I grew up watching Garfield cartoons on TV, and I still read Jim Davis’ syndicated strips on the local papers. What I like about this cat is that he’s just about as human as any person. He hates Mondays. And he doesn’t even work!

And it’s worse for people who actually work, and who actually have to go see the pointy-haired boss every morning (okay, I’m jumping to another cartoon I’m fond of, which is Dilbert). After two days of blissful rest (or recreation), it’s back to the daily grind.

But I tend to Think Mondays are not that bad at all. Somehow it’s a day when everyone’s more or less relaxed. It’s not as hectic and stressful as the media would have you believe. It’s the beginning of a fresh new week, and people want to start it right, and people start their workweeks refreshed from their weekend escapades (or two-day hibernation).

Mondays are actually the day when the pointy-haired boss seems to be in a jovial mood, or at least it is in my case. He greets everyone a good morning when he comes in, and asks about our weekends. How nice, right? It’s not like the Wednesday rush (when everything’s just starting to peak up) or the Friday cramming session when the deadline was yesterday.

And as for blogging, Mondays are a start of yet a new week. For me, I usually try to work on new ideas and new resources for blog posts on Mondays. It’s the start of the week, and I try to make it work out right.

Are there any Garfields out there? Or do you love—or at least like—Mondays, too?

[tags]weekend, work, business, monday[/tags]

I consider weekends family time. Weekdays are much too loaded with work. And when one gets home after the daily grind, you’re usually tired and weary. You can’t even play with the kids. Chances are they’re tired, too. But I make it a point to blog at least once every week day. Even if it’s from work, I try to write a couple of blog posts and read updates with my trusty feed reader (don’t tell my boss!).

So weekends, I try to rest and keep away from the keyboard. And checking on my stats, I’ve found that people tend to read less during Saturdays and Sundays. I don’t know about you, but maybe that means other people blog (and read blogs) less during the weekends, too.

However, I’m blogging now, for a change. Or, at least I’m trying to get into the habit of posting a few entries in my blogs during the weekend, too. Here’s why.

1. For some reason, my AdSense earnings are higher during weekends. I get a good combination of high clickthroughs and high per-click earnings. I wonder why. Maybe people are more likely to browse (and blindly click) during weekends. Or maybe more advertisers like to run their ad campaigns in the weekend—perhaps people are more inclined to buy and spend during weekends.


2. As for readership, well it won’t make a difference whether I post today or tomorrow (Monday). Readers get to read my posts tomorrow, too (duh!). So I better post now for those early birds who like to check blogs Monday mornings.


3. Lastly, I might have some really creative, really interesting ideas I’d like to write about in the weekends. No sense in letting these slip away just because I want to rest.

I’m interested in learning whether other people blog in the weekends too, especially the pro-bloggers.

[tags]weekend, blogging, problogging, adsense[/tags]

We see it everyday: actors and actresses or other celebrities making the headlines because of a recent break-up, or because of some nasty thing they’ve done, or some wild thing in general. Paris Hilton is an example. Those sex videos and the heiress personality would sure be an attention-grabber. Recently, it’s Britney Spears, who just announced an upcoming divorce.

It’s one simple, surefire way of getting attention in the blogosphere: be controversial. Make the most out of the who, why, what and how, and I mean in the sense that you will be able to grab people’s attention and keep it (boy, attention spans are so short these days). Write about something out of the ordinary, something shocking, or something with a strong opinion. It’s even better if you can write previously-unwritten scoops and rumors, and it would be good if it’s about something that people can relate to, like money, entertainment, or some popular fellow blogger.

People will come flocking to your blog, and you can expect a lot of discussion. Some would be in agreement, while some would be in violent objection. And do expect a lot of snark. Hey, that’s the price of fame.

So if you plan to make it big in the blogosphere, better get out of writing lame, uninteresting things. Write about something shocking!

When I had my first child, I was at a loss about how to properly take care of the baby. While I valued the support and advice of my parents, my husband and I wanted to be sure to raise and take care of her in a modern way. I was so concerned about her growing up in a developmentally-appropriate manner that I frequently did research on the Web, for tips on how to properly feed her, on how to communicate with her, and on habits I should take on (talk about fussy parenting!). Back then blogs weren’t as popular as today, and my usual references were magazine-format websites that feature advice by supposed experts in child care and education.

The Internet was sure a good resource, but what was lacking then was material written by peers or like-minded parents. When blogs started becoming more popular, I was really happy to have stumbled upon several blogs by parents sharing their experiences. When the Bloggy Network started the Parenting Blog, I was excited that there was going to be another great blog on parenting around!

So should parents blog? I think it’s a great idea because, first, you get to share your personal experiences with other parents, and expect the same in return. And you also get to exchange practical advice with people who are also into the same things. It’s especially good if your blog is already searchable in Google and Yahoo! Secondly, you get to have a journal or diary of your child’s experiences while growing. This could be a good reference when he’s older—so be sure to save your blog posts! Last, you can also monetize your blog. You can use contextual advertising like Google AdSense, or affiliate marketing programs like Amazon. You probably won’t earn a fortune, but it might be good enough for the occasional dinner or movie out every few weeks or so (for that well-deserved break from stress every once in a while).

Parenting isn’t easy, but it sure is great to be able to share your experiences with someone, and get to read about their lives too. It kind of makes things easier knowing you’re not alone experiencing the joys and (oh, yes!) hardships of being a mum or dad.

[tags]parenting, blogging, kids, network[/tags]

You know the machines are about to take over the world when the people are living their lives in cyberspace, interacting with the people they meet there and even buying and consuming goods in the virtual world. I know it’s kind of like how many of us spend all of our waking hours in front of the computer, but it’s even scarier when you actually do have a second life in cyberspace.

I have been playing this online game called Second Life for the past three months and I can say it’s quite addicting. If you don’t know how to control yourself, you would tend to think your real life is what actually happens in the virtual world. And why won’t you? You can do all sorts of things on Second Life that simulate the real world. You can get a job, run a business, buy land, build structures, have romantic relationships, and even have sex!

I realized things were getting big when companies signed on for placements online. Reuters has recently opened a news bureau for the Second Life world, where real reporters would publish news stories on what happens in the virtual realm. I hear Sony BMG, Toyota, Sun, and Adidas are joining in. Even Starwood is setting up its hotel chain inside the Second Life world soon.

Oh I can’t wait to be plugged in.

I’ve been blogging for three years now, and I’ve been in the habit of observing the trends in the “blogosphere” (even way before it was called that). Based on most of the blogger surveys I have read, majority of bloggers around the world are male. And while in some areas, the population of bloggers is just split between men and women (or boys and girls), women are still in the minority when it comes to the “influential blogger” set or as part of the A-list of bloggers. We’re less likely to write blogs to influence people. Or so they say.

I’m also an avid gamer, having my share of WoW exploits and various stints with other MMORPGs. But I seldom disclose that I’m a lady. From my avatar to my aliases, I usually prefer the more neutral characters (or at the very least, I don’t disclose that I’m female in real life). Why? because there’s this feeling of mine that we girls are in some sort of pariah when it comes to geek stuff like gaming. Even in LAN parties, I would usually be singled out, and set apart from the men. I have even experienced being ganged upon because the guys thought I would be an easy prey (guess who won the game, though!). Then realizing I was the better player, I’d usually hear comments like “gamer chick,” or “geek chick,” which I find okay to some extent.

The fact that one is a girl and is a kick-ass gamer at the same time seems like a novelty to most people. Same goes for blogging. It seems that if one is female, she is expected to stick to personal journal-type blogs or blogs that talk about fashion, parenting or other such girly stuff. Or maybe it’s because the fanboys and geek guys who are fond of playing and blogging don’t get to go out and socialize much.

Does this mean we can’t be influential in the “blogosphere”? Does this mean we can’t beat guys at their own games (literally)? Of course not. I know of a handful of women who have made it big in the Web 2.0 world as founders of web apps (like Flickr) and blog networks (like about.com). So yes, we may be the minority. But we’re also very much active as influencers.

I took on contributing for Jack of All Blogs as a challenge. This isn’t to prove myself or anything, but just to set some balance in a male-dominated space.