Blogging Buddies

Photo Credit emilywjones’ photos

Inspiration for blogging comes from many sources. The best source for inspiration often comes from comments others leave on your blog.

Those who leave comments often become regular visitors. We get to know each other (in a sense), and a conversation often develops. It’s in those cyberspace conversations jewels of inspiration can often be found.

Those who have been following my blog(s), know when I first set up my “Blogging Buddies” page, I became concerned that I may be creating a “link farm” (previously this page was a list of links). Not wanting to put myself at risk, I took this page down while I rewrote it.

In the “story” that follows, I share a little insight on each of the blog authors who took time out of their busy schedules to leave a comment on either this, or my Observation Mountain blog.

For those that do not have a blog, but yet left comments, I am forever grateful.

For me, my Blogging Buddies page is my way of saying “thank you”.

The “story” of my blogging buddies will continue to grow as new visitors comment and join the community that has formed.

Check back often. You’ll find links to many great sites.

In the event I missed including your name, please either drop me a comment or fill out the contact form to send me an email, so I can add your name and blog to the list.

Here goes…….

Just days after I started blogging, I knew I was being heard when I received my first comment from Jomay, of TotalWellbeingBlog.com. Jomay provides information on her blog for healthy living for the body and mind. She includes tips on diet, beauty, intuitive eating, positive attitude and much more. I will always remember Jomay and her kind words.

The first blog carnival I joined was sponsored by TheRandomYak.com His was a “Carnival Of New Blogs”. Shortly after I submitted a post, I began to receive small amounts of referral traffic.

Sean, who started GeekWithLaptop.com, is the person who authored the SRG Clean Archives plugin. It’s a great plugin that I use on my “Articles” page. Sean was kind enough to drop by and let me know he had updated the plugin.

The second blog carnival I joined was hosted by Julie Bonner of DeclutterIt.com On Julie’s blog, she offers great ways to get, and stay organized. Who doesn’t need that?

I had a few comments from the author of “PowerOfThePenny.blogspot.com (Money saving tips for frugal minds), however, the last time I checked, his blog was down. That’s unfortunate, as he had the start of a great blog.

ThemBid.com is a site that’s motto is “Stop searching, make them bid”

Henk of henkterheide.com has visited my blog many times., His website offers beautiful drawings and sketches. His motto is “See Me Draw - Drawing the pictures in my mind”.

Journey2Retirement.com is a personal finance blog, where the author shares the tracking of his personal journey to retirement. He includes great money saving tips and articles regarding the economy. Some are real eye-openers.

SuccessPart2.com is the third blogging carnival I joined. It was hosted by Jon Anderson. Thank You Jon.

btocher.com The Far Corner (Hey, Is This Thing On?), and CoComment.com (Site comments by BTocher), are two great blogs, by the same author B. Tocher.

AccountingSoftwareBlog.info, linked to my blog, via a trackback.

foodbankcny.org is a Food Bank of Central New York. “We Work For Food” is their slogan. This is a non profit organization that raises money to feed the hungry in the state of New York. Great job, and a good cause.

Kekoa, of Byteful.com, posts beautiful photos, and great writings, He has been expanding into teaching how to encode video for a podcast, as well as showing short films on his blog.

Brendan of thomasnet.com,dropped by to share a link to his company’s site- a superb site for manufacturing sources. This site is especially helpful if you are a new entrepreneur looking to manufacture a product.

Asalko, of BeforeTheyHatch.com started her blog to help other find “new business ideas that have legs”. She has taken things a step further, by provide great ideas for aspiring entrepreneurs. “My Big Idea” is another brainchild (blog) written by Asako. Currently, it appears she is on hiatus.

Mine.com (Your computer and internet resource) dropped by to leave a comment

Nelson, an IT guy, started Help Desk Geek and provides his readers with great technical hints and tips.

SpicePuppy.com is a blog that takes blogging into a different direction. This is an easy to navigate site featuring numerous authors, on numerous subjects.

I also had a visit from Wirtualna Polska, which I believe is a website based in Poland, Punto De Partida (A blog by Fabián Sepúlveda, from Mexico(?)), and Manga To Read (A blog from Malaysia, I believe).

Jaseem, of Blog For Newbies was kind enough to drop by and leave a comment. Blog for Newbies is a guide For new bloggers, however, it also appears to be on a hiatus.

Brian Link of Digg.com stopped by to share more information about Digg with me. It’s best when you can get input from the experts.

Mike Levin of HitTail, was kind enough to thank me for a review I did of their great innovation. For those who have not tried it, HitTail is a great traffic building product that separates long tail from short tail keywords.

Catherine Lawson’s Business Advice Blog is a great source for anyone who is, or who wants to be in business. Her mission is to help you define and achieve your own business success. Be prepared, as she is not afraid to ask thought provoking questions. Catherine has become a great cyberspace friend and honored BWAB with a guest post on SEO.

Phoenix From The Ashes is a blog that Ian Denny created when their company was liquidating (went bust) and they decided to start over. Ian shares his journey, and hopes to help others faced with the same situation.

Ian went on to start a blog for the new company. He shares great IT advice, plus hints and tips on his Multi Solutions Company blog.

When I needed help to reprogram our TV remote, it was David Yin’s Blog, that saved me many hours of frustration. David was kind enough to pay me a visit to make sure all was working as it should.

Hunter Nuttall is a young man, who wrote an interesting article for those wanting to better their lives. He was a regular commenter on my OM blog, and now has blessed others in cyberspace, with a blog of his own and shares more of his great writings.

360Fusion.co.uk came by, dropped a comment, and by clicking on their link, I found a very informative, educational and interesting website that includes 360 degree virtual photo tours of properties, showrooms, and other areas of interest.

David Bradley, has a great blog, by the name of Significant Figures. He provides insight on blogging and browsing tips, tricks and hacks. With archives containing 1200+ posts, you could spend quite some time on his site.

Opal Tribble, who claims to be “not your ordinary Momma”, has a blog titled Vegan Momma, where she covers subjects such as exercise and fitness, gardening, finance, electronics, cooking, human rights, and travel, just to name a few.

For those who are interested in the stock trading software, Justin has a great blog, titled: Stock Trading Software. He conducts unbiased reviews of the best, and the worst.

My first “New Blog Of The Week”, was Natasha’s World. Here Natasha is sharing her journey to weight loss, as well as her insights on life and self worth.

What I have found fascinating, and educational, is a blog by the name of Nicole B Photography. Nicole currently resides in Kuwait. She shares photos not only of Kuwait, but of Korea, as well.

For great reviews on books, a great website to frequent is Debbie’s blog, titled My Mind On Books. Debbie showcases books on the mind, consciousness, and cognitive science, plus many others.

Zenobia, is a blogger who maintains a blog named The Perennial Garden. She shares inspiring words of hope for self renewal.

For very wise words and photos, a great blog to check out is written by Mike Goad. His blog is named Exit 78. Mike is one of our great veterans who shares his observations and reflections on life.

Nez Sez was chosen as the second.NBOTW. He loves to share his ideas on smarter living, and impact society with positive thoughts.

David Lano, was my third “New Blog Of The Week” and on his blog, he shares internet finds, such as Firefox addons and other great plugins. While on his site, check out his portfolio of websites he designed.

My fourth “New Blog Of The Week” got an honorable mention due to full load she carries being a wife, mom and advocate for children with special needs. Kudos to Debbie Yost. Her blog is named Three Weddings.

Natural Woman of Speaking Out Loud writes on a multitude of subjects. She drops by often to complete my daily “assignments”, and willingly posts her “answers” online. Thus far she’s aced them all. Great job Natural!

One blog that really caught my attention is Rebecca’s Writer’s Round-About. With a portfolio that won’t quit, she shares great writing tips on her site that are useful and often thought provoking.

Bizlift.com’s Sterling Okura was chosen as the fifth NBOTW. Sterling likes to make his readers think as he takes you on a journey into his world of martial arts, working from remote sites, plus writes on many other great subjects.

We all need tips on life, love and loss. That’s where JEMi of In My Heels comes in. She was chosen as my sixth NBOTW. Her high energy comes through in her well written posts. Her writings far exceed her years.

For those looking for great advice on finances, growing as an entrepreneur, and how to start a business, Eventurebiz authored by John Hoff (and sometimes his wife Lindsey), is the place to go.

Jodith, at Administrative Arts.com was the seventh NBOTW. I love how she teaches Administrative Assistants proper etiquette and office procedures. I especially like her posts that show how to save time and get organized. Those are suitable for anyone.

I love the uniqueness of my eighth .NBOTW. Clay Collins of The Growing Life, stepped it up a notch and in no time at all, wrote a post that hit the front page of DIgg. What a great accomplishment for a new blogger.

Joshua Clanton.com is a blog filled with great hints and tips about computer technology, and design for the web. Joshua also authored a link I posted in my “1066 Links, Lessons and Tips For Bloggers” article.

Pat, my ninth NBOTW asks you to “sit at her kitchen table” and chat about life on her Plain Talk - Ordinary Wisdom blog. Just tell her how you take your coffee or tea. She’s very accommodating and willingly shares stories from her years of experience.

Mark, over at Creative Journey Cafe became the tenth NBOTW. His post regarding how doing laundry and other household chores can spark our creativity, is what caught my eye. There’s always room in his cafe. The service is superb, and he even offers WiFi. The atmosphere is great, so grab your laptop and join him for a latte.

Thanking me for a link to her WordPress blog was Lorelle, whom I named the “Queen of WordPress. For me that was a great honor as I’ve admire and use her informative writings on a regular basis, Needless to say, she is one of my cyberspace mentors.

It’s an extreme pleasure knowing I have a teenager, who authors Pratee.com visiting me and leaving comments. There you can find images, videos and teen fun. A great site for teenagers who blog.

For more information on business, you can turn to Steve Mills.com, an internet entrepreneur and online marketing expert, who willings shares his knowledge.

Jim, at Blogging Start Up loves to help bloggers with his great posts and links.

Rock’s Tech Corner is the place to go if you’re interested in exploring enterprise technologies & applications.

Linda at Forced Green has started blogging on how outsourcing of jobs has created a lifestyle that requires creativity and green living in order to trim expenses.

All About Parenting is a blog that focuses on parenting and pregnancy, sharing articles and solutions that parents generally face.

At Quilting For Less the authors have a tagline of “where imagination grows and offer great a great shopping site for quilters.

Weight Loss Free CD offer a fee CD for those stuggling to lose weight.

If you are looking to increase the value of your home, UpScale Interior Designs has done a great post of how hardwood floors can add value.

At Fundraising Made Easy they will share thousands of ways to raise funds for all of those great causes you believe in.

2nd Generations Carpet Care offer the free viewing of home care videos. Their site boosts many testimonials.

For views on musicians, bands, gear and Venues, check out Kim Kinrade’s blog

Blender and CIA is a blog written in Portuguese. Although I can’t read it, it does contain many photographs.

Mark McLaren has devoted hours of his time to produce WordPress YouTube tutorials. As of now the list contains 25 great lessons. Check out Business Blogging 101 for all the details.

Rashy.org is a blog that is written to annoy it’s readers. Read the “About” page for more information on how and why the blog began.

Terry’s Short Stories is a blog that contains great posts not only on how to write well, but also “How To Rock Your Readers Like A Hurricane”.

Naomi Dunford linked to BWAB in a post she did on the issue of profanity. On her IttyBiz blog, she shares ways you can work from home, with tips to help you stay sane.

Kelly Brown set up his blog, Small Business Guru and provides guidance and community to the small business owner. Be sure to read his page titled “10 Mistakes Small Business Owners Make”.

Brett Hodgson, Copywriter, is also an internet marketing consultant. His blog contains numerous posts regarding Google, outsourcing, and “Why Use Twitter”.

If you love free stuff, you will love Fun and Free Giveaways, where they post all of the latest freebies and contests.

Elliott Russell.ca started his blog, and uses the tagline of ” A Canadian’s Delicate Balance Between God and Money”. In one post he writes how he plans to give up coffee and challenges others to do the same.

With categories like “A Bigger Henge” and “Cold Fusion Cuisine”Bold Lentil proves to be an interesting read.

Mrs, Micah who writes a blog titled “Finance For A Freelance Life”, graces us with posts about debt, budget, books and frugality.

For those who are promoting a cause, Brand It.com offers the best promotional practices

Ricardo Bueno is the author of The Industry Report, a blog where he shares what he has learned from his many years of experience in the mortgage industry. With a tagline of “confindence in lending”, anyone looking for a mortgage may benefit from reading this blog.

Happy Doggies Make Happy Humans by Kaye Swafford is a great blog for those who love dogs. With the same last name as me, and a love of dogs, we may find out we’re somehow related. Maybe distant cousins.