A Mama's Rant

keep your kids safe online and your computer working with Glubble.com

Are you involved with your child’s online life? Highlights Magazine and Glubble want to know. That’s why they’re inviting parents to participate in a short poll at Highlights.com.

Parents play a key role in introducing young children to the Internet, but it’s scary letting kids play online. You don’t know who’s in that chat room and you don’t want them on scary or X-rated sites. With Glubble, you have a great tool that lets children go online only where you want them to be. Basically, Glubble lets you grant permission to online usage without having to constantly be looking over their shoulder.

Glubble is a free, online activity center for families with children 12 and under that allows parents to choose safe websites for their kids, supervise where children go online, and use social networking, photo sharing and other tools to enhance family relationships.

Enter HP's "What do you have to say" theme contest and create a design for TypePad

I've been blogging with TypePad for over four years now. My biggest complaint was that their designs were limited. So I created my own at my various blogs like This Mama Cooks! and The Write Spot, and I think I've done pretty well tweaking what TypePad had to offer.

But due to pressure from outside sources (I'm guessing WordPress, both self-hosted and on WordPress.com), they're finally coming out with a bunch of new designs. I won't be changing my designs since like what I've created here on my TypePad blogs. And for my self-hosted WordPress blog, I've hired Girly Blog Designz to redesign my former TypePad blog at ClubMom.com, My Readable Feast.

However if you're looking to change your TypePad blog and have some design skills, you should enter the HP “What do you have to say?” theme design contest. All you have to do is design a theme that showcases your personal style and creativity. The winning themes will be made available to millions of bloggers on TypePad, Vox and LiveJournal. If your theme is chosen as the winner, you will get some cool prizes from HP.

Click here to find out how to submit your design. You have until April 4 to do so. First Prize is an HP.com gift card ($1,000.00 face value).
Second Prize is a $500 HP.com gift card and Third Prize is one for $300.

So far there aren't that many submissions and while what's on there is good, I've seen better. Really, if you're a blog/web/graphic design, get working and enter the HP “What do you have to say?” theme design contest.

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

The truth about the Internet from Disney

OH MY GAWD. Too true. Now back to work...on the INTERNET!

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

Take the social media survey

If you're a blogger - either for personal use or for business - you know that social media is rapidly becoming a factor in society and business.

Do you think it will change the way we communicate? Do you think it will change the way we do business?

Give your opinion at Content Connection LLC's survey at
http://www.contentconnections.com/socialmedia/. You don't have to be a problogger to take it. Mommy blogger, craft blogger, tech blogger, food blogger - I'm sure they want to hear from us all.

I took the survey. It was very interesting, especially for someone like me who is trying to earn a living blogging and who writes at many blogs.

You will be entered in a drawing to win one of five iPod Nanos that will be given away at the close of the survey.

Content Connection plans to share our results early in 2008 via YouTube and a downloadable Executive Summary. Can't wait to see the results!

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

More about me at BlogHer07

I think I'm done with posting about BlogHer07 (except for a discussion about photography copyrights - coming soon at The Write Spot). I'm sure you're overwhelmed by it, too.

But just in case for some reason you don't believe I was there, check out this post and video at Tajee's blog. I'm the second blogger Tajee interviewed. Then she shows herself being interviewed by Amanda from ABC News.

Wow, I don't come across as big as a doofus as I thought and my Joisey accent isn't so noticeable either. Nice glasses, too!

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

Do you have a BlogHer07 hangover?

I, like Jenn at Mommy Needs Coffee, am suffering from a major BlogHer07 hangover. Yes, from the alcohol, thanks to SuperTiff and friends. That's what happens when I go off my diet and eat and drink too much.

But it's also from information overload, flying into Chicago on only two hours of sleep, connecting with friends in Chicago whom I haven't seen in seven years, then going to BlogHer07. It's also because I live blogged, mike wrangled, and made sure I attended every damn session and event.

So I want to write about my experience and give a critique, but can't right now. I promise I will soon. I have unique insight! I went to the Unconference and the AOL lunch! I hung out with diet bloggers, food bloggers, and mommy bloggers! I saw Elizabeth Edwards! I got drunk at the Children's Museum!

So for now, check out my critique of last year's conference. I'll be back soon to give my Blogher07 Rant.

(And if you too feel to overwhelmed to write about the experience on your blog, give me a shout out about it in the comments below.)

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

Elizabeth Edwards is at BlogHer07 in Chicago

If they put the mothers in charge,
there would be no wars.

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

BlogHer 07 Chicago Opening Session

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

All the cool kids are at BlogHer 07 in Chicago

Guess where I'm leaving for today?

(Click on image to enlarge.)

That's the Navy Pier in Chicago, which will be home of the BlogHer '07 Conference this Friday through Sunday. Join me over at my other blog, The Write Spot, where I'll be live blogging from three sessions. (The session schedule is already posted. Barring technical difficulties, I'll be updating each post with my notes shortly after the session.)

Hope to see you there!

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.

Help Protect Your Kids Online

If you're a fan of NBC's To Catch a Predator show, you've heard of the volunteer citizen's group, Perverted Justice. Perverted Justice just started a site for teens called How to Deal with Creepy People.

Creator Del Harvey is an administrator and law enforcement liaison with Perverted Justice. She hopes the website will serve as a resource for teenagers on subjects like bullying, stalking and sexual harassment - both on and offline. Del says the site will contain accurate information, practical suggestions, and helpful advice.

I think teens will relate well to Del and her cohorts because they're young and into cool things like tatoos and longboarding. And she's right, a site like this is needed by a lot of kids to protect them from online predators and online bullying/harassment from classmates.

Welcome to the information age, mom and dad.

Like this post? Subscribe to A Mama's Rant.