I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy by Lori Andrews

On January 28, 2012, in Book Reviews, Business & Investing, Nonfiction, Social Studies, Technology, by Wilfried F. Voss

Social networks are the defining cultural movement of our time, empowering us in constantly evolving ways. We can all now be reporters, alerting the world to breaking news of a natural disaster; we can participate in crowd-sourced scientific research; and we can become investigators, helping the police solve crimes.

Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel

On September 4, 2011, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, by Wilfried F. Voss

Veteran journalists Kovach and Rosenstiel (The Elements of Journalism) begin their intelligent and well-written guidebook by assuring readers this is not unfamiliar territory. The printing press, the telegraph, radio, and television were once just as unsettling and disruptive as today’s Internet, blogs, and Twitter posts.

Are You Digital Sharecropping Your Book Business?

On August 22, 2011, in Guest Writers, Reader Views, by Reader Views

You may know the definition of sharecropping as farming practices; the landlord owns the land and takes majority of the profits while individual farmers work the land. Digital sharecropping is no different. Landlords own the site and we, as authors, populate their sites with content. We sow, they reap.

Summer Up-Dates on Sabrina Strong Series and my Blog

On August 6, 2011, in Guest Writers, Lorelei Bell, Vampire Corner, by Lorelei Bell

I’m continuously being asked by those who’ve read Vampire Ascending “when is the sequel coming out?” I’ve had people come to my facebook wall to ask me this. I’ve had people who have read the first book, telling me how much they like it, and that they can’t wait to read the next installment. So, I must have done something right in the first one.

Blogging: Sometimes You Do Need That Personal Shrink

On May 11, 2011, in Blogging Aspects, Professional Blogging, by Wilfried F. Voss

In general, it is my blogging policy to NOT block comments, unless they are scam (i.e. useless content not related to the post, but pointing to dubious websites). As of lately I have added another condition to block comments: Insulting comments. And yes, in some cases my posts are designed to provoke – that is in the nature of the business – but I won’t engage into fruitless fights.

Embedding YouTube Videos In Your WordPress Theme

On April 29, 2011, in Professional Blogging, WordPress plugins, by Wilfried F. Voss

In the “old days” embedding YouTube videos was only possible through incorporating Java code – as provided by YouTube – into your post. You had to do it in the HTML editing mode, and you didn’t dare to go back into the “Visual” editing mode. WordPress is at times highly allergic to implemented Java or HTML code and just removes it in Visual mode.

When Behavior On Social Media Is Deemed Antisocial

On March 17, 2011, in Blogging, Blogging Aspects, Lifestyle, Professional Blogging, by Wilfried F. Voss

Well, we all have and love our Facebook account, and may even tweet. However, especially under Twitter, it seems to be a sport for many people to accumulate as many “friends/followers” as possible. And yes, businesses are the worst. On Twitter I blocked, among many others, followers like a hypnotist from London, a firewood delivery service in Wisconsin, a horse farm in Illinois, and last, but not least a drunk bimbo in Los Angeles who posted sexually implicit messages with less than 140 characters. By the way, I live in Western Massachusetts.

Feature Article: 50 Things to Tweet About

On January 20, 2011, in Blogging, Marketing, Professional Blogging, Tips & Tricks, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

Twitter is a great way to meet people, develop relationships, and promote yourself and your book or business. But it’s important to avoid being seen as someone who just self promotes.

Why Am I Losing Twitter Followers?

On January 17, 2011, in Blogging, Lifestyle, Marketing, Neurotica, Technology, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

For a while I didn’t get it. I do receive in average four to five e-mails per day informing me of a new follower on my Twitter account. Yet, the total number of followers, going up and down within a small margin, remains stagnant. The only effect that would prevent the number from going up would be that I am losing followers daily.

Bloggers: How To Monetize "Free" Website Content

These days, everyone talks about free content. “Give it away!” they say, but does this really work? Well, yes and no. As with anything, there has to be a strategy.