On way to HighEdWeb in Austin, Texas next week: Presenting on multimedia and social storytelling

on October 18, 2011 · No Comments · in Higher Ed

I’ve been bad. I haven’t updated this blog as I said I would a few weeks–er, I mean months–ago, back when I said I’d be back. Truth be told, so many exciting things have been happening lately that blogging had to take a back seat. Heck, it wasn’t even in the back seat; it was riding in the trunk. I can’t make promises, but I will strive to keep up to date.

Bad blogger. This is me (on right) two years ago geeking out at a Tweet Up wearing a blogging shirt... one that would make me a liar if I wore it now... unless I change my ways and earn the respect of this top once again. Nikki, left, still respects me.

Preparing for my presentation, “Multimedia and Social Storytelling: Capitalize on Content” for the HighEdWeb Conference, next week in Austin, has me excited to share my experiences and knowledge with others. And, just today, I was meeting with a colleague from the Career Services Office at the College where I work–I told her about the PR & Social Media course I taught at Wilkes University the spring semester of 2010 and the social media workshop I co-presented for an alumni event. And that made me reflect back to my three years at Solid Cactus where I presented at our Boot Camps, blogged about eCommerce and online marketing topics and wrote for–and later helped run–the company magazine.

What I am getting at is that I’ve really, really missed blogging and presenting. I feel out of practice in some ways. But in others, I feel I am doing the blogging and presentations in small doses in my day to day life, teaching friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues new things, getting them to think in new ways. An email here, a phone call there, a one-on-one meeting here. These little tidbits make my day — and they’d also make great blog posts later. It’s funny. When I’ve encouraged others to blog, people will admit their challenge to me: time. And then I tell people that they need make the time and even give hints, such as write a few posts at a time, stash a few blog posts away for later. Easier said than done, right? Guess I should be a better example.

So, this rediscovered energy will, I’m hoping, turn into more regular blog posts about higher ed web marketing and creative writing — my personal views and thoughts, not associated with my job, although I may use some examples from it. My lack of blogging, though, hasn’t meant I haven’t been busy! Give Hippocampus Magazine a gander… that’s been my love child since January. I’m pulled in many directions. Good thing I’m not a weather vane or I’d be pretty busy.

BACK ON TOPIC

I took a total turn in direction from the title of this post, didn’t I? At any rate, I am super excited to present at HighEdWeb. I proposed the session on a whim–gotta love Twitter–and was thrilled to be accepted. I’m stoked about going to Austin; love a lot of the music that comes from this city. Mostly, I’m so eager to meet other higher ed web peeps. I’m relatively new to higher ed, so it will just rock to meet counterparts from around the US of A.

Maybe I’ll even teach a few the school bus. (If you know what that is, you must be elite.)