Interview with founder of WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg

For any readers who use WordPress as their blogging platform Robert Scoble has given an interesting interview with Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress and Automattic.

Interview with Matt Mullenweg – WordPress and Automattic

Also I would like to wish regular readers all the best for the new year. Let’s hope its a good one.

4th InWorldz blogger challenge – tips for new bloggers

Well I am running late with the 4th bloggers challenge. Sorry, it’s the time of year when there is lots to be done.

Anyway Whiskey Day suggested for the 4th InWorldz blogger challenge that we  write a few tips for new bloggers. I am not sure these are tips as such as re-reading them they form more of a philosophy but for what it is worth here we go…

My top 5 are

• 1 Be genuine particularly when writing about a virtual world as everyone is acutely aware that all communication is mediated by a screen.
• 2 Share what knowledge you know and admit it when you dont.
• 3 Just as there is a person behind the avatar remember that behind both writer and reader there is a person too.
• 4 Blog in order to strengthen the social ties you make in World. A blog can be the ties that bind. When people meet you if they read your blog they can gain a sense of who you are and this builds trust and trust builds friendship.
• 5 Don’t use a blog to create drama, slam and criticize others in order to bolster your ego.

As to the second part of Whiskys challenge, the first Pick I took InWorldz was for my profile. I regularly check peoples profile when I first meet them as you can get a sense of what they are interested in. So one of the first things I did was organise skin and hair etc.  in order to take a profile pick.   I took the photo in front of one of my paintings at the S&S Gallery of Fine Arts and am still using it.

Thats it for my challenge post! Make yourself a cuppa and swing by Whisky Shots and read the other entries.

We have a bloggers group for InWorldz bloggers!

Well the news is I have started a bloggers group for people who blog about InWorldz. It goes under the highly original name of InWorldz bloggers. No doubt the group will grow and shape itself into something people enjoy and as that happens we can have events, get together etc. At the moment I am happy to see what people want from the group and let it develop naturally.
The charter reads

“InWorldz bloggers group aims to promote and showcase blogging about InWorldz and act as an area to exchange ideas, tips and techniques about blogging. It is for bloggers who write about InWorldz at least half of the time on their blogs.
The group promotes practices and habits that strengthen the community of InWorldz and InWorldz bloggers so no unnecessary drama please.”

Since search is not good at finding groups on this new grid (it is still in beta after all), if you search under my avatar name, Teal Etzel and in the groups area double click on InWorldz Bloggers, it will take you to the group to join. Or simply message me and I will happily send you an invite.

Inworldz bloggers challenge

The last couple of weeks Whiskey Day of Whiskey Shots Has proposed an Inworldz Blogger’s Challenge.

I missed the first week but here late is my effort for week 2 of the Inworldz bloggers challenge. The challenge for week 2 was to answer

” What do you do inworld? Post a picture showing what you find yourself doing most often when you’re in InWorldz.”

What am I doing most inworld? Why, trying not to look confused of course…

See I can just pull it off.

Why confused?

Because someone (whose name I will not mention) has put these roosters all over the gallery. I am not admitting to who put Christmas hats on them …

What am I doing most inworld? Really? Well  … I lark around a bit, build a bit, shop a bit, be involved with events in the gallery as I can and generally have a good time… and …chase those darned chickens!

Blogging tips

Strawberry Singh has written a well structured tutorial for Second Life Fashion Bloggers. In Fashion Blogging 101 Berry covers such issues as choosing a blog host, choosing a photo sharing site, having a disclosure policy, naming your blog, writing for the web, your relationship to and expectations of Second Life designers, giving credit, increasing traffic and using social media. The post comprehensively covers the topic without being so long winded you lose interest.

Still on the topic of blogging over on Outspoken Media 5 Lisa Barone has put together fresh take on blogging. In Old Blogging Rules Killing Your Readership Lisa Barone lists some key practices that may no longer work.  These writing practices include some of the golden ‘rules’ that have become almost sacrosanct in the blogging community. Rules such as Good bloggers post daily, keep it short, link thoughtfully, chase page views and are an authority are all tossed out the window.