Starting to Get Noticed!

The internet is amazing. Little ol' me sets up this here blog and starts using Twitter, and the next thing I know, a web start-up and presidential candidate (okay his campaign staff) discover me! How cool is that?

Earlier today, Debi from Gliffy.com added a comment to one of my blog postings thanking me for my review of their product. Review? I don't work for a magazine or major media outlet--not even a major web site! But, ya, I guess it was a review, and today's web (the one that encourages more people than ever to publish their thoughts online) can be very influential. I know I don't buy things on Amazon without first reading user reviews to learn what everyday people think of a it. Many, many people value such real-world accounts of how well a product works. So, you're welcome, Debi. Glad I could review Gliffy and publish my opinions about your product for the world to see. Do you think Audi or Mercedes might send me a sample of their product to review for my next posting?

This afternoon, I watched presidential candidate Joe Biden speak as part of the UNI Presidential Candidate Forum on education policy (hosted by Ed in '08, BTW). Just after the event, I sent an update to Twitter describing how much I'd liked what I heard. An hour later, I get an email telling me that Joe Biden is now following me on Twitter! Wow, that's two presidential candidates now following me on Twitter!

I'd like to think that all of this is about me. My heart tells me that's so, but my mind says it's probably more likely the result of things such as Twitter Tracking and link checking. However it happens, the point is that it happens. The internet and Web 2.0 are creating amazing opportunities to find each other, communicate and collaborate with one another and discover infinite amounts of information. Amazing, huh?