washwords

Washy makes Washpost Express !  [Edit: I forgot to mention a big washwords shout-out to bloggy pal Liz of What Liz Said. Here I was doing the crossword, reading my horoscope ON THE VERY NEXT PAGE!!!, completely missing that I, Washwords, had achieved interweb and print fame! Above the fold! (and sumo wrestlers or something!), page 28 of the better of the two throw-away morning commuter papers. Right after the classifieds! But before celebrity news and the crossword! Wow. I’ve hit the B I G T I M E.

Liz was kind enough to let me know, messaging “hey, guess who made Express today?”.

Me: You, again? Grumble.

Her: Smile.

Me: clickity click over there… hey, it’s me!!! ME! (then promptly commenced sending e-bulletins to everyone I’ve ever known. I’m shy like that. and modest, too.)

» “I LOVE THAT THEY survived doing what they do — the simplicity of half-smokes and chili — and doing it well for 50 years. “

Washwords.com was moved to tears while attending the 50th anniversary celebration of Ben’s Chili Bowl, adding, “the scene there was just so nice. Really, truly nice.”

Can’t we all just get along?
After spending the morning on blogher, reading about the NYT relegation of the blogher confererence to the style section and whether “mommy-blogging” is a term of empowerment or a mechanism for belittling, I came to Joy Nash’s “A Fat Rant” on Gena’s On the Stoop (and from there to LaurieStar’s response, “A thin rant.”) This fem-centered morning has me thinking a lot about the way we treat each other, the way we think of “women’s issues” and “women’s places,” be it in the media, the blogosphere or the mall.

YouTube – A Fat Rant

YouTube – A Thin Rant

I’m neither Joy’s size nor Laurie’s (though closer to Joy’s by far!) and I admit being one of the eyerollers at the tiny ones. More because “it’s not fair” – a big thing with me, I realize. It’s not fair that skinny girls are (See more after the jump.)

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I had the thrill of guest blogging over at Blogging Basics 101, where I have learned so much . This was my way of beginning to return the favor. I recommend checking out the site if you have ANY interest in blogging, writing, or reading anything on the Interweb. Meanwhile, read some of what I posted there, here (then go there for more links, tips, and to join the conversation.)

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In journalism (and other forms of storytelling), the rule is simple: content is king.

Crazily enough, in this social media Web 2.0 world, what I’m learning is that everything old is new again. Tips and teachings from editors past and a journalistic life past keep coming back around, finding their way into my blog writing, much to my surprise. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed.

Because despite all the widgets, and chicklets, in the blogosphere, content is (still) king.

But there’s content and there’s CONTENT. So how do you make your blog content sing? Consider these five tips on Web 2.0 blog content from a hard-copy world gone by and yet, still very much alive in this blogger’s heart.

1.) Be content-centered. Remember, content is king. Yes getting hits and Google Page Ranks are important. So is making a design that sells and branding yourself. That will come. Focus on producing Read the rest of this entry »