You wouldn't think that opinionated people would face the old writer's block but they do just the same as anyone else. It's made more difficult when you have a number of blogs to keep uptodate. Someone said to me the other day, when everyone has a voice, no one listens. Deep but probably true.
If you're a blogger like me, then you will face bloggers' block at times. Click the link for 10 great ideas on how to deal with it, they work.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Twittermoms
I joined Twitter and soon discovered Twittermoms and apart from the slightly-annoying American spelling it is one of the best groups I've joined. You know how you join groups and wonder what they're called because while you joined because it seemed like a good idea at the time but you've never been back?
Well, Twittermoms isn't like that. Every time I go to the site I learn something about blogging, vlogging, internet radio, search engine marketing, search engine optimisation, self publishing, web surveys or some other web-related subject, plus I get a celebrity fix and get to laugh (kindly) at some antics of other mothers who are going through the same dilemnas as I. We work from home, juggle family and finances and are trying to keep up to date with the net and the whole marketing of our businesses.
If you want to see what it's all about go to Twittermoms
Well, Twittermoms isn't like that. Every time I go to the site I learn something about blogging, vlogging, internet radio, search engine marketing, search engine optimisation, self publishing, web surveys or some other web-related subject, plus I get a celebrity fix and get to laugh (kindly) at some antics of other mothers who are going through the same dilemnas as I. We work from home, juggle family and finances and are trying to keep up to date with the net and the whole marketing of our businesses.
If you want to see what it's all about go to Twittermoms
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Kids with disabilities
I know that most of you are from the States but in Australia we also have a long way to go to reach full inclusion of children with a disability. I'm so glad to see organisations like CVS working so show that "all kids can" as this is something in which I truly believe.
I became interested in children with a disability when my son was diagnosed with ADD, learning disabilities and that he had brain patterns that showed he may have epilepsy. As you do, I did everything I could as a mother to support him and get him through school. His story has a happy ending as he is now a graphic artist at a major metropolitan newspaper in Sydney (two years now) and is well liked, treated with respect and valued for his skills.
As any mother of a child with ADD or ADHD knows, this isn't always the case in school. I wrote about it for The Daily Telegraph and the you can find it here
Through my son, I became involved in the development of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 , which is based on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I was glad that I could do "something" as mostly as a parent you feel helpless. You feel you should be able to "make them better" but disability isn't something you can always "fix". What we can do is "fix" society and the systems and supports so that children with disabilities grow up to be people who are valued, liked and treated with respect - regardless of their disability.
My husband is Australia's Human Rights Commissioner and he works here and at the UN in New York to ensure that all children around the world have a better opportunity at life. Apart from being instrumental in things like the development of the UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities, he does small things like donates his Braille books and games to schools in India, helps children in country New South Wales (our state) to gain access to computer technology - technology that has made so much difference to his life.
Talking to your kids with disabilities helps, talking to children and parents who don't have experience of disability helps more. It isn't the families who understand the challenges of disability that need "fixing" - it's everyone and everything else.
I became interested in children with a disability when my son was diagnosed with ADD, learning disabilities and that he had brain patterns that showed he may have epilepsy. As you do, I did everything I could as a mother to support him and get him through school. His story has a happy ending as he is now a graphic artist at a major metropolitan newspaper in Sydney (two years now) and is well liked, treated with respect and valued for his skills.
As any mother of a child with ADD or ADHD knows, this isn't always the case in school. I wrote about it for The Daily Telegraph and the you can find it here
Through my son, I became involved in the development of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 , which is based on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I was glad that I could do "something" as mostly as a parent you feel helpless. You feel you should be able to "make them better" but disability isn't something you can always "fix". What we can do is "fix" society and the systems and supports so that children with disabilities grow up to be people who are valued, liked and treated with respect - regardless of their disability.
My husband is Australia's Human Rights Commissioner and he works here and at the UN in New York to ensure that all children around the world have a better opportunity at life. Apart from being instrumental in things like the development of the UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities, he does small things like donates his Braille books and games to schools in India, helps children in country New South Wales (our state) to gain access to computer technology - technology that has made so much difference to his life.
Talking to your kids with disabilities helps, talking to children and parents who don't have experience of disability helps more. It isn't the families who understand the challenges of disability that need "fixing" - it's everyone and everything else.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Online obsession
I feel like an alcoholic - you know, first you have to admit there's a problem. I'm not an alcoholic, I don't drink but I do live virtually online. After my daughter said to me that I didn't need any more chat rooms, I sat down and worked out how many online networking groups I'm in - and it's a bit scary. From the simple intention to get a better handle on the web, I started signing up for things so I could learn how to use sites such as Facebook and YouTube.
Now I'm a member of twitter, digg, Scribd, Flicker, Facebook, Ancestry, Twittermoms, Linked in, eBay, YouTube, blogger and Orkut. Then there's all the utility sites: I participate in Blackboard for university, my online banking (they've started messaging me now), Picasa for my web albums, Paypal for eBay payments, iGoogle to keep track of it all, a Google Reader to feed my obsession. And then there's stuff like tiny url so that links you post in feeds don't break and bigfoot, which reroutes my old school stuff like email. Then there's Friends Reunited (believe it or not, I use it for research at work) and Google alerts so that I can see when people I know get in the news.
In twitter, I've started following people and they've started following me - I think that means I've become a cyber stalker and I'm being stalked by the Prime Minister of Australia - and I signed up for this?
Now I'm a member of twitter, digg, Scribd, Flicker, Facebook, Ancestry, Twittermoms, Linked in, eBay, YouTube, blogger and Orkut. Then there's all the utility sites: I participate in Blackboard for university, my online banking (they've started messaging me now), Picasa for my web albums, Paypal for eBay payments, iGoogle to keep track of it all, a Google Reader to feed my obsession. And then there's stuff like tiny url so that links you post in feeds don't break and bigfoot, which reroutes my old school stuff like email. Then there's Friends Reunited (believe it or not, I use it for research at work) and Google alerts so that I can see when people I know get in the news.
In twitter, I've started following people and they've started following me - I think that means I've become a cyber stalker and I'm being stalked by the Prime Minister of Australia - and I signed up for this?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
My virtual life is getting out of hand
My daughter just said to me: "Mum you don't need to be in any more chat rooms". "Sure I do," I replied, "I like to be linked in". "But it just isn't cool to be in so many," she asserts, "it's not cool". "I'm cool", "no, you're not. When did a child last tell you you were cool?" "I don't need a child to tell me I'm cool, I know I am". She's gone off in disgust and I'm joining yet another online network.
So far I'm in Ancestry.com, Facebook, Twitter, digg, Scribd, Flicker, LinkedIn, some technology group I've even forgotten the name of, eBay, blogger (of course), YouTube, Orkut, internet banking and being old school I also respond to emails and text messages on my phone.
It's harmless, right? I'm not obsessed by technology am I?
So far I'm in Ancestry.com, Facebook, Twitter, digg, Scribd, Flicker, LinkedIn, some technology group I've even forgotten the name of, eBay, blogger (of course), YouTube, Orkut, internet banking and being old school I also respond to emails and text messages on my phone.
It's harmless, right? I'm not obsessed by technology am I?
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