We Can Rebuild Him!

It's a long story...

...typing with one hand is no fun, so excuse me if I didn't feel much like writing. The good news is that I now have my sling off (after 9 days in hospital and 8 weeks at home), I can raise my arm enough to reach the keyboard, I've started physiotherapy to build on the range of motion, and yes that is my x-ray. 

Joining The Livid Lobster Blog Team

I am very pleased to announce that I have been accepted to be a blogger for Livid Lobster. Specifically I am  writing for webbeat.tv but may also appear in geekbeat.tv or onemansblog.com. If you are unfamiliar with these sites, I encourage you to check them out now. The mere fact that you've found my blog indicates that you have an interest in the type of content that you'll find at these sites. WebBeat and GeekBeat also, and more importantly, have video shows associated with them and hosted by the wonderful duo of Cali Lewis (GeekBeat) and Pelpina Trip (WebBeat). Here is Pelpina's most recent show for your viewing pleasure:

Be sure to follow my posts there and please keep coming back to greatbiggeek! If you've got a story idea please email me greatbiggeek@gmail.com or reach me via twitter @greatbiggeek.

Court Ordered Publication Ban Broken By Social Media Users

Rules in place to protect victims of crimes and, in many cases, minors are being inadvertently undermined by bloggers and social media site users. The concept of publication bans by the courts has been around for years, at least here in Canada, and have kept journalists from publishing details of certain cases that the court deems necessary in order to protect some or all of the parties involved. While journalists are well aware of the consequences of reporting on these details, it appears as though the general public is ill informed, ignorant, or oblivious to the concept of publication bans. Case in point, a judge in the case of a man involved in a recent abduction case in Moncton New Brunswick has placed details of the incident under a publication ban. Yet the writings of a social media user clearly ties the victim of the case to the incident. It will be interesting to see how the court reacts to this regardless of whether or not the unfortunate remarks have since been removed.

Source: CBC

US Bloggers Threatened With Fines Over Full Disclosure

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is stepping up it's policing of the blogoshpere by threatening fines of up to $11,000 per post for bloggers who fail to advise their readers of "material connections" — or "connections that consumers would not expect" — with the subjects they write about. "The post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service," the FTC said in a statement on its website. There are no similar plans in Canada as of yet, however the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is trying to decide whether or not there should be Canadian content rules governing content created in Canada for the internet similar to those found in television and radio content produced here. No fears GBG readers, no payola headed my way...

Source: CBC

Cubans Finding Voice Online

The Globe and Mail has an interesting article about bloggers in Cuba and how they are finding a voice online only a month after the government of Raul Castro lifted bans on Cubans buying, computers, consumer electronics, having cell phones and staying in luxury tourist hotels. With salaries averaging $20 a month it's amazing how the ingenuity of the people of Cuba is being displayed in their attempts to get online and be heard. "It's about how I live," Yoani Sanchez tells the Associated Press "I think that technically, there are no limits. I have talked about things like Fidel Castro, and you know how taboo that can be."

Blogging for business and personal promotion

Here is an interesting NY Times article that discusses the virtues of blogging to promote your business or yourself. There's not anything terribly new here, but it's an interesting read all the same.

Lonely girl 95?

This is a great story... a 95 year old Spanish grandmother who's grandson presented her with a blog for her birthday was less than impressed, "Today it's my birthday and my grandson, who is very stingy, gave me a blog." However, she now receives comments from web surfers all over the world and of all ages. With 60,000 regular readers Maria Amelia Lopez has become somewhat of an Internet celebrity and has embraced the technology. "The Internet has given me life," she told Reuters. You go girl!

Top 100 blogs to read

The good people at the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science have completed a study and compiled a top 100 list of the blogs to read in order to stay informed. The study asked "Which blogs should one read to be most up to date, i.e., to quickly know about important stories that propagate over the blogosphere?" Topping the list was Instapundit and rounding out was Scoble, also making an appearance are a number of the blogs that I frequent but I was surprised by the number of blogs I'd never heard of. In hindsight I guess not all blogs are technology related and I shouldn't have assumed the tech blogs would necessarily be the most popular, just goes to show their are many forms of geek! Check out the list here.

5 simple rules to blogging your employer

I have been at this for a couple of months now and I have made a conscious decision to keep my blog and my work life separate, that is to say I don't discuss my company or its clients. It's a personal choice, and while I do work in the IT industry and some of the work we do might be relevant material, it's a line I have chosen not to cross. Many bloggers take a more personal approach to blogging and sometimes forget that they are putting things out there that their superiors or clients might not like aired in public or may take offense to. Steve Rubel has 5 short pieces of advice on how to run a corporate blog, posted at Wired's How to Wiki. A quick read and some good common sense advice.

How ironic... CBC memo regarding employee blogging leaked to blog

The Globe and Mail is running a story of an internal CBC memo to employees regarding their blogging policy that has been leaked through, what else, a blog. The corporation claims the document is only a draft but employees are getting a bit fired up over it. A little common sense goes a long way folks!

Do you Tweet?

For some, blogging is a chore. A lot of people try it and quickly tire of it, or they want to try it but can't find the time in their busy schedule. There are however a number of new services such as Twitter or Jaiku that offer a quick solution to those wanting to keep their friends and followers informed but don't want to invest the time in blogging. Twitter for instance simply asks "What are you doing?" and provides 140 characters in which to respond. The site can be updated through a traditional web interface, via Instant Messenger (IM), or by texting a message on your cell phone (sms). I've had a Twitter account since March of this year, but have not been very good at keeping it up to date. Thankfully there are a number of Twitter applications that enhance the Twitter experience. As of today, thanks to Twitterfeed, my Twitter account will be updated daily with posts to this blog. Even if I don't tweet regularly, my Twitter followers will be able to see my recent blog posts, and to complete the circle if I tweet you'll be able to see it on this blog... scroll down the page, just above my links. I've found blogging a little easier to get into, but I also know of many people who have abandoned their blogs in favor of tweeting. Big media and celebrities alike are utilizing both, so if you've been debating the merits of blogging why not give tweeting a try?

Not so much free speech

Some Canadian bloggers are finding out the hard way that you can't just publish whatever you want! The Globe and Mail has an interesting tale of bloggers being sued for liable because of comments that they have made and in some cases comments that others have made on their sites. We are perhaps a bit ignorant of our own laws here in the great white north and maybe a little guilty of assuming that what we see on television, mostly American content, applies to us. While I have always believed in the credo, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all", this article was an eye opener. If you blog, and are subject to Canadian law, it is worth having a read.