Tag-Archive for » computer screen «

04
Jun
Blogging – Secretly Affecting Lives
Barbara Swafford

2404028812 8d3ede8922 Blogging Secretly Affecting Lives

Yesterday, as I was working, I overheard the TV in the other room. The subject for the Oprah show (it was a rerun), were people who lost massive amounts of weight.

The first guest’s story intrigued me, so I got up to watch the segment.

Nancy had weighed over 700 pounds, but she was now looking quite stunning.

Oprah asked her how she did it. Pills? Lapband? Gastric bypass?

No.

She did it with the help of a computer she received (as a present) from her sister.

Not being very mobile having the excess weight to tote around, she started spending time on the internet. She enjoyed political sites. She soon joined chat rooms, and shortly thereafter, began email friendships with the people she had met online.

Something about that online communication began to “fill her”, not with food, but with a sense of belonging. A sense of value.

Being able to “hide” behind a computer screen, no one could judge her. Like us bloggers, she was accepted for her words.

As if it were magic, something in her clicked, and she began losing weight.

She proceeded to lose over 530 pounds.

Today’s Lesson

Nancy’s story moved me.

It made me think of how we react to comments and emails. At times they could be so easy to dismiss.

Realizing that some people may be at home “crying” for help and reaching out to total strangers on the internet, made me realize how, as bloggers, by paying just a little bit of attention, we may be saving someone’s life. We may be their life line to the outside world. We may be the motivation they need to make a difference in their own life.

Our words can “fill” someone and give them a sense of value.

By “listening” to them, we may help them find hope.

Nancy’s story make me realize, blogging gives us more power than we can ever imagine.

How are you using yours?

Today’s Assignment

Make time to read the story of her weight loss, at Nancy Makin.com. It’s guaranteed to move you to think of how we treat others who visit our blogs, email us, or join us on social networking sites.

Nancy’s life was changed by the internet, has yours? How?

Since you started blogging, have you found more value in your own life?

Does blogging “fill you up?”

Photo Credit: tommy pariah’s photostream
Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Networking  Tags: , , ,  24 Comments
08
May
New Bloggers Are Being Scammed
Barbara Swafford

843126236 6e5242b125 New Bloggers Are Being Scammed

As a new blogger, you’ll read how easy it is to set up a blog.

Let’s look at WordPress. Their homepage says:

1. Find a Web Host and get great hosting while supporting WordPress at the same time.
2. Download & Install WordPress with our famous 5-minute installation.
3. Consult the Documentation and become a WordPress expert yourself.

Or, for the ultimate in ease of use, get a free blog on WordPress.com.

Blogger (Google’s free blog), reads similar:

Create a blog in 3 easy steps:

1. Create an account
2. Name your blog
3. Choose a template

Create your blog now

A fee based blog, like TypePad, says the same

TypePad is the premier blogging service, hosting the world’s leading blogs and small business websites. Whether you’re a first-time blogger or a seasoned pro, TypePad can help you create a great-looking blog in minutes

Today’s Lesson

Create a blog in minutes? Minutes? Who are they kidding?

First of all, you need a domain name. Finding an available one, could take hours.

So after registering your domain name, you might have access to a blog in minutes, but that is not the same as blog “creation”.

It’s at that point when you’re sitting in front of your computer screen saying, “now what?”.

I remember when I set up my first blog. I got my domain name from Yahoo. Then I signed up for BlueHost, as my web host..

That was my first mistake.

I couldn’t access my blog, didn’t know why, and then found out I had to “point my browser” (whatever that meant), to BlueHost. Had I signed up for the domain name with BlueHost, I would have alleviated that problem.

It was a frustrating experience, but in the end, it all worked out.

I still look at these “ads” and become concerned. Why? Because for anyone like me, it’s not easy.

Anyone who doesn’t find it easy, should know they’re not alone. If they can’t figure it out right away, doesn’t mean they’re stupid or unequipped to have a blog.

It’s typical advertising. It’s a quick sell.

Today’s Assignment

Did you find it easy to set up your first blog?

Are you still trying how to set up a blog?

What hints or tips can you share with new bloggers that would make it easier for them to set up a new blog?

Do you know of any web hosting companies that will hold a new blogger’s hand?

Photo Credit adrigu’s photostream
Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons, New To Blogging  Tags: , , , ,  35 Comments
19
Mar
Bloggers Embark On A Lonely Journey
Barbara Swafford

Photo Credit moriza’s photos
65440175 2bb0551a5d Bloggers Embark On A Lonely Journey

Have you read Darren Rowse’s Random Reflections on SXSWi-2008 (South x Southwest interactive) convention?

In his first “reflection”, he writes:

The more I meet bloggers the more that I find that many of us are lonely soles (to some degree). We sit alone in our home offices/living rooms/beds etc and often feel quite isolated and at times misunderstood.

Today’s Lesson

This one sentence saddens me.

Are bloggers really that lonely?

When I look back on my life. I lived by myself for many years. Often, friends would ask me if I was lonely. My answer was always “No”.

To me, there’s a difference between “being alone” and “being lonely”. Although I cherish time spent with friends and family, I also enjoy my alone time.

But, back to the question.

I wonder, has blogging actually become a therapeutic medium for those that are lonely and/or feeling misunderstood?

Does blogging give some a “voice” they wouldn’t normally project in real life?

Is the world becoming so “busy”, we don’t give others “the time of day”?

Is that why social networking sites like StumbleUpon, Digg, and Technorati are becoming so popular? Because we can “friend” someone without exposing ourselves?

Do bloggers feel more comfortable interacting with others as they hid behind the protection of their computer screen?

Is it a good idea to set a goal of becoming a problogger? A profession that would isolate a person even more?

Today’s Assignment

What do you think? Are most bloggers lonely, misunderstood individuals?

Does a blog help a lonely person communicate?

Is your blog therapeutic for you?

Should you be spending time with family and friends instead of blogging?

Does blogging isolate you from “your public”?

Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons  Tags: , , , ,  22 Comments
20
Feb
Me And The Blog – Till Death Do Us Part
Barbara Swafford

Photo Credit: srslyguys’ photos
1352937170 3239df6317 Me And The Blog Till Death Do Us Part
We love to blog, but as time passes, maintaining a blog gets very time consuming.

Today’s Lesson

When you first heard of a blog, you found how to get one for free, or signed up with WordPress and got a web host. You read/watched WP blogging tutorials and soon realized how much you enjoyed writing, setting aside one hour a day/week to verbalize your thoughts. A blog is such a great outlet.

In your free time you start doing more research. You decide to add an RSS feed reader, contact page, and with the addition of some SEO, you notice not only an increase in you traffic, but in the time you are spending on your blog. You’re now up to 2 hours a day.

You then read how commenting on other blogs can generate additional traffic, so you engage in that practice. Others begin to visit your blog to share their thoughts. You answer their comments, and spending three hours daily on your blog, becomes normal.

Next, you join StumbleUpon and/or Digg. These social networks can get you more traffic and increase your community of cyberspace friends. Soon, you’re spending 4 hours on your blog,…. but it’s growing.

A light bulb moment hits. “Hey, I should monetize my blog.” You sign up for AdSense, LinkShare.com, Commission Junction and/or other affiliate programs. Signing up is easy enough, but you find micromanaging the advertising streams, is taking more of your time. The five hours a day, spent on your blog, begins to cramp your style, and interferes with your home/work/social life.

You realize you are becoming addicted to blogging. You learn to prioritize and multi task, so you can dedicate more time to your blog. TV dinners and convenience foods replace the nutritious meals you once cooked. Laundry stacks up, grass doesn’t get mowed, weeds take over your once beautiful flower bed, and dust bunnies invade your home. Friends and family begin to resent your new hobby, as it now consumes your every waking moment. As they tire of competing with a computer screen, and hearing about your blogging dollars and new cyberspace friends, they begin to distance themselves from you.

“They don’t understand”, you say to yourself, and internally defend your actions by quietly muttering, “I don’t need them!”.

It has happened.

What once began as a hobby, is now the only love in your life.

Today’s Assignment

How much time do you spend on your blog(s)?

Has the time increased over time?

How do you find a balance?

Does blogging affect your relationships?

Do you care?

Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons  Tags: , , , , , , , ,  16 Comments
05
Apr
Picking a Domain Name for Your Blog – Part 2
Barbara Swafford

If you’re looking for technical information, this is not the blog for you. I am a novice in blogosphere, who is doing my own spin on how I am learning how to blog—and continue to learn. If you want to hear it in my own words, then read on.

Domain name. This is like picking out a baby’s name. If you’re serious about blogging, you’re going to be using your domain name all of the time. Every time you register for anything, or communicate with others, this is the name you use, so you better like it.

The first problem you may run into, is that the name you pick, isn’t available. I had that problem with my other blog www.observationmountain.com. I ended up brainstorming for some time before I came up with a domain name I liked, was available, and described my blog. The domain name for this blog just happened. I had been keeping a pretty extensive journal of my progress of setting up my first blog, and ended up realizing and then writing. “I am blogging without a blog.” I liked the way it sounded, and it described what my this blog is about, so I went with it.

When picking out your domain name, get creative. I don’t think it matters if your name is a little longer. If people like your blog and want to keep up on your new posts (what you write), they will bookmark it (add it to their favorites).

Once you have chosen your domain name, then you get to register it. To me, that’s like getting a birth certificate for your blog. It makes your blog official. That’s pretty exciting to see it on your computer screen. It’s even more exciting when you do a search online and find your site.

You also have to have a “webhost” for your blog. This is a company that provides “server” space for your blog. There are many webhosts out there. The two listed above are ones I checked into. I ended up registering my domain name with Yahoo, and then went with BlueHost for my “webhost”, and it wasn’t until I signed onto BlueHost that I realized they provided one free domain name. What was I thinking? But, I liked the fact I could host up to six domain names with them. ( I already had two)

When I started, I know I did things a little backwards (dah!) as I am such a novice to blogging, but after a lot of trial and error, I am starting to figure things out. I won’t go into how I had to go back to Yahoo and “point the servers to my BlueHost account”. That had me confused for awhile, but tenacity paid off.

Like my Mother used to say, “Sometimes you have to go to the school of hard knocks”. Isn’t that the truth?

So, if you have read this post this far, you now know, I am not a computer guru. But, I’m having fun blogging and sharing what I learned and the mistakes I made. Maybe it’ll save you a headache or two. And if all fails, go shopping.

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Category: Archives, Hints, Lessons Learned  Tags: ,  Comments off