Thursday, March 10, 2011

New Reader? Welcome to Rural Telecommentary!

Time for Rural TeleCommentary to go public! 

Well, Rural TeleCommentary has been moving right along in the cyber world for about two months now, and so far I am quite pleased with it. I have finally decided that it is time to start expanding my readership beyond a very small group of family and past co-workers (thank you all so much for your support so far, your suggestions have been very helpful and I really appreciate when people leave comments on my posts too!).  However, the time has come to bring in more readers from the rural telecom industry. For the last few weeks I've been working on compiling a list of names of people from rural telecom associations, law firms, consulting firms, and state associations--all of whom I respect greatly for the work that they do to preserve and advocate the rural telecom industry. So, I will be sending e-mails to these select individuals (if you are a new reader and reading this post right now, then you are probably a recipient of this email). So, for my new readers, I have prepared some information that you may find useful to understand the meaning of this project.

"So, what is Rural TeleCommentary anyway?"
Rural TeleCommentary is a project I started back in January where I write about interesting and important current events in the telecommunications industry, and I analyze how the event (such as an NPRM or a new technology) will impact rural telecommunications providers.  I am also hoping to do a series of comment summaries on the USF Reform proceeding, and I just started writing a series about business opportunities for rural utility co-ops and rural telecom providers to collaborate to reach smart grid and broadband deployment goals. These are just a few examples, but if you scroll down you will see articles on a variety of other topics including Federal funding for broadband, digital piracy, the National Broadband Map, and a book review of a truly outstanding book on the telecommunications industry. Some of my topics will be extensions from classes I am taking, and others are reviews of conferences I attend. If you would like to read my first official post, you can learn more about me, my credentials, and my goals for Rural TeleCommentary. You can jump there right now!

"I like it! Do I need to do anything other than just check in and read it every so often?"
You can read and enjoy this blog in any way that works best for you, but I may offer a few suggestions regarding reader participation. Of course, you are in no way obligated to participate but increased participation will certainly make it more interesting and beneficial for everyone!
  • I would love for new readers to introduce themselves in the comments section of this post so I can get a better idea of who my audience is, which will help me pick topics that might be particularly interesting to my readers. 
  • Do you have a Google account? Gmail? Already a blogger yourself? If you have a Google account, you can click on the "follow" icon on the right side of the screen below my profile and archive. My feelings won't be hurt if you don't--I'm pretty sure the "follow" feature is just a popularity contest anyway. If you have a Google blog too, there is presumably some way we can link to each others blogs. 
  • I really, really encourage you to leave comments on my posts. One of my goals for this project is to engage in lively debates and intellectual conversations on the topics I write about. If you are an expert in a topic I have written about, please share your knowledge with us as well.
"How do I know when you post a new article?"
The fastest way for you to find out when I post new articles is to get on my e-mail list. I send an e-mail alert as soon as I post an article. If you want to be on my e-mail list, just send me an e-mail with your preferred e-mail address and you will be added to the list. I do not want to unintentionally spam anyone, so this is why I am requesting an opt-in e-mail list option. I write articles approximately once per week, so you will not be bombarded with e-mails, I promise!

Alternatively, I've been posting links to new articles on my Facebook. You are more than welcome to "friend" me on Facebook and then you will be informed when a new article is posted.

Otherwise, you can just bookmark the website and check in whenever you want.Or not. It is totally up to you!

"I like it but... I have a few suggestions for how you could improve the site."
Great!! All feedback is really appreciated. This is a learning experience for me, so feedback is really a necessary part of the process. I am also open to taking suggestions for things to write about. 

I think that about covers the basics. I invite you to scroll through my articles and I hope you enjoy Rural TeleCommentary!

Cassandra Heyne
ruraltelecommentary@gmail.com

3 comments:

  1. I caught your blog reading telecom ramblings.

    Congrats on moving towards a regulatory career.

    I would advise you that you should also do as much to learn the technologies.. I have allot of telecom lawyer friends and I am always aghast at their lack of fundamental technology awareness. Sometimes more powerful policy and legal arguments can be made if one truly understands the technology.

    Cheers

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  2. Hi Jeff! Thank you for the suggestion. My graduate program at University of Colorado is about 1/2 telecom engineering (plus business, economics and policy which are all much more in my comfort zone) so I am doing my best to learn the technologies behind video, wireless, fiber and traditional telecom systems. My undergraduate background is not in engineering, so it has definitely been challenging, however I think it will be rewarding in the end to understand these concepts.

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  3. Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It's the little changes that produce the most important changes. Many thanks for sharing!

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