Week-End Review – FoB Hangover edition


I missed the tweet originally, but my friend Mike fixed that situation with a DM:
Mjfrig: Pamie linked to your blog. You’re famous! 🙂 
Wait, what? A quick Twitter search turned up what he was talking about:
pamelaribon: Photographic proof I was at Nerd Fest. (And this girl does have a name like a beautiful nemesis.) http://tinyurl.com/34tu5st #LATFOB
Never underestimate the power of the linkage, folks – or of Twitter, for that matter. Oh, and having blog business cards.

When I met authors to ask them to sign their books at the Festival of Books last weekend, I’d stick one of my blog business cards in at the title page – my little way of letting them know I’m a book blogger, and of making it easy for them to spell my name correctly. Pamela Ribon noticed: “That’s a great name! With a name like that, you should be infamous!”

I left my card on the table; I don’t know if she kept it, but I do know she found my FoB recap post, which mentions her rather prominently. And when she tweeted a link to it, she contributed to building my infamy – thanks, Pamie!

Thanks largely to that Twitter link, in less than a week that post has become my most-viewed post of 2010, with more than twice the views of the previous first-place holder. I was floored. I had almost 300 visitors the day that posted, and for me, that’s enormous, and highly unusual. I’m sure that this was a one-time stop for most of them, but that doesn’t mean I appreciate them any less.

That’s why I do these link round-ups – this one, and the more book-focused “Bookmarks” links in the Sunday Salon. If I’m linking to your post, you’ll usually find out one way or another, and even if I didn’t comment on it, that tells you I liked it. But even more, it tells other people that I liked it and think they should check it out. I hope that at least some of them do. I can’t promise a traffic bump from my links anywhere near the size of the one Pamie gave me, but I hope some new readers are finding you via the Weekend Review…and that it’s pointing you to some good, new-to-you reading as well!


Dispatches: Links from Across the Blogiverse this Week

A message to the married from a single friend; a message to parents about how (not) to raise narcissistic children

When social networking creates true connections in crisis (and redeems itself for its time-sucking tendencies); when your friends know what you’re up to (because of your blog), but you never talk any more. Semi-related: don’t worry about working the room – truly meeting just one person is networking, too

Replies, debates, and other questions of commenting etiquette; do you have certain criteria for choosing who gets that precious space in your Google Reader? Also: you don’t have to be balancing blogging and grad school to benefit from a few of Kim‘s suggestion

If it’s edible, Southerners can find a way to fry it (and, unfortunately for our health, clothing, and scales, make it delicious!). Speaking of health and food, a new study suggests that depressed people eat more chocolate…and get more depressed. Beth isn’t buying that – what do you think?

A closet full of nerdiness; speaking of closets, which are where we keep our clothes – will you be wearing shorts this summer?


Blogthings Quiz of the Week

You Need Some Structure in Your Life
You’re the type of person who makes a plan but doesn’t necessarily stick to it.
You like to have things roughly organized. However, you always are open to new experiences and change.

You don’t like too much chaos, but you also don’t like to be stuck in a rut. You like to strike a happy medium.
Whenever things get too routine you like to shake it up a little, even if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

This one’s got me pegged pretty well – what about you?


Vocabulary Lessons, via Not Always Right

Restaurant | Houston, TX, USA
(I’ve just asked a customer if they would like a new carafe of water.)
Customer: “What’s a ‘carafe’?”
Me: “In layman’s terms, its basically a water pitcher.”
Customer: “What’s ‘layman’s terms’?”
Me: “It’s like…dumbing down.”
Customer: “What’s ‘dumbing down’?”

Honestly, I kind of hope this conversation didn’t actually happen. If you have to ask, you’ll never get it.


Friday Fill-ins #174

pink and blue
1. I was walking in here to do something – now what was it again?
2. I was running late to get to my appointment and I left my book on the counter – where I also left my cell phone!
3. Why do I bother getting up so early when I can’t beat the traffic anyway?
4. Work stuff, and more work stuff was in my thoughts today.
5. One of my father’s favorite sayings was “I don’t get no respect.” (No, my dad isn’t Rodney Dangerfield…but he DID meet him on the Staten Island Ferry once.)
6. Too many books, too little time–I know that feeling!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include coffee in the morning and a party at night and Sunday, I want to spend some time reading and enjoying not being so busy this weekend!

Happy Friday!

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