Friends’ and Family’s Blogs …

Okay, so my blogroll is really shaping up now. It’s looking more like my Google reader, showing what I read every day.

Here are a few more. These are more personal – family and friends, and friends I’ve just met through blogging. But some good talent here, and mighty fine people. …

Know the Score — This is my son, so I might be a little biased, but I think he’s awesomely terrific. (!!!) I don’t think you’d ever guess it was a 15-year-old writing this (except that I just told you). Tell me what you think. He’s covering sports, but he doesn’t want to cover any specific team or talk too technically about specific games – he just likes to “talk sports” in general: trends, theories, etc. He has posts here about how important numbers are for your jersey, the Top 10 sports movies of all time, Michael Phelps and how his “fall” might affect teens, the death of Nick Adenhart, etc. My son wants to be a sports writer someday, so I think he’s on the right path. : )

QuinnanopolisBill Q. is a commenter on my blog, and a friend of mine from the newspaper days. I always enjoyed his writing. He keeps a blog about politics, writing, religion, running – you name it. He’s also a stay-at-home dad with four children, which you would think would give him fodder for at least four additional blogs! Anyway, Bill is always smart and always presents himself so clearly. His last two posts were “Another One Bites the Dust,” about how sad it is to see stores closing, and “Random Notes to Self After First Marathon” – very cool! Continue reading

Blogs That Are So Well Written They Make Me Jealous

Okay, here’s our next installment of the “New and Improved” blogroll …

Some blogs  I just read every day because the bloggers are amazing writers, and they make me a little jealous with their unique twists on the ordinary. Here are some of my faves:

Sheye Rosemeyer — Sometimes she makes me cry; sometimes she makes me laugh. And all of Australian Sheye Rosemeyer’s photographs stun me. Her tale of her daughter’s death is so sad it makes my heart hurt, but I love the way she shares the “missing” with us in a way that’s so honest and loving. I also love the way she enjoys her three small children and shows us to celebrate every day of our children’s lives. … Oh, and did I mention the stunning photos? Stunning, stunning, stunning …

The Fabulous Geezersisters’ Weblog — Ruth Pennebaker describes herself as a “woman old enough to call herself ‘fabulous,’” who writes about “families, politics, marriage, friendships, feminism, aging and whatever else occurs to her.” Her observations of life around her – and how inane and ridiculous it can be – always make me smile. I’m  betting she was a columnist somewhere – she has that “newspaper style” I love. Continue reading

Blogs That Make Me Laugh

I’ve found so many terrific blogs. I review them for work, so I stumble across some really great finds. Sometimes they’re not exactly appropriate for work (where I’m looking for a health focus), but I scribble them down so I can add them to my own Google Reader at home. Plus I’ve met some really cool people on Twitter and in the blogosphere and would love to add them to my “friends” blogroll. I also have a few family members who are blogging now, including my son, who (of course!) I think is a brilliant new talent!

So, without further ado, I present the first installment: blogs that make me laugh.

I’ve already told you about Cake Wrecks. I still read that one every day and find it to be hilarious. But I have a few others in my “Funny” folder:

The Typing Makes Me Sound Busy — J-Money cracks me up every day with her adventures as she approaches 30, not really sure where she’s going or how she’s getting there. Her rapid-fire punchlines and stream-of-consciousness humor have a bit of a Dennis Miller sound (but make more sense!). Her site was nominated for Best Humor Blog in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. She never lets me down.

Amalah — Amy Storch’s tales of mommydom make me laugh as often as they make me tear up. This editor-turned-blogger weaves us through her tales of raising two small boys in Washington, DC, battling confusing “learning evaluations” for her older son (who she constantly worries has a learning disability) and wondering if she’s taking as many pictures of her second son as she should (they’re adorable!). Her writing style is top-notch and always has me tuned in the next day. She’s a 2007 Weblog Awards winner for Best Parenting Blog. Continue reading

A Little Face-Time for Facebook …

Another weekend, another couple hours on Facebook … yes?

 

Actually, I wasn’t able to spend much time on Facebook this week or this weekend, and I was surprised at how much guilt I felt. I received an “out of office” pingback from a girlfriend, in fact, and when I hurriedly sent a different e-mail to her home to ask about her absence (her pingback mentioned surgery), she said “Check out my Facebook page for details. …” Gulp. (As in “You obviously haven’t been reading my Facebook page.”) More guilt. Am I supposed to be reading it every night? I got on Facebook to have a little fun, but now I’m wondering if signing up is sort of like signing a contract to spend at least a half an hour on it per day. Or else you might get Superpoked.

 

If Twitter is the great big networking cocktail party (where you stand around swirling your Manhattan, looking for someone to introduce yourself to), surely Facebook is the raucous Christmas party in your family’s home basement, no? It’s the casual-sweater-wearing crowd, where everyone is sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch, passing photos up and down the line.

 

At first, I really liked this casualness. I loved getting in touch with old friends, and I loved looking at everyone’s pictures. Continue reading

Social Media Questions and Answers

Q: I am curious how you got the Yahoo! avatar on your sidebar. I don’t necessarily want an avatar there, but maybe some other kind of graphic.

 

A: Good question. I had trouble putting graphics in my sidebar on the free option of WordPress. That avatar isn’t exactly a graphic – it’s a feed, believe it or not. So it’s simply HTML coding for the feed. I put the coding in the “Text” box for widgets. Any kind of coding or graphic you simply put in the “Text” box. I find that it won’t take Javascript, though.

 

Other options for graphics in your sidebar on WordPress are photos, which you do through Flickr. Flickr is also one of your widget options.

 

Other than that, I couldn’t find any choices! So if you do, Bill, let me know! We’ll share tips.

 

Q: I tried to subscribe to your RSS feed, but it didn’t work. I’m technologically challenged. How do I do it?

 

A: Yes, RSS is strangely complicated to set up. I say strangely because it’s actually wonderfully easy to use, once it’s set up. Continue reading

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