I’ve posted a new video in the sample video segments.

Several years ago my son, Christopher, woke me up very early.  He was frantically tugging my arm, pulling me out of bed, saying… "It’s On!!! It’s On!!!"

I had no idea what he was talking about.  Concerned and half-awake, I let him lead me to the back sliding glass door.  His observation is something we could all learn from…

IT’S On!!!

It’s On!!!  A simple story about passion taught by my Hyperactive Child
 
Windows Media (8.1mb)

I sometimes finish presentations with this poem, The Pen, written while driving into a client one day.  That, by the way, is not recommended.  I now own two digital recorders - and keep one in my car at all times.

THE PEN
by Matthew Moran - May 9, 2003

I sit with pen, a poem to write
Ink flowing darkly across the page
And I realize, its link to life
Each line and letter a metered day

At this sad thought I halt my pen
A vain attempt to stem its flow
But I know that ink unused runs dry
Its purpose spent with naught to show

For I am the soul to the pen I hold
And the pen must follow where I lead
As my soul in life must show the way
My life, the pen, the ink my deeds

So scribble deep and doodle large
Color outside lines, draw off the page
Ere ink runs dry and your life unlived
Your pages blank and death the wage

I will be presenting at the Arizona Small Business Association on Janauary 9th.  My topic was initially "Social Media" (blank) but that topic is too vast and intangible.  Instead, we will more specifically cover strategies and tools for creating engaging content.

Considerable time will be spent covering Wordpress, its ease of use, and some examples of how a business might begin incorporating it into their marketing strategy.

Get information on the ASBA site:
http://www.asba.com/events/details.aspx?EventID=3708

Title: The Professional’s (non-technical) Step-by-Step Guide To Blogging & Podcasting for Free Using Wordpress
Date: Tuesday, October 30th (10/30/2007)
Time: 12:00pm - 1:15pm Eastern Standard time
Price: $149.00 - regular price ($50 discount for early registration)
- additional discounts available for 5 or more tickets.

If you are a business professional, marketing professional, or small business owner, and have wanted to know the how and why of blogging - from a business value (non-technical) perspective, this webinar is for you.

75 minutes to proficiency – a de-jargonized, business-focused workshop to get you started RIGHT AWAY – without any programming!

At the completion of this workshop, you will:

• Understand RSS (subscription & syndication);
• Setting up your Wordpress blog;
• Hosting your Wordpress blog;
• Customizing your look with free themes;
• How to use customizable widgets – for added functionality
• Publishing audio & video content and making it available for iPod/device download
• Includes the following downloadable documents:
  (emailed to you after the webinar)
  • Step-by-Step Guide To Wordpress (20 pages);
  • An Audio & Video Publishing Primer (10 pages) – 10 important questions answered before you ask them.
  • A text file with HTML customizations you can modify and use – and an explanation of where to use them & what they do.

ABOUT WORDPRESS:
Wordpress is a free blogging software with powerful capabilities.  While this workshop uses Wordpress, the features covered are largely the same for all blogging platforms.

This workshop is for the business professional.  You do not have to be a web professional or techno-genius to get started with professional content today.  This webinar answers the real questions about how to get your blog going – without any programming.

About your instructor:
Matthew Moran is the founder of Kreative Knowledge, an office automation and productivity consultancy.  Kreative Knowledge focuses on helping organizations use Microsoft Office and other applications to generate 100%, 500%, 1,000% and greater productivity gains through more effective training and through built-in automation features.

He is also the author of The IT Career Builder’s Toolkit and numerous articles on business, technology, and professional development.  He is the co-founder of The Technology Pro – a business and technology training & education company.

I wrote about this experience at IT Toolbox in this post.

The basic message… do we, in IT, turn design issues into user errors?  Something to consider.

Camtasia Screencast | Windows Media (10.3mb) | iPod (.m4v)

Windows Media (high quality) | Flash (not embedded) | YouTube