OK, some people think of blogging as work. Strange people.

But if you enjoy blogging and are half good at it, you might have thought of doing it for a living, despite all the horror stories that are appearing. If so, then you should read Yvonne’s post on Blogging for a Network. It is a good starting point to learn more.

Once upon a time, in a board room not far away, the Council met.

“You know what we want,” said the Head. “Deliver for us a creative of such excellence, none who view it can resist The Product.”

It was a daunting task. A task that would challenge the mettle of The Best. But it was not impossible. Properly targeted, armed with information, demographics, statistics and other magical tools; knowing the Final Objectives, The Product shall thrive.

“Indeed, we will!” the Leader of The Best proclaimed confidently. “Now tell us more.”

“There is nothing more to tell. You are The Best. You have the Knowing. Speak no more and go Create.” And so speaking, the Head turn and walked from the room.

For one brief horrifying moment, the Leader realised, finally, he has met the Mission Impossible.

If you are any kind of writer at all, you must have dreamed this dream. At some point in your life, you must surely have wanted to write your own novel.

Frankly, I have never met any one who loves writing but never dreamed of writing fiction. It is a rare breed that is so focused on writing press releases, great headlines and killer ad copy that they do not even think about penning a story or two. If I had a dollar for every story that I started but never finished, I could afford that Wii.

So, head on over to Men with Pens - they are going to do a series on how you can write better fiction. I’ll be there.

Here is a chance for you to write, have lots of fun, and win US$100 all at the same time!

Head on over to ReallyLousyDates.com and enter their Valentine’s Day Contest. It is the Worse Valentine’s Day Story Contest. If you have a story to tell, now is the time to do it.

Unless of course, like me, all your Valentines were perfect… :)

Well, I wish I had read Glenda’s post Getting Smart About Setting Goals earlier. Then maybe, I would have set better goals for 2008. But well, it’s too late. The year has already started. I can’t set goals anymore. I am set on a path to an aimless year. Really.

Glenda made a very interesting comment yesterday, she was asking “to see a strategy on how we can effectively use and integrate these tools without them becoming great time and focus eaters”.

Every one has their own way of coping. Well, social networking is no different. Interesting enough, there are people who do not network at all. So, contrary to popular belief, social networking is not a universal truth, hermits aside. But I would like to share a tip on how you can use social networking and keep your sanity:

Choose one.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? More is not necessarily better. If you are a member of multiple social networks, what usually happens is, you are a “fringe member” on most of them. Your name is on the list, but I doubt if you are on their minds.

Participate in several different networks. Find one that meets your needs. This means, are you comfortable there, can you promote your business there, or whatever it was that you wanted to accomplish. Narrow it down. If you are happy and comfortable with more than one, fine. But remember that participation is key. And participation can be a time sink you might come to regret.

I would love to hear how all of you are using social networking and what your tips are to make it effective and manageable. Maybe this could become a meme of sorts - but I would love to hear from Glenda, Angela, and Laura.

Technorati Tags: blog, social network, tips

Remember this? Well, I have looked at a few of the sites and there are some really nice posts out there!

These are just 3 of the posts that touched me. The others are nice too, but these seem to speak to me:

http://didisignonforthis.blogspot.com/2007/12/day-of-tree.html
http://thezenofmotherhood.blogspot.com/2007/12/generous-december-and-christmas-miracle.html
http://setxbayou.blogspot.com/2007/12/ladder-guy-view-from-edge-of-christmas.html

Which one do you like? Head on over to MomGadget.com to see the contest.

Technorati Tags: blogs, bloggin, christmas, contest

There is a difference, you know, between speaking and communicating. But many people, while they are aware of this, I mean, any 101-class you attend will tell you that; yet it is difficult sometimes in practice.

Context and point-of-view are very important when communicating. My thirteen year old daughter gave us an object lesson in that yesterday. When Mommy “corrected” her “… you should use, ‘when I was younger’ and not ‘when I was small’…” she immediately came back with a re-joiner -

“I am STILL young today, so, I was ’smaller’ then.”

Context and Point-of-View. Now, who would have thought…

Well, if you have been blogging for a while, and you are still at it, then you must really love it. So, why not test your mettle against the best on the web and take part in the Holiday Blogging Award 2007 competition?

There are three categories that you can participate in:

Best Holiday decoration of a Blog - Any blog or blogger who has decorated their blog for the holidays either entirely or in an subtle way. Prize: $20 USD via Paypal and links from channel blogs.

Best post about Christmas on a Blog - The best posting about Christmas or holiday activities on a blog. It can be religious or non-religious, but should celebrate the spirit of the season. Prize: $20 USD via Paypal and links from channel blogs.

Best Holiday image or video on a Blog - The best display of your own personal holiday decorations on a blog. It can be religious or non-religious, but again, should celebrate the spirit of the season. Prize: $20 USD via Paypal and links from channel blogs.

I have been invited to be a judge for these awards, so please… be nice to me! :)

Technorati Tags: blog, blogging, holiday blogging

The other day, my son was telling us a joke about “wives”. Which was funny enough in and of itself, since of course, me and my wife were married, he was not. But anyway, there he was, talking about how you need to have two tongues to be a mommy because you had to yak, yak, yak…

Suddenly, he stopped and made a very astute observation about married life, “Oh, and you have to live with that for the rest of your life.”

So I told him, he was wrong. Women did not need two tongues to yak yak yak. They just need to say it once, and it echoes for the rest of your life. In yet another stroke of incredible insight, he blurted, “I do!”

Technorati Tags: marriage, mommy, mothers, nagging

With the Internet and all the online marketing talk going around, it seems that the fun has been taken out of writing short, punchy headlines. There was a time, once, when writing silly headlines was the “in” thing. Then there were those surreal headlines that left everyone scratching their heads and consulting their oracles. Then along came the Internet with its “This is not a headline that works unless it occupies a significant amount of white space and tells you the whole story” type of headlines.

Actually, long headlines do work, online. But I saw a long headline on a TV commercial recently. Very interesting. The ad was running on television, so it was a short, 30 sec commercial. Half of that was a headline, in text that asked: “Would you like to Quit Your Job and still live comfortably for one year?” I cannot remember the full thing, but that was the gist of it. I was caught by “Would you like to quit your job…” But I thought nothing of it till it flashed a second time: “Would you like to Quit Your Job and live comfortably for one year, and enjoy caviar everyday?”

I, of course answered, “Hell, yes!”

Reality’s a bitch. I don’t like caviar. But then, I realised that for the first time in quite a while, I actually noticed a TV commercial that was neither funny, fun, quirky, high octane or contained any of those fancy stuff.

So, as I thought about the significance of this insignificant moment in my life, I realised one thing - long headlines DO work.