Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts

My beautiful friend, Elizabeth, has a super blog--she makes you laugh and pause and think, you really ought to check it out. And now she's stumbled onto a great idea, and I'm going to steal borrow snatch it up and perpetuate it here.

The idea: Thanksvember (sorry no graphic--any ideas, my ubercreative friends?), post something for which you are thankful each day in November.

Now, since I missed out on day 1, I think that I will be a bit "cheap" here and make an easy choice. Since this was Elizabeth's idea my first "I'm thankful for" is:

#1 I'm thankful for librarians.

These champions of all things reading often get a bad rap in life. You know the long, pointy nose made into a caricature by the half-glasses snugly pinching the ends of their nose and permanently attached to their person by that decorative rope around their neck. Just for the record, most of the librarians I know don't fit this description.

One excellent example of librarian with whom I have worked, was our excellent example of the profession at Linden-Kildare High School - Kay Stephens. Mrs. Stephens was the consummate librarian. Not only did she know where everything was in her library, she was more than ready to help the students find it (if she had a fault, it was that she did too much of the work for them: when she knew the students were coming and what their topic of study was, she would collect several books for them from the stacks before the students arrived). She was always professional. If I were to pass her on the street today she would smile her big smile and say, "Why hello, Mr. Potter. How are you today?" To top all this off, she voluntarily read manuscripts of my first books for the purposes of making editorial and stylistic suggestions--if you've ever attempted to write a publishable work you know just how important this is. All she asked in return is a copy of the book for her library (I gave her a personal copy as well).

Today, you should thank your librarian--regardless of setting: school, public, or private library--because he or she is there because they are there because they love books, they love students, and they love helping the two find each other.

Today is B A D 2011. So, click on over to Loom & Wheel Words and read my post on "Food."

I'd like to think that what I write is good worthy of  great literary circles. You know, right up there with C.S. Lewis, Calvin Miller, and Phillip Yancy. It's probably a delusion, but indulge me. I also am aware that even a blind pig finds a nut once in awhile (you may have to ask your friends from Texas about that one). I was scrolling through some past wisdom on Loom & Wheel Words and found this gem originally titled "Always On!" and thought it was worthy of sharing with my audience here. It's not a piece about 9/11, but it might give us some thought on this date that everyone is remembering that tragedy.  So, without further muddying of the waters, I give you "Always On!"

Okay, so I'm posting this so I'll get another entry in the $100 book giveaway for more resources for my library. That means that I actually don't want you to click the link below.

In an effort to reduce lurking, bloggers worldwide are encouraged to comment on five (count them, 5) different blogs today--that's December 3, 2008. If you are not a perenial lurker (you comment on your friends' blogs) you are asked to make at least two of the five are blogs on which you've never posted a comment.

For those who are unsure about making a comment, all you have to do is click on the comment link at the end of a post you're interested in and follow the instructions to join the conversation. Most people in the blogosphere make it easy for you to participate in their thought processes. So, welcome to the world wide web.

I'm off to make some rounds.

HT: John Smulo

Update -- Just so you know, here's my five for today (I may comment more, but these are the ones I've hit for BCD):

1. Of course I had to comment at SmuloSpace. After all I found the fun at his place. (Frequent reader, occasional commenter)
2. Pickle-osophy -- I found a great Advent poem at this new (to me) site.
3. Gabbatha Ministries Blog -- Josh is a long-time blog friend who comments here from time to time, as I do on his site.
4. Ramblings -- This is a super photo blog that I visit often, and only occasionally comment on.
5. Bookish Adventures of Bibliomom -- another new blog for me, but one I should find interesting given my love for all things Book.
   

When I first found the blogosphere, I also found Fred's World. Fred is a teacher in Tampa, FL who has lots of interesting posts--including pictures and humor and everything that makes blogging entertaining. Just as I was getting my sea legs in the blog world Fred posted this announcement that he was leaving the sphere.

Well, now he's back after a little over a year, and his hair is gone, but his wit and wisdom are still there. Give him a click for a great read, and welcome back, my friend.

Plus, with the new "Blog List" feature in the sidebar (when it's working right) you can see when he's been updated.

When I saw this quiz on Bill Crider's blog, I had to test myself. I guess trying to keep three blogs going should have been a clue.

70%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

For those of you who've been waiting with baited breath - here it is.

[Thanks to David Kirk @ Frogtown]

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. And apparently the necessity of a mother is inventive. My wife found a news item about one Dawn Meehan who blogs here. The upshot of it is, this mother of (too many) has a knack for writing. Her trip from hell to the grocery store that resulted in an ebay auction gained her huge amounts (HUGE amounts) of attention. According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story, she is now sought after by the publishing and media industry in the manner of a Benny Hill closing credits scene. Read today's story here.

Take a gander at her blog and see what all the hoopla is about. And if you so feel inclined, check out some of her sponsors.

Ben Cole has finally shown me the light on what it is to blog, and how to really make the most of my blog-presence. Here are his "Rules for Blogging:"

1. Try to post daily, but not too many times a day. The greater number of posts you put up in a day, the shorter each post must become.
2. Do not expect people to read your blog because you think your ideas are brilliant. If your readership isn’t increasing, it’s probably because you don’t have anything to say regardless of your insistence otherwise.
3. Be personal, but maintain privacy. There are plenty of freaks out there who have no need to know the most intimate details of your life.
4. Be honest. Do not exaggerate or conceal the facts. You will be caught.
5. Under no circumstance should you use emoticons. Ever.
6. Blog for yourself, and not for others. This is the only way to make sure that your blog is truly yours, and not some projection of what others want you to become.
7. Make a point to check your sitemeter only once a day, if at all. Blog statistics are addictive like crack cocaine, but much less socially acceptable.
8. Respond to commenters with infrequency. If you aren’t careful, your blog will become a place where others determine the subject of discussion. If people start coming to your blog for the comments rather than the main post, you may as well delete your blog entirely.
9. Avoid with all due diligence the temptation to employ arbitrary and excessive rhetorical flourishes.
10. Do not seek attention for your blog by posting frivolous comments on other blogs only to generate readership. All such commenters are to be hanged at dusk.
11. Do not send out email updates that you have posted something new. If people want to track your blog, they can use rss feeds.
12. Do not beg for comments. Do not whine for attention. Do not promote your blog. If your blog is worthy, others will pass it along.
13. Some people’s comments should never see the light of day. Idiots are the lepers of the blogosphere. Treat them as such.
14. Realize that many things you find funny are quite unfunny to others. Of course, you must also realize that some people do not have any sense of humor and will cry foul at the faintest hint of sarcasm, wit, or satire. Disregard them.
15. Only on the rarest of occasions should you allow another person an editorial privilege before publishing a post. Own your own words.
16. Blogs are the new porn. Your spouse will feel like there is another woman in your life if you spend too much time reading them.
17. Most bloggers tell more than they know. Be the exception. Always tell less.
18. Do not announce your absences from blogging. It is nobody’s business why you aren’t posting.
19. Do not post your own sermon outlines or notes. Your own congregation can barely get through your sermon without falling asleep. Don’t suppose that your blogging brethren are any more interested than they.
20. If your blog is controversial, embrace it. Do not attempt, however, to make your blog controversial for controversy’s sake. People like watching train wrecks, but will never favor a man who tries to wreck the train.

Please note: These rules apply especially to pastors who blog. Make adjustments to fit your personal needs.

Mingle² - Online Dating

For those interested in my sermonizing blog, it earned a 'G' as well.

Mingle² - Online Dating

I review lots of books at Book 'em Benj-O, including mystery novels. That earned me the rights to a "more mature" rating for the review site.

Having tested another site for a couple of weeks, and posting double (once here and once there), I've decided to keep Loom & Wheel here on blogspot. I am keeping the Loom & Wheel Words blog open, but will take a different direction with it. I haven't decided for sure what to do with it, but it will no longer be a mirror/shadow of this space. It will take more of a spiritual nature, reflecting my ministry and my spiritual journey. For those of you who love to read the deeper thoughts that occasionally ooze from my mind, you'll want to link there. I'll still be posting everyday wisdom and enjoyment here. Thanks for reading.

I have mirrored this blog on WordPress. It is a test. I've noticed several other bloggers switching over to WordPress for their blogs, I thought I'd give it a try. Take a look and give me some feedback (here and/or there) to let me know what you think. Which site looks better? Which one do you prefer? The site is called Loom & Wheel Words. Click on the link and tell me what you think. For now, Book 'em Benj-O will stay where it is.