Purple Wren

Or Try DrawMo for Those Who Wish to Draw More

And for those people who draw, try DrawMo. This is one I know I can't handle in November, since I'm over-committed, but I might want to try it next year. Can't wait to see the posts. You will find them all on the group blog.

I'm just so excited about all the neat things happening in November in the blogosphere. What a great time to join a community and practice anything. Probably with more research we could find other events. Sometimes I need a bit of motivation to keep doing something, and groups and classes always work for me.

What will you do in November?

Maybe Commit to NaBloPoMo Instead!

What is NaBloPoMo?  It's National Blog Posting Month.

Maybe you don't feel up to writing an entire novel in November (NaNoWriMo), so join the group who pledges to post on their blog every single day. That's an awesome goal. I'm wondering if I have enough bandwidth to do both. Call me crazy, but I'm close right now. I think I'll sign up just so I don't let the blogging go by the wayside while I'm working on the novel.

November is shaping up to be very exciting, and very busy. Thanks to Debra Roby who posted about NaBloPoMo.

Birthday Greetings for Successful Blog

Something clever just for fun,
Successful Blog is turning one,
'Cause it's late I cannot wait,
But have want to say "Your Blog is GREAT!"

Happy Birthday Successful Blog! Didn't want to miss the 25-word birthday challenge from ME "Liz" Strauss, so had to think fast.

Photo on flickr by Andrew J. Swan

Photo Wednesday: Grasses and Wind

Again, Photo Wednesday comes around. The time seems to fly by. There must be something to the old saying I used to hear, "time flies when you're having fun." But maybe that was a bit sarcastic since people seemed to say it when they were doing things they didn't enjoy.

I wondered, so looked around on the internet a bit and found this article at LookSmart from Psychology Today. It refers to the adage "time passes more quickly as we age" and recommends that if you want time to pass more slowly, shake up your life. Hmmm...

Speaking of shaking, I love these ornamental grasses and they way they move in the wind. We just planted eight in our yard, so I'm looking forward to next year when they will grow 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. For now, I'm enjoying the plants in the neighbors' yards.

photo on flickr by the artful bodger

Full or Partial Feeds?

I like to read posts in my feed reader to save time. But since I design sites for clients and myself, I tend to browse the blogosphere when I have a chance. No matter which I choose, it's annoying and customer unfriendly to find a partial feed - or even worse a partial post on your blog - making me (your reader) click for "more."

Yes, this topic has been discussed at length, but here's another opportunity for you to voice your opinion. Do you prefer partial or full posts and why?

Following are a few links to previous conversations on the topic.

• Scobleizer: Blog Herald doesn't understand why full-text feeds work
• A Consuming Experience: Feeds: partial or full? How to have both
• Buzz Marketing with Blogs: Full or Partial Posts in RSS Feeds
• Entrepreneur's Journey: Full or Partial RSS Feeds? - Let the People Decide!
• SEOmoz: Switching to Partial Text RSS Feed - Vote Your Opinion

Buttons by wizard creek consulting

Photo Wednesday: I Hear the Train

I was pondering what to write about today, and remembered - it's Photo Wednesday!  That's a nice change for me because I love looking at the photoblogs and photo sharing sites.

So I went on a hunt for something seasonal from Iowa and couldn't resist this picture. This one's for you, Mike.

"I hear the train a comin' - it's rollin' 'round the bend..."

Mike Sansone is a blog coach extraordinaire and he is located right here in Iowa. He also refers to these lyrics quite often. Check out his blog and you'll see why. Give him a holler and let him know you're ready to get on the train.

photo on flickr by Lampy
lyrics from Folson Prison Blues