Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Last week I couldn't spell "podcast" ...

Now I'm in one!

A podcast is like an online radio broadcast that is recorded and made available over the Internet, usually for free.

Last weekend, Dave Ponce, the creator and co-writer of the "Rustle the Leaf" environmental comic strip, called and asked if I'd like to talk about Raccoon Creek Community. Silly guy, of course! Most people can't stop me. Then he explained that the interview was to be podcast!

"Cool," thought I. "Sure," I said.

Dave, and his partner, artist and co-writer Dan Wright, started podcasting the weekend before for fans of their comic strip.

You can listen to this week's edition of the Rustle the Leaf podcast interview on your own computer. The whole session is interesting. My interview begins almost smack dab in the middle.

I hope I'll be invited to talk with them again as progress continues at our site.

Incidentally, Dan drew the raccoon logo for Raccoon Creek Community.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Share your home town

In my never-ending quest to find new and useful features on the internet, I discovered "Frappr!", a service that allows groups of people to mark their locations on a group map.

I set up a Frappr map for Raccoon Creek Community. You can add your "pin" to the map, with only two restrictions:
  1. Please select your pin color accurately. There are five choices shown under the map.
  2. If you choose to enter a "shout out", please be careful to make it appropriate for "children of all ages." You'll see what a shoutout is when you visit the site.
You don't need to enter any more than a name and zip code, but you may post a picture of yourself or your home or garden. You may adjust the placement of your home "pin" to be more precise, but only if you wish to.

Let us know what you think of this feature.   If folks think it's of value, I'll add it permanently to our web site and to the "permanent" column to the right of this posting.