Publications
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
When and how to communicate online
Don’t e-mail what you can blog. Don’t blog what you can tweet. Don’t tweet what you can DM. Don’t DM what you wouldn’t publish.
5 time-wasting Internet rules that you should think about breaking
Internet sages are full of rules about stupid things you should never do. But like most recommendations delivered as inviolable laws, the cardinal Don’ts of life online mostly distract you from Do’s that would be more rewarding. Here are some don’ts I believe in breaking, and some dos you can undertake once you’ve let go of these time- and worry-wasters.
12 kid-friendly iPhone apps for toddlers and young kids
The real power of an iPhone lies in the ability to keep a preschooler silent and occupied for the length of time it takes a grown-up to eat a meal in a restaurant with actual tablecloths.
How Twitter groups can make your twittering more a meaningful, conversational and connected
Learn how I set up a Twitter system that connects me more closely to the people and ideas that matter most in my own life.
Vendetta of the week: Twitter ponzi schemes for building followers
Twitter friends and followers are more than statistics. They’re real relationships, real people. When we get so obsessed with the number that we’re willing to entrust the following process to a ponzi scheme, we’ve lost sight of the purpose of this — or any other — social network: to connect us, and to help us communicate.
Twitter quickstart: 10 ways to make time to Twitter
Whether you’re an ambivalent Twitter newbie or a chronic tweeter in the throes of a growing addiction, your tweeting is going to take time that you’re currently using for something else. Here are my suggestions for activities you can pare back on — or give up entirely — to make room for tweeting.
Twitter quickstart: Effective twittering in 5 minutes a week
If you’re new to Twitter, you want to quickly eliminate the five sure signs you’re a Twitter newbie. Here are some quick ways you can follow people, attract followers, and keep your feed regularly updated — all in less than five minutes a week.
Twitter quickstart: Your first 21 tweets
If you need to stake a claim to your Twitter identity, but you don’t know what to tweet about, here’s an easy way to get your Tweeting underway. You don’t need to look like the world’s most longstanding Twitterer (after all, Oprah just started tweeting last week!), but an empty Twitter feed is just, well, a little forlorn.So I’ve taken the liberty of writing your first 21 tweets for you.
Social media strategy and tech tips, now available through Firefox search
Grab the Social Signal Firefox search tool and get access to all of our great social media resources from your browser’s search bar.
3 great options for Twitter and delicious integration
Tweeting web links is one of the simplest and most effective ways to offer regular, useful info of value to your followers. While you’re tweeting those links, you can also bookmark them in delicious.
The Harvard Business Review
When and how to communicate online
Don’t e-mail what you can blog. Don’t blog what you can tweet. Don’t tweet what you can DM. Don’t DM what you wouldn’t publish.
5 time-wasting Internet rules that you should think about breaking
Internet sages are full of rules about stupid things you should never do. But like most recommendations delivered as inviolable laws, the cardinal Don’ts of life online mostly distract you from Do’s that would be more rewarding. Here are some don’ts I believe in breaking, and some dos you can undertake once you’ve let go of these time- and worry-wasters.
12 kid-friendly iPhone apps for toddlers and young kids
The real power of an iPhone lies in the ability to keep a preschooler silent and occupied for the length of time it takes a grown-up to eat a meal in a restaurant with actual tablecloths.
How Twitter groups can make your twittering more a meaningful, conversational and connected
Learn how I set up a Twitter system that connects me more closely to the people and ideas that matter most in my own life.
Vendetta of the week: Twitter ponzi schemes for building followers
Twitter friends and followers are more than statistics. They’re real relationships, real people. When we get so obsessed with the number that we’re willing to entrust the following process to a ponzi scheme, we’ve lost sight of the purpose of this — or any other — social network: to connect us, and to help us communicate.
Twitter quickstart: 10 ways to make time to Twitter
Whether you’re an ambivalent Twitter newbie or a chronic tweeter in the throes of a growing addiction, your tweeting is going to take time that you’re currently using for something else. Here are my suggestions for activities you can pare back on — or give up entirely — to make room for tweeting.
Twitter quickstart: Effective twittering in 5 minutes a week
If you’re new to Twitter, you want to quickly eliminate the five sure signs you’re a Twitter newbie. Here are some quick ways you can follow people, attract followers, and keep your feed regularly updated — all in less than five minutes a week.
Twitter quickstart: Your first 21 tweets
If you need to stake a claim to your Twitter identity, but you don’t know what to tweet about, here’s an easy way to get your Tweeting underway. You don’t need to look like the world’s most longstanding Twitterer (after all, Oprah just started tweeting last week!), but an empty Twitter feed is just, well, a little forlorn.So I’ve taken the liberty of writing your first 21 tweets for you.
Social media strategy and tech tips, now available through Firefox search
Grab the Social Signal Firefox search tool and get access to all of our great social media resources from your browser’s search bar.
3 great options for Twitter and delicious integration
Tweeting web links is one of the simplest and most effective ways to offer regular, useful info of value to your followers. While you’re tweeting those links, you can also bookmark them in delicious.
OneZero
10 expert predictions on how the Internet will affect social relations
The latest Pew survey on the Future of the Internet looks at the effect of technology on social relations, and the expectations of 895 Internet experts are overwhelmingly optimistic. It shouldn't come as a major surprise that a sample of people who are selected for...
thirtysomething meets the Internet
When I was sixteen I hated Jane Austen. I read Pride and Prejudice, but couldn't get beyond the anachronism. Every plot point rested on the impossibility of speaking directly and honestly: Mr. Darcy, if you could simply explain yourself to Miss Bennet, I'm sure she...
The upside to teen life online
Frankasaurus has a great blog post about her experiences growing up online, comparing the impact of chat rooms on a socially awkward teenagers with the experience of using social media today. As she writes about her early years in online chat: It wasn’t long before I...
For Oprah.com: Gifts for the geeky dad (even after Father’s Day)
Do you have a tech-loving Dad in your life? This post for Oprah.com offers great gift ideas to show him that he’s your favorite geek.
How to stop waiting by the inbox
I recently sent one of those e-mails that leaves you feeling like a shmuck. Not because of anything I wrote, but because I knew I would be obsessively checking my inbox every five minutes until I got a response. There are all kinds of reasons you might find yourself...
A balanced look at the mental impact of social media
"The Internet is distracting and isolating and diminishes our capacity for focused work." "The Internet is transformative and connecting and is making us steadily smarter." The conversation about the Internet's mental and social impact often feels like a debate...
Discovering family through a social media crisis
My latest blog post for Harvard Business Review tackles the challenge of surviving a social media emergency. It was inspired by what turned out to be a minor emergency: the earthquake that rattled most of central Canada yesterday. As it happened, I was in Ottawa at...
Patrolling the boundaries in social networking
Rob Jewitt, a lecturer in Media Studies at the University of Sunderland, writes about the university's recently introduced social networking site for students. Embedded in his description of the site's features are some interesting reflections on the kinds of...
JSTOR DAILY
10 expert predictions on how the Internet will affect social relations
The latest Pew survey on the Future of the Internet looks at the effect of technology on social relations, and the expectations of 895 Internet experts are overwhelmingly optimistic. It shouldn't come as a major surprise that a sample of people who are selected for...
thirtysomething meets the Internet
When I was sixteen I hated Jane Austen. I read Pride and Prejudice, but couldn't get beyond the anachronism. Every plot point rested on the impossibility of speaking directly and honestly: Mr. Darcy, if you could simply explain yourself to Miss Bennet, I'm sure she...
The upside to teen life online
Frankasaurus has a great blog post about her experiences growing up online, comparing the impact of chat rooms on a socially awkward teenagers with the experience of using social media today. As she writes about her early years in online chat: It wasn’t long before I...
For Oprah.com: Gifts for the geeky dad (even after Father’s Day)
Do you have a tech-loving Dad in your life? This post for Oprah.com offers great gift ideas to show him that he’s your favorite geek.
How to stop waiting by the inbox
I recently sent one of those e-mails that leaves you feeling like a shmuck. Not because of anything I wrote, but because I knew I would be obsessively checking my inbox every five minutes until I got a response. There are all kinds of reasons you might find yourself...
A balanced look at the mental impact of social media
"The Internet is distracting and isolating and diminishes our capacity for focused work." "The Internet is transformative and connecting and is making us steadily smarter." The conversation about the Internet's mental and social impact often feels like a debate...
Discovering family through a social media crisis
My latest blog post for Harvard Business Review tackles the challenge of surviving a social media emergency. It was inspired by what turned out to be a minor emergency: the earthquake that rattled most of central Canada yesterday. As it happened, I was in Ottawa at...
Patrolling the boundaries in social networking
Rob Jewitt, a lecturer in Media Studies at the University of Sunderland, writes about the university's recently introduced social networking site for students. Embedded in his description of the site's features are some interesting reflections on the kinds of...
THE VERGE
Do ebooks help or hurt children’s literacy?
Print books may be under siege from the rise of e-books, but they have a tenacious hold on a particular group: children and toddlers. Their parents are insisting this next generation of readers spend their early years with old-fashioned books. This is the case even...
3 practices that restore the meaning of friendship on Facebook
Social Media Strategy: Make Your Own Romania
"Create a social media presence that highlights your expertise," I told a room full of entrepreneurs. "And that will do…
Trust, disclosure and social media
Two of the most frequent criticisms of social media hinge on the quality and quantity of information people disclosure through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social tools: Why does s/he think anyone cares? Asked about people who blog their latest meal, tweet their...