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Freedom of Expression?

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Symbol for Freedom of Expression, Democracy, UNESCO

Freedom of expression has become fear of reprisal for your opinion.

It’s difficult to truly express yourself anymore without feeling intimidated about the inevitable reaction. A Twitter pal expressed  her opinion about a politician; I DM’ed her and offered kudos remarking that public support of our elected officials was dicey and she was brave to display her sentiment on Twitter. (Note my lack of courage to share my thought to the entire stream.)

There are new comment policies being implemented more and more on blogs (I wouldn’t know about that yet!). Bloggers are asking for respect from subscribers/readers for all opinions without show of hatred, vicious attacks or downright rudeness. Apparently, we’ve come to a crossroads in respect where folks hiding behind the written word are compelled to strongly attack instead of invite constructive debate.

There are always two sides to every equation, story, experience, situation, and  circumstance:

  • The creditors and debtors
  • Pro-lifers and pro-choice folks
  • Republicans and Democrats with a few more mixed in
  • Smokers and non-smokers
  • Pro mosque or burning of the Islamic holy book

With international borders invisible on social media and networking, are there issues around global expression becoming more heated? Where are the lines of demarcation for decorum and who monitors those? Are there groups using this ungoverned platform as a means to build grassroots campaigns and take them viral?

I’d suggest yes; however, I’m not privy to an actual movement (perhaps the Tea Party is the best example today). Political parties are doing awfully well on the Ethernet. The gun slinging and hatred across the aisle feel more heightened than ever before. We’re walking a divisive line here that I believe will never blend.

On what side of the fence do you sit? Each of us has opinions to share; whether we share them publicly, privately or in a forum in which others agree.  Bloggers with high levels of subscribers/readers have the opportunity to express their opinions.  In any coursework for new bloggers, we’re told to “be controversial.”

That depends solely on a blogger’s comfort level with the first statement I made in this post.What about you? Do you have an opinion or two to share?

Image credit: Helmut Langer

That Blogging Voice

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What's Your Voice?

Apparently, “voice” for bloggers is the Holy Grail. To get there as a newbie, you need:

1. Confidence you know what you want to say

2. Ignorance of others’ critiques when you’re having an off day

3. Knowledge about where you’d like to be one day (a few goals are good)

4. Patience and perseverance about design and techy back-end crapola

5. Strength of spirit to plug away as frequently or infrequently as you like

I had a stressful summer as is typical around my life as a working professional and mom. I struggled to manage time with travel, family and a reduced work day. The blog suffered.

Not only wasn’t I posting as regularly, I wasn’t feeling it either; yet, I pushed to post.  A few remarks (see number two above), and my confidence shattered to the point of almost throwing in the towel.

Rather than quit, I wrote (what some called by best post) “Blogging Takes Confidence,” a heartfelt rendition to share I was not on top of my game. Buoyed by support from that post, I am again compelled to tackle the world.

What’s changed?

  • My child is back in school.
  • I’ve regained four to five hours in my work day.
  • My desk is (relatively) clean again.
  • My brain is de-cluttered, and my countenance is calm.

So what is this “voice” thing?

Merely, voice is the confidence to believe what you’ve got to say has merit; to know the criticism of others is not intended to derail you but to help you get over a natural hump or two; it’s the ability to find a diamond in the rough and share it with the world from your own perspective and, well, I think that’s right?

A-Lister Bloggers: New Print Feature Writers?

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I get inspired by the amazing talent of the A-lister bloggers (at least in my book) to day-in and day-out craft thought leader social media content. How can this much provoking copy be created and most of it not begin to sound the same?

You know, there are only so many dresses on the rack; eventually, you’ll see another woman with the very same dress walking ahead of you on Michigan Avenue. (You get my drift, guys!)

Segue to the daily newspaper suffering from the demise of advertising, subscriptions and fewer journalists. It got me thinking about feature sections and pull-out special sections of the daily newspapers I read. Don’t you think these pages are chock full of a lot of nothing?

Here’s the brainstorm. A newspaper should contract 2x/week with some hot tamale bloggers and publish a new feature section with content that resonates a whole heckuva lot more than what print subscribers are paying for.

Here’s my list who can fill the queue; who else comes to mind?

  • Jason Falls, , who is so prolific and wordy hot that I shake my head and marvel.
  • , who launched 12for12K and has numerous awards as a Canadian blogger and is also of the set.
  • , , who has become a B2B social media thought leader with his lively and thoughtful community.
  • who pens a daily storytelling blog with a roundup of what’s going on across the 2.0 world
  • David Meerman Scott of and a keen author of public relations blended social media works.

These gentlemen are noteworthy in their leadership in this social media space. I’m sure they’d appreciate your attention to tell them so, too.

Cow Tipping & Blogs

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Ever hear of cow tipping? My mom did it when she was a kid. Apparently the cows sleep standing up, and when you shove them they tip like a domino (or some such).

Anyway, the headline was meant as a grabber (did it succeed?) to focus attention on the operative root word “tip.” We are tip lovers, and even that YouTube video above is in tip form!

When was the last time you read a “top 10 list?” (Oh, about 10 seconds ago.) I’m guilty as charged, and the two (only) blog posts I’ve written with tips have received the most retweets on Twitter, too.

It’s always interesting to notice patterns when blogging. I’m going to share a few for your consideration and ponder, too.  May I resort to being tippish?

  • Checklists and tips are some of the most reader-friendly content you can develop. That goes for blogs, too, and I think it’s because the tone is appealing, it’s educational, and quick.
  • One never knows if anyone is reading a blog, or not. What keeps me going are the people who send emails or tweets mentioning a cool post they read.
  • People who comment on a blog are few and far in between. I’m not sure the invitation at the end really makes a difference in encouraging comments either.
  • Focusing a post on a Fortune company with intriguing commentary helps elevate content to be more authoritative. It also helps bring in the spam, too.
  • There are more tools available for bloggers than one can ever hope to research; it’s daunting out here.
  • Focus first on content – keep it fresh, keep it active, keep it current, keep it energetic.
  • Set some goals to explore applications and tools regularly. Not only will you learn, but others will learn alongside you.
  • Teaching is part of giving back. Because my profession usually gets a bad wrap, it’s imperative I teach youngsters wending their way through a growth curve and offer sage counsel about success in public relations.

That goes for blogging, too. Hope a walk down memory lane or a “you’re kidding!” were the reactions you got from this post. I see no change on the horizon. My trending forecast remains bullish on tips. Tip it up galore, just don’t get all tipsy about it.

New Bloggers’ Q & A

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Now that I have three full weeks of straight blogging under my belt, it means nothing. Seriously! There is so much to learn and do, it’s daunting. Along the path, I’d like to bring you with to share in my experience with questions I’m posing and that are being posed to me.

Here we go:

1. Why don’t I have a link to Soulati–‘TUDE! from my home page at ?

Exactly; long story. Simply, I have branding issues. The recent importation of a blog into an antiquatedly built site has created challenges (which are opportunities) to modernize. It’s an evolution and one that requires some IT dinking. There will soon be a link to the blog from the home page of Soulati.com; promise. (I needed to state that in a public forum to be my own leading edge…it carries some weight!)

2. Can I design an entire Web site in WordPress?

Yes, one can. offers the best of DIY for anyone interested in a simple, easy-to-edit content management approach. As I switched from Headway to Thesis, someone made a remark saying my blog resembled the look of others designed in Thesis. I suggested kindly in reply, it wasn’t the look that mattered, it was the content. (I still concur with myself.)

3. Is there a bloggers’ association at which I can review guide rules, etiquette?

What a surprise; nope. I found the , an association in Singapore, and niche bloggers’ associations for outdoor, theater, Iranian Muslim, and Afrosphere. Didn’t find a plain old weblog association on which I want to see copyright rules, etiquette, trademarks, how to link, sources for content, tutorials on SEM, blogging platforms and a social networking site.

4. Do you think question 3 and its answer just gave someone really innovative an idea to launch a business?

Resoundingly, yes, and please put me on the inaugural board of directors as a charter pioneer of a new bloggers’ association.

5. Do you think three-week-old bloggers should be so arrogant?

No, but since there are no guide rules on tonality, etiquette, or braggadocio to be found at a bloggers’ peer group, ignorance is bliss, as they say.

6. What is a blog roll?

A blog roll is just like a roll call in school (why was it called that anyway?). You can add links to blogs you wish to feature in a list as a side widget on your blog. Nice way to gift your peers. (Widgets, incidentally, are pretty important to a blog; they’ve come a long way from “company X that makes widgets” in academic examples found in college text books.”

7. How does one find topics of interest to write about?

There are endless opportunities for topics, and I find them this way:

  • Listening differently. Most conversations provide some topic for consideration. I jot down a buzz word in a rolling topical list in a manual spiral notebook on my desk. I’ve also taken to carrying paper with me to ensure I can capture a thought while driving, or standing in a line somewhere. (I’m sure there’s some fancy mobile app for my i-Pod 3G instead of paper.)
  • Reading newsprint and tearing stories. I pull from periodicals and do the same, keeping these in a manual folder. (Can’t tell you I’m reviewing the folder daily; I need to locate it on my desk.)
  • Watching current events and common themes on Twitter.
  • Asking Twitter friends about a topic they’d like to see or their opinion on what’s resonated thus far on the blog. Inviting experts for interviews, and asking pals to make comments on a blog post which can lead to a new post topic.
  • Reading others’ blogs, and reviewing shared links pertaining to my field of expertise.  When posting comments on others’ blogs, I consider that topic for later.

8. What part of a new blog is a bigger bite than chewable?

IT!! I’ve stated before, having some IT knowledge is hugely beneficial. As things unfold and there’s more to incorporate on the blog, IT expertise is a must. Of course, there are levels of expertise. I’m in the “I’ll-try-anything-eight-times-cry- then-try-again-and-get-it-done” category. If you’re in the “I’m-never-touching-IT-ever-and-I’ll-pay-someone” category, then you’re going to have problems. Try to find a happy medium.

9. Who is the founding father of the blogosphere?

From Dave Winer pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS), podcasting, outlining, and web content management software; former contributing editor at Wired Magazine, research fellow at Harvard Law School, entrepreneur, and investor in web media companies. A native New Yorker, he received a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from Tulane University and currently lives in Berkeley, California.

10. Does it take time to blog?

Eh? What’d you say? You think thinking, researching, interviewing, writing, editing, writing, posting, tagging, previewing, fact-checking, linking, editing, marketing, responding, engaging and strategizing take time? Why, goodness, no.