As a former Newspaper Girl there was a certain luxury in knowing that my "work" would not count until it was edited and set to print for the next edition. Writing my words and knowing they were being read included a certain delay. Not True now that I am an Internet Blogging lady!
It seems that all of my Little Projects are starting to merge back into one very large network of interrelated blogs and websites... And at this moment it seems all of my projects are demanding a certain amount of my attention! Nothing like making WORK for myself!
This blog is starting to shape up and I am looking forward to adding lots of little things as I continue to plug into the world of Social Networking. I must confess this little blog has been neglected the most of all my projects.
So here is a quick update on the different things I am doing as far as "My Stuff" goes:
The AdoptiveParentsNetwork My Business partner decided to take the placement of a newborn sibling for one of the two boys they have adopted. This means she will be parenting 3 children including a newborn--during the summer when there is no school. Needless to say, I can accept the fact that's a lot of work and adding the responsibility of a Website to the mix and it's not hard to see where a Good Mom would need to draw the line.
So along with resuming my attentions to the administration of the APN Forums I am also rattling my mind for direction to take the Adoptive Parents Network LLC as a business. I have some ideas and plan to make some announcements very soon at the Newer Blog for the site. The APNBlog will be the main News and Information blog for the AdoptiveParentsNetwork.com site and one step at a time I have been getting that Blog off the ground and integrated with the big site...
This morning I found a Wonderful Review at Lisa Reviews of my oldest and first website work... On my Blog that used to be called: A RAD Mom's Journal which has been changed to New Memories Be sure to Check out Lisa Review and leave a Comment if You Would please! I was so happy to hear that she liked the Dark Template for that Blog as I have been considering updating all my blogs to a lighter color... I was also surprised that the negative point Lisa Reviews had to point out was that I didn't have an "About Me" page... I thought people might be tired of hearing About Me so never really wrote up anything... That's going to be the next thing I do when I publish this Blog Post!
Other then that a good deal of my time has been invested working on the blog I plan to write for PAY and profit in the future. Blogs are not worth business paying for writing if they are just New and empty. Had I been thinking more clearly I would have held off using the New Memories Blog for paid writing and developed my other blog first... Live and Learn and on the Internet it's never to late to shift and build a wing of a persons Networking. I am looking forward to getting finished with the site design of A Mother's Guide to Sanity My work on that blog has given me a Pile of Drafted Blogs just waiting to be proofed and published here on this Blog...
Anyway--That's just part of the story of my current Networking Load... I haven't even started to talk about all the Widget kissing, rating, commenting and Friend Invitations taking place as I travel the Brave New World of Social Networking... I sure hope you enjoy this tale from a middle-aged, blond, former Vally Girl!
July 31, 2008
July 29, 2008
Why I Like Toolbars
While I am in a major round of change with my Blog A Mother’s Guide to Sanity, there are certain things that can’t be done until someone or some computer says, or does something. I have learned that while in transition with one project it’s best to find some other distraction and work on a completely different kind of project.
It seems like a good time to work on some of the Open Identification things that are going on out there in cyberspace. Since part of the transition project going on with my other Blog includes contacting MyBlogLog.com it seems like a good time to pay some attention to all of my Yahoo Networking … toolbars, services and interfaces. Or whatever other name these things are being called.. I just use 70’s Valley Girl Speak here on my Geek Network Blog.
Today, I have updated my actual Yahoo Toolbar and this is for my benefit completely! I have learned that keeping the tool bars updated and configuring them to be the way I like to use them is a huge benefit for me when I am Social Networking. My Yahoo Toolbar gives me instant access to my Yahoo Email and I can log into my toolbar and be set to go!
I also like the Yahoo Toolbar because I can add direct links to other services I use a lot! For instance, I have buttons for all of my Yahoo services but also for other site and services I use like YouTube, MySpace, and other Social Networks I belong to. The only rule I make with all of my toolbars is that the buttons only show up on ONE of them! I also have the Google Tool Bar which I especially like because I love the Google Spell Check, page rank, and Vote buttons! I also have the toolbar offered by my Internet Provider Comcast
I have found that by taking just a little time to Organize from the Top Down my time and efforts on the Internet are much more productive. The various things that I use my toolbars for are not only simple but, save me time when I am hard at work and make it nice when I am hardly at work too!
Spending just a little time setting up my toolbars today has given me a distraction while I wait to find out how this transition of my other Blog is going smooth and what steps I need to make.
Once I am finished with setting up my Yahoo Toolbar, I plan to move on and do some work with my Yahoo Open Id… Which I am sure might be the topic of my next post here!
It seems like a good time to work on some of the Open Identification things that are going on out there in cyberspace. Since part of the transition project going on with my other Blog includes contacting MyBlogLog.com it seems like a good time to pay some attention to all of my Yahoo Networking … toolbars, services and interfaces. Or whatever other name these things are being called.. I just use 70’s Valley Girl Speak here on my Geek Network Blog.
Today, I have updated my actual Yahoo Toolbar and this is for my benefit completely! I have learned that keeping the tool bars updated and configuring them to be the way I like to use them is a huge benefit for me when I am Social Networking. My Yahoo Toolbar gives me instant access to my Yahoo Email and I can log into my toolbar and be set to go!
I also like the Yahoo Toolbar because I can add direct links to other services I use a lot! For instance, I have buttons for all of my Yahoo services but also for other site and services I use like YouTube, MySpace, and other Social Networks I belong to. The only rule I make with all of my toolbars is that the buttons only show up on ONE of them! I also have the Google Tool Bar which I especially like because I love the Google Spell Check, page rank, and Vote buttons! I also have the toolbar offered by my Internet Provider Comcast
I have found that by taking just a little time to Organize from the Top Down my time and efforts on the Internet are much more productive. The various things that I use my toolbars for are not only simple but, save me time when I am hard at work and make it nice when I am hardly at work too!
Spending just a little time setting up my toolbars today has given me a distraction while I wait to find out how this transition of my other Blog is going smooth and what steps I need to make.
Once I am finished with setting up my Yahoo Toolbar, I plan to move on and do some work with my Yahoo Open Id… Which I am sure might be the topic of my next post here!
Part 1: Converting to a Custom Domain with my Blogger Blogspot Blog!
Today I am working on converting a Free Blogspot Blog to a Custom Domain Blog. As I have been getting more and more talented with my blogging skills I decided it might be a good time to find out what taking it up another notch might do for me… Not only in terms of the SEO and Networking benefits, but just exactly how much work will it create for me?
A few days ago I started the process and while tinkering around in my Blogger Dashboard I went through the steps of setting up a paid Custom Domain name. I have been working on building another Blog that isn’t just about Adoption or any specific thing at all--but rather a Blog just for moms in general. A Mother’s Guide to Sanity -- so, far it is still very immature and has some real work to be done! So--it seemed like a great place to start my journey into Blogging with more then just the Free Tools.
It was a relatively simply process to complete and eventually I ended up with an email receipt for the $10.00 a year fee to Own my own domain name for my New and growing Blog. I decided that I would opt for the choice of ordering via Blogger instead of the long list of other steps it might take me to put it on one of my website hosting accounts -- Bravenet or Hostican. By choosing to order directly through my Blogger account the new URL is registered with GoDaddy.com which is a new sevice provider for me, however Blogger automatically takes care of some of the steps when I pick what they offer! And, $10.00 is a small price to pay for somethings!
Things appear to be working, and according to my Blogger Dashboard my site is in Transition! (Anyone who knows me -- knows how much I do not like Transmissions!) Right now I am being ever so careful not to make myself more work by doing anything else too dramatic.
I have let MyBlogLog.com know that this change is taking place as I noticed that the Graphic of the old site has disappeared from my Blog Sites list… After looking around in MyBlogLog.com account I found the advice to make the change which was to open a support ticket contact. So I am waiting for more follow up with how that goes!
The lucky thing for me is that I haven’t plugged this Blog into too many different places yet so any big problems I encounter may help me decided if I will ever want to do this again!
Today I will be trying to figure out if I have any problems with the Feedburner.com on this Blog. It does appear that I will need to change the feed and any “Subscribers” to it will need to also change. This is important information for me… As, I wouldn’t want to do this kind of dramatic change on one of my other more developed Blogs especially if there were a lot of subscribers. Lucky for me in this case, and for this Blog I suspect that the majority of subscribers I currently have, may be my own by way of places I have used it to create widgets and profiles for services that create widgets!
After I figure out how to change the feed I currently have with Feedburner.com then I need to figure out what I need to do in the Blogger settings or whatever in order to have the correct feed going to the right spots.
I also need to think about going into my Google Webmaster account and figure out how to make sure the OLD pages with the old URL don’t cause the New Pages with the New URL to look like duplicated content and cause a black-mark for the new URL right out of the gate!
Wow--It appears I have my work cut out for me this morning and it doesn’t even include much time to write! I will just have to squeeze that in… I will keep you posted on my networking progress so be sure to check back later!
A few days ago I started the process and while tinkering around in my Blogger Dashboard I went through the steps of setting up a paid Custom Domain name. I have been working on building another Blog that isn’t just about Adoption or any specific thing at all--but rather a Blog just for moms in general. A Mother’s Guide to Sanity -- so, far it is still very immature and has some real work to be done! So--it seemed like a great place to start my journey into Blogging with more then just the Free Tools.
It was a relatively simply process to complete and eventually I ended up with an email receipt for the $10.00 a year fee to Own my own domain name for my New and growing Blog. I decided that I would opt for the choice of ordering via Blogger instead of the long list of other steps it might take me to put it on one of my website hosting accounts -- Bravenet or Hostican. By choosing to order directly through my Blogger account the new URL is registered with GoDaddy.com which is a new sevice provider for me, however Blogger automatically takes care of some of the steps when I pick what they offer! And, $10.00 is a small price to pay for somethings!
Things appear to be working, and according to my Blogger Dashboard my site is in Transition! (Anyone who knows me -- knows how much I do not like Transmissions!) Right now I am being ever so careful not to make myself more work by doing anything else too dramatic.
I have let MyBlogLog.com know that this change is taking place as I noticed that the Graphic of the old site has disappeared from my Blog Sites list… After looking around in MyBlogLog.com account I found the advice to make the change which was to open a support ticket contact. So I am waiting for more follow up with how that goes!
The lucky thing for me is that I haven’t plugged this Blog into too many different places yet so any big problems I encounter may help me decided if I will ever want to do this again!
Today I will be trying to figure out if I have any problems with the Feedburner.com on this Blog. It does appear that I will need to change the feed and any “Subscribers” to it will need to also change. This is important information for me… As, I wouldn’t want to do this kind of dramatic change on one of my other more developed Blogs especially if there were a lot of subscribers. Lucky for me in this case, and for this Blog I suspect that the majority of subscribers I currently have, may be my own by way of places I have used it to create widgets and profiles for services that create widgets!
After I figure out how to change the feed I currently have with Feedburner.com then I need to figure out what I need to do in the Blogger settings or whatever in order to have the correct feed going to the right spots.
I also need to think about going into my Google Webmaster account and figure out how to make sure the OLD pages with the old URL don’t cause the New Pages with the New URL to look like duplicated content and cause a black-mark for the new URL right out of the gate!
Wow--It appears I have my work cut out for me this morning and it doesn’t even include much time to write! I will just have to squeeze that in… I will keep you posted on my networking progress so be sure to check back later!
July 28, 2008
SezWho! I Love You!
Oh this poor little neglected blog of mine! However, lucky me to have a spot to write about some of my adventures in Blog Building and Social Networking!
It occurs to me that this perfect little Network Blog of mine is the exact spot that I need in order to make the most out of my efforts and journey's in Blog Social Networking.
Today, I am working on adding a New Feature to all of my Blogs. It's called SezWho it's a Universal Profile Service and provides a participant's (HappyMomAnna or Anna Glendenning in my case) activity stream right on my site (or in my case all of my blogs).
The reason Bloggers are doing this is to offer our readers "an engaging community" (something interesting to look at or do after reading something they like or don't like) and make all the blogging words easier for your readers to discover!
SezWhoo offers bloggers more ways to offer their readers a place to leave a comment, rate and find other valuable pages withing the blog. Or across more than one blog!
By engaging your reading community the quality and frequency of interactions leads to more involvement. Using the SezWho’s portable reputation for the social web, more readers are interested in making their own contributions.
The rating system actually offers visitors and readers who aren't posters or commenters a chance to still let the blog writer know a little bit about how they feel. Lookie-Lou's have a chance to offer feedback by casting votes!
SezWho reports that typically, adding SezWho to your blog will double the number of visitor and user interactions in a community so Bloggers get ready and start using SezWho!
You can Practice by making sure you cast your votes for my Blogs!
And remember that when you read one of my Blogs you can find everything else in my profile link at the bottom of every post! The profile link displays the context of all of my generated content (that means the blog post entry's I make) .
If you look at the bottom of this post you will see my Profile Link... It's just under the Comment Count and to the left of the STARS where it says RATE THIS (oh will you please rate my blog while you are there!) .
When you Hover over the Profile Link EVERYTHING on ALL of My Blogs will be right there and that easy to Find! WOW! How Cool is This!?! Not just for Me but for those people who are Networking With Me!
The thing that sold me on this cool Social Networking tool is the fact that site-owners Me--HappyMomAnna, aka: Anna Glendenning and YOU whom may also be writing your own blogs and Networking with me) retain all their content (Words that we write, get paid to write, or just vent because it is the best way to create content)
SezWho does not manage or take over commenting or discussion systems instead it makes these features more useful and provides incentives for participation without any damaging impact on (Site Engine Optimization) SEO efforts. Unlike many of the other reputation systems, SezWho is fully integrated into the host site. Because it is integrated users remain on the site for all operations like rating, viewing profiles and filtering content.
Blog writers can also add a Nice Little Widget to their Side Bar that will act exactly the same way as the links in the bottom of each post. You can see my Widget on this Blog its the Red-White and Gold button that says: HappyMomAnna StarPower!
So far I have two of my four Blogs Plugged in and I'm sure before long they will all be connected and easy for my readers to follow my blogs and easy for them to Rate what I write!
Check back soon for More information about Anna's Adventure in Social Blogging!
It occurs to me that this perfect little Network Blog of mine is the exact spot that I need in order to make the most out of my efforts and journey's in Blog Social Networking.
Today, I am working on adding a New Feature to all of my Blogs. It's called SezWho it's a Universal Profile Service and provides a participant's (HappyMomAnna or Anna Glendenning in my case) activity stream right on my site (or in my case all of my blogs).
The reason Bloggers are doing this is to offer our readers "an engaging community" (something interesting to look at or do after reading something they like or don't like) and make all the blogging words easier for your readers to discover!
SezWhoo offers bloggers more ways to offer their readers a place to leave a comment, rate and find other valuable pages withing the blog. Or across more than one blog!
By engaging your reading community the quality and frequency of interactions leads to more involvement. Using the SezWho’s portable reputation for the social web, more readers are interested in making their own contributions.
The rating system actually offers visitors and readers who aren't posters or commenters a chance to still let the blog writer know a little bit about how they feel. Lookie-Lou's have a chance to offer feedback by casting votes!
SezWho reports that typically, adding SezWho to your blog will double the number of visitor and user interactions in a community so Bloggers get ready and start using SezWho!
You can Practice by making sure you cast your votes for my Blogs!
And remember that when you read one of my Blogs you can find everything else in my profile link at the bottom of every post! The profile link displays the context of all of my generated content (that means the blog post entry's I make) .
If you look at the bottom of this post you will see my Profile Link... It's just under the Comment Count and to the left of the STARS where it says RATE THIS (oh will you please rate my blog while you are there!) .
When you Hover over the Profile Link EVERYTHING on ALL of My Blogs will be right there and that easy to Find! WOW! How Cool is This!?! Not just for Me but for those people who are Networking With Me!
The thing that sold me on this cool Social Networking tool is the fact that site-owners Me--HappyMomAnna, aka: Anna Glendenning and YOU whom may also be writing your own blogs and Networking with me) retain all their content (Words that we write, get paid to write, or just vent because it is the best way to create content)
SezWho does not manage or take over commenting or discussion systems instead it makes these features more useful and provides incentives for participation without any damaging impact on (Site Engine Optimization) SEO efforts. Unlike many of the other reputation systems, SezWho is fully integrated into the host site. Because it is integrated users remain on the site for all operations like rating, viewing profiles and filtering content.
Blog writers can also add a Nice Little Widget to their Side Bar that will act exactly the same way as the links in the bottom of each post. You can see my Widget on this Blog its the Red-White and Gold button that says: HappyMomAnna StarPower!
So far I have two of my four Blogs Plugged in and I'm sure before long they will all be connected and easy for my readers to follow my blogs and easy for them to Rate what I write!
Check back soon for More information about Anna's Adventure in Social Blogging!
July 20, 2008
Blogging 101: Getting Started!
I have discovered that starting something new is usually the most difficult thing to do. It's easy to be intimidated and believe it will be too hard or require skills I haven't learned yet.
Several years ago my computer skills included the ability to "Turn On" my PC, and get onto the Internet to check my email. As a middle-age blond female when I went to college even the schools didn't have computer systems and the only people who knew anything about a computer were the pimple-faced geek boys whom would be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome today.
Several years ago if anyone has suggested I would one day have my own Blog I would have laughed! But, one step at a time and one new skill at a time LOOK At ME NOW!
Starting it the first step and it begins with deciding that you have something to say and want to have a place to say it! The next step are easy and it's just like learning to run... It starts with learning to walk.
To start creating your own blog you will need to go to the Blogger homepage and click the "Create Your Blog Now" button.
The next step will ask you to create a Google Account. If you have already created a Google Account you may use that account with any other Google services. If you already have any Google Services you can just sign into your Google service or account. Once you have created a Google Account or signed into Google service it's as simple as entering a display or username and accepting the Blogger's Terms of Service.
As soon as you accept the Terms of Service you are ready to Create a Blog and start your adventure into the world of Blogging! Follow the steps and remember there is always help including the official Blogger Help Group.
Several years ago my computer skills included the ability to "Turn On" my PC, and get onto the Internet to check my email. As a middle-age blond female when I went to college even the schools didn't have computer systems and the only people who knew anything about a computer were the pimple-faced geek boys whom would be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome today.
Several years ago if anyone has suggested I would one day have my own Blog I would have laughed! But, one step at a time and one new skill at a time LOOK At ME NOW!
Starting it the first step and it begins with deciding that you have something to say and want to have a place to say it! The next step are easy and it's just like learning to run... It starts with learning to walk.
To start creating your own blog you will need to go to the Blogger homepage and click the "Create Your Blog Now" button.
The next step will ask you to create a Google Account. If you have already created a Google Account you may use that account with any other Google services. If you already have any Google Services you can just sign into your Google service or account. Once you have created a Google Account or signed into Google service it's as simple as entering a display or username and accepting the Blogger's Terms of Service.
As soon as you accept the Terms of Service you are ready to Create a Blog and start your adventure into the world of Blogging! Follow the steps and remember there is always help including the official Blogger Help Group.
July 18, 2008
What is Social Bookmarking?
Social Bookmarking allows thousands of Internet users to keep their bookmark collections on a website instead just on their personal computer.
There are some huge advantages when users learn and use social bookmarks.
Anywhere at Anytime
By listing your bookmarks on a website rather then just on your own computer you will be able to access your favorite websites from anywhere or from any computer. The bookmarks are available backed up no matter which computer you use!
Social Bookmarks make it possible to Share with Others
Most bookmark sites are public and available for anyone to use or read. This makes it possible for you to see what other people have found interesting and share your own bookmarks with others.
Users can Find the Best on the Web based on the input of people, and not a machines
With social bookmarking, only bookmarks other people think are worth keeping can be found.
One of my new favorite social bookmarking websites is Ma.gnolia because this site rate and tags instantly this offers users an idea of what other people think about a bookmark and make web searches more informed than it ever has been.
I have been using del.icio.us for years now and found it very handy when I got my new laptop when it came to finding all the places I like to visit while on a clean computer!
Social bookmarking is a lot like having a community of expert assistants help find what is being looked for!
When you sign up for a social bookmarking account you can easily add any site or page of a site to your bookmarks. You might also be noticing that many websites and blogs offer their readers links to quickly and easily add a book mark.
If you notice in the right column of this blog there are several options listed where readers can add a bookmark with little more then a click!
So what is stopping you? Why not get an account and start bookmarking the things you find interesting on the Internet!
There are some huge advantages when users learn and use social bookmarks.
Anywhere at Anytime
By listing your bookmarks on a website rather then just on your own computer you will be able to access your favorite websites from anywhere or from any computer. The bookmarks are available backed up no matter which computer you use!
Social Bookmarks make it possible to Share with Others
Most bookmark sites are public and available for anyone to use or read. This makes it possible for you to see what other people have found interesting and share your own bookmarks with others.
Users can Find the Best on the Web based on the input of people, and not a machines
With social bookmarking, only bookmarks other people think are worth keeping can be found.
One of my new favorite social bookmarking websites is Ma.gnolia because this site rate and tags instantly this offers users an idea of what other people think about a bookmark and make web searches more informed than it ever has been.
I have been using del.icio.us for years now and found it very handy when I got my new laptop when it came to finding all the places I like to visit while on a clean computer!
Social bookmarking is a lot like having a community of expert assistants help find what is being looked for!
When you sign up for a social bookmarking account you can easily add any site or page of a site to your bookmarks. You might also be noticing that many websites and blogs offer their readers links to quickly and easily add a book mark.
If you notice in the right column of this blog there are several options listed where readers can add a bookmark with little more then a click!
So what is stopping you? Why not get an account and start bookmarking the things you find interesting on the Internet!
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