Entries Tagged 'Blogging' ↓

Do you like free flickr’s images under CC license? Do you use it for making your blog or any other online content richer? Do you want to go even further, like adding music to your content? How about doing it for FREE?

If you do want to enrich your content with music Jamendo is for you.

What’s Jamendo?

When you sign up go directly to Frequently Asked Questions where the first thing you will notice is this:

Jamendo offers free access and free download of music tracks, published with Creative Commons licences. On Jamendo, the Artists choose to give access to their music for free to the users.

Does It Work - Blogging?

I was doing a screencast for my Blog Post Template Plugin For Windows Live Writer that helps Boosting Your Blogging Productivity With Post Templates. I like music on one hand but I try to be a good online citizen and not using content – including music – without permission. I needed Music under CC license. After few searches I stumbled on Jamendo. This is the screencast I produced in the end using the music from Jamendo – tell me, does the music add to the experience or better off prefer to hear my broken English?

Video: Blog Post Template Plugin for Windows Live Writer

music by Zeropage - Ambient Pills — Jamendo - MP3 VBR 192k - 2006.09.19 [www.jamendo.com]

Does It Work – Personal Use?

Let me tell you upfront – IT DOES. I downloaded few albums and I listen to it regularly with great pleasure. Go ahead and sign up – the offer is really good, it is FREE. Free to listen, free to use.

Self Test

• Do you like free stuff?
• Do you like music?
• Do you like free music?
• Do you blog?
• Do you want to get ahead of the crowd with better reader’s experience?
• Do you want me to show you how I create screencasts like the one above with free tools?

Interested in long term improvement? Want to know sure fire way to improve over time? Sceptic? Want some evidence?

Kaizen is what Japanese apply when they want to improve and become more productive.

by lenaibojcdruz

Kaizen (??, Japanese for "improvement") is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life.

5 strategies

There are only few simple principles for Kaizen implementation. They are referred as 5S’s. This is how Masaaki Imai outlines it in his book Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management:

1. Sort – Separate everything unnecessary and get rid of it. Put a red tag on unnecessary items (for example, unused machines), then remove them.
2. Straighten – Put key items in order so they can be found readily. Straighten logically, so items can be located with a minimum of wasted effort.
3. Scrub – Tools and workplaces should be clean. Dirt and foreign particles can cause machinery to malfunction.
4. Systematize – Make a schedule for cleaning and for checking that all is in order. This ensures that housekeeping is maintained constantly.
5. Standardize – Make the preceding steps part of a regular process.

Does it work?

Yeah! Does it really work? Let’s see.

• Toyota. This company is kind of success, right? Here is what they do:

The Toyota Production System is known for kaizen, where all line personnel are expected to stop their moving production line in case of any abnormality and, along with their supervisor, suggest an improvement to resolve the abnormality which may initiate a kaizen.

• Myself. I think I am success. I am no millionaire. I am regular corporate worker. Then why I count myself for successful one? I like John Wooden’s definition for success and that is why I feel I am successful:

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable"  - John Wooden.

What Kaizen does have to do with me and my success? Let’s see:

1. Sort – Separate everything unnecessary and get rid of it. I practice Covey’s Important/Urgent quadrant to get rid of noise.
2. Straighten – Put key items in order so they can be found readily. I am a big fan of pipeline processing.
3. Scrub – Tools and workplaces should be clean. I am on tools diet. I just love utilizing familiar tools for different tasks, here are few examples:
   1. Effective Time Management With Vista Sidebar
   2. On Writing - John Lennon, Gerald M. Weinberg, Me, You, And Outlook 2007
   3. Security .Net Code Inspection Using Outlook 2007
4. Systematize – Make a schedule for cleaning and for checking that all is in order. I am a big fan of checklists. Here is the whole blueprint.
5. Standardize – Make the preceding steps part of a regular process. How about the whole lifecycle?

It seems I’ve been doing Kaizen all that time unconsciously. That is fine. I am only happy it worked great for me, only now I am even more confident in continuing doing it – continuous improvement, Kaizen.

Self Test

1. Do you separate important from noise? What’s your technique?
2. Are you processing your work in ordered manner? How do you order your work items?
3. Are you over-tooled, over-engineered? Do you have the tools to make your job done? Do you have more tools? Do you really need them?
4. Do you check yourself periodically? Daily, weekly, monthly, annually?
5. Do you have lifecycle plan of your work? Do you have lifecycle plan of your life? No? Then how do you know you are on track?

Guest posted on Daily Blog Tips blog - Boost Your Blogging Productivity With Post Templates.

Thanks go to Daniel Scocco, the owner of the blog, for giving me the opportunity – Daniel, THANK YOU!

Enjoy.

Boost your blogging productivity with this free Plugin for Windows Live Writer (WLW) – Blog Post Templates Plugin.

Video: Blog Post Template Plugin for Windows Live Writer

What’s Blog Post Templates Plugin for WLW?

Blog Post Template Plugin For Windows Live Writer is a productivity tool to boost every blogger efficiency.

The plugin helps better style the blog posts and it saves time when creating and editing the blog posts.

See more info here - Blog Post Template Plugin For Windows Live Writer

Get the Plugin - FREE

Like it? Interested? Get it absolutely free here - Blog Post Template Plugin For Windows Live Writer

Get Source Code - FREE

Are you .Net developer? Interested in the source code? The full source code can be found here - WLW Plugin For Blog Post Templates – New Version (Including Full Source Code)

Enjoy!

The new Leadership Development Carnival #1 is up and running at Great Leadership, hosted by Dan McCarthy. This month’s Carnival is presenting a leadership development advice and commentary from over 30 leadership blogs, including my own article, Is Becoming A Leader Actionable And Attainable For All?.

There will be a brand new Leadership Development Carnival every month. If you’d like to submit an article, use the carnival submission form.

Enjoy the festivities!