Finally, CMB's wrinkles getting ironed out

I'm finally getting some of the wrinkles worked out here at CMB. First and foremost, you can now subscribe to Count Me Blue via e-mail. All should be up and working - I went through some transitional pain during our name change a few months ago, but it all seems to be working now.

A few words about getting CMB over e-mail.

1. The e-mail should come between 1 and 3 p.m. eastern time on any day I've posted something. If I haven't posted anything in 24 hours (which is very rare), you will not receive an e-mail that day.

2. I strongly recommend, if you don't know me personally, to add my e-mail address to your address book and/or "safe list" so the e-mail arrives in your in-box and not in your bulk mail folder - rjphoto71@yahoo.com.

2 1/2 - It's worth mentioning again, that I never, ever will use your e-mail address for any other purpose, nor will I sell it, refer it or share it with anyone in any way. Cross my blue heart on it.

3. I'm still working through a few kinks in the e-mail feed - when I have more time, I'm going to optimize it, make the headlines easier to read, etc. But, that will probably have to wait a month or so, until I'm finished teaching college in mid-May. I could take time out now to do it, but that would cut into precious writing time, so it will have to wait.

4. If you don't like the idea of getting another e-mail every day, you can use one of the almost two dozen feeds I have listed down the right side of the homepage. CMB's "feed" is another thing that's on my list of things to tweak and make better - more improvements coming next month.

One thing about both the "feed" and the e-mail version - in just about every case, YouTube and other videos don't show up - you still must visit the homepage for these. And often, photos don't show up, either, or they show up incorrectly. This is not intentional, and when I get more time next month, I'll do whatever I can to improve the unfriendly graphical treatment my feed is getting.

##

And finally, thanks for your visits and your feedback. In the month since CMB turned one, this site has had over 1,300 visits. So, a big, humble thank you to all who stop by to see what's new. (Year one saw CMB receive just over 4,500 visits for the entire year, so year two is on a more than record-breaking pace.)

As always, I welcome your comments, and your criticism. My e-mail address is rjphoto71@yahoo.com. E-mail me any time - I enjoy hearing from you.

Name Change!

It's official - after much soul searching, and trying to figure out something catchy that will (hopefully) be easy to remember, I've changed the name of my blog. If you're reading this and you know me, you're obviously received my e-mail about the announcement. If you've found me by browsing, thanks for stopping by.

Anyway, I like Count Me Blue; it's much catchier than RJs Journey, and it's pretty reflective of my political point of view.

If you like what you read, you can subscribe to my blog via e-mail by entering your e-mail address on the home page in the top left corner.

Please note: I will never, ever share your e-mail information with anyone. I take your privacy very seriously, and I'm flattered that you'd want to receive my blog via e-mail.

Thanks again for stopping by - I welcome your comments about the blog, whether you like what you read or not. You may e-mail me directly at rjphoto71@yahoo.com or you may leave comments after any post by clicking on the comments link. If you have any questions about my blog (or me), you may e-mail me, or visit Count Me Blue's FAQ.

Have a good day.

Cheers,
RJ (PECAD)

Count Me Blue FAQ

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.)