At BlogCatalog, bloggers are our heroes. You are the cornerstone of the social web and the leaders of an ongoing shift in how people all across the world get informed, entertained, inspired and connected. We at BC, see our mission as providing a home for bloggers--a place that gives you the unparralleled ability to showcase and promote your work, to share what's impotant to you, to develop your online brand, and to have a little fun too. BlogCatalog Version 2.0.10 is being built right now to do all this and more. Soon we will give bloggers the site they deserve, a site you call home. |  Worldwide Maniacs Launch Maniacal Plot Deep in the Heart of Texas Worldwide Maniac is very excited to announce a fundraising event to launch the Worldwide Maniac Foundation. Join us June 19, 2010 at Austin Music Hall to celebrate the Worldwide Maniac Foundation (also see pictures here of some of their green home projects). Worldwide Maniac is a company built on the principle of conscious capitalism. An Austin-based private operating foundation created, WWMF was createdmto provide families in need with green housing and sustainable living solutions for less than $20,000. The launch eventkick off with a live musical performance by Austin band Love at War, followed by jazz musician Josh Charles. Also previewing is a sneak peek of the Foundation’s documentary, Reclaiming the Garden. The main event, the fashion show, will feature New York designers Maggie Norris Couture, Carson Couture and Richie Rich. Special performance by aerial dance company Blue Lapis Light. DJ Johnny Bravvo will also be on hand to set the mood spinning the latest grooves. In or around Austin and want to attend? BC members can get $20 off general admission tickets by using the promo code "green" when ordering. Not around Austin, then check out the live event webcast. Details are on our blog. Proceeds go to the Worldwide Maniac Foundation. |  Zero Tolerance For Click Fraud, Spam Blogs If you've been on the BlogCatalog discussion board lately or have read one of our recent newsletters, you probanly know that we are in the process of a huge redesign that, as we mentioned above, is aimed at making BC the home for bloggers. Besides working with some great programmers to develop some amazing new functionality that we think is going to blow your minds and some talented designers that are giving the site a fresh, new look, we have also started the process of eliminating the spam blogs and the fraudsters that are currently part of our directory. We're doing this because we want BC to be a home base for exceptional bloggers--a place where you can truly showcase your site. Part of that goal is making it easy for readers to search for and find the best blogs. And, so we are weeding out the spammers and the scammers and the sploggers and the...well you get the idea. We're keeping the best and ditching the rest! That being said, if you get a notice that your blog has suddenly been declined and you think that a mistake has been made, please contact us ASAP so that we can have our staff review your account and make sure we haven't erroneoulsy declined you. We are all so excited about the upcoming changes and can't wait til we can share them with you. Til then, blog hard my friends, blog hard! |  |  BC's Bill Brown...Gimme 5 1. What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your life? High school. 2. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, you'll find me... At my computer. Sad, isn't it? 3. When did you first find out what a blog was? I have no recollection of the first time I heard the word, but I imagine it must have been sometime early on in my web development career, in 1999 or so. 4. Before joining BC, what is your favorite project you have worked on in the past...and why? If you mean my favorite project of any kind, it would have to be the two years I spent living on Bioko Island off Africa's West Coast helping to establish a conservation research station. My favorite internet project researchstevemccurry.com. Steve McCurry is an acclaimed photographer, most noted for his famous photograph of the striking Afghan beauty, Sharbat Gula . While the final product is a very basic site, it provided some fascinating challenges and it was awesome to work with such incredible and beautiful images. 5. Working on the new version of BC, what is the one thing that you're most excited about? The integration of RSS feeds will allow us to participate in full-content indexing and allow readers to create collections of their favorite blogs and posts. It's an exciting feature for readers and fun thing to program. |  BC's Steve Doyle...Gimme 5 More! 1. What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your life? 2 things: answering this question and
working on a PC 2. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, you'll find me...
Not really a fan of lazy anytime unless I'm watching back to back episodes of The Office. On a typical sunday afternoon I'm either barbecuing poolside, skateboarding, or doing a 1000 pushups! 3. When did you first find out what a blog was? I guess the first blogs I started reading was back in the Live Journal days. I didn't even know what it was at the time. I can't remember when I first thought to myself "I am now reading a blog." Probably similar to discovering what ice is, you never really think "this is the first time I used ice" 4. Before joining BC, what is your favorite project you have worked on in the past...and why? Since this question is not really targeting web projects, I would have to say owning a small clothing line. I did everything from design to screen printing to trade shows, shipping, e-commerce, photo-shoots, etc. It was hands down one of the best business lessons I've ever had, not to mention one of the coolest times in my life. 5. Working on the new version of BC, what is the one thing that you're most excited about? Wow...this is a big big question. Hard to answer since I've been working on it nearly everyday for the past couple months and everyday it's something new. Today it's the reader, and yesterday it was our new connect feature. Above all to give one solid answer, I'd have to say the user experience. It's looking beautiful and I cannot wait to release it. I absolutely can't wait till that champaign popping moment where we launch it! Being a part of this project has been a real treat. | |
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   Hanging With BMPR
Just this morning, two of our staff members--Jason Teitelman and Bill Brown--got to go over and talk to the folks at BMPR about some tips for maintaining a successful blog. We wanted to take a moment and thank BMPR for inviting us to come speak to them. It's a great group of people who were very welcoming. The other speakers (@redwhiteandgrew and @lettergirl) were informative, intelligent and really, really funny. These were definitely some of the most entertaining presentations we've seen in some time. In fact, Jason remarked that he's really glad he went first or he would have been really nervous following those acts. So thanks again to BMPR for inviting us to their monthly meeting. Anyone who wants to check out a group of talented professionals who are into social media shoud definitely take a look at their blog and see what they're all about. 
BloggersUnite for the Gulf of Mexico and to save Our Planet! Before the end of June add your post to the event page sharing information about the BP oil spill in the Gulf and, more importantly, post letting people know about how they can help with the containment and clean up efforts. From volunteer opportunities to donation links, please share anything you are aware of that will allow people to get involved and minimize the effects of this disaster. The Gulf is an example of the damage we are doing to our environment. The oceans are a critical part of our food chain. Destruction to them, means destruction to humanity. Finger pointing does little good. Though it is time for us to step up and say, "Enough is Enough." Let's put some teeth into all this talk about fossil fuel alternatives. The supply of crude oil is limited. Governments have the power to save this planet, though it will not be done if we continue down the path we currently are on. Blog about alternatives. Add an Action Badge. Sign the Petition. Get Your Readers Involved. Tell the Government to do what they did when we wen't to the moon. Say "we will become fossil fuel independent by 2020." Tough challenges, calls for tough leadership and tough people. We will either pay the price now, or our children will pay it later. 
On July 24, 2010, BloggersUnite is asking bloggers and writers around the world to use their voices to raise awareness about empowering people with disabilities. Participating is easy. Simply share a story about living with a disability, working to empower people with disabilities, or supporting an organization that empowers people with disabilities. On the event page, you will find links to resources like events, organizations, articles, badges and more. We encourage you to get involved in your community by participating in a local event, or supporting an organization that empowers people with disabilities by volunteering or helping them raise funds. Then, write about it! |
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