Links

Links: Independence Day 2009 Edition

Happy 4th to Americans and Happy belated Canada Day.

Email going around with this. “At 5 minutes and 6 seconds after 4 a.m.,on the 8th of July, this year, the time and date will be:

04:05:06am on 07-08-09

“This will not happen again until the year 3009.” You can say the same for the ones coming in the next three years:

05:06:07am on 08-09-10 (2010)
06:07:08am on 09-10-11 (2011)
07:08:09am on 10-11-12 (2012)

It’d be cool to have one of these birthdays.

• 7 Ways to Build Your Author Brand Online
• My Favorite Book Covers of 2008: Fabulous list. Can’t begin to pick one.
• LinkedIn: 22 Ways to Dominate: Link with me, if you haven’t already.
• How to Succeed (or Survive) as a Writer: PDF slidepack of F+W Media Editorial Director Jane Friedman’s two most popular talks from 2008-2009, plus a handout on surviving publishing in the 21st century.
• 10 Books for Mothers Who Write: I read Letters to a Young Poet when I took art in college. I don’t even remember the book — just that I read it. Maybe it’ll resonate more with me now.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Buildings don’t always fall down. They fall over.
• 10 Life Lessons from Star Trek presentation
• The Sea Pig [Link: shelleyryan]
• Collection of Independence Day covers from New Yorker
• When fireworks go wrong. Proof that fireworks aren’t toys.

Links: 26 June 2009

• Easy on the Hooptedoodle: How to be invisible when writing a book. You know… show instead of tell. [Link: The Blood-Red Pencil]
• Exposing Some Myths About Blogging Pay Rates
• 7 Ways to Rediscover Your Dreams
• Book Marketing 2.0: 5 ways you can use Web 2.0 tools to promote your book
• Namechk: See if a user name is available across many social networks.
• Twitter Logo Generator [Link: Crenk]

• Best Sites for Used Cars: Daughter has driver’s permit. Not gonna get her a new car. If anything, she’ll inherit hubby’s car once he gets a replacement.
• Star Trek does opera: Khannnnn! in Italian.
• Emo Babies: Not emo as in wearing black, but showing their feelings and emotions. Very cute.
• Wanna See a Kindle 2?

Links: Juneteenth 2009 Edition

• Social Media and “The Flight Attendant Effect”: Excellent analogy that makes great sense. [Link: Scott Blitstein
• Five Levels Of Social Media Responses [Link: Dawn Foster]
• Children’s book writing month at Tumblemoose: Lots of advice, articles, videos and guests.
• Tweeting for profits: How retailers and other businesses are taking advantage of Twitter.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Darth McVader: This link is in memory of my dear friend Glenn.
• The Stapler Caper: Adorable wordless children’s book that encourages children to write the story. YouTube video tells more. Disclaimer: Creator is a dear friend of mine. Heard great story about a kid who hated writing. He actually produced an incredible story using this book as a tool. Wow.
• Tilt-shift Photos of London: Just makes me wanna get there ASAP! I love the UK and am eager to visit there as one of my first stops on the other side of the world.

Links: 20th Wedding Anniversary 2009 Edition

Yesterday was my 20th wedding anniversary. Wow. Two decades of marriage. I’m very lucky to have Paul as a partner in life, parenting and silliness. Yes, I’m up for many more! I just hope he can handle me!

• What books do people proselytize about?
• 10 steps to get your e-mail inbox to zero every day [Link: Aliza Sherman]
• How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live: I watched #tonys on Twitter last Sunday and it was quite an experience different than what I am used to on Twitter.
• Social Networking Medial ROI Calculator

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 40 Fantastic Sand Sculptures
• How to Plan a Vacation Using Social Media: Note to self… remember this when I finally manage to plan one.
• Guess the Logo: Love these games.
• 8 Weird and Wacky Items Sold on Amazon.com

Links: June Is Busting out All Over 2009 Edition

More fun reads than biz reads as I recover from surgery and can barely handle the heavy-duty thinking.

• 10 Golden Lessons from Steve Jobs [Link: Pamela Poole]
• Series of articles on how people use a computer with different disabilities (look to the right for more) [Link: Laura Carlson]

• Test My Brain
• RunPee: OK, admit it. You find yourself needing to go in the middle of a good movie, but can’t decide whether to suffer a little longer or go now. Wonder no more. Next time you go to the movies, check RunPee to find out the best times to go.
• Top 10 BBQ Blogs: What kind of Texan would I be if I didn’t mention this? [Link: Michael Kogon]
• 9 Video Games That Went Too Far
• The 10 Commandments, in TXT Spk: #3: No OMGs [Link: RaToTheBec]

Links: Memorial Day Weekend 2009 Edition

(moment of silence) Thank you, soldiers.

• The Role of Get Rich Quick Merchants: Complete with fab New Yorker cartoon.
• Best Entrepreneur Books That You Never Expected
• Useful Tools: Straight out reviews of web apps and tools without the editorial or anything else.
• How Freelancers Might Save Publishing
• Why People Don’t Follow Back on Twitter: Are you breaking these Twitter Commandments? [Disclosure: I wrote it]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Awkward Family Photos: No ’splanation needed.
• Wireless Keyboard Wall Graphics: Ah, geek art.
• Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest: Ah, dizzy art.
• Research Paper Glossary
• Top 10 Movie Misquotes
• Incredible photo of the sun… not just the sun…

Links: Field Day 2009 Edition

I have the fondest memories of field day in elementary school. All the classrooms would have their own shirts with their teacher’s name and a mascot. I’ve been a Haines Hound, Vickers Viking and Strickland Spartan. We competed against other homerooms in the same grade levels and won ribbons at the end of the day. I still have my good sportsmanship ribbon from first grade. Probably the only time I ever deserved it

Imagine my surprise when I went to field day at our main elementary school when my daughter was in first grade (she’s in ninth now). The whole school wears one t-shirt (there may be color variations) and there are no ribbons or anything. Just a fun day with lots of group activities ending with a teacher’s tug-of-war. I think it’s a wonderful way to emphasize good sportsmanship and having fun while exercising.

• Tips for Usability Professionals in a Down Economy (applies in an up one, too).
• Social PR Survey II: Continued disconnect between clients, agencies
• Ten Twitter Mythconceptions
• 31 Ways to Get Inspired
• Industry-specific Twitter Guides by Profession
• Styling your Lists: 20+ Brilliant How tos and Best Practices
• The Ultimate Collection of The Best Light Swirl Photoshop Brushes

• 11 Geeky Mouse Pads: I have the color code, but don’t use it as a mousepad (not enough traction).
• Invisible cat door
• *PEW PEW*, NOM NOM: An AT-AT Cake
• If Microsoft ruled the world

Link: We Love Moms 2009 Edition

I’m very lucky to have a fabulous mom. Thanks, Mom.

• The Peacock Guide to Landing Pages: Amy mentions the Twitter bio. My advice is to add keywords important to you and your business plus a couple of fun facts about yourself.
• The Myth of the Sales Page: Right on, Sean! I’m not going to buy something after clicking a link that takes me to the landing page. This is exactly why businesses need to use different social networking tools.
• Effective Networking for Book Publishing: No longer can authors depend on publishers to do the promotion — unless your name is John Grisham or some other hot shot.
• An Open Letter to “New” Writers

• Free Music Archive: Yes, free and legal.
• Paintalicious - Thomas Allen’s Book Art Photography: “Blogzine of exciting contemporary art, showcasing an eclectic mix of underground artists, pop surrealists, emerging and rediscovered counter cultures.”
• My First Dictionary: Dick and Jane style wholesome pictures meet cruel world. For word lovers.
• &, the carrying case; &, the book and &, the tee: Who doesn’t love that gorgeous symbol? [Links: Havi]
• What NOT to get for the baby or toddler

List of Twitter Chats

Image credit Vincent Abry

Twitter group chats offer a clever and effective way to meet people with like interests and to share insights into the topic of discussion. Chatters track their conversations using hashtags (#) followed by the name of the chat, i.e. #journchat.

While we can search for these groups by their names as in “journchat” and “editorchat,” the reason we had the # in front is to separate them from those just mentioning those words in conversation. It’s not as if we’re going to mention “journchat” in our conversation without a reference to the chat, but there are other names like “Star Wars” that can mean the difference between # and no #.

Update: This post is no longer updated as an interactive spreadsheet is available and it looks like chats are growing too fast for one person to keep the listed updated.

Here’s a list of Twitter chats in alphabetical order. A detailed list appears after the list sorted by the day of the week. Please add chats, more information and corrections in the comments and I’ll update the list. To join a chat, check the post on how to join Twitter chats.

Note: All times listed in Central Standard Time. Find out what time the chat occurs in your area with the time zone converter.

Alphabet List of Chats

#agchat: Tuesdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#AgeOp: Thursdays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#assnchat: Tuesdays, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm CST.

#blogchat: Sundays, 8:00pm to 10:00pm CST.

#brandchat: Wednesdays, 10:00am to 11:00am CST.

#carchat: Wednesdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#editorchat: Wednesdays, 7:30pm to 10:00pm CST.

#educhat: No set schedule.

#eventprofs: Tuesdays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm CST and Thursdays, 11:00am to 12:00pm CST.

#ffparty: Fridays.

#foodchat: Third Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#hcsm: Sundays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#hcmktg: Fridays, 12:00pm to 1:00pm CST.

#innochat: Thursdays, 2:00pm to 3:00pm CST.

#journ2journ: Thursdays, 7:00pm to 8:30pm CST.

#journchat: Mondays, 7:00pm to 10pm CST.

#litchat: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 3:00 pm-4:00 pm CST.

#lrnchat: Thursdays, 7:30pm - 9:00pm CST.

#platformchat: Fridays, 1:00 - 2:00pm CST.

#poetry: Thursdays, 8:00 pm-9:00 pm CST.

#pr20chat: Wednesdays, 7:00pm - 8:00pm CST.

#queryday: No set schedule.

#sbbuzz: Tuesdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#smallbizchat: Wednesdays, 7:00pm to 8:00pm CST.

#smbiz: Tuesdays, 7:00pm to 8:00pm CST.

#smchat: Wednesdays, 12:00pm to 1:00pm CST.

#talentnet: last Wednesday of the month, 8:00pm to 10:00pm CST.

#writechat: Sundays, 2:00pm to 5:00pm CST.

Sunday

#writechat: Moderated by @WritingSpirit. When: Sundays, 2:00pm to 5:00pm CST.

#blogchat: Bettering your blog. Moderated by . Blogchat recaps. Moderated by @MackCollier. When: Sundays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#hcsm: “The Healthcare Communication & Social Media community hosts a weekly Twitter conversation about communication and marketing practices by healthcare organizations, including use of social media.” Moderated by @HealthSocMed and #danamlewis. Chat web site. When: Sundays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

Monday

#journchat: “Conversation between journalists, bloggers and public relations folks. Moderated by @PRsarahevans.” When: 7:00pm to 10pm CST.

#litchat: “Mission is to connect readers with books and authors.” Transcripts available on blog. Moderated by @litchat. When: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm CST.

Tuesday

#assnchat: “Open to any all members of the association community, including staff, consultants, volunteer leaders and members. Explore the present and future of associations. Bring your issues and questions!” Moderated by @pinnovation with assistance from others. When: Tuesdays, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm CST.

#sbbuzz: “A weekly chat about small businesses for small business owners, techies, social media mavens and folks who love ‘em.” More focused on tech in small business. Moderated by @sbbuzz, @pmohara and @mriggen. Chat web site. When: Tuesdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#smbiz: “Open chat session where small businesses of every kind can meet, network and ask all kinds of questions in any of the aforementioned areas.” Moderated by @smbiz, @sternalpr, @sternalmrktg. Details about #smbiz. When: Tuesdays, 7:00pm to 8:00pm CST.

#agchat: “The mission of #agchat is to keep an ongoing, open dialogue amongst the various players in the agriculture, farming and ranching worlds. For people in agriculture, including those in the business of producing food, feed, fuel and fiber.” Moderated by #mpaynknoper. When: Tuesdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#foodchat: “Monthly conversation Designed to bring consumers together with agriculture on the third Tuesday of each month to bridge the farm gate to the consumer plate.” Moderated by #foodchat and #mpaynknoper. When: Third Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#eventprofs: Gathering of event professionals. Wiki of chat topics and archives of past chats, schedule and moderators. Chat details. Moderated by @ready2spark and @eventprofs. When: Tuesdays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm CST and Thursdays, 11:00am to 12:00pm CST.

Wednesday

#brandchat: “A discussion between experts, strategists, and those interested in learning more about personal branding and managing their personal brand.” Brandchat site and Twitter ID. Moderated by #mariaduron and #davidsandusky. When: Wednesdays, 10:00am to 11:00am CST.

#smchat: A discussion on the power of social media among active practitioners and strategists. Anyone interested in driving value from online interaction and collaboration is welcome. Be ready for a discussion that’s sometimes technical but always lively. We explore dynamics of social & professional interaction, twitter, online communities, and the evolution of knowledge networks. Moderated by @sourcepov. See #smchat page on What the Hashtag? for more details. Members should watch #socialmedia #collaboration and #km for insight. When: Wednesdays, 12:00pm - 1:00pm CST.

#litchat: “Mission is to connect readers with books and authors.” Transcripts available on blog. Moderated by @litchat. When: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm CST.

#pr20chat: Discussion of where PR is heading. Moderated by @bethharte.” When: 7:00pm to 8pm CST.

#carchat: Discussion about cars and the automotive industry. Facebook group. Moderated by @michaelbanovsky. When: Wednesdays, 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#smallbizchat: “Helpful tips and advice geared toward small business startups and those that have been in business for less than five years.” Follow @smallbizchat for weekly details. Moderated by @smallbizlady and cohost @CathyWebSavvyPR. When: 7:00pm to 9:00pm CST.

#editorchat: “a place for professional writers and editors who use the micro-blogging service Twitter to discuss how best to help one another.” @LydiaBreakfast runs the chat. #editorchat’s blog. When: 7:30pm to 10:00pm CST.

#talentnet: “Chat is for an audience of recruiters, sourcers, researchers and other HR professionals interested in social media for recruiting and branding.” More details on chat and Facebook page. Moderated by @fishdogs and @pinkolivefamily. When: last Wednesday of the month, 8:00pm to 10:00pm CST.

Thursday

#eventprofs: Gathering of event professionals. Wiki of chat topics and archives of past chats, schedule and moderators. Moderated by @ready2spark and @eventprofs. When: Mondays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm CST and Thursdays, 11:00am to 12:00pm CST.

#innochat: On innovation. Moderated by @stonepayton. When: Thursdays, 2:00pm to 3:00pm CST.

#journ2journ: Reporters help other reporters in some manner and discuss journalism challenges. Moderated by @journ2journ. Chat recaps on Poynter. When: Thursdays, 7:00pm to 8:30pm CST.

#tweetin: Moderated by @LinkedInExpert. See Linked in to Business. When: Thursdays (not weekly, check site), 7:00pm to 8:30pm CST.

#lrnchat for people interested in the topic of learning who use the social messaging service Twitter to learn from one another and discuss how to help other people learn. Moderated by @marciamarcia. When: Thursdays, 7:30pm - 9:00pm CST.

#AgeOp: “For those interested in getting more out of life, marketing to the 50+ demographic, interested in the politics of aging, the tragedy of ageism, the explosion of masters athletics, the value of experience, the key to health and vitality, how the 50+ market uses the internet, and on and on.” Moderated by @kwidrick and @ageopportunity. When: Thursdays, 8pm - 9:00pm CST.

#poetry: “We talk poetry. Readers, writers, and all others encouraged to join.” Moderated by @gregpincus. When: Thursdays, 8pm - 9:00pm CST.

Friday

#ffparty: “A virtual nightclub on Twitter where the creative class gathers from all over the world for a Friday Art Party. Artists of all types share creative expression. Guests at #ffparty drape themselves in beautiful clothes, listen to cool music, mingle with contemporaries, and bring their work, or share other’s work, displaying their creative and original flair.” Moderated by @blogbrevity. #ffparty explained. When: Fridays.

#hcmktg: Chat related to healthcare marketing. Moderated by @hcmktg, @IntervalChris, @TalstoneDJ and @reedsmith. Chat web site. When: Fridays, 12:00pm to 1:00pm CST.

#platformchat: Chat on the why and how to have a platform. Moderated by @thewritermama. Every Friday during the summer. When: Fridays, 1:00pm to 2:00pm CST.

#litchat: “Mission is to connect readers with books and authors.” Transcripts available on blog. Moderated by @litchat. When: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm CST.

Saturday

None

No Set Schedule

#educhat: Moderated by . “While we could discuss many topics in a given evening, it is currently thought that each week would see discussions focused on a single broad topic” surrounding education. #educhat web site and information. Moderated by @educhat. When: No set schedule.

#queryday: Discusses how to query well. Held every other month and moderated by Colleen Lindsay. When: No set schedule.

ShortURL to this post: http://u.nu/5wye

Updated: 26 June 2009

Links: May First 2009 Edition

Sad to hear Fort Worth’s Mayfest is off this weekend thanks to swine flu. Attendees enjoy arts, entertainment and crafts. It also hit many of us with allergy and asthma attacks with all the hay (it almost always rained before or during Mayfest).

• How not to be hated in Facebook
• 10 people to unfollow in Twitter
• 10 techniques for an effective ‘call to action’
• Is PR really in the relationship business?
• 10 reasons to be grateful for difficulty
• Letter from a Proofreader with Edits
• The difference between male and female leaders: I always find these types of conversations fascinating.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• John Williams is the man! A Star Wars-themed four-part a cappella musical tribute. Performed by Corey Vidal and Moosebutter. Closed-captioned,too!
• Swinefighter: Swine flu fighting game. Need a break from all the swine flu bad news? Here you go.
• 17 cool magnet tricks
• Spreadtweet: “So, you work at a big corporate, huh? And you’re not allowed to use Twitter… Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were a Twitter tool that looked just like Excel?”