The javascript challenge!

If you are following along with the Codecademy challenge I issued you can follow along over at the Ed Charkow blog.  If you just want a good place to start we are nearing the end of the "javascript" section.  If you've never done any programming you might find you get a little confused and that's why I'm offering some help.

http://www.edcharkow.com/blog/codecademy-challenge/

Personality Issues?

I read a little review today about a product some "Guru" is pitching called nanoblogger.  In a nutshell this product/ebook/guide thingy is a "course" about how to make small blogs and interact with social networks.

It involves being different people and faking things of course.

This got me thinking about how many people are going to screw this up big time if they try it.  Normally when you make a lot of small sites it involves a lot of organization.  You just can't "wing" it and hope it all works out.  If you are crafting a social network experience it involves personality, different names, pictures, hobbies, etc...

Here is how this would probably actually play out if you tried it.  Your name is "Eric" and you start the first site with your name and life is easy.  As you join different social networks it's easy to keep track of because it's "you".  As you move onto different personas though it's going to be a nightmare.

Imagine your newest "blog" is written by "JOE".  However you screw up and the social networks you are trying to build up traction with you start calling yourself "Sally".

My point? If you are pretending to be a reviewer for your website, blog, web 2.0 entry,  or faking a persona to separate a topic from yourself you should stay consistent.  Let's face it, you are going to screw up.
In fact, anyone who deals with social media for clients (I do - and It's tough) is going to have to keep it as real as possible.

Here is how I do it - and it's up to you how you would deal with this depending on your client. It's simple really....

1.) If you are creating a "persona" for a client make sure it's an employee that exists.  For example, it could be Ron from accounting, or Debbie from the receptionists desk.

2.) Have that real person write for you a little bit.  They can tell you about their hobbies, family, and what they do at the business.  Get a picture or 10 if they are willing.  (their boss should give them a cookie or something).

3.) That's your "blogger" even if you do the social networking stuff for the company.  You don't have to go into personal stuff very often, and when you do it can be a post or snippet the person has actually vetted.

However, just basing this around a real person helps me make the "posts" real and from the first person.
If I don't do these things I find myself messing up tense, patterns, and in general just screwing up and not delivering the best results for my clients.

Delaware Programmers? Marketing Help?

I'd love to catch up with a few local programmers or developers.  If you live in Delaware and do any kind of programming drop me a note.

Codecademy Challenge Help!

I've started a little "Code Academy" challenge where anyone who needs a hand can get it from a programmer who doesn't mind helping :)

You can read about the whole deal here:  http://www.edcharkow.com/blog/codecademy-challenge/

No strings, no opt ins (on my end at least), friendly help, and some connections can be made for when you are a full blown pro!

See you there!