Phillyist Liveblogs... BlogPhiladelphia (Day 2)

2:00: I'm sitting at a table full of Mac laptops. Somebody has snapped a picture of this to send to Apple. We are such nerds.

1:20PM: I'm back with an 80% charge, so I hope my computer will last me for the next hour and a half until the conference ends. Breakout session beginning: "Blogging: Is it Better in Groups?" with Scott McNulty (see credentials on yesterday's liveblog). Takeaways and observations:

• Most group blogs don't pay. This kind of sucks. BUT, sometimes you can get some good swag.


• The more contributors you have, and the more writers who are contributing, the better your traffic.


• Some people like group blogs because they have different takes on similar topics, and some like them because of the variety of content they can get.


• Some people like blogs that have a collective voice, while others prefer blogs wherein individual writers write in their own voices. On Phillyist, I like to think we have a mix of the two – so as to make as many of you as possible happy. :)


• Observation: there are a lot of iPhones in this room. Color me jealous.


• General consensus: people like group blogs. They just can't all agree on what kind.


• I'm looking at someone typing on a black IBM laptop, but he's got a big white apple sticker on the back of the screen, so that to the passive observer, it looks like he's typing on a black MacBook. MacEnvy, or irony?


• There's a difference between voice and tone: a successful group blog doesn't need a consistent voice, but a consistent tone is pretty key.

12:30PM: Lunchtime, and my computer's battery is about to die. I'll charge it for an hour, and be back with the afternoon breakout sessions!

11:30AM: Breakout Session: "The Blog Advangate: What are Blogs and Why Are They So Popular?" with Whitney Hoffman, Lisa Marshall, and Steven Lubetkin, organizers of PodCamp Philly (coming in September). I'm at this session mostly to learn more for my day job, but also because, even though I'm a blogger, I'm actually curious about and intrigued by the blog culture. Takeaways and observations:

• When setting up a blog, it's key to know who you're blogging for and what your readers want. (Readers: all your ideas are belong to us. We always want to know what you want to see here!)


• People may shy away from blogs because they fear negative commenters. Some blogs of a more corporate nature might turn off commenting. Seth Godin is well-known for having a comment-less blog.


• The key thing about blogs is that they update regularly – a blog that updates once a month is not a blog. (Note to self: stop ignoring personal blog.)


• Blogs generally focus on the personal aspect of an experience, rather than the business or commercial aspect. That aspect belongs on the official page.


• The less editing you have on a blog, the better. The more people who edit the blog, the less the voice sounds like a blog.


• Get your name out. Give people flyers, business cards, and anything else that will direct them to your site.


• Innovation is important, and blogs matter. Yay, blogs!


• Be able to describe what you do, what your blog is about, etc., in a concise way.


• Look at other blogs that are similar to what you want to be doing, not to rip off their ideas but to make sure that you're not retreading old ground.


• Be passionate about what you blog about. Your readers can tell if you're not.


• If you've got an opportunity to podcast your content, it can only expand your market.


• Off-topic observation: why does everybody think we're Phillylist?


• Use Google if you want to be fully-integrated: now with Google Docs, Google Calendar, etc., there's an even higher level of participation available to bloggers and their readership.


• Try to become an expert in whatever field you blog about, so people will seek you out.

10:15AM: The US is one of the slowest countries in the (developed) world to develop new technologies. In other countries, people are using their phones and mobile technology for social means. What kind of information would unconference attendees like to get on their phones? (Still with Alex and Doug.)

• The desktop of the future is probably something you can hold in your hand. Handhelds are becoming more popular, but people in the US don't yet spend a lot of money to buy information to come down to their cellphones in the quantities that it happens outside of the US.


• Another term I've never heard: developer evangelist. Heh.


• Our technology is "handicapped." Carriers are locked in to technology, so we're behind phone technology available in foreign markets. (For examples, see Phone Scoop.


• There's no additional hardware cost for data messaging, but charging for data messages discourages people from using it to the extent to which it's used in non-US markets.


• There are moves being made toward open source phone systems – more hardware-based than carrier-based.


• A developer from Orb is on hand. It sounds like a very cool streaming service. For more information, see the Orb website – it will be quicker for you to click the link than for me to summarize.


• Create things that create a demand for new technology. Carriers won't open up their service unliss there's a sufficient demand for them to do so.


• You can use VOIP on your cell phones.


• In Asia, you can pay for a parking meter with your cellphone (parking fees will be charged to phone). People there can't necessarialy afford landlines, so wireless technology was a good alternative.


• SMS started in Asia because teenagers didn't want to use up their minutes.


• Outside of the US, contract terms for cellphone service are usually shorter – it allows you to update technology more quickly, among other things. Helio and BoostMobile are services that are closer to service in other countries.


• Find out what readership of your blog wants on their cellphones.


• Many sites are now developing iPhone-friendly pages, but it would be great if these pages were compatible with all phones.


• Services like TextMarks help people get data over SMS if they don'thave a data plan on their phones.


• Something worth learning more about< ahref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_virtual_network_operator">MVNOs.


• SMS is just another way to tap into people interested in what you're doing – think of it as an extension of your listervs, snail mail, etc., rather than a new reach.


• There is NO spam in the mobile marketing arena – you have to opt-in to services that send you SMS messages.


• I've never ever used Twitter, but everyone here seems to love it, so I might have to check it out. Maybe we'll start using it for Phillyist!


• Mobile content needs not only to be what people want to read, but also to be in a format that is user-friendly from mobile devices.


• A technology that can be used to consolidate all contact information from multiple sources would be helpful: something that would allow you to use three MySpace friends, two email addresses, and a phone number. (PhindMe is apparently working toward that goal.)


• UpScoop can search for your email contacts on social networking sites. It's got upsides and downsides, but may be worth investigating further.


• "Feature creep" – great term to describe the slowness with which mobile companies adapt new features on their phone.


• Don't develop your blogs around the iPhone yet. If you want mobile readership, make sure you have a mostly-text mobile site. Many blogging applications have mobile browser plugins. Make content as light and deliverable as possible. PNG images appear to work best on cellphone browsers. Decide whether the picture is important to the post before you put it up on your mobile site – they're hard to see and make pages slow-loading, anyway.


• Try using phones to create content. Twitter can be used to create microblog posts. That way, if you have a sudden thought that you want to write about on the fly, you don't have to wait until you're back at your computer.

9:40AM: What would help find visibility for you as writers/bloggers, and help provide you with information? (Joint group chat with Alex Hillman and Doug Bellenger PhindMe.) Takeaways and observations:

• Happy hours. No, seriously – they're a great opportunity for networking with other people, and at least once in a while, there are blogger meetups.


• Smart tagging – make it as easy as possible for people to find you on online search engines.


• LikeMind – monthly morning coffee meetings, starting up soon in Philadelphia. (First one, 7/8, Benna's cafe at 8th and Wharton.)


• Starting groups at a local level and connecting them at a global level.


• "Freelance" with other people who work in a similar field to you – they may be useful collaborators, contacts, and partners. Think about what you can learn from the person sitting next to you.


• It's lonely working on your own as a freelancer/blogger, so meet with others in a similar boat to talk about interesting things going on in your worlds.


• If you're traveling, networkk with bloggers in other cities. You can even sleep on their floor. See CouchSurfing.com.


• MediaBistro.com.


• Not as many groups for frelance writers – more for tech people? Try to reach out beyond writers groups. IPA (a drinking group for women who like beer) has been suggested.


• Don't limit yourself to groups of people who do exactly what you do.


• Philadelphia Computer Society – user group with a web-design track. It's a chance to learn and to teach.


• Remember: the technology facilitates getting together, not the other way around.


• LinkedIn – don't just use it to network, but use it to "vouch for" other people. See this post for hints on optimizing your LinkedIn profile.


• Blog about your creative process if you're trying to start a website or platform – maybe someone else will see it, and if you can't complete it or fail the first time, help you complete or try again.


• Consider yourself an "un-company." If you're given a freelance assignment that you can't do alone, use your network to fiind collaborators. Alex calls it a "polymorphic team."


• Cast your parnering net wide – you'll get farther than if you did it alone.

9:30AM: The guy with the cool binary tattoos from yesterday, as it turns out, is Alex Hillman of IndependentsHall.org.