she who blogs

Facebook Pages for your Blog

Facebook is a great Social Networking Site to promote your blog or brand. Most of the major brands do have a Facebook Fan Page - like Coca Cola FB Fan Page , Disney FB Fan Page and Ben & Jerry's FB Fan Page just to name a few. 

Already there are some She Who Blogs members with Facebook pages for their blogs (*listed below), help support your SWB sisters by clicking on the links below and liking them: 

Bleeding Espresso

Blogtations

Callista's Ramblings

Carrie Loves

Goat Berries

Grits in the City

Oh, So Very Me

Pure Unadulterated Softthistle

Sweet Faerie Designs

SMS Book Reviews

Tea with Dee

Are you impressed and want to create one for your blog? It's really quite easy, just click on this link: Create a Page on Facebook.

*If I missed your blog's Facebook page please except my apologies in advance and send me a link to it, I'll add it right away.

The Web Cam and the Dork

The Web Cam and the Dork

I thought I would go to the book store in town yesterday.  I normally order my books on-line but I was having a bit of a magazine withdrawal so I thought what the heck, stop at the book store and go through the hundreds of magazines there.

While I was standing in front of the photography section, I heard two women talking about the one woman's laptop.  Apparently the woman with the laptop didn't know she had a web cam in her laptop and they were laughing at this woman's silliness.  I laughed, to myself, too because how silly is it for someone not to know they have a web cam in their laptop?  I mean really.

I purchased my 14 trillion magazines and walked out of the store a very happy magazine camper.  But throughout my time in the book store, I kept thinking back to those two women and the web cam in the laptop story.  See because even though I laughed to myself?  If one of those women would have turned to me and asked if I had a web cam in my laptop?  I would not have been able to answer them.  Quite frankly?  I would have said "No my laptop does not have a web cam in it."

The minute I got home I rushed to open my laptop and started looking to see if I had a web cam.  Turns out?  I do indeed have a web cam on my laptop.

And even though I'm putting these out there for the off change they might be scrutinized, not one word about the chubbiness that is me.  The extra weight I carry around has accumulated over the years, but those cheeks have followed me from birth.  What I'm trying to say is, even if I lost 4000 pounds I would still have chipmunk cheeks.  They are not my fault.  Stupid German/Dutch gene pool.  Moving on.

The above picture is me, after about 45 minutes, finding the web cam and setting it up so I'm not taking photos of my chesticles.  I am pushing...repeatedly...what I thought was the appropriate button to get a picture.  The reason I have my finger in my mouth is because by this point I'm not even posing any more.  I'm just pushing the damn button and trying to figure out where the pictures are going to. And don't ask me why my face appears so flushed up there because I have no idea.  It's not like I was drinking large quantities of alcohol....at 10:00am.  Honest.  So.  I can hear the click when I push the button....

...but by golly no matter how hard I look...through my reading glasses...I just can't seem to figure out where those pictures are going after I click the button....

I swear this is about 25 minutes later and if you look really hard at the photo above you will notice the furrow in my brow.  I may also be swearing under my breath here a little too.  Until....

I finally notice a little 'web console' box is popped up and covering the little area where the photos are going.  Smiles.  We are happy now.

So me and the cheeks decide to finally pose for the nice web cam.  Because after all that?!  Why not.

Lessons/Things I Learned today?

1)  After finding all the photos I realized I pushed the button exactly 82 times, took exactly 82 pictures and these were the best of the lot.  I'm thinking it may not be the web cam that's the problem, but the model.  2)  If you buy a laptop, take the time to know what is on it.  There could be a web cam lurking in there so you too can make a complete fool of yourself.  3)  It appears I don't move...at ALL...while I'm on the laptop because I can't believe how I'm perfectly situated in the middle of the frame in each and every photo.  4)  Laptop web cams take really sucky pictures.  5)  I am happy I didn't take the time to take off the scarf I just bought last weekend, because after kind of seeing it in the photos I am loving it more now then the day I bought it.  Also?  It hides three of my chins.  I have decided I will continue to wear scarves well into the summer months.  6)  Even with lousy photos, I think the reading glasses Kelsey bought me while she was in Winnipeg over Christmas....rock!!  7)  I obviously like the color green.  8)  I'm growing my hair out and I'm now at that stage of aaaaargh!

Visit A Spot of  T

I thought I would go to the book store in town yesterday.  I normally order my books on-line but I was having a bit of a magazine withdrawal so I thought what the heck, stop at the book store and go through the hundreds of magazines there.

While I was standing in front of the photography section, I heard two women talking about the one woman's laptop.  Apparently the woman with the laptop didn't know she had a web cam in her laptop and they were laughing at this woman's silliness.  I laughed, to myself, too because how silly is it for someone not to know they have a web cam in their laptop?  I mean really.

I purchased my 14 trillion magazines and walked out of the store a very happy magazine camper.  But throughout my time in the book store, I kept thinking back to those two women and the web cam in the laptop story.  See because even though I laughed to myself?  If one of those women would have turned to me and asked if I had a web cam in my laptop?  I would not have been able to answer them.  Quite frankly?  I would have said "No my laptop does not have a web cam in it."

The minute I got home I rushed to open my laptop and started looking to see if I had a web cam.  Turns out?  I do indeed have a web cam on my laptop.

And even though I'm putting these out there for the off change they might be scrutinized, not one word about the chubbiness that is me.  The extra weight I carry around has accumulated over the years, but those cheeks have followed me from birth.  What I'm trying to say is, even if I lost 4000 pounds I would still have chipmunk cheeks.  They are not my fault.  Stupid German/Dutch gene pool.  Moving on.

The above picture is me, after about 45 minutes, finding the web cam and setting it up so I'm not taking photos of my chesticles.  I am pushing...repeatedly...what I thought was the appropriate button to get a picture.  The reason I have my finger in my mouth is because by this point I'm not even posing any more.  I'm just pushing the damn button and trying to figure out where the pictures are going to. And don't ask me why my face appears so flushed up there because I have no idea.  It's not like I was drinking large quantities of alcohol....at 10:00am.  Honest.  So.  I can hear the click when I push the button....

...but by golly no matter how hard I look...through my reading glasses...I just can't seem to figure out where those pictures are going after I click the button....

I swear this is about 25 minutes later and if you look really hard at the photo above you will notice the furrow in my brow.  I may also be swearing under my breath here a little too.  Until....

I finally notice a little 'web console' box is popped up and covering the little area where the photos are going.  Smiles.  We are happy now.

So me and the cheeks decide to finally pose for the nice web cam.  Because after all that?!  Why not.

Lessons/Things I Learned today?

1)  After finding all the photos I realized I pushed the button exactly 82 times, took exactly 82 pictures and these were the best of the lot.  I'm thinking it may not be the web cam that's the problem, but the model.  2)  If you buy a laptop, take the time to know what is on it.  There could be a web cam lurking in there so you too can make a complete fool of yourself.  3)  It appears I don't move...at ALL...while I'm on the laptop because I can't believe how I'm perfectly situated in the middle of the frame in each and every photo.  4)  Laptop web cams take really sucky pictures.  5)  I am happy I didn't take the time to take off the scarf I just bought last weekend, because after kind of seeing it in the photos I am loving it more now then the day I bought it.  Also?  It hides three of my chins.  I have decided I will continue to wear scarves well into the summer months.  6)  Even with lousy photos, I think the reading glasses Kelsey bought me while she was in Winnipeg over Christmas....rock!!  7)  I obviously like the color green.  8)  I'm growing my hair out and I'm now at that stage of aaaaargh!

Visit A Spot of  T

Lijit Search and Other New Things at Bleeding Espresso

Have you poked around my sidebars lately? Especially for those of you reading in feedreaders, you need to come on over and have a look because there are some exciting new things at Bleeding Espresso including:

1. Lijit Search

Have you heard of this yet? If you have a blog and other places you “appear” online (including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), I highly recommend becoming Lijit.

My Lijit Search is the middle column if you scroll down a bit.

So what is Lijit? Lijit is a fabulous new search feature that pulls together everything you’ve contributed to the web and makes it searchable.

A quick example? If you type “Italy” into my search box (go ahead!), you’ll get results not only from my blog but also from my tweets on Twitter, my photos on Flickr, and more.

I really love this new feature, and I hope you’ll give it a try. If you want to sign up yourself, go to Lijit.com; if you have any questions, contact Grace Boyle at gboyle@lijit.com, who has been *extremely* kind and helpful as I became Lijit.

2. Recently Published Elsewhere List

Also in the center column near the top, I’ve added a list of my published articles around the web. Now, if you are so inclined, you can keep up with me without waiting for me to post about what I’ve written recently. Your support and comments are always greatly appreciated!

At any given time, you should be able to find something about Italy, travel, the law, and law school over there…and who knows what else? Be sure to check back frequently to see what I’ve been writing. 

3. Ciao Google Ads!

I’ve finally cut the cord on Google advertisements. They’ve done next to nothing for me this past year, so I waited until I got enough for a payment and now I’ve removed them altogether.

I will, of course, keep BlogHer and Amazon over there on the far right, and I’ve also accepted other paid advertisements, which you can find in the center and far right columns. Feel free to click and see what they’re all about!

Feedback on these changes and suggestions for more are welcome in the comments! What’s new at your place?

Related posts:

1. love thursday: happy birthday to p and to bleeding espresso
2. feeling needy
3. interactive friday:
   blog my blog II
4. 5 ways to increase blog traffic & make money with your blog
5. 5 post meme (nothing like a one-trick pony)

 

gingerbread house decorating fun–online!

I’ve noticed in my blog stats that quite a few people have come looking for a gingerbread house to decorate. How do they end up here, you ask? Well it’s all because of the “Decorate Your Own Virtual Gingerbread House” post from last December.

In light of this, I thought hey, the template is still up at Jenny B. Harris‘ Home Sweet Home, so why not make it a tradition to decorate a gingerbread house every year (so long as Jenny keeps up the cottage)?

It’s highly unlikely to happen offline even though I’ve *always* wanted to make a gingerbread house. I even bought a kit one year, but it was during law school and by the time exams were over, so was my attention span.

Anyway, here’s the Official 2008 Bleeding Espresso Gingerbread House:

Go here to decorate your own!

And talk about a great holiday activity for kids–no clean-up necessary!

Have you ever made a real live gingerbread house?

Please share your secrets and tips!

***Remember you still have until midnight tomorrow to enter to win a copy of The Feast of the Seven Fishes!

Visit Michelle

Wii-Tard!!

 

Okay. I have repeatedly admitted that I am very slow on the uptake when it comes to technology. I did not need to touch a computer until my early thirties; this should explain a lot.

So, for my birthday I received the Wii. I have attempted to play before with my niece who probably burned more calories laughing her ass off watching me fail miserably. What are Aunts for? Right Lil Wicked?

I am happy to announce that hooking up the contraption was very easy. I conquered making a Mii, I even named her Wicked H. All this with no help, I've come a long way baby!

I inserted the sports game disc, managed to bowl with no problems. Tennis, not so much. I tried and tried, the best I could do was serve. As for returning the ball either it bounced twice and the crowd booed or I hit the spectators square in the head. I think I should earn a quarter point for at least that, seriously. Can you all do that?

I just got off the phone with Lil Wicked. She may have a stitch in her side from the uproarious laughter. Apparently one needs no button while playing tennis. The fine folks at Wii do not mention this. Why is that?

In any case, I am off to conquer tennis with my condom encased Wii remote. Something Lil Wicked's does not have.

Ha!

 

Visit Wicked H

She Who Designs.org

She Who Designs.org was created and launched by Lissa a SWB member.

Her welcome message reads as follows:

shewhodesigns.org- a place for designers and photographers

This not-for-profit blog's purpose is to connect female designers and photograhers of all genres.

All females are welcome to join by leaving a comment. You'll receive an invite which will allow you to become a contributor/member of this blog. An easy to create Blogger account is necessary for posting, but not to join. You may also e-mail your material to me for posting.

Members are encouraged to post about design in general along with photography, ideas and helpful tips and how-to's -- pretty much anything to do with design and photography.

There are no rules as of yet but some may turn up as we move along. This is only the beginning. I'm still trying to decide what to do here but I hope you can bear with me as I sort things out.


"Sometimes creativity is a compulsion, not an ambition."
Ed Norton, Entertainment Weekly

 

Lissa has two personal blogs:

Postcards from the Cards - photos

Just Write - creative writing

A collaborative photo blog with Susan

2 Lives

And

Recently Lissa offered SWB members makeovers for their blogs.

Avert Your Eyes

Candid Karina

Life isn't about finding yourself...

as well as redoing our SWB logo and creating all the graphics for our 1st anniversary.

You can see more of her makeover magic at:

just design blogs

 

 

Saved SMS Messages

Most of the time the SMS messages we either send or receive are to organise our lives. “Let’s meet at 7pm at the movies”. “Running late. Be there soon.”

However, occasionally we get SMS messages that we treasure and those are the ones that we never delete from our inbox. When Lelak and I first got together, we sent each other lots of lovey dovery SMS messages. I kept almost every single one of them and would read them when I was feeling down or upset. Then, one horrible day four years into our relationship, my phone ate them. I have not a single one of them left. For me it was like having my love letters destroyed. I still mourn their lost.

Unfortunately, I think Lelak also lost her collection of our love SMS messages, including the one from our friend Michelle when we first got together basically telling us that we would go blind if we didn’t come up for air. Since our relationship developed slowly over time, there was never a day that we could pinpoint as the day we got together and thus have anniversary celebrations. Our anniversary is sometime in July, but we would celebrate it on the day that Michelle sent that SMS. Now with the loss of that SMS and our terrible memory on exactly what date that message was sent, we have no idea when to celebrate our anniversary.

Today in my SMS inbox, I have only one lovely dovey SMS from Lelak which simply says “P.S. I love you.” The rest are all important information like the password to Lelak’s laptop and where my parents live (they keep moving and I gave up remembering exactly where they live about 8 years ago).

So, what is in your SMS inbox on your mobile phone? Do you have romantic SMS message from your loved one? Or from a secret affair? What secrets would be revealed if someone happened to take a peek in there?
Visit Dancing About Architecture

From Frances (blogjem)

Even though I'm known as justexpressingmyself because this blog I will always be the coffeebarchick.

The first computer came into the house when my daughter was sixteen. I had been online for a year at work, and used my own name as my handle on everything.

The new Gateway came with a year of AOL, and my daughter quickly thought up a screen name for herself.

I thought I might like to try something different, but couldn't come up with anything.

"So what should my name be?"

"Mommy you're always in some coffee bar somewhere writing, so you'll be coffeebar...hmmmm....coffeebar... coffeebarchick! That's it."

And so I was and so I am.
My daughter made this for me last Christmas. She burned the design into wood and painted it.



Visit Frances

From Susan (A Slice of Life)

So how many hits a day are you getting on your blog now” my beloved asked me last night. I told him and he merely sighed and shook his head. Then he looked me in the eyes and told me that I was going to have to do better as that simply wasn’t enough. He went on to inform me that I had to attract thousands of visitors each day if he was going to be able to quit his job and live comfortably off of my blog ad earnings. I just gave him the look that he is so familiar with. The one that says he’s such a goofball.

I don’t ever expect to make any money off of this little blog of mine. (Heck I don’t even have an ad…I even find them mildly offensive). That’s not why I started it in the first place. I started it because, well…Shaun pestered me into it.

A few years ago, I got a wild hair and decided to write a Christmas letter to send out with all my cards. I was prepared to hear moans and groans because that was the standard reaction to those seasonal letters. Instead, to my amazement, everyone raved about how wonderful they were. (I still hear a lot of whining is I don’t send one out nowadays) Encouraged by this positive reaction from family and friends, I started writing little stories about what was going on in our lives. Then I would send them out via email.

Shaun had heard about this new thing called a “blog”. He wanted me to start one so that everyone could just go there and see my tales. Of course I, being the one who hates change and anything technical, claimed that I didn’t want one of those new-fangled things. Why mess with a good thing? Ignoring my words, my sweet husband set up a blog for me. He even posted several of my past stories on it. Instead of falling to my knees in gratitude, I foolishly refused to acknowledge it’s existence.

It took a while, but I finally came around and started up my own blog. (Yes, I was still too stubborn to use the one he set up for me!) It amazes me that something that started out as a way of allowing loved ones keep tabs on our family has become such a big part of our lives. The entire family gives me suggestions on what to write. People that I don’t even realize are reading know everything that is going on with us. (sometimes it’s kinda creepy!)

Blogging has opened up a wonderful door for me. I get to practice my writing skills (such as they are), I have an online journal and as a very special bonus, I have “met “so many amazing people.
It’s highly doubtful that I will ever be able to support my beloved with this little blog, but I think the rewards I do get from it are pretty amazing…

Visit Susan

From Kerith (Kerith's Korner of Momdum)

DO YOU TREAT YOUR BLOGGING AS A JOB?

 

As any blogger, professional or otherwise, will tell you, blogging takes up A LOT of time.  There is no way around it. 

• You have to post decent content.
• You have to blog-hop and comment on other blogs
• You have to check your e-mail and thank others for visiting your blog
• You have to do research on and off the computer
• You have to pay attention to your life off the computer

There is so much that goes into one's blogging that it can and will become overwhelming.  There are so many ideas, pictures, posts, people, etc.  What are you going to do?  How are you going to catch up?  What will it take to make money?

You must slow down.  If blogging is your hobby, you must treat it as a job.  If blogging is your job, you must treat it as a job.  When I began blogging, I fell in love with it, so to speak.  I went from one blog to seven in a matter of 2 months.  I was up at the crack of dawn and up until almost the crack of dawn the next day.  I could not get enough.  I wanted to be a problogger and I wanted to be great at it.  You have to make sacrifices for any business, right?

True, but you must remember that you are blogging for your family.  Don't neglect them.  I found that neglect was exactly what I was starting to do.  My 4 kids hardly spent time with me unless they were sitting on my lap at the computer.  My husband only ever heard about blogs, blogging, and posts.  It was when he took all the cords to our computer to work with him that I realized that maybe I needed to change how I blogged if I was going to continue to blog.  I gave myself a work week.  Monday - Friday.  No weekends.  Period.  The first couple of weeks were hard.  But I saw my family again.  I had other things to talk about besides the latest blog post.  Sure, Sunday nights I am up late catching up on e-mails and other blog's posts, but it is so worth it.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by your blogging, step out of the blogger box and look at it from another angle.  It is your job-full or part time.  Give yourself a weekend.  You, your family, and your blogging career will thank you.

Visit Kerith