/social-networks-infographic

Food for Thought:
Fantabulous Lists of Social Media Case Studies: http://socialmediatoday.com/igiedrius/268023/fantabulous-lists-social-media-case-studies
Google+ discussion of Wal-mart’s use of social media data:
https://plus.google.com/109581870574956225297/posts/2KKuJAUUruo
How governments are using social media: http://mashable.com/2011/07/25/government-social-media/
Innovative Uses of Social Media: http://mashable.com/2011/04/07/innovative-pr-social-media/
On Social Media, Most People Don’t Want to Be Heard: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2030594/social-media-people-dont-heard
Six Verbs You Need to Understand for the New Web:
http://www.spinsucks.com/social-media/six-verbs-you-need-to-understand-for-the-new-web/
What Social Commerce Can Learn From Social Gaming: http://socialcommercetoday.com/what-social-commerce-can-learn-from-social-gaming/
Why Social Accountability Will Be the New Currency of the Web: http://mashable.com/2011/07/28/social-media-influence-accountability/
3 C’s of Social Networking: Consumption, Curation, Creation: http://socialmediatoday.com/index.php?q=briansolis/233806/three-c-s-social-networking-consumption-curation-creation
5 Social Good Sites Aimed at Youth: http://mashable.com/2011/07/22/social-good-youth/
How 3 Cities Are Crowdsourcing for Revitalization: http://mashable.com/2011/07/20/crowdsourcing-city-tech/
5 Innovative Food Truck Social Media Marketing Campaigns: http://mashable.com/2011/07/21/social-media-food-trucks-marketing/
25 Terrific Social Media Infographics: http://socialmediatoday.com/pamdyer/266010/65-terrific-social-media-infographics

FACEBOOK RESOURCES

Mentioned in Class
Facebook News: Allfacebook.com
How to Facebook: http://www.weejeemedia.com/next/2011/01/how-to-facebook-2011/
Facebook Page Guidelines: http://www.facebook.com/page_guidelines.php
Facebook Privacy Tools: http://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/tools
What You Cannot Do On FaceBook: http://www.marketinggum.com/what-you-cannot-do-on-facebook-page-admins-read-these-rules/
(Example) Cat Rambo on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/catrambo

Technical:

Best 11 Facebook Promotion Apps: http://www.socialnomics.net/2011/03/01/11-facebook-promotion-apps/
Difference Between a Page and Profile on Facebook: http://www.socialreflections.com/difference-between-a-page-and-profile-on-facebook/
How to Avoid a Facebook Photo Tagging Disaster: http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-photo-tagging-2009-12
How to Create a Facebook Business Page in 5 Simple Steps: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/5492/How-to-Create-a-Facebook-Business-Page-in-5-Simple-Steps-With-Video.aspx
How to Optimize Your Brand’s Facebook Page for Search Engines: http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/04/optimize-your-brands-facebook-page-for-search-engines.php
How to Stop Facebook from Posting Recent Activity to the News Feed – http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-recent-activity-2010-01
More Americans Are on Facebook Than Have a Passport: http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/22/more-americans-are-on-facebook-than-have-a-passport/
Why You Need Facebook’s Like Button on Your Site: http://www.allfacebook.com/why-you-need-facebooks-like-buttons-on-your-site-2011-03

GOOGLE+ RESOURCES

Mentioned in class:
Google+ Cheat Sheet: http://mashable.com/2011/07/12/the-google-cheat-sheet-pic/
Mashable’s Complete Guide to Google+: http://mashable.com/2011/07/16/google-plus-guide/
Google+ Privacy Settings: http://www.christianpost.com/news/google-plus-privacy-settings-how-do-i-change-them-52623/
(Example) Cat Rambo on Google+: https://plus.google.com/112476991545055404616

Useful Information:
5 Chrome Extensions for Google+: http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/
5 Ways Journalists Are Using Google+: http://mashable.com/2011/07/17/journalists-using-google-plus/
Google+ as a Professional Communications Tool: http://idratherbewriting.com/2011/07/18/google-plus-as-a-professional-communications-tool/
Google+…minus Women, Kids, and Businesses: http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-minus-women-kids-and-businesses/
How to Integrate Google+ into Your WordPress Site: http://mashable.com/2011/07/22/wordpress-google-plus/ http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-minus-women-kids-and-businesses/
How Google+ Ends Social Networking Fatigue: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218283/Elgan_How_Google_ends_social_networking_fatigue
Is Google+ a Bigger Threat to Twitter than Facebook?: http://gigaom.com/2011/07/11/is-google-a-bigger-threat-to-twitter-than-it-is-to-facebook/
The Mounting Minuses at Google+: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204653604577249341403742390.html

Food For Thought:
Controversy over Google+’s insistence on using real names:
http://point7.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/google-the-pseudonym-banstick-and-the-netizen-cultural-schism/
Who is Using Google+ and How Often: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2095877/Who-is-Using-Google-and-How-Often-Stats
Why Google+ Kicked Out William Shatner: http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/why-google-kicked-out-william-shatner/

LINKEDIN RESOURCES
10 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Promote Your Business: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/10-Ways-Promote-Your-Business-21005.S.111833109
100 Ways to Use LinkedIn: http://linkedintelligence.com/smart-ways-to-use-linkedin/
LinkedIn Best Strategies for Businesses: http://e-strategyblog.com/2009/05/linkedin-best-practices-for-business/#.T6SveZpYvfI
(Example) Cat Rambo on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/catrambo

PINTEREST RESOURCES

7 Dos and Donts For Pinterest: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223489
10 Creative Ways To Use Pinterest for Marketing: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2012/02/pinterest-marketing/
Pinterest Etiquette: http://pinterest.com/about/etiquette/
Why Does Google Think Pinterest is a “Extraordinary” Problem Solver?: http://gizmodo.com/5903581/google-pinterest-is-extraordinary
Is Pinterest the Next Facebook?: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/22/pinterest-silbermann-photo-sharing/
(Example) Cat Rambo on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/catrambo/

STUMBLEUPON RESOURCES

Background and Statistics:
StumbleUpon Drives More Than 50% of Social Media Traffic
The New Wave of Personalization and Who is Joining the Game
StumbleUpon Sent 700M Pageviews To Other Websites in December, Is Growing 20% Monthly
StumbleUpon Sponsored Stumbles vs. Google Adwords
(Example) Cat Rambo on StumbleUpon: http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/CatRambo

Technical:
4 Ways To Increase Your Traffic with StumbleUpon
8 Tips for Going Viral with StumbleUpon
An Addict’s Guide to StumbleUpon
How to Drive Website Traffic with StumbleUpon
How to Get StumbleUpon Traffic
How to Use StumbleUpon for Your Business: The Definitive Guide
The Secret to Getting Highly Targeted Traffic From StumbleUpon
Use StumbleUpon to Drive More Traffic to Your Website
Using StumbleUpon to Drive Website Traffic

TWITTER RESOURCES:

Mentioned in class:
Hashtags: http://www.hashtag.org
Backing up Tweets: http://tweetake.com/
BrandTweet Statistics: http://twitter-friends.com
Schedule updates: http://twuffer.com/
Share pictures: http://www.twitpic.com

Useful Information:
5 Reasons Why You Should Be on Twitter Even If You’re Already on Facebook: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/5-reasons-why-you-should-be-on-twitter-even-if-youre-already-on-facebook_b3012
5 Steps to Going Viral on Twitter: http://www.copyblogger.com/go-viral-on-twitter/
5 Twitter Metrics Beyond Follower Count: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/5-twitter-metrics-beyond-follower-count_b4312
5 Ways to Stand Out on Twitter: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/5-ways-to-stand-out-on-twitter_b2504
14 Tools of Highly Effective Twitter Users: http://hyder.me/social-media/14-tools-of-highly-effective-twitter-users/
Are Twitter Chats Part of Your Social Media Strategy?: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/twitter-chats/
Are You Extending Your Tweets? Then You’re Missing The Point: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/are-you-extending-your-tweets-then-youre-missing-the-point_b7659
Documentary about Twitter: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/a-documentary-about-twitter-staffed-by-twitter-users-and-crowdsourced-on-twitter_b8950
Happy Fifth Birthday, Twitter: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/happy-fifth-birthday-twitter-congrats-on-your-600k-new-users-who-signed-up-yesterday_b11567
How to Boost Your Google Rank with Twitter: http://oneforty.com/blog/how-to-boost-your-google-rank-with-twitter/
How to Join a Twitter Hashtag Chat: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/how-to-join-a-twitter-hashtag-chat_b1650
Radio Shack’s Twitter Campaign: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/an-anatomy-of-a-great-twitter-campaign-radio-shacks-ifihadsuperpowers-promoted-trend_b93
Secrets to Getting 50,000 Followers on Twitter: http://www.webinknow.com/2011/02/the-secret-to-getting-50000-followers-on-twitter.html
Three Tips for Writing a Killer Twitter Bio to Get Targeted Followers: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/3-tips-for-writing-a-killer-twitter-bio-to-get-targeted-followers_b133
Top 10 Twitter Tools for WordPress Blogs (2010): http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/top-10-twitter-tools-for-wordpress-blogs_b40
Tweeting Often and On Weekends is More Effective: http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/03/tweeting-often-and-on-weekends.php
Tweet Volume Influencing Search Position on Google: http://www.socialreflections.com/tweet-volume-influencing-search-position-on-google/
Twitter 101: Why Use Hashtags?: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/twitter-101-why-use-hashtags_b2571
What to Do (And What Not To Do) If You Regret a Tweet: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/what-to-do-and-what-not-to-do-if-you-regret-a-tweet_b4327
What Twitter’s Good At, In Light of Google+: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/07/what-twitters-good-at-in-light-of-google-plus/241791/
What’s In a Name: Twitter Was Almost Called Jitter or Twitch: http://techland.time.com/2011/07/18/whats-in-a-name-twitter-was-almost-called-jitter-or-twitch/
Why Favstar.fm Should Be Part of Your Twitter Strategy: http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/favstar-fm-twitter-strategy_b3848
Why Google+ Won’t “Kill” Twitter: http://techland.time.com/2011/07/13/why-google-wont-kill-twitter/
Why Some Twitter Hashtags Take Off and Others Fail:
http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/why-some-hashtags-take-off-and-others-fail_b3003
Why You Can’t Ignore Your Twitter Background: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/why-you-cant-ignore-your-twitter-background_b3414
Why You Need to Create a Tweet Schedule: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/why-you-need-to-create-a-tweet-schedule-now_b1514

SEO RESOURCES:

Mentioned in class:
Keyword resource: www.trackur.com
Free tools for SEO analysis/marketing on your website: woorank.com, websitegrader.com
Way to see how search engines see your site:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleWebmasterHelp#p/c/B52807846359D2EA

Technical:
Beginners Guide to SEO: http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo
SEO Basics: http://knol.google.com/k/seo-basics#
Search engine ranking factors: http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors
Keyword investigation: http://adwords.google.com

Useful information:
Building a Monthly SEO Action Plan: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/building-a-monthly-seo-action-plan-whiteboard-friday
Conversion Tweaks: http://www.copyblogger.com/test-and-tweak/
Dirty Little Secrets of Search Engine Optimization: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/business/13search.html?_r=1
Get Ahead with a Grasp of Semantic Web: http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a10755.asp
Google’s Cat and Mouse SEO Game: http://www.seobook.com/googles-cat-mouse-seo-game
How Google Makes Its Billions: the 20 Most Expensive AdWords Keyword Categories: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2095210/How-Google-Makes-Its-Billions-The-20-Most-Expensive-AdWords-Keyword-Categories
How Will Google+ Affect SEO?: http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/07/google-plus-impact-on-seo.php
Intelligent Site Structure For SEO: http://yoast.com/site-structure-seo/
Keyword Discovery Tips: http://www.suite101.com/content/keyword-discovery-tips-a126098
New Google Search Algorithm Update Targets Web Spam: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2170391/New-Google-Search-Algorithm-Update-Targets-Web-Spam
Penguin Analysis: SEO ISn’t Dead But You Need To Act Smarter (And 5 Easy Ways to Do so!): http://www.micrositemasters.com/blog/penguin-analysis-seo-isnt-dead-but-you-need-to-act-smarter-and-5-easy-ways-to-do-so/
SEO Copywriting: The Five Essentials to Focus On: http://www.copyblogger.com/on-page-seo/
SEO Higher Learning: http://www.huomah.com/Search-Engines/Algorithm-Matters/SEO-Higher-learning.html
Shoestring Budget SEO Tips For Small Businesses: http://www.seobook.com/shoestring-seo
Sitemaps XML format: http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php
Tutorial: Web Information Retrieval: http://www.tcnj.edu/~mmmartin/CMSC485/Papers/Google/icde.pdf
Website Optimization: The Art of Making Websites Awesome: http://www.sofionik.com/blog/search-engine-optimization/website-optimization-the-art-of-making-websites-awesome
What Social Signals Do Google and Bing Really Count?: http://searchengineland.com/what-social-signals-do-google-bing-really-count-55389
Will Google+ Affect SEO?: http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/07/google-plus-impact-on-seo.php
5 Easy Ways to Boost SEO: http://socialmediatoday.com/len-ostroff/268803/five-easy-ways-boost-seo
5 Free Tools for Keyword Research: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/5-free-tools-for-competitor-keyword-research/28015/

GOOGLE ANALYTICS RESOURCES:
Google Analytics Lessons: http://www.google.com/support/conversionuniversity/bin/request.py?hl=en&contact_type=indexSplash&rd=1
Google Analytics Web Channel: ttp://www.youtube.com/googleanalytics
Tutorial on Determining Social Media ROI: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2075044/Google-Analytics-Tutorial-Determining-Social-Media-ROI
Google Analytics & Why You Probably Don’t Need the Rest: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/google-analytics-why-you-probably-dont-need-the-rest/
Maximizing Visitor Retention with Google Analytics: http://webtoastie.co.uk/maximising-visitor-retention-with-google-analytics/
Web Analytics Demystified: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/web-analytics-demystified/

YOUTUBE RESOURCES:
How to Embed a YouTube video in a WordPress post: http://weblogs.about.com/od/writingablog/ss/YouTubeWordpres.htm
How to Get Started Marketing on YouTube: http://mashable.com/2011/07/20/how-to-marketing-youtube/#y5Igz0vKJho
How to Market Yourself on YouTube: http://mashable.com/2011/07/20/how-to-marketing-youtube/#y5Igz0vKJho
Partnering with YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/partners
Video Creators: 7 Ways to Make Money on YouTube: http://socialtimes.com/make-money-on-youtube_b38190
(Example:) Cat Rambo on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/CatRambo

PROMOTION RESOURCES:
4 Reasons To Use Contests: http://mashable.com/2011/07/21/contest-marketing/
How to Write a Press Release: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2010/12/12/how-to-write-a-press-release-that-gets-attention/
Getting People to Take Action: http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/content/action-presentation/
How Timothy Ferris Hit the Amazon Bestseller List: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/how-timothy-ferriss-hit-the-amazon-bestseller-list_b1944
Social Media Contest and Promotions Best Practices: http://www.convertiv.com/social-media-contest-and-promotions-best-practices/

GENERAL BLOGGING RESOURCES:

Mentioned in class:
How to Start a Blog
Find Images to Use and Reuse with the Creative Commons Search (Yahoo): http://www.ysearchblog.com/2009/05/26/find-images-to-use-and-reuse-with-the-new-creative-commons-filter/
How to Use Content From Other Blogs Without Infringing on Their Copyright http://socialfresh.com/how-to-use-content-from-other-blogs-without-infringing-on-their-copyright/
How to find out who owns a domain: http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp
5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post with a Bang: http://www.copyblogger.com/5-simple-ways-to-open-your-blog-post-with-a-bang/
8 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers: http://www.copyblogger.com/effective-blog-habits/
8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content: http://www.copyblogger.com/scannable-content/
10 Amazing WordPress Plugins For Flickr: http://speckyboy.com/2008/10/14/10-amazing-wordpress-plugins-for-flickr/
21 Killer Ways to Increase Your Influence Online: http://www.marsdorian.com/2010/10/21-ways-to-increas-your-influence-online/
125 Tips For Building an Irresistible Brand: http://www.copyblogger.com/irresistible-brand/
Essential Blogging Tips: http://www.successfulblogging.com/essential-blogging-tips-from-2010/
Figuring Out Your Niche: http://www.tyroneshum.com/day-1-analyzing-the-viability-of-your-niche-2/
How I Got 6000 RSS Subscribers in 12 Months: http://blog.asmartbear.com/how-i-got-6000-rss-subscribers-in-12-months.html
How to Become a Blogging Superstar: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-become-a-blogging-superstar
How to Embed Practically Anything on Your Blog: http://mashable.com/2011/06/05/embedly-how-to/?WT.mc_id=obnetwork
How to Run a Newspaper Using WordPress and Google Docs: http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/how-to-run-a-news-site-and-newspaper-using-wordpress-and-google-docs_b4781
Man’s Head Explodes in Barber’s Chair: http://www.copyblogger.com/smart-people-headlines/
Mobile Design: Websites vs. Apps: http://contentini.com/web-content-strategy-sites-vs-apps/
Start With a Question: How to Write a Blog Post that Engages Your Readers: http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2011/01/guest-blogger-madeleine-drake-author-of.html
Starting a Blog From Scratch: One Blogger’s Tale: http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/starting-a-blog-from-scratch-one-bloggers-tale_b2462
The Truth About Blog-to-Book Deals: http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a10830.asp
Write Epic Shit: http://thinktraffic.net/write-epic-shit
Where To Find Original, Local Stories Online: http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/where-to-find-original-local-story-ideas-online_b4352

Places to Find Blogging and Social Networking News:

All Facebook – http://www.allfacebook.com/
All Twitter – http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/
Blogging Pro – http://www.bloggingpro.com/
Daily SEO Blog – http://www.seomoz.org/blog
Mashable – http://mashable.com/social-media/
Search Engine Watch – http://searchenginewatch.com/
Social Times – http://socialtimes.com/
Techcrunch – http://techcrunch.com/social/
Techmeme ““ http://www.techmeme.com
WordPress News – http://wordpress.org/news/
WordPress Planet –http://planet.wordpress.org/
Cat’s links – http://www.delicious.com/Catrambo/blogclass

I’m prepping for this weekend’s class on Blogging and Social Networks and, as always, there’s lots of new stuff that I need to fold into my existing notes. Pinterest is a big one — it’s become a big deal since last time I taught the class and so I need to talk about it.

So what is Pinterest?
Pinterest describes itself as a virtual pinboard. You can think of it as a way to save links and organize them by image or you can think of it as a way to save and organize images. I like it because people often put together collections that are beautiful, disturbing, evocative, or worth reading.

I’m doing my Flash Fiction workshop soon and so I’m prompted to talk about some of my motivation in giving the class and why I think it’s a useful one for writers.

What is flash fiction? As the name would imply, it’s short. Short, short, short. It’s sometimes called short-short stories for that reason. People define that length in varying numbers: the Florida Review used to award $100 and a crate of oranges to the winner of their short-short story competition, while 10 Flash Quarterly‘s editor/publisher K.C. Ball says it’s got to clock in at a 1000, and others have stretched it as far as 2000 words (which to my mind wanders into actual short story territory).

Others go much shorter, pointing to Hemingway’s famous six word story: “For sale: baby shoes, never used.” There’s twitter fiction magazines, like Thaumatrope, Nanoism, and 140 Characters (which last posted in March, alas). I actually fall in this camp, but to explain why, I need to explain the appeal that flash fiction holds for me.

Some panel ideas, which any convention organizer is welcome to grab.

(Writing) Making the Transition from Short Story to Novel
What are the pitfalls and what should the writer know before starting? Is it easier to do it in reverse and go from novel to short story? What’s similar and what’s different? Does it help to think of chapters as mini-stories?

(This seems to me to be harder than anyone acknowledges it to be, and I know there’s several basics I wish I’d known before I’d begun blindly floundering in the much deeper waters of a novel. I’m also pretty sure this is not a new idea for a panel, but I haven’t seen it at recent cons I’ve been at.)

(Editing or Publishing) The Architecture of the Country of the Blind
Reading blind, so you see just the story and not the name of the author with its info about gender, is something many editors and publishers agree is a good idea. What are the practical aspects of setting up such a system? What do you do if editors or slush readers recognize the story? Is it true you can tell gender by how someone writes? What about the fact that such a system removes the “name recognition” that some widely published authors hold?

(Let’s just start with the assumption it’s a good idea for once. For the love of Pete. Thx.)

(Writing) What the F*** is Flash Fiction?
Some people say flash fiction has a minimum length, such as 1000, 500, even 250 words, while others say Hemingway’s famous “For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.” is a complete story. Who’s right? Where does prose poetry fit? Why are flash magazines so popular and what are the ones doing interesting things in the field? Who are the flash authors to watch out for?

(Flash seems like such a great place for new writers to start. They can get stuff out there and in circulation while the magazines constantly need new stuff. At the same time, there’s some great writing happening in this area. I’m teaching a flash fiction workshop called Sudden Fiction this Saturday at Bellevue College, so obviously I’ve got strong opinions about some things mentioned above.)

As part of the Blogging 101 class I just finished up teaching for Bellevue College, I organized a bunch of my links into a handout. Here it is online for ease of clickability, but I’m going to break it into separate posts for easier posting and post one chunk each day because it’s 11 pages long as is. I’d be happy to answer questions or discuss any of the links or the overall list philosophy in comments.

Resources for Blogging 101, Bellevue College, Summer 2011

Contents:
General Social Media Resources
Facebook and Twitter Resources
Google+ Resources
StumbleUpon and Other Social Bookmarking Resources
SEO Resources
Google Analyics Resources
Youtube Resources
Promotion Resources
General Blogging Resources
Places to find social networking and blogging news

Matt, here’s the link for the Google Analytics on WordPress plug-in.

I’m trying a one day workshop called Sudden Fiction. Here’s the description:

Flash fiction, short-short stories under 1000 words, present stories in microcosm, slices of life that illuminate and change us. In this writing class, students will use writing prompts and word games to create 3-4 pieces of flash fiction, as well as learning what magazines specialize in flash fiction and how to submit their efforts to them.

I’ll be drawing on the experience of a workshop I taught for Johns Hopkins Continuing Studies a while back. That class ran six sessions, if I’m remembering correctly, and we had an amazing time.

I’ll also be teaching the Blogging and Social Networking 101 class. It runs two classes, the first of which is used to talk about setting up a blog, establishing your online presence, personal branding and the second of which is devoted to social networks, Google Analytics, and other Internet tools.

I just sent my scheduler in to Bellevue College last week – I’ll be teaching the Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction class again this spring as well as the Blogging 101 class. I’ll post the dates for that when I have them in hand.

With both classes, I’ve gone through my notes, getting them together. With the blogging class I’ve been using a new online tool I saw mentioned during the great “Yahoo is getting rid of Delicious!” flak, Trailmeme.

WIth Trailmeme, the central metaphor is “trails” of links, which you can annotate. So I’ve used the outline from my Blogging class to collect my Delicious links on the topic. Here is the Blogging 101 “trail”. A cool feature of Trailmeme is the ability to discuss links – please feel free to make suggestions and/or forward the link to the trail along to people who might find it useful. I know a lot of those links are ones I’ve frequently referred to and often continue to use.

One of the reasons I’ve gone to that trouble is that I’m pushing a couple of consulting services next year, and one of them is a critique of your blog or website talking about its current structure and organization, its search ranking and strategy, how you might use it more effectively, how you might be using social networks, and directions you might want to take it in, based on what a student gets out of that class. For $100, you get a 500 word write-up. If you want to go more in-depth, contact me and I’ll give you an estimate.