Notes from the Trail

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Woohoo! Just got word this past week that I won a premium Wordpress theme from ithemes.com. Many thanks to Ian Stewart over at themeshaper.com for the contest. All you had to do was…

Just let the community know what you think the next WordPress default theme should be like. All you have to do is leave a comment here with your great idea or ideas. Any idea is fine. You don’t need to be a theme developer, all you need is an opinion. Not enough room? Write a post on your own blog outlining your ideas (and to make sure I find it, leave a comment here with a link to your post). The three best ideas/proposals, as judged by iThemes and ThemeShaper, will be awarded the prizes. If we think they’re good ideas, you win! Simple.

A couple of thoughts about this process…

1. Commenting on blogs is important. For reasons that I’ve listed before, I prefer having interaction with readers and authors. There are only a couple of blogs that I read that disallow commenting. The authors’ reasons for doing this (for the specific two I refer to) are to enable them to focus on quality content. My contention, however, is that content is augmented and enhanced by the comments of others. It also allows readers to feel more ownership and to feel like they’re contributing to that particular blog’s community.
2. If I hadn’t commented, I wouldn’t have won.
3. There is network value in blog participation. Readers who see my/your comment on someone else’s blog - if it is an insightful or significant one - will often swing by your site to see who you are/what you’ve written. Every now and then, one of those will become a regular reader of your own site.

Here was my contribution to the contest:

I think the next theme should be able to teach beginning users of Wordpress more about the basics of Wordpress. Rather than simply clicking on the theme, I think it would be awesome if the next them contained a mini database of Wordpress how-to’s that the user could peruse at his own leisure.I also think the header should be more customizable. I’d vote for something like Derek Punsalan’s Grid Focus.

I threw it out as a kind of pie-in-the-sky idea. Anything that could be built into Wordpress to facilitate an easier blogging experience for beginners is better for all of us. I’ve been blogging for more than two years - regularly - and although my blog hasn’t ever hit the “big time,” I do consistently hear from friends, colleagues, former classmates, church members and others that I wouldn’t hear from otherwise.

I began on Typepad, fell in love with the discipline of writing and the generation of a network that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Blogging has enabled me to begin several online friendships, build a better business network and meet some really sharp pastors and Christian leaders from across the globe as a result of blogging.

My idea about making the next default theme of Wordpress a built-in tutorial for bloggers would make an immense contribution to the blog world. It would make it easier for others jump into the global conversation. Some of you out there who have always been readers to this point have wonderful things in your head. You might not ever be a daily blogger, but perhaps your weekly or monthly contribution to your own blog would generate its own following.

So Wordpress gurus out there, please give this idea some thought. The Wordpress Codex is a great contribution and resource, but it’s generally difficult to navigate unless you know what you’re looking for. At present, you need to be able to speak “Wordpress” or php in order to find what you need. A more user-friendly introduction and walk-through would be a wonderful help for us all.

Thanks to those over at themeshaper.com who left encouraging and kind comments about my idea as well. Digg it. Who knows? It might catch on.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve used several sites to test out their lifestream capabilities. You can see some of them in other entries in this series. However, I wanted to comment on three in particular here: FriendFeed, Plaxo, and MyBlogLog.

Each of the three are able to take the different social networks you use and compile them into one RSS stream. You can see the result in the image below from my Plaxo feed:

Of those three, I would say that Plaxo and FriendFeed do the best job. MyBlogLog kept missing things, inexplicably. Also, with the first two, you can actually subscribe to this compiled RSS feed so that friends and family who have no life and want to live vicariously through you can subscribe to your lifestream feed from one of these services.

I continue to use the Actionstream plugin to pull my various feeds into my column on the right, but I suppose I could simply pull in one of the feeds from these two services above, rather than enter all the different feeds individually in the plugin. I am also using the RSS Stream plugin to generate the feeds on this page.

I’ve yet to decide which service I’ll use the most. I find myself using Plaxo to help sync my contacts the most - it works great with Mac Address Book. Google has yet to develop a nice lifestream or a way to sync contacts with the Mac well, or I would probably be using it because with BusySync (review to come later), I can now sync my Google calendars with my iCal from either end.

I think there’s a lifestream race on at the moment. The service that compiles all of these features into one of easy integration with your computer and portable device will win out. (Hello, iPhone?)

Oh, and of course, there’s Tumblr…

Fonzie from Happy Days used to dispense “Sit on it” as if it were a prescribed medication for overactive teenagers. Spoken in the midst of an exasperating situation, the leather-coated royalty of cool would command, “Sit on it!” and all in earshot would respond immediately.

I began reading Andy Stanley’s Visioneering this week, and only two chapters in, I am enjoying it immensely. It’s probably the first book on vision-casting that I’ve read many moons. Of course, I’ve read dozens - many of them by vision architext Aubrey Malphurs. back in the late 80s and 90s, a corporate or organizational vision was the surefire way to get us all out of the mess we were in.

Things have settled down since then, mostly because company presidents, pastors, CEOs and others realized it wasn’t enough to have a pithy vision statement scrawled on marble, letterhead or church walls. Simply having a vision didn’t direct, implement, or assist anyone in pursuing a preferred future.

Visioneering was written on the tail-end of the vision rush (compare to the Gold Rush). Authors, motivational speakers, leaders and pastors exhausted the vision vein at the end of the 90s, not because vision had been tried and found lacking, but more often because vision tried us and found us lacking - in energy, commitment, resources, tenacity and old-fashioned follow-through.

Stanley’s book offers a much-needed corrective to the jump-on-the-bandwagon folks in chapter 1. Got a vision? he asks. Sit on it.

“The truth is… that a clear vision does not necessarily indicate a green light to begin. In fact, I have witnessed a good many people with what seemed to be God-ordained visions charge out of the starting gates too early. And the result is always the same. Failure. Discouragement. Disillusionment.

A vision rarely requires immediate action. It always requires patience.”

The rest of the chapter is devoted to what happens in us and through us as a vision is allowed to percolate. Perhaps the best storage for a vision is a crock pot.

I’ll try to share more on vision as I digest this excellent resource. I know many of you have already read the book, but if you haven’t pick it up used off of Amazon, and join me in this feast of future thinking.

Midnight For Charlie Bone (Children of the Red King)

by Jenny Nimmo

I have seen these Charlie Bone books occupying bookshelves for a few years now. I heard they were disappointingly similar to the Harry Potter books. Since I’ve completed the Potter series, I decided to give the first one a try.

A young boy discovers he has magical powers. His discovery produces family conflict. He is sent to a school for other kids with magical powers where he engages in heroic deeds and brings the book’s plot to a satisfying conclusion. Nope, it wasn’t Harry. Neither was Hogwarts the destination. Try Charlie and Bloor’s Academy.
After completing the book, I had one of those senses of strange verified entitlement. Everything I’d heard was true. After book 1, the CB series is a knockoff of the success of the HP series. It’s rare that such rumors and cultural whisper prove true.

Yet… I found myself engaged in the fresh storyline, and before book’s end, I had chuckled a few times and become engaged with this new cast of characters, plot twists and personalities.

I’ve ordered book 2… off of the used list at Amazon. (Local library didn’t have 1 or 2). I’m willing to give this series another chance in the second book.

See more about Midnight For Charlie Bone (Children of the Red King)

I’ve been selected (actually, I asked to be included, and I was!) to be an author for the Age of Conversation 2008! I’ll be writing about the topic “Life in the Conversation Lane.” The first edition has been released, but wait until March 29 to buy it. The publishers and authors are hoping to make a statement at Amazon.com and are staging this day as a “bum rush.”

Here’s the details about last year’s release:

If ideas are the currency of our times then this is, undoubtedly, the Age of Conversation, for without the art of dialog, the cut and thrust of debate and discussion, then the economy of ideas would implode under its own heavy weight. Instead, the reverse is true. Far from seeing an implosion, we are living in a time of proliferation — ideas build upon ideas, discussion grows from seeds of thought and single headlines give rise to a thousand medusa-like simulations echoing words whispered somewhere on the other side of the planet. All this — in an instant. In what began as a half dare, the editors, Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan challenged bloggers around the world to contribute one page — 400 words — on the topic of “conversation”. The resulting book, The Age of Conversation, brings together over 100 of the world’s leading marketers, writers, thinkers and creative innovators in a ground-breaking and unusual publication.

I’m delighted to be able to contribute to the new edition of this book, and all of us authors would like to ask your help in getting the word out about the first book to generate support and a base for this next work in progress (ideas here). The theme for the new book will be “Why don’t they get it?” - it’s sure to generate some interesting and engaging contributions in an election year with everything from environmental issues to the writer’s strike to new media forms.

So stop by Drew’s blog and check out the continuing development of the book, and I’ll also keep you updated here. Oh, and be kind and grab a copy of this year’s book - on March 29th. If you buy the sequel when it’s released, I’ll be glad to autograph my page for you! ;)

The 275 co-authors and their blogs (talk about link love!):
Adam Crowe, Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob Carlton, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Bradley Spitzer, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Clay Parker Jones, Chris Brown, Colin McKay, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Cord Silverstein, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Goldstein, Dan Schawbel, Dana VanDen Heuvel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Darryl Patterson, Dave Davison, Dave Origano, David Armano, David Bausola, David Berkowitz, David Brazeal, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Emily Reed, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, G. Kofi Annan, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Graham Hill, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, J.C. Hutchins, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeremy Middleton, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, Joe Talbott, John Herrington, John Jantsch, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Flowers, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kris Hoet, Krishna De, Kristin Gorski, Laura Fitton, Laurence Helene Borei, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Barnes-Johnston, Louise Mangan, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Marcus Brown, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Han****, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Mark McSpadden, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Hawkins, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Monica Wright, Nathan Gilliatt, Nathan Snell, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul Marobella, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, R.J. Northam, Rob Mortimer, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Cribbett, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tiffany Kenyon, Tim Brunelle, Tim Buesing, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Longhurst, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem