Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Catch a Wave Wednesday Blog Hop - September 1st

Blogging Hints Catch a Wave Wednesday


Welcome to my Catch a Wave Wednesday Blog Hop. The rules are simple.  
  1. Add your blog title and URL.
  2. Follow your hostess Blogging Hints and the feature site Mommy Rantings.
  3. Follow the blog right before and right after yours in the list.
  4. Follow any other blogs you wish
  5. Make sure you leave a comment so that you'll get a follow back.
  6. Grab our Catch a Wave Wednesday button if you'd like so that followers will know where to leave a comment.

Let's get to know Mommy Rantings...

1. How long have you been blogging?

I've been ghost-blogging for an expansive array of blogs on the Internet for 3 years now, but I just started Mommy Rantings around March.

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a freelance writer/internet marketing manager...I wear many hats. I am a mother of 6 and have a wonderful and supportive husband. Although my recent experience is in freelancing, I was a business owner, manager and accountant that decided to start up in the freelance writing industry and stay at home with my children. It's not easy to toss around 6 kids and a so-called WAHM career at home; only the strongest survive.

3. What is the focus of your blog?

I started Mommy Rantings to keep a log of funny stories about my children or thoughts that ran through my head, then it merged into a plethora of our family's experiences and knowledge that we have learned in Mommydom and Kiddiedom, documented and out there in cyberspace for anyone that it may help.

4. What is the most important thing you've learned from blogging?

Write your spur-of-the-moment thoughts. Those are the unique and individual ideas and concepts that people want to read.

5. Is there anything you would like to add?

Come visit Mommy Rantings and experience the ups and downs, lefts and rights with us as we journey through life as a large family. I have so many experiences and thoughts and ideas...if only there was enough time in a day to convey them. Thanks for reading!

Posted by Cindy at 10:06 PM 11 comments
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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Make Money on Your Blog with Savvy Savings and Scholarships

I've just signed up with a new affiliate program with Savvy Savings and Scholarships.  Their program offers families a weekly fun filled activity.  When enough people have signed up for the activity, it becomes active.  Bloggers earn credit every time someone signs up and purchases the advertised activity.  Credits can then be used toward activities and the Savvy Source Scholarship Fund.  Savvy Source Scholarship will donate 5% of each purchase to a preschool of the purchaser's choice. They also donate 5% of each purchase to a scholarship fund created to help parents afford preschool for their children. 

Visit Savvy Savings and Scholarships to learn more about the program.

Posted by Cindy at 9:03 PM 9 comments
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Add "You May Also Like" Related Posts with Linkwithin


LinkWithin is a free site that allows bloggers to grab a widget to place on their blogs which features their related blog posts.  Using LinkWithin will keep readers interested and increase traffic.  
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Posted by Cindy at 8:47 PM 2 comments
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TypePad Blog Software Review

Get A TypePad Account
TypePad is a online tool which allows bloggers to create their own blogs.  TypePad offers bloggers hundreds of customizable blog designs to choose from, useful widgets, ability to add pictures and videos, blog hosting and professional support. Additionally, TypePad's built in tools help you promote your site on search engines, social networking sites, and the TypePad network.
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Posted by Cindy at 8:15 PM 1 comments
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Friday, August 27, 2010

Feature Article and 1 Month Free Advertising Contest



Hurry and enter - 1 day left!

I'm hosting a contest where the winner will receive a feature article about their blog AND 1 month of free advertising here on Blogging Hints.

On Saturday, August 28, 2010 at Midnight (eastern standard time) a random comment will be selected as the winner.  That person will be notified via email and arrangements will be made for them to receive their prize.

To enter you can do any of the following.  Each of these will count as an additional entry into the contest.  Please leave a comment for each thing you do.
  1. Leave a comment to this post with your blog name and URL.
  2. Make a Tweet or Facebook post about this contest.
  3. Subscribe email updates.
  4. Become a follower.

Restrictions:
Only one follow per person.  You may tweet or Facebook post about the contest once a day.  Please leave me a comment here when you have tweeted, posted or became a follower.  Each comment, follow, tweet and Facebook post  will be count as an entry into the contest. 


Good Luck!


Posted by Cindy at 10:00 PM 40 comments
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Catch a Wave Wednesday Blog Hop - August 25th

Blogging Hints Catch a Wave Wednesday


Welcome to my Catch a Wave Wednesday Blog Hop. The rules are simple.  
  1. Add your blog title and URL.
  2. Follow your hostess Blogging Hints and the feature site Katherine's Corner.
  3. Follow the blog right before yours in the list.
  4. Follow any other blogs you wish
  5. Make sure you leave a comment so that you'll get a follow back.
  6. Grab our Catch a Wave Wednesday button if you'd like so that followers will know where to leave a comment.

Let's get to know Katherine's Corner.


visit Katherines Corner


1. How long have you been blogging?

Hello I'm Katherine ( Katie) I have been blogging for two years now and I love everything about it. The comments, the new friends and the valuable self expression. 

Blogs provide us with a  beacon among a sea of internet chaos. A blog provides us with an open book to share with others as we read and write together! 

2.  Tell us a little about yourself.
I little about me; I am an open minded and spiritual person ( I am a child of God) who strives to always maintain a positive attitude and greet each new day with grace, dignity and gratitude.

I am an Artist/Designer/Photographer. I'm married to my best friend and we are blessed with  five amazing grandchildren ( aren't all grandchildren amazing) I enjoy making memories with them.

I love spending time with my husband,family and friends and  I always welcome a spontaneous road trip. I enjoy music, art, cooking, reading, movies and general silliness.

I love to cook. I am a foodie, I admit it proudly.
I love classic films, I’m uncomfortable in heat exceeding 75 degrees and I love the rain. I sing in the car, very loudly, but I don't sing in the shower.

I was born in England and I live in the USA I have a rare dual citizenship and I am a proud citizen of both countries.

I make a living by selling a  wonderful variety of  items at my online shops and through my online Avon sales. Gifts By Katherine ,   Be Well Gifts  and my Online Avon shop

3.  What is the focus of your blog?

The main focus of my blog is simple really. I want to provide a blog that features a variety of topics of interest. Something to make, eat, read and laugh at.

4.  What is the most important thing you've learned from blogging?

The most important thing I've learned from blogging is really something I've always known. People in general are good, kind, and willing to share.

5.  Is there anything you would like to add?

I'd like to add just one more thing, and that is how sincerely grateful I am to every visitor who stops by Katherine's Corner. For every comment that is left, and every hand that is extended in friendship.

There are no words to say it well enough, thank you seems so small for gestures that are so large.

Posted by Cindy at 9:44 PM 10 comments
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Monday, August 23, 2010

Tuesday Blog Hops - August 24th

Here are the blog hops going on Tuesday.  Visit as many as you want and make sure you leave comments so that you'll get a follow back.  So get going!  If you want to add a blog hop that's not listed, leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know.









Tuesday Tag-AlongFamilylicious ReviewsPhotobucketTo-the-TOP Tuesday


Posted by Cindy at 10:11 PM 16 comments
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Sunday, August 22, 2010

How to Create a Grab Button

What is a grab button?  A grab button is a 125 x 125 pixel graphic which other bloggers can copy the code of and add it to their blogs to advertise your blog.  Additionally, you can do the same of other blogs that are in your niche.  A grab button can be a photograph of you, your family or anything else that interests you. It can also be a clipart graphic.
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Posted by Cindy at 9:41 AM 14 comments
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Friday, August 20, 2010

Free Online Image Editing Tools

picture courtesy of http://bakerdesignstudio.net/

Often throughout the day I need to create and idea photographs and images. My laptop doesn't have image editing software installed on it and it isn't convenient for me to relocate to my desktop computer to work on the images.  I have discovered a few online imaging tools which do the job quite nicely.  
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Posted by Cindy at 3:07 PM 9 comments
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Thursday, August 19, 2010

I Just Earned 11 Swagbucks

I just earned 11 more Swagbucks just by researching information for my articles and blogs.  Now I have enough Swagbucks to get an Amazon gift card.  Visit Swag Bucks today and sign up to get your toolbar to start searching and start earning your Swagbucks.

Posted by Cindy at 3:30 PM 7 comments
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Thursday Blog Hop

Welcome to Thursday Blog-Hop.
Bassgiraffe's Thoughts Canadian Mommy Blog Reviews and Giveaways


I'm so excited to be the Featured blog today from bassgiraffe’s Thoughts.  Thanks a bunch!  I definitely follow back so please leave me a comment.


Not entered in this blog hop? Visit bassgiraffe’s Thoughts to enter.
Posted by Cindy at 9:52 AM 4 comments
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

68AD4U5KANNS
Posted by Cindy at 9:52 PM 3 comments
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Interview with SimplyStacie.net

Simpy Stacie
I recently came upon the blog Simplystacie.net and was so impressed with it that I asked Stacie if I could interview her for Blogging Hints. Her blog has a clean, professional look not mention she has over 4000 followers.  Here is my interview with Stacie from Simplystacie.net.

 
 
1.  Tell a little about yourself.

I am a 32 year old mom of two girls and I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. Olivia is 12 and Bridget is 5. I am going through a divorce after 10 years of marriage. I have been living with my new partner, John, for the last year and a bit and things are going great. I love to read, write, shop, travel and of course, blog!

2.  When did you get started blogging?

I started my blog in December 2008.

3.  What is the topic of your blog?

My blog is mainly reviews and giveaways of women's products (beauty, fashion, etc), books, and children and baby products. I have also started to share blogging tips and resources to help out other bloggers. I host a few blog hop linkys throughout the week like Mailbox Monday (for email subscribers), Facebook Like You Back (for Facebook pages), Twitter Hop Thursday (for Twitter followers) and Fun Follow Friday (for GFC followers).

4.  What do you think was the key to the success of your blog?

  • The key to success is to put yourself out there and network. Be active in forums, on Facebook and Twitter and comment on other blogs! 
  • Be consistent with your posts and don't let large amounts of time pass between your posts. 
  • If you have giveaways, submit them to the various blog linkys (http://simplystacie.net/sites-to-list-your-giveaways/) and Online Sweepstakes.
  • Participate and be active in some weekly memes http://simplystacie.net/weekly-memes/
  • Get to know other bloggers! I have met so many wonderful people once I started putting myself out there and came out of my "blogging bubble"
I have posts on what I do to grow my blog in my Blogging Resources section http://simplystacie.net/category/features/blogger-resources/

5.  How much time do you spend working on your blog per week?

My blog is my full-time job and I treat it as such. I usually spend a full working day on it from 7am to 4pm. It is VERY time consuming. Keeping on top of my emails takes the longest. I usually have over 200 when I wake in the morning. I keep on a routine and that seems to help. I answer my emails from the previous day in the mornings. I usually do my posts in the afternoon.

6.  What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Get active and put yourself out there! Participate in memes, forums and leave comments on others blogs. It does take time to build your blog, but it will grow in leaps and bounds just by networking or at least that's what I have found from my experience!

7.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

One thing I wanted to add was a piece of advice and something I wished I had done when I started blogging. Buy a domain name NOW even if you don't use it right away. You don't want your chosen blog domain to be gone when you do decide you want to use it! I wanted a .com but had to settle with a .net because the .com was already taken. 

Another thing I wanted to mention was for bloggers to add Feedburner so people can subscribe by email. I don't like using a reader myself so I will only read a blog by email! I always feel sad when a blog doesn't have this option because then I will forget to check it every day!
 
I would like to thank Stacie for taking the time to give me an interview. I'm sure all of bloggers can benefit from her advice.   Here are the links to stay connected with Stacie.
 
Posted by Cindy at 3:46 PM 6 comments
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Catch a Wave Wednesday Blog Hop

Blogging Hints Catch a Wave Wednesday

Welcome to my Catch a Wave Wednesday Blog Hop. The rules are simple.  

  1. Add your blog title and URL.
  2. Follow your hostess Blogging Hints.
  3. Follow the blog right before yours in the list.
  4. Follow any other blogs you wish
  5. Make sure you leave a comment so that you'll get a follow back.
  6. Grab our Catch a Wave Wednesday button if you'd like so that followers will know where to leave a comment.

Next week, I'll select a blog at random to be the feature blog of the week.

Posted by Cindy at 12:00 AM 8 comments
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Monday, August 16, 2010

Tuesday Blog Hops

Here are the blog hops going on Tuesday.  Visit as many as you want and make sure you leave comments so that you'll get a follow back.  So get going!  If you want to add a blog hop that's not listed, leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know.









Tuesday Tag-AlongFamilylicious ReviewsPhotobucket

Posted by Cindy at 11:26 PM 11 comments
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Monday Blog Hops

Here some of the blog hops going on today.  If you know of a Monday blog hop that isn't listed here, please let me know so I can gladly add it.  So start hopping!




PhotobucketFancy Meeting You GiveawayBlogdom mingle mondays button


Posted by Cindy at 7:18 AM 1 comments
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Saturday, August 14, 2010

How to Create a Scrolling Blog Roll in JavaScript

Thanks to Hootiebee, it was discovered that the html marquee code doesn't work with scrolling images in Internet Explorer with Blogger.  After hours of researching this bug, the best solution I found is to use JavaScript.  Dynamic Drive has several image slide show scripts, scrolling text scripts and much more.  I opted for their "Conveyor Belt" script.  Finally, I was able to create a sliding blog roll that can be seen in Firefox and Internet Explorer.  Visit Busy Mom's Tips to see my sliding blog roll.

The JavaScript is very long therefore I didn't post it here.  Visit Dynamic Drive and see what they have to offer. 


Posted by Cindy at 12:01 AM 4 comments
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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Personalize Your Posts with a Signature

Adding a signature to your blog posts creates a personal connection with your readers.  There are a number of different ways to add a signature to your posts.  I've explain two different ways here.
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Posted by Cindy at 3:08 PM 9 comments
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Increase Blog Traffic by Submitting to Blog Directories



Another great way to boost your blog traffic is to submit your blog URL or feed to blog directories.  Most blog directories are free to submit your URL or feed.  However, some directories may require a reciprocal link or may charge a fee.  I have provided a listing of blog directories.  Read the requirements carefully before submitting your blog.  If you know of any others not listed, please leave a comment with the name of the directory and URL.  Also, if you find any dead links, let me know about that as well.
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Posted by Cindy at 2:13 PM 0 comments
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