Tech roundup for mediation road warriors
May 16, 2008
This month’s resource roundup gathers together tech tips and resources for mediation road warriors:
- Evolution of Security – The TSA blogs. Who knew? I’ve come to like Bob the blogger quite a bit. He’s earnest and direct and helpful. And there are surprisingly good little tips interspersed throughout, even some entertainment value. If you want to see what screeners can see of you beneath your clothes, check out Bob’s post on fully body image scans.
- KeepYouSafe.com – A free “online safe deposit box” for keeping private copies of important information, such as travel documents.
- Oh, Don’t Forget – This site does jut one thing: Sends text messages you request, where you request, when you want them to be sent. Time Magazine named it one of the 50 Best Websites of 2007. I can see its use on and off the road.
- Airport security tips for traveling with a laptop – I’ve kept my business card taped to the bottom of my laptop for ages, and here are a few other tips. Did you know you should make sure your laptop is fully charged?
Odds and Ends
I’ll be giving a speech on Making Mediation Your Day Job and doing a book signing at the annual meeting of the NH Conflict Resolution Association on the evening of June 4. If you’re an NHCRA member, you’ll get a mailing with the details. And if you already have the book, bring your copy and I’ll inscribe it. Hope to see you there!
Recover your lost cell phone with YouGetItBack.com
May 13, 2008
So many gadgets, so many opportunities to lose them.
Now enterprising YouGetItBack.com, a company based out of Ireland, is offering services to “mediate” the return of your wayward CrackBerry and many other phones, MP3 players and mobile gadgets. Even laptops.
They offer two services you may find helpful, one free and one requiring a single low-cost investment up front:
- Lost and Found Service: You purchase a security tag that’s placed on the back of your gadget. If an honest person finds it, they go to the designated website and use the security tag to notify YouGetItBack of their find. The company then notifies you. Tags run $9.99 US.
- Cellphone Superhero: A “clever piece of software that allows you to lock your phone remotely” if you lose it. It’s free and in beta.
They also offer to let you back up your cellphone data [Read more]
The ABCs of conflict resolution
May 8, 2008
Some time ago, I interviewed Settle It Now’s Vickie Pynchon as part of my Success Leaves Clues series. I’m a regular reader of Vickie’s blog because I love her smarts and edgy humor.
The blogosphere first connected me with Vickie and she’s now part of what Diane Levin aptly named the ADR Blog Posse…the people I turn to when I could use a little reasoned reaction from fellow bloggers. They include Vickie, Diane, Geoff Sharp, Gini Nelson and Stephanie West Allen.
When Vickie told me about the book she’s working on a while back, I was instantly in love with her idea. I love it because it’s so, well, Vickie. Smart, snarky in a good way, and just waiting to be done. Vickie is the perfect person to write this book and the world’s going to love it. [Read more]
Effectively brand your blog comments with an avatar
May 6, 2008
In yesterday’s post on blog commenting, I referenced an article by web designer Dawud Miracle. In Do You Brand Yourself in Your Blog Comments? Dawud said,
“I wanted to ‘brand myself’ as Dawud Miracle so that as I was more visible around the blogosphere, the recognition of my name would carry more and more weight…I wanted to be known for who I am and who I am is Dawud Miracle.”
In addition to using your full name in the same form consistently, another way to send a consistent brand message is to have an avatar. An avatar is a representation of yourself in image form. It may be a photo, an icon, your logo or any kind of visual object that stands in for you. I use a cropped version of my professional headshot as my avatar. [Read more]
How and why to comment on a blog
May 5, 2008
I’m always grateful when a reader contacts me with their thoughts and ideas in response to one of my posts here at Mediator Tech. Not only does it help me get a sense of how well my content is meeting your needs, but it also gives me the interaction with fellow ADR folks that’s a good chunk of the fun of blogging.
Thank you to each and every one of you who has ever contacted me with a comment.
I’ve come to understand lately that some of you are emailing me to comment because you’re not aware that there’s a comment box on the article’s web page (if you get the article by email or RSS feed, you don’t see the comment box) or are uncomfortable leaving a public comment. So I’m writing this post to encourage you to comment on blogs and to offer up some tips if you’re new to it.
