Peace to All Mankind

Could you use an extra $434,000?

Equal pay for equal work would create substantial economic gains for women and their families. A new report found that women lose approximately $434,000, on average, over a 40-year period because of the gender wage gap (the annual difference in median wages between men and women who are employed full-time and it widens over time).

Send a message to US Chamber of Commerce that says Equal Pay for Equal Work Now.

You may not be the activist type, but think about your daughters, nieces and godchildren. Should they be penalized for their gender?

For background on the The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, please view this post on Losing Proposition.

Tags: equal pay, lilly ledbetter fair pay act, batgirl fights for equal pay

Christmas Wishes to all Blog Villagers

I hope everyone has a Blessed Christmas

Feeling Festive?

Uh-oh! Admin Forgets to Click In!

I just realized that four of my blogs were not showing on the Blog Village Top List. I guess I forgot to click in this month. Oops! I hate being inactive, but my health leaves me with little energy. I miss y'all.

I'll be back . . .

Blog Clicker

Blog Clicker was one of the first blog traffic exchanges several years ago. It disappeared when the owners lost control of the domain name (lesson for everyone).

You will see many outdated blogs, so add yours and let us fill Blog Clicker with Blog Village members.

Tags: blog traffic exchange, blogclicker

Horse Lovers Unite Against This Travesty

BLM/Department of Interior ~ Just another program of the Federal government that is failing miserably at its assigned charge.

Interested in adopting a horse?
Visit National Wild Horse and Burro Program website.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has been charged with the care and maintenance of our wild horses. Since the 1980s, the agency has been thinning the herds by rounding up wild horses and adopting out as many as possible to the public.

In 2001, the BLM had 9,807 horses in captivity—this summer, that number climbed to over 30,000. With adoptions down and hay prices at all-time highs, the BLM has been feeling the pinch of paying to board and feed all these animals . . .

The BLM proposed solution is to euthanize thousands of healthy horses.

Please take action and help these horses! Look up your legislators’ addresses and contact information here, Write letters and emails or call your elected officials, demanding they hold BLM to its responsibility to protect, not end, the lives of these horses.

Tags: blm, department of interior, wild horses endangered, adopt wild horse

Bloggers Unite : World Aids Day

On December 1, 2008, bloggers from around the world will unite for World AIDS Day 2008.
Worldwide an estimated 33 million people are living with HIV. In the United States, an estimated one million Americans are living with HIV. Please join this worthy cause on December 1, 2008. For more information on this blog event, please visit Bloggers Unite.

Tags: world aids day, bloggers unite, 12012008, aids, hiv

Reset is Coming Up

Next Reset: Tue, Nov.04, 2008 12:16 AM PST

The first click should be from your Blog Village Badge to the Blog Village Top List. This puts your blog on the list when the list updates (usually within 30 minutes). If you have multiple blogs, you will have to do it multiple times.

I have sent out a bunch of "click in" and "put your badge up" notices out. If you rec'd one, just take care of it by mid-November.

I do not like deleting people from the Top List. Don't make me do it....

Blog Action Day : Poverty in Africa

Give Gifts That Continue to Give

Mosquito Nets

Even a small gift means such a difference to someone without a home, food or hope. Send a gift of hope, encouragement and love to someone you will never meet. The favor will be returned to you.

Tags: darfur, africa, hunger, genocide, apathy

Please Do Not Forget Blog Action Day 10/15

If you plan to blog for Blog Action Day this year, please leave your blog name and blog URL here. If you are not sure about Blog Action Day or what it means, please click here. If you need some suggestions or help, please contact me using the contact button on the sidebar.



Please, speak for those whose circumstances have silenced their voices:

The children, the women, the old, the infirm and the disabled.

Let the laughter and the storytelling go on for many generations.

Bring Them Home, Finally!

Tags: pow, mia, missing in action, left behind

Bloggers Unite : 11/10/08

Bloggers Unite is an attempt to harness the power of the blogosphere to make the world a better place. The powerful and dynamic gathering of Bloggers, from ordinary people to NGOs and aid agency representatives, is an unprecedented approach and effort to bring focus on the millions of refugees suffering uncertainty and atrocities every day. The blogosphere is a powerful way to raise awareness and aid. Knowledge can bring change.

Tags: refugees united, bloggers unite, 11/10/08

CyberCelt Not Doing Too Well

I have been a consistent blogger and reader of other blogs for years now. Lately, my health has not allowed me to be as active as I would wish in this aspect.

Please know that I read and cherish each genuine comment and will be back in action soon. In the meantime, please continue to leave your comments. It pleases me to know that someone is reading my blogs.

If you wish to know about my health problem, please read Telling it Like it Is and Treatment Worked, Patient Died and other health updates on my blog, Losing Proposition.

God bless and thanks for your understanding.

Eileen aka CyberCelt

Please keep the Blog Village Community going by visiting new blogs. There will be a bunch of new ones once this reset is over. Remember when your blog was new and someone stopped by to connect. Pass it on, please.

God bless!

List Reset September 2, 2008

Please remember to click the Blog Village Banner on your blog, after the list resets on September 2, 2008.

You must click on the Blog Village Banner on your blog, click through the gateway page and your blog should appear when the list updates, usually within 30 minutes.

If it does not appear, please click in again. There is some bug where sometimes your blog will show up and sometimes it will not.

Tags: list reset, click in, list update, vote

If You Want to Update Your Look

A new template may be a wondrous thing. It may also be the bane of our existence. However, we are all struck by the decorating bug every so often, so I wanted to share some tips.

Before You Look for New Template

Before you even start looking for a new template. Backup the old template. In Blogger, you simply click DOWNLOAD FULL TEMPLATE and you have your current template in an easy to use file. Save this copy until the next time you backup your template.

Another thing I would suggest is that you start a new blog on Blogger as a test blog. That way you may see, in real time, what the theme and format look like. No one has to see your test blog but you. After you create the new blog, simply go to Edit your profile and click Select blogs to display. Make sure the test blog is not checked.

Search for Free Templates

Now, begin your search. If you see a blog that has a template you like, leave a comment. Ask where they found it, who designed it, etc. You may also check the footer of their blog because usually the designer has a link. Search using directories and search engines using some or all of these terms:

• free blog template
• blog template
  
• free blogger template

Of course, if you have a blog on another platform, like WordPress, simply add WordPress to the search phrase.

Words of Warning

You will find millions of free blog templates. If you click on a link and it opens 3 popup windows, those huge smilies or is a link farm to other places, close the window.

Take your time, looking for a professionally designed template that will suit your blog content. You may always change the header photograph, size of header, colors, fonts and other design elements. That is what you test blog is for, remember? Download 5-10 templates that you want to demo on your test blog.

When you download your new template(s), save these virgin templates in the same place you keep the backup of your current template. Install a copy of the template to play with on your test blog. Change it up a bit, you know, the color scheme and the header picture are good places to start with you just need to tweak the template a bit.

Sometimes you will install a template and it is not widget ready, does not work in Internet Explorer, or has serious design issues like a side column that is not wide enough to display advertisements. Some of these templates have been around for years. If you like it, you may be able to fix it or find someone to fix it for you. Put it aside and load your next new template.

Important: Check all links leaving the template. The designer usually have a link or two that you must leave in place to use the free template and that is fine. However, you do not want link leaving your blog to a poker site, adult site, pharmaceutical site or a site in a bad neighborhood.

Onward and upward, my friends!

Tags: template, free templates, change your templates

Blog Action Day October 15, 2008

Bloggers Worldwide to Address Poverty on Blog Action Day October 15

Sydney, Australia (PRWEB) August 15, 2008 — On October 15, bloggers around the world will discuss poverty on the second annual Blog Action Day. Anyone may register for free at http://blogactionday.org . . .

“Utilizing mass participation, the day aims to provide a platform for bloggers to discuss and act on a pressing issue,” said event co-founder Collis Ta’eed, an Australian blogger from FreelanceSwitch.com. “This year we hope to grow on the success of 2007’s event, and bring the innovative and oftentimes personal publishing style of blogging to bear on the critical issue of poverty. With thousands of individual thoughts, ideas and actions, we aim to mobilize audiences everywhere.” (read complete press release here.)


About Blog Action Day:

Blog Action Day is an annual non-profit event that asks bloggers to simultaneously discuss a single issue each year on October 15th. The aim of the event is to trigger widespread discussion around a global issue through niche-focused articles that appeal to their respective audiences. The event began in 2007 when a group of bloggers asked each other, “What would happen if …?” and then decided to find out.

But, What Can One Person Do?
Watch this film. . .

Carnivals?

Carnivals are a wonderful way to build blog readership. If any one is holding a carnival this month or next that might be open to at least some of the Blog Village Community, leave the details on this post and I will promote it on the gateway page and the Top List.

We have so much talent on this Top List: health blogs, mom blogs, horse blogs, craft blogs, homeschooling blogs, you name it. Any topic related to these blogs would be good for a carnival.
How about a Back to School Carnival? Let me know if you want some free promotion.

Tags: carnivals, free promotion, health blogs, mom blogs, horse blogs, craft blogs

Blog Village Entrecarders?

If you are member of the Blog Village Top List and also a member of Entrecard, you may be interested in this:

If you wish to be listed on the Blog Village Entrecarders, please leave your blog name and URL in a comment to this post. I will collate and post blogroll on this blog. Also, if there is enough interest, I will add a symbol to your blog profile so that Blog Village members will know who is an Entrecard member.

If you are not a member of Entrecard, I would recommend you take the tour and see if you might like to at least try this viral marketing tool.

If you are interested, please read this post on CoolAdzine for Marketers about common mistakes made by Entrecarders.

You will need a 125x125 pixel ad. Marie has been kind enough to set up a gallery of free pixel ads. You will just need to add your blog name using a text editor on the site.

Here is a getting started guide.

This is just a possible way to increase your readership. I have no ulterior motive to recommending Entrecard as there is no referral program.

You must be a member in good standing to be a member of Blog Village Entrecarders

Tags: entrecard, blog village entrecarders, viral marketing

* Warning * Reset * Warning *

Hello, y'all. The next reset is 8/2/2008. Please remember to click in from your blog. Last month, I know that I clicked at least 2 times for each blog before they showed up. If it happens to you this month, please leave a comment here rather than sending me an email. I will check with the Top List Admin and see what is going on.

I have decided to be more relaxed about blogs not clicking in. I will purge the list about every six months for people who have not clicked in for two months. I will still be checking for the voting link periodically, as time allows.

To your success!

Tags: reset, top list reset, click in

Update on Serena : She Passed 7/12/2008

S E R E N A

::+::+::+::+::+::+::+::+::+::

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

Edna St. Vincent Millay

::+::+::+::+::+::+::+::+::+::

This is one blogger who wishes she could have done more. Many bloggers tried, but the funds raised were minuscule compared to the need! Go with God, Serena.

Tags: serena, uk child with cancer, serena died, go with god

Update on List and Admin

Just so y'all know, there has been a deluge of spam blogs (SPLOGS) applying for membership. Also, brand new blogs with 51 posts on one day and none of them original content, blogs in foreign languages, and blogs just not meeting the requirements.

Here are the requirements as they stand when people join:

Rules

Only ENGLISH language blogs may join. Your blog should be an established blog that is updated frequently with original content. No blog titles or post titles containing profanity, no pictures of a sexual or suggestive nature, no popunders, popovers or redirects allowed. No duplicate content, illegal downloads, outdated content or spyware. We do require a GRAPHIC voting link back to us from the blog that you are submitting. Install the BlogVillage voting graphic on your blog. You must vote for your blog by clicking on the GRAPHIC voting link on your blog--at the first of each month--to keep your blog active.

There have been some great blogs apply, but then they do not put the voting banner on their blog. I have a limited amount of time to help these new people. Is there anyone who would volunteer to help the newbies? I would just shoot the newbies blog URL and email to you and you could follow up? If not, I will struggle through as best I can. I am having a major health problem and will not be around as much as I have been. Until I have been on the medication, I do not know what to expect. Any help you could give would be great.

Top List Will Reset Tonight

Next Reset of the Blog Village Top List is Tonight!

Wed, Jul.02, 2008 10:18 PM PDT

Find your corresponding date here: Time and Date.com

Any questions, please leave them here in comment form or check the blog archives for an answer. I will be checking in on this blog this evening.

I sent a message to everyone who had not disabled ADMIN mail and was not showing any clicks in for June with a reminder and the July 5 deadline.

Between July 5 and July 8, I will delete all blogs that have no clicks in for July unless I have been contacted by the blog owners.

To a smooth reset and a better month ahead.

Help Serena Live

S E R E N A

Serena is a 3-year-old child with neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor that develops from nerve tissue. Serena lives in the UK with her mom and family. She is currently receiving chemotherapy; however, to live a full life, Serena needs to journey to America and undergo treatment.

Can you help?

Read Serena's story in the Croydon.Today.UK newspaper

Visit her mom's blog here: Help Save Serena

I made a banner if you would like to use it to help publicize Serena's story:

Please help Serena receive this life saving treatment. If you cannot donate, please pass the word.

Tags: help-save-serena, save serena, UK child, cancer, child with cancer

203 Members / 71 Clicked in Since June 1

New members need to install their banner and click in through the gateway page for their blog to appear on the top list for this month. We have 203 Members, but only 71 Clicked in Since June 1.

Due to negative feedback on my reminders, I will let it slide until the end of the month. Before the top list resets for July, the blogs with zero clicks in will be deleted.

If anyone has a better suggestion, I would love to hear it.

Memorial Day is a Day to Remember in USA

Ways You Might Celebrate Memorial Day:

• visit cemeteries and war memorials and place flags or flowers
• attend Memorial Day parades or your local VFW hall
• fly the US flag at half-staff until noon
• add the POW/MIA flag to your flagpole
• submit a eulogy
• participate in National Moment of Remembrance at 3 PM (local time)
• view the National Memorial Day Concert

Back to the Past on Blog Village

Any one who cannot be civil in their communications with me is deactivated. I do not have to suffer abuse from anyone.

I have stripped every ad off this blog and the top list. These were posted to help promote the list and get new readers for your blogs.

I have stopped advertising the top list on 6 top traffic exchange sites. I will no longer be recruiting quality blogs or helping newbies get their footing.

I am not going to enforce any rules, except for this one: If you do not click in at the beginning of the month, your blog will be deleted on the 5th.

I will approve new blogs, with banners, once a week.

If you want to have a blog event involving the villagers, you should contact them on their blogs. Blog Village will no longer sponsor carnivals.

The list will rock on. Sorry that I tried to make this a vibrant, well-read and well-trafficked top list.

This blog will remain here, but I will not be posting. I removed the Contact Me button. I have removed my profiles from this blog. This was a marketing tactic as I have thousands of readers and I was trying to bring them to the blog and then, to the list.

Silly me ...

CyberCelt

Please leave comments about carnivals here

Please share your answer or your thoughts on this post. This post will remain at the top of the blog until the voting is over

More New Members!

I just realized that I had not introduced these new members who joined at the end of April. Please welcome another diverse group to the Blog Village.

Ranch Family - Living in Oregon. Working mother of 2. Wife, Mom, friend, employee, daughter, sister, cook, maid, etc. You name it, I do it.

Anime X - Anime Opening and Ending themes - Remember your Anime theme addiction starts here.

Miami Downtown Life - Everything you would ever need to know about Miami, Florida.

Kay's K9s: Handcrafted Miniatures by Artist K. Turple - Canadian artist with husband and 3 dogs and a parrot. I truly enjoy combining my love of animals with my love of art!

New Blog Villagers

We have some new blogs and they are a diverse group. They do not have voting banners up yet, so maybe you can visit them and remind them. They are sick of me. LOL

Rogue Gunner - Ex British Soldier and Falklands War & Northern Ireland veteran living in Great Britain.

The Evil Empire - Blog about the best franchise in baseball history! Contains latest news & updates on the New York Yankees.

Motivated Motion - Personal Blog of Lynn Tucker. Wild stories, and an interesting view of life. Her Journals are highly descriptive and memorable.

Youngistan - This blog has posts that interests all the youth around the world wherein, Motto: The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything.

New Blog Villagers

I am visiting blogs, checking for Blog Village banners and clicking in for people who have zero clicks as of today, May 5.

Please visit our new Blog Villagers:

Living in Translation - Snark and snacks from an Expat.

My Thai Village - American living in Thailand.

Photo Selection - Interesting photographs from all sources.

There will be more soon.

Tags: new blog villagers, may 5, no clicks

How Do I Know When the List Will Reset Again?

• On the bottom of each page is a listing of the LAST UPDATE and NEXT UPDATE, which is when hits in/out are updated and approved blogs added.
  
  
• The NEXT RESET is the date and time when the hits in/out will be zeroed.
  
  
• After RESET, all the blogs disappear from the top list. You must click in from your blog on the voting banner to have your banner reappear on the top list.
  
  
• Note that your blog banner does not appear immediately, but will appear at the NEXT UPDATE time.

Tags: last update, next update, next reset, top list

Carnival Time

The Carnival of Family Memories is posted. Make sure to check Yesterday's Memories of a Bygone Time for the carnival. Get your reading glasses out and get a tall glass of iced tea or hot tea and enjoy the fabulous read.

Please vote in the carnival poll above. Let me know what you want.

New Blogs on the Blog Village Top List

Many new bloggers have joined our community. Please stop by these new members and give them a real Blog Village welcome. If a blog is not rated (NR), please take the time to rate and comment.

Here are just three of the new villagers:

The Barb Wire - Tamara of In the Night Farm has eight beautiful horses! Stop by and visit this latest equestrian blogger.

Little Red Planet - Meet Dale, a new villager from downunder who is also a native Texan!

There is a Season - A new blogging mom with horses! She describers herself as Christian, Married Mom with two daughters and four horses.

Tags: horses, kids, downunder, mom, dad

Blog Village Carnival : Family Memories

This post will remain in top position on April 25


Blog Village Quarterly Carnival

Family Memories . . .

April 28, 2008

::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+::

DEADLINE April 25, 2008 Midnight

This Quarter's BLOG VILLAGE Carnival is focusing on FAMILY MEMORIES and will be hosted on Dirty Butter's YESTERDAY'S MEMORIES blog.

Please help publicize this carnival. You do not have to be a member to submit a carnival entry. Just link to the blog of a member of Blog Village and follow the rules (below).

So, how about sharing stories of your childhood, or maybe how you met your spouse. Does your family have special bonding rituals? Do you have some "strange" family members who help to make your family unique? How about sharing lessons you've learned from past generations. Are you into genealogy? Does your family story include adoption, blended families, or divorce? You name it - if it has to do with your family, past or present, we'd love for you to share.

::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+::

Click the banner to ENTER the carnival.
Feel to copy this picture for your blog!

.

DEADLINE April 25, 2008 Midnight
Carnival will be online on April 28, 2008

::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+:: ::+::


Rules

1. Blog MUST belong EITHER to a BLOG VILLAGE member OR link directly TO a BLOG VILLAGE Blog.

2. Only 1 entry per blog.

3. Only English language posts will be accepted.

4. No posts with titles, or with pictures, containing profanity, or of a sexual or suggestive nature, will be accepted.

5. Choose MEMBER or GUEST from the Categories, and put the required information in the REMARKS.

GUESTS of Villagers must submit the URL of the BLOG VILLAGE blog they are linked TO for your entry to be eligible for consideration.

VILLAGERS need to enter their MEMBER NUMBER in the REMARKS.

Tags: carnival, family memories, family, traditions, black sheep

God Bless the Earth

Bloggers Without a Cause?

April

Looking for a cause? Please thnk about blogging for Earth Day (Tuesday), Arbor Day (Saturday), or about about Autism (all month).


And DO NOT FORGET TO SEND IN YOUR ENTRY FOR THE BLOG VILLAGE QUARTERLY CARNIVAL. This will be the last carnival with Dirty Butter, so please make it a good one. Pick out a post, one per blog, and submit it here! Do it now!!


May

Mark 5/15/08 on your calendars to blog about human rights abuses.



Click the banner for more information.

Tags: Earth day, Arbor day, autism, BV carnival, bloggers unite, human rights, abuse

Earth Day Begins This Weekend

Earth Day is Tuesday April 22nd, and many Earth Day events are happening this weekend! Not sure yet how you'll be celebrating Earth Day? Find an event near you on the Earth Day website. Hundreds of Earth Day events including the Sunday concert on the National Mall in Washington DC, special Earth Day film screenings and festivals, and campus Earth Day celebrations will be showing selections from the Live Earth Film Series.

Clarification : Reference

Above is a screenshot of the Blog Village Top List rules to which you agreed when you joined. Note that you must have a graphic voting banner and keep your blog updated.

Above is a screenshot of options for the list. I have highlighted the important ones.

Please click images to open a larger version in a new window.

If Your Blog Is Not on the Top List . . .

There are three reasons for your blog not appearing on the Blog Village Top List:

1. Your blog has not had one click in/hit in since the beginning of the month.
2. Your blog does not have the Blog Village Banner displayed.
3. Your blog may have been deleted if number 1 or 2 is true.

---

Before you email ADMIN with an angry email, please do the following:

1. Check your blog for the Blog Village Banner.
   
2. Click your banner.
   
3. If the code for the banner is correctly installed, it will take you through the gateway page and register as a "click in" or "hit in."
   
4. It may take up to 30 minutes for your blog to appear on the top list.
   

You must do this at the first of every month when the Blog Village Top List resets.

If your blog does not have a Blog Village banner:

1. Login to the Blog Village Top List and get the code.
2. Install code on your blog.
   
3. Click the banner on your blog.
   
4. Enter through the gateway page.

You must do this every month when the Blog Village Top List resets.

Note:

• Do not copy a banner from another blog.
• The banner must be encoded with YOUR ID number.

Every month, you must click in from your blog. Any blog not clicking in will be deleted the following month.

---

This is not a new policy.

For more information, please see Rosemary's posts:

http://blogvillagenews.blogspot.com/2008/02/at-least-one-hit-in-is-requirement-for.htm

http://blogvillagenews.blogspot.com/2007/12/freud-plays-hand.htm

http://blogvillagenews.blogspot.com/2007/11/why.htm

Reset * Rerank

AAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHH!

I just deleted many blogs that did not have a "click in" to the BV Top List, did not display a voting banner or had outdated content. I hated doing this. However, we are adults and I cannot babysit the Top List.

The rules are easy:
1. you need a BV banner on your blog
2. you need to keep your blog updated
3. you must click in once a month, using your BV banner, to activate your blog on the top list
4. you must receive emails from ADMIN about the BV Top List

The Top List will reset 4/1/08 at midnight CST to count "clicks out." Click in to the Top List after the reset, hopefully on 4/1/08, to reactivate your blog for the month. Blogs without a "click in" will be deleted at the beginning of each month.

Tags: reset top list, click in, voting banner, top list rules

Top List Reset April 1, 2008

Tomorrow, April 1, the Blog Village Top List will be reset to rank blogs by hits out. However, you must have a voting banner on your blog and vote for yourself to place your banner on the board the month of April.

The Hours Until Visitor Can Vote Again and Hours Until Outgoing Hit of Visitor Will Be Counted Again is now 24 hours.

Today, inactive blogs (without any hits in this month) and out of date blogs (blogs without any posts in March) will be deleted.

I really would like for all blogs to have a banner, especially if you plan to be in the top 50. The banners make the site much more engaging than a simple link. To this end, I am posting a zip file of banner blanks that anyone may use to design their banner.

Banner Templates

Right-click here and save as to your desktop. Then click the banner_template.exe file to extract the banners to a new folder.

Tags: reset top list, top 50, clicks out, clicks in, banner templates

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes at Blog Village Top List

Beginning March 23, 2008, "CyberCelt" is new admin for Blog Village Top List.

• If you have an idea to improve any part of the BV experience, I am open to new ideas.
  
  
• I plan to promote the list through Entrecard and Trafficera, so stay on the first page.
  
  
• The list will reset to "clicks out" on April 1, 2008. Any inactive blogs (those without clicks in) will be deleted.
  
  
• Please check your admin email address. To be on the BV Top List, you must accept admin mail. I will not spam you, but I need to be able to communicate with you.

CyberCelt

Tags: admin change, blog village, cybercelt

CYBERCELT Is Your New BLOG VILLAGE Admin!

The decision to give "my baby" to someone else did not come easily or quickly, but I came to a point where it was obvious that I needed to pass BLOG VILLAGE on to someone who would take care of our Community and help it develop. I have found that person in Eileen, aka CyberCelt. She has been a very active Villager since June of 2006. Her first entry was Texas RV Travel, and now she has several blogs on the Village.

We have been emailing each other for the last week, taking care of the many small tasks that were required to move the responsibility for BLOG VILLAGE from me to her. There are probably still a few links, etc., that we may have failed to change, so bear with us as we make the transition. Any emails I receive concerning the Village will be forwarded to Eileen.

Knowing that Eileen will care for our Village and work with you to keep BLOG VILLAGE your home in the blogosphere has made this decision a whole lot easier. I hope all of you welcome her and work with her as she works to make BLOG VILLAGE THE FAMILY FRIENDLY TopList!

So, this is the official announcement that Dirty Butter is no longer the Admin of BLOG VILLAGE. Your new admin is now officially CyberCelt.

Hoping to Find a New Owner for BLOG VILLAGE

Dear Villagers,

I have reached a point in my life where I cannot give the time to BLOG VILLAGE that this community of friends deserves. Rather than just delete the whole TopList, I am hoping that one of you would like to pick up where I leave off and take over the administration of the Village.

I would hope that whoever might become the "owner" would maintain the Family Friendly status of our group. But I do not expect another person to do things just the way I have done them. I will leave the Village, so that the new owner can proceed as they see fit. Those of you who keep up with my own blogs will still be able to find me.

If you would be interested in taking over this TopList, please email me.

If I cannot find someone willing to take the TopList over, I will delete it at the end of March.

Regretfully,

Rosemary

At least ONE HIT IN is a REQUIREMENT for ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

This is a copy of the email I sent to all Villagers who do not have at least one HIT IN at this time.

You get a HIT IN when you click on the voting link on your own blog. That takes you to the Gateway Page. Click the ENTER BLOG VILLAGE button at the bottom of the Gateway Page to get ONE HIT IN.

Those of you with an * on your blog title have 30 days from when you joined to put the voting link on your blog and vote for yourself.

Those with x's have been members long enough to know that active participation is required. Vote for yourself, or your blog may be deleted at the end of the month.

I will NOT be writing to each of you individually, but I will put a copy of this email on the BLOG VILLAGE Community News Blog, if you care to comment there, or on the Forum.

If you want me to delete your membership, please email me.

Regretfully,

Rosemary

If you have your membership control page set to NOT accept mass emails from our TopList, please change it to accept them. I will not abuse the priviledge and I cannot write to each person individually.


Interested in joining BLOG VILLAGE? Start HERE.

If you are interested in being the Featured Villager on our BLOG VILLAGE News blog, please contact Janey Loree, Kilroy, the Gatekeeper, or Marsha - the members of our Village Interview Team.

MUCH ADO about MONEY BLOG VILLAGE Carnival ONLINE NOW!

We know you will enjoy our Family Blog Carnival - MUCH ADO about MONEY. Whether we earn it, spend it, save it, invest it, or even lose it, we all deal with money issues in our daily lives. Here's your chance to read and comment on our Villager's posts.

I've tentatively set up the April BLOG VILLAGE Carnival Host as my own Yesterday's Memories blog, since the Theme of this one will be FAMILY MEMORIES. But if some other Villager would like to host it, instead, please let me know!

Interested in joining BLOG VILLAGE? Start HERE.

If you are interested in being the Featured Villager on our BLOG VILLAGE News blog, please contact Janey Loree, Kilroy, the Gatekeeper, or Marsha - the members of our Village Interview Team.

Our Featured BLOG VILLAGER – Meredith Gould

It's been awhile since we have had a Featured Villager interview, so I was very pleased when the Gatekeeper sent in her interview with one of our newer Villagers, Meredith Gould.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

These days, I characterize myself as a "working writer", because most of my paltry annual income comes from providing editorial services in some form. But since writing is also something I feel deeply called to do, it's as much vocation as occupation. In fact, it was occupation before it was vocation.

My work history includes stints as a graphic production artist, waitress, secretary and bartender after dropping out of college. I dropped back in at age twenty-three and earned a doctorate in Sociology by age thirty. I taught college for a decade, then worked in state government and at an ad agency, before going freelance in 1989. In addition to copy writing and editing, I regularly published essays and features in regional and national magazines. I loved magazine work enough to edit a bi-monthly for a while.

Book writing? Not interested back then. That required piling up way too many words. I certainly never imagined writing books about spiritual and faith formation from a Catholic Christian perspective, especially since I was raised Jewish.

Why did you decide to blog?

My decision to launch More Meredith Gould was the result of several realizations about publishing. First, the print outlets for "inspirational humor" have basically disappeared. I finally realized that most of this writing was happening in e-zines and the blogosphere.

I also developed a low-to-no tolerance for the time lag between writing and publication. I finally realized that the blogosphere would allow me to reach existing readers more quickly and find new ones more quickly, while giving me creative control over content and design. Yes, I'm a creative control freak.

Still, I resisted blogging because of internal blah blah about what I thought I was supposed to be doing at this point in my writing career. I made a slew of snobby assumptions about who was blogging and why. But then, after getting into the habit of reading a couple of blogs, I developed some much-needed humility. Surprise! Surprise! The blogosphere was not, in fact, dominated by hacks and dilettantes. I was reading some terrific, provocative, smart, creative writing. Clearly, other working writers and book authors were blogging. It was time for me to get involved with what everyone is calling the "new media." The definitive shove came from Ruth Harrigan, who blogs at Wheelie Catholic. She persuaded me to futz around with the Blogger templates one night, and I quickly became smitten with the entire enterprise.

Describe what your blog is about.

More Meredith Gould is an extension of my other work, because, as I note in the tag-line, "I always have more to say." I offer quirky observations in posts about the challenges of communicating for and about faith; practical spirituality; Catholic Christian-Jewish interfaith weirdness; and the agonies and ecstasies of writing for a so-called living. I welcome reader questions and anchor my answers in experience and scholarship without being stuffy or boring. I'm very proud of the fact that reviewers have characterized my humor as "gentle" and "surprisingly unprudish."

How many books have you written? Can you pick one of your books, and tell us why it’s your favorite?

I have five published books, and one forthcoming in July 2008. Like every other author, I have a couple of completed manuscripts that will never be published – and the world will be a better place for that.

You want me to choose a favorite among my children?!? I can't do that! Each book has served a special purpose. Each seems to build on the previous one. I love my first book, Tips for Your Home Office (Storey) because it was my first, plus easy and fun to write. Staying Sober: Tips for Working a Twelve Step Program of Recovery (Hazelden) will always occupy a special place in my heart and not just because it earns royalties! That book allowed me to make an edgy, funny contribution to the generally grim recovery literature. Like most middle children, Deliberate Acts of Kindness: Service as a Spiritual Practice (Doubleday) has gotten somewhat lost. The shelving designation ("Social Science") killed it in bricks-n-mortar stores. People who discover it find it useful and inspiring. I sometimes forget I wrote it until readers contact me. I love how The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions (Doubleday) helped me define and develop my voice as a Catholic author. It is purchased a lot as a gift for newlyweds and young families, and by catechists. Come to the Table: A Catholic Passover Seder (Plowshares Publishing), written over a period of seven years, was a labor of love and religious conviction. I'm thrilled that it has been adopted by a number of parishes for their annual Passover seder. I'm still too close to the experience of writing my latest, Our Words Made Fresh: Communicating Church and Faith Today (Morehouse), to do anything but whimper about the process.

What's your advice for other writers who are still trying to get into print.

Keep at it, but get real about your goal. If it's to make money, then forget about getting a byline, and go land a copywriting job in either the private or public sector. You'll be writing- you'll get into print - you'll have fun.

If you write for self-expression, don't expect to get either published or paid. But that shouldn't matter, because real writers feel compelled to write, with or without publication. Everything – heart, mind, and spirit – atrophies when we don't write. Garrison Keillor, in a recent edition of the Authors Guild Bulletin (Summer 2007), is quoted as saying, "It's like a major illness having a book in the works. Good days and bad days, but you keep going…" He's right. If you're a real writer, you'll keep at it no matter what. If you're determined to get into print, then as a practical matter, you're going to have to become very savvy about the publishing business. You'll need to pay attention to trends and market demands, because print publishing is a business first and foremost.

Which other blogs do you read?

Regularly, thanks to Google Reader: Anti-Itch Meditation, Ask Sister Mary Martha, A Third Way, Dirty Catholic, Happy Catholic, The Ironic Catholic, Kingdom Come, spiritually delicious!, Sweetness and Light, Wheelie Catholic, and Whispers in the Loggia. In addition to Blog Village, I belong to St. Blog's Parish and subscribe to BlogRush, which I wander through regularly to see what other folks are writing. I'm noticing how visiting blogs and websites has significantly reduced my need to subscribe to a zillion print magazines, so I shouldn't be complaining about the dwindling number of print outlets. Mea maxima culpa.

Please suggest someone else's blog at Blog Village so we can do a feature on them.

Barbara's Tchatzkahs is a very smart, sassy blog, although it takes way too long to load.

DMD Scratchboard Gallery is a visually beautiful blog.

When Meredith first emailed me I could already tell she was quite a wonderful character. She's funny, witty and very gracious. Her blog has been a pleasure to read. Meredith will make you laugh, or at least chuckle, and has a canny way of sprinkling a little bit of wisdom throughout her writing. Visit her at More Meredith Gould (because she always has more to say), check out her books and tell us what you think. Enjoy Meredith's blog . . . I did.

The Gatekeeper

A Hulabaloo Carnival for OOOPS! I Goofed - for EVERYBODY!

Anthony's Jan. 11 Carnival is open to BLOG VILLAGERS ONLY!

NO, I misunderstood Anthony's post. He does this Surfer's Paradise post from time to time where he features certain blogs and links to them in his post. This is very good for the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for the blog he links to. SEO determines your Page Rank on the Internet. The higher the number, the closer to the front page of results of an Internet Search your site will be. Obviously, being on the FIRST Page is Fantastic!

Well, it is the Surfer's Paradise recognition for this week that will feature ONLY BLOG VILLAGE BLOGS. His Carnival is open to anyone, Villager or not.
Sorry for the mixup! It was entirely my fault.

But that shouldn't change anything, really.
Let's support Anthony, and have a good turnout of Villagers in the next

Surfer's Paradise Hullabaloo, !

We'll see you over the rainbow... (enter)



Interested in joining BLOG VILLAGE? Start HERE.

If you are interested in being the Featured Villager on our BLOG VILLAGE News blog, please contact Janey Loree, Kilroy, the Gatekeeper, or Marsha - the members of our Village Interview Team.

Another TopList You Might Be Interested In

I ran across this TopList from the forum for the TopList owners, and it looks like one some of you would benefit from joining.

Top Blogs for Crafters

We have the best art, craft, sewing, knitting, needlepoint, designer, woodworking, painting, illustration, story telling, cross-stitch, free craft articles, doll making, folkart, primitive, country, seasonal, mixed media, abstract art, scrapbooking, e-products, crazy quilting, quilting, vintage, victorian, shabby chic, printables, beading, gardening, food, altered art, candle making, Americana, holiday, animal crafts, wool felting, textile, food crafts, applique, basket making, abstract art, contemporary art, creative embroidery, watercolor art, wearable art, ribbon crafts, crewel, decorative painting, crochet, digital art, graphic art, dried floral design, fiber art, weaving, wedding crafts, baby crafts, fragrance crafts, gourd painting, home decor,paper crafts, jewelry making, lamp making, rug making, soap making, stamping, stenciling, tiedying, pottery, handbag making, purse making, totes making, pocketbook making, polymer clay, potpourri, etc. blogs by the best artists and crafters on the web.

We are looking for everyone who loves arts & crafts or hobbies and has a blog to come join us. If you are a crafter, sewer, woodworker, artist, designer, graphic artist, doll maker, painter, scrapbooker, photographer, fabric designer, needleworker, knitter, stamper, or anyone involved with making or selling arts & crafts and you have a blog please come join our toplist.

This TopList has about 300 members. If your blogs fit their niche, you might want to check them out. And for those of us who are not artistic or crafty, you might want to look through their members to see if they have something you would like to buy.

This is not an endorsement in the sense that I know anything about the owner of the list, or the members. It just looked good to me, and I wanted you to have the opportunity to look at it. Please let us know what you think of it, if you check it out.


Interested in joining BLOG VILLAGE? Start HERE.

If you are interested in being the Featured Villager on our BLOG VILLAGE News blog, please contact Janey Loree, Kilroy, the Gatekeeper, or Marsha - the members of our Village Interview Team.

Plush Memories Lost Toy Search Service linked in an Interview on MSNBC.com!!

I just had to let everyone know that I was interviewed for an article on MSNBC.com about our blog helping families find lost lovies.

Desperately seeking Lovey
When a child loses a lovey, parents often stress as much as the owner of the precious toy, triggering frantic searches through the house, neighborhood and, in some cases, even cyberland.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22491129/from/ET/

Interested in joining BLOG VILLAGE? Start HERE.

If you are interested in being the Featured Villager on our BLOG VILLAGE News blog, please contact Janey Loree, Kilroy, the Gatekeeper, or Marsha - the members of our Village Interview Team.