7 Things: a meme

 It looks like I procrastinated long enough to be tagged with the "7 things" meme twice! First, I was tagged by the environmentally-conscious, amazing educator, Matt Montagne, followed by my fellow Central PA social media guy, Brian Polensky. 

So, here goes:

1) Most people know me as a cellist/violinist, but I originally went to college (Mansfield University) as an oboe major because my high school phased out their string program. I started cello in 3rd grade!

2) I have never been in a hospital (aside from visiting friends/family). *knocks on wood*

3) One of my favorite jobs, was a 4am-12pm shift at a corn/soybean seed warehouse operating a forklift. It was a summer job with Pioneer Seed, and finishing work at noon meant I had the whole rest of the warm, summer days to swim, spend time with family, etc. 

4) I'm horrible at math! Really! Terrible! But, ironically, I love numbers, data, and statistics. If I could do anything with my life, it would be to improve my numbers skills and learn how to pass it along to students. 

5) In college, I wrote a series of short (under a minute) 12-tone piano pieces based on my piano abilities. 

6) I have two younger brothers, neither of which finished high school, but both have respectable jobs that they are proud of and enjoy going to everyday.

7) I didn't start driving until I was 22 years old (when I got my license before student teaching). My first car was a 1993 Ford Taurus.

I'm tagging:

@shawn

@KathleenLD

@mystro2b

@corman

http://www.momgoesgreen.com/

@fallingwings

...

(I told you I was awful at math)

THE RULES ARE:

Link your original tagger(s) and leave a comment on this blog posting when you’ve “memed”.
List these rules on your blog.
Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

Put it to good use.. [Blog Action Day, 2008]

Social-media...are we doing it right?

I used to read about a homeless blogger (I can't find his blog anymore, which worries me, actually), and how the perception of homeless people was usually way off target. When I taught in Philadelphia School District, travelling between 9 different schools, scattered throughout my favorite city, I saw my share of homeless people.

We're all taught to never talk to strangers, but some of these people became non-strangers to me, as I saw them weekly, sometimes daily. Sometimes, all it took was a, "How are you today?" to put a smile on their face. Sometimes, it took me donating a few hours in a soup kitchen with the Boy Scouts to know that I was helping.

We've gone from a time when homeless used to mean "lazy", "addicted", or "criminal", to a time when homeless simply means, "can't afford a place to live". I've always had a roof over my head, whether it be my parents' house, a college dorm, or an apartment. The closest I've ever been to homeless, was during a wilderness survival outing for a merit badge (ask me how comfy my bed of ferns was!).

I have to wonder, if all this social-media could be doing something greater than sharing what I had for breakfast today. How about a tweet like this: "Just helped a man eat for the first time in a week." What if Twitter, blogging, BrightKite was actually being used to fight poverty? What if every Tweet I received meant a penny, or maybe a dollar, towards a charity for the poor? If you can Twitter, or blog, you have more "wealth" than someone who can't. Trickle-down economics, right?

I'm not finished with this thought...or the actions that may come from it...
photo credit: davco9200

Tweetup, October-style

THURSDAY! Yeah, it's the 3rd one of the month already, so I'm gearing up for another trip to Harrisburg, home of my favorite social "real-world" network. It's always exciting to see the first few tweets asking, "When is the Tweetup?", "Who's coming?", etc. as we get closer to the Tweetup.

I've been asked recently, "Why go all the way to Harrisburg just to meet people you see online everday?". It's a valid question, especially with travel expenses (I'm happy, though, that fuel is getting cheaper!). Tweetups are a way to share all that stuff that doesn't fit in 140 characters (or 12 seconds), or doesn't translate well in type. We share new networks we've found, tips on blogging, Twittering, or "filtering the noise". We do this all over a couple of beers, and some non-bear chili.

A quick note to any Philly Twitterati: If anyone's interested in tagging along, let me know via Twitter or email. I have the most fun, and get the most out of these Tweetups when new people come.


The details: Thursday 10/16/08 7pm-9pm @ ABC In Harrisburg. (here for map)

What would you ask a seasoned blogger?

I've been blogging for awhile now, but I don't claim to be an expert. In fact, my post today is just as important to me, as it might be to my readers. I ask this question:

What would you ask a seasoned blogger?

For example, last week, I spent a few hours searching for CSS and template tips to add my Torley Texture background, and change my list of tags into a tag cloud. I know practically nothing about CSS other than the idea behind it. That's something I'd ask a seasoned blogger for help learning.

I also recently added Google's AdSense ads to my blogs, in hopes that someday I'll earn enough money from them to at least fund a domain name and maybe even hosting. No loss if I don't, but it never hurts to try, right? That's another thing I'd ask a seasoned blogger: "How do I make money off a hobby blog?" (or is it even possible).

So, what would you ask? What if you actually *could* ask someone who knows his/her stuff, and would sit down and help you?

photo credit: edrabbit

Should I Learn CSS?

Back when Geocities was new and fun, while I was almost a college sophomore, I sat and learned html enough to make myself a simple webpage. Then, Blogger came along, and I thought to myself, "Blogging sounds like it's all about the content!" so I gave that a shot. It still required a little bit of html, but most of it was as simple as filling out a form.

Webdesign has seemed to multiply into not only html, but javascript, java, xml, rss, ajax, flash, php, umm...whatever, I know I'm missing some, but you get the point.

So, notice the new layout? (if you're reading from the feed, ya won't see it) I took the layout I chose from Blogger's selection (Minima), and looked up sites that would help me do what I wanted. Most of the edits were copy/paste, but everytime I make a little change in the code, as opposed to just dragging and dropping a new widget into the layout, I begin to wonder whether I should actually learn cascading style sheets.
I've always toyed with programming and markup languages, but I've never gotten proficient in any of them except html. I've even played with Ruby and C++, so I'm definitely geek enough to tackle them. Is it worth it though?
Anyway, here are the two sites I found that helped with my template edits, mainly my new tag cloud, and the background images (while leaving the content and sidebar backgrounds white).

http://phy3blog.googlepages.com/Beta-Blogger-Label-Cloud.html
http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/2007/03/background-image-for-blogger-template.html

Enjoy, and give them some page hits if you need similar help with your pages!

After the Tweetup

Last night was my 3rd Harrisburg Tweetup, and this by far was the smallest attendance, since I've started going...but don't get me wrong; it was still a great night out, and there was still plenty to talk about!
We started out on the deck with Dave, Kathleen, Vicky, and myself. It's always funny to see a group of "strangers" try to meet, as Andrea (didn't get her Twitter name) found out. It made for a hilarious story, but at least she got a free drink out of it.
Aaron showed up shortly after, followed by Justin and Daniel. We joked about the "non-bear chili", and the HUGE (I'm not exagerating) salad Andrea got. We talked about Twitter's learning curve (or lack of one?), and our lack of wifi at the ABC last night. Gadget etiquette was also joked about (turns out, I'm allowed to keep my phone out on the table during Tweetups)
As it got a little chillier (still no bear, though), we moved inside. I responded to a few Central PAers' Tweets asking how the Tweetup was going, so later on we had James and Sara show up for a few beers and their normal restaurant/political conversations (which I find myself more and more interested in, lately).

So, I've made a decision:  I intend on making every Harrisburg Tweetup even though I'm no longer living in Central PA. Why, you ask? Because these people rock!

HBG Tweetup: This time I have a favor to ask

Coming up, on the 18th, is Harrisburg's monthly Tweetup (I've blogged about it before). It'll be on the deck, of Appalachian Brewing Company, in Harrisburg, from 7-9-ish.
I always take something valuable home with me, whether it's a new social-media site to checkout, or advice for dining out in Harrisburg. I've made great friends ("unconsumated" until I met them, lol), and really enjoy the conversations both on the deck and online before and after the Tweetups.
This time, though, I have a favor for the Harrisburg Twitterati. I need to convince a friend that he needs to be aware of and active on Twitter (and other social-media) for his livelihood. I'll explain - My friend owns Idryonis Studios, a development and gaming company located in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. While their business is still quite young, they're doing alright. BUT, all of their business has come solely from referrals and luck (being in the right place at the right time, sorta things).

I believe Twitter and other social-media can improve those connections, and hopefully bring in more!

So I'm asking on Thursday, how do I show, explain, teach, and help Idryonis develop a plan to maximize their online presence (besides their amazing website)? I hope to be able to take away (in addition to the always great conversation), some sketch of an idea. Examples of how it's helped each of us, and examples of how it could help them.
Comments to get me/them started before the Tweetup? Leave 'em in the comments!

Why Tweetup? (post-meetup post)

This past Thursday, Cecily and I went to Harrisburg's monthly "Tweetup". (see previous post)
We met about 20 people (some of which, I've been talking to online for anywhere from a couple days to a couple years). All of them either Twitter, Blog, or know someone that does.

Here's a sampling of the amazing conversation, networking, and demonstration of the power of the internet:

-Shakespearian Actor, Djembe player, and philosophical artist (also an air-guitarist?)
-A young (mid-twenties) married couple, blogging passionately about personal finance
-Showing an investigative reporter the power of Twitter for getting up-to-the-minute news without all the noise
-Spam and how people will always try to take advantage of new technology

And that was just from our end of the 3 tables! People were solving problems, learning, and creating connections that otherwise wouldn't happen (look at my relationship for example!). The power of Twitter, is that in a world where everything you could possibly need isn't located in your little town anymore, you now have the resources (or the potential to have the resources) to get what you need, whether it's social interaction, education, tech support, job leads, advice, and so on. Do you have Tweetups in your area? Have you attended one?

Harrisburg's Tweetups meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month at the Appalachian Brewing Company, originally hosted by blogHarrisburg.

Pre- August Harrisburg Tweetup Post

So, after a quick confirmation via Twitter:

I got these:


This is just proof that Twitter is still alive and kicking, and that Harrisburg has one of the most interesting social networks I've ever encountered. I'm definitely looking forward to it, even though this one may be my last in the Harrisburg group (long story).
On a much happier note, I'm dragging along a Chicagoan to the Tweetup, my girlfriend, Cecily (aka @fallingwings). We always talk of the "echo chamber" when it comes to technology, and getting the "what's in it for me" mentality past the "choir" (i.e. people already using the apps/sites on a regular basis). We (the Harrisburg Twitterati) have frequently talked about how we feel our group is unique, and special. As we spread out, move on with our lives, and so on, will we be able to recreate this type of group elsewhere?
Anyway, quick info on the Tweetup for me, and others:
7pm-9pm @ Appalachian Brewing Company (ABC), Harrisburg, PA

View Larger Map

Another blog? Why?

Welcome to rorowe.blogspot.com! If you made it this far, you know me on Twitter, Plurk, identi.ca, Strands, Friendfeed, Facebook, or through some other Web2.0 social-networking site. Maybe I posted something interesting. Maybe you followed me through one of my other blogs, Cello Wireless, or Ipenda Keynes in SL. The more "plugged in" I become, the more I feel the need to keep things the same, namely, my identity. Hence, the new blog, using my rorowe moniker.
Now that I got all the linking out of the way (feel free to follow or subscribe to any of those), what am I doing here? This habit of staking claim to my account name every time a new networking or online app shows up, started with Gmail. I was one of the lucky, first adopters, who got to choose practically any name I wanted as my Gmail address. I picked rorowe because it's a play on my name. Simple to type, simple (or so I thought) to share, and easily identifiable as ME. From that point on, when I joined a new site, I used that email address to register, and wanted my username to match. I spend way too much time online, so when I do, I want my identity to belong to me, without question.
Someday, this will be my starting point for all of my blogging. My "professional blog" Cello Wireless, will continue to be my thoughts on music and education (with technology thrown in when appropriate). My Second Life blog, Ipenda Keynes in SL, will always be written under my virtual world identity of the same name. *This* blog, is for all the hodgepodge that doesn't belong in either of those content-specific blogs.
If you stumbled upon this one, say hello!