My MIL asked me to help her set up a blog.
No need for a custom design or anything, but I set her up with a domain name, she’s now my hosting client, I’ve installed wordpress for her, and I also helped her by customizing a very nice (free) theme.
Since she is wanting to earn a little money from her blogging exploits and that is why I did not suggest that she merely set up at wordpress.com for example, but rather go after her own piece of web real estate right from the start.
I must admit, that I have found new respect for my MIL. She may be a women of 64 already, but she has embraced the idea of blogging with a lot of enthusiasm, and more interestingly, ZERO fear.
When I suggest something new, such as the addition of an adsense widget to her sidebar, and talk her through setting it up, she absolutely embraces it, and tries to do it herself, only turning to me if she gets stuck. I’m well impressed with her keenness and desire to learn.
Now I just need to get my FIL interested.
He’s got a heart condition that sees him unable to work in a regular job, and he’s quite a keen amateur photographer, so he could easily be sitting at home blogging, or out taking photos and blogging those. Every little bit helps, and part of me thinks it’s grossly unfair of him to expect his wife to bring home the bacon completely when he has every tool at his disposal (laptop/camera/unlimited broadband) to at least make a bit of money.
Doing all of this, remotely, from where I am in SA, and from where she is in the UK, has made me realize yet again, how wonderful technology is, to bring us closer together the way that it does, but also, that I really, and genuinely have REAL skills with which to help people. Skills that go beyond my graphic design talents.
That technologically, I have a lot to offer someone who is willing to learn. Makes me wonder if I shouldn’t be running some basic blogging courses to folks (and why not older folks?) who are interested, maybe a bit hesitant, or afraid to try new things, and get them to develop their own skill set.
What do you guys think?
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If you are a blogger who is looking for more visitors to your site, there are several ways to accomplish this, some of which are so downright easy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of this before.
But hey, I’m here to help! Here are a couple of ideas to get you going:
- Choose a name for your blog that is going to get googled.
- Be a blog reader yourself, and leave kind, helpful comments. Chances are you will get a reciprocal visit.
- Consider submitting your blog to a web directory and choose the correct category for your blog.
- Promotion using social media, if your blog is not a direct verbal assault on your own family and friends, then you could easily promote it to your family and friends through facebook, twitter etc.
- One that many people forget about, are forums! If you are a scrapbooking genius, join a scrapbooking forum and contribute to the conversation. Forums are far from dead, and can bring you many, many visitors, over and over agin, depending on how helpful you are.
You’re probably sick of me saying the word ‘helpful’ but at the end of the day, if your blog brings you an income, then the number of visitors to your site is directly proportional to the amount of traffic you are getting whether this is through contextual advertising, or simply direct ad sales, or if you’re promoting your own products, so it really does pay to be as helpful as you can, so that people book mark your site and come back for more.
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Aren’t packages in the mail like *totally* exciting!!
Even if you know what they are, they’re still super exciting to receive.
Even my 4 year old spied the package and asked me all wide-eyed, “Is that for ME mommy?” to which I responded by throwing back my head, cackling like an old hag, hugging it closer to my chest and said, “NO, it’s MINE, ALL MINE.”
Then I did a Jim Carrey (as Ace Ventura) type run to the bedroom with it so I could open it without the kids getting their hands on it.
Want to see what I got?
So you can see where it was ordered from, and made it’s way all the way here to sunny SA (not so sunny yesterday I might add).
Trust the Yanks to have a super easy way to open a package. My bread knife that I’d taken with me for the purpose of hacking open the box was rendered totally useless…sometimes I’m so third world, I annoy myself.
The 4 year old, was all like, “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! What is it Mommy? Let me help you Mommy!!?? Is it from Farmer Crimsus?!?” (Note to self, do not be tempted to dispel the Father Christmas myth just yet, no matter how much the continuing talk about Christmas is annoying you right now).
My mother, who had brought over the mail (we share a PO Box), walked into the room at this point, and said, “Honestly! Why are you taking photos of opening a box?”
So I said, “For my blog.” (She is vaguely aware of the fact that I have a website, but let’s just say she takes the word ‘technophobe’ to the extreme, she nearly had a full blown panic attack when I banned her from using Internet Explorer and installed Firefox instead. Of course the next time she opened the browser she didn’t even realise it wasn’t the same…)
So she gives a sort of dismissive snort, as if *anyone* would be interested in reading about my little parcel in the mail. Feel free to assure me that you’re on the edge of your seats right about now okay?
I won’t keep you in suspense for ever… buwhahahahaha.
…
…
…
Sorry, the childishness, it’s a disease.
I can see the head!
Yes, I’m drawing parallels between childbirth and opening Ree Drummonds cook book from it’s packaging.
But in all the good ways!
Because soon the inconvenience of ripping it from the box will be forgotten and soon I will be gazing into it’s many colourful pages and just enjoying it.
Aaaah, there is she is!
Now I just have to hide the book until I’m ready to unleash it’s culinary magnificence, because other wise the husband is going to expect some kind of fancy dinner tonight.
First I need to hit up the shops for some supplies, and butter.
Yes definitely more butter.
As a seasoned PW cooks recipe reader, I know that I am going to need that.
Thanks to her I already have about 6 different kinds of vinegar in my store cupboard. Basic necessities like bread and milk are like hens teeth around here, but Rice Vinegar, I have you covered!
Maybe I’ll just take a quick peek…
Ree wasn’t kidding when she said that this was more than a cook book. I can actually sit down with this and see a whole lot more stuff about her life and on their ranch.
Stuff that we don’t see on her website.
This is a cook book that I will put on the nightstand and read when I get into bed tonight, and enjoy the photographs, drool over the dishes and if I’m feeling at all inspired (which I know I will be) I’ll be planning some menus for the coming week.
Now I just need to find some cattle to wrangle, to work off all that butter.
Hey, if you want a copy, they’re still priced really well, and these photos are proof that they can make it through the SA Postal service unharmed! Go and get your copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks
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This post is a lot like my brain.
Full.
Of Stuff.
My brain could really use an iPhone. That I could synch stuff with my MacBook. Or at least that’s the excuse I’m using right now.
Anyhoo, so here we are back online.
I have decided to become a planner. Someone who plans.
No longer will I simply fly these blogs by the seat of my pants and spew whatever chooses to come up at that moment in time.
Henceforth, I Plan.
I’ve enlisted the help of my awesome iCal application to create some sense of order of my time spent on the computer, I’ve even scheduled stuff like housework (see this is why I need an iPhone – cos that baby will synch right up with iCal on the phone and make sure that even when I’m not eyeballing the computer screen, I can be kept on my toes) and other important things like remembering to fetch my kids from school etc.
My study time, scheduled. (Am still buzzing hugely on my graphic design course - it COMPLETES me)
Also on my calendar are things like “blogwalk and brainstorm” then each blog has it’s own hour a week for me to actually write posts (or transpose them from the notebook that I now carry around with me at all times (again an iPhone would help here for me to record my thoughts like a dictaphone, I’m just sayin’ s’all).
Tags are now planned.
Categories categorised.
If I finish my writing, assignments, blog scheduling and other tasks before their allotted time is up. Then I’m allowing myself to do stuff on facebook. Not Before. If I need to search for random, things on google, like the need for the services of a Seattle personal injury lawyer, then this is when I do it. Not Before. Sure, I could *totally* need one, one day, you never know.
I AM A PLANNER!
Occasionally, in between ‘proper’ posts you may find a ‘shortie’ like the one just before this one where I showcase something from the web that has caught my eye. Sharing is caring. Linking is (insert word that means something good and rhymes with linking here).
So here is some more stuff that I’m loving on the web right now…
Smashing Magazine
If you like this related to the web, design, fonts, icons and pretty much anything ‘design-ey’ then you should *really* subscribe to their rss feed. They are one of those sites where I click through to nearly every post because, well, they just blow my hair back.
Check them out. They inspire me to make my blog more interesting, to stretch as a designer, and to even mentally give some thought to starting my own magazine. Total ego trip I know, but still, wouldn’t *that* be *totally cool??*
Right now I’m still trying to come up with a title, since Ness Magazine (yeah why can’t I be like Oprah and call it after me?) is already taken. Boo.
Better Browsing Now With Firefox!
Firefox 3.5 for Mac. I usually wait until I’m using wifi bandwidth to do upgrades, because of my ludicrously small cap on 3G, but this morning I figured that upgrading to the latest firefox is totally worth it. I’m already enjoying better, more secure browsing by having upgraded, AND it now features ‘private browsing’ meaning you can surf a site without leaving any trace that you were there.
So if you would like to surf Amazon for instance – without them remembering your preferences etc that is the kind of thing that it does. There may be many reasons why you would not want to leave digital footprints, and this is just one example.
For those of you who don’t know, Firefox is a web browser for Mac and Window’s PC’s. It is much safer, faster and better in every way than IE. If you are still using Internet Explorer please, please PLEASE do yourself a favour and stop! Firefox is open source, totally free, and the *best* browser out there right now.
For both Mac and PC.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Did anybody notice!? I has a donation!!
Thank you *SO* much to the person who kindly donated $20 toward my doggies quarantine costs.
That money has been set aside into a special account where it is now earning 8.5% interest per annum, and it is appreciated MORE than I am able to express.
The images is click-able if you would like to read about why I’m trying to raise funds for my dogs.
It also offers some helpful suggestions if you aren’t able to donate outright, on ways that you could make a difference nonetheless.
Lastly, if any of you are still reading out there:
The Nominations!
Now before I even try to the fake ‘beauty queen walk’ (in a swimsuit and heels) and wave to you all, and wipe away a fake tear, and plan to change the world, cure world hunger, halt climate change, and bring about world peace:
I’m going to confess here and now to the entire world (that’s all 3 of you reading right now any anyone who may follow you), that yes, I did indeed nominate myself.
Egotistical? No.
Any hope of winning? No.
Do I really believe that I have the ‘Best Geek Blog’, ‘Best Blog About Stuff’, ‘Best Photography Blog’ and ‘Best Parenting Blog’ ??
Well, the answer is that yes, my blog (and others) is all of these things to me. I love it. It’s why I write it. I visit it daily, gently tweak its sidebars, lovingly create new graphics for it and so that, in a nutshell is why I nominated myself.
Now here is where I insert a plea to all of you to follow the link of your choice (out of the two provided up there) to go and vote for ME.
(Waves to crowd, adjusts tarnished tiara, grins cheesy grin, and exits stage left)
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I am a rock under the stars. | Sarcastic Mom.
Is this not the most beautiful, poignant post?
Seriously, I wish I could write like this.
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