When you decide to start your own blog, there are many choices to be made. The very first choice is which platform to use. The most popular blog platforms are Blogger, Typepad, and WordPress. This article will explain the basic differences of these platforms and the pros and cons of each.

Bloggers love to come together to network and learn from each other. Conferences give us the opportunity to do just that and there is no shortage of blogging conferences for 2009. I've compiled a list (by no means complete--there are too many opportunities to list!) of conferences that cater to beginning, intermediate, and advanced bloggers. International? I didn't forget you! This list includes information on conferences in the United States, Canada, India, Italy, and England.

Because of the world-wide recession, retail sales everywhere have been down this year. As a result, many retailers have offered what would have been Boxing Day sales, before Boxing Day. This may have an effect on a) how much more (if any) the sale discount will be and b) how much inventory will be available by the time the Boxing Day sales begin.

BlogHer's mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community, and economic empowerment. When you look around the tech industry--even in the smaller circles of beginning bloggers--you find a lot of men. That's not a bad thing, but sometimes women are overshadowed. The main names in problogging are Darren Rowse (problogger.net), Chris Brogan (chrisbrogan.com), Brian Clark (copyblogger.com). There are others, but you get the idea. One might overlook the many women who are contributing to the learning curve of bloggers (beginners and advanced, alike).

As young as eight years old I was a list maker. I would wake up on weekend or summer mornings and chart my day via a list of To Do items. Sometimes, if I felt particularly OCD, I would allot specific amounts of time to each task. As an adult, I still make lists. They soothe my soul. Each list is a an opportunity to organize my day and feel productive as I check off each item. (Quick tip: The first item on your list should be Make a list. After you make the list, you already have something to check off!)