This year I’m going to do something a little different and not only post some of my goals for 2009, but also offer up some project and business ideas that all I’ve been doing is keeping to myself.

Maybe by putting this content out there, I will find alike people who will stumble upon this and reach out to collaborate, and in some cases, make some money.

With that, here are some miscellaneous thoughts and musings:

(1) Digital Divide in Kern County – I put this one first because I’m not sure if this is even a worthwhile project.  I wrote about it a while back as at the time the digital divide was a hot topic.  But now my thought is–so what?  What if needs and areas could be identified?  Would it greatly help to show where access to the internet in Kern County is lacking?  And with the economy the way it is, how do you address those needs?  Lot’s of questions.

(2) Try FaceBook – This is an easy one and thus the reason why it’s second on the list.  I’m going to take the plunge because I’m curious why I’ve had unrelated friends from unlreated circles getting caught up in the whole FB madness.

(3) Create Printcasting Content – The Bakersfield Californian is part of a project right now related to creating and publishing customized content.  I’m going to see if I have enough discipline to create small, maybe 250 words or less, computer related tips and content.  I haven’t looked into the terms yet, but I’m hoping I can post the content to multiple sources so I can use outside of Printcasting.

(4) pics2go.com – This is the business idea nugget.  The basic business model is offering picture taking for weddings and events that can be printed onsite.  Weddings would no doubt be the long tail, but with some work other events could be booked.  I have the pics2go.com domain; have done research regarding high quality prints; and can put all the pieces together.  What I’m looking for here is probably a college person interested in photography and starting a business that would require non-traditional working hours.  Contact me if you’re interested.

(5) Bakersfield (or Kern County) is Talking – Create a show that highlights Bakersfield stories of past, present, or future.  This could either be location-based (such as businesses, historical places) or interviews with people.  My thought would be to create some pilot episodes and then shop them around to local vendors.  And where is this going to be seen?  I personally think there is already enough available channels to add the content, and more and more are beginning to allow HD.  This project is also an evergreen content concept, in that it never really expires (unless the channels do).

(6) Youth Building/Repairing Computers Projects – I am willing to volunteer time for a project related to teaching youth either building or repairing computers.  Not much more to be said here.  Contact me and let’s collaborate!

(7) Plugin Reviews – I play around with so many WordPress plugins that maybe it would be worthwhile to create reviews.  It’s exciting to see what is happening in the WordPress community right now in regard to all the exciting plugins and themes that are being created.  

Well there they are.  Goals and ideas for 2009.  Comments are welcome.  If you’ve made it this far and have interest in any of the above, contact me and let’s talk.

I realized I had to update my website, especially with all the web 2.0 hype.  My previous site was static HTML, no CSS, very plain-Jane, and very outdated.  As a small-business owner, I fit into the categories of limited budget and resources, like free and easy to use.

After searching customer and content management systems (CMS) via google, low and behold, WP showed up as a possible solution.  I say that because some may consider WP as only a blogging application, but soon, I found many articles related to other small businesses and nonprofit organizations whom were searching for the same solution.

After doing further research and finding how robust the WordPress forums were, I decided it was time to do some sandbox testing.  I’ve been hooked since.  I use WP in all my sites and I’ve been impressed with the development of the platform and the huge community of WP users.

I have to admit that WP is not for the beginner or faint of heart, however, after the initial setup, along with some training and documentation, many ORGs could use WP as a solution to getting rid of sites that cannot be changed without some sort of second-hand party, and billing.  (No offense to web designers/developers, but things are changing!)

Besides the great WP community that is available, the platform has recently gone through some major renovations as to admin interface changes, and the ability to include widgets.  In my opinion, widgets are the closest things to easy buttons when it comes to offering customized solutions.

In a future article, I will highlight some WP plugins which I feel would benefit many ORGs and NPOs within their website, such as the ability to include a google map; using a calendar for events; showcase event pictures; and receive donations.

Overall, I feel applications such as WP,  Drupal, and Joomla are paving the way for ORGs to embrace content that can be created by end users who do not have much experience, which is up-to-date and interactive.