Why do we have a day that is supposed to do nothing but scare the dickens out of us?  Why do we bob for apples or have scary pumpkins sitting on our front porch?  Why do we dress up like ghost and goblins or other fancy creatures? All of these questions can be answered by looking back at the origin of Halloween. 

More than two thousand years ago there lived a people known as the Celtics.  They were a proud, fierce and combative tribe which inhabited Ireland, the northern areas of France, and the United Kingdom.  Their new year started on what you and I know as November the first. The beginning of November marked the end of warm weather and the growing season. In addition the hours of darkness ruled over the hours of daylight and the Celts being of a superstitious nature; believed that things which go bump in the night roamed and ruled the night hours.

As the hours of darkness prevailed much of the time was spent spinning yarns and the retelling of stories which had been passed from generation to generation.  One of the beliefs that had been passed down was the belief that the dead returned on the night before the beginning of the New Year; October 31st . It was believed on this night they returned to avenge the wrong deeds done to them and to bring forecast of the events to occur in the New Year. Read the rest of this entry

Technology continues to advance and nothing has grown more quickly than blogging. A blog, which is essentially a weblog or web log, is a basic website where new entries are made on a continual and frequent basis.

The new posts, or entries, appear on the blog in reverse chronological order so readers will see the most recent posting first. Blogs started out as a type of journaling for many people but they have rapidly grown in popularity and many people actually make a lucrative living through their blogging efforts.

One of the biggest differences in a blog and a typically website is that blogs offer the opportunity for two-way conversations and interactions with other people.  When people read a blog, they also have an opportunity to comment on the posting and forward the links to other sites where more people join the conversation. Blogs can quickly go ‘viral’ if the blogging content is interesting, valuable, and unusual.

Blogging has taken on a life of its own over the past decade, with over 100 million blogs on the Internet today. People use blogs to promote a cause, convey a message, or drive readers to their website. Many people will visit a website after reading blog entries they find interesting. This can quickly lead to new sales for the blogger if he/she is able to engage visitors and encourage them to visit a website with products and services for a fee. Read the rest of this entry

You’ve heard a lot about blogging and you may even keep up with a few online blogs yourself. There are millions of blogs on the Internet and they include a range of topics on virtually every topic imaginable. But just why do people engage in blogging anyway and what is the allure of an online diary?

First of all, it’s important to understand that blogs have become much more than glorified diaries or journals. They have become a major driver for online marketers who are using the blog as an innovative approach to increasing traffic to their website. Blogging has become much more popular today than ever before.

The following is a list of the top eight (8) reasons people blog. Take a look at these popular reasons and you may find that this is something worth pursuing for your own personal or business needs:

1. A person has something to say and they want hundred, thousands, and even millions of people to hear what they have to say. They want to get a message across or promote a ‘cause’ and blogs are the perfect way to do that across a huge audience.
2. Online marketers use blogs to promote a product or service. It is an easy and affordable component of an online marketing plan and it is a great way to promote a business, products, or services.
3. People create blogs to connect with other people who share a common idea, thought, or cause. They want to find people who feel as they do about a particular topic and they seek to engage others in conversation about their topic. People who are passionate about their blogging topic will find a huge following throughout the blogosphere. Read the rest of this entry