Your voice can make a difference.  And your blog can be the megaphone for your voice so you can be heard.  Ask Natalie Munroe.  She blogged to vent about the problems with today’s youth.  And as an English teacher in suburban Philadelphia she had plenty of firsthand experience.

She shared online about her experiences and opinions on the lack of discipline (among other things) she observed in the classroom and was careful not to use the name of any student.  Her blog had a few dozen followers.

When her blog was discovered by local parents it stirred a controversy.  She was fired from her teaching job and a lawsuit is pending.  But thanks to the online viral effect she has been catapulted into the national spotlight.  In the span of about a week she went from a small blogger to featured on major websites, national news, and making appearances on shows like Good Morning American.  In a flash her voice is being heard because she blogged about it.

Because of the lawsuit her colorful and controversial posts have been removed from her blog.  But the point is she put hand-to-keyboard and expressed herself.  And now as a teacher she is using the attention to spark a conversation about the state of the upcoming generation, their parents, and their whiny ways rather than working to achieve goals.

You can agree or disagree with what she says.  But she found her voice, used her blog to express it, and now she is making a difference.  This formula for blogging is something you can do, too.

Don’t let technology be the hurdle that muzzles you.

Click here for more info on how to setup your blog(s) and be heard.

It’s easier and more affordable than you might think!

Here’s the link to Natalie Munroe’s blog:
http://www.nataliemunroe.com/

Here’s another (of many) articles about Ms. Munroe.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/02/blogging-high-school-teacher-has-no-job—-and-no-regrets/1

Clip from the Today show in January of 1994 with Brain and Katie trying to understand this new thing called the Internet.

While more people get  the Internet, people are still trying to comprehend Katie’s hair!

Having fun online is becoming the world’s favorite pastime.   So why not use the Web to turn your online enjoyable into profit.

Here are some fun websites where someone transformed their hobby and/or amusement into $$$.  This could be you!  TechAdvocate Solutions (TAS) can be your technology partner.  Click here to contact TechAdvocate Solutions to get started turning your online enjoyment into revenue.

http://www.mkig.com/default.aspx
My Kid is Gifted brings “kids-say-the-darnest-things” to an easy-to-read blog.  If you like kids, you’ll love this website.  And who doesn’t live kids, especially when you can laugh at what they say without having to clean-up after them.

http://omgcupid.tumblr.com/
OMG Cupid shows real online profiles of the nutty persuasion.  Sure online dating is now mainstream and everybody’s doing it.  But everybody looking for online love is NOT sane!  In fact, there’s lot of crazy out there.  If I’ve every feeling bad about myself I go to this site and I start feeling better.

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/
The Awkward Family Photos website started with a few friends sharing family pictures that make you say “Oh No”.  It has become an Internet sensation with over a million of hits a day and an online store with “awkward family” merchandise.  Nothing awkward about that!

http://someoneelsewillputitback.com/
Someone Else Will Put it Back is a site of actual pictures of stuff people have put have put back on supermarket shelves in the craziest places.  And it offers a comical explanation of the thought process behind it.  This website reinforces the premise that fact is funny than fiction.

http://www.mikealvear.com/
Mike Alvear has made a career providing relationship and intimacy advice.  He starred in the BBC hit show The Sex Inspectors.  And he’s turned his passion for getting you laid to a website with an advice blog and ebooks on how to meet guys.

http://www.biologyoftechnology.com/
Shameless self-promotion of my BOT blog (Biology of Technology blog) doing my best to make geek more chic.

Here are more funny websites.  Not sure of their revenue model, but they offer some really good online fun time.

http://asianssleepinginthelibrary.tumblr.com/
Self-explanatory – is exactly what it says.

http://www.subourbonwife.com/
Not a typo – The bourbon in “subourbon” is the drink.

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/
For your video-of-the-day fix

http://zmonette.wordpress.com/
Funny blog of “Top 10” movie lists.

http://www.travelwidows.com/
Where to go when he’s gone.

Support Net Neutrality for wired AND wireless. Without Net Neutrality you can kiss good-bye to the Internet as you know it.  Be a free thinker and support a free Internet!

While Net Neutrality may not sound sexy, it may be the most important free speech issue of our time.  Here’s a video describing why we need Net Neutrality.

The FCC is taking up the Net Neutrality debate for broadband and wired connections.  This discussion needs to be extended to include wireless.

Without Net Neutrality greedy corporation will monitor your online activities and charge you more to access certain websites.  For example, you will see extra fees on your ISP and wireless bill charging you every time you access Facebook.

Big corporation like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon are spending millions trying to convince you that net neutrality is bad.  They inaccurately link it with the Tea Party’s anti-big government philosophy.  Nothing could be farther the truth.  You mean big business is lying to us to increase their profits.  What a shock!

Before you start waving your “No Big Government” banner, consider this.  We have laws to protect blocks of land as national parks so everyone can enjoy them.  Otherwise big business would have bought the Grand Canyon and turn it into a billion dollar real estate development exclusively for the super wealthy.  Net Neutrality is a proposed set of laws to provide the similar protection for the Internet.  Without it we could see Internet access controlled by big business and special interest.

This is not a right-left political issue.  This is a free speech issue.  So before you hop on whatever political train-of-thought you ride, think this through for yourself.

What are you looking for on the Web?  It tells a lot about who we as a culture.

It is the time of year when the big search engines release the top searches for 2010.  The first out the gate is Yahoo.  Google (the big kid on the search engine block) will release their top searches for the year later in December (for a more accurate tally).

Here are top 10 searches for 2010 according to Yahoo:
10. Britney Spears
9. American Idol
8. Justin Bieber
7. Megan Fox
6. Apple’s iPhone
5. Lady Gaga
4. Kim Kardashian  (REALLY!)
3. Miley Cyrus
2. World Cup
1. BP oil spill

The BP oil spill was one of the top searches in 2010, according to Yahoo and AOL.  (Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)

Here are some other top searches for the year (according to Yahoo):

Top Mobile Search:  NFL
BP oil spill fell to 10th place in the mobile-search list.

Most Searched-for Sporting Event:  The World Cup

More People Asked:  “how to tie a tie?”
More people are trying to get jobs, so they need to tie a double Windsor.

Topping the list of “obsessions”:  Apple iPhone 4
Beating out Lindsay Lohan and the iPad.

It will be interesting to see what Google says we were looking for in 2010.  Stay tuned…

You thought the only thing that can hurt Superman is kryptonite!  But now even the man of steel is vulnerable to what is posted on Facebook. (Grin)

Be careful what you and your family post on social media!

Has all the Internet clutter got you climbing the walls?

Seems that any idiot can post something on a blog and the next thing you know we all panic.  We smugly laugh at all the gullible fools who jumped out of windows in fear of an alien invasion after the famous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast.  Yet we jump to conclusions where anyone is just a YouTube video away from being labeled a racist, child molester, unfit parent, anti-American, pro-Muslim-Extremist, or Justin Bieber wannabe.

Before we concede the Internet to all the hate-fueled, fear peddlers disguised as your friend, let us remind ourselves that there is still a lot of cool stuff in the “dot com” world.

Exhibit A – extreme Freerunning and Parkour videos.
These guys are literally climbing the walls with cool stunts backed by kicking sound tracks.  These freedom-of-express urban acrobats see obstacles as an opportunity to overcome by adapting to ones environment.

Freedom-of expression, opportunity – wasn’t what drew us to the Internet in the first place?

But most of all these Parkour videos are so cool!  Enjoy!

Is it possible the Brits invented Twitter in 1935?

For the Wall Street generation it was all about being upwardly mobile.  Today you’ve got to be socially mobile.  Social networking and mobile technology are setting the pace for the Web.  Is your online strategy socially mobile?  If not, you could be missing out.

Here’s a quote from Darryl Zanuck of 20th Century Fox from 1946:

Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night

Don’t be to social mobility what Darryl Zanuck was to TV.

Here are some “bottom line” considerations for a socially mobile web presence.

To Flash or Not to Flash
Flash is a proprietary technology from Adobe primarily used to add animation and video to websites.  The problem with Flash is that is not supported on many mobile environments.   There has always been tension between Flash and the Web.  Artistic types like it.  But because of security issues, incompatibility with search engines, and being not compatible with many mobile platforms, Flash has fallen out of favor with the IT community.
The bottom line.
You should not build your website on Flash or use Flash for your navigation.  If you use Flash at all, use it sparingly.  I prefer using JavaScript; it is an open system that works well on mobile devices.  And if you use video upload it to YouTube and put the link on your website.  Then when your website is viewed from an iPhone/iTouch/iPad it will launch the YouTube app and the user can view the video.

Content is King
On the Web content is king.  Of course you want a nice looking website, but on the Internet it is more important what you say that just having a pretty frame.  And in today’s real-time online world you need to be able to update your website quickly without a lot of drama.  Your website should be built on an open source platform where you post updates without having to go your web designer.  Then you can save your webmaster for the big “techie” stuff (ecommerce, RSS feeds, social network plugins, etc…).
The bottom line.
If you need to call your web person every time you want to make even a tiny change to your website then it’s time to renovate your website to a content control system.  My favorite is WordPress because of its ease of use, plays well with social media, and works well on mobile browsers.

Can Facebook Help Your Business?
The short answer is “yes”.  Whether it is Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and even MySpace, having a social media strategy ranks up there with having a search engine optimization plan (Google ranking).  Having a page on social networking websites is the best way to improve your search engine placement, so it all ties together.  However, it is important to control your social networking and not let it control you.  (Stay clear of Farmville, Mafia Wars, and politics!)
The bottom line.
Embracing social networking can help others embrace your business.  If you are a bit social-media-shy then I suggest you start with Linkedin as it caters to the business community and is not as intense as Facebook.

Need Help?
Becoming socially mobile can be fun, but it can be tricky, too.  Let TechAdvocate Solutions help you with you develop an online strategy that’s right for you.   Click here, fill-out the VERY short form, and someone will be contacting you!