Is there anyone who doesn't know that I've been exploring the idea of getting my own domain and starting up at least two additional blogs? The idea is a bit scary for me, what with my ignorance about all things technical. My friends have been encouraging though, and I've found quite a few websites that offer tutorials and tools that will make the task less intimidating. Today Swish Templates is sponsoring this post, which gives me the opportunity to show you what I've found on their site. The skills involved in creating a template are beyond me, but I've found several that are ready made and would be excellent choices for me. I think the one below would be perfect for my book blog. Lots of tabs, so I can keep the clutter to a minimum but still post reviews, current best sellers, wish lists and TBRs. And I'm a dog person, too, you know!




I haven't found one yet for my clutter and the other blog whose focus is still my little secret, but that's only because there are so many to choose from. If you're in the market for a new look, do check out Swish Templates. The prices look great, too! Right now everything is 10% off, so it's a great time to buy.

Labels: blogs, internet, payperpost, technology, websites

You're a musical artist looking for an audience, hoping to be discovered. You're good. You're confident of that, and your family and friends know it, too. They've even hinted that you should sign up as a contestant for one of the ubiquitous televised music competitions, right? You know, like American Idol or one of it's clones. That just proves that they don't understand your music at all. Pop is not in your vocabulary, and you don't want to clean up that nice. You're rough around the edges, and more than a little gritty. It's in your look and in your sound. Simon Cowell won't get it if he lives to be a hundred. Your music is too cutting edge to be fed to a mass, anesthetized audience.

What you need is Unsigned.com. That's where you'll find your fans. Upload your stuff and create a profile that tells true music-lovers what they need to know about you. Rap, hip-hop, punk, heavy meatal; doesn't matter what catagory you fit, beacuse this is all about finding the right audience for the authentic you. Unsigned.com is in beta release, so this is your chance to get on board before the full launch. Your audience is waiting. This is where everyone will be going to find Unsigned Bands and solo artists. They'll never know you 'til you put it out there. Aren't you glad that Unsigned.com decided to sponsor this post so I could give you a push in the right direction?

Alright, alright, you can still go if you're a clean-cut Idol type. Why fight the masses just so Simon can cut you down? You know you're good. GO!

Labels: internet, music, payperpost

I written several times in these pages about the number of nationalities and cultures that are represented right here in my neighborhood. My neighbors come from Samoa, Tahiti, Japan, Korea, China, the Philipines, mainland US and right here in Hawaii. It’s that way throughout our island paradise. We have a very fluid society, with new folks arriving on a regular basis. Some do it after months or years of planning and dreaming. Others come here for a vacation or to serve in the military and realize that Hawaii is where they’ve always wanted to live. Conversely, some island kids grow up and want to see other places.

The down side of all this is that many of us live thousands of miles from our families. My son lives in California, which is only a five hour flight away. The remainder of my family lives mostly in Texas, about double the travel time (and expense) by the time you figure in a change of flight along the way. It can be hard to maintain family ties with such distances involved. We all have active lives that can't be abandoned for frequent visits, so we look for other ways to connect.

ZOOOF, The Family Network is helping unite families just like mine. They’ve not only created a platform for family members to come together, they’ve given us the tools to share family histories, photos and more. Invite your family members to join and watch your family tree grow. It’s all done with a secure login, so you can keep your family skeletons in the closet! Nice concept. ZOOOF.Com is in beta stage right now, with a small group of forty-nine families. On February 14th the beta stage will end and everyone will be invited to join. How appropriate to open it up on a day dedicated to love. Oh, I forgot to mention - it's free! If you absolutely can’t wait to begin uniting your family, send your name, country, gender and email address to invite@zooof.com . They sponsored this post and will get you all hooked up!

Labels: family, internet, payperpost

I’m not a huge fan of censorship, but there are situations where I believe it’s entirely appropriate. Censoring what’s available in the public domain can stiffle an entire society, but in our homes and businesses can fulfill a valid need. Parents can and should control what their children are exposed to on the internet. Business owners and managers may need to monitor and control their employees use of the internet while at work. These needs can be met unobtrusively and with set parameters by using a keystroke logger.

Keystroke loggers allow you to monitor the ways that a computer is being used, and they will alert you when unauthorized activities are taking place. Employers can use this software to eliminate the use of their equipment and company time for online chatting or visits to other undesirable sites. There’s even software that can function remotely, so the technology can be applied to situations where the person doing the monitoring cannot routinely access the computer being monitored. I can see where this would be extremely useful for busy employers who don’t have the time to visit each computer station on a regular basis, or who need to conduct their monitoring activity covertly. The sophisticated software can even allow you to track, log and archive all internet activity. Sad to say, but sometimes inappropriate use of a computer results in a journey through the court system. Accurate records provide the proof that is needed to bring such cases to a successful outcome.

Parents can apply this same technology to the computers their children use. We’ve all heard terrible stories about adult predators using MySpace and other sites to find their victims. Keystroke loggers can record websites, email, chat room and message board activity. This gives parents the opportunity to intervene before a serious problem develops. Keystroke loggers are a small investment that can pay big dividends in protecting your children and giving yourself some peace of mind.

This post is brought to you by Netbus.org, who have twice won the PC Magazine Editor's Choice Award for Best Monitoring Software.

Labels: internet, payperpost, technology

Wow, I'm just glowing from all of the attention. Sorry folks, but comments will now appear after I approve them, and you're going to have to do those nasty little word verifications before you can post.

Labels: blogging, idiots, internet

Quick! What was the first ad spot that came on last night during your favorite prime-time show? What about the premier, top-of-the-page banner ad on the last web site you visited? The full page ad on the back of the first section of this morning’s newspaper? You can’t tell me? Someone spent megabucks to show you their product, you saw their presentation, and you’ve forgotten it already? What’s wrong with you? Well, actually … nothing! The majority of us don’t remember advertising within a few minutes of being exposed to it. The fault is not ours. It’s with the advertisers. If they aren’t giving us something unique to ping our memory with, they’ve wasted their money.

Now suppose the shoe is on the other foot. What if you’re the advertiser. You don’t have mega-bucks to spend and you definitely want people to remember you. What to do, what to do?

Your answer is the neverending link, an unique marketing website that is ridiculously inexpensive and will bring traffic to your site. As readers scroll across the screen they will see a story woven from phrases posted by individual advertisers. Each phrase is an embedded link and they are all cleverly woven into the story. It’s silly and compelling and I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to NOT interact and respond to the links. I'll be going back to to see where our intrepid travelers go next. And yes, the neverending link sponsored this post.

Labels: internet, marketing, payperpost

The very first post I did for PayPerPost was my Disclosure Policy. I had already decided that having full disclosure was the only way I would be comfortable doing posts for them on my blog. Every PPP post I’ve done since then has had a keyword that identified it as paid advertising for PayPerPost, and a link to my Dislcosure Policy is always on my front page. I’m 100% behind the newly announced PPP policy that now ALL posties will have the same full disclosure on their blogs, too. It’s been optional in the past, but I think it’s good for all of us, and for the blogsphere, to have total transparency.

I’m also tipping my hat today to Michael Arrington at Techcrunch. He’s had some unkind things to say in the past about PayPerPost, and many of us have had unkind things to say about him. So thanks, Mr. Arrington, for acknowledging that PayPerPost is doing something right.

Labels: blogging, blogs, business, internet, payperpost