I became aware of the Impostor Syndrome eight or nine years ago, when I was working for a failing start-up. Watching our staff whittle to half its size every few weeks was starting to take a toll on the remaining employees. I was grateful to still be working, but I wondered whether I should start looking into another job -- something more secure.

The announcement on the Blogger Buzz blog had the mild mannered title An Important Note to FTP Users. To the bloggers who use Blogger FTP for their blogs, the news was more of a bombshell. Some bloggers reacted like Helen Barrett from E-Portfolios for Learning in Blogger discontinuing FTP support.

"Raise a glass to mend," scrawls Lady Gaga on a t-shirt she's selling for Valentine's Day, "all the broken hearts of my wrecked up friends." We've heard -- and heaven knows seen -- lots of over-the-top-rawness from this performer lately. But how much is designed to sell t-shirts and how much is actually real?

Welcome to Marketing 101! This is the first in a series of about some of the basics of marketing. The series is designed for everyone – whether you’re already a social media smartypants or you’re working on building your blog, your brand, or your business; whether you need to know more about all the marketers approaching you about your blog, or you’re just curious about the marketing jargon flying around the internet and the stories behind those crazy companies who try to sell you stuff.

Fashion Delivers Foundation was created in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita with a goal to organize the collection and distribution of new clothing and home items to hurricane victims.The group was able to collect and give over $4.5 million dollars worth of men's and women's clothing directly to people in the devastated areas.  

Ohhhhhhh, BlogHers. The time is nigh. Today we are announcing our BlogHer '10 Call for Volunteers!We’re looking for a few good women (hey men: we like you, too!) who are interested in working at BlogHer ’10. In exchange, we’ll give you free admission to the conference, which includes all keynotes, break-out sessions, breakfasts, lunches and cocktail parties ($300 value).

Hi everyone, We have exciting news: BlogHer's beloved hermoticon and logo are getting a new look this week. So is our tagline. Soon you'll see this logo and tagline on a brand-new BlogHer.com Web site. Voila!   

I graduated from college into a recession and, unable to find work, I turned to temping. My first assignment was two weeks of filing. When I finished the task in two-and-a-half days my boss said, "Maria, you're wicked smart" and he set about to find a way to keep me on.

Heather of MaternalSpark recently made an excellent point tab about commenting that I hadn't thought about for quite a while.  She says:

I went to a birthday party honoring a serious transition -- a landmark, and even for a successful young mother with three kids, it had an impact.  So what did her sweet husband do?  He made her a present, with the help of his 5 year old son.  I don't want to violate their privacy with a description; just know that it was something that only someone who knew her well, and loved her, could have given her.

If the political is personal, so too can the technological be.

In the social media system, undisclosed material relationships are considered especially heinous. In the blogosphere, the dedicated bloggers who investigate these vicious FTC infractions are members of an elite squad known as the Come on Dude, Get Real Unit. These are their hashtags.