Are blogs the new websites?
ALUMNI: My old websites were too static
Friday, March 16, 2007Are blogs the new websites?
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: Have used a blog and BLOGDESK to change my thinking
Thursday, March 15, 2007I write my alumni ezine Jasper Jottings (http://www.jasperjottings.com) and each week I struggle to get it done on time, in the time “allotted”, and with a certain level of quality.
Up to now, I have just used email as THE communication tool. I email out the issue with the help of a Yahoo group after I post it on the website. I receive email from my fellow alums for inclusion.
Up to my laptop getting winrot and Microsoft Word 2003 stopped working, I’d just create the document and add to it every day.
I “budgeted” about 2 hours a day for Jasper Jottings. (That’s 14 hours per week for a hobby!) Some weeks I was better than others as on time, in time, and quality.
In the last year, at the readership’s requests, I spun “sports” to a blog. But didn’t do it very well. Recently, a reader didn’t want more obits. Also, the message traffic has dwindled to a trickle.
So my satisfaction is dwindling.
I did come up with an idea that would make it all better. A silver bullet!
Instead of my current methods, I need a new and improved method.
;-)
The weekly cycle is a problem. I’ve tinkered and pruned and noodled it around, but never came up with a breakthrough idea.
Till now!
What if I used a blog as my collection point? It has a lot going for it.
It would reduce my administrivia time. People could read it online, by email, or a feedreader. It would serve as a natural collection point for the weekly distribution. Sub topical feeds could allow that one reader to not subscribe to obits.
I’m working on the concept. But it seems to work for me.
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: An idea for a real time Jasper news wire
Wednesday, March 14, 2007I woke up in the wee hours with my next great idea. A real time Jasper news wire. Born out of my computer troubles, it has always been my thought to have an easy way to assemble my weekly ezine more easily. So why not use a wordpress blog, and just “stitch” it together for the weekly readers. It would allow that fellow to only see the sections he was interested in. Have to noodle that about. But I like the idea. Real time Jasper feed.
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: Another high school classmates goes RIP
Monday, March 12, 2007Argh! If I wasn’t bummed out enough last week and this weekend, everything seems to be changing in the wrong direction. I gotta strange call on Sunday night on my cell phone. It was the fellow’s widow and his kids calling me Evidently he had printed my high school home page and was planning to get in touch. Unfortunately the fates intervened. So they called to give me the sad news with details and I was able to express my sorrow. I promised to pass it along. That took about an hour. I was tired and made mistakes but I was able to push it before fogging out. It makes me sad. You just don’t think of it. Sigh!
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: Someone asked about obits (Memento Mori)
Saturday, February 17, 2007http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Page=ObitFinder
Every morning, the first thing I do is look for the obits of my fellow Manhattan College alumni. It’s not a morbid fascination, although when there is one it can be a great read about a great life, but an attempt to atone for all my past sins. It’s ghoulish work but someone has to do it.
If I DON’T find one, then I thank the Intelligent Designer for giving all these great people, and me, another day to complete their life’s work and go about mine.
Upon finding one, I determine if it’s timely (i.e., announces a future service), then I create an “Actionable Obit” message. That message pulls together all the details and sends it to my alumni yahoo group for them to act on should they choose.
If not timely, I cerate a plain old obit message to the College alumni society, key interested individuals, and my weekly ezine.
If the obit has an online “guest book”, then I put in a small message of consolation. (There is nothing as depressing as a Guest Book with no messages. I check back before it expires just to read the comments.I actually put it in my personal Outlook calendar so I don’t forget and miss it.)
Then, I go about my day’s work, motivated by the knowledge that I only have a limited time to get all the important stuff done. I guess on average it takes ten minutes. Call it “morning prayer” or “mourning prayer”.
Weird, maybe. Necessary, maybe. Valuable, maybe.
Lot of maybes in that value equation.
It’s sort of like blogging. Valuable, maybe?
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: Is doing these obits a “positive” thing?
Thursday, February 15, 2007>From: A fellow alum
>Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 10:33 PM
>To: Reinke’s Jasper (mc68alum) Persona
>Subject: Re: [ManhattanCollegeAlumni] JASPER ACTIONABLE OBIT:
>I click onto these things hoping to read good news and 95% of the time they are generated because of someone’s demise.
Oh, I see, someone returning to their “eternal reward”, isn’t good news? That’s the trick question that I have no answer for.
I do these obit broadcasts with mixed emotions. On one hand, I think it’s joyful in the sense that some of these fellow, even as communicated in a brief obit, have made a unique substantive contribution. Even badly described, it fills me with awe at some of those accomplishments. I enjoy seeing how someone reports how they lived. On the other hand, I find it depressing for several reasons: (1) They’ve left without doing a brain drain. Maybe they had “the answer”. (2) For the most part they were “good people” and the world is a “poorer” place without them. (3) I wonder if we are replacing them with the same caliber of Jaspers, since they leave so big shoes to fill.
From time to time, I hear from our fellow alums, or one of the departed’s family members, with appreciation for getting the word “out” and I get some story or other that makes me feel that the few minutes I spend each morning has made a meaningful “contribution” to the common good. Sometimes, it means that old friends get to pay respects, close the loop on an old friendship, or just know that someone cared about the deceased.
I’ve drifted into this self-appointed “ghoulish” duty with mixed feelings. Because of my “technology”, I’m probably uniquely able to do it. I keep questioning if it’s a “good” or a “bad”, positive/negative, or just a rut.
For you, I’d give the advice that if the title says “obit”, it’s probably not be the good news that you’re looking for.
On the other hand, perhaps it might help you: (1) focus on the truly important; (2) put all “problems” in perspective (it does for me); and (3) inspire you to “sing your song”, write your “brain drain”, or just do something you’ve always wanted to do. As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.
So I ask you, should I continue? I struggle with that question regularly.
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: Another idea!
Friday, February 2, 2007
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: 7 obits this week
Thursday, January 25, 2007Wow, What did everyone wait until after the holydays to die? While some were old fogies, some were pretty young (i.e., close to my age). It makes me sad.
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: “Long Time Lost” — we’ll see if it does any good
Wednesday, January 24, 2007<a href=’http://www.longtimelost.com/blog/8475′><img src=”>http://longtimelost.com/images/public/button_looking.png”></a></a >
Loaded all the MP64-ers into “Long Time Lost” and we’ll see if anything comes of it.
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Posted by reinkefj
ALUMNI: A high school chum died before Christmas
Saturday, January 6, 2007Now I am really bummed!
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Posted by reinkefj
Reinke Faces Life 
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