Follow Friday - Blogher

This month, as an informal resolution, I decided to make a real effort to discover and read blogs from all sorts of different people. Variety is the spice of life, right? One of the best resource to do this is Blogher. For every different voice there seems to be a blog to voice it. If you are a foodie, interested in politics, family issues, photography, health and fitness, really anything, chances are there is a blog for you here. They boast that there are thousands of blogs and lots of opportunity to connect with other people as well as discover new things and ideas.

If you are not sure what you are interested in reading, you can do what I do. I pick at random a blog from the NaBloPoMo section to read. I've found this a great way to discover new writers and perspectives on life that I wouldn't have otherwise found. In fact, many of them I follow regularly and will probably feature here at some point. Some are staff writers at Blogher, but most are regular folk like you and I, just wanting to share a small part of their lives with others. Everyone is interesting and everyone has a story to share.

If you have your own story you'd like to share on Blogher, you can become and member and post there or link to your own blog. Or both, they encourage that. I have found it to be a warm and welcoming community that encourages other writers.

If you follow on Twitter as well, they tweet links to top blog posts. This is a fantastic way to keep connected with discussions and topics that are popular that day.

If you want to discover more about Blogher and what they do, check them out.

You can also follow them on Twitter @Blogher

Of course there is the obligatory Facebook page as well.

Follow Friday - The Media Mesh

It may not look it, but I really don't know a lot about the social media scene. I know, shocking! It was only until recently that  I decided to dip my little toe into this ocean of connectivity. In large part, the decision to explore a little deeper was influence by one of my media savvy friends. Karen Wilson and I have been friends for a few years. I first met her at a book club we both attended. It was a book club where "club" was spelt with a "k" and all talk of books was banned. In fact, that was the first rule. Naturally talk turned to other subjects such a children, work, and our own personal interests. Karen is very interested, nay passionate, about all things social media. Different tools and platforms, the ever changing way it connects people, the impact it has on society, everything! She loves it and knows her stuff. She could write a book on it, but then we wouldn't be able to talk about it, so she's done one better. She created The Media Mesh instead.

If you're passionate about social media, or even a newbie such as myself, you can learn a lot from Karen and The Media Mesh. Over the years she has gain a vast amount of knowledge and experience and wants to share it. She welcomes any questions, comments and ideas you want to put to her. In her Buzz and Brilliance segments she explores what's making headlines in social media. The good, the bad and the ugly of it all. She has created a Business Book Club which is open to all those interested and, shockingly, encourages discussion about actual books! (I know, she's quite the innovator) You can also find her on Twitter, where you can join her in discussing all things social media, at @Karen_C_Wilson. I think she lives there on a fairly regular basis.