It’s Like Open Mic Only Different
Here’s how it works.
It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.
Tonight we’re hanging out!
We might also talk about
- The people we meet
- The places we where we used to hang out
- The weirdest hangouts
- The crazy people in them
AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey.
–Me “Liz” Strauss
Related article
The Mic is on and Weââ¬â¢re in OZ!
Uh Oh,
Don’t tell me I’m the first again…
Hey All,
“where everybody knows… your name…”
Is this the kind of joint where we can get drinks while we hang, Liz?
Hi Joe,
We have some folks back stage. They’ll be over in a minute.
Joe’s got the kind of place you can hang out in his new forum, right Joe?
Hey Susan,
Thanks for joining… you know…
I can use all the help I can get.
BTW you have a PM on the forum.
Hi Susan,
Welcome, Here some cold ones for both of you. Snacks and beverages from the sidebar are always available.
Yeah Susan, and Liz said I could put the URL in the comments http://workingathomeinternet.com/forum
I promise I won’t overdo it, really I won’t 😉
Joe,
I’m not worried about you overdoing it. I’ll have my ways of keeping an eye on you.
No worries – I’m here! Just multi-tasking like a good ADD mom should! 😉
By the way, Liz, you have a great blog here. I usually check it once a day. Keep up the good the work.
Yeah, Wendy, meet Joe and Susan.
Joe has a new forum. He works at home too.
Susan is a spectacula artist.
Liz,
Susan, Jessie Skinner, HART have already joined. I’m hoping to tap some more experts to help disseminate (?) helpful information.
Get rockin with the song “Hang Out” for the theme @ http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/ss/16/ss16797.mp3 Lloyd Arnold McCollough. Born 1935 in Memphis
Susan, I believe we have met on the LinkedIn Bloggers group – correct?
Hi Scorpio.
Thanks! What do you do when you’re not reading writing books?
Hey Wendy, and Scorpia
We have, Wendy! Nice to see you here.
🙂 Thanks for the comment on my Boostday!
Hi to Joe and Scorpia too!
Books? Hah! No, I’ve never written a book. I do, however, write reviews and other articles on PC gaming. Been doing that a long time.
Where’s HART???
He was just over at my place, I thought he took a short cut to get here…
Liz, this comment night thing is sheer brilliance. Easton was right about you!
Sorry, Scorpia,
about misspelling your name there.
You’ll find out quickly that we have a rule here. The comments get going so fast and furious that we don’t worry too much about spelling and punctuation for this open comment sesstion stuff.
Scorpia that is very cool . . . I think my husband will fall in love with you as soon as he finds out.
Not a problem, Liz. You should see my typoing in chat 😉
Wendy,
Thanks, Comment night is BIG fun, but it takes a lot of time too.
Easton is a special guy. Kind of like Joe there.
Ah, will he? Always glad to add to my harem 😉 What games does he like? I specialize in adventure and role-playing.
Joe,
I’m not coming into your forum. I’m afraid I’ll never get out. Those places are an addiction.
Hey Wendy,
With 14 writers, maybe you should do individual About’s.
Maybe you did and I just didn’t read far enough yet.
Wendy,
My son is in town. I wish you were coming up further north. I’m by Belmont Harbor. I’d meet you for coffee.
Hi Liz, Joe, Susan, Wendy, Scorpia!
And by the way, hi to everyone out there!
Hey, Rick,
Thanks for coming. We’re hanging out and talking. Susan already left a link of hanging out music.
Joe – you lost me on that one – perhaps it’s because the morning coffee is long worn off…
Hey Rick,
Welcome to the mayhem…
@ Liz,
Addiction is a good thing when it helps others, right?
Scorpia,
My son thinks Deus X is the best game ever. My husband is a simulator person . . . His best game ever is Shattered Steel.
Scorpia, I’ll make sure to point my son and the daughter who’s into that stuff in your direction. They’ll be excited.
Hey! Anyone want a Klondike Bar? Whitehouse Cherry? MMmmmm….
There’s some new faces here I see…
Yeah, Joe,
What was that comment about . . . 14 writers?
Wendy,
Blogjolt? I was just there and there are a few writers, unless I went to the wrong place ;-0
Hey Chris!
Scorpia reviews PC gaming. Wendy writes for emoms at home.
Ah, those are a little out of my field. Alas. But they are welcome to come by for a look anyway.
Belmont Harbor, huh? Hey Ya’ll – Liz lives in the ritzy part of town.. 😉
We’ll get our coffee in. I have some business development ideas brewing and I could use some help. I’m meeting with FeedBurner tomorrow 🙂
I listened to the song. It made me wish I still a vinyl record player so I could pull out some Chuck Berry. Hanging out with friends listening to music has always been one of my favorite passtimes.
No worries, Scorpia, maybe AdLib will show up he is a fiend for Civilization.
Joe, I have to be really strict with myself not to do forums either but I’m glad to add a few things to yours for the sake of good will :^) – Besides, I’m too nosy to have you to build a forum without me admiring it.
Games I understand.
But emoms? Wendy do they have in home virtual mommies now? I don’t have kids, but I could see how that might be a good thing to have! 😉
Chris I love what you and Basil are up to down there in the steamy south!
Ah, the BlogJolt isn’t really a group of writers in that respect. We band together and flood a weekly target blog with inbound links, del.icio.us tags, and traffic. We work together to totally boost each other – one blog at a time.
Heh, Civ is a strategy game, and I’ve always found them boring myself. Nothing is as dull to me as resource management. Well, okay, maybe watching paint dry would be worse 😉
Virtual in-home mommies?! Where can I get one of those! I need one! 😉
Wnedy,
Not so ritzy. I live a little north of ritzy. Shoot me an email. I love business strategy.
I’ve been down to Feedburner. They’re really great there.
Wendy is that working better than the LinkedIn blog boosts did?
Thanks Susan,
Anything you add will be appreciated, not only by me, but anyone looking for direction in being self employed.
So far we’ve only done one – and it went really well. I wanted to target the members a little more than LIB’s because it was always such a big complaint. Would love to have you!
Rick,
I know exactly what you mean. When my big brothers when to college they left me all of their 45s and then I started my own collection. Music is like a time machine.
Joe, I signed up for your forum. But I haven’t thought of anything worth contributing. You know I don’t really work from home. I’m a blogger with a day job. Besides the $8 and change that AdSense has earned me hardly counts as a working wage!
Sing along with that piano player! http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/ss/03/ss3501.mp3
Chris,
You made 8 Dollars! Gosh I wish I knew that when you were in Chicago. I would have made you take me out to dinner.
Keep that music coming, Susan.
Maybe Starbucker will show up and we’ll be dancing again.
AdSense is a pretty crappy revenue generator for a WAHM site. Nobody trusts home business ads on the internet! I’m seeking alternatives. Suggestions anyone?
Chris,
You always have good insight on your blog, if there isn’t a subject you feel comfortable with, create your own topic.
You don’t have to work at home to have insight into how it is… you have 2 cats and a wife that I know of, not to say anything about a visiting code-writing donkey.
Scorpia,
AdLib has to take it off his computer. He’s THAT addicted to it.
By the way, Liz, I’ve been wondering: why the “ME”?
Howdy everyone! Looks like some new faces tonight – great to see ya!
Speaking of the visiting code-writing donkey . . . How is he?
Can’t say as I miss him. But maybe we should tell folks about him.
Liz, I’m not surprised. But he should keep it on. Then he’ll play until burnout, after which, he’ll never look at it again. Have a friend who burned out on the first Civ. He hasn’t touched it since. Overload has its uses.
Morning everyone.
Joe, I checked out your forum and will get to it later on. Seems a grand idea. Like Liz, I’m a bit leary of getting stuck in there for hours. Forums can be so addictive.
Susan, I see you are a designer who blogs. As soon as I get the database fixed on DWB, I’ll come to you for some bits if you are game.
Drat database problems. And the WordPress help is no help in this situation. Neither is posting to get help but a solution may be at hand …
[[ let’s see if Liz’s blog likes me this morning. This is my week of computer/internet problems ]]
cat
Did somebody mention dancing? Oh Liz, how can we top the last time?
Hey Starbucker…
You were the First to host the (I hear) code-writing donkey, how was he as a guest???
Yeah, music can take us to any time of our lives. It’s one of the best time machines we have.
http://www.streetplay.com/stories/hangingout/ is pretty much what being a kid was when I was growing up (except a more suburban area). There are some neat stories there.
Liz, back then it was only $6 and change. 😆
Wendy, I have different problem with AdSense that gives the same results. I ramble all over the place and it can’t figure out what kind of ads are relevant. I’m game for other ideas.
Joe, I think Ben would be better to speak of the donkey…
Hi Starbucker,
Not up for dancing tonight. That’s okay. We’re just hanging out anyway.
Hi Joe – well, Basil was a handfull. I took him to Boston with me and I lost him; turned out he ran into “Donkey” from Shrek and they had quite the weekend before Basil managed to get back to Connecticut
Scorpia,
Mari Elizabeth Monterastelli –ME
AdLib plays for months and doesn’t burn out. I don’t think the burn out overdose thing works on him. He’s really intelligent and capable of hyper focus
Hi Cat, Starbucker. Susan has been bringing some good dancing music.
Hey Cat, Starbucker!
Cat,
I think you’re safe on Akismet. I was getting caught too for a day there. I put in a complaint to customer service. I think I scared. it.
Liz, neat how that worked out! You can say ME and get away with it. I like that.
Hmm, yeah, AdLib sounds like one of those rare ones. In that case, yes, taking the game off is the only thing to do.
Hi Chris!
I’m listening to it right now – that’s a rockin’ !! Where did you find that Susan?
Starbucker,
These folks don’t know who the donkey is,
Hey Cat,
It’s only addictive if you let it be… besides, I know you have a lot of smarts in that brain of yours that could help someone, somewhere.
Evening y’all. What’s shaking?
Hi Chris – great Savannah pictures on the Basil blog, by the way. I’ve never been there – looks like I need to go.
Susan is just one surprise after another.
Hi Chris. Hi Rick!
Liz, Akismet must have known the week I’m having and just wanted to rub salt into these poor wounds.
Off I go to fiddle with the wp-config.php … wish me luck …
Good luck, Cat.
Darn, darn wordpress config file.
BEN…
Basil the Code-Writing Donkey’s Owner…
How much have you had to suppliment this week???
Good luck, Cat.
Ben, that’s a cool map you fixed for Basil. He’s going to be quite the world traveler.
Hey Rick, Ben!
Savannah’s a great southern city. One of the few with older buildings still standing. I guess Sherman got tired of burning by the time he got here…
Hey Ben,
Someone needs to tell Wendy and Scorpia the story of Basil the donkey. We elected you!
Joe — Basil’s costing me a fortune, if that’s what you mean…how he managed to nab my credit card on the way out the door, I’ll never know. Donkeys aren’t known for their stealth.
Rick — Thanks. It was a ton of fun doing it, I can’t wait to see it filled with little markers!
Ben’s here now LIz – he can tell us all about Basil the code writing donkey. And what stories I’m sure he has! (Hi Ben)
I’m always interested in traffic generation Wendy – the real issue for me is that I am dependant to some extent on the art income and I rely on the blog to drive some of that. So readership numbers for their own sake are less important than a certain kind of “interested” reader. I may need to start designing some mom-centric things, some work-at-home things, and stuff like that huh?
Wow, I just realized how much time I’ve spent here already. Have to go, there are dungeons to delve, critters to kill, and goodies to grab!
All, take care!
**poof**
Wendy, Scorpia,
Say hello to Ben so he’ll tell you the story.
Hello everyone…I’m one of the new guys.
Thanks for coming, Scorpia.
It was fun having you. Hope that you come back again.
Hi Wendy and Scorpia. Well it’s a bit of a rambling tale, so let me see.
Basil is a donkey. He writes code for me on another one of my little businesses. (IGotNewsForYou.com)
We named him Basil here at open mic some time ago.
During another open mic session we got on the topic of Fawlty Towers. I ran a contest saying that I’d send the winner the Fawlty Towers DVD Collection. The winner was Cat; but she asked me to send the DVDs to Starbucker.
Instead of just sending the DVDs, I sent Basil. And now, anyone can have Basil visit their house with the DVDs.
You get the DVDs for 1 week before you ship them to the next person on the list. You send a postcard and anything else you want — and you can guest blog on the site (www.whereisbasil.com).
The result is a hysterical community building project surrounding a donkey and Fawlty Towers.
That about right? *grin*
G’night Scorpia. It was good to meet you.
Ben, How much traffic did IGNFY get from your Real Estate Rant? I saw you were on the front page of Reddit for about 24 hours! Whoah!
Not really Susan – you’re expertise in making a living from art is enough!
Hey Big Roy!
Thanks for coming! 🙂
Thanks for your confidence in me Joe. All I know about for sure is my ability to whitter on 🙂
See ya Scorpia…
@ Susan, Darren wrote a post not long ago about targeting readers (or maybe it was Brian at CopyBlogger guest writing). I’ll see if I can find the post.
Ben. Also brilliant! Sounds like a blast. But I haven’t watched one second of Fawlty Towers. Hate TV. Is there a workaround?
Chris — approximately 3,500 hits and counting. Was pretty hysterical. I had no idea that would generate so much traffic.
Feedburner went from around 50 to 328.
It won’t last 🙂
Joe and Susan are talking about exactly the problem with my real estate post — not targeted really; although IGotNewsForYou is a consumer product, but since it’s not linked with real estate it didn’t equate to any real business.
Still fun though!
Hi Wendy!
Well you don’t have to watch the DVDs I guess…*chuckle*…they are worth it though. Even if you hate TV. Fawlty Towers is too classic to ignore.
And hi Big Roy — can you tell me what your blog is about, maybe I’m a bit out of it this evening, but I don’t quite get it right from looking at it.
Hey Big Roy!
Ben, that’s JUST about right 🙂
Hi Big Roy!
And Wendy — I think my wife would like your blog. She’s just dipped her toe into the whole sordid affair of blogging but I think she’s getting hooked. Being an actual writer (unlike myself) her stuff is well-written; she just has to take the time to network, and figure it all out.
Ok.
Susan here is the link…
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/08/03/grow-your-blogs-readership-by-targeting-readers/
I hope it helps a little.
It’s a niche blog for sure…about the Imus in the Morning Show…he has millions of listeners on the radio and tv (MSNBC) so there is a potentially large audience.
Wow Ben, how awesome – 3,500 hits! I must say you did hit the nail on the head with that post. I’m new to this Reddit thing – who put the post there?
Hey everyone.
Ben, what caused traffic to jump?
You know the exact same thing happened with my “3 free Web Tools” post last week. Just about as many page views too. And still counting.
But like you said, no real traffic increase because it was off topic. For me it was more an exercise in Headline writing after last week here.
Ben,
You have a wife? If Chris’ wife is Gorgeous. Your’s must be Beautiful?
Ah thanks, Roy. I’m in Canada so don’t watch MSNBC which is why it went right over my head.
I do like the design – very clean. And the pictures are great.
It’s just a hobby, but I want to do it right.
I’m certainly not a professional blogger like many.
Send her over Ben. I didn’t really intend to be a blogger. I had “bigger ambitions” to make my millions as an affiliate marketer. But blogging has me hooked now. Working from home is a beast in and of itself. I let two businesses crash and burn (before this one) because I made so many mistakes – so I have lots to blog about 😉
Ben, those Savannah pictures look so familiar. I was there not too long ago and I went up those steps actually. 😛 I guess it is a very small town.
Hi, everyone! I’m a bit new at this!
Doug — traffic boost was due to reddit.
Chris — I put it there.
I didn’t think it would take off like that, but I was curious. I think the last time I checked it had 70+ boosts on it and nearly 20 comments.
I think I hit a nerve with it somehow.
I considered it my “Monday Morning Musing” where I go a bit off topic to talk about something funny, nagging, etc.
Liz – I do have a wife. Beautiful seems like an appropriate name. Just passed our 5 year anniversary. And a 23-month old son.
Thanks Ben….it’s a WordPress theme of course but I did do some tweaking.
Ben, say two years! It’ll make him sound older.
Hey Big Roy! Haven’t heard Imus since I left NY.
That probably is where his base audience is…but I’m in NC
Truth be told, Starbucker, I googled something like “hangout” music and wound up at a music repository website provided by the Law Library of Emory University. Cool. Check out http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/index.htm
*note to self*
*Find out what the heck Reddit is before the next comment night so I can sound like I know what I am talking about*
Very Cool Ben! 😉
Hey Douglas!
Big Roy – It’s amazing what you can do with basic tweaks to themes. Mine started life as the WordPress default.
Very interesting way to get traffic – but I guess the trick is to get it while still being consistent with the “theme” of the blog, so the traffic comes back. Always a catch I guess.
Hey Sasha!
Everyone Say Hi to Sasha!
Doug – Chris took those pictures. Did a mighty fine job too. Basil’s in a few of them but I shrank the pictures a bit too much so he’s hard to see. I’ll be doing a better photo montage of some sort later on when we have more.
Big Roy – Still a good looking site over all, theme or not. There’s lots of good themes, still have to be implemented well. So kudos there.
Wendy – I will send her over. I think she’d make a great blogger; great writing style and a good sense of humor. So we’ll see…
Hello Sasha!
We’re talking about traffic spikes from posts off topic.
Here’s some cold ones from the sidebar.
Hey you guys mind your manners. Say hello to the new guys.
That site IS cool Susan – probably lots of great stuff in there. Thanks!
Hi Sasha! Welcome aboard! It’s great to see a handful of new faces already this evening…
Reddit is a social bookmarking site like del.icio.us or digg (and others). It’s the only one that’s generated any real traffic for me.
Rick..very nice site..I like that clean look and the white background.
Hi Sasha! I have to say I’m very sad that skinny jeans are back. My butt looks much better in low-riding flares.
Oooh…on Sasha’s blog she mentions a skinny jean giveaway.
Do you guys know how GOOD I look in skinny jeans? Wow.
Basil can’t really find a pair of jeans that fit…
Perhaps this is a good place to ask how to make a great traffic-generating headline, huh?
Excuse me if you’ve already answered this bit but the 100+ comments is difficult to keep track of. Hahaha.
HI LIZ!!
Wendy, Don’t feel bad. None of us really know what we are talking about, except perhaps our esteemed hostess. I’ve found this bunch to be a very forgiving lot.
Sasha,
Roy and Wendy are first timers too.
Good point Liz – a big Shout Out and hello to everyone!
I haven’t had much luck with any of the digg-type sites. I get some traffic, but not too much.
Read CopyBlogger a lot for good headlines!
Well, now I have to take a break – hope I can come back, but if not – y’all take good care!
WOW really nice site Ben…You have the white with Red post titles..I like that it looks good.
I’ll have all kinds of blogs to check out now.
Thanks, Big Roy. I basically do it as a hobby, too.
Reddit seems like it isn’t as oriented toward the tech crowd as del.icio.us or digg.
Hey Sasha! Like your blog. Clothes. Everyone needs ’em.
Ask Ben, Chris, and Doug about the headlines . . . They wrote one with Brian last week. It actually became a post.
How did the post do Doug?
Rick, Reddit may not be oriented towards tech. But the folks there definitely have their likes and their dislikes.
Sasha — best I can recommend is copyblogger.com. Brian over there is the master headline writer.
My few bits of advice (in no particular order):
1. Use numbers: 5 Ways to Wear Skinny Jeans and SNot Look Ridiclous
2. Make Bold Statements: Guaranteed Skinny Jean Secrets
3. How-to’s: How to Find the Best Fall Fashions Cheap!
4. Be Funny / Shocking / Attention-Grabbing
I figured Chris… I study this stuff all day every day and still can’t keep up with it all!
I have tried to get some Diggs…never gotten more than about 10…but I hope to get something that clicks when the election gets closer.
Rick, if you want tech-orientated, you have to read slashdot. They are too techy for me.
Big Roy — glad you like it. My blog is entirely custom designed really, using Blogger (ssh…don’t tell anyone). It was designed off of my website though, which is why it’s fairly custom looking, although it’s not exactly some radical website design. Phew, I’ve confused myself.
Impressive for
I found a good traffic builder in StumbleUpon a while back. The good thing about that is you can develop community with folks who have similar interests. Then you are referring your stuff to folks who are much more inclined to actually read it. And because they share your interest, you don’t have to feel bad about a self referral.
My traffic has gone up considerably since I started with it.
Hi to Rick, Wendy and Ben!
Wendy: I do love low-rise jeans. But skinnies are sexier. Hehehe. Either kind doesn’t do wonders on my arse, though. Sadly.
Ben: I don’t. =P How good do you look? Anyway, who’s Basil? =)
Hey – where’d my comment go?! 😕
Hey Big Roy, I usually watch Imus while I’m reading my E-mail.
Hey Sasha, You can’t be too new, you found open mic night…
@ Cat, I’ve seen some of your work, you got it.
@ Chris & Ben, you wrote the posts, reap the glory.
I’m tired of playing catch-up to the comments…
Reddit is definitely less tech-oriented than digg and del.icio.us. So it might work for the non-tech blogs out there at generating good traffic, and hopefully sustainable traffic.
I’d say my traffic has generally increased using Reddit from some of my topic-focused posts — like the one about being an entrepreneur for 10 years. That did nicely and I think some of that traffic stuck around at least.
Overall, I’d say most of those social bookmarking sites cause the same phenomenon when you hit it: big spikes and then zzz…
Still fun to watch 3,500 people visit your site in a couple days. But in the end that’s not what it’s all about.
This was the first headline for a post on my blog:
Is Tom Cruiseââ¬â¢s Baby Ugly?
ROFL Big Roy
StumbleUpon looks interesting. I’m going to check it out.
Liz, that post did okay. It got some extra traffic to Service Untitled – not a ton, but some. 🙂
Sasha – Ok the truth is out there, I’d look terrible in skinny jeans. *sigh*
Basil is a code-writing donkey that’s traveling the globe with the Fawlty Towers DVDs visiting people. Anyone can sign up and join the community. Just click my name to visit the site or click here: Where Is Basil?
Chris — it’s interesting you mention StumbleUpon. I’ve gotten traffic from there but not because of my doing. I’ll look at it more tomorrow.
I am SO out of sync in this conversation!
– So, welcome to all the new folks
– Thanks for the link Joe – you are on top of it
– And I apologize to everyone who’s comments I missed
– Liz, you throw quite a soiree’
I bet that got a lot of traffic, Big Roy.
Doug,
I guess that trafffic on that post might be because we all know that there are too many morons in customer service. You’re an oxymoron. 🙂
Susan, Don’t feel bad. El Dorado is on AMC and I keep running back and forth. Fortunately TIVO is catching Eureka for me for later. I wouldn’t want to try to watch that and this. I’d end up disappearing from here completely until it was over.
Susan,
You should call a Time Warp, That’s the official response.
Interesting…somehow Where Is Basil? must be on StumbleUpon…traffic has gone up 5 fold today without me noticing. Is that your doing Chris? *smile*
Chris,
How many comments do you think that ElDorado would be?
It was my first post on my blog ever. I do try to write interesting ones. Another good one was:
Kofi Annan is an Idiot
When I was playing with Linux I went to Slashdot quite a bit. I still check out http://www.newsforge.com for Linux news.
Susan, I think it was Susan, talked about http://www.gather.com as a place to check out, too.
Big Roy – going controversial can’t be a bad thing for blog traffic, if you can back it up with quality points that create conversation around the “in your face” blog titles…
I tend not to be too controversial in my blog, although my real estate post stirred some debate.
It’s a valid approach and I hope it works out for you!
BY the way Ben, where have you been? Basil was getting some spammy trackbacks. Are those his Shrek friends looking for him?
re #161, Wendy – Basil ate your comment
Liz,
I have been in an oxymoron stage lately. For something related to blogging, I suggested doing a press release stating that something new was happening. I was quickly reminding that was an oxymoron.
I’ve had a few others as well.
Liz — what do you mean, where have I been? Tonight? Was putting the kid to bed.
In terms of the spammy trackbacks you mean the ones on the Where Is Basil site?
I took care of those I think, by setting up Askimet yesterday.
Dude! Would I be involved with any level of shameless self promotion? *he asks with mock indignation* 😉
Thanks, Chris. Yes — clothes are important! So, excuse your wives when they go out shopping alright? =)
And you do have a point, Joe. But it was because of Liz! Who doesn’t know uber-nice Liz anyway? Hehehe.
Ben: Thanks. I’ll definitely check that one out. Your suggestions aren’t bad. I particularly like number 1. Hahaha.
Web press releases are still a good idea. I’m think you should get a second opinuion on your press release idea. Some folks are too Web2.0 They’re throwing away the good stuff that still working.
Susan! Funny!!
Askimet is a gift from the blogging god(s). It catches a majority of the spam my blog sees. I think it has caught something like 300 spam comments since I started using it.
Howdy, Ben!
Hi, LIz and everybody!
Hellow from Oklahoma
Well with me you are either an Imus fan or you hate him…I may get some traffic that stops in from a google search but in the long run it’s going to be fans of the Imus Show….if you’re not a fan the site doesn’t make a lot of sense..though it does deal with a lot of political stuff. I hope to increase the political stuff more as time goes on.
Woohoo! Shameless self-promotion! Rock on!
Chris — I do plan on doing more for the participants on Where Is Basil; the map was just one thing.
I’m thinking of photo albums online, more lists going to your blogs, etc. Have to come up with some creative ideas.
Starbucker told me to design a Where Is Basil badge, which I’ve done. It’s in “beta” right now (cause being in beta is cool.)
I’ll show you all soon once I tweak it a wee bit.
I use StumbleUpon for research. I’m responsible for Creative Latitude’s resources so I set it to Gdesign and surrounding subjects then stumble until I’ve gone through what’s available.
The findings are much better than google most times as they are not swamped with those who are good at SEO and not much else.
Hi Becky! Another time zone heard from!
Hey, Liz, I was going to call Time Warp!!!
I’m a SLOOOOOW reader… 😉
Wendy you have to watch Basil. He really does like to eat comments and then when he burps OHMYGOD!!!!
Hi Becky. Glad to see you. I always meet the best people here.
My last post was meant for Ben..or anyone else.
I am still new at this real time blogging.
Sasha, Clothes are more important for some folks than for others, I think.
Me, I look my best fully clothed. That’s probably why I didn’t last very long at 25 Peeps.com! Too much clothing.
Liz, I don’t know. The guy who said no is quite knowledgeable about all related to blogging. His name begins with a J and we both know him. 😛
Hey Becky! Welcome aboard!
I’m still a fan of press releases online. We use them for my company. Just recently got a client because of that press release getting picked up by another source. They’re relatively easy and inexpensive to do.
Web 2.0 can be a lot of gobbly-gook like anything tech-oriented. It’s a good principle/concept misused and massacred by people who are jumping on a bandwagon.
Plus, I know of a company that just started (name escapes me at the moment) that’s doing press releases JUST to bloggers. Go figure.
Becky are you really a liquor store owner, rancher and blogger?! Too cool!
I am astounded the mileage that Ben has gotten out of ol’ Basil.
Hi Becky!!
Thanks for coming,
What’s happening in OK-LA-HO-MA?
Wendy, you are quick on that research!
Big Roy – the conversations here usually get pretty darn hectic.
I would think you’d get some “Imus-haters” on your blog, if such a thing exists trying to stir the pot…no?
I have to write a press release for my BlogJolt project this week. Any tips on how to get it out and about in front of the right eyes?
Why does everyone burst into song when they say Oklahoma?
Big Roy, this is insane, isn’t it?
Becky – what ELSE comes to mind besides the cheesy song?? 😉
Wendy — what’s BlogJolt? (Asking without looking, I know!)
The business I mentioned is from Noah Kagan at okdork.com — http://theweblogwire.com.
It’s about putting press releases out to bloggers directly.
I haven’t used it, but Noah’s a cool/interesting guy.
Given the theme tonight, I guess I should share something from my liquor inventory. What does everyone want? Mojitos?
Yes Susan it is.
Ben I don’t mind Imus haters. I can be critical sometimes my self.
Becky — Basil is getting some nice mileage, he’s going to be traveling far and wide. If you mean mileage in terms of riches for me, well…not yet…*chuckle*…that Donkey is one expensive donkey to send traveling. 1st class everything.
Fun as heck though.
Meanwhile, no one new has signed up this evening. Ahem. Hello?
Big Roy,
If you think this is real time, you must be in the proverbial TIME WARP!!!
Becky
Folks burst into song because almost every high school does a performance of the musical.
I love that you’re a liquor store owner, always a friend to a saloonkeeper’s daughter.
I started a project in which a group of mom bloggers ‘gang up’ on one blog a week, flood it with inbound links, traffic and social bookmarks. Then when that person get’s their “jolt” we move on to the next blog and jolt up her. Works quite well to raise visibility on Technorati and Google.
Becky, (First I like your blog, Welcome to our little corner of craziness.) Ben just had a run of the mill good idea. His genius is that he’s running with it. I’m glad he’s let me be a part of it.
It is fun to brag about your city. Or at least the city you live in. Hmmmm…..
Ok I just read about BlogJolt.
It seems like press releases to bloggers makes perfect sense. If you try the service Wendy, tell Noah I sent you.
Oklahoma–also known for oil, cattle, James Garner, Reba McEntyre, Garth Brooks, Indians/Native Americans, wheat, the Chisholm Trail, the Trail of Tears, (I could go on all night)
Ben,
A badge? really . . . everyone seems to have that idea lately. Are you going to shape it like Basil?
I still believe in press releases too. All of this blogging stuff is good, but press releases are great. 😛
I’ll take a Pinot Grigio with some brie, thank you very much 🙂
I can vouch for Becky too. Great blog. I’ve been reading it regularly for awhile now. And I even commented a few times (I’m far from shy when it comes to comments.)
Is owning a liquor store fun?
Here they’re government run so it’s a different story, although you can buy beer + wine in any grocery store or convenience store (what they call “depanneurs” in French.)
I went to Susan’s site and saw a picture if an attractive sophisticated lady. I read the first sentence in her latest post and she is talking about Naked Art, surprise.
Ah, we have an excellent Pinot Grigio in stock….Let me see….Cavit, from Italy! Most excellent. Just stay away from their Pinot Noir. It’s not so good.
Uh, hi, sorry I’m late- I had to get a batch of bread out of the oven and then my computer decided now would be a good time to run 9 different MS updates…
Hi, Becky. =)
The government runs Canadian liquor stores? I didn’t know that.
Ben, Don’t let Liz dissuade you. I’d wear a Basil Badge with honor. (Of course I might have to put Jack in the alt text.) 😆
Does it say “Department of Drunkenness” on the door?
Liz — ya, badges aren’t terribly original at this point are they? Still I think it could be kind of cute if the people who sign up at Where Is Basil? will use it.
And no, it’s not in the shape of Basil, although that might be pretty funny. Hard to pull off graphically when you want to keep the badge fairly small though.
Just give me a beer… (hic)
Is it next door to the “Ministry of Silly Walks”?
Hi, Sasha. Anything I can get for you from the liquor store tonight? This is the only way I can be so generous.
And yes, Ben, the store is all kinds of fun!
Hey AdLib!
It could be worse, Ben. Here in Pennsylvania the state government hasn’t given up control of liquor since prohibition. You have to go to a state store for anything but beer. Beer you have to get at a special dealer. Nothing alcoholic in grocery stores. Period.
Doug — it’s true.
In some provinces, like Ontario, they also run what are called Beer Stores.
At least in Quebec you can buy wine and beer pretty much anywhere. In Ontario you have to go to government-run operations.
Hear! Hear! Beeeer!
But I do love a good glass or two of red wine.
Chris, that’s Monty Python, NOT Fawltey Towers.
I’m used to Florida and New Jersey where the government has nothing to do with liquor stores. So weird.
My Wifes Grandmother owned a liquor store during a part of her life. She has many fond memories of it. I love to listen to her stories.
Sounds a bit like Norway – anything beyond the alcohol content of beer you have to go to the government liquor store to get.
Legacy of centuries of Puritan disapproval of alcohol, mostly.
Becky, me want Stella Artois! =)
Muhaha…someone here just signed up for Where Is Basil after I attacked you all with hot pokers. No one can resist my hot…wait a second…nevermind.
Thanks!
Oh another tidbit about booze — in Quebec the liquor stores are called SAQs. And the price of wine in Quebec is significantly higher than in Ontario (the province right next door.) Why? Because of the taxes. So they have all sorts of issues with people crossing the border to buy wine. It’s plain stupid.
And Becky – I’ll have…hmmm…don’t feel like anything sweet at this point…gin & tonic might be nice.
Rick,
Where in PA? Basil is coming here, so maybe I can just drive him to your house. 😉
Big Roy – I have diverse interests :^)
C’mon Joe, “Drunkenness” –> “Silly Walks”. It was a little funny!
Ronco Cucco. Ronco Cucco.
I love that wine.
Ben – I didn’t miss your hint. I’m on the List now…
What have I gotten myself into?! 🙂
I know, Chris! It just went over everyone’s head.
Every state is different on liquor laws, and in Texas, every county is different!
We have some new beers….let’s see…..Joe, You sound like a Lost Lake man! Sasha, sorry no Stella Artois, I’ll special order it for you.
And a fine whisky for Big Roy! Maybe Woodford Reserve
Hey AdLib! I missed you sneaking in. Didn’t realize you had one in the oven.
Same in North Carolina…you can buy beer anywhere but liquor you have to get from an ABC store..Alcohol Beverage Control…They make it sound very important.
Sasha — I’ve been drinking Stella Artois lately too. I swear while I was in Vancouver on vacation and over-eating, I had a couple of Stellas that settled my stomach.
Beer…that settles your stomach…go figure.
Usually I prefer something a bit dark — Newcastle, Sleemans Honey Brown…
Ad Lib,
Great to see you.
You missed Scorpia. She reviews games for PC gaming. We were talking about you earlier in the evening. 🙂
Monaca, just north of Pittsburgh. I don’t get out of town much and thought he would be pretty bored here, unless he likes movies. Maybe I could put him to work at the concession counter!
Susan you seem to. I will be exploring your site later looking for naked art.
Becky,
Coors Extra Golden Lager…
Aw, man… :'(
The best was moving down south and finding out they had drive through windows at some of the liquor stores. Hello?
Holy cow, I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for almost two hours! I have to get to work! 🙁
Thanks everyone – BBS!
Good ones, Ben!
How can the acronym ABC sound important? When you spell it out, it does, but not ABC by itself.
Good night, Wendy!
Thanks for coming. It’s been great getting to know you. I hope to have that cup of coffee. Email me and I’ll give you my phone number.
Mmm, every now and then I run off a batch of bread – it’s a bit more work than buying from the store, but fresh bread hot from the oven is one of life’s great pleasures. Even if it takes hours to make.
Drive throughs at the liquor store. Yup. ‘Nuff said.
Good night Wendy…addictive ain’t it? *smile*
Rick — Basil won’t be bored, put him to work so he can pay off his huge travel costs!
Ooooh Wendy, by the time Basil comes to visit you he’ll be bringing along “Flat Basil” (You know the Flat Stanley books?) Basil claims that he needs a flat alter ego for posing at the sites his hosts drag him around to.
Good night, Wendy. It does draw you in. Addictive, you could say, in a good way.
What do you mean, Doug? When you spell it out? ABC?
Nite Wendy
Ben, I’ve had no problems with Stellas. I miss it real bad since we don’t have it here in my country. /sighs
I like a good German beer, too! I had the opportunity to taste the Hofbrau Original at last year’s Oktoberfest in Australia.
Susan’s going to work her magic on Basil…turn him into a piece of art. Naked art? Stay tuned!
Rick,
That was me… Live right outside Philly
Where are you located Sasha?
G’night, Wendy!
Ben: Manila, Philippines! Ever been to this part of the world? Or Basil perhaps?
Sasha — I’ve been to Bali, Indonesia — a few years back for my wife’s brother’s wedding. Beautiful place.
Basil’s going to Australia, but that’s the closest so far. Feel free to invite him over if you want to sign up. I’m sure he’d love the Philippines!
Susan,
You are too good, to all of us. What a wonderful person you are. Basil doesn’t deserve you. He misbehaves too much. 🙂
Liz,
I don’t think you ever listed the Countries represented here. That sounds like an International Post to me.
Sorry to drink and run!
Enjoy the beer, everyone!
Well, Indonesia’s close enough. Never been there though. Hahaha.
I’ll definitely look into getting Basil to visit this beautiful country. *aherm* I can be biased about that, though. Hahaha.
Bye Becky! Good to see you around! We’ll talk soon I’m sure.
Look forward to it, Ben.
Bye, all!
Liz, I don’t know why y’all had so much trouble with him. He’s been the model of behavior with us. Of course it could be partly a result from Gorgeous overdosing on the The Dog Whisperer while she was under the weather. That guy does some amazing things with those dogs!
Basil seems to respond well too. It’s all about expectations and being in the moment…
I’m sure it is beautiful. We have friends that recently moved to Manila, so who knows maybe we’ll be visiting there in the near future!
An international post sounds like a great idea too…
I’m heading out. I’ll see everyone next week. 🙂
Okay, Joe! I signed up, Ben. My wife says never turn down free labor (assuming he doesn’t eat all the popcorn).
Nite Becky
Guinnes, Newcastle, a few local brands you lot have never heard of – mostly dark and nutritious ones 😛
Oh, I’ve been browsing the earlier comments – sorry I missed Scorpia – and Oklahoma is famous for a couple more things. It’s also the home of C.J. Cherryh and Mercedes Lackey…
Bye, Becky! =)
Goodnight Becky, Douglas. Enjoy!
Rick, I think you can distract Basil from the popcorn if you get him thinking about waffles. I’ve never seen anyone eat waffles the way he does.
Good night Doug
Thanks for coming!
It’s nice having you around.
AdLib — what are the local ones?
Joe — what’s the URL to your forums again? I don’t work from home all the time, but I sure do spend a lot of time at home working…maybe I can pitch in somehow…
Thanks Rick…
Bye, Doug!
AdLib: I’ve been meaning to try Guinness. You are referring to the Irish beverage, right?
See ya Doug…stay in touch!
Thanks for signing up Rick, you won’t regret it!
Sasha I just looked at your site for a few minutes. Are you a designer? Do you make a lot from the Google ads you have? If these questions are inappropriate to ask other bloggers tell me.
Night everyone. 🙂
Liz, thanks! I’m glad to be here.
See everyone next week.
Whohoo! Lamont is kicking Lieberman’s ..behind. Senator Censorship might actually lose 🙂
Nite Doug
Rick,
Keep Basil away from IHOP. He knows that they have waffles. Once he knows there’s an IHOP around, he’ll start hanging out there and making a scene to get them to make him extra waffles. It can get really embarrassing.
Liz – Awww shucks; stop.
I’m also thinking of taking Basil to Wolf Trap to see ballet when he’s here in northern VA but I’m afraid he might get taken with tights and tutus and want to take lessons. Where would Ben find toe shoes for the big galoot?
I didn’t know that about Cherryh and Lackey! Cherryh is one of my favorite fantasy writers.
Hmm, not to many places for good waffles around here. Wait! Bob Evans has some good blueberry waffles.
Big Roy: I’m not a designer. Just a stylist and a fashion writer. I can’t say I’m making a lot from AdSense but I reckon I do earn something relatively decent monthly. I don’t think it’s inappropriate. Just don’t ask for exact figures. Hahaha. Kidding.
And oh yeah, don’t go near a Taco Bell. They have his picture up in all of them, because of the incident in California, when he mistook a burrito for a sandwich made from a small burro. it wasn’t pretty.
Local brands of beer: Hansa Pilsner, premium Lager, Odin beer, and Ringnes premium dark. There’s only one Guinness – the imported one they serve down at the local irish pubs. There’s some stuff labelled Guiness for sale in the stores, but it doesn’t taste right when it’s not from a tap….
Susan — I’m sure we can find a blogger somewhere that makes custom shoes and he can toss a pair in for Basil.
Basil and IHOP do not mix, you’ve been warned.
Is Wendy still here?
Ok Ben, Since you asked…
http://workingathomeinternet.com/forum
It’s actually pretty easy if you know the “Domain Name” I made such a big fuss about, huh?
Susan, I’m not so sure. I saw something that looked suspiciously like a donkey sized tutu in Basil’s luggage. Honestly I didn’t even want to ask…
Joe,
You got it in there again seamlessly. Well done!
Right. Basil and Taco Bell do not mix. They’ll just toss him out of there. It’s all tied to Liz bringing him to San Jose, mixing with some feminist bloggers, getting arrested. It was messy, real messy. And I’m not just talking about the cheese fries either.
Thanks Joe. You’re right, that might have been easy to figure out, but what the heck. *grin*
AdLib: Yea, I heard that Guinness don’t travel real well and is best served from tap. Bummer. All we have here are in cans! Sheesh.
Liz,
You know me, if someone asks for something I try to deliver…
How was I to know that Basil would start reading the signs over my shoulder. If we hadn’t been with those feminist bloggers. I think I could have talked him out of the protest.
Chris, your adventures with him have been priceless – and I didn’t think anyone could follow Liz.
IHOP isn’t a problem. The nearest I’ve seen one is TV commercials.
I think Basil is a memoir. Not just a book, a memoir.
Sort of like Afternoons with Morrie.
Er Tuesdays with Morrie
Well, Susan, It may get a little interesting. My folks are coming to visit for the weekend. It is going to get a bit crowded around here.
Joe – quick question – how come there’s no link (or obvious one) from the forums to the blog?
Ben,
You’re asking Joe a Joe question.
Well, Guiness from a can is better than no Guinness, it’s just that when the alternative is available, that’s preferable…
It’s a really nice site Sasha. Even though I know nothing about the subject I could see myself spending time just looking around.
So, Travels with Basil, Liz? or more likely: Bailing out Basil
Hey Ben,
I have a confession…
I Don’t even have a DVD Player, how am I going to entertain Basil for a whole week?
AdLib — you’re right, I haven’t heard of those beers. The Odin one sounds intriguing…
Rick, the IHOP thing is serious. You better be careful what he sees on TV.
I passed a block away from one with Basil in the car on the way to church Sunday. The only way I could get him to stop slobbering all over the car was to mention popcorn. Then I distracted him after church with talk of waffles.
He’s pretty food fixated. Fits in real well around here actually. 🙂
well, as much as I’d like to stick around.. I think I got to go and get myself some breakfast or, erm, lunch. Whatever.
Twas great to be here! Thanks Liz for inviting me! had a great time.
Bye, everyone!
Joe…no DVD player? Hhhm…I could send you one but that would probably border on the ridiculous.
A Basil memoir sounds great. I’m sure he’ll get a book deal at some point and leave me out of it!
Ben, there is a link at the bottom of the page. The whole forum is written in phpbb. I don’t speak that language, I’m just learning.
Liz, Speaking Joe to Joe??? Was I just insulted, or was that some kind of reference to the way I ask questions?
Good night, Sasha. It was good to meet you.
Bye Sasha! Hope we see you next week!
Joe, I don’t do insults you know that.
It sounded like the kind of curious question you would ask. It was an interesting juxtaposition.
(I like that word juxtaposition.)
Joe, I think she meant a detail question. You are good at spotting details.
Nite Sasha, or G’day or ‘mornin’ or whatever…
😉
Heh, the Odin beer is fairly new and it’s marketed as a discount brand – but I still like it, it’s a nice light beer for hot days.
Well said, Chris.
You should be a translator.
Joe — maybe I can help you out with it. I’m no PHP coder but I’ve worked my way around it a bit.
I’d say you definitely need a more prominent link cause I think your forum could generate traffic on its own, without people going to the blog first (eventually, as you have more time to market the forum as an entity), so the link back to the blog will be more important…
Oh and I emailed you something.
And I hope you can buy a DVD player or borrow one before Basil shows up. It’ll be hard to watch the Fawlty Towers DVDs otherwise!
I’m surprised you didn’t get him onto chocolate, Chris.
I went to Hershey, once. I’ve been trying to get back ever since. I could easily live somewhere you can smell chocolate in the air!
That’s what I thought, you guys are too nice (especially Liz, she’s the nice one) to insult anyone.
🙂
Chocolate. I like Belgium chocolate. The darker the better. 73 % is good.
Joe I recently did a move from Blogger to a hosted WordPress site. It went a lot smoother than I thought it would be.
Liz, I end up translating between foreign national and Southern quite a bit. It is funny really.
I can say the same exact thing that a local has said and the person we’re talking to will say, “Ohhhh…” and nod their head as though I had really translated or something.
It cracks me up every time it happens.
They just launched a new discount beer in Montreal — Gros Cochon (translation: “fat pig”)
I prefer the connotation and imagery behind Odin, myself.
Rik, I think Basil got overwhelmed with the heat and got distracted by the daiquiris. If I had been with him we’da been all over the chocolate!
Big Roy — you did a smart thing moving, if you ask me.
IGotNewsForYou is stuck on Blogger still (for a host of reasons) but Where Is Basil uses WordPress. There are a number of good platforms (like MovableType, WordPress) which are better than Blogger.
Blogger could be great though, if Google put some oomph behind it.
Chris,
I can just picture that translation happening. It sounds like fun.
I love people who speak southern, especially southern boys who say, “Thank you ma’am.”
Oooh Hershey – I lived fairly nearby for a few years. Gotta love a town where even the street lamps are in the shape of kisses, even if driving down the street makes you drool.
Daiquiris will distract anyone.
I’m a known chocolate fan. Especially with peanut butter.
Yes ma’am!
Well Google has NO support at all or very little. Getting an email from Google is nearly impossible. I just felt putting as much time and effort into the blog I might as well pay $12.00 a month for a real site, domain name, and real bloggging software.
I sent an email to the guy at Copyblogger and he recommeneded MidPhase and WordPress and that’s what I did.
That’s it, Chris.
That’s it exactly. Atlanta Rhythm Section
Champagne Jam.
Blogger is ..a low-threshold entry platform, really – and google buying them is part of what a lot of investors have been complaining about the company lately; namely that they’re losing focus on their core business.
Though Blogger is also the entry point for a LOT of adsense publishers, including yours truly – so there’s probably a business case for it that’s not related to what Blogger.com actually is…
All right we’re getting to the shoot-out scene in El Dorado. Gotta check out for a while…
How many comments is a while? 😉
Let’s find out, shall we? Didn’t we have a measure for how long it took to empty a dryer – about sic comments?
Argh, six comments!
I did a lot of reading about blogs before I ever started and after I started. One thing that was pretty consistent was, most people will move from Blogger if they get serious, or you Should move from Blogger or WordPress.com if you are serious. So I figured I might as well do it while the blog was young instead of waiting 6 months.
Big Roy,
You made the right choice if you ask me, but I keep finding small little things that I never expected.
I write about them all the time, so others will (like Ben and Starbucker) have an idea of what some of the quirks are in changing.
@ Ben, I got the E-mail and responded, thanks.
It was a short shoot-out. The good guys won! 🙂
Take care, Chris.
Good luck, Big Roy. I’m calling it a night, too. Thank you, Liz, for inviting us in. I’ll see you all next week.
Joe what do you mean by small little things?
AdLib
You called it in 6!
Amazing!!
Goodnight Rick, I have too go watch the pundits and see how bad Lieberman lost.
See ya Rick. Thanks for signing up too!
Roy – you did make the right move.
I wish I was able to move the IGotNewsForYou blog to WordPress but it would mean moving domain names at this point and I don’t want to do that.
Good night, Rick,
Good night, Roy
Sleep well, boys.
Whohoo!
Lieberman 111,887 48.12
Lamont 120,616 51.88
Senator “I don’t like rock and I son’t see why anyone else should either” Lieberman is in trouble 🙂
See ya Big Roy. Have a good one.
Thank you Liz…You have a great community and I haven’t found a nicer person in my travels on the Internet.
Liz is the best! Let’s make her Senator!
‘Night all! 😎
Thank you, Big Roy,
I’ve found a great bunch to hang out with. I’m glad you’ve decided to join us.
Liz,
The shootout at El Dorado is about 12-18 comments, whereas the Shootout at the OK Corral is between 25-30 comments.
Good night, Chris,
Not Senator. Not Mayor of Chicago either.
Sleepy swell.
See ya Chris. Take care of Basil, and keep taking those great pictures!
Ben,
I didn’t know IGotNews is on Blogger. Basil is some coder.
How about Queen of Illinois?
Ya, IGotNewsForYou’s blog is on Blogger. The rest of the site is not of course — it’s a mix of ASP and HTML.
Sadly the hosting is on Windows, and although you can get PHP with Windows from certain hosting companies, mine doesn’t offer it (GoDaddy). I didn’t make the hosting choice, and I’m not particularly thrilled with it; but moving at this stage is a pain in the rear, so I live with it.
From a design perspective, I don’t have a problem with Blogger, but from a performance perspective and feature perspective it’s got issues.
And if anyone’s curious, I’ve changed my link (that appears when you click my name) to the IGotNewsForYou blog.
Hi AdLib,
I think I’d rather be a princess. They get to go out and play with the serfs and princes. The Queen has to hang around the castle.
My Writing blog is on blogger and I understand the issues. I just don’t have the time to do what it takes to move it. Oh so many picture I would have to relink. I can’t even stand to think of it.
Heh, good point. So, which of us are the Liz serfs and who’re the princes?
You are all princes. You should know that would be the only answer.
BTW That picture up there is the opening day of my dad’s saloon.
Big Roy,
Sorry, I was answering email from Ben…
Small little things are the things you don’t think about when you import your Blog from Blogger to WordPress.
Things like, the pics on old posts don’t show, all of you intralinks stay the to the blogger posts, there is no category list on blogger, so everything defaults to Uncategorized.
Little things.
Stop by my blog, I am always writing about the moving experience.
Heh, I’d rather be a peasant in an anarcho-syndicalist commune – having some watery tart throw a sword at you is no rational basis for a government…
That’s a very cool picture.
I can see transitioning a long-standing blog from one platform to another as a real pain. In some cases it just ain’t worth it.
Say what now AdLib? It’s late. And you’re using big words…
AdLib,
That’s exactly why I’d rather be the princess. I don’t want any of the tough decisions. I’m done with the tough decisions. heh-heh
What, you’ve never seen “Monthy Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail”? That’s one of the many, many priceless scenes in the movie where the peasants in the anarcho-syndicalist commune criticize the basis of Arthur’s kingship…
He gives them the flat of his blade for their insolence of course, at which point you can hear cries of “Help, help, he’s oppressing me!”, and “Come see the violence inherent in the system!” interspersed with liberal amounts of “ouch!” and “Oww!”
I still like the rabbit with the 3 pointy teeth the best of all.
Oh, and since I’m still having flashbacks to the music night I missed, here’s a nice new song by Rickie Lee Jones and Squirrel Nut Zippers that they’ve released as a free mp3 download
~waves // Hi Everybody … in no particular order .. Liz, Joe, Susan Reynolds, Wendy Piersall, Scorpia, Rick, Chris Cree, cat, Starbucker, Ben Yoskovitz, Big Roy, Service Unlimited – Douglas, Sasha Manuel, Becky McCray, Advice Librarian, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. President, Queen of England (who I hear reads this blog all the time), and of course all the lurkers out there. (did I miss anybody?)
I’m rather fond of Sir Robin’s Minstrel and the songs he sings about Sir Robin’s bravery…
“When danger reared it’s ugly head
he bravely turned his back and fled
Brave, brave Sir Robin…”
🙂
The KILLER Rabbit…
I’ve see Holy Grail many times, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. I remember the scene you’re referring to, vaguely, but didn’t catch that.
I was probably…hmm…13-14 if not younger when we watched Holy Grail a hundred times.
The rabbit was great too. Now THAT was a crazy rabbit.
I liked the knight that refused to give up fighting even after being chopped to pieces.
Hey HART! Howdy…
Which brought us the Holy Handgrenade of St. Atilla among other beauties…
“I’m not dead yet.”
Hi HART!
What a lovely opening comment.
Oh, Liz? Did WordPress eat my last post, or is it still stuck in moderation?
The armless and legless knight who still wouldn’t give… the Best.
The Worst…
The Life of Brian. UUuugggghhhhh
It was Askimet. Damn and it was doing so well.
That was the “f-ree mp three down-load” that triggered Askimet.
Three questions to cross the bridge.
Yehaaw! Lieberman has just conceded to Lamont – now it’s just time to see if he’s going to run as an independent on the Connecticut 4 Me platform….
Hey HART,
Thanks for stopping by earlier.
I was asking for you here when it first started. You must have taken a nap in between |-z
Ok folks, it’s time for me to call it quits.
It was great seeing everyone, including the new people that joined us.
Is 400+ comments a record here?
Good night and good luck! (just watched that movie, was pretty good…)
Ah, yes Akismet – good and bad points to it, of course.
I dunno if it likes Rickie Lee Jones better?
I like Rickie Lee Jones a lot!
Good night Ben,
I think the record is 436 when I said good night.
Same song, different link text, and Akismet likes it better, eh?
I think that I need to toss the keys in too.
Ad Lib it’s time for me to pack things in.
Yep, spammers like to use that other text.
Ok, I’ll stick around and lock up the joint if there’s any customers still left at the bar then 🙂
Joe .. after posting in your forum, reality TV took over .. Big Brother, Rockstar:Supernova .. etc.
For the past half hour I’ve been struggling here .. My stupid XP is doing an automatic download (Installing Security Update for Windows XP (KB920683) (update 1 of 8)) // I’ve stopped it 3 times today and decided to just let it go – it’s on update 6 now and slowing my computer down to heck.
hello everyone! 🙂
You guys lock the place up when you’re done.
Good night!
Uh oh, do you see the time?
This evening was quite sublime.
But now, even Basil has said…
“It’s time for me to go to bed”.
So, I must bid fine adeau
to each and every one of you.
If the bedbugs should start to bite,
scratch it and say GOOD NIGHT.
Berma Shave
Nite Liz,
Nite All
Yeah, that update jumped me too today – it’s best to just let it go ahead and do whatever it wants to your computer or it’s going to waste a lot of time and effort on nagging you…
Good night, Joe
Sleep well.
Hi Ron,
This is Hart, AdLib, and I’m Liz
Hi, Ron!
oooh that update sounds not fun.
oh #409 I’ll just say my g’nite to you Liz now – just in case and .. I’m sure the joint will be left in good hands with Ad.Lib. // oh wait a sec .. did I just say “joint”?
Ron,
Were you around this afternoon?
Hey Ron .. how’s the grapple business? 😀
Nah, it’s not a joint, it’s a Speakeasy, isn’t it? It’s pretty easy to speak around here, after all…
I think Ron’s gone and I know I’m going.
Sweet dreams, princes of the realm.
Sleep well, Princess Liz 🙂
Sleep well, Prince Ad Lib
It’s tough to get here in time when you’re a left-coaster. But, on the off chance anyone is still lurking, one place I used to love to hang out when I was a teenager was on the levee of the Mississippi in Baton Rouge.
We’d get a group together, go hang out there and drink Strawberry Hill and “P&Q Beer” if anyone knows what that was. Money drove our selections, but we had fun.
Hey Dwayne,
That sounds wonderful.
It was much the same when I was in college in Illinois. Thanks for reminding me. 🙂
Baton Rouge? Nice name for a city, that. Did the Baton Rouge levees work better than the New Orleans ones – or are they a different kind?
(Liz left me the keys to the place, and since I’m sleepless in Norway at the moment, I stick around a lot longer than most…)
I used to hang out there with the “drama people” even though I wasn’t really a drama person. They were very entertaining, but some of them cried too much when they got drunk.
But one good thing was that drama people didn’t fight like the “sports people” in one of the other crowds I hung out with.
Now it seems I hang out a lot with “Scouters” who are adults involved in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. A different breed of folks (quirky, one might say) but they are some of the best people I’ve encountered.
The Baton Rouge levees did a lot better – they are about 50-60 miles west of New Orleans, and held up just fine. 50-60 miles makes a huge difference when you’re moving to the west of the eye of a hurricane.
Baton Rouge population has about doubled in size since Katrina (but I live in Portland, Oregon now).
The story behind “Baton Rouge” is that there was a large tree on the banks of the Mississippi that marked the boundary between two neighboring Indian tribes. To make it more obvious, they stripped the bark off and exposed the red tint under the tree’s bark.
When the French settled in the area, they used that same tree as a landmark – the baton rouge was the big red stick that people could watch for as they sailed along the river to know they’d arrived. The name stuck.
So – is Norwegian wood all it’s cracked up to be ;^)
Ah, the Red Stick city in other words? Nice one 🙂
Well, the Beatles’ song isn’t used in commercials for wooden furniture around here – but then again, quite a lot of the wood furniture around here is IKEA-made and thus sort of swedish.
I love IKEA – especially the meatballs and Lingonberries in the canteen. I discovered them both when I lived in Holland for a couple of years. I had a relocation allowance and IKEA was the best place to go to furnish my apartment (especially when I only needed furniture to last for a couple of years!)
Now, of course, IKEA has made quite a name for itself in the US – and we have some of their furniture that we bought in Seattle.
And how is IKEA supposed to be pronounced anyway? I’ve always said “e-kay-ah” because that’s how the Dutch pronounced it. The US folks say it “eye-key-uh” – both with the emphasis on the middle syllable.
Mmm, they’ve got very reasonable prices for around here as well – my apartment is mostly furnished with Ikea bookcases and some chairs that fit in between the books 🙂
Well, as long as everyone agrees what you’re talking about you can pronounce it any way you like – it’s swedish, and swedes speak Norwegian with a strange accent anyway….
(See the local bias showing 🙂 )
’round here we pronounce it i-kee-ah, mostly stressing the last syllable – anyway, since it’s an acronym the pronounciation isn’t all that important…
genuinecuriosity.com … that’s a great domain name Dwayne.
I’ve just spent the last little while registering and setting up 3 new domains and websites .. well, still in the process of copying over the files actually.
Whenever I see IKEA .. i pronounce it .. “ick-ee-ay” .. just to annoy my wife 🙂 Usually while I’m pronouncing everything I see – as it’s spelled .. for example..
Alzheimer’s Notes – “ahl-ze-hey-i’m-err-snow-tes” … stuff like that.
Excellent, Hart! The graphic on your banner is very unconventional (and way cool).
IKEA … ahh the memories. When I left the nest all those years ago (’87) I filled out my apartment with IKEA goodies.
Now have you tried piecing the stuff together from the instructions half tanked with friends popping over at all hours?
Ay, the memories…
Oh yes – putting together flatpack furniture is fun 🙂
Though if you’re not careful you can end up like me and a buddy last summer – we had to take his bed back apart and turn a few pieces around before it came together like it was supposed to.
Oh that’s par for course with most IKEA products – like a coffee table ending up as a chair – back to the instructions.
🙂
Shouldn’t our hostess be up at this hour? You guys took all the snacks from the sidebar, especially the nachos Liz made just for me.
Hart – how many domains do you own now and does the better half know – or are you using your play money in PayPal.
🙂
448
449
450 ! YAY!!!
sorry Liz 🙂
Martin .. I’m up to 33 domains now 🙂 Basically, any text-link-ads,google adsense, and/or chitika has been financing that. I had a little extra this month, so I finally took plunge again and paying OUT for text-links… it’s in experimental stage.. I can’t afford the time to actually post on all these bloody domains hehe
Dwayne .. thanks re: logo. It’s funny – before that 1800HART logo/header came about I posted an entry in August 2005 asking anybody if they wanted to contribute a logo for me. Someone forwarded me the picture, and I just ended up plastering my green haired monster on it.
By The Way .. general question for those using Bloglines .. Have you noticed anything funny? I’ve been “Keep New”‘ing a group of articles that was up to the 900’s count … suddenly in August, I can’t access the old ones that I’ve been keeping. To make matters worse, any new ones that I keep don’t stick.
Hart – what I do when I get the sudden urge to buy a domain (I’m like a domain junki in that way) and then lose interest in it is build up some PageRank over a few months and sell it.
Usually goes for around $50-$70 if it’s a PR5 – it’s easy to get a high PR and for some reason PageRank is vitally important to buyers.
Not a bad ROI on a $10 purchase – helps build the PayPal kitty.
Sorry Hart – can’t help you with Bloglines. I tried using it but it kept giving me a headache. Ugly interface.
Although I do recall reading Darren (ProBlogger) having some trouble with it.
I had a bunch of blogs I was posting every other day, and ended up after the google dance PR=2 and PR=3’s ..
I’m trying to build up areas for my HART-Empire network .. and probably won’t sell them. I’m not sure if it’s best for me now to attract new members without being able to concentrate on promoting it. So far, I’ve got my “Battling” series, working on my “Lvr” series .. and now I’m trying to create something both in entertainment and business sections of the network.
And, [NO] my wife probably doesn’t know how many blogs I own .. I wish she would show interest. It’s enough working at home SOHO without co-workers .. it would be nice to share a hobby besides reality TV…
I have a few blogs and sites with PR6’s so as soon as I buy a domain I link to it from them.
That’s the only way I figure I get such a high PR for relatively few pages.
That’s the problem: do too many things at the same time and nothing really makes it big.
You’d know the saying: jack of all trades, master of none.
I tend to lose focus if I’m doing more than 2-3 ventures at the same time.
My wife shows no interest in my blogs and online ventures as well – just show me the money or else get a real job.
I hear you 🙂 Never just .. ‘get a job’ .. it’s “get a REAL job!”
I should try that trick.. I have one site .. my http://The-Singers.com .. for some reason .. it’s a PR=6 // I think I should text-link-myself and test your theory!
And I’m outta here. As a soho Dad I got to pick up the kids from school – cya later. I think it’s McDonald’s night tonight … Yay…
And Liz, when you wake up I expect nachos for breakfast.
🙂
grapplings fine. still breathing. came across this because of Sasha. Got to get some coffee in my system. 🙂
Wow Liz… this is pretty cool. I found your link from a couple of SOB’s down the blogway. Over 460 comments in one night… this must be great for inbound links and search engine traffic. Even the best comment spammers have not hit my blog with anything near this volume.
The other cool thing is the quality of the conversation… I picked up a few tips and found some great blogs. Just one thing… clicking the “notify me of further comments via e-mail” could result in a really full inbox!
I’ll be checking back for more SOB’s in the near future… John
Remember… Success Begins Today… but wait… it’s tomorrow already… Oh well… a new day and more success… er uh … today!
Martin,
I’m sorry to hear they ate all of your nachos. You should know where I keep a special stash. I’m like my mother. I never run out of the staples. There’s always more for you around there. (Pssst they’re with the crayones.).
Hi John,
I’ve read your site. I like. I’m delighted that you’ve made it over and even more delighted that you might find your way back here. We’re a good bunch of intelligent folks who know how to communicate. We’d be pleased to have you.
You’re not a stranger now. You’re a friend.
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