Blogging and Social Media

My good friend and part-time roommate Rifka recently linked me to this job description, which seems like an absolute perfect job when you look at it from a purely professional standpoint. Imagine - being able to turn your silly blogging habit into a five-figure salary, where you can work from anywhere, get a free Macbook Air, read as many Kindle books as you want, and have a very loose vacation policy.

It's totally the kind of white collar job we all dream about, and when I see a five-figure salary like that these days, after living two years without one, I can't help but goggle.

More importantly, though, it got me thinking about the power of social media in SE Asia, and how blogs, twitter, and fb groups are actually REALLY critical tools, especially for development organizations. It's a great way to keep the rest of the world knowledgeable about current projects, while adding some visual legitimacy and documentation that's there for the world to see. My contribution's to YDD's social media has mostly been through photography. A couple photos I've taken in the field (that I'm actually quite proud of) have even made it to our Alliance website. Here's one.

Two YDD employees meet with a Bapak from Kulon Progo to demonstrate how lighting cones work to increase ignition time while reducing start-up emissions.

It also got me thinking that while I'm here, I really want to find ways to improve my blogging habits. So I did some quick googling to find out how, exactly, I might go about that. Some typical pieces of advice boil down to the following: write shorter entries, write often, and establish a voice. Maybe I ought to practice these things, if not for readers, then at least for the sake of developing my social media skills, which I can hopefully put into positive practice as I continue on in my career.