This weeks Adopt-A-Blog winner is…..drum roll please…..

Isn’t this adorable! Paty is actually a blog designer and designed this blog herself. She will design yours too, if you want, more on that later! First notice the words: HOME, ABOUT, TIPS AND TRICKS, CONTACT. Each of these is a link and if you roll the cursor over them, you can click to find out more about Paty and what she offers.

In the top left, you will see ENTER YOUR EMAIL. This is your opportunity to Adopt-A-Blog! Sign up to have delicious recipes sent right to your email box. I love the pictures that Paty uses to enhance her entries. As Rachel Ray says, “Yummo!” You will also notice a SEARCH RECIPES window that works just like recipe google.

In this section, pay particular attention to the pink box that says FAIRY BLOGMOTHER DESIGN. This is a link to Paty’s design site. If you have been looking for a unique blog and are tired of sifting through templates that don’t express who you are, Paty will be happy to talk to you about how to have a personal presence on line.

The list on the right of the page are related blog entries. Each title is actually a link and you can click on anyone of them that you find interesting. You can then use the “back” arrow to find Paty’s site again.

Here is my favorite part! Paty calls her comments SATISFIED TUMMIES. I absolutely LOVE that! Very unique and creative. Her comment invitation is clear and concise…it is just WAY at the bottom of the page after all of the rest of the satisfied tummies!! Be sure to scroll all the way down to this box and leave your comment. Touch base with Paty and say hi!

HERE IS THE LINK TO GO IMMEDIATELY TO VISIT PATY’S BLOG: http://www.ikissbetterthanicook.com/

Remember, you will be asked to leave an email address with your comment. If you are concerned about this, be sure to start a designated email account just for blogging on one of the big sites, Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. You can be as anonymous as you want to be.

Well, there you have it! Congratulations to Paty and stay tuned….your blog may be picked next!

Catherine

http://HowToMakeYourManPerfect.wordpress.com

]]> http://jointheblogversation.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/adopt-a-blog-i-kiss-better-than-i-cook/feed/ 1 Catherine Behan http://jointheblogversation.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/are-you-a-coach-who-wants-more-clients/ http://jointheblogversation.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/are-you-a-coach-who-wants-more-clients/#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:38:31 +0000 Catherine Behan http://jointheblogversation.wordpress.com/?p=30 Continue reading →]]> Good. At least you are calling a spade a spade.

If you are a personal life coach and you want more clients, are prepared for more clients and feel you are ready for more clients then where are they?

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a feeling no one has clued you in to the free advertising that is available to you right now, in this minute. This is true especially if you are a writer.

Not one of my current contacts has a fun blog going on. Most are languishing with the unconscious but powerful No Comments link staring us in the face. Which begs the question, WordPress, why can’t we have a button option that says Comments Please or even better Add A Comment. I mean really, give us bloggers a break!

Yet, most of my contacts want to be more tuned in to the needs of their future clients. The solution? Be an active responder on other people’s blogs. Give them a valid piece of your knowledge base with the sincere heart to help and then sign your real name and put your blog url under your signature.

The results are astounding. I have only been doing this for a couple of weeks and today I was found by four people who typed these requests into google:

*How to win your man back from another woman

*How to make your life perfect

*What can I do to become irresistible

*What to do when another woman is after your man

Sure looks like four good article ideas to me. These four requests are exactly the market I am targeting. Exactly.

So, you want success? Prove it. Be a blogger. Laser focus your market and google blogs about that market. I have full throttle passion for seeing people learn how to accept the annoying habits of their partner so they can give their relationship a real shot, so I google heart break blogs and then I start responding.

Please tell me your results. This is amazing and free.

Getting more blogfident all the time!

Catherine

http://HowTo MakeYourManPerfect.wordpress.com

Man, I am really impressed with myself this morning!! I’m taking screen shots! Yikes!

I am creating a new feature on Join The Blogversation called Adopt A Blog. My vision is to pick a blog and point out the important features so that a newbie blogger can try it out. If you have a blog you would like to be featured, let me know and I just might pick yours!!

The author of the featured blog will LOVE to have you take a look and even better if you join her blogversation and share your feedback. Don’t tell anyone but we authors love a little attention! On the slightly more serious side, if something you read moves you, it is a great gift you give to the author when you let them know that.

First and foremost, some of you have expressed concern at using your email address on the blogs you want to support. There is an easy solution. Go to Google and set up a G Mail account with the express intent to use that account for your blogging. You will find it easier to feel more anonymous and that is a great way to start.

Later when you are more comfortable, go ahead and use your true identity if you want. While it is considered poor form to try to sell your product and service right away (more on that in a future post), you can always use your url after your name.

So here is the first Adopt a Blog featured Blog. It is Susan Schanerman’s heARTmatters:

Susan is madly passionate about unleashing creativity. She writes practical and inspiring posts focused on waking your creative muse and allowing art to heal the heart. You will love it!

First, notice in the top right corner and you will notice the subscribe now box. When you visit Susan, go ahead and sign up for email notification. It is easy to do and there is excellent spam protection so you won’t get a bunch of junk mail if you sign up!

Then you will notice the latest blog entry…This one called Journal Power. Susan writes excellent and brief posts and this one is no exception.

At the end of the blog….

look carefully for the lighter green box and you will see “posted by Susan Schunerman”. Under that you will see “2 comments”. This is your link to leave a comment. Click on it and you will see one comment by yours truly. Add one of your own. Most times, the author will write back to you and you will feel inspired by your connection. [in this blog, the comment link is at the top right under the title and next to the date...it says no comment but it means please comment!]

The rest of the page is a listing of all other blog entries Susan has posted. If you want, go ahead and look at other titles. There will be a comment box following each entry.

OK Bloggettes…let’s Adopt-A-Blog! Go to heARTmatters and try it!

Blog On!!

Catherine

http://HowToMakeYourManPerfect.wordpress.com

I don’t know about you, but for me, blogging is a brand new concept.

When I first tuned into blogging last month it was the book Blogwild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging written by Andy Wibbels that helped me see the potential benefits of blogging. His simple book gives step by step directions for setting up a blog. For me, that was exactly what I wanted to do. I am working on a book and I wanted the blog to begin a conversation with my readers before it is even written.

While I have been on the fast track to learning and having fun with social networking, I am having a terrible time convincing my baby boomer peers that blogging is as entertaining as it is. I have heard the most interesting criticisms and suspicious thinking imaginable. I have also heard from more than one person who is just intimidated and doesn’t know how to start.

I understand all of the views and as a newbie myself, I am learning as I go. I am discovering that very few people my age…I am 55, are blogging. Many of my contacts are sending me emails rather than adding a comment to the blog. When I follow up, most say they have never blogged and they can’t figure it out or they don’t know why they would.

It reminds me of my first trip to Subway. While standing in line, I overheard the other customers ordering their subs and I thought, “All I want is a sandwich!” I was self conscious telling the server that I didn’t know how it worked. My hunger won over my nerves and I feasted on a custom made sandwich after she explained my choices to me.

Blogging is just like that. It seems intimidating for some and unsafe for others. Most of the comments come from people who are uninformed and haven’t looked at blogs in detail. The blog you are reading is through http://wordpress.com. WordPress is just one of many reputable companies. At no cost to me, I get to design and write whatever I want. I love that. I love testing my ideas and writing in a public venue to test the response.

More importantly, I LOVE meeting the people and that is the reason that baby boomers need to re-evaluate blogging. You can find a blog about any topic imaginable. From asparagus http://www.whatgeekseat.com/wordpress/2008/05/20/pistachio-encrusted-lamb-chop-with-asparagus/ to pingpong http://www.pingpongcentral.com/blog/, from ferrets http://all-about-ferrets.blogspot.com/ to Ferraris http://ferrari.brainbloggers.com/, from golf http://www.thegolfblog.com/ to gardens http://www.blotanical.com/ you can find a blog about anything.

Once you leave a comment or two, you will begin a quasi pen pal relationship with someone who shares your passion or hobby. Sometimes it is hard to find the comment link. It is usually follows the article and reference links but can be at the top near the introduction.

When you make a comment, you make someone’s day! I love hearing what people say and I also get a kick about where in the world they are! Knowing someone surfed by and notice me is fun!

Before you get to post your comment, you may need to fill in your name and email and identify yourself. This is done for everyone’s security and I am grateful for this service provided by the blog providers.

You can also sign up to be notified by email or RSS (really simple syndication) when a new blog is published. There will be links on the page that will connect you to this service. You can also book mark your favorite blogs. Whatever you do, try to revisit your blogs for a couple of weeks and check the new entries and responses. See what you think.

Some blogs are very busy and it can be hard to find the comment link. Try it though, it is a wonderful way to meet new people and engage in some meaningful dialog. I remember having a pen pal in South America when I was a teenager. I loved it and remember to this day the excitement of getting that envelope with the foreign stamps.

This feels the same. I am having a lot of fun and it is free, I can do it at home or on the road. Next vacation you plan, check out blogs about your destination. You may decide that you want your own blog but believe me, you can have plenty fun just surfing them. Put your topic next to the word blog in the google window and off you go!

This blog is for us….the newbies!! It cracks me up that people think I am a techie! Tee hee! I would love your stories, your questions and your blog experiences, in other words,

JOIN THE BLOGVERSATION!

Bloggingly yours,

Catherine

http://howtomakeyourmanperfect.wordpress.com