Conversational Media: Tools and Skills

Here’s an array of tools and skills that can help you make the most of conversational media. In my Mar. 3 presentation in the Best Practices: Editorial/Commentary in Cyberspace seminar I’ll be discussing these in more detail and answering participants’ questions

1. RSS feeds and feed readers

VALUE: Fundamental tool and skill for efficiently following multiple online venues or conversations. Saves time, and often is more timely.

Search feeds provide serendipity and diversity of sources/conversations. (I’ll demonstrate)

TIPS:

• Always look for feed options for anything relevant to your work (or life!). Many forums, services, etc. offer feeds.
• Experiment with different feed readers. Which is easiest to use?
• Use folders that make sense in your work process (not nec. by topic). Feel free to reorganize feeds and folders as work patterns shift.
• You don’t need to read everything. More important to read the latest. “Mark all as read” is fine, and reduces stress.
• Export your feed list as an OPML file periodically for safekeeping.

Resources:

Wikipedia: Aggregator (background info)
• Open directory project: Feed readers (list of tools)

Never used a feed reader before? Try Google Reader.

2. Conversation Tracking Tools

It helps to be able to follow ongoing conversations, especially ones you’ve contributed to.

Blog comments: Co.mments and CoComment: Free web-based services that will keep an eye on comments being made to blog posts that you specify. Bookmarklets make it easy to start tracking a conversation. Both offer feeds from your account. Not compatible with every blog platform, but they work most of the time.

Feed options: Many forums offer feeds for each thread. Look for that option and use it. Feeds are always easier to manage than e-mail alerts.

On your column: Offer a “notify me of new comments by e-mail/feed” option in the comments section for each post.

3. Social Media: Your Personal Posse

I’ll demonstrate Twitter. But Facebook and LinkedIn also can be useful.

I’m “live tweeting” this seminar today at amylive. (More about this.)

4. Local aggregators

Here’s how my hometown, Boulder CO, looks via Topix, OutsideIn, and Craigslist.