Tag Archives: Michelle

I’m still on the quest to replace my v1.0 iPhone with something that is not from AT&T. Finding a new mobile phone is really a pain.

So far, I’ve test driven several phones for Verizon:

• Blackberry Tour: Thumbs up. It’s a great phone, but missing wi-fi. Full review coming within the week.
• HTC Ozone: Thumbs up, but I had some minor issues. Full review coming early next week.
• LG EnV Touch: Thumbs down. This phone was unable to sync with the contacts and calendar on my Mac or even with my Google Contacts / Calendar. While it does offer a sync for PC / Outlook users, for me the phone was rendered useless.
• HTC Touch Diamond: Thumbs down. As a Windows Mobile device, it wouldn’t sync with my Mac, but it would sync with Google. However, I found this phone incredibly non-intuitive. I let my techie husband play with it for a few days. When even he found it non-intuitive, I gave up.
• Samsung Omnia: Thumbs down. Another Windows Mobile device, it synced easily with my Google information. Once I turned off what I found to be an annoying home screen overlay and returned to just a basic Windows Today screen, this was a fairly easy to use phone. However, the battery life was exceedingly poor, dying within 5 hours of light to normal use (including occasional email checking and 2 short phone calls).

As for T-Mobile, I’m unable to get their PR rep to respond to me. It does irritate me when I receive press releases about a product – in this case the MyTouch – yet am unable to get my hands on the device. Note to PR folks everywhere: if I can’t get my hands on the application or gadget you’re promoting to me, I can’t review it for the blog.

Like T-Mobile, Sprint hasn’t acknowledged my attempts at contact. That’s a shame, because the Pre is still my number 1 choice for a phone  – if I had to buy one right this minute. I visited a local Sprint store on Sunday and spoke with a sales rep who obviously loved his Pre. He had no problem, once he realized I had a clue, talking to me about various hacks and homebrew applications, as well as what features I could add/turn on/turn off on the phone. He didn’t once try to outright sell me – he just showed me how he used his Pre – and that was effective in itself.

However, I’m very aware that the Motorola Sholes / Android 2.0 phone will be coming to Verizon at the end of October (according to the Internets). It may be the phone that keeps me away from the Pre. In the meantime, I also hope to get my hands on test devices of the Samsung Rogue and Intensity (Verizon), to let you know how those phones stack up to other smartphones and enhanced multimedia devices on the market.

After all, why should I buy a phone right now when the holiday-release phones are just around the corner?

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Cheers!

Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

Not long ago I posted about the Murphy-Goode “Really Goode Job.”  Just as a refresher, Murphy-Goode Winery is offering a 6-month, $60,000 position to someone who wants to promote the winery via social media. They’ll even provide you with a rent-free home in Healdsburg.  Seeing as how I’m a wine blogger and a social media consultant, it seems amazingly up my alley. I want this job. Really bad.

In order to get this job, I created a video. I thought about embedding it below, but really, I want to drive you to the site to vote. You get a screen cap instead. So many people seemed to just sit and talk about wine. I think wine is part of the job, but understanding social media and marketing is more important. So I tried to tell a story, and I used the Wizard of Oz to do it. Of course, it’s also an excuse to dress up like Dorothy.

I also created an accompanying web site at http://www.rainbowgoode.com. It’s fun because it hosts the extended version (after all, it’s hard to tell a story in a minute) and the blooper reel. The blooper reel still makes me laugh. Dogs are fun to work with …

On the site, you can view the various ways I’m trying to market the video, trying to drive votes. I am using every bit of social media I think is relevant – from my LinkedIn groups to this blog, from Facebook to Twitter. I picked up some Google AdWords and grabbed some bit.ly URLs.  I’m amazed at the things that were available still.

I’d love to make the Top 50 folks, and hopefully, the Top 10. At the very least, maybe I’ll land a social media job of some sort from all this effort. But in order to do any of that, I need your votes.

The contest ends June 19, so vote soon and vote often!

Cheers!

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Contact Michelle with news, stories, events, and more.
Email: michelle[at]writetech[dot]net

Vote for Michelle at http://bit.ly/reallygoodejob and spread the word!

http://www.wine-girl.net
http://www.rainbowgoode.com

by Michelle Lentz

This is pure self-promotion, but let me have a minute to promote a new class I’m offering, called The Art of Blogging.

Here’s the thing – there are a lot of people out there who have blogs, but they don’t know how to really use them.  You see, there’s a lot that goes into writing a blog. You need to know who your audience is, understand what they want, and find your own unique blogging style. This 4-hour seminar focuses on just that – content creation and everything that goes with it. The course is geared towards business blogging, both large and small, but anyone is welcome to attend.

We don’t just talk at you; the class is an engaging discussion to help you improve your blog. Remember, I’m a trainer and instructional designer, so this class is actually structured so that you’ll learn something. What will you learn?

1. What is a blog?
In this portion of the class, we’ll define blogging, understanding what makes blogs different from your average web site. We’ll discuss what blogs you enjoy, and why. What makes you participate? We’ll talk about the ROI of corporate blogging and review some successful corporate blogs.  We’ll also talk about other (non-corporate) uses for blogging.
2. Blogging Goals
At this point, we’ll define goals for your blog. There are a few goals you should always have. What else do you want to get from your blog? What are your ideas for reaching these goals?
3. Blogging Voice
In this section, we’ll define and understand your audience and your style. What does your audience want to hear? How do they want to hear it? We’ll work to understand subtle marketing on a blog and developing your conversational style. We’ll also dive into sharing opinions on blogs, and whether you want to share them with your readers.
4. Content
The most important thing on a blog is content. We’ll talk about where to find it and how much to research. We’ll discuss consistency, quantity, and quality. Curious as to where to find images that you can legally use on your blog? We’ll cover that too. Finally, we’ll review how to deal with proprietary information and blogging about your company.
5. Blogging Etiquette
We’ll cover the 10 Commandments of Blogging, as well as other tips and tricks, including page breaks, linkbacks, internal links, corrections, and citations. We’ll also talk about comment moderation and dealing with negative commenters and criticism.
6. Quick Tips for Growing Your Blog with New Media
We’ll finish the day with the phenomenon of talking to yourself, etiquette for commenting on other blogs, understanding tagging, and some basic SEO principles. We’ll also cover RSS feeds in more detail.__
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Takeaways:
A new comfort level and knowledge for maintaining your blog, participant guide, and access to a private class-only wiki for on-going discussion.
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Cost & Payment:
$179

Credit card accepted via Paypal. To pay with a check by mail or at the door, please contact events[at]write-tech[dot]com. Credit cards will not be accepted day-of.

Download a course outline.

When?
November 18, 8 am – noon

Where?
Hamilton County Business Center
1776 Mentor Avenue
Suite 160
Cincinnati, OH 45212

How much?
$179
You can register online and pay via Paypal. Alternatively, you can contact me and we’ll arrange payment via cash or check. Credit card payments will not be accepted day-of and you must be pre-registered.

Anything else?
Make sure you tell your friends and colleagues. I’d love to see everyone there!

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Contact Michelle with your news, apps, and events via email, Twitter, Pownce, or FriendFeed. Visit Michelle at Wine-Girl.net and Write Technology. You can also catch Michelle presenting on Twitter at the upcoming DevLearn ’08 in San Jose.