Two New Free Cartoons Added

December 16th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Cartoons, Clip Art, Free Clip Art, Free Graphics, Free Images, Just For Fun, Tips and Tools | Comments Off on Two New Free Cartoons Added

I’ve found two more cartoonists (actually, one found me) who offer free cartoons for your blog. So, welcome Dan Gibson and Johnny Ancich, whose work is shown below. These free cartoons have also been added to the collection on the WordPlay free cartoons page.

N E W C A R T O O N S

Past Expiry free cartoon

Past Expiry Cartoons
by Johnny Ancich
Johnny posts at least two new cartoons each week. You can download individual cartoons from his site by clicking the link above, or you can get them in a widget by clicking here.

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Gibbleguts cartoon

Gibbleguts
by Dan Gibson

Dan Gibson creates a new cartoon every weekday. Click the link above to get a widget that will display the cartoons on your blog.


Icon Hall of Fame: Use Your Blog’s Avatar to Grab New Readers

December 14th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Avatars, Cartoons, Clip Art, Free Clip Art, Free Graphics, Free Images, Free Online Tools, Free Photos, Make Your Own Clip Art, Photography, Tips and Tools | 12 Comments »

Icon Hall of FameHere we go again with the “a picture’s worth a thousand words” cliché. This time it’s in reference to your blog’s avatar, or as I prefer to call it, your icon. And once again, the cliché is true.

But before I wow you with my opinions about the anatomy of a good icon, I have several questions for you:

If you visit social media sites, have you thought about how your icon stacks up against the icons of other blogs? Also, did you put any thought into your icon or did you just grab whatever image you had handy and use that?

If you didn’t think about your icon’s design, you’re probably in the majority. With so many other things to think about — producing valuable content, marketing, monetizing, networking and who-knows-what-else — your icon was probably way down on the list of concerns, if it was on the list at all.

Since I was a graphic artist long before I was a blogger, I couldn’t help but notice that some icons stood out. As a newbie blogger, I didn’t know anyone, so all I had to go on at first were looks when I was stumbling around in MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog, etc., trying to find my way around. In many cases, the only reason I clicked on some of the blogs were the icons. And if a compelling icon image was combined with a username that made it clear what a blog was about, I was even more likely to click on it. I might be wrong, but I don’t think this just applies to newbies. Whether we know it or not, images affect us all.

Unfortunately there’s no formula for the perfect icon, except maybe that it should come as close as possible to expressing both your personality and your blog’s content. The best way I can explain what a good icon looks like is to show you some that did an admirable job of drawing me in. Below are some of those. (My apologies to anyone not featured below. There are a lot of great icons out there, but I had to cut the list off somewhere.)

Here’s my Icon Hall of Fame:

Blogstruk avatarBlogstruk
I love this icon because I have no idea what it means, yet it makes me want to know. Did this disembodied eye come from Shrek or just a regular human with an unfortunate complexion? I still don’t know, but when I clicked on it, I found its owner dispenses quality advice for newbie bloggers.

VicVic from BloggingZoom and BloggerUnleashed
If it’s possible to project the image of a bad boy and a nice guy at the same time, this icon does it. Not only that, ladies, wouldn’t you agree he looks awfully cute? But this icon appeals to more than just hormones. It’s well-drawn, unique and the combo of the white background and color makes it almost pop off the screen.

Court TuttleCourt Tuttle and BloggingZoom
This is straight-up branding. Not only is Court’s name the focus, but the background is white, which stands out among the many icons that use photos. Using a name is a bold move and one that works because of the authority Court projects in the blogging community.

GrizzlyHow to Make Money Online for Beginners (Grizzly)
If you know Grizzly, you’ll know his icon depicts him perfectly. Notice that the bear has a curious but friendly look. This fits Grizzly because he’s always questioning the status quo, and he’s ever-willing to teach newbies about making money online. This icon is so effective that if I ever met Grizzly in person, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t a big hairy — but kind — bear.

MarkkMarkkWrites
Anybody unsure about what Markk does? I like this one because it’s clear, while also having a welcoming feeling. It makes me want to sit down and have a cup of Joe with him.

LordLikelyLordLikely
I never would have become aware of the LordLikely blog had I not seen this icon on BloggingZoom. For some reason, the juxtaposition of a Victorian man in a top-hat in the high-tech world of blogs struck me funny, so I just had to see what that image represented. When I went to the blog, I wasn’t disappointed; it’s as funny and ironic as its icon.

BlogIssuesBlogIssues.com
This is another one that made me want to click on it when I saw it on BloggingZoom. Anyone with the guts to brand herself as a big-mouth deserves a click.

Alex FrisonAlex Frison
Now that’s just silly, and I mean that as a compliment. Alex obviously doesn’t take himself too seriously. In addition to the icon being cute and funny, we again see another good use of a white background.

FlickListsFlicksLists
This one comes under the obvious category, and that’s a good thing. Since I’m interested in movies, I had to click on this. Not only does the image convey the blog’s content, but so does the username.

Mommy CrackedMommy Cracked
This one is funny and gets the message across. Although I found out she’s a freelance writer and former teacher only after visiting her blog, all I had to do was look at her icon to know she has a humorous take on motherhood.

CardioGirlCardioGirl
I clicked on this because it looked like someone (maybe CardioGirl herself?) painted this just for the blog. It made this list because it conveys her theme nicely, plus the colors are easy on the eyes.

So, there you have it, my Icon Hall of Fame. As I said before, it’s nowhere near all-inclusive. It’s just meant to show you some examples of what I think works. But your icon doesn’t have to be like any of these. If you’re satisfied that yours gives a good impression of who you are and what your blog is about, then you’re more than halfway home. If you ask others and they feel the same, then you probably already have an icon that’s drawing readers to you.

If you ask around and find that your icon does need some work, however, WordPlay has plenty of free resources to find just the right image:

You might also be interested in Avatar Central, WordPlay’s home for free online image software and information about avatars.Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com


Book Review: The Chicago Manual of Style

December 14th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Book Review, Free Photos, Grammar, Punctuation, Reviews, Tips and Tools, Vocabulary and Spelling, Writing | 2 Comments »

Chicago Manual of StyleAvailable in print and versions, this resource is a practical guide to editorial style for writers. It’s hard to overestimate the influence this writing tool has had on wordsmiths everywhere. Although it was created to establish editorial standards for writers of academic works, the scope of its recommendations now cover the world of cyberspace.

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) book and Web site are divided into logical categories, which cover all aspects of writing and grammar, from punctuation to split infinitives to how to capitalize the president of the United State’s title. (And no, you don’t get to decide that based on your opinion of him.)

Some examples of the questions the CMOS answers:

  • Which is correct: Web site, web site, website or Website?
  • Should there be a comma after website in the question above?
  • Which is correct, Boston Tea Party or Boston tea party?
  • What is the proper format for citing an information source?

Although the online version offers quick answers to a lot of questions that can pop up while writing, it doesn’t address all of them. You need the print version for that.

The Chicago Manual of Style online version is based on an annual subscription, but there is a 30-day free trial. Also, they offer a free FAQ that answers common grammar questions and doesn’t require registration to access.

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Buy this book

We hope you enjoyed this book review of The Chicago Manual of Style. You might also want to read our other book reviews:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

The Elements of Style

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home

You might also be interested in these gifts for writers.


Contest: Word Manglers Welcome

November 27th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Cartoons, Contest, Reviews, Vocabulary and Spelling, Writing | 3 Comments »

Blog Review: WordPlay Café Neologisms Contest

Batter
What do you call a baseball player who keeps adjusting his
batting glove for the 28th time, backing in and out of the
batters box, checking his grip, etc.?

The ump’s ire? Maybe Ruth? A lumbercheck?

Any of the above new terms for one of the more fidgety boys of summer is known as a neologism. Who would have thought one of the more serious vocabulary words I’ve ever heard could be so fun?

Dictionaries define a neologism as a recently created word, sometimes resulting from a combination of words. Since inspiration and insanity are close cousins, it’s not surprising that The American Heritage Dictionary also incorporates this little ditty into their definitions of neologism: “The invention of new words regarded as a symptom of certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.”

But you don’t have to be crazy to come up with neologisms. Just ask illustrator Michael Kline, who has made a successful career out of mangling words. He’s the illustrator of many children’s magazine articles and 25 books, including WordPlay Café, which teaches children to have fun with language. He also authors and illustrates the WordPlay Café Neologisms Contest Blog, which runs a weekly contest that encourages people to come up with their own neologisms to match his illustrations.

The results of people’s manglings are quite clever. Here are last week’s winners:

Attachment disorder
What do you call it when you forget to attach
a file to an important e-mail?

1st place: Mailnutrition
2nd place: Filefaux pas
3rd place: Dettachments
Honorable mention: ADD: Attachment Deficit Disorder

WordPlay Cafe coverIf you’d like to try your hand at mangling a few words, you can enter the contest (or just look at the past entries) by going to WordPlay Café. The first-place winner gets his or her choice of a copy of the WordPlay Café book, or an original, autographed sketch of the illustration on which the winning entry was based.

You also can contact Michael at WordPlay Café for permission to use his illustrations on your blog or Web site and to find out about the terms of use. (Ed. note: No taking without asking first, please.)

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com


Free Cartoons for Your Blog

November 26th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Cartoons, Clip Art, Entertainment, Free Clip Art, Free Graphics, Free Images, Free Online Tools, Just For Fun, Tips and Tools | 1 Comment »

Sometimes you have to forget all about vocabulary words, grammar and the like, and just laugh. The following cartoonists want to help you do just that. These artists have generously offered these free cartoons for your blog or Web site:

I N D I V I D U A L   C A R T O O N S

BZ Toons cartoon sample

BZ Toons
by Brian Zaikowski
Brian Zaikowski makes his colorful free cartoons available for use in blogs, Web sites and newsletters. You’ll find a link at the Web site that will allow you to download all the cartoons in one 8 MB file.

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We Blog cartoon sample

We Blog Cartoons
by Dave Walker
Dave Walker offers these cartoons free for any blog, including those that make money. If you want to use his cartoons for a company Web site, however, you must contact him through his blog for a quote. Click here for the exact conditions of use.

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D A I L Y C A R T O O N S
(requires code)

Andertoons cartoon sample

Andertoons
by Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson offers his free daily cartoons for use on any blog, as long as it doesn’t have adult content. You may change the font colors to match your blog, but he asks that you don’t make any other alterations to the code.

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Looking for other free content? You might also be interested in these other resources on WordPlay:

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com


Using Famous Quotations to Punch Up Your Blog

November 19th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Famous Quotations, Photography, Tips and Tools, Writing, Writing Tips and Tools | Comments Off on Using Famous Quotations to Punch Up Your Blog

Fish

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______________

“Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you’re a consultant.”
Scott Adams

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Let’s face it, sometimes the well is dry and you don’t know what to write. At times like that, borrowing a famous quotations can help get the ball rolling. If used to reinforce your blog’s topic, the quote could even make good reading. (Don’t go off-topic unless there’s a good reason. Unless you have a reputation for covering a variety of subjects, your readers are there for your expertise on one topic.)

If you can combine the quote with a photo, so much the better. As you can see in this post, the photo makes it hard to miss the quote. Don’t know where to find photography? See our review of Stock.Xchng free photos for a great source of quality free images. Or, use your camera phone or digital camera to create images uniquely suited to your blog’s topic.

Here are some tips for using quotations:

  • Use quotation marks around the quote.
  • Make sure to attribute the quote to the appropriate author.
  • Don’t change the quote, even if there’s an obvious error.

Here are some good sources for quotations:

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“In the business world, the rearview mirror
is always clearer than the windshield.”

Warren Buffett

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Fish photo by Pam Roth

You might also be interested in these related posts:

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com


Internet Terms: How to Get Them Right

November 16th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Grammar, Tips and Tools, Vocabulary and Spelling | 2 Comments »

Web terminologyFor some reason, a lot of Internet terms have multiple versions. This is partly because Web-related words are relatively new and haven’t had a chance to settle into standard, agreed-upon forms. Another reason is that American English words in general have a tendency to morph over time. Proving that America really is a democracy, unacceptable word forms sometimes become acceptable over the long haul if enough people use them.

The following are the latest versions of some of the Internet terms we use all the time, based on rules set forth by The Chicago Manual of Style:

* Commands, icons, file names, keys and other technology-related terms
When writing about features in software or blogs, or on Web sites or keyboards, match the capitalization of the feature you’re mentioning. For example: “Hit Enter to access the page.” Enter is capitalized on keyboards, so it should be capitalized in this usage.

To further differentiate any of these terms, you can use italics, bold, a different font or quotes. If you’re writing about two types, you might want to use italics for one and bold for another: commands and file names. Whichever style you choose, be consistent.

* dot-com
This term should hyphenated, not written dot.com. (That would read dot dot com.) If used in a headline, capitalize both the d and the c: “Her Dot-Com Empire Made Her Millions Before She Jumped Out the Window.”

* e-mail, e-business, e-commerce, e-solutions, etc.
The e words should be lowercase and hyphenated, unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence. In that case, the e would be capitalized: “E-commerce provided a good living for him, but he preferred to dress like a homeless person anyway.”

* Internet
If you’re referring to the worldwide collection of Web sites, Internet should be capitalized. If you’re only referring to a network of computers, it should be lowercase.

* log in and its many variations
When you’re referring to logging into a site, the appropriate form is log on or log in (not logon or login). The same obviously applies to log off (not logoff). When you’re using the term as an adjective, however, it should be hyphenated: “She logged in on the log-in page.”

* online
This started as on-line, but it has now morphed into online — a perfect example of how language changes over time.

* pop-up
It’s appropriate to hyphenate the name for these annoying pages that disrupt your surfing.

* Web and Web site
At this point, Web is still treated as a proper noun, therefore both Web and Web site are capitalized. Since so many people already use web site or website, however, The Chicago Manual of Style editors predict that the uncapitalized form will eventually take over. Whichever form you use, be consistent.

* Video game names
Following the same rule as movie or book titles, video game titles should be italicized: “He sat in his chair and played Tomb Raider until his head fell off.”

You might also be interested in these related posts:

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com


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DVD Holiday Movies

November 14th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Entertainment, Just For Fun, Movie Review | 2 Comments »

Maybe I have obsessive-compulsive disorder, but I watch the same holiday movies, year after year. I used to have to comb through my TV Guide every week from the end of October until Christmas, hoping not to miss any of them. But now that we live in the DVD age, I’ve been set free from that bondage.

Here’s my must-watch list, month-by-month:

October

To Kill a Mockingbird Collector’s Edition

To Kill a MockingbirdI know most people wouldn’t consider this a holiday movie. But those who’ve watched it would probably agree that the final moments invoke the spirit of Halloween. I won’t ruin the ending for those who haven’t seen it; I’ll just say that it’s scary in the way that only old-fashioned story-telling can be. There are no special effects; it isn’t even in color. The characters have been so well-developed by the end, however, you feel like you’re right in that black-and-white world of Atticus Finch (played with distinction by Gregory Peck) and his children, Scout and Jem. I always make sure to watch this right around Halloween, but you don’t have to wait until next year. No matter when you watch it, this is about as close to perfect as a movie can be.

DVD extras (on two discs):

  • Interactive menus
  • Scene access
  • Cast and crew interview
  • Featurette: Fearful Symmetry: The Making of To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Featurette: Movie by Gregory Peck’s daughter Cecilia that chronicles both her father’s speaking engagements and his later years
  • Audio commentary by director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan Pakula
  • Original trailer
  • Subtitles

November

Home for the Holidays

Home for the HolidaysMy choice for November isn’t quite as highbrow as To Kill a Mockingbird. In fact, it’s probably a 180-degree turn from Scout and Jem’s wholesome world. But that’s okay, because this movie has something Mockingbird doesn’t: it’s hilarious. The movie follows Claudia, played by Holly Hunter, as she joins her dysfunctional family for Thanksgiving. When she meets up with her brother, played by Robert Downey Jr., at the home of her crazy parents, and her uptight sister and brother-in-law, the action gets progressively weirder. But it isn’t all craziness; there’s a love story, too, as Claudia connects with her brother’s friend who has come along for the ride. By the time the movie ends, you’ll probably have had at least a few really good laughs, along with the satisfaction of watching someone who doesn’t know which end is up find love.

DVD extras:

  • Scene access
  • Trailer
  • Interactive menus
  • Audio commentary by director Jodie Foster
  • Subtitles

December

White Christmas

White ChristmasI’ve literally watched this movie almost every Christmas season since I was a little girl. As corny as it is, it never wears thin. There was something magical about the combination of Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. And when you add Vera Ellen’s dancing, Rosemary Clooney’s singing and Edith Head’s costumes; you have an infinitely watchable movie. Schmaltzy? Absolutely. But that’s one of the things I love about it. If you watch the movie, make sure to catch the DVD extras so you can hear Rosemary Clooney share some of the experiences she had while making the film.

DVD extras:

  • Interactive menus
  • Scene access
  • Cast and crew interviews
  • Retrospective interview with Rosemary Clooney
  • Audio commentary with Rosemary Clooney
  • Two original theatrical trailers
  • Production stills
  • Subtitles

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com

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WordPress Themes Generator and Other Free Online Tools

November 13th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Free Online Tools, Tips and Tools | 2 Comments »


BrowsershotI was excited to find this blog, which is filled with fun and useful tools to help bloggers. Here are just some of the tools you can find there:

Online drawing with Queeky
Queeky, a web2.0 application, gives you the ability to draw online and share your pictures.

Cool Text Generator
Cool Text Generator allows you to easily create custom logos and buttons.

Browsershots
Browsershots allows you to see what visitors with different browsers view when they come to your blog or site.

WordPress Theme Generator
WordPress Theme Generator makes designing a complete WordPress theme easy and fast.

There are many other tools in the FronTools archives, and owner Jose Oliveira tells me he’ll be adding even more soon.

You might also be interested in these WordPlay resources:

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com

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Free Blog Promotion

November 12th, 2007 carlajc Posted in Blogging, Tips and Tools | 1 Comment »

Little man largeOpTempo offers free interviews and 125×125 ads

If you want free publicity for your blog (and who wouldn’t?), check out OpTempo’s self-interview form. Just fill out the questionnaire and, subject to approval, the interview about your blog will appear on OpTempo.

Once upon a time, free blog reviews also were available but those are no longer offered. If you look at previous reviews, however, you’ll see that OpTempo owner Frank Carr took the review process seriously and did a thorough job. You might want to look through some of the recommendations he made to see if any apply to your blog.

UPDATE (courtesy of Y.S. of My MD Journey): OpTempo also offers free 125×125 ads to bloggers.

Get motivated!

If you want to get motivated to use your blog for selling, let these sales motivation quotes inspire you!

More free promotion

Promote your blog by getting it listed in the human-reviewed Blog Collection. When you join, all subsequent members will include your URL in their blogrolls.  To apply, go to The Blog Collection.

Copyright 2008 WordPlayBlog.com

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