Keeping up with the Blogs

Keeping up with all the great resources on the web isn't easy, and aggregators are becoming very popular. An aggregator is a site that allow you to monitor your favorite content on one simple page rather than visiting a bunch of different sites every day.

Bloglines is just such an aggregator- it allows you to keep up with postings on your favorite blogs in one place, so you can quickly scroll through the latest posts and see if anything merits a further read (sure is a lot quicker than having to go to a dozen plus different blogs). You might also find this a great way to monitor your local political chatter in the blogosphere. The set up is super easy - you simply sign up for a free account, compile the blog feeds you are interested in, and set preferences like if you want headlines only, summaries, or entire posts displayed. Bonus - you can 'clip' and save useful postings for later.
http://www.bloglines.com/

Give some thought to how you can use this to enhance your own learning. Also, think about the implications if our readers are using an aggregator. How does that change the content of your posts?

Passive Blog readers? SNAP out of it!

We have our first guest blogger! Today's post was sent along by Terri Broussard, VP of Advocacy for the South Central Affiliate. Terri shared this post from Pro Blogger- a blog all about... Blogs, of course! (What a concept- I love it!)

Calls to Action - 12 Tips To SNAP Readers Out of Passivity, provides great advice on getting your blog readers to interact with you. Check it out, and incorporate some of the great tips in your own blog posts.

As more and more AHA staff begin blogging, Pro Blogger can be a fantastic resource.

What do you think of this new resource? Leave a comment!

Make People Act

The Activation Point Website says...
"If knowledge alone was enough to inspire action, the world would already be a better place. Real change requires action, and the key to moving people from knowledge to action is persuasion."

I was recently introduced to these two great resources to help persuade people to act. The Activation Point and its companion Smart Chart are guides to good communications strategy. They focus on the fundamentals of building a good plan- and you can download both for FREE!

http://www.activationpoint.org
http://www.smartchart.org