The Battle of the Blog-Alogs has been Resolved

My inner conflict had been going on for some time, and it mentally looked like this:

I don't mind because it gives me an excuse to post this slice from a visual journal exercise, which I've titled Conflict Resolution.

The dilemma is over now and I've found a way to stay in Zimbio. I've had an up & down view of Zimbio, because I didn't think I was getting much visibility from that blog-listing service. But my profile and articles sure look pretty on the Zimbio site. Then I got into Blog Catalog, and was swept away by the discussion boards in which obsessive bloggers (moi included) burn up the 'net by weighing in on everything from favorite ice cream flavors to recent Supreme court decisions. So I let Zimbio go for a while, during which time they started promoting my blog like crazy - and I never noticed.

What to do about Zimbio kept hanging around on my do-list, and I wanted to get it off. There's a wealth of blogging expertise in the BC forum, so I started a discussion on my BC-Z conundrum. Right off the bat, I got a reply from a nice blogger named Shirley who said Zimbio gave her good results. She also went to my Zimbio profile and gave me a kudo, the rat :-) Stroke my ego - that's all I need to keep sticking with something through hell or high water.

Meanwhile, other BC'ers were warning me about Zimbio's policy of claiming the right to use my material in perpetuity. Uuurrk! No way I'm gonna let those corporate creeps claim my work ...

But then I actually read the Zimbio policy, and learned that I do keep the copyright. Whew. It's okay with me if they want to put my blog posts in a future "Best of Zimbio" tome, as I long as I can use my own work when I want to! So now, fellow-travelers, yours truly is proudly displayed and racking up the stars and kudos in not one but two - count 'em - blog listings.

You techno-phobes are probably thinking I've lost my mind. Three whole paragraphs on blogging? Earth to Jan ... But see here, fellow-travelers, there's a lot of things I should have learned in kindergarten that I didn't:

• Don't jump to conclusions.
• Always read the "Terms of Service" before you sign the contract ... er, click the "Accept" button.
• If you get confused, ask for help.
• If someone pays you a compliment, stick around for more - and figure out a way to make it work.

You can see my profiles by clicking on the "Blog Catalog" and "Zimbio" buttons in this blog's sidebar. And if you are, or are thinking about becoming, a blogger - these are two sites that just might help you out. See ya late some night on the discussion boards.

Bloggers Take Note: Before you sign up on Zimbio or any other blog directory, be sure to check your settings. Make sure your RSS feed is set for a "short" or "truncated" feed. This way the subscribers to your feed will get just the first paragraph or so of each post, and if they want to read the entire post they will have to click to the blog itself. In fact, that's a good idea whether you list in a directory or not. I learned this tip from "polybore" on Blog Catalog - thanks, polybore!