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Why Can’t We All Be Like That Wise Old Owl? (Publicizing Your Blog)

March 19, 2013

Cathy C. Hall 1 , , , 14 Comments

ImageYou know how you think you’re so smart and you’re just humming along, la-ti-da, you’ve got it all under control, and then BAM. Turns out you’re doing something totally stupid. Or maybe that’s just me.

The point is, when I switched my blogs up OVER A YEAR AGO, I thought I was publicizing my spiffy new WordPress site. I thought my blog posts were automatically going out to Facebook and Twitter and heck, infinity and beyond.

I was not–and they were not. Apparently, you have to activate the “Publicize” button on the WordPress dashboard to achieve that little feat. So word to the wise, click on that activate button.

I don’t think Blogger has a Publicize button you activate. But I used Networked Blogs, back when I had three blogs, and it automatically sent them out to Facebook, and it will post to Twitter as well. In fact, now that I’ve wised up, I think I deactivated my old blogs on Networked Blogs…and never activated the new one.

But it’s all good now. My blog posts here are going out again, and I did a test run with Cathy-on-a-Stick to check on my Networked Blogs status. So wherever you turn, there I am.

Now whooooooo’s the smartypants?

Friday Fun Find: Olympics!

August 10, 2012

Cathy C. Hall 1 , , , , , 1 Comment

Have you been watching the Olympics? Oh my U.S. of A! I can barely get any work done, I’m so enthralled by those…er, sports. And then Google got in the act, too. Have you seen the Google doodles?

Not to brag, but I’ve scored a couple gold medals in quite a few Google sports. And speaking of gold medals, Cathy-on-a-Stick earned one, too. But you’ll have to go visit her at her own little blog if you want to see how she managed that Olympic feat. (Not nearly as enthralling as some athletes, but I hear her photographer is pretty amazing.)

How Gladys Got Her Groove Back

July 27, 2012

Cathy C. Hall 1 , , , 15 Comments

 As you know, I closed shop on my website. And you may recall that Gladys the Goose (aka The Muse) was a tad miffed to find out she’d been dismissed without so much as a by your leave.

Never mind that I was preparing a place of honor for her at the new and improved Cathy C. Hall writing home. She ran away from home home (without so much as a by your leave, I might add). But I got up bright and early this morning to track her down. Because neither a leaking pipe (which I found in the basement) nor HUGE spider webs (which I found in the other part of the basement), nor stinky shoes (which I found in the closet) could keep me from my appointed er, appointment with Gladys.

Finally, I looked outside and found Gladys plopped in the garden (Granted, it’s not much of a garden. But then I’m not much of a gardener). Apparently, Gladys had decided she would be better appreciated in the garden, as a “ScareGoose”, rather than in my office as a Muse.

And I don’t suppose I need to tell you who was out there, egging her on? Cathy-on-a-Stick, that’s who.

Despite my pleas, Gladys refused to budge– and I had a luncheon date. But as soon as I returned, I tromped back outside to the garden to try again. Whereupon I found Gladys (and Cathy-on-a-Stick) up to entirely new shenanigans (I suspected all along that garden gig wouldn’t last).

Can you imagine? Where they found that magazine, I’ll never know. (But I suspect that the Beneficent Mr. Hall was somehow involved. He has always had a soft spot for plastic animals.)

Well, I gave Gladys a firm talking to. “Gladys,” I said, “if you want to be a Muse, you have to show up every day. Every day, Gladys. Not just when you feel like it. You can’t go getting your feelings hurt everytime things don’t work out the way you want them to go. Writing is a tough business,” I said. “But when the going gets tough, the tough get going! So, who’s with me?”

(I was pretty much stealing Bluto’s Big Speech  from Animal House, minus the expletives, of course.)

That Gladys is one heckuva muse. When I came back from the bathroom, guess where I found her?

And then I found Miss Cathy-on-a-Stick.

Shame, shame, Cathy-on-a-Stick.

Commenting on (Blog) Commenting

March 31, 2012

Cathy C. Hall 1 , , , , , , 18 Comments

I just read a comment on my friend Debra’s blog about her trouble getting a comment to post on my blog.

Well, dang. (To put it politely. But you know I’m not thinking politely right now.)

It’s not about me, though. Really. It’s just that I have this swell book giveaway (The Smiley Book of Colors) and I’d hate to think that people aren’t able to comment to get signed up for said swell book giveaway. So if you’ve tried to comment, and can’t, please shoot me an email (cathyhall55 at hotmail dot com) and I’ll add your name to the pot (otherwise known as Random.org). I won’t draw a name until Monday, April 3, just to give y’all time. And then I’ll send up a little wish to the Powers-That-Be in WordPress Land that this commenting snafu will be fixed.

And while I’m commenting on commenting, I’d like to speak my piece about commenting on certain Blogger blogs. Not pointing fingers here. Cathy-on-a-Stick is still over at Blogger. Some of my favorite blogs are at Blogger. And that’s why I feel the need to speak up.

I’ve noticed that an alarming number of folks have enabled that captcha wherein I have to try to figure out TWO words, all crammed together, and type them in so that my comment will post. Sometimes, I have to type them in multiple times before I get them right. And that’s only if I sign in using my Blogger account. I just cannot sign in using my wordpress account and get those words to work.

And so what happens is, I move on. I just don’t have time to type in two words, over and over and over again. Besides, I don’t like commenting under my old Blogger account. Yes, I comment to support the blogger and/or sign up for a giveaway. But when I comment, I’m also putting my name out there so that other commenters might check out my blog. If I can’t comment under my wordpress account, then that defeats that purpose, right?

So all you Blogger folks who have blogs I love, show your commenters some love and get rid of that captcha. Use comment moderation if you’re worried about spam. But those words that bleed together and don’t make any sense? They’re just dang annoying. (To put it politely.)

Finding Libba Bray (and Her Awesomeness)

September 5, 2011

Cathy C. Hall 1 , , , , , 4 Comments

Holy whack-a-moley! I had to rush to get to the Decatur Book Festival in time to see Libba Bray on Saturday because a. I’d never seen her but heard tons of wonderful things about her presentation and b. Cathy-on-a-Stick wanted her picture with her.

I’m always amazed at how nice authors are when it comes to Cathy-on-a-Stick. In Ms. Bray’s case, the woman talked for about an hour– (And she was really funny and entertaining so if you ever get a chance to see her, you should go and experience for yourself how 45 minutes can go by in 13 minutes. I’ve never really understood that whole time/space continuum thing. And it’s not any clearer now.)and she had to catch a plane a couple hours later. But she sat out there for TWO hours and signed books and answered questions and posed for pics up till the very last minute.

I mean the VERY LAST MINUTE. A DBF helper let the few us at the very back of the line know that Ms. Bray may not be able to stay (I made a poem!). She HAD to catch that plane. So when I got up there, and she was still signing, I just said, “Here! Hold this, please! It’s Cathy-on-a-Stick and I have a blog and really, I’m a very nice person but I never know what Cathy-on-a-Stick might say.”

Good, old (not that old, really more like middle-aged) Libba Bray. She laughed, grabbed the stick, and I clicked and dashed so the next person could get her book signed.

So she’s my new favorite YA author. At least until the next one comes along to hold Cathy-on-a-Stick.

(P.S. Here’s her latest awesome book (BEAUTY QUEENS) which I bought and had signed. I may give it away in some sort of contest where you, the entrant, have to do somthing awesome. Because seriously, I stood in line for TWO HOURS an hour and a half almost an hour okay 28 minutes. See, I left the line after 12 minutes because I HAD to see Adam Gidwitz (A TALE DARK AND GRIMM). And he was pretty awesome, too, even if I didn’t catch up with him later for a pic with Cathy-on-a-Stick.  But then I came back and stood in Ms. Bray’s line again for 16 minutes. She was there the whole time, so you know, that has to count for a lot of awesomeness.)

 

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