Everything You Wanted To Know About Co-Host DL Hammons, But Were Afraid To Ask

Not an envious position, following the Blogfather himself – Alex J. Cavanaugh – but I’m always up for a challenge.  Here are my answers to a few of the questions our A to Z followers submitted.

1) You're house in on fire, assuming your kids, pets, and other living things are safe, what do you grab as you head out the door?  All of our important documents are tucked away in a fireproof lockbox, so I won’t worry about that.  What I will grab is our external hard drive, which holds copies of all our family pictures, and my writing.

2) What's your biggest frustration in blogging?  Unless you’ve written a couple of best sellers and are universally appealing, to be done right blogging takes a lot of time, which is something of a precious commodity these days. I get frustrated when I can’t get around to as many other bloggers as I’d like.

3) What's the most awful thing your mother ever forced you to eat?  Liver, and Peas.  I’m getting body shivers just thinking about them. YUCK!

4) Where do you go to "Get away from it all"?" I don’t really have a “man cave” (though I wish I did), and my ultimate getaway – an Alaskan Cruise -- isn’t really cheap, so I’ll just say my writing.  When I’m in the middle of a story there’s no place I’d rather be.

5) What reason did you have to sign up for the A to Z and what did you expect to gain from entering?  Two reasons. First, the exposure. Second, I decided last year to make it uncomfortable in my comfort zone, and this fit the bill.

6) Where do you hail from?  I’m a military brat, so technically I have no hometown.  I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but our family was constantly on the move (mostly east coast) up until my high school years.  I went to high school in North Carolina and college at LSU.

7) Have you ever wanted to be a rock star?  In my youth I entered more than a few air guitar contests…so that would be a YES.

8) Cake or pie? I’m torn between German Chocolate CAKE and Pecan PIE.

9) How often do you comment on other blogs? My own personal code is if another blogger comments on my posts fairly consistently, then I’ll add them to my Google Reader and read their blogs faithfully.  That doesn’t mean I’ll comment on every blog post though.  If someone were to post a review of a book I have absolutely no interest in, I won’t comment just to comment.

10) Which is your favorite fictional character and why?  Sherlock Holmes…the iconic example of a 

flawed hero who breeds awe and sympathy.

11) If you were a contestant on the CBS show "Amazon Race" and could pick ANY movie character to be your partner, who would it be and why?  John McClain from the DIE HARD movies.  Yippee Ki-yae!

12) What is the most Underrated letter of the Alphabet?  Actually, there are two of them.  D & L :)

13) Describe the last Halloween costume you wore. You know what they say about pictures.

14) Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?  I’m not “smarter” than anyone, but sometimes I happen to know the right answer.

15) Name an item that you have too much of.  Rejection letters.

16) What items could you typically have in your pockets?  My keys, a flash drive, and a pen

 knife.

If I left out a question/answer you’d really like to know, just leave it in the comments below.  And if you get a chance, drop by my permanent home at Cruising Altitude 2.0.

Getting to Know Your Hosts - Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh

I’m Alex J. Cavanaugh
Founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Author of Amazon Best Sellers CassaStar and CassaFire
Guitar player extraordinaire
Clones may or may not be involved

And these are my goofy answers!

“Would you ever join a team that was headed off to colonize Mars?”

Would I still have access to the Internet and NetFlix?

“You're house in on fire, assuming your kids, pets, and other living things are safe, what do you grab as you head out the door?”

My guitars. Dear Lord man, you don’t let a Gibson Les Paul burn!

"What rock star would you be?"

John Petrucci from Dream Theater – the man can shred.

"Where do you hail from?"

Well, if I’m hailing a taxi, it would be from the curb. I don’t want to get run over.

"Where do you go to "Get away from it all"?"

My office/man-cave. I have a big screen TV, music, computer, and I’m surrounded by guitars. Add a fridge and a bathroom and I’d never leave.

"Would you rather have your own personal sailing ship or spaceship? What would you name your ship?"

If I had my own spaceship, it would need stealth so I’d have the element of surprise. Therefore, I’d name it the Spanish Inquisition – because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
(And bonus points if you can name the show!)

“Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse? Why do you think so? Exactly how prepared are you?”

I’ve watched every zombie movie ever made, I’m all about the cardio, and I’ve mastered the double-tap. Game players and movie buffs are the only ones equipped to handle it.

"Name an item that you have too much of."

It’s either movies, music, or guitars. No wait, can never have too many of any of those!

And one serious answer…

"How do you comment - if someone posts 5,6,7 times a week .. once - or 3 times .. then each time or once or twice .. then each time I can't keep up .. but hate not supporting everyone ..."

I suggest clones – they really help.
If someone posts daily, they won’t hate you for skipping one now and then. Even I can’t visit every blogger buddy every single day. (The clones need days off as well, you know!) Those who post more than seven times a week know that some will skip their posts. If you miss a few, it will be all right. That’s why I only post three times a week except during the Challenge. I don’t want to overtax my followers.
Or my poor clones!


Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE

Spam: Keeping Your Blog Clean for #atozchallenge

no spam! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         We've all undoubtedly gotten the spam comments on our blog posts.   If you haven't then consider yourself lucky or one who has a very tight rein on incoming comments with your spam filters.  Just a word to a few of you (mainly those on WordPress it seems), if you receive absolutely no spam on your posts then good, but you might want to check your spam folders to make sure legitimate comments aren't trapped there as well.  If your controls are set too rigidly, your system may be blocking actual blog comments.  I can't tell you much about this--I only know it happens sometimes since I often end up in WordPress spam folders.

       The real spam is a nuisance, however, and is unfortunately something we have to deal with.  If there are any of you still in doubt about what spam comments are think of the content.  Does the comment have anything to do with what you've said in your blog post.  If not, or if it kind of parrots something you said, but still seems peculiarly worded or just an example of poor grammar you are probably dealing with spam.

        Also, spam often comes from "anonymous".   Ah, yes--that ever present who's-it sender that starts the conversation with a red flag.  On Blogger--and I would assume this is the case on most blogging platforms--we have the option of screening out anonymous comments by switching to "Registered Users" in the Settings section of the blog.  I've done this with most of my blogs and it has helped tremendously to eliminate the spam.   Sadly, I won't get some of those gems that come from real readers who wish to remain anonymous, but it's the price I have to pay to keep a cleaner comment section.

      Of course the spammers can evade this block by actually using a Blogger account.  If you don't know the sender it's a good idea to check the Blogger profile to see who the sender is.  It's usually pretty obvious if the sender is a commercial account who is merely spamming you to get you to click on a link or go to their site.  The bottom line is don't do it unless it's truly something that you'd like to know more about.

      That brings us to links.  You want to take care which links you click on.  This is especially true if a link that sounds very commercial ends the comment or if the comment is filled with peculiar looking links.  And in case you don't know this already, do not open any of those suspicious looking links or you may end up with malware infecting your computer.

        However, don't confuse signature links with links of ill intent.   If what appears to be a legitimate user with an actual good comment that relates to what you have written leaves a link in the signature, it's most likely a safe link that makes it convenient to find the commenter.

        Examples of a good link:  Shannon at The Warrior Muse   or Lee  A Faraway View

        An example of the potentially evil or spam link accompanied by irrelevant comment:

My family always say that I am killing my time here at web, but I know I am getting knowledge all the time by reading thes fastidious content.
my webpage ... rominahotcom         

          If it looks stupid and suspicious, it's probably because it is exactly that.  Don't click on these links and delete the comment from your comment section so others don't click on them.

           Just a note about spam you may not see.  Do you check your spam folders now and then to clean out the spam and make sure there are not legitimate comments trapped in there?   Periodically (at least once a week) you should check to see if you have any spam comments or comments awaiting moderation.   If you haven't ever done this, you might be amazed by what you may find there.  Especially if you are allowing anonymous comments.  You can find the spam folders under "Comments" on your Blogger template page and I guess this would be similar on other blogging formats.

          So, now you might want to get an early start on spring cleaning and get ready for the April Challenge. You'll be getting a lot of new comments to sort through, but you want to be sure to separate the good from the bad.

          Happy Safe Blogging!

Related articles

• Mark Only Spam as Spam
• Day 322: Read Your Blog Spam Lately?
• Blog Spam and the Collateral Damage of Howard Owens

Think Beyond Your Blog's Genre

The A to Z Challenge provides participants the opportunity to find new blogs. We can discover bloggers who share our interests, live in our own city or state, or share our profession. It’s a chance to find like-minded souls and validate our likes and interests.

Sometimes though, it benefits us to step out of our box and discover something new. It challenges us mentally and helps us to grow as a person.

Coming from the position of a writer and author, I know our group tends to gravitate toward each other online. We benefit from the tips and support. Unfortunately, what happens is we end up following mostly writers and authors. The platform building campaigns are fun, but they don’t acquire what we really seek - our target audience.

We need to think beyond the boundaries of our blog topics. There are people who enjoy what we blog about even if they don’t post on the subject. Let’s take gamers for example. You post about RPG and computer games and follow others who also post about games. But who else likes games? Fantasy buffs perhaps? That would include fantasy writers, readers, and movie hounds.

Most of us have more than one hobby. The A to Z is a chance to find others that share our interests. Like to take photos? There are many photo bloggers out there. Travel? Lots of travel blogs. Whatever our interests, there is sure to be a group of bloggers who also enjoy those things. Even if that’s not the focus of your blog, you’ll still share some common ground.

Networking means stepping out and meeting new people. Every person you meet could be an opportunity. Not just to further yourself, but to grow as a human being and possibly help someone else grow.

Take a chance this year. Visit a variety of bloggers. You just might be surprised who you meet.


By L. Diane Wolfe, a.k.a. Spunk On A Stick

Suit Up! Bring Some STYLE to your Challenge!

If you are looking for a bit of flair for your challenge?

26 letters rolling around your head with matching dates for the challenge?

Well look no further if you would like to use our snazzy post letters and our A to Z Challenge [2013] Desktop you are just one click away from that. Look above you see the "Banners/Badges" page if you go there you will see a couple things that you can use. Not only will you look cool, but you will better help us co-host keep track of the participants just by you showing your support.

Or this desktop, last year I found it much easier to not have to flip back and forth to find the right dates it was all in one place... So be cool, look cool and guess what you are... COOL!

And if you want to be cool and wear some cool stuff including "Alex J Cavanaugh's Ninja Army" shirt... you can check out my art/designs at my NEATORAMA shop...

 [RETRO NEVER LOOKS SO GOOD]

Jeremy [Retro]

Let's Go Crazy!