Okay, folks. I am going to try the video embedding again since the first one did work! This next one will be of Nik Wallenda of the famous Flying Wallenda family down here in Sarasota. Yesterday, he walked across US 41 from Marina Jack's to one of our down town condos - almost 200' up in there and untethered! I watched (with hundreds, perhaps thousands) of others from the street. My palms were sweating the entire time. And then I was sent this video ... and my palms were just as sweaty. This first video is from the balcony where he ended up when he was done. Did I mention that he started at the top of a crane!?!? Really!?! Had to go up in a cherry picker type bucket, climb a rope ladder to the top of the crane and then the wire was suspended from there. Watch and be amazed! The 2nd video is even more amazing. Here we go!

This is my attempt to embed a video, but I think I did something wrong or missed a step. I have reached out to my friend, Terri, for assistance and will be back to fix this once I have heard back from her. She is working a very exciting campaign for a country music singer, Lee Brice (more info to follow on that), so I asked her to get back in touch w/ me once the campaign is over. I'll keep you posted! :)

Hi Readers!

Below are tips for embedding videos in your blog v. providing a link.  The purpose of doing this is to keep people on your blog v. linking them to something outside of your blog and taking the chance that they may not find their way back.

My good friend, Terri Bork, Social Media guru and author of The Google Places Bible, provided this to me; so I thought I would share on my blog, especially since it has to do with the theme of my blog.  The instructions are also provided to me via screenshots, another tool just talked about in our Social Media class @ USF-SM.

Maura, here are some tips for your blog.  They are step by step.  If you open each link then double click on the little picture you will be able to read it

It talks about keeping people on your website.

1.  http://awesomescreenshot.com/0f9uo6yaf

2.  http://awesomescreenshot.com/02cuo75f7

3.  http://awesomescreenshot.com/0feuo84a0

4.  http://awesomescreenshot.com/035uo7j9f

Hoe this will help you let me know if you have any questions.  I am going to give this a try.  Wish me luck!

M

One last post for the day and this has nothing to do with learning how to blog; however, I am using Social Media to promote a very talented young man!

http://youtu.be/ohg-w-7_kj8

Please listen to this song, written and performed by a young musician:   High School student from Sarasota FL - Justin Whitmer.  Enjoy!  Listen to a few of his other songs on YouTube also!

This video has absolutely NOTHING to do with learning to blog, but I did come across it while researching blogging.  It is about Grand Central Station and mentions some interesting 'secrets' about the building -- some I knew about and some I didn't; and I went to school across the street (42nd East Side) for two years.  It does not mention the patch of the old ceiling, which was left and not painted over - as a reminder of how dirty the ceiling was and how bad the condition of Grand Central Station was many years ago. There were plans to tear down the original structure and rebuild; however, Steve Allen, Jackie Kennedy Onasis and other celebs had a rally to stop this from happening (we all cut out of class to attend - including our teachers!).  Obviously, they won!

I hope readers have the time to watch. 

I will try to Tweet it also! 

http://nyti.ms/XkEPEc

Honestly, I had a difficult time getting off of Twitter tonight to get back here to my blog.  That Twitter is a little addicting and dangerous! 

My tasks on my blog this past week were to:

Add information on my 'about me' page - add focus of my blog and why I chose it.  Done!

Explain how my template fits with the topic of my blog (books for learning; learning theme). Done!

Interaction / comments with 3-4 bloggers related to mine (made comments). Done!

Move video I posted (about Canadian teacher learning SM and teaching it to her first graders) under a post and deleting the Video Bar.  Done!

Blog link of "Words Between the Spaces" is not recent; so move to a post v. a blog link.  Done!

I have also added a few websites that I found very interesting and about the theme of learning to blog; tips on things to do and not to do.  I hope others find these links interesting also.

I changed the layout a little and think it looks a little cleaner.  Hope others agree.

I also decided to play with the font color a little to add a little color to my posts! 

And I found a cute video about Grand Central Station, which I am going to post about next.  

I think I'm done - the question is:  To work on my other class project, or head back to Twitter! :)

The following link was just "Tweeted" to me tonight!  Has very good info on updating linked in and ways to use / features of linked in.  While this may not be about blogging, it is educational in the Social Media world, so I thought I would share.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-ways-to-use-the-new-linkedin-features-to-get-more-business/

Here’s a link to an article written by a Copy Editor, who used to blog (nothing new posted since February 2012); but I found this article on words, and the use of words, to be very interesting. Hope you do, too!

http://www.wordsbetween.com/

 Here's a link to a very cute video regarding a first grade class in Canada and their inspirational teacher, expanding her own knowledge and stepping outside of her own comfort zone to teach these kids social media.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ8VAef8QM4

A little note to those reading my blog, especially those also learning how to blog.  I have a blog list that includes blogs of fellow classmates; but in addition to that, you will see some blogs that I have found and posted, which expand the topic of learning to blog. 

Please look at ChrisBrogan.com (he is an author and Social Media expert) for tips on all types of social media tools, @Problogger, and Sochable | Social Media Blog for many different ideas on blogging. 

I will continue to search for, and post, more information on blogging tips for all of us!

Below is a link to a website I found on starting a blog with very specific directions on how to start blogs.  I think the instructions I have been posting on this blog (and that came from my Professor in the Social Media class I am taking @ USF-SM) are pretty specific with regard to Blogger; but this link adds information for starting a blog on yet another blog website, WordPress.

For all of the other new bloggers out there, I hope this is of assistance!
 
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog

I have added a few active bloggers to follow per Part B of our instructions, with Chris Brogan being one of them.  Yisell and I will  be presenting on a book he co-authored, Trust Agents, tomorrow.

I also added a Video Bar and found a really interesting video about a first grade teacher who had no prior tech skills (does not even have an msn account at home) and yet, because their school purchased computers for her first graders, she now has these kids learning blogs, podcasts, etc and learning about other places in the world via these tools.  I hope you like it!

My new Favicon did show up!  Unfortunately, it is so little, that I don't think anyone can tell what it is.  So, here's a picture:

 Isn't it cute?  As stated in my previous blog, I tired a few others before this one was finally accepted by that picky Favicon:  Here's some others I attempted to download as my Favicon:

This one was not square enough ...

 

 

This one was too big ...

This one was not square enough AND too big! 

But the little birdy is "just right!"  :)

Okay, so my Favicon shows as changed on my Layout, but not on the blog post itself.  I 'saved arrangment,' so not sure what other step I might be missing.  Hmmmm ....

I changed by background to a 'learning' theme!  And I changed my Favicon!  I think ... Thank you, Yisell, for the tutorial tonight @ B&N.  :)  Moving forward ...

Well, today I am not changing the design of this blog page at all; however, I did add a new blogger.  Something / someone I found while working on our PP presentation actually.  It is a man by the name of David, who is a copy editor; and he edits words and sometimes spaces, or so his profile states.  Upon further research, it does not appear as if he has posted anything since Feb 2012.  However, there are some interesting articles on his blog so I will keep him on my list for now.

I really need to be in search of bloggers who provide instructions for blogging since this is my theme.  That will be my next focus; and of course, making my blog page 'prettier.'

I found this picture also ... :)

B. Find 3 or 4 active bloggers to follow, again in an industry/topic area of interest to you related to your blog. Read some of their more recent posts, make comments on these posts, try to engage them. Look at how these bloggers are using their blog (engage readers, sell books or their consulting services, establish credibility or expertise, etc). You might write a blogpost about their blog or posts.


Okay, this is where I will stop for the night and pick up tomorrow morning.  It will be interesting to see what bloggers are out there teaching people like me how to blog; and to see how much more I can learn from them also.

I am so impressed with the blog set-ups that my classmates have and will try to be more creative with my blog as the week progresses.

So far, so good this time.

6. In the comment section of this post, type in your name, your blog name, and the URL for your blog.


Done! :)  And this time it works! 

5. Write at least 3 blogposts and post each with a photo/clip art (or could use google images) 


I have accomplished the first part of this, and will attach below some of the clip art that I found last time.  I was looking for some pictures to represent that it was my 'first time' blogging, so I did a search on Google Images for "First Time." Word to the Wise - NEVER do that!  I should have been more specific and typed in "First Time Blogging."  Here are some google images about blogging that I found:

No surprise here that about an hour or so ago, I would have said "... not to blog!"  

I found this one when at the previous step of 'connecting' or 'linking' to other blogs.

4. Link to other blogs:  Go to Design, Click on "Add a gadget" in the place where you want to put this.  Scroll down to "Blog List" and click on the +. Can change title (Example: My Blog List to Blogs I like) Add blog to your list/with URL.


Okay, this is where it got really tricky for me last time.  I am going to try this again now, but was not very successful last time. Notes from class indicated that we can use 'alltop.com' for lists of top blogs to try to connect to.  I will be happy just being able to add a gadget and try to link to fellow classmates.  

Let's see how I do ...  

I think I successfully connected to all fellow students' blogs - which is an improvement from my last attempt!  :)  Could I possibly be getting the hang of this?  Next!

3. Experiment with Design Templates:  Choose one you like-apply to your blog (Dynamic views and Travels are both interesting).


Step 3 is self-explanatory and I am heading on over to Design Templates to see what I can accomplish.  I believe I had 'Watermark' chosen on my last blog; but not positive.  Let's see what I can come up with this time. And let's hope I can keep it this time, too. :)

Be right back!  Okay, I made some changes to the layout and hope that they are liked.  I love the number of options that are available and am sure that I will be 'playing' with these and changing things around a little more this week.

I am fortunate enough to have some very savvy fellow-students who have offered to help me with this, also, as I continue to learn to navigate through these choices on blogger.com.

2. Write your "About me"page/post photo (go to Design, then edit About Me)

This is the 2nd instruction for setting up a blog.  I am headed that way to "Design" and then edit "About Me."  I'll be back in a few minutes to let you know how I fared in this next blog task. 

I believe I successfully completed this task.  There did not appear to be a lot of space available to write in this "About Me" area but enough to mention my job and that I am in the MBA program @ USF-SM.

1. Decide on focus of your blog. Could be on leadership or other business topic but does not have to be. You will be establishing credibility on your subject (Example-my blog on teaching effectiveness is at www.delaneykirk.com) Yours could be on your interests such as a hobby, pets, writing short stories, food, travel, etc.


Starting Over - starting over with the theme of my blog for the Social Media Class and following instructions per Prof Kirk.

The focus of my blog will be on learning how to blog, since I have little experience in this subject... other than I thought I had started a blog earlier in the week and, apparently, did not know how to correctly save and/or publish it.  So, I think I have most assuredly established credibility on my subject of learning how to blog, as I obviously have not mastered this yet.  Makes me want to switch to Christine's topic of "Great Wine Buys."  I could use some wine right now. :)

So, Instruction #1 - done!  

Okay, it's decided. I officially dislike blogging.  But only because I created a blog called 'newblogger2013' during the week and posted a few blogs / comments.  My topic was about being a new blogger and learning how to blog.  I was giving a step-by-step on my experience setting up this new blog via our Social Media Class @ USF-SM.  I even posted a few pictures on it.  I thought this would be a good topic for me and that it would be good to see how I progress with this newly-learned social media tool.  I thought I had completed enough of the required work per Prof Kirk's instructions on her blog.  And then I found out from two fellow classmates that they were not able to access my blog.

So, having returned home from Tampa this evening and while on the phone with Yourm, I go to blogger.com to see what we can do to get my blog out there for the public to see and, much to my chagrin, it's gone!  :( 

We did a Google search for it; I tried to find it under my USF email address; we tried to find it via blogger. com - nothing.  So, I am now starting over and my next post will be as close as I can get it to my first post on my previous (and now apparently, non-existent) blog.  Still sticking with the same theme of learning how to blog.  Crossing my fingers ...

This is a test.  It is the second test for me, but a new test as I appear to have lost my first blog set up.