Welcome

Welcome to the official blog for the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) 2008 Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition. While our 2008 conference is over, we encourage you to read through these blog posts and comments and continue to share your thoughts and experiences. In particular, be sure to check out the “Who are we and who do we want to be?” discussion and let us know what you think.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

EH Blogging 101 Session

What’s a blog and how could it help me, you ask? Check out our Learning Laboratory session, EH Blogging 101 on Sunday, June 22 from 1:00-1:50 pm! In this session, the communication phenomenon known as blogging will be introduced. Attendees will learn what blogs are, how to use blogs, and also learn how to create and maintain their own blog. Participants will write and post to the NEHA AEC & Exhibition Blog. For those with laptops, please bring them to this session for some hands-on demonstrations. Presenter: Steven J. Lipton, MEd, LEHP, CFSP, President, Biotest Services Inc., IL.
Blogging 101 After Tucson Update
The session over...but you still can attend!
Steve recorded this presentation, and has placed an audio podcast and the powerpoint over on EHblogger.blogspot.com, or click the links below.

Blogging 101 Powerpoint

Blogging 101 Podcast

16 comments:

Shlomo said...

Hello, I'm Steve the presenter for this session. If you have any questions about the session or have anything you would be interested in please leave a comment below, and I'll see what I can do to make it part of the workshop.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve,
I previously worked in a pharmacy setting and wrote blogs as a way to blow off steam. Can you recommend any environmental health related blogs to check out? See you at the conference.
Thanks,

RRP said...

Hi Steve:

I am Bob Paulus, the President of MEHA. We are hoping to have a blog set up here in the near future to allow our membership to post comments regarding the issue of mandatory licensure for environmental health practitioners. I am looking forward to you presentation.

Steven Lipton said...

Hello it's Steve again!

Actually, anonymous, I'm too busy writing to read many! One of the last things on my project list is to get together a good list of such blogs. I'll have a bigger list by the time of the session.

I'm mostly a food safety guy so the the two big ones to note are Bill Marler's http://www.marlerblog.com/ and Barfblog at http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/

Both are great sources though one's a lawyer and other caters to college and younger audiences, so expect some difference in style. Both have links to other information that might lead you to some other cool stuff.

If you want some microbiology, Try A.J. Cann's blog Microbiology Bytes http://microbiologybytes.wordpress.com/ . He also has a wonderful podcast to check out as well.

To my knowledge there aren't many good EH ones out there. That's why I'm doing this in the first place -- to start a proliferation. I do have my own blog, The Shoestring Sanitarian which was a project that has been on again and off again, and I'll be using as a demo in the session. Hopefully this time it will stay on again. Check out the music video I just posted from some singer on YouTube. Maybe we can get a sing-a-long started on a bus sometime.

Steven Lipton said...

Thanks Bob, it should be fun, and interesting. Yes setting up something like what NEHA did for the keynote is one way of handling the discussion issue. In some ways it's a lot more organized since the topics are more moderated, but it means discussions are stuck in comments like this one. Another way to go is using the forum structure, though that can be a nightmare to moderate, but is a lot more free form in terms of content. I won't have time to discuss forums during this session we have plenty to cover as it is, but thought you might want to know about the option.

See you there!

Mia said...

This is Mia--I'll be giving a presentation on Tuesday at 3:00 (see EH Tracking & Informatics track) on the "forum structure" Steve referred to his his last comment. I will cover applications of this forum (including design, cost, etc.) for public and policy discussion. We have done several for our Texas Department of Transportation and are currently doing one for our County Government to try to get a handle on key stakeholder and government official positions on land use policy.

Steven Lipton said...

Thanks Mia! Sounds like a cool presentation too! (which in 104°F is a good thing) Should make for a good comparison of methods.

Anonymous said...

Steve: My name is Chirag and I work with Garrison Enterprises. We tried creating blog and a quick way to discuss issues almost a year ago but unfortunately, not much activity!
http://askchirag.garrisonenterprises.com/
May be your presentation will educate the environmental professionals to use technology to their benefit. I am looking forward to attending your session.

Steven Lipton said...

Chirag, cool looking blog, though the template looks somewhat familiar...

Yes, that's on the list. I'm going to cover exactly that issue. My own Shoestring Sanitarian at http://ShoestringSanitarian.blogspot.com has been suffering a similiar fate, so I was going to use that as an example.

I'd also like to point out you are dong two things right just by posting the comment: one is letting people know it exists -- the other is making sure everyone knows the address -- always include links!

For some other very effective things I Invite everyone to come to the session.

Steven Lipton said...

It's your intrepid instructor again!

Just wanted to let everyone know that if you want a sneak peek of The Blogging 101 Blog we will be using in class it is up for you to explore. By the end of the session you too will be able to post to this blog, but in the meantime though you might want to poke around at a few things possible with a blog.
It can be found at http://EHBlogger.blogspot.com

I should be posting either today or tomorrow a tutorial there on how to use HTML tags on a comment in order to get those fancy effects I've been doing. including one really important one: how to get those links to work automatically in a comment.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Steve for mentioning the Barfblog at K-state. One of my favorite sources of food safety and handwashing information! Looking forward to establishing an Environmental Health Marketing Blog for NEHA, to benefit our members and anyone connected to the environmental health profession! Best wishes for a successful Learning Lab session!

Michele Samarya-Timm, MA, HO, REHS, CHES, DAAS

PS -- And I'm also a proud guest barfblogger.... :o)

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Steve for mentioning the Barfblog at K-state. One of my favorite sources of food safety and handwashing information! Looking forward to establishing an Environmental Health Marketing Blog for NEHA, to benefit our members and anyone connected to the environmental health profession! Best wishes for a successful Learning Lab session!

Michele Samarya-Timm, MA, HO, REHS, CHES, DAAS

PS -- And I'm also a proud guest barfblogger.... :o)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link to barfblog, its pretty good. Now how about a place to "vent" our everyday frustration. Maybe I'll work on that......

These people handle your food said...

Good barfblogger tip. Interesting stuff on there. Anyone interested in just venting about the stuff we come across everyday can visit "These poeple handle your food on blogger.com.

Steven Lipton said...

For another great blog...

Over at Microbiology Bytes, AJ Cann has a short but very informative podcast Biography of Joseph Lister, arguably the Man who pioneered preventing cross contamiantion and the man Listeria monocytogenes is named for.


http://microbiologybytes.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/joseph-lister/

Steven Lipton said...

Thanks for the link to barfblog, its pretty good. Now how about a place to "vent" our everyday frustration. Maybe I'll work on that......

If you do make your own, let me know at ehblogger@gmail.com, and I'll list you over at EHBlogger.blogspot.com

If you just want to write get a hold of me at the same e-address above and I might let you become a contributor for EHblogger.

Steve Lipton