Blogging Resource

Survey Junkies, Online Shoppers, Bloggers, and Busy Moms- Let OIB Organize Your Inbox Automatically!

Tame your out-of-control inbox!

Inbox overload. No one should have to suffer from this awful affliction. And yet tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of email users are plagued by overstuffed inboxes every single day. But there is a cure. It’s a free service called OtherInbox, or “OIB” as the cool kids say.

OIB basically weeds through all your emails and pulls out the automated ones from the ones from real people and then files them in different folders. So, that sale site coupon will come into the OIB Shopping folder, but the credit card statement will go into the OIB Financial folder. Then you can look at what you want, when you want without having to sift through dozens of other emails clogging up your inbox. And best of all, that email list you ended up on, but never signed up for, well that can be moved into the OIB Unsubscribe folder where they’ll do the breaking up for you.

OIB works with Gmail, Yahoo and AOL and has a bunch of other nifty features we can’t wait to share with you. So watch how quickly and easily it tames Carley’s out-of-control inbox. Plus you can check out her adorable PJ’s.

See OIB in action in this weeks Twirl…

So, what do you think?

I’ll tell you what I think– I think I’m in love! As a busy blogger, social media junkie, online super-shopper, busy survey-taker and more- my email is out. of. control. Seriously.

I love this idea to automatically sort my emails, so I can check important updates first- then skim through other categories as I have time. In the mood for some online shopping? I can check my shopping folder to see what new deals and coupon code updates I have waiting for me. Or, if I have a minute to earn some free cash with my favorite survey sites, I can pop into my survey folder to find all of the invites together in one place. Easy peasy!

{Also, did you notice that Carley gets emails from a bunch of the same great places I’ve told you guys about? She has the Chili’s Free Chips and Queso coupon in her Inbox, the amazing LearnVest Frugal Tips Newsletter, and a couple more- I’ll see if anyone else can find them. Leave me a comment!}

A couple of things to keep in mind…

When watching the video on the Digitwirl site, I noticed that in the comments there are a couple of issues that might come up when getting started with OIB. Nothing major, and all have solutions- but you might want to take a second to read the OtherInbox Post to check it out. You’ll see that they have an AMAZING customer support rep on the page, responding to everyone’s questions. Gotta love that, right?

I’m signing up for OIB today- and I’ll let you know how it works for me! I’d love to hear from you if you’re already using it, or plan to start. What’s YOUR biggest frustration with keeping your email organized? Leave some comments and let’s chat!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 23, 2011 Filed Under: Blogging Resources, Freebies, Shopping, Reviews | No Comments

Hate the New Facebook Changes?

Were you like me, and logged onto Facebook this morning, only to see that it looked DIFFERENT? Ugh, I hate that.

I’ve come up with the theory that Facebook is trying to get rid of old people like me, so it keeps changing things up so I get confused and give up. Just sayin’.

Where are my friends??

One thing I don’t like at all is that Facebook is deciding who is most important to me, and showing me what it thinks is my “top news”- except most of those posts are from people I don’t even want to read about. Um, how is Facebook deciding this? And where are my favorite pages at? I had to scroll down three pages to get to see even ONE of my favorite blogs or pages updates. What’s that about?

Learn how to use Facebook Lists

Anyway, I read a great post today on CEO of Me, Inc. that tells you how to how to How to See Your Favorite Facebook Friends and Pages again with Lists that I thought I’d share. I hadn’t used the lists feature yet, so I’m going to try it out today, and see if I can customize this new Facebook style, and actually see stuff I’m interested in again.

She also links to the Facebook page that explains about how Facebook Lists work, if you’re like me, and kind of confused by it. I must admit, I do like the idea of putting my favorite blogs on a list, my best friends on a list, and my family on another list- so I can check in to see what my favorite people are doing.

UPDATE:

I just found another great post on the Facebook changes too- Hate the New Facebook? Here’s how to Change it Back! More great ideas on how to use the List feature to make Facebook work the way you want it to!

What do you think?

Are you using the List’s yet? Do you love/hate/feel indifferent towards the new Facebook layout? Are you going to add Sunshine and Sippy Cups to your fave list on Facebook? {Of course you are- you don’t want to miss any good stuff, right?} Do you have any great advice on getting used to this new Facebook update?

So, I guess I’ll read up on these lists, and hopefully learn from your tips– and get used to this new Facebook update just in time for them to change it all up again!

And make sure to come by and check out Sunshine and Sippy Cups on Facebook too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 21, 2011 Filed Under: Blogging Resources, Reviews | 2 Comments

Sample: A FREE Child Theme for WordPress- Download Today!

Studiopress has a big announcement…

They released a new FREE Child Theme for the Genesis Framework. Quite appropriately, it’s called SAMPLE.

This will only work if you’re already on the Genesis framework, which seriously, I totally recommend. I’m LOVING the upgrade to this system- amazing.

Get a Free Download of new Sample Child Theme for Genesis today!

If you want to check out the FREE DOWNLOAD of this theme, head to the Studiopress site to read some info, or just click here to get a Demo of the new Sample Child Theme, to see what you think. If you love it, download it today!

What do you think?

Are you going to use this? Wouldn’t it be a fun one to customize? It’s actually meant specifically for bloggers, and there are a ton of really cool features in it. If you decide to download it and use it, leave me a link in a comment so I can check out your site!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 21, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Blogging Resources | 1 Comment

“Win It!” HUGE Sweepstakes & Giveaways Resource!

Tons of great giveaways and sweep’s to enter!

I put together a list of my current giveaways, a bunch of other fun one’s to enter, a couple I could use your help with, and a sneak peek at some SUPER COOL huge events coming soon!

Good Luck in them all!

My Rafflecopter Giveaways:

Germ Fighter Prize Pack: Enter Here. 9/10
Stylish Solutions: Win a Room Makeover! 9/14
Hot Wheels Nitro Speeders: Enter Here 9/20
$100 Visa Gift Card: Enter Here. 9/20
Carmex Picnic Prize Package: Enter Here. 9/20

And Contests I Need YOUR Help With:

Munchkin Bunch: Vote for the Munchkin Bunch Finalists.
Cheap Sally: Tell the world that you love the deals and freebies I post, by giving me your vote. All you do is click here, then click the big red heart under my pic. Easy peasy, and helps me a TON!! Vote for Meagan Paullin!!

Sweepstakes and Giveaways:

All You Sweepstakes: 24 prizes, total of about $4,000 in prizes! Enter Here.
Whole Grain Breakfast: Tell them your favorite whole grain breakfast to enter to win $1,000! Enter Here.
Simple Green: Win a $500 Walmart Gift Card! Enter Here.
Papa Johns: Win one of 60,000 FREE pizza’s that they’re giving away each week- a total of a MILLION free pizza’s! Enter Here.
Etsy: Win a $75 Gift Certificate to a cutie patootie quilt shop- see the great quilt featured in the pic above? You can win a certificate to buy it! Enter Here.
Blog Cabin: Win Blog Cabin 2011, a fully renovated and furnished farmhouse located along the picturesque western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Woah, right? Enter Here.
Sears: Win $1,500 to build your dream handyman shop! Enter Here.
Essie: “Like” them on Facebook to have a chance to Instant Win a fall fashion prize! Enter Here.

Events Coming Soon:

You do NOT want to miss these HUGE giveaway events coming soon!!!

CouponCabin 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz!! This is going to have MONSTER prizes- MacBook Air, iPad2, Visa Gift Cards– Rockin! If you’re a blogger, there’s still time to join us: Fill out the form here. It’s $5 bucks to join, but totally worth it. Tell ’em I sent ya!
Fall Giveaway Festival: Starts on the 16th– We’re partnering with RetailMeNot, who will give out an iPad2– and my prize is going to be a $50 Visa gift card!! Stay tuned…. :)
Mompact Blog Hop: This is going to be HUGE too!! We are giving away over 150 prizes through giveaways on the blogs, promotions on QuestionMoms.com, and a grand prize giveaway on Mompact.com! I’ll be giving away a Splat Mat- and EVERY prize is a mom owned company– Moms Supporting Moms! Love it. Stay tuned– This starts on Sunday!!

Good Luck everyone! And if you voted for Me or Abby– HUGE HUGS AND KISSES TO YOU!!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 9, 2011 Filed Under: Contests | No Comments

Get a FREE Package of Mommy Cards from Minted.com!

Get an absolutely beautiful set of “Mommy Cards” from Minted for FREE!

See the example here- Isn’t that just so darn pretty? It was one of my favorite “Playdate Cards”- I love the little extra touches like the detail in the corner!

There are over 100 designs to choose from:

Check them out on Minted.com, and get a set of 25 for free. All you have to pay is the shipping, which is only $7.95. {The regular price of these designer business cards is around $30-$35 bucks- so this is a huge savings!}

This is one of the Business Card Designs I thought was really fun- I’m a big fan of Chevron-style stripes lately – and I love the font of it too- so pretty!

They have choices that feature cool graphics- some great crafty momma options!- or other cards that are only words, or just your logo, or a full photo… There are so many, you’re almost guaranteed to find the perfect design for you!

Whether you use these as a business card, or just for playdates, they are so much fun that you’ve got to get a package today.

How to get them free:

Pick your favorite design on Minted.com, then click the button to start personalizing it with your information and photos.
When you get to the back of the card customization page, there is a box right above your design, giving you the option to check the box to get a set of 25 cards FREE, if you allow a small advertising graphic on your card. Click that box!
Then, at check out, all you’ll have to pay is the $7.95 for standard shipping!

What do you think?

What’s YOUR favorite design? I’m finally settled on the “Open Hearts Business Card” design on page 2– But I know I’ll be getting more in the future– these are just too fun!

{I have NO affiliation with Minted.com, I just think that this is an amazing deal, and the designs are totally to die for :)}

Please remember to “Vote for Abby Piper” to be a member of the new Munchkin Bunch!! This comes with a scholarship for her, and a bunch of fun perks that she’ll love.

When you click on her pic, you can give her 5 votes per day– And I cannot even tell you how much it’s appreciated!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 6, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes, Freebies | 2 Comments

Hey Review Bloggers- Check out the Reviewers Retreat 2012!

Double Duty Divas And Great Wolf Lodge are hosting the 2012 Reviewers Retreat– and you DON’T want to miss this event!

About Reviewers Retreat

The 2nd annual Reviewer’s Retreat will be held June 3-5, 2012 at Great Wolf Lodge, Concord-Charlotte, NC. Reviewer’s Retreat is first conference geared specifically toward the issues and challenges faced by bloggers in the product review genre, a topic that is lacking from most conference agendas.

Review bloggers, those who conduct product and resource reviews on their site, will converge to take part in sessions on a variety of topics including brand-blogger relations, website design, perfecting the pitch, statistics, photography and more.

This brand-friendly conference welcomes company and agency representatives as building and strengthening relationships between bloggers and brands is one of the conference’s primary goals.

Join Me At Reviewers Retreat: Click Here to Reserve YOUR Tickets Today!!

Make sure to check out Reviewers Retreat on Facebook too… You can stay updated on the event, speakers, and other fun happenings.

About Double Duty Divas

“Double Duty Divas are moms who do it all! From kids to jobs and even side businesses and blogs. If you’re a mom managing multiple endeavors, you’re a DOUBLE DUTY DIVA!”

I love being a part of the Double Duty Divas– It’s a really amazing community of bloggers! Head to their site today, and click on the Join Us tab up top to apply to become a member. They share great tips, and I learn a lot from the other members. Plus, you have access to great Review Campaigns, Blogger Blasts, and more– Lots of support to help you bring your blog to the next level!

You can find them on Facebook too!

Get your tickets at a discount!

Join me as a member of the Double Duty Divas today– And don’t forget to reserve your ticket to the Reviewers Retreat 2012 today!! I’ll see you there….