"Write now is good."

Twitter Vote Report: Insuring voting works, one tweet at a time

My new post "Insuring Voting Works, One Tweet at a Time: Interview with Allison Fine, Co-Creator" is now live on The Huffington Post's OffTheBus.

The all-volunteer group Twitter Vote Report will be monitoring tweets from now through November 4th and beyond to look for those which report voting problems. When TVR finds them, they figure out which of their vast coalition of election protection groups can help fix them.

With record turnout predicted during this historic presidential election in the United States, many believe there will be problems and system overwhelm as droves turn out on election day. Indeed, Twitter Vote Report has already found problems in early voting states and have worked to get them corrected.

TVR is an example of how social media, technology and an energized constituency can contribute to making a democracy function at its best.

If you're a U.S. citizen who can vote, read to learn about how Twitter Vote Report can help make sure your vote counts. If you are a U.S.-presidential-election spectator from outside America, check to see one way citizens here are participating to make the democratic process work.

Related posts:

° Tech-connected youth use new media to access presidential debates
° It's time to get on "OffTheBus"
° Will the next U.S. President be a blogger?
° Politweets — Political expression, in 140 characters or less
° Artists and Obama: Images + Technology = Votes

UPDATE: This piece was featured in The Huffington Post's "Voting Problems" section. Its tagline: "Some news is so big, it needs its own page." If you are interesting in election protection and voter disenfranchisement, this page is your link to current happenings in this area, so do check it out.

"The Age of Conversation 2" is available now!

 
The Age of Conversation 2, a new collaborative book in which I've written a chapter, is being released today. The book features essays on how social media (like blogging) is changing the conversations we have with each other—in business, our work and personal lives, both online and in the "real" world. My chapter is titled "Crossroads: When micro storytelling meets social media", and if you want to read it, you may purchase the book here.

What is The Age of Coversation 2 about?
Bloggers Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton had an idea in early 2007 to create a book about how blogging was changing their world, and they invited others to join in. The first Age of Conversation had 103 authors, representing 10 countries and 24 U.S. states. 

Based on the first book's success, a sequel naturally followed. Released today, the AOC2 has expanded globally: its 237 authors hail from 14 countries and 29 states throughout the U.S.

All proceeds from the first book went to Variety, the Children's Charity. We hoped to raise at least $10,000 (U.S.), and we raised $15,000 instead.

The goal of AOC2 is to raise $15,000 for Variety, and we hope to even surpass that—with your help. 

A great read for a great cause
The Age of Conversation 2 is available for sale in three formats:

-- Hardback: $29.95 (less printing and shipping, $6.04 to charity)
-- Paperback: $19.95 (less printing and shipping, $8.02 to charity)
-- E-book: $12.50 (less technical fees, $10.00 to charity)

Introducing...

The 237 authors of The Age of Conversation 2: Why Don't They Get It? are (in alphabetical order by first name):

A   Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi

B   Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich

C   C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson

D   Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner

E   Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller

F   Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson

G   Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G. Kofi Annan, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming

H   Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber

J   J. Erik Potter, James G. Lindberg, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster

K   Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski

L   Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux

M   Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel

N   Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice

O   Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz

P   Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman

R   Rachel Steiner, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen

S   Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Sreeraj Menon, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood

T   Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman

U   Uwe Hook

V   Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau

W   Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff

Y   Yves Van Landeghem

Thank you for your interest and support!

Speed-noveling madness—and opportunity—await

In just four days, the 10th anniversary of National Novel Writing Month begins. You can join thousands worldwide in their quest to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Many who never thought they could do this have done so; some have even turned these first drafts into published novels.

I have participated in NaNoWriMo for the past three years, and I have won every time. (For newbies reading this, "winning" = writing 50,000 words within those 30 days. Everybody who reaches this benchmark "wins".) This year, I've signed up again, yet with a different goal from previous years.

Some new characters have been entering my writing life lately, and I'm very interested in who they are. They are unrelated to my other novel drafts (which together are a trilogy), and are a bit mysterious, which intrigues me.

Perhaps some short story folks have moved into my imagination, and, in order to get to know them better, I need to start writing so they can fully pour out their stories to me. This could turn into a novel, and I'll know more when I'm in the process. Short stories never reach the 50,000-word mark, so instead of aiming for the ultimate word count, I'll focus on story exploration within the supportive framework of the program.

So, technically, I'm not initially attempting to win NaNoWriMo, but I'll be there anyway. Having been through this wonderfully fruitful and intense month multiple times now, I find it too enjoyable and constructive to give up.

I've written extensive tips and advice on how to get the most from NaNoWriMo. Here are the most useful of the batch, if you're interested:

°Be the mountain
°National Novel Writing Month: Here's YOUR chance to write that novel
°How to "win" National Novel Writing Month in 5 (no, 6) easy steps
°Sign up today for National Novel Writing Month

If you sign up, drop a comment, I'll link to your blog or NaNoWriMo writer page, and we'll cheer you on!

UPDATE: Julio Angel Ortiz over at Vox Bomb will be joining the fray in his 2nd NaNoWriMo attempt. Best of luck, Julio! (Any other brave participants out there?)

UPDATE 2: QuietRebelWriter and Erik Sherwood are also participating! Happy speed-noveling trails, you two, and keep us posted on your progress!

UPDATE 3: Margay is on the NaNoWriMo road, too. Let's go, Margay!

Still yet more online dictionaries

Photo: "1907 webster dictionary" by jbrownell

In my latest wordy quest through and across teh Interwebs, I have found an abundance of online dictionaries. As I'm still involved in much non-blog writing, I'll quickly post these and dash off to additional wordiness elsewhere online. More link posts will follow soon — I've been finding some very interesting writing, tech and media resources.

In alphabetical order:

1. Cambridge Dictionaries Online — From Cambridge University Press; a portal to five of their dictionaries: Advanced Learner's, American English, idioms, phrasal verbs, and French/English.

2. Double-Tongued Dictionary — It bills itself as "a lexicon of fringe English, focusing on slang, jargon, and new words."

3. Word Spy — An ambitious site which is "devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases. These aren't 'stunt words' or 'sniglets,' but new terms that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites, and other recorded sources."

If you know of any helpful word resources, drop a comment and I'll post the links.

Related posts:

° A basket full of eggcorns
° Free online graphical dictionary
° Build your vocab — for fun and profit
° The "now" dictionary
° Dictionary in there somewhere
° Dictionary.com makeover
° Help finding the right words

Could universal health care eliminate poverty?

Over the past week, I've received quite an education on the connection between poverty and lack of health insurance. I was co-host of a “news hunt” at NewsTrust, a vibrant media literacy project online. The NT community looked for the best journalism on health care, and read and reviewed a wide range of health care stories. Those that stayed with me most explained how the lives of the working poor have been destroyed when they lose health insurance.

Solving poverty is a complex issue, but one within our control if we act widely and directly on it. One solution to poverty in the United States is to provide universal health coverage. The working poor, who amount to roughly 80% of the 45 million uninsured in the U.S., will benefit most from this.

During the news hunt, I read and reviewed 36 health care stories (including a podcast and a documentary) from many sources. Based on what I've read, I know now that there is a consistent, tragic pattern that occurs when the working poor lose health insurance. The basic steps are:

1. working adult gets sick and loses job
2. after losing job, they lose their health insurance
3. they can no longer afford medications, so they get sicker
4. since they have no insurance, they receive either no care at all or substandard health care which they have to pay for themselves
5. the bills pile up
6. still sick, they cannot work, so they lose their home and belongings because any money they have goes to basic subsistence and paying medical bills
7. very few rebound, and many die

Providing health insurance, available no matter their employment status, would solve this horrible situation. It would help the working poor in multiple ways. It would give them access to any needed medical care for themselves and their dependents. They would stay healthy and be able to look for and get additional work. If sick workers could no longer work, they would still get care, which is the right and compassionate thing to provide.

When people are healthy, they can still contribute meaningfully to their communities; when many in one community are unemployed and sick, their community suffers along with them. With health insurance, adults can take care of the children who depend on them; without it, their children may lose, either temporarily or permanently, their mother's or father's care.

During this economic downturn, prospects for the working poor will absolutely become more dire. Adding guaranteed, universal health insurance to the poverty equation would directly improve the quality of their lives. To read some of the top rated stories from NewsTrust's health care news hunt and decide on this issue for yourself, click here.

THANK YOU to those who left comments here that they too would join Blog Action Day:

- Crafty Green Poet writes on "Poverty and the Environment".
- Lily Hydrangea penned "Blogging for Poverty".
- Nipun at 50 Word Fiction has an "uber short" take on the theme.
- Rachel's post is titled "My skin or my soul" over at The Slow-Cooked Sentence.

Poverty: What would you write to help solve it?

Big problems can be solved when many participate in a solution. Focusing concentrated energy on one central issue is Blog Action Day's goal for October 15th. This year's topic is poverty:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion...We ask bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue. By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.

If you choose to participate, you have 8 days to craft your most persuasive post, film a compelling video, or record a captivating podcast, to bring attention to poverty in your way, from your perspective, featuring your insight and innovation.

Would you like to be part of this global community? As I write this, 5,742 blogs — with an estimated readership of 9,038,385 people — have already registered to participate. If you do sign up, leave a comment here and I'll link to your blog on October 15th for Blog Action Day.

Read more about Blog Action Day and register your blog here.

Tech-connected youth use new media to access presidential debates

This U.S. presidential election season continues to draw massive interest from both the American voting public and others around the world. One of the most fascinating aspects to me, as a writer focusing on media and tech, is how Web innovations and platforms are increasing political expression and participation.

Social media platform Twitter has blended with user-driven cable network Current TV to offer a venue for tech-connected youth (primarily 18-34) to be involved during the three presidential and one vice presidential debates; it's called "Hack the Debate". My post about this, "New Media Forms Boost Youth Participation in Debates", is now live on The Huffington Post's ground-level election coverage, OffTheBus.

If you'd like to read about this innovative media experiment, get a preview of how technology will change media for future elections, and perhaps even participate, click here.

Related posts:

° It's time to get on "OffTheBus"
° Will the next U.S. President be a blogger?
° Politweets — Political expression, in 140 characters or less
° Artists and Obama: Images + Technology = Votes