The new year is in full swing and there were plenty of really great reads this week! Here are some that I recommend:

• Performancing has announced their Blog Awards 2007 Winners - definitely the cream of the crop here!
• Ben at InstigatorBlog just redesigned his blog and it looks great - read how he did it at ProBlogger.
• SOBCon 08 has been announced! Last year’s event was amazing and I was so bummed I couldn’t be there. This years theme is Biz School for Bloggers and will be held May 2-4 in Chicago. With any luck, I’ll be in attendance this year.
• Seawaves has a great post on LinkBait and using it to create more repeat visitors and long term links - a must read.
• On a similar note, Wake Up Later has three rules for retaining website visitors. Which of these rules do you follow?
• Looking to get funding for your latest project? EntrepreMusings has posted her Fundraising Toolkit - what’s in yours?
• There are so many ways to monetize your website but joining an ad network can be one of the best ways if you know where to look. Wendy at eMoms at Home has posted a very comprehensive list of the ad networks and tips for finding the right one.
• Charity from Design Adaptations took a break from client work to do some creative exploration. The result - 4 fabulous Firefox desktop wallpapers that you can download for your own use. Beautiful.
• PopStalin Designs always has creativity ON! She has just redesigned her site and it is too much fun.
• Finally, if you are like me and have to manage a gazillion internet passwords, pop over to MomGadget and enter to win a very cool internet little black book for organizing and keeping your passwords safe.

Have a great weekend!!

Here is a little Friday fun and distraction for you. Oh how the world has changed!

You Know You Are Living in 2007 When…

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list.

AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Go on, pass this to your friends you know you want to!

PS - I found this at the Paranormal Playground on a Stumble.

Quizzes are fun - especially when they result in a cheesey (but fun) graphic you can put on your site, and when they are tied to something bigger and better.

In this case, the team behind Blog Action Day has come up with a quick and right on the money quiz to let you know what kind of a blogger you are. Part of the motivation for creating this quiz is to raise awareness about Blog Action Day on October 15.

So what is Blog Action Day? According to the Blog Action Day website:

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

So, what are you waiting for? Take a few moments out of your Friday (or over the weekend) and take the quiz - don’t forget to come back and let me know what kind of a blogger you really are. Then Monday, October 15, participate in Blog Action Day by publishing a post relating to the environment.

Have a great weekend!