August 5, 2011

Aloha T.G.I.F~ Renovation Completed

Dominique Thoughts 5QF, aloha friday, two questions

This week has been a busy week for us as we were renovating our hall. I didn’t manage to take any before shots but here’s a collage of her enjoying the extra space we have in the hall after tearing down the existing TV cabinet. Next week I’ll show the new TV cabinet which we have installed against one of the side walls. Now there is a big space in the hall for the kids to run about.

Tiger Girl playing on the mat in the hall

1. Do you have siblings and are you close with them?

I have an elder sister and I’m quite close with her.

2. Would you rather be slightly UNDER weight or slightly OVER weight?

I rather be slightly underweight then slightly overweight. As of now I am in the healthy weight range for my height but far from my ideal weight.

3. What’s your favorite State Fair food to splurge on?

We don’t have State Fairs here..but if I were going to a carnival I would say hotdog and chips.

4. What are your thoughts on your kid(s) going to school in a few weeks?

No thoughts as my kids are already in school as our school term here in Asia differs from those in USA.

5. Pool or Ocean?

Definitely the pool. I’m really weary about letting the kids swim in the ocean due to the strong tides and them being beginning swimmers. The pool is certainly easier to manage.

My questions this week

Which long lasting Non IPHONE or Android Mobile Phone (with keypad)do your recommend? * The phone should be able to withstand drops by the baby.
How often do you change your mobile phones?

August 4, 2011

Writer’s Workshop – Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

Dominique Thoughts alpha thursday, mama kat's writers workshop

Photo by photoxpress

Looking back to the first post on this blog it has been about 5 years since I have been blogging on my own domain. I made the switch from blogger/wordpress to self hosted wordpress and haven’t looked back then. It has been a sharp learning curve for me and this blog has gone through a lot of revisions before it’s current look.

If I had the resources and help that I have back then it won’t be such an uphill battle and I would have a better idea on how to take this blog to a higher level without facing all the problem I did.

Here are 10 blogging tips which I would have shared with myself back then

Get A Coach.
Enrol in a free blogging course or join a blogging community so that you will know how to plan your blogging schedule and directions before starting the blog.
Choose a Good (memorable) Domain
Before deciding on your domain name do check first to see if anyone has trademark the name that you wish to use. I decided to go with my name as the domain name as it’s easier for me to remember and helps with personal branding.
Go for the simplest theme.
As if now I’m using the default twenty-ten theme with this blog. It’s not worth investing in premium themes or using complex themes unless you are able to tweak it to perfection yourself. I once messed up one of themes and it ended up in truncated posts and the sidebar going crazy.
Separate your domain and hosting providerNever place your domain together with your hosting. Register your domain separate with companies like Name.com. It was a bad move to host my domain together with the hosting the and it costs extra just to move your domain around.
Don’t fall for the gimmick free domain for life as most of the time you won’t be able to be with them “for life” even if you wanted to.
Submit your site to blog directories/search engines/ ezines
Add and list your site to as many places as possible. If they do need you to place their badge or link to your site keep it on a separate links page. In this way you will keep your main page clutter free and build up links for your site.
Watermark Your Pictures
It helps to actively protect your own intellectual property from scalpers. I recently was alerted by a friend that one of the photos which I posted online being lifted by an offending site. I immediately ordered that site to remove the picture as it infringed on my copyright. Luckily they took it off or else I’ll be barraging them with legal actions. Another “protection” feature which I enabled is the “no-right click” on photos on this blog to make it harder to “lift” photos.
Don’t be overly obsessed by statistics
Work on the content of your blog instead on obsessing over page ranking and stats. Small or large numbers may not relate to an increase in revenue for the blog. Fussing over numbers can lead one to be depressed or even get sidetracked from churning out great content to fuel the blog.
Set a comfortable pace for yourself
There are many so-called gurus in the blogosphere who suggest that you post daily so that it will optimize your bid to draw in traffic. However if you are working full-time or have a lot on your plate it may wear you thin if you pursue this path. Do what you are comfortable with, once a week, twice a week or daily if you can cope. At present I normally post during the weekdays as weekends are reserved for family activities and spending time with the kids.
Be sociable
Make it easy for others to share your posts and subscribe to your feeds/pages . I use the “easy share” plugin so any post that I write is easily added on by re-tweeting, liking on facebook or google +
Stop comparing with A-listers
It can be very discouraging if you compare yourself with other successful bloggers. You write for yourself and sooner or later will be able to join forces with other like minded bloggers and build up a community for yourself.