Mischief - Raffle to Help Fight Cancer

Editorial Ass't has posted an entry on her blog about one small way we can all help one of her friends. Let's join the team and fight together. We can win this one and it's for a VERY good cause.

Cancer is a horrible disease and we can all work together to help win this battle.

I feel strongly about this topic because I lost my aunt to cancer in April of '08 and my mother-in-law just had a double mastectomy. She has finished her chemotherapy and radiation and is now on the road to healing.

Let's see if we can't help this woman win her battle too!!!

Sustainability - Top 50 Green Cities in the USA

Blogging conferences aren't the only reason to come to Portland. And though Portland might not be perfect, it's definitely great and it's green. If you don't take my word for it, read it here. We are #1 in the country for living green. And, if you want to read more, click

here

.

TOP 50 GREEN CITIES IN THE COUNTRY:

The 2008 SustainLane U.S. City Rankings (2006 Rankings in Parentheses):
1) Portland (1)
2) San Francisco (2)
3) Seattle (3)
4) Chicago (4)
5) New York (6)
6) Boston (7)
7) Minneapolis (10)
8) Philadelphia (8)
9) Oakland (5)
10) Baltimore (11)
11) Denver (9)
12) Milwaukee (16)
13) Austin (14)
14) Sacramento (13)
15) Washington (12)
16) Cleveland (28)
17) Honolulu (15)
18) Albuquerque (19)
19) Atlanta (38)
20) Kansas City (18)
21) San Jose (23)
22) Tucson (20)
23) Jacksonville (36)
24) Dallas (24)
25) Omaha (37)
26) San Diego (17)
27) New Orleans (32)
28) Los Angeles (25)
29) Louisville (35)
30) Columbus (50)
31) Detroit (43)
32) Phoenix (22)
33) San Antonio (21)
34) Miami (29)
35) Charlotte (34)
36) Houston (39)
37) Fresno (37)
38) El Paso (31)
39) Fort Worth (46)
40) Nashville (42)
41) Arlington (41)
42) Long Beach (30)
43) Colorado Springs (26)
44) Indianapolis (45)
45) Virginia Beach (48)
46) Memphis (43)
47) Las Vegas (27)
48) Tulsa (40)
49) Oklahoma City (49)
50) Mesa (47)

I had to share this good news.

Kidlitosphere Blogging Conference - Portland, OR with Greg Pincus

IF YOU WON’T PROMOTE YOURSELF
WHO WILL?. . .

You can start small, with a few simple steps.

The Butterfly Effect describes how one small action can ripple out and create an enormous reaction later.

Here are a few suggestions:

1) Send out a few email blurbs to your family and friends;
2) Simply ask those people to share your website/blogsite with one or two other people. This will start to grow your reading community. Remember, though, patience is a virtue.
3) Email listservs (e.g. SCBWI) and tell them about your blog/website and ask them to check it out.
4) Give your posts strong names (See Marketing Mentor Greg Pincus in the vlog for more on this).
5) Get involved – be part of the conversation.

According to Greg Pincus, “It is very hard to get attention whether you’re selling something or giving it away. But it’s definitely harder to get attention if you’re not out there in the first place.”

Kidlitosphere Blogging Conference - Portland, OR - Part 9

After lunch, Laini Taylor and Jen Robinson had a Q and A session. Here is a little taste of what they talked about during this Kidlit '08 talk.

For me, it boiled down to making this writing experience a personal journey and to remember to keep it personal, with an individualized touch, when submitting because no one wants to feel like a "Mr. Blogger" or "Ms. Book Reviewer".

Kidlitosphere Blogging Conference - Portland, OR - Part 8

The Kidlit Blogging Conference began with Bridging Books and Blogs. It was a panel discussion filled with some heavy hitters: Mark Blevis, Alice Pope, Dia Calhoun, Lori Ann Grover and Betsy Bird of Fuse #8.

Here is a photo of the panel.

Together they explained how kidlitosphere blogging is an open community for everyone and anyone out there. And, they said, that even though “Sphere” may seem like an exclusive term, it isn’t.

What does “osphere” mean?

They explained some people don’t know. But the word is meant to feel open and inclusive.

Tips from the panel for new bloggers:

1) Find your niche and write in that niche.
2) Learn things about technology: Photobucket, and Youtube because photos and videos can make your blog a richer reading experience.
3) Blogging requires a long term investment, so be prepared.
4) Blog consistently.

Mark Blevis of Just One More Book said, “A house starts with one brick. . . Get in the conversation.”

He also said, blogging and audiocasting can:

1) Help you get and feel connected.
2) Help you form lasting friendships.
3) Help you gain personal strengths such as better writing and speaking skills.

One of the comments I really enjoyed was from Readergirlz. Their purpose is to help girls reach out. Through Readergirlz, young women gain love, faithfulness and truthfulness.

How much better could it get?

Kidlitosphere Blogging Conference - Portland, OR - Part 7

Colleen Mondor who writes her reviews on the blog known as Chasing Ray and Jackie Parker told us about "Making the Most of the Community: Blog Tour Events." They do a group Summer Blog Blast Tour and a Winter Blog Blast Tour (which is closed to their blogging group for control purposes). Colleen said she likes to give the craziest bit of the interview as a teaser to entice readers to read more.

Jackie Parker said, "Part of playing the game is playing the community."

So, get in there and play together, linking to one another is a great way to grow your community.

Kidlitosphere Blogging Conference - Portland, OR - Part 6

Mother Reader had a wealth of wisdom to share with all of us beginning and seasoned bloggers.

She gave tips, hints and suggestions on how to "Be a 'B' List Blogger." And one of the best things she said was if you don't want to be a highly committed blogger, "That's okay."

She also said, "Simplest is best." And, "You don't want text, text, text."

As writers, we might want to sit in our rooms and write but she says to get out there and, "Comment, comment, comment." But make sure it's adding value and not just some random post. Otherwise, it will lead to blog dumps.

She also said, it might be a good idea to set goals. One goal could be to read three blogs a day and make two comment posts. Remember to keep it simple.

Another bit of good advice was to have three reasons why you're blogging and to remember those core values when you post.