First thing I want to pimp is a Maine photographer, long time internet friend of mine:

Marie in Maine has been sharpening her shutter skills while gadding about in Maine. I love that she takes us with her on her travels here and there. I love this image of Wild Rose Lighthouse so much that you can enjoy it in puzzle form, right heah. (That’s Maine talk, ayup)

Create your own puzzles at PuzzleBee.com!

Another thing that falls more under self-pimping is something I have slacked on lately. This is the last month of voting for the Blogger’s Choice Awards, and for some quirky reason, I want to win in my category of Freakiest Blogger. You have to register, but it’s painless, and you only have to register once to vote for whomever you wish. In other categories, durnit! See? I’ve made it easy for you. No need to mouse over to that pesky sidebar. Just click here. I love you long time.

More reasons to love you long time? Besides the fact that you are funny and smart, and pretty, and, my? Have you lost weight? Every time you click over from your reader, BlogHer records the hit for a tiny bit of revenue. So far, I’ve got my hosting fees covered, but it would be nice to actually make some money for the time I spend at my computer. With that in mind, I would like to re-introduce you to the mighty StumbleUpon.

I loves me a Stumble, I does. It brings traffic to my site. New people who may just read my particular post, or decide to subscribe and come back to see what I’m up to next. Each new person who clicks on the actual site brings me about 1/20 of a cent. Every time! I totally made that figure up, but you really need to have volume to get any real income from the ads. Some of my posts that I’m not totally ashamed of are these ones.

Handsome Henry

The Young Shaman

Grace

Blunk Drogging

You Can See Your Farts

Island Medicine

You could Stumble them. There’s a thingie (technical term) at the bottom of each post that says “Stumble It!”

Note: Sometimes, “Stumble It!” doesn’t show up, but the icon is still there. Work with me. My new job hasn’t kicked in yet.

Did I mention I would love you long time?

Joe Pennant, an internet buddy since 1997 or so wrote the first blog I ever read. He still has it. He’s into mad photography these days, and tells his stories mostly in images.

He doesn’t comment much, but this is the best comment ever!

I lost a few things in the wordpress update. Or I think that is what did it. Some of my settings reverted back to a previous time, like my CSS changes, and my header instantly lost its hearts, not that they were anything to grieve.

What I do grieve is that people who were on my blogroll, suddenly are not. So, I am asking that you tell me in the comments of this post if you want to be on my rotating image blogroll.

There are going to be some changes here in the next week or so, starting with a big honking ad in my sidebar. Sorry, but I have to pay my hosting fees somehow. Once the ad is in place, I will be begging for Stumbles again. It’s how I get paid. For traffic. Yay for StumbleUpon.

Shortly after that, there will most likely be a bit of a site redesign. Yes, I will be going to a white background, unless you can convince me that it’s a bad idea.

Other than that? My brain just shut down. I blame the carbs.

If you want to increase traffic on your site (and really, who doesn’t?) you might want to consider the mighty StumbleUpon. Most people who are signed up have installed the StumbleUpon toolbar in their browsers, and merrily hit thumbs up when they find a site or a post that they like.

One review I wrote got 7000 unique visitors from that review alone. The author was so impressed that she linked to my page as a mighty stumbler. I make it a policy to stumble a post that has a link to my site or to a post on my site in it. Everybody wins.

If someone else has already reviewed your site, then with the toolbar, your only option is a thumbs up if you like it. The review is much more powerful. It only takes a few words, and a click, and Bob’s your uncle.

To accommodate those who would like to write a short review of your post, (even if it’s already been reviewed) there is a lovely plugin called Slashdigglicious that puts a bunch of social networking icons at the foot of each post. If you have a page that you don’t want it to appear, like your contact page, just put the tag <!–noslashdigglicious–> in the page or post. (in code view)

Users just click the last icon on the right, and a review box will pop up. This will review the post itself, rather than the entire site. Write a sentence or two, add tags, and for pete’s sake, do not select yes for “adult content”. That will label it as porn.

If you would like me to invite you to StumbleUpon as a friend, just leave a comment or use my contact form stating that you would. It’s worth signing up for, and lots of fun to use the toolbar. I’ve spent hours stumbling and discovering new sites.

Okay, that will do it for some time. I just felt that the author of this plugin should get some recognition, since I’m so happily using it. Now I have all the WordPress stuff out of my system, there will be regular, goofy posts after this.

One more thing: This guy is having a link contest going on. He wants to see how many links to his site he can get in a few days. The winner will be randomly chosen. Minimum prize is $50, maximum is $1000, depending on the number of links. He’s upping the prize by $1 per link. Stick a paragraph in your post, and get in on it. This is the guy I won $20 from before, and he paid promptly.

Aerobic fart

I watch this and laugh. Every. Single. Time.

And, in other news, I just won that twenny bux over at Make Money Blog

I cheated a little, because I stumbled him. But he liked it, I could tell.

I’m not averse to a little stumbling my ownself.

I even put the handy dandy icon at the foot of each post, thanks to a great WordPress plugin called slashdiggliscious. You WP freaks may want to check it out.

For you contest loving freaks:

Kim the owner of thebabymarketplace.com – a great online spot for Baby Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Gifts and Cloth Diapers is hosting the January Gift Card Give-Away @ mommyknows.com go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two $100 Gift Cards!