I’ll be back soon!! October 1, 2008
Posted by ramonmendias in Blogging.Tags: blogging
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Hello everyone. I am still alive… 
I have been dealing with some family issues and haven’t had the time to post in the last couple of weeks. I should probably be able to get started back up this week. Stay tuned.
Blogging Is For Sissies: Fine…Where Is My Pacifier? September 11, 2008
Posted by ramonmendias in Blogging, Web 2.0.Tags: blog, blogging, giving
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How does blogging make you feel when you get response from your readers? Call me an ole sap, but I couldn’t help but share the powerful emotional connection I have found from it. You might not have been blogging for an extremely long time or you might not even blog at all. That doesn’t mean you can’t find yourself getting choked up because you might have helped someone in some way by what you found, wrote, or said verbally.
My parents taught me very young that you get more from giving without asking for anything in return than any other way. That holds true from a personal or a business level. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve helped a friend do something that was important to them, and was blessed in return. Many people I’ve spoken to have voiced their opinion about blogging, and some have said it is too personal or they don’t want criminals stalking them. Blogging is as personal as you make it, and you are the moderator that has the last say. I recently found a post from a blogger who has gone through some tough times, yet he still gives without any avail. Blogging not only brings us closer to other people, but it also brings us closer to ourselves if you write from your heart.
My challenge to you is to give to someone today that is in need of help. That could be through your blog, helping a neighbor by setting the trash out by the road, or maybe something as simple as letting someone over while in traffic. If you are thinking about blogging, give it your all…you might be surprised at what comes back to you.
Fresh Off a Magazine Rack Near You: Podcasts August 21, 2008
Posted by ramonmendias in Blogging, Web 2.0.Tags: blogging, podcast, Web 2.0
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This week I’m writing about podcasts and their importance to the Web industry. Although, podcasts are not new to the world, their popularity is increasing at alarming rate. Podcast were originally created to play on Apple iPods, but can be played on most mp3 players these days. Initially, they were primarily an audio file, but video has been added to the format. The newer podcasts with video have also been called vodcasts or vcasts. I read some interesting articles in regard to some of the facts about the format, and what many schools are doing with them. The sheer numbers of people who are using the files were astonishing.
I personally do not have an iPod or a compatible mp3 player. When I started watching vcasts a while back, I was surprised they were FREE and available to anyone subscribing to the feed. People make podcasts about everything. I look at them as being the new magazine, except you can see and hear the articles come to life. I have an mp3 player, but was thinking about replacing it with an iPod which has a lot more storage. I’ll be able to subscribe to some of my favorite feeds and it downloads them automatically. I love technology!! I think businesses will continue to increase their efforts with this technology, since there are so many people that listen or watch them. Training is essential in our Web industry, so you can bet on companies wanting to save money on that front. It’s a no brainer.
I wanted to share some tweaking I made to my personal blog last week. I have been getting some traffic, but haven’t had anyone post any comments, which is ok. However, I’m afraid this has been caused by some settings I had in my admin area. Thanks to Bana…I was informed that you had to login to create a comment, which is not as user-friendly as just clicking the comment link, posting your thoughts, and leaving. If you have a WordPress.com blog, the same login credentials you use there will not work on your personal blog being hosted on another server. I went into settings and unchecked the “Users must be registered and logged in to comment” check box and all is fixed. Other tweaks I made include creating a different header, CSS edits to correct my WordPress and Technorati tag spacing at the bottom of my posts, and I also swapped out the comment graphic so it doesn’t blend into the page like it did. It will be easier to tell where you can add a comment to my posts now.
Blog for Success: Don’t let the campfire go out August 1, 2008
Posted by ramonmendias in Blogging, Web 2.0.Tags: blog, blogging, tips
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Looking to start up a blog? Well you might want to strap in tight because you’re not going to have mobs of paparazzi outside your house waiting to get a picture of you the day after launch. Man, that would be pretty funny, wouldn’t it? Blogs are similar to how a Website is born and maintained. Once a Website has launched, one can’t expect people to just show up and hammer the Website with traffic. It’s a gradual process that involves some promotion on your part along with some patience. Much of the promotion of your blog can come from being active in your blogging circles.
I read quite a few articles on blogging tips and blog etiquette. I have tendencies to be introverted most of the time unless I feel strongly about something. Recently I sense I have broken through many of those barriers I’ve put up in the past and look forward to these posts each week. I think it’s important to be honest with yourself, and share only what you feel you should share.
I decided to take the opportunity of our personal blog assignment to talk about an extremely tragic event in my life so perhaps someone might feel motivated or inspired to keep treading the rough waters one might be in. I am having a little issue with the permanent link paths with some of the pages, but I should have that worked out very soon. My personal blog can be found here.
Yummm! Your Frappuccino Served How You Like It! July 27, 2008
Posted by ramonmendias in Web 2.0.Tags: Feed, News, Reader, RSS, Updated Information
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I was challenged with information this week. Well, maybe “challenged” isn’t the right word. I was “overwhelmed” with information after digging deep into RSS feeds or subscriptions. If you don’t already know what a RSS (Rich Site Summary) feed is…it’s a way to publish content from your Website to subscribers interested in staying in tune with what you’re doing or saying. RSS feeds can contain blog entries, headlines, or podcasts. Doesn’t sound like much?
A good analogy came to mind as I spent literally HOURS reading through content I wanted. It’s like the way Netflix and Blockbuster was in years past. To see a movie out on video, you had to drive up to Blockbuster to rent. Netflix came along and put a good spin on things and allowed one to order everything online and they’d mail the videos to your doorstep. Using RSS feeds are so much different to me than the old check a few of your bookmarked Websites to see what’s going on. I don’t have to go anywhere but the aggregator I’m using to get all the breaking news I have subscribed to.
I feel so behind, and somewhat upset I haven’t dove into this realm sooner. I thought I was pretty Web savvy up until this point. These greatly important trends we’re kicking back and forth to one another, has revitalized my perception of what the Web can do for me.
Mind Altering Web 2.0! What’s the big deal? July 14, 2008
Posted by ramonmendias in Web 2.0.Tags: ajax, blogging, customized content, Flash, Mashups, O'Reilly, RSS, Web 2.0, wiki
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There has been much debate over what Web 2.0 is. Every single person that uses the internet is impacted by Web 2.0 and they might not even know it. Web 2.0 is a combination of useful principles with the end-user experience in mind. Web 2.0 creates a rich network for people to communicate and share with each other on the Internet unlike anything in the past.
Three commonly used practices in Web 2.0 are:
Rich Internet Applications – Flash, Ajax (brings desktop functionality to browser, such as drag and drop)
Service Oriented Architecture – Mashups, RSS, Feeds, and Web Services (provides ways to add current news to Websites, APIs such as Google maps can be customized to work in different applications)
Social Web – Wiki, Blogging, Tagging content, Podcasts (User controls much of the data being displayed)
YouTube.com, Wikipedia, Digg.com, and Gmail are some good examples of Web 2.0 applications.
Articles Read:
O’Reilly and MediaLive International Conference – Web 2.0 Origin
