As a blogger, you need lots of good pics. Especially when using a theme that needs a really good one for the main feature (you don’t want a lack of a pic to be something that stops you posting). I thought instead of just keeping all the pics I’ve rejected from intended posts, I’d actually make a... 

During my Masters degree, I began looking into a PhD. I needed a wider range of opportunity and consideration. I wanted to look at media that is more than broadcast, and that doesn’t pretend to be objective. So I ventured forth to the ATLAS building on campus and annoyed/asked people there for guidance and advice. First... 

I was delighted to have presented at the Colorado Learning and Teaching with Technology conference at the University of Colorado yesterday. This was my second year at this conference, and it was incredibly well attended. As usual, some of the best moments came in the smaller discussions and conversations had over... 

News flash: I’m not your average mom blogger. I do research in social media and post that along with my posts about my family, my work, my life and beliefs. Like most women I wear many hats, and I blog a little about them all. Sometimes it’s academic (like this one could be if I hadn’t just had... 

I am in my second year of being part of Dry July. And I’m noticing some interesting things! Dry July is an Australian fundraising initiative which seeks to drive funds and awareness of the efforts of Australian medical institutions who are leading the way in cancer research, and cancer patient support and medical... 

Boycotting a company is like being committed to something in a big way. It’s like getting married. Like marriage, you are making a declaration that’s public. A formal representation of something you’re standing for. It’s no longer just a private aggravation. Deciding to actively, publicly boycott... 

I have a number of friends who have amazing, spectacular blogs about food. You should totally visit them. Louise Ross is an Aussie who lives in Boulder (and a dear pal). She runs Market to Mouth. She cooks amazing food, and has a magical way of making you feel like you can do it too. Her blog is personal, and just... 

I’ve been asked why mom bloggers seem to have a fascination with laundry? (What is the most polite way I can say this?) Because it’s a pain in the arse. (There ya go. Actually, that was easier than I thought it would be.) Just because we tweet/blog or otherwise about different detergents doesn’t... 

A few months after we moved to Boulder, I was informed by sage, experienced people of the wonders of dumpster diving at the end of Spring semester. When all the students go back to their moms and dads for the summer. I heard fanciful stories that instead of giving stuff away or selling it, students just put all their... 

The ongoing antics of Nestle as it continually trips itself up in all forms of social media (Facebook, viral Greenpeace videos) have led me to ask if some companies should just stay out altogether. Even Satan or Lex Luthor would have a better time on social media than Nestle. There are legions of people wanting to... 

Jed: How old are you this year? Me: I’m 27. Jed: Oh thank goodness. You’ve been 24 for 15 years now. Glad to see you’ve decided to move on. Me: I have not. I’ve been 27 for a while. I embrace my age. Jed: Yes. Yes you do. Especially when your daughter is catching up with you. Me: I could totally... 

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly a year since I started as one of the inaugural founders accepted to the Founder Institute. Since then, lots of debate has happened related to these type of accelerator programs and women. (The irony is that while I publicly recognized it a year ago, the debate today is... 

Mass media (and some mom bloggers) would like to lump all mom bloggers into the same shoebox. As a result, it’s hard for marketers to navigate these waters without recognizing the differences between bloggers in the space. Just as there are different types of magazines and newspapers, so there are different... 

The hot thing at SXSW is location-based anything. (I’m so cool, I don’t even need to be there to know this.) But I’ll bet every single geek pushing a location-based app at SXSW is missing the point. You should sign up for location-based social media. So cool people can avoid you. Here’s the... 

The web is all about transparency (dirty secrets), so here you go. I’m standing up. “My name is Jo.” (Now you say, “Hi Jo.”) “On Sunday I signed up for a subscription to the print version of The Denver Post.” I’ll wait if you need to read that again, because I realise... 

Dear SXSW attendees: I know you’re all excited. You’re going to spend a whole heap of time being all geeky and fun, and drinking and stuff. Talking about startups, design, innovation, music… ooh I’ll bet you’re all tingly. My husband is one of you. He’s kid-at-Christmas excited.... 

It has been my absolute privilege to be on the Executive Committee of the CU New Venture Challenge (CUNVC) for 2010. The CUNVC is focused on providing entrepreneurial support, mentoring and cross-campus collaboration for startups that include students and faculty, across the University of Colorado. The goal is to... 

An American woman named Angie Jackson has decided it was a good idea to share her experience of aborting her pregnancy with the world, via YouTube and Twitter. A mother of a four-year-old who goes to the trouble of outlining the reasons why she decided on an abortion with RU486, Angie says her social media posts are... 

Company A says, “Let’s create an event, sponsor some bloggers, and they’ll create a hashtag around it and we’ll give out some prizes. It will be great, Twitter will be buzzing with our company’s name.” Or a group of bloggers might come up with: “Every week we’ll be ‘meeting’... 

There were so many amazing aspects to the Mom 2.0 Summit in Houston, Texas this last weekend that it’s hard to really pinpoint the essence of just one takeaway. There is a great range of posts coming together about the event and you can sort of lose your entire day surf them all through this great link list... 

When Max leaped across from Sydney to join us for three weeks in January, we took lots of pictures. As mums do. I promised myself I’d get them organised, and create a nice montage. As mums do. Now we’re halfway through February, and the planned montage didn’t happen because other things got in the... 

As part of my series of posts helping mums and families save money this month with ANZ Febusave, today I’m looking at what not to buy when you or someone you know is “up the duff.” I’m a mum of four children, and I thought I’d seen it all. But the stuff some stores will make you think you need as... 

Word of Mouth has always been a double-edged sword for small business. I remember the saying  a local fish and chip shop had on their wall. “If you like our food, tell your friends. If you don’t like it, tell us!” Once upon a time, the worst that could happen would be a letter to the editor of the... 

While many people align technology adoption and use with age, the facts show it’s not all that easy to stereotype the creators of content in the online media. Today’s Pew Report on Teens and Social Media amplifies a very real issue in the US. Our teens and young adults are engaging in “new”... 

Shhh. Don’t talk about it. It’s not polite. But make sure you know what you think about it. And be prepared to fight for it, even if you are really not talking about it because it’s not polite. Try not to judge people for their views (that they’re not talking about because they’re too... 

Are you still reaching for the same goals you were three years ago? Do you feel like a hamster in a wheel? Everything you do needs a strategy – some of these strategies are comparatively easy, like going to work clean, neat and tidy. The key is to have a routine, and introduce the necessary tactics into that...