The Friday Five – Volume 4

Welcome to the 4th edition of The Friday Five! I hope you’ll enjoy the blogs I’ve chosen to spotlight this week.

If you know of other interesting blogs that should be featured here, be sure to drop us a line.

  • We Three, Ginger Cats Tales – If you have a fondness for animals, be sure to check out this blog, authored by three beautiful cats from Wales. They document their adventures with some amazing photos!
  • The Sunsphere is NOT a Wigshop – You’ll find everything you ever wanted to know about Knoxville, Tennessee on this site authored by five “Little Knoxvillians”. There are photos, restaurant reviews, news stories, and suggestions for fun things to do around town.
  • The Critical Critics – The Critical Critics provide “honest, no frills, balls-to-the-walls” movie reviews. Be sure to check out their review of The Dark Knight.
  • Fun and Food – If you love to cook, or just to eat, you’ll find lots of great recipes here. Don’t visit the site on an empty stomach though! The photos alone will make you drool.
  • Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site – Matt has been traveling the world for the last two years. He uses his blog to track his own travels, as well as to share practical advice with other travelers.

Blog Spotlight – 0at.org

The Blog0at.org is a blog which encompasses topics related to marketing and design (and a smidge of humor and personal topics) written by a professional designer. Chances are you may have seen his work – Drivl, SEOmoz, Web 2.0 Awards, and FilmCritic.com, just to name a few.

The Blogger – Matthew Inman is a 25 year old web designer, developer, marketer and co-founder of SEOmoz.

A Post We LuvA Bear With a Mullet. Matthew asked his readers to choose something for him to draw. This was the winner.

Blog Spotlight – Highlights from the Dave Ramsey Show

The BlogHighlights from the Dave Ramsey Show is a collection of the best calls from Dave Ramsey’s daily radio program. You’ll also be able read and listen to Dave’s Quote of the Day, Scripture of the Day, and lots of common-sense financial advice.

The Blogger – Dave Ramsey was a millionaire by age 26. Poor financial decisions caused him to lose everything. He then went on a quest to find out how money really works and how he could control it. He regained control of his financial situation, becoming a millionaire for the second time – this time incurring absolutely no debt. He now counsels others to do the same with several best selling books and a daily radio show heard by more than three million listeners each week on more than 350 radio stations throughout the U.S.

A Post We LuvButt Scratching and Bass Fishing is a rant about why taxing the rich just isn’t the right thing to do. Listen to the audio file, and if you’re as impressed as so many others have been, be sure to share it with your friends. If you’d rather read the transcript, you can find it here.

10 Questions with the Original Glamazon of The Glamazon Chronicles

10 Questions with The Original Glamazon of The Glamazon Chronicles

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
Like me, my blog can’t be described in less than five sentences but I am going to try (dang I just wasted a sentence to describe my blog talking about how it can’t be described). Black southern female reality blogging, actually it’s a reality blog that is colored by the fact that my reality is affected by my race, gender, and where I was raised. I like to believe that I bring a creative aspect to blogging; I’m a different kind of voice that combines the melodies of spoken word and how words roll off your brain or tongue. I love words and how they sound, and when I write my tone and cadence makes you feel as if I am there holding a conversation with you, many of my blogs can be read aloud like music or poetry. My blog is written for therapy and release (every time OG writes a blog pimp hand goes down) more than anything it’s a view into my world that helps you see a different side of the world, because I, like everyone else in the blogsphere, think I bring a unique perspective to the table.

2. Link us to one post that best defines who you are.
Black Like Me
This was an extremely hard choice for me. Its one of the reasons I do not do best of list on my right hand side. My blogs are like children. I think they are all wonderful and should be read. Ok, well most of them. I choose this post because I think it speaks to a dynamic beyond racial duality while being completely about it. I think we all struggle with the many faces of the prism that make up who we are as people. We are but a sum of our parts, and some of us have lady parts. Lady parts are cool.

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
I think my cadence and tempo. I think my love of the English language and music with my slightly offbeat humor makes me an OG. I think the way I deliver stories about my life and my convictions is not the average delivery of today’s blogger, but doesn’t everyone think that? I think that my blogs are layered and full of life they can be read over and over and something new can be found with each new read. Maybe it was a play on words you didn’t see or a pop culture reference that had escaped you until now. In that way I’m kinda like Family Guy, except I’m single and black and southern and not a cartoon. I think my willingness to experiment outside the box and do things I have never seen before on my blog always makes it exciting to visit my blog. I think my quick wittedness (is that a word?) and positive view even on the negative things sets me a part from a lot of blogs, it’s not Pollyanna but it’s not doom and gloom. I like to think of it more as if Pollyanna woke up and found out she was black. She isn’t, is she? Is she colorless like God? I think my refusal to address things that the mainstream media wants us talking about makes me unique. In my space it will always be about what I want to talk about. I often wait for topics to die down or last longer than a sound bite before I weigh in, because some of this news we are discussing in the blogsphere IS NOT NEWS! So to sum it up, I think me being me is what sets me a part from other bloggers.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
Man, I remember blogging like yesterday. It happened in December of 2001. A very good friend of mine works for MS. She told me they had just set up a beta blog site. So I just started blogging about my seemingly happy life. Nothing too deep, just blog fodder, almost like reading the diary of a seven year old. You know how you think at seven what you are writing is scandalous and then you realize that writing about your crush on your neighbor in the 5th grade is hardly what they make playboy movies out of. Then not too long after my blogging life started, I went through a separation, divorce, and a few of life’s other hard knocks. Blogging became my way to address the pain. Unlike journaling it allowed others to weigh in and let me know I was not crazy for feeling how I felt.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
Good question. I live most of my life in the black blogsphere, not really a conscious choice but we gravitate to those things that affect our lives. I think I hate the fact that many bloggers don’t spend a lot of time putting out solutions. They critique everything under the sun, but they never put out solutions. I also don’t like the amount of refusal to listen to other thoughts or views by commenters who jump on sites and refuse to see the other side of the coin. You would think as a computer operating human, being there would be more brain power to have rational discussion, but really there isn’t. So Sad. So Sad.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
I don’t know if I have one. *lol* I don’t use a lot of widgets of services. My blog is organic; I don’t even have Adsense on my blog, as of now. I try to view this as a passionate hobby. I guess I’m like Q-Tip from a Tribe Called Quest. He said it was just him and his microphone; well, it’s just me and my laptop. Ok maybe Sitemeter.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog,who would it be and why?
I’d have to say no one. I’m not really big on it. I guess Jay Leno does have a guest host and teachers have subs, but to me blogging is not one of those things that you need to have stand-in for. If I don’t blog, then oh well. The world keeps on spinning and the big wheels keep on turning and Proud Mary keeps on burning. When I’m away I do sometimes schedule posts and while I do try to blog daily, sometimes I don’t. I think for my blog having a guest blogger would be hard because of my writing style. I like to think of it as unique and different and that bringing someone else in would disrupt its flow FAR MORE than a few days with out OG. However if that question is to just see who I admire as a writer or person in the world, I would just tell you Toni Morrison is the truth!! Despite that fact, she still can’t write a guest post on my blog. Plus I’m sure they have some special blog for Nobel Laureates to post on.

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
I essentially grew up on my blog. I don’t think we ever stop growing and evolving. Well, enlightened human beings don’t. I learned from my mistakes and pushed through them into this great mental space I am in right now. I chronicled all of that in some form or fashion on my blogs. Blogging about those things really helped me look at my feelings objectively and not just internalize them. Blogging saves the little bit of sanity I have left. I call it working my life’s problems out on paper. To me, blogging is the metaphorical equivalent to showing your work on your math homework. You know people want to know how I got to this space, how I found my answers and if they really want to know, all they need to do is READ my blogs from day one. You will see me work out my ideas and my life and my friends and everything right there in front of you. Some of it only I know the specifics to, but most of it you can chart. You can see me in my valleys, you can read a post and say “Oh this is where she carried the 1”. It really is the best therapy there is for me.

It has allowed me to be easier on myself. It has allowed me to see my growth as a person. The one thing about chronicling your life in cyberspace is IT IS THERE FOREVER AND FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. I made it a hard fast rule a long time ago NEVER to delete any post I published. I think because of that rule I really have to be sure when I am writing the blog it is something I am ready to share and ready to get the truth about. My blog folder is full of blogs that never see daylight. When I tackle personal subjects about people I know I have learned to be more tactful and discerning with my words just out of respect for their privacy, because you never know who is reading. It definitely makes me more creative when sharing my anecdotes. I very rarely address people that I know lurk. It’s tacky to me, but that is all growth on my part as a person and a blogger. It has also made me a better writer. It has made me a better researcher even though I very rarely use my research for anything else other than double entendre and pop-culture jokes. Man I am telling you I’m the Family Guy of blogs.

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Be honest and be open. Spell check (this is my thing) and read your blog to yourself both as your editor (I am learning more about content editing the more I blog) and as your target audience. Lucky for me I’m my target audience. Realize that more people than you can imagine are reading you and take it as your opportunity to shine. Find your writing strengths, learn who your audience is as opposed to who you think they are, and above all else be true to whatever YOUR vision is of YOUR blog. Only change what it is and what you are writing on it for you. I am a firm believer in “If you build it, they will come.” I call it the Field Of Dreams philosophy. Please remember you have to build it on solid foundation; otherwise, when they come, it will crumble!

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
Man, I read so many, but I do have my regular stops. I don’t let my friends know I read their blogs often because I know as a blogger it sometimes inhibits your creative space when you know friends or family are reading/lurking; however at some point it becomes unavoidable. I would have to say Raving Black Lunatic. Can I say that on TV? (Just jokes people, just jokes) I have watched him develop and evolve his own style which is different from other political and social commentary blogs I see out there. I think that he offers an insightful and intelligent look at his life as a black man in New Orleans. He also isn’t afraid to tell the truth, even when it means he needs to step up his own personal growth game. I admire that. Big Man never disappoints me with his take on things and our world today.

The Friday Five – Volume 3

Welcome to the third edition of the Friday Five. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been three weeks! Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?

Here’s five more great blogs you should consider checking out. If you like them, don’t forget to show your appreciation by adding them to your favorite feed reader and leaving a few comments!

As always if you own and operate an interesting blog or simply just love reading blogs and think you know of you one that should be featured here, please don’t hesitate to let us know about it!

  • GameDrift – Thanks to Entrecard, I discovered GameDrift, a great site for gaming news, reviews and articles related to both console and PC gaming.
  • Sizzling Popcorn – If you’re a movie fanatic, you’ll enjoy this great site which features not only the latest movie news but also reviews as well.
  • NY Barfly – As described by James, the author of NY Barfly, “The site is A Sophisticate’s Guide to Drinking and Debasement – it’s about cocktails, etiquette, and all of the glorious drinks in between.” While you’re there don’t forget to also check out the Davey and Drunky cartoons.
  • Novelty Action Figures – As you could probably guess by the blog’s name, Josh writes about novelty action figures. Some of the figures featured are really quite amazing.
  • Dream Revealer – Ever have recurring dreams and wondered if there’s any meaning to them? Perhaps you can find some answers here. Dream Revealer features dream analysis and interpretation as well as a dream dictionary.

10 Questions with Paul of Museum of Pop Archaeology

10 Questions with Paul of Museum of Pop Archaeology

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
Museum of Pop Archaeology is an online museum/informational source about the history of pop music. Each exhibit examines a facet or historical segment of popular music, supported with ample documentation, authentic pictures, and a suspiciously ample supply of transcribed private conversations. We also have a Facebook group with officers who are all charged with administrative duties and some sort of food preparation. (P.S. It’s satire. Don’t tell anyone. Satire does not sell, and we need the bucks.)

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
I will go with Exhibit 15: Meeting the Devil at the Crossroads.

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
I tend to wheeze a bit, especially during strenuous activity.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
About 2001, when I ill-advisedly started keeping a ”diary” on a community Scoop site. Back then it was an acceptable substitute for being a sensitive singer/songwriter. Meaning I could unleash all my pain and internal torment in exact and often embarrassing fashion. That led to a record review blog. Finally I started the Museum because I really got sick of telling the truth about everything.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
Work blogs. I can’t stand blogs about work.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
Wikipedia. Lying takes a whole lot of research. And Wikipedia’s the most cursory, drive-thru source of information I’ve ever seen.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why?
Steve Martin, because he’d fit the format. Hell, I’ve practically stolen his point of view for the whole thing. Also Henry Miller, if he’s interested.

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
It’s lessened the need for psychoactive medication.

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Don’t be afraid to edit. Measure the tempo and pacing of your words. Inserting a good joke is always worth it. And don’t feel compelled to write about Britney Spears. That angle is covered.

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
WFMU’s Beware Of The Blog – It’s conceivable that this blog could be solely responsible for all your entertainment needs except for sexual congress. And even then, if you were physically talented, it might still work for that too.

Blog Spotlight – My Himalayan Cat, Goma

The BlogMy Himalayan Cat, Goma chronicles the exploits of Goma, a rather furry cat who enjoys bike rides with mom, Fancy Feast and dry fishes.

The Blogger – Sachie (aka Goma’s mom), a native of Vermont, is a graphic designer and self-proclaimed animal lover. She has an interest in animal welfare and through her blog hopes to help spread the love for animals all over the world. I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job.

A Post We Luv – Check out the adorable first pictures of Goma which captured Sachie’s heart. How could anyone not love that face?

Blog Spotlight – Housewife Hiccups

The BlogHousewife Hiccups is the chronicle of one woman’s journey to become the perfect housewife. She shares her menu plans, recipes, cleaning tips, and even before and after photos of the household projects she tackles.

The Blogger – Tina is a 30 something wife and mother living in Australia. She enjoys reading, photography, spending time with her family, entertaining, and blogging. In addition to Housewife Hiccups, she authors Mummified Times Five, The Original Mx5, and Not Just Mama.

A Post We Luv – Like most men, Tina’s husband had a severely disorganized closet – until Tina decided to tackle it. You can see the before and after photos in DH’s Cupboard – Tackle It Tuesday.