Anonymity
When you’re surrounded by strangers, it can be hard to strike up a conversation. Presumably, things would be easier if you already knew something about some of those people. But what if that knowledge actually made you more reluctant to start a conversation? That’s what I’m wondering about Meet Gatsby, a Foursquare-related program that connects [...]
Continue reading about What Kinds of People Do You REALLY Want to Meet?
A few years back, I read a story that’s stuck with with me ever since. It was in one of the many “how to write better” resources (possibly The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner, although that one’s still worth recommending regardless). In it, the author reminisced about something one of her university professors [...]
Continue reading about Are You Waiting Until You’re Popular Before You Start Being Relevant?
Last night, while I was conducting a Social Media 101 workshop at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance, my Twitter account was hijacked… by my girlfriend. I’d logged in on her laptop before the workshop began, and then I forgot to logout. Since she’d accompanied me to the workshop, she suddenly found herself with two free hours to [...]
Continue reading about What I Learned From Having My Twitter Account Hijacked
Lately, I’ve been arguing against the perpetual “us vs. them” method of storytelling because I think it’s ruining our ability (and desire) to understand each other. Opposing groups have always been quick to condemn “the other,” but the degree to (and zest with) which we do it these days borders on alarming. A few days [...]
Continue reading about We’re All Trolls: 11 Ways We Can Stop Being So Damn Divisive!
An Open Letter to My Audience: What Do YOU Need From Me?
I blog a lot about the importance of audience. Now I’d like to understand my own audience a bit better. NOTE: This is a long and winding post, and you may be in a hurry. If so, let me ask you for a quick favor: my whole reason for writing this post is to better [...]
Continue reading about An Open Letter to My Audience: What Do YOU Need From Me?