MyBlogLog is closing soon. BlogCatalog is trying to take it over, and my guess is they are trying to fund a purchase by gouging bloggers with their "$150 a month" "Power Blogger" program. Looks like they need a few more bucks.

Even though they have banned my blog from BlogCatalog, (the slap in the face came AFTER I blogged nicely about them) they continue to "keep me informed" via email.

Let's face it: Facebook and Twitter have really sucked the life out of both MyBlogLog and that ridiculous runner-up "Blog Catalog."

Here's the scOOp from the MBL e-mail:

Since initial enrollment for the Power Blogger program closed, we have been swamped with emails asking how to become part of this exclusive group. In response, we have opened Power Blogger enrollment up to 10 more success-driven bloggers. Take advantage of this limited-time offer and secure your spot as one of the next blogging sensations. Don't waste another minute reading someone else's online success story. Sign up for Power Blogger and start writing your own.

Let's see. They want to sell 10 spots at $150 a month. That's $1500 a month. And they have some signed up already, so maybe we can assume if they are borrowing money to buy MyBlogLog from yahoo, they need to pay back the loan at about $3000 or more a month, for X number of months...

Looks like they also have some "big name blogger" endorsements from bloggers with snazzy websites (maybe a little too snazzy for the rest of us)

Meantime, the folks at Famous Bloggers have been dealing with an invader.

And I continue to RECOMMEND ENTRECARD to all my fellow-bloggers!



Tags: MyBlogLogk, Blog Catalog, BlogCatalog



Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and Dave Lucas are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Dave Lucas and staff.

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I guess the president doesn’t want the news to get out that he gets protestors at his events and it isn’t all love anymore for “The One!”

It’s only suppose to be worship and fainting at his very presence and he can’t have modern tech f’ening up his image that he’s work so hard on to fool the public at large.

SF Gate reports that the hip, transparent and social media-loving Obama administration is showing its analog roots. And maybe even some hypocrisy highlights.

White House officials have banished one of the best political reporters in the country from the approved pool of journalists covering presidential visits to the Bay Area for using now-standard multimedia tools to gather the news.

The Chronicle's Carla Marinucci - who, like many contemporary reporters, has a phone with video capabilities on her at all times - pulled out a small video camera last week and shot some protesters interrupting an Obama fundraiser at the St. Regis Hotel.

She was part of a "print pool" - a limited number of journalists at an event who represent their bigger hoard colleagues - which White House press officials still refer to quaintly as "pen and pad" reporting.

But that's a pretty Flintstones concept of journalism for an administration that presents itself as the Jetsons. Video is every bit a part of any journalist's tool kit these days as a functioning pen that doesn't leak through your pocket.

In fact, Carla and her reporting colleague, Joe Garofoli, founded something called "Shaky Hand Productions" - the semi-pro, sometimes vertiginous use of a Flip or phone camera by Hearst reporters to catch more impromptu or urgent moments during last year's California gubernatorial race that might otherwise be missed by TV.

The name has become its own brand; often politicians even ask if anyone from Shaky Hand will show at their event. For Carla, Joe and reporters at other Hearst newsrooms where Shaky Hand has taken hold, this was an appropriate dive into use of other media by traditional journalists catering to audiences who expect their news delivered in all modes and manners.

That's the world we live in and the President of the United States claims to be one of its biggest advocates.

Just the day before Carla's Stone Age infraction, Mr. Obama was at Facebook seated next to its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, and may as well have been wearing an "I'm With Mark" t-shirt for all the mutual admiration going back and forth.
More details here



No, the tech savvy president can only be portrayed in a positive light. I like the, “we paid our dues, where’s our change?” Very catchy, I could see it on T-shirts for 2012.

Memeorandum

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Wi-Fi networks are popping up nearly everywhere and many consumers don’t realize the dangers, including real threats of identity theft, that come with using a Wi-Fi connection that is not your own. According to a recent poll conducted by Wakefield Research and Wi-Fi Alliance, 32 percent of respondents said they have tried to get on a Wi-Fi network that was not their own, 18 percent more than a December 2008 poll. The Better Business Bureau, along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urges consumers to think ahead before surfing the Web on a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Wi-Fi hotpots like coffee shops, libraries, airports, hotels and universities are all breeding grounds for hackers. According to the FTC, new hacking tools—available for free online—make hacking easy, even for users with limited technical know-how.

Consumers should be cautious before using a non-secure wireless network and before sending personal information via unencrypted websites. When surfing on a non-secure Internet connection, an individual’s personal information, private documents, contacts, photos and even login information can be up for grabs as other users on the network have the capability of seeing what is being sent.

David Polino, Better Business Bureau President, warns consumers against two popular security scams that can be associated with using an unsecure Internet connection. “Many consumers don’t realize the repercussions that come from using a Wi-Fi hotspot. Phishing, a popular e-mailing scam, and text message scams, grow rapidly when hackers obtain access to personal information on the Web via an unsecure Wi-Fi network.” BBB urges consumers to protect themselves from such scams by securing their Internet surfing.

In order to confirm that an Internet connection is secure, BBB advises consumers to follow the FTC’s top Wi-Fi tips:

• Make sure the connection is protected by a unique password. If a Wi-Fi hotspot doesn’t ask for a password, the Internet connection is not secure. If a hotspot asks for a password just to grant access, consumers should proceed as if the connection were unsecured. Only trust home and work internet connections that are protected by a customized user password. Wi-Fi hotspot connections with generic passwords are vulnerable to hackers.
• Transmitted information should be encrypted. When sending personal information like addresses, credit card numbers and Social Security numbers over the Internet, make sure the website is fully encrypted and the network is secure. Look for https (the “s” stands for secure) at the beginning of the URL address to confirm its security.
• Don’t stay permanently logged-in to wireless hotspots. Never leave your Internet connection running while your computer is unattended and make sure to log-off after every use.
• Change your passwords frequently. When creating new accounts, make sure you use different passwords. Do not use the same password for different sites. If one password is hacked, the chances of other accounts being hacked becomes greater with repeated passwords.

For more advice on security scams, visit www.bbb.org or to learn more about protecting your privacy online and what to do if your information is compromised, visit www.OnGuardOnline.gov and http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/02/wireless.shtm.

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There’s a term is psychology known as “projection” in which a person lays their own inner guilt over something upon someone else and blames them for the very thing they’re guilty of doing. It’s the cheating wife constantly accusing her husband of infidelity, or the fat slob counting how many times other people load up at the all you can eat food buffet.

Well, the same thing is true with the media’s dismissive attitude toward Donald Trump as just a reality TV star. First of all Trump was an extremely successful businessman 20 years before reality TV was ever invented. But, the bigger point is that there’s no bigger realty TV star than Barack Obama.

He got his big launch by Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Gimmie a break here! There’s never been such lesser qualified candidate for president in the history of American politics. Obama never served as a governor, or mayor. He never ran a business—not even a lemon aide stand. Prior to his election, everything about Obma was based on optics and atmospherics. He dressed well and could a teleprompter better than anyone on the planet. But, take that teleprompter away and he thinks the United States is made of more than 57 states. He looks like a president should, calm, cool, collected. And enough stupid Americans, those that get their news from Jon Stewart, voted for him.

But, Barack Obama couldn’t fake the funk forever because although the media is powerful, they can’t do the job as president for him.

And now that he’s got a record of failure and disaster as president. The American people can row realize he’s really an empty suit that was always more sizzle than steak, or in other word, the Barack Obama as president reality show TV that’s taking America down the tubes!




There's no difference between Dog the Bounty Hunter and Barack Obama!

Memeorandum

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Suddenly, all bloggers are knuckleheads.

The latest "advice" craze among "guru" bloggers involves tweaking or otherwise "tuning up" any blog or website's "ABOUT" page!

I've noticed a lot of articles like this one are making the rounds. And here's a somewhat milder post:

Richard Adams writes::: "Your readers want to know who *you* are. They want to know what makes you unique, what your experiences are and why they can trust what you’re writing." TRUE, but you don't HAVE to tell them everything anything.

Let's examine this realistically: quite simply, everyone has his or her own unique comfort level. No one should be compelled to believe they need give up more information than they would feel comfortable with. I don't believe that spilling your guts or detailing your resume is a requirement for an effective "about" page. I think the topic is without all the merit recently attributed to it, and is on its way to becoming another vehicle for "guru" bloggers to get links, sell ebooks and kiss each other's fannies.

RIPPED from Google: a few of the more legit advice articles...
Ideas for Crafting a Better 'About' Page - Baymard Institute

Awesome About Page Designs for Inspiration - designmodo.com
How to write about yourself, "about" pages | HowToWriteBetter.net



Tags: about page, about page


Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and Dave Lucas are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Dave Lucas and staff.

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Today's lesson is all about BRANDING...

I've told you before how certain celebrities and blogebrities achieved fame via artificial internet buzz... now here's another celebrity who plays PR like a virtuoso plays a violin... this is something you should STUDY ON YOUR OWN and think of ways you can apply these techniques to BLOGGING!

I offered this comment earlier this week to an article I clicked on via microblogging platform twitter:

"You wrote “How do you shake off old paradigms and see something with new eyes?” – that can be a tall order. Perspective and knowledge come into play. For someone new to writing, blogging, publishing – your tips and techniques are like opening a treasure box. For somebody like me who has been reading (and writing) good advice for a long time, I ask myself “How many more times can we re-invent the same stuff and recycle it over and over again,” which is exactly the role the “guru” must play… to shake off those old paradigms one needs to (I hate to say it) “think outside the box.”

A better example might be the career of rap artist Nicki Minaj, who went from a relatively unremarkable, rather plain-looking minor player to a glam SUPERSTAR in demand for collaborative projects with the likes of Mariah Carey, Britney Spears etc., all in a relatively short 4-year timespan. Particulary interesting is how Minaj hijacked the “Barbie” franchise without stepping on any copyright toes: This could be a great lesson for bloggers… Minaj-icize your blogs!

Make sure you save/print this link: observe the "before" and "after" photographs. Now, substitute YOU and YOUR BLOG for the "before" ---- how do you want things to be/look "after" ?????

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Many times people don’t like to hear he Bible read to them because they can’t handle being convicted by it.

The Blaze reports when Mark Mackey, a member of the local Calvary Chapel, showed up to the DMV office in Hemet, CA on February 2, he had a goal: read the Bible and introduce those waiting in line to the “gospel of Jesus Christ.” And for about 15 minutes he was successful. That is until a California Highway Patrolman took the Bible from his hands, arrested him, and told him he was guilty of preaching to a “captive audience.”

So much for freedom of speech.

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