Brad Rourke

Category: blogs

  • The Death and Birth of My Facebook Profile

    A word to the wise. My original, longstanding, totally legit Facebook account was disabled today because a scammer used my photos in a fake account under a different name. Facebook shut down my account for pretending to be someone I was not, even after I sent a photo of my ID through proper channels. This…

  • This Space Is Mine

    The recent Instagram terms of service controversy has got me thinking. It seems that, inexorably, we have been drawn to social media in deeper and deeper ways over the past three years or so. 2010 was the year Facebook took off and it is now the center of gravity for mainstream social media. Twitter is…

  • Nine Rules For Discussing Tough Issues Online

    Apropos of yesterday’s lament about uncivil behavior online, here are some rules I try to follow when discussing contentious issues on social media and in blog comment threads: Say nothing online I would not say in person Be very mild with language because it can be misconstrued and taken the wrong way Remember my conversation…

  • Anger In Online Interactions

    The horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary School have set people across the nation on edge. People are shocked, grieving, angry, confused, frightened, and more. People are reaching out to one another. In person (on the street, in coffee houses) and on social media (Facebook, Twitter, blog comment threads) people are conversing. As a proponent…

  • Farewell, Rockville Central

    As many of my friends and colleagues know, in June 2007 I founded a local blog called Rockville Central. Within a week or two [correction: the first day] my friend and colleague, Cindy Cotte Griffiths, joined me and we co-managed the blog from that point forward. Over time, it grew to be the second most-read…

  • Featured On Page One Of Washington Post's Sunday Business Section

    I was away on vacation and so was not there to bask in the glory, but I was given a heads-up by the reporter and knew it was coming: On Sunday, June 26, me and my colleague Cindy Cotte Griffiths were featured on the front page of the Washington Post’s business section. The story, by…

  • Reactions To Moving A Community Hub To Facebook

    I just sent out my periodic email to folks (you can sign up at the right) and in it I gave a quick recap of the reaction to our decision this week to move Rockville Central to Facebook. I thought you might be interested to read the note, as it collects much of the response…

  • Moving A Local Blog To Facebook-Only

    This morning we announced that our highly successful local news blog, Rockville Central, would be shifting focus. We will no longer be updating Rockville Central’s website, but instead will shift 100% to Facebook. We think this is a pioneering — and gutsy — move. What allows us to make this move is that Rockville Central…

  • I Have A Secret Enemy

    Like anyone with a blog, I have to deal with spam comments on a daily basis. I have a filter (Akismet) that takes care of a lot of it, and the few that slip through are no big deal. I just mark them as spam and move on. But lately, I’ve been getting a new…