Archive for Blogging
October 17, 2007· Filed under Blogging
Have you ever noticed that you can look at your own work and miss something so blatantly OBVIOUS to the rest of the world? I do it all the time.
The theme template I am currently using here has a little RSS feed button to make it easier for you to subscribe and stay up to date with what’s new here. However, it was so tiny and unusually placed, I’d bet most of you have missed it. Thanks to a few of my blogging friends, you can now find the subscribe links easily – check the top of the right hand column. See that fancy pink chicklet? Hopefully that will make it easier for you and all of my new readers to find the subscription method that works best for them and subscribe.
Why would you want to subscribe instead of just bookmarking the site? Well, it all depends on personal preference really. If you bookmark all your favorite sites, you have to remember to go back to each one individually. If you subscribe to the RSS feed of your favorite sites, you can get everyone’s updates when they occur and view them all at once in an RSS reader or get them in your email inbox.
How is this different than subscribing to an enewsletter? The great part about subscribing via RSS is that you don’t have to share any of your information with the site’s owner. It allows you to monitor your favorite sites on your own terms.
The absolute BEST explanation of RSS that I have seen to date is the video by Common Craft called RSS in Plain English. If you are even the slightest bit confused as to what RSS is all about or need to explain it to someone else, this is the only video you need – and it takes less than 4 minutes!
If you are having trouble seeing the obvious on your own site and need another set of eyes, ask a friend – chances are, they will be willing to help you out. Or better yet, ask Easton! Easton at Business Blogwire has offered to give anyone who asks 5 free tips on their website as part of his blogging birthday. I have been lucky enough to be the recipient of Easton’s advice on more than one occasion – and it is all good. What are you waiting for? Go ask him, now – right after you subscribe to Casual Keystrokes!
September 13, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Working from Home
Wendy, from eMoms at Home, has been busy – and I mean really busy! She has gone from having one awesome blog on internet home businesses for moms and dads, to having a whole magazine-style site complete with 6 new blogs plus the original eMoms blog.
New to the line up are:
And the original eMoms at Home blog is staying put. The “Original Recipe eMoms at Home†will always be there to talk about affiliate marketing, parenting, blogging, social media, empowerment, and everything else that her regular readers have come to know and love.
Take a few minutes this week and go check out the new sites. I have already added a few of them to my daily reads.
August 30, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Working from Home
September is on our doorstep, the kids are going back to school, and your brain is ready for something different. I have a challenge for you! Take some time over the next few weeks to learn something new. Push your intellectual envelope. Feel the rush of doing something new – all by yourself!
I have gathered up some of my favorite web how-to posts for those of you who are feeling brave and wanting to push your self-guided professional development up a notch today!
- How to choose and sign up for a Web host for your WordPress blog by Sarah
- How to install WordPress using cPanel and Fantastico by Sarah
- Tutorial – FTP – it’s as easy as 1-2-3 by Char
- Tutorial – How to create your own FavIcon by Char
- CSS Classroom – Div vs. Span by Char
- Mixing Typefaces Cheat Sheet by Inspiration Bit
- 6 Easy Steps to making a Web Hosting Switch by Char
- 13 Steps to a Blog Redesign by Char
- How to show your most popular posts in the sidebar by Randa
- Blog Carnivals, Start to Finish by MamaBlogga
- 8 Constuctive Bits on Running Contests by Inspiration Bit
- The Ultimate Guide to Where the Moms are Online by Char
- WordPress for Beginners – a whole category of great posts by Lorelle VanFossen
- JUST ADDED – It’s Really This Easy to Add a Link to Your Comment by Dawud
Plus two mega posts from eMoms at Home:
- 26 Internet Marketing How-Tos for Every Level of Experience
- 28 Internet Marketing and Home Business How-Tos
Most of these tasks are not as hard as they might initially appear, and you won’t believe the feeling of empowerment that you will get once you have learned something new and DONE IT YOURSELF!
This post is part of Thursday Thirteen. For more Thursday Thirteen posts, visit the official TT hub.
August 13, 2007· Filed under Blogging
There are some pretty creative and savvy Mommy bloggers, and MamaBlogga is one of them! She is challenging all of us to become better bloggers, meet new bloggers and exercise our minds and mice in the BlogOlympics.
Whether you are a new blogger, a queen of commenting, hobby blogger, or working on making money from blogging, you can benefit from each of the activities Jordan has planned for you. But you only have until August 24th to go for the gold, silver or bronze.
Stop over at MamaBlogga for all of the details and your medal winning tasks!!
June 21, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Parenting, Working from Home
One thing I have learned since I started blogging (one year ago tomorrow) is that no matter what your niche is, there is a community for you. I have also learned that there are A LOT of Moms who are passionate, creative, and well-connected in the new world we call the Internet. Whether you are a Mom looking for an online community or a business looking to get in touch with your Mom audience, there are plenty of great communities that are already established – and there seems to be attitude that there is always room for one more at the table.
Here are thirteen places where the Moms are:
1. Being social! New social bookmarking sites are cropping up that fill a need within a niche. Sk*rt.com is a very HOT digg-like site for women that is slightly addictive. Others in this arena include Babblz.com, Absolutely Parents, and Netscape.
2. On the networks. Blog networks like b5Media Family & Relationships Channel, Grasshopper New Media Parents, and 451 Press have dedicated channels of family-related content and blogs. And don’t forget Strollerderby – its written by a team of hip, urban parents.
3. In the cafe. Cafe Mom that is! Cafe Mom is run by the same group who brings us Club Mom – both very good resources for Moms, but Cafe Mom is more community and social focused. Did I mention that thousands of Moms have already set up their profiles there.
4. Working the forums. Traditional discussion boards are still great ways to connect with like-minded Moms and my favorites include the MomGadget forum, WAHM, and HBWM.
5. Linking up – Weekly memes like Menu Plan Monday, Wordless Wednesday, and Thursday Thirteen attract a huge following. One of the ways they work so well is thanks to Mr. Linky.
6. At the carnival. Thinking of joining the circus? Your family may prefer you play it safe and join a blogging carnival instead. Join in the carnival of family life or do a search at Blogcarnival.com for a another topic.
7. Joining forces. Looking for a way to exchange links and find more Mom blogs? Why not join forces and grow your blogroll too. Two of the groups that come to mind are The Mom Blogs and Blogging Chicks. In order to make the most of these groups you have to display a link to their mainsite or display a badge.
8. Thinking local. There are more and more sites coming about that serve a specific geographical area. Let’s start with Silicon Valley Moms, and their sister sites Chicago Moms and New York City Moms.
9. Acting global. I love the sites All for Women and Real Savvy Moms for their global reach. If you have a product and want to tell the parenting world about it you must go to The Parent Bloggers Network (thanks Ponn).
10. Popularity plays. Have you seen TopMomma or The Top 100 Mom Blogs? These are a great source of new reads and a fun way to reward your favorite Moms.
11. Talking among ourselves. One of the best ways to get to know other Mom bloggers and build your own community is by leaving comments on the blogs you like to read. Or you could stop by here on Fridays for Casual Fridays – bring your cup of coffee and just chat.
12. Lurking in the wings. Yes, I know there are a bucket load of Moms online that haven’t found their voice yet! If you are one of them, jump in, leave a comment or better yet, get started blogging today.
13. Meeting in Chicago – BlogHer will be in Chicago July 27-29. Some of my favorite Moms are even speaking!
This list is by NO MEANS exhaustive! I know there are so many more places that Mom’s hang out online. If you happen to have a favorite that is not on the list, by all means, leave a comment and let us know! And for more Thursday Thirteen entries, visit the TT hub.
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