You live, you learn November 30, 2007
Posted by Christine in the writer's life.add a comment
I had lunch with an engineer today, who contacted me regarding corporate communications. Although the meeting was nice, we did not actually talk a lot about communication at all. Instead, I was receiving an education on ball valves, and a variety of other industrial manufacturing products such gas spring, pumps and transformers.
So, my new found knowledge of ball-valves consist of knowing that they have a round closure element (i.e. the ball…) and rounded seat in which the ball portion of the valve fits perfectly. This perfect fit provides a tight shut off.
The potential client also gave me a quick run-through Zycon which is an online directory of industrial, manufacturing, and distributing businesses, products, and services. It is a true haven for anyone looking for materials or services in this industry, which can be found through the alphabetical listings. I really wish we had something like this in the sciences as well, and perhaps we do? In any event; Zyco is a great example of what a directory should be like in all industries.
Writers do not always realize that in order to provide a service for certain clients, they need to become fully acquainted with technical processes or terminology. It’s often fun to do, but if you are not interested in learning something new, it is better to stick to what you already know well.
NaNoWriMo is ending for 2007 November 30, 2007
Posted by Christine in Literature, the writer's life.Tags: NaNoWriMo, novel writing
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Well, it is nearing the end again of the national novel writing month. I took a stab at it at the beginning of November, but I did not reach the 50.000 words needed to successfully complete NaNoWriMo. I was already expecting this to happen though, as this was gearing up to be a busy month.
I am planning to participate again in NaNoWriMo next year, and hopefully have a little more time to dedicate to my fiction writing then. It just wasn’t a priority this year, which is regrettable but the necessary truth.
I do wonder about some of the writers participating; when I logged in on November 6th, there was one individual who had supposedly passed the 50k word mark. How he did it in six days is a true mystery to me. It does make you wonder if some people just use NaNoWriMo as the “national novel editing month”?
Newest Postie! November 28, 2007
Posted by Christine in Blogging.add a comment
I’ve signed up for Payperpost! I have a couple of other blogs on which I plan to use payperpost, such as this one, and this one.
Basically, the idea is that you post a blog article or review about a particular topic, website or service and link to the sponsor who is providing you with payment in return for these links. So you can make money with your blog, and Payperpost is the one who at the end of the month sends you the payment. In my case the money will be used to try and fund my new big-screen-computer idea.
I’ve been blogging for quite a while now, and following influential people such as John Chow. He makes almost 20k a month with his blog and websites, which is absolutely stunning. Frankly, I don’t need/want/insist on making that much from my blogging efforts, but if I could even come close to payperpost blogger Colleen, I would be absolutely thrilled and it would make a huge difference in life, finances and the way I look at the whole web 2.0 idea.
Colleen is the highest all time earner on payperpost, and really quite the inspiration! Frankly, I have made a career out of consulting individuals and companies on how to monetize their websites, but payperpost is one of those programs that allow small blogs, with limited readership, to make some extra cash. At the very least, it can offer the average blogger enough return to cover the cost of the blog. If readership grows, it can catapult anyone up to Colleen’s ranks and make a huge difference in personal income and lifestyle. I like that the program can be as great for the casual, as well as the serious blogger.
I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
Google Adsense Video ads! November 28, 2007
Posted by Christine in writing.Tags: adsense, adsense video, adsense video ads
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I just logged into my google adsense account, and noticed they have brought out video ads! Unfortunately, I can’t post one in this blog because wordpress.com is not thrilled about people advertising on their wordpress sites. However, I will post one at my other site.
I think this will add user experience, although I’m very skeptical about income potential from these video ads. Anyone have any positive results yet?
Christmas Savings Coupons November 28, 2007
Posted by Christine in writing.Tags: christmas, christmas shopping, coupons
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Christmas is looming, and as I was compiling my gifts list, I realized I could really use the help and power of some coupons.
I need to get some glasses for myself, so it’s neat that there are “39 dollar glasses” coupons. I’m also considering contributing to my friend’s literacy, and I found Amazon coupons. With the loonie being so high, our dollar is already reaching a little further this Christmas, but it never hurts to save more.
I always complain I have a limited social circle, and virtually no family to speak of. However, when Christmas rolls around, I always find out my shopping list is much larger than one would expect it to be if you hear my talk about my circle of friends. Turns out; there are over 20 people on my list this year, all of whom I’d love to get a little something. Although the thought counts, you also don’t want to buy something nobody would use or like, i.e. don’t buy junk! To avoid doing this, I on one hand re-organize the list in terms of “present size”/budget and then use coupons to slash costs further.
I just refuse to go broke over Christmas… although this year that might just happen anyways :-S
The Three Computer Year November 28, 2007
Posted by Christine in General Interest.Tags: computers, mac mini
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I bought my Mac laptop earlier this year, and recently I replaced my mother’s laptop for a slightly better one. I have fallen in love with Apple’s huge screens, and I am now considering a way to accomplish a similar effect at home: I am thinking of buying my third computer, the Mac Mini.
How would I get a huge screen with the Mac Mini? Well, I also happen to have a fairly-big-screen TV, to which I am assuming the Mac mini can be hooked up easily.
Why would I do this? I’ve grown tired of scrolling through thousands of rows for data, or hundreds of pages of words, on a small screen exclusively. I have been telling myself that a huge screen will improve my productivity.. so I am considering going down this road now.
However; just before Christmas may not be the time to buy. In addition, I am hoping dearly that there will be an attractive sale close to the new year.. Although if I were to make the purchase in January, it would help next year’s income tax return.
Another consideration is that someone special is leaving the country for at least a few months on Jan 3rd, and I’ve love to have the mac mini set up by then so we could still enjoy it together.
Any inputs on the best strategy here? Do I optimize tax returns, or do I live for today and just get it to ensure a merry merry Christmas?
Promoting your Blog – Free November 28, 2007
Posted by Christine in Blogging.Tags: blog promotion, Blogging, promotion
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I am one of the first to admit that promoting a blog in this day and age is extremely challenging. Millions of blogs exist, so how do we make ours stand out from the clutter?
One very effective way of promoting your blog is taking the blog promotion where your online competition doesn’t go: offline. Other bloggers are jumping on the Business Cards 2.0 bandwagon too, but your own offline environment is unlikely to overlap with your biggest competitor, who may live across the atlantic. The best part of this promotional tactic; it doesn’t have to cost much. Bloggers can now get 100 FREE business cards to promote their blog. These cards are very different from regular business cards, and emphasize your blog and main topics.
Google may not be giving you much love, but bloggers business cards can not only bring attention to your blog, you might even network with other bloggers willing to (link) love you more than Google ever will.
This post was brought to you by ooprint.com
Another way of writing novels November 27, 2007
Posted by Christine in the writer's life.add a comment
I am a ‘writing books’ junkie; whenever I am at a bookstore, I automatically migrate towards the writing and reference section. With the vast number of titles out there, and my limited time to read all reference book on this side of the planet, I generally don’t buy too many. Recently I’ve started getting interested in downloading talks, and useful video’s or podcasts from reputable sources.
These have proven really handy when commuting or traveling. Keep in mind though; some sources are really good, while others are useless. I found a little video that shows how some novelists write books, and although it is entirely not serious it does crack me up!
The Dark Side of Love November 27, 2007
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Love, romance and dating is often seen as happy, light, and seeing the world through a rozy haze. Some people though look for soulmates who participate in the same lifestyle they do, and those people are attracted to the niche sites that cater to these lifestyles. There are dating sites for dog owners, single parents, and Goth singles caters to singles who enjoy the goth culture, fetishes, extreme music, and alternative culture. Singles can upload their pictures, chat with other members and send messages.
To find the perfect person for you, the likelihood of finding him or her increases exponentially if you place yourself in a situation where you meet people with similar interests. As far as niche dating sites go, they perfectly complement this age-old concept in the dating world. Thus, it is not entirely surprising, and really neat, that this section of the dating market is now being serviced!
From a media and advertising perspective, the website is extraordinarily well designed and looks stunning! It is a refreshing change from many generic and ugly websites cluttering the web these days.
This post was brought to you by www.darkyria.com
Joyce Carol Oats video November 26, 2007
Posted by Christine in Literature.add a comment
I just posted a video and some comments featuring Joyce Carol Oats. See it here.
A bit more on writing & clutter November 26, 2007
Posted by Christine in writing for the web.Tags: Blogging, writing
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I posted a video earlier that discusses an issue close to my heart: write what you know. It is such a simple concept, and often carried out by bloggers these days. After all: writing what you know is so much easier than doing hours of research for one blog post.
However; there are also a lot of people creating a lot of intellectual clutter. I.e. they write what they don’t know. I’ve often wondered what happens to all those websites, cluttering up the web and diluting out my Google ranking… I realize that if they are crap, eventually they will be filtered out and just fall into obscurity until the site owner comes to his senses and just cancels his hosting package. Until then though, which the millions of articles being posted every day I ask again: who’s reading?
I have two good friends who regularly read my work, for which I’m really grateful. Then there is my mother who just claims I write well, but never actually reads anything I’ve written… and then there is me, who should just read AND write more in general.
I sometimes also wonder about those bloggers who post magazine-size features on their blogs about their cats, dogs and spit-up. Who reads that? I would likely not find the time to read stories that long even if they were posted by a close friend or relative…
Has our attention span really become so short that we need only bite-size material? Or do we need to keep it bite-sized because there is so much written clutter that getting to the point in 200 words or less is a necessity?
How does my… what… look? November 26, 2007
Posted by Christine in General Interest.Tags: garage floors
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CarGuyGarage.com asked me to tell them what my garage floor looks like. Let me tell you… I can talk about not one, but two different garage floors I regularly have access to. One is relatively uneventful, reasonably new, dark concrete slabs of a sort (OK, I’m not a guy, doing my best here to describe the matter). The other garage… well, that’s a whooole other issue! That floor is what used to be a solid piece of concrete, now cracked and wrinkled like an old lady that hasn’t moisturized in forty years.
Garage floors have never caught my interest before CarGuyGarage.com asked me to take a peek down at my feet, and for once not think about my shoes. According to them, the wrinkly old lady in my basement can be treated with long lasting epoxy, to make it shiny, sturdy and new again. I just wish they could wrap it for Christmas, because this is one of those great “guy gifts” if you have a significant other who spends a disproportionate amount of time in his garage polishing tools. All I want to do when I visit that domain is polish out the twenty year old oil stains.
This post was brought to you by CarGuyGarage.com
Working on that Novel November 26, 2007
Posted by Christine in writing.Tags: family guy, novel writing, stewie griffin, writing
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Well… it is no secret I LOVE Stewie Griffin… but with this clip I really related to Brian. Yes, I have been, uhm… writing…uhm… that novel… for eeehmmm…. 3 years or so. It’s a miracle my friends are not teasing me yet.
Loans, any good? November 26, 2007
Posted by Christine in General Interest.add a comment
Especially freelancers are vulnerable to a cash crunch at the end of the month. Not surprising I am being sponsored to write this post, as I clearly belong to the cash-crunch-high-risk group!
Many of my freelance friends keep lines of credit for that purpose, so they do not get sucked into 19% credit card charges. Another alternative is taking out a payday loan. These loan instruments have been under a reasonable amount of scrutiny lately, but they are around for a reason: they serve a clear purpose and satisfy a market need.
However, just because you need a loan, does not mean you should be paying top dollar for it. The secret in finding a good deal is having a good comparison tool. Faxless Payday Loans offers loan quotes, which people looking for a payday loan can use to compare rates and terms associated with each loan provider.
loans are like anything else: you gotta do your research.
Write what you know November 26, 2007
Posted by Christine in writing.Tags: book writing, write what you know, writing
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This video speaks for itself… do we need an intro? How many people are writing/talking/presenting and have NO IDEA what they are talking about? It is just adding to the info-clutter out there in the world and makes it so much more difficult for people to find good resources.
Who likes to play dress-up? November 25, 2007
Posted by Christine in General Interest.add a comment
Let’s face it, most people love uniforms. It is one of the reasons so many American and Canadian soldiers came home with European wifes after WWII. Now, we can all dress like 5.11 tactical cops. Whether for fun or because these outfits are truly the most durable gear you can get for outdoors activities, it’s handy to see it available online.
Free online dating – the experience November 25, 2007
Posted by Christine in General Interest.Tags: dating, online dating, relationships
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I found a new online personals website, called DateHookup.com. I asked my best friend to give it a shot, because she has been actively dating online for a while.
She liked the fact it is 100% free; after all… with tons of dating sites out there who knows where the interesting people are hanging out? However, although it is 100% free you do have to sign up for this personals website before you get to place a search or use any of the features. It does not take long to create a nickname, and once signed up the website offers quite a few features, including date ideas and tips.
My friend has been corresponding with a few men from DateHookup.com, and I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
