Monday, February 18, 2008

A New Readers' Panel at Scribbit

I'm starting something new here at Scribbit.

I love getting emails from readers with questions, tips and requests and I want to start sharing them with you. If you have an issue you'd like me to write about or a question you think I can answer (Ha! Contemplating the concept just makes me laugh!) drop me a note and I'll do my best to tackle it. This can be about Alaska, blogging, parenting, any subject that I address in my posts--and beyond if you're brave, though I can't guarantee I've got the most coherent or reliable opinion on world affairs and stock recommendations.

Also, if you have a tip you'd like to share--maybe a great store or website you've found, a to-die-for recipe your family likes, a craft that gets raves, whatever--send me a note and I'll share it with everyone else.

You don't have to be a blogger to participate, I can make your name and information as public or as private as you wish, but if you are a blogger I will link to your blog and share your site. Think of it as a reader's panel that you'd see on any offline magazine--it's just a nice way to answer questions and share goodies.

Now, having said that I will also say that I still have to use discretion on what I choose to publish and when. I'll see how many ideas or questions come in and plan accordingly and I may not use something I've addressed before. Please don't be offended if I end up not using your submission, or take a while to use it, sometimes I sit on ideas for a while until the time is ripe or I've got a way to incorporate them effectively.

So, send in your thoughts--I love to read them! On with the show, the first reader panel question is posted below . . .

***

And the joke du jour around here?

How does Batman's mom call him for dinner?

"Din-ner, din-ner, din-ner, din-ner, din-ner, din-ner, din-ner, din-ner BATMAN!"

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24 comments:

Erica Douglas said...

I'll go first then :)

Excellent post, I think it's easy to under estimate the time involved in producing a post like this. So thanks for the effort.

I need to work on making sure I respond to EVERY comment too... I think I've been a little lax in that area, not because I'm rude, sometimes I'm not sure what to say - however, I think it's better to say ANYTHING rather than nothing at all.

littlemummy.com

Robin said...

Ooh, ooh, I've got a question!

Whenever I look at any of your "winter in Alaska" pictures I'm always struck first and foremost by the darkness. What is it like to live in perpetual twilight like that for so many months a year? I find the onset of winter with its 5pm darkness terribly depressing, I can't imagine what it must feel like for you or how you keep your energy levels up. On the other hand, I'd be LOVING that permanent sunshine thing in the summertime. I wish there was some way to export that...

Great idea to have a reader's panel Michelle. I look forward to reading all the questions and answers.

Mrs. Gray's Class said...

I began writing my blog mainly as an update for friends and family. I have been writing for a few months and have gravitated more towards how our family is trying to live a "greener" life. I enjoy the flexibility blogging offers and there are other topics I sprinkle in from time to time. A lot of tips/suggestions I read say it is better to stick to writing about one topic. Do you agree? Do you think it is better to have a couple of different themed blogs? Thank you!

Carina said...

I like the reader's panel idea.

I'm having a little trouble with blog motivation right now. I want to write, but actually sitting down and doing it is difficult.

(Could be the toddlers, I'm not sure.)

bluecat said...

I've been wanting to say, for quite a while, I love reading your blog. Great recipes, fun crafts, weekly contests, and getting to know you and your family has been an enjoyable experience.

About Robin's question: I think I must be Robin's opposite. I'm a nighttime person so perpetual darkness in the winter wouldn't bother me. The continuous summertime sunshine would be bothersome. There would have to be light-blocking curtains up on every window in my house if I were to live in Alaska. During the daytime I like to keep the blinds and curtains closed.

And about the Batman joke. I must be getting slow in my old age. It took me three times reading it to get the joke. (I hit the big 40 later this year!) LOL

Claremont First Ward said...

This will be so much fun!

Anonymous said...

"The river flows" by I.P. Daly

Anonymous said...

Very cool concept :)

Rosie said...

An excellent idea. It will keep you very busy I expect!

Anonymous said...

I actually had the same question as Robin. :-)

I enjoyed your blog and will be back!

I will link to you and one back would be appreciated. Thanks!:-)

God's Grace.

http://corryc.weblog.com
name blog: All Over The Map

Daisy said...

When spring comes, I'll offer hints on composting. :)

Melissa Stover said...

i have a question about alaska. we are doing a state project and we chose alaska. what's the best place to write and get info and is there a specific area or thing you would suggest we focus on?

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Michelle,
That's a very good idea. I hope your project succeed. God bless you and your family always.

Andi said...

I have been realizing that lately, Erica. When I don't know what to say, I am at least going to stop and say "hi" to people.

Scribbit said...

Got it: What's it like in the dark? (and) How focused on a specific area should your blog be?

And Chickadee--I'd probably start by googling the Bureau of Land Management in Anchorage. It's got lots of info on various Alaska topics, though you may need to focus on a particular aspect of the state.

Cass. Just Curious said...

Okay the joke at the bottom qualified me as "slow" today. I read it and I was like "Why's that funny" then I read it aloud and got it...and laughed really really hard.

An Ordinary Mom said...

This should be a fun new forum to read! I should email and ask you how to answer comments that leave you a little irked :) !!

9milemom said...

Oh, what a cool idea! I will have to think of really tough questions for you...just kidding :-)

I lost all my blog addresses except for the ones linked to my blogsite....I wrote about how I lost them all on my blog.

But I was catching up on your blog Michelle. You are so much better at this blog thing than I have been yet. Sometimes I almost wish I just did the blog route and skipped the website part. I have so much more freedom and creativity on my blog.

So, I read about your shrinky dinks. My girls got a shrinky dink machine a few years ago and I quickly took it over. I stamped letters on the film...colored them, cut them and then shrunk them. Turned into the cutest letter tiles for the page I was working on. Beats the heck out of paying for them at Michaels or Joanns!

Loralee Choate said...

I have a question!!!

Is there ANY chance that you would look into creating an online (Or virtual) blog organizer??

Think about it...People have checklists, planners, tips, menu and grocery planners, budgets, schedules and blah, blah, blah for organizing and having successful houses, careers and lives.

Why not have an organizer for your blog? Helpful sites and tips, checklists and instructions on things that you should do, articles you should read, a way to plan your posts for your blogging month.

It would totally rock for a disorganized person such as myself.

Too much work? HECK YES, but dang...A girl can dream, right???

Anonymous said...

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now, so your post prompted me to finally do it...

Aren't you tall, too?

Anonymous said...

Love this idea. I just happen to have a couple of questions. :)

Were you born and raised in Alaska?
How's the medical community?
What's your favorite thing about Alaska?
What's you lest favorite thing about Alaska?

I may be back later with more. heehee But this will do for now. :)

Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Hazel said...

Where do you find all the craft ideas? Is there a blog purely on this?
I've picked up a lot from About.com and Instrutables (and of course from you) but I'm always open to doing something different with between 10 and 20 6-8-year olds for three-quarters of an hour on a Friday night!
The constraints in there are that it shouldn't be something that the "faster" ones can do in five minutes and then spend the rest of the time creating mayhem nor should it take so long that we never get anything finished.
Whilst I'm not averse to taking things home and finishing them off I can't do it for all of them!

Anonymous said...

Hello Michelle,

I am a new blogger, and I'm just learning how it all works. I want to thank you for all of the FABULOUS tips and information you offer here! I am learning a lot!

My question is, (and please forgive me if you have already answered this elsewhere): what would you tell a new blogger to focus on FIRST? Building up content? Reading/commenting? Finding advertisers?

I want to do them all, but it is a bit overwhelming and I'm trying to figure out what to tackle first!

Thanks,
Kim

Gary ("Old Dude") said...

just a ornery old senior dude here, been blogging now almost a whole month---its addictive I swear. My question is----where does one go to find the simple basics of blogging, learn about how to creat links, tags, list one's blog and well get into it?