I Ran Across A Defunct Blog II

I know, I know, big surprise. But this one dealt with Disability Issues and had some interesting posts, as well as a killer Blogroll. 

 

This isn't the normal offering of products & tech. Rather, it is the many different voices of people with a wide variety of disabilities who are offering their experience, advice, joys, frustrations . . .

In other words, People being people.

 

I combed through to weed out broken links and in most cases the sites are still live. Some are political, some are intensely personal, but all are genuine and "guaranteed" to get you thinking. I do not agree with every view point offered, but I offer them to you now in hopes that you might find information, inspiration, or a kindred spirit.

 

Blog Roll II

• My Private Casbah
• Odd One Out
• Ouch!
• Perspectives from a Blind Point of View
• Planet of the Blind
• Poking at thorns (with gloves on)
• RB
• Rolling Around In My Head
• Screw Bronze!
• Seeking Avalon
• Service Dogs: A Way of Life
• SpeEd Change
• Standing Tall Through Everything
• Sweet Perdition
• The Deal with Disability
• The Icarus Project
• The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive
• The Trouble With Spikol
• this ain't livin'
• three rivers fog
• Through Myself and Back Again
• Trouble is Everywhere
• Wheelie Catholic
• Zero at the Bone

Looking for new poetry? A couple of choices . . .

A guide to Poetry blogs

New Poets Press

Blogging: In the Beginning . . .

UPDATE: Pretty pleased with what I’ve come up with in just six days. Going to take tomorrow off. Feel free to check out what I’ve done so far. Suggestions and criticism (constructive, please!) more than welcome. God out.

COMMENTS (24)

BLOGGIESTA . . . ACROSS THE FINISH LINE

Boy, am I tired. 

I'd like to say it is because of my 72 hour blog housekeeping marathon. But that would be a lie.

We took a break last night to check out a friend of ours in his band, Superlicious, and the night took on a life of its own. 

The band is an eighties cover band (you know you like it, admit it) and they were great. We had a wonderful time with friends. And Then . . . . 

On the way home the truck broke down in the middle of nowhere. Our cell phone was dead. And it was a foggy fifty-some degrees.

We had to walk to the call box. Thank heaven it was there! We woke our daughter up to come get us and walked back to the truck. This was after dancing all night. Our daughter got lost and we shivered there nearly three hours with no heat while waiting.

Well, we got home this morning and after some sleep, went back to pickup the truck. So I lost time, sleep, and productivity. (THIS was my starting line post).

What did I accomplish?

I Did some soul searching about my blog and how I would like it to be,

Visited blogs I wouldn't have otherwise and gotten a lot of new ideas, 

Cleaned up my links, 

Made the sidebar more user friendly, 

Drafted and scheduled future posts, 

Bookmarked information regarding improvements I still want to make but haven't,
and
I enjoyed spending time in the company of other bloggers. I love blog hopping.

I also participated in a mini challenge at Word Lilly, called '10 Things Bloggers shouldn't do.' It gave me some direction as well as good ideas.

I went to Website Grader for a report I don't quite understand yet. (But I will)

No, I didn't accomplish all that I wanted. But that's OK. I gained a great deal from the experience, and I thank Natasha at Maw Books Blog for hosting the challenge. And I thank all those who participated for being my teachers and my inspiration.

But now I'm off to bed. Night all.

Ole! Fiesta Time! Suggestions Welcome!

Well, it's begun.

I know a few things that need to be done with my blog. But some feedback from others would be helpful to get a feel for how it looks to outsiders. Any thoughts would be great.

First, A couple of things that I am quite proud of: 

1). I taught myself how to give my pictures coded descriptions for those visitors who may be vision impaired. Their readers will read the description of the picture to them. I occasionally forget and let one slip by, but I try hard to do this with each image. 

2). I searched high and low for a widget to allow visitors to change the print size to suit their needs. At the time all I could find was some code that I couldn't make work (I am NOT a programmer), but through trial and error I got it to work. What else can I do to ease the use of my blog?

Now to work . . . . 

A. My first task was to comb through my links, weeding out those that no longer work. Question: As time goes on, links in past posts may end up broken, and combing through years of posts seems daunting.  Is there an easier way to track broken links in in very old posts or should I just wait for visitors to point them out?

B. I am reevaluating my sidebar. What needs to stay / go? How can I make it better? What do I need to offer that I don't?

C. SEO, promoting, and networking are big weaknesses for me. I found a TEN THINGS BLOGGERS SHOULD NOT DO mini challenge on Word Lilly (Thanks a bunch Word Lilly!), and evaluated my weak points. These were the top three. I'll be attempting to address them also this weekend.

D. The bulk of my efforts, however, will probably be put toward setting up content for the future. I love being able to draft and schedule things ahead.  I can then drop in current events without feeling rushed. (when I'm actually ahead, that is)

I would appreciate

any suggestions you might have.

Thanks.

I SEEM TO HAVE INADVERTENTLY DELETED MY POST ABOUT THE 4TH ANNUAL BLOGGIESTA THIS WEEKEND.

 

Bloggiesta is scheduled for January 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. 

(Did I mention it's this weekend?)

It's hosted by Natasha at Maw Books Blog. 

 

"The beginning of the year is a great time to evaluate your blog, see how you’re doing, and get re-energized for the rest of the year! 

Some of you may be asking what is Bloggiesta? In short, it’s a blogging marathon.  An opportunity to cross those nagging items off of your to-do list and improve your blog while in the good company of other awesome bloggers doing the same thing. Our awesome mascot Pedro (Plan. Edit. Develop. Review. Organize) is ready to break out the nachos, enchiladas, drinks, mariachi music and whack a pinata or two!  It’s nothing short of an awesome fiesta!"

And you will find many great bloggy consumables if you wander over to the fiesta. 
There are links and hints, 
but most of all there are others to party with; 

so come join the fun.

I plan to tackle some overdue housekeeping.
I also want to stretch my knowledge and skills a bit so I will try some of the hints offered by my betters and scour the many links offered. 
It is also a great opportunity to trade ideas
among the many inveterate bloggers participating.

So, 
see you there!

SAY IT LOUD, SAY IT PROUD.

LET US CELEBRATE BOOKS. I FOUND A GREAT LIST OF BOOK BLOGS.

 

What they offer is a celebration of reading, critical thinking, sharing and community, as well as a wealth of encouragement and challenges. All are different, but each has its own personality and perspectives. If nothing below captures you, simply type "book blogs" into your search engine and meander until you find one that does.

• 1330v
• A Fondness For Reading
• A Novel Challenge
• A Striped Armchair
• An Adventure In Reading
• Black-eyed Susan's
• Book Chatter
• Book I Done Read
• BookLust
• Caravana De Recuerdos
• Caribousmom
• Chasing Bawa
• Chasing Ray
• ColorOnLine
• Detectives Beyond Borders
• Diversify Your Reading
• DogEar Diary
• Dolce Bellezza
• EveningAllAfternoon
• Fizzy Thoughts
• Fresh Ink Books
• Fyrefly's Book Blog
• Here, There and Everywhere
• In Spring It Is The dawn
• Jenny's Books
• Kiss A Cloud
• Literary Feline
• Masha
• Mysteries in Paradise
• News From The North
• Nonsuch
• Outside of a Dog
• Puss Reboots
• Reactions
• ReaderBuzz
• Ready When You Are, C.B.
• Regular Rumination
• Rose City Reader
• Shelf Love
• So Many Books
• Stainless Steel
• Stuff as Dreams are Made on
• Sunday Salon
• The Book Mine Set
• The Heart Rang Like Glass
• The Indextrious Reader
• The Zen Leaf
• Things Mean A Lot
• This Book and I
• What We Have Here..
• Word Lily
• Wordcopia
• You Can Never
• You've Gotta Read This 

  

ANOTHER PESPECTIVE ON BLOGGING - SLOW BLOGGING

Just something to think about

in this competitive, fast paced world.

from Slow blog manifesto: 

1). Slow Blogging is a rejection of immediacy ...
2). Slow Blogging is speaking like it matters, ...
3). Slow Blogging is a reversal of the disintegration into the one-liners and cutting turns of phrase that are often the early lives of our best ideas. ...
4). Slow Blogging is a willingness to remain silent amid the daily outrages and ecstasies that fill nothing more than single moments in time, ...
5). Slow Blogging is a response to and a rejection of Pagerank. ...
6). Slow Blogging is the re-establishment of the machine as the agent of human expression, rather than its whip and container. ...  

a few additions:

7). Slow blogs are well written ...
8). Slow blogs are focused on content over format
9). Slow blogs posts are sometimes long
10). Slow blogs are original
11). Slow blogs are not unfairly critical of bloggers with different agendas.
12). Slow blogs encourage community building
13). Slow blogs are worth the time

SOME EXAMPLES:

Todd Sieling: www.toddsieling.com/slowblog

NY Times:  Blogging at a Snails Pace:

Barbara Ganley www.bgblogging.com

Russell Davies’ Dawdlr blog:  dawdlr.tumblr.com

A “Slow Blog” Or Rather, A “Bright Blog” Manifesto

SlowBlogs @ Blogspot slowblogs.blogspot.com

The Guardian: The bloggers who take it one post at a time

This is a Slow Blog

I ADDED A NEW Poetry Blog TO MY

Fellow Travelers list.

It's THE PASSIONATE CRONE by Rosemary Nissen-Wade,

aka SnakeyPoet, 

and contains some BEAUTIFUL writing. 

Oops, I'm gushing. 

I can't help it; she has a wonderful voice and I love her poetry.

Please, click on the link above and discover her for yourself. 

Here is an example:

The End of the Day
by Rosemary Nissen-Wade

Her happiest time of day is night:
bedtime, when she snuggles
and receives the caresses
that aren’t always spared
during busy daylight hours.
At some point she just decided
night was her cuddle time.

It’s a threesome.
When he and I draw apart,
she enters the space between us
and we both stroke her
as she purrs,
and purrs and purrs,
settling herself against us.

Funny little grey cat,
getting old, as we are —
she’s even more determined now
to have what she needs,
and she knows her needs.
She has grown ever more loving
as she ages; we have too.

  

UH OH

Push the button

If you dare

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED

in Blogs about books,

check out YA BOOK BLOG DIRECTORY, BLOGCATALOG, BLOGFLUX, and WIKIO. You can find ideas and recommendations as well as reviews.

Also, here is a directory called BEST OF THE WEB listing poetry Blogs, most of which feature original writing for your enjoyment.

I CAN QUIT ANYTIME

 

(I found this floating around the interwebs with no citation, so if it is yours or you know to whom it belongs, please let me know so I can give the proper credit. Thank you.)

(Not that it applies to me or anything!)

CAN YOU STAND SOME MORE?

Use of Blogs in the Classroom



Exploration Guide: Educational Uses of Blogs, Wikis, RSS Feeds, etc.


This Web page offers recommended starting places
- Links for work in computer lab or online - esp. in small groups.



TEACHERS FIRST: GATED BLOGS FOR THE CLASSROOM



Explorations in Learning Notes on writing, teaching, and learning How to Use Blogs in the Classroom
(Some good basic dos and don'ts for successfully engaging students with learning through blogging)

ALSO . . .

bcejan08pls
The Course Wiki for
Building Online Collaborative Environments

Use of Blogs in the Classroom

Blog Lesson Plans

AND . . .

50 Useful Blogging Tools for Teachers:

• Where to Create Your Blog
• Blogging Tools and Help for Teachers
• General Blog Tools
• Blogging and Internet Safety - Always important)
• Getting Students in on the Action - Some examples:

45. Reflections on Student Blogging. This article written by a teacher working with middle and high school students describes how she implemented a student blogging project. She also offers more generalized helpful tips on blogging with students.
46. Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web. This tutorial covers all the basics for getting your students set up to blog in the classroom. There are even some links to school blogs.
47. Students 2.0. This blog is run by students and allows them a chance to raise their voice on the topic of education. Not only does this blog serve as an example of what student blogs can be, it is also a great tool to share with your older students.

And we're blogging . . .

Here are some articles I found, pro and con, (ok mostly pro) on blogging and the classroom - as it is actually happening.

Blogs for classroom use

Blogging from the Classroom, Teachers Seek Influence, Risk Trouble

Blogs @ Anywhere: High fidelity online communication

Three ways to use blog in the classroom

K12 ONLINE CONFERENCE 2009
Classroom 2.0
“Sustained Blogging in the Classroom”

Why use blogs in the classroom?

Blogging 101 motivates students
"If you can't run your own blog, it may be time to go back to Grade 1"