Mathemagenic

One more funny test -  What kind of social software are you? [via Dale Pike]

I'm a wiki and I've "just deleted everything" :)

I should be shopping and not reading weblogs :)))

Dina on blogging

When i think of what i've gained from blogging, i've made some great friends with whom i can share many parts of my life with.  I've also been stunned sometimes at the personal discoveries i've made through the act of blogging - about my own dreams, persuasions and passions, some of which i talk about more openly, others that make me see with new eyes, still others that i maynot be able to consciously pinpoint but that have allowed me to grow as a person.   And on the work-front, or professional front - today i have so many options that i could never have dreamt possible before i started blogging and interacting with this community - there's many loose-ends still, yet some clear directions too.

One more in Blogger Creative tutorials - How To Get A Book Deal With Your Blog [via Ronald Tanglao]. It's simple: become obsessed, write as you are, be part of a great team or start from self-publishing :)

That's how I got my first deal. I became obsessed with blogging over four years ago when I discovered how easy it was and realized that a revolution was at hand. I talked about blogging so much that my friends thought I was a freak, and people mostly rolled their eyes whenever I opened my mouth. But hey, I'm an author now. This obsessive fixation can work for you too. Obsessive behavior is treatable, but if left unchecked, it can land you some sweet gigs.

This rings a bell :)

I had a discussion about writing books with a friend last week. To be fair I don't get this excitement about publishing a book. It's perfectly clear how being a book author helps in your professional life or how good it for self-esteem. What I don't get and I guess I don't have myself (yet? ;) is an intrinsic motivation to put together many ideas (or one idea in many words) and to get it published.

I wonder how does it feel - you "baby" is out there and you don't have trackbacks and Technorati to see what impact it makes. Of course, you have sales numbers and people do write reviews, but still it's more about "broadcasting" then about conversations...

It comes back to my thinking about PhD research. When I started I decided to do my best to make sure that my dissertation is not a nice reminder on my bookshelf, but a book that people read. I guess it's a bit ambitious: for a scientific work you need some boring details that would make it not so easy to read. The funny thing is that I don't feel like putting a lot of energy into something that may be just a dozen of people will read... I guess I'll find a solution. Anyway, I have to do the study first :)