Social media, social web, marketing and Twitter hints, tips & advice – Liz Hover's Diary of a Web Gal

It’s Tamar Weinberg to the rescue again (or more acurately guest blogger Glen Allsopp writing on Tamar’s site.)

If we could all somehow connect telepathically, I would save so much time!

As Glen points out in his post on Tamar’s site, there has always been a joke on the social web about folks claiming to ’social media experts.’

These folks are a dime a dozen.

Which muddies the waters for everyone.

Long ago I read that social media isn’t an add on; it isn’t something that your marketing director suddenly has ‘to do.’ It should underscore all your communications.

According to Glen a real social media expert should:

1. Highlight others
2. Grow bigger ears
3. Accept a new normal
4. Make everything else irrelevant
5. Ignore social media ‘checklists’ or top lists

If you’re looking to weed out the pretenders from the real McCoy, check out Glen’s post: 5 things true social media experts do online.

(PS: Glen rocks. And he’s only 20. I am in AWE).

After listing my most popular posts of 2009 it seemed only fair that I list my least popular posts of 2009.

These posts are basically the fat kid that got picked last in gym class (in England we say P.E. – physical education).

I’m hoping you’ll discover something in one of them that will help you or someone you know.

And if you feel so inclined you can check out my archives which list in a nice and simple format all past posts on Diary of a Web Gal.

So here are my blog posts most in need of a big hug.

• Jeremy Fisher’s super cool animated web series
• Learn by doing
• Keep jargon out of your news releases and your website
• 15 tools for monitoring the popularity of a website
• I love my iPhone
• Lunatic bloggers can keep the blogosphere
• 21 WordPress plugins you must use
• I am no longer a tweet up virgin
• Alternatives to Photoshop
• So who are the most prolific internet users?

There was a little rejoicing in the Web Gal household yesterday.

One of my blogs, Hi, I’m Sadie Shih Tzu has been nominated for a Canadian Weblog Award (Life category).

The Canadian Weblog Awards promote blogs from across Canada year-round with interviews, articles, and the nomination, judging, and award process. A jury then decides on a short list and winners are announced in January 2011.

The awards are something of a breath of fresh air: they’re designed to uncover good, but perhaps not mainstream or popular blogs.

Much of the judging criteria focuses on common sense stuff that all web designers would apply when creating a website. The same stuff I use in my job as website manager.

Design

• Usability — Is the website user-friendly and easy to navigate?
• Operability — Do all of its components function properly?
• Interactivity — Are a comments section and author contact information available? Are its interactive components (including comments, audio, video, etc.) effective, appropriate, and accessible?
• Aesthetics — Is the website pleasing to look at? Is its design original?

• Originality — Is the content original and creatively expressed?
• Intelligibility and clarity — Is the content well-written? Are the content’s messages clearly and effectively delivered?
• Currency — Is the content timely? Is the weblog updated on a regular basis?
• Transparency and authenticity — Is the author’s purpose and realness both trusted and apparent?
• Attention to detail — Has the content been edited for spelling and grammatical errors? Is the content arranged for ease of consumption?
• Engagingness — Is the content interesting? Does it contain broad appeal within its genre?

So we’ll have to be patient for a few months before we find out if Sadie’s blog progresses any further.

This is truly an honour to be recognised among my fellow Canadian bloggers. I’ve never envisioned making money from Sadie’s blog. It’s only ever an online space for her personality to come alive for others. Pure entertainment. And with the deluge of blogs available it’s a wonder anyone ever found Sadie’s.

We’ve no idea who nominated Hi, I’m Sadie Shih Tzu. If it was you, thank you.

In blog land there are two common kinds of post you’ll see at this time of year.

I tried super hard not to become one of those cliches. Alas, I fail.

They are: Predictions for 2010 and My blog’s top posts.

As annoying and ubiquitous as the practice may be, looking back over the last 12 months at what you liked reading on my blog is a healthy and interesting exercise, both for you and for me.

So I now present to you the top 10 posts you read on my blog in 2009. (Cough, cough, notice a tweme theme?)

• A newbies guide to using Twitter
• Great links for learning about Twitter
• Guest post: 5 ways to use social media to build your brand online
• Instant eyedropper for Mac
• Why you should be using social media
• Part 2 – Newbie’s guide to Twitter
• The future of the web: 5 years from now
• Over 20 super cool websites to visit
• 10 super useful websites and Twitter peeps
• 5 links to help you get the most from Twitter

I reckon I should have done a top 10 of my least popular posts.

Hmm …

Dear reader: next week read my top 10 least popular posts.

As mentioned yesterday, I’ve signed up for Project52 – a year-long challenge to post at least one new article to my blog every week until January 2011.

I’d like to know what you’d like to see me write about over the next 12 months.

Is there a burning issue you want to know more about?

Does some part of the social web or this thing we call ’social media’ confuse you?

Are you interested in my personal opinion on something?

Would you like to guest post with your own topic?

The social web changes frequently. So even if you don’t have an idea now, remember I’m doing this for 12 months so you’ve got plenty of time to get worked up about something.

I’m still angling for a guest post from one of the most interesting bloggers I read, Ari Herzog but we can’t agree on a topic. Do you know Ari? What do you think we should get him to write? This is a guy with some of the most unconventional ideas and behaviours I’ve seen in social media land. Always thought-provoking whether you agree with him or not.

So, over you dear reader. What do you want to read about in 2010?

First up – you want to know what the heck Project52 is, right?

From the Project52 site: Project52 is a personal challenge geared toward getting fresh content on your website. The goal is to write at least 1 new article per week for 1 year.

The project runs from January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2011.

I was checking out some new folks to follow on Twitter and came across a chick I’d never heard of before (or whose name I hadn’t clocked when reading Mashable articles) – Christina Warren – who writes for Mashable. Her Twitter handle is film_girl so naturally I was curious about her because of my role at the National Screen Institute.

In an effort to post more frequently to her blog, she’s taking part in Project52.

Well this made my heart all a flutter – earlier this year I took part in the ProBlogger one month blog challenge and found it hugely beneficial.

And now I’m super nervous because I’ve committed for one whole year. If I don’t do it you, dear reader, will be the first one to know that I have failed.

I have no idea how this challenge will be structured and if I’m expected to go it alone but I’ll write more here when I find out.

Gulp.

Long ago I became aware of a blog called dooce®.

The blog is written by an American gal called Heather Armstrong. In fact a year or so ago I commissioned an interview with Heather as part of my job as a website manager and online content producer for the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI).

Heather is often referred to as a mommy-blogger (Heather and Britt Reints – who I’ve interviewed for this blog have a lot in common).

dooce® is largely about Heather’s life and family. She makes her living running dooce®. Her husband does the business and she does the writing.

She’s a no-holds-barred kind of writer. She’s also HILARIOUS.

All this to say that I was in the library earlier this week (I read books at pretty much the same speed as I read blogs: fast and often.) I was there to replenish my reading supply (I read 4 books last week and was having withdrawl symptoms).

I don’t read Heather’s blog often enough to know that she had published a book.

So there I am in the library perusing the ‘New and noted’ section when I come across a name I recognise. Turns out Heather has written a book.

If you’re in the market for reading a book that makes you laugh aloud on the bus and get funny looks from other passengers, this is the book for you.

It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita is the story of one mother (Heather) struggling with her new role.

I’ve never had it in me to be a mother. I have my dog and two stinky nine-year twins who are effectively my step children.

There is no desire in me to procreate.

Reading this book merely confirmed for me that having children is not one of my life roles.

I feel about my dog the way Heather feels about her baby (the good and nice bits).

I highly recommend this book regardless of how you feel about motherhood. Heather is a funny writer and has the ability to turn the most mundane situations into a comedy.