We have great news! All eyes will be on Bloggers Unite For Human Rights this May 15th because Amnesty International, a worldwide movement that campaigns for internationally recognized human rights, will be joining, supporting, and drawing attention to participating bloggers — and that could mean you!

In addition to promoting the campaign to its hundreds of thousands of members, Amnesty International is providing BlogCatalog source material for bloggers. Topics range from the wrongful imprisonment of journalist Shi Tao in China to the continuing murder, rape, abduction, and displacement of people in Darfur, Sudan.

You can find some of these resources on our new Amnesty International resource section at http://unite.blogcatalog.com#amnesty. Of course, you can write about any human rights topic you want. Some BlogCatalog members may even write about topics that have yet to gain international attention.

You might also be interested to know that Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA has some great things to say about our campaign.

"Amnesty International is thrilled to be a part of Bloggers Unite for Human Rights," he said. "Bloggers Unite for Human Rights is a great way to harness the power of the Internet to fight injustice and make the world a better place."

There are any great human rights organizations all over the world, but if you would like to know something about our Amnesty International, please visit http://www.amnestyusa.org for more information. Currently, Amnesty International is working to stop the abuse of internationally recognized human rights in over 150 countries and territories. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961.

Thanks so much for your continued support! More and more people are taking notice of your efforts. On behalf of the entire BlogCatalog team, thank you and we look forward to reading your posts on May 15!

What is it all about? Well, let me tell you. It’s about politics. Of course you knew I’d say that, being a political blogger, it isn’t that big of a stretch really. I know what you’re thinking. “Oh, I don’t really like politics, I don’t like talking about it, not really. Politics are boring.” Oh how wrong you are! Every person lives amongst political atmospheres. Whether you dwell in the tumultuous battle fields of political blogs, littered with intellectual land mines and and a smattering of incoherent rants or raves, or you prefer the oh-so-subtle political atmosphere at work, otherwise known as the water-cooler, no matter how you slice and dice it, you are immersed in politics, all day, every day.

Why does this matter? Because it does. Because it affects you, and me, and your nosy neighbor down the street. It also affects online communications and social forums such as BlogCatalog. Here it is…wait for it….yes! The gratuitous plug! Online blogging platforms and social forums such as BlogCatalog are rife, rife I say with politics! Of course, there is more to the story here. There always is.

BlogCatalog saved my faith, in people that is. Well, the forums here at BlogCatalog, in tandem with a few wonderful fellow bloggers and BlogCatalog junkies are what did the trick.

See now, prior to my addiction to BlogCatalog, I was totally and completely consumed by such social forums as MySpace, and online debate forums. During my escapades on other sites I realized one thing, or so I thought. They have all lost their minds! Of course, my world is one of political debate and discourse. I argue, I entice, I sometimes even bait! My patience however, had finally run out.

Once one got beyond the utter illiteracy of many of the participants, and found something in their posts to comprehend, one immediately regretted having read it at all. The amount of sheer ignorance, willful ignorance, and hatred and bile wasn’t just astounding, oh no! It made me want to put my head through my monitor! Towards the end of it, I had decided that I would have more fun if I stopped reading the threads, and simply poked myself in the eye with a sharp stick.

I was beginning to think that MySpace was really a typo, what they meant to call it was migraine.

Enter in BlogCatalog and all of it’s whiz-bang members. I of course stumbled into the general forums, cracking my knuckles with a maniacal laugh thinking “What kind of mischief can I cause here?” To my surprise I found something rare. Something unheard of. Something so utterly incomprehensible to my political debate centered mind I had no idea what to make of it.

It’s called…reason.

Humanity is saved! The lack of of patience that I had built up alongside with a certain amount of overall disgust that had me on the brink of grabbing my pitchfork and rifle and starting a revolution on my own melted away. Not that revolution is a bad thing, in my opinion, But there is something to be said for timing, and lack of a militia to wage one. members like Kdawg, AmmoBob, KevinGoodman, and ChelleB - all politically inclined in their own way, and quite stubborn, and opinionated stepped up, debated, and it was just magic. We didn’t all agree, certainly not. We did however, manage logical, rational conversations that actually went somewhere! I have even forged friendships and blog exchanges with folks such as AmmoBob, my complete opposite politically speaking.

It was about that time, I’m sure, that Satan had to go shopping for an overcoat.

That not withstanding, friendships such as with “Horseboy” otherwise known as Kdawg, the Aspiring horseplayer helped me to understand that all was not lost. People were there, and they were listening, and compromises could be made. Bridges could be gapped. Unfortunately politics exist on BlogCatalog too. That old “water-cooler” political style that inevitably does someone in. Some bloggers have walked away from BlogCatalog, and we want them back!

However, as I said before it’s all about politics, anyway.

The moral of the story? There is none, aside from the fact that coming into BlogCatalog is like walking into the script of some sappy movie, “When logic met reason” or some such thing. It’s true - you too can restore your faith that people are, in fact, intelligent. Wow.

You can boost your blog hits to boot. Is that a deal or what?

Anok is a self proclaimed political junkie and dork. She can be found regularly in the blogcatalog discussions. Her blog Identity Check is a political place for opinions, research, and musings from the Anarchist / Activist point of view.

You know, its been over a year now since I began working on stuff for blogcatalog. I remember the day Tony bought it; I thought he might have been a little crazy. I mean, I at least read blogs and had a personal one or two of my own at the time but it was all new to him. Nonetheless he embraced it with open arms, and we (the BlogCatalog Team) began cleaning things up and adding more and more features.

I really admire the blind faith of the BC owners, not just in the purchase of the website, but also in myself and Daniel (our lead programmer). There have been many times when one of us will come up with an idea and Tony will just let us run with it, sometimes without even understanding it completely. It’s nice to be in a position where your input matters, even if it’s just a little bit. I think that sometimes just seeing that we are passionate about something, even if he doesn’t agree with it, means that he is going to give us a shot to go in a new direction and that is awesome.

Earlier today I saw that Alexa updated their algorithm. To my surprise we were ranked 816 yesterday. Now I know that Alexa is not the end-all of stats or anything but over a year ago I remember the team looking at the statistics (which were closer to 2 or 3 thousand back then) and setting a personal goal to try our best to break the 1,000 mark in a year. Whether the number they provide is an accurate representation of traffic or not, it HAS been an accurate representation of our goal… constantly taunting us for the past few months as we floated just above 1,000 but unable to pass it… That is until just recently.

The truth is, this past year and a half has been a fun ride. I have read more blogs, and met more interesting people in one year than I have in my entire life. While I do not get the opportunity to sit in the discussions and have small talk as much as I would like, my admin responsibilities have given me the opportunity to at least keep up with the fun topics and subjects each day. I really feel like our discussions are the heartbeat of the blogosphere. If something new gets announced at 2:00pm in the blogosphere I can assure you there will be a post about it in the discussions at 2:01pm.

The bottom line though is that despite all of our hard work, despite the late nights, and thousands and thousands of blog approvals each week this place is NOTHING without the community. I can’t help but ask myself ‘how did we get so lucky?’ because the truth is we DID get lucky. I mean there are THOUSANDS of other websites and social networks out there, backed by more money and with far more advanced features… but the trick with these things… the real million dollar question is: how do you get the people to come and stay? That is where I think the biggest variable in sites like these comes in and it all boils down to dumb luck.

We were lucky enough from the very beginning to have really passionate and helpful members visiting our site everyday. Leaving comments, posting discussions, helping new members… When you have such a strong and friendly community the possibilities are endless. I am truly grateful for each and every person who graces our website and decides to submit their blog to the directory.

Whether they are a new user looking to learn, or an experienced blogger looking to grow readership and share their knowledge, the love that this community has is really admirable.

The truth is, blogging is hard, it is not just a hobby and it takes a lot of work to be disciplined enough and inspired enough to post new entries on a consistent basis. Anyone who takes the time to create a blog, and write, and join a community like this one automatically gains respect from the regulars here. Because we all know how hard it is to be consistent with something like blogging.

One of my favorite parts of the site are the discussions because from the very beginning when I told the team I wanted to make a way for people to communicate outside the shoutbox I remember thinking about what we could do to NOT make it a forum. When we sat down as a team and starting coming up with ideas it was apparent that we did not want to make categories. The problem with most forums is that if you are a technology blogger you got to the technology threads, if you are a mother blogger, you would go to the mom threads. People flock to the areas that they are most comfortable in all the while forgetting the most important thing that we all have in common: We are all bloggers.

And being bloggers says a lot. So we decided to have a free flowing open area for people to talk about whatever comes to mind and that is where the magic happens because now you have a history professor from Florida talking to a stay at home mom from England, to a technology blogger in New York and a 12 year old blogger from wherever and we’re breaking down these social barriers we give ourselves online.

The truth is that BlogCatalog is just a shell, and it is empty without every single one of you who take the time to participate. We (the BC Team) could add feature after feature but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if there is no one here to share it with.

I started this post with the intention of plugging the community blog but it seems as though this post has evolved into something different. You know, Daniel first mentioned he wanted to open our blog up to the community about 6 or 7 months ago. It wasn’t until recently that we have actually done so and I have to say that I am really enjoying the posts that have come through so far. It really is a testament to all the great writers we have out there.

Despite this post’s rambling and lack of direction I hope that I have at least given you some insight into my thought process as I come into work each day.

As someone who has to approve hundreds of blogs a day for blogcatalog I leave you with this parting thought for the day…

People can get their news and information from anywhere; from the television, to the newspaper, to the radio… The reason that blogging is one of the fastest growing forms of news and media has more to do with just the speed of information, it has to do with the voices behind that information. I think that people are bored with just the facts. They want the opinions, they want to hear the voice of the author, and they want to participate in discussions around these posts. If you aren’t doing so already, I challenge you to engage your audience. I challenge you to write your posts not just in a boring standard format but write to your readers as though you were having a conversation with them. Engage the audience of your blog and share yourself with them because from my experience those are the types of blogs that people become attached to in a more intimate nature. Those are the blogs you want to keep reading day after day.

NINE is a 27 year old graphic designer working for BlogCatalog. He is responsible for the day to day administration and new product development. His blog CellRater is a resource for information and news on upcoming cellphones.

Blog Catalog is clearly more than just a blog directory. It’s a place where blog authors can build friendships, exchange information, get help, and find inspiration. Members hail from across the globe, each of us bursting with our own thoughts and perspectives. We are all bound by the same thread: We blog…. and blog… and blog. The ability to express oneself in this form is, at times, exhilarating. With so much to be said, it’s no surprise the ‘discussions’ section of BC is ALWAYS active. But what happens when there is nothing more to say? Aside from being connected through Blog Catalog, there is one more thing members have in common.

At some point or another, we have all suffered from Writer’s Block.

I actually respect Writer’s Block because it doesn’t care how talented, funny, or knowledgeable you are. It’s like the IRS in a way: sooner or later EVERYBODY pays. This affliction has plagued me numerous times, leaving my well of ideas bone dry. Frustration has boiled my blood and salty tears of helplessness have fallen from my eyes. In complete despair, I have raised my eyes heavenward seeking an answer to this…disease. Why me? Who exactly did I piss off and how can I make it right? I cannot explain the bitterness I have felt at my inability to cultivate ideas or the jealousy I have had of others, for whom ideas seemingly came easy.

Enter desperation.

At the moment, I have over 20 unpublished posts that practically reek “bottom of the barrel” (some would say the same for a few published ones, too). These were scribblings I fully intended to post if my dry spell did not end, posts that if offered to the public would surely get me tarred and feathered.

Because I frequently bask in the feeling of community here, I will bravely share a few of the incriminating titles:

“Ode to My Slowcooker” - Wherein I write poetry describing this most wondrous of inventions. When people ask, “What can you make in a slowcooker?” I respond with, “Deliciousness.”

“Battle of the Curd” - It starts off: Once again husband and wife are engaged in a deadly battle of wills. Both refused to throw out the spoiled milk someone left on the counter. After the horrific Cheddar Cheese Fiasco of 2006, neither intended to give in to the other…

“Lamentations on Human Anatomy, or: 10 Reasons Why Long Fingernails are Useful” - This was a particularly bad day.

“Why Jubilee Should Never Have Been an X-Men” - Honestly, she sucks.

“Dear NBC” - A letter to the network begging for the return of “Cavemen”. I liked that show.

“Members Only” - A passion-filled display of affection in memory of a certain jacket once considered the height of fashion.

“The Private Lives of Toys in Mint Condition” - What your collectibles do when you leave home.

“The Upside-down e” - Punctuation that’s finger lickin’ good.

… and the list goes on.

I hope to never publish anything listed here, I already tempted fate with “What Would You Do If Darkseid Stole Your Car?” I shudder to think what other sorts of posts might slip through my fingers during this darkest of times. And while I’m not exactly proud of some of these pieces, they did lead me to better things.

Writer’s Block is a monster that needs to feed on innocent creativity from time to time. When you are one of its poor victims, it is important to hang on to whatever motivates you to share your ideas with others. Whether you need to take a walk, listen to music, spend time on the BC threads or write pure nonsense, never give in to it. Do whatever it takes to keep the idea machine chugging along. And NEVER EVER post in desperation, like drunk-dialing, you always live to regret it.

**Photo by PPDIGITAL

JillSaxon, an active member of the blogcatalog community, is a 25 year old married woman who likes only meat, cheese and ketchup on her burgers. Her blog, The Loquaciously Verbose Ramblings of 1 Slacker is a source of personal thoughts, observations, memories and opinions.

Thanks to you, May marks the first anniversary of Bloggers Unite and this time we’re launching an awareness campaign chosen by BlogCatalog members. On May 15, let’s unite for human rights and make a statement that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms - life, liberty, and justice! On May 15th 2008, 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 (http://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 (http://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 (http://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 (http://www.blogcatalog.com/group/bloggers-unite) where you can add more organizations that you think are worth including.

How To Join Bloggers Unite!

To join, simply visit the Bloggers Unite page (http://unite.blogcatalog.com/) to get more information. Then, on Thursday, May 15th, write a blog post that shares awareness about human rights.

Your blog post could:

• Have the title “Bloggers Unite For Human Rights” (or some variation).
• include an example of human rights so people can learn about it.
• Explain the importance of human rights and how it applies to everyone.
• Link to one of the sites we’ve listed or the most suitable site for your country.
• And add a link to our BlogCatalog Community Human Rights Awareness Campaign page so we can give you and your blog credit for being part of it.

If you have any questions, please e-mail bloggersunite@blogcatalog.com. And please, don’t forget to tell your friends to blog about this too. Together, I know we can raise awareness and prove bloggers can do good!

May marks the first anniversary of Bloggers Unite and this time we’re fighting for Human Rights. Grab a badge below to show your support and help get the word out about Bloggers Unite.

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Since long, I have been watching the steep hike in the membership of senior citizens at B.C compared to the increase of the fresh, new and exuberant younger lot. The seniors are, of course there to look up to but I think I’ve got a bit too tired of them now! The “oldies” as I refer to them, have been showing too much of themselves, eh? And so boring they have made the entire Blogcatalog community forums?

Ever imagined what would happen if B.C was operated by a 13 year old girl like me? The oldies out there must be in a shock with their gaze fixed on the screen and their wrinkled faces showing bizarre expressions, but the younger ones would be all excited with brilliantly gleaming faces!

If I were the B.C Administrator, I would bring in a lot of desired changes at B.C for the younger lot. I would have a fun column here where kids can read jokes, play games and chat with other and yeah, it would have a huge sign saying, “NO Entry For Oldies”! I would organize competitions for kids and oldies separately, maybe writing contests or best blog, best post etc. The prizes for the kids would be a box of candy of their choice but the oldies would only get a pat of appreciation from the younger ones, vice-versa now and the roles would be reversed.

The oldies would be fuming at what we were doing while we enjoyed B.C to the fullest. I would ban all discussions about international politics, religion, money making or any similar stuff from the discussion boards (tell me, who is interested in boring topics like whether Obama or Hillary will become the president of America?). They would all be replaced by humorous discussions in which there could be universal participation.

No one of the oldies would be allowed to own groups but they could join in with the younger lot if they wished (Do I see smoke coming out of your ears?!). The layout of the B.C website would be in bright vibrant colors like pink and yellow and orange.

B.C would still remain a blogging forum, but with active participation from children so as to increase the number of young bloggers, the only exception being that the kids would have B.C to their power. While the oldies are still angry about loosing all the power to us, why not throw the oldies down, my friends?

So watch out Nine, thegoodknife and Tony……

Note: This post is meant in good humor and not to hurt anyone’s feelings. Kindly take it in the right way

MeghanK is a 13 year old girl from India, an avid reader and an aspiring writer. She authors two blogs; Delve into the mind of a budding blogger is filled with creative writing stories, poetry humor and games while her other blog The Writing Pages is about writing, books, authors, and much more!

We have at least one think in common: We are all writers! We write for different reasons. We write in different genres. We write for different readers, but we all write. We write for work, for school, for family, for friends, for community. We write to persuade, to inform, to comment, to motivate, to inspire, to comfort. We write news, features, journals entries, essays, research papers, poetry, and letters. We write to like-minded readers, hostile readers, acquaintances, and strangers.But we write. We write to make a difference. The paper is our microphone. The pen is our mouth, and the ink is our blood. The words are our thoughts and feelings. It is a vulnerable proposition -writing, but we are writers. It is what we do.When something is frustrating, writing through it brings resolution. The work doesn’t even need to get read, but it is rewarding when it does. When we write about something new and exciting, a sense of satisfaction is often shared between the writer and reader. When confused or overwhelmed, writing sorts out our thoughts and feelings. When we are saddened, writing somehow reduces our anxiety.Writing calls us to the computer when we are tired, but we comply. And when we are finished writing, we are content, but for only a short time. We have at least one more thing in common: We write for blogs.

Writing for blogs presents unique opportunities and obstacles. When we communicate face to face, we have the opportunity for immediate feedback. For example, if I said, “The movie, Leatherheads was good,” you could reply: “In what way was it good?” Because of the opportunity to clarify our meaning through follow-up questions, many of us have become accustomed to not striving for clarity in our casual conversations. A typical conversation might go something like this:

· Mr. Jones: “I had a bad day today.”
· Ms. Smith: “What happened?”
· Mr. Jones: “We missed a deadline.”
· Ms. Smith: “Why.”
· Mr. Jones: “Jimmy was just off.”
· Ms. Smith: “Do you mean off work, or he was not very productive?”

This conversation is an example of interpersonal communication. The process works something like this: Mr. Jones starts with an idea that he wants to communicate to Ms. Smith. He goes through a process called encoding. That’s the process of changing ideas to symbols (symbols can be spoken words, written words, body language, etc.) Ms. Smith heard the words or symbols and decoded them into meaning for her. Because Mr. Jones’ symbols were ambiguous or vague, Ms. Smith provided necessary feedback. Mr. Jones continued encoding symbols until he and Ms. Smith achieved effective communication.

In mass communication such as with newspapers and radio, the sender of information and the receiver of information usually lack the opportunity for immediate feedback. If receivers don’t understand what they read in the newspaper or heard on TV, they often just put down the paper or change the channel. The lesson here is that in mass communication, the sender must chose the best symbols to be clear the first time or risk losing the attention of the receiver.

Blogs are unique. Communicating through blogs is similar to interpersonal conversation in terms of the casualness of the conversation and the opportunity for comments. Communicating through blogs is also similar to mass communications in that there is one sender and numerous receivers, and while the feedback opportunities exists, relatively few bother to take advantage of the opportunity. Even when receivers leave remarks seeking clarification from the blog writer, it is often too late to benefit everyone involved because bloggers participate in online conversations sporadically.

That said there is ample opportunity for miscommunication through blogging, especially as it relates to the writers’ tone, inflection, and connotation. Emotion is difficult to convey online. Bloggers may choose to use emoticons such as smiley faces to indicate emphasis and emotion. However, careful attention should be used for new bloggers, who may be unfamiliar with the less common emoticons. Some emoticons are easy to misinterpret. Then there’s the abbreviated, text-message carry over to blogs. I remember years ago when I received a message with “lol” included. I wondered why my student was responding with “lots of love.” Fortunately before responding I discovered “lol” stood for “laugh out loud.” Another potential for miscommunication for writers and readers of blogs is a word in ALL CAPS. To some a word in all caps means an important term, to others it connotes shouting.

Because of the numerous opportunities for misunderstanding, those who write for blogs might consider how each word could be received by the reader. If, for example, sarcasm is intended, the blog writer might consider a parenthetical expression, ie (sarcasm). While this may seem cumbersome, the alternative is the potential for misunderstanding. If the goal is effective communication, blog writers should be careful to avoid vague, ambiguous terms or terms that may have unintended consequences. With all the online competition, attracting readers to your blog or website is difficult. But getting frustrated readers to return is a steeper hill to climb.

As you know: once you say it, it’s out there! Writing is powerful; it can change the world. And blogs are our most powerful platform; where else do our words have the potential to be heard by the world.

Robertstevenson is a dad, professor of mass communications and writer. His blog, Rob’s Megaphone is a dedicated to “funny, interesting stuff” from all over the world wide web. If you are looking for a fun and interesting blog stop by and check it out.

You hang a freelance writing shingle, you learn to expand your social media base. These days writing for a living is so much more than it used to be. Or than it ever was for that matter. I’ve survived the profession by keeping an open mind, by being willing (even eager) to learn new skills, and by questioning almost every declaration of alleged fact I encounter.

So when I discovered the community at Blog Catalog, I didn’t get very involved at first. I already had pages at Facebook and MySpace but they occupied maybe 15 minutes of my time each week. At first, I registered my site at BC, popped a widget in my sidebar and pretty much left it at that. But I had friend requests and I made some requests of my own. Every now and then I’d scan the discussion board.

You work as an independent journalist, you rely on information. You juggle a dozen or more editors if you’re lucky. Fact is there were an unusually high number of participants at BC who seemed to know a lot about their interest areas. I’m always in need of experts for articles. One of my favorite clients, The Writer, has led to interviews with Ken Burns, Billy Collins, Christian Wiman and many other great writers. My news clients have led me to celebs like Russell Crowe, up and coming actors and creatives like Stefan Pinto, to governors, senators and even famous psychics.

But one of my favorite projects is the Web column I do for The Writer. Several times I’ve picked BC brains for that column, Web Savvy. For my marketing column at Beneath the Brand and for my own blog, I’ve done the same. The discussion board grew on me. Now I visit on a daily basis, and I’m inspired by what I learn and read. Despite an aversion to general political discussions, I even got involved in a recent discussion on global warming. The fact it remained civil says a lot about the community.

Some of the bloggers I’ve met are friends in the making; others are “friends” in the sense of people with common interests who connect via social media. At times, I’ve tried to give advice when it was sought.

Most of my online interactions are drive-bys. The pro writers’ groups I’m in—the ones where you have to submit thousands of words published in acceptable outlets and prove your skills—focus on the business of writing. But at Blog Catalog, there’s a global convergence where people share information on topics like banner making or moneytizing your blog. There’s added comfort because the blogs are approved by an actual human being. Discussions are monitored and ad hominem attacks are squelched. When I started a new blog recently, I received lots of help from members.

In between columns, interviews and the routine of running a word factory, I duck in and out much like you’d stick your head in the door or chat at the water cooler if you worked in an office. After all, my co-workers are a hound dog, a parakeet and a chicken. Humans need humans at times. Being part of the community has been an asset and an inspiration.

In a profession where one day you might descend into the dark shaft of a gold mine, or watch a Peregrine Falcon lift her wings towards the sky, or hold a snake in your hand and try very hard to remain calm, Blog Catalog is sort of a comfort room in cyberspace for me. You write a piece about the presidential primary for Sky News and a half-track for a wire service agency then hop over to peck out 1,000 words for a daily, you need a little comfort, you know?

You hang out a freelance writing shingle, you learn to expand your social media base. I think Blog Catalog actually taught me the meaning of the term social media, reminding me that these days, writing for a living is so much more complex than it used to be. Or maybe than it ever really was to begin with. (Filed by Kay B. Day)

Kaybday is an Independent journalist and poet, content provider for daily newspapers, wire services, magazines and Web sites as well as a self proclaimed blogging addict. Her blog Covering Florida focuses on everything from culture to politics and all points in between: travel, restaurants, breaking news, and health alerts.

BlogCatalog is always on the look out for new features that can get your blog more traffic as well as enhance the value of your blog to visitors, so that they keep on coming back.

We found a tool that we think you’ll really like. BlogCatalog has partnered with JargonFish, a company that offers a free, customizable widget that when added to your blog will increase your blog’s traffic and provide your readers with a convenient way to find blogs from other BlogCatalog members.

So how does JargonFish work?

Once on your blog, the JargonFish widget highlights keywords that you select. When a visitor click on those highlighted keywords, a small JargonFish window is launched providing the visitor with a variety of helpful resources related to that keyword including related blog posts from BlogCatalog members, as well as some other leading content providers, including Digg and Technorati.

What does this mean?

This means that you will be receiving traffic from other members who add the JargonFish tool as well as providing your blog readers with more reasons to visit your site.

To see the JargonFish widget in action and add it to your blog visit http://www.blogcatalog.com/jargonfish/

If you like what you see, visit http://www.jargonfish.com/builder/signup.htm?sourceId=5 where you can further customize the JargonFish tool.