Sandcastle Moments
For the child,
that the sandcastle
will disappear
with the next wave
is irrelevant.She lives joyfully
in her imagination
in the moment!
–Des Walsh
Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh
Happy Easter!
Love
Suzie, Des, and Liz
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
Coined by Charles Caleb Colton in 1820 in his ‘Lacon.’
“Imitation” happens all the time on the web and is the source of much frustration for newspaper and other print media. The concept of “fair use” and “scraping the web” are terms mostly used when talking about copyright infringements for print media producers. The idea that citizen journalists can now report on news and other happenings with information taken from news sites it a disturbing phenomenon for many journalists to deal with, not to mention print media in general.
But is this type of imitation really flattering? Is this plagiarism? You’ve worked hard on your post. You’ve taken the time to think about it and possibly, do some research. You’ve carefully written and posted it on your blog. It’s your content based on your idea. Later , you discover through Twitter, or a friend that the very same content has been taken, copied and posted on someone else’s site! Sound incredible? It happens.
I’ve even seen it happen even on Twitter! We all know, or learn quickly (there is a LOT of twitter advice out there) the idea of the RT. You see something of value from someone else and you share. The RT is the attribution, the link back. Twitter has been called micro blogging – when you see something you’ve found and shared go by two seconds later from one of your followers with no RT, do you feel flattered by the “imitation”? I don’t.
I think it’s important to protect you work, your ideas, your content. The very idea of taking the time to think about, write and post your ideas deserves respect. That respect should allow you the right to not have your work copied without permission. Creative Commons is an excellent resource to help you with this. There are different licenses you can apply to your work that will protect it. A great resource for questions regarding this issue is Jonanthan Bailey, @plagiarismtoday on Twitter. He would be happy to discuss anything related to “imitation” with you.
Have you had experience with this and your writing? Do you see this as a problem?
from Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick
photo credit: The Green Album
I was inspired with the words from this billboard advertisement
which graced Snapper Rocks during the recent QuickSilver
Roxy Pro Surfing Championships.
Just in case you are curious the full image can be seen here
With so much gloom and doom around you have to ask what kind of
future do you feel
We can all choose to feel the way the doom and gloom merchants
would like us to feel or we can change our emotional vibration
to feel positive. In other words we can choose to feel a
prosperous and bright future. It is up to us!
So will you have positive feelings about your future today?
In January I wrote a post about the subject of a documentary I am making. I talked about her community and how they had let her down and a little bit about our relationship. She has been in a women’s correctional facility, a jail, since then and we have maintained close contact. Well, as close as you can over a scant few phone calls that are monitored and letters someone else reads after she has written them. There is a chance that in a few weeks she may be released and has expressed the desire to enter a drug rehab program. I applauded her decision and was amazed when she told me there was no one to help her make this happen. I listened thinking this was the addict talking, making excuses, and offered encouragement but didn’t respond. After describing the lack of counseling in the facility she finally asked me to help.
And so it begins. Phone call after phone call, department after department: “No, we can’t refer. ” “She needs a counselor.” “I can’t talk to you about that.” Round and round I went.
I am passionate about helping others. I am passionate about being an advocate for those who, for whatever reason, may not have a voice. But today, as I began advocating for someone close to me I kept hitting a wall. Today I was so frustrated I wanted to scream. Today I felt powerless, silent and ineffective. I have good intentions; I volunteer, serve on committees and volunteer boards. I promote non-profit online and wherever and whenever I can.
What do we do when the systems we have in place to advocate and care for those disadvantaged in any and every way don’t work? How do we accept the fact that those processes put in place are not being managed in a manner that benefit those who need them?
Again the community has let her down, and again tomorrow I will pick up the phone.
photo credit: Amy Stark flickr
from: Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick
Do you ever want to try something new with your blog? How about video blogging or vlogging? I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Every time I visit a blog where there are video posts my first reaction is always, “Wow that took courage.” There’s something very inviting, very personal that I like about it. It’s like a welcoming invitation to get to know someone a little better. Not unlike that message on Twitter that turns into a DM, then to an email exchange. And sometimes a phone call and, if you’re lucky, a face-to-face conversation.
The film person in me screams, “You need good lighting, you don’t have the right camera, etc. etc.” The vain part of me screams, “You don’t look on camera – you sound okay, but you look funny.” Truth be told, some people just do look better in front of the camera than others, but I when I settle into watching a good video post, it’s like good writing: I become engaged – I’m listening. Processing and thinking. So, having said that, here are a few hints that will help your video look better:
– First and foremost, be you. Don’t change the way you communicate just because there’s a camera on. For instance, if you need to laugh, use your hands when you talk, use a certain turn of phrase, do it. Be you.
– Think background – it matters. Point your camera at where you’ll be talking from, then stand behind the camera and have a look. It’s called setting the frame. Anything distracting there? It could be as simple as a picture on the wall, bulletin board with something flashy pinned on it, a mirror (always a definite no) or anything that causes your eye to drift from where you’ll be talking.
– Think lighting – it matters. If you’re using natural light streaming in from outside, uncover all those windows and let in as much as you can. Shoot a little test and see how it looks. You may have to change to get the best positioning for the optimum lighting advantage — lighting that makes you look good. If you need to add light, move some lamps, etc. around to get the best effect. Lighting from behind usually does not look the best. Light your face from the front, point a lamp at your face from beside the camera or on the floor in front of you. Move things around, experiment and play with it – have fun.
–Think sound – You really do need to have it quiet when you record. You can have a bad background and poor quality lighting and still have an ok post. If you have poor quality sound you have nothing. Viewers automatically disengage when they can’t hear. You can look like a rockstar but if they can’t hear you it doesn’t count for anything!
– Think timing – Most people watch videos that are between 3:00 and 4:00 long. After that, unless you’re giving an informational talk or doing an exercise video you lose people’s attention, sad, but it’s true. Think about a regular post you would write and how long it would take to read it. Maybe you’re doing a vlog as something special or just for fun. Stick to what you’re hoping to convey.
– Think articulation – If you’re nervous, you may have a tendency to rush your speech. Think about being clear and delivering your words effectively so others can make them out. This doesn’t mean drone on in a monotone. It just refers to being aware of how you are talking. Sometimes when speaking in public or on camera it’s helpful to think of reading a story to a child out loud . It helps to slow you down a bit.
Last but not least, have fun!
Have you tried a video blog? If you have, please leave a link — I’d love to check it out. I need inspiration too! If you haven’t, what’s stopping you?
from Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick
When it is high tide, we climb some stairs to get from Rainbow Bay to Greenmount Beach.
On Friday as we were climbing the stairs I said to Des: “We don’t have an idea for Beach Notes this week. As we walked along the path we noticed some tourists photographing a bush turkey in a tree. Bush turkeys are usually seen scurrying around the ground, making what we call a mess, throwing dirt onto the pathway, but for them is just part of making their nest.
An idea came to mind, talk turkey: To speak frankly and get down to the basic facts of a matter.
Des often says one of the things he loves about me is my openness and honesty. He tells other people that “what you will get with Suzie is how it is: you mightn’t like it but you will always know where you stand.”
Recently I have been some conversations with myself on this exact topic. Have I been talking frankly with myself or have I been in a slight state of delusion?
Sometimes it is easier for me to “talk turkey” to an other than to myself.
What is your talk turkey story?