Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

With the tail end of the swine flu hopefully departing, I am eager to get back into my groove, doing what I do. Yesterday my desk received a thorough de-papering and cleaning and is ready to go.  Now the left thumb needs engaging to get this office up to its full earning potential. After all, any office with a chandelier is destined for greatness!

On this week’s to-do list:

• Write my Fight for Preemies post for Tuesday. This event now has 383 bloggers uniting to raise awareness of our more fragile babies. Awesome!
• Get going on creating the website for a non-profit organization.
• Conduct an accessibility review on a lawyer’s newly redesigned blog.
• Finalize the details for this year’s ebook for raising funds to feed Christmas dinner to 100 people in need. This year, readers will choose which posts to include in “The Best of the Left Thumb Blogger…”. Stay tuned for details!

What is on tap for your week?

Make it an awesome week!

While at BlogWorld, I had the pleasure of meeting Beverly Robertson from the March of Dimes. She mentioned the event she is coordinating: Fight for Preemies. Because a special preemie is in my heart, I was instantly committed to helping promote the event.

Beverly explained that “Every year, 20 million babies are born too soon, too small and very sick. November 17 is when we fight – that day is dedicated to raising awareness of the crisis of premature birth.”

When we first met, Beverly said she her goal was to have 200 bloggers join the event. At last check, 330 bloggers had united for preemies. Let’s blow the roof off of Beverly’s goal and see 500 (or more!) bloggers unite to raise awareness about our most fragile babies. If a preemie has touched your life, please join the Fight for Preemies event.

And check back next Tuesday when I interview the preemie who has captured my heart…

Forty-three years ago today, doctors weren’t sure I’d survive through the night, and then through the week, which just proves that they don’t always know everything!

Yes, I am 43 today and am proud to say that aloud! (I’ve never understood why  some people keep their age a secret. What are they ashamed of?) I have earned every wrinkle, every bump and lump of cellulite, and every jiggly bit. And each one deserves to be fully celebrated (once I’m feeling better).

What have I learned during this one hell of a journey? Here are a few lessons that readily come to mind:

1. Delete the word can’t from your vocabulary. That four-letter word only restricts and limits you.
2. Always do your best – your best in that moment.
3. Appreciate and find joy in the small things in life. Those moments are truly precious.
4. Smile and have fun.
5. Live without any regrets!

These lessons I share with to you in hopes that you live your life to its fullest and be all that you can be!

Man, this swine flu has zapped my energy! i barely have energy to do anything and that is getting frustrating. My blog, my baby, requires consistent attention – something I love doing, for the most part – but even my creative juices have slowed down. I will return to sharing my journey from special ed classroom to university graduate and the next big milestone in “Love at First Sound Byte” (my next book title?) once I’m feeling better.

For your reading pleasure, I’d like to leave you with three special memories from 2009:

1. Close Encounter with Oprah
2. Celebrating Women of Distinction
3. Dreams Do Come True – With a Little Help from Friends

What memories hold a special place in your heart for 2009?

Being a successful blogger means way more than being an engaging writer on a somewhat consistent basis. A successful blogger juggles many hats: writer, researcher, community-builder, web designer, techie, networker, marketer, statistician, and entrepreneur (if one desires to convert this all-consuming hobby into an income source) are the hats that most readily come to mind. Needless to say, a successful blogger always has something to do. For someone operating with only one thumb, the to-do list is never-ending!

To take this blog the next level, which is still to be determine where exactly that next level is, some changes need to be in the works, including, possibly, automating a few tasks.

While wearing my community-builder hat, I attempt to thank (via email) new readers when leave their first comment and I invite them to stop by again – to let them know that i did indeed see their contribution and that I appreciated it, and to welcome them to my blog’s community. However, unfortunately, I don’t always get to it and, to be honest, it bugs me. I don’t want to be an absentee blogger. On the other hand, my left thumb can accomplish only so much.

In searching for a solution, I came across the WordPress plugin Comment Relish that “sends an e-mail message to users who comment on your website who have never commented before.” But, reading some of the reviews and responses, some bloggers were concerned the automated email may be seen as spammy; annoying rather than welcoming. Scratch that idea!

A few weeks ago at BlogWorld, listening to a WordCamp Las Vegas panel with top-notched bloggers Chris Garrett, Darren Rowse and Jeremy Wright, a bunch of useful WordPress plugins were rattled off, including Thank Me Later. Although a similar concept to Comment Relish, Thank Me Later “is highly configurable. It allows you to create multiple e-mail messages and to send the message after a pre-defined amount of time, making messages appear more unique and people-friendly.” Sounds intriguing.

As my current readers, would you have objected to receiving an automated yet personalized email a day or two after leaving your first comment, thanking you and perhaps pointing you to hidden gems on this blog, after I had approved your comment?

Have you say:

Please share any other plugins this blog must have to make the most of this left thumb! Thanks.