Blog Relations

I finally got round to upgrading to the WordPress 2.1 series. In the past I’ve found it a bit of a hassle to upgrade, particularly as I’m responsible for a few blogs. But this neat little instant upgrade plug in did the work for me, in one click. I really recommend it. And there was no need to change permissions on my files, which made it even easier.

I think what I like most about this version of WordPress is that you can easily switch between the visual editor and the code editor, by clicking a tab. Visual is nice for most things, but code is good for sorting out a tangle when it arises.

I’m really pleased to see that Exbiblio are restarting the blog which I worked on for a good chunk of last year. I’m sure that Exbiblio’s Claes-Fredrik is the right person to blog for them, as he’s really on top of the technology, and writes his own blog. I’ll be very interested to read how they are progressing in Seattle.

In the meantime Blog Relations is probably as busy as we’ve ever been. Having recovered from my stomach upset, I’m continuing to record a novel that my business partner, Matthew, had quite a bit to do with. Rob the actor is coming back to read on tomorrow. More on that as it unfolds.

And next week I’m starting what is, for us, a major project – though it’s I suppose it’s quite small beer for our client, which is the BBC’s Russian service. This assignment should keep me going for the next 4 to 6 weeks, and will take me to Moscow for a few days. I hope to be able to tell you more about it later – all I can say now is that I’m starting to try and decipher the writings of a few of Russia’s 1.5 million bloggers.

This is very much our way of thinking: podcasts are a great way for authors to reach an audience independently of publishers. The New York Times photographs Scott Sigler podcasting from his cupboard. (The cupboard has good acoustics, but I don’t know how the photographer squeezed in their too). Scott is the author of Earth Core and other science fiction horror stories. Since he started podcasting, he’s been signed up by a small Canadian Publisher and now has a New York literary agent.

Books and stories are great territory for podcasting.

Here’s another case of America’s ridiculously harsh legal system. A teacher found her computer flooded with pornographic pop-ups in class. She was frantically trying to click them away, but they kept on popping up. In a ridiculous twist, the police were called and she was charged with harming a minor. She refused to plea-bargain and now faces up to 40 years in jail! For a pop-up!

It’s an internet nightmare, but it has an internet solution. Naturally Julie Amero has a blog to help her raise funds to fight her case.