Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about
Count Me Blue. (Okay, I'm anticipating some of these, too, but hopefully you'll find these helpful, informative or at least enlightening for a nanosecond.)
1. How do you pronounce PECAD and what does it mean?
I wish there were a more interesting story behind the name of my thought-up moniker, and before launching
RJs Journey, I tried for days in vain to come up with something more original, but this was the best I could do. It's pronounced PEE-cad, an acronym that stands for
Politics
Edmonton
Cowboys
Always
Democrat. To those of you who know me, the word choice is no surprise. For the uninitiated: (Obviously!) politics is a passion that brought me to the blogosphere in the first place; the Edmonton Oilers are my favorite sports franchise and always will be; the Dallas Cowboys are a very close second; and as for Always Democrat, well, that's self explanatory. So, there you have the unoriginal truth behind PECAD.
2. What does my CMB donation fund?Your generous donation goes right back into the blog, for the foreseeable future. If, by my wildest dreams, I ever began taking in large sums of money, this could turn into a part-time job, but for right now, I write because it's what I enjoy doing - sharing my views with people in this medium. I would like to upgrade
CMB in several ways, most notably by getting my own domain name and hosting service, which would allow me to leave Blogger. (This would have numerous advantages, mostly technical, which I'll refrain from getting into here, since this is long enough already.) But, that costs money, and I'm a long way from setting up my own blog on my own site. Blogger is where I'll be for now, but I can guarantee you that any donation you might be able to give would help me migrate to a new site.
3. What camera do you use to take your photographs?
I use almost all
Canon equipment. My current workhorse is a
Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR, and I also own a Canon EOS 40D camera as well. I own many Canon "L" lenses and loads of other stuff as well. For more information, you can visit
my photography Website.
4. Why can’t I see some of your photos or videos on Count Me Blue?A few reasons. If you can't view some of my photos, download a real browser, because Internet Explorer sucks. If you're using Windows, get a real browser
Here, and if you are using a Macintosh, go
Here.
As far as videos go, I try to keep up with them, but, on occasion, YouTube pulls/deletes videos from its Website, and when that happens, you won't be able to view the video when you click on it in one of my posts. Since the fall of 2006, this shouldn't be much of a problem, but if you are unable to view a video, please let me know by leaving a comment on that particular post, or by e-mailing me directly at
rjphoto71@gmail.com.5. I've subscribed to your blog via e-mail. Why can't I see photos or videos in the e-mail feed?I honestly don't know. I'm trying to work this out, but I don't know how much Feedburner, the site I use to distribute my feed, will be able to help. As far as pictures go, a different browser will probably help (see above), but the videos you aren't going to be able to view or even see in e-mails due to the memory that video takes up. The only thing I can recommend, of course, if visiting the site if you read a story you are interested in - photos and videos should be viewable on the home page.
6. Why the hell do you live in Philadelphia?Not for the sports teams, that's for sure. :o) We plan on relocating to Southern California, where my wife Vandra is from. Our probable time frame is some time in mid-to-late 2009.
7. You mention many products in your blog. What's with that?As a writer and photographer, this is something I feel is important to address to my readers. So, at the risk of sounding like a lawyer, here goes. ... All recommendations on my blog are self-initiated and unpaid. I get no remuneration of any sort - money, discounts, products, services, meals, or gifts - from any of the vendors or manufacturers mentioned in my blog. The services, products, and merchants are mentioned purely because they've impressed me in some way (or angered me) and I wanted to pass on my thoughts. I also don't get any remuneration from the blog itself, other than the satisfaction of bringing joy into the lives of my several readers.
8. What about attribution of sources on your blog?I make every attempt to be as honest and open as possible regarding attribution. (After all, I do have a master's in journalism, so if I don't know the value of honesty and attribution by now, I never will.) I frequently get photographs from other Websites and sources, and I make every effort to properly note the source of the photos, where appropriate and when possible. The same goes for stories and direct quotations.
9. Should I send you unsolicited advice about your blog?Sure, but I can't guarantee I'll take it. However, I always try to keep an open mind. However, don't bother complaining about the language I use. If you do send me an e-mail or leave a comment about it, the only think I'll promise is to laugh and probably forward the e-mail to other people. I try to tone it down, but sometimes my passion manifests itself in ways that are undesirable to some. Feel free to exercise your right to click on the
Disney Website to cleanse your mental palate if you feel the need. Wash, rinse, repeat.
10. Why Count Me Blue?I have no sexy answer here, other than to say that I'm a liberal Democrat, progressive, or whatever other label you can think of that describes a left-leaning voter. I don't automatically like or vote for a Democrat - only sheep do that. There are more than a few Democrats I dislike, and I'm honest in writing about that on the blog. Most of what I write about is directly or indirectly related to politics, so a political title seemed appropriate. I wear my political heart on my sleeve, so I feel my blog should be no different. After doing some soul-searching, I decided the original name of my blog,
RJs Journey, was unoriginal and boring. So, on 2.25.07, I changed the name to
Count Me Blue (Sometimes abbreviated
CMB in posts.) Previous entries still refer to
RJs Journey, but I'm not going back and changing all of those references in the archives. During my first 11 months, I posted over 600 entries, and I don't have that much time on my hands to change them all. If I did, I'd want to do something else. Maybe I'll get an intern. (Cue gratuitous Clinton/Monica joke here, then keep it to yourself.)
Labels: Count Me Blue, FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions, RJs Journey
