I was in Chicago today for the last of this year’s Folio: magazine’s e-publishing “road shows.” This is the first time I’ve ever been able to be on a “faculty” (in this case, a three-person panel moderated by Folio: publisher Tony Silber) several times over a several-month period. Since Scott Karp (who I always read before deciding what to think) has also been on “the tour,” I’ve had the privilege of being able to, whenever in doubt or confusion, turn to him and say, “Whatever Scott says.” Today, for example, I was mentioning MyBlogLog.com and said, “This scratches an itch I didn’t know I had,” which I had absolutely no idea what I meant when I said it. I turned to Scott and said, “What did that mean?” And he explained it. Also on the panel today was Jason Brightman whose last name accurately describes him. He’s the designer and manager of XXLmag.com (and more) which he built on Wordpress. What’s more, he’s as cool as you’d think someone who did that would be. I hope the people attending these day-long classes have enjoyed them — I have.

When I first launched this blog, I used bloggrolling.com to manage much of the content on the right sidebar. However, during a short period of time, their servers began to act up and it would make it appear my entire blog was unavailable. I have a short fuse when it comes to third-party widget performance dragging down the speed of this site, so I moved the blogroll off the front page (more to come). Due to some similar glitches the folks at MyBlogLog.com are having, I have temporarily removed the code that displays the photos served up by Mybloglog.com. I say temporary, because I like the service and will add the code back in when they work things out. But I won’t be displaying empty boxes or, worse, nothing. The link to my MyBlogLog profile and community still work.

Update: I’ve added back the ‘widget’ code and (see comments) thanks for the personal service and explanation by the management.

My friend Alice Randall’s book My Country Roots is available in bookstores today. (Via the Tennessean) “Due in bookstores today, My Country Roots breaks down country music into 100 different themes, from “Mamas and Daddies” to “Jails and Prisons” to “Country Erotica.” For each theme, it offers a suggested playlist of 10-15 songs, sequenced for maximum effect and with interpretive notes on each selection.”

A website is launching at MyCountryRoots.com on which you can add to the lists and vote on the songs included in each list. If you’re in a bookstore and see the book, be sure to read the foreword by George Jones. If you’re a George Jones fan, it’s a heartfelt message about his love of the tunes he lists. I’ll be blogging a “review” of the book in the coming days, but wanted to post a congratulations to Alice and her collaborators, brothers Carter and Courtney Little.

Technorati Tags: country music

• Gannett Sees Its Future, And It’s Online and Hyper-Local | washingtonpost.com
  Myron is one of its fleet of mobile journalists, or “mojos.” They spend their time on the road looking for stories, filing several a day — a constantly updated stream of intensely local, fresh Web content — regardless of its traditional news value .
  (tags: newspapers blogging)
• How Google handles hacked sites | Matt Cutts
  If you host your own website or blog, bookmark this for future reference. Trust me.
  (tags: SEO)
• How to Build a User Community, Part 1 | Kathy Sierra
  Have I mentioned I’m a fan of Kathy Sierra? (Note: that’s a joke as she’s probably the most linked-to person on my blog.)
  (tags: community collaboration social+media)
• Books in the age of the Internet | Forbes.com
  Quote: People are reading more, not less. The Internet is fueling literacy. Giving books away online increases off-line readership. New forms of expression are blossoming in a digital hothouse.
  (tags: magazines books publishing authors internet)