Monthly Archives: September 2011

Spotify and Facebook: Perfect Together

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About a month or so I received an invite to join Spotify, an on demand online music streaming service. I was already happy with the two music services I use now, Pandora and Last.fm, so I passed on the invitation. Recently Spotify teamed up with Facebook to offer its 800 million members a great way to listen to music online and share tunes with their Facebook friends, so I thought I’d give Spotify a try. I’m glad I did.

You have to download and install the Spotify program to your computer, so for some who hate downloading stuff this might be a deal breaker. A few months ago you could join the service on its own, but now a Facebook account is required. I recommend checking it out. Your Facebook friends on Spotify can decide to share their playlist and favorite artists with you or keep this info private, which just recently became an option. I like listening to music when I want and it also allows me to listen to new full-length music anytime I want. If I really enjoy the song I can buy it on iTunes. So far, I’m loving Spotify.

Did I mention the service is free? Spotify provides you with 10 hours of free music a month. There are short commercials along the way, but they’re not very annoying. If you really love the service you can opt for a premium service with unlimited music and no commercials. For now the free service works for me.

Spotify has an incredible music library, but of course not all songs/artists are available. For example, I love Seal and was happy to see that most of his music is just a click away. However another one of my favorite singers, Adele, only has her first album and her mega hit “Rolling in the Deep” from her second album, 21, available for streaming on Spotify.

Music has been social online for some time now, however this joint venture by Facebook and Spotify may take online music sharing to the next level. So if you have a Facebook account and enjoy listening to your favorite music online and finding new music your friends already like, give Spotify a try.

If you already use Spotify feel free to share your thoughts on it so far. Enjoy the music!

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National Hispanic Heritage Month – Sept. 15 thru Oct. 15

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National Hispanic Heritage Month is the period from September 15 thru October 15 in the United States. During this time our country officially recognizes the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States and celebrates Hispanic/Latino cultural heritage. The term Hispanic or Latino, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.

Hispanic Heritage Week was first observed under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 and was later expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period known as National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Hispanic population of the United States is 50.5 million as of April 1, 2010, making people of Hispanic/Latino origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 16.3 percent of the nation’s total population. In addition, there are 3.7 million residents of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

For more information on Hispanic Heritage Month check out Just the facts at HispanicOhio.com.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

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Writing on the Web: Why Blogging is Cool

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I enjoy writing on the web and believe blogging is an important platform for any writer. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, blogging is great way to get your thoughts and perspective out to the world. Some believe Facebook and Twitter will kill the blog, but I think it will continue to be a powerful medium.

You can use a blog to comment on current events, news articles you find interesting, or cover a topic that is dear to your heart. If you’re not really a writer, you can create a photo or video blog, or one to showcase your art.

There are many benefits of blogging. Blogs allow readers and viewers to comment on your work and helps direct them to other sites. Blogging also introduces you to an entire community of bloggers. Blogging helps you maintain and share your passion with others and it helps work your writing muscle. Like anything else, the more you practice the better you become.

In today’s tough and competitive work environment, blogging can help you stand out from the crowd. It can establish yourself as an expert and assist in building your résumé and your brand.

Blogging has grown immensely since the late 1990s and in such a short time it already has a rich history.

I think blogging is cool and if you don’t have a blog already you should seriously consider creating one. Here are a few links to help you get started:

I wrote my first blog entry in 2003 and don’t see myself quitting anytime soon. I may not post regularly since I lean more toward the quality of posts versus the quantity of them, but in any event I really think blogging is pretty cool.

Feel free to leave a comment sharing your thoughts on blogging.

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