So, you’re shopping for the best all-in-one printer for you home. You’ve seen the TV ads that claim “ours has the cheapest ink!” but what you don’t know… theirs also has very expensive paper, and if you want their cheap ink to look good, you’ll need their expensive paper. I worked in the office supply industry for a few years. Helping people choose printers, and set them up in their offices, was one of my jobs, so I happen to be very opinionated when it comes to printers. I’m going to try my best to feature a few different brands and show the good about each, without sounding like an Epson salesgirl.

Epson. First of all, let me say, Epson is my favorite brand when it comes to inkjet printers, especially for photo printing. Their printers are mid-range price wise and their ink and papers are not overly expensive. What really sells me though is the quality of the prints. I’ve never seen prettier photo prints than you’ll get with an Epson. Also? I love that most Epsons have individual ink cartridges, meaning you only replace the ink you’re out of. This can save you a lot of money in the long run! Here are my two picks for a home office:

Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One™ All-in-One Printer
Nicknamed the Small-In-One, this little printer is perfect for the young, on the go family. It features wireless options that not only allow you to print from your laptop in the other room, but also from your cell phone or other wireless device! This is a small machine and probably not a good idea for a heavy workload, but casual photo printing, scanning and copying for personal use? Perfect!

Here are a few online photo storage and services for organizing your digital media!

Picasa/Google+
Pros: Free accounts for anyone or upgrade to more storage space for a yearly fee. Ability to embed photos on external websites. Ability to set up albums to organize images and video.

Cons: No Facebook/Twitter sharing tool. No group photo pools.

Flickr
Pros: Free or Pro accounts available. Pro accounts have unlimited storage and keep a copy of full sized images. Also, HD video capable. Stats for your photos are provided. Not only can you organize into Sets (like albums) you can also group these Sets into Collections. So, if you have been participating in the 365 project every year, you could have a set for each year, then put them all in a collection, making them all easy to find! Another really cool feature for flickr users is it’s group photo pools where you can add users to a pool and you can all put photos into it. This is especially fun after a family reunion or blog conference!

Using instagram? You can have it upload right to flickr! The mobile apps for flickr are fabulous and you can name your photos, tag them, and even specify a ‘set’ to add them to before you upload!

Cons: I can’t really think of any!

500px
Pros: Pretty. Nice for photography portfolios. Free and paid accounts available. Paid accounts include Google Analytics, priority support, custom domain, and unlimited uploads and collections.

Cons: No private or protected galleries, no geo-tagging, no group photo pools, and (gasp!) no mobile apps!

SmugMug
Pros: Unlimited uploads and storage, no ads, customizable site, custom domains, and HD video capable.  Simply store and organize, or sell your photos for profit! Group photo pools, social sharing and commenting, and embed codes to share photos on other sites are all cool features you find on SmugMug.

Cons: No free accounts. There is a limited free trial, but once that’s up you have to pay for the service. Also, no ability to ‘follow’ other users you enjoy.

With the exception of 500px, all of these sites have fabulous mobile apps for sharing your iphonography!

Where do you store, sort, and share your digital media?

Some argue that social influence can’t really be measured. To a point I can agree. No algorithm is going to tell you exactly where I’m influential, because it doesn’t read my Skype chats and emails, listen in on my phone calls or hear me teach web development at conferences. Klout is peeking at my online social spaces and guess what? I get personal on those, a lot more personal that I do on my blog or in my client consultations. Is this to say I don’t use sites like Klout? No. In fact, I login once or twice a week and just peek at the numbers. When my score is low it reminds me that I haven’t been interacting much lately, and since that’s really what this whole ‘social’ thing is about, and the results of engagement are important for my business, I make it a point to be a little more active. I need this reminder. And, for the most part, these measurement sites get me, so I haven’t had bad experiences to make me cringe.

That said, I can see where some of the fuss about these ‘measures of influence’ is valid. Take Klout for instance… you have a score. What? You have never signed in or signed up? That’s right. Everyone is automatically measured. And guess what? Having a score and not keeping tabs on it, or participating in the process of voting-up other users, can actually hurt you. New clients, companies considering a partnership or ambassador program are looking at these scores before they ever talk to you. You may not have opted-in, but your measure of influence, as decided by Klout, Peer Index, and the like, are publicly available. Others like Twenty-feet require an opt-in.

I asked Facebook and Google+ how they feel about sites that measure social influence. Here are some of their answers…

Amanda (@highimpactmom) answered…

On Google+, my friend, Kevin, answered:

I read Kevin’s article and I really connected with some of the reasons he ‘clobbered klout,’ especially the whole vacation = less influence point. Still, I am interested in how it all works and I love being able to give my friends a boost on the topics they’re influential in, so I’ll keep my Klout and Peer Index accounts for now.

How about you? Do you use these sites to gauge your influence?

Photo by Flickr Jim Legans, Jr.

According to CNN, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended a nationwide ban on the use of cellphones and text messaging devices while driving.

The recommendation, announced Tuesday, proposes to make non-emergency phone calls and texting illegal for operators of every vehicle on the road. If adopted by states, the ban would apply to both hands-free and hand-held devices, although it would not apply to passengers or any devices installed by the manufacturer.

Members of the NTSB maintain the recommended ban is necessary to curb the growing epidemic of distracted driving accidents and fatalities.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were as many as 3,092 accidents that stemmed from distracted driving. The NTSB’s proposal is not a law–it is only a recommendation.

Read more information on the recommended ban.

If you’re an iPhone owner, here are a few tips for upgrading and backing up your iPhone.

• First order of business. Upgrade your iTunes to the latest version if you haven’t already.
• Clean up your device, getting rid of anything you no longer use, old files, etc. The easiest way to do this is plug your phone into your computer, open iTunes and manage your device from there.
• Use iTunes to backup your phone. Right-click your device name and Back  Up.
• Upgrade your OS. Go ahead. Download and install the latest version of Apple’s Operating System.

Your phone will reboot itself after the upgrade, so be patient and wait for it to finish!

If you’re concerned you may not like the newest OS and may want to revert, there’s an extra step you can take between the clean up and the backup. It’s called Extracting Your SHSH Blobs and you can find detailed information on this process on the Cult of Mac website! Note that this is the only way to ensure you can revert to a previous version of Apple’s OS.

Also note, if you have an unlocked device you may encounter problems when you try to upgrade. I highly recommend doing a Google search for instructions before attempting to upgrade an unlocked iPhone.

Photo by Flickr MoneyBlogNewz

According to Yahoo! News, Facebook will settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that it deceived consumers with its privacy settings which caused people to share more personal information than they originally agreed to.

Dating back as far as 2009, when the  popular social networking site changed its privacy setting, the FTC charged that Facebook allowed information that users believed to private to be viewed by everyone. In essence, led people to believe they could keep some information private but then made that information public.

“They didn’t warn users that this change was coming, or get their approval in advance,” the FTC explains.

As part of the settlement, Facebook is required to obtain approval from its users becore changing how it shares their data. Although, Facebook isn’t paying any money to the FTC to settle the charges, future violations could lead to fines.

Read more…

What is Animoto? I’m so glad you asked! Animoto is a super cool, very easy to use video slideshow service. Upload your pictures and videos, pick a style, add text and music – and that’s it…. Animoto does the rest. Everything’s online online so there’s nothing to download, and for short videos (up to 30 seconds) it’s FREE! I’ve used the free service for the past few years to make gorgeous videos using my own photos and music (though Animoto has a free library of over 1,000 tracks already). I did one after photographing a friend’s wedding, made one for my mom for mother’s day, and more!

To make a video on Animoto, simply register an account, login, and get started! You can add pictures from your computer, from Flickr, Facebook, Picasa, or Photo Bucket. You can even add video clips! Select which images and videos you want, drag and drop to sort, add text and then choose your music. You click “Publish” and wait a minute or two, and bam! The video is done! You can then email it, share it on Facebook or Twitter, upload it to YouTube, or embed it on your blog.

Right now, Animoto has some adorable Holiday themed templates you can use. Of course, you still have the everyday styles to choose from, but I personally love this snowflake theme! I also love how Animoto paces everything to whichever song I select so everything flows smoothly.

Check out my finished video! This took less than ten minutes to create and it’s stored in my Animoto account so I can edit or add to it, share it, or look back on it later and smile…

Get a month of Animoto Plus, FREE!

Animoto is offering Blissfully Domestic readers one month of Animoto Plus, FREE. Simply register a free account by clicking this link and you’ll automatically be credited one month of free access. You’ll be able to create, share, and download as many full-length videos as you want! Make sure to sign up before this deal expires on December 31st.

Here’s a great big pile of colorful (and free!) tools I’ve raked up just for you!

Happy Fall Blogging!

Screenr – Create Free Screencasts
Fabulous for making tutorials, these 5 minute screencasts can be instantly shared as they are or uploaded to YouTube. Check out 3 Tips for Creating a Successful Screencast for Your Blog.

Screenshots: ScreenHunter 5 OR Windows Snipping Tool
These two tools rock my world. They’re both created for taking pictures of your screen, but I use them differently. The Windows Snipping tool is great for snipping anything! Screenhunter is one I use to find the size of an area since it displays the height and width as you select… great for finding out how big your photo or video can be and still fit inside your post!

Picasa – Bulk Image Resizing
While Picasa is made to organize, edit and upload photos I generally skip all that and just use it to do bulk image resizing. Once I put my photos onto my computer I import them to Picasa, select the ones I want and hit export. I can then select the size and quality I want and even add a watermark before exporting them all to a new folder. Smaller images = faster uploads for web sharing!

Picnik – Photo Editing Software
By far the most popular free photo editing software on the web, Picnik is fabulous because you don’t have to download or install anything! If the free version doesn’t satisfy you, you can upgrade to premium for even more options!

Web Background Generators
Need a new background for your blog? Here’s a compilation of free background generators you’ll love!

Favicon Generator
That tiny square icon in your browser’s address bar is called a favicon. It’s easy to make and easy to change! Since it requires a special file extension you’ll need a favicon generator to make it!

Wordle – Create Unique Images for Your Posts
This fun little tool will let you make your own word cloud! You pick the colors, fonts and even the orientation of the layout. Put in a post or a bunch of random text and create a unique image for your post, just like I did for this one!

filezilla Desktop FTP Client
Most bloggers know how to login to their cpanel to mess with their files, but that’s not always an economical way to edit large amounts of files at once. Being able to FTP is a skill every blogger should learn. And, it’s easy to use filezilla to access your server via ftp.

Pixie Color Picker
My Favorite Color Picker for Graphic and Web Design and Photo Editing? Pixie from Nattyware. I’ve been told it doesn’t work for Mac users (sorry) but it really should… it’s AMAZING!

Proceed with a good recording program
My favorite screencasting software is Screenr. This free web based software doesn’t need to be downloaded, can be used on PC or Mac, and the results can be viewed on mobile devices. You’re limited to 5 minutes of recording time, so you may need to break a long tutorial into parts, but that’s ok… smaller video files load faster! Screenr is incredibly easy to use. Once you’re finished and the video is processed you can name, name and tweet to share, or upload to YouTube right from Screenr.

My favorite features:

• FREE!
• Recording area can be resized to record all or part of your screen
• Pause/Restart Recording
• Records your voice
• Upload to YouTube directly from Screenr

Be confident
No matter what, be confident in what you know! Your screencast will look and sound 100% better if you’re confident. Once you’ve created your tutorial, get it out there! Blog about it and embed the video, post it to YouTube and tag it appropriately so people can find it!

10 Motor Massage Chair Pad

Could possibly be the best invention since sliced bread. The 10 Motor Chair Pad lets you turn your ordinary  chair into a spa massage. Extra-large chair pad can help relieve stress, soothe aching muscles, and revive you in the middle of a busy day. It boasts 5 powerful massaging motors that will relax your whole body or let you focus on a specific area such as your neck, upper back, mid back, lumbar, or thighs. Ooo la la. Retail 149.99

iPhone Photo Cube Printer

Do you hear angels singing? Now this is what I like to call joy in a cube. If she has an iPhone and loves to snap pictures then is the must-have gift of the season. Simply dock your iPhone in the printer, and process your pictures – no computer needed! The little compact photo printer is measures  7”x 4”x 6”, and gives you 4”x 6” prints in under a minute. Also chargers the iPhone will its docked! Retail $159.99

Doctor Who Collectible Gifts

If she’s a fan of the hit BBC Sci-fi TV series Doctor Who,  then these are the gifts for her! A must-have for any Doctor Who enthusiast, these gifts bring a touch of the “blue police box”magic into any space. Whether she’s looking to charge a mobile device, stash a few cookies or show off the infamous sonic screwdriver to friends a family, these Doctor Who collectible items are sure to please! Retail $25.99 – $29.99

Nikon COOLPIX S1100pj 14MP Digital Camera w/ Projector

It’s a camera and projector in one! The Nikon Coolpix digital camera boasts a 14.1-megapixel CCD sensor, 5x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom-NIKKOR Glass Lens, and versatile 28-140mm lens ranges wide to capture landscapes. In short, you’re sure to get stunning quality images that can be shared anywhere at anytime with the touch of a button. How’s that for easy? Retail $246

Agloves Touch Screen Gloves (iPhone, iPad)

The gift that never stops giving! The Agloves Touch Screen gloves are the ideal gift for anyone! Agloves are lightweight, soft, warm, stretchy and slightly fuzzy knitted gloves. Plus, they are compatible with any and all of your touch screen phones, cameras, multimedia devices, game systems, and eReaders. She can text or operate her touch screen device with ease! Retail $17.99

Spypen Lighter Style Digital Camera

This lighter style digital camera is the perfect gift for any James Bond or secret spy enthusiast. Boasting a 1.3 mega pixel camera and 16 MB NAND of internal storage, the Spypen Lighter Style camera can be easily concealed just about anywhere. It’s sure to be out the secret agent in your special guy. Retail $29.99

Solar Gadget Charger

Does the special guy you know have a special place in his heart for the environment? If so then the Solar Charger is probably for him. This savvy solar device allows your guy to power up wherever he goes and has the capacity to charge or power just about any device with a USB port including the iPhone/iPod. Retail $99.95

Gorilla Torch Flexible Tripod Flashlights

Whether he’s under the hood of a car, reading in bed or camping under the stars, the gorillatorch flashlights are perfect for shedding a little light without using their hands. The gorillatorch’s flexible legs and magnetic feet allow them to attach it to just about anything, Additional features include pan and tilt head, USB cable charging, water and drop resistant and 130 lumens boost. Retail 34.95

Garmin GPSMAP 60CSX Outdoors and Marine GPS

Definitely a must-have for the outdoor-lover and avid hiker. The Garmin 60CSX boasts an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter, both crucial for enhanced bearing and elevation readings. 2 AA batteries gets you 18 hours of battery life and is lightweight, rugged, waterproof and features a 2.6-inch, 256-color TFT highly reflective display screen for easy viewing. Retail $304.99

Ravi Instant Wine Chiller

The perfect gift for the wine connoisseur in your life. The Ravi Instant Wine Chiller allows you to go from room temperature wine to wine cellar temperatures in a flash.  Simply store chiller in freezer, insert onto wine bottle, pour and enjoy. He never has to worry about altering the taste of his favorite wine. Retail $39.95

Thunderbird Desktop Email Client
There are a lot of desktop email clients out there, the most popular of which is Outlook (kinda pricey) or it’s free little sister, Outlook Express. No doubt these are good options, but personally, I find Outlook to be more than I need, therefore a clutter and more often than not, a royal pain. I prefer simplicity. For several years now I have been using Thunderbird to manage my email. I have over half a dozen email accounts ranging from Gmail and Yahoo to those hosted on my own domains and it’s nice to have a place where I can pull everything into one application. Thunderbird is free and is created by the same wonderful Mozilla team that brings us the Firefox web browser.

Google Docs
In the past I’ve been a huge fan of the open source office pack from OpenOffice. It has the equivalent of all the tools you’d find in Microsoft Office, but it’s free. Lately though I’m in love with Google Docs. Why? Because you can do just about anything from word processing to spreadsheets and presentations Google Docs is perfect for any home business. My favorite feature is that it’s available to anyone; no longer do you have to wonder if the person you need to share files with is a Mac or PC user, has Word or Works or OpenOffice.

Google Calendar
The reason I’m in love with this tool is I can access it from my smart phone. While this is far from the only cool feature it is my favorite! Using my phone’s calendar app I can check my schedule or add events and appointments from anywhere. No datebook to carry. I also like that I can sync my Google Calendar with other people’s calendars, my husband for instance, to make sure I’m not scheduling a family function on a night he has a meeting.

Freshbooks Billing Software
Goodbye expensive and complicated book keeping software! After 8+ years of constantly battling one of the most popular ones out there I’ve fallen in love with the simplicity of Freshbooks. I’ve mentioned before that it’s the best accounting software for bloggers, but I firmly believe any small business could use it! Freshbooks allows you to set up clients and projects, track expenses by project, track your time and create invoices based on time spent working, expenses entered, and/or items so you can use it for billing services or for items sold. One of my favorite features as a web developer is the recurring billing I can set up for my hosting clients. I no longer have to remember to bill monthly or yearly for services. Freshbooks is free for up to 3 clients. After that you can purchase packages based on your needs.

Avery Design Pro
This free software helps you create and print everything from business cards to labels, fliers and brochures, CD labels and greeting cards. Every business needs marketing materials and Avery produces some of the best print-yourself custom papers for small businesses. These items are readily available at any office supply store and with their free Avery Design Pro software you’ll be turning out masterpieces in no time!

What are your favorite tools for managing your business?

Carve It!  – Pumpkin Carving App for iPhone and iPad ($.99)
This fun app lets kids pick between 3 differently sized pumpkins, then use their fingers to carve shapes. There’s no mess for mom to clean up and the kids can carve as many pumpkins as they want! Available in the iTunes store.

Angry Birds Seasons (Free or Premium)
How about everyone’s favorite birds adapted for the seasons? Now you can Trick or Treat with Angry Birds! Available for Android and iPhone/iPad!

Halloween Coloring Book Apps
These are two different apps, Halloween Coloring Book for Android (free) and 123 Glow: Talking Coloring Book for iPhone/iPad ($2.99). Both are sure to keep you and the kids busy coloring spooky scenes.

Scary Sounds for iPhone (Free)
This app looks like way too much fun! There’s nothing better than spooking a friend on a chilly dark night, and these sounds are sure to send shivers up their spine… maybe yours too! Available in the iTunes store.

Most Complete Social Media Icon Set

You had a favorite social media icon, but now there have been additions to your social networks out there. What to do?

Maybe you need to update your social media icons for your blog – these are some of the best, free icons out there. Which ones are your favorites?

As technology advances and becomes cheaper many parents are handing down their electronics to, or even buying new models for, their young children. While there may be nothing wrong with giving Lucy your old phone to play with as a toy, I highly doubt you’re ready for her to have a calling and texting plan, let alone internet access.

The question then is, when? At what age is a child ready for electronic gadgets, and what kinds for what ages? This of course will be answered differently for each individual family, but here are a few things to think about…

When is a child ready for a cell phone? Or should we say, when does a child need a cell phone?
There is a huge difference between a want and need, and with cellphones, it’s not always a matter of one or the other. If your pre-teen is mature and off doing a lot of extra-curricular activities, baby sitting for neighbors, or being dropped off at the movie theatre to watch flicks with friends, perhaps it’s time to gift her with a phone for safety reasons. If he’s driving? Absolutely get him a phone to call home with. The 6 year old? She can probably make do for a few years with an old hand-me-down. Battery charging and functionality optional.

What about gaming? When should a child play video games, and which console for what age?
With brands like LeapFrog bringing us cool, educational electronics for toddlers, it’s easy to see why kids are ready to use electronics at younger ages. I have no issue with kids having these fun and educational toys with batteries. I don’t think there’s an age where you should say absolutely no electronics or gaming systems. Perhaps the issue is more, what is age appropriate?

Does a 4-year-old really need his own DSi? I know my 4-year-old’s motor skills are not developed enough to use all the functions on these advanced personal game systems, but I’ve seen some that are and when paired with the right age appropriate games they can be educational and fun!

How about the Wii? When are kids ready for that? I’d say when their motor skills are developed enough to use the controls and you’re certain they won’t be throwing the remote through the screen by accident. The xbox and Playstations on the other hand? Save those for the big kids… I’d say pre-teen and up.

The Wii is very simple and most of the games are family friendly and even geared towards kids. The xbox and Playstation are designed for serious gamers and the controllers are much more complicated and the games more mature. That’s not to say you can’t find kid games for them, or that your young children can’t learn to use them. If your family already has one console, by all means, make do! There’s no need to buy something special just so little Bobby can play video games.

What is your family’s ruling on electronics for the kids? Do you have certain ages for certain things, or specific time limits for electronic play?

But what happens when the grandparents don’t live close enough to visit on their special day? You could send a generic grocery store card, or, you could treat them to a little something extra special and personal! What grandparent doesn’t love photos?

Animoto

This video service lets you upload photos, or choose from your Facebook photos (or other places online), add text slides, and pick music to make your own, 30-second movies for free. These are so much more fun than an ecard! They take just minutes to create and if 30 seconds just isn’t enough you can pay to make full length videos! Around the holidays Animoto usually has special themes you can use for your videos… The Mother’s Day one last year was really cute! Check out this one I made with a nice cloud theme…

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Skype Video Chat

Do your kids go nuts about using the computer, or seeing themselves on video? How about seeing people they know in a video? If you and the person you want to talk to both have Skype accounts and a decent internet connection, you can use your computer’s webcam to have live video chats with the grandparents! My 4-year-old thinks this is amazing! Not only can he see and hear the person on the other end, he can see himself as well, and he loves clowning around for the camera! If the grandparents live far away (or even just around the corner!) this can be a really fun way for the kiddos to connect with them!

Kodak Pulse Digital Frame

I bought one of these frames for my mom’s birthday last year and she loves it! Because she lives 800 miles away, she doesn’t get to see the grandkids very often. I always tried to send or upload photos, but then she’d have to go view them and show the rest of the family… Now with this frame I can email the photos directly to the frame and anyone in the house can see them! Mom loves her frame, and so does everyone else.

When you set up the digital photo frame you register with Kodak for a unique email address which is attached to the frame. Anyone can email images to this address and they’ll be added to the picture frame. You can also connect it to Facebook and Kodak Gallery albums!

The Kodak Pulse Digital Frame is available in 10-inch and 7-inch sizes and would make a wonderful gift for Grandparent’s Day!

Oprah Winfrey

Born in Mississippi in 1954 to an unwed teenage mother, Oprah Winfrey was sexually abused as a child and was a sexually promiscuous teenager.  Winfrey went to live with her strict father and in 1971 won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant when she was 18.  She took a job at a radio station and enrolled at Tennessee State University.

In 1976, Winfrey became co-anchor of Baltimore’s WJZ-TV News. In Baltimore, Winfrey hosted her very first talk show, People Are Talking.   In 1984, Winfrey relocated to Illinois and hosted a 30-minute morning program on WLS-TV in Chicago.   A.M.  Chicago expanded to one hour and in 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show was broadcast nationally.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

For 25 seasons, Winfrey inspired and entertained millions of viewers around the world. Her popular Oprah’s Book Club series, Favorite Things, fabulous giveaways along with her personal struggles with weight, helped make Winfrey a household name and a very wealthy woman.  With a net worth of over $2 billion,  she was the first African American woman to make the Forbes Billionaire List.

Besides hosting her award-winning Oprah Winfrey Show, the talented actress/talk-show host/producer/business mogul and philanthropist, also owns The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).   Winfrey’s love of acting earned her an Academy Award nomination in the 1985 film, The Color Purple.  In her “spare” time, she also heads The Oprah Magazine, Oprah Radio, Harpo Films and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.  Along with her long-time partner, Stedman Graham, the couple has homes in Chicago and California.

Winfrey heads back to TV with Oprah’s Lifeclass on October 10^th, 2011.  The show will include “all of Oprah’s lessons, revelations and aha moments over the past 25 years…”

Image courtesy of Alan Light

Number One: Protect Personal Information

Your tween or young teen is not job hunting, or filling out a personals profile for online dating, he’s simply online to connect with people he already knows from school, church, and maybe summer camp, or to play games. There is no reason for your child to share his address, the year of his birth, or to check-in via location based services. When your child is filling out his online profiles, make sure you’re supervising and controlling how much information is put out there. If you don’t want him using his younger siblings’ names on the internet, make sure he understands that. Most importantly, explain your concerns and that you’re not trying to control them, just teaching them to be safe. TheOnlineMom.com has some excellent information on protecting your personal info!

Second: Make Photos Private

Gaming sites, and most social networking sites will allow you to use an avatar that is not a personal photo. Encourage your child to pick a clipart or something fun to use as their public face and save the personal images for ‘friends only.’ If she’s using a platform like Facebook, check the privacy settings for photos and make sure that only people your daughter has ‘friended’ is allowed to see her images.

And Finally, Determine Friendship Boundaries

Be sure to discuss with your tween the difference between friends and online aquaintances. The kids in their circle at school can probably be considered friends, while the people they’ve met while playing games online may not be who they say they are. Set ground rules about who should be added as a friend on their networks.

Use Mindbloom to Track Your Goals

This is the most beautiful mind-map you’ll ever use, and it’s free! You can make journal entries, connect with friends, share goals, and comment on each other’s progress. New leaves represent accomplished tasks and you’re rewarded with seeds when you’ve met goals. Mindbloom’s unique sharing features make it social, encouraging accountability.

Google Docs Is the Best Cloud-Driven Online Tool for Students

Rather than using an expensive piece of software like Microsoft’s Office Suite, try setting each person in your house up with a Google account and get everyone using Google Docs. Students will be able to access their documents from home, school, a friend’s house or even the copy center!

CutePDF: A Free .pdf Writer for Highschool and College Students

This free software installs on your computer like a printer. You simple hit ‘print’ from any program, and select CutePDF and the software will save your document as a .pdf. It’s extremely helpful for turning in documents and assignments digitally.

Flashcard Exchange: Online Flashcard Resource

Print them, view then on your iPhone, or in your web browser. Flash cards are proven to help memorize facts and they’re not just for kids! Use Flashcard Exchange to find cards for every subject!

Printable Paper – More than 800 Papers to Download and Print

Graph papers, ledger paper, note paper, lined paper, you name it, you can print it from Printable Paper. My printer has an option for printing graph paper and I LOVE it! Now I’m extremely tickled to have found this site where I can get tons of other kinds of papers!

What are your favorite online resources for back to school?

Why Transparent Blogging is Important

For blogger newbies like myself, the online community can seem like a vast abyss of nameless faces and voices. Think back to your first day of school. Remember how big and overwhelming everything seemed? But as soon as you found a friend (a person to connect with, a person you could relate too) school wasn’t such a scary place to be. Transparent blogging functions much the same way.

It gives your audience the opportunity to connect with you in a way that has meaning. In essence, it allows readers to find value in your blog’s voice.

How is Transparent Blogging Defined?

When non-bloggers discover I’m a blogger, it’s almost always followed up with utter disbelief.  Right away, it’s presumed that I “shamelessly tell all my business for the whole world to read.”  To help my non-blogger friends have a better understanding of blogging, I sought out a simple definition:

Transparent: free from pretense or deceit; readily understood

Blogging: a website that contains an online journal with reflections, comments, and hyperlinks

In short, transparent blogging consist of writings or reflections on a website that can be readily understood and is free from pretense or deceit.

Transparent Blogging vs. Too Much Information

There is a difference between transparent blogging and what my father calls “diarrhea of the mouth.”

The same way most of us find it annoying, and difficult, to listen to others who drone on, and on, and on about things we have no interest in, is the same readers tend to feel about bloggers who provide too much information. Contrary to popular belief, more isn’t always better.

Transparent blogging  allows us–bloggers–to share relevant topics and information with our readers without pretense or deceit.  It does not constitute a lack of discretion or an “all access pass” to the private details of our lives. It does however, allows others to connect with us in an intimate way that brings value and meaning to the blogger and the reader.

Could “friending” a student actually land a teacher in jail? In Missouri, that could become a reality. According to a recent parenting article,  the new Senate Bill 54 makes it illegal for teachers in Missouri to connect with students (current or former) on any type of social networking platform that is exclusive and allows for private communications.

The social-networking ban is one of the ways Missouri hopes to clearly define student-teacher boundaries. The underlying premise of the bill is to help prevent or deter sexual abuse of children in the school system.

In a world where it’s the norm for students, and teachers, to use sites like Facebook to pen their inner feelings and thoughts, the recent ban on social-networking might do more harm than good.

Randy Turner, a teacher in the Joplin Missouri School District is quoted: “For some students, that move could very well prevent them from confiding in a trusted adult friend who might be able to help them get through serious problems in their lives.”

While some may find the bill potentially detrimental, others like Zac Rantz, Missouri District spokesperson, believes that there are still shades of gray with the bill’s specifics. Rantz goes on to explain that while the bill identifies student-teacher social-networking connections as part of the ban, it does not, however, identify whether it refers to student-teacher relationships in districts or in the classroom.

As a parent, I am comforted by the idea of Senate Bill 54. We  live in a time where sexual abuse at the hands of educators has become a real concern for parents and students. Having a bill in place that could help deter sexual abuse by identifying boundaries is a step in the right direction. Or is it?

What do you think of Missouri’s Senate Bill 54? Too much government or a welcomed advocate?

Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

WordPress Plugin to Accept Guest Posts

User Submitted Posts
This plugin is fan-tab-u-lus! It allows you to create a custom form, with options, for guests to fill out. When they submit the post it is automatically sent to Drafts and categorized where you’ve specified. You can even give the guest poster a dropdown with categories to choose from if you’d like to accept posts for more than one category. I currently have this plugin set up on a client’s blog. They wanted people to be able to share their own motherhood stories, so we created a category for guest posts, and also an author to attribute all these posts to. This makes it very easy to sort in the dashboard, or the front end of the site. Another feature that’s pretty cool is you can allow guests to upload a photo with their post.
Another great use for this plugin would be to accept testimonials from your clients. You’d simply use one of the plugins listed below to help you display them in the sidebar and exclude them from your regular blog feed and RSS feed.
Features:

• Let visitors submit posts from anywhere in your site. Using a shortcode you can put the form in a post, page, or sidebar!
• Post submissions may include title, tags, category, author, url, post and image(s). This is totally customizeable in the dashboard and you can choose to include or exclude any of these options.
• After the post is submitted you can redirect user to anywhere or return to current page.

Download User Submitted Posts Plugin

Displaying Guest Posts on WordPress

Simply Exclude
If you’re using the above plugin to accept guest posts that you wish to have in your blog’s feed and to show up along side all your other posts you won’t have to worry about excluding them. But, if you’re using it like my client, to accept stories or testimonials, you’ll probably be getting a lot of submissions and you’ll want to at least keep them out of your RSS feed. This plugin will allow you to choose categories to exclude and you’d just select the category your user submitted posts are being published in.

Download Simply Exclude Plugin

Category Posts Widget
Here’s a plugin to pull recent posts from one category into a sidebar widget. I love this for displaying testimonials or recent guest submissions!

If you’re using a Genesis (StudioPress) based theme you will not need this plugin because Genesis themes come with their own custom Featured Post Widget where you can select a category to show.

Download Category Posts Widget Plugin

Kitchen Gadgets for Entertaining

Carmen says she loves her electronic wine bottle opener. This is one of those things I wouldn’t have thought of because we don’t drink a lot of wine in our house, but I can definitely see where it could come in handy! The thing that makes these really cool is they even handle artificial corks with ease… you know, the kind that pretty much crumble when you use a corkscrew. Yea.

For me, it’s a timer. Of course I use my kitchen timer for food preparations, but it’s also helpful when company has already arrived and I have rolls warming or a pie in the oven and I know that visiting will distract me. If there’s a houseful of kids needing to take turns with a toy or video game you can use the timer to avoid arguments. You just set the timer and when it beeps, they trade. So much less arguing than keeping time mentally and having the kids think someone is being unfair.

Other great ideas people submitted were electric ice cream makers and by-the-cup coffee makers.

Gadgets for Entertaining Outdoors

Since it’s cookout and sports season most of us are spending a lot of time outdoors, even late into the evening. Flameless candles and ticki torches can really help to light up the patio area and provide a fun ambiance without the risk of fire.You may even find some solar powered ones like these flameless tiki torches that you could leave up all summer, never have to plugin or buy fuel for! I would love to have some of these once we finish our patio area!

Something else I’d really like? A bug zapper! My grandpa had one of these and his porch was always lit, and free of nasty mosquitoes!

What are your favorite gadgets for entertaining?

How to change Facebook Privacy Settings:

After you’ve logged in, look at the top-right of your screen for Account. Click the arrow beside it for a dropdown menu, then select Privacy Settings.
Now for the good stuff:

Connecting on Facebook

This one is pretty straight forward. Facebook is up-front about what everyone can see, and then lets you decide who sees the more detailed parts of your profile, such as your education, hometown, where you work, etc. You can also decide who is allowed to message you, send a friend request, or find you via search.

Sharing on Facebook

From profile information, to photos, allowing or disallowing people to post on your wall, or leave comments, this is the place to get creative. There are a couple built-in options, but I prefer to use the custom option and select individually the things I’d like to share, and with whom.

Apps and Websites

This area is for applications, games, and external websites you have given access to your account. Perhaps you entered a contest, or went and voted for a friend, and you allowed an application to access your account. Now it’s been three months and you’re still getting updates from this application and you want to get rid of it… Instead of just blocking the app, go to the privacy settings for your account and remove the application completely. These Facebook Privacy Settings are especially helpful if you’ve accidentally added something spammy or virus like and you need to remove it.

Block Lists

Tired of a certain person inviting you to every event in town? You can use these settings to block invites from a person, block a user entirely, or block invites to applications individually. You can also control what you’ve blocked so if you decide later you would like to play Farmville, but you’d previously blocked it, you can go here to un-block.

Controlling How You Share

This area is a very detailed and nicely illustrated explanation of all the privacy settings available. If you have additional questions, you’ll find the answers here!

How Private Are You on Facebook?

What are some of your most guarded settings? Is it your birthdate, or the school you went to? Maybe you’re careful with pictures of your kids. Are there settings Facebook does not have that you wish it did?

Discuss!

The items below are categorized by price, based on List Price. However, I found many of them much much cheaper on Amazon.com, some even half price so be sure to check for sales!!

Father’s Day Gifts Under $20

JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds (Black)

We love our little JBuds! These fit so comfortably in your ears and the noise canceling really does work. My husband listens to a lot of music while he works, especially when he works from home, so he likes to be able to block out the sounds of housework and children playing and just focus.

List Price: $19.95

GelaSkins Kindle Skins

For the dad who loves his Kindle, get him a protective skin that suits his personality. My husband is a huge Van Goh fan, so this Stary Nights skin would be his first choice, but you can also find sports themed, geeky, and other artistic themed skins!

List Price: $19.99

Father’s Day Gifts Under $50

Altec Lansing iM-237 Orbit Ultraportable Speaker for MP3 Players (Silver) – My dad has this gadget and it is a-ma-zing! You’ve never heard such high quality sound come from something so small! Dad puts this in the cup holder in his car, sets it on his desk, or takes it with him into hotel rooms while on business trips. It’s battery opperated, and the cord that connects to your MP3 player winds up neatly on the bottom!

List Price: $39.95

Logitech Harmony 300i Remote Control

There is nothing more cliche or famous than a man and his remote. The problem today is it’s a plural thing… as in, half a dozen remotes. Who wants to keep track of all that? This Father’s Day, make sure he only has one remote to lose hog master.

List Price: $39.99

For this guide, I’ve picked the UTG Defender Series Weapon and Handheld Tactical Xenon Flashlight because it just looks like something a guy would pick… at least I know my guy would!

While less than geeky-gadget, all dads men males love flashlights. There is something about providing the light for everyone around that makes them feel manly. And you know what? The bigger the better when it comes to flashlights. My husband owns several of all sizes, and when we go somewhere like Cabelas or Bass Pro Shop he’s looking at the biggest, most expensive lights in the case. He and his brother compare flashlights. Never mind that a regular mag light from Wal-Mart will do the trick, we need something that will shine to the stars and back, can be used to spotlight deer or coyotes in the field…

List Price: $39.95

Father’s Day Gifts Under $100

Roku 2100X XDS Streaming Player 1080p

My husband loves this little box. We have a Netflix account and can instantly watch shows on our laptops, or on our TV via the xbox, Wii, or Roku and he chooses the Roku every time. It also has tons of free content including channels for classic cartoons, shows, and old commercials. He enjoys NASA TV, the weather ‘channel’ and other cool things it offers. Mostly, I think he likes that it’s super simple and easy to use. Even the remote only has a couple buttons.

List Price: $99.99

And yes, there are cheaper models! Be sure to shop around for the one that’s right for you!

Note: The Roku does not come with an HDMI cable (around $10 on Amazon.com), so be sure to pick one up to gift with the box! This cable greatly increases the quality of output from the Roku. We couldn’t believe what a difference it made!

Armitron Men’s Dress Skeleton Watch

My husband received this watch (in blue and silver) last year for Father’s Day and the very next day, his brother was asking where we got it, and how much it cost cause he wanted one too. My husband wears this a lot and he never tires of showing it off! It’s just way too cool that the watch winds itself and that you can see all the way through the face and watch all the little gears working!

List Price: $98.00

Fathers Day Gifts Over $100

TomTom XXL 540M 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Maps Edition)

Does your man stop and ask for directions when he’s lost? I didn’t think so. But, if he has aceess to a cool gadget like this, he’ll use it, won’t he? While this makes no sense to a woman, it’s totally true. Hook dad up with a fancy GPS Navigator and stop pleading with him to stop and ask for directions.

List Price: $189.95

Soundfreaq Sound Platform for iPad and Smart Mobiles

This dock is insane. It will wirelessly play from your bluetooth devices, allow you to dock an ipod, and comes with a tiny super-remote that controls the playback of your devices. My dad got this for his birthday and he loves it. The sound is quivilent to that of a Bose system, but it costs much less.

List Price: $199.99