Home Archive by category "Technology" (Page 6)

Category: Technology

Does Anyone Read Blogs Any More?

By friend Glen Woods asked this question over in the Kidology forums recently. And I think its a great question. Here was my answer: I think facebook has hurt blogs as I think people have gotten Internet-lazy. They just stay on facebook and don’t move around the web as much, however, I think a blog can still get traffic if done well. I read blogs, but focus on ones that are consistent (like yours, Glen) and solid content (also like yours). If you want to get FB readers, you MUST install a Facebook “like” button and ‘like’ your own posts so they will appear on your wall so people who follow you on Facebook will see you blogged and hop over and read your blog. RSS Readers (Like Bloglines/Google Reader) are less used today (I think) by the general public, as they were once how blogs were read. Tablet readers are now stronger, like Flipboard, and I read a lot of blogs that way, and through Twitter feeds, so be sure to Tweet your blog posts through hashtags like #kidmin #leadership etc. as that will drive traffic. Bottom line: Do people visit blogs directly today? No. Do they read them?…

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What’s Your Excuse?

Barbara Baker and Karl Bastian The highlight of my CPC this year was getting to see Barbara Baker again. I always keep an eye out for her. She is one of my favorite CPC “Regulars”. During the conference, INCM asked some of the speakers and bloggers to make some time to be interviewed for the INCM website throughout the year.  However, I told INCM’s Executive Director Michael Chanley they should interview Barb! She is living proof that you are never too old to be creatively reaching and teaching kids! We crossed paths for years until I finally stopped to meet her. (It seemed like I only saw her going the other way on  escalators!) When I first talked to her, she surprised me by asking for advice on how to incorporate a remote Internet audience of children she would be broadcasting her VBS to in the summer. I taught her how to use Ustream.tv to share her VBS over the Internet and she went home and did it! Now that’s one cutting edge lady! Now she tells me, at age 67, that she has just gotten an Amazon Kindle and is learning how to use it! She’s been struggling with…

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Day 23 – Thankful for Flight

This is part of a series called 24 Days of Thankfulness. These posts are in RANDOM order, NOT priority order. Each is something I am thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving. DAY #23: Flight A few days ago a friend of mine tweeted, You don’t feel thankful for the things you feel you are entitled to. Where have you lost your thankfulness? While my initial reaction was a little defensive, “I don’t feel ‘entitled’ to anything,” I decided it was a question worthy of reflection.Especially the final question: Where have I lost my thankfulness? Or asked differently, “What do we take for granted?” I’m not sure I take it for granted, but one thing I AM thankful for, and MARVEL at every time I get the opportunity to take advantage of it – is FLIGHT. I think it is something our society takes for granted, since it’s existed now for almost one hundred years as a mode of transportation. I have never outgrown my boyish fascination with flight. I have flown many times and still request the window seat, until recently, now that I have a boy who wants it, but unless Luke is with me and has claimed it,…

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Day 21 – Thankful for My Customers

This is part of a series called 24 Days of Thankfulness. These posts are in RANDOM order, NOT priority order. Each is something I am thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving. DAY #21: My Customers Back in 1994 when very few people knew what the “Internet” was, I got an idea for a website: The KidologyWeb: I was already calling myself “The Kidologist” in my workshops as I sought to equip and encourage children’s workers to approach children’s ministry from the perspective of a child: By 1996 the first “Kidology Handbook” was published: VERY FEW people remember when Kidology.org (before I had that domain!) looked like this: OR when you clicked into it and saw crude pages like this: Only hundreds were lucky enough to BE on the Internet surfin’ kidmin back then! (And only a few bought the “Life Time Memberships” I offered back then when I needed to raise some money to buy some much needed Microsoft FrontPage software, and yes, they are still members!) More remember the next version of the site: Kidology 2.0 (which I called it long for “2.0” was hip) It had the infamous “frames” that if you navigated just right, would give you…

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Day 20 – Thankful for Scottevest

As many of you know, I’m extremely patriotic – and Scottevest.com is one of those great American examples of why I love America. Scott Jordan saw the need for something, took the risk to create it, people bought it, and he’s been hugely successful. And I’m more than happy to give him free advertising on my blog and twitter account (which I constantly do) because I wish him all the success he can have! (My tweets have been featured on Scottevest.com four times: 1, 2, 3, 4 Follow Scott @Scottevest) What is Scottevest? It comes from the combination of his name “Scott” + “E” (electroncis) + “Vest” his original product: But his company has grown to include a WIDE variety of products ranging from winter coats, trench coats (the ‘carry-on coat’) to dress shirts and sport coats to boxers and women’s apparel. As a geek tech lover, and one who now takes an iPad with me everywhere I go – Scottevest clothes are THE SOLUTION for men who don’t want to carry a “purse” or so-called “man bag” and don’t want to haul a backpack or briefcase everywhere. PLUS, for professionals like me who travel a lot and are frustrated…

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