Entrewas is Up and Running....almost

With all the changes that have been coming down the pipe lately about Entrecard and their new advertisement system it's really not surprising that some faithful droppers have decided to hit the road. But like they say when life gives you lemons make lemonade!

There's a new site in town started by a former entrecarder. Entrewas is the brainchild of Laane, a former Entrechild. She hopes it will serve as a way for old dropper buddies to keep in touch. Good luck with that...

How to Increase the Number of Subscribers to Your Blog

This is probably one of the easiest things you can do as far as promoting your blog. To increase your number of subscribers simply.....ask visitors to do so. ( example: to subscribe to this blog please click on above photo)....That's it. Take nothing for granted. Don't assume that every visitor to your site knows what those subscription buttons are for.  Many visitors are new to blogging and may not understand what RSS feeds are. So, posting a quick explanation about how RSS feeds work is another good idea.

5 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing

Do you log on to your blog each day wondering what on earth you're going to share with your eager readers? You've written about everything under the sun and now your mind is a complete blank. You're wondering if there's anything else you could possibly blog about that would be of interest to anyone besides you and your faithful circle of devout readers - your spouse, your kids (when you make them), and your precious kitty who usually watches from your lap or the desk as you peck out your next masterpiece.

Has Your Blog Readership Increased?

Andrew over at The Blog Herald posted recently that more people are reading blogs than ever.

An Internet user study conducted by Nielsen last month revealed that 17% of people spent their Web surfing time on social networks and reading blogs. That number is close to triple what it was back in 2008.

Blogging 101 Tip

It's Magic...or Is it?

Ever wondered how some links open in a new window while others take you away from the site you're on completely?

If you've been a webmaster any length of time you probably already know this little secret. But for those of you who don't here it is.

When creating links within a post you have to type a bit of html code that looks like this

a href="http://www.inconsequentiallogic.com".

Of course, the code begins with "<" and ends with ">"

So the actual entire link would look like this

*a href="http://www.inconsequentiallogic.com/"*Inconsequential Logic*/a*

Make sure to substitute the * for the symbol < at the beginning of the link and > to close the link or after the URL. Then use the < symbol again in front of the /a and the symbol > directly after the /a. 

Well to create a link that opens in another window which keeps your visitors on your site longer simply add a few lines of html to the link so that it looks like this

a href="http://www.inconsequentiallogic.com" target="_blank".

Make sure to include the "<" and ">" at the beginning and end of the link as you've always done.

Click both links to view the difference

Google

or

Google

The first link takes you away from this site completely (hope you made it back) while the second link opens a new window for your viewing pleasure!

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Splog vs. Blog

Until this morning, I had never heard of a splog. I thought it was some hip new social media network that had been kept a secret from my every roving cyberspace eye. It was interesting to discover that a splog (realizing now that I've seen them before) is spam at it's worst!

Blogroll!

3 Chics Politico
Anjuelle Floyd
Bad Gals Radio
Beaded Tail
Back Door Logic
Black Girl Thinking
Clutch Magazine
Buelah's Revolt
Daisy The Curly Cat
Daree's Insights
From A Yellow house In England
My Mind Wandered
Living on Tilt
Man Over Board
Mirror On America
Radical Conversationalist
Red Vinyl Shoes
Reflections From a Spritual Path
Reggie's Rantings
Talking Points Memo
Teacher's Nuggets
The Bloggess
The Crunk Feminist Collective
The Intersection | Madness and Reality
The Joy of Bird Watching and Living a Simple Life
The Many Shades of Love
W.E.E. See You
Words Like Whoa
The Write Memphis Blog
UglyBlackJohn
Voluptuous Stoicism

When Your Child Lies

As new parents let me be the first to tell you that there will come a day when your precious little bundle of joy is going to look you right in the eye with the sweetest, most innocent face he can conjure up and lie his tender little buns off. It's inevitable and can be quite alarming, to say the  least. Question is how do you handle these deviations from the truth...

A bottle of "Ram-a-liar" truth syrup would be ideal. However, this isn't the world of make believe and lying is a learned behavior that can get out of hand if not addressed.

Being the mother of two boys, ages 17 and 8, I've had ample opportunity to fine tune my lie-radar skills. The boys are so much alike it's almost amazing. I generally know when they're lying and they don't have a clue how. Knowing your child's behavior can tune you in to these lying episodes and possibly curtail this behavior before it gets too out of hand.

Just the other day I asked my 8 year old son if he had any homework. His response was that he had completed his assignment at school and left it in his desk to turn in the following morning. I knew this didn't sound like something a 3rd grader would normally do. Heck, they can hardly complete their in-the-classroom assignments without outbursts of talking, giggling and other short attention span behaviors synonymous with this age group.

I asked him if he was being honest and told him how disappointed I would be if I found out he wasn't. He told me he was telling the truth. Oh, how sweet and precious he looked standing there lying like a rug!

Wonder how I know? Well my boys have this nervous "tick". It only occurs when they're lying, scared or having a bit of anxiety about something. They have their hands down at their side and continuously flex and extend their fingers - kind of like playing an imaginary piano.

As he little phalanges danced away, I wondered how to best handle the situation. So, I gave him opportunity #2. I asked him if I would find out anything different if I stopped by his school to ask his teacher about his homework.  Nervous finger tick again. Again, he lied and said no.

I gave him the rest of the night and the next day to come clean. Never happened. Finally, 2 days later, I made an unexpected visit to his school. In these situations, the element of surprise it's worth it's weight in gold. It was right as the children were leaving the cafeteria heading to their classes for the day. He saw me! The smile he had plastered across his face disappeared...then reappeared as he made a beeline my way to give me a heart-felt hug.

I spotted his teacher and asked if she had a moment. By the time we made it to her class, my little man's fingers were exhausted. He had banged his last tune on his imaginary piano. The lie was revealed for just what it was - a lie.

After school that day, I gave him a list of the things he wouldn't be allowed to do as a punishment for lying - explaining to him that his revocation of privileges was a consequence of his decision to lie when telling the truth could have been so much easier. He accepted his sentence and we settled in for a nice quiet evening at home.

I'm not going to say it won't happen again because I'm sure it will. What I do know is he is aware that the good ole checks and balances system is alive and well. This particular system was a great deterrent for my oldest.

Another key ingredient in stamping out this behavior is to lead by example.

• Stop telling your children to tell people you aren't home when the phone rings and it's not someone you want to talk to. 
• Don't accept excuses for lying
• Tell them that you value the truth far more than a lie told to make us happy
• Enforce the fact that their are consequences for their deceitful behavior
• Love them unconditionally

The Marshmallow Test may determine your child's success

This famous 1960's Stanford psychological experiment put young children in a room alone with the temptation of a marshmallow in front of them. The children are promised a second marshmallow if they're able to wait until the adult re-enters the room. According to experts this not only shows a child's self control and will power, it can also be a snapshot into the child's future. Subjects tested during the original experiment were followed through adulthood.

Blog Honesty - Are You Guilty of Self Censorship

In it's infancy blogging was nothing more than a weblog, an online journal, of an individual or group's daily, weekly, or occasional activities. Weblogs gave families, friends and other associates a means of "keeping up" with one another online.

Blogs have evolved into a method of communication being utilized by everyone from CEOs to school age internet gurus. Some blog for fame; others for fortune and most importantly many blog as a means of self expression. As hi-tech as blogging has become, it's still all about conversation and opinion. So why then should blog honesty and making sure you're not guilty of losing it ever be an issue.

What Makes Us Moral?

Empathy and goodness are writ as deeply in our genes as murder and savagery. We did not choose to have two parts to our nature, but we can choose which to embrace.

What would you do?

You are adrift in a life raft after your cruise ship has sunk. There are too many survivors for all the rafts, and yours is dangerously overloaded. You are certain to sink, and even with life vests on, all the passengers are sure to die because of the frigid temperature of the water.

Brain Calisthenics - Word Tricks

(Instructions: Say the COLOR the word is printed in, not the WORD itself. Try to say all 10 without a mistake within 15 seconds)

BLUE YELLOW RED GREEN YELLOW GREEN BLUE RED YELLOW RED

* You have no idea how hard it was to type these "colored color words".......

Becoming a Pro Blogger

Whether you're blogging for fun, income or just to pass the time I'm sure you want it to be a successful endeavor. Out of the millions, yes millions, of blogs out there only a handful have reached the "A" list status. So, what's their secret? Or is it really a secret. Maybe their just doing some common sense stuff we can do too.

Asking for Donations on Your Blog

Aside from time, loss of sleep (which I require very little of anyway), and eye strain, my blog hasn't cost me anything. However, I do understand that some bloggers utilize their own domain names, fee based web hosting services, etc. that do require some out of pocket expense.

I Would Make A Horrible Wife...in 1930

This doesn't upset me AT ALL!! You Would Make a Horrible 1930's Wife

You are way too non conformist, independent, and sassy to be an ideal retro wife. You may be so wild that you aren't even considering marriage! Good thing we don't live in the 1930s anymore!

Would You Have Been a Good Wife in the 1930s?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

The Eyes - Sometimes Uninviting Windows to The Soul

I often wonder how you can describe color to someone's that never seen it, beauty to someone that's never beheld it or horror to someone that's never witnessed it. It's the soul that allows the blind to see. Maybe not in the way we see...but "see" just the same.  In spite of all the beauty this world has to offer or the capacity that man has to love and be loved, there's a darker and completely opposite end that's cold, malicious and hideously cruel that should never have to be witnessed by anyone.

Success Made Easy in Blogging

My blog is about 2 months old. Although I’ve blogged before with a tiny level of success, it’s truly like starting over again. Many of the rules have changed but I’d have to say they’ve changed for the better.

Back in early 2004 and 2005 I launched my first blog and had no clue what I was doing. I wasn't that knowledgeable of html code, search engine optimization, directories or anything related to promoting a blog.

Are Sponsored Posts Helpful or Harmful?

There are several advertisers out there who offer bloggers an opportunity to get paid to post blog entries. Recently advertisers have started requiring that bloggers disclose to their readers the fact that the post, tweet, or whatever means is utilized to get the message out there, is "sponsored".

Honestly for me this kills the deal. Sponsored posts and the fact that I know they're sponsored posts makes me ask myself two questions.

Niche Blogging - Is it Right for you?

Niche blogging is not a topic I've discussed much. Probably not at all since I don't really find that type of blogging suitable for me. I have too much I want to say. Limiting myself to one particular topic or niche would leave me feeling somewhat confined and restricted. Niche blogging is the act of creating a blog with the intent of using it to market to a particular niche market which is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing on. Is your goal in blogging to establish a web presence catering to one specific product or aspect of the market. If so, this post may be helpful.

Discover Hundreds of Post Ideas for Your Blog with Mind Mapping

(Wikipedia) - A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

The elements of a given mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts, and are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections between portions of information. Mind maps may also aid recall of existing memories.
Darren Rowse @ Problogger.net has an excellent post on just how using mind mapping can work for you.

Do You Talk to Much - Find Out!

The Blog Verbosity Test - This test counts on average how long your blog posts are and compares them with other bloggers. I've often been told that I'm never at a loss for words so I wasn't surprised at what my results were....



Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

Find Your Best Time to Write

I am definitely not a morning person. Although, I generally stay up until sunrise.  I prefer to write late at night and schedule my posts for more appropriate publishing times and then nap throughout the day. It might seem like an odd thought. Someone up pecking away on their keyboard at 4am (the time it is now) but that's the time I get my best writing ideas.

Sometimes if I'm not writing and decide to take a nap I wake with a mind full of ideas.I know that sounds strange but this works for me. If I haven't logged on to the computer yet, I'll grab a pen and the notepad I keep beside my bed and jot down the ideas, fragmented thoughts and theories that are dancing around in my head.

Using Post Images to Increase Traffic to Your Site

Do you often use pictures with your posts? Pictures can capture the reader's attention, enhance dramatic effect or just plain tickle your funny bone. If you're like me and enjoy finding the perfect picture to add to your "perfect" post make sure you're allowing that picture to work for you in more ways than one.

I have hundreds maybe thousands of images saved to My Pictures on my computer. Sheer laziness is probably the reason I have so many. It's just easier to search Google images than it is to scroll through the colossal number of images I have stored. Besides, with Google image search, I'm able to type in the exact word or phrase that describes the pic I'm looking for.......Did the light bulb come on yet?

'Sweet Land of Liberty

Visit
First Door on the Left

Mobile Devices Expected to be Primary Internet Connection Tool

In the not so distant future, the mobile device is expected to be the primary internet connection tool. Get your data plans revved up!

Sokule - A monetized Twitter

Did you SQUEEK today? Check out Sokule, the latest in Social Networking. People tweet on Twitter, but SQUEEK on Sokule. Longer posts, include live links and videos on your profile page. New cutting-edge applications unveiled constantly. Join Sokule FREE at -

Sokule

Online Freelance Jobs Search Engine

Donanza  is a vertical search engine domain and group specific) focused on online freelance projects and jobs .

 Conceived in 2008 by Liran Kotzer, Gil Pal and Ami Dudu and launched in June 2009 DoNanza is the first search engine to focus exclusively on the online-freelance market. DoNanza indexes freelance projects from more than 600 websites and now displays around 70,000 active projects over several categories (web design, coding, writing, etc.) and is growing by 4,000 new projects a day.

Are Your Twitter Followers Human?!

As crazy as this may sound, I can certainly understand why some may feel it's necessary. Ahh, the joys of Tweetland. This complete time drain giddy happy feeling you're caressed by whenever you log in to Twitter can often be short-lived. Instead of enjoying friendly, humorous and sometimes valuable tweets, users are often bombarded with spam from bots pedaling everything from get rich in 30 days to getting laid in 30 minutes. Well now there's help....

Google Fast Flip - A different type Search

A whole different approach to our usual googling search. Google fast flip gives you blindingly fast overviews of headline pages of top newspapers.

Yahoo Meme Invitation

I was extended an invitation to join Yahoo Meme. Thanks Steve F. over at Crenk.com. I spent a little bit of time on the site but because the cats were meowing and the laundry needed folding...

Online Advertising and Affiliate Programs

A great way to earn revenue through your blog or website is through advertising. Listed below are a few of the advertising and affiliate programs available on the web to help  you start generating a little cash flow

Is a Blog Without Comments Still A Blog? - Part 2

Yesterday I discussed how to engage with readers through comments. I can't stress enough the importance I feel commenting has in successful blogging. However, there are several blogs that either have no option for comments or turn comments off for certain posts. With that being said the question is whether a blog with comments off is actually a blog or just a personal website.

One might ask what could possibly be a reason behind a blog with no comment functionality or a blog that turns comments off. Blog authors site being fed up with weeding out spam or offensive posts,  or spending too much time answering comments.

Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

What would the 80s and 90s have been without this guy...So sad...I hope he took the love inside with him.

Raisin-ism? - The Cranberry's Got It!

I love cute ads! Follow the drama at Raisinets.com

Technorati's hiring Bloggers!

Technorati is entering into the next phase of our evolution: original content. Beginning in October, Technorati will feature original content on the site written by bloggers just like you! This is an amazing opportunity to give your writing vast exposure, become known as an expert in your field/s of interest, and to join a vibrant writer community.

Engaging With Readers Through Comments - Part 1

Blogging is much more than just writing posts and designing a user friendly page for viewing. Comments are truly (in my opinion) the most important aspect of blogging. Blog comments extend the conversation or point presented in the original post.

One of the most fascinating discoveries about comments is the realization that your information is reaching a global audience - not just the people you interact with in the real world everyday.

Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift | VMA Outburst!

Definition of Ignorance - Watch Video!



Of all the inconsiderate, disrespectful, asinine, things in the world to do. Kanye's behavior was ridiculous! I've never been a big fan and now I know why

Twiggit | Twitter and Digg Unite - Welcome to Twitdom

Twiggit is an automated service that lets your friends on twitter know what articles you digg. Twiggit will update your twitter status whenever you digg an article.

 For those who utilize social bookmarking quite a bit Twiggit definitely saves an extra step. Not only will you save time, you can share more interesting stuff with Twitter friends without actually having to post on Twitter. It's an interesting way to spice up Twitter activity.

Link Exchange

Want your link added here? Just leave a comment with your URL. Reciprocal link back is required.




<em><a href="http://inconsequentiallogic.blogspot.com"><img border="0" alt="Photobucket" src="http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp198/nelha69/4button125x125copy.png"/></a></em>

Interesting Reads

The Nerdiest Blogspot - The personal musings of Brandon Elliott
Cheese and Beans

Politics et al

Afrospear - A Think Tank for People of African Descent
Balloon Juice - Consistently Wrong since 2002
Oliver Willis  - Like Kryptonite To Stupid
Donklephant - Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Stupid
Racialicious - The intersection of race and pop culture
YGlesias - Think Progress
Pajamas Media
Liberal Values - Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought
Comments From Left Field
Jack and Jill Politics

Humor

ThinkOutLoudBlog - A mixed bag of whatever
Paotie's Green Couch

Blog Tips

Lorelle - On Wordpress
DailyBlogTips
QuickOnlineTips 

Nursing Blogs

Emergiblog - The Life and Times of an ER Nurse

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The Importance of Female Friendships

I so hate I never watched Sex in the City when it was a weekly series on HBO. Can't quite remember what was going on in my life that was more important than watching...what I now realize was a great show! I managed to watch the movie that came out on DVD recently and enjoyed it. When I read an article recently that discussed the importance of female friendships these 4 ladies immediately popped into my head.

They were all so totally different...yet, so much alike. I don't think I could have ever or could ever have three ladies as close to me as these gals were. Rule of thumb for me when it comes to female friendships is "Less is More"...

Sunday Seven - 7 People Who Cheated Death

This week I decided to be lazy and give google the opportunity to find my "7". I googled 7 types of love, 7 things God hates, 7 types of men to avoid, 7 things to do before I'm 30...and since I'm 3 months away from 40...that was a real joke. When I was just about to give up I stumbled across a list of 7 that was pretty amazing to me. It was 7 people (most of them I'd never heard of) who "cheated death". Strong words...don't even know that it can actually be done - but these folks sure came close...and lived to tell about it...

What is the Chance of Having a Left Handed Child?

This article was written by Keith Milsom, owner of Anything Left-Handed, in response to lots of questions from Left Handers Club members. It was especially interesting to me since I am the left handed mother of two left handed sons!

About 10% of the world’s population are left-handed and it seems that left-handedness runs in families, with the handedness of the mother being an important factor. So what are the chances of having a left-handed child?

Microsoft Set To Release Windows 7 - Happy?

Move over Windows Vista - Windows 7 is coming. According to Microsoft, Windows 7, scheduled for release 10.22.09, will simplify the way you use your PC and the way your PC interacts with the rest of the world wide web.

Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book

 

What a great way to spark a kid's interest into the life of a truly remarkable man. Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book Expanded from a series of eight comics created to help children learn about him, Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book, was made with Mandela's input and gives details of the leader's traditional Thembu upbringing that have never before come to light.

Generating Quality Inbound Links

7 Methods for Generating Quality Inbound Links

Quality Content - The best way to get links to your blog is to write quality content that people will want to read. Purchasing links and signing up for link building programs is another. But by far the Quality content will take you farther....

Picjoke.com - Let Them Make You a Star

 

President Obama enjoying the interview my son and I gave last year at the DNC...Ha ha! Gotcha!

Pick yours up at Picjoke.com and see who you can fool. Several to choose from

How Google Street View Works

The cutest little 2-minute short ever explaining how Google Street View works...

Create an Instant Blog with Posterous

One of the simplest blogging tools/blogging platforms I've ever seen. Posterous. The folks over at Posterous have made it incredibly easy for anyone to blog from anywhere. You don't even have to sign up. Just send an email to post@posterous.com and you're in!

 

I'm not from Missouri but I sure was in a "show me" mood. So, I created a blog! Lots of others are far better than this stab in the dark but it did give me an idea of the things a new blogger could achieve with this platform. Instant blogging with your own web address and features that are constantly being updated.

Absolutely Useless Trivia - Friday the 13th

 

Any month that starts on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th.

Reporter vs Expert - Why Most Bloggers Are Stuck Reporting

There are basically two types of bloggers in the world - reporters and experts - and some people perform both roles (usually the experts, it's hard for reporters to become experts, but it's easy for experts to report).

If you have ever taken an Internet marketing course or attended a seminar specifically for beginners, you have probably heard about the two different methodologies. Whenever the business model is based on content, and if you blog for money then the model is based on content, people are taught to either start as reporters, or if possible step up as experts.

Remembering What You'll Never Forget - 9/11/01

My youngest child is 8 years old. He was born 2001...just 5 months before that terrible day in September. I will always know exactly how many years it's been because of that fact.

Time is so relative. It just doesn't seem like eight years have passed since that horrible day. My heart ached for so long. I was glued to the TV and spent countless hours asking myself how mankind could do such heinous things to one another...especially in the name of or for the sake of religion (whatever belief it may be).

New Yahoo Meme Unloads on Twitter

Yahoo has launched a new service about a week or so ago that's called Yahoo Meme. Yahoo Meme is a micro-blogging service that aims to make it easy for users to repost content and let it go viral.

Meme is a micro-blogging service from Yahoo that works in a very similar way to Twitter. You may now ask, whats the difference?

1. Yahoo Meme is very fast and stable
2. Yahoo Meme makes it very easy to post Video, Music and Photos straight into your stream
3. Yahoo Meme has really focused on making it easy to re-post items you like, with just 1 click (Viral focused)

Right now it's only open by invitation only. I'm hoping the good folks over at  Crenk.com will be cordial enough to send me an invite....

Adagio for Strings

Never thought I'd be a fan of the classics but there's something about this music that moves me. Here's one of my favorites - Adagio for Strings This performance was dedicated to those that lost their lives on 9/11/01....

What is RSS?

You've got RSS, XML, and Atom out there and you're probably wondering what it all means. This are all types of feeds. Feeds are a way for websites large and small to distribute their content well beyond just visitors using browsers.

"Read More" Post Summary Now Available in Blogger!

As part of Blogger's 10th Birthday celebration, they've added several new features including a new post editor! I'm not sure how long this has been available but some of the new features look pretty cool. An overview of the new post editor. 

Changing Your Blog's Template

Please leave a comment or participate in the poll beneath this post - Thanks
How do you know whether you're suffering from a mild case of OCD? I've got to have some help on this one guys. Since I started actively blogging again, I think I've changed my template at least 4 times. Now I'm all for self-improvement and wanting to be the best you can be but somehow I feel I'm venturing into VISITOR SENSORY OVERLOAD!

The Opportunistic Giant invading a Compromised Economy

In medicine you learn quickly that there are good bugs and bad bugs. We co-exist with so many micro-organisms that at any given moment hundreds if not thousands of bacteria can be found just about anywhere on or in the human body. Some products on the market today even advertise the presence of "bacteria" for consumption...ever heard of PROBIOTICS?

(might wanna be careful what you wear shopping - someone's watching)

The only problem in this mutual live-in arrangement is when we - the host - alter our guest's - the bug's - living conditions....When the opportunity presents itself...these relentless little critters dive in with both feet which is exactly what Wal*Mart is doing to our "immuno-compromised economy"...