My Elevator Pitch

Thanks to my involvement with the StoryDam community, I am knee-deep involved with the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge. In fact, I am leading the community through it!

Today marks day one of the program which means we are talking about my elevator pitch. If you want to know all about elevator pitches and how you should think about creating one of your own, then I highly recommend that you read my post Writing An Elevator Pitch for Your Blog on StoryDam.com. If, however, you are only interested in how I am developing my own elevator pitch for Rivera Runs Through It, then I invite you to read on.

My Passion

I have had many passions over the course of this lifetime of mine, but the one that begs for expression on this blog is my passion for stories.

My Audience

Over the course of the last couple of years I believe that the people who have begun to gather around Rivera Runs Through It are also entranced with stories. However, they can be more specifically be divided into two, not necessarily mutually exclusive, groups - readers and writers.

What I Do Here

After a lot of waffling around here on Rivera Runs Through It, I have settled upon a rhythm of writing and reviewing that I do like. I hope you like it as well, because after thinking long and hard about it, I have settled upon an elevator pitch that I am going to use to describe what Rivera Runs Through It is all about.

Rivera Runs Through It's Elevator Pitch

Rivera Runs Through It is a blog where I enjoy and explore stories from creation to consumption through reviews, reading and writing.  

What Am I Missing?

As you are a reader of Rivera Runs Through It, I invite you to tell me what you think. Am I missing something? Does Rivera Runs Through It represent something other than what this pitch proclaims? Let me know in the comments section below. One of the things I love about blogs is there power to always be updated. If I make a mistake on my elevator pitch on Monday, I can rewrite it and update it on Tuesday leaving no evidence behind of my infraction!

Do you have an elevator pitch for your blog?

Have you ever gone through the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge before?

What types of things do you expect to read when you come to Rivera Runs Through It?

Your Book Proposal from A Publisher's Perspective

Many bloggers are on the path from blog to book, so it was no surprise to me that there were publishers at the Blog World Expo to take advantage of this fact. I have no idea where my blogger adventures might take me some day, so I decided to check out the panel entitled "What Publishers Really think About Your Book Proposal" presented by a group of editors from John Wiley.

In short, a successful book proposal should contain the answers to three major questions:

1. Why YOU?
2. Why THIS Book?
3. HOW Is It Going To SELL?

As each of the editors shared their own personal preference for genre (one was a sci-fi editor, one was a historical and foreign-based fiction editor and one was a celebrity editor) and unique skills, there were some clear answers to these three questions that seemed to sell no matter what genre you may be interested in writing. Let's take a look at each one in detail.


Why YOU?

You must understand that as an editor in a publishing company each of these individuals is exposed to countless authors who are just as passionate about their work, who have been working just as hard as you (maybe even harder!), who write just and wonderfully as you, et cetera, et cetera, so you must answer the question: WHY YOU? Here are some of the answers that the editors said that catch their eye:

• You write a lot, possibly even in magazines
• You are an expert on the subject and have evidence of this fact
• You have been making a lot of "noise" in the field
• you have special expertise in language (this came from the editor with interest in the foreign-based genre)
• You are a celebrity (of course, this came from the celebrity editor)

Why THIS Book?

Have you been to the bookstore lately? Have you checked out the "New Releases" section? How about the "Bargain Books" section? Both of these sections have lessons in them - 1. How much competition is out there and, 2. how many of the books that do get published that still end up not being successful. You need to think long and hard about this question: WHY THIS BOOK? Believe it or not, just because you wrote it is not reason enough! Here are some things to consider and/or include in your proposal to let your prospective editor(s) know why your book needs to be published:

• Explain your book in terms of other successful published books
• Do NOT say "This has never been done before," OR, "This book is the first of its kind" - while this may sound like a positive unique experience, it actually sounds like your book has no shelf to be placed on in a bookstore!
• Be on the lookout for the publishing house you are contacting is promoting and explain how your book fits their current market (or go to a publishing house that better fits your book!)
• Read the "acknowledgments" sections of books similar to your own to find good contacts to make the right match

HOW Is It Going To SELL?

You may be embracing your artistic side as was philosophical through the writing of your latest masterpiece, but, in the end, this is a business. If your book can't sell or it doesn't look like you can be much of a help in the selling of it, then your deal is done. Your book proposal must have some evidence of the fact that you have considered sales and the selling of your book and that your plan may have some legs. Here are some things that help (and this is where the web and social media came to the panel):

• You have cultivated an audience, or created some sort of platform for yourself - this can be either through writing in print, or through the Internet
• You have a wide presence on the web
• You use your website as a TOOL FOR COMMUNICATION, not merely as an artifact of your work
• You can show interaction and/or influence with your audience (again, this does not have to be online)
• Do NOT spend time on the Internet as an afterthought - either all in, or all out

What Does It All Look Like?

Maybe you knew more about this stuff than I did before I sat down to this panel, but after all this chat about who I was, what my precious book was all about and what kind of sales person I was going to turn out to be, I was still wondering, "What the heck does the proposal actually look like?" Luckily, I was rescued from my curiosity and I now pass along the favor:

The Proposal

5-7 pages, containing:

• An annotated table of contents for your book, 

• A "Who Am I/Why Me" Statement (one editor said, "Formulate your Elevator Pitch", those of us who have been through the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog know all about elevator pitches!)

• & At least 1-2 sample chapters of the book, or some other equivalent sample of your writing (blogs or articles)

Other Quick Tips

There were so many little tips thrown in here and there for aspiring writers throughout the panel. I know I didn't get them all, but here are just a few that will hopefully help someone out there!

• Agents aren't necessary, but can be very helpful to run "interference" between you (the author) and the publisher (this way you don't always feel so offended when they are just doing their job by "hacking your baby"
• You will probably hate the cover of your book
• For fiction writers, a great place to create a platform is using the website Duotrope.com to get published in short fiction
• For all writers - the more you get published, the more "credits" you get
• **Be careful of blogging it could be a TIME SUCK!** (According to the editors there Blogging hit its peak in 2006-2007)
• Going from an eBook to a print book is difficult. HOWEVER, publishing a different print book with the SUCCESS of an eBook behind you makes the publisher's decision easier - in their eyes you already did the hard work

So what do you think, are you ready to write your proposal now?

Related Reading

• Publishing Myths and Truths for Bloggers from Ginger at Ramble Ramble
  

Other Blog Life Lessons

• The Birds and Bees of Your Blog Life
• 3 More Lessons From Blog World 
• 3 Lessons from My First Day at Blog World NY 
• How Darren Rowse Has Forever Changed My Life in 10 Days 
• Where Do I Get My Degree In Blogging?

4 Great Ways to Get Your Blog Writing Going

You are sitting in front of your computer. You are ready to write for your blog. You've even managed to carve out a nice space of "me time" to accomplish this task, but then it hits you - what the HECK am I going to write about today? Since you have little time to waste, let me tell you about some of the fabulous resources out there to get you juices flowing.

Share Your Knowledge/Learning 

Do you have a skill, a hobby or something else you can teach your readers? Have you just gone to a class, watched a movie or read a book where you have learned something? Take a post to teach us! Here are some examples of some great teaching posts that I've run across:

• 6 Ways to Start An Art Collection Without Breaking the Bank Using what she knows from being an artist's wife, Ginger teaches us some tricks of the trade so we can all add that glitz and glam to our spaces no matter what our income is!
• 4 Heartstopping Myths On Drowning Every Responsible Parent Should Know When Alison learned about what drowning really looked like, she knew she had something to share. It was an extremely important post and, because of that, it went viral. Do you have some important knowledge that you should be sharing with the world? Don't take it for granted that everyone knows what you do!
• Lemonade Pie Kristl of The Budget Diet blog had a fun, yummy recipe from her childhood that takes only four ingredients and some chill-time. She shared it with her readers who are always interested in fun things to do, make or get for a bargain!
• How to Wash Windows from The Damsel of the Old School - Self Reliance 101 blog. The Damsel is one of my great online teachers, this is just one example of her fun and funny teaching style that leaves you begging for more. ...and this is a post about washing windows. Moral here: inspiration can be anywhere - you just have to be up to the challenge of writing about it!!

Challenge Yourself

Pick a challenge, either for yourself or for your blog and write about it. This can be a lot of fun and an easy path to finding material to write about. Here are some challenges you might want to think about:

• Go Meatless! This past November I found out it was World Vegan month and decided, in honor of that, to go meatless every Monday for the entire month. I documented it on my blog Searching for Sustenance and it gave me an easy day of writing for six weeks of Mondays. I also couldn't help but occasionally refer back to it from time to time, so it continues to be a source of writing inspiration. Here is my wrap up post What I Learned from Meatless Mondays.With this challenge you'll examine ethical eating and your blog will benefit from it as well.
• 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Do I write about this enough on this blog? I love this challenge. I am going through it again right now. If you participate with a community like I am (shout out to the SITS Girls!), then not only does the eBook give you tons of ideas for writing, but so do your fellow participants! You will be improving your blogging skills and you'll have something to write about every day! Here's a fantastic look at one of the most content-heavy days in the challenge From Eileen of the Web Design School blog: Tips and Tutorials for Bloggers Day 6.

• Couch to 5k Program This is a nine week program to go from couch potato to 5K runner. It is a program designed for people who have often thought most exercise, especially running, is a far away dream. Dream no more! MAKE IT HAPPEN and take your readers with you on the journey! You will transform yourself, inspire others and be able to write about the program, your ups, your downs, your runs, your falls - there is SO much to write about here... (I keep dreaming of the day my IIH takes enough of a back seat for me to try this one!)
• 30 Day Challenges In general there are a lot of various types of 30 day challenges out there - fun ones, fit ones, financial ones, a quick search on Google will send you on your way to finding one that fits for you. One post about 30 Day Challenges that caught my eye was 10 Thirty Day Challenges No One Wants to Take.

Causes
Many causes need people to be talking about them. If you have a cause, or an action that is near and dear to your heart, then get writing! You'll feel better about it and you can engage your readers in discussing important issues. Here are some examples of blogs writing with causes in mind:

• Conversations on Giving  This is a segment on the Do Good blog where the act of giving whether through charity, kindness or self is discussed. It is a simple idea that can be written about in so many different ways.
• 365Give This blog fascinates me. It is about giving every single day. It doesn't have to monetary, it doesn't have to be huge, but it is making the commitment to giving at least once every day and then writing about it. Imagine you made this commitment. Imagine you had to write about it. How would this change you? How would it engage your readers?
• One-Shots Stay in the loop with your special causes to find out if there are any special events or petitions floating around that need some publicity. Don't forget that your blog can be your podium when necessary. For example, this week I am trying to get people to let the Girl Scouts know I would like some gluten-free cookies! To that end, I wrote this post: Tell the Girl Scouts How Big the Gluten-Free Market Is! (if you have a minute, you should totally check this post out and sign the enclosed petition!).

For the Art of Writing

• The Red Dress Club Every week these ladies provide two writing prompts. The prompts could be as simple as a word or a picture, or they could even be specific lines to be included in the writing - they change all the time and I check in every week. If you write on one of the prompts, you can return to the site to link up your post to share with the Red Dress community for concrit. It's pretty awesome.
• One is called the Red Writing Hood prompt and can usually be either fiction or nonfiction and is typically limited to be anywhere between 600-700 words. Here are some of my prompt responses: Detour in "Off My Trail", Someone who drives you crazy in "One Lucky Turtle" and Fightin' words in "Someone Stole My F-ing Car" (*warning: this one is angry)
• The other prompt is called RemembeRED and is a memoir prompt and has the same types of length restrictions. Here are some of my prompt responses: Forgiveness in "I Forgive You", A positive from a negative experience in "Wash Away My Normal" and something you are proud of in "My Teaching Appreciation Day" 

• The Writer's Toolbox This is an offline resource that I actually found in the Barnes & Noble bargain section years ago. The box comes with a timer, a number of different tools (sentence sticks, sensory cards and the protagonist game, for example) and  book describing different ways to use them in conjunction with each other to find inspiration.

There's More!


There is definitely at least second post in here about how you can write about what's going on in the news, how you can join blog communities like Blog Frog or SITS Girls or even Twitter parties like #CommentHour to see what other people are writing about and write a reaction post to it and link up. There's still even more, but to be honest, I think I am taking up too much of your time because you really need to get to writing!
 

The Birds and the Bees of Your Blog Life

As I expressed in my first post about the BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2011, the over-arching lesson I learned was that blogging is all about relationships. The first panel I attended, 365 Days to a Household Name led by Srinivas Rao of The Skool of Life blog and BlogCastFM podcast, started this theme right away when he began to analogize all of our Internet interactions with those that we undertake when finding our perfect mate.

I loved this analogy so much because it made clear to me the value of each of the interactions we take. I would like to share this delicate dance with you now so you can be better prepared for the World Wide Web.

THE FLIRT

Flirting is quick, it's easy, it's fun, oftentimes funny, and it can happen any number of times per day with any number of people in a room. All of this can happen without any of it holding that much meaning for anyone involved, however, for all relationships, there is usually some flirting in the beginning even if it is just to get noticed. So in the world of social media, on the path to developing relationships with readers, fellow bloggers, potential employers or potential clients if you want to flirt, then all you have to do it TWEET.

Twitter is the single most casual interaction held in the biggest, hottest party on the Internet. In 140 characters or less you give the twitterverse a little piece of you with every tweet - what you are interested in, what you write about, who you are. There is no commitment involved in Twitter, but when you've earned yourself a "follow," perhaps it is time to make the next move.

THE FIRST DATE

While you are busy blogging away and tossing your tweets out into the world, there are others doing exactly the same thing. Others you could be developing a relationship with. It is time to up your game with those you may think are worthy. As you are catching up on your reading, is there someone who's writing truly speaks to you? Or someone who is in your niche and may be someone you want to work with? Here are a couple of first date possibilities for you to consider:

• Blog Comment ~ If you are a blogger, you know the value of this. Receiving a meaningful comment related to your post can have the same dizzying effect as going on a first date with someone special: Someone connected with you, they liked what you had to say and they cared enough to share back. This is definitely a way to move toward a relationship and for me, personally, has led to guest posting opportunities and a number of web friendships.
• E-mail ~ In terms of the evolution of social media, e-mail is considered Web 1.0, you know - old news - however, sometimes old-fashioned charm is exactly what is called for on a first date. E-mail is not dead and it is very personal. If you want to make a one-on-one connection and you are not interested in doing it publicly, then this may be the move for you. Just keep in mind, for a first e-mail connect you want to keep it short and simple to ensure it is read.

As you continue your dating you can use some stand-out options that Srini shared in his session to deepen your connection. They are all pre-web, so you may want to grab a pen or something, because since they are pre-web they are unique in this digital age: send a letter, hand-written thank you notes, or even send a care package to a special someone who you wish to develop a working relationship with.

SEX?

This is where things get really personal and you are one on one - focusing on each other and (hopefully) nothing else. You may be saying to yourself That never happens in the social media world. Well, if you think about it for a moment, it will probably come to you. You can have this kind of connection with someone in a personal chat/instant message, through Skype, or with a Phone call (doesn't it seem to  always come down to somehow getting those digits?!). Anyone of these avenues is the type of communication that takes place between two people who want to connect and, oftentimes, are already in a social media relationship, or, at least, are on the fast track to having one.

THE RELATIONSHIP

So what are you in for? What are you working toward in this pretty little dance? Simply put: Conversations. In Social Media, on the Internet, and in your Blog Life your relationships are measured by your conversations. This isn't too different from what do in what we refer to as "real life," but it's something we sometimes think is beyond the reach of social media when we're seated behind the anonymity of our screens. It could be. If that's what you want. However, if you are looking for relationships, if you are looking to grow your blog, your business, your brand or simply just to find other like-minded individuals then it is time for you to start the dance - start flirting, dating and making some moves - in short, start having some CONVERSATIONS.

"Amazing things start happening when you start conversing for the sake of conversing." ~Srinivas Rao

Related Reading

• 3 Lessons from My First Day at Blog World NY 
• How Darren Rowse Has Forever Changed My Life in 10 Days 
• Where Do I Get My Degree In Blogging?

Srinivas Rao

• The Skool of Life
•  BlogCastFM

START BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH RIVERA RUNS THROUGH IT

• Follow me on Twitter @riverand
• Share your thoughts in a comment below!
• LIKE the BRAND NEW Rivera Runs Through It FaceBook Fan Page 

Get a Clue with Kludgy Mom

I can't think about StumbleUpon without thinking of Kludgy Mom. It is not that this is, per se, her claim to fame, it just happens to be how our paths crossed in the winter of 2010. I was going through Darren Rowse's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog for the first time and became curious about using StumbleUpon as a promotion tool for my blog. I had no idea what it was, but I found Kludgy Mom's blog and was swept away by its design, its simplicity and her depth of knowledge of social media.

The first post I ever read from the Kludgy Mom blog is one I continue to recommend to new Stumblers to this day:

• How to Use StumbleUpon: Tutorial

What I learned in that post has been enough to turn me into a stumblin' junkie that has StumbleUpon as one of my leading traffic sources month after month.

Since that time, Kludgy Mom has continued to teach me about Social Media, introduce me to new ways of finding income on the Internet and make me laugh with her and at myself with her fabulous sense of humor. As you will see when you visit Kludgy Mom's blog, she is a woman of many talents. She claims in her tagline that Kludgy Mom is "the art of living haphazardly," and while the haphazard part of that statement may be what initially draws our attention, it is this Austin mom's art that wows us post after post.

Some of my favorite posts from Kludgy Mom are:

• What Twitter is Good For
• Finding Work From Home Opportunities
• App Girl to the Rescue
• How to Sell Groupons You Don't Want Anymore
• Why Blogging is Good for You

Take a moment now to head on over to the Kludgy Mom blog to see what her latest post is about - and be ready for anything: social media, product/app reviews, a recipe, a lesson for bloggers, or just a humorous post about a day in the life of Kludgy Mom. Whatever it is, I am sure you will be better off for having read it!

***

This post was written as the first official post of my continuing series on My Stumble Buddies. To be a part of our StumbleUpon party to read and stumble week by week, come visit the Kludgy Mom community in Blog Frog!

Other Stumble Buddy Posts:

• Are You Reading Read Aloud Dad?

 


**Don't forget Rivera Runs Through It now has a brand-spankin' new FaceBook Fan page waiting for YOU to LIKE it!!**

The SITS Girls 31DBBB Blogroll

Here's a blogroll of all of the participants in the Summer 2011 SITS 31DBBB Challenge (I hope this works!):





To get the code to put this blogroll on your blog, visit Ramblings of a Diva by Brittany, fellow SITS Girl and the brain-child behind the blogroll!

Where Do I Get My Degree in Blogging?

You've heard that blogging has turned out to be an honest-to-goodness career option for some folks. You're now wondering-

• Can I get a degree in blogging? 
• Is there a certification process? 
• Will it be too expensive for me to explore?

The answers: No, no and no.

First Start Blogging 

Let's make something clear: if you are reading this over an Internet connection and you have a keyboard in front of you, you can already be blogging. You start at any free blog hosting site (I use Blogger because I am sort-of Google addicted) and you start writing. The minute you start doing that, believe it or not, you can start calling yourself a blogger.

Recognize When You Need Help - Don't Give Up!

If you have already gotten that far then perhaps you have come to realize that just because you write something, no matter how brilliant it might be, that doesn't mean readers will be reading it. It's not their fault, they probably don't even know that it's there! This is when every blogger starts asking all those big blogging questions:

• How do I build my audience?
• How do I engage my readers? 
• How do I get people to actually follow my blog?
• How the heck does anyone ever make any money doing this?

This is a time when it seems like maybe you should throw in the towel and start using your time doing something else entirely - my advice? DON"T GIVE UP! While I have yet to rake in the millions, I am happy to say that I have learned the answers to these questions in the last couple of months, with help. Here's a sampling of my little success story so far:

• I have taken my food blog Searching for Sustenance from less than 50 pageviews in September of 2010 to over 4,000 pageviews in March of 2011. 
• I have started this blog, Rivera Runs Through It, written guest posts on blogs around the Internet and was invited to be a contributing author to The IH Brain Pain Blogs. 
• I have just started to begin to earn very small amounts of money (you never saw anyone get as excited as I did over $2 this past Valentine's Day), but I am now understanding how money can be made here. 
• ****I am doing all of this while on medical leave*** In other words, I about half as healthy as you are. I know that with just a little more effort - which would equal to that of someone working at this part time, or after work, real money could have been coming in by now.

So here's the real question: Where did I get my help? Simple - from the ProBlogger! Darren Rowse has been my professor in Blogging Basics, Blog Promotion, Building Audiences and even Finding Finances in Blogging. It's better than a degree in blogging because it is an ongoing conversation with a professional as you learn the ropes.

How to Learn About Blogging From THE Pro

1. Purchase Darren Rowse's eBook 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. This is the single financial investment I have made into my blogging endeavor up until this point and it was well worth the twenty bucks. (It was announced that the price will be increasing to $29.95 on May 10, 2011. That still works out to be less than $1 per lesson and believe me each lesson can be revisited day after day!)
2. Follow the ProBlogger blog. This is free and extends all that is learned in the eBook.
3. Follow Darren Rowse on twitter @problogger
4. Come back and let me know how it is all going! 

Extra-Curricular Activities

While going through the ProBlogger program is not exactly the same as the time spent at university, there are still some extra-curriculars you should not ignore while obtaining your new knowledge:

• Become a blog reader
• Join blog communities (I, personally, love Blog Frog)
• Build your web presence using social media

Come to think of it, this is sounding just like college after all: engage in classroom conversations, join groups like fraternities, sororities, clubs or teams, and, above all - keep your social life bubbling!!

Well, thinking of it that way maybe we DO deserve a degree after all! And, guess what? I just found one on Amazon:

 

Blogging Blogger Blog Degree: Custom Gag Diploma Doctorate Certificate (Funny Customized Joke Gift - Novelty Item) 

I stand corrected. You CAN get a degree in blogging if you really want one. Just keep in mind, just like any degree, if you want it to really mean something, then you will have to do some work first!

Related Reading from Rivera Runs Through It:  
How Darren Rowse Has Forever Changed My Life in 10 Days


Graduate and diploma image by LuMaxArt and used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License

How Darren Rowse Has Forever Changed My Life in 10 Days

I am in my 10th Day of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog program by Problogger Darren Rowse along with a bunch of ladies over in the SITS community. I have been working on it through my food blog, Searching for Sustenance, but have aspirations of bringing everything I learn there to this blog as well. The hostess of our group, Shelley, of the I'm Still Standing blog has challenged us to put to use what we have learned in one little post. I know I can't capture it all, so I will limit myself to one lesson per day... !0 Days, 10 Lessons, 10 (Blogging) Life Changers...

1. I will never ride the elevator with a stranger the same way again. I will constantly be thinking of how I can pitch them my idea and whether or not I can sell them on coming to my blog. I think every time I am in the elevator for the rest of my life, I will be rewriting a pitch!

2. I now think of the line, "The list is life," from Schindler's List in a completely different way. The list post is the life-line of my blog!

3. I am horribly and irrevocably addicted to StumbleUpon. I got on SU to help promote my own blog, but I really spend every day promoting the heck out of everyone and everything else. It keeps me up late at night stifling giggles like I am in Church in order to keep me from waking my husband. (My SU profile is NRivera9 if you would like to see how much stumbling I have done in such a short amount of time!).

4. I understand that I have a niche. Every blog has a niche. Whether we want to think so or not, the outside world is putting us into little categories, so pick one already and hope you see what the world does. Once you find your right niche, you will find your people.

5. I have come to the final conclusion that e-mail is still king. As wide as this web is and although it may seem that everyone loves the anonymity afforded them by mere screen to screen contact everyone seems to like the extra personal connection of an e-mail.

6. THERE IS NO WAY TO READ EVERYTHING ON DAY 6 ON DAY 6. If you are planning on someday doing 31DBBB, start reading now. Don't skip Day 6 (I did that my first go around), there is some incredibly invaluable information in there. (I am pretty sure I "stumbled" every post I read!)

7. I don't remember what Whitney Houston was singing about in the "Greatest Love of All" song, but I'll tell you one thing - I now know that linky-love is the greatest love of all of the Internet. If you write the right link post, aimed at the right audience, promoted the right way, you will see a traffic spike like NO OTHER. My link post Changing the Way We Eat: 1 Link At A Time written for day 7 was (and continues to be) INSANE.

8. I try to remember everything, because I understand my readers won't. It's not their fault - they might have only showed up last Tuesday, so I have to link back to the stuff I wrote last month, last week, last year. I am an interlinking fool now and it has been working!

9. I am Forum friendly and find myself commenting on articles in really big publications now leaving my name and website. I am pretty shy in real life, but out in the Internet I'm all up in everyone's business all of the time - offering advice, giving my opinions, and asking big questions. Whoa. Who am I?

10. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are no longer the only alerts in my life. I have tons of columns opened up on my TweetDeck, I get daily e-mails on all types of subjects and I just keep geting inundated with more and more information. How did I ever struggle for a topic to write on?

That's it... for now. I've got 21 more days of this! I think my brain might implode!!