Since we’re talking about getting audio posts up, I thought I’d share some tools and resources on how to get your voices heard online.

Utterz - This is probably one of the easiest ways to get an audio post up. There are 3 ways you can put up audio posts using Utterz: 1) Use their online audio recording service; 2) Upload an existing audio file from your computer; and/or 3) Call a special Utterz number and leave your message there. #3 is especially useful if you don’t have a microphone on your computer or if you’re travelling. And yes, it’s free.

GabCast - This is another option to create audio posts. And, you can use either your phone or VOIP to record your messages. Apparently, there are 1-800 numbers available for those in the U.S. and also some international numbers. This option is definitely handy if you don’t have a mic. I haven’t tested this one out, but it comes recommended by folks from Blogger.com. There are free and paid versions.

Windows Sound Recorder - If you’re using Windows as your operating system, chances are, you have sound recorder installed in your computer. Just bring it up and record. Then, upload it to your server or to an audio service.

Audacity - This is a free audio editor that works with Macs, Windows, etc. There’s a bit of a learning curve when using this application, but it’s definitely a good tool to have, especially if you wish to take audio posts or podcasting more seriously.

Odeo - With Odeo, you can upload audio files or use their web-based recording studio.

VoiceThread - Not only can you create audio posts - but add photos, doodles and more. Definitely a fun way to get going with multimedia stuff.

Hopefully, these resources will help you to create your audio posts. I’m looking forward to hearing your voices!

I’ve been meaning to create a new header for a while now. But, I haven’t had the chance until today - thanks to a really terrible Internet connection. :-p

Unfortunately, for some reason, I can’t get the image to show up. I’ve uploaded it, changed the header background URL, and checked in different browsers. Still, nothing.

So now, I’ve got an invisible new header. Ergh. I’m not sure what to do, so I’m giving up for now. Any advice welcome.

Hello and welcome to another 52 Weeks of Blog Community task. And, since this is going to be another 52WoCer-submitted task, I thought I’d start off by sharing last week’s participants (52WoC#19: Suggest a Theme)

• Toni- who suggested audio posts
• Kari- who suggested holding a blog contest or blog drawing
• Lynn Stevens - who suggested a flickr + words mashup
• Nicola - who suggested the ’suggest a theme’ AND a book club week (or Top 10 books Recommendation)

So, we’ll be working through these suggestions along the way. Thanks again, everyone! And, of course, you’re welcome to keep suggesting new ideas.

Anyway, for this week, we’re taking on Toni’s challenge of sharing an audio post. I’ve done this before, but it’s probably high time for me to do another one. So, I’m definitely planning on doing that this week. And, I hope you will do so too. When you’ve posted your audio posts, do share the link here.

Looking forward to hear your voices!

Something’s always happening over at b5media - new blogs, new hires, new acquisitions… And, every now and then, a new project pops up that excites us in more ways than one.

And, one such recent project is “The Great b5media Blog Off” - a 24-hour charity blogging drive where a few of our bloggers from the Business and Entertainment channels (as well as some folks from our Lifestyles channel) blogged for 24 hours last Friday, 20th of June. And yes, all for a cause!

The chosen charities are Accion International (Business), The Actor’s Fund (Entertainment), and The Children’s Hunger Fund (Lifestyles). You can read more about this through our official press release. Or, you can go directly to Accion to donate and/or The Actor’s Fund to donate. (Yes, there’s still time to donate!)

Anyway, there are a few things that I love about this Blog Off -

1. It was Blogger-Driven. Yes, the whole idea originated from bloggers - not management or staff. Actually, it was Kelly Phillips Erb, the Business Channel Editor who first approached me with the idea a few months ago. Got excited about it from the start. And, we started brainstorming. Of course, I wanted to be more involved. But, when my dad passed away, I had to slow down with a few things. And you see, that’s the best thing about blogger-driven community projects: It goes on without me as Community Strategist (or any other management folks). Even the logo was designed by our very own Entertainment Channel Editor, Arieanna Schweber. And I find that really, really wonderful!

2. It brought the b5 Community Together. People got excited about it. Folks shared ideas and suggestions. Those who were not blogging for 24 hours offered to support other bloggers who were doing it - either by offering guest posts, donating, sharing the news, and/or providing some kind of moral support. It was a fabulous way to work together for a good cause.

3. It extended to a Wider Community. Not only were b5 bloggers involved, but there were also invitations to other (non-b5) people to get involved - either by spreading the word, donating, or by becoming guest bloggers on participating blogs. It allowed folks outside the network to take part in a common goal.

4. It supported relevant, great Charities. Each charity by the respective participating channels were chosen with much thought and care. There are soooo many great causes out there. And, one challenge in doing charity events is how to choose which one to support. Business folks chose Accion because of the nature of its cause - micro lending to help people get businesses going to fight poverty. Same thing with Entertainment and The Actor’s Fund, and Lifestyles with The Children’s Hunger Fund (some of our Lifestyles blogs are about parenting, family, etc).

5. It inspired us to do more. It was a great reminder that we can do more as a network. We can do more as bloggers. We can do more as members of our community, our society. And hopefully, we will keep doing more.

Since this was our first official Blog Off as a network, we have plenty to learn from the event. And, I’m looking forward to take those lessons and apply them accordingly. And, we’re hoping that this is just the first of many blogathons.

Again, a big thanks to everyone who were involved in this event - from our fantastic Channel Editors to our bloggers, as well as our staff, various supporters and readers.

So, sooo glad that I went to Vino’s to meet fellow social web media enthusiasts here in Adelaide last night. I wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t know if I was going to make it or not to our scheduled meet-up. But, I didn’t want to miss it, so off I went - germs and all (sorry guys).

Anyway, there were only 13 of us who made it to the meet-up, but it was definitely no less fun than April’s meet-up. Shows that we do have a great group going here!

Food was great, the venue was lovely. And, topics of conversation flowed from parenting, babies, photography, shoes, food, music, craft, art, and of course, all things web and gadgets - from Facebook apps to Plurk and emails to Last.FM, programming to cameras. Oh, and yes, there was even a brief mention of Barry White. Don’t ask.
It’s also wonderful to know that people are hoping to continue meeting up at least every couple of months or so. Even offshoot mini-meet ups. And yes, there are even talks of having a mini Christmas party.

In any case, here’s just a round-up of those who came to the party -

Present for the second time around were: Janette Toral, Steve Thomas, Kay Walker (who chose and booked the great venue - yay!), brand new dad Steve Davis, Charlie Robinson, Jim Manning, Marcia Burgmann (this is actually our 3rd meet-up!), Melissa Williams, and Bridie Gallagher.

Folks that we met for the first time were: Michael Gallagher, Stephen Mitchell (who wrote an interesting account of the meet-up on his blog), and Richard Pascoe.

So, if anyone wants to join us, we’re considering another meet-up come August. Any suggestions and ideas for future get-togethers are always welcome.

To receive updates and other information about the group, join our Facebook Group and/or Meet-up Group.

It’s time for another meet-up. April’s meet-up turned out really well that we thought we’d do it again.

So, if you’re free this Friday, 20th June 2008, 6:00pm - 9:00pm, please join fellow Adelaide bloggers (Twitter users, Plurkers, Flickr folks, etc) for some food, drinks, talks and laughs -

Location:
Vino Ristorante
46 Unley Rd
Adelaide, Australia
Phone: 0882721277

Oh, and, I just want to say a special thanks to Jim Manning and Kay Walker for helping to organise this meet-up.

Also see the Facebook Event Page for more details and/or to RSVP. You can also RSVP via our Meet-up Page.

For the first time in 52 Weeks of Blog Community history, we’re setting a task that’s suggested by a fellow 52WoCer. Yes, this week’s task was suggested by Nicola when she Tweeted:

I have an idea, how about having ‘guest weeks’ where somebody else sets the task (and u get a break!)?

So, for this week’s task, just suggest future themes/topics for 52WoC and you’ll be in. So, any ideas? Yes, you’re welcome to share more than one idea!

Anyway, for last week’s task, 52WoC#18: Start or Join a Fan Club, our participants are:

• Kari - who started off a “place fan club” with this challenge. Take part in it and show your love for your city!
• Toni - who suggested these Facebook clubs - this and this.
• Denise - who’s a card carrying member of this fan club.
• Nenette - who promoted the Futuruma fan club.

Thanks again, everyone! Hopefully, this isn’t the last I’d hear of you and your fan clubs. I’m especially looking forward to seeing your very own fan clubs for yourself and/or your blogs.

P.S. - Yes, 52WoC Virtual Party #4 is a bit delayed still. Getting stuck with the print prize! Will get to it asap. Thanks for your patience.

Things had been heavy around here for a while, so I thought I’d try a little bit of light blogging today. And, since we’re on the subject of fan clubs, I thought I’d officially declare that I am a member of the Wittner shoes fan club.

Especially the Zoe Wittner design line. Well, actually, I’m not sure how many lines are around. All I’ve ever seen are Zoe Wittners. And, yes, I have never - in all my shoe-loving years - ever declared a pure and utter love for any particular kind of shoes. Seriously.

I mean, sure, I’ve never owned Anna Sui boots or Jimmy Choo shoes. So, who knows?

But, for now, the Australian shoe line Zoe Wittner has captured my heart (and more dangerously, my wallet!).

It started a couple of months ago, when I was doing my birthday shopping at Harbourtown. I wandered in to the Wittner shop and got sucked in to the world of gorgeous shoes.

I know I’ve always loved shoes (must be the Imeldific gene there somewhere?). With a particular interest in boots. I don’t have an unreasonably massive collection. But, I do take a fancy to a pair or two every few months.

Anyway, my first pair of Zoe Wittner shoes are the Jogger (Navy). They cost AUえーゆー$130 - but managed to snag ‘em for $80. I walked over 3 blocks to break them in and my feet complained for a few days. But, now that they’re all broken in, they’ve become nice and comfy. Love, love, love ‘em. They’re currently one of my default shoes.

Then, a few days ago, my family and I decided to visit Harbortown once more for a weekend lunch and a mini shopping trip. Oh dear. The Winter Sales were on. And, I saw these bronze beauties - KAT, they’re called. Originally priced at $140, I ended up paying $70 for ‘em.

The lady at the shop must’ve noticed that I was a good target, as she immediately showed the matching bronze clutch bag. Originally priced $60 - got ‘em for $30. She caught me at a very weak moment.

But, I happily wore the KAT combo that very evening, when I went out with my husband for our second date of the year. This time, we went to a wonderful Indian restaurant called Jasmin. Will have to write a separate review on that place. It doesn’t need it, but it deserves it.

Anyway, yeah - it was a gorgeous long weekend filled with a few lovely moments. And new shoes and bag!

I definitely needed the break from all the heavy stuff.

What about you? Are you a shoe lover too? What type of shoes do you like best? Any favourite designer/brand name? Any crazy shoes stories you’d like to share?

Hello and welcome to another 52 Weeks of Blog Community Project. Before I get in to last week’s challenge round-up, let’s get in to gear with this week’s task. And, it’s all about fan clubs.

Here are some ideas that you might like to work with:

1) Start a fan club for yourself or for your blog. Okay - I know it may seem strange to start your very own fan club. But, I’m pretty sure that someone somewhere would like to show their support to you and your endeavours. It doesn’t matter if your fan club ends up with one or one million members. It’s just fun to see what can happen if you give yourself enough space to shine.

2) Start a fan club for someone - or something - you really admire. Show your support to something that makes you happy. Or someone who inspires you. Even a place that excites you. Or maybe a team that you really like?

3) If you’re not keen on starting a fan club, why not just join one? Or take part in one? There are many clubs out there that you can check out - be it via Meetup.com, Facebook, or MySpace. If you have other places that you’d like to suggest, let us know.

If you already have your own fan club - or you’re already a member of one, share with us a link and you’ll be considered as “joined” for this week’s task. And, who knows? Other folks might even join your club.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy thinking of ways to enrich this idea of “fan clubs” - as a way to promote and/or to support. Let me know how you go!

Also, if you’re curious to know, 52WoC#18 is the first task included for our Virtual Party #5. Yep - a new round. This will include Weeks #18 to 22. I’ve yet to put together our prize package for this one. But, I’ll keep you posted!

Now, what about Virtual Party #4? It’s definitely on the way this week! Read on for a list of participants from last week’s International “Thank You” Week (52WoC#17) , which turned out really well. A great reminder that gratitude is something worth keeping in our lives.

So, here’s our “Thank You” Brigade -

Created in honour of International “Thank You” Week, here’s a free ecard that you can use to send to someone who you might want to thank. It’s my “Thank You Bird”.

How To Send This Image as a Free eCard:

1) Click on the image. It will take you to the Flickr page of this “Thank You Bird”.
2) On that page, you’ll find the link “create free ecard”. Click on it. It will then send you to a page where you can personalise your message. Even change fonts of your text.
3) Write your message, indicate your email and the recipient’s email.
4) Preview your eCard.
5) When you’re happy with the look of your eCard, click on ‘Send’.

If you use it, please let me know. I’m curious to know what you think of the service, especially since this is the first time I’ve used delivr.

Oh, and if you haven’t joined this week’s ‘thank you’ task, please do. You still have a day to join the fun. Looking forward to your participation!

Materials used for original artwork: Markers, pastel paper, transparency, patterned paper, cardboard.