Today’s Non-Techie Adventure

It’s after 11am already, but I’ve moved through most of my To Do List (The Five Things), cruising along on a Tuesday, another Good Day.

I published this week’s Rebel Review on www.RebelHousewife.com:
The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty
“Thoroughly readable and engaging…”

Now, I’m fixin’ to jump into something kinda scary, but exciting, too: I’m moving! Domain hosts and Blog Platforms, that is. I’ve had RebelHousewife.com on p4host, using Squarespace.com as the blog platform, for almost three years. And it’s been great: I was able, as a non-techie, to build and maintain my own website with Squarespace.com, which is truly remarkable. I even learned a little html! (I’ve also relied heavily on my html Bible: Hip Pocket Guide to HTML 4 from IDG Books (1998 – an oldie, but a goodie)).

With the new blogging platform, WordPress, I don’t have to do the html. There are little buttons for everything, but I still have a lot to learn, like how to change the colors, how to manage my sidebars over there, widgets and plug-ins, how to get Feedburner up and running. One step at a time, and it all starts with a call to BlueHost.com, to move the domain hosting, hopefully without completely screwing everything up or losing anything.

Top 5 Reasons for Change:
1) Stay as current as I can for an “old lady” who’s been online since 1995.
2) Changing blog platforms for Commenting ability to make it easier for my readers to interact with me and other readers.
3) WordPress offers a larger blogger community, very dynamic and supportive.
4) Monetization, Baby–
5) SEO, which means great exposure and opportunities for
The Rebel Housewife/Rebel Reviews.

So here we go. I am clearly procrastinating…

Monday Motivation

My new efriend, Wendy P. at eMomsathome.com truly astonishes me with her knowledge, always upbeat attitude, inspiration, networking, connections and, above all, her ability to get things done!

I’ve got to mention her eMoms Birthday Party Contest — you should check it out!

Also on her inspiration, I’m posting today on Monday Motivation in response to her challenge:

If I can accomplish Just Five Things each day, above & beyond the daily family management (getting kids to & from school, homework, meals, etc.), it’s a Good Day, so here’s Monday:

1. Blog(2): a Wendy blog & the blog I’ve been working on all morning.
2. Back up website & prep move to new host!
3. Make the bed & finish the laundry (same sexy life, Wendy!).
4. Make a dental appt (this is Huge, and is the result of #1, Part 2).
5. (This will be the reward, too, as I totally agree with Roberto on positive motivation and I am not touching the car in any way, except to gas up or drive it into the line at Cactus Car Wash!)
Read THE TENDER BAR for Weds night Book Group, which I also need to prep for, since I’m the new coordinator for the Midtown (Atlanta) Book Group — yay!

OMG, it’s already 11:22! (Make that 12:30 – but I’m making progress here!)
Have a great day,
Sherri

Do You Digg?

Befriend me on Digg: rebelhousewife (User Name)

I’ve been hearing about it for months from my techie hubby, who reads it daily, and I finally landed there accidentally, on a link in a post by my eMomsatHome.com friend, Wendy P., who was writing about her fantastic experiences at Elite Retreat in San Francisco recently:

I have to say that I’m already seeing results from the experience – less than 36 hours after getting home, I took Neil Patel’s tips on writing to get to the front page of Digg last night! It was quite a ride, with the inevitable server crash as well (thank God Blue Host got me up and running in less than a few minutes! They ROCK!).

(More about Blue Host in the future — I’m looking into it (on Wendy’s recommendation), in this big transition to WordPress!)

Anyway, I followed the link, and landed on Digg for the very first time. It’s hard to describe, but it’s kind of like a news service, where regular people submit articles and items of interest and the Digg community rates them (Digg or Bury), so that only the most popular, widely-read news and information is presented on the main page — kind of like a very customized online newspaper that is constantly updating.

I registered so that I could Digg Wendy’s article. I am probably the only Digg user ever to turn off all the Tech News (the site is highly geared toward technology, which is why my hubby loves it so — probably his biggest source of news and information over the last several months), also Sports and Gaming, but I still have World News, Science and Entertainment.

The Digg site is non-techie friendly, from what I could tell. I was in an area to find Digg Friends to share & compare info with other Diggers, to search out my hubby and Wendy, when it all went blank with the message:

We’ll be back shortly.
Digg will be down for a brief period, while we make some changes.
While not digging, the digg crew recommends:[list of blogs]

Unless it’s because I turned off the Tech News???
Hmmm…

I’ll do some more research and let you know, but if you are already on Digg, or if you go check it out, Friend me! (username: rebelhousewife)

Random Rebel Blog Basics

My intent here, with The Random Rebel Coffee Blog, is to post daily, at about the same time everyday, for Mom’s Coffee Break. We all need to take one everyday, whether we are working outside the home or at home (like me).

I invite anyone and everyone to join me anytime to take a few minutes, to chat about whatever is on our minds, just as we would if we were next-door neighbors or friends who talk on the phone everyday.

I welcome Comments and interaction, and the reason I am moving my blog platform (from Squarespace.com to WordPress) is to make it easier for Readers to Comment and get involved in the conversation. (Please bear with me, while I make my way through this transformation. I am essentially a non-techie, working my way through new stuff, step by step.)

Today’s post, since I have been distracted cleaning bathrooms and what-not:

Random Rebel Blog Basics:

#1 – Posts should be short (100 – 200 words), interesting, not completely self-absorbed or self-serving.

#2 – Ideally, there should be more tips, quick lists, pictures and images than long, rambling paragraphs. (I have to work on pics & images — the technical mechanics of that.)

#3 – Content is Queen, and advertising should be subtle, but provide revenue to support the Community (which is good). Any advertising should be directly relevant to the content, useful to the Reader if he/she is looking for more information on the topic.

#4 – The Blog should be INTERACTIVE — coffee break/water cooler interaction. Please join in with your comments and links!

#5 – There will be NO SPAM or verbal abuse — Zero Tolerance, at my discretion. Because I am The Queen, dammit! (Profanity, on occasion, may be acceptable, perhaps even necessary for emphasis or effect. As I tell my kids when they catch me spicing it up once in a while: Those are 18-year-old words, never to be used in the presence of your Mother. So, as long as you are over the age of 18, and you are not in the presence on your Mother…I will not bitch about it.)

Blogroll: eMomsatHome

I had a different plan today, but as I was cruising around, I discovered a fantastic resource on blogging in general, and Mom Blogging in particular — not the sappy, crappy stuff (I apologize in advance: Lord knows, I’ve been there, done that!), but more business-centered, Work At Home, Life/Work/Home Balance and Monetizing (the New Tech word for MAKING MONEY).

Added to the Blogroll
(which eventually will be visible over there when I figure out how to do it):
www.emomsathome.com
starting, running + succeeding in home business & blogging

There are a ton of great resources and a really nice community at eMomsatHome, so check it out. I’ll be coffee breaking over there for some time, picking up tips and getting to know everyone. I’ve also signed up for Wendy Piersall’s Blogging Course:

10 Days to a Better Blog

Be sure to check back here on March 25th, then!!