Weekly Digest: Lorelle in Oklahoma with Family, Heading to WordCamp Dallas, WordPress 2.5, SOBCON, and More News

For the first time in almost two years, the VanFossen clan came together in one place – well, at least our arm of the VanFossen family. VanFossen Family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 2008 photograph copyright Lorelle VanFossen

The convenience of coming to WordCamp Dallas enabled my husband and I to make a stop first in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to spend time with family first. In a few days, my husband is back to Oregon and I’m heading to Dallas for the almost sold out WordCamp event!

It is great to be back with family, especially to see how the kids have grown and to peak under the blankets at the new addition to the VanFossen/Quidatano branch of the family that popped out during our absense.

I’ve just checked in with the organizers of WordCamp Dallas and they say that the registration is filling fast. Better get registered now as it is going to be a powerful event. I can’t wait to see old faces and meet new ones. I think I’m more excited about hearing some of the other speakers than doing my own. It’s really going to be a great WordPress and blogging event. Hope to see you there.

Live near Pasadena? I’ll be there April 2 for the Alliance for Distance Education in California talking to educators on blog technology and the social web. I think there are only a couple spots open.

I hope to see you in Chicago in May for the exciting Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Conference. The theme is “Biz School for Bloggers” and we’re going to be presenting the best of the best in the business of blogging. Liz Strauss just announced that the special price of USD $350 is ending April 1. And Chris Garrett, BlogCatalog, and Authority Blogger is offering a $2,000 consulting prize package as part of the SOBCon promotion. So many exciting things are coming together for this very special event, my favorite of the whole year. You’re going to regret missing this special event.

So help spread the word that I’m coming to Dallas, Pasadena, and Chicago and make plans yourself to attend. Hugs for everyone!

This is the Weekly Digest from Lorelle on WordPress. To subscribe to the Weekly Digest category of Lorelle on WordPress, you can subscribe by the Weekly Digest feed or by email with the Weekly Digest Email Subscription to stay up to date on what is happening in Lorelle’s world of WordPress and blogging.

The last issue of my weekly digest wasLorelle in San Francisco, Heading to WordCamp Dallas, Pasadena, Chicago, and Writing About Blogging In Between Talks if you want to catch up.

Lorelle’s News

WordCamp Dallas Next Weekend: WordCamp Dallas is March 29-30, 2008 and registration is filling fast. I’m a few hours drive away and eager to meet all the great people attending. The line up of speakers is tremendous and includes some top multimedia, WordPress Plugin and Theme experts, and other top bloggers and industry leaders.

Alliance for Distance Education Summit: I’m really looking forward to the Alliance for Distance Education in California summit on April 2-5, 2008, in Pasadena. It will cover integration of web technologies into the classroom and distance education. The summit is open to the public and educational professionals, teachers, and leaders. I just checked with the officials and there are only a few slots open. If you wish to attend, even for a day, register now as I believe it might be sold out.

SOBCon 2008: SOBCon: Be There for the Business of Blogging! I will be there, will you? The Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Conference is one of the hottest events for bloggers. The best of the best gather and I’m so honored to be one of the lucky ones. It’s in Chicago on May 2 – 4, 2008. There is limited space available so register fast.

Talking Blogging (and Win My Book) with Rachelle Chase: If you don’t have a copy of my book yet, Rachelle Chase, one of my co-speakers at the San Francisco event asked readers to share their thoughts on blogging to win a copy of my book and they had some great things to say. I’ll soon share some of my thoughts on their thoughts here, so stay tuned.

Interview on Blogger Talks: An interview I did recently with Blogger Talks is out: The Lorelle Story: An Interview with Lorelle VanFossen. It covers some of my web history, predictions on the future of the web and blogging, and a plea for new web technologies to make the web an easier place to blog and network.

Blogger and Podcaster Magazine: Blogger and Podcaster Magazine will feature me as a regular columnist this year. Get your issue in stores now, online, or subscribe. There are some very hot articles on blogging and podcasting. They are improving their website and I’ll be recording podcast versions of my articles so you can hear as well as read me.

Guest Blogging With Liz Strauss: Don’t forget to catch my recent guest blog post for Liz Strauss, Reviewing Your Face to Face Networking Techniques, a Lorraine style post with tips on why you should attend conferences and get “in the face” of everyone you meet.

What’s Happening with Lorelle on WordPress

Here’s the latest blog posts on Lorelle on WordPress.

Bloggers Ask Bloggers To Help With Gmail is a request to bloggers to help us make Gmail, a popular email service for bloggers, be more efficient for bloggers.
Blogging Resources: Business and Professional Resources and References for Bloggers and Writers is the latest installment in my series on blog resources, the resources I use to help me blog better and faster.
WordPress 2.5 New Automatic Plugin Upgrade Problems addresses an issue of concern for many in the WordPress Community. Will this feature be ready for WordPress 2.5?
Shopping for a Blogging, Traveling Laptop covers some of my wishes and concerns as I start shopping for a new laptop to help be blog as I travel. Readers offered some fantastic recommendations.
24 Reasons Why You Should Attend These Blog Conferences highlights the top speakers and reasons you should attend WordCamp Dallas, the Alliance for Distance Education in California, and Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Conference, and any and all blogging conferences.
Weekly Digest: Lorelle in San Francisco, Heading to WordCamp Dallas, Pasadena, Chicago, and Witting About Blogging In Between Talks was the last Weekly Digest report on Lorelle’s World of activity.
Blog Resources: Researching the Research, Finding the Facts, and Seeking Supporting Evidence is another in my blog resources series. This article covers resources I use to uncover the facts, statistics, and information to support my opinion and advice.
Blog Resources for English Language and Blog Writing offers resources to help writers write and bloggers blog. After all, blogging is about writing, so those of us who take our blogging seriously enjoy learning more about the method of communication we use.
Weekly Digest: Lorelle in San Francisco Talking Blogging and WordPress, Offering Blog Resources, Beating a Plagiarist, and More is last week’s Weekly Digest.
Blogging Resources and Sources to Help You Blog is part one of a series of articles I’m writing to share the resources I use to help me blog.

Blog Struggles Series

I will soon be releasing more in my ongoing series on Blog Struggles. So far, the series includes:

Blog Struggles: The Search for Blog Content: We put so much energy into “finding” blog content that we often forget the best source for good blog content: from within us. I offer tips and techniques for pulling content from your head.
Blog Struggles: Ideas and Drafts: We come up with such great ideas and then what? We jot them down, make lists, start post drafts, and they sit there staring at us, as we procrastinate over what to do with all these ideas and how to keep them in check. I offer tips on how to best keep track of your ideas and drafts.
Blog Struggles: The Blog Focus: As part one in a sub-series of posts on Blog Struggles, I look at the issue of the blog focus, your blog’s ability to turn you from a blogger into an expert.
Blog Struggles: Why Should Your Blog Have a Focus: Your blog doesn’t have to have a focus, but if it does, these are the reasons, and benefits, of why it should.
Blog Struggles: Finding Your Blog Focus: Continues the Blog Focus theme and offers tips for finding your blog’s focus and direction.
Blog Struggles: Changing Your Blog’s Focus: Once you find your blog focus, how do you change your blog? Or should you start a new blog? I cover the tips you need to know to redirect your blog.
Blog Struggles: When Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation Interferes With Your Blogging looks at the issues around the impact of poor writing habits and skills and whether or not they impact the success and reading of your blog.
In Blog Struggles: When Are Too Many Comments Too Many Comments?, I share a struggle I faced not long ago about an over-enthusiastic commenter who left a ton of comments on my blog within a few hours, making me very suspicious. We are often faced with suspicious comments, so what do we do? How should we handle them?
Blog Struggles: Taking The Moral High Blogging Ground addresses the issue of deciding which ethical and moral road to take on your blog.
Blog Struggles: Blogger’s Depression looks at the rarely discussed by normal aspect of blogging: depression. When the enthusiasm for the effort is lost and apathy sets in, and how to overcome it.
Blog Struggles: It’s The Rituals That Help Us Focus: I share some of the rituals I use to get me “in the blogging mood” and ask you to share yours.
Blog Struggles: When An Old Post is New Again takes a look at some of the struggles I’ve had when a past post suddenly gets picked up and sensationalized. I discuss the methods I use for keeping my old posts up to date, especially when fame comes knocking.
Blog Struggles: Recovering From a Traffic Spike really touched a lot of people as they related to the addiction that traffic spikes bring, as well as the hassles.
Blog Struggles: Surviving the When Blogging Goes Bad Blues look at how to keep on writing when life gets in the way.

Get The Book – Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging

My book, Blogging Tips – What bloggers won’t tell you about blogging, is selling fast, as people prepare for a price increase coming in May. Get your copy now before the price goes up.

You can order a copy from SplashPress or the new Blog Herald Bookstore. If you would like to order multiple copies, please email me first as that requires special handling.

For more information on the book, see the original announcement and a recent update with reviews and other information, as well as the Blogging Tips Book official page.

Most Popular Articles on Lorelle on WordPress

The most popular posts on Lorelle on WordPress the past few weeks were:

Nice Things Said About Lorelle

Siege Curmudgeon wrote a gratitude blog post featuring a thank you to me for writing about bloggers helping bloggers and how important that is for this blogger and all bloggers. We have to stop once in a while and remind each other that this is about “us” and we are all part of a family of communicators around the world, not just alone shouting on a street corner.

Baikong created “My Top 10 Best Women Bloggers with Influence” and included me among some fascinating female bloggers. What an honor!

Inspired by 45n5’s Top 100 Make Money Online Blogs, WPThemesGallery has created the Top 40 WordPress-oriented blog resources. Currently, I’m at number 5 according to their chart. This is also similar to Top 25 Blogs About Blogging by Daily Blogging Tips.

Blasts From the Past

Here are some blasts from the past especially for WordPress.com bloggers. I wrote a series of articles that addressed the issues of making your blog posts “fancy” with some fun content area HTML tips and tricks:

Blog Herald Columns

Blog Herald Logo I’ve written some blog challenges on the Blog Herald recently, trying to get bloggers to start thinking about how they are blogging and why. The response has been interesting as people are starting to evaluate the deeper meaning of their blogging, too.

Come visit my work there and the other regular contributors covering fascinating blogging issues and news, and subscribe to the Blog Herald feed.

Recent articles on the Blog Herald included:

What Do You Bring to a Blog Conference? When you attend a blog conference, what do you bring to the conference to make yourself “memorable” to the other attendees? I offer some examples and make recommendations on the best things to bring with you when you go to meet other bloggers.
Bird Feeders and Blogs: How Are You Luring Birds to Your Blog? Using the bird feed metaphor, I likened a blog to a bird feeder and asked you to come up with some of your own analogies on how to attract more birds to your blog.
WordPress 2.5 Plugins Beware: Automatic Plugin Upgrade Problems addresses an issue of concern to many Plugin authors and fans. Will the WordPress Automatic Plugin Upgrade feature be ready for WordPress 2.5 release?
Blogs Are Public Documents – Bloggers and Commenters Beware looks at the issue of the “public” part of publishing on a blog and how you have to be ready for others to publicly respond back.
What Are You Not Doing With Your Blog asks a good question. A lot of people think there are a lot of things they have to do with their blog but never stop to ask themselves what are they not doing with their blog that they should. Are you making the most of your blog and blogging experience?
Looking For New Places to Take Your Blog Out showed some examples of how some bloggers are getting more social and viral promoting their blog, and asks what you are doing to take your blog out to attract new readers from different venues.
What You Don’t Know About Blogging Can Hurt You offers some wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years of blogging on how not to blog – or better yet, what you don’t know about blogging can hurt your blogging experience as well as SEO.

I write every week about WordPress in my weekly WordPress Wednesday News reports and recent issues covered:

Blasts from the Past of Blog Herald Posts

I’ve been writing for the Blog Herald for a year now, and here are some of the articles I’ve covered dealing with comments and comment spam.

Lorelle’s Linkworthy Links

Decision or Choice: Is the Difference Stealing Your Focus and Your Time? by Liz Strauss of Successful and Outstanding Blogger really asks the hard questions and this time she is in your face with the truth of how you need to decide or choose – or you lose.
Do You “No” Your Way to Greater Success? by Freelance Switch is a great lesson in how to say “no” the right way on the path to building your business.
Eight Lessons from Eight Months of Full-Time Freelancing is another gem from, Freelance Switch on freelancing. There is an interesting evolution in the process of becoming a freelancer that continues as you move more into independent and away from dependence.
How Many Lifehacker Posts Do You Want Per Day? [Reader Poll] is an interesting poll that pretty much lines up with much of my own research on how often you should publish blog posts without overwhelming your readers.
30 Tips to Rejuvenate Your Creativity is a good kick in the butt from Lifehack on stirring up your creative juices.

This is the Weekly Digest of Lorelle on WordPress.
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Lorelle VanFossen is a member of WordPress, WordPress.com, the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging.

3 Comments

Cory Miller

Posted March 24, 2008 at 6:20 am | Permalink

Lorelle, had no idea you had an Oklahoma connection! We’re based in Oklahoma City, but have lived in Tulsa (pretty city) …. anyway, looking forward to meeting you in person at WordCamp in Dallas.

Jonathan Bailey

Posted March 25, 2008 at 6:01 pm | Permalink

Looking forward to WordCamp, can’t wait to see you there!

Mike Wagner

Posted March 28, 2008 at 8:02 am | Permalink

Fun to get caught up on you via this post.

The assistant principle of my high school was MR. Van Fossen! He wore the “black hat” for the school administration, but I suspect he was a good guy at heart.

Keep creating…a story worth repeating,
Mike

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By Weekly Digest: WordCamp Dallas, Pasadena Education and Blogging, and More On the Road Blogging and Talking « Lorelle on WordPress on March 28, 2008 at 8:10 am

[…] last issue of my weekly digest was Weekly Digest: Lorelle in Oklahoma with Family, Heading to WordCamp Dallas, WordPress 2.5, SOBCON, a… if you want to catch up. If you do catch up, would you catch me up, too. I’m moving so fast […]