Calling me out...of hiding

This post is dedicated to Ms. Kendell. A few days ago she called me out about my lack of blog posts and called me a "post blogger." Yes, I take A LOT of pictures and end up blogging about the events MONTHS after they occur and by the time I blog; I've forgotten what the food tasted like.  So, it saddens me to do this, but those pictures will just be lost and I'll be starting fresh with new pictures and hopefully current posts. 

 I don't want to bore you with the details or excuses for the lack of blogging.  My google reader has also been neglected and I haven't been able to catch up on reading my favorite blogs. 

March was just a really busy month..  I'll sum it up in one long sentence:  went on my 5th work trip of the year, am now a gold member on American Airlines, got really sick and lost my voice for a week, in-laws visited, bought a new car, friend from home visited, hello allergy season, and am now nursing an eye infection. 

So stay tuned for more food posts. Just so that I do not cheat on the posts, expect to see posts about Beef Bourguignon (I plan to make this in the upcoming weeks) and I'll be checking out The Grape's burger in Dallas this weekend. 

*I had a picture of a blood orange that I segmented a while ago and thought that this post needed an image.  How's that for randomness?

(Food) Blog Etiquette

Mike's having a wee too much fun with this blog. I tell you, it's like he's found a new toy. He seems to always be on the computer giggling and typing away while I'm working on my dissertation.

Only recently (since April) have I really gotten into this food blogging thing. Yet, I had to give Mike a crash course on how to blog before I let him loose.

Here's some of the blogging etiquette I've learned thus far. There are some unspoken rules that you learn in the process. I'm still learning, so I am apologizing in advance if I offend anyone in the process. These rules/suggestions are in no particular order.

1. Remain kind of anonymous for safety reasons

Okay, I'm sure I've posted enough picture of my friends and me on the site, that if you saw me in Hawaii, you'd know who I was.
Like I told Mike, don't make it easy for stalkers to find us. Therefore, no reference to our last name, address, phone number, etc.
Of course with technology, I'm sure that if someone wanted to stalk us, they could. But trust me, you'd be better off stalking some other people. They probably cook better tasting food.

2. If someone comments on your blog, this is what you should do:

a. At the bare minimum-respond to their comments

b. If you have extra time-It is even better if you check out their website/blog

c. The best response- leave a comment on their blog if a post catches your eye

d. Become an avid reader of their blog

3. Acknowledging Others

If you found something cool or interesting from another site or blog, add links to your blog to increase traffic to the person's website

4. Be Sincere
Blogging is for fun and a hobby, so if you meet people or write comments on other bloggers pages. Be sincere and be nice.

5. Adding links to others' blogs to your page

This is an iffy subject...just because someone lists your blog does not necessarily mean that you have to return the favor.
If you have a sitemeter linked to your account, you may notice that your site receiving a lot of referrals from a particular blog. If you are feeling nice and actually like another person's blog you may choose to add the blog to your list.

This is my philosophy-if you are a regular reader of a person's blog, why not add a link to the blog? This will allow others to enjoy the blog and will result in an easy access to your favorite blogs. If you rarely read the blog, then you are not obligated to link to the blog.

For non-bloggers who randomly read blogs

*If you want to make someone's day, please leave comments (they could be anonymous) on blogs. Sitemeters indicate that their are viewers of blogs, but seeing comments really let's the blogger know that their blog is being read. I'll add more "rules" when I learn them.