Free E-Book on the Essence of Authentic Blogging

Here’s a living document I prepared for our first three groups of budding bloggers. I feel a collaborative book coming on.

Not sure I see myself in the same light as the company I am keeping in this collection, but some wonderful people to be gaining inspiration from all the same. David Bohm, Carl Rogers, Carl Jung, Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron, The Cluetrain folk, Scoble, Meerman Scott (in some order of importance).

We see this as essential reading for anyone on a quest for personal and professional growth through blogging, but it is a very first draft. Stay tuned for more…

Have a read and let me know which quotes resonate most for you…

FREE E-BOOK on the Essence of Authentic Blogging
More posts on writing to help get your words flowing…

Authentic Blogging for Staff at Sussex

It’s early days here in the development of our courses for academics and blogging virgins. So I am going to show you this presentation on the proviso that you see it as a beta version okay.

Session one went well this week, with our first brave group of budding bloggers at the top notch Sussex Uni last week. It’s been a huge week, with three new groups starting. Lots to blog in a reflective way about how it’s all going. For now, I am just trying to get as many resources up for them (and you all) as possible.

There’s no substitute for actually being there, but some of these posts might get you thinking and feeling what Authentic Blogging might do for you. In a personal and professional growth, integrated human way. Yay.

Viva la online revolution!

[slideshare id=132666&doc=blogging-for-academics2577&w=425]

Also putting up the extra items that can’t be read easily in the presentation.

Academic Stakeholders - Stakeholder mapping is an exercise we run all our clients through. We say “Think of yourself as the first audience for your blog”, but then you really need to start knowing how to talk to your stakeholders. But then, as Gra calls it, blogs still allow a wonderful sense of “Enhanced Serendipity”, so you never really know who’s going to drop in and make a connection.

Academic Blogging Mindmap - Novamind Pro mindmapping is great but has a few glitches to sort in the next version, so here are the links from the main Authentic Blogging mindmap for now. Some of these are very specific and others are by way of example to begin exploring the concepts.

Collaboration

• Wikinomics

Deep (or person-centred or holistic) learning

I tend towards social constructivism and am much inspired by the Reggio project. See my previous blog “Learning” re: this. All linked to life orientation and current MA in Person-Centred Education at Sussex.

• Human becoming

More links to come…ie, reflection, story telling, dialogue… so much material to share! Feeling rather evangelical about the potential of blogging for human communication, connection and learning.

More posts on Academics Blogging…

Write like you talk

Two of us sat there yesterday in the midst of the Meme Mamma’s Monday group, listening to Lucy West talk her Journey Work talk. She really knows her stuff. I hope to tell you a little more about each of the founding course participants when they give me the okay.

Sarah and I said, just blog the way you talk. She was right on it. Clear, coherent, flowing, passionate and highly engaging.

I found this post at the legendary Kathy Sierra’s blog Creating Passionate Users.

Conversational writing kicks formal writing’s ass

Okay, she’s American, and proud of it. That aside Kathy says a whole lot about writing style in the new online paradigm and many other worlds besides.

Hope it helps you talk your talk, and connect with others who share your passions.

This is also a grand example of a blog that PASSIONATELY engages the audience. Wow, look at the comments and discussion on this one post alone. She has been around for a long time, blogging, publishing, speaking out publically and has at times been highly controversial. My guess is, Kathy has always been pretty Authentic. She is who she is. She takes risks.

Increasing traffic to your blog

Many thanks to Garth Spiers for this reference. Garth is a vital participant in our Tuesday night blogging group and a wonderful man (and management consultant/coach) besides.

Blog TrafficKing

I’m not sure about this approach to blogging, and perhaps the name says it all.

Makes me think about the movement of evil substances or innocent victims around the world, or is that just me?

But there are some useful tips and tricks that Yaro Starak has to offer, some of which will be covered in our beginners course but others will be more relevant to advanced bloggers.

Let’s have some discussion about it. My feeling is there will be as much here about what not to do as what we could be doing with our Authentic Blogging practice.

I guess it’s a case of how you want to live your life and make a living, and what’s authentic for you.

If it smells like another “Get Rich Quick” scheme, then it probably is. Our approach with Authentic Blogging is not such an egocentric one, but why throw the baby out with the bathwater. Have a look for yourself.

Gra, would you like to kick off the discussion?

Learning to communicate better, wherever, whoever

Beautiful resources for learning more, much more about communication at New Conversations.

Our blogs

Wow, just sent a list of our blogs to Brighton Bloggers for inclusion. It’s getting a bit long. Hadn’t realised just how much blogging Gra and I (mainly Gra) have been doing over the last few years. So here it is…

www.authenticblogging.com – the place for a deep, authentic and truly happening approach to blogging in all it’s potential and ripeness. Blogging courses and an emerging new community – here we are!

www.barkingowl.com/learning – began with documentation of our early learning project and moved on from there into person-centred education, blogging and beyond… still sometimes active and ranks well with Google, loads of good stuff to check out and comment on, but have largely moved across to authenticblogging now

www.gravyland.net – our personal, family blog (including some contributions from Bea age 6, eg. this lovely picture she drew. Still not entirely sure how open I should be online, but this, like everything, is a work in progress.

http://blog.scouta.com – Scouta is our online media recommendations venture. Regularly featured on Techcrunch, actually.

http://presencelabs.com – Business blog for our main consulting vehicle, Presence Labs Ltd.

http://aplacecalledprovidence.com – A group blog for the co-working
office space at 50 Providence Place in the New England Quarter (where Gra is based, while I am at home hanging out the washing in between brain flashes and mad typing). Includes contributions from such neo-reno’s as Snipperoo’s Ivan Pope and the lovely Dom Stockdale.

Blogging course for Sussex Staff

The pilot course we are offering staff at the renowned University of Sussex was confirmed some weeks ago. Many thanks to Sarah Strupinski (Staff Development) and Dr Frances Aldrich (participant) for helping get this off the ground. Hopefully it will be the first of many at Sussex and other universities. One only hopes students get a turn too, post-grad at least.

Our approach here focusses on blogging as a process and a tool for enhancing:

• research
• teaching, and
• professional development (skills & knowledge)
• personal development (”human becoming”)
• the Universities profile and reputation – online and off – within key stakeholder groups (eg. students, peers, editors, other media, general public).

There will be three x two-hour weekly sessions on Wednesdays 3-5pm with a two week practice / reflection break in between. 10/17 October and 7 November. Arts C169.

The six-hours of tuition plus tailored research and online supervision have been funded by the Universities staff development budget, so there is no charge for Sussex staff (academic or non-academic).

Here’s the course outline.

Academics Blogging Autumn 2007

We had over 18 people across most Schools quickly express interest. They will have first offer, max. 10 for the first cohort. But please get in touch if you would like to be wait-listed or keep notified of future courses. You may also be interested in the other courses we are running for beginners in Autumn, advanced in January (not at Sussex).

I would also like to offer an occasional tune-up session on campus, say once or twice a term. We shall see.

We aim to create a supportive, stimulating community of academic bloggers at the University. I will be including links to their sites as they come online and are ready to share.

No doubt there will be much food for thought amongst them, and cross-fertilisation of ideas.

Just how we like it!

Enrol here.

Take part in truth

Let’s get back to the root philosophy of blogging.

So David Bohm’s the one. Well one of them. “On Dialogue” takes me back to the core of the work I was doing as an undergrad at Murdoch with Structure, Thought and Reality.

The whole discipline and practice of communication theory never ceases to underpin my thinking and excite me. Guess I chose the right course age 17, no matter how meandering it has been. Or it chose me…

And one day soon I will get focussed on bringing all this deep, rich content into the blogging course more specifically. Want to get much more visual here too. But the wikipedia entry for communication theory is a good place to start.

Now there I am showing Tom Nixon the book at this networking thingy tonight (he’s a bit lovely btw). I’ve been thinking for years how important the Dalai Lama’s words on our need for genuine dialogue were. Something small and inconsequential passing comment like… the only thing that will save humanity from the endless cycle of pain and suffering is… yep, dialogue, or something like that.

Then there HHDL is in the front blurb saying good old Dave Bohm is one of his “scientific gurus”. So I guess we’re on the right path here dear people.

“During the past few decades, modern technology, with radio, television, air travel and satellites has woven a network of communications which puts each part of the world into almost instant contact with all the other parts. Yet, in spite of this world-wide system of linkages, there is, at every moment, a general feeling that communication is breaking down everywhere, on an unparalleled scale.”

The question of how we can communicate better is at the heart of On Dialogue. This revised and expanded edition is the most comprehensive documentation to date of best-selling author David Bohm’s dialogical world view.

I’m going to reflect and share more from it as I go on. For now, here’s the link for those that just know they have to get into it now.

I’m delighted that his name hides “ohm” (mani padme hum) in something Oppenheimer, David and friends helped blow the world up with, before they saw they light… He became a real peacenik after all.

All seems rather spooky and perfect from where I’m sitting <grin>.

New choices for blogging course

After a long gestation period, things have been moving fast on our innovative, profound and effective (says us) blogging courses. They are now two time slots to choose from – an evening or a morning.

Eight weeks in a row (not including half-term school holiday)

Monday mornings 10-12 noon
8 October – 3 December
or
Tuesday evening 7-9pm
2 October – 27 November

Find out more about them but exploring this site and clicking here, and email Libby to reserve a place or call 01273 540 023 or 07968 687 107 to find out more.

Want to learn how to blog really well?

Still some places left on the blogging course I am running in Brighton for eight weeks from 25 September, Tuesday nights 7-9pm. Call Varndean College to book in on 01273 546604.

I’ve already had chats with some of the participants direct and it’s shaping up to be a very stimulating group of people. Mainly folk who have never blogged before.

Can’t wait.

Feel free to get in touch if you want to know anymore about it. But check this site first under Courses and click through the information provided.

« Previous Page — Next Page »