Blogs reach readers

The highly respected Pew Internet and American Life Project shares some fresh stats on blogs today:

Only about 8% of internet users blog, but that's about 12 million American adults.
39% of American adults, 57 million, read blogs.
54% of bloggers have never published anywhere else.
82% of U.S. bloggers think they will still be at it a year from now.

Am I the only one who thinks it's really funny that they conducted the research poll by phone? I know, I know, they wanted a random sample of Americans, not just committed bloggers.

More analysis on this research will be presented at Midwest Writer's Association Nov. 30, 2006 meeting at the Wilmette, IL library. More info is available at www.midwestwriters.com.

The World Is a Kitchen

Being a contributor to The World Is a Kitchen is a delicious experience. Among my promotional events, the IWPA Book Fair at the Chicago Cultural Center was a real highlight. My essay about cooking with Turkish women in their homes captivates would-be travelers and hungry foodies.

http://worldisakitchen.typepad.com/the_world_is_a_kitchen/2006/10/
the_world_is_a__2.html

This book is a super holiday gift for travelers, cooks and foodies.
http://www.travelerstales.com/catalog/kitchen/

Cheers,
Helen

Technology - what's your definition?

I read this morning that the 16th century painter Velasquez was noted for pioneering unique systems. The article, in fact, refers to them as "techniques and technology."

Curious, I delved further to see what technology would have been available to him, while painting kings in the courtyards of Spain's castles.

The answer: long-bristled and long-handled brushes.

Serves as a good reminder that your "technology" doesn't always have to be the next new gizmo, just whatever works for you. How you interact with technology means more than the gigahertz, as long as you know how to handle the paintbrush!

Cheers,
Helen

Fall events & readings

Speaking at The Midwest Literary Festival in Aurora earlier this month was terrific. My talk on "Be a Better Writer with Technology," went over well, and has resulted in a lot of inquiries from the eager writers in attendance.

Upcoming events include:

January 24, 2007 Midwest Writers Assn, Wilmette Public Library (Blogs)

www.midwestwriters.com PUBLIC IS WELCOME $5.00

February 24, 2007 Beverly Branch Public Library, 2121 W. 95th Street, Chicago "Computer Ease" speaking and book sales

March 8, 2007 Off-Campus Writers' Workshop, Winnetka IL (Self-Publishing)

www.ocww.bizland.com

April 2007 Writer's Fest, Wheeling, IL Public Library

http://www.itpld.lib.il.us/ > "Computer Ease" speaking and book sales

June 2007 Gotta Write Festival, Schaumburg

Recent Events:
October 5, 2006
Glenview Chamber of Commerce Business Expo - free to the public

October 13, 2006
Chicago Writers Assn. author readings & signings at The Book Cellar, 4736-8 N. Lincoln, Chicago

October 21, 2006
Chicago Cultural Center, IWPA Book Fair - free to the public

November 7, 2006 Glenview Chamber Tech Talk

November 8, 2006 American Assn. University Women / technology panel

November 10, 2006 The Book Stall at Chestnut Court

November 30, 2006 Midwest Writer's /members only

At these events, I'll be sharing publishing strategies, and offering Computer Ease as well as the new book The World Is a Kitchen, from Lonely Planet's Travelers' Tales series.

Is Google a Dinosaur?

Most of my readers know I always root for the underdog, so it's no surprise I've never been a big cheerleader for Google. Too big, built on the fly, and most importantly, delivers search results based on popularity.

The Chicago Tribune is doing a terrific series this week "Gunning for Google" which thoroughly explains Golliath and its multi-billion dollar success. Even Google's co-founder Larry Page is quoted in the Tribune as saying "You're important if other people think you're important."

I don't think that's a good basis for news, research or educating ourselves on important topics. Google is too big, stumbles on itself, and is caught in a tailspin of popularity making it less meaningful. As I always say in my own business, "You can't be all things to all people."

Give other search tools a chance

I like Clusty.com because it clusters search results down the left column. So if you search for "medical research" instead of 222 million results and many ads at Google, Clusty shows you the top 177 results out of 33 million. The left column then takes those 177 best results and clusters them by category, so you can explore exactly what you want: Clinical, Universities, Journal articles, etc...

I have always liked Yahoo.com - have you seen it lately? Instead of a big blank page like Google, Yahoo has a test version (beta) of a home page providing instant local traffic and weather in a sort of web balloon that appears when you move your mouse over the buttons. You can customize the page for local TV listings, movie theater schedules, and see all news categories in addition to a powerful search engine, all on one page.

Sign up for my free e-newsletter if you want to keep informed with a monthly dose of "clarity."
http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=24316a

Blogging in Bed??

As computers follow TV into the bedroom, The Chicago Tribune reports on a "Menage a Treo." Wish I'd thought of that title .... The article, by Katie Hafner, New York Times News Service points to an interesting trend.

The proliferation of electronic gadgets, overstacked schedules and tired people has created a marriage between people and their gadget addiction. I'm not sure its a good idea to bring those pesty little multi-taskers to bed with us.

Blackberry and Treo gadgets are 'smart phones' allowing you to read endless news headlines, check email, cry over your calendar. Not a precursor to a good night's sleep. Even they need to be turned off eventually, and to recharge, just like us.

Yet, the article found that in the blue glow of the screen, many people unwind at night by updating their blog, answering e-stacks of email, planning birthday parties, and engaging with the computer as a giant to-do list. We all appreciate the portability of a laptop, or the lighter notebook computers, instead of being chained to a desktop, where you work at the altar of messy electronics. With a notebook, you work where you're comfortable and when you can relax and think without distractions.

And there is an intimacy using a notebook computer if you're quietly engaged with it, but not if the time becomes a struggle. Weary, restless eyes clicking on web pages, to-do lists, and work, would lead us to a new form of e-somnia.

So, retreat to your room to relax, watch a DVD, listen to music or audio book, but be careful.... the bedroom is our last bastion of solitude, isn't it?


Cheers,
Helen

Announcing "The World is a Kitchen"

I’m pleased to share this great news…

The World Is a Kitchen
Cooking Your Way Through Culture
is now available

Published by Lonely Planet Travelers’ Tales series

My contribution, Flavor by the Spoonful, tells of my joyful adventures cooking with Turkish women in their homes.

The thirty stories that make up this book, plus recipes, will satisfy your yen for travel, adventure and great foods from the world’s kitchens.

The World Is a Kitchen reveals the diverse traditions of other countries through cuisine, utilizing both stories and recipes. Chefs, travel writers, and dedicated foodies share their unique experiences, transporting readers into kitchens around the world.

Editors: Michele Anna Jordan and Susan Brady

$16.95 Trade Paperback, ISBN 1-932361-40-5

www.theworldisakitchen.com

The Cafe Whisperer...

What's your cafe personality? From the shy girl who can't make eye contact with anyone to the jerk who runs a business from the loud cell phone in his pocket, step into a cafe and you'll see culture, counter-culture and everything between.

My favorite is Sweet Dreams Cafe, in Glenview, IL, where I live. If it was walking distance it would be even better. Perhaps its best to keep the temptation at a distance, just a short drive away.

Sweet Dreams has quiet, energetic music, deep red walls, soft curtains framing the ancient trees on the Historical Society grounds next door. How can you not relax? It's got plush red sofas and chairs, tables, books, candles, flowers.

Oh.. and the pastries! Sweet Dreams is owned by Mary Sopcic, a Croatian baker with extraordinary skill in the tiny world of temptation. She offers French and Croatian pastries, from fruit tarts to old-fashioned strudle, fruit breads, cakes and scones, all organic.

Have a pastry. Stay a long time and relax, and when you get hungry again, salads and sandwiches, including ample vegetarian choices await. The courteous staff won't rush your order out like fast food, but they won't rush you out either.

The customers read, talk (mostly quietly if the are on the cell phone), work, think. It's such a lovely atmosphere, you feel like you need only a whisper to talk with your friend.

You can too --- www.organicisbetter.com

Reaching a global web audience

If your web site reaches global audiences, make sure it reflects an awareness of their needs.

Does your site measure up to global web etiquette?
Here’s what to include to ensure overseas clients know you want to work with them.

1. A welcome message in multiple languages

2. Don’t use graphics, especially for a navigation button, that don’t translate well.

3. Use web development tools that work worldwide. While Adobe’s portable document format (.pdf) is a widely adopted standard, other web tools such as Java and Flash may not be, especially in countries with less advanced Internet connections.

4. Be courteous when listing events and prices on your site with an international format for date/time, and prices shown in multiple currencies.

5. Check your website statistics (hits) to see where visitors are coming from.

Non-English speaking Internet users now outnumber those who speak English. If you have, or want to attract, a particular international audience, consider using flags on your home page to denote pages written in English, French, Italian, or other languages. When a user clicks on a country flag, they’re taken to a translated page of your site.

For help with translating a block of text, try AltaVista’s BabelFish technology at http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Baffled by Tech Terms?

A recent Harris Interactive poll, commissioned by Microsoft, shows that 77 percent of women and 45 percent of men say they are not knowledgeable about tech buzzwords.

If you don't know an MP3 from a USB, don't feel bad. In the study, more than 70 percent said they never heard of RSS (Really Simple Syndication, which is a way to stream news feed to a site), 32 percent could not explain what VOIP is (Voice over internet protocol - using the Internet for telephone calls), and 46 percent are clueless about Internet tagging, a technique to show search results by popularity of terms in a site.

If you're stuck on a tech term, and curious to learn what terms mean, here are four ideas:
1. Go to dictionary.com and look it up
2. Use acronymfinder.com for terms like RSS or VOIP
3. To learn what the buzzwords really do, try www.wikipedia.com, the collaborative, online encyclopedia.
4. Visit my Q & A forum, and I'll respond quickly.

And remember, even if tech is a mystery to you, you're an expert at something. A store clerk knows more than I do about merchandising, I'll never be as smart as a nurse, and most Mom's are rocket scientists compared to the rest of us.

Google offers free videos

Google seems to be taking over the world these days -- offering valuable services and features for free. They've just released a free database of videos, which you can view and enjoy online:
http://video.google.com/freetoday.html.

The service includes full-length movies, documentaries, sports, cartoons, and talk shows, including Charlie Rose.

How to read a web site

It's fun to watch someone read the newspaper. Some methodically turn pages from start to finish, section to section. Others grab the business section, sports, or crossword puzzle, then wander to editorials, local news and get lost in the wanderlust detail of the weather page. Me, I start and stop several times during the day, always interrupted, but can pick up right where I left off when I get a few more minutes to read.

Yet, web sites, containing much the same mix of loosely organized information, seem to leave people transfixed. I'm a frequent observer of people's navigation behavior and have noticed what I call the 30-second stare.

First the eye looks around the page for something, anything, appealing. Behind the eye, the brain is saying "Why am I here? What am I supposed to look at? If I click something, how will I get back here?"

Then, the glazed look begins and the mouse is thinking: "I don't know what to do next."

Then, the click, often taking the person away from that page, forever.

You put a lot of time into the look of your web site, but like the newspaper, which produces new material every single day, you need something of value on every page, and have to give people a way to navigate where they want to go, not just where your logical mind feels they should navigate. And, always give them a way out, but invite them back. It's disappointing to follow a site for several pages and then not be able to get back to an interesting page.

So take time for some quality reading -- of your own web site. Make sure it measures up to your standards, and is also pleasing to your clients. Check the traffic your site receives through your web host, and pay special attention to which pages receive the most hits, and what pages cause people to exit the site.

For an interesting view of how the eye responds to web pages, follow this link to an example of Marketing Sherpa.com's Eyetracking Study. It uses "heatmaps" to illustrate how people look, scroll and click on web pages. Then, take another look at your site and see how you measure up.

My least favorite computer expression

My least favorite computer expression is:

“The computer won’t let me!”

Since a computer can’t actually exert any control, it really means:

“I don’t know how.”

Keep your perspective when a computer problem creeps up on you, and you'll have a better chance of solving it. Look up the problem on the web, if you can get online, or look in the Help files of any program. And, call Tech support. That's what they're there for. Of course, be sure to read "Before You Call Tech Support," in Computer Ease first.

Cheers,
Helen

The secret to being found on the web

With over 5,000 new web sites created each week, it's not easy to be found by our target audiences. How can you separate yourself and rise above the crowd.

Make it easy to be found by search engines. The sites that do best are:

In good health: They have no missing images, broken links, or outdated pages.
Smooth road: People can easily navigate and explore the site.
Newsworthy: Frequent updates with meaningful and well-organized content.
Lots of links: Search engines love links - that's the origin of the "web." Your site should have both affiliate links and reciprocal links. Read Computer Ease for more search engine tips.

And - content is still king. Compelling information worthy of the reader's time makes your web site grow in popularity.

Why Windows is so slow to boot

Have you ever wondered what your computer is doing when it takes sooooo long for Windows to boot? While you're staring at the Windows logo, the system is reporting back to Microsoft, ostensibly so it can check to see what's running on your computer. Now that people have found out this is happening every day, Microsoft is suddenly making changes.

Here's a report from InfoSelect:

Microsoft has changed a major feature found in its Windows Genuine
Advantage (WGA) software, after receiving an onslaught of complaints from
end users. The criticism is in regard to the program's daily check-ins with
the company's servers; now, the tool will dial home in 14-day intervals
instead of after every system boot.

... Click to read the rest of the article (and other InfoSelect recent articles)
online:




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Disable unwanted programs in Windows XP

If you haven't read "Computer Ease" yet, here's a reminder about disabling unwanted programs that hog your memory.

They appear when you load new programs, or run something like Quicken or Real Audio. When you close the program they often position themselves to reside in memory, to load faster the next time you need them. To free up, memory clear them out of the StartUp tab of MSConfig:

Click Start / Run and type msconfig

Click the StartupTab and uncheck any you don't need running. By unchecking you're not actually removing them from the computer, just preventing them from waiting around.

Reboot after exiting from MSConfig and the changes will take effect. You will see a message when you reboot stating someone has changed your system configuration. That someone is you - so just clear the message and you're on your way -- with more memory than you had earlier.

Staying productive away from the office

We’re great at tuning out distractions when working at home, but a hotel room or internet café is often not conducive to conducting business. If you tote your laptop along and can’t get a free wireless connection in your hotel, stay organized to make the most of your time as a café-squatter.

While working on the plane or in the hotel, keep a running list of web sites you need to review, emails you want to send once you’re online, and reply quickly to all the new mail you get, so people will know you’re in touch while out of the office.

Use your Outlook or Act calendar to create one giant “to-do” item of all these things so you don’t waste time wandering through files looking for names, numbers and bits of information.

Because you have greater security risks on any public connection, especially wireless, limit your time online to the essentials, and don’t use it checking bank account balances or for buying airline tickets or any credit card transactions.

While traveling on business this week, I’m witnessing the frustration and lost productivity by business people trying to use a Marriott hotel business center. Because Marriott doesn’t offer free wi-fi, dozens of people every hour are wasting time waiting for one of two computers, or plugging their laptops into a potentially unsafe network to read mail, then switching to web mail to send replies. And I’m telling you from experience you can waste 20 minutes and a cappuccino just trying to get onto an available connection, even at a café with free wi-fi.

Printer's Row Book Fair

Well, 80,000 people can't be wrong! The Printer's Row Book Fair really is a great event. Book vendors lined the streets, south of downtown Chicago, this weekend, in the historic Printer's Row district, while terrific author events, workshops and interviews took place within Chicago's great architecture.

Thanks to the Illinois Women's Press Assn. for allowing member/authors to sell our books. And thanks to everyone who bought Computer Ease. It wa a great crowd. I asked a Chicago policeman if we were a tough crowd to manage. "Yea, if we catch someone reading too many words, we'll book 'em."

Cheers,
Helen Gallagher

SIG's - An Untapped Resource

Newsgroups, once called SIGs (special interest groups), get lost in the clutter of the web and email but they are an important resource and handy reference when you're digging in to a specific topic.

Like what, you ask? Well, clutter, for example, and public speaking, publishing and writing, coping with loss, diseases, childcare woes, PT Cruiser lovers, Desperate Housewives fans, and thousands of other special interest.

To test-drive a newsgroup or SIG and see if it suits you, browse the list of groups at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/
http://groups.google.com/grphp?hl=en&tab=wg&q=

And remember, the web is global, so there are foreign language groups, ethnic cooking, science, religion, technology. all ready to share insights with you.

Web usage grows around the world

We know habits die hard, but they are so easy to create, especially the bad ones.
I notice the majority of my clients and colleagues use the same web sites over and over, and can go MONTHS without exploring a new site. So, I often remind people that it is the "world wide web," not only local or U.S. based content.

I occasionally find interesting news in European columns online and web sites, and when I share them, people say: "Gosh, how did you find that." Well, the world is big and the web puts it all within our reach. As I say in Computer Ease - go exploring.

So where are the greatest number of Internet users? Here are the statistics from World Opinion News:

694,260,000 Worldwide total, users age 15+, as of March 2006
152,046,000 United States
74,727 ,000 China
52,100,000 Japan
31,813 ,000 Germany
30,190 ,000 United Kingdom
24,645 ,000 South Korea
23,884 ,000 France
18,996 ,000 Canada
16,834 ,000 Italy
16,713 ,000 India