It's the little things

Living in the USA is really similar to living in Australia. You know, there are schools, public transport, etc. But some things, little things, can make it seem really freaky. And that's really fun.

For example, the mail. In Australia you have a home letterbox where mail is delivered to monday to friday. If you want to send snail mail, you go to the post office. Rarely do you get stamps anywhere else. There are postboxes in the streets, etc, and when you've stamped your letter (it's 50 cents to anywhere in Australia for standard mail) then it's good to go. It takes about a day or two to get wherever you send it to. Unless you've put money in it, then it might never arrive.

In Boulder you can buy stamps at the supermarket, and heaps of other places. There are nowhere near the plethora of post offices, but there are quite a number of shipping places that specialise in packages.



The really great part is that when you have a standard letter to post, you simply put it in your own letterbox and the mail carrier (the US version of the mail man) picks it up when they drop off your mail. All you need to do is raise the little red flag next to your letterbox.

Super cool. I'm pretty convinced this is why NetFlix, the movie rental service that works by sending the movies out to you via mail, has taken off in a big way here. It's all so simple.

MSM journalism and Twitter

Moving online has caused Mainstream Media (MSM) quite a few headaches. I explored this a little during my Pubcamp presentation earlier this year.

Unlike many, I believe there is still life in MSM yet - they just have to learn to adapt to the new environment and, staying true to their code of ethics, make the most of new media in a way which better serves the audience.

Too many MSM consider they are making use of new media by simply having an online space. Quality of MSM journalism has taken a nose-dive as the stress of creating content (repurposed or not) on a continuing cycle for the online entities has reduced the time available for researching and fact checking. The seemingly limitless amounts of space online, and the audience demand for updated news combines with the advertisers' demand for minute-by-minute hit ratios.

Any ethical news organisation would reasonably buckle under that pressure. And many have.

It's time for MSM to look beyond coming up with new 'stories that aren't' and flimsy angles on old agendas in order to maintain their readership. It's time to revisit your mission, reconsider who you serve, and then integrate new media to that end.

The whole reader comment thing is really iffy for MSM. I believe in brands. Whether online or in print, MSM is professional and has a branding that reflects their years of commitment. A stamp of professionalism if you like. When you run a slurry of reader comments online under news stories you invite commentary that is neither professional nor reflects your branding. We are seeing stories that are 300 words long but which have 2000 words of reader comments, most of which is simply diatribe - or worse, just plain offensive bigotry.

Who does that serve?

Additionally, you have your reporters running their own blogs which are nothing more than a bit of fluff that nobody, not even your MSM journo's themselves, take seriously. Honestly, you're getting it wrong. If it's not fit to print then why do you believe it's fit for the web?

No wonder your sales continue to slide.

The Rocky Mountain News (RMN) and a few other organisations are to be congratulated for looking further into new media. The RMN is trying to use Twitter. But so far MSM hasn't got its head around the possibilities of social networking tools, and it's falling a bit short.

So if you're listening, here's what you need to do.

Train your journalists in social media and focus on the social aspect. Twitter can be used as a broadcast tool, sure, but that's not its limitation. In fact, why not tell your audience that you'll be at a certain event, and ask them to get online and use the journalist as their eyes and ears at that event? Yes, Twitter goes two ways!

I can see a really great potential here for MSM to make a mark using social media, and for the professionalism and integrity of journalism to get a real kick back on track. MSM can offer its very wide audience the opportunity to be part of the democratic, authentic, balanced journalism the public seeks. Sure you can use Twitter as an advertisement link to other news stories, but that's simply advertising. Why not integrate the tool in your reporting and at the same time bond with your audience?

Now that's something I'd love to see. That's something that will get people believing in you again.

Breastfed is best fed. The End.

Yes, I breastfed all four of my children.

Yes, I did for at least three years for every one of them.

And no, I make no apologies for it.

If you're uncomfortable with my headline, then as the Queen of Spain says, #suckit. (Yes, I do finally get that.)

I've spouted for a long time that breast fed is best fed. I think it's a great line and it describes my feelings well. All four of my kids deserved the best, and still do. I have sacrificed a lot for my kids.

After walking the talk for 18 years on natural birthing and breastfeeding, I am very familiar with the reasons why people don't do one or both of the above.

Some are valid reasons - and I recognise that. But the World Health Organisation's statistics are not possibly wrong. How can Western Nations suddenly need vast numbers of c-sections and women worldwide continue to *choose* to formula feed over breastfeeding for reasons that are non-medical?

Doesn't your child deserve the best?

Learning how citizen journalism works

What is the difference between citizen journalism and traditional media?

That’s the question BlogWorld & New Media Expo, being held in Las Vegas from Sept 19 to 21, 2008, seems to not know the answer to.

Billed as the world’s largest blogging and new media conference, BlogWorld is holding a one-day workshop for citizen journalists.

Great!

While I don’t want to offend anyone with my own opinions on this, I felt pretty offended by what followed. Looking through the program overview, it appears that to be taken seriously as a citizen journalist, you need to be trained by traditional journalists. After all, as the site says, “Traditional media has tried to learn from the blogs... Now it’s time for the bloggers and other new media journalists to mine the history, tradition and most importantly, the knowledge base of traditional journalists.”

Simply part with $350 and you too will be able to be trained by four out of five people who don’t actually practice citizen journalism... or that even have blogs. In fact, upon looking through their bio’s which are linked in the speaker profiles, only one of them (the same one) actually has any relationship with Web 2.0 at all.

And at the end, you’ll get a certificate which you can have on paper, or for those ‘new media’ types, in a web badge format! What a bargain!

I’m sure that Norg and allvoices will be searching out for cit j’s with accreditation offered by BlogWorld. Nope. Maybe it will make me feel more ‘professional’ or make me more ‘influential’ or add to my branding?

I really don’t think so.

Getting trained by old media journalists and academics who work in a model which is failing to profit doesn’t reflect the demands of journalism of the 21^st century. If I had $350 to spend, it wouldn’t be here. But I’m sure many will.

Monetizing citizen journalism... at last someone’s worked out how to do it. Thanks BlogWorld!

MSM forgets what sets it apart

The Rocky Mountain News has taken a lot of my attention this week. Primarily because it is one of the first MSM outlets which I've come across attempting to incorporate a greater range of Web 2.0 usage as part of its general reporting effort.

Virtually all MSM now features online sites with reader polls and reader comments. Those have their own incredible issues which are related, but I won't delve into here.

However, the RMN decided to incorporate a Twitter-feed as part of its news service, on the front page of its online issue wednesday this week. And the story they covered? The funeral of a 3-year old boy who was killed by accident while at an ice-cream store.

The result of running this piece was that the RMN was brought to task by The Poynter Institute, its own readers and other media over two things.

Firstly, the appropriateness of using the 'tool' of Twitter at a funeral. A child's funeral. Well, you know what? They didn't really use Twitter. They might as well have video taped it (oh, actually they did that too) because while Twitter is a social networking tool, the RMN (like all other MSM) only use it for broadcast purposes - there was no conversation going on. The RMN, like all other MSM, simply doesn't 'get' Twitter. If you'd like a metaphor, it's the same as if the telephone was invented and the RMN called you and said stuff, then hung up. No interaction. The RMN still sees the potential of Web 2.0 as tired old Web 1.0. MSM uses Web 2.0 with an 'it doesn't really count, it's just a bit of fluff' attitude. And that's why the brains of MSM, with all its years of journalistic experience, is failing in the 21st century.

But the more important issue is the content.

The editor of the RMN responded to the outrage caused by his decision to run the Twitter feed. His excuse was basically "Well, we're struggling with this new technology stuff, and we had permission."

FAIL

'Struggle' away. However, I have listened to many MSM journalists describe the difference between them and bloggers. This usually comes down to 'We are professionals'. Tack onto that other qualifiers like "We've been doing this for xx years" and "All bloggers do is write about us anyway, so if we disappeared then what would be left?"

Well apologies if this seems harsh, but guess what the bloggers are writing about? What a crap job you 'professional' journalists are doing. How unbalanced, biased, ignorant you have become.

And if you are 'professional', then how about reading through your Code of Ethics a few times? Hell, why not stick it up on the wall to remind yourselves what you're trying to do? What it is that sets you apart from bloggers?

I sincerely believe that the Code of Ethics is the one thing - the touchstone - that journalists have to rely on.

In Australia we have a Code of Ethics which compels the professional journalist to "resist the compulsion to intrude." (Let's leave aside the fact that the Code isn't found on the first page of the MEAA's website... if fact, it involves lots of clicking to get to it.) Even though the RMN had permission to report the funeral, it wasn't the right thing to do using the words, images and portrayal you did. It was incredibly biased and the resulting feeling in the audience was one where you grew a moral panic about the 'illegal immigrant' who caused the accident. (Demonstrated by the reader comments.)

The USA's code as stated by the Society of Professional Journalists, is even more clear. It states, flat out "Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiousity." The RMN didn't do that. In the words of one reader's response; 'Just because you can, doesn't mean you should'.

If you are to be professional journalists, behind every struggle, whether it is over the use of technology or the content you create on that technology, you should stand true to your professional Code of Ethics.

If not, a blog awaits.

No, not that 'change of life'

Living here couldn't be more different than what we've been used to. And it's pretty much all good. It's a 1 minute walk to the bus stop, and the bus comes every 10 minutes. And this is the view I have while I wait:

We have at least one squirrel in the tree which overhangs our condo's back patio. Of course there are squirrels everywhere here. But this one is in our tree.

He's cute. Fast. Brown. And yet...

I'm sure he's a ninja. As are all squirrels here in Boulder. (You heard it here first.) Why? Nothing that moves that fast is all good.

In any case, this little guy is very cool. I see him every day. Mostly in the morning or evening, when I'm actually sitting still long enough for him to whip past. I took a pic of him this morning and the flash made him stop and look at me as if to say "paparazzi."

Additionally, we have a gorgeous family of deer who also hang out in the backyard. (We call it the backyard. It's actually open space and a park). The mum has a radio collar on her neck, the dad has only been seen a couple of times (he must work a lot), and the kids bounce around like the Disney Bambi. They like the grass and don't mind it when people bike past or walk down the path. Sorry I don't have a pic of them at the moment, but will add it when I do.[gallery]

All these guys could do with names. Suggestions most welcome.

Click your heels together three times. We're not in Mulletville any more, Toto!

Moving to Colorado in 5 Easy Steps

We jumped. We are now in Colorado. The suitcases are in the cupboard under the stairs. The kids are at school and I am at the SJMC (School of Journalism and Mass Communication) at the Uni of Colorado at Boulder. I thought I'd take you through what was an extremely tiring and exciting 8 weeks to share the joy, and thank those who helped us get here.

Step One - Getting Ready to Jump

Packing up our life. Four simple words that took an incredible amount of time. It's pretty straightforward to book the shipping and storage people, and organise the garage sale.

[caption id="attachment_82" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Kid1 helps out at the garage sale"][/caption]

We have a whole heap of stuff kept in storage in Sydney, and we've brought with us the essentials. We're also shipping 1 cubic metre of crap I've decided I can't live without. Tips for garage sales? Only have it on a Saturday because Sunday is pointless, and make sure you tag everything. We had the sale about three weeks before leaving, and had my friends come over to help at various points to distract me from potential emotional overload (yay Kathy and Jacqui). We gave leftover stuff to charity or freecycle. However, what we found most successful and amusing - put all of it on the front lawn with a big free sign on it. It went in a flash! We had quite a few laughs.

[caption id="attachment_81" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ship or store?"][/caption]

My pal Kathy also helped a lot when I had a crisis of "what do I do?" She turned up and spent literally days putting her own life on hold while she helped the kids pack their stuff, aided my crisis over helping my two eldest kids move out of the house into their dad's, and told me lots of funny stories about her own moves. There is a special sort of woman in the world. She's the mum of more than three kids. I'm lucky to count some of my best pals in the world in that category. Kathy will forever have a special place in my heart for her help with this stage. And her skim mocha is the best I've ever had. Ever.

Tip: Get the kids involved and video bits of the process. Between Jacqui, Kathy and I we have 13 kids, who were all very keen to whack the dead furniture into pieces to put in the mini skip. We got some great, funny videos of kids with hammers. And miraculously avoided injuries!

[caption id="attachment_83" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="All our tech ready to go"][/caption]

Also, great tip was to have the lawnmower, whipper snipper and lounge suite we are keeping all professionally cleaned out, ready for storage. Of course, these were each done differently, but the cost was worth it knowing we'd be opening the storage crates in a few years to things that were pristine when they went in. We stored the fridge, washing machine and dryer quite easily, with small preparation. We have an incredible amount of Ikea furniture too, and we got a great guy out who dismantled everything back to IKEA flat pack with his helper dude, and saved us heaps of space in storage. They were nice guys too.

Step 2 - Organise and separate.

I really could have done this better. I separated the stuff I really needed in Colorado, but didn't put it in a suitcase to be sure it didn't get shipped - or worse still, stored. Things like the latest bills that you can't afford to pay yet, your PIN number stuff, personal documentation, etc. To cut this long story a bit shorter, I am pretty sure they're in shipping. Maybe I'll see them sometime before Christmas. If not, the electricity gets cut off in the old house and I'm not there so I really don't care that much. So ner.

Step 3 - Book good quality people, and use your friends.

Thank goodness we booked Allied Pickfords to handle all our storage. They were great (well so far, they still have all our stuff of course). When you're talking about all your worldly posessions, going with the quote based solely on price is dumb. Instead I went on gut. We're happy I did. These guys were efficient, hard-working and best of all, happy blokes to be around. They really deserved the crates of beer we got them at the end.

[caption id="attachment_84" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The bloody big truck"][/caption]

And my friends were key to success. I love my friends. I'm so lucky to have them. They made me feel like I'm a pathetic loser of a friend, given all they were willing, ready and able to do to ensure we got this move done. We are so grateful to all our friends for the ongoing help, love, assistance, moral support, advice that they continue to provide. Whether we've known you for a long time or short time, you are so important to us. We can't wait to have you all stay with us here in Boulder. (Please stagger your visits. The condo is small.)

The old school friend, Cherie, who I hadn't seen in ages, my fabulous work friends (yes, TAFE sucks), our Twitter pals who braved the horrid weather to say bye, and all the kids school friends. Visit us soon!

Step 4 - Triple check how much you can take on your flight.

We had three different estimates of how much we could take on board our flight to the USA. Syd-LA with Qantas said 32kg each bag was fine. What most of the Qantas people didn't tell us was that for our connecting domestic flight from LA to Denver, the limit is just 23kg. It sucked to find that out two days before leaving. We ended up taking 13 bags, all weighing at least 20kg, with Jed's three bags (super duper flyer allowance) topping the 32kg. It was a heap of luggage, but well worth taking it rather than shipping or paying air freight for it, which would have been far more. (On our stopover in LA we saw Ringo Starr in the Admiral's lounge. That was cool.)

[caption id="attachment_85" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="This is just for the weekend? Um ... no."][/caption]

Step 5 - Take mum.

Big bonus. Taking my mum meant that we had three adults trying to maneuvre all that luggage. She has also been here in Colorado helping me settle in. She goes back to Sydney next week. I am ready to hire her to others. She's great. She's my mum. We've had a lot of fun working out what the US equivalence is to many products in the supermarket, driving around Boulder, hitting the stores, looking at ninja squirrels etc.

So here we are. That's the basics of getting here. I'll be getting the video camera up and running soon. I'm getting used to classes here and the amount of reading I'm having to do as a grad student is staggering. I'm sure the squirrels are out to kill when I'm not looking. That's scary. More posts soon, including video, asap.

Love and hugs to all.

The Start-up Widow

This is the second of my posts relating to Randy Pausche's wonderful Last Lecture. He said that while it's great to achieve your own childhood dreams, it's wonderful to help others achieve their own childhood dreams.

For the last eight years I've been a start-up widow. You've heard of golf widows? Well, I'm a start-up widow.

Jed started itechne eight years ago here in Sydney. Today the company has over 150 clients across the nation and we're about to move to Colorado to launch the company and its core products in the US market. So Jed's not getting much downtime.

In fact, we sat down together for a cup of tea yesterday and he said to me (jokingly) "Hi, who are you?"

I'm glad that these days I can laugh with him over that, instead of resenting it. I think there's a special maturity in realising that supporting your spouse in achieving a childhood dream doesn't detract from your own ability to achieve. Or your own worth or value in the relationship.

After eight years of being the start-up widow, I now wake him up in the morning with a cup of tea and the words, "Get up! Multi-nationals don't run themselves." (That's sort of a joke... sort of.) I no longer monitor the dinners he misses or times he gets up at 4am to catch a plane interstate that I know nothing about. It's all part of the reality of being a start-up widow. I wish I'd have known what to expect in the beginning.

Being a start-up widow has been lonely a lot of the time. There are no start-up widow clubs, forums or chat rooms. No flylady for start-up widows. My mother thinks I should be sainted. I think my friends believe I'm superwoman. But that's not the case at all. For the first four years I spent a lot of time really upset and resentful. There's still a mark on the wall from an apple I threw at Jed's head one day. (He deserved it.)

There are numerous ways of dealing with the reality of being a start-up widow. Now I think I've found it. I have found my own areas of success. I went back to Uni and completed my Bachelors degree as well as a Grad Dip in VET. I'm a great teacher and student, and pretty darned fine mum.

Recognising my own strengths is something I would never have done without being a start-up widow. It's pretty hard to be married to a guy who is achieving a childhood dream without wanting to realise some of your own. So while I have had very little involvement in the hands-on creation of itechne other than signing on the dotted line, making tea, etc, I'm holding it all together at home and being inspired by what Jed's accomplishing. I'm inspired to do even better at something I knew I'd be okay at.

[caption id="attachment_75" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="My first Graduation"][/caption]

I am fulfilled in seeing him working every single day on something I know he loves, has commitment to, and passion for. It doesn't matter if the destination is reached or even guaranteed - if you get to have a spouse who is doing something every day they have a passion for, then that's better than anything. And it rubs off. It makes you want to achieve more. It challenges you, in a positive way, to aim higher.

Awkward and ironic thing is, that makes the spouse want to aim higher too.

So now I'm packing up our house, and looking at selling it. I've taken leave without pay from the best job I've ever had, and I'm leaving some kids and dogs behind in Australia while we go launch ourselves on the USA. (Don't worry, the kids are staying with family here. I'm not just letting them run wild.)

[caption id="attachment_74" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Bec and Max are staying in Australia"][/caption]

Maturity in being a start-up widow means I'm prepared for what this move involves. I've got my own plans for the US - and I have no expectations of Jed other than he'll work his butt off. When being the start-up widow means I get to share some of that passion, then I'm a pig in mud.

I'm "Hung on a cliff, in search of something big." (Thanks Neil Finn, for writing the best lyrics ever.) Even I don't know what the 'something big' is. And to all those people who are telling me how "lucky" I am to be doing this, I say "well, what's stopping you?"

Vale Randy Pausch: Decide if You're Tigger or Eeyore

After the passing of an inspirational man, Professor Randy Pausch, I've decided to write a number of posts on what struck me in his Last Lecture. If you haven't seen this lecture, I wholeheartedly recommend getting a cup of tea, and taking an hour to watch it. Then watch it again a week later. There are myriad messages in it.

The thing that teared me up with this lecture was this statement: Decide if You're Tigger or Eeyore. How do you go through life? Randy says he has fun. The Dean at the university asked him to ensure he told people to have fun, and he says it was like asking a fish to talk about water. He knew no other way.

I found real resonance with that. Just like Randy, if you meet me IRL you kinda know which way I lean - I'm Tigger.

As I discovered last semester, for some stuff I simply don't know how to be anything other than Tigger. My personal relationships, my work and teaching - for the most part I'm Tigger. Joy of Life, that's me.

One student challenged me to be "normal" for just one class. She believed it wasn't possible. She was right. Why? Because I don't know what "normal" is! I really tried, too!

Even the (very quiet, sedate) dentist commented last week "You are always so enthusiastic, it's really catching." Then this week when we saw him again, he was almost bouncy himself. (Admittedly, that was a little scary.)

I figure hey, why be gloomy or even just emotionless and methodical in anything you do? If you find the fun in stuff, then doesn't that rub off? Even if it's not inherently a fun activity? For example, there's nothing more fun than squashing the recycling with my 8-year-old to try and fit it in the bin.

But sometimes I have put conditions on my enthusiasm. And that sucks.

When we first launched our startup in Australia, I was the fish-wife. I complained every step. Eight years later, it has (touch wood) been doing great here, but I really didn't help it along. I lacked the vision and the faith, and instead felt the fear.

There is security in fear. It's calm and reliable being Eeyore.

Now we're going to the US, I'm exactly the opposite. And there are many reasons for that, which another post will explore. But it's not because I feel a greater sense of security. With a start-up you can do everything right - in fact, better than right - and still have it fail.

I'm positive about it because I'm finding my security elsewhere and choosing to not be fearful. I'm not Eeyore. It's a choice, just as Randy said, "Decide if you're Tigger or Eeyore."

It's when you let go of fear that you get the vision. Tigger has vision.

Goodbye to Sydney!

Say Goodbye to Jed and Jo, Harry and Charlie!

We’re off to live in Boulder, Colorado USA for a while, so we’d love an opportunity to see all our friends for a great big BBQ/picnic before we go.

When: Sunday August 10, 2008

Where: Bicentennial Park Homebush Bay. We will be setting up around the shelter and BBQ area near parking area P10g, off Homebush Bay Drive.

Time: We’re intending to get there by 12pm, and will stay until the sun sets – so turn up any time around then. Early arrivals can stake their claim!

Bring: All your stuff for a picnic/BBQ and great day out in the park! All are welcome.

Extra info:

· For those using public transport, it’s closest to Concord West station. There is a walking map from the station on the Olympic Park site link below.

· Visit the Olympic Park site for extra info on public transport, maps of the area, etc. http://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/Visiting/maps

A visa you can't buy stuff with

Yesterday was a big day. I was approved for the F-1 student visa, which will give me 3 years in the USA. Please note a visa in your passport doesn't guarantee entry to the USA, that decision is made by immigration when you enter the country. But without the visa there's no way you can get in for business or tourism beyond the 90 days which the current Waiver Programme appreciates. (In January 09 this changes again.)

The process for getting a visa has been covered by @bck in the past on his Pantsland blog, and I read that a couple of times as part of my own preparation. As we both note, none of what we say is necessarily going to be relevant to everyone - you need to do your own research to ensure you have the right documentation etc for your own visa and situation. That all said, here's what I went through.

Step 1: Get your documentation right

There are numerous forms and fees to go through to get a student visa. Everyone needs a DS-156 which is the general entry form, and you have to attach to that form a passport pic taken within the last 6 months, as well as pay (in cash or money order only) the $AUD150-odd fee for the non-immigrant visa at Australia Post. When you go to Aust. Post, ensure you know exactly how much you have to pay for the non-immigrant visa because they will not have any idea, but will happily take your money as long as it's cash. Then you need to staple the receipt for that to the front of the D-156. Men will also need to fill out a DS-157 (I don't know what is in that form because last time I checked, I am not a man). I also had to complete a DS-158 (which is like a resume).

Because I was after the F-1 visa, I needed to pay the SEVIS fee ($100) which is standard for all students entering the USA. As for all these fees, it's non-refundable, so if you don't get approved for a visa you can wave bye-bye to the cash. The SEVIS fee is payable online with a credit card.

Finally, I also had to be able to prove I had access to plentiful funds to support myself in the US (in my case, $US40, 200) as well as hold an Form I-20 which had been sent to me by the University, saying I'd been offered a place. Luckily for me (and key for me obtaining this visa), the University of Colorado saw fit to give me a full teacher assistantship appointment, which basically waived my need to demonstrate the $40,200.

I also took along to the appointment the actual letter of offer from the University and my academic credentials just in case.

You must also take your current passport, any prior passports of yours if you have them, a self-addressed platinum Australia Post courier satchel for the return of your documents, and other supporting documents in case they ask you for them. Ensure you've booked your appointment through the online VisaPoint system. To book an appointment you need a PIN Number, which costs another $14 (ka-ching) payable with a credit card. Even though the appointments are booked in half-hour increments, you're advised to block out 4 hours (I took 2.45hrs from beginning to end).

Step 2: Turn up on time

The Sydney consulate is in the MLC Building. While the consulate is on the 59th floor, you first report to the 10th floor and go through a security checkpoint. Prepare to take off your shoes! You have to leave all electronics at this point. The security guard will then allow you to go in the lift up to the actual consulate, where you go through another checkpoint (shoes off again), and take a ticket like you're in the motor registry. That's when the real waiting begins.

Step 3: Talk to people

When you're called for the first window, you hand over all the basic forms and receipts from what you prepared prior to the interview. You're then told to take a seat and wait to be called again. When you're called the 2nd time, you need to do the fingerprint thing on the scanner - both hands. Then you take another seat and wait to be called the 3rd time.

Step 4: The interview

This stage is the final part of what was a lengthy process. Rather than take you to a cubicle or something, you simply get called to a teller window and all the people behind you can hear what you discuss with the interviewer (the guy who had a record for posession of marijuana who went before me was most interesting :)). The interview itself only went for a couple of minutes and seemed more of a checking process of what was in the documentation I'd already supplied. I had more supporting evidence, but the man didn't ask for it, and he was a very polite nice person to talk with.

Step five: Paying the final fee

When I was approved for a visa I was informed I needed to pay the final fee of about $120 at the cashier. Once again this had to be in cash (no EFTPOS and even though the consulate website actually says they take credit cards). They hold on to your documentation and send it back to you in the platinum bag you supply.

And that's it! I was surprised they didn't ask me why my husband and children weren't on the same visa, or indeed what their plans were. (They plan to travel under the E-3 visa. I needed my own student visa because of the TA appointment and needing to work as soon as I arrive. As a spouse under the E-3 it takes about 2-3mths for an Employment Authorisation Document to be processed, which would have prevented me taking up my TA in the Fall semester.) While the interview itself only took a couple of minutes, I'm sure that if anything 'hinkey' in my application cropped up in the earlier stages then it would have been flagged before I approached for my actual interview. So I don't believe I was completely judged from beginning to end in that two minutes - I spoke with about 8 consular staff in the day, and any one of them would have been able to 'flag' my documents if necessary.

Essentials:

Go to the loo before going in. There is no bathroom beyond the 10th floor reception.

Take a magazine or book. It's B.o.r.i.n.g.

Wear shoes that are easy to get on and off.

Wear your best smile, and dress as if going for a job interview. Many people don't dress in business attire, but I'm old school and believe you might as well do all the easy things to make a good impression.

Finally, don't take your kids. You don't need to have them with you. Beg borrow or steal a babysitter for the day. It was not fun watching a couple of parents with little tykes struggling to keep them under control, and even less fun for the parents themselves.

Contact

Want to get in touch with me? I'm always available for intelligent conversation - as well as the odd inane diatribe.

Twitter: @mediamum

Email: jowhite@mediamum.net

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Blogs offer no scope for the serious writer?

In preparation for our move to the USA I've been cleaning out my books.

I've come across one I picked up years ago in a second-hand bookstore for the bargain price of $2.50, called 'Writing for Television' by Arthur Swinson. The book was published in London in 1955 - yep, when TV was but a babe.

[caption id="attachment_23" align="alignleft" width="127" caption="Published 1955"][/caption]

The first paragraph of the book's Foreward features the sentence, "...so far, in this country, no book has been written to my knowledge, seriously attempting to analyse [television's] nature or to assess its impact. No full-length investigation has been carried out on the question of whether it is merely a new method of disseminating information or, in some aspects, a new artistic medium."

Parallels? I thought. And yes, there were lots.

Certainly, there's a parallel between this take on television and traditional media's embracing of online around the year 2000 - repurposing content from print formats for the web, in the same way radio and theatre scriptwriters wrote for television consumption in the 1950s.

[caption id="attachment_24" align="alignright" width="127" caption="A true medium for the serious writer?"][/caption]

An even more familiar resonance, however, is explored in Chapter 1: 'The Nature of Television: Is it a True Medium for the Writer?' Here Swinson considers whether television is a "cold, mechanical medium" (p.2) because it lacked a live audience. Swinson reveals his television writing colleagues believed television wasn't as good a medium because there was no feedback, no response. There was "no thrill" compared with live theatre.

What a surprise. Writers who were used to writing for theatre and were now trying to write for television found the new medium unsatisfactory. They say "it offers no scope for the serious writer." (p.4)

In his book, Swinson disagrees with them and believes television has promise of being an incredibly impactful medium becasuse of the sheer size of audience it can reach. However he still considers television only as being a new medium to deliver the same content already being produced (in radio or theatre), simply to a wider audience.

A format shift.

Of course we now know that television is a medium unlike any other. In it's relatively short existence compared to other formats it's had an unprecedented role in society. And what we see on our 'boxes' looks very different to what first appeared in the 1950s. Television grew up.

And that's the same mistake many traditional media outlets are making with the 'growing up' of online. At first, re-purposing content for online was satisfying enough. But that was the infancy of online media. And it's not what it looks like today.

Online media has opened the doors to all sorts of writers. Swinson quotes Hemingway in saying "there is all the difference in the world between a serious writer and a solemn writer - and a good many of the solemn category work under the delusion they belong to the serious."

Could traditional media journalists, in their dismissive, "we've had a masthead for xx years and know what we're doing" pouting attitude to non-masthead bloggers perhaps be reflective of the solemn rather than the serious?

I'll invite you to consider Swinson's words on page 6 (see, we didn't have to read much of his book, did we?) to conclude:

Let us say that such a man is one who writes not only to entertain or tell a story, but because there is something definite he wants to say; who employs whatever medium he choses (sic) on the highest level his powers will allow him.

Swinson, a man before his time, could just have easily been writing about blogs.

Are Mommy Bloggers (Mummy Bloggers) dumb?

Today I had the good fortune of watching a few tiny pieces of BlogHer '08 in its final formal day (there is an unconference over the next 24 hours, which no doubt I'd be more interested in). Now, I have just come from two very important Australian conferences. Firstly, PubCamp which was presented in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, by itechne (which I have connections to, and which I presented at) and then also the Future of Media Summit organised by Ross Dawson, which was a combined conference simulcast between San Francisco USA and Sydney, Australia.

Both of those conferences talked (heatedly at times) about the responsibility and accountability of media and journalists as they move online.

And then I hit BlogHer. As a Marketing and Events teacher at College level, and as someone who has admittedly only experienced a small portion of the event itself, I feel BlogHer 08 is making dollars by capitalising on the marketing potential of the target audience - both the target of the attendee and of the advertisers seeking that attendee's ear.

The 'Mommy Bloggers' are ka-ching for so many marketers. This audience - the mums (yes, I say 'mums' rather than 'moms' because I'm an Aussie) - is one that is hard to convince through regular advertising channels. The best way of convincing mums to try their products is through word of mouth. I don't need my academic credentials to tell me this, I know it. I've had four little darlings and I know the best recommendation on products for my child has come from other mums I trust.

And the mums that are trusted in the 21st Century are the Mummy Bloggers. Until now, mums have had very little interaction, relatively speaking, with other mums. Playgroup, pre-school, kindy etc were the places these women connected. But now there's the internet. And it's connecting all mums so they're a power-buying force.

Guess what? The marketers know it, and are chucking free 'schwag' at the blogging Mummies in an attempt to inform and persuade them to use, review and talk about their products. They'd be stupid not to.

But guess what else? Mums are not stupid. They/we did not expel our brains at the same time as delivering our children. You want to give us free stuff? Great. We'll take it. Thanks very much. If marketers think that giving stuff to a mum automatically means they'll write something good about it on their blog, then they are the stupid ones.

Journalists in Australia have a code of ethics which compels them to produce content that meets a particular standard. It is supposed to guarantee accountability and responsibility.

Bloggers, including mums, probably don't need a code of ethics. Why? Because everything they write has their own personal name behind it - not some third person brand owned by a mogul. Therefore everything a mummy blogger writes has an underlying guarantee of accountability and responsibility. They are their own brands. Their reputations live and die by their own hand. If your toy sucks, then it sucks.

So you want to give Mummy Bloggers free stuff? Go ahead. From the sounds of the attendees at BlogHer 08 they got heaps and heaps of what they are calling 'schwag', ranging from a phone through to books, toys, massages... but if you make the mistake of thinking it will influence them to write something untrue, you're a crap marketer. More fool you.

Oh, and I'll be at Blog Her 09. And I'll be taking a second suitcase that's empty, just in case. :)

About

* Is a Twitterholic (@mediamum).

* Did a BA with a major in Comms as a Distance Ed student while raising her four wonderful children, graduating in 2005 with a Distinction average. At her graduation her daughter screamed "Go Mum!" from somewhere in the middle of the auditorium. Best. Day. Ever.

* Completed a Grad Dip in Adult Education in 2005, funded by TAFE NSW.

* Is a Masters student and holds a TA appointment at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. Would like to follow it at some stage with a PhD - you know, in my spare time ;).

* Would do anything for her four children (two coming with her to the USA, two chose to stay in their high schools back in Australia).

* Is a start-up widow to the founder of itechne in Australia and scribetribe.us in the USA, @jedwhite, whom she both admires and adores, even though he can't change a loo roll.

* Is one of the biggest Split Enz/anything Finn fans in the universe. My tagline is part of a lyric from The Devil You Know, a Neil Finn song. ("Hung on a cliff, in search of something big.")

[caption id="attachment_49" align="alignright" width="96" caption="Bryce at Flyball"][/caption]

* Loves competing in flyball (dog sport) and has a dog in Australia, Bryce, that has a national flyball title. I'm looking forward to getting a small dog in the US that can be my new flyball buddy.

* Used to work in the music industry. Started in Australian band management and moved to international touring artists. She's thanked on Moving Pictures last album.

Jo and Nick Seymour, Crowded House

* Was editor of GAMESTAR magazine, chief sub on Australian Personal Computer magazine, and Deputy Editor on PC User magazine.

* Worked in Public Relations (the dark side) for numerous IT firms in consultancy, inhouse and by freelance.

* Wears many hats, but only has one head.

*Can tie a jelly snake into a knot using only her tongue. Really!

* Dearly wishes she had time to quilt.

*Rocks.

Peanuts, allergies and not living in a bubble

My kids go back to school this week. Yay! The only thing I'm hating about it is facing making 4 lunches each day again, which do not include any trace of peanuts.
Many schools, including ours, have banned peanuts/products that have any peanuts due to the number of kids who have allergies related to them.
So that means no peanut butter or Nutella - okay. But also no muesli bars that might have peanuts, nothing that might have been produced on the same line as something that might have had peanuts (this tends to be on the packets), and forget those multi-pack snacks which might have peanuts as an ingredient.
I have two kids who will only eat Nutella or peanut butter on a sandwich. No sandwiches otherwise. I am therefore forced to make up lunch boxes with individually cut up fruits, cheese cubes, crackers and a yoghurt. My kids are the best fed in the whole freaking school! Sure this does them good anyway, but blinking heck. I work full-time myself, and have four children. Once in a while I'd just like to be able to send them to school with a sandwich and therefore be able to make all of them on the weekend and throw them in the freezer, saving me time every single day.
Especially seeing as none of my kids have allergies.
I know for some kids with these allergies, it's a life-threatening condition. And for years now I've gone this extra mile to accommodate them. But you know what? I'm sick of it. I'm wondering how the allergy kids will ever learn what they can and can't eat when they go out in the real world. I'm wondering how they'll cope when they find out that not everyone in the world is going to do whatever they want.
I have a diabetic in my family, but heck, we still have sugar on the table. He just knows not to eat it. Two of my kids have had dental work and have never been allowed sticky foods because of the possibility of removing their dental crowns - they have always, since they started going to birthday parties at the age of 3 or so, handed me their lolly bags to take out possible offending lollies (jelly frogs, etc) before they indulged. They've also told their teachers themselves.
Surely it's time to hand some responsibility back to those who are affected by these issues rather than making society succumb to their every wish.

What gets my Goolies

I haven't posted for ages, so it's time I got back in the swing of things. Since the last time, we have got another dog, a West Highland White Terrier, who joins our wonderful Border Collie cross, and are heavily into flyball - but that will be another post since it's time to get the kids to bed. Meanwhile...

Here in Sydney there's a radio show with a segment called Gets My Goolies. It's where people get to vent about things that drive them nuts.

So far this week I've been called a female canine (in a more colloquial fashion) twice. Not bad for three days. Once at the petrol station by an idiot who decided that not only would he fill his petrol tank, but he would then go inside and pay, but also buy a whole heap of food and drinks, and ice - and then come outside at last, and while he knew I was sitting waiting for the pump, he took out his extremely large esky from the backseat, and smashed the ice on the floor, and slowly started putting the ice in the esky, then putting the newly purchased cans of drink in the esky, bit by bit. I was fuming! Asked him to move. And so the screaming from him ensued. Unbelievable.

Then today, students who are disgruntled decided that the best course of action when they're unhappy with an outcome is to refer to me in the derogatory term.

These things get my goolies. There is no respect for others any more. Kids grow up, come to TAFE and abuse their teachers. They aren't shown respect by their parents to teachers, and so they don't exhibit it themselves. When I was a kid, my mum used to speak to my teachers in my presence at least, saying, "Hello Mr such and such, or Miss So and So" - demonstrating the same respect as I was expected to show. She tells me she respects teachers and always has done as she mentally puts them in the same area as Doctors, etc - other professionals. I have continued this with my own children. Maybe this doesn't make much sense, and the links I make are not obvious to others. I've known teachers who have been hit, and ganged up on by groups of students - and today I considered having security escort a teacher to her car.

That simply sucks.

Respect is a dying art. Time to get a grip.

Vale ebay

About three years ago a friend introduced me to the wonders of ebay. Lots of fun. Selling, buying, bidding... many a friday evening was spent with a glass of wine exploring quilt fabric and buying small amounts from people everywhere. There is stacks of stuff in our house purchased on ebay over the last few years - even our lounge suite (massive bargain at $199 - it was brand new and worth at least $1000).
But over time, ebay seems to have gone south.
The last few items I've purchased have left a lot to be desired. Sellers used to list every single possible flaw, even taking close up pictures of the item to show the slightest scratch or whatever. Now, however, things are so different to what is listed that it's like you've bought something from another person's listing!
Additionally, what is it with the listings that say "I reserve the right to not sell the item to you at the end of the auction as I have it listed elsewhere" - what a hide! There ought to be lashings for these people who list items as auctions instead of buy it now (with an actual purchase price), and then reneg on the deal. They should not be allowed to use ebay! I don't even bother bidding, but it's annoying because it always seems to be very close to exactly what I wanted...
The international deals have been a real eye-opener for me. I have had a number of people based in the USA trying to rip me off blindly - asking me to send packages they've 'won' at auction without actually sending funds (and in one case, never intending to, for an amount in the hundreds of dollars). Two US-based bidders were completely clueless and should never have bought internationally because exchange rates, postage and payment details were beyond their comprehension! That said, the trades I have done to the Eastern countries have always been without a hitch. They were always polite, fast trades. I've decided not to sell or buy from the US any more at all. Could this be indicative of a respect thing? The patriotism of the US gone rampant in that Americans will not bother paying an Australian seller because we're just not 'on the same level as them'? Maybe I'm very cynical.
Now I'm looking for a new entertainment unit. There are some great prices locally in the stores, but I figured I might find something appropriate on ebay. I was disappointed to see that most of the listings on ebay were just as expensive, if not priced higher than brand new ones in the stores!
Some people really need to get a grip on reality. If you've had something - anything - in your house for no matter how long, and are trying to re-sell it, then it's not worth as much as it was when you bought it. Period.
So I'm saying farewell to buying anything on ebay other than my quilting fabrics and electronic games for the kids, from people I've traded with before.
Now that Dodgy Brothers International seems to have taken over ebay, I'd rather pay retail and get something decent.

Friends

The best people in the world are the friends that you can really unequivocally count on. The ones who you know you can ask anything of, even if you haven't spoken for a while. These are the people who value your friendship for you as a person, and not for any other reason. These people see you warts and all, and have already forgotten the words that you want to be able to take back or forget, but never seem capable of. These are the people you get a simple joy out of being there for, out of speaking to, out of remembering - even just thinking of them. There's no strings. No conditions. These are the friendships that are lifelong.
These friends are the ones cheering loudest at your achievements. Wondering aloud at how your everyday life is managed. Honestly saying you are wonderful, meaning every word. Honestly telling you how it is, because they want you to be happy, not to bring you down. These friends will tell you off for something, yet turn around and help you smooth things over.
And these are the people I feel the same way about!
They are what gives a woman like me security, knowing that if it felt like everything in my life fell apart, they'd ensure I didn't completely lose it - I know this because I can remember one or two times when this has happened.
Girls, you know who you are (I know you read my blog). Thank you for being you, for being there. For the morning teas (that end up afternoon teas), all too far apart. I think you're all fantastic, and how lucky we are to have this friendship!

Excessive cost of education

I spent this morning doing a little bit of a search on doing a Masters degree. I've done pretty well at Uni so far, and would like to go further. I find it very difficult to believe that the charge to students (at minimum, $13600 for coursework) for one year of study is justified. I've been told to just defer the bulk of the cost through HECS, but ultimately I'll end up paying it all out very quickly through the tax system. HECS repayments are based on your income, and doesn't take into account the fact you have four children and a massive mortgage to deal with.

You have to wonder what incentive there is to do any post-graduate education. At the end of the day, you'll be lucky to get a job which adds the amount it cost you to get the qualification to the salary you were already getting.

The students coming through the education system are focused on simply passing the minimum requirement. When there's no incentive to go any further - in fact, the cost for the education becomes inflated past all reason (goodness me, $13600???) - who can really blame them? By supporting a system that charges such ridiculous fees our Government is holding back the people it should be encouraging to study further.

Do you want to be looked after by a doctor, lawyer - teacher - who only just scraped through?