Friday’s Gathering Of Information

I’m constantly amazed at what one can find on the Internet and through blogs.

I can read a number of the wonderful blogs I follow through my inbox and that is extremely helpful when I don’t have the time to visit as I’d like. It also allows me to go back to a post for more information or a re-read when I have the time.

I have just a small sample of the interesting information I discovered in the past few weeks that I’d like to share with you. I hope by sharing this information I’m not infringing on any copyright issues. For this reason, I’m just going to hit the highlights of the information and give you the link so you can read more in-depth (in case you haven’t already seen it). 

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If you are a self-published author, have you heard about Writer’s Digest’s 22nd Annual Self-Published Book Awards? This competition features works of self-published authors and is a great way for these authors to promote their work.

The competition welcomes writers from all genres. You can see the complete list of entry categories here. The First Place Winner in each category will receive some great prizes including promotion in Writer’s Digest and $1,000 cash among other things. There will also be one Grand Prize Winner! The list of prizes can be found here.

The early bird deadline for this competition is April 1. Click here for more information and to register.

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Writer’s Digest is also sponsoring their 83rd Annual Writing Competition. This is a competition that spotlights all forms of writing including screenplays, children’s literature and much more.

Once again, some great prizes are being offered and a chance to have your writing showcased. A complete list of rules, regulations and prizes can be found here. The deadline for entry is May 5th.

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As many of you know, we recently lost our beloved cat, Little One. She was almost 17 years old and she had been with us since her birth. Not have children, we tend to treat our pets as four-legged children so it can be quite heart-breaking to lose one of them.

I’ve found that people who aren’t as connected with their pets aren’t sure what to say to those who are when they lose one. And, of course, you have some people that don’t stop and think saying things that really hurt those grieving for their beloved pets.

Pawcurious: With Pet Lifestyle Expert and Veterinarian Dr. V had a good post recently about what to and not to say when someone loses a pet. The post was entitled ‘What to say to someone in mourning.’ As she mentions, the information is universal when it comes to grief.

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The last bit of information I have to share deals with a federal court ruling and bloggers being protected as ‘traditional’ journalists.

The post I read “UPDATED: Federal Court Rules Bloggers Have Same First Amendment Protections as 'Traditional' Journalists” was written by Liza Barry-Kessler and was posted on BlogHer.

Be sure to check it out, if you haven’t already. I think you’ll find some interesting information. I must admit, I had never given much thought to this issue but this post made me stop and think.

What bits of information have you come across this week that you’d like to share? Isn’t blogging a wonderful way to learn new things and keep up-to-date on the latest happenings around the world?