Posts Tagged Social Networking

A Penny for Your 140-Character Thoughts

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Innovation on March 24, 2011

bradfitzpatrick.com

March 21st, 2011 marked the fifth year anniversary of Twitter.  If you’re like me, a Twitter neophyte, you’re just learning that the art of writing only 140 characters is no game of jacks.  Rather, writing 140 characters of pithy but still interesting material is really rather intimidating.  For those who have mastered Twitter, 140 characters is all one really needs for breaking news alerts, serialized posts, and even poetry.

The Week in Review section of this past weekend’s New York Times celebrated five years of Twitter with “twaikus” written by readers.  The celebratory article was titled “How Do I Love Thee?  Count 140 Characters,” and highlighted other examples of brief but entertaining tweets, ranging from 140 character summaries of great literature to a serialized twitter story from author John Wray.  In reading the article, I couldn’t help thinking: is this what the current age is about- brevity?  If so, why am I about to begin my senior seminar paper that requires at least twenty sources?

For the Jewish world, being brief seems rather impossible.  I don’t want to generalize, but we tend to be a people with a knack for gabbing.  There are a few arenas in Judaism for which I cannot picture 140 characters would provide enough wiggle room.  Though I can’t say how many Jews tweet their experiences in synagogue, I suspect most would have much to say in reaction to a sermon or joyous occasion.  Examples of Jewish moments that need more than 140 characters to tweet about include my rabbi’s sermons, a Bar or Bat Mitzvah speech, and an adult education lesson.  Examples of Jewish moments that I sometimes wish would only be 140 characters include my family’s Passover Seder so that I can eat, the lecture I get every year at five minutes to sundown on Yom Kippur when I am dying for a bagel, and endless kvetching.

On the other hand, could Twitter be a way to get kids more engaged in Jewish learning?  Instead of a response paragraph, could an educator ask for a tweet response and possibly see greater participation?  If blog posts are the current form of discussion that educators are including in their curriculum, tweets could be next.  140 character summaries or responses are not only trying, but also require true knowledge of a text.  Next time you finish a book or an article, see if you can boil it down to 140 characters!

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We Received a Blogger Award!

Posted by admin in Jewish Knowledge, JPS History on July 28, 2010

The JPS blog just received a Beautiful Blogger Award from our friends and co-authors of JPS title Dictionary of Jewish Words: A JPS Guide, Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, who blog at Schmoozing with the Word Mavens.

To claim our reward, we have to share 7 little known facts about JPS and pass the award on to 7 other blogs.

Things you might not know about The Jewish Publication Society:

  1. On July 28, 1893 (exactly 117 years ago today), the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent announced that Henrietta Szold would be moving to Philadelphia from her home in Baltimore to serve as the secretary and first paid employee of JPS. Although she worked under the title and salary of secretary, she served as translator, indexer, fact checker, proofreader, statistician, administrator, and editor, overseeing the publication of 87 books during her tenure. Prior to working for JPS, Szold was elected as the only female member of its publication committee when JPS was founded in 1888.
  2. The first Jewish Publication Society was initially founded in 1845 in Philadelphia, but was dissolved 6 years later after a fire destroyed the building and the entire JPS stock. The American Jewish Publication Society was then established in 1871, but folded only a few years later as a result of an economic downturn and organizational neglect.
  3. The organization was originally called The Jewish Publication Society of America, but later dropped “of America” in 1986.
  4. In the early years, JPS brand tag line was “Israel’s Mission is Peace,” which was written on the organization’s original seal (right). The seal depicted a scene from the book of Isaiah and was only used until 1906.
  5. The extensive index for the original edition of Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg was written on 70,000 index cards. Henrietta Szold fell in love with Ginzberg while working with him on the book. On a trip to Europe, he returned engaged to a younger woman, named Adele Katzenstein, which devastated Szold.
  6. In the beginning stages of World War II, JPS rushed into print Cold Pogrom (1939) to bring greater attention to the plight of European Jewry. In 1941, at the request of the U.S. government, the Society undertook a secret mission by printing in Greek, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, and Rumanian pamphlets that were dropped from planes behind the enemy lines.
  7. The very first JPS book was Outlines of Jewish History, by Lady Katie Magnus, though JPS’s best selling book of all time is the JPS Tanakh, which was first published in 1917 and later updated in 1985.

And here are our choices for blogs to receive the beautiful blogger award:

  1. The Book of Life: A podcast & blog about Jewish books, music, film & web
  2. Jewish Book Council Blog: A blog about trends in the Jewish literary scene, interesting new titles, etc. It also features a bi-weekly author blog series with guest posts by emerging authors.
  3. People of the Books: A blog by the Association of Jewish Libraries dedicated to Jewish book news and reviews as well as information about AJL’s projects
  4. Mixed Multitudes – My Jewish Learning: A blog by My Jewish Learning that explores current events and issues related to Judaism.
  5. The Scroll – Tablet Magazine: Tablet Magazine’s daily blog covering Jewish news around the world.
  6. Jewish Treats: The National Jewish Outreach Program’s blog that offers daily “Juicy Bits of Judaism” including bite-sized facts, actions and prayers that are easy to digest and are a great way to make a daily connection to Judaism in two minutes or less.
  7. Jewish Literary Review: A blog about Jewish books, Jewish novels, Jewish writing, news about books and the occasional author interview.

-Jill Finkelstein

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Reasons Why You Should Become Our Facebook Fan

Posted by admin in JPS Books on March 29, 2010

If you haven’t become our Facebook fan yet, you are missing out! Starting in April, we will be giving away a FREE book, ebook, audio book, or gift certificate each month to one of our lucky Facebook fans. All you have to do is go to our fan page and click “Become a Fan” and check back frequently to see if your name has been posted. It’s as easy as that!

In addition, we currently host weekly contests through our Twitter where our followers have a chance to win free books, audio books, or ebooks! Past contests have offered prizes for retweeting, answering JPS trivia, and so on.

JPS may be a 120+ year-old organization, but we have definitely taken the leap into the 21st century and we strive to stay ahead with new social media trends to connect with the Jewish community. In addition to our blog, our Facebook and Twitter pages have made it easy for us to post updates about what we’re doing and to communicate with our readers. Not only do these sites help us to provide content that our readers want to see, now you can benefit just by joining in on our conversations.

So now what are you waiting for! Follow us, become a fan and start winning!

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A JPS Take On LimmudPhilly

Posted by Carol in Jewish Knowledge on March 16, 2010

Last weekend was my first LimmudPhilly, but not my last. I’m hooked on this kind of learning fest experience.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/limmudphilly

Over 600 gathered at the Gershman Y and University of the Arts in Philadelphia for an evening and a day of conversation, learning, music, dance, and crafts, and eating, of course.  It began with the most exhilarating havdalah service I’ve ever attended: “Kosher Gospel” with pianist and singer Josh Nelson. And it ended with one of the most thought-provoking discussions I can remember on the Jewish concept of God. In between I found out why the Dead Sea Scrolls still matter (even though I knew they do, as I work on the JPS Lost Bible project); got a preview of the new National Museum of American Jewish History, opening this fall in Philadelphia; and listened to the Golem Psalms, a choral cantata based on the 16th century legend of the Golem of Prague.

But the session that most impressed me was the one on the changing nature of Jewish identity and community, because it confirmed what I see all around me: So many young Jews are looking beyond traditional ways of experiencing Judaism. They’re a diverse group who define themselves through self-expression, not through affiliation with one of the movements. They’re intellectually active, and they create social networks around their Jewish interests. In other words, the Limmud experience.

To find out more about Limmd programs around the US and world, go to www.limmudinternational.org

-Carol Hupping, Interim Director

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Easy-to-Keep New Year’s Resolutions!

Posted by Sarah in JPS Books, Publishing, Uncategorized on December 29, 2009

New Year’s – one of those really big flashy holidays where everything glitters. Literally. People sit around with bubbly champagne, crazy hats, and a list of things they plan to do differently in the coming year.

That’s right, the infamous list of New Year’s resolutions. The things each person wants to change, but rarely does. So, maybe it’s time to find some New Year’s resolutions that you can easily accomplish! Need some help? Here are some easy resolutions just for you, from JPS:

1. Read a book that you’d never think to read – Ever get too caught up in the things you know you like and forget about trying something new? The New Year is a perfect time to branch out and read a book that is totally out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s a New York Times bestseller, a used out-of-print novel, or a JPS title , I can guarantee you that the books you may be least likely to read are sometimes the ones that surprise you most. So, take a chance!

2. Comment on a blog – whether you’re a fan or not, blogs are here to stay (woohoo!), so you might as well take part in the action! Bloggers, myself included, love to hear what readers have to say. I mean, after all, it IS an interactive community, meaning we thrive off comments and discussion. Even if you disagree with what’s being said, tell us! It spices up the conversation.

3. Try an e-book – Yes, I know I’ve made it clear that I’m not entirely sold on e-readers and e-books, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see what they’re like! Got an iPod touch? Or a friend with a Kindle? If so, take some time to check out a device, and then let us know what you think! We’re always interested in hearing more about the print vs. e-book debate.

Try out these simple resolutions, and start out the New Year on a high.  Good luck!

-Sarah

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Become Your Own Book Critic

Posted by Sarah in Jewish Books, Publishing on October 22, 2009

Imagine it. A place where social networking combines with books – creating one of the largest communal book groups in existence. When I heard that such a place existed, I was so excited. What better combination could there be bookstacksfor someone like me, who works with social media and books everyday? My only disappointment is that it took me almost three years to discover this place. So, for all of you out there who have yet to stumble upon this site and hear about it from friends, allow me to invite you into the world of Goodreads!

It all started a week or so ago when a friend of mine insisted that I join. When I asked her what it was all about, she told me about how members can indicate which books they are reading and have read in the past, and then review/rate their selections. The site includes millions of books for readers to rate, and even allows individuals to add books that the site may have missed. How cool is this?! You can make an entirely virtual library and share with other the greatest books you’ve ever read, along with the greatest duds. Delve into this site, and you’ll find books spanning numerous genres, allowing you to experience any type of writing you want!

goodreads

Here’s the best part. You can find JPS books on Goodreads!

Have you been dying for a way to share with people your favorite JPS books? Or, maybe you wish you could’ve reviewed a JPS book, but you had no way of doing so. Well, now you do! Not to mention, we love seeing how the public feels about our books, so take this opportunity to share your opinions with us and the rest of the reading community. And, of course, relish in the chance to connect with others through similar reading interests! There’s nothing more exciting than finding someone who loves the same books you do.

Have fun!

-Sarah

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Announcing Another JPS Weekly Twitter Contest!

Posted by Sarah in Jewish Books, Publishing on October 13, 2009

Want a free book? Who doesn’t?

Well, JPS is announcing new and easy way to win a free JPS book!

Source: http://s3.amazonaws.com

Starting today we’ll be kicking off a weekly Re-tweeting contest. Simply start following us (@jewishpub) and retweet the official contest tweet (posted every Tues at 2 pm EST) and become eligible to win a select JPS book! Each round of the contest will last for several days, ending on Tuesday at 12 pm one week after the official contest tweet. That gives you seven days to become a follower and retweet the appropriate message!  The weekly winner will be chosen at random.

This contest will be in addition to our usual weekly Twitter contest, which takes place every Wednesday at 2 pm EST. So if you haven’t already been playing that, start now!

In order to participate in these contests, you must have a U.S. mailing address so that you can receive your prize.

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Televised Services – Too Much?

Posted by Sarah in Jewish Books on September 17, 2009

When it comes to offering easy ways to pray, how much is too much?

I was reading a great eJewish Philanthropy blog post today that discussed the availability of free High Holiday services for those wishing to participate without spending a lot of their hard-earned money. As someone who was until recently a student, I definitely appreciate the fact that there are places to pray without having to pay for a seat. And, in these economic times, the idea has become more commonplace as synagogues wish to avoid discouraging attendance. Therefore, as I read this post, I was pleased to see such a variety of ways to participate in the High Holidays without putting a huge dent in your wallet. However, I soon stumbled upon the mention of a possibility that startled me: Jewish TV Network actually offers a televised Kol Nidre service!

Source: http://www.fotosearch.com

Source: http://www.fotosearch.com

Needless to say, I’ve never heard of this before, and the idea doesn’t make me happy.

Let’s think about it. The High Holiday season is one of the few (maybe even the only) times a year that almost every Jew attends services. Synagogues only typically half full or scraping by to get a minyan find themselves forced to offer a standing room only section as pews fill to capacity. Picture it. A time of year when such a large group comes together to pray. The sense of community is fantastic! So, imagine my disappointment upon discovering that people may have a way to avoid attending services, thanks to the offering of a televised gathering. Do people really need a reason to stay home? The option certainly makes sense for those physically unable to attend. In fact, I think it’s wonderful that these people still have a way to experience the holidays. But, what about everyone else?

In a society where technology is so prevalent, do we really need it taking over another aspect of our lives? Relying on a TV for services eliminates the communal feeling, the commitment ones makes to G-d by attending services, and the feeling of participation. Therefore, this High Holiday season, I beg you! Go to synagogue. Feel the connection. And, truly ring in the New Year.

-Sarah

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The Book of Life Podcast: Why be Social?

Posted by Alx in Jewish Books, Jewish Innovation, Jewish Knowledge, JPS Books on August 20, 2009

Heidi Estrin who produces the Book of Life Podcast has outdone herself. She has put together a four-part series of podcasts called Why be Social? that pretty much sums up Social Media.  The concept was born from a session given at the AJL convention in Chicago by Mark Blevis.  Below is the series in its entirety.  Enjoy!

-Alx

Why Be Social? Part 1, Philosophy

SHOW NOTES:

Why Be Social? To add a Jewish point of view to the social media landscape!

At the Association of Jewish Libraries 2009 convention in Chicago this summer, podcaster Mark Blevis led a session on Social Media that opened the floodgates of people’s curiosity. Convention attendees wanted to learn more about social media: what it is, what it means to participate, and how to get started. As a continuation of that conversation, The Book of Life is offering a series of podcast episodes called “Why Be Social?”

Part 1 in the Why Be Social series considers the philosophical aspects of technology in our lives. The wide-ranging conversation was held during breakfast at the Association of Jewish Libraries 2009 convention, the morning after the social media convention session.

AUDIO:

Click the play button on our traditional flash player to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer’s media player.

EMBED:

If you’d like to place this audio on your own web site, please use this stand-alone player from Entertonement. Click the embed button and copy the code!
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VIDEO:

This very funny video (in Norwegian! but with English subtitles) reminds us of how difficult an unfamiliar technology can seem at first, and how simple it can turn out to be. Thanks to Mark Blevis for the link – he showed this video as an ice-breaker during his social media session at the AJL convention.

CREDITS:

Produced by: Feldman Children’s Library at Congregation B’nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook fan page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com!

Why Be Social? Part 2, Definitions

SHOW NOTES:

Why Be Social? To add a Jewish point of view to the social media landscape!

At the Association of Jewish Libraries 2009 convention in Chicago this summer, podcaster Mark Blevis led a session on Social Media that opened the floodgates of people’s curiosity. Convention attendees wanted to learn more about social media: what it is, what it means to participate, and how to get started. As a continuation of that conversation, The Book of Life is offering a series of podcast episodes called “Why Be Social?” Click here for Part 1.

This is Why Be Social, Part 2. The morning after the social media session at the convention, I conducted some quick “man on the street” interviews, asking people for their own definitions of blogging and podcasting. Every single person had a good answer!

AUDIO:

Click the play button on our traditional flash player to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer’s media player.

EMBED:

If you’d like to place this audio on your own web site, please use this stand-alone player from Entertonement. Click the embed button and copy the code!
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VIDEO:

Here are two videos from Common Craft that give additional definitions of blogging and podcasting: “Blogs in Plain English” and “Podcasting in Plain English.”


CREDITS:

Produced by: Feldman Children’s Library at Congregation B’nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook fan page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com!

Why Be Social? Part 3, Suggestions

SHOW NOTES:

Why Be Social? To add a Jewish point of view to the social media landscape!

At the Association of Jewish Libraries 2009 convention in Chicago this summer, podcaster Mark Blevis led a session on Social Media that opened the floodgates of people’s curiosity. Convention attendees wanted to learn more about social media: what it is, what it means to participate, and how to get started. As a continuation of that conversation, The Book of Life is offering a series of podcast episodes called “Why Be Social?” Here’s Part 1 and Part 2.

This is Why Be Social, Part 3. I hope the earlier episodes in this series have gotten you interested checking out some real live blogs and podcasts. There are zillions of blog and podcast websites online, so where do you get started? Here with some suggestions of blogs and podcasts relating to Jewish literature is Alx Block, Online Sales and Marketing Manager for the Jewish Publication Society. Scroll down for links to those suggestions, and to a list of blogs and other social media sites that are read by, and sometimes created by, individual members of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Have fun checking them out!

AUDIO:

Click the play button on our traditional flash player to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer’s media player.

EMBED:

If you’d like to place this audio on your own web site, please use this stand-alone player from Entertonement. Click the embed button and copy the code!
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Here are links to the blogs and podcasts we talk about in this episode (in order discussed):



Social media recommendations by Association of Jewish Libraries members:

Barbara Bibel says: I like Karen Schneider’s blog, “Free Range Librarian.” I also like the blogs that Booklist Online has. I contribute to one of them, “Points of Reference.”

Ezra Chwat suggests: Giluy Milta B’’alma
In this blog, we present primary publications, or announcements of new and interesting findings, in Hebrew manuscripts. Often, significant discoveries are not on the scale of a full-size periodical article, but are nonetheless worthy of knowing about. This department is also a good place to announce preliminary findings, in order to arouse discussion and input of fellow scholars, before the final and complete publication. Your short article, or announcement (subject to the discretion of the editors) will be posted on our blog and will be stored in the blogs retrievable archive, as well as in a hardcopy archive. The archive which will be stored in the stacks of the National Library of Israel, and each accepted post will be allotted a serial number for bibliographic citation (this post is numbered GMB0001). Post your discoveries, findings, and previews in a short article (3 printed pages or less), at giluy.milta@gmail.com.

Marie Cloutier says: I blog about books (Jewish and non-) at www.bostonbibliophile.com. I also blog about crafts at crafthour.blogspot.com, for Temple Israel at tisraelbostonsummerinthecity.blogspot.com (say that 3x fast) and Hello Kitty collecting at hellokittyboston.blogspot.com. I’m active on Twitter (@bostonbibliophl), LibraryThing, Delicious and other applications. I used to listen to a lot of podcasts but have tapered that off substantially and now listen to Book of Life and Books on the Nightstand.

Heidi Estrin (me): I host The Book of Life podcast and blog, and I helped AJL establish its blog and podcast. I also blog for AJL’s South Florida chapter at www.sfajl.org, and occassionally for the Sydney Taylor Book Award at sydneytaylorbookaward.blogspot.com.

I love to listen to these great podcasts:


And a few of the blogs that I read are:

Val Morehouse says: My personal blog called HoopDance [poetry, books, podcasts, etc.] is at www.valmorehouse.com.

Linda Silver is the force behind the Jewish Values Finder database at www.ajljewishvalues.org. She says: I read many political blogs, esp. those having to do with Israel. I read some book-related stuff, such as the (mostly trivial) newsletters from SLJ, Kirkus, and PW that appear among my email messages.

Karen Ulric gave us two whole lists:

Library Blogs
• AssortedStuff
• Gargoyles loose in the library
• Google Librarian Central
• Google Librarian Newsletter Google Group
• Killin’ time being lazy
• Librarians’ Internet Index: New This Week
• Library Garden
• Library of Congress Blog
• Library of Congress: News
• NPR Blogs: As A Matter Of Fact
• People of the Books
• The Shifted Librarian

Literature Blogs
• A Fuse #8 Production
• Brooklyn Arden
• educating alice
• Hennepin County Library – Bookspace Blog
• Judge a Book by its Cover
• Muller In the Middle
• NPR Topics: Books
• Saints and Spinners
• The Longstockings
• Ypulse: Media for the Next Generation

Jane Zande says: Besides The Book of Life and the AJL blog, I regularly read Marie Cloutier’s blog, The Boston Bibliophile. A part of her blog is just for Jewish books:
http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/search/label/jewish%20interest.

CREDITS:

Produced by: Feldman Children’s Library at Congregation B’nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook fan page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com!

Why Be Social? Part 4, Create-Consume-Contribute

Why be social? To add a Jewish point of view to the social media landscape!

At the Association of Jewish Libraries 2009 convention in Chicago this summer, podcaster Mark Blevis led a session on Social Media that opened the floodgates of people’s curiosity. Convention attendees wanted to learn more about social media: what it is, what it means to participate, and how to get started. As a continuation of that conversation, The Book of Life is offering a series of podcast episodes called “Why Be Social?” Here are the earlier segments: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

This is Why Be Social, Part 4. In this episode, blogger and podcaster Mark Blevis, the one who started this entire conversation, joins Heidi to talk about what it means to participate in life online. Scroll down for links to Mark’s many online projects and for links to some non-Jewish social media sources I want you to know about (you’ll hear why on the show).

AUDIO:

Click the play button on our traditional flash player to listen to the podcast now:

Or click MP3 File to start your computer’s media player.

EMBED:

If you’d like to place this audio on your own web site, please use this stand-alone player from Entertonement. Click the embed button and copy the code!
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RELATED LINKS:

Mark Blevis’s online projects:

Non-Jewish social media sites worth your participation:

CREDITS:

Produced by: Feldman Children’s Library at Congregation B’nai Israel
Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries
Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
Facebook fan page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
Twitter: @bookoflifepod

Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com!

Why Be Social? The Whole Megillah

Our “Why Be Social?” series was posted in four parts. Here, for your convenience, are all four episodes together in a single player.


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones!

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Jewish Book Search!

Posted by Alx in Jewish Books, Jewish Innovation, Jewish Knowledge, JPS Books on August 3, 2009

Finally, people interested in searching for Jewish Book content have a place to go!

So here on the JPS blog, we try to make sure that our posts are about the Jewish Book World at large, and not just our own titles.  Each time we search on the topic to try to come up with posts it just seems that we are weeding through tons and tons of pages that are not relevant at all to the world that we are so excited about.

Well.  We decided to do something about it.

We have put together a list of the highest quality websites with Jewish Book content. This search engine queries those sites and those alone. This will allow you to be sure that your search will only be related to Jewish Books. No more sifting through tons of content for what you are looking for. Search for any and all Jewish Books, articles about Jewish Books, blogs about Jewish Books, and anything about the Jewish Book world. Search by title, author, keyword, or area of interest!

The Jewish Book Search has been born!

Jewish Book Search

We would love to add your Jewish Book related site into the search engine. Just shoot me an email at  jewishbook@jewishpub.org letting me know that you have added a link to the Jewish Book Search and we will see if your site is a good fit. To ensure the quality of the search, not all sites can be added.

You can even add this search to your site!

Just copy and paste this code where you want it to display:



-Alx

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