100 Free Blogger Cards

Business cards for the Internet are the hottest thing around! What better way to leave your signature behind, right?! Basically, you are given a personalized tag cloud to show off. I love this idea and will will be getting myself some to use for my other blog. Right now you can get Free blogger cards so take advantage of the offer before it changes. This will give you a chance to see how it works and if you like them. I talk quite a bit about marketing and promotion and this fits in perfectly!

Small Things Make a Difference

Today I want to talk about a couple of things that can make a big difference.

1. Make sure your "Email this Post" is turned on. A good friend of mine pointed this out. This is a good way to get it distributed to people who may not have knowledge of your site.

2. Have your links open in a new window! I think this is a very important one. If someone clicks on a link you have provided you want them to be directed to that site but you also want them to stay at your site. If you don't have them to open in a new window, then you risk their attention being redirected to other possible links at other sites. It requires basic html knowledge so I will give you an example:
Say you are going to check out some credit resources.. notice that in the second link I added target="_blank". This is what makes it open in a new window.

Fun Christmas Finds

I have a family member who collects salt and pepper shakers so when I saw some Hug Salt & Pepper Shakers at vat19.com, I knew they would be a perfect gift. This is such a cool site. I cannot say that enough. They have some of the neatest products. In fact, I made a short video on some sample products I received from them. I received a gourmet smencil (great for the kids), Instasnow (more great fun to do with the kids), and a Ambient Fire Video Fireplace DVD. This was so realistic looking and the music was a joy to listen to. I can't recommend this site enough! The prices are great and the products are so much fun. I LOVE IT! Enjoy the video.

Stock Tip: Sell Your Google Stock

I highly recommend you sell your Stock now. It has been dropping anyways and this is just a small something we can do to get back at the selfish gods. They have given all of the posties a big fat 0 for PR!!! All they care about is themselves. It really is sad to see them be so selfish and hurt people who are paying the bills with paid to blog companies. Hit them in the checkbook people.

Website Solutions

When you have your own website, something you will be implementing is Internet Marketing and Promotions . Unless your blog is personal, all websites need this. Yourownsite.com offers Internet marketing, web development, and more. The site is jam packed with information including IDX solutions for realtors. It's definitly a place to go for all your programming needs. Check it out and get a quote while your there.

PR Drops again!

I am so sick of this whole Google PR crap. My other blogging that has been a 4 for the past few weeks has now dropped to a 3! ARRRGGHHH! What the hec is going on? I don't understand why they can't make some kind of official statement explaining this. Do they think there are Gods or something. Come on YAHOO!! Do something big and over take the search engine war!

A New Future

Back at home in Sweetwater, the wind farms have evolved. While they are not the pretties to look at, they do an important job. They provide energy and can actually cut down emmissions by a billion tons a year! If you don't know what all that means, then you need to learn about it and support BP Solar Decathlon in their efforts to convey to the people how using alternative energy can change how we live in this world.

There are so many complaints on the electric bills, etc but the people complaining are doing anything about it. Do you turn off electronics when they are not in use? Do you recycle? NO?? Then don't complain if you are not going to do your part.

I think a big problem is that people are just uneducated. They need to be taught the benifits of alternative energies and what it can, not only, do for you but for everyone in the environment. It's about preserving everyday living.

If you want to learn more, check these sites out.
alittlebettergasstation.com
thegreencurve.com
ebiweb.org
bpalternativeenergy.com

They are very imformative and easy to understand. They break it down for you and even quiz you to see where you are on the green curve. I did very well but can you say the same?

Just a note: BP is investing $500 million into the Energy Biosciences Institute to find better solutions in reducing energy consumption. $500 million!!! That should tell you right there how important it is. That's a huge investment. Even if you don't change your ways completely, there are small things you can do to help. Read up and visit the BP Solar Decathlon Blog (bpsolardecathlon.com)

New Template?

Support the Alzheimer's Foundation

I have blogged about this at my other blog and I am so glad I have the chance to do it here on this blog. I have had a few sad experiences with Alzheimer's patients and can only hope and pray for a cure one day. A good friend of mine deals with this situation on a daily basis because her mother has Alzheimer's. I have seen her mother scared to death of her own husband because of the simple fact that she didn't even recognize him. Can you imagine how, not only the mother, but her dad must feel?

I don't think people realize how hard it can be dealing with an Alzheimer's patient. There is a lot of hard worked involved. Unfortunately, there is a lack of quality care for this disease. That's one of the reasons I am blogging about this today! There is something you can do to help, so listen up. We are all looking for that perfect holiday gift this season so help out by buying your gift at the estore for Alzheimer's. You will be killing 2 birds with one stone by doing this. You get that special someone a gift for Christmas AND by making that purchase through them, you are also donating to a wonderful cause. Every cent will go to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. Sometimes we are selfish and need a little push every now and then to do good things for other people. Well, here's your push. PUSH!

Pass this along to everyone you know and let us all do something charitable this holiday season. Who knows, that neighbor, mail person, or family friend may have someone in their family with this disease and would love to contribute to the foundation as well. It's all about the full circle. I strongly believe that, in order to receive, you must give first. The money raised will help continue and better the care that these individuals need. Please do your part by spreading the word and making a purchase today!

Free Icons for Web Applications

I love freebies!! Ades has just released a set of icons that can be used in your blogs, websites, or for web applications interface usage. Hec, I don’t even know what that last one is but I don’t care. They are super nice icons and they are free! You can download them over at User Interface Icons .com. He is giving you 140 VERY high quality icons people. While you’re in his neighborhood, you might want to check out some other things he has to offer. I LOVE my color picker! I plan on doing my review before too long. Now get out of here and get your icons!

By the way, this is not a sponsored post. I just happen to enjoy Adesblog.com and thought it would be nice to give him a plug:)

Hamilton Beach® Ecletrics® Stand Mixer

It's holiday season and you know what that means?? It's time for cooking and baking! With Thanksgiving approaching fast and Christmas right around the corner, now is the best time to get a Eclectrics® Mixer. Who wants to sit there and kill your hand trying to stir and stir? Not me. I don't have time to sit there and do these things. I need a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer so I can just put my ingredients in there and walk away to do more cooking. These mixers are awesome. Not only do they come in cool colors, but they are as convienent as can be. You will literally cut your time in the kitchen using one of these. Just add your ingredients and let the Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer do it's job while you tend to your other cooking projects.

If you haven't seen one of these puppies, then you are missing out big time! Check out these features!

More Power*
400 watts of power to mix even the toughest jobs like 9
dozen cookiesor 4 -1lb. loaves of bread
Professional 2-way rotating head for thorough hands-free mixing
High-performance electronics ensure constant power Great Features
12 settings offer more* mixing flexibility and precise control
4.5 qt stainless steel locking bowl with handle Flat beater,
dough book and wire whisk for versatile mixing
2 piece pouring and splatter shield
Quieter operation* Longer Warranty*
3 year limited warranty

With a warranty like that and all those cool features, how could you not go out and buy one right now! If you are particular about colors, you don't need to worry because they offer these in an array of colors that are just beautiful! I love them all so I don't know if I could decide. So I wouldn't have to decide on a specific color (since it's so hard to choose) I would be better off getting one for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas.............

Props to Amanda

Woohooo! My blog has had it's makeover. Go check it out over at A Cowboy's Wife. It looks awesome and I have Amanda to thank for it! She is super kind and does a hec of a job. IF you need something done to your blogspot blog or just want some wordpress like tools, then head over and check it out! She rocks! Thank you so much Amanda, I reall do appreciate it!

Monetizing Your Business

Previously owning an online business, I know how important it is to maintain it. Salesconx online marketplace is there to help you maintain and monetize you business. They help you with your current contacts, as well as, help you establish new clients! Membership is free and from there you will have the opportunity to establish a buyer and seller price just as if you were in a marketplace. Very convienent and something to consider to help your business grow.

Fight Back Against Stolen Content

Publishing your website can be one of the most exciting times for a business owner. After all of your hard work and persistence, the whole world now has access to your products or services. You have either paid hundreds of dollars to have someone write your site content for you, or you have put your heart and soul (not to mention hour upon hour of hard work) into creating content of which you can be proud. In either case, you've invested time and/or money into your website copy. Now that it is out there for the whole world to see, it may be a target for all kinds of unscrupulous individuals.

Copyright infringement is a very common occurrence on the World Wide Web. How do you protect yourself? And, what can you do if someone steals your content?
It's important for you to know that anything you have written is copyrighted. You can register a copyright, but you don't need to in order for it to be illegal for someone to copy or reproduce your work without your permission. Any written text, painting, drawing, musical composition, photograph or computer program, be they published or not is protected by copyright law. Unfortunately, just because your work is copyrighted doesn't mean it is safe. Some individuals don't know that copyright laws apply to the internet, and others simply don't care.

With millions of websites out there, it's difficult to know if your website has been targeted by thieves. A great tool to use in the protection of your website content is www.copyscape.com. Simply enter your website URL and it will scan the web for you. This is a free service, but if you have been a frequent victim of copyright infringement, you might want to consider their paid service, which automatically scans the web regularly for any duplicates of your content.

What do you do if you are one of the unfortunate victims of copyright infringement? How can you deal with the offender and avoid the high cost of litigation? The following are some simple steps that you can take to ensure that the infringer removes your material from their website.

1. Contact the offender. You can usually visit the "contact" page of the offender's website to obtain their contact information. If for some reason you can't find their coordinates that way, you can perform a search for "who is" to find many sites that can provide information about the website owner by simply entering their URL. The website owner's contact information should be posted here, but if not, their website host will be and you should contact them. Keep your first contact civil. Calling or emailing the responsible individual with a stern, yet professional demeanor will be much more effective than yelling or name calling. Remember that the owner of the site isn't necessarily the writer, and if they are, then being nasty may not have the desired effect and in fact may create more problems for you in the long run.

2. Send a cease and desist order. If your initial contact didn't get the desired results, your next step should be to send a cease and desist order. You do not need to hire a lawyer to create one for you. A simple search for "cease and desist order templates" should give you an order that can be altered to meet your needs. Send one copy by email and one copy by registered mail and make it look as official as possible. Include a date by which the material should be removed. You want the offender to know that you mean business

3. If action is still not taken, send a cease and desist order to the offending party's web host. Again, the host information is available by performing a search for "who is". The majority of hosts will take action by temporarily removing the offender's site until the copied material is removed.

4. The situation should be resolved at step 3, but one more step that can be taken is to notify search engines of the infringement. Performing a search for the "DMCA" or "Digital Millennium Copyright Act" policies for each search engine will provide the information you need to contact each of them in order to request that the offender's website be removed.

Finally, it's always advisable to protect yourself by keeping records of the dates your content was placed on your site. This ensures that the other party can be proven wrong it they claim to have posted their content first.

Placing your website and it's content on the internet for the world to see is a proud moment. It's nearly impossible for you to be able to prevent the theft of its content, but the next best thing is knowing what to do if it does happen

Let Them Know You Care

The one thing we do every single year, is send out Christmas Cards. I figure it's the least we can do to let people know we care and miss them. We try to send cards for all occasions but Christmas in particular. With everyone so spread out over the state of Texas and New Mexico, it is very hard to get together for the holidays. I know I love it when I get a card in the mail so I imagine that most other people would enjoy just as much! It tells them that we are thinking about them. It's a lot cheaper than buying a gift, that's for sure. It would be great to include a picture of the family with the card but we don't take family pictures very often. Who will you be sending a Christmas card to this year? Family, friends, teachers, neighbors, and coworkers are some good examples of who I will be sending cards out to.

How Much Will You Be Spending at Christmas?

With the holidays around the corner, I'm curious to see what people plan to spend this year. with the high gas prices, I figured people would spend less on gifts but I'm not sure. How big is your family that you buy for and how much do you plan on spending? Will you be going to the store or buying online? I plan to do most of my purchasing online! No way am I going to fight traffic!

The Best Web Host!

A while back I wrote my top 10 recommended web hosts on my other blog. Hostmonster was my number one pick for those of you who didn't read it. They have top of the line service, an awesome package, and are extremely reliable. If you don't believe me, you can read a hostmonster review to see what others have to say. You won't find a better company in my opinion but I'll leave it up to you to decide.

Blah Day

I'm feeling blah today. I'm starting to struggle with what to write about on this blog. I think I just a need a little break because I have been spending so much time on my other blogs. Do you ever get the blogging blues? If so, what do you do? With the holidays around the corner, it's important for me to keep these blogs going and to keep doing my sponsored posts so I'll have money for Christmas! I think I'm going for a walk.

Profit from Ebay

Before I started blogging, I had an ebay store. I would buy wholesale and then resale. I would have loved to have had some analytics of the whole buying/selling process to make the best of what I was doing. There is now eBay Research by Terapeak ,which can help you profit by letting you know things such as the right time to sell something, picking the right keywords in your title, and seeing if it's best for you to use a buy it now. I love this and only wish I would have known about it back then. I will definitely remember it for future reference!

1 Tip on Saving

You know when you checkout, you're asked for a promotion code, right? Do you have one? If you don't, you should. My tip today is to take 5 mintues to find a promotion code for the merchant you are looking for. That box is there for a reason people. If you take a few minutes to search for online coupon (store name), then I promise you will save a few bucks. Who couldn't stand to save a few bucks this holiday season! You will find plenty of coupons during the season too so LOOK FOR THEM.

Car Qoutes and Loans and More OH MY

If you need some Honda, Toyota & Ford Car Quotes then you may want to check out Carsblvd.com. You can get up to 2 quotes for dealers wanting your business. They also help you get loans. This is a very good thing because people can go to one place for their quote and loan. It saves time and is super convenient. I have never done this but it seems to be getting more and more popular. Is there anything you can't do on the Internet? We may have to give this a try when it comes time to get ourselves something new to drive. Since we live out in the middle of nowhere, this will be very handy and easy access. Check it out to see what your quote will be for a new car!

Review of Blogging with Cents!

I received my first professional review today of Blogging with Cents. Ryan Shamus did it and, overall, did a great review I thought! If you head over to my other blog, you'll also see some of my October earnings, which I rarely disclose. I think it's kind of tacky but I have been getting requests to show some of them. I'm running some advertising specials too, so get in while the going is hot! Everything is 50% off! Woohoo!

Tempurpedic Mattress

This is blatant advertising but I will share my thoughts about a similiar product. While I was pregnant, I had so much trouble with my hips. I couldn't lay down to sleep at all! After trying several things, I finally decided to give those four inch memory foam mattresses a try per my sister-in-law's recommendation. Absolute genius!! It worked perfectly and still sleep on it today. Why did I bring this story up? It was memory foam that kept my hips from hurting so bad. The mattress conforms to your body and is just heaven. Because we loved this so much, we have considered buying a Tempurpedic mattress. While these are more on the expensive side, we also know they are worth every single cent. Our arms don't fall asleep anymore and we don't toss and turn like we used to. If our four inch mattress can do this, just think what a real bed memory foam mattress can do. I will say this. It took us about a week to adjust to the feeling of the foam. You can't just slide around or flip side to side like on a regular mattress but once you get used to it, it will be the best thing you've ever slept on. I have done some research and read reviews and Tempurpedic is one of the best foam mattresses on the market today. I highly encourage you to consider one of these when thinking about your future mattress purchase. I think I just talked myself into getting one.
Here is there guarantee:

We guarantee you will be 100% satisfied with our top-of-the-line memory
sleep systems. To prove it, we offer a 90-Day Sleep Trial and a 20 Year Warranty
that are among the strongest in the industry. Plus, we offer an everyday Low
Price Guarantee, Free Shipping, and Tax-Free shopping (Outside of TX).

Additions to Blogger

Have you seen the latest addition to blogger? Hey this is very cool and can earn you a few bucks! I'm all about making money!! This is what they have to say just in case you don't read their announcements in your dashboard.

AdSense recently introduced a feature called video units, that lets you include relevant YouTube video on your blog, and make money from ads on it. Here’s what they have to say about it:

"We're excited about the launch of video units -- a new way to enrich your blog
with quality, relevant video content in an embedded, customizable player. Simply
embed a snippet of code and have relevant YouTube partner content streamed to
your blog. You can choose categories of video to target to your site, select
content from individual YouTube partners, or have video automatically targeted
to your blog's content. Companion and text overlay ads are relevant and
non-intrusive. To further blend the YouTube player into your blog, you can also
customize the color scheme and layout as well as choose from three different
player sizes."

AdSense Help has some more information about video units. Once you’ve created the code for a video unit, you can easily add it to your blog’s template using an HTML/JavaScript page element.

Hire a Programmer to Create Your Logo

I have always had a secret passion for web design, however, I stink at it. If you're like me then you are probably better off hiring programmers for this sort of thing. If you are a serious blogger then you either want a custom web design or your own logo to make you stand out. This is something I'll be working on in the future to help brand this blog. What are you doing to help your blog stand out?

My New Blog - My Wooden Spoon

I just wanted to announce my new food/cooking blog. It's called My Wooden Spoon. I'll be talking about recipes, cooking tips and techniques, cookware, and whatever I can think of that's food related! If this is your cup of tea, then head over and check it out. I would love to do link exchanges with other food blogs. Let me know if your interested!

On MY Wish List

I would love to have one thing for Christmas. A Nikon digital SLR camera. I have always wanted one but they are very pricey so I usually don't even mention it around here because I know it's something I won't be getting for a long time. I do own a Sony Cybershot and love it! It's my second one and they last forever. This is how I take all my pictures and quick videos. I'm sure you have heard me say that photography is a passion of mine even though I don't get to indulge in it very often. I'm always taking pictures of my family but that's about it. Speaking of family--Christmas is coming and photos are always nice to hand out for the holidays. I've mentioned this before but I still think a digital picture frame would be a great gift to give. Especially for someone who works at an office. They can set it on their desk so when people are walking by, they can see pictures of the grandkids, kiddos, pets, or whatever you decided to put in the frame. Anyways, I do hope to get an SLR camera one of these days. I would love to go take pictures of the cowboys when they are working. I could still go but it would look so much more professional with one of those cameras. So, if any of my family is reading this, please feel free to take up a collection! HA!

Would You Sell Your Blog?

I would if I had a huge offer!! Everyone is selling blogs these days but I just don't know what I would do. I have so much work into mine that I would hate to start all over again. Of course, for the right price I would definitely consider it. Money talks and can make you do things that you wouldn't do in the first place! It's definitely worth thinking about if your blog has a good PR and decent traffic. Would YOU sell your blog?

Gambling Money Away or NOT

There are some fun things to do on the Internet these days and online gambling is one of them. I have never tried it but I think it would be fun to do. I love to gamble offline so why not try it online??!! You can play poker or even get it on sportsbook betting. It has come along ways! They make their sites user friendly by using a wallet system so you are able to deal with everything in one account. Because I live way out in the middle of no-mans land, this is definitely something I will be trying out. We love to go to casinos and have one within a 3 hours or so but that is still too far. It would be so much easier to play online and see if we had any beginner's luck. If you are like me and just don't get the time to go out on the town and gamble, then you should give this a try. I BET you will have fun and maybe strike it rich, who knows.

Rambling Roundup 6

I thought I would link to some of my articles on my other site for those who haven't had a chance to visit and for a little linky love for myself:)
These articles range in topic from relationships to niche picking. There's bound to be one article that will meet your fancy! Check them out and if you like them, consider subscribing to my blog. If you are looking to get your own domain, you should check out my Top 10 web hosts!

$1000 Visa Gift Card
5 Must Use SEO Tools to Reach the Top
Free Ebooks for Bloggers
How to Schedule a Future Post in Wordpress
Male Selective Hearing
My Top 10 Webhost Picks
MyCreditcardCash.com Review
Niche Picking
Turn Blog Depression Into Blogging Bliss
Weightloss Woes

Shopping, Comparing, and Learning

savebuckets.co.uk is a place where you can compare prices and save money. There are many categories with lots of products to choose from and compare. The site is easy to use and fast loading. What I really like about the site, is that you can go under buying guide and pick a general product to learn more about it. For example: Irons--I want to buy an iron but I'm not sure what to look for. They provide you information to help you decide what kind of iron would be best for you. See below:

Irons: These are regular irons that will eliminate creases from your clothes, without the use of steam.
Steam irons: These models emit jets of steam through holes in the bottom plate. They get rid of stubborn creases and help you to get through your ironing faster than you would with a regular iron.
Travel irons: Smaller irons, great for packing and taking away with you.
Steam generator irons: These are irons with a separate water tank. They can hold more water than a regular steam iron, and are good for people who do large volumes of ironing.

The info is handy for people who don't know anything about irons! Check it out and save some money while you're there.
Here's some more info on the Holiday season.
GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST HAUNTS INDEBTED BRITS

- New price saving site launches to save Brits up to 20% this Christmas -

As the nation approaches the final countdown to Christmas, new research rings alarm bells over the financial impact of Christmas in credit crunch Britain. The research from the new money saving website Savebuckets.com reveals that as Brits prepare for Christmas, many are still paying off last year’s festive spending.

With 41 per cent of Britons paying for Christmas on credit last year, almost one in five are still paying for last year’s festivities (17%), fewer than one in three having cleared their Christmas debts when their January credit card bill arrived (29%).

Following a year of consumer confidence in 2006, Christmas spending soared 52 per cent in two years (from an average £548 per adult in 2004* to £837 per adult in 2006), with over one in five Brits spending over £1,000 on Christmas last year (22%). This year, with spending power at its lowest level for 10 years**, consumers are feeling the financial hangover from a more confident Christmas enjoyed on the credit card and loans.

Alarmingly, it is cash strapped youngsters and low income earners who, having spent the most on last Christmas, are most likely to be feeling the repercussions of last year’s spending spree (see figures below).

The research into the financial impacts of last Christmas amongst a GB representative sample of 2,000 British adults was carried out by the new money savings website Savebuckets.com which launches this week to enable Brits to get more for their money this Christmas.

With these alarming figures in mind, Savebuckets.com will give shoppers the opportunity to save up to 20% on their Christmas shopping. Putting consumers back in control of their spending, the site searches over 700 retailers for the best price on around one million products. The site includes a unique price checker which allows consumers to set the price they want to pay for items, notifying them when the price of a product falls to within their budget.

Blog Plug

I just wanted to plug my other blog Blogging with Cents. If you haven't been over to visit my other blog, you really should. I provide many blogging tips, reviews, and more over there. I do much there than I do here so I check it out and if you are in the same niche as it, ask about a link exchange. I also post to it way more. Usually several times a day. Be sure to check it out and consider subscribing to my feed over there:)

Money Advance

I know exactly what it is like to run out of funds towards the end of the month and wonder how the hec I'm going to finish the month out. We were in that position many years ago and occasionally sought after loans. These days you can simply go online and get Payday Loan Quotes to see how much might be available for you to borrow and what the payback is. The money is deposited into your account, as well as, repaid through your account. Very fast, very convenient.

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