• are you feeling social media-obliged? A few weeks ago a bunch of “followers” on Twitter arked up about the fact I don’t follow all the people who follow me. One tweet (twit?) said I was arrogant for not doing so. For keeping my “follows” so low. Funnily, the brohaha was sparked by my tweet that shared how I seek more more
• is it time to stop the twitter sycophantic-a and get real? In Sunday Life this week I get more authentic online A theme that crops up consistently in this weekly flirt with life betterment is something I call “too much-itis”. Or “battered (by) life syndrome”, a condition charcterised by a sense that too many commitments and distractions are dragging us down. The American Academy of Pediatrics more
• permission to quit the “low-rent” experiences I came across this Danielle LaPorte post a few weeks back on giving yourself permission. She writes a very whimsical list of things we can all feel free to do. Or, rather, not do. She’s waved the wand. We’re allowed! They’re rather cute (I’ve posted my favourites below). It’s a little bit like the idea more
• pink worms…and can the positive vibe go too far? We all saw the gendered election worm last night…what was interesting was that, compared with previous election debates the worm tracked far more positively than normal. Plus, the pink worm (women) was, overall, more positive than the blue (men). When Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott started sledging the other, both worms took a dive into more
• MasterChef and a fraction too much life friction A thought or two on MasterChef Finale. And life friction. Today I’m off to Hamilton Island to MC the Great Barrier Feast at Qualia, featuring Justin North from Becasse (we first met on MasterChef) and food writer Simon Thompsen (also done a cameo on MasterChef). I’ll try to post some tweets about the best flavour more
• stuff I’m not paid to endorse: the sharp political twits I follow ***Updated Friday 5pm: News is emerging the election will be called tomorrow. The PM is saying she’ll ask the GG to delay issuing the writ until Wednesday, which means IF YOU’RE NOT ENROLLED TO VOTE YOU’LL HAVE ABOUT FIVE DAYS TO DO SO. Do it at my link here. ***Updated Friday 5pm: Latika Bourke has more
• Manage flitter: a cool device for unfollowing on Twitter It’s a fact of life: these days we have to cull “electronic friends”  to cope with Sheer Influx of Cluttery Information. I think we all accept this, right? It’s not personal; it’s professional. I keep my “following” list at 108…it’s partly an auspicious thing. But how to clear the clutter? This little gizmo – ManageFlitter more
• are you being authentic? how do you know? I’ve been fretting a little lately about whether I’m being authentic. I’ve been catching myself saying things to impress and to create a certain image of myself. Then I cringe inwardly.  It’s easy to do, especially when you blog. You can easily get swept up in your own story. Press “publish”. And go eat a more
• is this why you blog + tweet? actually, why do you blog + tweet? This popped up on TED.com this morning – a rant by Clay Shirky an expert in “technology as a force for good” (who I’ve interviewed previously and just loved his energy) . Here he rants about how our excess brain energy – we have a trillion spare brain hours up for grabs, apparently – can more
• why i really don’t like snark I don’t usually comment on nasty stuff in the media. It’s usually best left to fester without further stoking. But I feel compelled this time. Because it’s an example of something that’s been bothering me for ages. Snark. I really don’t like it. Gawker started this bitchy style of commentary. Perez Hilton perfected it. And more