Purple Wren

Restoration of Flood-Damaged Photos

Now that the flood waters are beginning to recede, people are able to get in and assess damage. One of the most heart-wrenching things is the loss of precious photos. They cannot be replaced. However, they may be able to be restored. There is an organization called Operation Photo Rescue that was started after Katrina and they are open to helping where they can in Iowa. They are a network of volunteers who can repair photographs damaged by natural disasters - at no cost to the owner.

And, there is a local photographer who is involved - Kevin Barber of Barber Photography. He is gathering other volunteers who may be able to help. Contact him today if you can help, or if you have damaged photos and need help.

Here's tips for salvaging flood and water damaged photos. It's important to take immediate action - and the right steps.

Angela's Raw Adventure

I'm teaming up with Angela Clark of enrgPATH. She is embarking on a raw journey for the next 90 days.

Are you interested in healing your body with food?

What's the big deal with raw food?

 

Join Angela's Raw Adventure via her blog at www.blog.enrgPATH.com to see how she is using local resources to eat a 90% raw food diet for 90 days.

• See Angela's "before" pictures 
• See pics of Raw Food 
• Get Information on Raw Food Demonstrations 
• Find out where you can join Angela for a meal
• Find links to raw food web sites, blogs, and recipes
• Find the local connections to raw food

 

The Big Dream Gathering is Tonight!

It's here! The Big Dream Gathering is tonight from 6:30 - 10 p.m.

Polk County Convention Center

501 Grand Avenue, Des Moines

SOBCon in Chicago

We're in Chicago at SOBCon '08. Had a great cruise last night and enjoyed great conversation and a mix of rain and clear skies and great lights.

Attendees 

• Cliff Atkinson
• Shashi Bellamkonda
• JJ Betts
• Chris Brown
• Chris Brogan
• Harry Brooks
• Anita Bruzzese
• Dave Bullock
• Mark Carter
• Brian Clark
• Tom Clifford
• Clay Collins
• Valerie Combs
• Chris Cree
• Lisa Cree
• Thomas Croghan
• Donna Cutting
• David Dalka
• Kevin Dixie
• Tim Draayer
• Monica Duncan
• Easton Ellsworth
• Kevin Ferrasci O'Malley
• Jonathan Fields
• Sarah Filipiak
• Mary-Lynn Foster
• Annie Galvin Teich
• Brian Gardner
• Chris Garrett
• Jon Gatrell
• Phil Gerbyshak
• Jared Goralnick
• Karen Hanrahan
• Joseph Hauckes
• Vicky Hennegan
• Scot Herrick
• John Hong
• Stephen Hopson
• Robert Hruzek
• Timothy Johnson
• Sara
• Pete Jones
• Todd Jordan
• Bob Kakoliris
  
• Christine Kane
• Adam Kayce
• Kristen King
• Scott Kolbe
• Jen Knoedl
• Stephen Koernig
• Bryan Kress
• George Krueger
• Amy L
• Tammy Lenski
• James G. Lindberg
• Eli Litscher
• Rick Mahn
• Sim Margolis
• Michael Martine
• Becky McCray
• Maria Meadows
• Cory Miller
• Ann Michael
• Dawud Miracle
• Debra Moorhead
• Matthew Murphy
• Paul O'Flaherty
• Tim Padar
• Jesse Petersen
• Melissa Pierce
• Wendy Piersall
• Sandra Ponce de Leon
• J. Erik Potter
• Karen Putz
• Susan R Quandt
• Levy Rivers
• Barbara Rozgonyi
• Jeff Sable
• Sheila Scarborough
• Mary Schmidt
• Derek Semmler
• Maria Sharon
• David Sherbow
• Steve Sherlock
• Brad Shorr
• Louise Silberman
• Sonia Simone-Rossney
• Julien Smith
• Stephen Smith
• Michael Snell
• Derrick Sorles
• Terry Starbucker
• Liz Strauss
• Jon Swanson
• Ruth M Sylte
• Windsor Tanner
• Michelle Vandepas
• Lorelle VanFossen
• Colleen Wainwright
• Denise Wakeman
• James D. Walton
• Randy Windsor
• Joanna Young
• Sandy Renshaw

Launching The Age of Conversation

The Age of Conversation has finally made it to the retail world. It's available on Amazon.

Go buy a copy today and help boost the book ranking.

More importantly, change a child's life.

All proceeds from book sales benefit Variety, the Children's Charity. Taken directly from Drew McLellan's blog, "Because we wanted the money to represent the international make up of our authors, we earmarked the money for one of Variety's programs, Lifeline. Lifeline's sole mission is providing medical assistance to children with treatable and survivable heart conditions in countries where the appropriate medical facilities, expertise or resources do not exist."

You'll find my chapter on page 82.

Age of Conversation 2.0

Last year more than 100 bloggers contributed to Age of Conversation. It brought in over $10,000 for Variety, the Children's Charity. Drew McLellan recently put out the call for writers for the next edition. You still have time to vote on the topic, too. Make sure you visit Drew's site by Feb. 3rd.

Psst... You can vote on the topic even if you won't want to be an author.

Here's some of the people who have signed up. (Thanks to Angela Maiers for the list.)

Drew McLellan, Luc Debaiseieux, Ryan Karpeles, Greg Verdino, Lori Magno, Gavin Heaton, Connie Reece, The Kaiser, Katie Chatfield, Tim Jackson, Doug Meacham, C.B. Whittemore, Becky Carroll, Gordon Whitehead, Daniel B. Honigman, Daria Rasmussen, Jay Ehret, Jasmin Tragas, Jamey Shiels, Organic Frog, Bill Gammell, Nathan Snell, Stephen Landau, Stephen Collins, Stephen Smith, Mark Earls, Steven Verbruggen, Neil Perkin, Brett Macfarlane, Dino Demopoulos, Chris Wilson, Asi Sharabi, Angela Maiers, Sandy Renshaw

Are you ready to add your name??

The authors from Age of Conversation:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Luc Debaisieux
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Robert Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Kris Hoet
G.Kofi Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Polinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman
Neil Vineberg

Related post:
The Age of Conversation if Available from Lulu

 

Try the NaBloPoMo Randomizer

One of the fun things about NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is the Randomizer. Click on the link to see a random blog that is participating in the challenge. The interesting thing is you don't know what site you will see next.

Did You Know About NaBloPoMo?

It's November and that means it's National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). The challenge is to post every day this month.

That's all there is to it.

It's not always easy though. I got so busy yesterday, the day slipped away and alas, no post.

It still good for me to participate though. Keeps me focused on posting, even if I'm not perfect.

How about you? Are you posting consistently? Would a challenge help you?  It's not too late. You can still join in in the fun for 17 more days.

The Age of Conversation is Available from Lulu

Have you got a copy yet? It was just released on July 16.

The Age of Conversation is available from Lulu in e-book, paper and hardback. It's the result of more than 100 authors from around the world contributing one page each - about 400 words - on the topic of "conversation."

All the proceeds are being donated to Variety, The Children's Charity. At last report (8/28), it has generated a profit of $9,695.11.

It's also generated a lot of friendships and collaborations as the authors continue to meet each other in person and online wikis.

Here's an excerpt from my page, Graphics and Conversations:

In a world where we have three seconds to make a good impression, the . . .

Order your copy today to read the entire book!

Visit Iowa: AroundDesMoines.com

There's another blog in town... and it's called AroundDesMoines.com. I chose that name because we’re talking about life and events around Des Moines, around the greater metro area, and really around the city (which is pretty much in the middle of the state).

All the cities, large and small, and the rural areas (anything Iowa) are included.

You'll find me there, as well as several guest authors. I’m recruiting guest authors and contributors so that we represent different voices, interests and activities. There’s a lot going on in the Midwest.

It's my vision to have a place where we can talk about "anything Iowa" and especially people who are making a difference. Let’s showcase the diversity in our state and make Around Des Moines a gathering place - a home for all things Iowa.

You will find lots of photos there because visuals are important to me and make a site interesting.

Please let me know if you have any ideas about topics to cover, photos and stories you would like to share, or questions you might have about Iowa. This site is for you - whether you live or visit here or you are considering it. Help us make this site valuable for you.

What's happening in your neck o' the woods? Send me an article and we'll post it there (submission guidelines). What's in it for you? A little link love and publicity for your favorite topic, event, place, etc.

We're all looking forward to hearing from you!

The Starbucker Meme! What's in Your Glass?

Have you participated in a meme lately? It's been awhile and I thought it was time to come out and play today.

Starbucker started this meme back in June called "What's in Your Glass (The Starbucker Meme)". I wanted to take this opportunity to contribute. When you get a chance, browse through the submissions. They make for excellent reading!

The Questions:

1. How full is your glass?
2. What kind of glass is it?
3. What's in the glass?
4. Reasons for #1, #2, and #3

My Answers:

1. My glass is filled to the rim and almost overflowing, just like my life.
2. It's a Ball canning jar - you know, the kind they use to preserve fruits and veggies (see the picture below).
3. It's filled with water - and when it's really hot - there's some ice, too.
4. I picked a canning jar because it reminds me to get back to basics and take care of myself. It's sturdy, stable, doesn't tip easily, and if it breaks I can replace it easily. It's also a great size (1 pint) that I fill full and then have a good idea of how many cups of water I am drinking each day.
   

You're tagged! If you want to play, post your response on your blog, tag it "Starbucker Meme" for Technorati, and create a link on Starbucker's site.

Wordless Wednesday: Community

Community, originally uploaded by Jeff Kubina.

 

Worldwide Collaboration: The Age of Conversation Available July 16

Get ready - you will soon be able to read it . . .

The Age of Conversation will be available in three formats on July 16. Prices will be:

• e-book $9.99 ($7.99 going to charity)
• paperback book: $16.95 ($8.10 to charity)
• hardback book: $29.99 ($8.55 to charity)

All proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to Variety, the Children's Charity.

It's always fun to be involved in projects with other bloggers, and it's an honor to participate in this venture. More than 100 marketing professionals from 24 states and 10 nations collaborated to write a book. Most of the people have an online connection and have never met in person.

Background
Dedication

The authors:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Luc Debaisieux
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Robert Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Kris Hoet
G.Kofi Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Polinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman
Neil Vineberg

Hooked on Drums

Recently I had a chance to get my hands on a drum - literally. I'd say it's one of those life changing experiences. Can't wait 'til the next time. Are you a drummer?

Photo on flickr by ozlady

Academic Achievement Award from DMACC

It's the end of the school year and time for graduations and celebrations. I've been attending classes at DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) for several years. Urban Campus is my favorite because of the diversity of the student body and faculty.

This past year I wrote for the Urban Vibe  newspaper. This spring, I was privileged to be nominated and win an academic achievement award for my technology articles. Some of the topics I covered recently were:

• Let Them Feed You . . .  (about RSS feeds)
• Why Would I Want a Blog?

This is shameless self-promotion. Here I am with my favorite English teacher, Michael Bryant.

We had a great meal with wonderful company. I received a nice plaque, and had the opportunity to hear about the impact students are making in our community.

It's nice to know that my writing is appreciated, and when putting in late hours at the computer, it reminds me that I can make a difference. Pretty good for a gal who used to hate to write!

Are You Signed Up for MarketingProfs Book Club - Round #3?

You won't  want to miss this round. The book is Made to Stick by brothers Chip Heath and Dan Heath (read author bio here and receive a bonus).

Sign up for the book club and be eligible for the book drawing.

You have until June 12th to read it - then we can start talking.

For more information, check details about the MarketingProfs Book Club hosted by CK.

Big Dream Gathering May 15

Don't miss the Big Dream Gathering - tonight. It may physically be in Des Moines, but with technology you can participate no matter where you are.

No catch. No sales pitch.

There will be coffee for sale.

Here's the story behind the gathering.

Hero of the Week - First Ten

On Hero of the Week, Reg Adkins from Elemental Truths honors a person who makes a contribution to the community, and asks each hero to nominate another person. You can nominate someone, too.

Check out both of these great sites! It's another way to meet fellow bloggers.

Not long ago I got this neat new badge to put on my sidebar - that's always fun! (I was "hero" for week #3, and tickled when Reg "got" the meaning of my business name.)

3rd Edition: Sandy Renshaw (Hey! I just got that "Purple Wren thing... Renshaw...Wren...cool.)

Here's a list of the first ten heroes:

Hero Row Thus Far:
1^st Edition: Ted Demopoulos of Blogging for Business
2^nd Edition: Phil Gerbyshak of Make it Great!
* 3^rd Edition: Sandy Renshaw of the Purple Wren
4^th Edition: Kirsten Harrell of ipopin
5^th Edition: Kammie Kobyleski of Passion Meets Purpose
* 6^th Edition: Mike Sansone of  Converstations
7^th Edition: Lisa Haneberg of Management Craft
8^th Edition: Rosa Say of Say Leadership
9^th Edition: MT of Mind Tweaks
* 10^th Edition: Kyle Eslick of Kyle’s Cove

* I noticed that 3 are from Iowa! That's fun.

Are You Using Technorati Favorites?

Tonight I came across the Technorati Favorites list when I saw Tully had visited my site (MyBlogLog widget). Since I had not visited LOGICal eMOTIONs in awhile, off I went.

The photo on the post caught my attention and it seemed like a good opportunity to try out the Favorites on Technorati, so here it is...

You can join in - just follow the rules below:

***Start Copying Here:***

Here are the rules:

1) Write a short introduction paragraph about how you found the list and include a link to the blog that referred you to the list.

2) COPY the Rules and ENTIRE List below and post it to your blog. To avoid duplicate content and increase the amount of keywords your site can accessible for, go ahead and change the titles of the blog. Just don’t change the links of the blog.

3) Take the three blogs listed under “My New Faves” and move them to the bottom of “The Original Faves” list.

4) Add 3 Blogs that you’ve just added to your Technorati Favorites to the “My New Faves” section. Remember to also add the “Fave Me” link next to your new blogs (i.e. http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=
http://www.yourfavesdomain.com)

5) Add everyone on this list to your Technorati Favorites List by clicking on “Fave the Site.” Those who want to respond will fave you back. If not, you will for sure get the benefits of faves from the bloggers who continue this list after you.

My New Faves

1. Creating Abundant Lifestyles - Fave the Site
2. Make It Great! - Fave the Site
3. Flooring the Consumer - Fave the Site

The Original List

• Chips Quips - Fave the Site
• Creative Think - Fave the Site
• LOGICal eMOTIONs - Fave the Site
• Dawud Miracle - Fave the Site
• Gary Lee - Fave the Site *
• Dosh Dosh - Fave the Site
• Nate Whitehill - Fave the Site
• Jeff Kee - Fave the Site
• Scribble on the Wall - Fave the Site
• Jimi Morrisons Head - Fave the Site
• Jon Lee - Fave the Site
• Samanathon - Fave the Site
• Eat Drink & Be Merry - Fave the Site
• The Man of Silver - Fave the Site
• Hannes Johnson - Fave the Site
• My Dandelion Patch - Fave the Site
• Nathan Drach - Fave the Site
• SiteLogic - Fave the Site
• Julies Journal - Fave the Site
• Tea & Slippers - Fave the Site
• The Thinking Blog - Fave the Site
• Pencil Thin - Fave the Site
• Essential Keystrokes - Fave the Site
• Mom Gadget - Fave the Site
• Engaging the Disquiet - Fave the Site
• Monk at Work - Fave the Site
• Converstations - Fave the Site
• The Kiss Business Too - Fave the Site
• HomeMom3 - Fave the Site
• Grow Your Writing Business - Fave the Site
• Quartz Mountain - Fave the Site
• Prime Advertising Blog - Fave the Site
• Conversation Agent - Fave the Site
• HELLO, My Name Is BLOG - Fave the Site
• Digital Digressions - Fave the Site

***End Copying Here***

Ok - now you know how it works. Go ahead, pick three of your favorite blogs that aren't already listed, and tell us what they are.

Photo on flickr by mayushe

How Will You Make a Difference?

Maybe you've read the short story, "Three Letters from Teddy," by Elizabeth Silance Ballard. Her stories and articles have appeared in many magazines since 1974.

Recently, Mary Robinson Reynolds, M.S., made it into the Make a Difference Movie.

Perhaps it will be inspiration for you!

One Day Blog Silence

One Day Blog Silence to honor the victims of senseless violence.

Announcing . . . The Blogger's Choice Awards!

Head on over to the Blogger's Choice Awards site to nominate your favorite blogs.

We have several nominees from Iowa already. Don't forget to vote! If I've missed any, please let me know and I'll update this list.

• Carpe Factum
• ConverStations
  
• Drew's Marketing Minute
  

Nora The Piano Playing Cat - The Sequel

Have you seen the sequel? Meet Nora, the piano playing cat. Nora lives with her five feline friends and artists, Burnell and Betsy. You can read more about the family at Raven's Wing Studio. There's even Nora posters, card, t-shirts . . . at the online shop.

According to Burnell, the sequel "features all-new footage and more duets. Better than the original! This is not a trick that was taught to Nora. She began sitting at the piano at about one-year-old. She's three now. She plays only when the mood strikes her, which is usually several time a times a day for short periods."

Related posts: Nora The Piano Playing Cat

Did You Take the Web Design Survey?

If you design and/or develop web sites, head on over and take the survey. It doesn't take long and the information they are collecting will help our profession.


Keeping It All In the Air

I was feeling really bad because some of the balls I've been juggling have been dangerously close to hitting the floor.

One of them is this blog. In my travels through the blogosphere I've read that it's better not to apologize when you don't write for awhile, so this is not an apology. It's more of a realization and my written intention to do a better job.

Another one is reading blogs. Lately I've been reading more and feel like it's time to get back in the game.

How are you doing at juggling?

Wordless Wednesday: Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding Hearts, originally uploaded by Frogboy.

 

Using Photo Flicks to Share Memories

Have you tried the great tools from PictureTrail? They're called Photo Flicks, and there are over 30 to choose from. This one is called "Slowslide." (I wrote a post about PictureTrail last week at Sandy's Great Find on Successful-Blog.)

I wanted to share pictures of the April gathering of the Iowa Blogga Nostra, and thought this was the perfect tool to use.

In case you want to join us, the Iowa Blogga Nostra gathers the first Friday of each month at Panera-U in West Des Moines. We look forward to seeing you!

Cool Slideshows

Gratitude

Here's another thought-provoking video, brought to you by The Power of Gratitude. Tip 'o the hat to How We Got Rich - where I first saw this video.

Don't Sit on the Fence! Quick, Persuade Liz, Save $100

Have you ever sat on the fence, not quite able to decide on something?

When they announced SOBCon'07, I was the first one in line to pre-register, but I did not pay. You can see my name on the attendee list.

Then this week I started teetering - trying to talk myself out of going because I missed the special price earlier in the week. Here's some of the the thoughts that ran through my head: it's too far, it takes too much time, it costs too much, I won't get much out of it, and my favorite:  who will miss me, nobody likes me, guess I'll go eat worms...

Enough of that! When I talked to Liz yesterday, I asked for another chance at the special price. I really do want to be there. Liz asked me to convince her.

Want to know what I told her?

Here is why I want to be at SOBCon:

• I blog, therefore I am
• I want to improve my blog
• I'm a SOB
• I wanna meet you and the rest of our community - live and in person
• I'm a contributing editor at Successful-Blog
• I attend Tues. Open Comments (a lot)
• I spoke at the Virtual Conference
• I will make the audience better, and so will you

Guess what!  Liz said yes!

Would you like to have the same chance to save $100? Hurry up quick though.

Go here - I bet you can persuade her, too. She's the nice one.

See you in Chicago!

Oh yeah, thanks Liz.

Join a Blog Carnival!

Reading Blog Carnivals is an efficient way to find great posts on a topic. Someone else has taken the time to gather the information all in one place. Sounds convenient to me.

If the carnival sounds fun to you, here are a few links to get you started reading! These are some that caught my eye.

Don't see the topic you want? Host your own carnival.

• Blog Carnival (list)
• About Blog Carnivals
• Carnival of Cities (this is an ongoing carnival - deadline every Sunday)
• Carnival of Non-Profit Consultants
• Law of Attraction Carnival

Related post:  Calling All Bloggers to Join the Carnival . . .

What Questions Do You Have? Find Answers at LinkedIn

Check out the new feature at LinkedIn - it's called Answers. It's pretty simple: you ask a question and receive answers from the LinkedIn community.

The combined knowledge of a lot of people can be very powerful, so this is bound to be a great addition to the LinkedIn network. There are a lot of categories to choose from (e.g., Business Operations, Law and Legal, Management, Marketing and Sales, Personal Finance, Startups and Small Businesses).

Here's a sampling:

• Phil G. - What's the best question you've ever asked or been asked that helped you get to know someone better?
• Mike R. - If you work remotely, or from a home office, what are your best tips and suggestions for keeping on track and sustaining your passion for work and productivity?
• Jessica W. - Need logo design ideas...
• Saul F. - Do I accept the freelance job or not?

What question will you ask?

The Western Appetite

This video touched me. Do we have our priorities in order? What can we do to make the world a better place?

Calling All Bloggers to Join the Carnival . . .

. . . blog carnival, that is.

Join the Carnival of Cities, hosted by Home Turf Media.

"This is a carnival of blog posts about cities. Submit any recent post that highlights an aspect of a city. Any angle is fine as long as it is related to a specific city (or fair-sized town.) Comment on a local politician's latest blunders, share a favorite restaurant review or present the city from a tourist's point of view. Look around; I'll bet you'll see many fantastic things to blog about, so let's share and discover the world, one city at a time."

Read background about the Carnival of Cities, and then submit a story.

Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, you will find me blogging at Around Des Moines, part of the  Home Turf Media network.

Do You Have a Ziki?

Not long ago I signed up for Ziki - a social networking tool that is gaining popularity.

Here's 5 things I like about Ziki

• Lists online profiles
• Displays latest posts from blog(s)
• Easy to connect with new people
• Gain exposure for blogs
• Start or join a group

Check it out today!

The Secret is Out - Sign up for the SOBCon '07 in Chicago

 

Take Your Blogging

to the Next Level

A Relationship Bloggers' Conference and Networking Event

Community, Friday, May 11, 2007, 6 – 9 PM

• Christine Kane, popular guitarist, singer, blogger LIVE