The title “Is Google Making Us Stupid” intrigued me.

Nicolas Carr authored this post which implies we may be dealing with a population of people whose reading habits, both online and off, are changing.

Our audience might be so preoccupied, comprehension of what is written on the page could elude them.

Nicolas admits it’s happening to him,

…Over the past few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory. My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy….

He then goes on to add,

The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.

Today’s Lesson

To reinforce what he’s saying, Nicolas references a study conducted by the University College, London which published an article titled, Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future.

Part of their findings state,

The picture that emerges from internet research is that most visitors to scholarly sites view only a few pages, many of which do not even contain real content, and in any case do not stop long enough to do any real reading. This is either a symptom of a really worrying malaise – failure at the library terminal – or maybe a sign that a whole new form of online reading behaviour is beginning to emerge, one based on skimming titles, contents pages and abstracts: we call this `power browsing’. We urgently need to understand the root causes of this phenomenon.

Although the University College, London is wanting to understand the “why” of this phenomenon, as bloggers we should be asking, “Will this, or should this, change the way we blog?”

I’m thinking it might.

If we’re aware our visitors may not be stopping long enough to read our posts, finding a way to capture their attention should be of utmost concern.

What say you?

Today’s Assignment

Do you find the internet has changed the way you read?

Thinking abut your surfing habits, what captures your attention long enough to actually read a post?

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It was January of 2008 when I started the “New Blog Of The Week” (NBOTW) series in which I would hunt for new blogs and showcase one each week. Over the past 19 months I added some not so new, well worth the mention blogs, as well.

As I look at the list of the 93 blogs and contemplate where I want blogging to take me, I’ve decided it’s time I pass the NBOTW torch onto another blogger.

The commitment to this assignment can be time consuming, however, for me it has always been rewarding.

The criteria I used was a blog was approximately under 4 months old, had compelling content, and was a blog the BWAB community members would enjoy. Many of those chosen have continued on to become popular bloggers, whereas some of the authors have gone on hiatus and/or sadly closed down their sites.

As I pass the torch, I’m including the complete list for one last time. Please note, the “Featured Blogs” page will remain active in my header.

In the order in which they were showcased, they are:

1. Natasha’s World by Natasha
2. NezSez by Nez
3. David Lano.com by David Lano
4. Three Weddings by Debbie Yost
5. Bizlift Blog by Sterling Okura
6. In My Heels by JEMi
7. Admnistrative Arts by Jodith
8. The Growing Life by Clay Collins
9. Plain Talk – Ordinary Wisdom by Pat
10. Creative Journey Cafe by Mark Penta
11. Yes To Me by Akemi Gaines
12. Kitchen Table Medicine by Dr. Nicole Sundene
13. Success Soul by Shilpan
14. Between Us Girls by Lori
15. Golden Zen by Harmony and Ginger
16. Life’s Little Inspirations by Wendi
17. Be Playful.org by David
18. Happy Dogs Make Happy Humans by Kaye Swafford and Krystal
19. On Simplicity by Sara
20. Work Happy Now by Karl Staib
21. Forced Green by Linda
22. Abundance Blog by Marelisa
23. MomGrind by Vered
24. The Jungle Of Life by Lance
25. Dr. Cason.org by Dr. Cason
26. Urban Pather’s Lair by Urban Panther
27. Urbane Panther’s Den by Urbane Lion
28. Rajaie Talks by Rajaie
29. Tender Loving Elder Care by Linda Abbit
30. Our Best Version by Ari Koinumra
31. Writer Dad by Sean Platt
32. Pun Intended by Bamboo Forest & Flying Llama Fish
33. Blogger’s Lab by Sunil Pathak
34. Avani Mehta.com by Avani
35. Loving Pulse by Davina
36. Motivate Thyself by Eric Hamm
37. Blogger Dad by Blogger Dad
38. Deeper Issues by Dot
39. Exit 78 by Mike Goad
40. Ribeezie by Ricardo
41. Teach My Children Well by Dave Fowler
42. Think Maya by Maya
43. She-Power by Kelly Rigby
44. Let’s Live Forever by Robin Birch
45. Passing Thru by Betsy and Pete
46. Face To The Sun by Grace
47. Cath Lawson.com by Catherine Lawson
48. Thinking Out Loud by Natural
49. Hunter Nuttall.com by Hunter
50. Someday Syndrome by Alex Fayle
51. Sources of Insight by J.D. Meier
52. Jannie Funster.com by Jannie
53. All Is Within by Sharon
54. October5 by Ryan and Sarah
55. Be 4 Success by Neil
56. Wisdom and Life by Miguel de Luis Espinosa
57. Attraction Mind Map by Evelyn Lim
58. PZ’s Money Makeover 2.0 website & free book from Paul Zilizer
59. I Profit On Purpose by Mary Anne Fisher
60. Patricia’s Wisdom by Patricia
61. Spiritual Journey of A LightWorker by Patricia Singleton
62. Porsidan by Jay Schrver
63. The Ever Changing Thought by Scott Carver
64. Pink Ink by Jewel
65. Ulla Henning’s Weblog by Ulla
66. Notes From the Voices by Jacqueline
67. Communicate Value by Christine
68. The Book Chook by Susan
69. Matthew Dryden by Matthew Dryden
70. Urban Monk by Albert
71. Florida Mortgage Blog by Kevin Sandridge
72. Balanced Immune Health by Craig Maltby
73. The Journey Within by Netra
74. Awaiting The Crown by Sarah
75. Over Coffee by Barb Hartsook
76. Barbara Ling.com by Barbara Ling
77. No Wordz – Photo Blog by Caroline
78. Standing Still Photo blog by Tammy
79. Travelin Local by Lisa
80. Tumblemoose Writing Services by George
81. I Hate My Message Board by Tracy
82. Anti Social Development by Kim Woodbridge
83. My Pursuit Of Happiness by Chania Girl
84. Anxiety, Panic & Health by Mike Nichols
85. Real Delia by Delia
86. Persuasive.net by AJ Kumar
87. Think Like A Black Belt by Lori Hoeck
88. Hope Springs Internal by Dani
89. WpBlogHost by John Hoff
90. Numb Nuggets by Chris
91. Sharing The Journey by Janice
92. A Beautiful Distraction by Karen Chaffee
93. Joy Discovered by Jody

To those bloggers who faithfully visit this site and whose names were not listed, you are not forgotten. For me, you are just a click away.

Today’s Assignment

Would you like to carry the torch?

If so, do you have any questions or concerns?

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P.S. As I pass the torch, this will also be the end to my Wednesday’s posts. (However, that’s subject to change)

When I spotted this blogger in the comment section of Lance’s “Jungle of Life” blog, her comments were always so positive, I was drawn to read more of her writings.

Right from the start her philosophy on life caught my attention.

In her “About” page she writes,

…I love a nice clean kitchen. I love spending time by myself. I love the sound of laughter. I love the challenge of learning something new. I love hand written letters….

She’s my kind of gal as I love those things, too.

Digging through her archives, I found this post that truly moved me. It’s titled Living Your Truth

You are joyful, because you are being authentic, because you are taking responsibility for your life and because you are in service to something greater than your self. When you are living your truth, you are growing, you are empowered and you are a light to others.

You are empowered – when you’re living your truth. That’s a powerful statement, isn’t it?

When showcasing bloggers, it often easier to let them explain why they started their blog, and for this weeks selection, I’ll do just that.

On her Joy Discovered page (also the name of her blog), Jody Sloane writes,

I started this blog in March 2009. My intention is to share information and inspiration that relates to joy and living a joyful life. Joy is inside every one of us! We just have to claim it! Once we access our joy, it will shine through us and color our world. It’s a beautiful thing! I want to share my thoughts and discoveries on joy, as well as encourage you to make small changes in your life that will help you cultivate your own bliss.

After reading that, how could you not be inspired to read and subscribe to Joy Discovered?

Please join me in welcoming Jody to the Blogging Without A Blog community.

Welcome Jody.

It’s a honor to showcase your work and to read your writings.

Enjoy your reign.

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Deer/Cat – Watch today’s top amazing videos here

As I was preparing this post, a friend emailed this video to me. Based on the blog I’m showcasing, I found it very fitting

When watching this video, make sure you turn on the sound. Watching it in full screen will give you the best effect (I apologize for the ads – they are part of the embedded code) If you’re unable to watch the video here, it can also be viewed on YouTube – titled Deer and Cat.

Now, on to the blog.

What I enjoy about this author’s writings is the positive message, as well as the beautiful photos.

When she registered her blog in the Blog Registry she wrote,

I have a blog called ********, which I invite you to visit. Each post consists of a beautiful [photo] and a brief observation about some of life’s distractions, and how to see them, not as annoying interruptions, but as beautiful breaks in a busy life….

And each post does just that. As I look at the photos she shares, my thoughts drift to different place and time. Indeed, a wonderful distraction in the middle of harried days.

From her post titled, 14 Unusual Ways To Make Your Own Happy Moments she writes,

Rather than drowning us in a constant state of bliss, happiness comes to us in moments, those sweet commas in the long soliloquy of life. Did you know that happiness lies within you rather than somewhere on the outside?

One of my favorites from her list is:

3. Become a “guerrilla gardener.” This consists of mixing damp soil and wildflower seeds and rolling them into tennis ball size. Whenever you see a vacant spot in your area that could use some beautifying, toss a few “seed bombs” into the area. Nature will do the rest. This is also a great way to prevent soil erosion on sloped areas.

Just think. If everyone did that how beautiful our towns and countrysides could become. Needless to say, I’m partial to wildflowers.

In Learning To Embrace The Uniqueness In Others, she shares,

Can you imagine, though, how little we would grow if we embraced only those who mirrored us? And how boring the world would be.

Imagine a world where only one skill or one way of living existed and all that would be missing because of that, all that would go undone

Yes, indeed. The world would be very boring if were all alike. Embracing our differences and learning from others makes each of us a more rounded individual.

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce Karen Chaffee of A Beautiful Distraction.

Karen, welcome to the Blogging Without A Blog community.

It’s a joy to have you here and an honor to showcase your blog.

Enjoy your reign.

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P.S. Karen can also be found on her blog titled Building A Positive Life, as well as on Twitter.

When I landed on this blog a few weeks ago, I assumed it was an older blog as the archives has posts dating back to 2006.

But when the author commented the other day and said she was celebrating her third month of blogging.

I was confused, so I made time to dig through her archives. It wasn’t until I read the post, Meet My New Baby Bloggling that I understood.

You see, she had been writing and posting privately, but hadn’t let the world see her work until the end of March (2009).

One of the first things that drew me into this blog was something I found in her header. There is a page titled, “Desiderata”. “Desiderata” has been a favorite poem of mine for many years. To this day, I have a copy of it on my bulletin board as a gentle reminder of how I’d like to live my life.

It starts out,

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

To read the rest of it, just click on the link to her page.

The author of this blog weaves stories of her everyday life with lessons from which we all can benefit and identify with. In her post titled, Guest House she starts off by explaining how she was ill and hadn’t been able to post as often as she wanted. She then goes on to share,

Writing helps the soul breathe, but blogging is a different beast. It makes me feel like a madwoman most days, swinging between highs of connection, learning, new friendships and self expression and lows of paranoia, frustration, exhaustion and queasiness at the underlying hypocrisy and unmentioned stalking and plunder that goes on in the shadows.

Isn’t that a great description of how blogging can affect us? We all have our highs and lows, days of frustration and mixed emotions.

When I read her post titled, How to Harness the Power of Authenticity in Your Writing and Your Life, the last part hit home for me. She wrote,

Be brave, be vulnerable.

Be brave enough to explore the depths, to find a way out and shine a light for others to find theirs. Don’t be scared to live, to hold out your heart in both hands like a trembling bird and say “Here I am, love me as I am or leave me.” Be more afraid to die with your song still in you, to cheat your loved ones, your readers and the world of the greatest gift you have to give. You.

What a true statement. As much as us bloggers question what our readers want from us, this is the perfect reminder all they want is US. They want us to be authentic and to share our soul. By doing so, we open our hearts and show others our originality.

On that note, I’ll break the suspense and share the blog I’m showcasing this week.

Please join me in welcoming Janice of Sharing The Journey to the Blogging Without A Blog community.

Welcome Janice. It’s a pleasure to have you here and it is a joy to read your words.

Enjoy your reign!

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P.S. While there, don’t forget to download Janice’s free ebook, “Coaching Moments”