Episode

Podcast #10 – What is The Cloud?

Posted on March 18, 2010

In our 10th podcast we break down a popular buzzword-of-the-moment, The Cloud. (We also blogged about this topic last October.)

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Summary

We could recap the podcast, but we’re so dang busy right now (as you can tell from the dearth of posts and podcasts lately). A good complement to this podcast is our blog post about the cloud from last October.

What do you think? Does that explain it? Hit us up with any questions in the comments, or over on our Facebook page.

Gleek Girls Guide

In somewhat unrelated news (except that it’s just further proof of what geeks we are in other parts of our lives as well), we Geek Girls are also hosting a Glee premiere party on April 13 in Minneapolis. You should come! Get more details and RSVP at gleepremiere.eventbrite.com.

Podcast #9: Stupid Social Media Advice

Posted on February 25, 2010

In our 9th podcast we react to a recent news channel’s story on how social media, and especially Facebook, can affect your marriage. What? Yeah.

See for yourself: the most ridiculous social media advice ever: [WCCO video].

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Summary

We react to the following list of dos and don’ts by psychologist John Buri of the University of St. Thomas. Here’s what he said. You can hear our thoughts about this in the podcast (and in the brackets below):

The Dos

1. Share your username and password with your spouse. [WHAT?!]

2. Include your spouse in pictures and status updates.

3. Tell your spouse whenever someone asks to “friend” you. [Really? Every friend request? Oy vey.]

The Don’ts

1. Don’t criticize your spouse online. [DUH!]

2. Don’t “friend” exes.

3. Don’t engage in private chat. [Um, by this logic you better stop answering your phone, too.]

Take the hilarious Facebook compulsion quiz! http://tumanov.com/quiz/

What do you think? Are we wrong, or is this the most ridiculous crap ever said aloud?

Podcast: The Cult of Social Media

Posted on February 12, 2010

In our eighth podcast we talk about the cult of social media, what to look for when choosing your social team and how to tell the difference between social media enthusiasm and expertise. We’ve now got three ways for you to listen:

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Join the Discussion

What did we miss? What do you think is important to illustrate expertise and experience in social media? What successes or failures have you experienced when trying to assemble a social media SWAT team, or find a social media consultant?

Podcast #7: Social Media & Personal Safety

Posted on January 8, 2010

For our seventh podcast we invited Geek Girls Guide reader Alexis Bell over to talk about some concerns her family members had with her jumping into the world of social media.

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Recap

Alexis (@alexisjbell) sent us an email and said:

“My parents have become very concerned that on my Twitter account I have my picture and my real name. One night I tweeted that I was going to the MIMA holiday party and that concerned them because A) someone could rob me knowing that my house is unoccupied or B) stalk me. I realize their concerns are real and that they are just worried about me but I haven’t figured out how to ease their minds yet.

So I guess my question has to do with personal safety and security while posting information about what you are doing and where you are going. With Facebook I know who everyone is ‘In Real Life’, but with Twitter I don’t yet know any of these people. Some I’m hoping to know/meet in the future with regards to social media and web design. I know that approving everyone that follows you is an option but I don’t see that as a solution if I’m trying to get into social media.”

We talked about:

  • Generational differences between what we are used to sharing, and having public
  • The insidious danger of danger – a brilliant post by Tara Hunt (@missrogue)
  • Sharing information sensibly; be aware of what you’re sharing in any network you’re participating in.
  • Ways to demonstrate why it’s important for a modern professional to be creating content about themselves that is indexed by search engines.

The bottom line in this whole conversation is that it would be a mistake to miss out on the personal and professional opportunities to connect with people in social channels out of fear. Be smart, but don’t be afraid.

Join in the Discussion

What do you think? Are you avoiding social media because you’re concerned about safety or do you brazenly share all?

Podcast #6: The Decade in Review

Posted on December 30, 2009

In our sixth podcast we take a look at the last ten years, how technology has played a role in our lives, and what we think is on the horizon. We’ve now got three ways for you to listen:

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Recap

We talked about:

  • how the personal blogs we started a decade ago affected each of our lives, both personal and professional.
  • the major events of the last decade and how technology played a part, or how they might be different with today’s technology.
  • predictions for the coming years

Links

Dooce: the blogging juggernaut who was once known as the girl who lost her job because of her blog.

Meghan referenced a poem by Poetry Slam founder Marc Smith, which exemplifies the Geek Girls mission as we head into 2010:

pull the next one up
When you get to the top of the mountain
Pull the next one up.
Then there’ll be two of you
Roped together at the waist
Tired and proud, knowing the mountain,
Knowing the human force it took
To bring both of you there.
And when the second one has finished
Taking in the view,
Satisfied by the heat and perspiration under the wool,
Let her pull the next one up;
Man or woman, climber of mountains.

Read the full poem >

Join in the Discussion

Tell us what tech development or movement influenced your life the most of the last decade.  Share your stories and observations in the comments.  We want to hear them.

Podcast #4: MPR Technology Follow Up

Posted on December 8, 2009

I had the pleasure of talking to Kerri Miller on the Midmorning show on MPR this morning.  (You can listen to the show here.) Her guest was Robert Stephens and I was a call-in guest for a short part of the hour.  It is so hard to even try to touch technology in an hour’s worth of time.  It’s even harder to speak to the cultural impact of technology in short bytes.  We try to do all of that here on the Geek Girl’s Guide.  But we try to do it in a way that encourages very broad participation.  We want to open this up to audiences that may not normally be included in a conversation about technology.  Of course when I finished the interview my head was spinning.  The only logical thing to do was to keep talking to Meghan about the ideas we’d only touched on in the on-air chat.  Here’s the resulting podcast.  Enjoy!

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Podcast #3: Social Media for Job Searching

Posted on October 19, 2009

In our third podcast we talk about some ways to think about social media for job searching. It’s more exciting than it sounds! (Not really, but just go with it.)

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Overview

Think about three things:

1. Using social media (blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) as ways to generate content about yourself that exposes your smart, savvy brain to potential employers (or people that could help you find potential employers).

2. Using social media to build and expand your network. Find and reach people in your industry that you previously would have had no access to. (Like, on Twitter: follow hashtags for events that are attended by the people you are trying to reach. I mentioned #mimasummit as an example.)

3. Do your homework! You now have NO EXCUSE for showing up to an interview not knowing about the company and the work they do. Set yourself apart from a field of applicants by knowing, and caring, about the organization you’re interviewing with.

Podcast #2: Social Media Haters

Posted on March 16, 2009

Our second podcast (running time: 18 minutes and 7 seconds) is on Social Media Haters. Subtitled, “Maybe the Problem is You”, or “STOP HITTING YOURSELF IN THE FACE WITH A HAMMER”.

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Overview & Links

No time to listen? Yeah, we got a little yappy and went over 15 minutes (we’re going to keep it under 15 whenever possible). Here are the highlights:

Lately, like there’s been a whole lot of hatin’ going on with Twitter, not to mention the total pop culture explosion. Now that Ellen, Demi, Ashton and Britney are tweeters (and Jon Stewart and Barbara Walters are talking about it), it’s undergoing an interesting new level of scrutiny.

What’s interesting is that most of the haters haven’t given these tools more than a cursory glance before dismissing them. We argue that there is value beyond these negative perceptions, and that if the tools seem useless it might be that the people using them are, well…tools.

That’s not to say there aren’t some boring people on Facebook or Twitter, but there are boring people everywhere. Choose your (Facebook) friends and (Twitter) followers carefully, and perhaps you’ll find something worthwhile.

The Haters

Joe Soucheray of the St. Paul Pioneer Press says Twitter is “nothing.”

Matt Labash of The Weekly Standard says Facebook is “mind-numbingly dull.” We think the problem might be him (or his wife).

MSNBC: Twitter Nation: Nobody cares what you’re doing. NOT TRUE! My mom totally follows me on Twitter.

Gawker rounds up a bunch of sources that say we’re all a bunch of insecure narcissists. (Duh.)

The Attempting-to-Explainers

Barbara Walters (tries to) define Twitter. Favorite quote: “Why do people want to be on MyFace?” I don’t know, Barbara. Why do people want to be on your face?

Old man Stewart shakes his fist at Twitter.

The Founders

Twitter founders, Ev and Biz, on last week’s Talk of the Nation on NPR.

The Nerdy Details

Our second podcast was recorded at Clockwork World Headquarters in a carpeted room (to try to keep the echoes to a minimum). Worked pretty well, but next time we need to be closer to the Snowflake. Edited by Meghan with GarageBand with a bit of post-production help from Michael Koppelman (@lolife). Tweaked the intro a bit this time around based on feedback from the last one. Your thoughts and feedback are welcome, either in the comments below or at info [at] geekgirlsguide [dot] com. Thanks for listening!

Podcast #1: The Dark Side of Online Reputation Management

Posted on February 23, 2009

In our first podcast (running time: 14 minutes and 44 seconds), we explore the dark side of online reputation management. Or, what to do when someone is posting mean things about you online. Think that kind of stuff only happens in high school? Think again.

Listen Online

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Overview & Links

No time to listen? Seriously? It’s less than 15 minutes! But, fine. Here are the highlights:

1. Google yourself. Make sure you know what comes up when people look you up.

2. If the results aren’t what you like, get involved in the conversation about the brand called you. Start actively posting content to drown out what you don’t like.

3. Contact the sites that contain the slanderous material to see if it can be removed. Sites are maintained by people, after all. Try getting in touch with some of them.

4. If all else fails, do your legal homework. Check out the following links about the online defamation act:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2040829_learn-online-defamation-act.html
http://www.internetlibrary.com/topics/online_defamation.cfm
http://reputationprofessor.com/2008/09/07/online-internet-defamation-and-slander/

This podcast was recorded in Nancy’s kitchen using the Snowflake microphone that Meghan’s husband bought as a come-on-girls-start-recording-a-podcast-already gift. Theme music provided by our friend and colleague, the talented Michael Koppelman. Yay for the Geek Girls Men’s Auxiliary!