Day 2: Set Up Alerts and Monitor Your Niche

Key Concepts for Today:
In addition to writing actual blog posts, watching, monitoring, reading, and listening to what others are saying are important activities.
Reasons to be aware of what others are talking about in your niche include getting ideas for new posts, being aware of breaking news, profile building, networking, and managing your reputation.
You can set up alerts through a variety of different sources, but the two most common include Twitter Alerts and Google Alerts.
Types of alerts to set up include words relevant to your blog’s niche or your industry, i.e. “wedding dress” if you blog about weddings. Other keywords to monitor include “vanity alerts”, which are keywords like your name, blog name, or company name.

Today’s Assignment:
Use knowledge from alerts in your niche to brainstorm a new mini-series or to develop a new weekly feature or Meme for your blog. Share your ideas here. You can also share your favorite Meme’s from other bloggers here in the forum. What do you think makes them successful. Use that information to help you with your upcoming planning for a future series or Meme.

Reference posts:
SITS: http://www.thesitsgirls.com/education/blog-tips/google-alerts/
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Oh I love GOOGLE ALERTS!  I have several alerts already but added a few more today like:

• mom blogs
• blog giveaways
• school pta

I added those because I wasn't thinking Google Alerts=Blog Posts, shaking my head I didn't think of that.  I have google alerts set up to ALERT me when someone mentioned Airbrush (hubby) or Social Media Manager (me).  Now this is cool and I hope it helps with the brainstorming. 

As for the assignment~ that means I need to PLAN.  I do a WIN IT WEDNESDAY when I have giveaway to do~ which I'm working on one today.  TIP TUESDAY is always a fun one to do too!  Also would like to incorporate my Pinterest finds in a weekly feature!  Okay good figured that out!  Now I need a name for my Weekly Pinterest Finds~and what day.

WIN- 6 month Blockbuster Gift Subscription

A group of bloggers have come together to bring you this awesome giveaway! One winner will be selected to win a 6-Month Subscription to Blockbuster with unlimited through the mail and unlimited in-store exchanges. Only 1 DVD out at a time.

Enter using the super easy Rafflecopter form below. For the first entry be sure to say that PINKMAMA'S PLACE referred you. Then, just "like" all our Facebook pages using the Rafflecopter form below for a total of 26 entries. You can also earn up to an additional 6 entries per day by coming back and clicking on the daily vote links and tweeting about giveaway.

This giveaway will begin on January 17th at 10:00 PM EST and run through 11:59 PM on February 1st, and is only valid for U.S. residents 18 years and older. Please note this giveaway is in no way associated with Blockbuster or Facebook.

Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Analyze a Blog in Your Niche~Day 1 (31 Day to Build a Better Blog)

I signed up to do a 31 Days to Build a Better Blog on http://www.thesitsgirls.com/ and I'm looking forward to learning more about blogging.

This week's theme is Assess Your Blog

Key Concepts for Today:
Studying successful blogs in your niche will show you what’s working well for them, as well as topics you might be able to tackle. Look close and see how they implement advertisements or promotions and what their readers are asking about. It’s important to note you don’t want to copy another blogger. Be unique, but allow them to inspire you!

Today’s Assignment:
1. Identify a successful blog in your niche.
2. Take 10-15 minutes to analyze the blog.
3. Share what you have learned here in this discussion string or on Twitter using #SITS31DBBB.

I LOVE http://www.scarymommy.com/ so I wanted to analyze her blog.  She doesn't have a lot of junk on her sidebars.  It's clean and she has other info about her blog on the bottom.  Now all her social media buttons are up on top where everyone can see and its just plain SIMPLE!  Also she has a COMMUNITY!  I haven't joined yet only because I've had some crazy history with message boards.  She also BRANDED her blog BIG TIME!  She now has a book coming out and I applause that hard work. But most important she is REAL and I love her posts because I can relate to a lot of them.

I also ENJOY http://www.aboutamom.com/ because she has a little bit of everything.  I like how she has Sponsor buttons but also all her sidebar info is nice and neat.  There is a lot going on but its organized beautifully and flows very well.  She has a "Pin" button on every post and since I'm a Pinterest addict I love that.  She has all the information I want on one page.


I have some ideas now and really need to do a blog makeover.

Legos for Girls- Friends

Lil Mama has a new hobby~ LEGOS!  Her brother loves his Legos and she wanted to start doing Legos too but it was always BOY STUFF.  She hated that but now she found GIRL LEGOS!

She saved up her chorepad points and got a TRIP TO TARGET and bought herself some Legos- Friends.  She is super excited and now wants the HOUSE for her birthday.  She wants me to find a table so she can set up her Heartlake City.  She wants to build all the sets.  She is super excited to have Legos just for her- not her brother BOY LEGOS!  

I highly recommend getting your girl the Lego Friends http://friends.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx

Here she is with the start of her city:

Walgreens Supports the Community Without Express Scripts

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walgreens and Express Scripts have been in negotiations for the past year on their contract and have been unsuccessful.  So as of Jan 1, 2012 Walgreens nationwide are no longer a part of Express Scripts.  

 

This has caused pharmacy patients to find other pharmacies that are less convenient and sometimes farther away.  Walgreens offers more 24 hour and drive-thru pharmacies than any other pharmacy in the country.  Patients are not saving money and now its taking more time and money to get their prescriptions.  

 

Express Scripts continues to make their money because as a middleman its profits have grown at a rate more than two times the average of peers in health care.  The relationship is unbalanced when the middleman is making more money that the providers.  Express Scripts wants patients to use their mail order pharmacy not the community pharmacy.  Patients have been going to their local pharmacies for years, there is a relationship built within the community.  I would rather go to the pharmacy that knows my family.  Express Scripts are taking away the convenience and the community out of the pharmacies.  

 

This also puts our Military Families in the middle because Tricare, the main Military health coverage, is one of Express Script's Clients. This means our Military families can no longer get their prescriptions filled at Walgreens. In many cases, Walgreens is the only pharmacy within a reasonable driving distance, are reasonably priced, or have the hours to accommodate the crazy military training schedules.  Walgreens even offered to contract separately for Tricare but Express Scripts rejected that offer.  

 

Walgreens unveiled a comprehensive national effort to make this transition as smooth as possible for patients.  Walgreens is offering a special discount on annual membership for its Walgreens Prescription Savings Club.  An individual can join in JANUARY for only $5 or $10 for family membership.  Regular annual membership is $20 for individual and $35 for a family.  Thank you Walgreens!

 

Help support Walgreens and stay updated by liking Walgreens on Twitter and following Walgreens on Facebook

 

Read more: Walgreens and Express Script

Mom Blog Society Flash Giveaway 1/13 CLOSED

This is my 1st time participating in a FLASH GIVEAWAY and I'm super excited!  

Please enter below and see all the COOL prizes that are offered by Mom Blog Society, Pink Mama's Place and many other bloggers!  

The Daily Flash Giveaway is live from 9pm, EST (01/12) - 9pm, EST, (01/13). 


1 Winner Wins All 18 Prizes!!  Good Luck and look forward to doing this more!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FREEBIES: EBooks I Got TODAY

I don't have a Kindle (hoping someday I win one) but I do have iPad and PC that I download these books too! Don't have to have a Kindle to get these AWESOME books: FREE KINDLE READING APPS


  Get Organized! Your 12 Month Home Clutter Killer Guide : Organizing The House, Storage Solutions, Decluttering And How To Clean Your Home To Perfection

Absolutely Organize Your Family
Parenting pre-teens (52 Brilliant Ideas)
How to Sew: Basics
SMART SCHOOL TIME RECIPES: The Breakfast, Snack, and Lunchbox Cookbook for Healthy Kids and Adults

A Vacation I would Like To Take in 2012

Ask my kids and they would say:

But if it was up to me:

I would love to go to a SPA for like a week- by myself :)  I'm sure that won't be happening for years but it's worth the wait.

Disneyland seems to be our next family vacation.  I need to find deals or try to WIN a vacation.  Legoland looks fun too.

My Son and His Phone- Not Good!

Well it got taken away today and it hasn't even been a month yet.  He is 10 yrs old and we debated for awhile on getting him a phone but decided for his bday we would do it.  We don't have a house phone and he was using our cell phone for contacting classmates and family so this seemed to be logical answer.  Plus it was cheaper than having a house phone anyways.

We had rules:

• No bringing phone to school
• No texting/phone calls past 8pm
• No games or downloads w/o asking
• Nobody else use the phone

Guess what I got today...a call from his school.  He brought his phone to school but he let someone else use the phone and they sent an inappropriate text to someone.  The mom came to school and reported it- it wasn't my son who sent the text BUT doesn't matter he broke rules.  When I picked him up from school today I just held my hand out and he knew what he had to do.  Plus he had to call and apologize to the mom and his phone is gone until I think he has learned something from this- so far it's 2 weeks!  

I was disappointed that he broke the TRUST we had with him and how he broke the rules.  He is pouting in his room and as much as I want to give him back the phone to make him feel better, I'm  going to hold strong and he won't get his phone back until DADDY says so, LOL!

Barbie TownHouse- My "Fav" Retro Toy

I joined this BLOG DARE because this might help me when I have those "WTF do I write about days" which happen a lot!  Sometimes I want to write about stuff but not sure if anyone wants to really hear what is going on in my world so at that point I decided not to write anything at all. I want to be consistent this year and blog at least 5 times a week!

Today's prompt is: A favorite retro toy 

My FAVORITE TOY I got as a child was a BARBIE TOWNHOUSE! 

I loved my Barbie TownHouse and played hours and hours designing the rooms.  I also had the Barbie cool Van- I was ballin LOL!  My friends in the neighborhood would come over and play with me.  I thought I was SO COOL with my Barbie House. I think I even was mean to some girls and wouldn't let them play- oh my not cool Pam!  I would make furniture and added my own decor to every room.  When we moved one time it got ruined but it was fine since I was almost 13 and was on to BOYS.  LOL! 

When I had my lil girl I was so excited because I knew I was going to buy her a NEW VERSION the Barbie Dream House. Guess What?  Not going to happen- my lil girl is not into barbie or dolls.  I was a little sad when she told me last year NOT to buy her a Barbie house.  Oh well- not every girl loves Barbie which is OK and I have accepted the fact no more Barbie Dream Houses are in my future.