I have and I have it bad. I spend hours and hours and hours looking for just that right look and sometimes I ‘put up with a theme’ until I have time to go in search again.

Case in point - my Proverbs 31 Woman blog. I just can’t find the right look but I would like to portray a woman with old-fashioned values who is a mother at home and a business woman too. So she could be pictured with an apron, or with kids around her, and definitely in a home environment. But I’ve not see many blog themes that match that description. And then it also needs to have a blogroll that categorises blogs although I believe I can add a code for that.

And sometimes when on the hunt I find other templates I love and I end up starting blogs I really don’t need but love the template so I want to use it. Another case in point - Kathie’s Garden. This one is badly in need of new posts.

But sometimes I can find just the right template like the one for this blog - I’m happy with it, and for several other blogs I have or blogs I manage for clients. One of my latest ones is Block’s Indicator - I actually found about 5 different templates ideal for that one so we’re trying them out as the blog ages gradually.

I did eventually find a theme for Proverbs31-woman.com though that I like - although it doesn’t have the look I originally envisioned. But I like the way the categories are done.

So, tell me about your favourite themes or your blog addiction!

blog themes, blog templates, blog addiction, favourite theme

Why do I do this?  Well, I want to feel there’s some kind of personal connection first.  I also don’t want to be counted as a number as I know that many, particularly LIONS, are prone to do.  Quality not quantity is something I’m seeking in the way of connections - will there be a mutual benefit for us both to connect?

If I know and recognise the name as someone I’ve chatted with before I will accept and then I’ll give them suggestions on how to do an invitation and send them here to my blog to check out the LinkedIn category.  But if I don’t recognise their name I wait for their response and often those responses can be funny or even indignant.  Some don’t respond at all.

Why would a response be indignant?  They seem to expect that because we had a minor connection via an email about 3 or 4 months ago I would remember who they are.  Perhaps they don’t get much email but I get 2-300 on a daily basis because of the nature of my business and also the groups I belong to online.  Why would I remember someone who might have answered a question at LinkedIn or responded to a forum message?  It would be different if we actually did business together in some way but usually it’s one of the former.

So, if you’re new to LinkedIn I encourage you to look at personalising your invitations (you can click on edit and change the text of what’s being sent) and make sure you read through the profile of the person you wish to invite first.   You can get penalised by LinkedIn if you get too many “I Don’t Knows” against your name.

Oh, and if you have copied someone else’s email that says something about ‘please do not mark IDK’ then I suggest you don’t do that.  It’s almost as bad as a blanket invite being sent.  If you can copy and paste someone else’s message, you are also capable of writing your own personal message.

The moderators and administrators at Aussie Bloggers were given a short story, and asked to fill in the blanks. The results have been combined into The Lazy Bloggers Blog Post Generator. And they’ve made it available for you to use too!

No longer do you have to worry about writer’s block and I’m sure you could get some really interesting stories for your blog. Why not try it out and share here or at Aussie Bloggers the fun that you’ve been having!

blogging, writing, writer’s block, ideas

I discovered the forum only a couple of weeks after it got started and am now one of their top ten posters and also a moderator at the forum.

I did think I really did not need another forum (I belong to quite a few!) but as blogging is something I really enjoy, the chatter there is lively and always of interest.

So, if you’re an Aussie blogger (i.e. you live in Australia and blog, or am an Australian overseas who blogs) then we would love you to join us at the Aussie Bloggers Forum.

Special offer (24 hours only): From 12.01am 27th June 2008 AEST(10am 26th June - 9.59am 27th June US EDT)

See Amazon Campaign for advance details.

If you’d like to be reminded of the launch and the goodies that will be available please register below - you’ll get an email from me just prior to the launch.

The time has never been better for the professional woman with a book or product!    You see, we are asking you . . .  to give us  . . . an opportunity to purchase from you on Friday, June 20^th.

This is the day we are celebrating who we are as women - - as women who are “On the move and making a difference!”   

 June 20^th is the 2^nd annual celebration of Baby Boomer Diva Day.

Seize your moment and showcase your product for 15 minutes for the very low price of $10.   There are a few vendor slots left but they are going fast.

Also, there will be plenty of giveaways. 

And you don’t want to miss our special guest speaker, Heidi Richards.  She will discuss how blogging can turn into $$$ for your business or product.

Again, join us from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  It’s going to be the most fun you’ve had online in a LONG time!  We are looking forward to meeting you!

To get more information or to sign up now, click link below: 

keybusinesspartners@verizon.net

For our visitors and readers, please do visit those posts that interest you and leave comments for their authors - all authors love to know they have readers!

We have a long list this month - so good to see!

——————————————

Brad Trnavsky presents Leadership Vs. Management - Sales Management 2.0 posted at Sales Management 2.0 - Featured Blog Posts, saying, “A short article about leadership and management and a brief introduction to the book 360 Degree Leadership by John Maxwell.”

Lorraine Pirihi presents Who’s managing in your business? posted at The Productivity Post.

Kathie Thomas presents What makes a website truly global? posted at soho-life.com.

Edith presents Six PR Tips from Startup Bootcamp San Francsico 2008 posted at San Francisco Bay Area Small Business Community That Connects You With Entrepreneurs Around You.

Prashant K Shukla presents Role of Meta Title Tag in SEO | My Smart SEO posted at Prashant K Shukla, saying, “Meta tags are the blocks which contain information about the contents of your web page and they exist into the head area of your web page. They are basically meant to communicate with the search engine. The Meta Keywords Tag and Meta Description Tag also need to be taken care of and optimized equally in addition to that of Meta Title Tag to secure a place at the top of the search engines and in convincing a search engine that your site’s contents are more relevant than that of your competitor’s.”

Prashant K Shukla presents Site Indexing - Great Eight Tips | My Smart SEO posted at Prashant K Shukla, saying, “Site Indexing - The most effective SEO technique is to index the pages of new website. There are lot of important issues, one should take care. We are providing a simple guide steps to help you in this regard.”

Prashant K Shukla presents Search Engines or Web Directories | My Smart SEO posted at Prashant K Shukla, saying, “Submitting your site to major search engines and good rank directories help increasing the traffic and good placement in SERP.”

Heather Johnson presents Convincing a Recruiter to Use Web 2.0: Guest Post by Heather Johnson posted at Human Race Horses: Racing to HR 2.0.

Anya Portnik presents ATSCo (Association of Technology Staffing Companies) Members Conference, June 5th 2008 posted at Gavin Ingham.

Mark Montgomery presents College Applications: They Can Make You Sick posted at Great College Advice, saying, “The college application process can be stressful–so stressful that i can make kids physically ill. To say nothing of the parents!!”

Mark Montgomery presents How Good are Advanced Placement (AP) Courses? Are They Worth Taking? posted at Great College Advice.

Prashant K Shukla presents SEO and Meta Tags | My Smart SEO posted at Prashant K Shukla, saying, “SEO and Meta Tags - Meta Tags play significant role in SEO and if we take utmost care in building these tags, result would be the perfect optimization of our website.”

Amanda Moore presents 6 Things That Will Make Me Leave Your Blog posted at VagabondetteVA, saying, “If your blog isn’t reader friendly, they won’t stick around - and they won’t come back.”

Matt DiChiara presents Lone Male Roommate Examines Prior Judgments posted at MyNewPlace Blog, saying, “thanks and have a good weekend!”

Isabella Mori presents quickie: what’s a friend? posted at change therapy, saying, “this is an article inspired by the practice in social media to call people “friends” when they are not as close as one would normally think a friend to be. in the comments you will also notice a reference to the use of “friend” in LinkedIn.”

Mark Montgomery presents School?s Out! Top 10 Summertime Tips for College Admission posted at Great College Advice, saying, “Savvy parents–and students–know that summertime is a great time to stay ahead of the curve with the college admissions process. These tips will help you keep life sane and fun–and increase chances for admission.”

Michael. presents Beauty and the Beast: How Attractiveness Affects Your Life posted at A Law Student and Young Lawyer Blog - Law Vibe.

Business or LinkedIn related

Susan Tatum presents What technology buyers don’t want to see on your website posted at TechnoBuzz.

Karl Goldfield presents Training Part 1: Lead Generation - Talented Prospectors | The Sales Coach, The Sales Blog posted at Karl Goldfield.

Erek Ostrowski presents Leadership for Unprecedented Results posted at Verve Coaching, saying, “As leaders, our job is to provide an environment that challenges people with opportunities to be productive and capable, so that they succeed in their jobs and produce results.”

Susan Tatum presents You Have Multiple “Homepages”. Time to Fix Them All. posted at TechnoBuzz.

Karl Goldfield presents Training Part 1: Gaining Commitment - The forgotten objective | The Sales Coach, The Sales Blog posted at Karl Goldfield.

Stefan Töpfer presents THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG » Blog Archive » Small Business Lists – Start-Up on a Shoestring posted at The Small Business Blog, saying, “A selection of business ideas that can be started with almost zero capital”

John Oh presents Influencer Marketing: Enterprise Model posted at Marketing Joint, saying, “Influencer Marketing: Enterprise Model What exactly is Influencer Marketing? And, why is Influencer Marketing so important? In this post, I’m going to lay out some viewpoints and “answers” using a couple charts I slapped together to illustrate a few key concepts.”

Colleen M. Johnson presents Blogger Brainstorming posted at cmjoffice.com Blog, saying, “Got blogger block? Ten tips for blog writing.”

Amanda Moore presents How My Passion is Changing My Life posted at VagabondetteVA, saying, “In a follow-up to a Dosh Dosh post about how having a passion for your business can make it more successful.”

Ed Rivis presents Million Dollar Marketing Secrets. posted at Ed Rivis.

Susan Tatum presents What Web Analytics Can Tell You about Traffic Sources posted at TechnoBuzz.

Kathleen Gage presents Street Smarts Marketing & Promotions: Get the most out of your blogging efforts! FREE report tells you how posted at Street Smarts Marketing & Promotions, saying, “What used to be viewed by many as a passing fad has now become a necessary aspect of doing business on the Internet. Blogging has become a necessary aspect of any solid online marketing strategy. However, even though millions of people are blogging, the majority don’t know how to optimize their blogging efforts. Although some people view blogging as a novelty or a “someday I’ll get around to it” smart entrepreneurs understand they have to get into the game of blogging sooner than later. When done correctly, blogging can have an incredible impact on your market position.”

Patrick Schwerdtfeger presents Effective Blogging Process posted at Tactical Execution, saying, “Most people blog ineffecitively. This post offers readers a specific process to follow each time they write a new post.”

Webmaster_1 presents 5 Reasons Why Blogging Is Beneficial posted at The Entrepreneurs Online Magazine, saying, “An article on why blogging is beneficial to any internet marketer”

Amanda Moore presents 106 Organizations That Are Changing the World - Are you helping? posted at VagabondetteVA.

Susan Tatum presents Technology Marketing Fundamentals. Your Best Competitive Advantage. posted at TechnoBuzz.

John W. Furst presents Aweber – A Marketing Lesson And Smart Pricing posted at E-Biz Booster Blog, saying, “Are you freaking out? One of the popular Email Marketing Tools provider — AWeber — has new features and new prices. What’s in it for you?”

Elizabeth Harrin presents SmartDraw 2008: planning the garden posted at A Girl’s Guide to Managing Projects, saying, “I’m a LinkedIn project manager blogger.”

Paula Gregorowicz presents Why Web Standards Matter posted at Paula G. Web Design.

Raymond presents How To Make Money From Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at Money Blue Book.

Raymond presents How To Get Your Free FICO Credit Score posted at Money Blue Book.

Raymond presents Best Business Credit Card For Your Small Business posted at Money Blue Book.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of linkedin bloggers using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: linkedin bloggers, blog carnival.

I belong to a lot of email based business network forums, mainly through yahoogroups.  It seems to me there are 3 types of people who participate in these forums.

1.  The person who replies and leaves all of the previous email(s) and so we get a trail of messages repeated over and over again, especially if others add to it.  The poor people on daily digest, or on dialup - having to pay for the download of repeated messages.  These people either don’t really understand what it’s all about, or perhaps they are just plain lazy - maybe they don’t even think.

2.  The opposite (extreme) - deleting everything, even what they are responding to, and thereby leaving others guessing what it was they were responding to. The subject heading doesn’t always give a clue, particularly if it’s gone off topic.  These people are too pedantic - not everyone is on your wave length.

3.  The person who does trim the email, leaving enough so that others can see what is being responded or added to - this is the preferred option and keeps things running smoothly.

Actually, there are others.

4. The lurker - those who read everything, devour what info they can and possibly apply it, but give nothing of themselves and don’t contribute back to the group.  These are the takers.

5,  The responder - to everything. They have to have a word about everything that is taking place, even responding with just ‘thank you’.  Some of these replies just aren’t needed, at least via the forum - you can always email the person direct.  We all get enough email as it is, don’t you think?

LinkedIn encourages you on your homepage to connect with others you know but they don’t really give you much information on the ‘how-to’ process in doing this. So I want to save you some angst and help improve things for you.

When you put in someone’s email address and name and click on that button to invite them, what happens? Well, if you’ve not actually explored what the invitation says (and many don’t in the early stages) you might be surprised to find that this is all it is:

Kathie,

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

-Steve

Nothing else. Now, when I receive that invitation it doesn’t tell me much. I can go to that person’s profile because it is linked to the invitation but if I don’t know that person, or don’t remember them, it’s not going to tell me why they want to connect. And even if I do know them, I still don’t know the reason. Having received one of these invitations proves to me very quickly that the sender hasn’t read my profile.

I do have a request on my profile that I don’t accept ‘canned’ or ‘blanket’ invitations (of which the above is definitely an example) and prefer to receive an introduction and reason for connecting. I don’t want to become just another number to people.

It’s amazing but one of two things happen when I reply to a blanket invitation, asking them the reason for their interest:

1. They ignore me and don’t respond. Their loss - they have a limited supply of invitations and have just wasted one because they didn’t want to really get to know me.

2. They come back with this amazing story of having heard about me from somewhere, or seen me at a conference, or via a forum, or perhaps they’d just been learning about the VA industry and wanted to know more. How am I supposed to read all that in the invitation they had just sent? I always accept after receiving further info - I just like to know what the interest is so that the networking process can truly begin.

So, if you’re new to LinkedIn, or just been in the habit of sending out heaps of invitations but haven’t personalised them, I encourage you to take the time to explore the process further. Building relationships are always worth spending time on.

Oh, and one other suggestion. If you see a really well-worded invitation that comes your way, don’t copy and paste it and start using it for your own - I’ve seen that happen a lot too. Once makes it special, twice makes you wonder, three times makes you realise that some people just don’t have any originality of their own!