Thomas Umstattd Jr.

Today is the first in a series I am calling New Media Mondays. For the next several Monday’s I am going to explain a new form of media, how it works, and how you can use it to change the world.

Today we are talking about blogs. What are they? What are they good for? And how to have a great blog.

Filter friendly video link .

What are blogs?
Blog are platforms for you to have your own publication. They started off as journals or weB LOGs but they have become so much more now.

Blogs are better than email for mass communication. Email is plagued by spam filters and by people deleting it before reading it. Blogs don’t face these challenges. Facebook notes and MySpace notes are not real blogs.

Blogs often have comments section after each post allowing for community discussion

What are they good for?

1. Gaining accesses to famous people: Having a blog has allowed me to interview and interrogate a state representative, congressmen and even the Texas Land Commissioner.
2. Gaining local influence: Local political blogs are one of the most powerful weapons in the modern political arsenal. If you have a good blog on Podunk Texas politics you can become just as influential as the Podunk Texas newspaper. All politics is local.
3. Communicating with the press: I have had major news magazines contact me about blog posts. As a candidate it is a great way to communicate with the media in between press releases. There is really no reason to be a candidate and not have a blog.
4. Advocating Issues: Sometimes the best way to take on the local school board is to blog about them. If you blog each school board meeting you will become the source of information about the school board.  You will become the expert and able to influence change.
5. Fact Checking the Media: It is a lot harder for the liberal media to get away with lying now with bloggers watching. Rick Green may have one in 2002 if he or some of his supporters had active blogs and could have held the press accountable for their deceptions. If you don’t believe me I have two words for you. Dan Rather.
6. Search Engine Optimization: Google likes blogs. Just google “Abolition of Abortion” and see what comes up.

Blog Tips:

1. Have something to say. People have no patience for parrots. If you don’t have something original and why should someone read you?
2. Practice . The first 2 years of my blog were awful. Getting the hang of writing something other people want to read takes practice.
3. Read other blogs. Google reader is the best blog reader and it is free! reader.google.com for more info. ProBlogger and CopyBlogger are some great blogs on blogging. The key to reading blogs is to understand and use RSS feeds .
4. Be interesting. Boring blogs don’t get read.
5. Be Original. Touting the party line is boring. So is repeating Rush Limbaugh or Shaun Hanity.
6. Study Blogging. I recomend reading and applying: 50 Way to Take Your Blog to the Next Level

My Favorite Blogs

News & Business Blogs

• AppleInsider
• Seth Godin’s Blog
• Good URL Bad URL

Public Speaking/Presentation Blogs

• Presentation Zen
• Create Your Communications Experience
• Beyond Bullet Points

Fun Blogs

• Homestar Runner
• The Joy of Tech
• Calvin and Hobbes (Unofficial)
• Dilbert Daily Strip
• Pearls Before Swine
• indexed

Political Blogs

• The Patriot Academy Blog
• Lessig Blog
• Right in Texas

Friends Blogs

• The O’Brian FACTor!
• Renae Brumbaugh
• David Umstattd
• Paul Hastings

Educational Blogs

• Common Craft - Explanations In Plain English
• Dictionary.com Word of the Day

In this issue of New Media Monday you will learn:

• What are Podcasts?
• What are they good for?
• How to find and listen to a podcast.
• How to start your own podcast.
• A list of my favorite podcasts

(more…)

So what is wikipedia? Why is it so important? How can you use a wiki and even wikipedia? These questions and more will be answered in today’s New Media Monday. (more…)

One difference between Martin Luther and the reformers who came before him is that Luther used a new technology to spread his message. He also broke from the tradition of writing only in Latin and talked straight to the people.

Technology helped Luther change the world.

As Christians it is important for us to do the same. We must embrace new technologies to help spread the Good News. Learning new tech can be intimidating. So, for the next several weeks I will present a new technology every Monday.

You will learn:

• What it is
• How it works
• How to use it to change the world

My goal is to use clear simple English and videos that I have found on the web. If you don’t understand the technology after 5 minutes I will consider that post a failure as far as you are concerned.

Before we get started, I want to share a preview video about Social Media. This is the big picture and the individual technologies are like the puzzle pieces that fit into that picture. In short, social media gives the power to the people.

Social Media in Plain English

Social Media in Plain English on blip.tv . Please leave me a comment if Blip.tv is blocked by your filter so I can find a better video site.

You can subscribe to my blog to get new posts automatically delivered either by email or rss feed .

This short 4 minute video explains podcasting better than anything else I have ever seen.

We have all seen this orange icon and likely just ignored it. But this little icon can transform your internet experience. Clicking this icon causes good things to happen. To explain those good things I have found a short 2 minute YoouTube video.

RSS in Plain English

Using Google Reader (Tutorial)
I use google reader. For me its the easiest to use since I use gmail. If you are a yahoo person you can use yahoo’s RSS.

Yahoo RSS Faq