What Does It Take To Become A Mom Blogger?

I can't help but to giggle sometimes when people ask, "What do you do?"  When I respond, "I'm a Mom blogger," I get some of the strangest looks.

After I explain exactly what a Mom (or sometimes referred to as "Review") blogger does, if the strange look disappears (it doesn't always) I get the question, "How did you get started in that?"

Which is secretly code for, "I want to do it too."

So here's my answer:  nothing special.

Start by picking you out a name.  The catchier the better.  Reserve a domain name (those .blogwhatever names just don't say you're very serious to potential advertisers), park yourself at a place offering budget hosting (just because it says "budget" doesn't mean low-rent, know what I mean?), and start posting.

You don't have to have perfect grammar, be the funniest or wittiest, or even be the most popular to be a Mom Blogger.  What you do have to have is dedication, stamina, and self-driven.  No, it doesn't require posting something every day but frequently enough to let potential advertisers know you're not just a fly-by-night blog.

Start out by reviewing products that you use around your home.  Talk about the funny conversations with your kids and your husband.  Post about projects you've got going on at home, in your community organizations, or at your children's school. 

And before you know it, you'll be getting emails on a regular basis asking you to "pitch" this product or that service to your readers - sometimes it's for free products, other times it'll involve cash.

Mom blogging can be a lot of fun.  A great way to meet other moms, vent your frustrations, and make a little extra money in the meantime.

Unlike some would have you believe, there's no big secret.  So go on, get started, then come back and let me know where I can find you!

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“Not in My Yard” Blog: The Gloves Come Off as Havahart® Launches New Nuisance Animal Control Blog

This is a sponsored guest post written by Theresa Flavin on behalf of Havahart. Post powered by Sponzai.


 Ahh, spring: The season of new life, new beginnings and, for many, utter frustration as a host of furry critters help themselves to our tender springtime blooms. It’s a near-universal problem for home gardeners, so Havahart® (http://www.havahart.com/) has launched the new Not in My Yard blog (http://www.notinmyyard.com/), where you can contribute posts, interact with other gardeners and get expert advice on taking your yard back from hungry wildlife.

Not in My Yard blog focuses on total yard protection through trapping and repelling animals humanely but effectively with Havahart products. Do you have a helpful or interesting experience protecting your yard and garden from the onslaught of hungry raiders? Submit it to Not in My Yard blog and let others know what worked. Top contributors are listed on the blog, so the more guest posts you submit, the better chance you have of seeing your name in lights. Chances are, there will be other Not in My Yard blog regulars with pest control problems similar to yours -- and even other gardeners from your region. You can choose to show only their posts so you don’t miss the tips most relevant to your situation.

If posting on blogs isn’t your thing, Not in My Yard blog is the perfect place to learn about total yard protection. Expert and guest bloggers discuss controlling wild (and not-so-wild) animals of all types, including chipmunks, deer, dogs, feral cats, groundhogs, rabbits, raccoons, rodents, skunks and squirrels. You’ll learn about live trapping and using non-toxic, organic repellents to keep wildlife from viewing your yard as a trendy neighborhood eatery. You’ll enjoy interesting -- and frequently humorous -- stories about wildlife in other gardeners’ yards. And perhaps most importantly, you’ll see you’re not alone in your fight to protect your landscaping or garden.

 

Not in My Yard blog also features the live Havahart Twitter feed with helpful tips and promotional discounts on total yard protection products. You can subscribe to the RSS feed or submit your e-mail address for live updates whenever a new post is added to the blog.

 

“We’re excited to launch Not in My Yard blog,” said Havahart marketing associate Theresa Flavin. “This is the blog for everyone who has ever watched their tulips become rabbit food, lost their hostas to deer or wished the neighborhood skunks would find a different path to walk every night. We enjoy hearing the lively, fun and informative stories submitted by home gardeners just as much as the Not in My Yard blog readers do!”

Want to become an active part of Not in My Yard blog? Visit http://www.notinmyyard.com/ and join the conversation. Learn more about Havahart’s humane traps and repellents at http://www.havahart.com/. And this spring, watch what Havahart total yard protection products can do to keep your home and garden beautiful.

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Easy Wordpress Landing Pages for Affiliate Marketing

There's no hiding it - many mom blogs use affiliating marketing as a means of financing their blogs.

And many bloggers are now turning to the easy Wordpress platform.

Now you can create an easy four-step Wordpress landing page to promote products and/or services.

These simple Landing Pages for Wordpress Blogs allows you to create unique pages within your blog without having to change your template!

This is a paid advertisement. Please scroll down to the lower portion of this page for full disclosure policy.

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Should Parents Stop Posting Photos of Their Children Online?

Massachusetts mom Jenni Brennan had no idea how her life would change when she opened an email from "some girl."

The email altered Jenni that her seven-month-old son Jacob was currently listed as available for adoption at Craigslist; apparently, part of an international adoption scam.

When Brennan followed the link provided in the email, she found an ad offering a "Cute Baby Boy," who supposedly was residing in an orphanage in Cameroon. For only $300, interested parties could begin the adoption process.

A picture was not included in the listing.

Brennan opted to do a bit of her own detective work and sent an email to the address listed. She quickly received a response and photo; a photo she confirmed to be of her son, whom she calls Jake.

It seems that the photo was taken with the Brennan's family blog.

Following her discovery, Brennan immediately contacted the FBI and Massachusetts' Attorney General's Office.

Yahoo has closed the account listed as a contact in the fraudulent ad.

In addition, Brennan has now restricted access to her family blog.

Following the flurry of the Brennan case, coupled with the recent case involving mom-blogging Danielle, writer of Extraordinary Mommy - whose family photo was stolen from her site and used on a billboard campaign in the Czech Republic (read more of the story) - many bloggers are saying that parents should not post pictures of their children online; lest something like these cases occur or worse.

I'm curious to other bloggers thoughts on this. Will you continue posting pictures of your children online? If so, will you decrease pixels and/or watermark your images?

Share your thoughts.

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Affiliate Marketing Becoming An Endangered Species

Affiliate marketing is a major backbone of Mom bloggers.

Through affiliate marketing, Mom bloggers are able to make their blogs profitable; thus compensating them for their hard work and time.

With the current economic crisis that is affecting our nation, more and more shoppers are looking to online resources as a means to finding better deals. In turn, states are seeing a rapid decrease in sales tax collections and are eager to recoup those losses.

"The trouble began in 2008, when New York passed a law requiring Amazon (and other retailers) to collect sales taxes if they had 'affiliates' in the state," writes Chris Null of Yahoo! Tech. Null continues, "New York claimed that having these local affiliates meant Amazon was operating a physical 'nexus' in that state, thus subjecting any sales there to New York state sales tax. Amazon sued the state, and lost."

Other sites with affiliate marketers, such as Overstock.com, decided to instead "fire" their affiliates; thereby eliminating any claim by states of a nexus.

As a results of New York's victory, four other states - California, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and North Carolina - have successfully or plan to institute a plan to collect sales tax on internet sales.

Amazon, one of the internet's largest affiliates, is already responding. Rather than continue their efforts to abolish internet sales tax with the judicial system, Amazon instead opted to terminate their affiliate ties with participants in those states.

Anyone who currently participates in affiliate marketing needs to be keeping an eye on their state's stance pertaining to this issue. And in the meantime, you should contact your Representatives to let them know you do not agree with such measures.

It should be taken into consideration that, as these states continue to create more havoc with their frivolous taxation, they will be creating an even greater number of those suffering income loss; which, in turn, will reduce the number of goods and services sold thereby slowing down even more an almost idle economy.

And I can assure you, just as we have seen throughout history, government won't be able to manage the money made from internet sales no better than they properly allocated funds previously collected. So what will be their next target for taxation and the excuse for doing so?

I agree with Lynn Terry as she states on her ClickNewz blog, "Personally, I applaud the merchants for taking a stand, and the affiliates who have written to their state Representatives regarding the new internet sales tax laws."

Will you take a stand? Or will you set idly by as government once again taxes us for their inability to manage a budget?

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Fake Mom Blogger Busted Then Cries Foul

Beccah Beushausen, a 26-year-old social worker from the Chicago suburb of Mokenka, was recently exposed for her faux blog; a blog that was based on her terminally ill unborn baby.

She suckered thousands into believing her story as she posted deep, philosophical posts about her "journey" to deliver a child she knew would never survive.

Anti-abortion groups sang her praises and spotlighted her blog. People from around the world sent gifts. Millions of prayers were sent up in the name of April's Mom (Beushausen) and her unborn infant.

And it was all a hoax.

If her fake blog wasn't enough, in a post dated June 14, 2009, Beushausen states, "I am aware that many people are posting comments and talking on forums online regarding me communicating with them. This is false. I don't know if the people who are speaking like this are doing so out of ignorance on their part or for the intentional spreading of lies...."

She is critical of others that she claims are spreading lies?

I'm supposed to believe her?

Oh well, I could go on the premise that "it takes one to know one."

I think "April's Mom" would find it in her best interested to sit down, shut up, and disappear for a while. (And get some serious counseling in the meantime)

Nobody is buying what she's selling...this time.

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Operation Aborted in Blogger Getting REALLY Old

Many, many, many [....] bloggers are still reporting the error message in IE7 (and 8 - despite being told it won't happen in the newer version) of "Operation Aborted" when trying to load blogspot blogs.

It appears to be a problem with the "Followers" script.

Using another browser will correct it.

Tell that to the 54.44% of visitors to my blog that use Internet Explorer.


I opted to remove the "Followers" gadget until (if) Blogger fixes it and reinstalled the top bar as a temporary option.

But there are many blogs out there that I like to read that haven't removed it and I can't get to their site. (Sorry, I'm a die hard IE fan!)

Sigh.

Come on, Blogger, get it fixed already. Ditch the plan of making the former "Blogger in Draft" the new Blogger and restore the old.

When you get the bugs worked out, then you can reintroduce it.

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The ULTIMATE Mom Blog Roll

Here is the mega, ultimate list of Blogs Mom Blogs from MomDot. Are you looking at getting to know others in the big blogosphere world? Here are 333 wonderful, awesome Mom Blogs to visit. Don’t forget to do a little commenting while you are there. Thanks to all the Mom Blogs who participated!

1. http://www.notalwayscharming.com/

2. Fairy Blog Mother

3. Crazy Adventures in Parenting

4. Engineer a Debt Free Life

5. Sweet ‘n’ Sassy Girls

6. Good Golly Miss Blondie

7. SavvySuzie

8. For The Love of Baby!

9. http://lovemy2dogs.blogspot.com/

10. Blessings Abound

11. Coupons, Deals and More

12. Hairstyles For Girls

13. http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com/

14. A latte in the morning

15. KiddiesCorner Deals

16. 3 Kids and Us Mom Blog

17. The Ohana Mama

18. Coupon Queens of Laurel Run

19. Today’s Journey

20. http://confessionsofahousewife.com/

21. My Charmed Life

22. http://www.doublebugs.com/

23. http://3boys1girlandadog.blogspot.com/

24. New Sue Review

25. Suzanne Calling

26. Just For Me…and You

27. Time Slides By

28. Babes and Kids

29. Declutter a Little Each Day

30. Grocery Savings for Real Families

31. Life Starring Ellie and Eve

32. So Cute Crafts

33. Brea’s Mommy

34. Are Muffins Just Ugly Cupcakes

35. It’s A Beauty Filled Life

36. The crazy suburban mom

37. Donna’s World

38. Momma’s Gone Over the Wall

39. Mommy’s Quiet Time

40. Joyce (Saving My Cents)

41. My Trendy Tykes

42. The Not-So-Blog

43. Confessions From HouseholdSix

44. SiPPyCuPSand FiNGerPriNTS

45. http://www.couponmommie.com/

46. http://www.crackersandchaos.blogspot.com/

47. Giftfully Simple

48. Just For Fun

49. Digital Mommy

50. Me And Craig

51. Parenting Princesses

52. http://mylastshredsofsanity.blogspot.com/

53. Inside My Head

54. Petit

55. My Love Lucy

56. FreckleBox personalized gift

57. Baby Lulu Dress

58. Blog 4 Mom

59. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

60. Jolly Mom

61. My Life My Journey

62. Maman And Gourmand

63. http://jessmalexander.blogspot.com/

64. The POSHpreneur

65. A Blog of Goodies

66. Christy aka The Write Gal

67. LookWhatMomFound

68. Peanut Butter & Smelly’s Dad

69. Lucy

70. Angry Julie Monday

71. The Mogul Mom Blog

72. Angela

73. Deal-ectible Mommies

74. Christy’s Creations

75. Lisa

76. http://www.booksnboys.blogspot.com/

77. Wannabe Supermom

78. Thre Craft Momma

79. Internet Toddler

80. http://lifeisasandcastle.blogspot/

81. Kristen of La Dolce Vita

82. Cranberry Fries

83. http://www.mud-bug.com/

84. The Mom Buzz

85. http://nightowlmama.blogspot.com/

86. Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls

87. Mommy Cracked

88. EclecticBird

89. Mama Mentor

90. Moomettesgram’s Musings

91. Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews

92. Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes

93. Diaries of a Domestic Goddess

94. Go Graham Go!

95. NerdFamily Things

96. NerdFamily Blog

97. Making Money Keeping Money

98. NerdFamily Food

99. Flying Giggles & Lollipops

100. http://themorrisbunchblog.com/

101. http://www.simplybeingmommy.com/

102. A Kindred Spirit’s Thoughts

103. Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House

104. D-Lo’s Lounge

105. Free Sample Freak

106. What Mommies Need

107. Mom of 2 Boys, Wife of 1

108. icefairy’s Treasure Chest

109. Cheaper Than Therapy

110. Therapeutic Reviews & Giveaways

111. Lily Bean Designs

112. Dirty Diaper Laundry

113. Dance Momma

114. JamericanSpice

115. Mombalance

116. A Pocket Full Of Buttons

117. Ordinary and Awesome

118. Reviews and Giveaways

119. Subjective Beauty

120. Tales From A Shopaholic Mommy

121. Mommiemayhem

122. IE Mommy

123. http://blasianbabynotes.blogspot.com/

124. Amber Woodward

125. Grammy Janet’s Place

126. Outnumbered 3 to 1

127. ShimmerMeBlue

128. Dev’s Favorite Giveaways

129. Joyful Money Saving

130. 1stopmom

131. A Modern Mama

132. PourSomeSugarOnMe

133. Fancast

134. Lollipop Baby

135. Lola & Ben

136. idoby2celebrants

137. Sue Jackson

138. Cackleberry Kids

139. Gifts By The Stars

140. Jemma

141. Handmade Kids

142. Ollie Rose

143. Babasfarmlife

144. Banquet Manager

145. Monkey’s Momma

146. This Mom Can Shop

147. EcoLabel Fundraising

148. Divine Chaos

149. baby kakes ink alphabet onesie

150. tee from recycle me

151. http://lizzie-q-homemaker.blogspot.com/

152. marla mandell bread (5/17)

153. ozone socks 5/15

154. Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs

155. Hip T

156. ThenComes Baby

157. Homemade Gourmet

158. Fresh Pure and Simple

159. MomDot Mom Blogs

160. MomDot Mom Reviews

161. Bloggers Give Charity

162. Organic Baby Resource

163. Potamus Prefers

164. The Army Wife

165. Through Hazel Eyes

166. Frugal Rhode Island Mama

167. Just Jingle

168. And Twins make 5!

169. Frugal Plus

170. Christie

171. What Happened To My House?

172. Miracles on Mama Street

173. Heck Of A Bunch

174. Blog Designs by Susan

175. mommy23monkeys

176. Hanna

177. Got Kids Need Valium

178. Womb At The INNSANE

179. Katie & Kimble Blog

180. http://adventuresofastayathomemom.com/

181. The Frugalicious Mommy

182. Penny Pinching Diva

183. Another day. Another thought or two

184. Beauty4Moms

185. http://www.evilflu.com/

186. Little Miss Julia

187. Mrs Zeee

188. Cheryl

189. Frazzle Dazzle SuperMom

190. Florida Mealtime Savers

191. Inspiration Station

192. Mommy’s Kitchen

193. Saving with MamaNordy

194. Saving SAHM Sanity

195. A Little Piece Of Perfect

196. Nodin’s Nest

197. Lil Miss Eco

198. Laryn Strickland

199. HeatherMama

200. The Gerber Babies Blog

201. WhateverSuccess

202. Women Who Win

203. http://theburbblog.com/

204. Happy Healthy Families

205. Sweeps4Bloggers

206. dramaqueensmum

207. The Mom Trap

208. Multitasking Mama

209. Mama Michies Musings

210. Little People Wealth

211. Belly Beyond

212. Kim Kihega

213. Mom Fuse

214. Juanita

215. Adopt a Do

216. On the Refriderator Door

217. Christine

218. Little Diva

219. My Household Junk

220. I’m Here….Really

221. http://greer5intexas.blogspot.com/

222. mary

223. http://www.nicolesnickels.net/

224. Lori Newman

225. http://kris-jay-caity-izzie.blogspot.com/

226. Debb

227. Shawn Ann’s World

228. Peke Moe -NZ made baby sleep sacks

229. A Simple Kinda LIfe

230. Sweet Serendipity

231. Bouncing Off The Walls

232. Jane Loedding

233. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

234. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

235. Msbuildingupdabenjamins

236. Musings from Me

237. Veronnica

238. The Adventures of Miss V

239. Mudd Kids

240. Mom Most Traveled family travel

241. Relishing the Dirt

242. Good, True and Beautiful

243. http://frugallivingandhavingfun.blogspot.com/

244. The Last Blog on Earth

245. A Wrestling Addicted Mommy

246. Rae

247. http://www.thesidelinesoflife.blogspot.com/

248. Dore’s Diaries

249. Blog by Donna

250. Lisette

251. Pillaging With Buffie

252. Mom of Faith

253. GODSOWN

254. flutterbyechronicles

255. shelley

256. Life In A House Of Blue

257. kristen

258. Alex the Fey Thriller Series

259. MamaCheaps!

260. Donalacasa

261. A Jewish Journey

262. http://learningtogetherhandinhand.blogspot.com/

263. BethinNC

264. Stuttering Shell

265. Don’t Blink

266. Life is Sweet

267. Lisa

268. http://www.sahmsue.com/

269. m.e (cathie)

270. Run DMT

271. Princess Ratbag

272. Michelle G

273. http://www.nathansfight.com/

274. Moody Mama Says

275. Laurie Ann

276. Cooking During Stolen Moments

277. A Simple Walk

278. Vanessa

279. middleagedmom

280. Ramblings Of A Wannabe Writer

281. Oh My Baby

282. Fordcast Sunny

283. Lisa Miller

284. http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com/

285. Bibs & Cribs {very cute stuff}

286. My Lil’ Budget Book

287. Misadventures in Baby Raising

288. My Mommy Said

289. Milk & Honey Mommy

290. Milk and Honey Mommy

291. Amy O’Neal

292. Parenting Children

293. A Girl And Her Life

294. MarieLynn Boutique Blog

295. Born Fabulous Boutique Blog

296. The Pitter Patter Boutique

297. Stephanie Deese

298. Brea’s Baby Boutique Blog

299. digiscrapping.net - Heather Manning

300. Kids Activities Blog

301. Two Little Whales Cloth Diapers & More

302. 3 boys & a dog

303. Karen ~Georgia Angel

304. http://mynotsohurriedlife.blogspot.com/

305. Shannon Blogs Here

306. A Virtuous Woman

307. Secrets of a Southern Kitchen

308. Dreamer

309. Lollipop Book Club

310. Mommie Daze Virtual Baby Shower

311. Heck Of A Bunch

312. MomSaves4U

313. Barely Domestic Mama

314. http://www.babylovingmama.com/

315. Professional Family Manager

316. Kathleen

317. Coaching The Family

318. Frugal Creativity

319. Easy Being Green

320. Dandelion Bubbles

321. Shelly aka The Attic Girl

322. Foxtoybox-Discovery Toys

323. http://beauty4moms.blogspot.com/

324. Colleen - Mommy Always Wins

325. Playground for Parents

326. World of Discovery

327. http://andbabymakesfourperrine.blogspot.com/

329. A Little Bit Nutty

330. Mahayla’s Mommy

332. If I Could Escape . . .

333. The Shopping Mama

Be sure to leave a comment letting them know you were there and how you found them! :)

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Are You A Blogging Addict?

I was saddened to hear that we lost another fellow Mom Blogger.

According to other sources, A Nut In A Nutshell was shut down earlier this week, along with her twitter and blog email address. It was said that she had previously mentioned just how much time blogging was taking away from her family and home life.

While I wasn't a close personal friend of this blogger, I still hate to see her go; many a times I found myself dropping in on her blog to update on her newest giveaways, reviews, or relaying of family antics.

But I do understand her decision.

Just in the short time that I've been blogging, there has been times that I could have been doing something else but was instead blogging.

Am I becoming a blogging addict? According to a quiz I took....

55%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

And apparently I'm a lot less addicted than a lot of others. lol

Fortunately, I haven't reached the point where I recognize myself in the the warning signs of blog addiction. What about you?

10 Signs You Might Be Addicted to Blogging

10. You check your blog stats a LOT. You occasionally get up in the middle of the night and sneak a peak.

9. Your significant other suspects you are having an affair with your blog. Even when you’re alone with your special person, you do find yourself thinking what your blog might be doing right then…

8. You “mental blog” while driving or on the train, and sometimes even when you are alone in the shower.

7. You filter everything through your post-writing. You can’t watch a movie, see a play, read an article, or share a sweet moment with your child without thinking of whether it’s blog-worthy.

6. You suffer from “blog envy” when another blogger posts something juicy before you do. You suffer “comment envy” when said post gets 40-something comments – the jerk!

5. You “binge blog” 3 or 4 posts at once—only to feel guilty and empty afterward.

4. You ditched all your real friends for blog friends, because, well, “they understand.”

3. You think, “I can stop at any time.”

2. Your lunch hour has become your “blog hour.” You keep a few posts tucked in your desk in case you need them during the day.

1. After 5 minutes of meeting someone really interesting you ask, “So - do you blog?”

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Creating An Awesome Blog: Resources for the New Blogger

It seems all you hear these days is Blog this, Blog that. Everybody has a blog! Whether it's on a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook or more professional like Wordpress or Blogger, it seems there is a blog out there detailing the lives and opinions of ordinary people.

And because there are so many blogs, serious bloggers have to do something to make theirs stand out.

Here are some resources that I'm hoping you'll find useful in making your blog unique!

(This will be a continually updated list. If you have a resource for bloggers you feel would be useful, please feel free to leave it in the comments and I will add it to the list ASAP. Thank you!)

TEMPLATES

• The Cutest Blog On The Block The most popular templates on the web! Offering hundreds of easy to use templates, TCBOTB also offers tips and tricks for your blog such as making your blog 3 columns, how to create a signature, and much more. Custom paid services also available.
  
  
• Our Blogger Templates If you're looking for professional looking templates, this is the place to visit. Designed for the blogger who is slightly advanced in HTML and CSS. Limited selection but beautiful templates!
  
  
• Final Sense Offering a very wide variety of Blogger templates; including 3 and 4 column layouts. Detailed instructions for installation offered.
  
  
• PYZAM If you like the ease and style of MySpace templates, then Pyzam is where you want to go for your Blogger template. Bright and flashy in a variety of themes, these templates are super easy to install.

WIDGETS

• Blogoversary Count down the date to your blog's anniversary with this neat widget that's very simple to create and place on your blog.
  
  
• Recent Posts and Recent Comments for Blogger While not a readily created widget, this detailed and easy tutorial shows you how to create your own comments and recent posts widget straight from the Blogger layout. You'll find that using your own RSS feeds is more reliable than using widgets created and hosted by other sites.
  
  
• Top Commenters This handy dandy little widget uses Yahoo Pipes to pull the last 500 comments from your blog then summarize the top 10 commenters that easily displays in your Blogger sidebar.
  
  
• Feedjit This very popular tool offers real time traffic stats to your blog. Four neat styles to choose from. Customizable to match your blog colors. Easy to install.
  
  
• The Human Calendar This neat little gadget exhibts the date (month, date, year, and day) using people holding handwritten signs.
  
  
• Web and Designers: 10 Free Social Icon Sets Let visitors know how they can follow you with these unique and fun social icon sets. Download and installation required. Easy to use.
  
  
• Twitter Widgets Twitter offers a nice selection of Twitter widgets to use on your blog, keeping visitors and followers alike updated on your latest tweets!
  
  
• My BlogLog The widget lets you see the avatars of recent visitors to your blog, provided they’re also members of MyBlogLog.
  
  
• Twitter Counter With Twitter's popularity, there's sure to be a ton of widgets for the popular social networker. This widget allows readers to see how many follow you on Twitter. Easy to create and install.
  
  
• Link Within Shows visitors to a specific post similar post in which they may be interested. Very simple to create and install. Popular widget despite some criticism from professional bloggers.
  
  
• Rank Widget This tool checks your blog's Google PageRank, Alexa Traffic Rank, Technorati Blog Rank & Yahoo Search InLinks, then shows them on your Blog. A great tool for website promotion!
  
  
• Technorati Authority Show off your link love (authority) with this easy to use, easy to install widget from one of the most popular social networking sites on the web.
  
  
• Widgetbox: Quote of the Day Add random quotes of the day to your blog. Customize to match your blog. Copy and paste code created for you for easy installation.
  
  
• Entrecard Promote your blog and find new blogs with this advertising-style widget. Must join and upload a 125 x 125 ad/button/badge. Advertise on similar sites with Entrecard Credits (ECs) you earn from "dropping" your card on other EC users. Future projects of this site include offering paid advertising where blog hosts will be able to trade in their ECs for cash.
  
  
• Random.org A super tool for giveaway blogs! Create a widget to place on your blog to have the random number generator choose the winner! Also offers a coin flipper, playing card shuffler, jazz scale generator, bitmap generator and more!
  
  
• My Blogger Experience: How To Add Search To Blogger Using the Blogger Draft version, bloggers can easily add a search function to their blog. Customizable search of your blog only or to include the web and sites to which you have linked.

SCRIPTING

• How To Create an HTML Form from Tizag.com This very clear, concise tutorial provides simple instructions on how to create an HTML form that can be used within your blog posts. Use all or part of the input features to create the desired look and function.
  
  
• Blogger Help: How To Number Comments Great for giveaway blogs! This script visibly displays the number of each comment.
  
  
• Blogger Help: How To Create Expandable Post Summaries (Read More) With this trick, you can choose to display an arbitrary amount of text from the beginning of each post, as a teaser for the whole thing. Then users who want to read the rest of the post can click a link to see the full text. This is handy if you have lots of long articles all on one page.
  
  
• World of Vampire: Most Viewed Posts This easy to install using Blogger's "Add HTML/Java Script" allows visitors to your blog to view the most popular posts.
  
  
• Blog Know How: Adjust Blogger Title Tags for Better SEO Easy copy and paste coding into your template allows for your post title to appear followed by blog title. Amazing results with search engine optimization (SEO)!
  
  
• How To Create A Poll Inside Blogger Post This simple tutorial provides a neat method of placing a poll within your blog post. Great for reader interaction!

MISCELLANEOUS:

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Federal Trade Commission Looks to Regulate What You Say On Your Blog

Recently the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has decided to once again trample on American's First Amendment Rights. This time it's directed at companies using word-of-mouth advertising via blogs.

"Revised guidelines on endorsements and testimonials by the Federal Trade Commission, now under review and expected to be adopted, would hold companies liable for untruthful statements made by bloggers and users of social networking sites who receive samples of their products.

"The guidelines would also hold bloggers liable for the statements they make about products," says David Gelles in an article he published April 2, 2009, titled Advertisers Brace For Online Viral Marketing Curbs.

So what exactly does this mean for a review blogger?

"If a blogger received a free sample of skin lotion and then incorrectly claimed the product cured eczema, the FTC could sue the company for making false or unsubstantiated statements. The blogger could be sued for making false representations," says Gelles.

Can you image the impact that this revision will have on your average mommy blogger?

It's no secret that Mom blogs are the fastest growing blog type. Why? Because advertisers can't get enough to spread the word about their products. Of course, now that is sure to change.

When (and it is when not if) this revision takes effect, advertisers will undoubtedly drastically reduce the number of Mom blogs used as a means of advertising. Even if they don't wish to do so, I'm sure their liability insurance companies will require them to do so. After all, it's just to risky; a loose cannon, if you will.

And speaking of liability insurance...how many mommy bloggers are really in a position to purchase liability insurance? After all, most of us are simple stay at home moms, living on one income, and blogging as a way to bring in a little something extra to the household.

Quite frankly, I see this as a violation of my First Amendment Rights! Isn't it my right to say as I wish about a product or service I've used?

For example, Krista of Boutique Flair at discussion held on this subject at Mom Bloggers Club (MBC), "While I'm all for cracking down on companies that promise miracles via their product and hoodwink people, I think this has always been an issue, web or not. I remember my very wrinkly great-grandma slathering herself with Oil of Olay in hopes of fighting wrinkles. Did it work? Maybe for some, but not for her."

Without a doubt, there are many who feel strongly that Oil of Olay, just as an example, does fight wrinkles or create smoother, younger looking skin; otherwise, Oil of Olay would be out of business. And isn't it those individuals rights to say so when they've used the products and feel strongly that they've seen such results? Even if they received a free sample in exchange for a written review from the company?

This most likely comes about as people are like to litigate over the most trivial of matters; even more so in a slow economy, as we are experiencing now.

The only way to save the reviewing Mommy blogger, may be to introduce the idea offered by member Maternal Spark during the previously mentioned MBC discussion, "I think bloggers can overcome this by simply using a disclaimer....'this post is my personal opinion and does not represent the opinion of the sponsor company. My experience in using this product may not reflect your experience...blah blah blah.'"

While the majority of bloggers would gladly be willing to include such a caveat in their review, I personally feel it's ridiculous. Blogs are nothing but personal opinions; why is it necessary to state the obvious?

Oh that's right....because there are those out there who believe everything they read.

Maybe instead of regulating blog advertising, we should regulate stupidity.

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