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Posted by: David Spinks - 26 August 2010 / 16:39
Tim Stiffler-Dean was kind enough to invite me to do an interview for his sweet site twintrview.
We discussed a lot of basic community concepts. You should check out the full interview here.
Here are some of the things we discussed related to Scribnia and our community:
Q: What is the importance of being so vocal on the@Scribnia blog and social media accounts? Should other companies follow that lead?
As a start up, it can be really tough to gain traction in a space… especially one as noisy as the blogosphere. Being active on the blog, on twitter and on other platforms is a way for you to gain loyal users early, and to establish yourself. We also use the @Scribnia blog for community efforts. In the “Behind the Blogs” series, we interview interesting bloggers from the community. It’s just a nice way to promote the bloggers in our community, while creating interesting content.
As I mentioned before, the ability and willingness to help is really important when interacting in online communities. Social media platforms like twitter, like blogging forums, etc… have been a great method for finding people who need help, and helping them.
Should other companies follow that lead? Hard to say on such a broad scale. Chances are, there are potential customers or users interacting online, and seeking information. Creating useful content and being active on SM is the best way to reach them.
Q: What are some tools that a company or person getting into professional blogging can use to be successful (like Scribnia)?
Depending on the resources they have, there are a few options.
The simplest tool would be a tumblr or posterous. They’re built for simplicity so you’re limited on what you can do but many companies have used these tools effectively. The next option is wordpress.com. It’s a bit more professional but it’s still free… which means you’re limited on options.
Most sites are using wordpress.org for their professional blogs these days. You’ll have to pay for hosting, but you have a lot more freedom in how you’d like the blog to look, features you can use, etc….
As far as getting your blog going with readers and comments, you should be using social media tools. Using twitter and facebook to share your content is fine as long as you’re not just sharing your own shit. Also check out tools like @commentluv and @disqus that will enhance the reader’s comment experience.
In the end, starting a successful blog is less about the tools, and more about the content/ how you’re getting it out there.
Q: What are some things that we can expect in the future from @Scribnia? (And how can we keep in touch to find out more).
Glad you asked. We have a lot in store for Scribnia. In the next few months we plan on really improving the overall site design and user experience. We will simplify the site a great deal, to make it really easy for users to get started, and start getting recommendations.
As I said, our goal is to enhance your online reading experience, and we’re working on a number of things to do that. We’ll also be launching a new product in October, that will be free for bloggers. It will provide them with quality story leads and professional opportunities to work with businesses.
You can stay updated on everything we’re working on by following @Scribnia, , subscribing to the blog or just signing up.
Posted by: David Spinks - 1 July 2010 / 18:08
Scribnia is very proud to be sponsoring the Famous Bloggers + Comluv blogging contest. We believe both of these sites have created lively communities of bloggers and we were honored when they reached out to us to contribute to the more than $3000 in cash prizes.
We also loved how this contest works because it’s a lot more than just “omg tweet this link for a chance to win!”. In the true spirit of a good blogging contest, the only way to win this contest is to blog!
On top of that, the posts aren’t meant to support the hosts of the contest…they’re meant to support the community. The topic that you have to write about is “blog comments”. It’s general enough that you have creative freedom, but focused enough that we can come out of the contest with some great content to help bloggers on an important topic.
The best posts, based on a number of factors, will win one of many prizes.
So it’s an honorable contest, with noble goals, and cash prizes. What more could we ask for?
Ready to enter?
You can read the official contest blog post here. It includes:
- The announcement
- The rules
- Topic ideas
- …and any help/resources you’ll need.
So go on! Enter, write some good content, share it around, and win some money.
Happy blogging!
Posted by: David Spinks - 23 June 2010 / 11:08
“What is it like to work with a remote team?” It’s a question that I get asked all the time. It’s a relatively new movement that is growing exponentially as a model for business teams. It seems like every day a new tool comes out that allows people to connect and communicate in new ways, recreationally and professionally.
Our entire team at Scribnia works remotely. We don’t have an office and we’re scattered across the globe from NY, to Montreal, to Romania, Ukraine, Dominican Republic and back to New Jersey. So we know a thing or two about working remotely and I’d like to share some of our experiences and tips with you.
Photo cred: Colin Wright
First the tools. Here’s what we use:
1. Yammer
Yammer and email are used pretty interchangeable for us. We try to use Yammer as much as possible though, so that the entire team can follow along with what everyone is working on. We use it regularly to share and provide feedback on new projects and ideas.
2. Skype
We have team meetings as well as meetings with others on skype. Conference calls are a lifesaver for us. Skype is also the little bit of pseudo face to face interaction we get thanks to video chat.
3. Jira
All new projects are added as tasks to Jira and assigned to specific members of the team. It is our organization and reporting tool to make sure projects are on track.
4. Google Wave
This tool is still experimental for us. I’ve started to create new waves for individual projects so that we can organize new mockups and feedback coming in throughout the course of each project.
5. Email
duh.
There are tons of tools out there that may work better for you. I hope you’ll share some in the comments if you know of any.
So what is it like have a full team working remotely? Is it beneficial or detrimental? I’ll break it down for you.
The positives:
Photo cred: Joel Telling
- Flexibility. We can all work from home. My boss can spend time with his new born baby in Montreal while I get to stick around in NY and do my thing. The freedom of working from home and not having to relocate is definitely a plus.
- Dollah Dollah billz yall. It saves a lot of money not having to pay for an office space, for the commute, and we can outsource a lot of work.
- Access to more communities. Big blogging event going down in Montreal? We’re covered. One in New York (like every day)? We’re still covered.
- Experience. Since businesses love to save money, and running a remote team saves a lot of money, it’s pretty clear to me that more and more teams are going to go virtual. Better to get the experience now of working with a remote team and learn how to use the tools efficiently.
- Mobility. Many of the tools we use are available as mobile apps as well. Since our entire team is using these apps, as long as I can access them from my phone, it’s not that different from working at my desk. It allows me to attend events, and be on the move, while still staying on track with my team. With a team that works in an office, odds are they don’t work primarily on applications that you can access from your phone.
The negatives:
- Team collaboration. It’s much harder to collaborate with your team members when you’re not collaborating in person…for a few reasons.
- You can’t see a persons face, which means you can’t fully understand their reactions and emotions in a conversation.
- Quick and easy tasks are no longer quick or easy. It’s much easier for me to walk over 5 feet, point something out on a screen to my colleague, and have them fix it up really quick. When working remotely, you have to get in touch with them, set up a time to meet and discuss, and use a screenshare to explain what you mean.
- When you’re surrounded by your coworkers, you’re more motivated. Surrounding yourself with other motivated and energetic people will inspire you. Sitting by yourself in your bedroom, not so much.
- Time zone issues. My colleagues in Romania probably hate me for all the late night messages I send them. ”The sun is still shining in NY!” They get me back by waking me up nice and early on occasion.
- Office relationships. I don’t know about you, but I’m the type that really appreciates being able to go out and grab a beer with my team after a long hard day of work. Getting to know your colleagues on a personal level is a lot harder with a remote team.
So like everything else…it’s a trade off.
Here are some tips for staying efficient:
Photo cred: guccio
- Meet with at least one person on your team every day.
- Have a weekly team meeting with as many of your team members as possible.
- Have a home base tool where everyone can see what other employees are working on. As I mentioned, we use Yammer.
- Use project management tools to keep all your projects on time and on track. We use Jira.
- Try to maintain as much personal interaction as possible. When we write out emails, they tend to lack emotion. So, use skype’s video chat whenever possible, or have actual phone calls.
- Establish an efficient recording and reporting structure. Your boss isn’t there with you, so it’s important that they’re aware of what you’re working on.
It’s been an iterative process for us. It’s not something you can just implement and see the same kind of efficiency you had with an office. It’s a learning experience and we’re getting more efficient over time.
It’s up to the managers to keep the team on track and maintain ongoing communication. It’s up to the employees to stay motivated and get their job done without a manager looking over their shoulder.
Do you work on a virtual team? What tools do you use? What has your experience been?
More resources for remote teams:
Posted by: David Spinks - 21 June 2010 / 10:29
Welcome to the first post in the renewed Behind the Blogs series, where we take a moment to get to know the bloggers in the Scribnia Community on a more personal level. We’ve read their words, but now it’s time to learn a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.
Today’s interview is with Henrik Lamark who writes for Tights and Tiaras, ”a blog introducing outsiders to the world of ballet through the voice of a male norwegian dancer.” If that doesn’t make for a unique blog, I don’t know what does. Let’s get to know a little bit more about Henrik…
Hi Henrik!
1) So why did you start blogging? Has your reason for blogging changed?
I started out because I felt I had something to share with the world, really. Through years, I’ve met so many people that, when told I’m a ballet dancer, they just don’t know what that means. Some might make some funny remark (usually turning, with their hands above their head in a sad attempt to imitate a pirouette or something down that road), but most are curious, asking what I do on an every-day basis, what it’s like, being a dancer.
I realized, most people don’t have a clue, and that a blog would be a good way to tell the world what we do, so I started out. I guess I have a little writer in me, I liked working on new features, I started up some of the columns on the site, and little by little, I built what is today Tightsandtiaras.com.
The reason for my blogging stays the same, I still feel I have more to contribute with. But I’ve discovered other reasons as well, and I am really enjoying participating in the communities around my, and other great pages on the web.
Every comment on my site, every retweet on Twitter (I’ve gone from a harsh critic of Twitter to an active tweeter) and thumbs on Scribnia gives me inspiration and new reasons to continue writing.
2) Interesting…and what do you have in stock for the future of your blog?
I just started collaborating with two other amazing authors, David Hunter from Ballet for Men and Catherine Tully from 4dancers, and we’re planning some really cool features. It’s all still quite secret, but we’ll be coming to a page near you soon, so look out for us! : )
Lately I’ve been adding some features for dancers to my site, and I wish to expand the site further to reach out to more people. I’d love to see Tights and Tiaras working as a portal to people that want to get to know more about what I do and the world of dance, and at the same time be a place where dancers meet up and discuss and share topics. It’s hard to achieve interest on both sides of the “line”, but I still have some aces up my sleeves.
3) What is one unique fact that your readers don’t know about you?
I’m a mean poker-player?! At periods this season I have won amounts nearly matching my salary by playing cards with my colleagues. But then again, the beer-bill increases as well, and we’re nice guys, the winner pays the tab : ) Another thing they might not know is that I don’t have a TV, never did. Last time I lived in a house with a TV in it was 6 years ago.
4) How do you define success?
Success relates to goals. Everyone has their own goals and self-expectations, and success is to reach those, or sometimes, the strive for those goals itself is a success. For me, success is to develop. As long as I’m learning new things, meeting new people, seeing new perspectives, I’m successful in not stagnating my development as a person. I always try to keep an open mind, but it’s harder than one ought to think, sometimes.
5) Where is your favorite place to go to write, read or think?
I take notes on thoughts and ideas that comes to me throughout my days. I find much inspiration in other people, both around me, and in other writers and bloggers on the net. I try to keep my eyes open, and to relate stuff I’m seeing to Tights and Tiaras. When I have the time (dancers are normally on a quite busy schedule with rehearsals, long days in the theatre, and performances at nighttime) I sit down with my computer, usually with a great mug of tea, and write out several posts at once. Then, I let the posts ripen for a while, maybe making some changes in free moments, before looking over it again before it goes up on the blog.
6) What are 5 things you want to do before you die?
1. I want to travel. A lot. I’ve been fortunate to have been to quite some places already, mostly touring with a ballet company, but I want to see a lot more. I want to die knowing that I’ve seen as much of the world as I could!
2. I want to have that “wow” moment, on stage, where I just suddenly realize the meaning of all, the beauty behind all the hard work. Think I’ll be searching for that one still for some while.
3. I want to have a child. I think the ability to get kids and raise them to become great persons is a divine ability. I want to love, and be loved.
4. I want to help someone reach their goals in life.
5. I want to drive a mean motorcycle : )
7) As a male dancer, you’ve spoken on your blog about how you are sometimes the victim of insults or ridicule. Do you get a lot of trolls commenting on your blog and how do you deal with them?
Actually, I haven’t needed to deal with negative comments at all. I guess people that isn’t interested, or would write negative comments, simply don’t get to my page while surfing. I’m happy not having to deal with it yet, but I wouldn’t have a problem with it either. I find answering people honestly and straight is the best killer of all critique – you can’t really criticize male dancers as a group without generalizing a lot – we’re just as different from each other as any other group of people.
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Henrik. Keep up the great work.
Be sure to check out Henrik’s blog here, and you can review him here.
If you know of an interesting blogger/author that we should interview for the Behind the Blogs series, or if YOU are that blogger, send me an email at David [at] Scribnia.com
Posted by: David Spinks - 18 June 2010 / 11:21
Photo cred: DerrickT
That’s right…we are relaunching the Behind the Blogs series. If you’re not familiar with Behind the Blogs, it’s a series we started last summer where we interview your favorite, most unique and interesting bloggers, to get to know a little bit about the person behind the keyboard.
It was put on hold for a while for various reasons, but we’re bringing it back.
We’ll be asking questions like:
Have you ever faced a challenge that helped define who you are today?
What was your life like growing up?
What is one unique fact that your readers don’t know about you?
…and lots more.
So join us every week to learn a little bit more about the people who inspire us with their words from day to day.
If there’s a blogger you’d like to learn more about, that you think we should interview, please leave a comment, or email me at david [at] scribnia [dot] com.
Hell, if you’re that blogger…drop me a line too. It’s a great way to give your readers a little behind the scenes look at who you are, while also getting some solid traffic. Just ask Cecily Kellogg who says she still gets traffic from her Behind the Blogs interview.
The first interview will be kicked off next week with Henrik, the 24 year old professional ballet dancer from Norway.
See you there!
Posted by: David Spinks - 11 May 2010 / 14:22
This week we’re featuring a few awesome ladies as our featured writers. You may already know them but if you don’t, you will now! You can see all the featured writers at the top of the page here.
First, we have April Capil.
April wins the award for the longest blog tagline ever! But one that is powerful in it’s message. “Cancer doesn’t play. You must put on your game face. Call in the troops. Use every weapon in your arsenal, and take no prisoners, because your survival depends on your ability to fight for your life, and your belief that it’s worth fighting for.” It’s a battle that April fights, and she hopes to inspire others who are in the same battle to fight as well.
April writes “an inspiring blog about the challenge of living with a life-threatening disease” says reader Bill Schmalfeldt. Her story truly is inspiring. She shares her battle with her disease, and her adventure in what she calls her 40 by 40 challenge where she runs marathons and keeps in shape up to her 40th birthday (after she already rocked her 30th).
You can learn more about April, and review her here.
Next up is Sharon Devillis.
Sharon is a mommy blogger, who writes the “Inside Scoop” at the Yummy Mummy Club. Would you like her blog? Well, “If you’re looking for insight on how to balance motherhood and working while keeping your house immaculate, go visit Martha Stewart’s blog. If you’re every other mother on the planet struggling while trying to figure it out… welcome to The Inside Scoop.” says her bio.
Sharon performs interviews and shares her own experiences (both parenting related and not). I don’t usually read mom blogs (I’m a 22 y/o male) but this one is actually pretty entertaining. Give it a shot.
You can learn more about Sharon, and review her here.
Moving along, say hi to Christine Kachure.
Christine is “a mom, an ex-wife, a mom again, an ex-wife again, an ordained minister, a dog owner, a lady friend (that’s what you get called when you’re my age), and things don’t look too good for me becoming a wife again.”
I love this blog. Her writing style is witty, and very easy to digest. She shares her experiences as a mother, but what I really enjoy are the many posts when she shares her thoughts on trends surrounding parenting. Case and point, her post Kan Ure Babee Reed This sort of mocking the new “teach your baby how to read” ads you see on tv… It’s entertaining stuff.
You can learn more about Christine, and review her here.
Last but far from least, we have Tara Anderson.
This girl is everywhere! She writes for the Huffington Post, she maintained a blog while she was at Lijit (although she has recently moved on from this gig), and of course, her claim to fame, her “Tall Tara” blog. A talented storyteller and photographer, her blogs are full of entertainment and insight.
It would be a crime to not include the epic quote from Elaine Ellis that Tara added to her site.
“Be forewarned, Tara can kill a deer with her bare hands. She probably has. And then Adam, her adorable husband makes it in a gourmet meal with the vegetables they grew together in their garden. After they finished a marathon together. Like I said, Tara is intimidating.”Elaine Ellis, The Art of Awkward“
Tell me you don’t want to read this blog… just try it.
You can learn more about Tara, and review here, here.
Stay tuned for more awesome writers to be featured. If you know of an awesome writer worthy of the spotlight, or if you’re that writer, email me at David [at] Scribnia [dot] com.
Posted by: David Spinks - 28 April 2010 / 12:16
We’ve heard this issue a lot lately haven’t we? With all the writers, bloggers, columnists etc… out there, how do you find the good stuff?
That’s a problem Scribnia aims to solve in a unique way that’s different from any other “blog search engine” out there. We do this by providing “context ratings” that you can use to filter through the thousands of blogs listed on the site, until you find the specific niche your’e interested in.
Of course, all the writers are ranked by the opinions of readers. So filter down to find the EXACT niche that you’re interested in, and find the the most influential writers in that niche as decided by the readers in that community.
Here’s a video tutorial showing you how easy it is:
Posted by: David Spinks - 14 April 2010 / 10:04
Welcome to the brand spankin new Scribnia!
Where have we been? Well, for the past year or so, our team has been working around the clock, revamping the entire site and making it better. Aside from a whole new look and feel, we’ve added some sweet new features.
Whether you’re a blogger, columnist, an online reader, or a company looking for the best writers in your niche, Scribnia can help.
So what’s new at Scribnia? Aside from a brand new design and interface….
1. Improved: Find the Niche Writers for You
Browsing is still the best way to find writers on Scribnia since it allows you to filter using our context ratings. Looking for a great liberal politics writer? Or maybe you’re looking for a wine blogger that focuses on international wines? You can browse using these different contexts for every category. See on the right of the following image, the context ratings for marketing and media writers:
We’ve also improved our search functionality. You can now search by keyword, writer name, publication name, or user name.
2. Integrate Scribnia with your Blog
So…we’ve added a few new widgets. We added a “Bloggeroll” widget that automatically shows the writers you’re reading. We’ve also added an “I love these writers” and “I hate these writers” which is a blogroll of sorts, that automatically shows the writers that you love or hate, based on the reviews that you write.
The biggest new widget, our pride and joy, is the “Review” widget. This widget allows your readers to read and write reviews of you right from your blog. They don’t even have to leave your site! This widget will give new readers that come to your blog a chance to hear the opinions of your most loyal readers. It will also encourage your readers to review you, which will help your ranking in Scribnia, and will in turn drive more traffic back to your site. Try it out!
k. moving on…
3. Earn Badges for Being Sweet
You can now earn badges to show your accomplishments on the site. When you write great reviews, add new writers to the site, recommend great writers to your friends and more…you can earn badges. Why? …uhm… because social equity is more valuable than cash… Here’s what a few of them look like (you can view all the badges here):
4. Bring Your Crew…
Everything is more fun when your friends are doing it too. You can now integrate Scribnia with your other networks (twitter, facebook, etc…), find out which of your friends are already here, and invite the ones that aren’t. Oh wait…we didn’t update that feature yet…crap. Come back in a week.
5. Recommend Writers to Friends
Just click on the “recommend to a friend” button on any writer page, choose the user you’d like to recommend the writer to, and Voila! The writer will appear in that user’s recommendations page. It’s easier than ever to share and support the writers you love.
6. The Scribnia60… Coming soon (=
Only the greatest writers will make it to the Scribnia60…and like pretty much everything else on Scribnia, it will be 100% reader generated. Hint: You need to get a lot of reviews to qualify for the Scribnia60.
So…
If you’re new to Scribnia, welcome. If you’re returning after trying the beta, welcome back. Check it out, we hope you enjoy your stay, and of course if you have any feedback, you can still find the feedback button at the bottom right corner of your browser window.
Happy Reading,
Marc, Saad and David
The Scribnia Team
Posted by: David Spinks - 25 November 2009 / 11:22
You’ll notice a new search function over at the top right of the blog. That’s our spankin new lijit search. We’re honored that lijit has included us in their “cool stuff” page and wanted to tell you a little bit about lijit, since we don’t have a cool stuff page.
You might have already heard of lijit. As long as I’ve been blogging, they have been known to be “the” search plug-in for blogs.
The default wordpress search is pretty basic. Type a keyword, find posts with that tag, and then you cayawwwwwwwwwn. Oh sorry…faded out there for a minute.
Switch to lijit…
lijit will crawl your blog content for you, and provides all the relevant content from your site without having to rely on keywords to find relevant posts.
Do you use twitter? Delicious? Disqus? Well then you’ll love lijit’s next big feature, the content search. You can add your account from a number of different networks. Much like your blog posts, lijit will crawl your content for you and users can search through your blog content and your content on other networks, side by side.
Not enough you say? Well then maybe you’ll be as impressed as I was by the stats that they offer you.
To name a few of the metrics you can track:
- Total searches
- Conversions from view to search
- Keyword search rates
- User Location (using maps)
- Searches that brought readers to your blog
- Exposure statistics
They truly have a great product and a great team to support it. Any questions I’ve had have been answered promptly and their employees are all very helpful.
If you’re looking for a good search plug-in for your blog, I recommend you go lijit. Go ahead, search our blog and try it out.
Posted by: David Spinks - 27 October 2009 / 12:19
I know I know, it’s been a little quiet around here lately. Just think of it as the quiet before the storm as we’re working up a sweat behind the scenes to make Scribnia bigger and better after listening to your feedback. There are a lot of updates coming your way that we think you’ll really dig.
Of course, we can’t do anything without asking you first, so we’re asking for your thoughts again. We need a sweet tagline! Either vote for your favorite of the three options below, or if you think you’ve got something better, submit your own tagline…