This is a morbid, buzz-killing topic, but it’s really important. My January Her Nashville Chic Geek column pushes you to  think about who–if anyone–will take over your online identity, accounts, etc. when you leave this world.

Here’s teaser; read the full thing at HerNashville.com:

If I should die before I wake, my Facebook password my husband should take. Oh, and an auto-reply message on my Gmail he should make, but my Twitter, LinkedIn,eBay, and PayPal accounts he may forsake … Read More…

A blizzard! (And a reason to figure out how to add several photos to one post without them looking pitiful.)

E-book faithful, rejoice! The public relations, social media and productivity ramblings you read for free here at FlackRabbit.com are now available for a monthly subscription fee of $1.99 on the Amazon Kindle (affiliate link)!  If you choose to have FlackRabbit delivered to your Kindle, I’ll be ever-so giddy! And I’ll get like 50 cents or something.

We’ll file this one under “this is so freakin cool.”

Oh, and if you are interested in adding your own blog to Amazon Kindle, you can submit it for approval here. Be prepared to give over your tax ID and bank info; they need to be sure you’re legit and whatnot. After you submit your feed, masthead, screen shot, etc., you’ll be told it will take 48-72 hours before your blog is available for subscription. It took them 11 days to approve mine–but it was worth it because this is really neato.

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I love that when one searches for things like “tea cup poodle,” my blog is offered up as a search result in Google Images. It makes sense, of course, because Georgia is kind of a big deal.

It’s also funny that my February 2009 joy over finding the perfect shade of natural nail polish at Walgreens is one of FlackRabbit’s top posts of all time. For real, Google, Bing and Yahoo send the nail polish needy here just about everyday.

From the FlackRabbit search term referrer log:

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From LinkedIn profile peeping to blog surfing, nothing you do on the Web is a secret. (Nor “semi-private,” as the Mayor of Arlington, TN will tell you.) It’s not that Big Brother is spying on you, it’s that everywhere you go, your Internet browser leaves behind a trail.

A recent example: a White House staffer reads Suburban Turmoil and Lindsay Ferrier has the screen shots to prove it.

Is it cool and fabulous that a person inside the most powerful office in the world reads Lindsay’s blog? Um, totally! Did he for one minute think the author of the blog would ever know, much less write about said visit? Nope.

Know this: nearly all Web authors–including this one–check their Google Analytics and/or StatPress-type visitor logs. We’re curious about the number of folks who find our writing interesting, how often you come back, etc. It’s actually sort of an obsession akin to watching a Chia Pet grow.

We can’t see your name or street address, but we know your city and state. We can’t see the name of your company, but we usually can see the server upon which you surf (state/federal employees!). We can even see what search term you used to find us, what Website referred you, how long you hung around and what links you clicked on.

If knowing content managers are spying on your stats makes you feel a tad icky, I’m sorry I’ve made you feel uncomfortable. That said, you know how I feel about your Web wanderings: a healthy dose of caution is always a good thing.

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I love the Internet for many reasons, but one of them happens to be its ability to provide third-party confirmation of random truths. Here are a few…

When you look up how to find people on Twitter, my profile is the example they’ve used for a couple of years now. I’ve no clue why:

D.C. is not only a town where snow is frequently predicted, it actually happens:

People really do read your blog:

Amazon affiliate links can earn you some cash for things you forgot you linked to:

Speaking of Amazon links, from here on out I’ll be following those links with a note that says “affiliate link.” This means that if you buy something from Amazon using the link I’ve provided, I’ll get a penny or two. Unless you buy the Harry Potter paperback box set (affiliate link), in which case I get $2.00!

Image by K!T via Flickr

Good grief. The mayor of a tiny Tennessee town outside of Memphis is throwing a tantrum about missing the end of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. I love Charlie Brown as much as the next guy, but seriously? Does this really warrant publishing a Facebook rant about how the President of the United States is a Christ-hating, Charlie Brown-interrupting Muslim?

I’m embarrassed for three reasons:

A) this guy is an elected official, and

B) he is making important decisions on behalf of folks in my home state, and

C) dude clearly doesn’t understand there is no privacy on the Internet. Not that he was seeking privacy when he posted this insanity for 1,600 “friends” to see. Read More…

I’ll never tire of folks emailing, DMing, Facebook messaging and calling with geek/productivity/PR questions. It’s amazing what a little perspective and encouragement will do for a person; I’m honored to be someone you call on when you need that.

Here’s the thing though: you seldom ask your question in the comments on my blog(s) or on Twitter. You seem to like your privacy. That’s cool, but I’d like to encourage you to share the Q & A luv; that’s what makes the Internet so fabulous, ya know? Wisdom of crowds and what not. Read More…

I’m employed at a place where the facts determine every action and reaction; however, I’ve no data to defend my absolute belief that confidence in yourself and your purpose in the Universe will make you more successful in the workplace.

Confident people speak up, ask questions, aren’t afraid to take smart risks, can usually admit when they are wrong, and most importantly, can build the self-esteem of workplace colleagues without sacrificing their own.  They are not perfect. But folks who can see both the forest AND the trees do tend to be better managers of people and team players. They even eat healthier.

Unfortunately, way to many folks seem to be lacking basic self-confidence, which is so often a catalyst for optimism and inherent understanding of how good/courageous/smart/important/talented you are. Not cockiness; just a healthy dose of “I like me.”

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because of the flood of feedback regarding my latest Her Nashville column, “Spread Your News.” Readers seem to be thankful for the gentle reminder that they’re real contributors deserving of recognition. Well, of course you are, folks. And it pains me that you don’t know it.

I’ve written before about the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people.  A sincere pep-talk from a colleague/friend doesn’t mean you won’t have bad days or moments of despair — it’s that these challenges won’t break your spirit because, with help, you’ll keep them in perspective. It’s how people defeat Cancer, find valuable lessons in tragedy, and eventually, peace out of grief.

Training your mind to focus on the positive takes discipline, the humility to act on advice from other people, and the willingness to accept well-deserved praise. This cannot be done in a vacuum, nor in a negative and abusive environment.

Start today. Take inventory of your the company you keep. If they aren’t building you up, encouraging you to shine, offering constructive criticism, and celebrating your wins – no matter how small – you’ll need to balance out your dance card with folks who do. Your mind, body, spirit and career path will be ever so grateful.

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DC Flacks wrapped up our last happy hour of 2009 last night (we’ve got 68 members now – can you believe it?!). We had a great turnout and a surprise visit from Joe Flood’s very talented (and delightful) friend Vincent, who took these FABULOUS pics of our peeps and their various appetizers.

Oh, and this hysterical shot of Team Newman in the wild:

If you are a PR or PA pro in the D.C.-area, we’d love to meet you! We simply gather each month to talk shop, meet new peeps and share a beverage. No big whoop. Join us here and follow our #DCFlacks tag on Twitter.