Featured Sites

This week’s featured site is

Hollyjahangirl.blogspot.com

Holly was the first ever public blogger blog to have CommentLuv installed and working and I thought I’d showcase her blog here and ask her some questions..

Q1. What, why and where do you blog?

My main blog is “Do I Have to Spell It Out?” at http://blog.jahangiri.us (http://hollyjahangiri.blogspot.com).

The name comes from the fact that I’m always being asked to spell my last name, as well as the fact that spelling things out - both literally and figuratively - is something we writers do.

Why do I blog? Because I am not one of those writers who can say, “I write because it’s like breathing, and I do it only to please myself” - I write because I like the interactivity of it, the conversations I can have with readers.

I blog about whatever is on my mind. Sometimes I blog about writing and being published. What can you say about writing that hasn’t already been said a hundred thousand times? And yet, other writers - a group that comprises just about anyone who’s ever scribbled letters on paper with a pencil - are always eager to read more. It’s as if we’re searching for the Holy Grail of writing, the revelation of the secrets to writing a bestseller and achieving overnight fame.

I also write about my family, kids, politics, society, camping, traveling, cooking…like I said, whatever’s on my mind. Some days it’s profound, some days it’s just silly. My book has its own blog: “Trockle” at http://trockle.blogspot.com .

Q2. What is your favourite part of blogging?

Interaction with readers. That’s why I like CommentLuv, too - it encourages other bloggers to comment and leave “breadcrumbs” back to their own blogs. I get more comments, and I get to discover new blogs to read and bloggers to follow. It’s a win-win situation.

Q3. You currently blog using blogger, do you have any plans for going to your own hosted version?

Ironically, I moved BACK to Blogger after running my own hosted Wordpress for about a year. I love hosting my own blog - but customizing it and upgrading the software every time there’s a new release is time-consuming and I’d like to focus on the content, not the mechanics.

I like Blogger’s new “gadgets” and layout templates. I absolutely hated them when they first implemented them - that’s one of the reasons I bit the bullet and moved to my own hosted Wordpress. But Blogger has matured, and I’ve come back home.

Q4. You were the first person besides a test blog to have a working version of CommentLuv on a blogger blog, how has it been received by your readers?

My readers, for the most part, are not “techies” - CommentLuv intrigues them and baffles them, and ultimately, it may prove to be too much work and too confusing. What would really make it take off, with most of my readers, is if you could make a Blogger “gadget” that make it really easy and quick to install. I have to admit that it’s fun to be able to claim that I was the first ever to implement CommentLuv on a Blogger blog - not to mention the user that goaded you into getting it working on Blogger, finally!

Q5.Here’s a tough one, what single thing would make your blogging life easier?

A wireless brain chip that would let me THINK my posts to the Internet. My luck, it would give me a massive headache and work about as well as your average voice recognition app.

Thanks Holly for taking the time to answer my questions, I’ll see if I can work in a way of using a widget to add the commentluv code to blogger. It might be slightly easier for some!

Top Five
“100 Good Things About Me” at is a pretty good introduction and starting point for new readers. “Hurricane Ike, Before and After” is an example of what happens when a writer is cooped up inside, going stir-crazy, while the news media is advising everyone to “hunker down” for the “big one.”
Hurricane Ike practically filled the Gulf, and it occurred to me that I might actually be blogging something moderately newsworthy. It also occurred to me that if the killer pine in the back yard fell into the master bedroom, it might be my LAST blog entry - ever. Afterwards, there were some humorous highlights that stood out from all the seriousness of the situation, as illustrated by the entry, “Hungry Bob“.

“The Witch” is a true story about how rumors can turn into ridiculous, hurtful things - but also about how ignoring those rumors can have huge rewards. “10 Secrets to Hugely Successful Article Writing” is my “don’t get mad, get even” post - it’s not for the kids (yes, I should have my mouth washed out with soap), but I think it’s something that anyone who has ever been the victim of plagiarism online can appreciate, and maybe it will remind a few folks not to take SEO so seriously they forget how to write like human beings.

This weeks featured site

ShamelesslySassy.com

What a funny and busy site to visit, with the top thumbs up score on the active sites list. This is Amanda and she writes some great content! have you seen The Drunk Tampon? hilarious!

I asked Amanda some questions about her blog…

Q1. What, where and why do you blog?
At ShamelesslySassy.com, I blog my daily life as a parent and woman spiced with humor. I’ve always kept journals and diaries. So blogging just came naturally.

Mostly, I blog because I like to express myself with words, and I love to laugh. Who better to laugh at than myself? It’s been a great outlet for me, and it has also lead to many great opportunities and job offers.

Q2. What is your most rewarding aspect of blogging?
I think one of the more rewarding aspects of blogging is the community. There are strong women and men that I can interact with on a daily basis.
I’ve made some really great friends that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Also, I love being laughed at and with by my readers.

It’s so great when I post something totally bizarre, and I have someone tell me they do it too or they’ve experienced the situation. It makes everything seem so normal and worthwhile.

Q3. You post about a lot of your personal life online, have you ever regretted that?

I have not reached the day where I regret sharing my personal life online. I hope to not regret it. I think there are just some things that I have to express, and I’d much rather do so online than just bottle it up.

I have great friends and family that support my blogging habit. While I do share a lot of myself online, there’s still a lot kept out of the blog. Believe it or not, I do have boundaries.

Q4. If you could go back in time and speak to yourself before you started blogging, what advice would you give?

Advice, advice, Let’s see: Well, when I started my blog, I didn’t really expect anyone to read it. I didn’t expect anyone to want to read it. It was more of a totally personal journal. But readers slowly came.

I would mostly likely tell my preblog self that while the internet seems so spread out, it is still a small world. If you post something about your neighbors, there is always a chance they will read it. If you rant about your Aunt Gladys, she may read it even IF she doesn’t have the internet. But sometimes, it is a chance that you have to take. Blogging is great, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Q5. What do you think about the commentluv plugin and it’s effect on your site?

The commentluv plugin is one of my favorite plugins of all time. I’m not just saying this for this interview, either. I LOVE commentluv. When I started self-hosting, it was one of the first that I downloaded. If someone has a funny or interesting post title and it shows up in my comments via commentluv, I’ll click on it. It is how I find new blogs. Since I don’t do the feed reading thing, it is how I choose which blogs I read. I’m drawn to the post titles that show up in my comments and the comment sections of others via commentluv.
Commentluv is a great plugin that I truly think all bloggers should have.

Top Five Posts:
The Drunk Tampon
I Can Haz Nuggetz: A Fast Food How-to
Outed in a Local Paper
Allie’s Been Drawing Boobies at Preschool
Poop Chills

Thanks Amanda! Your posts are some of the funniest larf out loud I’ve seen in a long time.

This weeks featured site

PlayGroupsAreNoPlaceForChildren.com

Regularly at the top of the Active Sites list with upwards of 50 or even 70 comments in a day!

Jennifer is obviously doing a great job as a blogger and building a lively community around wide range of post subjects, I wanted to find out what was going on so I asked her some questions…

Q1. What and why do you blog?
My blog is mainly a personal blog where I write about myself, my children, and anything else that I happen upon that I think is funny. The reason I blog is because it’s where I meet up with my friends everyday, hang out, shoot the breeze…it’s also a great creative and emotional release.

Q2. You get a huge amount of comments on your posts, what’s your secret?
I think that my secret to getting lots of comments is that I try to answer or acknowledge many of the comments I receive. Also, many of my posts ask a question or encourage participation. I’m also very mindful of reciprocating comments, either via leaving a comment on their blog or twittering/stumbling one of their posts. What goes around, comes around!

Q3. What is your most rewarding aspect of blogging?
I love when I get a comment or an email from someone thanking me for describing some aspect of life, motherhood, or marriage in a true light. I also adore when someone tells me that something I’ve written has made them laugh, I mean who doesn’t love to make someone else laugh!

Q4. What are your ambitions for your blog?
I think that as long as I’m writing and enjoying blogging, then my blog goals have been met. I’m very realistic and know that I’m never going to get rich from my blog, nor will I ever get a book deal!

Q5. When did you first discover CommentLuv and how has it made (if any) difference to your blog/comments?
I can’t remember exactly when I discovered CommentLuv, but I do remember that it was one of the first plugins I installed. I definitely think it makes a difference in the number of comments I receive. When I look at my site’s statistics, many of my outclicks are a direct result of CommentLuv.

Here’s a list of my more popular posts…
My kid want to potty all the time, potty all the time, potty all the tiiime
You’ve never heard of this stuff
French Lick sounds kinda dirty
Barely Breathing
Here’s a link to my Blog Tip Sharing Project series, which has been pretty popular….
Blog Tip sharing project

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions Jennifer, I’m really pleased when I see so many comments feeling the luv at your site!

Featured Site

This is a regular Saturday spot for sites that use the CommentLuv plugin.
If you would like to be featured here, visit the forum and leave your site details there or contact me through the squillion different ways posted around this blog

Slyvisions.com

This weeks featured site is a go to place for all those searching for ways to make money online, I normally don’t do MMB’s as featured but this one is a corker! I asked Sly Blanco some questions about how he started blogging…

Q1. What got you into blogging?
Well, over a year ago, I wanted to find a way to make money online so I can buy my own stuff (I never even thought of getting a day-job then). I am not really the type of person that would ask my parents for money, so finding a way earn money was something that I needed to do. So one day, I googled the term “how to make money online”. I then discovered ProBlogger. Well, you can probably guess how the rest of the story goes.

Q2. What has been your biggest challenge and how did/will you overcome it?
To be honest with you, the biggest challenge for me is time management. There are so many other activities and hobbies that I do outside of blogging and in the “real world”. It’s even harder when there is only one person who manages the blog, which would be me.

So to overcome this, I plan to slowly get a team of bloggers to be part of a SlyVisions writing-community. There will be 3-5 other bloggers that will help with writing posts, promoting the site, and managing the blog in general. And what are the benefits of these bloggers? Well, they get shared income from the blog.

Q3. When did you first encounter CommentLuv and what was your impression?
I just remember saying to myself: “Finally! Something that will encourage commenting!”

To me, having a great community within a blog is something that is essential. A blog isn’t a blog without any comments from readers. With CommentLuv, readers are encouraged to leave comments. So when I heard about CommentLuv, I just couldn’t get any happier.

Q4. How has CommentLuv benefited your blog?
Simple: more discussions and more links.

Seriously, I think that CommentLuv is the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to achieving these things. Bloggers always want more comments on their blog and they always want to build links to it. With CommentLuv, both can be achieved effortlessly. It’s no surprise that CommentLuv won the WPMU plugin contest.

Here are 5 of just a few of my popular posts:

• dear reader stop lurking and start commenting
• 10 things to do when you have nothing to blog about
• 6 essential elements every blog must have
• 30 tips for exploding your site traffic
• your blog sucks and i got 20 reasons to back it up

This weeks featured site has been an avid user of CommentLuv for some time and has a lively community of new and old bloggers exchanging tips and advice freely.

Thoushalblog.com

The articles are beneficial to anyone who blogs because Yan explains how to use and take advantage of the numerous tools available to promote and market your site. All his articles are a joy to read, no over the top technical jargon and a real focus on what’s important.

He’s also a prolific commenter and there’s a high chance you’ll see him on your travels through the blogosphere.

I had the chance to ask Yan some questions about his blogging history, here’s my interview with him.

Q1. How long have you been blogging and where?

To tell you the truth, blogging is a new game for me. It all started with WordPress and I’m pretty sure it will end with it as well. thoushallblog.com was created in May 2008 as my personal journal to document what I have discovered and learned from my blogging journey.

It has been a very rewarding 6-month experience for me and if I have to start all over again, I’d still be blogging as I’ve found a new passion I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Q2. What have you found to be the biggest challenge with promoting your blog and how did you overcome it?

I think the biggest challenge for me is to perfect the art of SEO. Getting high search engines ranking is always easier said than done. In fact, in todays’ ever competitive blogosphere, simple SEO is no longer enough. I thought it was but I was wrong.

To be on the first page of Google for your keywords takes a lot of patience and research, great effort of link building and consistency in creating link-baiting articles. I’m not saying that I’m struggling in these areas but I’m just making my point that if you think SEO is all about optimizing your keywords in title and blah, blah, blah……. wait till you are sandboxed by Google and SEO becomes a different ball game all together.

Long story short, as some of my inner pages are still sandboxed by Google, I compensate the loss of organic traffic with probably one of the most, if not the most, effective and direct method of promotion – blog commenting. The fact of the matter is that 70% of my direct source of traffic comes from blog commenting while search engines makes up about 20% and the rest is from social medias.

Q3. What is your most rewarding aspect of blogging?

Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a blog that started off with just one person is now becoming a community of people from around the globe who discuss, share and learn from one another. Blogging indeed makes the world smaller. Relationship is built at the click of a mouse. Isn’t it wonderful?

Q4. When/where did you first see CommentLuv in action and what was your first impression?

My goodness, I don’t have a single recollection at all but if my memory serves me well, the first thing that struck my mind was, “Gee, this is good for link building…”

Q5. How has CommentLuv been a benefit to your blog?

Andy, you have innovated an awesome win-win solution for both the blogger and his/her readers that few plugins could have possibly matched in terms of functionality (link building) and easy of use (excellent technical support).

The fact that you won the WPMU plugin contest has shown that the blogging community at large is giving you all the votes of confidence. Need I say anything more?

In all honesty, it’s one of those plugins I would never take it off from thoushallblog.com.

—————–

Thanks a lot Yan for taking the time to answer my questions, your blog is a real gem and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so!

Check out some of Thoushallblog.com popular posts

1. A - Z Blogging Guide for Beginners
2. 15 SEO Tools for Beginners
3. WordPress Post Install Checklist
4. 20 Possible Ways to Optimize Your Blog
5. Free WordPress Setup for Beginners

This is a guest post

Review written by Ree, the Hotfessional
Ree can be seen at
[My Life as a Hotfessional]
[Hot Reviews Books] and [The Working Moms Channel at Blissfully Domestic]

Solomon Broad is grateful. I’m grateful for Solomon Broad. He started writing a simple list of things he’s grateful for - every day - in January, 2007. If you’re human (you are, right?), I’m sure you have days when you wonder why you’ve gotten out of bed. Why bother? Well, here’s some reasons:

• Posh Chocolates
• Bacon Sandwiches
• Weekends

Solomon’s site loads fast and is clean and easy to read. The best part, though, is its simplicity - no angst-y prose, no “good mom/bad mom” dilemmas (um, like…me. Sigh.). It’s an oasis of things we all need to remember in a desert of pains in the arse day-to-day hassles.

Solomon loves his dog, Wenna.

Solomon loves doughnuts. The caramel ones. And sometimes the apple ones.

He loves his readers and offers contests and prizes. By the way, each and every commenter gets a response - and a visit to your site. Add that to the comment-luv-y-ness, and you get special!

Simon’s sense of humor shows in this meme. And who wouldn’t laugh at the dancing broccoli - or bananas - or lemons? (He knows better to than to put limes up in case I decide to squeeze them into my vodka.)

The thing is, Solomon helps others as well. Kiva donations. Free Rice. Free Poverty. Learning and recognizing the things to be grateful for in your own life makes you that much more aware of how little some others have. It also makes you a very special person.

Do you want to learn? We all need to be a little more grateful for what we’ve given - our lives, our loves.

Learn from Solomon. Be Grateful.

This is a guest post

Review written by Ree, the Hotfessional
Ree can be seen at
[My Life as a Hotfessional]
[Hot Reviews Books] and [The Working Moms Channel at Blissfully Domestic]

Damn, Andy knows how to draw a girl in, doesn’t he? There I was, happily writing away in my little space when “Whoomp!” I got turned onto CommentLuv. Then - CommentLuv got way fan-cee. Images and little hearts and all. And last week, Andy himself wrote a review highlighting my site.

Next thing I know, he asked me to guest post for him over here and write up one of my favorite sites and um, I think we’re now engaged or something. I don’t know how we’ll break it to Mrs. Andy and Mr. Hot…

Annnywayyyy, where was I? Oh, yes, the guest post. So, one of my favorite sites belongs to one of my favorite Chicago-ans. Kristabella - Full of Snark (since 1977 - the whippersnapper) is a fellow Midwesterner with a love of sports, beer, Chicago, wine, sports, writing, beer and wine (not necessarily in that order), so of course, we are soulmates.

And y’all? She got dooced before, so I know that once we get the word out about her, she’s not going to have to worry about finding another new job - she’s going to be earning big bucks writing and making personal appearances. I plan on riding her coattails being her personal manager.

Kristabella’s blog posts are best read without anything in your mouth that would not look good on your monitor or in your keyboard. It sneaks up on you - like that 7th 2nd glass of cabernet. And she’s famous for her Death is NOT an Option category and her expertise on National holidays.

Kristabella is a genuinely nice person and one I’m happy to have as a friend. I’ve even hugged and kissed her. Live, and in person. And you guys? She’s cute. Really! Tall. She’s got a great laugh and if you’re a hot, single male, looking for lots of fun, you should so go check out some more of her pictures site.

In the meantime, I’m going to go let Andy know that I’ll hijack this spot anytime, but I have to break off the engagement. I just don’t think I can deal with that long distance thing. But maybe I’ll wait until after he helps me Save the Boobies. Because the boobies (and lives) need to be saved!

This weeks featured site is probably my most visited site beyond the ones I own and run. In fact, it’s the reason there is a featured site spot here at CommentLuv.com. I’ve been eager to get Ree and her outstanding blog Hotfessional.com up on here since this site went through the last contraction of it’s birth just last month (ok so I know I’m not a girl and it’s not fair to compare the 9months and more of pregnancy with 4 weeks of php coding, but it felt like it!)

Okey doke, who is Ree?
A funny blogger,
A girl you’d bring to tea

She has a haiku or two
On Friday each week
oh, she is so cool!

I wish I could write like her
even for one day
And be even famous-er!
:-/
I know haiku’s are 5-7-5 but they don’t rhyme either. No need to point this out in the comments!
allright, that’s enough, it’s bloody hard writing Haiku’s! in 7-5-7 format. If you want to see some better ones, visit Ree at Hotfessional.com on a Friday to see how her week has gone in haiku.

The first time I visited Hotfessional.com, it kept me at my desk at work for an hour extra than normal, it was the first blog that I read cover to cover (so to speak). I laughed out loud, I sympathised and I laughed some more hearing her stories of the entire Hot cast. There’s Mr. Hot of course! they just celebrated 17 years together without a major homicide

And also, you can find shortman, the golden child, 24 and many more characters in the play called Ree. See her comment count and feed reach and you’ll understand why so many people pop around to Ree’s blog for cup of virtual java and a quick gossip.

Her writing style is so nice to the eyes and easy to read that you’ll feel right at home straight away. Sometimes I don’t visit for a few days so I can spend an afternoon reading up on posts one after the other (like I do with Prisoner or BSG episodes). (oh god I sound like a fanboy stalker don’t I? lol!)

Anyway, already with enough her plate, she wants some more chores! Check out her post for Saving the Boobies!. Even with a change of work circumstances she is running a contest and ever the giver, she is adding 1$ to the fund for every entry to her contest.

I’d be happy to support such a good cause and hope you would too!. Well done Ree for such a fine blog and for sharing all your “oh man holy hell” moments and the times when you’d scream “where’s mah wine?!” with the world, even geeks like me who like to lurk around outside listening to the gossip you and your readers get up to.

There aren’t any cash prize awards (yet) for featured sites but even so, I’d like to pledge a dollar for dollar match on your offer to pay one dollar per contest entry until it ends or it max’s out.

..from the comments at Hotfessional.com

Pamelas last blog post..holy field day, batman

witchypoos last blog post..Aftermath

This has been a weekly featured site post. If you know a commentluv blog that deserves a review and you’d like to write it yourself and add your site links and info to the top of the post (see previous featured site reviews by Sire), register for a subscriber account here and let me know your username, blog url and details in the support forum so I can upgrade you to Contributor status.
I’ll let you know when I upgrade your account and you’ll be able to submit a review for review (ahem) to be published when a space comes up in the schedule.

This is a guest post

This guest post is by
Sire
My sites
[My blog] [Scenic Adelaide] [Load Of Bullshit] [The Games Palace]

Hand’s up all those have heard of the Wheel Of Fortune? That many huh? Well that is nothing compared to Andy’s brand new Wheel Of The Featured Site! This latest masterpieces was born out of necessity as he wanted to concentrate on his wonderful plugins and needed something that would troll the net and pick the most worthy blog  to add to his weekly “Featured Site.”

The Wheel Of The Featured Site was a pure stroke of genius and it would be bloody marvelous if we could see all the flashing lights and the whirring of gears as he pushes the button every week. The problem is that it’s completely silent and goes about it’s job very unobtrusively. I suppose he planned it that way so as not to interrupt his creative genius.

Anyway, it didn’t take long for the wheel to pick this week’s lucky featured site, and it’s none other than PsychicGeek.

I found this blog to be rather unique as the blogger signs every post with Warmly WitchyPoo, and it’s an actual signature too! She brings many characters into her blog, including Ass Burger Boy and Warrior Woman that I first met at her Pajama Party. The comments were running thick and fast on this particular post including a cheeky one from yours truly.

I really wanted to see how this PsychicBabe interacted with her commentators but although I searched high and low I could not find a post where she replied to comments from her readers.  I thought that her Gimme Gemini post, where she talks about a job interview and the roots of hell, was sure to solicit a response from Witchypoo, but no such luck. I know that there has to be a method in her madness, perhaps it’s to feed the mystery aspect of being PshchicGeek, and if that’s it, well it’s working well with this Aussie.

It seems that she has been a little anxious of late and it’s all to do with some wanker and an obnoxious phone call. Well, WitchyPoo, I like the  rest of your commentators wish you get back into blogging mode real soon because if you were to stop you would leave a void in the Blogosphere.

Some last blog posts found in the comments..

Linda’s last post…
Celebrity look alikes

TX Poppet Says
I Heart Your Blog

Why not give Witchypoo a visit and say hi!