Tried It Myself! :: Blogging In Charm City!

In the few days since my return to the blogosphere a recurring thought has been passing through the recesses of my mind in the form of a question, which has become the title of this post. If I rebuild it, will they come?

In my debut post since my return from self imposed exile I promised a ‘new and improved’ Tried It Myself! website, which is currently under construction. All of the content has been imported into the new site, except for the comments to each post. I’m in the process of moving them over now.

But the question still remains. Will the promised new site be enough? What must I do to re-attract this blog’s former readership, and what must I do to attract new readers? As I ponder these questions I am reminded of that fact that this blog’s first taste of success came from my grassroots efforts to reach out to the blogging community, by starting conversations and participating in the conversations of other bloggers.

So, the logical conclusion would be to begin again with the basics, reach out, start meaningful conversations, contribute to the conversations of others, reach down deep and find some creative things to share, travel throughout this vast blogosphere with the intention of making a contribution for the benefit of others (these are the things I’m thinking to myself ponder the solution to my dilemma).

Without sounding too melodramatic, I think I’ll follow my own advice. It seems like a good place to start. If you have any good suggestions, please leave them in a comment. I’m open to sound advice.

Thanks

Ps: The image above is a screenshot of the new Tried It Myself! website. I posted it in the form of a negative because the site is still under development (in the chemical bath, so to speak). If you’d like to get a glimpse of the new look then download the image, open it in Microsoft Paint and invert the colors.

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I went to Google yesterday to check my email, and I stumbled onto this comical video. It is a video short produced by students of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Each month a new video short is released showcasing their talent and creativity.

Scadshorts.com is currently running “the most creative title” contest for each month’s video short. The prize is a brand new Apple iPod! The object of the contest is to guess the four word title of the video short where each of the four words starts with the following letters ‘S. C. A. D.‘ For example, the title to the short below is “Sailor’s Curse Avoids Drowning”.

When I last checked the prize for October’s short was still up for grabs. So, press play and enjoy. Don’t forget, please leave a comment with your review.

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Have you seed the latest release of the Flock social web browser? It is a multi tabbed browser with a social networking bent. Though  multiple tabs is not a new feature (in fact it is one that most browsers now share), what makes the Flock browser unique is its ability to connect the user to a myriad of social media content in a single location.

As I type this post I am browsing digital images from flickr while typing in my blog’s wysiwyg. Or, I could just as easily use Flock’s internal blog editor and send this post directly to my blog from the browser. Isn’t that a beautiful sunset. I just dragged it from Flock’s media bar above the browser window directly into my wysiwyg. That’s cool!

Another interesting feature is the ‘My World’ start page. It is the default home page that opens when you launch the browser. It instantly provides access to the content and services that you frequently use. In the upper right corner there are available services from Blogger to YouTube to choose from. Just click on a thumbnail link and a new browser tab will open to that website’s home page.

Below that are links that open in a sidebar to the left. Just below the sidebar links is a search bar where you can search for content on Google, Yahoo or Ask.com. Technorati and Wikipedia are also included in the search bar feature. In addition to that, you can search Amazon.com or eBay.

Finally, below the search bar are three panels that contain your Favorite Sites, Favorite Feeds and Favorite Media, respecitvely. And there are a host of interesting features too numerous to name in a single post.

As a blogger with alot of catching up to do I will definately be giving this browser a try!

So, if you’re looking for an all in one solution that allows you to muliti task on different websites while adding content to your own, then give Flock a try.

And by all means, let me know what you think.

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Wow!  It is hard to believe that it has been over 6 months since my last post. But, here I am, making my way back, back to the blogosphere!

Though my voice was absent, my thoughts were not. I would anonymously peak in from time to time to see and hear what was happening, and to see how my fellow bloggers were doing. And I’m glad to see so many of you doing well!

I am also amazed and appreciative of the fact that the Tried It Myself community at MyBloglog.com continued to grow in my absence, a testament to the good natured folks that make up the blogosphere. Where would the it be without you! I am encouraged as I think about it!

Even though I feel the loss of connection to the blogosphere, my absence gave me some time to think about the direction I wanted to take this blog in. One thing that I am certain of is that I want to post content that is informative, helpful to my readers and perhaps even entertaining. With that said, be on the look out for the “New and Improved Tried It Myself!” website. It’s coming to a future near you!

P.s.: Christine Kane was right! My last blog post had me apologizing every day for the last 6 months! I won’t let that happen again!

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I read recently on a popular blog that it’s not cool to constantly apologize to your readers for not posting regularly to your blog. Christine makes a valid point that a blogger comes off wishy washy if one begins each entry apologizing for inconsistent and infrequent posts, and I’d have to agree with her.

However, in this case I feel it’s necessary to break this rule. My abrupt departure from the blogosphere, though temporary, was unannounced, extended and came on the heels of sharing my personal health challenges. Because I was not heard from during this time it caused several of my friends and fellow bloggers to express their concern for my well being, as I left them wondering how I was doing and why they had not heard from me for so long.

I apologize for abruptly leaving the blogosphere for so long. I also apologize for being insensitive, and for taking so long to respond to your words of concern and encouragement. At times I struggle with a sense of depression that leaves me lacking the desire to engage in activities I enjoy and find pleasurable.

I am discovering, as I age, that it is very important to pay careful attention to what your heart, mind and body are trying to tell you as you think thoughts and feel the aches and pains of life, whether they are physically or emotionally sensed.

Thanks Jenny, Dazd, Paula, Keith, Matt and KWiz for your concern and words of encouragement during my absense. I’m making my way back, and will be visiting your blogs soon!

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I am at an age where physiological changes are becoming more and more apparent. Weight (fat) has begun to cling to my once muscular frame, my hair continues to gray and my precious hairline continues its retreat. In addition to these obvious changes, my body has decided to try hypertension. The decision to try hypertension is not something I am particularly happy with, but it is something that I should have seen on the horizon and prepared for, since my father and younger brother have already had to face it.

On March 23rd I paid an unexpected visit to my doctor, who has had to prescribe medication to treat my rising blood pressure. Now, I have decided to post this article about the topic of high blood pressure since it has imposed itself as the central issue in my life at this moment. To gain a better understanding of what hypertension or high blood pressure is, it would be a good idea to have an understanding about what blood pressure is.

Blood pressure is the measurement of pressure in millimeters of mercury that blood puts on your arteries as it passes through your body’s cardiovascular system. There are two measurements that are recorded when measuring your body’s blood pressure. These are the systolic and diastolic measurements. The systolic measurement is the measurement of pressure on your arteries as your heart is beating. The diastolic measurement is the measurement of pressure when your heart is at rest. Normal blood pressure is 120/80, read as 120 over 80.

Blood pressure is said to be high when it measures 140-150 over 90-99. You have high blood pressure at this stage, and need to make significant lifestyle changes. If your blood pressure reaches 160/100 you have reached the more severe stage of secondary high blood pressure. Medication will be prescribed to treat it in addition to the lifestyle changes you must make.

My blood pressure currently measures 160/100, which means I have secondary high blood pressure. If left untreated it could lead to further cardiovascular diseases. After a conversation with my brother I have discovered that high blood pressure is a trait that runs heavily on both sides of my family. And in my case, as is the case with most African Americans, secondary high blood pressure can be a more serious condition in our ethnic group than in others. So, let the lifestyle changes begin!

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a non-discriminatory condition that could lead to, and if left untreated often does lead to, heart disease, kidney disease and/or stroke. The estimate is that one in four Americans has high blood pressure. What makes high blood pressure a serious matter is the fact that it has no overt symptoms. That is why it is called the silent killer. It does sever damage to vital internal organs, and by the time symptoms are recognizable the risk of fatality is high.

As a service to my readers as well as to myself, I will from time to time post articles about high blood pressure and how I am coping with it. I feel that it is important for good health to be aware of the risks we face when we neglect our health and the necessity to take care of ourselves in the best manner possible. If you have any comments or suggestions I would be more than happy to hear them and pass them on.

Technorati Tags: heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, health

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I found this post on Techcrunch a few minutes ago. It looks like another tech guru has bit the twitter dust, or maybe he came out of the closet and was using twitter all the time! Where in the twitter is John Chow!

Technorati Tags: twitter, social networking, techcrunch, michael arrington

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When a new social networking site such as twitter goes viral another new site closely resembling it is sure to follow. Twitterholic is just such a site. It monitors the activity of the top 100 “twits” using the twitter service. Twitterholic rates twitter users based on the number of followers a twitterer has.

Two top ranked twitterholics are Robert Scoble from PodTech.net at number two, and Jason Calicanis from Calicanis.com at number ten. These two men are leading commentators in the world of Internet technology. I think it is worth noting that they are both heavy twitter users simply because they are both ‘in the know’ when it comes to the latest technologies.

In addition, the number one twitter user is a fellow by the name of Leo Laporte from leoville.com. He is another leading technology journalist and radio talkshow host. He hosts several shows on the radio and on the Internet, streaming audio and video content. Check out The Lab With Leo, an online Technology show coming in April.

The question I ask myself is, ‘why are these tech savvy Internet Gurus heavily using a service like twitter?’ What is it about twitter that they like so much? Is it the fact that they can keep readers of their blogs up to date about what they’re doing? Is it the fact that they can communicate with friends over SMS networks and blogs, in order to stay in touch with people they frequently communicate with? Or, does it have something to do with the viral nature of social networking websites and widgets that enables them to reach and attract a large audience, giving them a simple way of staying in touch with and reaching out to as many people as possible?

In any case, I think it is at least interesting to observe what leading experts in the field of Internet technology are doing, and what they are using.

Technorati Tags: twitterholic, twitter, social networking, sms

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There are some fascinating interactive technologies being developed that are continuing to move to the forefront. I haven’t tried this one yet, but I’d love to try it. This technology encourages children to draw on the wall, not with a marker or crayon, but with a Magic Wand!

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The Blogosphere nearly buzzed off of its axis ever since Twitter won the 2007 South by Southwest Web Award. Twitter is currently the number one search term on Technorati’s popular search list. Even Michael Arrington, from Techcrunch, coined a term for when a new social networking website peaks. He said, “it hasn’t twittered yet”, when referring to the new Scrapblog website.

What is twitter, you ask? Well, twitter is the latest social networking widget for websites and weblogs that lets you post short text messages for friends, family and the general public to read. It uses Short Message Service (SMS) technology, the same technology used in the cell phone text messaging and instant messaging worlds. Now bloggers and webmasters can stay in touch with friends, family or anyone by twittering.

Though I have not figured out how to do it yet, you can use twitter to send messages to cell phones and instant messaging services, such as AIM, Jabber or Gtalk instant messaging.

Why twitter? Twitter to stay in touch. Twitter to let anyone know what you’re up to. Twitter to connect with friends scattered throughout the blogging community. Twitter for the fun of it!

Keeping true to my name’s sake, I’ve installed twitter on my sidebar to let you know what I’m up to! At first glance there doesn’t seem to be too much to it. But, when you’re on the twitter website you can see all the twitterers twittering out in the blogosphere! This is a very fast way to blog surf. When you see an interesting blog on the Public Timeline, you can click on the user, read their profile and visit their blog if it interests you. The twitter timeline updates every two minutes. But if you refresh your browser you can update the page immediately.

Is this another useless widget or a cool way to make new friends and stay in touch? Well, you won’t know until you try it yourself!

Technorati Tags: twitter, social networking, sms

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