Inside #the5 Tuesday - fishbowl

Good morning, time for lunch and time to catch up on #the5 for today. Because I was interrupted in my cruising, you'll see that there are some bonus links. Yes, I forgot to keep count. Not really a problem, you actually get more information today. I am not bashful about sharing! :-)

Sneak Peek at the new Blogger eBook - Building Websites with Blogger http://bit.ly/i7BInG a winning combo with Blogger at best uptime! #the5

So there was a survey that came out reporting that the Blogger platform had the best uptime. That's good. I'll need to get into the details of the survey to see how they determined that. Understandably, many WordPress sites are on different hosted environments so it is not a fair comparison in that case. Anyway, the new ebook coming out to help work through the tips and tricks of customizing the Blogger template will be good. Blogger has advanced in this area and gotten away from the lack of creativity needed to be distinct. The stigma may still be there (perceptions being what they are) but as more an more Bloggers do different things with the template, folks can change their mind.

NPR's Project Argo Creates National Content at the Local Level http://to.pbs.org/h8yqUd good concept but nothing quick about it #the5

I like the concept. I'll quibble with the phrasing "We're proving the notion that a news organization can quickly build authority, engagement and traffic without large-scale increases in newsroom staff." Come on, get real. Nothing is quick about building authority.

Job Hunt Networking: A Twist http://bit.ly/h9tam3 "you’re basically spending two hours hanging out with your direct competition" #the5

Yes, for job searchers as well as social media gurus, get out of the fish bowl periodically. It is necessary for survival. If you never get out of the fish bowl, don't ever complain about not getting where you need to be.

Improving Communication Skills for Job Search Success http://bit.ly/h08jji me: another plug for Toastmasters to practice your pitch #the5

One good place to get out of the fish bowl is a group like Toastmasters. Yes, really. A few of them have talked this up at prior Hopkinton Networking Group meetings. I do buy the concept for many reasons (in addition to getting out of the fish bowl). The best thing about it, the opportunity for crafting your pitch. It does take practice and it takes regular practice with a group where you are comfortable. Once you have it done in safety, then delivering it on the spot, really in an elevator when it matters will be so much easier.

Job Seeker New Year’s Resolution Contest http://bit.ly/fsBDBo me: create your objective for 2011 and enter to win good stuff #the5

Tim is doing a good thing. Reaching out to encourage you to set your goal for 2011 early. Leave a comment on his posting and you'll get entered into the contest to win some good stuff. What can you lose by entering? Maybe a few minutes of your time!

Maybe Amazon’s Strange Workplace Rules Aren’t So Strange After All http://bit.ly/e9lLcu me: yes, content in context makes a diff! #the5

Ah, you may have heard my story on the importance of 'content in context'. If you have check out the link, or move on. If you haven't, the link above is a good proof of the concept. You can find one version of the story here

Second Annual Community Manager Appreciation Day: Jan 24th, 2011 (#CMAD) http://bit.ly/i3hwSh @TheCR #the5

Yes, an appreciation day for community managers. Not sure if the Community Roundtable had heard of this, hence the inclusion of them on the tweet. Leverage is always a good thing when you're going the same way!

So it was more than five, but hopefully it was stuff you can use. If not, let me know.

How do we summarize with a word for today's #the5? The recurring bit seemed to be getting out of the fish bowl so let's go with that!

What would you have done?

What can you share today?