Sueblimely - Discovering Blogging

Labels: Australia

Labels: Social Networking

Labels: Blog Tools, Social Networking

I have discovered two more ways to make blogging life easier!

The first I would like to talk about is co.mments, a method I am using to keep track of comments on blogs with posts of interest and those that I have left a comment on myself.

Bloggers who interact with their readers and develop a dialog, by responding to comments, can develop discussions that make a blog come alive. They are creating their own communities. I enjoy reading and participating in these commenting sessions because:

• they are helping me develop a social/friendship network


• they often contain valuable information that leads me to information/further research for this blog.


• They have been valuable for helping to develop my own readership.

If you have any points to add to this please let us know.
Being informed when there is a reply to a comment that I have left on another blog, or new comments on a topic of interest, means I can go back and respond further if necessary.

I used to save the post page to a folder on my links toolbar but I tended not to look at the folder regularly enough. Where a 'subscribe to comments' feature is available I would use this but some posts generate masses of comments for a while after, crowding my inbox. These are normally the very popular blogs where I feel comments are left mainly for the purpose of leaving a link. To me these blogs, although having very large readerships, do not in general have such a community feel to them.

When I first read of co.mments my curiosity was immediately aroused and after using it to keep track of comments for a while now, I am a firm fan.

How does it work?

Very simply and quickly (I love simple and quick!):-

• Add the co.mments bookmarklet to your bookmarks toolbar.


• Click this bookmarklet button when you are on a post page whose comments you want to track. co.mments works in the background with no more input needed. A little pop up appears confirming the bookmark along with a link to your personal co.omments page.


• This action creates a page at co.mments that shows post summaries and all new comments on the posts you have co.mment bookmarked.


• A 'conversations' page shows recently bookmarked pages of all the sites users.


• There is no need to visit the site each time you wish to read comments on your bookmarked posts as an RSS feed and email notifications are available. I have added the feed to my Thunderbird news reader so it is easy for me to keep up to date without getting masses of emails.

Other useful features:

• Make it easy for your readers to follow your blog's comments by adding a link to let them track comments on your posts. - you can see mine below just next to the comments link.


• If you use FeedBurner, you can add comment tracking to your feeds.


• For WordPress users the Sociable plugin includes support for co.mments


• Registration is not necessary as a cookie is used to track your bookmarked posts but I preferred to do so as I like to clean out my cookies from time to time.


• The option of adding a widget to your own blog allows others to see where you have been commenting.

I have started testing out a similar application coComment and will let you know if I find it of more use. So far it is shaping up well and has more social networking features - although I am not sure I need more!

I will post about the second application that can make the life of a blogger easier tomorrow.

(That was not a deliberate ploy to get you to return here tomorrow, I just did not have time to finish the post today. Many bloggers do use such teasers. I am wondering what you think about them?)

Labels: Awards

I have been trying out the newish social media desktop application, 8hands, for a couple of week or so and give it the thumbs up because it has been saving me time - in some respects at least.*

• 8hands lets you access your Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, MySpace, and Twitter accounts from your desktop.
  
• Notification is given of new comments, messages, friend notifications and new videos. You are alerted to these with a pop up message.
  
• Notifications are also viewable from friends avatars in the 8hands window. Clicking on messages takes you to the messenger's profile.
  
• An archive of messages is also provided, which is handy if you have not logged in for a while, but I do find this slow to load.
• You are able to chat with your 8hands friends and share Flickr images and YouTube videos.
  

I have not had to trawl through emails for notifications but have relied on 8hands instead. I only visit the sites when I know there is some action that I want to take.

* The reason it has only saved me time in some respects is that once on the sites I tend to get sidetracked from tasks at hand - such a writing blog posts and work. I find Facebook to be particularly addictive! Do any of you feel the same way or are are there other social networking sites that have this affect on you?

Labels: Blog Tools

Thank you so much to and Zubli and Shinade The Painted Veil for bestowing the above award on me, given to those who "share vital and valuable information at their blogs".

I would like to pass this on to Dad & Mom of 6 Autistic Kids at Autism Bites (with new site in the pipeline at www.autismbites.com). I admire this couple who have a huge challenge with their children and still manage to blog regularly with a very positive attitude and some humor thrown in. Reading this may help us all learn how to develop such an attitude.

Labels: Awards

Renny of Renny BA's Terella has created a delightful video explaining what blogging means to him. He has kindly given me permission to include it here. If you are trying to explain to non bloggers what the appeal of blogging is this would be an excellent video to show them. It would not be a bad thing to review it yourself from time to time, especially if your motivation needs a bit of a boost.

A different perspective for those who are blogging for income comes from Darren Rowse in his most recent weekly video, He answers the question from a reader “Was there a time when you first started blogging that you became despondent and thought about quitting? If so, what happened that gave you the confidence to keep going?”

See the video on the Problogger site here A Secret to Profitable Blogging - Trending Up Over the Long Haul . Although I don't normally post about making money blogging I just loved the funky tune Darren is using on his videos.

I have been spending some time lately trying out Youlicit, which I can only describe as a kind of cross between a search engine, Stumbleupon and del.icious. The aim is to provide you with relevant content by remembering the type of site/posts you visit and suggesting similar content. So far I have been impressed by the accuracy of the results.

Youlicit says that its underlying premise is that of reducing information overload by using collaborative filtering. Anything that can recude overload, to whatever extent, gets a thumbs up in my book.

Features

• Remembering your interest areas and recommending similar sites/posts.


• Adding sites you recommend via Firefox addins.


• Adding sites via links on the Youlicit site itself.


• Finding sites similar to those you have bookmarked via the Youlicit site and directly from Firefox.


• Adding contacts who have similar browsing interests


• Importing of del.icio.us bookmarks and digg favorites


• RSS feeds for several aspects of Youlicit’s service, including your recommendations or another user’s recommendations.


• Configurable feed lists for your blog.


• An AIM subprofile


• Emailing friends with links
  

How Youlicit works

Youlicit learns from the sites you recommend; those you or others have added. You can also import del.icio.us bookmarks and digg favorites - which gives the process a head start by providing it with sites you already like. Based on your preferences it suggests other sites that you may find of interest. On the Youlicit site you can browse these sites via lists, specific urls or tags. For example, enter a blog URL or a specific tag and you will be presented with similar content. Next to each site in a list is a button allowing you to narrow down your search further by finding sites similar to individual entries.

Adding sites to Youlicit:

Using a choice of a variety of Firefox browser add-ons and Google toolbar addins you can recommend the site you are on - this very quickly works in the background with no diverting to their site, no pop-up forms to fill in, and no tagging or description needed.

The add ins available are in the form of a Firefox toolbar or individual toolbar buttons (the latter being my preference - I have too many Firefox toolbars as it is) There is also a Google search add-on, which lets you get related Youlicit results for any Google search you do.

The 'stumble' type features 'Youlicit next' and 'Youlicit more' take you to another site similar to the one you are looking or to a list of similar sites bookmarked on Youlicit respectively. The beauty of this is that the sites are relevant to your own preferences rather than random sites on any topic.

Add sites from the Youlicit site itself by clicking on a button next to each link.

Adding Contacts

This feature is accessed via your profile page where you will find a 'Related User' list. Viewing their profile allows you to see their related users and their tags and so on.

How is the Youlicit search engine different to others?

To quote Youlicit - "While the other search engines return sites based on algorithms that determine the popularity of a site with other sites (how many web pages link back to the web site among other things), our unique algorithm processes the sites that people are finding important and interesting and providing you with just those results."

More information:

• Youlicit Home Page


• Youlicit Blog


• Youlicit about page

I would recommend you check the site out. Registration is not necessary so you can just browse for content and recommend sites if you wish. Registration does brings you all the Youlicit features and your own profile page though.

Labels: Tools

• Effects of global warming include rising sea levels, glacier retreat, and altered patterns of agriculture, extreme weather events, an expansion of tropical diseases, and drastic economic impact.
  

• The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk to its lowest level since satellite measurements began nearly 30 years ago, In September this year the Arctic's North-West Passage - a sea route linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans opened up for the first time since records began.


• The UN is calling 2007 a global climate change "mega disaster".


• Scientist: Global greenhouse gas emissions already beyond 'worst-case' scenario


• Heavy water restrictions are already in place here but Australia suffers its worst drought in 1,000 years says that Australia will have to switch off the water supply to the continent's food bowl unless heavy rains break an epic drought. The two rivers that feed the region that yields 40 per cent of the country's agricultural produce are so low that there will soon be only enough water for drinking supplies.


• "The Great Barrier Reef will become "functionally extinct" within decades at the current rate of global warming" Sydney Morning Herald - Reef 'facing extinction'


• In the Pacific The report warns that in Fiji climate change could result in a 100 per cent increase in cyclone damage, an increase in dengue fever cases of between 20 and 30 per cent and a decline in crop yields of up to 15 per cent.
  

The Climate hot map gives an increasingly comprehensive picture changes in the world's climate system

Blogs on the environment

• Green Options a community dedicated to environmental resources, education, and discussion.
  


• The Conscious Earth Earth-centred news for the health of air, water, habitat and the fight against global warming


• Eco Chick - The site shows you how to find the things you love, and keeps you updated on what’s going on in that great green world.


• Enviroblog is a project of
  EWG Action Fund
  covering public health, environmental policy, and better consumer choices.


• Climate Ark Climate Change and Global Warming Portal


• Green Wombat covers the intersection of the environment, technology, business and policy.


• Tree Hugger aims to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information.


• New Scientist Environment Blog

Officially supported charities for Blog Action Day 2007 - the Environment

If you are thinking of moving from a web based blog hosting service, such as blogspot or Wordpress, to your own hosting service then you will need a domain name, which is your unique address on the internet. When I move this blog over my domain name will be sueblimely.com.
A domain name is made up of two parts, the unique name you choose, made up of letters and or numbers (in my case sueblimely) and a top level domain (TLD) - eg com, net, au, ca. A complete list of TLD's can be found on Wikipedia. (As from next year you will be able to get a .me TLD when Montenegro's domain name becomes available - imagine the rush to get that suffix e.g. buy.me, love.me, bookmark.me...)

Think carefully about your domain name considering these points:

• If your hosted blog name is already well known then think about reusing this.

• If you want a new name, try to choose one that is easy to remember and easy to spell. Shorter names are generally better and less prone to spelling errors. Remember that your domain name and blog title do not need to be the same so a long title does not have to translate into a long domain name.


• It is good to have a name that descriptive and relevant to your blog topic, using keywords that will bring in readers from search engines.
  
  
  • You can be descriptive and creative at the same time e.g. treehugger.com
  
  
  • You may wish to create an identity for yourself at the same time e.g. joelonsoftware.com (this is what I am aiming to do because of my other web activities which are distinct from blogging)
  
  


• If you already have a well known identity/nickname consider using this e.g.: snoskred.org.


• Many blogs do not have a particular topic. You can be creative in this case but try to choose a memorable name.

All of this comes with the proviso that the name you choose is actually available. You may not be able to buy your chosen name and a rethink or compromise may have to be settled on.

There are many other domain naming tools available online although I have not been too impressed by them. I found the following of the most use:

• Instant Domain Checker - nice and quick


• Create a list of words associated with your site and check them on Google Trends gives you an idea of how much search traffic words get:


• bustaname.com - allows instant live searching and helps you find domains sounding similar to the one of your choice.


• namedroppers.com - perform searches for domain names using multiple keywords


• MakeWords.com - search via keyword and get alternatives to the resultant names.


• JustDropped.com - lets you search for domain names that have recently expired.


• If you need a little inspiration the weblog name generator may help. If not you can get a giggle from some of the names it comes up with. (e.g. bug-eyed dreams, happy noodle)

Once your domain name is decided on and you are sure it is available, you need to actually buy the name. Most hosting companies provide domain registration services but, although buying this way is the simplest option, it may not be the cheapest option.

You can find reviews of domain registrars on NamePros.com. Namecheap and Dynadot seem to have good reputations. I have used WebPageDomainNames.com, which is associated with GoDaddy, for a few years now and have had no problems. I have not had to test out their customer support so cannot comment on how efficient this is.

Labels: Wordpress

As you can see from the sudden pinkness of this site, I decided to promote October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I am sure virtually all of you will know of someone affected by breast cancer and realise what a worthy cause this is. If you would like to join me in blogging for Breast Cancer Awareness Month :

• Write a post about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or breast cancer itself with a link to a breast cancer site of your choice.


• Include the image below in your post (or elsewhere on your site for the rest of October)
  

• Link to a site that provides information about Breast Cancer
  
  
• Encourage other bloggers to take part


• Let me know you have participated by replying to this post as I am creating a list of blogs supporting the cause.
  

Other ways to help :

Donate to American Cancer Society, National Breast Cancer Foundation (Australia) Breast Cancer Care (UK)

At The Breast Cancer Site A daily click on the "Click Here to Give" button leads to display ads from the site sponsors. 100% of the money from these advertisers goes to their charity partners, who fund programs to provide mammograms to women in need. Visitors to the site can help more by shopping in The Breast Cancer Site store.

The Blogger Boobie-Thon is an annual event run the first week of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Bloggers from all over the globe send in photos of their boobies (covered and uncovered) to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research. This is the sixth year for the Boobie-Thon and their goal is to break the $10,000.00 mark. It is too late to enter the competition but you could still donate!

Some fundraising ideas from Cancer Research UK:

• Organise your own pink tie event


• Have a pink day at school – pink fancy dress and decorations all round


• Hold a themed pink raffle or auction at work with pink goodies


• Host a pink slumber party for your friends at home


• Dye your hair pink


• Do a sponsored silence whilst sitting in a bath of pink candy floss!
  

5 Minutes for Mom is holding a draw for a pink Casio digital camera. Casio is also showing support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). The drawing is Friday the 26th!




Subscribe to iMommies for a chance to win an iPod.

Update:
Information on Breast Cancer:

• Imagnis - the breast cancer and women's health resource. (Thanks to Saboma of Maryannaville for putting me on to this site)
• Discussing Breast Cancer - thanks Michaela
  

Labels: Blog in Unity

Guest Post (Deborah from Life in the Fast Lane , an experienced Digg user, has kindly accepted my request to share her views on the new Digg features.):

Is Digg becoming more of an imminent social site than a news site? I'm not about to write regarding the new features on Digg in, respect to the features themselves, as you can read about them in detail on the post for Digg Social Networking. Rather, I'm going to discuss the cause and effects of these new features from an active user's perspective.

Shoutouts

The new Shoutouts have provided a humanized aspect to Digg which was sorely lacking -- we finally have the capability to communicate with those who have long been our 'friends'. But that's where the excitement ends.

Shoutouts appear under Friend's Activities, which affects everyone that's in your network -- all friends see sent shoutouts. Unlike social network sites such as MyBlogLog and BlogCatalog, you don't have the capacity to send private messages. The feature is limited to 10 pages, so one must bear in mind not to overdo it.

Those who don't use the site to a large extent or have many friends in their network need to consider that those who have befriended them may very well have a large list of friends. When excessive or unnecessary shoutouts are sent, your friends are missing stories that are being dugg up from friends within their network. You're going to have some very displeased friends who may very well 'unfriend' you.

Sending links in shoutouts has its pros and cons. There is potential for abuse, so adding friends to your network is not something to be done without caution. If a user is new to the site I'm rather leery, whereas I might not have been so stringent in the past. There is capacity to set parameters to only receive shoutouts from friends to reduce unsolicited messages from those who might abuse the feature.

The Diggs for Friends Upcoming has been removed. As a result, people have been reduced to sending links to friends in shoutouts they think would like to see a story. Rumors have it that the algorithms detect this and don't bear much or any merit if you digg a story in this method. Sending links may also portray a negative perception of gaming the system as Digg has occasionally been accused of, be it right or wrong. Again, there are only 10 pages, so one must be conservative with the number of links sent to friends.

Friends Activities

The Friends Activities has been drastically reduced from its former format to 10 pages.

Limitations to Friends Activities

• You can only see the title for the digg and avatars for a limited number of friends who have dugg the story.


• You can't see what's occurred over the course of several hours, let alone the entire day.


• There is redundancy in many other friends digging the same stories.


• No display to show if you've already dugg the story.


• No display of URL from where the story was dugg.


• No display for who dugg the story up.


• No description for the digg. If the title has been poorly written for description it can very likely affect the number of diggs it receives.


• Senseless excess clicking to see all of the above missing information, then back again to Friends Activities.

What is the purpose for all of these restrictions? To prevent blind digging? This would make no sense as the feature is associated to friends. What then, if not to avert blind digging? Advertising and page views? Page views could be one explanation for which income can be earned from Apsense. As for advertising, many have cited statistics that reveal diggers in general do not click on ads.

Bugs in the feature

• Continually being bumped out, requiring logging in again. Once logged in your vote won't register without first refreshing the page, then several clicks to return to Friends Activities.


• Frequently you cannot go beyond anywhere from 5 to 9 pages and simply receive a blank page. Refreshing the browser doesn't help.


• When viewing a friend's profile, the back button is frequently disabled.

All of this could spell disaster for Digg with users opting for other social news sites. How much more can Digg afford to lose after the mass exodus of top users / submitters when the Top 100 List was removed?

Removal of Friends Upcoming Diggs

I sorely miss the Friends Upcoming Diggs feature. I've added friends to my network whom I trust based on what they digg up. This section was what I looked forward to most.

How has the removal of Friends Upcoming affected users?

• You now have to rely on the limited 10 page Friend's Activities, but with the high volume of activity you can't see what's occurred over the course of several hours, let alone the day.


• Users' only alternative for daily diggs is to filter through the plethora of diggs in Upcoming.


• Near impossible to find diggs in Upcoming that friends have submitted or voted for through the course of an entire day.


• Stories that are hot but have not yet hit front page are not brought forward.

I find countless stories on front page when I arrive that I wasn't even aware had been dugg to begin with. I'm a hopeless news junkie … if you're anything like me, what else are we missing that we would have liked to have seen?

Social Networking

I've used Digg as a news site from day one when I registered -- it's the one single site that's most often my daily designation. I can't see myself using it as a networking site … I can't even keep up with those I'm on already.

My thoughts are that those who are die-hard and long-term diggers, and those who are key players in the community won't use the added social features. It's difficult enough as it is maintaining anonymity from some who would hound them to submit stories on their behalf, attempting to take advantage.

I don't as much as add others at Facebook unless I know them either personally or their reputation to know if they're 'safe'. People can learn more about you than you care to share with perfect strangers. Why would you want to do this on Digg? I save that for MBL and BC.

But as new users sign up, the entire system may very well evolve to more of a social site than a news site. I would have much preferred that they used the KISS system (Keep It Simple Stupid) -- provide shoutouts which was sorely missing, and leave the social networking to sites that are already doing it best.

In closing, all that I'd really like to emphasize is, Digg, PLEASE bring back Friends Upcoming Diggs! And HURRY!

Written for Sueblimely - Discovering Blogging, author Deborah Petersen of Life in the Fast Lane, a blog about art, the odd, the unusual, weird sciences, offbeat news, and unusual discoveries. Popular stories include: Sex Slave Trade - One Mans Mission for Salvation, Jay Lonewolf Morales - Colorblind Painter Extraordinaire, and World Record for Underwater Dining.

Related Post: Digg Social Networking

Labels: Social Networking

Labels: Blog Tools, Memes

The Free-Burma.org protest site for bloggers was launched by two German college students. They got the idea from a multi-lingual Wiki page that was set up last month as a forum to allow participants around the world to brainstorm ideas on how to show support for the protesters in Burma.

The internet has been banned in Burma. Bloggers who recorded and posted about the regin's bloody crackdown on protest are in hiding - Bloggers who risked all to reveal the junta’s brutal crackdown in Burma There has been a flood of reports of alleged brutal killings, disappearances and arrests as the military in Myanmar stamped out the anti-government protests of the last week.

At least 1,000 people have been arrested in Yangon alone, the majority of them monks. Numerous key figures in the National League for Democracy, the main opposition party, and other activists are among those arrested.

Here are a few resources to help you find out more about the situation in Burma.

• The Free Burma site itself
  

• Ko Htike is a blogger in exile London. You can find his blog here - ko htike's prosaic collection


• Amnesty International's suggests action we can all take to help condemn the use of violencde against peaceful protestors Release Myanmar protesters


• Updates on Mission to Myanmar and other items Burmese - Burma (Myanmar) Blog


• A list of blogs about Burma


• Wilsons Blogmanac - lists more resources


• The Australian Burma Gateway


• Well done to the Australian government for refusing to accept a military commander as the new Burmese amassador to Australia. Australia rejects ambassador to Canberra
• Deborah of Life in the Fast Lane has created a very comprehensive post as her contribution to this blogging for Burma day - Free Burma
  

There is also a petition that can be signed on the avaaz.org site - to be sent to the Chinese President and the UN Security Council urging them to push for the cessation of violence against peaceful protesters. (Thanks to my cousin from Tuco Tours for letting me know about this.)

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. We are planning to refrain from posting our normal posts on 4th October. Instead we will be following this criteria:

To take part in this action for a Free Burma!

1. Publish a posting (Bulletin Board, Forum, Blog, Social Network, Static Website…) on the 4th of October with the header: “Free Burma!”

2. Tag it if you can with “Free Burma”

3. Choose a graffic from the Free Burma Graffics page using the code provided for you to copy and paste or from the Free Burma Flickr Group pages.

4. Link to www.free-burma.org where your readers will find information about the campaign, about Burma itself and a participant list which you can join. Even if you're a webmaster of a bulletin board or social network you will find a special Group List to join.

5. Feel free to write any additional text you want

If you have no website or blog you are still needed: Please help to spread the word across the internet - tell your neighbours, friends or kids and first of all: Sign the list of participants!

Darren's video in my recent post Page Rank - forget it but still increase traffic got my mind ticking away about why I blog and what I wish to achieve from it. Having a high page rank is appealing from the perspective of affirmation, stroking my ego and assuring me that I am not talking to myself. However, although I blog about blogging

I have no aspirations of, or delusions about, becoming another Darren - a one stop source for all your blogging needs. I just hope that the perspective and observations I bring to the subject are of interest to more than a handful of people. I am not aiming at readers whose primary aim is to make blogging their life's work, a major source of income or draw in clients for their main business. There are many blogs available that will help them do this. I do want to help those who blog to fulfill other more personal needs.

This is what Page Rank means to me. I am totally in agreement with Darren about the need, above all else, for quality content..

• Passion
• Authority
  
• Genuine
  
• Engrossing

• Reliable
• Accurate
• Notable
• Knowledgeable

• Passion - Remain enthusiastic about your subject and remember why you started blogging to begin with. Do not let yourself become bored, discouraged or sidetracked by worrying about your rankings, diggs, fames or stumbles. Decide if page rank even matters at all to you or are you better served by having only a few readers who help flame your passion and interest. If your aims do require multitudes of readers, your passion combined with other efforts will act as an aphrodisiac.

• Authority - Provide a comprehensive source of information so that your blog is the first port of call for those traveling the blogosphere looking for your subject area; be it about quantum physics, your observations on life or your cat. Today's busy lifestyles does not allow enough time for leisurely cruising but calls for direct jet travel.


• Genuine - Be accurate, sincere, trustworthy and honorable in your writing. Comment to contribute and not just to leave your calling card. Let your personality come through and you will attract like minded people or those who enjoy discovering how others think and act. If you are quoting someone else's ideas or content always say so.


• Engrossing - Provide content that is compelling, fascinating and stimulating to your readers; be it informative, intriguing, provocative, creative, artistic, funny, satirical or just plain whacky.


• Reliable - A lot of these areas seem to intertwine. Reliable could also mean accurate but here I am taking it to signify a regularity of posting (which is something I must work on myself ). If your readers come to expect a post from you every day or twice a week then try to stick to this routine so that they know when to visit. If you are going away for any length of time let your readers know so they do not think you have joined the great DIS of used-to-be bloggers. This happens to many blogs because their writers become disheartened, disinterested, discontented, disgruntled or their lives have become disorganized, disordered, distracting. or disagreeable. I am going to stop there otherwise you may become displeased and disappear.


• Accurate - Always be truthful and authentic providing a reliable source of information. Check out any facts or figures you quote and be fair in analysis.


• Notable - Achieve a reputation because of your content and contribution to the blogging world. Consider how many readers you have gained through word of mouth - a mention or link on the blogs of friends/contacts or a salient comment on someone else's post. Being easily found in the search engines may bring you traffic but not necessarily returning readers
  


• Knowledgeable - Be aware of and learn what your readers want and need from you and what your own needs are.. Develop a community be it small or large that satisfies this..

I had fun doing this post; allowing my mind to delve into the richness of words and their meanings as well as taking time out to think about what needs blogging satisfy in me.

I do get sidetracked, perhaps too much, but for me that is one of the beauties of blogging, it is what flames my passion. I enjoy following the trails that you leave for me to follow up on in your topics and the links to your own readers and their topics. My mind is constantly stimulated and enhanced by your individual talents, achievements and creativity. I learn from your writings and am introduced to new ideas, cultures and backgrounds. Sure I could still read blogs without blogging myself but I would not be able to develop such a feeling of close affinity to their writers or a community of friends.

This post did me the world of good. I would recommend this thinking exercise to anyone who is feeling disheartened or discouraged in their blogging. Go back to basics, remember why you started blogging and what is important to you. Try not to get too concerned about increasing your rankings or social networking just for the sake of bringing traffic in. Concentrate on enjoying writing your content and network to develop a satisfying community of blogging friends.

I would be very interested in hearing about what blogging means to you. I am not going to tag people to do it but if you leave a comment here on the topic and let me know it is ok to publish it I will do a post that includes your comment - with links to your blogs of course as I enjoy leaving a trail for others to follow too.

Next week - what the I in blogging means :-)

PROBLOGGER

$54,000 5th Birthday Giveaway

I seem to be mentioning PROBLOGGER frequently lately, probably because I have been revisiting the site more regularly again. To celebrate the site's 5th birthday, Problogger has teamed together with sponsors to give away more than 100 prizes worth over $54,000 USD in a whole series of give-away challenges.

You will need to be a frequent visitor to the site for the duration of the competition; if you don't want to miss out on. The first chance to win (entry for this is just by leaving a specified comment) will end 4 hours from now via The First Giveaway Begins! The next two chances will published within 21 hours. (it was 3 in 24 hours but I have only just found out about this via a facebook notification).

The prize, which can be seen here The $54,000 ProBlogger Giveaway, range from the "fun and slightly bizarre - to the the very useful! "

Good luck to those who enter.

Labels: Blogging News