GeekSugar

LilSugar's Guide to Starting a Family Blog

Angelica Marden — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:31:13 PDT

Twenty-first century moms are faced with a new Hamletian dilemma: to blog or not to blog? As soon as that pregnancy stick shows a positive mark, parents start planning, taking notes, and trying to capture memories of the exciting milestones. Many have traded in the baby books of yesteryear for websites and blogs dedicated to their pregnancy, childbirth, and baby or family photos. If you haven't already created a blog to share your lil one with the world, check out my suggestions for starting a family site.

Decide: Is Blogging Family Friendly?	Things to Consider Before You Click Publish	What to Share, What to Keep Private
Blog Like Us With OnSugar!	How to Attract Readers and Share Your Stories	Let Baby Advertise For You

Blogger Brings New Layouts to the Table

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:47:58 PDT

Blogger is one of the simplest blogging platforms around, and today, it's adding some new templates, technology, and speed to make its users even more on-trend. Photo blogs are super hot these days (thanks in part to Tumblr's success), and now Blogger users can take advantage of new photo-focused layouts to feature their awesome snapshots. Additionally, there's a very "Gawker-like" Sidebar template and a clean, three-column template called Timeslide.

Besides the new layouts, Blogger is adding some fresh new features as well: infinite scrolling and speedy photo uploads. Check out all five of the new layouts - which are in an early preview for blogger feedback - in the gallery!

6 Blogging Tips For Beginners

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:30:54 PST

So, you've decided to start a blog. Congratulations! So what now, you ask? Well, there are a few skills and tricks I've learned while blogging here and on other personal blogs, some of which I'll share with you today. Ready to dive in? Let's get started!

Stick to what you know - It doesn't make much sense to start a blog about vintage cars if you're totally into fashion and beauty. Pick a subject you're passionate about! Not only will it be easier to wax poetic about something you love, but you'll likely come up with lots of great post ideas picked from your everyday life.
Images go a long way - If you aren't into taking your own images, you can get free photos from stock image sites like Stock.xchng and Flickr, which will help bring your blog to life. Just remember to research, read, and practice proper sourcing practices for each site and photographer. Good news for bloggers wanting to use the OnSugar platform - you'll automatically get access to thousands of Getty images for free! Oh, and if you eventually want to start dabbling in photography, we have lots of tips to help you along.

Read my remaining tips when you read more.

The Perfect Gift For a Blogger: Blog2Print

GeekSugar — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:00:23 PDT

You have been blogging up a storm lately! To reward all of your hard work, why not turn your blog into a book? It's all the rage these days, you know. With Blog2Print, you can pick and choose excerpts from your digital journal to be printed (on actual paper!), and bound into an attractive coffee table tome. Think of it like an old school keepsake!

This would be perfect for a food blogger who posts recipes or restaurant reviews, or even a fashion fiend who takes snapshots of her daily looks. Not just blogs, but you can print Facebook albums or PDF docs as well. Unfortunately, Blog2Print won't print your OnSugar blog, but it does accommodate a few other blogging platforms.

Do You Have a Family Blog?

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:15:56 PDT

It's not just tech-savvy singles who are blogging their lives online; families are getting in on the action as well. I know at least 10 families who blog, which makes it easier for friends and family to keep up on activities, vacations, and all the photos that follow. Not only is it fun, but it sure cuts down on the long-distance phone bills and photo printing fees and prevents you from having to tell the same vacation story several different times at family gatherings - instead, you can just send a link to your gallery or post in an email!

This isn't to say that families who blog are disconnected from the rest of their circles - if anything, it gives outsiders a glimpse into your everyday life that they otherwise may have missed due to miles or schedules. Obviously, I'm a fan of blogging (and so are you), but what say you - do you have a family blog?

Guide to Starting a Family Blog

LilSugar — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:00:00 PDT

Decide: Is Blogging Family Friendly?	Things to Consider Before You Click Publish	What to Share, What to Keep Private
Blog Like Us With OnSugar!	How to Attract Readers and Share Your Stories	Let Baby Advertise For You

Tech Dating 101: At Least You Didn't Get Dumped Like This

GeekSugar — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:47:10 PDT

We've all been there - you fall in love, flowers bloom, the sun shines, everything is great . . . until you get that phone call that starts with, "We need to talk." You know what comes next - you're getting dumped. And although breaking up face-to-face may be rough and super emotional, let's get real - there are worse ways to get the bad news. Dating is hard enough to begin with, and tossing our obsession with technology in the mix? Well, it's easy to see where people get confused about what's appropriate dating behavior and what isn't. I've rounded up six situations where technology has bitten us in the backside, and being dumped these ways couldn't be more humiliating. Take this as a lesson: don't let technology be a lame crutch - dump others how you would want to be dumped!

Find out my top six most humiliating ways to get dumped when you

Bill Gates Chats About Online Presence, Loves Diet Coke

GeekSugar — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:47:00 PST

Despite the fact that Bill Gates can't use Facebook, he was able to join Twitter last week, and start his own blog to highlight the work he's been doing with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation since stepping down as CEO of Microsoft. As you can imagine, his Twitter account blew up faster than a suggested user list, and is now followed by over 300,000 people. Between his busy tweeting and blogging schedule, Bill sat down for an interview with CNET to talk about his new online presence, saying that tweeting will "keep me up to date."

I have a hard time believing that a guy who has such a great influence on our culture wouldn't somehow be kept in the loop on the newest forms of tech and social media, but one thing I learned (and can totally relate to), is this guy loves his Diet Coke. So much so, that he just had to crack one open in the middle of the segment. So long, Mountain Dew! DC is now the drink of choice for geeks everywhere.

To see Bill Gates talking about Twitter, his blog, and enjoying his Diet Coke, just

Would You Blog or Tweet in the Voice of Your Child?

LilSugar — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:00:47 PST

If everybody gets 15 minutes of fame, do mamas who blog for their children get 30? With moms and dads tweeting, blogging, and updating their Facebook statuses about their lil ones around the clock, many of the sites look more like parenting outlets than the social networking spaces they were in their early days. Seventy-five percent of LilSugar readers believe it is OK to blog about their children, telling anecdotes about their daily activities and posting photos for friends, family, and strangers to browse.

Our fellow PTA moms aren't the only ones doing so, either. Celebrities like Denise Richards, Brooke Burke, and Lisa Rinna spend a significant amount of time online - posting cell phone pictures of their kids, asking for parenting advice, and doling out advice of their own.

What's next? Some parents are even taking it further, blogging and tweeting in the voice of their tots, taking on their personas, and sharing their children's supposed thoughts. A Seattle mom-to-be is even tweeting from her unborn child's point of view. Do you think it's cute when adults blog from their children's point of view, or a bit over the top?

Want to talk pregnancy with other expectant mamas? Get the conversation started in the Pregnancy Posse group!

Geek Out: Where Won't You Whip Out Your Laptop?

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:05:09 PDT

In the movie Motherhood, which opens today, Uma Thurman plays a multitasking stay-at-home mom trying to raise two kiddos and keep up her passion for writing. Her busy schedule of feedings, cleaning, meal making, and party planning means she has to sneak short moments of computer time in wherever she can. She blogs in 10-minute increments at her desk while baby plays, at the playground, and even in the stairwell of her building.

I'm not a mom, but I can relate to whipping out my laptop in usual places (you know, the car, the laundromat, the camping ground) in order to get work finished and stay connected. Where won't I blog or log on? The bathroom. Unlike Brooke Shields' character on Lipstick Jungle, the idea of bringing my Mac to the powder room makes me cringe. Where is your no-tech zone?