Blogging Sueblimely

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There is evidence that suggests unless the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is reduced to below 350 parts per million, major our earth will suffer from irreversible damage. The vision of the 350.org movement is to create a global clean energy economy that is also strong enough to relieve world poverty. To do this they are endeavoring to get millions of people supporting the cause united in a “common call to action”

Blogger’s have a voice can use it to spread the word. Brighter Planet recently put out a challenge. Their aim was to get 350 bloggers displaying the 350 badge on their sites and in return they offered to offset 350 pounds of carbon in the participants names! They have achieved their goal but are carrying on with their campaign.

They liken the offset of 350 pounds of carbon to flicking off 100 lightbulbs for a day or going two weeks without your car. So let us together try to turn off thousands of lightbulbs and display the 350 badge on our sites and add our voices to the growing noise 350.org is making.

To get more details and the code for the badge visit 350.brighterplanet. To find out more about the 350 movement and how you can help in other ways visit the 350.org site

Popularity: 4% [?]

I heard about this meme from Colin of Life. He kindly made it available to anyone to pass on. I generally do not participate in memes that require long long lists of links of bloggers I do not know for just for the sake of getting links myself although I happily give link love to blogs and bloggers I do know and value. In this case the list is going to be passed on to friends and friends of friends and there is no requirement to include a huge master list as there is in some link chains.

~~Begin Copy~~

This is the easy way and the fastest way to :

1. Make your Authority Technoraty explode.

2. Increase your Google Page Rank.

3. Get more traffic to your blog.

4. Makes more new friends.

Rules :

1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.

2. Put your own blog name and link.

3. Tag your friends as much as you can.

1. Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future 4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space 5. Colin from Life 6. Sue - Blogging Sueblimely 7.Put yourself here

~~End Copy~~

I am tagging the following people but if your name is not listed please feel free to take part in the meme too. Although I am linking to particular blogs so that you get a pingback if you have more than one blog you can choose which one you want to use the meme on. If you do not want to take part I will not mind at all. The image is on Flickr so feel free to use it.

• Captain of the Lifecruiser
• Colin in his cafe
• Renny in his Terella
• Jane and her Three Ringed Circus
• Jayne in her Great Southern Land
• Lightening in her Blogworld
• Pearl and her Interesting Observations
• The Baysidemama Kylie
• The Russian Spy, Natalia
• Anyone who reads this blog.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Words of wisdom from the world’s greatest thinkers are timeless providing advice which is as relevant now as when first spoken. All of these quotes could easily be applied to blogging:

Advice for Bloggers

1. They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Carl W. Buechner
2. When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. Dale Carnegie
3. Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense. Ralph Waldo Emerson
4. The ability to speak eloquently is not to be confused with having something to say. Michael P. Hart
5. My opponent can compress the most words into the fewest ideas of anyone I’ve ever known. Abraham Lincoln
6. Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. Rudyard Kipling
7. You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother. Albert Einstein
8. I don’t let my mouth say nothin’ my head can’t stand. Louis Armstrong

Research Tips

9. First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. Epictetus
10. Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. Buddha

Writing Tips

11. What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. Samuel Johnson
12. Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light. Joseph Pulitzer
13. Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book. Ralph Waldo Emerson
14. Those who write clearly have readers, those who write obscurely have commentators. Albert Camus
15. I learned that you should feel when writing, not like Lord Byron on a mountain top, but like child stringing beads in kindergarten, - happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another. Brenda Ueland
16. When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. Enrique Jardiel Poncela

Communication Tips

17. Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating. Joel Barish
18. The art of communication is the language of leadership. James Humes
19. Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man. Benjamin Franklin
20. Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. Ambrose Bierce
21. You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. Indira Gandhi.
22. To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others. Anthony Robbins
23. We shall never be able to remove suspicion and fear as potential causes of war until communication is permitted to flow, free and open, across international boundaries. Harry S. Truman
24. Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacyand mutual valuing. Rollo May

Advice on Commentating

25. Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
    Mother Teresa
26. To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to achieve in the art of conversation. François de la Rochefoucauld
27. What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters: abcdef? Answer: feedback. Don’t forget that feedback is one of the essential elements of good communication Unknown
28. You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. Naguib Mahfouz
29. The greastest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer. Henry David Thoreau
30. The great enemy of clear language is insincerity George Orwell.
31. You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Dale Carnegie
32. One kind word can warm three winter months. Japanese Proverb

Advice on linking

33. Nothing gives an author so much pleasure as to find his works respectfully quoted by other learned authors.
    Benjamin Franklin

Community Building

34. A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living. Rudolf Steiner
35. Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers. Howard Thurman
36. it’s almost impossible for people to change alone. We need to join with others who will push us in our thinking and challenge us to do things we didn’t believe ourselves capable of. Frances Moore Lappe
37. The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village.” Marshall McLuhan
38. We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race. Cicero
39. The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt. Frederick Buechner
40. Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing. Rollo May

Bad blogging Advice

41. Words are a wonderful form of communication, but they will never replace kisses and punches Ashleigh Brilliant
42. Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true. Charles Dickens
43. Life is far too important a thing ever to talk about. Oscar Wilde.

To Spammers and Plagiarists

44. So far the only successful substitute for brains is silence. Unknown Author
45. Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact. George Eliot
46. Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. Plato
47. Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good. Samuel Johnson
48. Saying nothing…sometimes says the most. Emily Dickinson
49. Noise proves nothing, Often a hen who has laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid. Mark Twain

Inspiration for this post came from Mary Anne of Maryannaville who tagged me as part of a meme started by Lauren of You Can Be A Part of My Life which asks us to choose a quote that speaks from our hearts.

As am passing this on to new bloggers I chose a quote that encourages us to keep trying.

50. What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence. Dr. Samuel Johnson

The meme:

“Post a quote that speaks from and to your heart and dedicate it to at least three other bloggers.”

I am passing this on to:

• Mr V at School Spirit
• Duchess at Duchess and the Duke
• Charlichoclateeater at Charlichocolateeater’s Weblog

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It seems appropriate after my last post to take part in this Entrecard meme. It is likely an indication of Entrecard’s current popularity that I get tagged twice for this. I find the concept fascinating and will be following the trends closely. I will be also be looking out for its Entry into Wikipedia.

Andrew Boyd and Guera have tagged me for an Entrecard meme - "Chain Drop 8 above the fold". Andrew explains what "above the fold" means and why it matters- Entrecard (and other ads) above the fold…

Rules-

• Create a post on your blog that links back to this post.
• Tag 8 bloggers not mentioned in this post who display their Entrecard widget above the fold and have great content.
• Leave a comment on this post and share the link to the post you made.

I would like to tag the following who have their Entrecard Widget ‘above the fold’:

• Photos from Northern Norway: A photo blog
• Tim Christie Photography, Life And The Blogosphere
• Mother’s Got A Dot Com
• Social Networking Rocks - she has an interesting article on the Zion5 Network
  Website Promotion on Zion5 which I have joined for learning purposes.
• Schwoit - You can read about his strategies on dropping and thanking on My Entrecard Strategy
  
• Interesting Observations
  
• Fun, Crafts and Recipes
  
• HiTech Dads
  - say hello to Jack while you are there, the beautiful new son of a hitech dad.

Please do not feel obliged to take part in this if you would rather not - just accept the link-love as a gift :-).

An afterthought - the comments in my last post are probably more interesting than my post itself. It would be good to keep that conversation going so feel free to add your own opinions of Entrecard to the comments there. Are you finding it useful, do you think it a flash in a pan, will the novelty wear off? Are too many people taking advantage of it and will this put others off using it? Will the Entrecard ‘Wombats’ get hungry and look for juicier leaves?

Popularity: 3% [?]

Here is my contribution to the Happiness Project

Please keep in mind while you read this post that I believe that my own experiences are mine alone, everyone is different, everyone finds happiness in different forms and different ways. I am not presuming to advise anyone. As Algernon Black said.

“Why not let people differ about their answers to the great mysteries of the Universe? Let each seek one’s own way to the highest, to one’s own sense of supreme loyalty in life, one’s ideal of life. Let each philosophy, each world-view bring forth its truth and beauty to a larger perspective, that people may grow in vision, stature and dedication.“

How do you define happiness?

• Possessing a positive attitude to life and being content with life and who I am.
• Gaining satisfaction in helping others,
• Following achievable, realistic goals
• Continuing to grow and learn without being dissatisfied with where I am today
• Being balanced in mood without any major highs or lows,
• Living up to my own expectations of myself not what I think I should do or be.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your happiness now, versus when you were a child?

Age 1-5/now = 9/9 Age 5+/now 4/9 The missing “1″ is because I have not experienced all there is to experience in life and never will - life is too short, some things I do not want to do and others are not possible.

What do you do on a daily basis that brings you happiness? (and how consistent is the feeling of happiness throughout your day)

When I am happy I do not stop to think about it.When I do I realize that the feelings of happiness are nearly always there - these days.

What brings me happiness -

• The happiness and good spirits of those close to me - bad mood of others can turn my own maybe too easily.
• Spending quality time with my family doing things they and I enjoy. As kids get older I find that harder to do and quality time often just means sitting in front of the box watching same show together.
• Helping others in some way - sounds trite but it is true. If I am honest I help only in ways I choose but then my heart is in it.
• A quiet passion for what I am doing - quiet because I hate the feelings of being overexcited.
• Solitude, not being disturbed in train of thought. I probably need more solitude than most.
• Achieving what I set out to do in a day.
• Doing activities I enjoy - web designing, blogging, being creative in thought and actions, watching favorite DVDs, online communication with friends, occasionally spending time with friends in real life.

What things take away from your happiness? What can be done to lessen their impact or remove them from your life?

• Any hard to solve problems my children or partner or extended family have. Pondering on what will happen to my disabled son in the future. Pondering on what will happen to my disabled son in the future. (repeated for emphasis!) negativity, self criticism , feelings of selfishness, thinking about myself too much. Lessening their impact - work on solutions and don’t dwell on problems, take action, counter negativity with the positive, think of others more, humor, sing “Always look on the bright side of life” Minor irritations such as windows not letting me save images. Solution - tell my partner I am pissed off just after writing a post on happiness and falling into fits of laughter.
• Not taking my “happy pills”, not having enough sleep, repetitive chores (ironing in particular). being disorganized, not focused and being behind with too many things. Solutions - Just Do It or in the case of ironing don’t do and buy clothes that do not crease - avoidance has its place.

What do you plan on doing in the future that will bring you even more happiness?

I am not seeking more happiness, do not know if more even exists, but I do want to continue to grow and improve.:

• Continue learning
• Try to be more selfless
• Helping others more.
• Succeeding in my goals.
• Learn to be more organized and focused.
• Work on the best solutions for my disabled son’s future.
• Travel more overseas
• A ’sea change’ - moving out of the city.

When I started this post I had no intention of adding my own thoughts but just answering the project questions. When I came to think more on the topic I realized that because of my own experiences maybe I am qualified to talk more of happiness (and the opposite) from my own perspective . Having suffered from anxiety and depression, mainly a result of being a carrier of Fragile X Syndrome, for more years than I care to remember, I cried out for solutions to feelings of happiness. I am very very fortunate to have found them, although the quest took a great deal of soul searching, hard work and admitting I could not achieve it all by myself. By not starting on the quest early enough the problems in my life just compounded.

What I have learned.

Happiness

• I have learned that happiness is achievable.
• I should not have expected happiness to come to me, I had to go out and find it.
• Happiness did not take the form I imagined it would.
• What I wanted and what I needed were often not the same.
• I had to let go of self and stubbornness and allow others to guide me, cajole me and, at times, even make me pick myself out of my dark places.
• I left it far too long before I took action.
• I learned eventually to look in the right directions and not let the failures of others deter me.
• Some people are happy in their misery, I had to stop letting their examples convince me that I could not succeed.
• I had to want to be happy and not find benefits in not being so.
• I found that happiness was staring me squarely in the face and I did not need to make any major lifestyle changes. I had to change my attitude.
• I learned that tomorrow always has the potential to be a better day. Yesterday has gone, I don’t waste time on regrets and “what ifs”. Today is the present - savor the gift.
• I can always improve myself further and continue learning all my life. This thought is exciting
• I am an individual with my own unique personality and genetic make up. I do not need to compare myself to anyone else unfavorably and I do not need to focus on my weaknesses but enhance my strengths.
• I am not perfect by any means but no-one is. I accept that I have limitations and can live with and within them and still be happy.

Clinical Depression

• Clinical depression does exist and you cannot always just think your way out of it.
• To get a range of specialist medical help, do not rely on a GP alone.
• If medication is prescribed by a specialist take it and not be stubborn and bloody minded.
• If a medication does not work try and try again until you find one that does. When I found the right one after months of trial and error the result was magical.
• My magical results were just a starting point which gave me the ability to start work on other areas.
• To work as hard as I could to defeat the ‘black dog’, be determined and use every resource available to me.
• Exercise - however much my mind told me not to. Even a daily short walk was of help.
• Adversity can indeed make us stronger.
• To lean on others but to fight hard to stand up by myself.
• Embarrassment, shame and self blame should have no place in my thinking.
• By being open about my own experiences and successes I hope to encourage others to do the same, to show others they are not alone and that there is a way out.

I dedicate this post to Bryn, David, my kids and my sister who never stopped having faith in me, saw positive traits in me, when I was blind to them, and helped me in countless ways. Sometimes thank you just cannot express nearly enough but thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Happiness Project is the brainchild of Alex Shalman, who invited well known bloggers who have had powerful influences on his life, to take part in a Writing Project/competition. The goal is to assemble views on definitions of happiness, how it comes about and how to create more of it. Alex asks his interviewees these questions:

The answers from each entrant are being posted to his blog each day for 4 weeks of February. Week three is in progress now.

How you can participate in the Happiness Project.

• Alex asks us to follow the project from interview to interview and leave thoughtful, insightful comments.
• Join in yourself by
  1. Answering the project questions in a post on your own blog:
     1. How do you define happiness?
     2. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your happiness now, versus when you were a child?
     3. What do you do on a daily basis that brings you happiness? (and how consistent is the feeling of happiness throughout your day)
     4. What things take away from your happiness? What can be done to lessen their impact or remove them from your life?
     5. What do you plan on doing in the future that will bring you even more happiness?
  2. Alex asks us to “Be as genuine as possible when answering the questions”
  3. Link back to and post a link to your post in the comments of the Happiness Project: Series Of Interviews With Top Bloggers: Win Over $650 post in order to let others known about the project, and so that Alex can keep track of who is taking part.

Links

Introduction post and contest rules

Happiness Project Category Archive

Project Entrants

Popularity: 2% [?]

Pearl of Interesting Observations tagged me on this Spread the Love NOW! Group Writing Project, which was started by
the Three Monks as a competition – Wade of The Middle Way, Kenton of Zen-Inspired Self Development, and Albert of Urban Monk.Net. The deadline for entering the competition is over but I felt the need to take part anyway - whenever I see examples of blogging being used for such good purposes my spirit soars. Then task was simple - to write something on compassion. Competition entries and results will be posted on
10 January 2008 on all three judge’s blogs. I imagine there will be very some interesting reading to be had.

I read many blogs and as time goes on I find that rather than purely reading blogs about blogging or new web technology I am drawn towards posts that speak from the heart. I see compassion being practiced all the time.

Brave people bearing their souls, blogging about personal issues, admitting things about themselves they would perhaps not admit to anyone else. Thank goodness for web anonymity in allowing this. These bloggers strive to find support from others who understand or offer help themselves by talking of experiences, solutions or coping mechanisms. Often it is a case of mutual support.. Cries for help are answered, burdens eased, problems solved. Blogging friends rally round to help, visiting and leaving comments. showing they understand and wanting to alleviate suffering caused by illness, mental anguish, life’s circumstances. Compassion is in plentiful supply here.

Local support groups, medical and mental health services often exist to help but compassion is often lacking. Many in remote areas cannot access these services. Mobility of modern day populations take us away from family and friends. Rarer medical conditions mean others who understand may be far away. Blogging can be so valuable in filling these gaps.

Bloggers who help newcomers, those who answer questions in forums, blog readers who answer questions in comments are all practicing compassion.

Last year we saw Blog Against Abuse, BlogBlast For Peace, Blog for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, all mass blogging efforts for good causes. Bloggers are passing the message around about Frozen Pea Fund and Twitterers are sporting images resplendent with peas to raise funds for breast cancer.

There are bloggers who make it their goal to teach us about issues and subjects we often prefer to not think about, if they do not directly affect us.. Megan at Imaginif child protection became serious business springs to mind here. Compassion begins by developing an understanding of the needs of others. I was taught to treat others as I would want to be treated myself. If we are unaware of how others are actually treated, how can we achieve this completely. Such bloggers help us to achieve this.

Now you have arrived at the best writing of this post - the quotes - they sum things up so succinctly and speak volumes!

• If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito - Betty Reese
• The dew of compassion is a tear. -
  Lord Byron
• Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.- Dalai Lama
• In separateness lies the world’s great misery, in compassion lies the world’s true strength - Lord Buddha

Finally a couple of my favorite quotes - which you may have seen in my blog posts before.:

• We must be the change we wish to see. - Mahatma Gandhi
• How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. - Anne Frank

I will not pass this on to anyone but please feel free to take part if you wish.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Meghan, who provides a wonderful service for all who have the responsibility of caring for children on her blog Imaginif child protection became serious business , has challenged me to a “Favorite Five” meme. Meghan is so dedicated to the benefits of blogging she even recently extolled its advantages just after been rescued from drowning. Woman near drowns and has blogging discussion with rescuer

Apologies for being so slow in posting this Meghan - because the blog was so new when you tagged me, I was at a loss as to which posts to include and then Christmas sidetracked me somewhat.

Now on to the meme, which asks us to:

1. Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words : family, friend, yourself, your love, anything you like.

2. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances so that you get to know them each a little bit better.

So here I go:

• Family: 101 reasons for blogging - My first forays into blogging were aimed purely at keeping in touch with my family in UK and posting photos of my children who were growing and changing rapidly (as children have a tendency to do!)
• Friend: Best Blogging Buddies
  Myself: Liz Strauss says I am a SOB Now I feel as if I am boasting and I am never very comfortable with “blowing my own trumpet”. I would much rather blow other’s trumpets.
• Love: About Page - talks about my passion for blogging and what it means to me.
• One more: Google listened - Blogspot Blogger comment form allows URL link - I mention this post because it is good news for Blogger users who had a downturn in comments from the prior change (non Blogger users could not add URL’s if they did not have an OpenID. Even using the OpenID option was more time consuming and was apt to put people off commenting.)  In case you have not realized - if you check the Nickname box when commenting on a Blogger Blog, a URL field appears. Google have not made the feature obvious -  they are probably still trying to encourage everyone to use their Google or an OpenID  identity.

This Favorite Five meme is that it allows us to highlight older posts that may have got lost in the deep dark storage areas of our archives. I thoroughly approve of being asked to include new acquaintances too, not only to get to know them better but to offer goodwill in the form of a little link-love.

I am passing this on to the following people but, as always with my memes, please do not take part if you do not wish to. You may think memes not appropriate for your blog, you may not like them or you are overrun by them and do not want to do another just now. You can just consider this as a backlink given in the spirit of the keywords used in this meme.

John - dissociated.com who I recently ‘met’ in a forum.

Kelly - Magneto bold too - partly because I love her description of being a “caffeine fueled, shoe obsessed Aussie chick”

Kuaynin of Blog-Blond because I laughed so much at her latest post (where she is pondering whether she has become “a better blogger or just a kinkier, lazier one”) that I wanted you to see it.

Meg - Dipping into the Blogpond - because she started up the Top 100 Australian Blogs Index and it boosts my flagging blogging spirits so much to find out I am back in the list with this new blog.  I was a fan of her blog long before this though!

Andrew of Fabicus on Blogging - particularly because of his series “designed to help you make the jump to self-hosted blogging” - despite all good intentions I have not covered the topic as thoroughly as I wanted to.

Popularity: 1% [?]