Blogging The Recession, 2008 Style

I'm home from the doctor's office, missing a rather large chunk of my upper right arm, closed together with what appeared to my quick glance a million black stitches, covered in a large compression type wrap. On the way into the car, I slammed my foot in the door. It hurts like a mofo. SO, I'm going to rest. Like everyone tells me I should, for once in my life.  Thank you so very much for your kind thoughts, prayers, comments, wishes and emails.  I feel bathed in concern, which is pretty awesome.  Rather than bathed in something gross, like puke.  (Shh.  Never mention it, and maybe it won't happen!)

But, I wanted to pass on this great idea. Kristen of Motherhood Uncensored has created an exceptional idea. So many of us are facing tough times right now. Just in the connections I've read online this week, I've seen job loss, infertility loss, cancer, death - and with gas prices and grocery prices and back to school shopping, times are tough all over. (But, it's NOT A RECESSION - oh, right, and I've got a great bridge to sell you...) As Kristen explains, the premise is simple:

If you read blogs, then for the month of August, make the "pledge" to click through from your feed reader. No obligation to leave a hilarious comment or send a long stalkerish email (although both, within reason, are always lovely). Just click through and if you're feeling generous, click around. Just those extra page views can make a big difference for bloggers who could really use the help, or in my case, where page views don't matter so much, a big fat ego boost.

So, can you do it? Can you commit for one month? She's offering awesome prizes to those who swipe a badge and blog about it. I'm actually old skool and don't use a feed reader, but I know lots of you who do. Whadda say, internetz???

Comments

[gwendomama]

i would do anything at all for you and your boobs. and your stitched up arm. whoa, baby; you are sending me to the derm.
please take care of your boobs. i mean yourself. be sure to rest them. i mean be sure to REST.
always make sure they are sunscreened. i mean that you have sunscreen with you.

[Stephanie C.]

So glad you're home and able to blog already. You were on my mind last night, so you were prayed for from the West Coast.
I have no idea what a feed reader is or how to click on one. I thought you got $$ for ads, but I don't know about anything else.

[claire]

I visit almost all of the circle of sites that are probably the ones you refer to. I don't use a reader either but I visit them 5 days a week. I'll try to get those extra two days. I'll even click on ads!

[Erin]

I'm so glad to hear that you're home and feeling OK. Rest up and feel better soon.

[Vanessa]

First let me say I'm glad things went well this morning with the exception of your foot. I was going to email you last night but I saw your tweet saying you had your inbox down to 87 and didn't want to add another! For coming out of the reader? I'm in, I think it's a fabulous idea. Along the same lines as recession/saving money Crunchy Chicken is doing a "buy nothing" challenge for the month of August.

[anneglamore]

That's a fabulous idea!! Hope you're healing well.

[Busy Mom]

Done! Hope you're on the mend quickly!

[Brandy]

I don't have a feed reader, and am techno-goober enough not to know how. BUT, I do visit those most of the sites mentioned, daily.
Glad you're home and RESTING! Keep doing that. *g*

[Julie]

Hey I think thats a great idea. A lot people are struggling.
Check out my site one day if you are bored.
http://lulu.says.it/
I'm trying to get it off the ground.
Peace.

[Lisa]

Thinking of you Carmen...and of course will click away!

[Elizabeth]

Thank goodness I'm not the only commenter who doesn't know what that whole "click through from a feed reader" means. I'm guessing this is about setting up an RSS feed? I'm sure there is some helpful site out there that explains how this is done, and I'd probably love to have it. A link would be awesome. Maybe some other commenter will let Carmen rest and post one in the comments? I'll check back.

[carmen]

From Wiki:

Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts in a standardized format.[2] An RSS document (which is called a "feed," "web feed,"[3][3] The benefit of RSS is the aggregation of content from multiple web sources in one place. RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader," "feed reader," or an "aggregator," which can be web-based or desktop-based. A standardized XMLuser interface to monitor and read the feeds
or "channel") contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with web sites in an automated manner that can be piped into special programs or filtered displays. file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.

Basically, it's a site that you can enter any blogs you read. When they are updated, you can check your reader and it puts them all on one site, so you can read blog after blog all in one location. It's easier on a reader, but harder on a person who gets paid for ads, because those come from actually reading the page, not just the page loaded into a reader. Actually visiting the site makes money for the blogger, not just reading the entry on a reader.

Does that help at all? It's not clicking on the ads - we can't ask you to click on the ads, that'd be illegal. But reading the actual site helps tremendously. That's why I don't use a reader - I know how important page views are to a blogger.

[Jenn]

Getting my nose out of Google reader has been like going around visiting friends!
Thanks for the encouragement. Here's hoping for a swift recovery!

[kalisah]

I DO read in read feeders, but I always click thru to yours, simply b/c I know you make money from it.
xoxo

[Tara L.]

New reader -- use bloglines -- will click through for you. :)

tara in haiti

[GGroszek]

I won't do roller coasters either, but I would do the elevator thing, that sounded fantastic! You obviously know alot about all this blogging stuff, its mostly way over my head, but I just like reading about your family and adventures. I think your a fantastic writer, and you have a great family. Sorry to hear you didn't get 'hit on' at the bar, it truely must've been a gay bar. And by the way, am I the only guy who reads your Blog?

[jaelithe]

I hope your weekend improves from here on out!

That sucks that it was melanoma, but I am glad to hear the doc says you probably won't need any further intervention.

[Aleks@Weight Loss Info]

Nice site, I have added it to my favourites, Greetings. Learn the 10 IDIOT PROOF rules of Dieting & Fatloss!

[Aleks@Weight Loss Info]

Nice site, I have added it to my favourites, Greetings. Learn the 10 IDIOT PROOF rules of Dieting & Fatloss!

[LeeAnn]

I hope that your arm doesn't hurt too much. Not much I can say except keep your chin up, this is just a bump in the road and it's ok to put your head back in the sand and forget it. Have a nice weekend.

[Headless Mom]

I always click through to the people that I read that have ads, hopefully most are returning the favor.

[Tuesday]

Thinking of you Carmen!

[Kyooty]

Thinking and praying for continue healing on those stitches, you know smoothly and all that jazz! I'm still learning about this blogging world

[tata]

I found you through Kristin's site and before posting about it, I thought I'd go through and comment on all the blogs she listed, as well as those who left comments! So I'm in!!!

[Nicole/wksocmom]

Oh your poor arm. I love this blog the recession idea, composing my own post, and trying to comment more - thus here I am. Oh, and yes, I swear, I'll be sending your package, plus my MIL's mother's day present, this week, really.