AMY GAHRAN: The Right Conversation

My Blog Break, No Excuses

Well, I haven't blogged in Right Conversation for a little while, and I'm not going to make any excuses. Letting a blog lapse for an extended time isn't a good thing. I just let this one get away from me.

I've had to cut back on my own blogging projects because my workload has been especially heavy for the last couple of months. So it's not that I haven't been blogging at all -- I've just been blogging for other clients. Especially for Poynter's E-Media Tidbits, which I edit. (Here's a rundown of my postings there.)

I've also been working with my I, Reporter partner Adam Glenn to compile a searchable database of citizen journalism sites for KCNN, a new citizen media resource site from the Knight Foundation. We still need to do a few final tweaks on the search page, and upload some explanatory text of the project (which will officially launch at the end of March). But you can get a sneak preview now.

And I'm working with my colleague Heidi Miller, the podcasting princess, to create a one-day workshop called Creating Passionate Communities with Blogs and Podcasting. I'll have more to say about that in my next post, but for now you can check out the information already online from that link. We'll be debuting this workshop in Wheaton, IL (not far from Chicago) on Saturday, May 12.

Thanks for your patience, and there's more coming!

Conversational Media Tools at Capture the Conversation

I've recently started blogging for one of my  clients, Room 214. They're an internet marketing firm that offers an intriguing service, Capture the Conversation. This service gets to the heart of why conversational media is so valuable and important. I think the Room 214 people and I can learn a lot from each other.

The Capture the Conversation blog is a good resource for marketing/PR pros and others who want to learn how to make the most of conversational media. My "beat" there will mainly be the tools of conversational media. So when I have tool-focused topics to discuss, I'll post over there. (I'll mention it here, though, with a link). I'll continue to post my think pieces and open questions to this blog. I believe that's a complementary content strategy -- we'll see how it works out.

Over at the Capture the Conversation blog, I just launched into what will be a multi-part discussion of the tools of comment tracking. Today's post is very introductory, but watch for followups. See: Tracking Blog Comments: The Challenge...

My New Gig: Poynter's E-Media Tidbits Editor

A lot of interesting new work has come my way recently.

Along with my normal mix of editorial, writing, and consulting/training projects, I've just been awarded one new blogging gig of which I'm particularly proud. I've  been named editor of the Poynter Institute's group weblog, E-Media Tidbits.

I'll be taking over this task from my friend, colleague, and fellow Boulderite Steve Outing, who's just left Poynter to pursue an exciting new entrepreneurial venture in citizen media, The Enthusiast Group. (I'll write more about this later, but rest assured this is a very cool venture well worth watching.)

Steve is a consummate editor who has managed to gracefully combine creativity, good humor, ethical grounding, and decisive guidance. I hope this job will be as easy as he made it look -- but I won't bet on that. ;-) I will do my best to continue his Tidbits vision.

If you're not familiar with Tidbits, you really should be! Here's what it's about...

Marketing Your Skills: Why a Blog Beats a Brochure Site

One of the reasons I launched this new weblog is that I'd quietly grown embarrassed by the static site I'd been using as an online brochure for my professional skills.

My old Gahran.com site had degenerated into a "cobweb" because it was a relative hassle to maintain. I hadn't updated it in a long time, and it featured some broken links. That's not good marketing.

Yes, I'll admit it, I've gotten spoiled by the simplicity, speed, and flexibility of blogging tools. But that's not the only reason why I've killed Gahran.com and redirected all the traffic from that domain to The Right Conversation. The thing is, a weblog can serve as both a brochure and a conversation.

Here's how I've done that, in this case...

Welcome to the Public Conversation

I help organizations and professionals thrive by showing them how to converse with -- and like -- real people. Too often, they fail to engage and motivate their target audiences because they focus on "talking at" rather than "conversing with."

Every organization, and every audience or market, is comprised of people.

People do talk....

Clear Communication Only Sounds Easy

If clear communication truly was easy, none of us would feel dread when writing a report, posting content to a web site, organizing a presentation, joining a public discussion, or creating promotional or informational materials.

We wouldn't feel frustrated, confused, or skeptical when reading or hearing what others have to say.

The truth is, communication is one of the most challenging tasks for any person or organization. It becomes even more daunting when you realize that most of what you've learned about communication -- especially writing -- is WRONG! 

This is where I can help...