12 blogging tools from Erica Reitman (re-posted Aug. 2013)

Erica Reitman is the founder and owner of the blog Fucked in Park Slope. She started her blog from scratch, posting irreverent comments about her Brooklyn neighborhood. Fucked In Park Slope now gets 500,000 page views a day and employs 14 writers and a full time managing editor.

This list is taken from notes I made during a talk Reitman gave to a social media marketing boot camp I attended last year.

Reitman says the first thing to understand about blogging is that it is a huge time-sink. One of the keys to coping with the work load is having the right tools. She recommended these:

1) Skitch
A screengrab and lightweight picture editing program. Use it to do quick edits (crop, add callouts, etc) to make photos fun and interesting. Mac only. For the PC she suggested Jing.

2) Evernote
Evernote is a powerful online notebook for everything you find online. You can tag stuff as you capture it. She uses it to keep story ideas, information for the blog, and links to useful tools. With a $5 Premium account you can share notebooks with others. (Highly recommended.)

3) Pinterest
A visual notebook. Pinterest is a cross between photo album and notebook. It is a great space to save ideas. It is also a social network. She uses it to save images for blog posts, and as an image search tool. When she needs a quick idea for a post on her blog, she browses the images for inspiration. Pinterest is a good place to
search for images because the photos are curated. It is also a good way to discover neat blogs and people.

4) Morgue file
A source of royalty and credit free photos you can use on your blog.Moguefile is a public image archive "by creatives, for creatives." Reitman says she is a "super fascist" about having a picture with EVERY SINGLE POST. So... I went to morguefile, searched for "Brooklyn diner" and found this attractive image.



(Morguefile also has a "paid" side to their website where for a small fee you can buy rights to even more images. And if you are going to publish the photo for money, check the rights.)

5) Flickr pool
Once you build a following on your blog, you can ask your readers take photos and post them in a Flikr pool. You can start a group (pool) around any topic you want. Fliker pool can also be a good source of royalty free images.

6) Disqus (prounounced discuss)
A social media commenting system. People can add photos, text, etc. Discus helps you build a community on your blog site. Strangers who are passing by cannot see the comments.

7) An editorial calendar
Reitman said "You must have an editorial calendar!" On the calendar write a schedule of what you plan to post, and when. The calendar gets more important the bigger you get.

8) SMO Books
Nifty little pocket-size log books with a few concise how-to pages in each book. They help keep you on track for making regular and effective blog posts. (SMO books were suggested by one of the class members.)

9) Kapost
Kapost is a way to manage content when you have more than one writer on your blog. When you have several people working on columns and stories, managing everything quickly becomes a second job.
Update: 8/24/2013. A friend who is starting an online magazine tells me that Kapost is a heavyweight product (Reitman's blog gets over 500,000 hits a day) and minimum service is $1200 a month. My friend chose Binfire instead, which is suitable for  her website, at $30 a month.

10) isocket
An easy way to sell ads on your site. Allows you to manage your own ad sales. With isocket you can set up a self-service area on your blog for people to set up their own ads and check stats, etc. The system is super easy from a publisher standpoint. Good way to get exposed to people who want to buy ad space on your site.

11) Outbrain
Outbrain is a tool that ensures none of your site's content is dead. All posts link back to other related posts on blog. Site visitors have access to content even after it has cycled off page. (Outbrain has tools to increase revenue, but I have not used them. -tl)

12) Zinio
Keeping up with your reading is important, and Zinio can help. Zinio is a mobile reading app so you can read all your magazines online. Transfer all your existing subscriptions to Zinio and you have your magazines with you at all times. Works with iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC.

Topics vs ideas -- from "Follow the Story"

When you have to use the word "about"  to describe your idea--for a book, film or story--you are in trouble.

On page 28 of his excellent book on how to write nonfiction, "Follow the Story," James B. Stewart describes the difference between a topic and an idea:

 "...a topic is not an idea. I have had to make this point to students and writers on countless occasions. Topics are inherently boring, because they pose no questions and incite no curiosity. They are like encyclopedia entries; interesting only if it happens to be what you want to look up. "Women in law" is a topic. "Welfare cheats" is a topic. "South Africa" is a topic. Reporters would come to me with the most earnest demeanors and say something like "I want to do a story about how oil companies are causing explosions at natural gas facilities."  When I stifled a yawn, their outrage would be apparent: "How can you not care about something so important?" The answer was simple: anytime someone had to use the word "about" I knew we were discussing a topic, not a story. I would urge the reporter to come back with something more specific: What company? What explosion? Some topics are more interesting than others, but they should never be mistaken for ideas."

Transcribe: timesaving audio transcription tool

This tool really works. Transcribe cut my audio transcription time in half. Another find by Sarah Marshall in Handy tools and technology, Tool of the Week at journalism.co.uk.

Tool of the week for journalists: Transcribe, a Chrome web app that saves time

 

Tool of the week: Transcribe What is it? Transcribe is a simple Chrome web app that allows you to upload audio and transcribe it without switching between an audio player and a text editing document... read more.

Timequote -- iPad app for logging video interviews

Journalist launches iPad app for logging video interviews

An iPad app that allows you to log rushes and ditch the clipboard
Copyright: Image by DaveCrosby on Flickr. Some rights reserved

TimeQuote enables journalists and videographers to make notes during an interview which are logged to a timecode. -- article by Sarah Marshall at Journalism.co.uk
Read more.

Getting people to review your book

Image credit: IMG_1686.JPG By pedrojperez

How do you get people to read and review your new book?

Here is how I do it.  (With few useful resources at the end of the post.)

- Start high. Go to the top websites in your field. Send them a pitch letter asking for a review. Include the benefits to their readers of such a review.

- Write a concise, straight forward pitch letter. You can use the pitch letter with slight modifications for every site you pitch. When you write the letter, focus on the benefits for the site. All sites have a huge problem: how to get and keep readers. Offer them something that will help, entertain or appeal to their readers, and they will love you.

- Plan on spending about two hours a day finding websites and ezines. Think of it as a marathon, and not a sprint. When I was being paid to pitch book reviews to websites, I tried to find 5 good sites a day. I usually had to look at 20-50 sites to choose those 5.

- Send your pitch emails out on Tuesday and Wednesday. For some reasons those are the best days for pitching new stuff and writing to people who don't already know you.

- Plan on generating a steady stream of pitches. Ideally, for a year. (Social Media Marketing experts estimate it takes about a year of steady work to build an online following.) Repetition and persistence are your friends.

- Keep track of all the sites you approach. What you sent, when, their response.  (I used both Highrise and the Triple Track process. Links below).

Resources:
SEMrush is a tool for finding and evaluating sites. Use SEMrush to search for sites by keyword, look at site traffic numbers, and find sites similar to the ones you are looking at.
http://www.semrush.com/

Headline Hacks is a free PDF from Jon Morrow that tells how to write quick effective headlines. This is an excellent cheat sheet on writing good headlines.
http://headlinehacks.com/

Highrise for contact management, a.k.a 'keeping track of who you talked to and what you promised to do.' The intro package is free, and should be enough for most authors.
http://highrisehq.com/

Triple Track process.  One writer's submission tracking system, and his explanation of how and why to track submissions. Effective, and essential. Free Excel templates for download.
You may not hear from a site for a month, then suddenly they want to review a book. The triple-track process will allow you to keep track of all the editors you email, and the submissions you have in the pipeline.
http://www.writerswrite.com/triple.htm

Every author needs an APE

If you are writing a book, you need Guy Kawasaki's how-to book APE (Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur).

APE will help you get your book written, finished, published, and read.

I've written about APE several times before, but it deserves another mention. It is that good.

Time is short

I don't feel like doing much blogging for a while. I am having a strong urge to withdraw from social media, blogging, writing, yoga, photography, filmmaking... in short, everything that normally energizes and interests me.

I'm not sure what caused this feeling. It began after a lifelong friend was hospitalized in a local long-term care facility.

The facility is probably one of the best in the country. The staff is skilled, caring and mostly young. The patients are mostly elderly. Many are alert, but a few spend their days slumped in their wheelchairs staring into the distance. Most of the people spend their days doing things like playing bingo, going to Sunday church services, or attending chair yoga class.

I live in a small semi-rural community. Often when I visit, I see someone I know from the community who is now in a wheelchair.

None of them planned on ending up here. Had you told them two years ago that they'd be in these wheelchairs today, they would have scoffed at the idea.

Some are younger than I. I look at them and think, "That could be me in 3 months."

An 84 year old friend listened to this story, and replied: "Time is short!"

Yoga and health after 60

 

Image from Iyengar Hatha Yoga Center of Hawaii - Manoa Yoga Centerwww.manoayoga.com

'I don’t consider fifty as old. Over sixty, the life energy begins to decline and it is important to use the skills and intellect to counteract this decline in life energy. This energy is very sensitive and when it detects a weakness it (Flows less?) and the body quickly becomes stiff and weak.' --I remember reading this somewhere I think it was in BKS Iyengar's book, Light on Yoga.

For someone over sixty, health is a much deeper and more complicated issue than “fitness” and “weight. It is the very flow of life itself. 

As Iyengar said, it is very important for someone over sixty to use intellect and skills to stay healthy. The body/mind detects weakness in bio-life energy and reacts accordingly by further restricting this energy.

This may be why an hour a day of gentle yoga can make such a profound difference in health after sixty.

Repost gives publishers a way to repost articles

One-Liner Pitch: Repost.Us helps publishers share and embed complete articles on the web, including the original publisher's advertising and branding.
Why It's Taking Off: The startup aims to make it as easy for publishers to share complete articles as YouTube makes it to share videos.

Mashable link to Repost.us is here.

2013 Pulitzers

The 2013 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists (via The Press Democrat)

Published: Monday, April 15, 2013 at 3:17 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, April 15, 2013 at 3:17 p.m. JOURNALISM Public Service: The Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for its well documented investigation of off-duty police officers who recklessly speed and endanger the lives of citizens, leading to…

Recording and transcribing Skype calls on a PC (for writers)

Long post on recording skype audio on a PC. Links at end.

I have used Skype for interviews for the last three years. I use it for both straight interviews, and for ghostwriting gigs. (Ghostwriting *requires* that I record interviews. I need good recordings to listen to and transcribe, to be able to write a piece in someone else's voice.) 

Choosing proper audio recording tools is especially important (and difficult) for me, because I have serious hearing loss. Without high quality, reliable recording tools, I can't work.

The best tool I have found for recording Skype calls on the PC is a paid program called Callburner. 

(Mac is a different world. From what my friends tell me, the Mac has simple, elegant handling of audio.)

I have tried several of the free Skype recording tools, but none of them are reliable enough for professional use. One "free" tool erased my past recordings! Other free tools crashed frequently.

The Callburner  developer really understands the (fracked up) Windows and PC audio environment. He built Callburner to be both stable and useful.

There are three other components necessary for recording/transcribing.

1. Audio playback software.

Until very recently, I just used the PC version of iTunes. The latest release of iTunes changed the user interface (they simplified things!) after the change, I find it almost useless for transcriptions. In the past I have also used  other programs for audio including: Audacity (quirky, easy to forget user interface, but reliable and free) and Cakewalk (reliable, simple user interface).

2. A foot pedal that will work with your system.

Use it to start and stop the playback as you transcribe. (I haven't found a good footpedal setup for Skype-pc yet.)

3. A good headset with microphone.

Choose a good Logitech combo from the recommended units on the Skype site.

Another transcription option I've used is to just send an MP3 file to a professional online transcription service. This is fast and reliable, but I don't get the 'gestalt'' of the interview the way I do if transcribe it myself.

Links:

Callburner

http://www.callburner.com/

Audacity
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows

Cakewalk
http://www.cakewalk.com/

Headset and microphone
http://shop.skype.com/headsets/

Bonus link:
This web based tool for transcribing looks like it might overcome need for foot-pedal (Disclaimer: I have not used this tool yet)

Update 5/14: I  used Transcribe for a long transcription job, and recommend it highly. It's easy to start and stop the playback from keyboard, and easy to insert timecode in the transcription.  You have to install the Chrome browser to use Transcribe. Free for the first week and after that it costs $20 for a year's subscription.

http://transcribe.wreally.com/

Avoiding El Bujiazo--the spark plug crime

Avoiding El Bujiazo, or 'Why to spend your first night in Lima at a hotel with its own airport shuttle and skilled, street-savvy drivers.'

After spending two weeks in the Amazon jungle, I was thinking only of a hot shower when we landed in Lima. The driver from our hotel met us inside the airport. He held a sign displaying the name of our group leader. Like the rest of the staff at our hotel, he was a professional, distinguished looking gentleman of fifty or so dressed in a suit. He greeted us warmly then escorted the group to a new shuttle van in the parking lot outside the Lima airport. After stacking the luggage in the back of the van, and getting everyone seated we left the airport for the hotel.

We were about five minutes away from the airport when the driver noticed that two of the women in our group held their hand bags in their lap. He got very excited and said, "On floor! Purse and backpack on floor!"  The women quickly stuffed their purses under their feet, and we drove the rest of the way to the hotel in silence. All the way there I wondered what upset this competent, distinguished man. What was he worried about? Why was everyone telling me "purses and backpacks on the floor or in the trunk!"

When I got home, I went online to find out why the driver got so excited. The crime is called El Bujiazo. A thief runs up to a car when it is stopped or moving slowly in traffic. He strikes a window sharply with a spark plug, shattering the safety glass. He reaches inside to grab a purse, then runs away and disappears into the city.

There are a dozen YouTube videos of the crime online. One popular short video was taken from inside the car as the window shatters.

Rules for story telling from Aerogramme Writer's Studio

I'm a sucker for lists of writing tips. I sometimes find them as interesting as the resulting stories. Here is a great collection of story-telling tips collected by Aerogramme Writers' Studio -- a website established by Melbourne-based writer and editor Cate Allan in February 2013.

1. Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling
2. Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips
3. Wall-E and Toy Story Screenwriter Reveals the Clues to a Great Story
4. Stephen King and the Art of the Short Story
5. Put One Word After Another: Neil Gaiman’s Eight Rules of Writing
6. Never Open a Book with the Weather: Writing Advice from Elmore Leonard
7. Oliver Jeffers Picture Book Maker. (Writing a picture book.)

The simple form that could save your life

 
I had a dream last night that I should fill out this form and keep a copy in my car. 
From Seth Godin's blog:

Medicine is a data processing business. Doctors measure, notice and inspect, and based on the data they collect, make decisions and take action.

Alas, despite years of promises, online data storage in medicine is a mess. Whenever I visit a new doctor, I have to start over, from the beginning, to the best of my recollection. And I hate forms, so I leave stuff out, or forget things, or my handwriting is a mess.

Perhaps we shouldn't wait for a universal solution.

This simple Word doc (Download file) (Google doc) will take you a few minutes to fill out. And, as you get older, you can keep it up to date. Every time you go to a doctor's office, print it out and bring it with you. Keep one where you can find it. Make sure your kids or parents have a copy as well. (And, while you're at it, forward a blank one or this post to people who will benefit from having one.)

No cloud security issues, no data format issues. An old-fashioned, paper-based sneakernet of your medical information. Over time, doctors will tell you what you should add or leave out for the next doctor, as you take charge of doing a better job of telling your doctor what your doctor needs to know.

[Thanks to Terry Heaton for the notion, to Dave Winer for the push and to Dr. Jonathan Sackner Bernstein for the edits]

Guy Kawasaki advice on getting the most out of Amazon Central

From an Amazon Central email:

Greetings, Authors

Guy Kawasaki has some great advice on how and why to use Amazon Author Central in his latest book, APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish Your Book. We asked Guy what tips he has for getting the most out of Author Central:

“Think of your Amazon Author Page as your online identity as an author. Here’s how to use Author Central to create a great Author Page:

Provide a high-quality profile photo – Your photo should depict you as someone who is likable, trustworthy, and competent. Your face should dominate the photo–don’t include your kids, spouse, car, or cat. The picture should be in-focus, without red-eye, and with a light source in front of you.

Ensure your biography is complete and up to date – This is where you need to prove to people that you have the street cred to write a book. Think of this as your elevator pitch as if you’re applying for a job.

Use all your weapons – This means investing the time to include your blogs and social-media accounts. That said, if you’re no longer blogging or using a social-media account, then don’t include them. The goal here is show that you’re an engaged and engaging person.

Cut to the chase – Let your writing and reviews do the talking. Don’t describe yourself or your writing as “innovative,” “inspiring,” and “irresistible.” Bragging makes you look clueless. Let the stars do the talking. ”

Here’s Guy’s Author Page (amazon.com/author/guykawasaki), updated with photos and links to his blog and tweets.

Author Pages are viewed by millions of readers each month. Managing your Author Page is easy. Simply log into Author Central, go to the Profile tab, and update your information. If you haven’t done so already, you can claim your own easy-to-remember Author Page web address to share on your blog and social networks.

Sincerely,
The Author Central Team https://authorcentral.amazon.com

A day in the life of a freelance journalist--2013

The following exchange is reblogged in entirety from journalist Nate Thayer's blog:
(Thayer has won just about every significant award in the business.)

Update 1: Jason Fry on when to work for free.
Update 2: The Atlantic's senior editor responds.

********************************************************************

Nate Thayer

A Day in the Life of a Freelance Journalist—2013

Here is an exchange between the Global Editor of the Atlantic Magazine and myself this afternoon attempting to solicit my professional services for an article they sought to publish after reading my story “25 Years of Slam Dunk Diplomacy: Rodman trip comes after 25 years of basketball diplomacy between U.S. and North Korea”   here http://www.nknews.org/2013/03/slam-dunk-diplomacy/ at NKNews.org

From the Atlantic Magazine:
On Mar 4, 2013 3:27 PM, “olga khazan” <okhazan@theatlantic.com> wrote:
Hi there — I’m the global editor for the Atlantic, and I’m trying to reach Nate Thayer to see if he’d be interested in repurposing his recent basketball diplomacy post on our site.
Could someone connect me with him, please?
thanks,
Olga Khazan
okhazan@theatlantic.com
 From the head of NK News, who originally published the piece this morning:
Hi that piece is copy right to NK News, so please engage us mutually.
Thanks, tad
From the Atlantic:
Sure. Thanks Nate and Tad…I was just wondering if you’d be interested in adapting a version of that for the Atlantic. Let me know if you’d be interested.
thanks,
Olga
From me:
Hi Olga:
Give me a shout at 443 205 9162 in D.C. and I’d be delighted to see whether we can work something out.
Best,
Nate Thayer
From the Atlantic:
Sure, I’ll call you in a few minutes.
After a brief phone call where no specifics were really discussed, and she requested I email her:
Hi Olga: What did you have in mind for length, storyline, deadline, and fees for the basketball  diplomacy piece. Or any other specifics. I think we can work something out, but I want to make sure I have the time to do it properly to meet your deadline, so give me a shout back when you have the earliest chance.
best,
Nate Thayer
From the Atlantic:
Thanks for responding. Maybe by the end of the week? 1,200 words? We unfortunately can’t pay you for it, but we do reach 13 million readers a month. I understand if that’s not a workable arrangement for you, I just wanted to see if you were interested.
Thanks so much again for your time. A great piece!
From me:
Thanks Olga:
I am a professional journalist who has made my living by writing for 25 years and am not in the habit of giving my services for free to for profit media outlets so they can make money by using my work and efforts by removing my ability to pay my bills and feed my children. I know several people who write for the Atlantic who of course get paid. I appreciate your interest, but, while I respect the Atlantic, and have several friends who write for it, I have bills to pay and cannot expect to do so by giving my work away for free to a for profit company so they can make money off of my efforts. 1200 words by the end of the week would be fine, and I can assure you it would be well received, but not for free. Frankly, I will refrain from being insulted and am perplexed how one can expect to try to retain quality professional services without compensating for them. Let me know if you have perhaps mispoken.
best,
Nate
From the Atlantic:
Hi Nate — I completely understand your position, but our rate even for original, reported stories is $100. I am out of freelance money right now, I enjoyed your post, and I thought you’d be willing to summarize it for posting for a wider audience without doing any additional legwork. Some journalists use our platform as a way to gain more exposure for whatever professional goals they might have, but that’s not right for everyone and it’s of course perfectly reasonable to decline.
Thank you and I’m sorry to have offended you.
Best,
Olga
From me:
Hi Olga: No offense taken and no worries. I am sure you are aware of the changing, deteriorating condition of our profession and the difficulty for serious journalists to make a living through their work resulting in the decline of the quality of news in general. Ironically, a few years back I was offered a staff job with the Atlantic to write 6 articles a year for a retainer of $125,000, with the right to publish elsewhere in addition. The then editor, Michael Kelly, was killed while we were both in Iraq, and we both, as it were, moved on to different places. I don’t have a problem with exposure but I do with paying my bills.
I am sure you can do what is the common practice these days and just have one of your interns rewrite the story as it was published elsewhere, but hopefully stating that is how the information was acquired. If you ever are interested in  a quality story on North Korea and wiling to pay for it, please do give me a shout. I do enjoy reading what you put out, although I remain befuddled as to how that particular business model would be sustainable to either journalism and ultimately the owners and stockholders of the Atlantic.
I understand your dilemma and it really is nothing personal, I assure you, and I wish you the best of luck.
So now, for those of you remained unclear on the state of journalism in 2013, you no longer are…..

Update 1: Jason Fry on when to work for free--and not. 


For young and/or new writers, I’d suggest these are exceptions worth considering:
* The platform’s good enough that being associated with it helps build my CV
* The platform’s good enough that I can introduce myself to a larger audience and build a lasting relationship with readers
* I really like this editor and think he or she can improve my writing and will be a great addition to my list of contacts
But be ruthless in asking yourself if the trade-off’s really worth it. Is the platform really that prestigious? Is the give and take with readers really that attractive? Is the relationship with the editor really going to be that hands-on? Lots of platforms are open to all comers, meaning they have no prestige. Lots of editors don’t actually edit. And so on. In such cases, just do your own thing.
And finally, the goal is to get paid as soon as possible. These are short-term strategies.
(Let me save you an email: I get the irony that I just repurposed my own paid article for free.)
Now, should more-experienced writers work for free? Your default stance should be “no,” bordering on “hell no.” But there are exceptions.
I’m 43 and have been a professional writer for half my life. I keep track of work I’ve invoiced, how much I need to make a day, and the day on which that math indicates I’ll be broke. But yes, I do write some things for free, and I’d be willing to write some more things for free.
Examples:
* My posts on Faith and Fear in Flushing are uncompensated. I write there because I love the Mets, because writing alongside Greg Prince keeps me on my game, and because it’s fun. It’s also true that FAFIF got my co-blogger a book deal and helped get me tons of paid work.
* These musings are unpaid, because what the heck. They’re an effort to pay it forward, a promotional vehicle, and a tool for therapy.
* I’ve contributed free work to anthologies for friends of mine and people I admire and want to be associated with.
* I’ve written for free because I saw a chance to champion the work of writers I like.
* I’ve written for free because I didn’t have access to the audience that a piece of mine needed.
That last exception is the one I consider most often. I’d like to write more about music, travel and genealogy, but I’m not well-connected with those audiences. Would I write for free on those topics if you gave me a good editor and a respected platform for reaching those readers? I might — but with the expectation that such work would soon lead to getting paid, either by that publication or by someone else.
That’s the key: If you’re going to write for free, make sure a) it’s in service of a larger strategy; b) it’s a short-term arrangement; c) you aren’t just kidding yourself; and d) you’re really not just kidding yourself. What the Atlantic asked Nate Thayer to do fails that test. I get why he’s mad — I was mad on his behalf. But it might make sense in some other situation.

Update 2: Alexis Madrigal responds
The Atlantic magazine's senior editor Alexis Madrigal (who) has been very active in discussing the response: https://twitter.com/alexismadrigal.

Asanas for introductory class

Good picture of asanas for introductory class at Yoga Circle.

Books on death and dying

"When the student is ready the teacher appears."

Last week I was hired to write a series of articles on death and dying. Within days the following books appeared in my life.

Light on Life, BKS Iyenagar (Superb!)
Is There Life After Death, Elizabeth Kubler Ross (Superb!)
Aging as a Spiritual Practice by Lewis Richmond
Never say die: The myth and marketing of the new old age by Susan Jacoby (Superb!)
Questions and answers on Death and Dying by Elizabeth Kubler Ross
Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying by Ram Dass (Superb!)

Still Here is a personal, long-time favorite. I am re-reading it for the fifth time. I already owned this book, but I hadn't seen it for a while. It disappeared when I boxed up a couple dozen books for a move. Somehow, within days of getting the job, Still Here appeared on my desk... Reading it again reminds me of my long time desire to go to Hawaii and visit Ram Dass's ashram.

Restorative yoga: A series for compromised immunity

Stress compromises your immune system. Here is a series to do when your immune system is compromised, or you are stressed out.

I use it successfully to cope with minor stress. Things like: I can’t go to yoga class because I have a cold. Or, the family visits over the holidays. Or the car dies on the way home and needs a $100 tow and a $500 repair.

Caution: (Yes, this is a real caution. I learned this the hard way by doing the poses without proper instruction and injuring myself.)

- First: find a local Iyengar teacher and learn how to do these moves properly. 

- Second: take a list of these moves to your doctor (along with copies of pictures from this book) and get your docs OK before you do these moves.

Yes, you can injure yourself doing yoga if you don't know what you are doing, or if you over-do it. A good teacher will show you how to do each move safely, and what props to use, given your physical condition and your age. If you can't find a good yoga teacher (a surprisingly common problem), the next best resource is the book, B.K.S Iyengar: Guide to Holistic Health. It explains each move with detailed pictures and text, and shows how to use props like bolsters, blankets and straps.

Here is the sequence. I found this sequence to be very effective when I was dealing with a recurring flu infection. I have not included links or photos deliberately. If you don't know how to do these already, find a teacher and show him or her the list. A qualified teacher will show you how to do the moves safely, and may tell you to skip some of them.

1.     Viparaita Karani
Legs up the wall with two blankets under sacrum. (This is the most important asana of the twelve.)

2.     Supta baddha Konsana
Two long blankets with one in thirds.
Reclining, soles of feet together, back supported. 

3.     Supta virasana
Legs in virasana, lying back on a support.
Reclining hero pose.

4.     Supta padmasana
SI stretch. 3-5 minutes each side. Use support behind your back. neck and/or under your legs as necessary. If full padmasana position is not possible, put your legs in a half-lotus.

5.     Supta Padangusthasana
Legs long, spine long, arms long

6.     Supported shoulder stand with a chair
Do NOT do this one until you find a qualified teacher to show you how to do it properly, and you get clearance from your doctor.

7.     Supported plough
Do NOT do this one until you find a qualified teacher to show you how to do it properly, and you get clearance from your doctor.

8.     Setubandha Sarvangasana
Block under sacrum

9.     Supported purvottanasana

10.  Prasarita padottanasana

11.  Adho Mukha paschimottanasana
(seated on chair)
Seated forward fold while sitting on a chair

12.  Adho mukha marichyasna 1
(as twist from front of chair)
Twist while sitting on a chair

Are you earning trust or burning trust?

The other day I connected two online friends who want to discuss a potential business deal. Before I connected them, each knew nothing of the other.

If their meeting goes sour, I will have burned trust that I spent years building.

I think this is a risk that everyone takes in a connection economy. Although it can takes years to build trust, it only takes one bad exchange to burn it.

But everything we do online carries a risk. Every action either earns or burns trust.  The alternative is to do nothing, which is the biggest risk of all. All we can do is to take the risk, be as transparent and generous as possible and work for the long term.

As Seth Godin says:
(This is) ...the analysis that informs the connection economy--is it worth interrupting this person? Is my next action going to build a relationship or take from it? Am I earning trust or burning trust?
In the connection economy, we reward art and innovation and things worth talking about. We seek out transparency and generosity and the long-term. Sure, there are still people who will profit in the short-run by burning the assets they've got, but as we get ever more connected, that's just not going to scale.  read more...

How writers can use vine

GalleyCat just published a good article on the ways authors might profitably use Vine.

Twitter introduced Vine last week, a way to quickly shoot, save and share six-second videos with your friends on Twitter.
Washington Post Book World fiction editor Ron Charles used Vine to create six-second book reviews, by far my favorite use of Twitter’s new tool.
Below, we’ve embedded vines that show how editors, authors and readers used the new tool. The official Vine blog also shares other innovative uses of the service... Read more

H/T Jason Boog

How to use Vine

Vine is brand new, but here's what I've been able to figure out so far.

1. Vine only works on the Apple iPhone and iPod touch.
2. You need a twitter account, so if you don't have one sign up here:
https://twitter.com/signup
3. If you are new to Twitter, poke around the Twitter site and go through a few tutorials.  Find a few people who have similar interests. Follow them. Spend a couple days doing this to get an idea what a tweet looks like. Retweet things that interest you. Make a couple tweets of your own.
4. When you are ready, download the Vine app from the Apple store to your iphone or touch.
5. Open the app.
6. click the camera icon on the app's homepage.
7. record your video. (I am not sure how to attach a pre-recorded video)
8. add a caption
9. publish

PS: I'm an Android user (I heard that!) so I haven't done this myself. Maybe someone who is Apple fluent will help out here, and correct my mistakes. The Android version is supposed to be coming soon.

Twitter's Vine--6 second videos

This looks BIG!

Twitter introduced Vine last week, a way to quickly shoot, save and share six-second videos with your friends on Twitter. read more  H/T Jason Boog

The link below takes you to a 6 second video of firetrucks arriving at a fire in San Francisco's Noe Valley. (I only have a link for you, because I don't know how to embed a VINE video in this blog yet.)

Hunter Walk ‏@hunterwalk

Fire on 24th st noe valley just started. Fire trucks arriving. http://vine.co/v/bnuOqmVhEWb

website building tool -- Squarespace

I am experimenting with Squarespace as a tool to build a quick website. One of the realities of writing in the Internet Age is that I occasionally need a quick website or blog as part of a writing project. (More on the reasons why, in a later post.)

So far, Squarespace looks like a great tool. The design templates are graceful, and good looking. The user interface is excellent.  It's easy to link the website to social media sites like Facebook, and to collect and display statistics. Well worth the $6 a month for a full site.

Squarespace is here.
A test site I built in about 2 hours is here.

Moving Mom and Dad -- Abroad

On the average, I probably spend about half the year abroad (outside the US), but I am not sure I could move abroad permanently. As people age I think there is a tendency to become more inflexible and cautious. I'm nearly 70, and I notice this tendency in myself. This makes me wonder how easy it would be for most people to 'move mom and dad abroad.'

Moving Mom & Dad — Abroad

by Fran Johns

Image by Lincolnian (Brian) via Flickr

Retirement village? Assisted living? Co-housing? Age-restricted or aging-in-place communities? Inter-generational cooperative? ...when the time comes to downsize, rightsize, clear out or economize. Here’s a new one that’s making the news: think global.

Even with (and sometimes because of) today’s grim economy, increasing numbers of Americans are choosing senior housing overseas... read more

Freshbooks for billing

Preoccupied with a series of family crises. Everyone is fine, but I won't be blogging much for a while.

Until then, a recommendation:

Freshbooks is a life-saver for a creative person's billing, time tracking and invoicing. I started using on a writing gig, and it is great. You can try it for free, here.