On July 17 Bloggers Unite from around the globe will unite unite for human rights and make a statement that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms - life, liberty, and justice!

Let’s come together and all blog about Human Rights. There are dozens and dozens of human rights issues that you can write about. The one you choose is up to you.

Topics to Consider
*The wrongful imprisonment of journalists covering assemblies.
*Governments that ignore the plight of citizens left tot he mercy of gangs.
*The censorship of the Internet in order to prevent freedom of expression.
*Harsh punishments that include torture, forced labor, and starvation.
*Sexual assault against women by members of military or militia.

Learn More About Human Rights
There are many organizations that promote human rights and work to protect people. We’ve picked three to help you learn more and find breaking topics.

Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org/) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. They work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity.

Human Right Watch (www.hrw.org/) is dedicated to protecting human rights of people around the world. They stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, uphold political freedom, protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice.

Youth For Human Rights (www.youthforhumanrights.org) is an independent non-profit that educates people about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace.

We have an entire group discussion dedicated to Bloggers Unite www.bloggersunite.org/discuss where you can add more organizations that you think are worth including.

How To Join Bloggers Unite!
To join, simply click on Join this Event.
Add an Action Badge to your blog by clicking on one of the choices from below.

Then, on July 17th, write a blog post that shares awareness about human rights.

If you are a blogger who is trying to create a strong online presence and possibly a vibrant online community around your blog, then you know it is no easy task and one that takes a lot of time and determination.  Yesterday, as I cruised around the web looking for information on blogging and social media strategies, I came across a great post by Chris Brogan called 19 Presence Management Chores You COULD Do Everyday, which gives a great rundown of some online “chores” you can do each day to manage your online presence by utilizing Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, visiting blogs and engaging other bloggers.

This post got me thinking about a few things.  First of all, I have to be much better about promoting the great work done by all my fellow bloggers here at BlogCatalog. Second, I thought I should share some tips on how you can use BlogCatalog to manage your online presence.  So, here it goes:

1. Spend time creating (or editing) your Blogcatalog profile. From your avatar to your written description, your profile is letting people know who you are and why they should read your blog.  So, spend a little bit of time and make sure that everything you include in your profile helps to create or reinforce your desired online identity.

2. Pick 3 to 5 BlogCatalog bloggers and go visit their blog and leave a comment. Now, don’t just go skim it and leave a comment like “nice blog, be sure to visit mine.” Take some time, read a few posts closely and leave the author a valuable comment.

3. Join in the discussions. While the discussion area is a very active part of the BlogCatalog community and new discussions are always popping up, it seems that a small percentage of members regularly use this area. Starting a new discussion or joining an existing one is a great way to make some new friends. By starting intelligent discussions pertaining to your blog’s subject you can get people interested in what you write about and position yourself as an authority on the subject.

4. Add your social networks to your BlogCatalog profile. Share your tweets, diggs, stumbles and status updates with all of your BlogCatalog friends simply by adding your social networks to your profile.  After they’re added, all of your friends can see what you’re up to just by logging into BlogCatalog and checking their News Feed.

5. Add the BlogCatalog Newsfeed Widget to your blog. This widget keeps track of the networks you participate in and shares your latest activies on digg, delicious, stumbleupon and many more! You may not have the time or the energy to write about everything that interests you, but by adding this widget your readers get to know your interests better and it’s a simple way to help suggest new articles for them to read.

Do BlogCatalog members have any more suggestions on how to use BlogCatalog to help create or strengthen your online presence? Any general suggestions on how to manage your online presence?

Why Audio?

Mary-Lynn Foster and George Krueger are co-hosts of The Bigg Success Show at BiggSuccess.com. Find them at their site or here on BlogCatalog (biggsuccess).

Are there benefits to having audio on your site in addition to text? We think so! That’s why we do a podcast along with a blog.

ML - Prior to Bigg Success, I was in radio broadcasting for eighteen years as an on-air personality. I love audio! We built our own studio to produce the show and allow me to do freelance voice work and production.

G - I teach Entrepreneurship at the University of Illinois. Podcasting was a natural extension.

ML - Why did we choose audio over video?

G - Because we have faces for audio!

ML – I think we could pull off video. But here’s why we chose to add audio:

• Reach a busy audience on the go. The main reason is we considered our target demo. Bigg Success is designed for bigg goal-getters – people reaching for their next level of success. They live life on their own terms and that means they are busy!
• Content how they want it. We want to make it easy for our audience to consume our content. So we provide our shows in written format for those who prefer to read. The audio component lets them listen when they are “on the go.” That’s also why we keep our daily shows to around five minutes or so. It can easily be consumed during a quick errand run. Some listeners load up a whole week’s worth of shows on their iPod and listen to them all in one fell swoop.
• Easy to record, produce, and upload. Audio is an inexpensive way to communicate one-on-one with our listeners. We host our audio files with Libsyn for less than $20 per month. You can use free audio software, like Audacity, for recording and editing.
• Increases your influence. Another great bonus to having an audio show is that we get to do interviews! For example, we talked with Seth Godin when his new book Tribes came out. Our audience gets to hear us talking with influencers rather than just reading the interview on our blog.
• Differentiates you. There are a lot of blogs out there. We think adding a podcast differentiates us. Another benefit to audio is that it allows our personalities to come out which helps build our relationship with our audience.
• Richer form of communication. When your audience hears you say it, you communicate a message more fully than you can with just text. When you podcast, people get to hear you share your knowledge and tell your story. That builds trust.

How To Get Started

You can use a free service like Utterli or TalkShoe. If you prefer to store files, you can do so for free at DivShare or Box.net. Then just embed the audio file on your blog.

Play around to find your style. Just start!

Do you use podcasts or another form of audio on your blogs?  Is it something you are interested in or think you may start doing in the future?  We’d love to hear what you think!

A notion that I have heard repeated at conferences and in discussions is that video, which is already prevalent in the world of social networks, will be the next big thing in the world of blogging. Yet, when I spend time searching out and reading blogs, I find that most of the time I don’t see any video being used. When there is video, a lot of it is just clips embedded from YouTube rather than original content produced by the blogger. Don’t get me wrong; there are a decent number of bloggers utilizing video and these numbers do seem to be increasing. I just feel, however, that the hype about video being the next big thing for bloggers might be a little over done.

What do you guys think about video on blogs? Is it something you will use on your blog? Do you see a lot of videos being used on blogs you visit? Do you think that more and more bloggers will start using videos on their blogs? Do you think having videos on your blog is valuable?

We’d love to hear what you think!

Bloggers Unite to support Human Rights in Iran on Monday June 29th.

Violence, arrests, crackdowns and media blackouts continue to increase in the aftermath of the recent Iranian presidential elections. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_election_protests

On Monday June 29th, we ask Bloggers from around the globe to Unite for a Free Iran. Please JOIN this event and use your blog to educate your readers and spread the word about how we can help support a Free Iran.

For more information on this eent or for some suggestions on how you can help, please visit http://www.bloggersunite.org/event/free-iran

This Monday we’re sharing how Karl of Work Happy Now feels about blogging and all the opportunities it brings. Here’s what Karl had to say about his blog and the subject he blogs about–work happiness:

Work Happy Now was created to help people work happier from the inside out. When people take 100% responsibility for their work happiness, they take control of their careers. I used to blame other people for my unhappiness. My co-workers were rude or my boss didn’t listen well enough. When I finally figured out that it was up to me to create the life I truly wanted, I decided to start Work Happy Now.

As I investigated my own unhappiness I realized that results, relationships, and reflection were the most important elements that were lacking. On a personal level, I began exploring the reasons why I couldn’t master these concepts. I also began to realize that companies can do so much more to foster happiness amongst their employees. They can take relatively simple actions to make their employees to happier. When companies do this they will be rewarded with engaged, productive and motivated people.

I hope to help change the way companies are run and how individuals interact in their work environments. We have so much potential for happiness at our jobs; we just need to make it a priority and not allow anyone to control us through fear.

1. When you’re not blogging, what do you spend most of your time doing?
I’m a Yoga and meditation addict. Both practices help keep me grounded and sane. I love hanging out with my wife and cooking a nice meal. We are expecting our first child very soon. My dog is a huge inspiration to stay active. She makes sure that I don’t blog all day long without getting outside and appreciating the present moment. I also have a full time job, where I can practice all the techniques that I write about.

2. What websites do you spend most of your time on?
Besides Work Happy Now, I enjoy browsing around BlogCatalog, Twitter, Google (best research tool ever created) and any blog that helps me write better posts (see my heroes below).

3. What do you blog about?
I blog about optimizing work happiness. I believe we need to develop ourselves personally and professionally. If we don’t continue to grow, we become stagnant and bored. So we need to stay curious and keep trying, interacting, and laughing until we die.

4. Who is your hero?
Wow, I have so many of them. My father and mother are two of my biggest heroes. In the blogging community, I love StevePavlina.com, SethGodin.com, Leo of ZenHabits.net, Alex the Chief Happiness Officer–all are brilliant thinkers and writers.

5. Do you listen to music to inspire you or when you write? What do you listen to?
I usually listen to classical music. Bach is my favorite. The pacing is totally in tune with my thought process.

6. Why is being happy at work so important to you?
I need to do work that means something to me. If you don’t do work that is worth doing then you need to dig down and find what really gets you excited. Then create a plan to make it a reality.

7. When do you feel like your blog became successful?
When my site became interactive. People from all over the world began asking me questions about their work situation. One person wrote me an email telling me that she had tried medication, but it didn’t help with her depression. She told me that my site has helped her change the way she thinks. She is actually happy at job she used to hate.

I’m able to help people with their lives. There is no better reward.

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, How to Change Your Company’s Office Culture.

Guest Post by MadAboutGifts
Read the author’s blog at Mad About Gifts or Mita Jain’s Original Workshop

Hey, how are you? Yesterday, my Grandma and I went shopping, and we ate fortune cookies in a restaurant. Mine said: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”

I think it applies to bloggers in a couple of ways.  First of all, our posts are our way of sharing our light with others. Don’t just blog to fulfill an agenda. When you blog about stuff you want to really talk about, your blog will shine the most and you will start getting more readers because the truth is that even online people can gauge whether you are talking rubbish or being genuine. Don’t underestimate your readers. Light their candles too.

Second, do you think a single blogger could know it all? Perhaps, but what’s the point of knowing it if we don’t share it with others. Websites like BlogCatalog are such places where we all can share our knowledge with others. Tell people what you know. It’s not that if you tell them how to increase their Google page rank, then your own rank will get eaten away. In contrast, chances are that your rank would improve as your goodwill spreads.

Have you watched the movie Kung Fu Panda? If not, go and watch it. I loved the line from that movie, “the secret is that there is no secret.” Don’t think that if you have some secret as a blogger, you have to save it until you die. You have to share. If you don’t share, chances are someone will discover it anyway, but if you do, you might gain another friend, another reader, another follower and more. Light the candles of your fellow bloggers too!

Here’s what StillThinking (Still) has to tell us about herself on her BlogCatalog User Profile:

I am an unemployed architect in Chicago, victim of recent economic downturn. I began my blog with the intent of having a place to put my daily observations, thoughts, quirky moments, and occasional bits of fiction. I am very liberal, very opinionated, occasionally incoherent. I love to write, and since I am now unemployed, writing has kept me positive, centered, and optimistic.

After reading a bunch of Still’s blog posts, like Why the French Live Better (I  love this one), we wanted to know a little more about her.  So, we asked her to be our next participant in Member Monday!  See how she answered our questions and get to know one of your fellow bloggers a bit better.

1. When you’re not blogging, what do you spend most of your time doing?

This is like an online dating profile.  When I am not blogging, I can be found cycling along Lake Michigan on sunny days.  I love my bike and am pretty fearless about zipping in and out of Chicago traffic.  I am looking for a job right now, but the economy has made job hunting a little discouraging.  I love to cook, eat out at ethnic restaurants, walk around my Chicago North Side neighborhood with a coffee.  I’m really looking forward to summer street festival season and I love the CUBS!

2. What websites do you spend most of your time on?

I spend most of my time on BC, Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm and Craigslist.  Recently, I have discovered online video streaming and am totally hooked on Doctor Who.  Netflix rocks.  Geeks Unite!

3. What do you blog about?

I have a personal blog and I write about my beliefs (liberal), my experiences (both good and bad) and my travels (Paris in the springtime!).  I try to write as honestly, simply and clearly as possible about the events that have shaped me and what forces are influencing my life now.  That is actually my writing mantra: keep it simple and honest.  I write about growing up with eating disorders, child abuse and depression, but I also try to put it into perspective with my life now.  I am still learning to embrace optimism and to accept responsibility for my own decisions.

4. Who is your hero?

My hero is President Obama.  He is a brilliant, self-made man of integrity who overcame adversity through excellence and personal achievement. Last November on election night, I cried and cried with happiness.  I didn’t make it down to Grant Park before they closed it off and I ended up watching his acceptance speech on TV.  The President is facing a momentous task in trying to correct the course of this country.  Bush was 8 years of heartburn for me and 8 years of having to defend my beliefs against the onslaught of “you’re either with us or against us” autocrats.  I do worry that it may be too little, too late and that the reputation of this country has been irreparably damaged.  I don’t believe Obama is the American messiah, but I do believe he is the best man for the job of President.

5. Do you listen to music to inspire you or when you write? What do you listen to?

I do listen to music while I am writing.  I love Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann, Ben Folds, Coldplay, Rilo Kiley, Pete Yorn.  I am currently on a Magnetic Fields kick after I saw them perform in Wisconsin at UWMadison.

A Guest Post by MissSuzie
Read more of her blog What Would Suzie Do?

Fortune: He who hurries cannot walk with dignity.

Have you ever checked your stats and saw that your visitors were still returning despite the fact you haven’t posted anything new? Did it make you feel worse than the way limburger cheese smells? Did you find yourself rushing to throw a post together just to have something new for your visitors to look at? If so, let me guess — it turned out to be a bad idea?

I can’t count the number of times I have thrown something together in a rush just to have a fresh post for my visitors to read. It never fails, I end up regretting the hastily made decision. Every post that was rushed turns out to be lacking in so many ways. I fail to get my point across as clearly as I would have liked. There tends to be more errors than I care to admit (I counted the use of your instead of you’re three times in one hurried post and could have kicked myself). And on top of it all, each rushed posts ends up taking away from my blog instead of adding to it.

Sure, fresh content is a must have for a blog to be successful, but thoughtless posts are not. I have learned that my readers read my blog because of the way I tell a story. It doesn’t matter if I post everyday or every few days as long as I tell the story. When I rush to create a post, my words become meaningless and it becomes apparent to the reader (and my readers are the kind who will email me and say “‘try again”).

We need to make sure we aren’t rushing our posts, but allowing them to come naturally. Getting caught up in trying to post daily will leave a blogger burnt out and spinning his or her wheels. Nothing good will come from spitting out new content just for the sake of something new to look at. A rushed post is never a good post — and the fortune said so.

Blog Catalog Blackberry Compote
A recipe by Cookingasshole, a dude who can cook.

It is that time of season again when all the delicious berry bushes flower like a young woman. Their fruits are readily available across the nation (except in the loser states like Wyoming) so we must put them to good use. We have already made a cobbler and a pie so today we are going to make a bad ass compote to pour over some vanilla ice cream. Jealous? You should be. Good thing this recipe is so easy even your inept ass can make it. Let’s begin:

In a small saucepan combine 12oz of blackberries, 1 1/2c of water, 3/4c sugar, and the juice from 1/2 a large lemon. If you cannot find blackberries in your crappy state or country, you can subsititute anything that ends in berry. If you must use frozen berries be sure to defrost them and drain them or else you will end up with a total mess on your hands and everyone you know will laugh at your inability to cook even the simplest dish.

Simmer the mixture over medium heat (that would be ‘5′ on the knob, genius) for 45 minutes. Be sure to stir it between glasses of wine. “Literally?” No, not literally jackass. I was just implying that you have a drinking problem, Lushy McDrinksalot.

And there you have it. A lovely accompaniment to some sweet vanilla ice cream. Too bad you will screw this up and resort to using Smucker’s Goober on yours. Eat it.