Christopher Wink » Advice

Choose your business name on domain availability

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:53 +0000

When you're launching a business or a brand, a check for domain availability has to be part of the brainstorming. I worked with Shannon McDonald to launch a hyperlocal news site for Northeast Philadelphia. Initially in late 2008, she wanted the product to be the Web presence of a print product she wanted to call NEast Magazine. It's not where we ended up. That domain and the shortened NEastmag.com were then used by a now defunct snowboarding magazine. So we thought more seriously about branding. We decided developing a Web first brand didn't have to mean we couldn't someday offer a niche print product if the value was there. So we went hunting for a domain that fit. Our intention then, as it probably should be for most when possible, was a five to seven-letter domain dot com name that was the same as the brand. While for brand protection, she bought others, eleven-letter NEastPhilly.com fit and flown well since. Now, as dot coms get crowded and more crowded still, we'll see the evolution of upper level domains -- geographic specific options like .philly and perhaps more respect for .nets and .infos -- but for now, you want it short, you want it a dotcom and you want it the same as your business or brand. If your domain is long, try to grab something in shorthand that can forward there -- like tphilly.com for TechnicallyPhilly.com and WDSTL.com for We Don't Speak the Language -- or get creative with an action, like how I encouraged friend and author Eric Smith to grab ReadTextualHealing.com for the novel he's self-publishing. Because by now, existing legacy businesses are online, and no one should start any business ever again without a Web-first mentality. So the question of what your domain will be has to be an early decision. When going to the clever and strong staff blog of alt-weekly Philadelphia CityPaper, I still often type theclog.com, which of course they didn't buy when they launched the brand. The Washington Post got picked on for launching World Wide Wilbon without grabbing the domain. There are countless more examples, of course. So be sure, in discussing a product's name, the availability of a related domain is also part of the process.

Have a sound byte for your TV news interview

Christopher Wink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:40 +0000

I'm 24 and have made just two appearances on TV news, so take this piece of advice as much or as little as you'd like. But a friend was being interviewed by her local news affiliate and asked for any advice I might have. I offered her what I thought was most important: have a sound byte ready. If you know the topic you're being asked about, prepare 30 at most and nearer to 10-15 words with a punch. Remember that TV interviews are meant to elicit simple answers, so the questions tend to be pretty straightforward. Slide your prepared byte in and move on. I did this very thing when I was briefly on Philadelphia's Fox affiliate talking about e-waste. My prepared byte didn't even make the cut, but, as I've been told myself, if you don't have a point, they'll find one -- and you might not like it. Generally the advice is the same for any interview: be succinct, be clear and be on point. If you start rambling, that's when journalists like me might quote you on something you won't like.

Asendin For Sale

Christopher Wink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:33 +0000

Asendin For Sale, Anyone publishing to the Web needs to accept the importance of a catchy image, graphic or photo.

The color can spruce up a site -- bringing in word-resistent readers and making something simple seem more design friendly -- and affect readership. Buy Asendin without a prescription, But many average PC users out there blogging -- or even those just looking to share captures from their screen -- struggle with an effective way, particularly if they aren't skilled in graphic imaging or have the requisite software.

Thankfully, order Asendin no prescription, MS Paint and other similar basic graphics software prove powerful tools, Online buying Asendin, even with their bare-boned application options.

Mac users can utilize Command-shift-4 to take a selected screen shot (or Cmd-shift-3 for a copy of the entire screen), but for PC users there are a few extra steps if you want to make a selected screenshot, buy Asendin online no prescription. Below, at the behest of a friend, I share the simple steps, Asendin For Sale.

GET THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

[caption id="attachment_4660" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Navigate your browser to a desired Web site. Order Asendin from mexican pharmacy, Here, using Mozilla Firefox, I've gone to TechnicallyPhilly.com, Asendin over the counter. I only want to select the site's logo, Purchase Asendin online no prescription, but note the other images and tabs."][/caption]

1. Navigate your browser to the page from which you desire to make a selection. Asendin For Sale, 2. Use your keyboard's Print Screen button, buy no prescription Asendin online. This is often shortened to something like "PrtScrn, Asendin pharmacy, " and regularly appears in the top right of typical PC desktops and laptop keyboards, surrounded by "Scroll Lock" and the "Delete" buttons. Many laptops and other smaller size keyboards require you to press both the Print Screen and an alternate Function key, purchase Asendin online, which is sometimes shortened to "Fn."

Note: The Print Screen button is making a copy of the entire screen you see, Order Asendin, not actually printing the screen in this format.

OPEN MICROSOFT PAINT AND YOUR SCREENSHOT

3. From your Start menu, under All Programs and/or the Accessories tabs, where can i buy Asendin online, you should find the familiar MS Paint icon. If you have trouble doing that, search for the program this way, Asendin For Sale. Asendin samples, [caption id="attachment_4661" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Here, in MS Paint, you see my browser screen -- complete with tabs, where can i order Asendin without prescription. I want to isolate the site's logo."]Where can i find Asendin online, in MS Paint, you see my browser screen -- complete with tabs. I want to isolate the site's logo." width="470" />[/caption]

4, where can i buy cheapest Asendin online. With Paint open, Buy cheap Asendin no rx, press Control-V, which is a shortcut command for pasting. Asendin For Sale, You will see the screen you copied now appear within Paint.

Note: You now have a JPEG (picture) format screenshot of your desired site, Asendin for sale, so now you just need to isolate what portion of that site you want.

5. Order Asendin online c.o.d, Your cursor should look like a compass or another four-pronged device, depending on your operating system, whic shows its a manuerving tool, order Asendin no prescription. Make sure the selection tool is highlighted in MS Paint -- it appears as a rectangle with a dotted line. Buy Asendin online no prescription, (If you don't see tools, in the top navigation, click on the View drop down box and make certain the Tool Box is checked.)

SELECT PORTION OF THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

6, buy Asendin from canada. Left-clicking on the screenshot of your desired site, hold it as you move the site up and to the left just barely, leaving in view the portion of the desired site you want to isolate, Asendin For Sale.

Note: When you pasted your screenshot into MS Paint, Order Asendin from mexican pharmacy, it was selected by the program. You need to deselect it, so yo can isolate whatever porton of the screenshot of which you want a copy.

7, buy generic Asendin. Scroll down until you see white space within the MS Paint interface, Asendin for sale, showing the end of your screenshot. You should see a dotted line outlining the end of your screenshot.

Note: That dotted line shows that the screenshot is highlighted.

Asendin For Sale, [caption id="attachment_4664" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Shift your screenshot in MS Paint, revealing the background -- white in this example. Then click in that white space to deselect your screenshot so you can then select the portion of the screenshot you want to isolate."]australia, uk, us, usa, canada, mexico, india, craiglist, ebay, revealing the background -- white in this example. Purchase Asendin online, Then click in that white space to deselect your screenshot so you can then select the portion of the screenshot you want to isolate." width="470" />[/caption]

8. Now click off your screenshot into the white space. That should deselect your screenshot (making the dotted line disappear) and changing your cursor to resemble more of a target scope, Asendin samples.

9, Asendin For Sale. Use that cursor to draw a box around whatever porton of the screenshot you want to isolate. Buy Asendin online cod, (If you make a mistake, just deselect by clicking off the screenshot -- in the white space -- again.)

[caption id="attachment_4665" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="After deselecting your screenshot, highlight the portion you want to isolate."]buy Asendin without prescription, highlight the portion you want to isolate." width="470" />[/caption]

10. With the portion of screenshot you want isolated, click Control-X, the shortcut for cut. That will erase that portion from your screenshot.

Asendin For Sale, 11. In the top navigation bar of MS Paint, choose the File drop down bar and select New, for a new project. (You don't need to save).

12. With an empty MS Paint screen, press Control-V for paste, pasting the portion of your screenshot that you isolated.

13, Asendin For Sale. From the File drop down, save that with whatever file name you want -- make sure it's saved as a JPEG.

[caption id="attachment_4662" align="alignnone" width="396" caption="The final image I cut from my screenshot"][/caption]

14. Now you can upload the selection like any other image.

You'll quickly learn this process, and MS Paint will prove a vauable tool.

Brief Fox 29 appearance discussing e-waste

Christopher Wink — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:30:51 +0000

That's the beautiful twin I call home in Frankford, in lower Northeast Philadelphia, behind me, and, yes, that's a screen shot of my ugly mug on the last night's Fox 29 10 o'clock news. I was interviewed by John Atwater of Fox 29 for their followup to a PBS Frontline documentary on e-waste in developing nations. To show the piles of outdated technology that are scrapped by Western nations and shipped to be dumped in places like West Africa's Ghana, the documentary shot footage of one, and found a computer from the School District of Philadelphia. A Technically Philly reader spotted it and sent it our way, and we ran with it. Writing the first local story on the matter and then pushing on the district to announce an investigation. That last larger story got a fair amount of buzz on Philly social media circuits, and Fox 29 picked up on it from Twitter. Now it's in big media's hands -- until TPhilly can begin monetization and become big media, of course... or something like that. See the take on it from running on Technically Philly. After the jump, check the video and my take on the experience. 'Recycled' Computers Found In Africa Atwater, who is boyish and polite, e-mailed another TPhilly reporter, who forwarded my contact information to him at 3:30 p.m. yesterday. By 4:15, Atwater and I were on the phone. He asked me some questions and then requested an interview. It felt like a good opportunity to put Technically Philly in the mainstream media for a different audience, so it felt like an easy yes, though I was careful to warn him my only real experience and knowledge with e-waste was the brief week and a half I spent reporting the school district story. Before 5:30 p.m., he pulled up with a camera man at my corner of Frankford, much to the interest of my neighbors. During a few minutes of small talk, the camera was plopped on a tripod and away we went. He asked me about e-waste, the school district's involvement, the Ghanaian connection, my involvement, what Technically Philly was and ended with one question I think any interviewer ought to ask: do you have anything to add? I reiterated that because so many middlemen are involved in shadowy technology recycling, any large institution in Philadelphia could have had its computer end up in Ghana. It doesn't make the school district less responsible than anyone else, but it should be made clear that it wasn't their purposeful wrongdoing. Of course, that's just the soundbite that made it in. Thanks to Fox 29, John Atwater and the rest. As silly as it sounds, it's very often, I think, a growing surge of smaller, localized stories on a controversy that builds to bigger stories and then, if ever, action may happen. I was proud Technically Philly could be a very small part of trying to expose the dirty side of technology use -- and do it with Frankford on display!

Recent experiences in listening to your customers

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:00:20 +0000

Nobody in business will ever say he isn't concerned with listening to the customer. Really proving it, of course, is the difference between well-loved companies and those that aren't. Even notoriously frustrating Comcast has gained ground with its use of social media -- a powerful mechanism for communication that, despite all the attention, we still may have yet to fully grasp. But beyond the buzz, the real value is hearing from customers who experience your products, whatever they may be -- from buying tires to reading news. I had two experiences with the concept recently, one from your friends in old media. On Friday, I was driving a car that wasn't my own through Flemington, N.J., though I had been holding on to the keys quite a bit in the past few months and noticed no warning signs of trouble. After filling up the tank at the Quick Check -- something of a North Jersey Wawa, 7-11, fill-in your moderately well-liked convenience store that makes hoagies etc. -- I turned the key and.. nothing. I got the chance to offer, as a regular customer, my thoughts but didn't feel anyone cared -- how strange a successful regional corner store chain can't do what old media did the same week. When I turned the key in my ignition switch, my accessories came on -- like the radio, lights and power window control -- but no real clicking noises from the ignition switch. The lack of noise might lead one to be believe it was a problem with the battery -- surely the most common cause of care difficulties like this -- but the full, unimpaired accessory-action might lead one to believe it was a problem with the starter -- perhaps the second most common in older cars like the one I was driving -- a 1995 Nissan Maxima with more than 198,000 miles on it. Of course, men are want to offer something to say when a car hood is up -- so their opinons muddled between it being a battery or a starter problem. I pulled out my jumper cables -- knowing the battery was the easiest to test -- and tried to jump my car using the functioning batteries of two vehicles driven by willing strangers. No jump, but, also, no real spark from the cables. The concern came from the old heads standing around the gas station offering opinions no one really asked them for that my jumper cables were trash. What next then? Well, with the traffic at this Quick Check on the day before July 4, you'd think I'd easily be able to find someone else with cables, time and the willingness to help. Well, you'd be wrong. It wasn't for lack of trying from me or the gas station attendant -- who even went as far as letting my try getting a jump from his car. With no luck and no cables, the kindly attendant helped me push the car into a vacant spot, when three gentlemen in suits and Quick Check name tags came by asking questions with clip boards in hand. They were in some way related to the management of this franchise at the corner of state Rt. 31 and county Rt. 579 in Hunterdon. They started walking past me toward their car, when I stopped them. "That attendant has really been helpful and considerate," I told them. "I through this stretch a lot and will be more likely to stop here because of him." I was trying to repay the kid's attention and kindness. The lead man in the suit felt compelled enough to ask if everything was alright -- my leaning on my car in the lot. I asked them if they had jumper cables. "We really need to get going," one of the other three said. "I'm sure someone else will be able to help you." They didn't quite hear me suggest, as they got into their car, that they have a pair of jumper cables at all of their stations. It could be a liability issue, or it could simply be an oversight. I won't know and they'll never hear my suggestion. Strange, because, so far as I see it, there's nothing more important than hearing a genuine concern from a rationale, paying customer. It made me smile -- on an otherwise frustrating day -- to think that just a few days before I had a very different experience with another industry people rag on these days. From the good people at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I received late last month -- likely using the e-mail I have for getting access to write comments on their site -- an invitation to be a part of a Web-based reader panel. It's surely nothing revolutionary or particularly innovative, but it was so different than my Quick Check experience a few days later that it piqued my interest. Of course, what knowledy the Inqy will garner or use from the panel is another conversation altogether. But at a time when newspapers are offering less content that increasingly has to be less reported yet are often asking readers to pay more, it sure is a fine time to figure out what could change the tides -- even if it's likely way too late. And, of course, Quick Check almost certainly has panels and surveys and questionnaires, like the Inquirer and every other company does -- win an iPod if you answer these 10 questions that only three percent of our customers will. But last Friday was an opportunity for a man a suit and presumably some influence in how the chain is run to hear my thought, but he passed on them. Seems strange. I wonder if there is any mechanism for most newspapers to generally absorb genuine advice from their readers. I bet there was at sometime. I suppose it's too much of a scramble for that now.

How good are your links?

Christopher Wink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:30:48 +0000

I do my fair share of complaining about links, and I'm not alone in suggesting there are good links and there are bad ones. I have, I'll admit, done all four -- from great to bad -- but it's important to learn the differences.

Great link -- Include a publication and/or author name, important keywords and give your reader a reason to go there, instead of summarizing all the content.
Good link -- At least two of the three stipulations above: author, keywords and reason fo your readers to go there.
OK link -- Linked from a phrase of less than three word or one like "More," "here" or "this." Context can vary these from acceptable to crummy. If it's for additional information (i.e. "My opinion on this matter. For more information, see here.") or in addition to a previous, stronger link, it doesn't much matter. If you're trying to lessen the chance of a reader following the link or using another's content to get clicks and offering a throwaway link to cover your tracks, that's probably into the realm of a bad link.
Bad link -- Maliciously linking on negative keywords or somehow obscuring the link. Yes, while I have fallen victim to it, hotlinking images is certainly a bad link -- though I do sometimes (wrongly) justify it to myself if I am promoting the product or image host in my story or post.

Now, the better read and more powerful your site, the better your links are, but the general rules of link ethics remain the same, even though an OK link from a high-traffic site is probably just as influential as a great link from a site of middling traffic. We still need to establish a common understanding for good linking practices. What am I missing?

The state of social networking: what site is the best, the worst, a waste

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:30:33 +0000

I've written about social media here more than I'd probably like to admit. These social networking sites are transforming the way we receive our news and information. There's no secret there. But they keep popping up, so much so that I've stopped joining them, because I never know when enough's enough. Newspapers are still figuring out the power of the conversation, and some say that media in general is covering social media more than they are using them. It just seems no one seems interested in deciding what is worth anyone's time. The real lesson is that social networking and other media are tools, plainly and simply. Not all are good for everyone. Facebook -- The major player is aiming at being a yellow pages for the future. Anyone you need to find will be there. It's a shame, then, that I've seen increasing levels of spam since I joined last summer, and even more since I credited the network's value months later. Some good:

People still spend a lot of time on that site and will follow links. They will come to your site with the help of link-posting and an RSS feed.
By some standards, you don't exist as a young person -- read: potential employee -- unless you're on the social networking behemoth.
It can be a hub for your other online presences
It's so popular that, apparently, with the right people, it can make you a happier person.

Some bad:

Man, people hated the new Facebook version when it came out, and it seems it continues to be reviled. Put that with the pushback over privacy rights, and you can see a real path toward the site's demise.

Twitter -- I knew Twitter long before I joined it, but a friend warned me it was a time suck. And it is. What's worse is that it's become awfully fashionable, as some have complained. That would be fine if it wasn't bloating the conception of who should be there and what purpose it serves. I did join and, while I have a somewhat small following of 430 or so, I have found by regularly sharing good links, I can bring small pockets of traffic. Here are some positives:

Create a following of people interested in similar things, who can support your writing, products or initiatives
By following the habits of successful Twitter users, you can pick up standard best practices online, like sharing links, interaction and followup.
Some say, those followers can lead to employment or other freelance work or assignments.
Because Twitter is so popular right now, there are a lot of hacks and alternatives coming out that can help you learn Web possibilities and suggestions and tools to make it easier, so you can better understand what's out there for the future.

Negatives

It's searchability is still janky
It still goes down on functionality when it's busy
It does take more time than other social networking tool because a simple RSS feed is missing the point.

LinkedIn -- It aims to be the professional equivalent of Facebook. Some good:

This was my first foray into social networking because it felt the least dirty and self-involved.
It is meant to be nothing but professional, resume and little else.
It doesn't require a lot of effort, and it can be a Web presence left on auto-pilot. I do get some clicks from plopping this Wordpress site on my LinkedIn page, as you can do, too.

Some bad:

Nowhere near as powerful or versatile as Facebook
Can't compare with the number of links Facebook or Twitter bring

Industry-specific social-network -- I just wrote about an event-planners ISSN for Technically Philly, and there seems to be the most growth in this arena. I am a member of Wired Journalistss. I also joined Uwire while still a college journalist. Here are some positives:

Job postings and opportunities worth your time. I got some blogging work from a post on WJ.
Smaller communities allow you to actually e-meet new people

Negative

Out of your work flow mean you might never ever return after setting it up.

Flickr -- Not too long ago, I reawakened my Flickr account, putting photos I was proud of there, and hosting other images elsewhere, whether it be on Slide or Picasa, depending the purpose.

Show some photography skill by being where many serious photographers are -- although there are many alternatives.
Useful editing and hosting tools there

Bad:

Free service is, of course, limited -- active photographers will likely find the premium services worth the cost.
Not as prone for others finding you, so it's hard to develop brand or expect links or traffic from it.

YouTube --I took a healthy look at YouTube's value as a social media tool, beyond just watching illegal videos and listening to music. Good:

It can bring traffic.
People will likely find your videos.
And, hey newspapers around the world are on YouTube.

Bad:

There are better video hosters, like Viddler and Vimeo.
It doesn't seem terribly professional. I think newspapers need to see YouTube as a means to promote their video, but I understand wanting to control their product outside of the site.
YouTube may be unstable, even with Google ownership

MySpace -- I say give it up. Sorry. I took the trouble to joining MySpace last summer, and I even tricked it out a bit for journalists, but I won't recommend anyone else join. In fact, I trashed it in an entire post dedicated to its shortcomings. The good:

There are still audiences there.
It can be incredibly passive after a little time invested to set it up.
It can be something else that clogs up a Google search for your name, so you can claim another spot.

The Ugly:

It is MySpace
Can't post traditional RSS feed
On the decline

There is value in being on all of these and everywhere else, too, if only just to more aggressively control a Web search of your name. College Media Innovation showed some other examples of brand-development through major publication, but, some choices are worth being made.

The Winner: With the right attitude, use and effort, right now Twitter brings the best brand development, links and traffic, though your audience matters.
The Obvious: Joining Facebook may hurt your pride, but real traffic can come from it, if you cast a wide enough net.
The Loser: MySpace doesn't give any real quantifiable traffic or brand devlopment you'd want. I guess unless you're a music artist, there isn't anything there for you.

What Twitter is really for

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:30:35 +0000

Get your twitter mosaic here. Oh man, how done are you with Twitter news reports? Mostly, news stories on Twitter include a nut graf that looks something like the following passage from a recent piece in the New York Times near-obsessive coverage on the social medium:

In its short history, Twitter — a microblogging tool that uses 140 characters in bursts of text — has become an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before approached online, as well as giving the public the ability to speak directly to people and institutions once comfortably on a pedestal [Source].

Many media are still reveling in introducing Twitter, in which they take a local user of new media and play their explanation with clever puns or skeptical variations of Twitter, tweeting, twittering, etc. Other pubs are trying their own new takes on the service, to the point that plenty of snarky bloggers and even news hounds are tired of the stories. Rightly so, considering Twitter just turned three, hardly a new phenomenon. But all these folks joining the game, following that common nut graf, I think, are missing the point, particularly journalists. I don't think regularity matters as much as the balance between two Twitter features in my personal evaluation of someone's use of the site - TwitterGrader be damned. That's conversation and links. I never tell anyone he needs to get on Twitter. As a friend first described it to me almost two years ago, "Twitter is a time suck." And, of course, it is. But, it can be of great value, particularly to journalists. Many feel that, so reporters are flocking to the site, and people are tracking what newspapers have, too. But too few are talking about how they should be best using Twitter. Check a hilarious indictment of Twitter, I found from a friend: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2HAroA12w]

Conversation

It isn't an effective RSS feed, as some are suggesting rather firmly. It is important to note, though, that while the real game is about conversation and I maintain that's what will help newspapers and other media find new readers and followers, there are exceptions of status. The New York Times Twitter account offers nothing more than an automated and regular trolling of its latest headlines, but it has some 450,000 followers. Some suggest that Twitter could become a replacement for RSS feeds, something I don't dismiss, but I newspapers have to stay in the game for now -- unless you have become a brand of meaning like the N.Y. Times (i.e. it makes individuals feel educated, important and involved to be seen as a reader of the Times). The value of social media like Twitter is a democratization of many conversations - news being one. In Philly, when a Fox 29 reporter was swiping Inquirer coverage without attribution, a Twitter user reached out to the news station and the daily newspaper. Karl Rove follows me on Twitter. Whether it will ever be used or not, that's a line of conversation that could never have existed a decade ago. I have made professional acquaintances with people online, and then followed that with personal interaction. Unfortunately, some news outlets, editors and reporters are scared of this two-way dialogue that defines new media, so not all interaction has followed. That conversation is still necessary for media and will likely always be necessary for individual Twitter users. Mix it up. Meet new people, find new ideas and concepts.

Links

Now, a role that an automated RSS feed does offer is something many other users don't: links. While conservation is great, all those who have attempted to write the rules of what Twitters users shouldn't do suggest inane and personal chatter between individuals that could be better done via instant message, Skype, a Twitter DM, a phone call or, you know, in person should be forbidden. In choosing whether to tweet or to direct message, just think whether there's a chance someone else might have something meaningful to add to the conversation. That's the point of the chatter, to allow for consensus building and crowd-sourcing. So, assuming you don't have the celebrity to write simple phrases or suggestions that might craze the masses, like ?uestlove and Shaq have, Twitter is a great place to share ideas, and online, that means sharing links. We're entering the link economy, where links matter. In any dialogue online, it ain't true if you can't give me a meaningful link to back it up - one of the great values of transparency for news makers and tellers. If you want to discuss a trend, you better link out to the data, so I can check your math. Twitter's role as a feed reader could be a reality, but I still see a role for active linking on Twitter and the additional role of RSS feeds. As feed catchers add the possibility of sharing items from feeds - as Google Reader revolutionized - I see them as a means to share links with friends or colleagues. I personally use Google Reader, an online application for which I see possibility of improvement but still love and respect it. Because I believe all journalists should be using a feed reader of some kind, I certainly would recommend Google's take at it. So, among a cohort of peers, I do share links. But, I have a much larger audience on Twitter, though a small percentage of them are watching their feed at a given time. Still, my Twitter account, as my followers may note, relies heavily on links - some my own, though I'm making a point of being a bit humbler on the self-promotion front, and many outside sites. So friends, join Twitter if you must, but don't follow the news reports so closely. It doesn't have to be about every inane detail if you don't it to be. Share links and conversation with me and others.

Young professionals: get your handshakes in order

Christopher Wink — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:18:38 +0000

Oh, they matter. If you don't think they do, you missed it. Last week, I shook the hand of another young journalist. I suppose he felt eye-contact was uncomfortable, so he looked down, offered me an awkwardly limp, motionless form of his hand for a second and pulled away. It was a train wreck of a handshake, and I was stunned. I thought that's knowledge of old, something a generation past figured out and has since become necessary cultural learning. But not for this young man, whose work I enjoy. Please don't mistake the old learning of the handshake to mean it's outdated. All the social media in the world can't make up for the trust and personal understanding that can pass through a firm interlock of right hands. Any freelancer or aspiring media type needs this skill down flat. Now, this particular young man has a regular newspaper gig, so maybe I should take a lesson in that, but I can't help but think he'll miss something because of his un-handshake. Esquire magazine had a good feature on the subject back in 2006:

Isn't a handshake just another grim layer of social obligation? Isn't there a reason it's called glad-handing? Well, for a person who's interested in influence, social obligation is more of a tool than a barrier, one that demands use and examination. And it's only glad-handing if the shake is cheap, insincere. So I went forth, spending the better part of two months searching out the perfect handshake while crafting a better one for myself. In that period, I shook hands with a candidate for county commissioner, two priests, three general contractors, an ice-cream salesman, a U. S. senator, a typewriter repairman, a dry cleaner, three women playing shorthanded bridge at a sandwich shop, seven of my son's friends, my ex-wife, her new husband, a woman selling jelly at a New York State Thruway stop, six bellmen, one hotel desk clerk, a concierge, four maitre d's, a guy who runs a moving company, a sawmill operator, two cops, one professional card dealer, a mathematician, a biologist, a "sandwich artist," the captain of the Maid of the Mist IV, two parking valets, one waiter, two waitresses, a yogi, and three NBA players. In the process I had my arm rotated like a piston on a steam engine and my shoulder jerked practically out of its socket. I received seven shake-appendant gangster hugs. My hand was brushed, crushed, scratched, and double squeezed. I found that if I held on just two beats longer than usual, people stopped what they were saying and eyeballed me. They saw me. This worked particularly well with people who were working for me--the desk clerks, the bellmen, the valets, the concierge. I knocked down at least one suite upgrade with that alone. I also discovered that if I gradually increased the pressure of a shake, people would automatically smile. Really. It was like I was blowing up some balloon in their face. Unless you went at it too hard. And once I had them smiling, then, well, I had them. [Source]

Don't misunderstand, it certainly isn't a male-only phenomenon, though I do suggest there are different, higher standards for a man in the realm of the handshake. Point is, anyone who gets work through trust, like a freelancer with a deadline and a kill-fee, a handshake can mean a great deal when you finally do meet that potential editor. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Newspapers should make more money with their brand

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:53 +0000

Have a sound byte for your TV news interview

Christopher Wink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:40 +0000

Asendin For Sale

Christopher Wink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:33 +0000

Asendin For Sale, Anyone publishing to the Web needs to accept the importance of a catchy image, graphic or photo.

Thankfully, order Asendin no prescription, MS Paint and other similar basic graphics software prove powerful tools, Online buying Asendin, even with their bare-boned application options.

GET THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: The Print Screen button is making a copy of the entire screen you see, Order Asendin, not actually printing the screen in this format.

OPEN MICROSOFT PAINT AND YOUR SCREENSHOT

Note: You now have a JPEG (picture) format screenshot of your desired site, Asendin for sale, so now you just need to isolate what portion of that site you want.

SELECT PORTION OF THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: That dotted line shows that the screenshot is highlighted.

10. With the portion of screenshot you want isolated, click Control-X, the shortcut for cut. That will erase that portion from your screenshot.

Asendin For Sale, 11. In the top navigation bar of MS Paint, choose the File drop down bar and select New, for a new project. (You don't need to save).

12. With an empty MS Paint screen, press Control-V for paste, pasting the portion of your screenshot that you isolated.

13, Asendin For Sale. From the File drop down, save that with whatever file name you want -- make sure it's saved as a JPEG.

[caption id="attachment_4662" align="alignnone" width="396" caption="The final image I cut from my screenshot"][/caption]

14. Now you can upload the selection like any other image.

You'll quickly learn this process, and MS Paint will prove a vauable tool.

Brief Fox 29 appearance discussing e-waste

Christopher Wink — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:30:51 +0000

Recent experiences in listening to your customers

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:00:20 +0000

How good are your links?

Christopher Wink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:30:48 +0000

Great link -- Include a publication and/or author name, important keywords and give your reader a reason to go there, instead of summarizing all the content.
Good link -- At least two of the three stipulations above: author, keywords and reason fo your readers to go there.
OK link -- Linked from a phrase of less than three word or one like "More," "here" or "this." Context can vary these from acceptable to crummy. If it's for additional information (i.e. "My opinion on this matter. For more information, see here.") or in addition to a previous, stronger link, it doesn't much matter. If you're trying to lessen the chance of a reader following the link or using another's content to get clicks and offering a throwaway link to cover your tracks, that's probably into the realm of a bad link.
Bad link -- Maliciously linking on negative keywords or somehow obscuring the link. Yes, while I have fallen victim to it, hotlinking images is certainly a bad link -- though I do sometimes (wrongly) justify it to myself if I am promoting the product or image host in my story or post.

The state of social networking: what site is the best, the worst, a waste

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:30:33 +0000

People still spend a lot of time on that site and will follow links. They will come to your site with the help of link-posting and an RSS feed.
By some standards, you don't exist as a young person -- read: potential employee -- unless you're on the social networking behemoth.
It can be a hub for your other online presences
It's so popular that, apparently, with the right people, it can make you a happier person.

Some bad:

Man, people hated the new Facebook version when it came out, and it seems it continues to be reviled. Put that with the pushback over privacy rights, and you can see a real path toward the site's demise.

Create a following of people interested in similar things, who can support your writing, products or initiatives
By following the habits of successful Twitter users, you can pick up standard best practices online, like sharing links, interaction and followup.
Some say, those followers can lead to employment or other freelance work or assignments.
Because Twitter is so popular right now, there are a lot of hacks and alternatives coming out that can help you learn Web possibilities and suggestions and tools to make it easier, so you can better understand what's out there for the future.

Negatives

It's searchability is still janky
It still goes down on functionality when it's busy
It does take more time than other social networking tool because a simple RSS feed is missing the point.

LinkedIn -- It aims to be the professional equivalent of Facebook. Some good:

This was my first foray into social networking because it felt the least dirty and self-involved.
It is meant to be nothing but professional, resume and little else.
It doesn't require a lot of effort, and it can be a Web presence left on auto-pilot. I do get some clicks from plopping this Wordpress site on my LinkedIn page, as you can do, too.

Some bad:

Nowhere near as powerful or versatile as Facebook
Can't compare with the number of links Facebook or Twitter bring

Job postings and opportunities worth your time. I got some blogging work from a post on WJ.
Smaller communities allow you to actually e-meet new people

Negative

Out of your work flow mean you might never ever return after setting it up.

Flickr -- Not too long ago, I reawakened my Flickr account, putting photos I was proud of there, and hosting other images elsewhere, whether it be on Slide or Picasa, depending the purpose.

Show some photography skill by being where many serious photographers are -- although there are many alternatives.
Useful editing and hosting tools there

Bad:

Free service is, of course, limited -- active photographers will likely find the premium services worth the cost.
Not as prone for others finding you, so it's hard to develop brand or expect links or traffic from it.

YouTube --I took a healthy look at YouTube's value as a social media tool, beyond just watching illegal videos and listening to music. Good:

It can bring traffic.
People will likely find your videos.
And, hey newspapers around the world are on YouTube.

Bad:

There are better video hosters, like Viddler and Vimeo.
It doesn't seem terribly professional. I think newspapers need to see YouTube as a means to promote their video, but I understand wanting to control their product outside of the site.
YouTube may be unstable, even with Google ownership

There are still audiences there.
It can be incredibly passive after a little time invested to set it up.
It can be something else that clogs up a Google search for your name, so you can claim another spot.

The Ugly:

It is MySpace
Can't post traditional RSS feed
On the decline

The Winner: With the right attitude, use and effort, right now Twitter brings the best brand development, links and traffic, though your audience matters.
The Obvious: Joining Facebook may hurt your pride, but real traffic can come from it, if you cast a wide enough net.
The Loser: MySpace doesn't give any real quantifiable traffic or brand devlopment you'd want. I guess unless you're a music artist, there isn't anything there for you.

What Twitter is really for

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:30:35 +0000

In its short history, Twitter — a microblogging tool that uses 140 characters in bursts of text — has become an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before approached online, as well as giving the public the ability to speak directly to people and institutions once comfortably on a pedestal [Source].

Conversation

Young professionals: get your handshakes in order

Christopher Wink — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:18:38 +0000

Isn't a handshake just another grim layer of social obligation? Isn't there a reason it's called glad-handing? Well, for a person who's interested in influence, social obligation is more of a tool than a barrier, one that demands use and examination. And it's only glad-handing if the shake is cheap, insincere. So I went forth, spending the better part of two months searching out the perfect handshake while crafting a better one for myself. In that period, I shook hands with a candidate for county commissioner, two priests, three general contractors, an ice-cream salesman, a U. S. senator, a typewriter repairman, a dry cleaner, three women playing shorthanded bridge at a sandwich shop, seven of my son's friends, my ex-wife, her new husband, a woman selling jelly at a New York State Thruway stop, six bellmen, one hotel desk clerk, a concierge, four maitre d's, a guy who runs a moving company, a sawmill operator, two cops, one professional card dealer, a mathematician, a biologist, a "sandwich artist," the captain of the Maid of the Mist IV, two parking valets, one waiter, two waitresses, a yogi, and three NBA players. In the process I had my arm rotated like a piston on a steam engine and my shoulder jerked practically out of its socket. I received seven shake-appendant gangster hugs. My hand was brushed, crushed, scratched, and double squeezed. I found that if I held on just two beats longer than usual, people stopped what they were saying and eyeballed me. They saw me. This worked particularly well with people who were working for me--the desk clerks, the bellmen, the valets, the concierge. I knocked down at least one suite upgrade with that alone. I also discovered that if I gradually increased the pressure of a shake, people would automatically smile. Really. It was like I was blowing up some balloon in their face. Unless you went at it too hard. And once I had them smiling, then, well, I had them. [Source]

Newspapers should make more money with their brand

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:53 +0000

Christopher Wink » Advice

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:53 +0000

Have a sound byte for your TV news interview

Christopher Wink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:40 +0000

Asendin For Sale

Christopher Wink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:33 +0000

Asendin For Sale, Anyone publishing to the Web needs to accept the importance of a catchy image, graphic or photo.

Thankfully, order Asendin no prescription, MS Paint and other similar basic graphics software prove powerful tools, Online buying Asendin, even with their bare-boned application options.

GET THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: The Print Screen button is making a copy of the entire screen you see, Order Asendin, not actually printing the screen in this format.

OPEN MICROSOFT PAINT AND YOUR SCREENSHOT

Note: You now have a JPEG (picture) format screenshot of your desired site, Asendin for sale, so now you just need to isolate what portion of that site you want.

SELECT PORTION OF THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: That dotted line shows that the screenshot is highlighted.

10. With the portion of screenshot you want isolated, click Control-X, the shortcut for cut. That will erase that portion from your screenshot.

Asendin For Sale, 11. In the top navigation bar of MS Paint, choose the File drop down bar and select New, for a new project. (You don't need to save).

12. With an empty MS Paint screen, press Control-V for paste, pasting the portion of your screenshot that you isolated.

13, Asendin For Sale. From the File drop down, save that with whatever file name you want -- make sure it's saved as a JPEG.

[caption id="attachment_4662" align="alignnone" width="396" caption="The final image I cut from my screenshot"][/caption]

14. Now you can upload the selection like any other image.

You'll quickly learn this process, and MS Paint will prove a vauable tool.

Brief Fox 29 appearance discussing e-waste

Christopher Wink — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:30:51 +0000

Recent experiences in listening to your customers

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:00:20 +0000

How good are your links?

Christopher Wink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:30:48 +0000

Great link -- Include a publication and/or author name, important keywords and give your reader a reason to go there, instead of summarizing all the content.
Good link -- At least two of the three stipulations above: author, keywords and reason fo your readers to go there.
OK link -- Linked from a phrase of less than three word or one like "More," "here" or "this." Context can vary these from acceptable to crummy. If it's for additional information (i.e. "My opinion on this matter. For more information, see here.") or in addition to a previous, stronger link, it doesn't much matter. If you're trying to lessen the chance of a reader following the link or using another's content to get clicks and offering a throwaway link to cover your tracks, that's probably into the realm of a bad link.
Bad link -- Maliciously linking on negative keywords or somehow obscuring the link. Yes, while I have fallen victim to it, hotlinking images is certainly a bad link -- though I do sometimes (wrongly) justify it to myself if I am promoting the product or image host in my story or post.

The state of social networking: what site is the best, the worst, a waste

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:30:33 +0000

People still spend a lot of time on that site and will follow links. They will come to your site with the help of link-posting and an RSS feed.
By some standards, you don't exist as a young person -- read: potential employee -- unless you're on the social networking behemoth.
It can be a hub for your other online presences
It's so popular that, apparently, with the right people, it can make you a happier person.

Some bad:

Man, people hated the new Facebook version when it came out, and it seems it continues to be reviled. Put that with the pushback over privacy rights, and you can see a real path toward the site's demise.

Create a following of people interested in similar things, who can support your writing, products or initiatives
By following the habits of successful Twitter users, you can pick up standard best practices online, like sharing links, interaction and followup.
Some say, those followers can lead to employment or other freelance work or assignments.
Because Twitter is so popular right now, there are a lot of hacks and alternatives coming out that can help you learn Web possibilities and suggestions and tools to make it easier, so you can better understand what's out there for the future.

Negatives

It's searchability is still janky
It still goes down on functionality when it's busy
It does take more time than other social networking tool because a simple RSS feed is missing the point.

LinkedIn -- It aims to be the professional equivalent of Facebook. Some good:

This was my first foray into social networking because it felt the least dirty and self-involved.
It is meant to be nothing but professional, resume and little else.
It doesn't require a lot of effort, and it can be a Web presence left on auto-pilot. I do get some clicks from plopping this Wordpress site on my LinkedIn page, as you can do, too.

Some bad:

Nowhere near as powerful or versatile as Facebook
Can't compare with the number of links Facebook or Twitter bring

Job postings and opportunities worth your time. I got some blogging work from a post on WJ.
Smaller communities allow you to actually e-meet new people

Negative

Out of your work flow mean you might never ever return after setting it up.

Flickr -- Not too long ago, I reawakened my Flickr account, putting photos I was proud of there, and hosting other images elsewhere, whether it be on Slide or Picasa, depending the purpose.

Show some photography skill by being where many serious photographers are -- although there are many alternatives.
Useful editing and hosting tools there

Bad:

Free service is, of course, limited -- active photographers will likely find the premium services worth the cost.
Not as prone for others finding you, so it's hard to develop brand or expect links or traffic from it.

YouTube --I took a healthy look at YouTube's value as a social media tool, beyond just watching illegal videos and listening to music. Good:

It can bring traffic.
People will likely find your videos.
And, hey newspapers around the world are on YouTube.

Bad:

There are better video hosters, like Viddler and Vimeo.
It doesn't seem terribly professional. I think newspapers need to see YouTube as a means to promote their video, but I understand wanting to control their product outside of the site.
YouTube may be unstable, even with Google ownership

There are still audiences there.
It can be incredibly passive after a little time invested to set it up.
It can be something else that clogs up a Google search for your name, so you can claim another spot.

The Ugly:

It is MySpace
Can't post traditional RSS feed
On the decline

The Winner: With the right attitude, use and effort, right now Twitter brings the best brand development, links and traffic, though your audience matters.
The Obvious: Joining Facebook may hurt your pride, but real traffic can come from it, if you cast a wide enough net.
The Loser: MySpace doesn't give any real quantifiable traffic or brand devlopment you'd want. I guess unless you're a music artist, there isn't anything there for you.

What Twitter is really for

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:30:35 +0000

In its short history, Twitter — a microblogging tool that uses 140 characters in bursts of text — has become an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before approached online, as well as giving the public the ability to speak directly to people and institutions once comfortably on a pedestal [Source].

Conversation

Young professionals: get your handshakes in order

Christopher Wink — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:18:38 +0000

Isn't a handshake just another grim layer of social obligation? Isn't there a reason it's called glad-handing? Well, for a person who's interested in influence, social obligation is more of a tool than a barrier, one that demands use and examination. And it's only glad-handing if the shake is cheap, insincere. So I went forth, spending the better part of two months searching out the perfect handshake while crafting a better one for myself. In that period, I shook hands with a candidate for county commissioner, two priests, three general contractors, an ice-cream salesman, a U. S. senator, a typewriter repairman, a dry cleaner, three women playing shorthanded bridge at a sandwich shop, seven of my son's friends, my ex-wife, her new husband, a woman selling jelly at a New York State Thruway stop, six bellmen, one hotel desk clerk, a concierge, four maitre d's, a guy who runs a moving company, a sawmill operator, two cops, one professional card dealer, a mathematician, a biologist, a "sandwich artist," the captain of the Maid of the Mist IV, two parking valets, one waiter, two waitresses, a yogi, and three NBA players. In the process I had my arm rotated like a piston on a steam engine and my shoulder jerked practically out of its socket. I received seven shake-appendant gangster hugs. My hand was brushed, crushed, scratched, and double squeezed. I found that if I held on just two beats longer than usual, people stopped what they were saying and eyeballed me. They saw me. This worked particularly well with people who were working for me--the desk clerks, the bellmen, the valets, the concierge. I knocked down at least one suite upgrade with that alone. I also discovered that if I gradually increased the pressure of a shake, people would automatically smile. Really. It was like I was blowing up some balloon in their face. Unless you went at it too hard. And once I had them smiling, then, well, I had them. [Source]

Newspapers should make more money with their brand

Christopher Wink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:40 +0000

Christopher Wink » Advice

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:53 +0000

Have a sound byte for your TV news interview

Christopher Wink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:40 +0000

Asendin For Sale

Christopher Wink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:33 +0000

Asendin For Sale, Anyone publishing to the Web needs to accept the importance of a catchy image, graphic or photo.

Thankfully, order Asendin no prescription, MS Paint and other similar basic graphics software prove powerful tools, Online buying Asendin, even with their bare-boned application options.

GET THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: The Print Screen button is making a copy of the entire screen you see, Order Asendin, not actually printing the screen in this format.

OPEN MICROSOFT PAINT AND YOUR SCREENSHOT

Note: You now have a JPEG (picture) format screenshot of your desired site, Asendin for sale, so now you just need to isolate what portion of that site you want.

SELECT PORTION OF THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: That dotted line shows that the screenshot is highlighted.

10. With the portion of screenshot you want isolated, click Control-X, the shortcut for cut. That will erase that portion from your screenshot.

Asendin For Sale, 11. In the top navigation bar of MS Paint, choose the File drop down bar and select New, for a new project. (You don't need to save).

12. With an empty MS Paint screen, press Control-V for paste, pasting the portion of your screenshot that you isolated.

13, Asendin For Sale. From the File drop down, save that with whatever file name you want -- make sure it's saved as a JPEG.

[caption id="attachment_4662" align="alignnone" width="396" caption="The final image I cut from my screenshot"][/caption]

14. Now you can upload the selection like any other image.

You'll quickly learn this process, and MS Paint will prove a vauable tool.

Brief Fox 29 appearance discussing e-waste

Christopher Wink — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:30:51 +0000

Recent experiences in listening to your customers

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:00:20 +0000

How good are your links?

Christopher Wink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:30:48 +0000

Great link -- Include a publication and/or author name, important keywords and give your reader a reason to go there, instead of summarizing all the content.
Good link -- At least two of the three stipulations above: author, keywords and reason fo your readers to go there.
OK link -- Linked from a phrase of less than three word or one like "More," "here" or "this." Context can vary these from acceptable to crummy. If it's for additional information (i.e. "My opinion on this matter. For more information, see here.") or in addition to a previous, stronger link, it doesn't much matter. If you're trying to lessen the chance of a reader following the link or using another's content to get clicks and offering a throwaway link to cover your tracks, that's probably into the realm of a bad link.
Bad link -- Maliciously linking on negative keywords or somehow obscuring the link. Yes, while I have fallen victim to it, hotlinking images is certainly a bad link -- though I do sometimes (wrongly) justify it to myself if I am promoting the product or image host in my story or post.

The state of social networking: what site is the best, the worst, a waste

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:30:33 +0000

People still spend a lot of time on that site and will follow links. They will come to your site with the help of link-posting and an RSS feed.
By some standards, you don't exist as a young person -- read: potential employee -- unless you're on the social networking behemoth.
It can be a hub for your other online presences
It's so popular that, apparently, with the right people, it can make you a happier person.

Some bad:

Man, people hated the new Facebook version when it came out, and it seems it continues to be reviled. Put that with the pushback over privacy rights, and you can see a real path toward the site's demise.

Create a following of people interested in similar things, who can support your writing, products or initiatives
By following the habits of successful Twitter users, you can pick up standard best practices online, like sharing links, interaction and followup.
Some say, those followers can lead to employment or other freelance work or assignments.
Because Twitter is so popular right now, there are a lot of hacks and alternatives coming out that can help you learn Web possibilities and suggestions and tools to make it easier, so you can better understand what's out there for the future.

Negatives

It's searchability is still janky
It still goes down on functionality when it's busy
It does take more time than other social networking tool because a simple RSS feed is missing the point.

LinkedIn -- It aims to be the professional equivalent of Facebook. Some good:

This was my first foray into social networking because it felt the least dirty and self-involved.
It is meant to be nothing but professional, resume and little else.
It doesn't require a lot of effort, and it can be a Web presence left on auto-pilot. I do get some clicks from plopping this Wordpress site on my LinkedIn page, as you can do, too.

Some bad:

Nowhere near as powerful or versatile as Facebook
Can't compare with the number of links Facebook or Twitter bring

Job postings and opportunities worth your time. I got some blogging work from a post on WJ.
Smaller communities allow you to actually e-meet new people

Negative

Out of your work flow mean you might never ever return after setting it up.

Flickr -- Not too long ago, I reawakened my Flickr account, putting photos I was proud of there, and hosting other images elsewhere, whether it be on Slide or Picasa, depending the purpose.

Show some photography skill by being where many serious photographers are -- although there are many alternatives.
Useful editing and hosting tools there

Bad:

Free service is, of course, limited -- active photographers will likely find the premium services worth the cost.
Not as prone for others finding you, so it's hard to develop brand or expect links or traffic from it.

YouTube --I took a healthy look at YouTube's value as a social media tool, beyond just watching illegal videos and listening to music. Good:

It can bring traffic.
People will likely find your videos.
And, hey newspapers around the world are on YouTube.

Bad:

There are better video hosters, like Viddler and Vimeo.
It doesn't seem terribly professional. I think newspapers need to see YouTube as a means to promote their video, but I understand wanting to control their product outside of the site.
YouTube may be unstable, even with Google ownership

There are still audiences there.
It can be incredibly passive after a little time invested to set it up.
It can be something else that clogs up a Google search for your name, so you can claim another spot.

The Ugly:

It is MySpace
Can't post traditional RSS feed
On the decline

The Winner: With the right attitude, use and effort, right now Twitter brings the best brand development, links and traffic, though your audience matters.
The Obvious: Joining Facebook may hurt your pride, but real traffic can come from it, if you cast a wide enough net.
The Loser: MySpace doesn't give any real quantifiable traffic or brand devlopment you'd want. I guess unless you're a music artist, there isn't anything there for you.

What Twitter is really for

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:30:35 +0000

In its short history, Twitter — a microblogging tool that uses 140 characters in bursts of text — has become an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before approached online, as well as giving the public the ability to speak directly to people and institutions once comfortably on a pedestal [Source].

Conversation

Young professionals: get your handshakes in order

Christopher Wink — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:18:38 +0000

Isn't a handshake just another grim layer of social obligation? Isn't there a reason it's called glad-handing? Well, for a person who's interested in influence, social obligation is more of a tool than a barrier, one that demands use and examination. And it's only glad-handing if the shake is cheap, insincere. So I went forth, spending the better part of two months searching out the perfect handshake while crafting a better one for myself. In that period, I shook hands with a candidate for county commissioner, two priests, three general contractors, an ice-cream salesman, a U. S. senator, a typewriter repairman, a dry cleaner, three women playing shorthanded bridge at a sandwich shop, seven of my son's friends, my ex-wife, her new husband, a woman selling jelly at a New York State Thruway stop, six bellmen, one hotel desk clerk, a concierge, four maitre d's, a guy who runs a moving company, a sawmill operator, two cops, one professional card dealer, a mathematician, a biologist, a "sandwich artist," the captain of the Maid of the Mist IV, two parking valets, one waiter, two waitresses, a yogi, and three NBA players. In the process I had my arm rotated like a piston on a steam engine and my shoulder jerked practically out of its socket. I received seven shake-appendant gangster hugs. My hand was brushed, crushed, scratched, and double squeezed. I found that if I held on just two beats longer than usual, people stopped what they were saying and eyeballed me. They saw me. This worked particularly well with people who were working for me--the desk clerks, the bellmen, the valets, the concierge. I knocked down at least one suite upgrade with that alone. I also discovered that if I gradually increased the pressure of a shake, people would automatically smile. Really. It was like I was blowing up some balloon in their face. Unless you went at it too hard. And once I had them smiling, then, well, I had them. [Source]

Newspapers should make more money with their brand

Christopher Wink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:33 +0000

Asendin For Sale, Anyone publishing to the Web needs to accept the importance of a catchy image, graphic or photo.

Thankfully, order Asendin no prescription, MS Paint and other similar basic graphics software prove powerful tools, Online buying Asendin, even with their bare-boned application options.

GET THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: The Print Screen button is making a copy of the entire screen you see, Order Asendin, not actually printing the screen in this format.

OPEN MICROSOFT PAINT AND YOUR SCREENSHOT

Note: You now have a JPEG (picture) format screenshot of your desired site, Asendin for sale, so now you just need to isolate what portion of that site you want.

SELECT PORTION OF THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: That dotted line shows that the screenshot is highlighted.

10. With the portion of screenshot you want isolated, click Control-X, the shortcut for cut. That will erase that portion from your screenshot.

Asendin For Sale, 11. In the top navigation bar of MS Paint, choose the File drop down bar and select New, for a new project. (You don't need to save).

12. With an empty MS Paint screen, press Control-V for paste, pasting the portion of your screenshot that you isolated.

13, Asendin For Sale. From the File drop down, save that with whatever file name you want -- make sure it's saved as a JPEG.

[caption id="attachment_4662" align="alignnone" width="396" caption="The final image I cut from my screenshot"][/caption]

14. Now you can upload the selection like any other image.

You'll quickly learn this process, and MS Paint will prove a vauable tool.

Christopher Wink » Advice

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:53 +0000

Have a sound byte for your TV news interview

Christopher Wink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:40 +0000

Asendin For Sale

Christopher Wink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:33 +0000

Asendin For Sale, Anyone publishing to the Web needs to accept the importance of a catchy image, graphic or photo.

Thankfully, order Asendin no prescription, MS Paint and other similar basic graphics software prove powerful tools, Online buying Asendin, even with their bare-boned application options.

GET THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: The Print Screen button is making a copy of the entire screen you see, Order Asendin, not actually printing the screen in this format.

OPEN MICROSOFT PAINT AND YOUR SCREENSHOT

Note: You now have a JPEG (picture) format screenshot of your desired site, Asendin for sale, so now you just need to isolate what portion of that site you want.

SELECT PORTION OF THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: That dotted line shows that the screenshot is highlighted.

10. With the portion of screenshot you want isolated, click Control-X, the shortcut for cut. That will erase that portion from your screenshot.

Asendin For Sale, 11. In the top navigation bar of MS Paint, choose the File drop down bar and select New, for a new project. (You don't need to save).

12. With an empty MS Paint screen, press Control-V for paste, pasting the portion of your screenshot that you isolated.

13, Asendin For Sale. From the File drop down, save that with whatever file name you want -- make sure it's saved as a JPEG.

[caption id="attachment_4662" align="alignnone" width="396" caption="The final image I cut from my screenshot"][/caption]

14. Now you can upload the selection like any other image.

You'll quickly learn this process, and MS Paint will prove a vauable tool.

Brief Fox 29 appearance discussing e-waste

Christopher Wink — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:30:51 +0000

Recent experiences in listening to your customers

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:00:20 +0000

How good are your links?

Christopher Wink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:30:48 +0000

Great link -- Include a publication and/or author name, important keywords and give your reader a reason to go there, instead of summarizing all the content.
Good link -- At least two of the three stipulations above: author, keywords and reason fo your readers to go there.
OK link -- Linked from a phrase of less than three word or one like "More," "here" or "this." Context can vary these from acceptable to crummy. If it's for additional information (i.e. "My opinion on this matter. For more information, see here.") or in addition to a previous, stronger link, it doesn't much matter. If you're trying to lessen the chance of a reader following the link or using another's content to get clicks and offering a throwaway link to cover your tracks, that's probably into the realm of a bad link.
Bad link -- Maliciously linking on negative keywords or somehow obscuring the link. Yes, while I have fallen victim to it, hotlinking images is certainly a bad link -- though I do sometimes (wrongly) justify it to myself if I am promoting the product or image host in my story or post.

The state of social networking: what site is the best, the worst, a waste

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:30:33 +0000

People still spend a lot of time on that site and will follow links. They will come to your site with the help of link-posting and an RSS feed.
By some standards, you don't exist as a young person -- read: potential employee -- unless you're on the social networking behemoth.
It can be a hub for your other online presences
It's so popular that, apparently, with the right people, it can make you a happier person.

Some bad:

Man, people hated the new Facebook version when it came out, and it seems it continues to be reviled. Put that with the pushback over privacy rights, and you can see a real path toward the site's demise.

Create a following of people interested in similar things, who can support your writing, products or initiatives
By following the habits of successful Twitter users, you can pick up standard best practices online, like sharing links, interaction and followup.
Some say, those followers can lead to employment or other freelance work or assignments.
Because Twitter is so popular right now, there are a lot of hacks and alternatives coming out that can help you learn Web possibilities and suggestions and tools to make it easier, so you can better understand what's out there for the future.

Negatives

It's searchability is still janky
It still goes down on functionality when it's busy
It does take more time than other social networking tool because a simple RSS feed is missing the point.

LinkedIn -- It aims to be the professional equivalent of Facebook. Some good:

This was my first foray into social networking because it felt the least dirty and self-involved.
It is meant to be nothing but professional, resume and little else.
It doesn't require a lot of effort, and it can be a Web presence left on auto-pilot. I do get some clicks from plopping this Wordpress site on my LinkedIn page, as you can do, too.

Some bad:

Nowhere near as powerful or versatile as Facebook
Can't compare with the number of links Facebook or Twitter bring

Job postings and opportunities worth your time. I got some blogging work from a post on WJ.
Smaller communities allow you to actually e-meet new people

Negative

Out of your work flow mean you might never ever return after setting it up.

Flickr -- Not too long ago, I reawakened my Flickr account, putting photos I was proud of there, and hosting other images elsewhere, whether it be on Slide or Picasa, depending the purpose.

Show some photography skill by being where many serious photographers are -- although there are many alternatives.
Useful editing and hosting tools there

Bad:

Free service is, of course, limited -- active photographers will likely find the premium services worth the cost.
Not as prone for others finding you, so it's hard to develop brand or expect links or traffic from it.

YouTube --I took a healthy look at YouTube's value as a social media tool, beyond just watching illegal videos and listening to music. Good:

It can bring traffic.
People will likely find your videos.
And, hey newspapers around the world are on YouTube.

Bad:

There are better video hosters, like Viddler and Vimeo.
It doesn't seem terribly professional. I think newspapers need to see YouTube as a means to promote their video, but I understand wanting to control their product outside of the site.
YouTube may be unstable, even with Google ownership

There are still audiences there.
It can be incredibly passive after a little time invested to set it up.
It can be something else that clogs up a Google search for your name, so you can claim another spot.

The Ugly:

It is MySpace
Can't post traditional RSS feed
On the decline

The Winner: With the right attitude, use and effort, right now Twitter brings the best brand development, links and traffic, though your audience matters.
The Obvious: Joining Facebook may hurt your pride, but real traffic can come from it, if you cast a wide enough net.
The Loser: MySpace doesn't give any real quantifiable traffic or brand devlopment you'd want. I guess unless you're a music artist, there isn't anything there for you.

What Twitter is really for

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:30:35 +0000

In its short history, Twitter — a microblogging tool that uses 140 characters in bursts of text — has become an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before approached online, as well as giving the public the ability to speak directly to people and institutions once comfortably on a pedestal [Source].

Conversation

Young professionals: get your handshakes in order

Christopher Wink — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:18:38 +0000

Isn't a handshake just another grim layer of social obligation? Isn't there a reason it's called glad-handing? Well, for a person who's interested in influence, social obligation is more of a tool than a barrier, one that demands use and examination. And it's only glad-handing if the shake is cheap, insincere. So I went forth, spending the better part of two months searching out the perfect handshake while crafting a better one for myself. In that period, I shook hands with a candidate for county commissioner, two priests, three general contractors, an ice-cream salesman, a U. S. senator, a typewriter repairman, a dry cleaner, three women playing shorthanded bridge at a sandwich shop, seven of my son's friends, my ex-wife, her new husband, a woman selling jelly at a New York State Thruway stop, six bellmen, one hotel desk clerk, a concierge, four maitre d's, a guy who runs a moving company, a sawmill operator, two cops, one professional card dealer, a mathematician, a biologist, a "sandwich artist," the captain of the Maid of the Mist IV, two parking valets, one waiter, two waitresses, a yogi, and three NBA players. In the process I had my arm rotated like a piston on a steam engine and my shoulder jerked practically out of its socket. I received seven shake-appendant gangster hugs. My hand was brushed, crushed, scratched, and double squeezed. I found that if I held on just two beats longer than usual, people stopped what they were saying and eyeballed me. They saw me. This worked particularly well with people who were working for me--the desk clerks, the bellmen, the valets, the concierge. I knocked down at least one suite upgrade with that alone. I also discovered that if I gradually increased the pressure of a shake, people would automatically smile. Really. It was like I was blowing up some balloon in their face. Unless you went at it too hard. And once I had them smiling, then, well, I had them. [Source]

Newspapers should make more money with their brand

Christopher Wink — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:30:51 +0000

Christopher Wink » Advice

Christopher Wink — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:53 +0000

Have a sound byte for your TV news interview

Christopher Wink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:40 +0000

Asendin For Sale

Christopher Wink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:10:33 +0000

Asendin For Sale, Anyone publishing to the Web needs to accept the importance of a catchy image, graphic or photo.

Thankfully, order Asendin no prescription, MS Paint and other similar basic graphics software prove powerful tools, Online buying Asendin, even with their bare-boned application options.

GET THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: The Print Screen button is making a copy of the entire screen you see, Order Asendin, not actually printing the screen in this format.

OPEN MICROSOFT PAINT AND YOUR SCREENSHOT

Note: You now have a JPEG (picture) format screenshot of your desired site, Asendin for sale, so now you just need to isolate what portion of that site you want.

SELECT PORTION OF THE SCREENSHOT YOU WANT

Note: That dotted line shows that the screenshot is highlighted.

10. With the portion of screenshot you want isolated, click Control-X, the shortcut for cut. That will erase that portion from your screenshot.

Asendin For Sale, 11. In the top navigation bar of MS Paint, choose the File drop down bar and select New, for a new project. (You don't need to save).

12. With an empty MS Paint screen, press Control-V for paste, pasting the portion of your screenshot that you isolated.

13, Asendin For Sale. From the File drop down, save that with whatever file name you want -- make sure it's saved as a JPEG.

[caption id="attachment_4662" align="alignnone" width="396" caption="The final image I cut from my screenshot"][/caption]

14. Now you can upload the selection like any other image.

You'll quickly learn this process, and MS Paint will prove a vauable tool.

Brief Fox 29 appearance discussing e-waste

Christopher Wink — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:30:51 +0000

Recent experiences in listening to your customers

Christopher Wink — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:00:20 +0000

How good are your links?

Christopher Wink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:30:48 +0000

Great link -- Include a publication and/or author name, important keywords and give your reader a reason to go there, instead of summarizing all the content.
Good link -- At least two of the three stipulations above: author, keywords and reason fo your readers to go there.
OK link -- Linked from a phrase of less than three word or one like "More," "here" or "this." Context can vary these from acceptable to crummy. If it's for additional information (i.e. "My opinion on this matter. For more information, see here.") or in addition to a previous, stronger link, it doesn't much matter. If you're trying to lessen the chance of a reader following the link or using another's content to get clicks and offering a throwaway link to cover your tracks, that's probably into the realm of a bad link.
Bad link -- Maliciously linking on negative keywords or somehow obscuring the link. Yes, while I have fallen victim to it, hotlinking images is certainly a bad link -- though I do sometimes (wrongly) justify it to myself if I am promoting the product or image host in my story or post.