Monday, January 11, 2010

Tech Update:Facebook, Twitter, Mobile Website, and Street Cred

A D'Arcy Inspired History of BlogImage by cogdogblog via Flickr


In large part, this blog has dragged me (virtually kicking & screaming) into the 21st century. Before the blog, I was slightly technically challenged. I thought that Facebook was a chart with pasted on photographs used by angry professors to determine which student to call on in class. I was so out of it, that I use phrases like "high tech."

But the writing of this blog has opened technological doors. First I discovered the world of blogs. The availability of Blogger, the free Google blog platform, and its ease of use really helped. Then as I got used to posting on the blog, and as you started to react favorably, I got creative. Posting links to some other excellent websites was really appreciated by readers.

Then I discovered the social networking sites. The first and most successful of the special education law groups was the Facebook group, which now has grown to 667 members. Then I added the Ning, Twitter, Plaxo, and LinkedIn special education law groups which also became places to share information and resources regarding special education law. Than I started summarizing my posts with mini versions on Twitter where we now have a bunch of additional followers. When added to the followers and subscribers of the blog, we now have over 1800 regulars in the special education law posse. I know that there may be some duplication here, but that is still an impressive number. Especially when added to the 100 to 2500 other people who click on this blog every day, we have some serious street cred. This is the big reason that this blog was selected for the blockbuster exclusive interview with Alexa Posny, the new Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).

Our commitment to content has resulted in this blog receiving awards, such as First Place for Best Education Blog in the 2008 Blogger's Choice Awards and a Best Blog of the Day Award

Later we added news sources, like the CEC widget, and various other resources for special education stakeholders. We also feature our ongoing polls, which may not be scientific, but still are a lot of fun. The current poll seeks your input on IDEA reauthorization issues. (Regulation of seclusion and restraints now has a thin lead; make your voice heard - vote.)

We have developed three methods to subscribe to our posts, by email; through an RSS feed for feed readers or aggregator, and as a widget in the subscriber's own blog or website. Please keep subscribing and keep spreading the word.

Our newest gadget is our mobile website through which you can read the text of our posts of this blog on your Blackberry, I-Phone or other web enabled mobile phone. All of the links for the resources referred to in this post are on the lefthand side of the blog.

So thank you for reading, and by doing so, encouraging my techno-boldness! Rock on!


3 comments:

  1. Glad I was there to see it all get started. I remeber that e-mail you sent me shocked, absolutely shocked, that I would know about your blog.

    Great work Jim, over the years. Keep growing the audience and spreading the knowledge!

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  2. Thanks Justin,

    You have been an inspiration as well as a good friend.

    Jim

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