To Blog... To Twitter... To Whrrl!

Lately I have been having lots of fun using a new application called whrrl.

You see, I like to blog, but as a busy working mom I often don't have the time. I also really love to twitter, but sometimes I have way more to say (and show through pictures) than the 140 characters allow. So when I found whrrl, I instantly became hooked. I think it is a great "in-between" for a microblogginmom like me. =)

I'm still playing around with whrrl and learning to use it's many cool features, such as embedding whrrl stories into my blog. Check it out... We celebrated my nephew(and godson) Niko's 1st Birthday at Lake Cunningham Park in San Jose, California last month. You can see the story on whrrl by clicking on the image below. I love how I can also share any of my stories with friends on facebook & twitter.

With school out, hubby's sabbatical in sight, & vacations planned... this MicroBlogginMom is going to whrrl her way through the summer, capturing our family vacation moments. Thanks to the whrrl blog widget, the top section of my blog will showcase the most recent whrrl stories for your viewing pleasure. So, if you don't want to miss the sights we are going to see & reviews I'm going to share, be sure you subscribe to my blog in your favorite reader or via email (see top right corner) and follow me on twitter @MicroBlogginMom. We're in for a fun & exciting time!

Do you whrrl? Leave a comment, I would love to know what you think of whrrl & would love to view some of your whrrl stories too!

MicroBlogginMom's date with The Ultimate Blog Party!

I’m still kind of new to blogging but have made great contacts & met some very cool people these past few months. As I surfed blogs this week, I stumbled upon the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom. What luck... to have the opportunity to connect & meet so many bloggers out there with similar interests. This is definitely a party I didn't want to miss.

About MicroBlogginMom
By day, I am a full time meeting manager, managing two 2-day training events per week for a training institute in Silicon Valley, CA.

By evening/night I am a full time mom & wife, managing a busy household. My responsibilities revolve around an over-worked, multi-tasking, Silicon Valley geek husband; a 4.5 year old princess ballerina; AND a “terrible 2” (but too cute) little man.

I love anything related to my “real time” life experiences. Which currently includes, Motherhood, Girlie Gadgets, Beauty, Fashion, anything Chic & Savvy AND of course sweet Deals & Bargains. Whenever this MicroBlogginMom has “5 Minutes for Mom” I can be found reading blogs, writing blogs, or tweet-ing!

Continue to follow this MicroBlogginMom and I will continue to share with you “tidbits” “tweets” “links” “cool finds” “short stories” “giveaways” and more of the joys, adventures, as well as challenges of being a busy working mom still wondering if there will ever be more than 24-hours in day.

I invite you take a look around, check-out my current giveaway, leave a comment, subscribe to my blog, and/or follow me on twitter @MicroBlogginMom! And of course keep party hopping, there are so many great blogs out there to explore.

Be sure to leave a link to your blog so that I can visit you too!

Thanks for stopping by!
MicroBlogginMom


Oh yeah... there are also many cool prizes to be won at this year’s Ultimate Blog Party, and my top three picks would be:

• #USC 10 — The Big Combo Pack
• #8 — A personalized name dot variety pack of Stuck On You.
• #48 – No-iron no-sew clothing name labels from LabelLighthouse.com
  

And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference): 21, 22, 26,71, 91, USC 56, 118, or anything else great for toddlers or preschoolers.

Essential & Fun iPhone Apps for MOM!

A great blog giveaway from MicroBlogginMom with sponsorship from DoubleTapApps.

Last month, while wandering the wonderful world of twitter this @MicroBlogginMom discovered @shonak of DoubleTapApps. DoubleTapApps provides a variety of iPhone & iPod Touch applications. Being that this MicroBlogginMom LOVES her iPhone I was very eager to check out what I call the “MOM” essential apps.

I had the opportunity to try out Parent I-C-E (In Case of Emergency). In this cool & handy little app, I can store emergency contacts along with medical conditions, allergies, etc. for me, my spouse, and both of my children. Being the first app on my iPhone home page, this app makes it easy for any person attending to me or my family in an emergency, to easily locate our medical information as well as "speed dial" our emergency contacts. Now, although I hope to never have a major emergency… just having this app on my iPhone gives me peace of mind and that alone is well worth the $2.99.


Do you have an iPhone or iPod Touch? Would you like the Parent I-C-E app for free? Well here’s your chance. DoubleTapApps has given me the opportunity to give-a-way the Parent I-C-E app for FREE to THREE of my lucky readers.

Receive one entry for each of the following:

1. Visit the DoubleTapApps website and check out the variety of apps. Then come back here and post a comment letting me know what app you like best and/or would want for yourself.
2. Download and try one of the free apps offered by DoubleTapApps. Then come back here and post a comment with a short review of the app. Each comment/review counts as one entry.
3. Blog about this giveaway on your own personal blog. Then come back here and post a comment with a link to your blog post.
4. Tweet this on Twitter: “Want a free iPhone/iPod Touch App? @MicroBlogginMom is giving away one of her favorite apps at http://adjix.com/dnbq”. Then come back here and post a comment letting me know that you did.
5. Follow me on Twitter @MicroBlogginMom. Then come back here and post a comment letting me know that you did. Be sure to provide your twitter ID.
6. Follow DoubleTapApps on Twitter @shonak. Then come back here and post a comment letting me know that you did. Be sure to provide your twitter ID.

For your entry to be valid, be sure to come back here and click on "comments" below to post a comment, letting me know what you did. You can enter as many times as you want since you get one entry for each comment. Be sure to include your name & email address so that I can contact you with the iTunes app download code if you win.

Giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on Sunday, March 15. Random.org will be used to generate a winner from all qualified entries. Winner will be notified the week of March 16.

Best of Luck!



***** UPDATE *****
Monday 03/15/2009
This giveaway is now closed.

The winners of the Parent I-C-E iPhone app will be contacted via email. Congratulations!!!

Be sure to check out DoubleTapApps and the wide variety of iPhone apps they have available.

15 Days of Marketing with Jessica Knows - Day 12

Day 12 - My Social Media Trifecta is Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Day 12 - Assignment: Building my Social Media Trifecta

I’ve been on Facebook for a few months now and love it, more so for personal connections. I just created my LinkedIn account which seems like a great tool to build a fully detailed online resume. I plan to build upon this account for making professional connections. I of course can also be found on Twitter. I have found Twitter to be a great tool for BOTH personal & professional social networking. Heck this is how I found @JessicaKnows and began 15 Days of Marketing with Jessica Knows!

15 Days of Marketing with Jessica Knows - Day 11

Day 11 - Measuring Your Influence So Companies Will Want to Work with You
Day 11 - Assignment: Baseline Measurements & Subscriptions

Wow this assignment sure was an eye opener. Luckily my blog is still in its infancy stage and I have lots of wiggle room to only make it better!

Today’s Baseline Stats:
twInfluence - @MicroBlogginMom Rank: #2,830 (69%)
Twitter Grader - @MicroBlogginMom Twitter Grade = 81 out of 100
Website Grader - Blog-Website Grade = 56 /100

Not sure how the newsletter thing with iContact works just yet so I’ll implement that later. In the meantime I do have a “subscribe button” using feedburner set up. It is located at the very top right of the blog sidebar. As this blog blossoms, a lot will be happening in the next few months; including cool giveaways, a fresh new blog makeover, and so much more. So I invite you to subscribe to my feed, so that you don’t miss a thing!

15 Days of Marketing with Jessica Knows - Day 4

Day 4 - Ask and You Shall Receive Results
Day 4 - Assignment: PR Peeps & Connecting

Part 1:
Checking out where the PR peeps hang out. I signed up for Help a Report Out (HARO) earlier this week. Took a peek at PitchEngine which is pretty cool. And, since I love twitter, I’m now exploring Twellow. Yipee, finding “following” AND “followers” is FUN!

Part 2:
Off to make some connections! So if you are on twitter, find & follow me @MicroBlogginMom.

Note to self: I need to remember to include “#15days” in my tweets!

What is a Site Warming Party?

What in the world is a "site warming party" and who would have ever thought that it would be such a cool new thing!

Well, recently this MicroBlogginMom stumbled upon Resourceful Mommy via Twitter and is so glad she did. You have got to check out all the rage around the ever so popular site warming twitter parties and see how you can get in on the fun too!

Resourceful Mommy, thank you for being oh so resourceful!

My newest obsession… twitter

Besides finally starting my own bog, my other daily obsession is "twitter"


Why you ask? Coincidentally, @KatjaPresnal (a mom I recently met on twitter) just blogged all about it. You have got to check out 50+ Reasons Why Join Twitter Today. The post is awesome! Several of my very own reasons for being on "twitter" are revealed here.

And if you are not already on twitter, maybe you should be!
Follow me @MicroBlogginMom