Giveaway Round-up 7-27-11

Hey kids, it's time once again to list of few of the giveaways going on right now around the blogosphere.  I love a good giveaway and some of these are just awesome.  And as always, if you happen to notice that this post changes from time to time, it's because I'm still in the middle of updating the page.  So let's get started.

The first one on our list today is from a site called Etsy D-Listers.  I love the creative edge of Etsy shops, I just can't afford to put my own things in there right now.  But I do support all those who do and this giveaway is way cool.  They're not just giving away one item, they're giving away a total of 3 boxes filled with cool items.  From handmade water bottle covers to jewelry to full-size tote bags.  There's a lot of stuff in this one.  Including some gorgeous boxes to hold the stuff.  This one ends August 4th.

Any book lovers out there???  If so, you need to run over and check out Luxury Reading.  She's having a huge book giveaway.  One lucky winner is going to win 1 book per month for the next 6 months.  Way cool.  I love a good book, but this would be a dream come true for me.  So head over there get your name in the hat while you can because this one ends August 31st.

Having problems with that PC running slow?  Mommy Loves Giveaways is giving away the System Mechanic 10.5 software package.  This baby will clean up your computer, get rid of any nasties hiding in the shadows, and will even make playing games a more enjoyable experience.  But you'd better hurry because this one ends on August 6th.

Here's another book giveaway for you.  But this one will have 2 winners and I'd love to have either one.  This one's going on at one of my favorite sites, Paranormal Haven.  This is one of the very first book blogs I'd ever joined and I'm so glad I did.  The girls are giving away all kinds of cool stuff, but I'm hoping for prize pack #2 as there's a bunch of t-shirts I'd love to own.  This one ends on August 10th so go get in while you can. 

And finally, you've got to go check out my girl at Boobies, Babies, and a Blog.  She's giving away 2 items (2 winners, kids) from Vedette Shapewear Store.  After seeing what the review pieces did for her figure (not that she needed any help) I knew I had to get in on this one.  I've never owned a corset, but I may have to change that now.  This is an easy one to enter and will be open until August 18th. 

So there you go, kids.  Get on over to some of these and get your names in.  Because like every lottery winner has ever said, you can't win if you don't play.  Have fun and good luck!!!!!

Get The Scoop On The Coupon Scoop

For just over a year now, I've been blogging in the ranks of the “Mommy Bloggers”. And though the name sounds like a bunch of cackling women with babies strapped to their hips, I assure you they're anything but. One of the main things I'm learning more about is couponing and one of the sites I've found that has to do with the in's and out's of couponing is TheCoupon Scoop.

The first thing I noticed about this site is that it's so unlike any of the others, I had to make sure it was up to date. It's not all dressed up and filled to the rim with ads pointing to other sites. It's all about the articles and that's a huge plus in my book. A lot of those sites take so long to upload that I get bored and move on. Not this one.

The first article to catch my attention was on how to tell is your coupon codes are a scam. The reason this caught my eye is that one of the grocery stores in my area quit accepting printed out coupons because of the number of fake ones. So I wanted to know what to look for when using online coupons. I love shopping online and know that you've got to watch for expiration dates or whether there's a limit on number of usages per code. However, I did not know that some sites expect you to pay a fee in order to see the promo codes. Yeah, that would scream scam to me too.

So, the next thing I did was look to see if these people had a Facebook page. I was a little shocked to NOT find a link on their site, but that didn't stop me. I headed over and looked them up and sure enough, there they were. The Coupon Scoop does have a Facebook page and interesting enough, it's actually more spruced up than the site is. I was totally shocked at that, but “liked” them anyway.

The same was true for their TwitterPage. They do have one, but it's not linked up on their site. The cool thing, though, is that they've got way more updates on the Twitter page than they do on either the website or the Facebook page. I'm not a huge Twitter bug, but I did like that they keep theirs way up to date.

If you're looking for a place that offers a ton of coupons to be used both online and off, this is NOT that place. But if you're looking for some insider information on the world of couponing and the dos and don'ts, then you've come to the right site. It's not pretty, but it's informative and sometimes that means more to the reader than all the bells and whistles in the world.

Mom And Dad

*The following is a guest post from Jo Levy*

Thanks for the guest post by Jo Levy

My parents have both passed away in the past three years and it has been a trying and exhausting time. They lived about 200 miles away from me and my other two siblings are even further away. We know we have to eventually begin the process of sorting out and dispensing the items at their home but it has just been impossible for the three of us to adjust our schedules to get together to accomplish this daunting task.

We are lucky that Mom and Dad had a great neighbor who has been checking on things at the house and staying in touch with us. Because it is common knowledge in the community that no one lives in the home, we decided that it would be prudent to get a security system installed. I researched them on www.Allhomesecurity.comand found a suitable one.

My brothers and their families plan to meet me and my family there next weekend and we are going to clean out, clear out and sort out all the things left there so we can move forward. I am ready to get this part of it behind us and savor our good memories of Mom and Dad.

Content Marketing Advice From Engaging Professionals

My interests in blog posts run from where to find the best coupons to how to create award-winning content. So when I came across a blog called Engage, I was thrilled because of the diversity of topics found throughout the site. Though all the posts are based on creating a better blog through the content of the site, there is a lot of information packed into one little place.


Engage is the blog of TMG Custom Media Group. They're a company that helps other companies find a voice in our technologically advanced society. That voice might be in the form of a magazine, a video feed, or digital feed. But it's their blog that offers the most help to individuals and companies alike. Not so much with services, but with information. There are a ton of articles that cover everything from content marketing to avoiding distractions.

As I ran through the site, I came across an article about how to employ the values taught in Scouts to our social media rituals. Honestly, I thought it was one of the best articles I've read in a long time. It's not a long article, but it says a lot in very few paragraphs, and that right there is the sign of great writing. And no, if anyone is wondering, I'm not being paid to say any of this. Being a Scout leader for 13 years, I know all about the views held by the organization. Applying those views to our online lives not only makes sense, it could mean bringing more people to your virtual doorstep.

Another thing that really impressed me about Engage The Blog is that it's not just maintained by a single person. There is an entire team of TMG professionals who add their voices to the collective. As a group, they've created a site that offers a deeper insight for the reader. They offer different ways of seeing a situation so anyone who stops by can understand different ways of making their own blogs a better place to visit.

I figured that being a company that specializes in media outlets, they had to be set up on Facebook, which they are. The cool thing is that even though they showcase their site and blog, they also show off the fact that their associates are real people. I think it's cool that managing editor, Andi Gabrick talks to her plants, because I do to. LOL

The best way to find the latest updates on Engage and TMG is through there Twitter page. I've seen companies that post tweets several times a day, but these people update theirs several times per hour which tells me that they're not only constantly evolving, but striving to stay active with their clients/readers/and professionals.

There is a lot more to see around Engage The Blog. I've already added it to my favorites and subscribed to their email updates. I really think I could learn a lot about content management and marketing from this site, and I think you could too. But check them out for yourselves just to make sure. I think you'll find something there that speaks directly to you.

Blog Engage---Engage With Bloggers

Hi kids, found a really cool new site and just had to come tell you about it. The site is called Blog Engage and I'm kinda digging it. Why? Because it's got the basic elements of a blogging community, but this one isn't for the average Joe...or Josephine. This one is kinda big-time kiddies. Let me explain.

Blog Engage is a paid membership blogging community. I know, I know. Paying to hang out with a bunch of other bloggers doesn't sound right, but this place is a little different than most. There are some elements that most will recognize, especially anyone who's ever worked an article with Digg. It's much the same as the members of this community will vote on, or Engage, the articles of other members. So, for instance, if I were to add an article about finding free business books online, the other members of this site can either vote the article up or down, (my biggest fear EVER).

So now you're thinking, “Yeah, so why do I have to pay to do this”. Well there's more to it than just getting voted on or getting to vote. There's the idea of having your blog seen by hundreds, or even thousands, of people. Blog Engage sponsors several contests throughout the year and the money collected via the memberships is used toward prizes for the winners of those contests. Throughout the rest of 2011, Blog Engage will be holding monthly contests. First prize is $200, second and third prizes are $100 each, and fourth and fifth prizes are $50 each. Also included in the prize packages are RSS feed syndications and contest sponsorships.

Yeah, okay. So what's all that about? Let me go in deeper. There are 5 different membership packages available. These run from $19.95 per month to $1.99 per month. I'll even give you the run down on what comes with each package. Check it out!!

The Bronze Membership---$1.99 per month
Your articles get submitted into the Blog Engage community every 8 hours, but that's it. Not a bad deal as all your stuff is still getting seen.

The Silver Membership---$3.99 per month
Your articles get submitted to the community every 3 hours, but that's it. A little better than before, especially for those who write multiple posts per day.

The Gold Membership---$4.99 per month
This option gives you 1 niche category as well as submits your articles to the community every hour. Now the site says that there is no contest sponsorship, but I don't think that's right as this month's contest has several Gold sponsors and offers 50 points per reviewed site. So let's just go with that. LOL

The Platinum Membership---$9.99 per month
This package allows you up to 3 different blog feeds and allows you 3 different niche categories. Plus your site will be featured as a contest sponsor and your articles will be submitted every hour.

The Business Membership---$19.99 per month
This is the big Kahuna. This membership allows you to showcase as many as 5 different blog RSS feeds, allows you 3 different niche categories, makes you a contest sponsor, and submits your articles to the community every hour.

One thing I should mention here is that all of the above memberships can either be paid on a monthly or a yearly basis.

So now that you know all that, let me tell you about the coolest part; being a contest sponsor. Once you've signed up and become either a gold, platinum, or business member, your blog will be showcased in the monthly contest.

Each month throughout the rest of 2011, various blogs will be posted for participants to review. The more blogs reviewed by members, the better their chances at winning one of the prizes offered. Business membership sites are worth 150 each, platinum sites are worth 100 each, and gold membership sites are worth 50 points each. Each member of Blog Engage has the same amount of chances to win, it all depends on how many sites each person reviews and whether or not they add the contest ads to their sites. It's best to just check out the contest page and read all the rules and options.

Finally, Blog Engage has just started a new program in which new members don't have to join a set membership, but can pay a one-time fee of $29.99. This is help bring in new members that can help drive more quality traffic to various blogs and their posts.

Seriously, for anyone who's interested in taking their blog and their work to new levels, Blog Engage is the way to go. Whether through one of the 5 membership offers or the one-time fee, it's worth the money to have quality traffic driven to your site and have real people read your work.

The Freedom Giveaway

I have another awesome giveaway event for all of you.  This one is being put on by Simply Stacie and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and is called the Freedom Giveaway.  There are a total of 215 blogs involved in this event and each is holding their own giveaway.  Though I can't talk about each and every one of these sites on this post, I do want to post about a few of them.  I will mention that Stacie is giving away $50 Amazon Gift Card, and Kathy (aka Reader) is giving away a $10 Amazon Gift card OR a book from the Book Depository worth up to $10.  Here are a few of the other blogs joining up in this giveaway event.

Marcia Lynn McClure Fans is giving away a copy of this author's latest book called, Sudden Storms.  I'm not a huge romance novel fan, but this one sounds pretty good.

Truly Bookish is giving away 2 books--Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter and Nailed by Jennifer Laurens.

One A Day Y.A. is giving away a copy of the Young Adult novel, Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke.

Miranda Hardy is giving away a $15 gift card to Barnes & Noble, and so is A.G. Wright.

Taming The Bookshelf is giving away winner's choice of a $20 Amazon OR Barnes & Noble gift card.  For those outside of the US, she'll be giving away a $20 purchase through The Book Depository.

Heather from Acting Balance is giving away a $15 gift certificate/card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, OR The Book Depository.

Reflections of a Bookaholic is giving away a $15 certificate to either Amazon.com OR  The Book Depository.

Makobi Scribe is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

Linda's Lunacy is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card.

Confessions of a Bookaholic is giving away a copy of Supernaturally by Kiersten White OR Forever by Maggie Stiefvater OR Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer.  The winner's choice will be provided by The Book Depository.

Still Blonde After All These Years is giving 1 winner a total of 11 books---a prize worth over $250.00.

The Flashlight Reader is giving away 3 books--Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (signed), Trapped by Marc Aronson, and David by Mary Hoffman.