I was excited to find a link to a list of the 50 most influential female bloggers. Of course, such lists are both totally subjective, and super fun to read. I was very proud to see that the Top 20 includes Blogger & Podcaster Magazine interview subjects Arianna Huffington, and BlogHer founders Lisa Stone, Elisa Camahort Page, and Jory Des Jardins, and one of my very favorite contributors to the magazine, the irrepressible Lorelle VanFossen.…
Category: New Media and Tech
No Twittering in Congress: Censorship or Good Government?
Posted in New Media and Tech, and Politics and Public Affairs
When I learned that Texas Congressman John Culberson is a Twitter user, I began following him right away. I suspect that the Congressman and I, a conservative Republican from my own state, would agree on very little. But his Twitter persona, is open and “human”. The posts are neither boring advertisements for his own accomplishments, or spin-filled obfuscations. And he respond to a lot of other Twitterers. That’s more than I can say for the…
FriendFeed and Me
Posted in New Media and Tech, and Random Personal Nonsense
God help me, I signed up for FriendFeed, just to see what it’s all about. Mostly, I’m upset that the username Shelly was already taken. It’s mine, I tell you, mine! http://friendfeed.com/podcastpundit
This post is mostly a pointer to an excellent piece I just saw on ReadWriteWeb, called “Did Twitter Really ‘Outshine’ the Mainstream Media?”. I continue to love this site and its thoughtful commentary. The long and the short of it? Twitter can tell you about the earthquake first, or even help survivors communicate with the outside world and get help. But it can’t tell you the details, the scope of the disaster, or the long-term…
Free for iPhone Users Only
Posted in New Media and Tech
I essentially admitted to a bit of iPhone envy yesterday. But this isn’t about that. Seems that AT*&T has opened up free wi-fi access for iPhone users at its hot spots (read, Starbucks). I find that disturbing. It seems to set up a class system of Internet access, based on the device you carry. I have no objection to AAT&T or Starbucks or anyone charging for wi-fi access. It is a service for which many…
Kara Swisher writes today that a lot of people she surveyed while attending a wedding had not heard of Twitter. I’ll pause while you retrieve the beverage you just dropped on the floor in disbelief. Even more astonishing than the lack of Twit-hipness among Swisher’s acquaintances is that bloggers have been writing about this as if this news were revelatory in some way. It’s one thing for bloggers and new media types to live in…
Pod is a Dirty Word, Again
Posted in New Media and Tech, and Podcasting
PodShow, the “media company” founded by Adam Curry, and the recipient of millions in venture funding, has changed its name to Mevio. Has the ring of one of those wacky Web 2.0 startup names, doesn’t it? Just vague enough to allow for a completely flexible business model. Podcasting News linked to a video featuring PodShow co-founder Ron Bloom. In it, he described PodShow as a network of 15,000 shows. This, of course, includes the many…
New Media Spring Cleaning
Posted in New Media and Tech, and Podcasting
Spring cleaning, as many people do it, is about throwing things away that you no longer need, and polishing those you want to keep, but which no longer look their best. Aside from the season, leaving a job is a pretty good reason to engage in some seasonal dusting and straightening. Ad editor of a magazine for bloggers and podcasters, I was conscious of a need to speak to the industry we were covering. As…
Moving On
Posted in New Media and Tech, Podcasting, and Random Personal Nonsense
I have decided to leave my position as editor-in-chief of Blogger & Podcaster Magazine, effective April 11. I joined Blogger & Podcaster in January 2007 when we were preparing to launch the industry’s first digital/podcast/print hybrid publication. I was excited to be creating a magazine that would chronicle the podcasting world I knew so well after two+ years (more than three, now) publishing my own shows, along with the turbulent, more established blogosphere. Podcasting was…
The SXSW Keynote Debacle
Posted in New Media and Tech
I watched yesterday’s South by Southwest keynote interview between Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Business Week columnist Sarah Lacy from the comfort of the overflow room (here’s the video). Normally, in a situation where the story becomes the reaction of the crowd, I would be kicking myself for choosing the comfy chair over a bit of wall space in the back of the ballroom where it all went down. I mean, how can you really get…