Dream Connection Badge

Two of my favorite sites, The Mommy Manual and Artistic Sensations, are partnering to bring you a Dream Connection contest.

They’re doing this to celebrate discovering their own Dream Connection.

From the site: Beginning FEBRUARY 14, 2010, we will be accepting your entries! Write a minimum of 300-word essay about a significant mom-to-mom connection in your life that has had a defining effect on your mothering. Is it your mom, your sister, your aunt, a friend or a teacher? Your entry must also include YOUR $1000 WISH LIST from ArtisticSensations.com. Shop from thousands of items, including kids/teens designer bedding, furniture, room decor, and gifts.

Register now at My Mommy Manual.

Hilary McHone, photographer and projecteer, is co-winner of the People’s Choice Award. Held on the site, Artists Wanted, Hilary competed with hundreds of self portrait photographers.

It’s more than just a feel good prize. Hilary was told to keep it secret to till this week started but she now shares with us what she won.

As one recipient of the People’s Choice, I will receive a $1000 grant (very useful for my History with Hilary project!!), a publicity push, AND a show!! I will give you details on the show when I have them – it will be in NYC! I love excuses to go back there now that I’m living on the west coast!

Hilary’s portfolio can be viewed here:

www.artistswanted.org/BrooklynHilary

Hilary share’s first place with Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir. You can view her portfolio here:

www.artistswanted.org/rebekkagudleifsdottir

Congratulations to both of these talented ladies! If you haven’t visited, do so now. You’ll be glad you did.

Feraro’s Pizza is looking for topping ideas with clever names. Feraro’s already has such favorites as The Boss, The Garden State, and Old Blue Eyes.

Feraro’s Pizza is New Jersey style pizza brought to St. Louis. Soulard is home to the original and they’ve recently opened a second store in South County.

So onto the contest.  Straight from @FerarosPizza on Twitter:

I want toppings and clever names that fit with my scheme. I am deciding it so pretty cut and dry.

Entering couldn’t be easier. Just add @FerarosPizza as a contact on Twitter; tell him you want to enter the contest; he’ll follow you back and you DM your idea.

He’s quick to follow back. So what do you win? The winner gets $100 gift certificate. A great deal if you’re local to St. Louis.

Joe is good people and he has made a great impression with diners. He’s hosted Tweetups, come out to play at events, and been a friendly Twitter citizen.

Follow @FerarosPizza today.

self portrait of Todd R Jordan - click to see on Flickr

It’s that time again; time to bring in a new year. I’m ringing in 2010 by taking the 365 challenge again.  Nanna J will be taking self portraits as well.

Help me celebrate the new year and the photography challenge. I’d like to give away a Flickr Pro account to one of my readers.

It’ll be simple. Leave a comment with a link to your Flickr profile and add me as a contact on Flickr.  I’ll randomly pick a commenter to receive the Pro account.

All comments must be in by Midnight Central Time on Sunday January 3rd. Random.org will be used to pick.

Soon this will be my mother; her face will be glowing to the light of a computer screen.  She’ll be the one checking emails at 5:30 AM and just before bed. Perhaps mom will become addicted to online shopping and I’ll visit to find her house full of Zappos shoes.

Whatever happens, I want to steer mom in the right direction with her first computer and first real time alone on the Internet. Firefox will be the default browser of course, but what should I load it up with. What bookmarks should I start her off with?

I’m asking you, my friends, family and few readers – What bookmarks to start off mom with.

As incentive to answer, each person who leaves a unique bookmark site in a comment and in such a way that I can find your email, will receive a copy of my Sunday Guide to Social Networking e-book in PDF format.

To share this post, please hit the Tweetmeme button at the top of the post, or copy/tweet the following.

Get Sunday Guide to Social Networking for bookmark suggestion – http://wp.me/pfLxC-pC

Thanks and give me your best.

UPDATE: WINNER SELECTED. COMMENTS ARE CLOSED.

The holidays are here and with that is gift giving.  I’ll be receiving books of course, and buying some with gift cards. Overflowing shelves will be the result.

Planning is everything though. Giving away some of my completed novels seemed like a plan I could enjoy implementing.

The Giveaway

I’m giving away the set of the first eight books. These are slightly used but I’ve been the sole owner.

Required Entry

Tell me your favorite thing about the Sookie Stackhouse novels or about your favorite vampire series, in the comments below. Winner will be notified via email. Please make sure your email is accessible in your comment.

Extra Entrees

The following are all extra things you can do for more entries. Leave an additional comment for each thing you do to earn extra entries.

• Subscribe via email here to my feed and then leave a comment letting me know you have done so. If you are already a subscriber, let me know that in the comment instead.
• Blog about this giveaway and come back here leaving a comment with the link. This can be done once.
• Follow me on Twitter, @tojosan, and send a tweet about the giveaway. You can do this once per day. Leave a comment with a direct link to that tweet for an extra entry for each tweet. Here is a tweet you can use or make your own.

Win the first eight Sookie Stackhouse novels and sink your teeth into some vampire fun. http://wp.me/pfLxC-ph Pls RT.

Rules

Only one of each entry method listed per person/family/household. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. If I catch you cheating you will be banned from this and all of my future giveaways! This giveaway is only open to those in the USA, ages 18+ only. All entries must be received by 11:59 pm Central Time on Thursday, December 24th, 2009. I will pick the winner and email them and they have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

About the Sookie Stackhouse Series

Charlaine Harris brought new life to the vampire mythos with her Sookie Stackhouse series. Sookie is a Southern girl with a handicap; she can read minds. It just gets more interesting from that premise, with Sookie meeting and falling in love with a vampire.

Charlaine entertains us with ever more complex plots. There’s goth of course, along with sex, humor, and fairy creatures of all types.

Buy the latest in the series, Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9).

* Contest format inspired by Robyn of Robyn’s Online World.

Who do YOU want to win Mike’s Scholarship Giveaway for The Seven Workshop Hawaii?

That’s the question Mike asks on his blog. He’s giving away two scholarships to his The Seven Workshop in Hawaii.

One of our local St. Louis photographers, Raquita Henderson, is in the running for the scholarship.  How can you help? You can give her your vote through Friday evening this week.

Visit Mike’s blog and scroll down. Click next to Raquita’s picture and roll down a bit more and click the vote button. You’ll be glad you did.

Raquita is the genius behind Pixnit Photography. She is the go-to photographer for boudoir, wedding and other portrait photography in St. Louis.

If you’re local to St. Louis, please drop by Mike’s blog and vote for Raquita. Send one of our own to Hawaii.

Namecheap, my favorite domain name service, is hosting another Twitter contest.

Want a free domain name? NameCheap is having a holiday domain name extravaganza – our second – and you are invited to participate. The object is simple Simply follow us on Twitter and participate in our trivia game. We’ll ask a new question on the hour every hour. Eight winners will be chosen for every question. That’s right, we’re giving away 8 domain names every hour.

But it doesn’t stop there. We’re giving away prizes to the individuals who answer the most questions over the course of the competition. Five winners will win the brand new Barnes & Noble nook† which will allow you to access over 1 million book titles in digital format in the palm of your hand. The nook allows you to store as many as 1,500 ebooks on its 2 GB of internal storage.

Last time Namecheep tweeted questions and gathered up the replies. You have to be quick though; there were many folks following this.

Namecheap provides the full guidelines to the contest. It’s fairly simple to play and the prizes are great. You can take the first step by following @namecheap on Twitter.

Darren Rowse, aka ProBlogger, is giving away books for a comment:

I’d like to do a bit of a giveaway today of a few of them and all you need to do is leave a comment saying which one you’d like.

This Wednesday I’ll randomly choose a winner for each book, contact you to get your mailing details and pop them in the mail for you (I’ll pay for the shipping).

Here are the 5 books:

1. Yes: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
2. Search Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint for effective Internet Marketing
3. Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success
4. Blog Blazers: 40 Top Bloggers Share their Secrets to Creating a High-Profile High-Traffic and High Profit Blog
5. Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What it’s Becoming and Why it Matters

Oh and for a little extra I’ll throw in a copy of ProBlogger the Book as a 6th Alternative.

That’s right. You comment, you have a chance at one of those six great books. I chose #2 on SEO. It’s definitely an area I can improve my skills in.

Which book will you choose?