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Thoughtpick: A unique perspective of the Web and social media...
A unique perspective of the Web and social media...

February 2, 2010

10 Tips on How to Get Your Writing Groove Back!

“Following my muse has worked out pretty well so far. I can’t see any reason to change the formula now”. Chris Van Allsburg

I have always been a great fan of the word “muse”. It has been the driving force behind each and every piece I write, whether on my personal blog or for Thoughtpick. Regardless what the topic might be, I have always found my muse there; leading me towards a certain writing style or approach.

To Blog or Not to Blog!

To Blog or Not to Blog!

However, the muse is a little moody, conniving fox! It can run away from you and leave you dry of ideas; you can’t think of anything new or creative to write!

That’s okay if you are writing for your personal blog but really negative when you are a writer for a certain blog or even if your own blog is business related! Imagine being a writer for Mashable for example, yet having nothing to write about!

Therefore, and strictly from experience, I decided to share with you the top ten tips of getting your writing groove back!

1. Get Away!

And I mean that in every way possible! Don’t try to force yourself into writing; nothing good will come out of it! Just stay away! Put your laptop off and go out for a walk or watch a movie; anything which is as far away as possible for the topics you are supposed to write about!

[read full article >>]

Filed under: Tips and How To’s — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Beirut @ 4:14 pm

November 25, 2009

Is Digg really “Dead”: Statistics Show Otherwise!

A recent article published via CNET claims that “Digg is dead“! It then goes on to blame both Facebook and Twitter for the “kill” and the “burial”. I tend to highly disagree.

1. In terms of statistics…

Digg seems to be fresh, attractive and so much alive with a high number of active visitors. (Kindly refer to the figure below)

Digg's rank on Alexa.com (ranking 105 as of Nov 09)

Digg's rank on Alexa.com (ranking 105 as of Nov 09)

2. In terms of loyalty…

Digg users would not necessarily switch to Twitter or Facebook; these two do not merely compete in terms of their use and their platforms.

3. From a blogger’s perspective…

Bloggers feel the “need” for Digg, more than any other social media tool or site, in order to “drive traffic to their blogs in ways that even Twitter can’t match,” says blogger DavidRGilson. It also “helps offer a lot of blog exposure and fast indexing,” another blogger adds.

So, what I’m wondering about now is this: Based on the above realizations, how is Digg dead according to Ian Morris of CNet? Was that post really written in efforts to spite Digg because they banned the writer? Or is there something we are not being told?

Filed under: Web News — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Beirut @ 9:00 pm

November 13, 2009

Stephen Fry: Impressive Reflections on Social Media [videos]

The other day I stumbled upon an interesting video interview of Stephen Fry – the famous British actor, writer, comedian, author, television presenter and film director – talking about social media. In the interview, Stephen addressed several issues related to social media and its impact on us and on our social evolution as human beings. His view on things is quite interesting, which led to this article.

Social Qualities of the Web Generation

There is always this pre-judgment imposed on the current generation of youth and the impact of social media on our children in regards to their social development and the long times spent daily on the web. While some may focus on the negative aspects that comes with every new technology, Stephen Fry believes – and I agree with him - that our youth have much better qualities than they used to be in the 1920’s. He claims that “If you take an ordinary semi-educated 15 years old from the 1920’s and compare him to a semi-educated 15 years old now, you would find that the one now knows more, understands more, is more socially confident, more able, and more aware of the rest of the world.“.

To prove his points, Stephen points out his many online relationships with which some are very young. He talks about a 12 years old young girl who astonished him of her knowledge of literature, especially knowing Evlyn Waugh (a famous English writer), reading all his books and having intelligent views about his novels.

[read full article >>]

Filed under: Controversial Picks — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Fadi @ 5:15 pm

October 14, 2009

50 Top Noise-Free Twitter Tips in Social Media, Marketing, SEO & Design! Part 4

Wouldn’t it be just great if you could find the most useful tweets and links about the hottest most interesting topics online, all in one place? Wouldn’t it be just convenient if you could link that valuable information to the tweeple who posted it so you can have continuous access to his/her tweets by following him/her accordingly?

Below you will find our fourth specialized well researched list of 50 Top Twitter Tips and Links divided into 5 distinctive categories: 1) Social Media & Technology, 2) Marketing & Advertising, 3) Design, 4) SEO, 5) Motivational & More.

1. Social Media & Technology Tips & Links:

An RT for John Lusher

An RT for John Lusher

Bonus (funny video): @sarahamam: Social Media Addicts Association Meeting – http://bit.ly/18Eyv3

[read full article >>]

Filed under: Research-Based Topics — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Beirut @ 5:41 pm

May 28, 2009

You’re not a writer? Try Tumblelogs!

Many of us dream to have the ability to express ourselves fully and openly to the world surrounding us. Many often opt to, maybe one day, become great writers, and have the ability to write about what we feel, what we learn, the things we see, our experiences, the sensations we go through and the extreme moments of happiness or sadness that we undergo. But, we are not all writers! And that is where Tumblelogs comes to solve our dilemma!

Whether you are an amateur writer, a photographer, a thinker or just someone with an opinion to be heard, Tumblelogs represent a “venue for venting” for you with little things to learn and so much to do allowing you to blog, micro-blog, video-blog, audio-blog, and even just link-blog! The world wide web is an endless stream of possibilities and Tumblelogs are well-established yet recently famous ones, going beyond the limits of blogs and micro-blogging into a world of complete freedom!

Tumblr.com - Can it be any simpler?

Tumblr.com - Can it be any simpler?

So, what do Tumblelogs provide for you?

Example Tumblelog (http://project.ioni.st/)

Example Tumblelog (http://project.ioni.st/)

  • The option to write the least yet express the most through certain plug ins such as the “quote” button.
  • The ability to insert videos and images that uniquely define who you are, your hobbies and your topics of interest.
  • The choice to decrease your reliance on “tweets” or “plurks” for example, and find a more personal approach to get the ideas you have across to others.
  • The freedom to share your links in a fun and customized platform.
  • The flexibility to add the features on your own existing site as well as allowing you to build your own personal Tumblr.
  • Ease of use and therefore, anyone is able to benefit from this platform regardless of their age, gender, backgrounds or education level.
  • You can even post ‘chat-entries’. Let’s say you just finished an interesting debate over Gtalk, you can just copy/paste the conversation and tumble it away.

Moreover, and if you’re the type of person who likes to self-host his blog (or tumblelog in this case), or if you like to have the ability to get dirty with the code and plugins, we recommend Gelato, an open source Tumblelog platform which can be seen as the equivalent of Wordpress.

[read full article >>]

Filed under: Research-Based Topics — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Beirut @ 1:08 pm
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