Blogger Comments Feedback

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Thanks to everyone who voted in the recent Blog Comments poll! The question was:

What's your preferred method for responding to a visitor's comment on your own blog?

The Poll results were:

65%...I post a response in my own blog, below my visitor's comment.

24%...I visit my commenter's blog and leave a response in their most recent post.

12%...I like some other method; I'll leave a comment about it in your most recent post.

Comments about votes included:

Mouse Medicine: your sidebar question is a bit like intentions....although I might have a preferred method of responding to a visitor comment....I often get backed up and my responses to comments often go the same route as good intentions...unless of course a reader asks a direct question, then I do my darnest to reply and answer the question....often going to their blog or sending an email....

The Saltonstalls: I say leave them on both. We all like comments - so more is better right?

Alaskan Dave Down Under: I generally reply to comments on my blog(s). But if I find a new commenter then I'll go to their site and (if I like the site and content) then I'll leave comments there --but only about their post. I'll also see who's been visiting my blog(s) lately and how they got there. And again, if their site is interesting, I'll leave comments --but only "on topic".

Dudette in the Kitchenette: Both? I love getting comments too! So I like to comment on the other person's blog about one of their posts that I like or find interesting. Although, if someone comments on my blog and they've asked a question or I feel like I should respond, then I may write a comment on my own blog. There's no "right" answer, so I say, go with your gut! In general people usually appreciate a comment or a response!

Currently Purring: My rule of thumb is to keep the comments attached to the post they relate to. So I respond to comments on my own blog. When I get comments from someone who I don't recognize, I make a point to go to their blog to check it out. If I have comments on their content, I'll be sure to leave it there on their blog.

My overall takeaway from this exercise is:

• If someone leaves a comment on one of my blog posts, I'll add a response to them on my own blog, below their note, as I've seen so many experienced bloggers do. This makes for a fun and interesting dialogue and the visitor will know that I appreciate them taking the time to both stop by AND to comment.
• If I receive a comment from a new visitor, I'll take a minute to visit their blog in return, and leave a comment there, in addition to the response I make to them on my own blog.

There...that's settled. Thanks for your help, all you fabulous bloggers, you!

Alphabet of Daily Life - F

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F is for the Fresh Air Fund.

For anyone not familiar with the Fresh Air Fund program, it's a way for inner city kids from lower-income families to enjoy a summer vacation in the country.

I'd heard about the FAF for several years, especially through news articles in our local paper, but had never done anything about it. Finally, one year I decided to just go for it and become a host family.

Hosting a Fresh Air child is an easy and low-cost way to help someone in need. There are no costs to apply or to host...the only money we spend are gifts we buy or events and activities we take part in. To get started, I just visited the Fresh Air Fund website, and submitted an online inquiry. Immediately, a local volunteer got back to me to help me learn more. In order to host, we went through a thorough screening, which included:

• Criminal background check
• Community references (as I recall, a personal friend, work supervisor, and school official or clergy person)
• In-home visit, interview, and inspection

Once we made it through those steps, we were then asked about the child we'd like to have as a visitor. We could choose age and gender, and could also opt for a 2-week visit in July or a 1-week visit in August. Since my daughter is an only child, she thought it would be fun to have a "little sister" experience, so we chose a female in the 5 to 7 year range. And, our spunky, funny Fresh Air child came to visit!

Our first summer, we chose the 2-week visit, which we decided afterward was not the right option for us - it used up all of my summer vacation, and the kids tended to get on each other's nerves after the newness wore off. Our second summer, we chose the 1-week visit, which works well for us - I still get to take more time off for our "other" vacation, and everyone is still getting along by the time we say goodbye.

Our Fresh Air child will be coming again this summer, and we'll probably do many of the activities we've done before, including:

• Lots of swimming at Plunkett Lake in Hinsdale - beautifully clean and quiet.
• Lolling around at the luxurious Sand Springs Pool & Spa in Williamstown (they donate free admission to host families and children).
• Picnics anywhere and everywhere.
• Wading and exploring at Mount Hope Farm in Williamstown.
• Going to the Hollywood Drive-in.
• Hiking (nothing too strenuous!) nearby nature trails.
• Cooking! She loves to cook and usually helps with anything going on in the kitchen. She especially likes banana pancakes (as she says..."it's not like; it's LOVE") and Beach Bunny Cake from my Retro Beach Bash cookbook.

Photo Info:

#1: The girls explore the pond near where the Fresh Air bus arrives in Bennington, VT. We have a picnic here (fried chicken, potato salad, deviled eggs, cake, and lemonade) before we get onto the road back to our house. This is also the place where we share the Welcome Bag - full of funny and playful things. Popular items are the fart putty, feather boa, and squishy gel things.

#2: Getting the bacon ready to go under the broiler, while the banana pancakes are cooking on the griddle.

#3: The local Fresh Air kids got to march in the Williamstown 4th of July parade!

#4: The girls sitting on the Eyes on the lawn of the Williams College Museum of Art. (These eyes light up with purple lights at night - very cool!)
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Alphabet of Daily Life - E

E is for Electronics...

As you might guess from the recent e-Addictions post, we looooooove our electronic gadgets. Here's a little ditty that could be considered our theme song:


The things we find we just can't go without are:

• computer (mine)
• laptop (my daughter's, although I wish it were mine)
• digital cameras
• cell phones
• iPods
• flash drives (we use our flash drives constantly and usually have them with us wherever we go).

Then, of course, there are all the individual chargers, car chargers, universal charger, adapters and transmitters (that's the basket full of tangled wires) that are part and parcel of keeping all of these things alive. And, the battery charger and rechargeable batteries (because digital cameras seem to eat batteries for breakfast).

Last but not least is access to the Internet. I know this may cause fainting, but we only switched from dial-up to cable wireless a few months ago! And, we only did that because my computer was out of commission and the laptop needed wireless. So, I bit the bullet and had wireless cable access set up. We're so glad we did...we feel like we came into this century and have such fast Internet speed, which makes blogging a possibility. Not to mention that we can also answer our land line now when we're online. Soooo 21st C.

Now, to make a decision about the TV (we only get one channel - abc - because we don't have cable). It has rabbit ears, and if it's raining or snowing or the neighbor is revving his engine, forget it - no TV for a while. But we'll save that decision for another post.
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