In protest of the proposed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) legislation, Wikipedia will be blacking out the English version of its website on January 18 according to this source on Tuesday midnight until Wednesday midnight Eastern time.

Founder Jimmy Wales posted on Twitter, “Student Warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday! #sopa”

For the millions of daily visitors to the Wikipedia website, plan for the outage on Wednesday, and surfers may find many other popular websites out as well as the SOPA critics base continues to grow.

Major supporters of the law include those in the music and film industry, whose products are often pirated illegally not only in the U.S. but overseas as well.

Complaints are that the law would infringe on free speech and bring about censorship of international websites in the U.S.

For those interested in joining in the blackout, here are some links to visit:
Here you can see who is participating: sopastrike.com
A WordPress Blackout Plugin: Simple Stop SOPA WordPress Plugin
Another SOPA Blackout Plugin (gives users more control than the one above)

Here is a site to visit for more detailed information, including a video of what are believed to be the dangers of this legislation: SOPA Blackout Set for January 18.

The blackout will most likely put a damper on many people’s online activities, but those in support believe it to be a good cause, and most sites are blacking out for 12 hours.

Over the weekend, President Obama questioned the proposed legislation, expressing a need to combat counterfeiting and piracy but at the same time defending privacy, security, freedom of expression, and internet development and innovation.

So the legislation was pulled from the floor, but the SOPA critics expressed that doesn’t mean the bill is dead; it just means lawmakers think it needs further revisions.

Not everyone agrees that “blacking out” in response to SOPA is the right thing to do, and of course this is true of any issue. Some have commented that Wikipedia should stay out of political issues since it claims to be an impartial website. Wales’ response is, “Articles must remain neutral. The community need not, not when the future of the internet is at stake.”

Josh Wolford stated in his WebProNews post, “It’s a no-brainer that shutting down giant social media sites like Twitter and Facebook would severely hamper the ability to communicate about the protest. But if the purpose of the blackout is awareness, to send out a warning message, then nothing would be as jolting as seeing a site like Twitter go dark for an entire day.”

Lots of interesting blog posts going on both for and against. Get your two cents worth in!

I was chatting online with my daughter and she told me to go to the Google search bar and type in “Let It Snow.”

I’m thinking “this is some kind of gag” but I did it to humor her.

Well, you’ve got to do it. It is Christmas, be jolly and festive and go to the Google search bar and type in “Let It Snow.”

Open your Google present.

Then wait… give it time it takes a few minutes. Happy Holidays!

Freelance Ghostwriter – Article Marketing, Top Quality Blog Posts, Ebooks, Sales Letters, Squeeze Pages

Snow Scene Photo Courtesy PhotoXpress and Mykola Velychko

By Mary Andersen – Freelance Ghostwriter

So you have been blogging away, every day loyally making a blog post. You are doing just fine until one day, something happens, and the inevitable question pops up, “Do you have a blog backup?”

Oh, so this is how an uninsured driver feels after an at fault accident when the investigating officer asks, “Who is your insurance provider?” YIKES!

Oh, the sting, the pain, the guilt, and having to admit that you were just too busy, or didn’t know how, or didn’t think about it, or were too lazy, or just didn’t know any better.

No matter what the reason is for not having a current backup of your blog, the end result is the same; the dirty words are “Data Loss.”

Although having an old blog backup is better than no backup at all, it can still mean loss of any data added to the blog after that backup date.

It only takes a few minutes to make a blog backup, and you’ll be thankful you can answer “YES” to that question, “Do you have a blog backup” if the day ever comes that you need it, and I hope it doesn’t, but be prepared nonetheless.

Here is a plan that works for me, and I do it on every website and blog I own on a regular basis.

My typical strategy is to back up at least once per week; if I have done extensive work on a site, then I do it more frequently. Depending on the types of changes I have made, I may back up not only my blog database but also my public HTML folder.

If I have been working primarily within files that are in the blog database, I don’t really need to back up the public HTML folder as often as the database, but I still keep a current copy of BOTH.

Computers Crash Just Like Cars

Also, don’t store all your blog backups in the same location. If you store backups on your server, the server could fail. If you store them on your computer, it may crash.

I store my backups in multiple places just to be safe, including my computer, on media such as a DVD, and on portable ZIP drives.

I don’t really like the idea of storing my backup on my server, but that is just my personal preference.

How To Back Up Your Blog Public HTML Folder

1. I back up my “Public Html” folder using a free FTP program, Filezilla. I log into Filezilla.
2. On the “remote” side of the pane, I click the plus sign to display the directory tree.
3. Next I grab the public HTML folder, and drag it over to the left side of the pane and into a backup folder I can easily locate when needed.
4. If I have an older copy, I rename it before dragging the current copy over so I have a “backup backup” just in case. (You’d be this careful too if you ever had a crash before. Things happen for unexpected reasons, including those that are not your fault.)

It will take a few minutes for all the files to download.

How To Back Up Your Blog Database with WordPress Database Backup

1. Download and install the WordPress plugin.
2. In your WordPress admin, go to TOOLS, then select BACKUP.
3. I leave the checkbox “ticked” that excludes the backup of SPAM comments.
4. I leave the revision checkbox blank (unticked) because I don’t want to exclude blog revisions.
5. I tick all the checkboxes to include the tables.
6. I choose the option to download the blog backup to my computer. Here’s why: if I save it to the server, and the server has a crash or problem, my blog backup won’t do me much good if it is stored there.
7. You also have the option to schedule the blog database backup if you wish.
8. During the backup process do not close the browser, click your browser’s stop or back buttons, or refresh the page; it could cause backup failure.

There are some other WordPress plug ins you can try for blog backup, but be mindful of their compatibility with your version of WordPress, the rating of the plug in, and how new it is. Many times new plug ins have problems and require some tweaking. You can always view a “change log” of a plug in to see its development history. This doesn’t mean all new plug ins have problems, but simply to be cautious.

The reverse can also be true. If a WordPress plug in has been around a while, but not updated to keep up with the newer versions of WordPress, that should be taken into account as well.

Photos Courtesy dinostock and igorcentr at PhotoXpress and titanas at Flickr

By Mary Andersen – Freelance Ghostwriter

It’s that time again. Autumn is around the corner, the buses are back on their routes, and kids are out of the pool and back in the classroom. This time of year all parents feel the dent in the budget with back to school expenses.

First there’s supplies to be bought; new clothes, textbooks, backpacks, new shoes, paper, notebooks, binders, crayons, scissors, calculators, and so on.

Once school starts, it seems the entire first two weeks consist of multiple forms sent home daily to be filled out and returned, usually along with a check. There’s money for school T-shirts, a yearbook, chemistry lab insurance fees, club dues, cheerleading, football, fundraising, and the list goes on.

I may have even written a small check once to send because I check marked a box next to the phrase, “Yes, I read this.” Don’t despair. We all pull through in the end.

If you are looking for ways to save on school supplies, hopefully this post will help. Also, feel free to contribute your own ideas; we’d love your input.

Tax Free Weekend

Not every city/county/state sponsors a tax free shopping weekend, but if yours does it can help ease the burden of purchasing back to school supplies. The amount of savings, naturally, is relevant to how much is purchased, so this is not a huge money saver for everyone.

There are also stipulations and they vary by locale, so be sure to check before you head to the stores. In our area, the following currently fall under the tax exempt category:

• Clothing items under $100
• Textbooks and school supplies priced $50 or less
• Other books priced at $30 or less
• Computers and computer equipment priced at $750 or less
• City parking meters are “gratis” during tax free weekend (No Fines)

The items that are not included in the tax exempt category include:

• Clothing accessories (handbags, jewelry, umbrellas, sunglasses)
• Sports and recreational equipment
• Furniture
• Video games

In addition to tax free weekend, there are some other ways to save money on school supplies.

1. Stick to the List

Kids get all excited with the “back to school” shopping bug, and all the brightly colored supplies tempt them. You want to encourage their eagerness about going back to school, but they must understand there are limits.

I used to let my daughter select a few items not on the list (she’s in college now), such as highlighters, mechanical pencils, fancy binders, and higher grade writing pens, but extra supplies were allowed only within reason.

I also discovered over the years that the lists that appear in the stores based on school district and grade level often contain supplies the kids really don’t need.

If an item seemed questionable, I generally held off until school started and had my daughter ask the teacher if it was absolutely necessary.

In middle school science, my daughter’s teacher told her to purchase a circuit tester from the auto parts supplier, but that’s a post for another day.

2. The Backpack

It is tempting to head to the cheapest backpacks in the store, but I decided after purchasing multiple bags mere weeks into the school year due to durability failure, there had to be a better way. I stopped cutting corners on the backpack.

It is unreal what these kids are required to tote on their backs, and they need a durable backpack to do it. I found L.L. Bean® backpacks to cost more than many other bags, but they lasted not only throughout one year of tough use, but several.

Sure, no kid wants a hand me down backpack (I know; I was 4th in 5 on the hand me down list), but they have other uses after your student grows tired of them.

They are great for travel, picnics, and ballgames; my daughter used her old pack to hold the pet care and car washing supplies she used in her neighborhood business.

3. The Brand Name Dilemma

When my daughter was in the elementary years, this was not a big deal. I could pick out clothes, bring them home, she was thrilled. Enjoy that while it lasts!

When they reach a certain age, the “brand name dilemma” hits. They just can’t bear to be seen wearing or carrying a generic brand of anything, including handbags, shoes, jackets, clothing, jewelry, etc.

Depending on cost and quality, I always try to compromise in this area; my daughter has always been very responsible and she takes care of her things. I do believe, though, that the key word here is compromise.

If “brand name” is that important to them, they should be willing to give something in return. This can be extra work around the house, or giving up an outing or part of their allowance to contribute toward the higher cost of the item.

4. Use Coupons Wisely

Find out which stores accept competitor’s coupons and which ones don’t. Find out which stores price match. Some stores will accept their own coupon along with a manufacturer’s coupon on an item; others won’t. You can find out many store policies online, so do a little research before you shop.

5. Read the Paper

The paper circulars usually hit just before time to shop for school supplies. Find out when your local paper will have the majority of “back to school” sales circulars, and go through them carefully when they arrive. Watch for “buy 1 get 1″ and other free promotional deals.

6. Secondhand Clothes Stores

As picky as my daughter is about her wardrobe, she shops locations such as Plato’s Closet and Fringe for lightly worn clothing. Some of the items she buys are practically brand new. You may have to spend a little more time going through all the inventory, but you will find some great deals on clothing items that are very expensive when purchased new.

If a garment smells a little funny? Put it in the washer, add some white vinegar and lemon juice, and let it soak for a while. Then run on through the cycle. When cycle is finished, run it back through the wash again with some nice smelling laundry detergent.

For the younger kids, a local group sponsors a “Kids Clothes Connection” quarterly in the retired Lowe’s Building. Parents come and bring their used items and the wheeling and dealing begins. If there’s nothing like this in your area, consider getting a “clothes connection” started!

Got an idea on ways to save on school supplies? We’d love to hear from you, so please send us your comments! Happy Back to School Days!

Photos Courtesy PhotoXpress

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A minor incident such as a cracked windshield might be cheaper to replace yourself rather than filing as a claim, especially if a deductible is involved. It is tempting to want to recoup some of that premium paid by filing a claim, but it might end up costing you even more in the long run.

Ask your agent; sometimes incidents must be reported depending on the policy terms (e.g. accidents).

If limits are low and deductibles are high, for example, you are sacrificing valuable coverage for a lower premium, but at what end cost to you?

Some agents will even purposely omit coverage to get your business, and after the policy is in place, admit a mistake and ask for more premium money. Be careful, and shop wisely.

Make sure all competing providers are quoting the same coverage, meaning the same deductibles, the same limits, the same discounts, the same everything. Always get insurance premium quotes in writing; otherwise, how can you compare apples to apples?

You can’t and that’s why accurate comparisons are essential for profitable insurance shopping.

Even if you’ve insured with the same agent for years, it is frugal practice to want to save money, and that means shopping rates every time the renewal date rolls around. It’s a competitive business, and you deserve the best insurance rate you can find.