I’m a fan of unusual and creative RSS buttons. I love the red marble we’re using here at Kommein, and I enjoy seeing what other bloggers come up with.  In fact, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the more interesting RSS icons and sharing them here.

This apple icon is from a food blog called Cookerati that I run with my sister and was designed by the Sirius Graphix team – who also designed the Kommein RSS icon.

How can you not love the puppy & bowl RSS button at Search Engine Guide?

The Blog Bloke features an RSS guy getting down to business:

Actor Zach Braff uses an amusing little blimp that flies around on the page…literally.

My friend John Hewitt at PoeWar uses an aptly-designed book for his writing blog.

Lotta Guru‘s RSS button is so heavy it needs help staying up.

The blog at Spoon Graphics features a rustic brown paper and ink design.

Zen Elements gives off a colored pencil vibe.

The RSS button at Smashing Magazine is about to fly away.

Have you spied some blogs with funny or unusual custom RSS buttons? Share!

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Community was one of the few topics that wasn’t mentioned much at Cross Media TO. It seemed to me that the state of community within business was that of the consumer. While there were some mentions made of how a community interacts with media, the overall idea never seemed to be about cultivating community.

While hearing one presentation in particular about the future of media, entitled Transmedia, I started to get really worried. The presenter, Dr. Siobhan O’Flynn, discussed how fan remixes might become the future of interactions between brands and their followers. She talked about how in 2009, Thomas May pointed to a new orientation called “fandependent”.

From one perspective, this could sound great to those that are fans of music bands, television shows, and movies, but what I saw in the presentation was more about how brands like Tide and Ford could take advantage of this process.

The idea is that brands get to test the response and use content created by fans to continue to promote and grow their brand. I had what I consider an important question to ask, and never got the chance to do so. My unanswered question was, shouldn’t companies be worried that content creators in their community might get tired of big brand run campaigns due to the potential commercialism of them?

To me, it seemed like the end goal was really to take advantage of the community, and their creativity, while providing very little in return.

Community isn’t currency. It isn’t something you should be converting into dollars and cents. The fact that it exists should alone be of value, and trying to convert community into money, in my mind, only serves to reduce the community. There is almost an inherit exchange rate, and if you don’t cultivate community, communicate with your membership and give them a reason to interact, then you are abusing the relationship and the expectations.

These issues weren’t dealt with during Dr. O’Flynn’s presentation, and as such, I’m not sure where she stands on community, but the presentation I saw didn’t seem to address it in a comforting way. I love the idea that brands can be a major contributor in getting independent movies and media out into the world, but there is a thin line between helping and hurting, and I just don’t know if there are any sort of rules or best practices that keep the underlying community and creative people safe from exploitation.

What do you think? Are you a form of currency? Would you potentially compromise your creativity in order to make more money? Or on the flip side, have you been helped by the resources given to you by a company or brand so that you could be creative?

Have your say in the comments below.

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Tagged as: conference, cross media, media, toronto

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Is your home looking like a gadget graveyard because you’re not sure of what to do with your old cell phones, computer equipment or game consoles? None of us want to contribute to the landfill issue, but neither do we want our house to resemble the same.  Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of our old toys without polluting up the environment.

What follows is a look at how to recycle your old technology:

Cell Phones

When you’re done with your old cell phone, and your kids are done with your old cell phone, you can either toss them into that box of old cell phones in your office, or you can put them to good use. Some organization will recycle all the different parts of your own phone to build new technology, while others refurbish the cell and give them to soldiers, elderly and others who many not be able to afford new gadgets.

• Recycle my phone: Mail your phone to Earthworks.  Simply fill out the form and send in your phone. Easy and you don’t have to drive farther than your local post office.
• Call 2 Recycle: Will tell you where to recycle your old cell phones, batteries and other items.
• The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Accepts cell phones that they refurbish and give to victims of domestic violence so they can stay safe.
• Cell Phones for Soldiers: Provides pre paid cell phones and credit cards to our heroes overseas.
• AT&Ts Reuse and Recycle Program – Options for recycling your cellphone.
• LG Electronics: Cell phone recycling initiative.

Computer & Laptops

If you’re done with your old computers, there are plenty of options. You can clean it up and give it to your kids for their schoolwork and gaming, or you can donate it to a school, senior center, homeless shelter, or rehab center – but call to find out if they need it before dropping off.  Some soldiers overseas might also be looking for a secondhand computer in order to keep up with family and friends back home. Also try:

• Earth 911 – Includes a search engine so you can receive a list of several places in your area that accepts computers for recycling or refurbishing.
• Apple Recycling Program: For $30, Apple will take care of your old laptops, computers, etc.
• Hewlett Packard Recycling Program: Either free or costs something depending on what you have and what you want do with it.
• Search the database at Earth 911 for donation options in your area.
• Dell Recycle: As with the others, options for recycling your Dell computers.
• eCycling Tools: Provides you with the tools you need to recycle your gadgetry.

Other Electronics

So what are you going to do with your old bulky round screens when the kids are done gaming with them in the basement? And your game consoles or office equipment? Here are some recycling solutions for those as well.

• Office Depot Tech Recycling Service: Offers an assortment of boxes to pack up your TV’s and ship ‘em out, you’ll have to pay to play but it’s worth it to get the stuff out of your house.
• Sony’s Take Back Recycling Program: Find drop off centers in your area.
• Best Buy: Accepts any electronic item, regardless of where it’s purchased. There’s a charge for larger items.
• Staples Eco Easy: Options for recycling batteries, toner, printers and more.
• Toshiba’s recycling and trade in program also offers several options.
• Freecycle: If you don’t want your stuff, some of your neighbors might.
• The Federal Electronics Challenge: Information for businesses for recycling and donating old equipment.
• Gazelle.com: Cash for gadgets.
• Canon Recycling Program: Instructions for returning all your old, unwanted Canon products.

Though we listed a wide-range of place to go for recyling electronics, the truth is, just about any electronic manufacturer has a recycling program Some you’ll have to pay for and some are free, but all will allow you to do your part for the environment while helping to rid your home of unwanted clutter.

Do you have tips for recycling gadgets and electronics? Please share in the comments.

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Last week, I received a nice note from a small business owner who reached out to me to ask questions about attending BlogWorld.  She’s kind of old school with their marketing and P.R. and she was asking me the benefits of attending such an event to learn more about social media. As we talked, she also asked me if I can direct her to some how to’s and tutorials from around the web. This isn’t the first time someone asked me “how to do social media.”  Because most of my online connections are web based, I take for granted that everyone knows this stuff. Offline, however, most of my friends and family don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

As I gathered some online resources together to help this small business owner, it occurred to me that folks researching social media on the web might be looking for social media tutorials and how to’s as well. While I know the majority of you probably don’t need this stuff, I’m guessing that many, like my new friend, will come across this information via the search engines and find it useful.

Some of these items are here courtesy of the top names in social media, others are resources that I’ve bookmarked over the years. They may not be well known but they’ve been helpful to me. This isn’t a “top 25″ list. Everything on this list is here simply because I find them useful, and not because they’re the most popular resources. I hope you find them just as useful!

Behold, in no particular order:

25 Social Media How To’s, Resources, Tutorials and Lessons

1. Social Media Examiner: Mike Stelzner’s blog just sort of exploded out of nowhere last year. Every day Mike and his top notch contributors offer incredibly useful tips, videos and how’s to’s. Especially useful are all the video interviews with the pros.

2. Mari Smith’s Facebook Resource Page: Mari Smith is referred to as the “Pied Piper of Facebook” for good reason.

3. Jason Falls Slide Share Page: Jason presents on the topic of social media on a regular basis. If you truly want to learn from the best, bookmark  Jason’s SlideShare page and take advantage of his presentations. You don’t have the benefit of having a personal presentation, but you can take advantage of the self-explanatory bullet points.

4. Social Media for Non Profits – The Case Foundations has compiled a stellar list of resources from around the web.

5. Social Media in Plain English: A simple, easy to understand explanation of social media and how it’s used, via CommonCraft.

6. Social Media Resources and Conversations: The Bay Area Social Media Consultants put together a list of the various social media tools complete with instructions on how to use them to your advantage.

7. Top 10 Twitter Tutorials on YouTube: Social Media today does all the work for you. If you’re confused about how to use Twitter for both business and pleasure, you won’t be after checking out these videos.

8. 20 Free Ebooks About Social Media – Chris Brogan’s list is from 2008 and not quite as dated as you might think. If you’re looking to learn about social media, you’ll definitely want to add this to your resource list.

9. 5 Tips for Getting Execs on Board - From Mashable, something many marketing teams struggle with is how to get approval for social media campaigs.

10. Website Magazines Top 50 Social Media Resources: A list of the Top 50 social media tools for you to check out. #1 isn’t what you think.

11. The Social Media Case Studies Super List: From the Interactive Insights Group. It’s not enough to talk about social media, the proof is right there in the pudding.

12. 50 Ways to Use Social Media: Another older list, but the tips are still relevant, from Jeremiah Owyang.

13. 100 Helpful Web Tools for Every Kind of Learner: Learn about everything from mind mapping to podcasting from this super list put together by Colleg@Home.

14. Essential Social Media Tools for Small Business: A listing of some of the more popular social media tools and networks and how they can help grow your business.

15. Social Media Goverance’s Database of Social Media Policies: If you’re looking to create your own social media policy, start by researching others to see how different businesses handle their campaigns.

16. The Twitter Guidebook at Mashable: Everything you wanted to know about Twitter but were afraid to ask.

17. 35 Social Media Tool that Will Make Your Life Easier: From Freelance Folder – especially useful for the self employed.

18. How to Use Social Media…Succesfully: Lynn Terry’ s tip are practical and spot on.

19. Twitter in Plain English – Another terrific explanation from CommonCraft.com.

20. Social Media Marketing in 3 Minutes: Helping small businesses to use social media tools. From upsidedowniceberg.com.

21. Top 8 Ways to Use Social Media via Lewis Howes.

22. How to Use Social Media: Everything you wanted to know about social media in Q&A form – via Open Forum.

23. 50 Ways Marketers Can Use Social Media to Improve their Marketing: I can’t argue with anything on this list of tips from Chris Brogan.

24. How to Use Social Media to Acquire New Customers - This “how to” from Business Pundit offers simple but useful tips for bringing in new business.

25. LinkedIn Super Guide: Tutorials, Tricks and Tools – We usually talk more about Facebook and Twitter for social media, but don’t overlook the importance of LinkedIn.  Thanks to Robin Broitman for this excellent list of LinkedIn resources at the Interactive Insights Group Blog.

Do you have any favorite blog posts, articles, videos or tutorials to share? Open comments today – feel free to drop links to your favorites (but please don’t be spammy or I’ll have to get into delete mode.)

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This year, I’ll be attending my fourth BlogWorld & New Media Expo. I’m attending because  I’m BlogWorld’s Conference Director, but also because I dig it so.

For the last three years I attended BlogWorld in various capacities – on a press pass to cover BlogWorld for the online publication I wrote for, as a blogger who wished to learn and as a vendor when I was Community Manager for an online network. Each time I took away something very important.

Each year I:

• Landed new clients
• Met the people who made up my favorite online communities
• Made important business contacts
• Learned from the best in the business
• Made new friends
• Hooked up with collaborators
• Learned about new products and services
• Received invitations to beta launches

Though I’m not a party person, I know plenty of people who enjoy the nightlife element of BlogWorld with the different parties and Tech Karaoke. That’s all good stuff too.

Because I love BlogWorld so much, I asked for and receive a discount for the Kommein community. Use the code KOM20 to receive an additional 20% discount on the current admission price.  (The link above and in the sidebar are both affiliate links, so it’s important to disclose that I’ll received a little something – something for the sale. )

If you’re BlogWorld alumni, I hope you’ll share your experiences in the comments. If this is to be your first BlogWorld, do come back and tell us how you like it.  I’m happy to be working for BlogWorld this year, so I get to attend in yet another capacity this year!

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Warning: Old lady rant up ahead.

You know what I miss? I miss the early 70′s when stores and businesses were closed on Sundays. It wasn’t a religion thing as much as it was a family thing. Sundays were for spending time with families and that’s exactly what we did.

Most families I knew growing up during that time spent Saturdays doing some chores and visiting with friends and family. Sundays were for church, if that was your thing, and then hanging out. It was for reading the Sunday paper, relaxing in the backyard, going to the beach or a picnic, playing with neighborhood friends or having an epic Sunday dinner. The last thing on anyone’s mind was work. We were allowed to relax and didn’t think of how we could fill our day with shopping and more chores.

Closed on Sunday

Malls were closed. Utility companies were closed. Banks, supermarkets and hardware stores also closed up on Sundays because they wanted their employees to enjoy time with their families too. It was a way of life for us. There was nothing so important that we needed to go to the mall on Sunday. We went to the stores during the week or Saturday and anything we forgot, could keep until Monday – or we borrowed from close by family members or neighbors. We didn’t call customer service lines because there wasn’t anything happening that couldn’t wait until Monday. If our power went out we lit up the Coleman lanterns and played a game. It would never occur to us to find someone to handle our issue on Sunday. Sunday was a day of rest and we understood that. What kind of person would make employees work on Sunday? The only kinds of places open on Sunday was the newsstand – usually until church let out – and some restaurants, usually chains. Family run, Mom and pop restaurants were rarely open on Sunday.

Is it really so important to have everything open on Sunday?

I’m not quite sure when we lost Sundays as a business day. I can attest that life is certainly more convenient now. I can call a 24 hour hotline to offer feedback on my shampoo or buy a week’s worth of groceries at the supermarket at 11:30 on a Sunday night, but is that really so important? We’re sort of not trained to think of Sundays as relaxing family days anymore.

Are we spoiled?

I often wonder if life is better with 24 hour service. Personally, I think it’s made us more demanding. We expect service at all hours of the day and night, even stuff that can wait a while.  When everyone shut down on Sunday, it wouldn’t occur to us that someone should be working, catering to our every whim.  Now, everything has to be instant.

I once worked for someone who needed me to come in on a Sunday. I told her I had family plans and she said, “Are you telling me you have a life? Well I have a business. Decide what’s more important.” We shouldn’t have to make such choices.

I understand plenty of people choose to work weekends and don’t mind. What if this sort of thing wasn’t the norm? What if stores and businesses still remained closed on Sunday?

What would you do with your time?

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One thing I love about blogging is the ability to receive instant feedback. If my community doesn’t like something I write, they’re sure to let me know. If they don’t like my sponsor or the ads or affiliates I’m using for monetization, they let me know. If my comments section are becoming a free for all, you guessed it, they let me know.

On the other side of the coin, I also know when I write something readers especially appreciate. After ten years of blogging and writing online, I think I have a good idea of the types of discussions readers enjoy, and how certain topics and attitudes send them in search of a friendlier blog.

Here are a few things bloggers should try to be mindful of when maintaining your blog.

How to Alienate Your Blog’s Readers in 5 Easy Steps

1. Insult them

The people who come to your blog every day don’t necessarily do so because they want to be insulted. They’re most likely reading because they enjoy your writing style or feel your have something important to offer. Why would they stick around if you constantly insult them? Calling them names because they follow a different blog you don’t approve of (“sheep” “minions” “misguided”) might cause them to believe you don’t respect their choices. Making them feel bad about going about things a different way, isn’t encouraging at all. Bestowing disapproval upon those who don’t do things your way, only means there will be more people will be turned off by your close minded approach than those who feel you truly have something to offer.

2. Allow your comments to become a free for all

Everyone says they don’t allow their comments to become free for alls, but more bloggers encourage this than you think. They either don’t realize it, or enjoy the controversy. For example, they have firm “no insulting others” policy, but then practice this – and encourage it – towards people they don’t like or approve of.  So it’s more like, “Don’t insult me or the ten people who visit this blog, but go ahead and insult competitors and their communities.” If rules can’t apply to everyone, consider not having rules at all. If fewer folks are commenting, it could be the comments are getting a little hostile and they’re not so much interested in participating. I’ve tried it both ways and I can tell you, only people who thrive on drama and negativity want to be part of a negative community.

3. Treat them as if they don’t know any better

If you have a steady, loyal readership they’re stopping by each day to learn and share. They trust you. Why damage that trust by talking down to them or making them feel bad about their choices? People like to make their own discoveries, not be called out for their decisions. If you’re blogging to give advice, by all means share. However, your blog isn’t a Rolling Stones song and your readers aren’t looking for their fair share of abuse. There are ways to offer tips without getting on a high horse and pontificating.

4. Constant negativity

Here’s something important I learned, people don’t respond well to constant negativity. They appreciate the truth and not receiving half-assed information. They probably even subscribe to your blog because they know you will set them straight and not tiptoe around the issues. However, daily rants, finger pointing, complaining and just whining about everything that’s wrong every single day is a turnoff.

5. Your way of the highway

“Don’t like what I blog about? Tough! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” If you don’t fight for your readers, you won’t have any.

What are some of the ways you see bloggers alienating their readers?

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I wanted a Kindle for the longest time. To me the thought of eliminating book and magazine clutter and lower library fines was more appealing than the desire to hold a real book. So when Mr. Ng gave me one for my birthday this past weekend, I was thrilled.  After almost a week with my Kindle, I have some thoughts and  I want to share them with you today…just in case you’re thinking of getting one too.

The Size

One of the reasons I wanted the Kindle Wireless Reading Device (affiliate link) is because of its size. I can read a 1200 page book and not have to heft it around to my favorite reading spots. In reality, I’m carrying around about a dozen books on my Kindle right now, allowing me to change from fiction to non fiction at the touch of a button. I’m digging the convenience of it all.

One of my concerns with the six inch screen was that the print would be too small to read. Though I wear glasses, some books use uncomfortably small fonts. The good news with the Kindle is that I can make the size of the font bigger or smaller, and mine is magnified to granny size.

The Kindle isn’t clunky at all. It’s lightweight, compact and fits in my purse. It’s perfect as I sit and wait during tennis lessons or stand in the checkout line.

The End of the Clutter

Book purists believe this is part of the appeal, but I can’t take all the clutter in my small house anymore. I have so many books and magazines stacked up. There simply isn’t room. The Kindle holds many books at once and those I want to remove to make room are stored at Amazon for me until I want to read them again. I don’t have to worry about paper waste and recycling either, as my favorite newspapers and magazines are also available for Kindle.

Kindle v. “Real Books”

Now, I keep hearing that owning a Kindle isn’t the same thing as holding a book. Of course it’s not, but it reads the same. The words are still the same and the story is still the same. The only thing different is how the words are contained.

I read once that J.K. Rowling won’t put the Harry Potter books on Kindle because she believes in “real books” should be read as real books. (But then she has audio versions and allowed her books to be turned into much abridged movies, so whatever..). I believe in the power of reading over the power of holding a book. If people are reading and enjoying what they’re reading it shouldn’t matter whether it’s hardcover, paperback, comic book, or ebook. Purists need to get over that whole line of thinking. Reading is reading.

Travel

Kindles are perfect for travel. I like to read during travel or while waiting at airports or trains stations. I also enjoy reading on long car rides. The Kindle allows me to carry several books at once, plus magazines and newspapers. Traveling light is a beautiful thing. Sometimes when I travel, my laptop case is heavier than it should be because I have books and magazines shoved inside the extra pockets. The Kindle helps me to travel light.

Kindle Nit Picking

So yeah, I do have a couple of nits to pick…

• I wish the Kindle had a backlight. There are times I’d like to read outside at night, in bed, in the car when it’s dark, or while my husband and son are watching a movie that doesn’t interest me. Though one can purchase a light separately, having a backlit device would be terrific and less distracting to the people around me. On the other hand, I love that I can read the  screen outside without having to deal with sun glare. Two big thumbs up on that one.

• Also, I wish I could transfer my existing magazine subscriptions to Kindle. I looked all over for ways to do this and finally contacted Amazon. To read magazines on Kindle I have to wait until my subscription runs out and then resubscribe. It’s not a big deal if I’m renewing anyway, but I’d like to not have to wait. It would be wonderful if we could somehow transfer our existing subscriptions.

• Finally, not all the books I want to read are available on Kindle. That doesn’t mean I won’t read them anyway, but Kindle books are cheaper and I am trying to eliminate clutter. I’m probably more likely to buy a Kindle book now.

The Bottom Line

Anyone who loves books will love having a Kindle. The first book I bought for the Kindle is the hysterically funny “Sh*t My Dad Says” (see affiliate banner in the bottom right sidebar) and I laughed for days. There’s a good variety of books available and even a selection of freebies. I can also read my favorite blogs, newspapers, magazines and ebooks.

Do I recommend the Kindle? Yes, indeedy, I do. I agree that nothing can replace the comfort and feel of a worn out, favorite novel, but it’s time for this old fashioned girl to change with the times. Reading is reading and the Kindle does the job just fine for me.  Who knows? I may not even go back to the old way…

Do you have a Kindle? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments…

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Tagged as: amazon kindle, amazon kindle review, kindle, Kindle Review

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If you have been following this series on how to sell a blog, you’ve no doubt realized that a lot goes into selling a blog and it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. For example, you’ll have to prep your blog for sale, determine a price and truly have a blog worth selling. That’s not enough though. Before you start looking for buyers, you’re going to have to gather some details. You see, it’s not enough to tell them your blog receives so much traffic and that it makes thousands of dollars each month in revenue. You’ll also have to back up your facts and prove your stats.

Keep screenshots handy for the following:

• All revenue sources – Potential buyers will want to see proof that you’re earning what you say you earn whether it’s Adsense, private ad sales, affiliates and even revenue generated through your blog from ebooks, courses, and other income streams.
• Traffic sources:  Buyers want to know about uniques, search traffic, how the social networks are working for you and on the whole, how many people read your blog each day.
• Indirect traffic sources: How many people read your blog via RSS, Facebook, newsletters and more.
• Press, awards and accolades: Keep links to all good news and mentions.

Basically you’re going to have to prove everything you use as a selling point for your blog. Plus, if you have good relationships with advertisers and other bloggers, your buyer is going to want this information as well. They’re hoping to have the same success or else it doesn’t make much sense for them to invest in your blog.

Each potential buyer will want to see at least three months worth of the above, some will ask for a year’s worth of information to check on the growth of your traffic and revenue. The best thing to do is to put together a kit featuring all the pertinent information and having it a the ready for anyone who asks. The easier you make things for a potential buyer, the more likely they are to make a good offer. It will also save a lot of back and forth for anyone looking for more information.

To ensure a smooth transaction, gather this information before you put your blog up for sale.

Would you ever sell your blog? What would it take to get you to do so?

Judging by my email, plenty of you are interested in this series. Please let me know what other questions you have on this or other blogging and social media related topics.

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