Getting Started on ZooLoo

With anything "new" there is a bit of a learning curve that takes place and sometimes people give up right away without taking a chance, so I'm here to help you get started "zoolooing" because I love ZooLoo so much and to be honest with you, it's so new that I'm feeling lonely over in ZooLoo land and would love some friends (you) to join me:)

The Idea
ZooLoo.com is a complete online environment that brings everything you do online into one space, around your own domain name. With ZooLoo, you can build your own site on your own domain name, and you control exactly who sees your content. Everything is private until you make it public. You also get a personal Web dashboard where you can keep track of all your favorite news sources, blogs, social media sites, videos and more. Plus, ZooLoo has an on-demand entertainment center, a personal shopping mall, a full media center for photo and video storage and sharing, custom photo gifts and prints, blogging capabilities, organizational tools to manage your life online and more.

How to Get Started ZooLoo-ing

1. Sign-up and choose either a ZooLoo Free or a ZooLoo Plus account. A free version gets you a .zooloo domain name, and a Plus account gets you your own domain name (or use a domain that you already own, and haven't really done anything with, it's about time to use that old thing!).
2. Invite your friends! The whole point of ZooLoo is for you to create content on your own website, and then share it with your family, friends or the world. You've got to have people in your network to share your stuff with :)
   
3. Customize your My ZooLoo personal dashboard (click the My ZooLoo icon to do this). Click "customize" and bring in your favorite stuff (like Facebook, Twitter, your fave blogs, local event search, calendar, to-do list... you name it)
4. Then, roll your mouse over the My Site button. When you do that, you'll see the zCreator icon. Click there, and begin building your own website, which you can share with your close friends and family, or the world if you want to make it public. You can add custom pages (just click ADD PAGE), create a blog, share photos and videos and more. One idea, if you're looking for work or trying to get freelance jobs, create your professional profile on ZooLoo. You can make a resume page, add a porfolio page of what you've already done, it's easy.
5. Then, hop over to zControls (you'll find this button by rolling over the My Site icon at the top). In zControls, you can give people access to all of your content. The coolest thing about ZooLoo is that different people can see something different when they visit your domain. So you can give your professional contents permission to see just your resume page and portfolio, then you can give your family and good friends permission to see your blog, family photos and travel diary pages (just an example). Or, if you want, you can give the whole world access to everything but simply dragging the "Public Access" bar into "All Pages."

Of course there is tons more to do, you can roll over the "My ZooLoo" icon and find lots of other goodies:

• My Media gives you photo and video storage
• zLife has a cool interactive calendar, to-do list, address book, and event invitation system
• zSocial is ZooLoo's own version of a social network
• Shopping lets you customize your own personal shopping malls, you pick the brands and stores you want to see
• Entertainment gives you options to get on-demand entertainment (TV, videos, music, local events, etc)

Finally, everything in one place! What are you waiting for :) ENTER "DIGMOM" when signing up and to get $5 off the ZooLoo Plus account

Why I Love ZooLoo (video)

I truly love ZooLoo and the reason behind why I love ZooLoo is because...

3 Reasons Why I Like Twitter's New Homepage

• The Trending Topics front and center- to someone who is arriving to Twitter for the first time this is going to intrigue them. Also, trending topics is explained to the new Twitterer with a conversation bubble that appears when you hover over the question mark icon.
• The New Text:“Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world” This new text is so much more what Twitter is all about because the whole world is on Twitter and we talk Global issues as well as local issues. Finally, no more scaring people off from using Twitter because the feeling they get when the focus is on them. Now with the focus being on the world I think more people will be more apt to engage.
• The Search Bar front and center. This one is big because when you search Twitter, you are searching what's going on and being talked about this very second. I personally use Twitter as a search option just as often, if not more than I use Google especially if what I'm searching for is Breaking News.

Reviewing and a Recommending Products as Bloggers

Are you reviewing or recommending to your readers? There is a difference and it's crucial that you are being clear to your readers when doing product "reviews" and product "recommendations".

The best way to be a credible review blogger is to tell your audience not only the great things about the product you are reviewing, but to also tell them the things you would change about the product you are reviewing to make it better.

The bottom line is to be honest because not only are you helping your readers, but you are helping the company by giving them suggestions on ways to make their product better for the consumer. This is why companies are coming to the "moms who blog" to review their products because they know how much we influence our readers.

And wouldn't it be great if more companies read the reviews that bloggers are posting so that they can offer feedback and factual information to inform and encourage?!

When you are doing a review and you wholeheartedly love the product and think every mom you know would benefit from using the product, then say so, but don't do it unless you mean it because this would be considered a recommendation and a false recommendation could mean no more followers if you are not being truthful and honest.

Bottom line...be true to yourself, your readers and to the companies you are reviewing and everyone will be happy!

Ode to BlogHer '09 by Telling Dad

This cracked me up because a lot of what he said...was so true!

10 Things I'm Going to do After Returning from BlogHer

BlogHer was to say the least, a bit overwhelming.

We met people face to face that we have had relationships and have grown close to over the Internet. I don't know about you, but I had a mental list of the people I wanted to meet and a few of those people I never saw.

We had a schedule of sessions, breaks and parties from dusk till dawn and I know I'm not the only one who got around 4 hours of sleep each night of the weekend.

We met amazing people that we had never met online or off. Overwhelming is a bit of an understatement to the way I felt over the BlogHer '09 weekend, but winding down, I have compiled a list (because that's what I do) of what I plan on doing in the next few weeks after arriving home from BlogHer 2009.

1. Sort business cards from the mass amount of Swag that filled the trunk of my car. Seriously I got more Swag than I got business cards from contacts. Better that Christmas.
2. Write and review the event. I swear I have so much to write about there should be no writers block for this blogger! Plus, my review blog Giftfully Simple seriously needs no product to review for a very long time thank you to all of the vendors that attended BlogHer!
3. Thank the companies. I'm going to try my best, but either by the power of Twitter or via blog posts, I will thank all of the companies that provided Swag for the conference...from Crocs to elf to Kodak and Clorox thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. Connect with the bloggers I met. I met some of the most amazing women and men (very few) at BlogHer and will never forget the people...never.
5. Utilize the knowledge I gained from the sessions. I took notes and have plans:)
6. Visit new blogs. I heard there were 1500 BlogHer '09 attendees which means there are equally as many new blogs to visit. I know that will never happen, I will never be able to visit all of them, but I will be visiting the blogs I got cards from and connected with in hope to find fresh new reads.
7. Update my RSS feeds. I'm going to delete the ones I don't read very much and the ones I won't read anymore after meeting their writer and I'm going to add the new ones I am interested in reading after connecting at BlogHer '09.
8. Make a list of suggestions for next years BlogHer '10.
9. Spend time with my family. Four days was a lot for my girls and my hubby, so I plan on spending some family time with them this weekend...first stop...WNBA game this Friday night.
10. Start planning for BlogHer 2010. After attending BlogHer '09 I now know what to expect and since BlogHer '10 will be held in New York City... I need to plan on this costing me double what it cost in Chicago...oh my!

My Feelings on the MomDot Blackout

After much thought and after attending the Sponsored vs Unsponsored session at BlogHer 09 I have decided that I will not be participating in the PR Blackout that the MomDot community has decided to participate in and here are the reasons behind my decision...

I love doing reviews of products that I can then turn around and share with anyone and everyone who wants to listen. I've always been the type, as far back at elementary school, to share products and trends with everyone around me with pure and honest excitement and feel good that I was doing my friends and family a favor of finding the best products before they had to waste money on all of "mistakes."

The PR firms I have worked with have always been great! Not once have I felt taken advantage of by a PR firm that I have worked with because it is my choice to review or not review a product and it is my choice even accept the product in the first place.

During the Sponsored vs Unsponsored seminar at BlogHer 09, a few representatives were in the room and they said that they have had bloggers that were asked to do a review for them and for one reason or another the reviewer emailed them saying that they could not fit it into their schedule and would have to decline to try the product. Was the blogger black listed and never called again to do another review from their company? No. The reps are humans with feelings too and understand that bloggers are also humans with a lot on their plate and that we can't do everything and that's ok and they also realize we have a powerful voice...otherwise they would not be coming to us to review their products.

So basically, I'm not doing the PR Blackout because I will choose when to say no, I will choose when to write on my blogs and I will be my own person in the blogging world and play by my own rules.

Where do you stand?

**video** Getting Ready for BlogHer

Check out my cleavage shot at the end...oops!

I'm trying to get ready for BlogHer all while suffering with a sinus headache...argh.

Not only am I trying to pack, but I'm also trying to prepare my husband for his first long term babysitting experience with three girls under the age of 6...one being 7 months old. This is not fun...yet!

Once I pull out of the driveway it will be BlogHer or Bust for this mama! I'm on a mission to meet all of my favorite fellow bloggers at one of the largest blogging events for women in the US and making new contacts in the PR world as well.

Plus, the parties are off the hook! I have my list and am ready to party hop like a BlogStar! It's going to be an amazing weekend for sure!

How I Got a Full Ride to BlogHer '09

Ever since I decided I was going to BlogHer '09, the journey has been more like a joyride.

The moment I heard about BlogHer I wanted to go, but we really didn't have the extra money to fund a $200 a night hotel room for 3 nights, a $300 ticket and the gas it would take to get to and from Chicago, but deep down inside I wanted to go so badly that I knew I was going to get there one way or another.

Now, let me back up a bit to BB (before BlogHer).

I started blogging in October of 2008 as a product reviewer for Peekaboo Picks, an online magazine for hip Moms. Then in February of 2009 (yes, only 5 months ago), I started my own blogs Life in the Hills and Giftfully Simple and most recently The Digital Mommy.

The reason I started blogging...the real reason I started...was because I had started meeting amazing women via Twitter that all seemed to be a part of this really cool virtual world and I wanted in! I wanted to be contacted by PR reps to try out cool products or get tickets to review a concert or event. I wanted to be in "that" crowd and I did it...I got in.

The women that are a part of the blogging community that I have grown to love have been interviewed on the Digital Mommy...these women are the ones I look up to, gain knowledge from, go to for advice and I extremely admire. So, if you've been asked to be interviewed by The Digital Mommy or have been featured on the Digital Mommy it's because I truly admire you.

These women that I'm talking about are the women I can't wait to meet at BlogHer '09!

Now, back to the joyride I mentioned above. I had to get sponsors if I had any intention of attending BlogHer '09 and I felt that even before buying a ticket, these sponsors had to be secured. My "friend" Trisha from Mom Dot helped point me in the right direction in finding a sponsor. This conversation was via Twitter one late night and was one of the keys that helped me in securing sponsorship, but it was only one of the keys in the entire process.

Oh, and by the way, the process got easier and easier, but the initial start up was a hurdle.

The first thing I did was write a post about why a company should sponsor me for BlogHer '09 and posted it on my blog Giftfully Simple. I thought the next day my inbox would be full of sponsors and I'd be on my way to BlogHer, but boy was I wrong! Little did I know at the time that this was only one step in the entire process in securing a sponsor.

When the first sponsor came along, I had enough to buy the tickets and attend the MomDot dinner, but when I went to buy the ticket...they were all sold out! So, what did I do? Only the most logical thing...I tweeted! I tweeted that BlogHer sold out, but I really wanted to go, "Does anyone want to sell their tickets to BlogHer?"

Guess what happened... Kelby Carr retweeted my tweet and someone responded, but the problem was that I was starting to feel like I should secure the entire sponsorship and at this point I had half of the money I needed to be completely sponsored, but because I had never done anything like this before, I wasn't at the point where I could convince myself that I could raise all of the money, so I declined the ticket and continued to find sponsors.

The next blogger who fits the term Digital Mommy to a T and played a part in helping me secure my BlogHer sponsorship was Sarah Burns from the Ohana Mama. She suggested I contact Mom ran business owners that I knew from reviews that I had previously done and/or women I had a relationship with through an online forum where Sarah and I met called Mompreneurs Online.

I took her suggestion and contacted a few Mompreneurs I knew and secured two more sponsorships. Yes! I was finally feeling confident I was going to attend BlogHer '09, but what about the ticket?

Well, yes, I did not have a ticket in hand at this point, but my name was on the wait list and I figured I could secure the sponsorship and always cancel if I didn't get a ticket.

Then the email came! BlogHer opened up more tickets and because I was at the top of the list, a "golden" ticket was mine! Woohoo! I had the money to get the ticket and I was confident now that I could secure another sponsor to cover the last bit of money I would need to make the trip to BlogHer.

This is when Jessica Smith from Jessica Knows and the Buzz Coopererative comes in.

Basically, the Buzz Cooperative puts PR reps in touch with Bloggers and vice versa and one of the cool things about the Buzz Cooperative is that bloggers can "pitch" PR reps, so I decided to "pitch" the PR reps requesting a sponsorship to BlogHer and guess what...it worked! I got two more sponsors through that "pitch" and was secure. I had fully paid for my trip to BlogHer! I even landed a beautiful tee from Paperlili, $100 to pay for the MomDot dinner I was invited to attend and a LBD (little black dress) from SlimPerfect to wear to the parties I was to attend Thursday night.

So, you see...it can be done! I got my BlogHer experience completely paid for, I get to meet women that I extremely admire and make connections not only with my fellow bloggers, but also with PR reps from numerous companies. I also get to learn things that are going to help me as a blogger and the companies I am representing.

I can't wait to go to BlogHer '09 and want to thank my sponsors for giving me this opportunity!

Thank you:

Nannies4Hire.com

Care4Hire.com

ReferQuest.com

Wett Giggles

My Plate Mate

Paperlili

SlimPerfect

&

ZooLoo.com

Thank you so much for this! You are making my YEAR!!!!!

PS. I almost secured a car from Ford to drive to BlogHer '09, but that should have an entire blog post of it's own.

I Won the SlimPerfect Contest!

Long story short...

I'm going to BlogHer '09 thanks to Nannies4Hire.com, Care4Hire.com, ReferQuest.com, Wett Giggles, MyPlateMate and Paperlili and of course I need some cocktail dresses for all of the fabulous parties I'm going to attend.

Why do I need **NEW** clothes? Well, the first and foremost reason is because I had a baby 6, no 7 months ago and have not shrunk back to my size six self just yet and will not until I starve myself like I did in order to get to the size 6 that I previously was. So, for the past 7 months I've been wearing my maternity pants and have had no need to buy any special occasion (hot mama) clothes...until now! Yikes!

Now enters SlimPerfect, MuffinTopless and Girlfriendology.

MuffinTopless had a contest on their site for 4 lucky BlogHer '09 attendees to win a LBD (little black dress) from SlimPerfect along with a $250 gift certificate to the online SlimPerfect store. Hello! I had to win this contest! My muffin top has been bothering me lately because I so want it gone, but I can't bring myself to starve myself right now and with BlogHer coming up, this opportunity to win a dress that will help suck in the muffin intrigued me in a major way!

I wrote a post on my other blog Giftfully Simple about how much I wanted to win the SlimPerfect/MuffinTopless/Girlfriendology contest, tweeted about how much I wanted to win and asked friends and family to tweet and post comments on the contest blog and all the effort got me a win!!!

So, thank you SlimPerfect, Muffintopless, Girlfriendology, friends and family (you know who you are) for helping me win the contest and providing me with a LBD to look MuffinTopless at BlogHer '09!

This is what I won...
- a $250.00 SlimPerfect eCard (recently recommended by Oprah’s O Magazine as a “top brand”)
- a gorgeous LBD (little black dress) to wear to the parties at BlogHer on July 23rd!
- private reception, professional hair and makeup from Nicole Rogers of Bombshell Artistry (a few clients you may recognize: People Magazine, Cover Girl, MAC, Brides Noir Magazine) sponsored by U! Creative Advertising Agency
- star treatment, paparazzi…a taste of the “glamorous” life

Tomorrow (7/16) on SnazL

Awesome blogger, PR maven, and author Beth Feldman (Role Mommy) will be doing her SnazL premiere TOMORROW (Thu Jul 16) @2PM EST. Tune in to chill and you might even score some prizes.

Get Organized With SpringPad

I'm on my way to BlogHer '09 and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by ALL the parties and ALL the sessions, so I'm using SpringPad to get myself organized.

I've added all the parties I'm attending to the calendar and will make a list of the sessions I look forward to going to. I made a packing list and as I think of things, I'll add them to the list. This will help me not to forget my video camera, camera, and business cards...oh almost forgot the Poken!

Another neat feature...I'm following BlogHer 09, the BlogRollers, Mom Spark, and a few other VIP. If they post new events, I can see those events and add them to my agenda...pretty cool!

Lovin' SpringPad to help me get organized!

Mamaista- Grab a daily bite

I love all of theses new daily online magazines popping up that get delivered right into your inbox with a bite of information. I like this because as a mom of three, All I have time for are small bites of this and small bites of that. Too much information is exactly that...too much information.

Mamaista sends out a daily email featuring only the latest, most cutting-edge products and services for babies, tykes, tots and moms. All recommendations are made with an eye to helping savvy, recessionista mamaistas find products that are not only stylish, but also versatile investment purchases that will last for many years to come.

Developed in response to the demands of modern moms who don't have time to search thousands of blogs, read through long email newsletters, and spend hours trolling message boards for product advice, Mamaista allows its powerful audience to separate the hip from the hype with just one short and chic daily email.

Offering one product recommendation per day, Mamaista will feature the latest developments in children's toys, clothing, gear, food and health-related products, as well as stuff just for moms. With a team of veteran cool hunting mothers from across the country that road-tests the most exciting new products and services, Mamaista then chooses the best of what's out there and delivers it directly to the inboxes of its subscribers free of charge, Monday through Friday.

According to Elina Furman, Mamaista's Publisher and former Editorial Director of WomansDay.com and Seventeen Online, "Mamaista is like that mom in your lunch club who can feed her baby, send out 10 emails, tell you all about the latest technology in high chairs and still manage to look like just she stepped off the pages of Cookie magazine all at the same time."

Furman came up with the idea to start Mamaista after giving birth to her son. Suddenly, the Daily Candy emails alerting her to the latest boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs seemed irrelevant. "Seemingly overnight, I became a lot more interested in strollers and nursing bras than in handbags and lingerie," says Furman. "The problem was that there was not one daily email that delivered practical and stylish product recommendations for moms in a fun, concise and well-designed format."


Subscriptions to Mamaista are free and require only an email address.

Goodguide.com

I found a great site called GoodGuide.com that helps out if you are trying to "Go Green".

"Going Green" is not easy... it takes a lot of work and with the economy being tight, who wants to buy foods that their children won't eat or shampoo that doesn't do what it says...without trying products, there is no way of knowing.

Now enters GoodGuide.com. Think of GoodGuide.com as that friend who knows everything about products that will help you "Go Green".

For example... Say I am looking for good organic foods to feed my daughter who is in Stage 2 of eating. I could go to the store, grab a bunch of food and play the guessing game or trial and error, but I hate to do that when every penny counts, so I go to GoodGuide.com and look in the 2nd Baby Foods section and I am given a list of healthy, safe and natural 2nd baby foods. Love it! The foods are even given a rating based on 35 product facts.

GoodGuide.com not only gives ratings on food, but they also rate products as well. You can find information on personal care items, household chemicals and even toys.

From the site:

GoodGuide is building a comprehensive source of information on the environmental, social, and health performance of products and companies. The GoodGuide team works with a network of leading academic institutions, government data sources, non-governmental organizations, and private research firms to bring world-class information to consumers.

GoodGuide's scientists have collected data from around the world on chemical ingredients, products, brands, factories, companies, industrial sectors, and even countries. We gather the highest quality data available and convert this information into ratings that can be used by non-scientists to easily evaluate products and companies.

In the future, GoodGuide will have tools to let consumers screen this data through their own personal preferences, allowing them to "filter" and search for products and companies that match their specific values.

Also, you can become a member, it's FREE, and submit your own reviews of the over 70,000 products on the site.

Another great feature...you can buy online!!

Bacon Cheeseburger Rotini

I'll tell you what...lately my head has been spinning with ideas at such warp speed that an easy meal for dinner is not only screaming my name, but I'm screaming it's name as well! Please easy dinner (screaming) HELP!!!

Drama aside, I found an easy dinner to make that not only sounded yummy, but contains ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen...thank you *ahem*!

Here it is for all those Moms out there that are like me...full of ideas with little of no time to accomplish them all, a recipe I found on the back of a Market Pantry rotini box.

bacon cheeseburger rotini

ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups Market Pantry Rotini (1/2 package)


• 8 slices bacon


• 1 lb. lean ground beef


• 1 (10.75-oz.) can condensed tomato soup


• 1/4 cup ketchup


• 2 Tbsp. water


• 4 deluxe slices American cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Keep warm.


2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over MEDIUM-LOW heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to plate lined with paper towels. Crumble 6 slices; set aside. Discard fat. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel.


3. In same skillet, over MEDIUM heat, brown ground beef until thoroughly cooked; drain.


4. Add crumbled bacon, soup, ketchup and water; stir to combine. Heat thoroughly.


5. Stir in pasta. Place cheese slices over top. Break remaining 2 slices of bacon in half. Place one half slice on top of each cheese slice. Remove from heat; cover about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. If desired, serve with ketchup, mustard and a pickle.

Nannies4Hire.com will lend a helping hand

I'm in need of a helping hand. I've got three blogs that I'd like to take to the next level, but don't have enough time in the day to wrangle 3 blogs, 3 kids, a home that needs to be run and my own sanity (mom needs a break!). So, what do you do when you get to that overwhelming reality that you need help?

You call Nannies4hire.com!

Nannies4hire.com is one of the largest, most successful online nanny and family database serving the United States and Canada. As part of this database, you can conveniently search full-time, part-time, temporary, summer, babysitting, live-in and live-out nannies by zip code 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Nannies4hire.com database is designed to easily assist families in finding a quality nanny for their specific needs and requirements. Registered families may search by detailed characteristics to help pinpoint the perfect nanny for their family. In addition, helpful tools are available, including sample interview questions, a sample reference form and a sample contract.

Nannies4hire.com also gives you advice, tips and information that will help you and your nanny connect on a social and personal level.

Benefits of hiring a nanny in today’s society:

+ If you have 2 or more children; it may be cost effective for you to hire a nanny; as many daycares could cost you more.

+If your children are sick; you can still go to work as the nanny can stay home with the children.

+You may also have healthier children keeping them in their small home environment.

+A nanny can simplify your life. For example; a nanny can be an extra pair of hands helping with household duties, laundry, errands, transporting children and starting the evening meal. This allows for more family time when the parents arrive home.

+Many families are using “nanny share”. This is when 2 families share 1 nanny. This cuts down on cost but you still feel the benefit of having a nanny.

+No need to rush in the morning to get the kids out the door for daycare or school. A nanny is an extra pair of hands in the morning.

My Favorite Photo

I love this photo of my husband walking with two of my 3 daughters. It was taken along the Clinton River trail. I'm behind the camera pushing my youngest daughter. I love the "green" and Picnik helped my "boost" it just a bit!

Stiletto Woman Magazine

Me: Who are the top 5 women on the web and what should we know about them?

The top five women are Jennifer Sbranti of HostessWithTheMostess.com, Gigi Lee Chang of PlumOrganics.com, Lisa Bacon of YummyWebStudio.com (now the Moxie Pear), Sydney Loney & Nancy Ripton of JustTheFactsBaby.com, and Jennifer Threat of DoubleDutchMag.com. These women are truly innovative. When launching this endeavor, we set out to find women who were doing amazing things with their small businesses, in various communities, and online—women who were innovative, showed great leadership, and had a desire to help others both locally and nationwide.

We couldn’t be happier about the Top 50 Most Amazing Women on the Web, because they illustrate the unlimited potential we all have. They symbolize what is possible. Each woman has taken an idea and forged her own path to break new ground.

Hostess with the Mostess is not just any event and party theme site. They have a hip and modern twist that speaks to most contemporary women today.

Plum Organics is taking organic baby food to new heights, and now offer products for toddlers and kids.

Yummy Web Studio (now The Moxie Pear) is a stylish one-stop design studio that has a unique approach to getting online businesses off to a great start.

Just the Facts Baby doesn't simply give baby information; they have a journalistic perspective and provide expert advice that is unparallel.

Double Dutch Magazine is leveraging technology to inspire African-American teen girls. They’ve built a vibrant publication that encourages girls to make a difference in the world.

You should definitely know about these ladies. They are AMAZING!

Me: How did you choose the Top 50 women?

We started with over 100 women. Each was diverse and inspiring in her own way. We couldn’t believe the range of talent and level of commitment the women had. We knew it would be a tough task to narrow it down. Therefore, we didn’t review the candidates based on a single idea or site alone. We evaluated them on the following criteria:

1) Idea Innovation. We looked at originality, how imaginative they were, how creative they were in executing their ideas, and communicating the brand.

2) Professional Leadership. We assessed their background, their ability to lead, the ethics they upheld, and sense of character.

3) Supportive Community. We wanted to see their desire to help others. We looked at their social impact, and sense of community.

4) Site Design. Being that we’re looking at women who have a presence online, the web site or blog site had to exhibit professionalism. It needed to be effective in delivery, with good layout and design. Our panel of eight professional women then used a scoring system to select the top 50! It was important for the magazine to exhibit diversity—not solely in the range of women featured, but also in the types of businesses, web sites, and blog sites showcased. You won’t find many large corporations or illustrious personalities mentioned. We deliberately profiled authentic women you might not hear about every day.

Me: How can someone apply to be an Amazing Woman for 2010?

We are already gearing up for next year! Our application process is simple. You go to our website at stilettowoman.com, and click on the magazine link. You will see information about submitting your entry. We will begin accepting submissions later in the year. However, due to demand, we may accept them sooner.

Submissions will be sent through on our site, and can come in from a variety of ways:

· They can come from the candidates themselves

· They can come from suggestions of other people

· They can come from our research, and those we seek out

The assessment process takes a good amount of time. Therefore if you or someone you know is interested, we recommend getting your site in tip-top shape, ensure your message positively impact others, and don’t forget to show your creativity. We have several months left to the open submission period, so take that time to decipher how you’re going to give us your best pitch!

When you’re ready, log on to our website, and submit!

Me: What is Stiletto Women all about?

Stiletto Woman, Inc. is a sassy, yet sophisticated inspirational new-media communications and empowerment network exclusively for women. Stiletto Woman represents you, me, her—it’s a community—a movement! We realize the modern woman is not just a mother, wife, or single female. She’s everything!

There are four sides to women that we focus on . . . what we call “3P&E”: personal, parenting, professional, and entrepreneurial. We approach each of these from a holistic perspective. We believe a woman can’t be defined by just one thing, because more than ever before, she’s become multi-faceted.

In addition to the magazine, we have a regular blogging community, we offer coaching, home business certification, community seminars, and will soon finalize our book publishing division. Next year, Stiletto Woman Magazine will be published tri-annually, where two issues will be dedicated to real life circumstances of everyday women.

Ultimately, we represent the female who is in tune with the trends, but creates her own style. She’s a woman who wants to be in sync with her career, her business, her family, her money, the way she looks, and the way she feels. Most importantly, she’s empowered!Where can we go to learn more about the magazine?

Learn more about us at http://www.stilettowoman.com/. Don't forget to read about all the ladies who made the list! We look forward to seeing you in the ranks next year!

McLinky Blog Hop

***Welcome to The Digital Mommy... the "New Generation" of Mommy bloggers. I try to post the coolest stuff I find out ther across the webosphere, interview the top Digital Mommys according to me and feed my readers with information on Tweeting, blogging and running a business which helped transforn and introduce the title "Digital Mommy."***

Jump Start Contest

Wow! I never knew how easily my girls would get bored during a school break. This is the first Summer break we are experiencing with our children. My daughter went to Preschool last year and will start Kindergarten in the Fall.

I put my 3 yr old and 5 yr old in dance for the summer and we've been spending the alternate days at the park, the pool or taking walks to the library or downtown to get a smoothie. But, my pocket book can't keep up with our trips out for lunch, to grab an ice cream cone, ect. Also, we do get a thunder shower every so often and those are the kind of days I like to limit trips out since I do have 3 car seats to buckle and unbuckle.

I've noticed the girls getting bored with some of the online game sites like Barbie.com and Nickjr.com and they aren't very educational... I mean, what does dressing Barbie teach my 5 year old?

I jumped at the offer from Jump Start to try their educational video games because I knew both my girls would be thrilled and after playing some of the games with my daughter, I'm happy I made the choice to try the program. Not only are the games fun and visually appealing, but she is learning in a fun way and she picked the games up right away. I really haven't had to help her out because it is self explanatory and simple to use.

I read that children forget a lot of what they learned in school during the summer months and that math gets the highest loss. It's called 'Summer Brain Drain'. I really don't want that to happen, so we've been going to the library and I've been letting my 5 year old play Jump Start to sharpen her mathematical and literary skills. She's even learning things that she previously didn't know which will help her when starting Kindergarten.

There is even a blog for the parents with tips, recipes and other fun things to do with your kids.

How would you like to win a three month 'all access' membership to Jump Start???

Go here and enter to win!

Meet Natalie: A mom who's making it happen in a rough economy

Me: Can you give my readers a brief description of what your company name is and what you do?
Natalie: we are Modern Sugar and we provide web and graphic design services, mostly to woman owned businesses.

Me: The economy is hurting, but some industries are thriving. Are you thirsty or thriving?
Natalie: we are holding steady. We have seen a bit of a decline in our higher priced services so we are restructuring a bit to try and offer some better price points for people. But, we have seen an increase in work from current clients, as they try to optimize their sites to gain more traffic.

Me: In 2008 did you make money or lose money? How are you doing in 2009?
Natalie: we were on target in 2008 to double our sales from 2007, but our sales slowed in the latter part of 2008 when I cut back and took time off during my pregnancy. I'm really not sure what 2009 will look like, I took maternity leave and have been restructuring things to try to give myself more time at home with my family.

Me: What are your favorite sites/forums for gaining information to assist you in your business?
Natalie: Does Pottery Barn Kids count? I do get a lot of inspiration from kids clothing and furniture sites. Other than that, I use the adobe site and forums a lot. I like the pinkmagazine.com site for inspiration and business tips, but don't really get to it as much as I would like. I also love howdesign.com, there is a lot of design inspiration as well as trade information.

Me: If you could give one piece of business advice, what would it be?

Natalie: Don't ignore marketing. I used to think I didn't have time or money for marketing and it really caused my business to stagnate. When I started paying attention to marketing on a regular basis - which for me meant daily - I really saw an increase in clients and sales. Basically you can't afford to not spend your time and money on bringing in more business. That might be as easy as signing up for a mailing list service or setting up a google adwords account - it doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive, just consistent.

Me: Do you have a favorite book that has helped you in making business decisions or helped in answering important business questions?

Natalie: I really like both e-myth revisited by Michael E. Gerber and Cash Machine for Life by Loral Langemeier.

Me: What is your favorite social media site? How long would you say you spend "socializing"?

Natalie: I'm way behind on the social networking sites - I recently signed up for facebook, but haven't really utilized it for my business.

Me: Do you tweet on Twitter? If so, what is your Twitter username so my readers can follow you?
Natalie: No...I keep thinking I need to, but I just haven't really been compelled.

Me: If you could do one thing different when it comes to your business, what would it be?
Natalie: one thing? just one...I think it would be something different everyday. I guess overall I really like Michael Gerber's idea of turning your business into a franchise model that anyone could follow. I would love to take the time to get systems and processes for the business written down - but it always seems like the last thing on my list.

Me: What is your greatest business accomplishment thus far?

Natalie: In 2008 I made more working at home in my own business then I did my last year as a full-time teacher. That's partly a statement about how little teachers are paid, but also really a testament to what I have been able to achieve in my business.

Whyzz.com has come to parents' rescue

Do your kids ever ask you questions that you really have no idea how to answer? If you answered no, then you have rare a rare child indeed because children are always saying and asking the darndest things!

My daughter heard that flys spit on things that they land on and asked me if it was true. Hugh?? I wasn't sure about that one, so I asked Whyzz.com and here is the answer I got:

"You might have heard a rumor that flies spit or throw-up on everything they land on.

Unfortunately, this yucky myth is mostly true.Because a fly's mouth is not made for chewing, they only eat liquids. Mostly, flies eat nectar and other non-solid items, but occasionally they'll also eat some food that needs chewing. In order to eat these solid foods, a fly can deposit a special type of spit-like substance which then turns the solid into a liquid so they can drink it up!The good news is that because flies are not interested in eating everything they touch, they don't necessarily spit every time they land. However, if you ever find food with flies on it, it's still better to stay away just in case they have been using their special spit. Plus, flies often hang out in dirty places and sometimes they bring other germs along with them, even if they don't spit. Eeeww!"

So, next time your kid comes up with a question and you have no idea how to answer it, go to Whyzz.com and let the experts answer it for you:)