Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the social networking online that I don’t get my writing done.  Have you ever been in that situation?  I have been told one of the cures for that is to write several posts at once, then publish them later.

While this seems to be a good idea, I find that I write the posts, then schedule them, and then forget to continue to write posts even though I have some ahead.  For this blog, I use whatever is going on at the time, so it would be hard to write ahead.

My newest craze started yesterday with SezWho. I had a chance to get it with blogcatalog.com, but I didn’t understand what it was.  When entrecard announced it I finally got it.  So I registered all four of my blog sites.  I have been ‘meaning’ to get out there to some of my more favorite blogs and comment.  Since I am kind of a shy person (yes it is true), I have procrastinated.  At least this newest craze will help me get into the commenting habit.

Another new online activity I love is the HerProBlog.com social network I posted about in my last post.  The actual community blog is now live at HerProBlog.com.  Go check it out!  It looks great and promises to be one of the biggest resources for bloggers online.

I never could get into Twitter, but I love plurk.  I haven’t used it to share URL’s yet, but I love my dancing banana!!!   Be sure to look me up whenever you are there.

One craze I guess I must be a bit burned out on is Yahoo Answers.  I finally figured out how to use it and how to contribute quality to it.  It’s really not hard.  Due to my ’shyness’ I  haven’t ventured into forums yet.  I will get there.

Another good multi-author site is 5minutesforspecialneeds.com These authors write about their experiences with their special needs children and loved ones.  They offer hope and help.  They offer tips on how to handle situations, resources for information and help, and let other parents they are not alone.

My goal is to post here at least twice a week.  I hope you will visit and join in the 9 sites I mentioned above.  I think you will have fun with them.  What are some of your favorite places to spend time online?

These are exciting times online.  New opportunities are opening up for the social and the serious.  A new site -

HerProBlog.com is coming up soon for the professional blogging women with tips and discussions.  You can sign up for an email subscription now – don’t miss out on the opening!  Join the Women Bloggers Group now which is the social network for HerProBlog.com.  This is the opportunity to get in on the ground floor.  New members are being added daily.  And even though it is a women’s group, men are not banned.

The Women Bloggers Group is powered by Crowdvine.  You can interface with facebook to add your friends, and you can add your twitter stream.  Put your social bookmarking site or photo site to rss them.  And pick your favorite blog (we all have more than one, right  – OK, then put your one blog on it) to subscribe to.

Once you are settled in, go to HerProBlog.com and sign up for that subscription.  See ya’ll there!

]]> http://joyblogging.com/2008/07/a-new-woman-bloggers-community-herproblog/feed/ 2 http://joyblogging.com/2008/03/blogcatalogcom-a-place-to-make-friends/ http://joyblogging.com/2008/03/blogcatalogcom-a-place-to-make-friends/#comments Sun, 30 Mar 2008 01:48:59 +0000 joyntheir http://joyntheir.wordpress.com/?p=24

OK, so I am now addicted to social web networks? Well, yes and no. Some are better than others. I have found a couple I really like. One of them is Blog Catalog. The folks there have quality blogs on a full variety of interests. There are groups which are there for any interest or objective you want. There are groups that support each other in other networks, there are groups that share tips on how to make your blog better, there are groups that just share on any subject.

Rather than being a place to submit your sites and posts and articles, this is a listing of all of your blogs (they have to be reviewed and accepted). You find other blogs you like and joint the neighborhood. You can add friends. And most members list the other networks they are a part of. That way you can find them on mybloglog, stumble, digg, technorati, and even entrecard – and a lot more.

Best thing is, if you don’t find a group for your specific interest, you can start a group. And you can announce it on the broadcast. You can even let people know your article, post, etc, is available to stumble or digg or bookmark or whatever. No one has to digg or vote for it – it is just an announcement so they can go look at it. Hopefully, many will find it good enough to give you a point.

So head on over to Blog Catalog and join in the fun now.

Being curious, when I started seeing the entrecard symbols on people’s blogs (mine is on Be The Weight You Want), I went to the site and joined. I found many unexpected benefits after joining.

1. Go to the site Powerdropping.com where you will find a list of 300 sites you can drop cards on in a short amount of time. Guess what? You will find a lot of interesting blogs you probably didn’t even know existed!

2. Go and advertise on others sites – check out the sites you decide to advertise on and see if it is one you would want it on, and also if you think people interested in that blog might click to see your blog. For my blog, I advertise on other health sites and fashion sites mostly.

3. Go to your ‘in’ box to see who dropped cards on your site. Be sure to reciprecate – visit their sites and drop cards. NOTE: you are only allowed 300 cards a day.

This reminds me of a scavenger hunt and a game like monopoly. You earn a credit per card dropped. you have to go to other blogs to drop them, and then the credits you earn, you spend to buy ads to get people to come to your blog. You also earn credits as others ‘buy’ads on your site. When someone wants to put their ad on your site, you can go see their blog and decide whether to let them or not. As you drop more cards and purchase ads, the cost to advertise on your site goes up. That gives you more credits, so you can advertise more, or purchase the higher costing spots.

If you also enroll at Blog Catalog, you will meet a lot of the same bloggers who are on Entrecard. But that’s another story

I think I have mentioned that I started all this blogging because I was looking for a way to supplement my income, both to pay off bills so I could retire and to supplement my retirement income. I believe I am now an official web addict.
If anyone thinks that online business is a spare time project, forget it. Maybe after you have become rich and have a thousand sites out there, but even then you have to stay up with the times. Reading, socializing, revising, researching, writing. These all take time and a lot of it.

I am lucky. I really enjoy this. I am learning something new, plus to be a success, I have to learn even more. I was correct – my previous experience in web site building as a novice. my knowledge of the various PC applications, and my use of the internet searching for products and for information all gave me a basic knowledge. What I am learning now is overwhelming. I can only imagine what it is to people who don’t have that background – not that it cannot be done successfully.

What amazes me is the amount of knowledge of the Internet and its world to absorb. Each search engine, each social site, each bookmarking site, each feeder site, has its own personality. It’s like going from city to city or learning to ride a bike, drive a car, drive a tracker, etc.

If my blog starts to look more like an advertisement, this blog really isn’t. I do get excited and want to share things with other. Things that impress me, or things I think others will like. It’s a deviation from my original intent. Maybe not. This blog is an outlet for me about things I am interested in and things that matter to me.

If any of you are on the web 2.0 sites like Digg, Facebook, Stumbleupon, Mixx, BlogCatalog, redit, myplace, etc, look me up. I am usually under the handle of Joyntheir.

I have a friend, PenLady, who writes poetry – or rather, God wakes her up and gives her parts of poems. When God has given her the last of the poem, she puts the parts together as a jigsaw puzzle.

The results are amazing. I would like to share them with you. May you be blessed by them as I am.

http://inspiredpoems.wordpress.com/

Inspired Poetry Penned by My Friend

May this site be a blessing to Jesus, my Lord and Savior, and to all who stop by.

Here it is – Saturday evening. It is snowing and icing outside and the coldest we have been all winter. I am glad it snowed. Yesterday was like a spring or fall day – in the 60’s with a light cool breeze. Today the ‘breeze’ got up to 50 mph gusts. Talk about climate shock!

But it does look and feel a lot more like Christmas. And it is wonderful. I get 2 holidays this year (President Bush gave Monday, Christmas Eve, as a holiday. Big Shock – not really. See, it is election year and he has to make good marks for his party. Plus it costs more to open the facilities and heat it up for the few souls who would actually show up.) Nonetheless, I get a 4 day holiday which is rare.

I even got to do what I love to do; my daughter and I went shopping last night and this morning. I love going out and shopping. But I hate driving in the crowds. We went to ump-teen million stores trying to find a ‘baby alive’ doll for her eight year old. Of course no one had any left in stock.

And I had my little grand-daughter (3 1/2) for a few hours this afternoon. She is such a pill! I love being with her when I can just be with her. She loves the computer. I have an older one set up for the kids Cd’s – reader rabbit, Dora Dora, etc. It doesn’t hook up to the Internet, so no worries there.

In between, I managed to get not 1 but 2 Starbucks! Anyone who is a Starbucks junkie knows the value of that. And I got my first website up and running. It is on body building and muscle building – and a little for weight gain/loss since that normally goes with it. It is at http://bodybuildingmuscleshaping.com . Take a look and tell me what you think. I really would like the feedback.

Well, sometime I will get back to my cross stitch. I really have to get going on making the Christmas stockings for each of the grand-kids. Wish me luck – and if I don’t get back to write again before Christmas – Have a blessed Christmas and safe travel. JoyntHeir