The Adventurist: Showing Some Media Love

The recent news of Todd Carmichael becoming the first American to go solo and unsupported to the South Pole (and claiming a new world speed record) has put The Adventurist back in the media light.  I thought it would be a good idea to mention a couple of places that are currently mentioning myself or The Adventurist and pointing you back in their direction.

The first mention comes from Michael Klein who writes a column about local people, places, and things for The Philadelphia Inquirer.  Michael recently published this article on Todd Carmichael, then gave The Adventurist a mention in his “The Insider” blog for Philly.com.  The piece that Michael put up on ‘The Insider” takes a look at Todd’s recent speed record to the South Pole, then gets a few comments from former record holder Hannah McKeand.  Thanks for the mention, Michael!  The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of my first stops when I am reading the nations headlines.

The second mention comes from Kevin Callahan who writes outdoor stories and columns for South Jersey’s The Courier-Post.  Kevin also writes a piece concerning Todd Carmichael and gives myself and The Adventurist a very nice mention in his “Into The Outside” blog.  Some of you may know Kevin for his 15 years of service chronicling the Philadelphia Eagles for the Courier-Post.  Stop by and check out his blog for all the latest on the South Jersey outdoors scene.

Thank-you guys.  I appreciate it much and look forward to reading your work in the days ahead.

As this story continues to grow, if there are anymore mentions etc., I will mention them in this post.  Check back often for updates.

Cheers-

Jason A. Hendricks

The Adventurist 2.0 (Updated)

A few of you have already noticed that I have added a “Forum” tab to the top of this site. The Forums will be a new feature that we will be kicking off in a few short days. They are still under construction as I try to get the bugs worked out and make sure that everything will be running smooth. Never fear, though, The Adventurist Forums are coming!! Stay Tuned and check back often. I will make a post when they are officially launched.

We might as well start 2009 off with a brand new look, new theme, and some added features for The Adventurist. That is right, the site has changed looks. No more ORANGE..Yeehaa…

We have switched over to the Revolution theme on The Adventurist. It looks cleaner, has some nice lines, and offers up the ability to easily manipulate and integrate all the things that go into making a successful blog. It should be slightly easier on th eyes. The Banner is more profound. The Adventurist actually has a little ‘bling’ up there now and really pops out of the banner (special thanks to Lance Trumbull for that suggestion months ago!)

The past couple of days, you may have also noticed some slight (OK, they were major) changes to a couple of the features found on The Adventurist. The first is the addition of a program called Pluck. Pluck brings The Adventurist to the forefront of the 2.0 craze, hence the title. What this program does is it allows me to show relevant content on The Adventurist from some top notch companies, covering many of the same subjects that I write about. This program was designed by the same guys that developed Blogburst, of whom The Adventurist is syndicated through. Not only does Pluck offer my readers an extended reading experience, but it also broadcasts my posts to anyone else using the Pluck system.

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Adventurist Insight: Adventure Bay Media & Xtreme Adventurer.com

Some of my readers who follow me on Facebook (search Jason A. Hendricks) will already recognize that I have been working on a couple of projects over the past few weeks.  Some of you who did not know what was going on have  probably noticed a slight decrease in article output on The Adventurist.  Sorry for that inconvenience, but now I can discuss my latest projects and where things are heading and what some of the future holds.

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The Adventurist Accepts Invitation For Syndication In Mainstream Media

We are pleased to extend you an invitation to the BlogBurst Network.
As you know, BlogBurst is a news service bringing quality blogs onto
highly-trafficked, high-brand mainstream publisher sites like the
Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, USAToday.com, and Reuters.com.
We are very excited about including your blog in our service, and
look forward to working with you.

The Adventurist will now be featured in, and alongside, some of the biggest news organizations and newspapers in the world:  USA Today, Fox News, The Washington Post, Reuters, and upwords of 200 more newspapers and media outlets around the world. 

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The Adventurist Goes ‘Odiogo’ For Your Listening Pleasure

Technology is a wonderful thing.  I recently came across a new innovation (new to me) while browsing the political website Politco.  It was a little buttun that said ‘Listen Now’.  I clicked the button and to my amazement the whole article was read to me.  That was quite cool.  After a bit of research, I discovered that the software maker for this innovation was a company by the name of Odiogo.  It is a funny name, but quite an amazing product.

Odiogo provides sound to anything you type.  I thought this would be a crap program that would mess up many of the words that are typed.  To my amazement, it was quite fluent and easy to understand.  I have brought Odiogo to The Adventurist.

Not only can you now listen to each individual article, but now you can even download these posts into your IPod or MP3 player, much like a podcast.  The words from the article will actually go across your IPod, IPhone, or MP3 player screen, as they are being read.

Another huge bonus to this technology is that now, not only can you listen and download articles, but I can also put these articles together into a Podcast.  (as soon as I figure out how.)  This saves me a huge abundance of time and effort for something that I have been working towards for quite some time.  You may eventually see a real Podcast program here, but for the time being, this is great!

I am already finding myself listening to my own posts.  Haha.

I am going to be working with this new program, over the coming days, to see just how far I can push this technology.  I know I am suppose to be on a break, but like usual, a break to me is quite different than what it is for most.

Click the audio, check out the new technology, and let me know your thoughts.  I will be making another post in the next few days to clue you in on how you can take better advantage of this new technology at The Adventurist.

The Adventurist Launches A New Contest!!! (Come On, We All LOVE Contests Don’t We?)

Be Sure To Check Out The Latest Inductee Into The Adventurist’s Adventure Hall of Fame

I am quite fond of reading comments and reviews of other websites, and what other people think of how that site, blog, or even book looks to the public. I know this sounds weird so far, but bear with me on this, it gets good-

I am also approached quite frequently by fellow bloggers and writers on how to drive more traffic to their specific website or blog. This is happening more and more to me on a regular basis. I have teamed up with Skinny Moose Media and the Outdoor Bloggers Summit recently, and been given the chance to have an even bigger audience and media presence. Let’s face it, everyone loves readers.

In an effort to fill both of those voids I have come up with a plan to help my fellow bloggers and writers, as well as drum up some interest in to what all of us do. This contest is open to all writers and bloggers who currently run their own website, no matter what the subject and content–everyone can get involved and have some fun–

Now do the mandatory click below to read about the contest.

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The Adventurist: As Featured On…..

99% of the time I am the one featuring info on others’ endeavors. There have been a few times in the past where my site was featured or mentioned on other sites. Within this past week I have noticed, or been contacted by someone saying that my site was being featured elsewhere. This is always a surprise (and quite flattering). I am always amazed at the reach that I have received for doing something that I love. On that note, I figured I might give you a quick run-down of sites currently mentioning The Adventurist around the Internet. Most of these have just come up in the last week, but they all deserve a note.

First up is Alltop. I was previously not aware of this site, but after a few moments, I quickly realized what a great resource this is.

AllTop is pretty much ran like a news agregator service. They bring many interesting news and blog feeds in to one place and offer up a great way to glance at the headlines and cover a lot of ground quickly. The Adventurist’s RSS feed is currently being featured in their CYCLING area, but there are many other topics, as well. Just a quick glance….they have feeds representing everything from BASEBALL and EXTREME SPORTS to NEWS, OPed, and POLITICS. The Feeds range from the essential: CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOXNews, ESPN, to blogs that represent that specific subject well. Kind of cool that they have included my own feed as a reliable news and information source. I will definitely be adding this site to my list of daily reads, and after a quick visit, I am sure you will feel the same.

I have also noticed a link coming back to me from Wikipedia, everyone’s favorite online encyclopedia. It is just a small credit mention for an article I posted recently, and written by Jo Adams, about Ueli Steck receiving the 2008 Eiger Award. It is still a pretty cool mention, and as far as I am aware, this is my first Wikipedia link.

On top of those two mentions, The Adventurist is also being featured on both, The Shackleton Centenary Expedition website, as well as Todd Carmichael’s Expedition Earth site. The Shackleton Centenary Expedition mention involves my recent interview with Henry Worsley, leader of the Shackleton Centenary Expedition to the South Pole. I will be covering this expedition, as it happens, in a couple of months. For more about this expedition, be sure to check out the Shackleton Centenary Expedition to the South Pole.

From the Shackleton Centenary Expedition website:

Henry Worsley recently gave an interview to the Adventurist website, you can click the link below to read what he said:

The Adventurist
It’s great to see that more and more people are coming on board - we appreciate everyone’s interest and support - we are always eager to talk to people interested in our cause.

Todd Carmichael, whom I have also recently interviewed, has put up a nice quote from myself on the front page to his Expedition Earth website. Todd will be trying to become the first American to go solo, and unsupported to the South Pole. It is kind of cool seeing a pulled quote from myself on his site. Likewise, i will be following Todd’s expedition as it progresses. You can read more by clicking Todd Carmichael’s Expedition Earth 2008 South Pole Expedition.

By the way, Todd pulled this quote for his site, which I still agree with. It should be an exciting expedition.

Todd Carmichael’s Expedition Earth promises to be one of the most anticipated attempts at the South Pole in recent memory. This is will be an expedition of historic proportions.

The Adventurist

Alright, one last site and I should have it all covered. The Complete Hunting Reference recently posted a small piece about the launching of the Adventure Hall of Fame, here at The Adventurist. If you are a hunter then you probably already know about this site. They offer up some great tips and techniques to help those hunter’s along. Nice they showed an interest in what I am doing. Thanks.

Speaking of the Adventure Hall of Fame, nominations are still being taken for the next inductee. Come Wednesday, I will narrow this list down to 10 individuals who have received the most attention and the voting process will begin for the second official inductee. This will be an ongoing process. Every two weeks we should have a new induction-be sure to get your nominations in and read more information on this fun project as it progresses. This is definitely a community based project and I would love to see more of you get involved.

Be sure to subscribe to The Adventurist RSS Feed or Email Newsletter to catch future updates to the Adventure Hall of Fame, as well as the Shackleton Centenary Expedition and Todd Carmichael’s Expedition Earth South Pole Expedition. I have recently published a small piece with Todd over on the U.S. Outdoors Today site entitled “10 Questions with Todd Carmichael.” I will be putting up the full interview on The Adventurist, which features some bonus questions and other fun information that the U.S. Outdoors Today site doesn’t cover.

The Adventurist: Todd Carmichael Teaser..And a Quick Update..

A few days back, I posted an article about Todd Carmichael and his upcoming solo and unsupported trek to the South Pole. Todd’s goal is to become the first American to accomplish this feat, solo and unsupported, while becoming only the third person in the world to have achieved this.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Todd for The Adventurist. I will be getting that interview up in a couple of days. That should give you something to look forward to.

While I am speaking of interviews..The Shackleton Centenary Expedition…..Alan Arnette……Jamie McGuinness are all on the horizon. You can say that I have had an interesting week..

U.S. Outdoors Today is also coming together nicely. We are planning a July 4th kick-off for this latest project. Some things are in place, others will be forthcoming, and we have a few fun things in store there, as well.

Be sure to sign-up for The Adventurist RSS Feed, by any feedreader or through the email updates, to make sure you don’t miss out on the fun.

The Adventurist: Do You Digg It?

The Adventurist has recently been reviewed by the team over at www.doyoudiggit.com. I think this is the first site review I have ever had. I was a bit reluctant to read what they had to say, but luckily I stopped by and read it anyways.

From the Do You Digg It review:

Jason’s blog is a must-read for people who share his passion for adventure, climbing and the outdoors. And being that his is among the top mountaineering and adventure blogs in the world, there’s a good chance those of you who share that passion are already regular readers of Jason’s.

Ummm…

Yeah, what can you say to that? I am flattered. (and speechless)

Jason writes interesting posts that really let you see and feel the adventure through the eyes and ears of climbers and outdoorsmen and women from all over the world. He gives you the opportunity to learn things about the sport that you never even knew you wanted to know, including posts and first-hand accounts from premier climbers—like Alan Arnette of Mt. Everest fame (covering major climbs is one of the primary talents of the blog, including an almost 90-post account of Everest 2008).

I am hoping that Alan Arnette doesn’t read this.  He might get a big head and head off to K2.  I have had enough stress from Alan for one year.  Just kidding. Alan is one of the nicest and most down-to-earth guys I know.  I am sure he will be flattered, but probably question being a “premier climber”, even though he shouldn’t.  He works hard and is good at what he does.  ‘Nuff said.

To be honest, I don’t really know a lot of info in regards to the Do You Digg It site.  It was flattering to read the review and humbling to know that someone took the time to do this.  I appreciate it and thoroughly enjoyed reading someone else’s take.  Luckily, this time it was good!

If you would like to read the rest of the review, click on over to the Do You Digg It site and read “Vicarious Adventure and Outdoor Enthusiasm from The Adventurist“

The Adventurist’s Top 10 Jobs that Rock–Let the List Begin!

Outside magazine recently ran an article of recession proof and adventure-packed careers.  The list was pretty good, offering up 50 of the best jobs (Outside Magazine, May 2008) and talking to a few people about their chosen careers.  These jobs ran the course.  They represented everything from Landscape Architect to Underwater Archeologist and many things in between.  Sure, there were some pretty good jobs listed there, and if you haven’t seen this list yet, you can check it out on the Outside Online depot.  Their number 1 job listed–Adventure Filmmaker.

I’m not going to sit here and rehash their 50 best jobs.  Actually, many of them on that list hadn’t even occured to me till I read the article.  On the other hand, many of us have thought about getting that dream job.  That job that would just make life perfect, and almost bearable.  The one to cure all of our problems, meet most of our needs, and bear rewards that run deeper than next week’s paycheck.

I’m going to offer up my list of the Top 10 jobs that I have actually thought about over the years.  Following that list, I am going to count on you, my readers, to add to it.  While we’re at it, feel free to make up your own list of ‘Worst’ jobs, as well.  This idea might get a rather interesting post when things are all said and done.  We will have to wait and see.

The Adventurist’s Top Ten Jobs That Rock

10.  Alaskan Fisherman–I actually had the thought of running to Alaska, fresh out of high school, and jumping on a fishing vessel.  This was WAY before Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch“.  The inspiration came from the back of a magazine, but once I talked to someone in the field–yeah, that $30,000 for 6 months of work just wouldn’t be enough.  By the way, my source for the information on fishing in Alaska only had one arm.  ‘Nuff said.

9.  Archaeologist–This thought was probably inspired by the first “Indiana Jones” movies.  Lost Civilizations, Mammoth dinosaur bones, discovering mummies in hidden Andes caves–that all sounded pretty cool.  I even read up on the subject, studied a bit, but when it came down to it, being alone in a dirt hole with a shovel and brush really wasn’t so appealing.  Little did I know that most of the really cool discoveries were made after years and years of research and digging.

8.  Novelist–  Beginning at the age of 15, I strived to become the next Stephen King or John Grisham.  My inspiration was Ernest Hemingway and The Beat Generation.  I started writing Bestselling Novels by the time I was 17.  By the time I was 18, those Bestselling novels were still sitting in notebooks awaiting Chapters 2…3…well, you get the picture.  The writers I was reading had one big qualification that I lacked.  They actually lived the life, than wrote about it.  I tried to write and make up the details later.  At 17, there’s only so many details you can make up, and a lot of that involved women or beer, sometimes both.  I had the drinking down, but the writing sucked.

7.  Teacher– I am a bit self-absorbed on this one, but that 3 month summer vacation had my name all over it.  Little did I know that the pay was so bad that those three months would be spent at home doing research for the following year.  Not my cup of Green Tea.  Besides, I always hated school.

6.  National Park Volunteer– This was actually on my mind quite a while. Then I realized what ‘VOLUNTEER’ meant.  No money.  How was I going to afford the film to become the next Ansel Adams if I wasn’t getting paid?  Still sounds like fun, traveling park to park doing volunteer work on the trails, moving to the next park depending on the season.  Perhaps once I write that great American novel and can afford to work for free, I will reconsider.

5.  News Reporter–Anderson Cooper has nothing on me!  You hear me, Cooper?  This job seemed so interesting I went to work for my college newspaper.  I covered stories like G. Gordon Liddy and Timothy Leary visiting campus, but then my Editor decided that school council meetings, crappy sports team reporting, and the latest news of who donned the Dean’s list would be our bread and butter.  Anderson Cooper, your lucky.  That’s all I’m saying…

4.  Storm Chaser–F-5 Tornadoes and Hurricanes.  Seriously, how cool would that be?  Paid to chase down the world’s deadliest and most unpredictable weather phenomenon, take a few photos, then get the heck out of Dodge.  It’s all fun and games till you find yourself at 5-years-old, hunkered down in the back of a 1970’s Plymouth Valiant, wetting your pants uncontrollably.  That was my first Tornado experience.  After three more, I still want to wet my pants thinking about it.  Actually, I just did.  That was a joke, of course, but still when bad weather is around, my curiosity gets the best of me.

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