Tracking Blog Stats is Fundamental

The 100 Days of Blogging challenge is quickly approaching and for everyone who has joined I wanted to make sure you were full armed for the test of your writing fortitude. Are you tracking analytics on your site? Do you know what your audience wants, what they are reading, and what they keep coming back for? These are all questions that are easily overlooked when you first start off as a blogger, but as you become more experienced you learn to add these tools to your arsenal.

100 Day Blogging Challenge (100 Ideas Too!)

When I first started writing about ten years ago I recall doing several writing exercises in order to generate ideas, boost creativity, and test my personal writing style. At first I found them tedious and nothing more than a waste of time, when in truth, they helped form my voice and style quite nicely. I assume that many of those looking to start their own blog may find themselves at as similar crossroads, not knowing where to start, much less how to write.

Personally blogging can be several things. Blogging can be serious fact sharing, informational, story telling, or stream of consciousness. Too often in the past bloggers were not considered "writers" in the purest sense of the word but as blogs have become a dominant source of information, we've thrust ourselves into a position where we've now built strong relationships with our readership, some of us reaching "Rockstar" status.

Top Books for New Media Professionals

I'm a huge fan of reading. While I'm starting to turn over a new leaf and adopt audio books as my method of choice because of how much I'm moving around these days, there's just nothing that replaces holding a book sometimes. For my leisure reading I don't mind the audio, especially if the performance of the reader is top notch, but for my professional reading I prefer to hold the book in my hands as I go on the journey with the author.

This season my wishlist was filled with books from the many lists of those thought leaders in new media that I admire. I've collected some of best ones here to make it easier for you to find. It's never too late to pick up some of these gems, and in my opinion, Christmas or not, these books are great reads year round.

5 Critical Factors for Zen Writing

Writers block is perhaps one of the most frustrating experiences in the creative space. The equivalent to writers block exists in graphic/web design, artistry, and other creative outlets, where the mind is encouraged to come up with original ideas to be fleshed out in the real world. More times than not we allow frustration to take over completely halting the creative process.

10 Hot Gifts Under $100 for New Media Pros

We're down to the home stretch for holiday shopping and the online community is still buzzing about the top gifts to get your friends and family. There's a lot of really great things out there that I'd personally love to get, but because this is the season for giving, put your own needs aside and check out some of these hot gifts that have been recommended for Twitter addicts via Mashable and Tech Gifts from Huffington Post.

1. Twitter Gift Guide: 15 Ways to Shop for Twitter Obsessed
2. Tech Christmas Gifts for 2009 (under $100)

Here are my own 10 gifts suggestions for the new media professional!

5 Lessons I Learned When I Got A Pink Slip

One year ago today I was expectedly laid off from my position as an online marketer for a rental car company I had only been working at for a few months. I say expectedly because there were obvious financial problems once I arrived that were far out of our control, quite frankly, out of the company's control all together. The auto industry itself was buckling under the weight of debt, unfulfilled contracts, and it all became to much trickling down into the many businesses that were somehow tied so closely to them. In time the pink slip came, but that was a beginning of something much better, I just didn't know it yet.

Social Media Club Celebrates the Holidays

Social Media Club is getting ready to end another amazing year, but before we do that, we've got some holiday celebrating to do. This time we're being invited to the Westin La Cantera for an amazing night of entertainment and networking fun. We're going to celebrate the Legendary Holidays at Westin La Cantera thanks to the amazing efforts of Colleen Pence who has been instrumental in helping make this event possible.

Social Media Club members will enjoy complimentary passed hors d'oeuvres and "Farm-to-Glass" bubbly libations, including Jalapeno Bubbly, Pomegranate Arillus Real and Rio Grande Mimosa - all named after the Texas produce they feature.


The Westin has teamed up with San Antonio's Marine Corps Reserve's "Toys for Tots" Program, so come out and support the cause. Only 35 spots available!