Without a doubt, the most gratifying thing about blogging is getting feedback from readers and reading your comments. I often find that a post is merely a starting point. Reader comments expand, amplify and sometimes challenge my thoughts, and help develop the story; I can’t imagine this blog without your contributions. After all, if I were writing for myself I could do it in a notebook or journal!
Occasionally readers will ask questions via email or in post comments. I’ve collected a few here that I thought might be of interest to you.
Do you still make the recipes that you’ve featured on your blog? . -Sara H.
Yes, with one exception. The traditional Italian dishes I featured last year are a standard part of our diet, so we continue to enjoy them. We now no longer buy bread at the supermarket – every week I bake two loaves of the rustic Italian bread featured here a couple of months ago: it’s outstanding. The one exception…
…is homemade jerky – I haven’t made it since last fall. …perhaps I will when golf season is in full swing.
Anything interesting that you’ve learned from a reader recently? .-Chet
I learn from reader comments all the time. Something neat that I picked up from Eric is his recommendation to use shave oil rather than cream. I picked up a bottle (18.75 ml) of “Shave Secret” for less than $3.75 at Wal-Mart just a couple of days ago. Shave Secret uses a blend of 100% natural essential oils and a “hint” of menthol. You only use 3 drops per shave (the bottle should last a l-o-n-g time!) and it works great. PLUS… it’s smaller and lighter than the Edge shaving cream I was putting into a 3 oz. plastic bottle for travel.
What camera do you use for the photos on your site?? .-Marc
The photos featured in earlier posts (until late summer 2008) were taken with a Sony point and shoot; since then all the pictures on the site have been taken with a Nikon D80. Almost all are taken with a mix of natural and incandescent light, and I tweak every picture using Picnik (mostly exposure adjustment & cropping). This camera’s capabilities far exceed mine – it’s a great tool!
Where do you learn about new sites, software, and applications? . -Tony S.
I use a variety of means to find interesting tidbits on the internet:
- Google Alerts – you can set up alerts on practically any subject with Google Alerts – I receive an email with links to any posts or articles that match the search criteria I’ve established
- Similarly, I use Tweet Later to track certain keywords on Twitter – you can also use Twitter Search, but Tweet Later enables you to automate the process
- I monitor a number of blogs via a page on my iGoogle home page – Mashable, Gnoted, Engadget, Ubergizmo, Makeuseof.com, – the list goes on and on
- In addition, I scan PopURLs.com each morning and evening in a search for interesting sites, posts and developments (click for a larger image)-
There are others, but these are the basics – plus readers will occasionally send me links. (Hint!)
How are you doing against your 2009 goals? .-Matt
Matt is referring to this post: My 2009 Goals. I’ll do a year-end post updating my progress, but here’s a quick update: I’m doing great in all respects but one, and that’s weight loss. I was doing fine earlier in the year and had lost about 7 lbs, but then caught a cold which turned into the worst respiratory/bronchitis/sinus infection I think I’ve ever had. It knocked me out of commission for about 3½ weeks, and when I felt better, I didn’t get back into my exercise routine for another few weeks. Ugh. I’m back on the treadmill now, but lost a lot of ground. Hopefully by year end I’ll have dumped much more weight.
I notice you point out whether posts contain affiliate links – but sometimes you don’t. What gives? .Tom A.
Tom, when I post about products or a manufacturer, I try to mention whether or not the post contains affiliate links. Sometimes I simply forget to add the disclaimer. I am trying to be as transparent as possible, so as not to mislead anyone or violate the trust which exists between myself and my readers.
Generally speaking, if a post features links to product listings at Amazon.com, they’re affiliate links. The only specific companies I have an affiliate relationship with are those listed on the “Shop” page, plus REI.
In addition, I continue to experiment with Google Adsense. Finally, visitors who come to the site via Google and other search engines may see ads from Chitika – subscribers or those who’ve simply bookmarked the site won’t see those ads.
I try to keep the site from getting too cluttered with ads. I don’t always succeed. If any of you ever have concerns over the advertising which appears on the site, please let me know. The ads are here to help defray the cost of hosting the site and to – in a very small way – compensate me for the time I spend working on Practical Hacks.
That’s it for now; I’ll try to do one of these posts every few weeks. Let me know what you think. … and thank you to everyone who’s commented or emailed me comments or questions!
The Fine Print: this post contains an affiliate link (D80)
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