Every once in a while, I like to have one of these posts where I talk about blog comments.

See, as a personal blog, I don’t get many comments. That’s the nature of the game when you have varied topics or keep it personal or don’t have a massive following. And I’m OK with that because it’s how it goes.

But if I let everything fly, I’d have a ton of comments.

See, with WordPress (and other things, I believe), I have a plugin called Akismet. Basically, it protects the blog from comment and trackback spam. That way, I don’t even have to deal with it.

For example, as of now, I have more than 7,500 comments in my spam folder. I know there have been times real comments have gone in there and I actually caught them. But I have to be honest — I don’t sift through the spam folder too often because 99.9 percent of the time, it’s all crap.

Alas, sometimes these messages slip through and come up for me to moderate and approve. Usually they are ones that seem more like regular comments, so maybe that’s why Akismet misses them. In the end, they usually give me a laugh.

The thing about spam messages is they usually appear on posts that are older. That’s probably in the hopes they slip through and such.

Some are quite funny in that they are so poorly written or don’t have any connection to the post where the comment is. So, with that in mind, I’d like to share a few of these wonderful comments with you. Remember, these comments are unedited — no spell check or grammar or anything. All copied and pasted as I received them.

Then it’s time to empty the spam folder.

This one was from a Snapshot Saturday post in January:

Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found
that it is truly

informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels.
I’ll be grateful if you continue

this in future. A lot of people will be benefited
from your writing. Cheers!

I’m now watching out for brussels, too. What the hell are brussels?

This next one came from the writing challenge I was involved in this past February. The topic this person comments on? Compulsively.

Hello. I uncovered your current blog site the use of yahoo. It is an highly intelligently authored document. I am going to ensure that you book mark the item and are avalable returning to discover more of your information. Appreciation for a write-up. I will definitely give back.

I’m glad my post was highly intelligent. It’s what I aim for, you see.

How about this one? Somebody needs some help.

Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog.
Is it hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Appreciate it

This one was on a post from the writing challenge I was involved in last summer. I may have fallen for it, if not for the link to something odd (I didn’t click), the fact that the post was so old, and because I’ve received it many times from different people. (I actually once tried to e-mail one of these people to see if I got a response and didn’t get one — another reason knowing these are spam.)

So stop sending me this crap. Appreciate it.

In 2010, I took a trip to Maine. This next comment comes from a post where I spoke about planning for said trip. It definitely seems to capture Maine, no?

The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.

Yeah, makes total sense.

This next one is more current in that it is a comment from my recent post about the Lay’s potato chip flavors.

I am usually to blogging and i actually appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your website and hold checking for brand new information.

I’m glad it worked — go buy some.

I may have let this one go as it was in my peanut butter owns Nutella post from quite a bit back…

Can I just say what a aid to find someone who really is aware of what theyre talking about on the internet. You positively know learn how to bring a problem to gentle and make it important. Extra folks must read this and perceive this aspect of the story. I cant consider youre not more well-liked since you definitely have the gift.

I definitely knew what I was talking about in that post!

Finally, I will end with this one. It was a comment to a Soundless Sunday post, one which had a photo of a crisp winter scene.

A tooth (plural teeth) is a undersized, calcified, whitish order start in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and worn to sever down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also take teeth for hunting or instead of defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are covered sooner than gums. Teeth are not made of bone, but fairly of multiple tissues of varying density and hardness.

The community design of teeth is be like across the vertebrates, although there is respectable modulation in their show up and position. The teeth of mammals be struck by deep roots, and this decoration is also create in some fish, and in crocodilians. In most teleost fish, how, the teeth are partial to to the outer surface of the bone, while in lizards they are fond of to the inner interface of the jaw alongside the same side. In cartilaginous fish, such as sharks, the teeth are seconded by means of cold ligaments to the hoops of cartilage that form the jaw.

Fully makes sense, right?

On that note, it’s time to delete on a permanent basis and clean the spam folder out. But, I’m sure, they will be back in full force. I’ll be sure to share the good ones.

Work with me here, people.

I’ve seen some things with blogging over the past few months. And not all of it is good. So this is my blogging rant for the day — and hopefully — for the long term. I don’t need to do this again.

I need to start with this — I realize there are several different blog platforms out there. I’ve been through many of them. But they all run differently. For example, I use WordPress. But it’s a self-hosted WordPress site, not one you do on the actually WordPress site. That gives me much more control over the site and how it looks, feels and runs. I also use the normal system for comments.

I’ve debated going to Disqus, and actually did it for a few days a while back, but I thought the WordPress comment system was fine. Name, e-mail (not shown) and website, if you have one. It’s worked fine, but I’ve been told that one person can’t leave comments. I have no idea why, but he’s tried many ways to access my site and can’t do it. That’s the only issue I’ve ever heard, though.

Blogger is a different story.

With Blogger’s comment system, it appears the site owner has the choice to decide how people can comment. Some elect to make it a little tighter — in other words using sign on stuff for other things (such as your own Blogger/Google account). The problem with this is there’s no way to link back to your blog. AND with no place for e-mail, there’s no way for the blog owner to contact you or check your site out. That’s one reason I sometimes decide not to comment on those sites. Choose the name/URL option so anyone can comment. It also seems silly for Blogger to not have a spot or option for somebody commenting to not be able to leave their e-mail.

Disqus is somewhat like that now, too.

I don’t like that people can’t leave their blog address on my blog when they comment. It’s easy for me to click on their name to go check their site out. Why make things harder than needed?

Some of this was brought to my attention recently through a group I am part of. Apparently, when I comment with my Google account, or even with my URL/name on a Blogger blog, there’s no way for the person to e-mail me a response. I don’t know Blogger one big, so I have no clue what that means.

But I saw last night when I commented somewhere that I can have a checkmark in place when I use my Google account to have my e-mail address used for responses. That’s fine. But I don’t see that when I use the URL/name. Um… hello, Blogger? Why make things so hard?

I realize it’s about brand setup and all that, but reality has it that not everybody will use Blogger. I don’t personally like the control or interface. And I am already established elsewhere. It’s time to make it easier for your blog owners. Work on that, Blogger.

Now then, that leads me to something else in blogging.

Visiting people’s blogs.

I do my best to make my rounds to several blogs each week. I try and hit them 2-3 times and read what I can, comment etc. But that’s just in a regular rotation.

I’ve recently found a couple of blog groups and have gotten involved some. They can be fun and there’s some interaction. Many of these groups also have “blog hops,” which is basically where people from the group post links to certain posts, social media sites or whatever. The idea is to get people seeing your things, commenting, following and, well, interacting.

That’s how I see it anyway.

Every blog hop I’ve been apart of I try and visit every person on it. I comment on most. The times I don’t comment are when the “rules” are not followed (ie: only post your blog address and not the link to the direct post, as requested) or if one has to go through leaps and bounds to comment.

I’ve hardly ever seen success in blog hops, though. And I’ve done them for quite a while, not just recently.

Sometimes people will stop by or whatever. Maybe a comment? But not usually. I realize my blog isn’t a cup of tea for everybody. And it’s true when I visit blogs, too. But if there are blogs specifically for a hop, they there should be some sort of interest, no? Instead, nothing.

It’s disappointing, too.

Not because of the commenting (which, I won’t lie, we all like to have comments on our blogs), but rather because people are missing out on the interaction. Blogs are about more than yourself. It’s about finding new people, interests or whatever. I also realize that most blogging groups I am in are female dominated. And many blogs out there have that tone. You want proof? Go to Google and type in “Mommy blog” and see how many results come up.

When it comes to personal blogs (such as this one), females are definitely at the forefront. In one group I am in, I want to say there are fewer than five male bloggers in there.

But no matter who is behind the blog, it’s about content and interacting. When I check out others in blog hops, I can appreciate things that aren’t in my norm. If somebody went to town and created a kid’s room (I don’t have kids, so it’s not something I would usually care about), I can appreciate the work and time put into it. And I can appreciate what somebody has done to it — so I comment.

The same goes with arts and crafts and things like that. Or whatever else. I can usually relate — somehow — to what somebody has written. After all, it’s meaningful to them.

I guess, in the end, what I’m trying to say is bloggers should utilize the hops and comments to expand thoughts and interests. There’s a lot of great people out there blogging. There are people I never would have gotten to know if I hadn’t stumbled across their blog, either accidentally, through blog hops or other challenges. Many of these blogs have become favorites and ones I visit as often as possible. You can build some great friendships and get to know people quite well.

Especially with personal blogs as, let’s be honest, major blogs or niche ones, are sometimes more about you visiting and expressing opinions and such. Many of those are big enough where it’s impossible for somebody to respond to each comment or visit your blog.

But with personal blogs, it’s a two-way street.

I won’t lie — if I am commenting and trying to interact and nothing really comes back, I start to lose interest. To me, personal blogs go beyond content. They are about interaction and getting to know somebody. And when it becomes a fully one-way street, people lose interest, me included.

I’ll keep doing things the way I believe is the best way to get to know people and learn about their blogs. It’s just a shame when I know it’s time to cut ties with some.

Such is the life of blogging.

Another day, another post in this challenge I am involved in.

Sheesh.

The bright side? There’s only a few days left. That’s a fact.

And then I yearn for this to continue throughout the rest of the year. That’s fiction.

That being said, it’s been fun and I’ve found several new blogs I’ll be reading more often (fact). Today’s topic has thrown me for a loop, though, as I have been trying to come up with something somewhat funny and good to write (fact).

Then I figured out what I should write about (fiction).

In fact, the truth is, I didn’t.

Allow me this, though. True story.

Throughout my life of writing, I’ve always worked with fact. Whether it be newspapers, magazines or whatever else, most of the writing is based in fact. Even in public relations. I know some will be shocked there. But in PR, it’s still based on fact. It’s just fluffed a little to make it better for the organization. If people don’t understand that, well, they don’t understand how things work (fact).

I’ve tried to get into fiction a little in recent years. My “Life with Earl” series, which came well before the NBC series “My Name is Earl,” (fact), is partially based on fact (see the golf story), but then quite liberally made into fiction (see the rest of the stories). Allow me to tell you the reason for how Earl has been shaped over the years.

When Earl first started, it was an attempt at a total humor column in the college newspaper. He was actually somewhat well received. Alas, the faculty adviser didn’t think it was worth the print. So for me to use Earl, I needed to have him be relevant. So I took a different look at politics and timely stories with Earl. Some of those included Earl calling the White House to discuss some political things with Bill Clinton. The problem? George W. Bush was now in office. (That’s when I was in college, you see). Or the time he complained about Tiger Woods being the main person on golf broadcasts, no matter how good or bad he was doing. (To some, that may still be fact!)

But my favorites are when I put Earl in crazy situations and see how my mind makes him react. It’s fun fiction. I’ve often thought about an Earl book, made up mainly of stories of him in different situations. Maybe one day as I’d like to make them all connect somehow and then be able to have an actual ending, outside of just a bunch of stories.

Maybe I can make those fictional accounts into a book soon. Could that be fact? We shall see.

I have other fictional ideas for books, too. One is disc golf related. I have the beginning. I have the end. But the middle — the meat — is just not coming together for me. I need something to push that one along. I want to make that fact.

I even have a couple of geocaching book ideas (fact).

Instead, I’m sitting here typing about fact or fiction for a monthly writing contest (fact)!

Alas, I keep plugging along. In life. In writing. In making beer (fact). And I keep dreaming about that lottery I won (fiction, but would like to be fact).

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

I’ve never met Abraham Lincoln.

I wasn’t around in the 1800s. And, being I’ve never met any United States President, I’m pretty sure Abe is not somebody I would have met, even in the 1800s.

I tried to come up with something to do with this prompt, but I found nothing. I truly tried.

Then I remembered — I had met Honest Abe.

Well, sort of.

It all came on a short trip to Washington D.C. in 2011. It’s best shown in photos.

Abe looking over D.C.

Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln’s pad. A lot of people hang out here. Where’s the beer?

Checking out the Washington Monument from Abe’s pad.

Abe is pretty accommodating when you visit his pad. Sometimes there’s kids running around, seemingly out of control. But overall, it’s pretty easy to get around. He usually doesn’t have beer, though. It would be hard to serve that many cordials to people visiting. But hey, at least you get to meet Abe, right?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

This theme has been really messing with me since I first saw it.

No idea, seriously.

I mean, I’ve dealt with some idiot mayors and ones I’d love to talk about how inept and stupid they were. That and how they were sneaky and gutless weasels who teamed up with others to do bad things.

But karma will hopefully eventually get them, if it hasn’t already. Karma loves spineless people.

Alas, I was looking for something more. I didn’t know any “mayor” songs or anything like that.

I could have researched the history of mayors, but that seems like a time-consuming project  that might bore me to tears.

So I went searching and what I came up with was this really excellent video made by a mayoral candidate in Florida.

This was in 2011.

Sadly, this gent didn’t win. Alas, his official website has this at the top:

We got an impressive 30% of the vote on election day! Thank you to everyone who supported me. We will build on our momentum and run again in 2013!

Maybe his chance will truly come in 2013.

Below are some of his election videos. Very clever. Using some pop culture and things to maybe aim toward a younger population. I’d have been interested to see more about his stand, if I was in his area.

Take a peek at the videos. Pretty good and an interesting way to go with the campaign.

If I ever run for mayor anywhere, I hope I could be this clever. It’s no wonder he got 30 percent of the vote. I’ll be interested to see how his 2013 campaign goes!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!