Archives for October 2006

Great Find: List Your Writing Contest At Competizione

October 8, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

And the Winner Was . . .

Are you getting tired of finding out about writing contests AFTER they are over? Musingwoman was too — enough that it spurred her to action. A new blog was born so that folks could keep up woth upcoming contests and rules. So, competitors, start your keyboards.

Great Find: competizione
Permalink: http://musing.typepad.com/competizione/

Audience/Topic: Folks interested in announcing or participating in writing contests.

Content: This new blog which started just this month already has a list of competitions, and invites you to send in competitions you’re having so that you can attract more entrants. The guildelines are clearly stated. To briefly summarize them:

Contests can be for blog or for a task — win a ___ by writing a ___.

Information should submitted by email and need to include a link to the contest announcement post, the deadline date, limit to entries (if there is one) and any other pertinent information.

No profanity, pornography, or discriminatory content.

Sites with adult/mature (R-rated content) should be labeled when submitted so that competizione can alert audience visitors.

Contest submitters are asked to link to competizione. The submitter’s site link will remain on competizione after the contest post has been deleted.

Have a contest! It’s a great way to show off your blog and attract new readers. Let Musingwoman tell folks about your contest — free promotion is an excellent deal. It’s a chance to expand your network of relationships. Stretch your brand a bit. I can see your blog growing already . . . yep. Click on the title to see what’s there for you.

A writing contest is even more exciting outside a writing blog. . . . On a techie blog? a real estate blog? a travel blog? Really? You bet. All bloggers have to write, don’t they? Imagine the kind of contest you might invent.

UPDATE: NOT ALL CONTESTS ARE FOR WRITERS — ALL THE MORE REASONS TO CHECK COMPETIZIONE OUT!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Net Neutrality 10-08-2006

October 8, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Verizon PoliBlog, Broadband Deployment and Net Neutrality

I live in Pennsylvania, and if the Cable Customer Choice and Competition Act, aka SB 1247 and HB 2880, are passed, what will happen is thisÃ¢â¬â

Franchise fees, which are right now negotiated on a town by town basis will be flattened to 3%, which is less than most municipalities currently get. That means a local tax hike for most communities.

There will be no buildout requirements, which currently exist when franchises are negotiated on the municipality level. This means Verizon can “skim the cream” and leave huge areas unserviced Ã¢â¬â a broadband ghetto. . . .

Courtesy Community hookups for municipal services will no longer be required. This means that Libraries, Municipal Services, Emergency Serivices, and others will have to purchase their broadband services. This is another cost that will be passed on to the taxpayer.

Community TV and local access will no longer be a requirement, further distancing content providers from local residents and further marginalizing communities.

In most cases prices will stay the same or go up.

There will be very little additional competition.

FiOS is still Asynchronous, unlike similar Fiber Optic networks in other countries.

Verizon is notorious for its small print, so if you buy “unlimited access” or “unlimited bandwidth” don’t for a second believe you’ll get it.

So, while I applaud Verizon for opening a dialog, to say I’m unhappy with their scheming and underhanded tactics . . . is a gross understatement. Meanwhile I will be working the phone, letters to the editor, the governor, and everyone else I can get hold of to get Act 183 repealed to once again allow community WIFI in PA

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Thanks to Week 50 SOBs

October 7, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this badge’s validity, send him or her directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame. Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Great Find: PDF Online — Free

October 7, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Writer Girl, Not Techie Girl

I can’t hide it. I’m a bit of a software maven, but no one in their right mind would ever call me a techie . . . That makes for so many reasons that I value my techie friends so much. One is they know where to find cool widgets, plug-ins, and online tools that I haven’t discovered. TechZ mentioned this one among a whole list of cool links on his blog TechZOnline.net last week.

Great Find: PDF Online

Permalink: http://www.pdfonline.com/

Audience/Topic: Anyone who wants to share ebooks, white papers, or other documents

Content: PDF Online is a free service that offers more than you might have hoped for — a quick and free PDF conversion online service, which means it works from wherever you might be. The process is simple. There is no installation. Submit documents to their server. PDF.Online generates and emails you the finished file.

What’s their rationale for providing a free service?

First of all, it doesn’t cost us anything to run this service. Developed using easyPDF SDK (our proprietary PDF Engine), PDF Online server can process thousands of PDF conversions per day (with 99% success rate) and runs 24×7 with no human operator.

Secondly, it’s our way of saying thank you for helping us improve our easyPDF SDK’s performance and value to a level no one, not even AdobeÃÂ®, can match.

Of course, they also want you to buy their server and desktop applications, their printer driver, and their other products. Still there’s no heavy sales pitch — just presentations.

Take a look. Click the title below. You never know when you need a quick .pdf file.

Now I need that .pdf plug-in. . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Net Neutrality 10-07-2006

October 7, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Verizon’s Got a Policy Blog Called PoliBlog

. . . ItÃ¢â¬â¢s called PoliBlog and in the first posting, Verizon honcho and former Congressman from Iowa Tom Tauke explains why Verizon has taken to blogging.

. . . While this may seem a bit counterintuitive, PoliBlog is not intended as a Ã¢â¬ÅcorporateÃ¢â¬Â blog. Instead, it is our effort to find a place in the universal town square. We are players in the communications and broadband worlds. What we do or donÃ¢â¬â¢t do has real impact. So we think we should offer our perspectives and positions on issues and subject them to scrutiny, comment, and debate. ItÃ¢â¬â¢s good for us. And itÃ¢â¬â¢s healthy for the policymaking process.

Now, itÃ¢â¬â¢s entirely possible that Verizon is being slicker-than-slick by . . . not barging out the door and banging all of us on the head with a bunch of one-way arguments on, say, net neutrality . . . only to mess with our heads or spew forth lobbying or PR materials later.

If Verizon doesnÃ¢â¬â¢t . . . however, kudos to the telco for at least trying to join the conversation

About page of the Poliblog by Verizon

About poliblog

Verizon, through its blog, seeks to encourage intelligent discussion of public policy issues affecting the telecommunications industry and Verizon in particular. We will do this by posting our own points of view regularly, engaging in conversation with other posters who offer fact-based comments and reacting to the relevant ongoing blogosphere conversation. While no telecommunications subject is considered off-limits, we will focus on policy issues that have implications for the greatest number of companies and consumers.

On this date the post described in the article above and all posts on the Poliblog could not be accessed. This message came up instead: Error loading posts. Please try again.

UPDATE: THE POSTS ARE BACK. You can find them at Poliblog

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

SOB Business Cafe 10-05-06

October 6, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Business Blogwire has some ideas for what you might do with your Fridays.

Life Beyond Code offers a way to build relationships while building a personal brand.

R Web Designs wants us to check our adsense code.

It’s Not About Your Stuff reminds us that we need to value ourselves when payday comes.

John TP interviews a digg gamer on how the game works.

Related ala carte selections include

Creating Passionate Users wants you to know it’s not too late to show what you’ve got.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like.
No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!