The blogging community I own and operate, Crabbysbeach, slid head first into a cement brick early this evening while I was working under the hood at one of the blogs. Funny thing, only the hub blog and several other blogs seem affected by the trauma, as the rest seem to be in good order.

I must have put a blue wire where a green one belongs. I dunno.

Although I have a fair idea what my next course of action is, I want to be sure, so I posted the issue in the BuddyPress forum to get some of that “God, we are smarter than you and here’s why…” action. I sure could use SOME action, even if it is full of humility and embarrassing shame.

Now my dilemma is what to do with myself while I am waiting for that answer, so I have created a short list of activities to occupy myself while I await the answer from above.

• Write A Blog Post Or Two Ahead

Why on earth would I do that? I’d miss the fatigue and anxiety caused  by pushing deadlines, and all that intimate time with my adrenal gland. It would be too much like being prepared.

Forget that!

• Drink The Rest Of My Tequila

Yeah, just what I need, to dance around carefree and naked while wearing nothing save for  a sombrero, while my site needs fixed. Wouldn’t be very responsible now, would it?

Ooops, the tequila is gone.

Wait!

Now it is.

• Answer The Flood Of Panicky Email

This how pathetically lonely I am. I have received 3, count ‘em, 3 emails from bloggers who are all worried about their blogs. The time down has been about 7 hours and there are 50 bloggers at the site.

I guess I need to get dressed, put away my sombrero, and start worrying about my image.

• Hang Out On Twitter

At this time of night, the bars are starting to empty out, or there’s a lot of in between gigs, tequila swillin’ freelance writers like me in the Twitterverse. Too many drunk tweets to try an decipher with one eye opened.

• Visit My Favorite Porn Site

I don’t bank any of my daily allotment for porn, so I’d have to eat into tomorrow’s scheduled porn slot a little, and everyone knows that a well balanced diet of porn is healthier than lopsided distribution.

Besides, I ran out of paper towels earlier.

• Play Call Of Duty 4

No way! This is the time of night when all the real terrorists get online and play. Those dudes play rough.

• Write Some More In My Novel

Actually not a bad idea, but I hate to be the odd man out. So I’ll let it sit in a drawer like so many of my friends are doing with their novels.

Besides, I hate rejection so much it pains me when my hand cramps up (see the first line under Answer The Flood Of Panicky Email).

So, what do you think? Should I be doing one or several of these? Maybe you have an idea that you’d like to share with me, or maybe not.

© 2010, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

How do you handle your blog comments? I’m not asking just about the ones that come into your own blog, but the comments you give as well.

As the administrator of an online blogging community I read quite a few posts a day, as well as posts from the dozen or so blogs I subscribe to.  I also cruise the net just to read different blogs. So, I read a lot.

As far as commenting goes, I see everything from no comments allowed to full out flame wars, but the best of what I see is engaging back and forth conversations that are debates.

From a blogger stand point, I always welcome opposing views, as long as they aren’t outright torch sessions that border on name calling. Maybe it’s my argumentive nature, or maybe I just like the entertainment. But what is more likely the truth is, I understand that when I write a post, it is my opinion or viewpoint. That doesn’t make me right in anyone else’s mind but my own.

I will debate my stand until the other side gives up, or I relent and agree they are correct. I am comfortable with admitting I am wrong or that there are two or more sides to every issue.

Sometimes I’ll write a post just to piss some folks off, and I’m disappointed when everyone who comments agrees with me. This means I’ve tuned into the a community that thinks like I do (not all together a bad thing), but it also means that my blog isn’t getting much in the way of new traffic.

I know when I read some other blogger’s post and scan the comments afterwards, if I see a disagreement, I’ll stop and reread the post to see what I missed.

When I comment, if I disagree, I will write my point of view in a civil and maybe fun manner. Never degrade the blogger or any other commenter, this is a sure way to get people to quit commenting or even reading the blog. I would never want to be the cause of damaging another bloggers blog, but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything they are writing.

There are deeper issues at the core of all of this. Issues of censorship and prudence. Some believe that to agree even if you don’t is the just and right approach. I see that as a lie. If to no one else, you lie to yourself. You sell yourself out in name of socially acceptable good form. You become a sheep.

Now, I can hear someone in the back say that if you don’t agree, then don’t comment. That to me is another form of censorship. If you can give your opinion in a civil and exacting fashion, then you should be allowed, and I support anyone who wishes to educate or open our eyes to another point of view on the same topic.

My opinion is important to me, but it is not infallible. I know this and am comfortable with this. I also know that if I am brave enough to write my opinion, I had better be damn well brave enough to defend it and not be hurt because not every reader thinks I am all seeing and all knowing. By god I don’t want THAT onus in my life.

So tell me, am I all daft when it comes to blog comments, or do you honestly agree with me?

© 2009 – 2010, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

The last few weeks I’ve been horsing around with a new project which led me to write a lot of  SEO tutorials, only because SEO is a requirement to survive this tangled mess we have gotten ourselves into.

The Internet is crowded and we’re all yelling to be heard but the only ones that hear us when we yell are the ones who are close; our friends. Yet, we have something to say and we want thousands to hear it, damnit!

To be heard, we pay the concierge with keywords, back links, and link wheels to get our words to the booths that sit high above the dance floor. We hope those that sit in those lofty booths will give us a nod and a mention, because one word from those dudes and people will give us a look.

We can use every trick in the book to get thousands of visitors to our blogs, but can we deliver? Seriously, the simple truth about success on the Internet, or anywhere in life, is that we must satisfy a need. We must deliver the goods or we will lose all that we spent.

What is it we must deliver? A solution. We are all marketers trying to service a niche were people are clamoring for relief from some problem. Products, ideas, knowledge, or good old fashioned entertainment, we are all selling something. If we’re good, we get repeat customers. If not, we’ll be kicked to the curb quicker than a homeless chick after a date.

That is the measure of success in life. When we advertise and try to deliver, do people come back on their own? Do they bring a friend the next time?

Sound SEO  practice will deliver sheep, but good solid content will always feed them the sweetest of meals. It is a difficult juggling act, but if we take a good look at a lot of the SEO tools as not part of a separate task of blogging, but as agents of freedom, we can find that writing content is getting to be more like writing than advertising.

If you’re not familiar with some of the tools available to you in your blogs, look around, dig into them. But don’t look at them from the pure Internet geek angle, look at them with your writing heart in mind. If you can do this, you’ll get ears delivered to you AND get them to come back time and time again.

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

from Mirror.co.uk News

At the grand old age of 24, Lily Allen’s not about to retire – or is she? The singer announced yesterday: “I have not renegotiated my record contract and have no plans to make another record. “The days of me making money from recording music have been and gone.” Oddly, this quote – and all other comments by others on her blog – was later deleted after she complained: “The abuse was getting too much.” It all kicked off earlier this month when Lily started blogging about filesharing music (she’s against it). Our insider said: “Many of Lily’s fans illegally download music but they support her in other ways like buying her concert tickets. “I think they’ve stopped seeing her as a happy-go-lucky pop star and more as someone who would tell you off.”

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

I’m a million miles away from my blog at the moment and can’t seem to get a ticket on the next caravan back. I have started a half a dozen different topics and trashed each one. On the other hand, I feel all wound up, heart is pounding, and anxious. I need to write.

Nothing seems to be inspiring me today. There have been a million posts about 9/11 and I don’t think mine would be any different than half of those. Sure, I could write about how the world, not just America, changed on that day, but that’s like beating a dead horse. I could say what I feel about the dark era we were thrust into that day, but hell with that, we have enough finger pointers on both sides of THAT fence.

I almost wrote about how I nearly flushed this blog down the drain while trying something radically new to me. Watching the blog not reload after trying to to re-install the back up was frustrating to say the least. In the end, it all came back up and was really nothing to get excited about.

The dogs probably could have gotten some blog time if I felt motivated enough to give them the time. I mean, the little Amstaff, all thirty pounds of her, is baiting the ninety lb. Lab mix into a game of tag. Chloe, the Amstaff, runs up and jumps to nip at Pooh’s jaw, only to land in a ready to run position. Then Pooh lunges as Chloe steps just out of reach. All this on a hardwood floor, so there is a lot of action, but no progress.

I know if I went into Squidoo I could find a lens or two to write about, or maybe I could blog on about Factor Y, but nah.

There is one topic that touched me today, an ongoing one, and that is one that my dear friend JaguarJulie has been blogging about at her Topicality blog. Julie has be covering the topic of etiquette. In particular, online etiquette, and I think she is dead on when she states that we should behave the same way do online that we do off.

The problem I see is that some of us already do, always have, and always will. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t politely point out the fault in that behavior. We ALL have to share the same space, cyber or otherwise, so why don’t some of you grow up or get out.

So, I guess I need to find my creative genius to find something of value to blog about.

This image for this post is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License via Master Man

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

From The New York Times

The Pentagon may have helped invent the Internet, but these days it is vigorously debating just how to use the Web.

In the coming month, the Defense Department, citing growing concerns about cybersecurity, plans to issue a new policy on social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

People familiar with the department’s review expect it will set limits on who can access networking sites from their unsecure military computers. A public information officer, for instance, probably could; a cook on an aircraft carrier might not.

(The Defense Department also maintains a secure network for classified documents that does not use the public Internet.)

The debate is fueled by the increasing number of grunts who use blogs and social media to communicate with friends, family and the world beyond their wire. But it comes, paradoxically, at a time when the Defense Department itself is increasingly using social media for official purposes, including public relations, recruiting and policymaking.

Some examples can be found here, here, here, here and here.

The military has long had a complicated relationship with the Web, in all its freewheeling, nonhierarchical glory. Blogs since the start of the Iraq war have been censored or shut down by commanders worried about security leaks, or poor decorum.

Last year, a popular blog called Kaboom: A Soldier’s War Journal was taken offline after the author satirized a commanding officer’s attempts to pressure him into taking an unwanted promotion. And in 2007, the Army issued rules requiring troops to submit blog posts and other Web writings for review, a move that was widely viewed as an onerous clampdown on front-line bloggers.

But some bloggers, like Jean Paul Borda, a reservist who has done tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, said that scrutiny varies widely from commander to commander and that troops who avoid discussing sensitive material are usually left alone.

“I had the full support of my chain of command,” said Mr. Borda, who created a Web site called milblogging.com that includes an index to more than 2,400 military-related blogs.

In Vietnam, letters home were often censored. But in the Civil War, they typically were not, and many of those letters were printed in hometown newspapers, providing front-line correspondence for papers that could not afford to send reporters into battle.

Military blogs and other social media serve much the same purpose today, said Terry L. Beckenbaugh, who teaches history at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Matthew Currier Burden, a former Army intelligence officer who started one of the earliest military blogs, BlackFive.net said that military blogs have expanded and diversified, with sites by and for almost every group: parents and spouses, veterans, analysts and troops with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Blogs by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to come and go, thriving and withering with each deployment. Examples can be found here, here and here.

“It’s been a long fight to convince” commanders of the usefulness of the Web, said Mr. Burden, who wrote a book on military blogs titled, “The Blog of War.” “My tenet is: If you restrict it to much, the only ones blogging will be the ones who don’t care about the rules.”

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

Social Networks & Blogs Now 4th Most Popular Online Activity
— Now visited by over two-thirds (67 percent) of the global online population, “Member Communities,” which includes both social networks and blogs, has become the fourth most popular category online – ahead of personal email. It is growing twice as fast as any of the other four largest sectors (search, portals, PC software and email), according to The Nielsen Company’s “Global Faces and Networked Places,” a comprehensive report published today revealing the new global footprint of social networking.

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

SmartBrief on Social Media | 09/01/2009

Brianna Karp, a homeless blogger, scored an internship at Elle magazine after a columnist noticed her online musings. Karp was laid off last year and began blogging as a way to stay connected while she looked for work. “I was definitely surprised just how many homeless and former homeless people are online and using social media to seek opportunities,” she said.

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

LONDON, August 25 /PRNewswire/ — As the global phenomenon of blogging continues to sweep the USA and Europe, online resourcing firm Eazyrecruit is advising both employers and their staff to guard against the potential pitfalls of keeping an online diary.

The warning follows a number of high profile blogging cases both here and in the UK, in which employees were sacked for disparaging their employers on the internet. American flight attendant Ellen Simonetti was famously fired for posting a picture of herself in her uniform on her fictitious ‘diary’ page, while more recently, a bookstore employee, Joe Gordon received his marching orders for complaining about his boss on his personal weblog. With cases like these becoming increasingly common, we can expect to see more and more bloggers paying for their right to free speech with their jobs.

However, as Richard Annington, CEO at Eazyrecruit explains, it’s not just the employees that suffer as a result of their online indiscretions: these types of disputes can prove to be costly and difficult for employers too.

He explains: “As blogging disputes continue to dominate the headlines, it’s not surprising that employers are becoming increasingly worried about incurring the wrath of a disgruntled employee with an online axe to grind. Furthermore, because blogging is a relatively new phenomenon, many businesses aren’t sure what can be done to guard against it.”

According to Eazyrecruit, it is possible to bring a defamation claim against an employee – but this is an expensive and uncertain process. A much more simple and effective method is to update your company’s internet policy.

Richard continues: “There’s no need to put an outright ban on employees keeping online weblogs – after all, what they do in their spare time is up to them. However, it’s perfectly reasonable to introduce a clause in your existing internet usage policy which stipulates that employees who maintain a personal website or online diary cannot use it to make comments about their employer.”

This will make it clear from the outset what will and will not be tolerated. More importantly from the employers’ perspective, if the policy is breached then internal disciplinary proceedings can be initiated without the need for an expensive court case and adverse publicity.

Richard concludes: “Taking precautions before a potentially problematic situation arises is the best solution all round. Employees need to know where they stand and employers should be explicit about what is acceptable behaviour.

“In an incredibly short space of time, blogging has gone from being virtually unheard of to one of the buzzwords of the moment. As the global population becomes increasingly internet literate, we can expect blogging to become a staple method of communication. Businesses which ignore this fact do so at their peril.”

Notes to editors

Eazyrecruit is an online resourcing firm which works with organizations to reduce their cost per hire and eliminate their need to use recruiters, print advertising and job boards to hire staff.
Published Aug. 25, 2009
Copyright © 2009 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
Syndicated stories and blog feeds, all rights reserved by the author.

© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

August 28, 12:36 PMSalt Lake City Single Moms ExaminerRachel Tobin

A single mom is blogging her way through her son’s battle win cancer.  Her five year old son, Mio, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, or ALL.

The blog, The Enemy in Mio’s Body, just started in August.  She is telling her story and reaching out for help.  One entry, titled “Setting Things in Motion” she goes into the different fund-raising and organized praying that have been arranged by loved ones:

How do I begin to beg? I humbly admit that yes, we do need your help. I would have wanted Mio to have a normal life and yet here we are faced with the biggest battle. There are warriors putting things in motion and if you’d like to extend your help, no matter how little or how far, it would be an honor for us if you’d bet on my son’s life by participating, sharing the word or simply looking into these projects that Mio’s loved ones are preparing for us.

I encourage you all to click on the blog, with them good luck, and help out where possible.  Any mother would be heartbroken to watch her child battle cancer, and as with most things, that pain is only magnified as a single mom.

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© 2009, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.