Category Archives: blogging

October 7, 2008 · 11:50 pm

‘That One’ is the new ‘Maverick’

It can’t be easy being a politician these days. The millisecond something comes out of your mouth it is all over the blogs and twitter. It becomes pop culture comedy before the next question is asked.

Seriously though, the lack of respect used in a comment like ‘That one’ had the crowds going wild. Here is the clip on YouTube. WSJ posted this at 10:57. (how did they type and proof so fast?) McCain campaign adviser Charlie Black said he didn’t believe McCain meant any disrespect and that Obama’s campaign was spinning the remark.

Uh, I think not. That was rude. No matter who you are voting for.

So much noise. And me? I am becoming a noise junky. How did I watch the debate? Having the miserable experience great pleasure of trying to bang out a job before the holiday tomorrow I was watching at my desk. Being a new Twitter junkie user I stumbled upon a website called ‘current’ that was hosting what they called a Hack-a-thon of the debate.

In short, they streamed the debate and opened up a tagged twitterstream were participants could have tweets visible across the screen.

Translation for those who don’t know what the hell I am talking about. There was a YouTube style screen and people were kind of instant messaging to a common place and their comments would come up on the bottom of the screen.

Ok, so maybe elbow deep in Photoshop layers on a project with a streaming debate including constant commentary may be a little over the top. Even for me. Did I mention that I kept taking screen shots of my fave comments too? Yes, I have a severe illness.

Here are my two faves:

In case you are reading this on a handheld and can’t see the pics, the first one says: Ironic-the Presidential debate is coming on right after “The Biggest Loser”

The second: Drinking on: change, hope, maverick, reform, economy, bailout, nuclear. did i miss any?

What this means is that they were at a debate party where they do shots whenever those words are mentioned. (one drunk crowd for sure). A milder version of this game was debate bingo. I did see a comment later on that said: One more maverick and I have Bingo.

Yes, the game has surely changed indeed.

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September 30, 2008 · 11:17 pm

Top Ten Search Terms (vol. 3)

Before I get into the search terms I want to let you know that the Jana shoelace poll has consistently shown that yellow is in the lead. We are at 59% to 41% to date. Voting is still open if you want to have your voice heard in this very important election.

Welcome to the third monthly installment of Top Ten Search Terms. For those who missed the last two you can read Vol. 1 here and Vol 2. here. As before, I have compiled a list of my 10 favorite (actual) search terms that viewers have entered to arrive at this blog. Some make sense, others quite frankly scare me. What makes people keyword such offbeat phrases? You can click on the terms and they will lead you to the posts that I think were found. For you email subsribers you will have to go to the page of the blog to use this function.

10. jews in jeeps yeh, we jews LOVE to drive jeeps.

9. dog crying for dead dog on street  oh my, this is way too sad. i am thinking that most dogs have the time to cry. think about it, what the heck does your dog do all day anyway?

8. fibroids spanx hmm… how did this person know that I had fibroids (wait, this might have been in my menopause post). to tell the truth they have had nothing to do with my need to wear spanx.

7. obama ad exploding dog c’mon! did any of you see this ad. why would anyone (candidate or otherwise) want to blow up a dog?

6. ive been slimed lab is this like sperm donors and pharma research programs where they pay you to come in for the afternoon and get slimed in a lab. even for the sake of research I am not sure if I would want to voluntarily be slimed.

5. people sandwich one comment only here: Soylent Green is people! (Jana, pass this one on to the campies)

4. second hand thong umm… EW! nuff said here.

3. man-boy slaves  oy, that is way concerning. so much for transparency in my blog. now i have to worry about some perverts looking for my kid.

2. thong long hair big boobs yeh, well duh. that is what every friggin’ human with a penis is searching for 24 hours a day on the internet. I guess this blog was a disappointing find for this group. maybe they should have searched ‘thong, longish hair, 49-year-old boobs wise ass with a big mouth.

1. photos of men wearing tampons wait, there are actually many photos of men wearing tampons out there? ew, wait again. where are they wearing them? 

I hope you enjoyed this months list. Makes you want to keep reading, doesn’t it?

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September 22, 2008 · 11:58 pm

My 100th Post!

In celebration of this milestone, Time to Cry Tuesday will be more of a Time to Celebrate Tuesday (which is not a cool alliteration and will surely not catch on).

Believe it or not, this is my 100th post. No gifts are necessary but some comment love would be appreciated.

How poetic that I should write this on the flight home from my first blog-nerd gathering. I feel like I should call Willard Scott and get myself on a Smuckers spot on the morning news:

“i could cry but I don’t have time turns 100 posts young today. Its secret to longevity is a high fiber diet and an affinity for the absurd.”

There are many bloggers out there who trend towards creating a 100 things to do before I die list at this milestone. I will take Jana’s lead on not doing this as the last time we were in a bookstore with Gary she said, “Oh jeez, Dad is looking at the ‘1,000 things’ books. That is NOT a good thing!”

I have also seen 100 things you may not know about me lists. Let’s face it, I love you all out there, and I am sure the feeling is mutual (humor me). But there is a reason why you don’t know those 100 things about me.

Because they are BORING. This would be the equivalent of the drum solo at a Grateful Dead concert – a perfect time to go to the bathroom.

Instead I will use this post as a celebration. A celebration of change. Of following a passion (which by the way is a word I heard mentioned at least 1,000 times at Blogworld, followed closely by transparency and paradigm shift, to the point where they all lost their impact).

You can make a change anytime you choose.

I read a great book recently; The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It is written from the point of view of the dog. It has surely made me pay more attention to Mel’s incessant barking of late. I am sure she is trying to tell me something. (either that or her bladder is just showing her age).

I will close with my favorite quote from this sage-like canine:

“That which you manifest is before you.”

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September 21, 2008 · 2:22 pm

My head is exploding…

In a good way.

Just left the keynote address at Blogworld’s final day.This was the rock star panel for sure.

Literally.

Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park and Timothy Ferriss of The 4-Hour Work Week fame with Rohit Bhargava, author of Personality Not Included and Sr. VP of the 360 Digital Influence team at Ogilvy. These guys were amazing!

Now, for my fave soundbites:

Rohit to Tim and Mike: “You guys are not assholes and you really could be. What makes you not assholes.”

Ummmm… anyone read my last post? Did I not talk assholes? Coincidence? I think not!

Tim: “Be vulnerable and open about your shortcomings and people will be more apt to help you.”

I love this advice as I am way over my head in this crowd and the idea of being OK with that is cool. Kind of like a little blogstyle valium. Or your mother telling you how smart you are even when you don’t feel that way. (by the way mom, thanks for always doing that. Note to self: start doing that to my kids).

Tim: “Talk to your readers the way you talk to your friends after 2 drinks.”

This one is great. If I were to write my mission statement that is what it would be. Most times I write in the same tone that I speak at a First Thurdays dinner. The key here is the number of drinks. Anything more than 2 and you start to sound like a blathering idiot. (Note to my kids: Just kidding, you should not drink and should always have a designated typist).

Off to another speaker session…

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September 20, 2008 · 10:30 pm

Do one thing everyday that scares you

The title of this post is an Eleanor Roosevelt quote.

If you have ever received an email from me you know that I use this in my signature. Sometimes just waking up and answering the crap shoot of personal and professional phone calls of late is something that scares me enough, thanks.

What does all this have to do with my trip to Vegas for Blogworld and New Media Expo you ask? (Or not if you did not know I was here).

I turned 49 this week, twice the age of many at this conference, I might add. Not that age is something that concerns me all that much as I am certainly more current than many of my peers and plastic surgery is not one of my top 10 topics of conversation. Nonetheless, it is both exhausting and exciting to be in the midst of such a huge shift in communications and content delivery.

Back to the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas issue. Leaving the basement office is not something I do all that often. And Vegas has surely not ever been on the top of my destination lists.

But blogging has changed me. The way I think. The way I think that I want to move forward professionally. And personally. It is like I have been waiting my whole life for this medium. And here I am in a room full of like-minded thinkers. Pretty cool, right?

Being here in the midst of all the early-adopters with their buzzwords and depth of knowledge can be a bit intimidating. It is also extremely invigorating. And to be honest, as much as I thought I did not know about this, in the 5 months that I have been doing it I have learned an awful lot. I fall into the category of late-early-adopters, perfect for me as I am notorious for being 10 minutes late.

How I feel about blogging keeps spilling out of the mouths of all the speakers. It is about passion. It is about relationship and community building. It is about harnessing that enthusiasm and translating it into a business model.

To my peers who keep asking me what a blog is and why they need to read them or have their businesses consider them, here is my takeaway from day one:

1. whether you are paying attention or not, people are talking about your business or product out there, it would be wise to start listening.

2. I have always said that if you are an asshole in real life then you are an asshole in business.

3. This conference is confirming for me that if you are sincere in real life you can translate that into growing your business passionately and whole-heartedly by developing an honest relationship with your customers.

4. For those who are not interested in the business aspect of blogging, if you are passionate about something, it is a way to connect with others who are just as passionate as you are. And certainly if you like to laugh or be amused, then of course you are reading MY blog and others on my blogroll and that is enhancing your life ; )

Now really. What is so scary about that?!

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September 20, 2008 · 2:02 am

What Happens in Vegas goes on Facebook

Yes, we have arrived. As as soon as the plane landed the guy a few seats ahead of us stood up and that is what was written on his shirt.

Kind of poetic for a Blog Conference weekend, don’t you think?

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September 18, 2008 · 10:17 pm

Welcome to Croatia


I still have a fax machine. I am not always sure why because most of the things I receive announce vacation packages, low health insurance costs and home improvement specials. (Actually, I should stop throwing that stuff out, I could use all three).

Today I received the actual Croatian Passport above. Believe it or not I also received the inside but I thought that it would not be all that fair to this guy named Ivan (no joke, that was really his name) to be putting his passport (not the most flattering pic I might add) up on the internet for all to see.

I think somewhere in the past I might remember that there is a travel agency in another zip code that has the same number as my fax. Either that or I just made that up and Ivan is some sort of spy and he thinks that I am his leader and we are going to escape to go on a very dangerous undercover global espionage adventure this weekend.

Wait. No I’m not. I am actually flying off to Vegas tonight to Blogworld and New Media Expo.

Yep, all you bloggers are jealous, right?

All my friends in real life (that would be IRL) can stop laughing at the thought of me in Vegas and be encouraging. Gary is coming to be supportive, provide comic relief and try to find a way for me to turn this crazy blogging jones into billable hours. Oh, and to probably sit by the pool and do a little gambling.

Hey, I wonder if there is a basement in the Bellagio in case I get freaked out above ground too long.

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September 15, 2008 · 5:19 pm

Don’t worry, I am still alive


Ok, so here is another really cool thing about blogging.

People miss you when you don’t post. You become a regular part of someone’s day and you leave a void when you are gone. I kind of love that!

This morning I received an email from a blog friend making sure I was OK because she did not find a new post from me. How cool is that? AND, when doing a little IM session with my daughter, she asked about it too.

Who said the internet was impersonal?

For reasons I will not disclose here (alright because frankly I drank too much both Saturday and Sunday night celebrating with friends) I did not post yesterday. And also because it is my birthday and I did not want to obnoxiously solicit birthday wishes (yeh, well, decided I would anyway).

For those who are interested… 49. (haha, when I went to type that the first time it came out as 40, Freudian fingers). Really. 49. Not 50 lying about my age, really 49. And proud(ish).

Thanks for missing me, even those of you who did not mention it (or did not miss me and frankly welcomed the break from my insane ramblings).

Uh oh, tomorrow is Time to Cry Tuesday and it is a killer…

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September 8, 2008 · 8:16 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday

 

This story has so touched my heart I felt the need to share this with my readers.

As many of you know, I am new to the blogging community. I have come here, yes to tell some stories and make people laugh, but also to learn more about the community at large.

For those who do not know me, I am an over-volunteer (x10 actually). I am passionate about the causes that I support and spend more time in grassroots fundraising efforts than my spouse (aka, mr. is that billable?) would like. (Just kidding Gary is very supportive of my volunteer jones).

I am a regular reader of a wonderful blog called Design Mom, written by one of the more energetic individuals I have witnessed in a long time. Gabrielle Blair is the mother of 5 (OMG, I am such a slouch), a graphic designer and an entreprenuer.

Cut to the real story here. Through her blog I found out about a tragic plane crash involving another beloved mom of the blogosphere, Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson. Her blog is Nie Nie Dialogues.

On Saturday, August 16, 2008, Stephanie was in a plane crash with her husband, Christian Nielson, and his flight instructor, Doug Kinnear, near St. Johns, Arizona. Doug Kinnear passed away soon after arriving at the Maricopa County Hospital.

Christian & Stephanie remain in critical condition at Maricopa Burn Center. Christian has sustained burns on over 30% of his body. His wife Stephanie’s body was burned over 80%. This wonderful couple has four young children.

I know, talk about Time to Cry Tuesday!

But here is the lemons to lemonade piece. This is what has reinforced the power of the blogosphere and more specifically, the mommy bloggers, for me. This is no group of passive women. These women rock. They rock so loud and so clear you can’t believe it.

Gabrielle from Design Mom had a brainstorm for bloggers to host online charity auctions to raise money for the Nielson’s recovery. Cjanerun, written by Stephanie’s sister has worked with others to create a donation site (which you can link to here, in my sidebar and on the graphic in this post – I want to make this easy!).

Yesterday, the NYT ran this amazing article about the fundraising efforts. After following this story for the past few weeks I felt it was time to bring this to you.

Talk about community!

So, my friends, never underestimate the power of community. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in a zip code with this kind of support (which I am) know the result of this kind of support. These people pull us through, pick us up, dust us off and keep us going. How beautiful that we can apply this model globally through the power of blogging.

I urge you to donate whatever you can to this brave family.

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September 6, 2008 · 11:18 pm

Bloganoia (vol.2)

I will be shamelessly self-promoting my new photo blog, leaving the zip code, here from now on. You won’t be disappointed, I promise. Let’s see if some of you will take the ‘submit’ challenge.

I have written about this phenomenon before but the topic keeps coming up.

Now that I have been posting for a while, my readership is growing (or perhaps I am delusional and just think that it is). Certainly here in the zip code.

Twice in the last 24 hours people have said something and then asked, “oh no, are you going to blog about this?”

So, to reduce any fears about being outed here in bloganoialand, let me assure you that if I am going to use your name I will ask you first. (oh, except for Dr. Jimmy but he loved it and moving forward he will be my best commenter).

Most often, if I blog something about you I will not mention who you are. Or give your distinguishing characteristics like, “that certain someone with the ______ (fill in the blank with your most defining characteristic).

My kids, on the other hand, seem to be blogobitionists, as they get a kick out of it when I write about them. I ask first and try not to embarrass. (Frightening that Danny was actually proud of the great dryer incident).

In closing, you can feel free to be absolutely absurd in front of me, just like you have always been. And I promise to try to contain myself.

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