Yesterday this blog was menioned in the Palo Alto Weekly newspaper in an article entitled Living in a bloggers' world -
Proliferation of blogs creates new communities within Silicon Valley .

It's about how different Palo Alto residents use blogs, and includes Jeff Clavier's Software Only, David Hornik's VentureBlog,
Pamela Hornik’s Silicon Valley Moms Blog and Enoch Choi’s MedMusings. Enoch has been a friend for many years and he is a prolific Palo Alto dad blogger. He also pointed the author of the article, Cyrus Hedayati, to my blog - thank you Enoch, and thank you Cyrus!

Here are the couple of mentions of Hidden Gems:

Philippe Alexis, an online marketing specialist, writes a blog called “Hidden Gems,” in which he gives advice on topics such as bringing more traffic to your Web site.

“That post is basically a way for me to say to them (clients), 'There it is. Go read it and then you know how to do it,'” he said. “Plus, it gets a lot of publicity for me, so it kills two birds with one stone.”

Also at the end of the article:

Another important ethic of blogging, Choi said, is the encouragement of open debate on issues.

Part of being a blogger, he said, is “making yourself open to letting people comment on your blog, and you don't delete opposing comments.”

Alexis echoes the sentiment, saying the most addictive part of blogs is the often-heated discussions on controversial topics.

Alexis remembers “not just reading a blog, but being involved in an online discussion of global warming. … It forced me to check the facts, because I didn't want to say something that wasn't true. So I think the most rewarding part of blogs is that they challenge you to learn.”

A few months ago I posted on the 3 fundamental skills of web writing. I re-read that post and realized it needed a real life example to truly be useful. So let's recap.

Writing for the web is different because people read differently on the web. In fact, they don't read but they scan, so everything you write needs to be scannable. These are the web writing guidelines:

- bolded, italicized and hyperlinked keywords
- lots of lists
- meaningful sub-headings (not “clever” ones)
- short paragraphs with one idea
- always start with the conclusion, giving readers what they are seeking upfront
- use lots of captioned photos, diagrams and graphics to illustrate your points
- make it less formal and more personalized

The following is a paragraph that appears on one of my clients' homepage:

At the Mind Wave Institute we use a unique and effective combination of Medical Hypnotherapy, Guided Imagery, Mindfulness Meditation and Life Style Coaching, to help you achieve optimal health and vitality using the natural healing power of your mind. Your mind has a powerful healing influence on your body, however most of us are not trained to access it. The mind body techniques taught at Mind Wave Institute allow you to access the full potential of your mind. Giving you the tools you need to create a life you love, free of pain and anxiety. Specialties include weight loss, pain management, anxieties, phobias, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, stress related medical issues and hypnosis for childbirth preparation - HypnoBirthing.

And here is (almost) the same content, but modified according to the web writing guidelines:

Are you suffering from:

• Being Overweight
• Smoking
• Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)
• Stress
• Anxieties and Phobias
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

At the Mind Wave Institute we use the proven techniques of Medical Hypnotherapy, Self Hypnosis Training, Guided Imagery, Mindfulness and Guided Meditation and Life Style Coaching to help you achieve optimal health and vitality.

These techniques tap into the usually unaccessible subconscious and allow you to use the natural healing power of your mind to its fullest potential.

Which one would you rather read?

I went to a talk at the Silicon Valley Common Wealth Club last night which posed the questions: “Are blogs a valid grassroots form of journalism? Or is there too much chance for inaccuracy and not enough fact-checking?” with a panel of uberbloggers:

DAN GILLMOR, Grassroots Media
DAVID PESCOVITZ, co-editor, BoingBoing.net
JUDE BARRY, Catapult Strategies, www.sanjoseinside.com
DAVID SATTERFIELD, Managing Editor, San Jose Mercury News – Moderator
CHUCK OLSEN, Producer, Blogumentary (special guest)

Dan Gillmor

David Pescovitz

Jude Barry

Chuck Olsen