Scribble On The Wall » Blogs

Meet My Neighbor

Marisa — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:11:15 +0000

Usually I blog about sites that I’ve found over the years that are useful in specific ways. Every so often, I like to tell you about a blog that I enjoy, just because it’s well written and entertaining. Like today.

My friend Tammie has been blogging for over a year now and even though I live right next door to her, I still visit her blog to read about her day to day life. Tammie can turn even the most mundane tasks, like searching for Mac memory or tracking down the perfect chairs into a fun read.

Read along as Tammie shares the latest animal tale (and just between us, Bird freaks me out) or one of her interesting teaching adventures. She’ll pull you into the story and leave you with a smile on your face.

I know I’m the lucky one, having Tammie right next door but all you have to do is check out Tammie’s blog to enjoy her company, too. Add a cup of coffee and it’ll be like you’re sitting right here at my kitchen counter with us!

Stay Tuned For New Blog Intro

Marisa — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:23:42 +0000

I stopped by this past week to visit with a friend who is also a travel agent. She’s gotten me great prices on my airfare to Hawaii in the past. I’m so tempted to check out some of the great cruise deals she offers but I’m not sure this is the right time to travel.

Anyway, my friend is starting a blog and doing a really good job with it. Problem is, the blog is not on her domain but is hosted at a free blogging site. I’m going to help her move it to her own domain. When we get that done, I’ll make an announcement here about it. You’ll want to be sure to take a look at it.

Feed Your Soul

Marisa — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:30:02 +0000

This blog has been a hodgepodge of sites from around the internet. Some sites are relatively new but many are over a decade old. As I look back through the archive I realize that I’ve covered many topics and I’m satisfied with the reviews I’ve written so far.

Today’s site is different for a few reasons. First, it’s my newest blog. I don’t think I’ve ever promoted one of my own sites here before. Second, it’s a spiritual blog, something else I haven’t mentioned here in the past. The blog is Where You Lead and it’s 16 days old. Yes, It was born on January 1, 2008. It currently has 16 posts; yes, that’s one for every day. My goal is to be able to say, on December 31, 2008, that the blog has 365 posts. We’ll see what happens.

As I mentioned, Where You Lead is spiritual. I’m Catholic so naturally, the blog has a Christian slant. Every day I post a verse from the bible and reflect on it and how it relates to my life. I welcome others to stop by and share their thoughts. Please keep in mind, though, that Where You Lead is not a blog for debating religion or the existence of God. Those types of comments will not be approved.

I’d really love for everyone to stop by and let me know what you think of Where You Lead. This blog is part of my New Year’s Resolution to blog everyday. I’m not sure if this is a better resolution this year but it’s already lasted longer than my previous resolution to use our treadmill, weight bench and other exercise equipment 4 times each week. That one never made it past the first week of January!

So if you’re okay with religion of a Christian flavor and spirituality in general, please stop by and leave a comment. I’d love to know what you think!

Eighth Annual Weblog Awards

Marisa — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:05:25 +0000

It’s that time again, kids. End of year and beginning of year always means lists and awards and this year is no different. It’s time to vote. Not on a president, though. It’s time to put on your thinking caps and head on over to the 8th Annual Weblog Awards to nominate your favorite blogs in each category.

I’ve nominated several of my favorites that I read virtually every day. There’s room to nominate only three in each category so I had to narrow down my choices. I’m sure everyone has favorites so I’ll just throw out a few for your consideration:

Geeks Are Sexy provides excellent tech advice suitable for just about any computer user. And their old blogspot blog has a great tutorial on how to install wordpress locally using xampp. If you’re not reading this blog, you should be.

Go Fug Yourself can be either Fashion, Gossip or Entertainment. I can’t remember which category I finally chose but I do know this is one of the best blogs around. Could have been humor, too, but I had other favorites for that category.

Pointless Drivel is one of several very funny blogs that I enjoy. I’d list all of them but Mr. Fab, the talent behind this blog, is the one who does the clay figures of people and so he’s the one I have to suck up to for that. I’ve never been done in clay, you know.

That should start you off. Feel free to drop me a comment with two or three of your own favorites. Can’t wait to discover a few more award winning blogs. And be sure to nominate your favorites, too. If you get stuck in any categories, keep those three above in mind. And this blog. Oh, and for lifetime achievement, a blog that’s been around since at least 2003? My other blog, Marisa’s Dandelion Patch would definitely qualify.

If You’re Not In Vegas…

Marisa — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 23:40:50 +0000

I wanted so badly to attend the Blog World Expo in Las Vegas this past week and even more, I wanted to attend PostieCon, the one day convention put on by PayPerPost and ending with the Blogger’s Choice Awards tonight. Family obligations, though, have kept me home.

The next best thing? Watching every session of PostieCon, including the unveiling of the New PayPerPost, aka Argus, live! That’s right, the entire PostieCon is being streamed as it happens. There’s even a chat room on meebo.com with the chat appearing in real time on monitors at the convention. (the room is izea@posticon) Seems Ted Murphy has thought of everything.

If you’re curious about Izea, SocialSpark or blogging in general, head on over to the live stream and listen in. And watch. It’s on right now!

Blogger, Market Thyself!

Marisa — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:42:22 +0000

I started blogging quite a while ago. In fact, it will be seven years at the end of this month. That’s quite a while. Back then, I had one blog and it was all about recording my day-to-day activities. I wasn’t nearly as interested in whether others would read my words as I was in getting my thoughts recorded. I didn’t consider my “audience” or whether my writing was interesting.

I’m not sure when that all changed but I do remember how it changed. Over time, I got more and more comments. People would just pop in and comment on a random post to let me know they enjoyed what I’d written. With every comment left by a reader, I became more aware of my audience. I realized that the long-forgotten Writer in me was stirring. I wanted to write and even more, I wanted people to read my words. And so I’ve learned about marketing.

If you’re a blogger or even a business owner with an online presence, marketing is surely not far from your thoughts. After all, you’re blogging to be “heard” or you’re selling online to expand your reach beyond your own town. You’ve probably done some online research and found a few good articles on marketing; I know I have. The Internet Marketing blog I found today, though, is worth a mention here.

allinanchor.com strips away the hype and offers the facts, keeping the writing entertaining and informative. Run by the founder of Active Internet Marketing, LLC, the advice here is to the point and surprisingly easy to understand. I’ve read so many articles on marketing that just went right over my head by the second paragraph that finding straight talk on subjects like SEO made me sit up and take notice.

From Brand Management to commentary on Sprint’s decision to cut ties with 1200 customers who complained too much, allinanchor.com covers the world of internet marketing better than most blogs out there. This one is worth a look. In fact, I’ve already added the feed to my feed reader. You should too!

The Worst Roommates

Marisa — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 04:53:18 +0000

Have you ever had a roommate? I went from my mother’s home to an apartment with my husband. There have been times when I wondered if I missed something by not moving out of my parents’ home and perhaps sharing an apartment with a roommate. After reading about the roommates that some people have, though, I’m grateful that I skipped that particular right of passage.

Before clicking over to that blog, be aware that some of the photos are nasty. A couple are a bit risque. Most made me laugh. What’s shocking, though, is that there are people who actually behave in such a rude and inconsiderate fashion.

This blog is kind of new but it’s being updated regularly and you really don’t want to miss any of the entries. Most of the roommates being reported must have stocked up on Wicked tickets. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to share a taxi ride with them, let alone living space! Take a look and tell me which one is your favorite. Or, uh, worst nightmare!

Wondering About Opinions

Marisa — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:12:16 +0000

I’ve been trying to keep up with three blogs. I’m doing well with one, okay with this one but I’m fairly miserably with the third. So I’m wondering…

What is the best spacing of blog posts? I’d love to add to each blog every single day but I probably won’t. So, What about 3-4 times/week. Does that sound sufficient? Or does that make me a slacker?

I’m thinking hard about this. If you have an opinion, give it.

Preparing for Fun

Marisa — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:39:25 +0000

I’m still trying to make plans to attend the BlogWorldExpo and PostieCon this November in Las Vegas. I really want to be there for this, not just because of the interesting speakers and educational presentations, but mostly because I really want to meet all the great bloggers that I call “friends.” Yes, there is a chance that we’ll get a little crazy, maybe hang from the chandeliers or dance on tabletops. But that’s part of the fun, right?

So, since I’m still in the planning stages, anyone have any ideas on good hotels? Speak up!

Get Peopleized!

Marisa — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 16:05:25 +0000

I’m always on the lookout for interesting websites that will help me generate content when my mind might be stuck in neutral. I also love to get to know the ordinary people out there in cyberland because I really do believe that everyone has a story to tell, if only we’d listen.

I guess someone else out there has the same thoughts because I just found a site that helps bloggers to generate content by offering up regular cybercitizens to be interviewed. Peopleized-people interview people is a perfect concept, joining those who wish to report with those who wish to be the topic of blog articles. Simply genius!

I’ve already signed up for Peopleized and plan on spending some time there getting to know the site. I can see this being a great way to find interesting content and get to know some really interesting people. If you’d like to be featured in someone’s blog article or are looking for fascinating everyday people to cover on your own blog, go ahead and sign up for the free account. I think this may just be the next big blogger hotspot!