“Is this you again? What do you want? I already told you … that’s way too much!” he yelled, including a few choice words I won’t mention in this post. “So if you think I’m going to pay that for a TV then you’re …”

“Um, Rich Becker with Copywrite, Ink., calling from Las Vegas.”

“What? Who?”

“Rich Becker … your brother introduced us by e-mail.”

“Oh!” he laughed. “I am sorry! I thought you were someone else.”

“As long as it wasn’t because your brother introduced us,” I mused.

Of course, when Berkman talks about empty bottle moments in a broader context, he doesn’t mean mistaken identities as much as children’s birthdays, engagements, graduations, and other treasured celebrations that define our lives. We savor the moments much like we would a shared bottle of wine, he explains, and then the empty bottle represents the memory of the occasions and with whom we shared them.

Cooking too, he says, is much like life. We’re all in the kitchen with successes and spills, glorious celebrations and the occasionally burnt meal. The empty bottles that remain at then end of the day are much like the reminders of every tender moment and unnerving chaos — a hand-painted bottle of Champagne here and a small bottle of Tabasco with a cracked top there.

The empty bottle metaphor is one of several reasons Berkman’s cookbook stands out from the rest. While you’ll find dozens of mouth-watering recipes such as Kathleen’s Pralines and a Wild Mushroom Ragout in Flaky Pastry, Berkman complements his creations with empty bottle moments from his20experiences cooking for presidents and celebrities at Charley’s 517 and later Clive’s in Houston.

The stories tucked inside are similar to his recipes: they’re quietly unpretentious while illustrating a real zest for life. And his various book promotions are handled much the same way.

In April, Berkman launched an online contest with the winner receiving a dinner for 20 people. In May, he started a series of one-minute cooking vignettes on YouTube. In June, he offered to sign his book for anyone who preorders a copy. And just recently, he offered empty bottle cooking classes at the Texas Institute of Photography. There’s more in the works too. Berkman has considered teaming up with a company like Williams-Sonoma or another retailer to host a kitchen remodel and has several appearances scheduled well in advance of the book’s release.

Is there a method or is it all marketing? Much like everything else he does, it’s not all marketing. Berkman says he enjoys bringing people together and providing the opportunity to share an experience.

“I have a philosophy about cooking, about people, and about life from my time as a restaurant manager and chef,” says Berkman. “Most cookbooks cover the recipes, but there are other ingredients that make them richer and more delicious … like the ribeyes I prepared for Van Halen or the election dinner for President Bush. What good is a great meal without knowing the people behind it or those who will enjoy it?”
In most cases, Berkman says, he prepared the meals based on the freshest ingredients available and the people he was serving. In fact, he intends to do the same for whomever wins the catered dinner for 20 guests.

As he told me in April, he can work with them to make a menu with local products like lobsters in Maine for sake curry soup or lamb in Colorado with rosemary and corn polenta. No matter who wins, you can expect the event will be an empty bot tle moment, which would not be all that different from the empty bottle moments bloggers tend to write about every day.

In fact, Antony Berkman, president of BlogCatalog, immediately asked me that question shortly after reading the post about his brother’s online contest. He called me from Cabo San Lucas to ask.

“Why don’t we ask all bloggers to consider writing about one of their favorite empty bottle moments?” he asked. “I’m serious. It would make a great post for them to consider.”

It might even make a great meme. Share one memorable empty bottle moment and then ask five friends to do the same, with a nod to the chef who coined the phrase. You never know. Sometimes it’s the personal stories from bloggers that help them stand out, anything and everything from how they met a fellow blogger to a brief instant of mistaken identity that will always decorate my friendship with the chef.

Also, for everyone interested, Berkman recently added several sneak peek pages highlighted on his Web site. The book, which will be pu blished in August, features 256 pages with 80 full-color photos. It retails for $30.

Richard Becker, is an accredited business communicator and president of Copywrite, Ink., a strategic communication and writing services firm with experience on more than 1,000 accounts. His blog Copywrite, Inc. is based upon his observations on communication and marketing from the president of a leading commercial writing services company.

An Exclusive Political Discussion Area

Just like the BlogCatalog main discussions, the Political Discussions are designed to be a place where conversation can flow freely and bloggers can engage one another in political discussion.

Join in on the political discussion at http://www.blogcatalog.com/politics/discuss

Political Posts Highlighted

We know that many of your posts don’t get the exposure they deserve. The political channel is designed to highlight your latest political posts and make it really easy for anyone to browse and search all political posts.

To view some of the latest political posts visit http://www.blogcatalog.com/politics/posts

Political Search

Do you really want to know what bloggers are talking about? BlogCatalog’s Political Social Search results give you a insider’s view into what BlogCatalog bloggers are saying, about the election and other hot political topics, across a large number of social networks including on twitter, digg and stumbleupon, their blogs and the BlogCatalog discussions.

For some fascinating political insights do a search http://www.blogcatalog.com/politics/search

Political Groups

We’ve made it even easier than before to join or create a political group. Political groups are highly focused, mini-discussion areas designed for you to connect at a closer level with other politically minded bloggers or simply read what politically minded bloggers are saying about more specific issues and parties.

To join a group or browse the political groups visit http://www.blogcatalog.com/politics/groups

Political Bloggers

If you are a political blogger you may want to login to your BlogCatalog account and review the category in which your blog is placed as we have added a number of new political subcategories to the blog directory.

To view the new categories visit http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/politics

With all the excitement and emotion surrounding the 2008 Election, political blogging, and the many hot political issues around the globe, we hope that the political channel becomes a place where bloggers can engage in passionate, informative dialog that promotes the vital importance of freedom of expression.

We are here to improve the political channel and all parts of BlogCatalog for you. So, please visit the Political Channel at http://www.blogcatalog.com/politics/discuss and feel free to share your feedback, ideas and suggestions on how we can improve the site.

We quickly get comfortable in our blogs, and even in the discussion boards we frequent. Sometimes they become like virtual vacation places. We spend some time there… settle in… and ham, jam and spamalot with the locals.

We even might enjoy a certain impulsiveness in these online vacations. A refreshing break from the routine of face-to-face communications. Online, any thought can be shared in a single click. Any words can be said. Any topic proposed. We feel outside the barriers of normal inter-personal relationships. We feel outside ourselves.

But like any good vacation, eventually we must return to our regular lives. In this case, to the Real World before us. The one that pays the bills. That needs new braces or help with Math homework. The one that hires us. Or is hired by us.

You see, sometimes it gets so comfy in our online vacation homes, it becomes easy to forget that anyone could be out there peering in our windows.

Sure, we might post to entice readers… awaken our fellow bloggers… scream to hear the echo… or just say what we feel needs to be said.

But how personal is too personal? How shocking is too shocking? How will what we post today affect our personal safety? Our relationships with friends and family? Our future job prospects? Our customer relations?

How do we remain true to ourselves and our unique voices, while making sure our online world doesn’t intrude negatively on the three-dimensional one?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. And while I certainly don’t have all the answers, I thought a few suggestions might be a good start for more awareness, greater consideration and better safety for everyone:

• Limit personal information. While most folks know not to share their social security or phone numbers online, it’s also good to omit any information specific enough to be easily located. This means don’t share the name of the place you work, or show photos of the street you live on. And you might not want to take a photo of your car with its license plate showing—no matter how cool your car is. By giving enough color without specific details, you can stay safe and still entertain readers.
• Consider using fake names for family and friends. Many bloggers protect family and friends by being consistent with made-up names to represent each person. Remember that while we’re willingly blogging and putting our lives out there, the people in our lives may not have signed on for this. So think of those around, and how our posts might affect them. Fake names are an option that can help.
• Gain approval of family or friends before posting their stories/photos. Thinking ahead before posting about family or friends, and including their images, is a safe way to prevent future rifts. (Unless, of course, you don’t like those people anyway. ) It takes a little more time, but the extra consideration might be worth it.
• Think, WWED? (What Would Employers Do?) Before posting online, it helps to think, “What would a prospective employer do if he or she saw this?” “How would someone view my character if they didn’t otherwise know me?” If you’re up for a job, employers are likely to research you online. You can have a great resume, but if your potential boss uncovers your post, for example, bad-mouthing your current boss, this could seriously affect their decision to give you the job. Just think a minute about how a post represents you. It’s better to be safe now than sorry later.
• Treat others as you’d like to be treated. I know, I know– it’s corny and preachy. But it’s also true. A little respect goes a long way. And online, because posting is so quick and easy, it’s possible to get carried away and say things we’d never say in person. But online, we have the excellent opportunity to really THINK before we communicate. It never hurts to think first.

Now, okay– you may say you don’t care about having the world know everything about you. Your life is an open book– from your speeding ticket history to your shoe size. And hey, that’s fine, too.

But it only takes a moment to remember those windows out there, opening into our online homes. And sometimes the world is silent. But that also doesn’t mean it’s not still out there, watching.

Jenn, AKA “Thrift Shop Romantic” is not nearly as paranoid as that last sentence makes her sound. A professional writer in an unnamed marketing firm in the Real World, she has a humor blog– Of Cabbages and Kings—and a budget decorating blog, The Thrift Shop Romantic.

1. Create a Unique Name & Avatar:

The name that you use in Social Networking says a lot about you. I highly recommend using something other than your personal name. Unless you already have a well-known personal name, it’s better to use something that is a little more memorable than just another name on the web. The key to knowing if you have a unique screen name, is to do a Google search using your screen name. Does anything other than YOU come up? Using a unique name that is memorable is also the key. For example, using “iE38×2j” would be unique, but its not very memorable. It is good to use words that already exist, but may not be paired together already. There are many easily recognizable names that offer other Social Networkers a memorable, unique experience when it comes to identifying themselves. Some good examples are: Truthoughts, offendedblogger, globalgirl, DeadRooster, thegoodknife, rainforestrobin, CrotchetyOldMan, ThriftShopRomantic, DrowseyMonkey, PointlessBanter, earthlingorgeous, AnniePooh, gosmelltheflowers, momscrazylife, misterDog, Amyoops, Motherwise, Manictastic and MadameX.

When it comes to Avatars, using a unique avatar also helps, although using your face is also very useful as well. How many times have you heard the phrase, “I can remember the face, but the name escapes me.” The reason for this is that the brain has so many different senses involved in remembering a face or picture than a name. Names are composed of letters, typically black letters on white background, which is nothing special. However, with a face, or picture as an avatar, the brain has color, symbolism, facial expression and more. So many times, I recognize someone’s avatar, but I can’t remember his or her user name. Some good examples of memorable avatars are:

(There are literally thousands of great screen names and avatars out there. Please don’t be offended if you have a great example and I didn’t mention yours here.)

I personally would not suggest using famous people’s faces as your avatar. In the world of online branding, the last thing you want to do is compete with an already well-established recognition someone has for a particular famous person. You want other people to see you, for you, not be constantly reminded of someone else when they see your avatar. If you are fairly new to Social Networking and you haven’t gotten a whole lot of exposure yet, you may want to rethink your image and your name. Because once you lock in on something, you are going to want to stick with it and use the same name and avatar everywhere you go.

2. Set up an Email Account:

If you haven’t already experienced this, you will. I am talking about the joy of registering with multiple networks and sites (covered in detail in point 4). Here is what I recommend. Many Social Network / Bookmark sites allow you to find your friends using their email address. This means that people will try to find you the exact same way. Using the same email address wherever you go, will make it easier on you, as far as organization goes, and people that search for you, using your email address will be able to find you. Plus, you will start receiving a lot of mail from RSS subscriptions to Discussions, Comment Feeds, Friend Updates and you don’t want all of this cluttering up your regular email address.

For ease of uploading your contacts, I recommend using one of the following free email servers:

I also recommend setting up a simple system for remembering passwords. Do not use the same password at multiple sites. If someone gained access to your password, they could wreak havoc across your entire Social Network.

3. Use the same name/avatar/email everywhere:

This is critical. I know it seems so boring to have the same avatar, screen name and email address everywhere you go, but that’s exactly the point of branding. McDonald’s would not be where it is today had they used a different logo for each restaurant location they chose. Not to mention, if they would have changed their name every time it would have been impossible for them to gain any type of brand recognition. The same reasoning applies to your name and avatar and email address.

Whenever you post a comment on someone’s blog, sign up for a new Social Network or Bookmark site, you want people to instantly recognize you. If they can’t find you by email, they should be able to search for your screen name and find you. Sometimes your screen name is already taken, in which case you should come up with an alternate unique screen name, that is a derivative of your original screen name and only use that 2nd name as an alternate whenever you have too. So at most, you should only have two screen names. If your original screen name is unique enough, you shouldn’t have any problems, however, as you will see in step four, you will also need to protect your name once you have settled on one.

This is critical. I see so many people using different names when they post comments, different avatars on this network or that and I just cringe because they are hurting their chances for massive recognition. Massive recognition is what is going to drive traffic to your site. Content is what is going to keep them coming back, but that’s another post!

4. Secure your name.

Once you have your email, screen name and avatar in place, now it’s time to stake your claim across the Internet world of Social Networking and Bookmark sites. This task may seem a bit daunting, so I recommend you set aside some time during your online adventures to enroll in a least one new site per day; if you can swing it… 5 or more is better. You want to make sure that you lock in your screen name as many places as possible (even if you are not planning on utilizing the service immediately).

There are well over 200 Social Networking and Bookmark sites with more popping up every single day. I recommend you create a Word file, or Notepad file that contains some of the repetitive information you will need to enter on many of these sites, like your “About Me” info, blog description, etc. This will streamline the process for you. Here is a short list that will allow you to get set up on some of the most popular sites so far:

There are also quite a few blog directory sites. Some sites require or suggest that put a link to their site on your blog. There’s nothing wrong with that. They are offering to catalog your site in their directory for free. Just make sure that you put them all in the same place. on your blog, to keep it from looking cluttered. Here are some, certainly not all, blog directory sites:

5. Collect email addresses from comments on your own blog.

I have found that this is one of the easiest ways to find friends on other networks. Just file the email addresses people leave in your comments into the new email program you set up in section 2 of this post. Then it will be very easy to find your friends on other networks by importing your email lists into each new site you sign up for. Hopefully, your friends will have followed this advice and used the same email address on your blog comments that they did when they signed up for the new Social Network or Bookmark site you signing up for.

6. Above all use BlogCatalog:

BlogCatalog has emerged as the premier website that brings together bloggers of every make and model. This one website is like your one stop shop for promoting your blog, connecting with friends, entering discussions, sharing ideas, creating partnerships, getting answers and more. BC recently went through a major upgrade that has made the experience there all the more incredible. One of the most amazing features of BC is it’s ability to network all of your Social Networks and Bookmark sites, into one nice, neat little package. Now, not only can you can keep track of where you have been, but so can everyone else.

TheGoodKnife recently wrote a post describing the new social search function at BlogCatalog. Here is what he had to say:

Given the right search terms, BlogCatalog’s Social Search is an amazing tool to find some interesting things across multiple social sites indexed by BlogCatalog users. Social search creates a chronological mix of photos, tweets, bookmarks, music, and much more.

BarryFromTexas posted an article with this to say:

Blog Catalog has helped me tweak this blog to be better than when I started, I have received help from fellow bloggers and enjoyed some increased blog traffic from fellow BC-ers.

So maybe, just maybe you don’t know what Blog Catalog is. Well if you scroll down my sidebar, you will see a bunch of little boxes with faces/pictures of fellow BC users that have visited my blog. It is almost a way to spy on them (hee hee). Hey, I had to get some kind of detective/spy thing running through here!

RobertStevenson over at Rob’s Megaphone also wrote a great article about BlogCatalog. I like what he had to say about it:

The BC discussion boards are amazing. So far at least 18 billion topics have been discussed (no really - I never exaggerate). The general discussion board is like a townhall meeting (without the townhall). There are threads on support, shameless promotion, general discussion, and how to win the lottery in 4 easy steps (Oops, I don’t really think that one about support is accurate-or maybe it’s the lottery one.) There are also many, many groups you can join to just be with people of similar interests. There are groups for humor, religion, writing, and honoring Rob’s Megaphone; if there’s not a group on a topic you’re interested in - hey, you can start one like I did. (Just ignore that honoring Rob’s Megaphone thing; it was just for Mr. Google - private joke).

You can befriend BC bloggers and follow them, you can join their neighborhood. You can shout at them. You can pass secret notes back and forth too. You can review and be reviewed. You can even download a seven course dinner for free.

I love BlogCatalog for the people, the great dicsussions, and that traffic I receive on my blog from BlogCatalog users. Don’t you just love getting visitors to your blog? If you would like to see a whole bunch more come by be sure to head over to BlogCatalog and get signed up. Then I highly recommend joining in the discussions so that others may get to know you. Make people your friends and many of them will respond in kind.

7. Have Fun

Above all, make sure that you have fun. There are so many wonderful things that you can accomplish on the Internet with your blog. Its up to you to have as much fun as you can while you are building your personal brand. Just remember, there is plenty of time to get everything you need to done.

Well, so much for seven “quick” tips, but I hope you got a lot out of this post.

Happy Blogging

OutsideMyBrain

OutsideMyBrain is a motivational speaker / successful entrepreneur who got his start in Network Marketing by working hard for 8 solid years. Retired 6 years ago, OutsideMyBrain has been living life, how he wants to live it, off of residual income. OutsideMyBrain continues to speak so that he may remain sharp and give back to others.

On May 15th 2008, tens of thousands of bloggers from BlogCatalog and the blogosphere united for human rights. Thanks to BlogCatalog members this was the largest group of bloggers in history, blogging on a single day, to raise awareness about human rights. The event was even featured on CNN, and several of BlogCatalog member’s blogs were shown on the air. You can view the CNN coverage at http://unite.blogcatalog.com/

Thanks to you, Bloggers Unite has become the primary blog initiative designed to harness expression in support of human rights and other issues that need highlighting. Bloggers Unite is now in a key position to harness and rally energy behind global issues that need awareness.

The next Bloggers Unite initiative will take place on November 10th. To cast your vote on what issue to unite about next, please join in on the discussions at http://www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/decide-the-next-bloggers-unite-initiative

Your New BlogCatalog

It’s been around a week since we launched the new BC design and we hope you are as psyched about the updated designs as we are. Your updated personal profiles now have tabs that make it easy to view your BlogCatalog friends, neighborhoods, groups and social activity.

Your Activity page provides you with a convenient way for others to keep track of the things you are doing on BlogCatalog as well as on Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, Flickr, and many other social communities that you may belong to. To add communities to your BlogCatalog Activity page, visit blogcatalog.com/account/communities and select the communities you belong to that you’d like to add.

Twitter for Beginners on Ustream.tv

Twitter, BlogCatalog and other social media tools and communities are changing the way we interact. This coming Monday, social media expert, Erica O’Grady will be featured on on BlogCatalog’s Ustream.tv channel where she will be on camera talking about Twitter for Beginners. If you are using Twitter and aren’t sure of its benefits, or have never used Twittter, then this is the perfect way to learn how to use Twitter in a way to create your personal brand and get more traffic to your blog.

When: Monday, June 16th at 3pm EST

What: The show is FREE. Watch Erica from your computer, and ask questions in an online chat.

Where: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/blogcatalog

The BC team will be there too. Hope you’ll join us on Monday.

Links to your sources are important for at least four reasons:

1. Verifiability. Links to your sources allow me to verify whether or not your story is true. For this to work, though, they should point to hard news sources, not just another blog. Bobbie Sullivan does this on Aircrew Buzz and her other aviation blogs.

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2. Acknowledgment. Sources permit you to acknowledge where you got your ideas and information from in the first place. These can include not only hard news sources, but also any blog or other source that sparked you to think about the topic. If the information is not generally known, though, include additional sources to satisfy the verifiability requirement. I sometimes handle acknowledgments with a hat tip. You can see one Gavin Robinson gave me in the first paragraph of the 14th Military History Carnival.

3. Examples. Sources can help provide you with the kinds of examples you need to support your arguments. Since the internet is a hypertext environment, sources can also help you to pack more information into a post without providing loads of background details. I used links in this manner in the second paragraph of a post about generational differences between Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright. I’m also linking examples in this post about sources.

4. Context. Sources help locate your ideas within their broader context. By providing links to that context, you help your reader to understand how your ideas relate to other opinions and discussions on the internet, and on your own blog. In the process you provide additional value to your reader, giving her one more reason to return. One blogger who often provides good context through linked sources is Rich Becker of Copywrite. Ink.

Of course, not all blog posts need sources. If you are writing about your own life, you are the acknowledged expert on it. Enough said. And no one who has heard Tony Hogan’s music is going to ask him to provide sources for the advice he offers on learning the guitar. It helps, though, that he has a good about page on his blog, which tells us a bit more about him. And what about me? Why do I think I can offer this advice without providing sources on the art of sourcing? My field is history, and getting students to understand the value of sources is one of my everyday teaching concerns. Yes, I could be making this up, but you can find out more about me at Clio and Me.

Mark Stoneman is a historian specializing in modern Germany, as well as war and society. His first blog, Clio and Me, is devoted to history. Language For You focuses on writing and other language issues for native and non-native speakers. His third blog, Stoneman’s Corner is a personal blog that encompasses anything from politics to reading to food.

I am so excited to be posting my first few words on the BlogCatalog community blog. I have been part of the BC community for just over 12 months now, and its amazing how I missed this community blog. I should have joined here ages back ! I was scrolling through this blog for the past 15 minutes and saw a few familiar faces whom I have seen in the community forums.

As this is my first post, I would like to introduce myself. I am an electronics and communications engineer from India. I am currently working in a telecom software development firm. Blogging comes to me as a natural hobby and a great way to explore the world from the comfort of my bedroom.

BlogCatalog has a major role to play in keeping me interested in blogging. Some months back, I was toying with the idea to give it up as the work pressure was too much. However, the vibrant community discussions at BC kept me hooked to blogging. BC has grown from strength to strength over the past 12 months and has really come up as one of the most professional blogging communities on the internet.

I wish the BC team all the best in their future projects, and a warm thanks to all my friends at BC who take the time to visit my blog.

Thanks and Regards
Abhatnagar !

abhatnagar19 is a 22 year old male electronics and communications engineer from India. His blog, My Life as it is… takes a look at the world around him. From polititics to sports or technology to personal issues abahatnagars blog covers it all!

In addition to promoting the campaign to its hundreds of thousands of members, Amnesty International is providing BlogCatalog source material for bloggers. Topics range from the wrongful imprisonment of journalist Shi Tao in China to the continuing murder, rape, abduction, and displacement of people in Darfur, Sudan.

You can find some of these resources on our new Amnesty International resource section at http://unite.blogcatalog.com#amnesty. Of course, you can write about any human rights topic you want. Some BlogCatalog members may even write about topics that have yet to gain international attention.

You might also be interested to know that Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA has some great things to say about our campaign.

"Amnesty International is thrilled to be a part of Bloggers Unite for Human Rights," he said. "Bloggers Unite for Human Rights is a great way to harness the power of the Internet to fight injustice and make the world a better place."

There are any great human rights organizations all over the world, but if you would like to know something about our Amnesty International, please visit http://www.amnestyusa.org for more information. Currently, Amnesty International is working to stop the abuse of internationally recognized human rights in over 150 countries and territories. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961.

Thanks so much for your continued support! More and more people are taking notice of your efforts. On behalf of the entire BlogCatalog team, thank you and we look forward to reading your posts on May 15!

Why does this matter? Because it does. Because it affects you, and me, and your nosy neighbor down the street. It also affects online communications and social forums such as BlogCatalog. Here it is…wait for it….yes! The gratuitous plug! Online blogging platforms and social forums such as BlogCatalog are rife, rife I say with politics! Of course, there is more to the story here. There always is.

BlogCatalog saved my faith, in people that is. Well, the forums here at BlogCatalog, in tandem with a few wonderful fellow bloggers and BlogCatalog junkies are what did the trick.

See now, prior to my addiction to BlogCatalog, I was totally and completely consumed by such social forums as MySpace, and online debate forums. During my escapades on other sites I realized one thing, or so I thought. They have all lost their minds! Of course, my world is one of political debate and discourse. I argue, I entice, I sometimes even bait! My patience however, had finally run out.

Once one got beyond the utter illiteracy of many of the participants, and found something in their posts to comprehend, one immediately regretted having read it at all. The amount of sheer ignorance, willful ignorance, and hatred and bile wasn’t just astounding, oh no! It made me want to put my head through my monitor! Towards the end of it, I had decided that I would have more fun if I stopped reading the threads, and simply poked myself in the eye with a sharp stick.

I was beginning to think that MySpace was really a typo, what they meant to call it was migraine.

Enter in BlogCatalog and all of it’s whiz-bang members. I of course stumbled into the general forums, cracking my knuckles with a maniacal laugh thinking “What kind of mischief can I cause here?” To my surprise I found something rare. Something unheard of. Something so utterly incomprehensible to my political debate centered mind I had no idea what to make of it.

It’s called…reason.

Humanity is saved! The lack of of patience that I had built up alongside with a certain amount of overall disgust that had me on the brink of grabbing my pitchfork and rifle and starting a revolution on my own melted away. Not that revolution is a bad thing, in my opinion, But there is something to be said for timing, and lack of a militia to wage one. members like Kdawg, AmmoBob, KevinGoodman, and ChelleB - all politically inclined in their own way, and quite stubborn, and opinionated stepped up, debated, and it was just magic. We didn’t all agree, certainly not. We did however, manage logical, rational conversations that actually went somewhere! I have even forged friendships and blog exchanges with folks such as AmmoBob, my complete opposite politically speaking.

It was about that time, I’m sure, that Satan had to go shopping for an overcoat.

That not withstanding, friendships such as with “Horseboy” otherwise known as Kdawg, the Aspiring horseplayer helped me to understand that all was not lost. People were there, and they were listening, and compromises could be made. Bridges could be gapped. Unfortunately politics exist on BlogCatalog too. That old “water-cooler” political style that inevitably does someone in. Some bloggers have walked away from BlogCatalog, and we want them back!

However, as I said before it’s all about politics, anyway.

The moral of the story? There is none, aside from the fact that coming into BlogCatalog is like walking into the script of some sappy movie, “When logic met reason” or some such thing. It’s true - you too can restore your faith that people are, in fact, intelligent. Wow.

You can boost your blog hits to boot. Is that a deal or what?

Anok is a self proclaimed political junkie and dork. She can be found regularly in the blogcatalog discussions. Her blog Identity Check is a political place for opinions, research, and musings from the Anarchist / Activist point of view.

I really admire the blind faith of the BC owners, not just in the purchase of the website, but also in myself and Daniel (our lead programmer). There have been many times when one of us will come up with an idea and Tony will just let us run with it, sometimes without even understanding it completely. It’s nice to be in a position where your input matters, even if it’s just a little bit. I think that sometimes just seeing that we are passionate about something, even if he doesn’t agree with it, means that he is going to give us a shot to go in a new direction and that is awesome.

Earlier today I saw that Alexa updated their algorithm. To my surprise we were ranked 816 yesterday. Now I know that Alexa is not the end-all of stats or anything but over a year ago I remember the team looking at the statistics (which were closer to 2 or 3 thousand back then) and setting a personal goal to try our best to break the 1,000 mark in a year. Whether the number they provide is an accurate representation of traffic or not, it HAS been an accurate representation of our goal… constantly taunting us for the past few months as we floated just above 1,000 but unable to pass it… That is until just recently.

The truth is, this past year and a half has been a fun ride. I have read more blogs, and met more interesting people in one year than I have in my entire life. While I do not get the opportunity to sit in the discussions and have small talk as much as I would like, my admin responsibilities have given me the opportunity to at least keep up with the fun topics and subjects each day. I really feel like our discussions are the heartbeat of the blogosphere. If something new gets announced at 2:00pm in the blogosphere I can assure you there will be a post about it in the discussions at 2:01pm.

The bottom line though is that despite all of our hard work, despite the late nights, and thousands and thousands of blog approvals each week this place is NOTHING without the community. I can’t help but ask myself ‘how did we get so lucky?’ because the truth is we DID get lucky. I mean there are THOUSANDS of other websites and social networks out there, backed by more money and with far more advanced features… but the trick with these things… the real million dollar question is: how do you get the people to come and stay? That is where I think the biggest variable in sites like these comes in and it all boils down to dumb luck.

We were lucky enough from the very beginning to have really passionate and helpful members visiting our site everyday. Leaving comments, posting discussions, helping new members… When you have such a strong and friendly community the possibilities are endless. I am truly grateful for each and every person who graces our website and decides to submit their blog to the directory.

Whether they are a new user looking to learn, or an experienced blogger looking to grow readership and share their knowledge, the love that this community has is really admirable.

The truth is, blogging is hard, it is not just a hobby and it takes a lot of work to be disciplined enough and inspired enough to post new entries on a consistent basis. Anyone who takes the time to create a blog, and write, and join a community like this one automatically gains respect from the regulars here. Because we all know how hard it is to be consistent with something like blogging.

One of my favorite parts of the site are the discussions because from the very beginning when I told the team I wanted to make a way for people to communicate outside the shoutbox I remember thinking about what we could do to NOT make it a forum. When we sat down as a team and starting coming up with ideas it was apparent that we did not want to make categories. The problem with most forums is that if you are a technology blogger you got to the technology threads, if you are a mother blogger, you would go to the mom threads. People flock to the areas that they are most comfortable in all the while forgetting the most important thing that we all have in common: We are all bloggers.

And being bloggers says a lot. So we decided to have a free flowing open area for people to talk about whatever comes to mind and that is where the magic happens because now you have a history professor from Florida talking to a stay at home mom from England, to a technology blogger in New York and a 12 year old blogger from wherever and we’re breaking down these social barriers we give ourselves online.

The truth is that BlogCatalog is just a shell, and it is empty without every single one of you who take the time to participate. We (the BC Team) could add feature after feature but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if there is no one here to share it with.

I started this post with the intention of plugging the community blog but it seems as though this post has evolved into something different. You know, Daniel first mentioned he wanted to open our blog up to the community about 6 or 7 months ago. It wasn’t until recently that we have actually done so and I have to say that I am really enjoying the posts that have come through so far. It really is a testament to all the great writers we have out there.

Despite this post’s rambling and lack of direction I hope that I have at least given you some insight into my thought process as I come into work each day.

As someone who has to approve hundreds of blogs a day for blogcatalog I leave you with this parting thought for the day…

People can get their news and information from anywhere; from the television, to the newspaper, to the radio… The reason that blogging is one of the fastest growing forms of news and media has more to do with just the speed of information, it has to do with the voices behind that information. I think that people are bored with just the facts. They want the opinions, they want to hear the voice of the author, and they want to participate in discussions around these posts. If you aren’t doing so already, I challenge you to engage your audience. I challenge you to write your posts not just in a boring standard format but write to your readers as though you were having a conversation with them. Engage the audience of your blog and share yourself with them because from my experience those are the types of blogs that people become attached to in a more intimate nature. Those are the blogs you want to keep reading day after day.

NINE is a 27 year old graphic designer working for BlogCatalog. He is responsible for the day to day administration and new product development. His blog CellRater is a resource for information and news on upcoming cellphones.

At some point or another, we have all suffered from Writer’s Block.

I actually respect Writer’s Block because it doesn’t care how talented, funny, or knowledgeable you are. It’s like the IRS in a way: sooner or later EVERYBODY pays. This affliction has plagued me numerous times, leaving my well of ideas bone dry. Frustration has boiled my blood and salty tears of helplessness have fallen from my eyes. In complete despair, I have raised my eyes heavenward seeking an answer to this…disease. Why me? Who exactly did I piss off and how can I make it right? I cannot explain the bitterness I have felt at my inability to cultivate ideas or the jealousy I have had of others, for whom ideas seemingly came easy.

Enter desperation.

At the moment, I have over 20 unpublished posts that practically reek “bottom of the barrel” (some would say the same for a few published ones, too). These were scribblings I fully intended to post if my dry spell did not end, posts that if offered to the public would surely get me tarred and feathered.

Because I frequently bask in the feeling of community here, I will bravely share a few of the incriminating titles:

“Ode to My Slowcooker” - Wherein I write poetry describing this most wondrous of inventions. When people ask, “What can you make in a slowcooker?” I respond with, “Deliciousness.”

“Battle of the Curd” - It starts off: Once again husband and wife are engaged in a deadly battle of wills. Both refused to throw out the spoiled milk someone left on the counter. After the horrific Cheddar Cheese Fiasco of 2006, neither intended to give in to the other…

“Lamentations on Human Anatomy, or: 10 Reasons Why Long Fingernails are Useful” - This was a particularly bad day.

“Why Jubilee Should Never Have Been an X-Men” - Honestly, she sucks.

“Dear NBC” - A letter to the network begging for the return of “Cavemen”. I liked that show.

“Members Only” - A passion-filled display of affection in memory of a certain jacket once considered the height of fashion.

“The Private Lives of Toys in Mint Condition” - What your collectibles do when you leave home.

“The Upside-down e” - Punctuation that’s finger lickin’ good.

… and the list goes on.

I hope to never publish anything listed here, I already tempted fate with “What Would You Do If Darkseid Stole Your Car?” I shudder to think what other sorts of posts might slip through my fingers during this darkest of times. And while I’m not exactly proud of some of these pieces, they did lead me to better things.

Writer’s Block is a monster that needs to feed on innocent creativity from time to time. When you are one of its poor victims, it is important to hang on to whatever motivates you to share your ideas with others. Whether you need to take a walk, listen to music, spend time on the BC threads or write pure nonsense, never give in to it. Do whatever it takes to keep the idea machine chugging along. And NEVER EVER post in desperation, like drunk-dialing, you always live to regret it.

**Photo by PPDIGITAL

JillSaxon, an active member of the blogcatalog community, is a 25 year old married woman who likes only meat, cheese and ketchup on her burgers. Her blog, The Loquaciously Verbose Ramblings of 1 Slacker is a source of personal thoughts, observations, memories and opinions.

Thanks to you, May marks the first anniversary of Bloggers Unite and this time we’re launching an awareness campaign chosen by BlogCatalog members. On May 15, let’s unite for human rights and make a statement that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms - life, liberty, and justice!

On May 15th 2008, let’s come together and all blog about Human Rights. There are dozens and dozens of human rights issues that you can write about. The one you choose is up to you.

Topics to Consider The wrongful imprisonment of journalists covering assemblies. Governments that ignore the plight of citizens left tot he mercy of gangs. The censorship of the Internet in order to prevent freedom of expression. Harsh punishments that include torture, forced labor, and starvation. Sexual assault against women by members of military or militia.

Learn More About Human Rights

There are many organizations that promote human rights and work to protect people. We’ve picked three to help you learn more and find breaking topics.

• Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.org/) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. They work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity.
• Human Right Watch (http://www.hrw.org/) is dedicated to protecting human rights of people around the world. They stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, uphold political freedom, protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice.
• Youth For Human Rights (http://www.youthforhumanrights.org) is an independent non-profit that educates people about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace.

We have an entire group discussion dedicated to Bloggers Unite (http://www.blogcatalog.com/group/bloggers-unite) where you can add more organizations that you think are worth including.

How To Join Bloggers Unite!

To join, simply visit the Bloggers Unite page (http://unite.blogcatalog.com/) to get more information. Then, on Thursday, May 15th, write a blog post that shares awareness about human rights.

Your blog post could:

• Have the title “Bloggers Unite For Human Rights” (or some variation).
• include an example of human rights so people can learn about it.
• Explain the importance of human rights and how it applies to everyone.
• Link to one of the sites we’ve listed or the most suitable site for your country.
• And add a link to our BlogCatalog Community Human Rights Awareness Campaign page so we can give you and your blog credit for being part of it.

If you have any questions, please e-mail bloggersunite@blogcatalog.com. And please, don’t forget to tell your friends to blog about this too. Together, I know we can raise awareness and prove bloggers can do good!

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Ever imagined what would happen if B.C was operated by a 13 year old girl like me? The oldies out there must be in a shock with their gaze fixed on the screen and their wrinkled faces showing bizarre expressions, but the younger ones would be all excited with brilliantly gleaming faces!

If I were the B.C Administrator, I would bring in a lot of desired changes at B.C for the younger lot. I would have a fun column here where kids can read jokes, play games and chat with other and yeah, it would have a huge sign saying, “NO Entry For Oldies”! I would organize competitions for kids and oldies separately, maybe writing contests or best blog, best post etc. The prizes for the kids would be a box of candy of their choice but the oldies would only get a pat of appreciation from the younger ones, vice-versa now and the roles would be reversed.

The oldies would be fuming at what we were doing while we enjoyed B.C to the fullest. I would ban all discussions about international politics, religion, money making or any similar stuff from the discussion boards (tell me, who is interested in boring topics like whether Obama or Hillary will become the president of America?). They would all be replaced by humorous discussions in which there could be universal participation.

No one of the oldies would be allowed to own groups but they could join in with the younger lot if they wished (Do I see smoke coming out of your ears?!). The layout of the B.C website would be in bright vibrant colors like pink and yellow and orange.

B.C would still remain a blogging forum, but with active participation from children so as to increase the number of young bloggers, the only exception being that the kids would have B.C to their power. While the oldies are still angry about loosing all the power to us, why not throw the oldies down, my friends?

So watch out Nine, thegoodknife and Tony……

Note: This post is meant in good humor and not to hurt anyone’s feelings. Kindly take it in the right way

MeghanK is a 13 year old girl from India, an avid reader and an aspiring writer. She authors two blogs; Delve into the mind of a budding blogger is filled with creative writing stories, poetry humor and games while her other blog The Writing Pages is about writing, books, authors, and much more!

Writing for blogs presents unique opportunities and obstacles. When we communicate face to face, we have the opportunity for immediate feedback. For example, if I said, “The movie, Leatherheads was good,” you could reply: “In what way was it good?” Because of the opportunity to clarify our meaning through follow-up questions, many of us have become accustomed to not striving for clarity in our casual conversations. A typical conversation might go something like this:

· Mr. Jones: “I had a bad day today.”
· Ms. Smith: “What happened?”
· Mr. Jones: “We missed a deadline.”
· Ms. Smith: “Why.”
· Mr. Jones: “Jimmy was just off.”
· Ms. Smith: “Do you mean off work, or he was not very productive?”

This conversation is an example of interpersonal communication. The process works something like this: Mr. Jones starts with an idea that he wants to communicate to Ms. Smith. He goes through a process called encoding. That’s the process of changing ideas to symbols (symbols can be spoken words, written words, body language, etc.) Ms. Smith heard the words or symbols and decoded them into meaning for her. Because Mr. Jones’ symbols were ambiguous or vague, Ms. Smith provided necessary feedback. Mr. Jones continued encoding symbols until he and Ms. Smith achieved effective communication.

In mass communication such as with newspapers and radio, the sender of information and the receiver of information usually lack the opportunity for immediate feedback. If receivers don’t understand what they read in the newspaper or heard on TV, they often just put down the paper or change the channel. The lesson here is that in mass communication, the sender must chose the best symbols to be clear the first time or risk losing the attention of the receiver.

Blogs are unique. Communicating through blogs is similar to interpersonal conversation in terms of the casualness of the conversation and the opportunity for comments. Communicating through blogs is also similar to mass communications in that there is one sender and numerous receivers, and while the feedback opportunities exists, relatively few bother to take advantage of the opportunity. Even when receivers leave remarks seeking clarification from the blog writer, it is often too late to benefit everyone involved because bloggers participate in online conversations sporadically.

That said there is ample opportunity for miscommunication through blogging, especially as it relates to the writers’ tone, inflection, and connotation. Emotion is difficult to convey online. Bloggers may choose to use emoticons such as smiley faces to indicate emphasis and emotion. However, careful attention should be used for new bloggers, who may be unfamiliar with the less common emoticons. Some emoticons are easy to misinterpret. Then there’s the abbreviated, text-message carry over to blogs. I remember years ago when I received a message with “lol” included. I wondered why my student was responding with “lots of love.” Fortunately before responding I discovered “lol” stood for “laugh out loud.” Another potential for miscommunication for writers and readers of blogs is a word in ALL CAPS. To some a word in all caps means an important term, to others it connotes shouting.

Because of the numerous opportunities for misunderstanding, those who write for blogs might consider how each word could be received by the reader. If, for example, sarcasm is intended, the blog writer might consider a parenthetical expression, ie (sarcasm). While this may seem cumbersome, the alternative is the potential for misunderstanding. If the goal is effective communication, blog writers should be careful to avoid vague, ambiguous terms or terms that may have unintended consequences. With all the online competition, attracting readers to your blog or website is difficult. But getting frustrated readers to return is a steeper hill to climb.

As you know: once you say it, it’s out there! Writing is powerful; it can change the world. And blogs are our most powerful platform; where else do our words have the potential to be heard by the world.

Robertstevenson is a dad, professor of mass communications and writer. His blog, Rob’s Megaphone is a dedicated to “funny, interesting stuff” from all over the world wide web. If you are looking for a fun and interesting blog stop by and check it out.

So when I discovered the community at Blog Catalog, I didn’t get very involved at first. I already had pages at Facebook and MySpace but they occupied maybe 15 minutes of my time each week. At first, I registered my site at BC, popped a widget in my sidebar and pretty much left it at that. But I had friend requests and I made some requests of my own. Every now and then I’d scan the discussion board.

You work as an independent journalist, you rely on information. You juggle a dozen or more editors if you’re lucky. Fact is there were an unusually high number of participants at BC who seemed to know a lot about their interest areas. I’m always in need of experts for articles. One of my favorite clients, The Writer, has led to interviews with Ken Burns, Billy Collins, Christian Wiman and many other great writers. My news clients have led me to celebs like Russell Crowe, up and coming actors and creatives like Stefan Pinto, to governors, senators and even famous psychics.

But one of my favorite projects is the Web column I do for The Writer. Several times I’ve picked BC brains for that column, Web Savvy. For my marketing column at Beneath the Brand and for my own blog, I’ve done the same. The discussion board grew on me. Now I visit on a daily basis, and I’m inspired by what I learn and read. Despite an aversion to general political discussions, I even got involved in a recent discussion on global warming. The fact it remained civil says a lot about the community.

Some of the bloggers I’ve met are friends in the making; others are “friends” in the sense of people with common interests who connect via social media. At times, I’ve tried to give advice when it was sought.

Most of my online interactions are drive-bys. The pro writers’ groups I’m in—the ones where you have to submit thousands of words published in acceptable outlets and prove your skills—focus on the business of writing. But at Blog Catalog, there’s a global convergence where people share information on topics like banner making or moneytizing your blog. There’s added comfort because the blogs are approved by an actual human being. Discussions are monitored and ad hominem attacks are squelched. When I started a new blog recently, I received lots of help from members.

In between columns, interviews and the routine of running a word factory, I duck in and out much like you’d stick your head in the door or chat at the water cooler if you worked in an office. After all, my co-workers are a hound dog, a parakeet and a chicken. Humans need humans at times. Being part of the community has been an asset and an inspiration.

In a profession where one day you might descend into the dark shaft of a gold mine, or watch a Peregrine Falcon lift her wings towards the sky, or hold a snake in your hand and try very hard to remain calm, Blog Catalog is sort of a comfort room in cyberspace for me. You write a piece about the presidential primary for Sky News and a half-track for a wire service agency then hop over to peck out 1,000 words for a daily, you need a little comfort, you know?

You hang out a freelance writing shingle, you learn to expand your social media base. I think Blog Catalog actually taught me the meaning of the term social media, reminding me that these days, writing for a living is so much more complex than it used to be. Or maybe than it ever really was to begin with. (Filed by Kay B. Day)

Kaybday is an Independent journalist and poet, content provider for daily newspapers, wire services, magazines and Web sites as well as a self proclaimed blogging addict. Her blog Covering Florida focuses on everything from culture to politics and all points in between: travel, restaurants, breaking news, and health alerts.

We found a tool that we think you’ll really like. BlogCatalog has partnered with JargonFish, a company that offers a free, customizable widget that when added to your blog will increase your blog’s traffic and provide your readers with a convenient way to find blogs from other BlogCatalog members.

So how does JargonFish work?

Once on your blog, the JargonFish widget highlights keywords that you select. When a visitor click on those highlighted keywords, a small JargonFish window is launched providing the visitor with a variety of helpful resources related to that keyword including related blog posts from BlogCatalog members, as well as some other leading content providers, including Digg and Technorati.

What does this mean?

This means that you will be receiving traffic from other members who add the JargonFish tool as well as providing your blog readers with more reasons to visit your site.

To see the JargonFish widget in action and add it to your blog visit http://www.blogcatalog.com/jargonfish/

If you like what you see, visit http://www.jargonfish.com/builder/signup.htm?sourceId=5 where you can further customize the JargonFish tool.

I know there are people who claim that Blogcatalog is their highest source of traffic to their blog(s). While I can’t claim that, I will say that the traffic from Blogcatalog is the best in terms of actually reading and commenting on my blogs. That is what makes them #1 in my book. The members are the key to the site along with great support from the owners/administrators. A top notch group.

A callout was made for guest bloggers to fill up this blog with fresh material and I threw my hat into the ring. While chosen as the 3rd blogger to do a post it looks like I may actually be the 1st to do a post.

(Totally understandable. When I ventured in here it was quite a mess. I cleared away the cobwebs, dusted a bit, and threw out the leftover fruitcake from Christmas. Sheesh, you guys are busy trying to please us I know, but a li’l housekeeping wouldn’t have hurt you.)

I decided the best approach to this post was to do an in depth interview with one of the owners of Blogcatalog. I chose Angie Alaniz for this. (You’ll probably see why as this train wreck progresses.)

Guest posts have always intrigued me and I’ve actually had guest bloggers myself a few times and I’ve enjoyed them. Angie is being extremely brave though. Seriously brave. How brave? Well I already said seriously but I’m gonna let you all in on a little secret here. She’s scared…and doesn’t know it, and really didn’t agree to this.

When I asked about some ground rules for the guest post I was told, with great authority, that none were needed. But we’re going to leave the source of that authority unknown for now.

Here are a couple of facts about Angie that many people may not know:

1) Angie has two blogs listed at Blogcatalog:
a) What Are We Doing Here Anyway — http://www.angelicaalaniz.com/
b) Why Are We Even Here — http://angelicaalaniz.squarespace.com/

2) Angie blogs in the nude. Honest. Well ok, I can’t actually say I have a confirmed sighting but using my vivid imagination I’m sure that’s how it is. (And she’s cute so she can get away with this. Hey! Seriously! It‘s the net and we‘re all cute here dammit.)

So where the hell was I? Oh… the interview, we’re getting there.

Interviewing women can be taxing though. You see I bring out two thoughts in most women I meet in life. Yes the dreaded ‘double D’s’ if you will. (I disgust them and they discourage any further contact.)

(So what if I collect restraining orders like some people collect stamps or coins?? We all need our little hobbies.)

I thought the best way to determine good interview questions was to do a thorough blog inspection. So I dug around Angie’s archives like a frat boy during a panty raid. (I was impressed to say the least and actually a little more than just a little turned on. I’ll send back any borrowed materials Angie. They were needed as research items, honest!)

(Can