#BWENY 2012

I just wrapped up my first visit to the BlogWorld Expo 2012 in New York City and what an experience it was.  I didn’t quite know what to expect, except that I would be meeting and learning from a lot of like-minded individuals who love to blog, and the companies that want our business.  I attended quite a few sessions but the following three really stood out for a few different reasons.

• Rackspace  - Vow to Wow – Being helpful to Customers Online
• Flyte New Media  - 50 Content Creation Ideas: You’ll Never Suffer From Bloggers Block Again!
• Copyright Clearance Center - The Challenges of Copyright in the Digital Age

Rules of Engagement - Twitter Style

The other day I was asked by a friend if I thought he was doing "better" on Twitter. I had to be honest with him. I told him he wasn't because he doesn't engage his followers. To that he asked me, "what should I do to engage my followers?"  This question isn't quite so easy to answer.  There is no training manual, no class, and no single right answer on how to engage your Twitter followers or any social media audience for that matter.

My friend's question also got me thinking about Super Bowl XLV. Why you might ask? Well because I am one of those Super Bowl spectators who, IF I am going to watch the Super Bowl, it is because of the commercials. I like football, and watch it from time to time, but it's the commercials that really draw me in because I expect a good laugh. This past Super Bowl I was roped into watching it, but happened to be Tweeting about adoptable dogs and cute cat videos at the same time. I also have an appreciation for cars so I also follow a number of luxury car brands on Twitter so when my feed started speeding by with Tweets in response to the car ads, my curiosity was piqued.

There were 3 glaring observations to be made from this Super Bowl Tweetfest. 

Are You A Linguaphile?

Max Headroom print ad from "Catch the Wave."
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am!  I love words and I love playing with words.  I grew up with two extremely literate parents.  My favorite class, when I was in high school, was vocabulary.  At the time, I thought it was because of the teacher.  This was during the 80's, I LOVED Max Headroom and the teacher reminded me of him...lol.  But the reality is that I actually loved the words.  I am reminded of this every time I hear a word that I learned in that high school class because I remember that is exactly where I learned it.  So naturally, I gravitated towards the A.Word.A.Day by Wordsmith.org.

Now, if you consider yourself a writer, especially of a blog, you better read on. Yesterday's word is particularly relevant to you because I believe it is something that most bloggers, including myself, are guilty of.  It's a true fact that we are given to using pleonasms from time to time.  Not only is the word itself important, but all of the factoids that come along with it.  So " don't say the 'p' word" and just read on!