The reason I ask this question is that I just enjoyed a nice three day weekend, pretty much away from the computer. This AM, opening up my Google reader, I see over 900 blog posts and over fifty of them are in the voiceover category.

What is it we think we all have to say? And I include me in there too.

It’s a vicious circle, mind you. You should have a blog to be an active participant in social media (and SEO/SEM) and everybody has the right to share whatever they like. Equally true, we can all subscribe and unsubscribe to any blog at any time (except this blog, you can check in anytime you like, but you can never leave).

With all this content, what are we all contributing to? And how many people are not just reading (Feedburner +) but understanding? Are we communicating or are we just spewing? Because more important to social media than the tool (a blog) is the content…saying something of relevance.

A blog writer has to assume that their posts resonate with someone if they have even one subscriber (and by the way, not for nothing, I mean it when I say thank you for subscribing). But when I think about 900 posts over three days multiplied times content on radio, television, newspaper, Facebook et al multiplied times international content….my head literally spins a bit.

Today I will hit “mark all as read” on my Google Reader very often and likely erase some quality content that I cannot make room for. I must move on.

Am I simply oversubscribed or overwhelmed? Have these thoughts ever occurred to you? How do you deal with all this communication, all this noise? Do you tune in more or totally tune out? Any tricks you care to share?

Tags: blogs, commentary, facebook, google, internet, newspapers, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
7 Comments »

Some software products developed for computers mandatory – an operating system like Windows lets your computer do stuff.

Other stuff isn’t mandatory but helpful and there’s stuff that’s sorta helpful but cool.

You’ll have to decide where the free download “Fences” falls for you. The premise is that Fences organizes and hides all the icons on your desktop until you want them. They’re invisible until you double click the desktop at which top they magically appear, organized in the format that you customize to your own needs.

Helpful? Maybe. Cool, oh I think so but then I’m still amazed when somebody pulls a quarter out of my ear…my standards aren’t always as high as others. I’m using it and I think its fun (and no, I get no spiff for the endorsement.)

What so you think? Mandatory, helpful or cool?

Tags: commentary, internet, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Some folks may already know this but I didn’t.

If you like, when you open your internet browser, you can have it open to more than one home page at one time at start-up.

Depending on your browser (and I think this trick only works with the VERY latest versions of most popular web browsers), you can usually set your opening home page under “Preferences” or “Options”. Then in the bar where you type in the address of what you would like to have as your home page, you add the trick.

On your computer, in your symbols area (usually found in the drop down window of Word and its heading “Insert”) is a vertical straight line symbol that is not an “l”. I’ll show you here but your computer might not have its own equivalent as mine does; the symbol is | .

So the trick is to put your first favorite home page (as an example, Google) then that | symbol (and I don’t know its proper name , if you do, please share with the class) and then the next web address (as an example, audio’connell Voice Over Talent).

So in your homepage set up bar you would type http://www.google.com | http://www.audioconnell.com . When you hit save, close your browser and open it again, there should be two tabs that open up in that order to the pages you set. I think you can probably do 3-4 of those start up web addresses in your start up.

Now for the conundrum.

I set my tabs recently to open on each of the most popular search engines (as ranked by Hitwise: Google, Yahoo, Bing (the progeny of a recent search merger agreement between MSN and Yahoo although Yahoo.com still exists), and Ask.com. The reason for this arrangement is I’m trying to just randomly check some of my search placements on these sites as a bit of an experiment – the web is my main business pipeline (it’s the store, if you will) so it’s important.

The challenge that I’ve seen recently, always known about and have in common with everyone with cares about SEO and SEM is that there is no consistency in how search engines rank sites in order of importance. 3 search engines, 3 different ranking systems and usually three varying placements depending on key words, links, etc.

As just a user of these search engines, one likely cares not a fig about what comes up, assuming their search contains the most reputable, qualified providers of service/product/information that they’ll need. They check the front page, maybe the second and move on.

As a business trying to get their message out there, it’s a bit of a challenge. The important word in this next sentence is “supposedly”: Google is supposedly more key word based in their search algorithm while Bing is supposedly more links based. Ask.com strikes me as very Google-ish in my algorithmic naiveté and Yahoo is Bing so who the heck is Yahoo and I am the Walrus, koo-koo-ka-chew!

I get that if all the search engines searched the same way, there probably wouldn’t be need for so many; even WITH their various search methodologies, there probably isn’t a need for so many. So I do what most folks do and default to Google. But it still bugs me that I have to be so many things to so many search engines.

This last sentence reads back to me as a bit of a whine. That’s not good.

Unless it puts me at the #1 position for the keyword “whine”, which would be fine especially if I get search points for rhyme; to end this post now I think it’s time.

Tags: bing, commentary, internet, silliness, yahoo by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
3 Comments »

This is how it was…

Microsoft makes software like Office , it has a web browser, Internet Explorer and an operating system for PC’s called Windows. Their tools are primarily for PC use (i.e. not Macs) and are widely popular. Microsoft is not a fan of Google.

Apple makes computers (Macs) that really artsy people like graphic designers enjoy. Their computers are usually more expensive than most. It has had really funny and effective commercials comparing Macs to PC’s with PC users coming across (quite pointedly) as nerd-like and not cool.

Google does search and sells ads on those search pages. They are ginormous.

That was then, this is now.

Microsoft’s MSN search engine (which was never very popular) changed its name to Bing and has just partnered with Yahoo (#2 behind Google in search) to merge its search engine sales and content. Microsoft has also been in a pitched advertising battle with Apple explaining that PC users like their computers to work well and be inexpensive and ‘if you’re calling PC users nerds, we out number you significantly and can kick your whiny designer butts with or without our pocket protectors’.

Google has developed both a fast growing web browser (Chrome) and an operating system – both targeted at Microsoft – and a new phone (the Android/G-phone) to take on Apple’s i-phone as well as a new Google voice application for the i-phone…which Apple summarily will not release at present, causing all sorts of legal wrangling including the resignation of Google’s CEO from Apple’s Board of Directors.

Apple has blown the roof off mobile communication with the i-phone and has gotten the attention of PC users who are digging the Apple style. Apple will cause a major shake-up when they decide which phone providers will get to use the i-phone going forward (AT&T has an exclusive i-phone agreement currently but that is up for renewal- Verizon and maybe Sprint are chomping at the bit to be included going forward). Apple doesn’t like Google anymore (see above paragraph). Apple and Microsoft’s feud goes back many years.

Change is good. Watching the technology chess game that is unfolding among these digital giants is fascinating.

They will not be ignored and they will not be pigeon-holed.

We shouldn’t in our businesses either. Get out of your comfort zone today.

Tags: commentary, internet, marketing, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’ve met and conversed with Mitch Joel two or three times and not for about a year. So when I thought about writing the opening sentence to this blog as “My friend Mitch Joel has a new book coming out…” I stopped.

Mitch Joel is a very nice guy as far as I can tell but he and I aren’t friends; friendly certainly. Were time and place different, I think we could be friends– I don’t know. But today he likely wouldn’t know my name if he saw me nor does he know the names of my children or even that I have children; I’m absolutely cool with that. We all have business contacts like this.

But I wanted to say “friend” because ever since I met him at the very first Podcamp Toronto where we both presented, truly enjoying his great presentation on personal branding there and then subsequently as I watched the spotlight of social media and personal branding grow on him, I’ve quietly felt proud of him, like you would be of a friend. His blog posts and his insights on Twitter (he makes pretty good use of 140 characters) teach me a lot or at least make me think about things, much like a friend would.

I think that it boils down to Mitch’s overarching message that people need to communicate within social media as real people; we want real interaction – authenticity. Not some sales pitch…not the one way conversations that permeates so much of social media. Authenticity is Mitch’s on-line message for himself and its a key point of his new book, Six Pixels of Separation.

Enjoy this wonderful Twist Image video about Mitch’s book (courtesy of CC Chapman, who actually is a personal friend of Mitch Joel’s) and then please reserve your advanced copy of Mitch’s book.

Tags: commentary, facebook, internet, linkedin, podcamptoronto, social media, twitter, video by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
4 Comments »

There were a couple of tweets today (and if you don’t know what that means, head straight to social media dungeon) that referenced password security. Most of us have to have a password to get us into easily two dozen sites.

But some folks are kind of lazy about it OR as I have found, some folks just don’t put that much thought in passwords and that, sincerely, is a bad thing

So for whatever its worth, here is an amalgamation of ideas for creating a really good password for your system. Nothing I suppose is foolproof but you should at least make the effort to lock your doors more securely within your online home.

> You have to use more than six (6) characters in your password and many folks say try eight (8). I saw I guy I know once type about four (4) characters in for a password; he and I had a chat about that!

> Use upper AND lowercase within your password

> You know those characters on the keyboard above the numbers? Integrate them into your password. An example might be if you had an “s” in your password, substitute the “$”. Or just include the symbol randomly…whatever works for your memory best

> One rule of thumb that I thought was pretty smart was do not use a word you can find in a dictionary as a password, it’s too easy for bad guys to run their software that rips through basic password options like that stuff much like a hot knife through butter

> Don’t use other easily remembered stuff like license plates, mother’s maiden name or pet names – the sort of password verification Q&A stuff that we’ve all filled out on sites in case we forget our passwords

> Stay on a regular schedule of changing passwords- doesn’t matter if you change the whole thing or only part of it. But do NOT write it down or share it with anyone

> You also shouldn’t save your passsword in any files on your computer (such as an email)

Now, there are many more qualified folks than me to give you insight into all this but these are some of the tricks I’ve learned. I hope they help you stay safe.

Tags: internet, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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