An Odd thing just happened...

I dont have a ton of time to read Catholic blogs right now... almost none in fact.
But this morning I decided to drop by: ... well, here.

As you know, aka the Mom has been posting, so I found it novel that I was reading my own blog, and then commenting.

I really appreciate her posting and enjoy it... I hope you all do as well.
(Good thing I never enacted the "No colored hair rule.")

Happy Bloggiversary to me

One year ago I started this blog.
My how time flies...
If I wasn't on my little hiatus, I would have time to regale you with stories and legends.

They say the worst thing you can do to your blog is let it go dormant... woops :(

I wish I had more time right now, and I hope you all keep reading. In the end this place has helped me tremendously. I hope it has done the same for you.

I look forward to many more days... even if they don't come immediately.

Thanks for continuing to read!

Hiatus

I apologize for the light posting recently...

I am on a hiatus of sorts. This is a good thing, so do not worry.


I will be back to full blogging shortly. Until then I will be periodically dropping in to make a post or two. Hopefully I can get Brian or someone else to pick up the slack :)

Copy-cat

I know my posts have been odd lately, maybe even a little cryptic. I wondered why, and blamed it on Adoration. I did a LOT of praying and contemplating there last night.

Some could even say I have changed my blogging style as of late.

It seems some of my posts have been of a different flavor. I was quite unhappy with my posting lately.

I felt as if my posts weren't really news, weren't really reflections or devotional, but were more random news-bitlets and rants. Nothing very exciting to read or spiritually productive. Although, occasionally I would put something in there more worthwhile to read.

So I prayed and decided to get back to my roots, rekindle that flame of passion and get back to being a spiritual warrior. Therein is the genesis of my style change. Maybe I am channeling Terry of Abbey Roads. What is even more possible is that Terry has a mind control device, as it seems I am not the only one that feels Terry running through my veins.

I guess that isn't a bad thing. I would just like to know where he got such a device? Could it really exist? Maybe it is Cathy, she could be controlling us all? Don't believe me...Amentior?

Gone Fishin'!

Sorry that the updates have been few and far between the last week...

...it is RED SEASON! (Sockeye Salmon for you lower 48'ers).


Put in 9 hours today... with fellow parishioners, not to mention just about every other day this week.

Things should be getting back to normal in the next little bit as I have gotten quite a bit of fish, and the run is starting to head up river.

Will try and get a few good posts in this week... as I have had plenty of time to contemplate some things.

Some housekeeping matters

Wanted to keep everyone up-to-date on some "housekeeping" issues. People ask me all the time why I started this blog... and why I continue to do it. It is time consuming, but it is fun and it nourishes me in a spiritual way. That being said, I also know that a good chunk of my readers aren't your "typical" blogger/blog-readers... so I try and cater to them, and make this a good "gateway" to the larger and greater Catholic-Interwebs.

 

I am always trying to make the blog a more user friendly place. I know content is what drives a blog, look at blogs such as: Whispers in the Loggia, Content is what brings people back... colors, pictures, and sidebars won't bring people back, but it cant drive them away. So it is important to create a GOOD USER experience, and not have a sloppy crazy mess. So changes and updates are important, if you choose to have a bunch of "things" on your sidebars. Plus, changes = new content, and as I said before... CONTENT is what drives blogs.

 

So here are some updates that hopefully make the user experience...better:

•  Our Sunday Visitor's: Daily Take is putting together an Internet Guide of Must Visit Catholic Sites. This isn't just about blogs, but kind of an INTERET Primer for all things Catholic. They are looking for reader input, and are creating this based on a voting survey. You get to put WHATEVER you want as sites based on various categories. It is a pretty neat thing, and I suggest you go check it out at their: Can't Leave Home Without these Catholic Websites post. And don't forget to mention your favorite little blog called... oh I don't know...
• DEFEND US IN BATTLE!
• I have moved the "Defining Posts" [formerly known as: Pillar Posts] to the top MENU Bar. I have done this in an ongoing attempt to clean & refine my side bars. I want the sidebars to serve a purpose. Too many blogs simply list EVERYTHING they ever use on the side. I want my side bars to act like they should: organized information, that is subdivided in a logical way. I know I still have a LONG way to go, but hopefully it helps. The Menu Bar up top is a more logical place for these, as they are almost their own SECTION of the blog, and it gives me more room on the side for other things.
• I have added a side-bar section called: "A-Z of the Mass." This is a series of posts by the men over at "Godzdogz." It is essentially a series of spiritual meditations and explanations of various parts and objects related to the Mass. I stole the idea for the side bar from Mindy at The Devout Life, so make sure you give her the credit for that!
• At the bottom of every post there is a new and neat little "Menu" that looks like this: It allows you to share the post that you are reading via your favorite "Social Networking" site. This is a great way to get what you are reading to friends and family. It also helps spread the blog out to the greater Catholic-Interweb-World. You should give it a try! It is really easy!

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  (Picture Link: Explodingdog)

Could it be?

Looking at my stats this morning this is what I found:

Could it be?? This is a little intimidating really...

BTW - Thanks Mac, "THEY" found me via Mulier Fortis

Democracy in action!

Since we have our new awesome header image, we needed a new color scheme. I am not the most artistic person in the world, but I have tried my hand at a couple of schemes I seem to like, but couldn't decide which I like best.

So I have decided to let the readers pick the new design/color scheme of the blog. I am going to list a poll on the right and you can vote on which scheme you like best!

Also, I plan on tweaking them a bit, a little fine tuning, so if you like one but have some suggestions on how to make it better, please leave a comment.

Here are the options:

Scheme 1: Black & Red (w/blue-grey accents)

Scheme 2: Burgundy & Grey w/Navy

Scheme 3: Navy & Burgundy (dark w/white text, green accents)

Change and Hope.

As you can see... we have a new Title Header!

The amazing, gracious, kind, humble, and creative Vincenzo of Sancte Pater has graciously created the amazing and thematically accurate header that you see above. Yet, when I placed it on my blog, it made the colors and template I was using a look as my wife stated it: "Cartoonish." So to better accentuate and give my new header a worthy home (becuase the content sure doesn't do that) I am tweaking the blog colors. I know this drives folks nutz, and I know I went through it once before, but please bear with me.

Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Follow Friday ... on Twitter

Followers, Blogs, and Things

I think it is important to acknowledge people... and although it isn't customary to do this on blogs, I like to do it.

Google Followers:
DUIB (Defend Us In Battle) now has 57 Google followers!
Some of our newest followers are:
Mom with a Heart for God; Andrea; The Old Geezer; lloyd1948; covnitkepr1; paul; cathmom5; Ian J. Rinon

Feedburner / RSS:
We also have lots of new Feedburner/RSS readers! WELCOME! We are now over the 100 reader mark. (When Feedburner doesn't act up and say that we only have 22... does that mean a bunch of people aren't receiving the feed?)

Facebook:
We also are up to 346 facebook fans! That's awesome! I don't know how affective facebook fan'ing is for blogs, but I do try to link a post or two over there everyday; just not sure what that does? Spreading content around can make some stuff get lost in the shuffle.

Twitter:
We are around 280 Twitter followers! This is probably the best way to "Follow" the blog because anytime I post, it automatically tweets an update. Plus I can update that nice and easy. Facebook is good... but everyone uses facebook in different ways, so I know that blogs, and "Pages" can get lost in the shuffle.

Other Blogs:
I have added some blogs to my sidebar, and have tried to clean up some things on the blog. I am always trying to make the blog "better" for readers... and for my own sanity; please let me know if you have suggestions.
Some of the new blogs are:

• Day by Day In Our World: A Catholic Family Blog - Written by a TAHM (Teach at Home Mom)- Great Homeschooling content. This blog is also part of the Alaska Catholic Blog contingent.
• The Escape: A Catholic Family Blog as well... one I have read for a while... but haven't listed until recently.

Posting is light...

Sorry about the lack of posting.

We have family in town.
Fishing is starting to pick up.
Bear Season (well - a certain type of season) is closing soon.
I am working on some special "projects"...

So I will try and get back to normal soon... please dont forget about us :)

Pages & other updates

Just wanted to update you on a few things...

• I have added a "Page" called "Patron Saints." This page allows me to add all the Saints that I seek intercessory help from on a regular basis, while not clogging up the blog. I know a lot more folks are reading via smart phones, iPhones, and iPads, and therefore, I wanted the main blog page to be as clutter free as I could possibly stand. Needless to say, I have a ways to go... but I am getting there. So make sure you check out the "pages" once and a while. 
• I have added some blogs here and there to the sidebar... and haven't really gotten around to making specific blog posts about them, but again, check out the sidebar once and a while and support the blogosphere.
• Other various links: I have several links that help support this blog in little ways. Aquinas and More, my Amazon Wishlist, the Amazon search, etc... If you need things from these sites, please remember to start HERE at this blog, click the link, and go from there. It helps me out in a small way, and doesn't harm you in anyway. For example when you need to buy religious gifts from Aquinas and More or a new book from Amazon... use the links from the blog. I appreciate it greatly!
• Blog posting... I know it has been down lately, I have been quite busy and contemplative lately. I have gone through quite a bit of transformations on this blog in the past few months and was starting to carve out a niche, when I hit this busy patch. It will be interesting to see what develops from this mini-hiatus... hopefully it is a good thing.

Blog Update

Wanted to mention a couple of things:

• I feel as if I have strayed from the MISSION of this blog, or at least I had been straying. I was too caught up in the "Catholic Blog World" and felt I lost my way a little bit. I am trying to get back on track. I know that everyone reads certain blogs for certain reasons. I hope that I can blend a mix of thoughts, prayers, catechesis, and news in a good way. If you particularly like something, have suggestions, or want to let me know what you would like to see more of just drop me a line: angelsdefendus@gmail.com.
• I have added various things to the sidebars; blogs, prayer sites, resources, etc... I usually make a post about blogs that I add, eventually. I will be doing so in a few days, just check it occasionally.
• Feedburner/RSS feeds: It appears that my feedburner count fluctuates between 25 & 83ish. I don't know why this is. I don't know what the real number is, but the main reason I have the counter on there is that it lets me know when there is a problem. If you are having an issue with the RSS feed please email me: angelsdefendus@gmail.com, it will let me at least zero in on the issue.
• I have tried to post lest pictures and extraneous things because I was informed the blog takes a long time to load on phones and handheld devices. I really appreciate input so if there is anything that would make your blog reading more enjoyable, let me know and I will take it into consideration.
• The "LINK WITHIN" feature at the bottom of the posts. I know this adds some clutter and chaos to the posts, but I think it also helps people go back and read some old posts. If you have a particular feeling about it, either positively or negatively, please let me know.

An offer you can't refuse

Some of you may have noticed that I have added a "Chip In" widget to the sidebar. (If you haven't noticed... check it out!)

I don't normally make an appeal for donations... but I think I have an offer that some of you won't be able to refuse. For the full details... check out the donations page: Donations Page

I know that donating to bloggers isn't for everyone, but this isn't your everyday plea for "tips" or "donations."

So check it out... and think about dropping me a little help.

10,000 Visits!!

So in the hubub of getting our First "Cannonball Catholic Award's" NOMINATION yesterday I completely failed to realize that we had our 10,000 visit! Which is an amazing honor and tells me that there are a LOT of people out there that still have some pretty crappy weather keeping them inside reading blogs!

In all seriousness, I am quite humbled. 10,000 visits since late September is far beyond any expectations I have had with this blog.

As a fun little treat, I decided to check who that visitor was. I was worried it was going to be the google.com webcrawler, which would have left me very underwhelmed. But low and behold it wasn't! In fact it was none other than:

Dan from Gun Lovin' Alaskan Catholic Club!

I told my wife about my progress, and she asked what the person won. I told her, I wasn't sure. So Dan, I leave that up to you, to think of a prize worthy of this and we will see what we can do. (Think baked goods, my wife would love it.)

Ok... back to your regularly scheduled blogging.

A note about posting this week...

I am in the middle of re-reading Fides et ratio this week. I am presenting a summary of it at the end of this week for a social-apologetics/learning apostolate that has started in the area. I don't know how this will affect my posting this week, but I really want to make sure that I am well prepared.

So please bear with me if posting is sporadic... I will try and keep up.

New Layout - Open Thread...

So as you can see... I changed up the blog layout. I went to an "extreme" and put about as many "changes" into the mix as possible.

I am hoping some of you will use the Comment Box on this post to let me know in more detail what you think. After all, you are the readers, and have to look at this thing.

Just to let you know... I am still a little unsure of the "color of the" background and the bottom of the blog. I dont know how many people use the "topics cloud" or the "blog archive" but they at the bottom for lack of a better place.

So please... take a minute and leave your thoughts in a comment!

Zero-result queries: finding them, fixing them

From building and improving search on Google.com, my fellow engineers and I have learned a lot about how people search and why factors such as stemming, spelling, and synonyms are so important, even in the context of our business tools.

One of our first and most important observations was that returning zero results for a search query is one of the fastest ways to frustrate visitors – and lose potential customers. Shoppers who have made it to your site and searched for a product or category have expressed clear interest in buying from you, and returning no results is akin to accidentally forgetting to turn around the "Closed" sign on your storefront door in the morning!

Fortunately, retailers do have tools available to avoid this pitfall: automatic stemming, spell-checker, and synonym dictionaries can help ensure that customers find related or similar products on your site, even if they don't type in the exact product name or description text.

Like Google.com, Google Commerce Search has always arrived "out of the box" with the best automatic stemming, spelling, and synonym technology available. Starting today, it's become even easier for retailers with unusual or distinct product catalogs to upload and manage custom synonym dictionaries.

Now retailers who choose to enable advanced synonym options can simply add sets of synonyms specific to their product lines and can also trigger search expansion, so that the query as typed automatically triggers results for synonymous products.

Google already has a large body of synonym data for general search terms, and since Google Commerce Search lets you harness many of the search features of Google.com, you shouldn't bother replicating the work. Instead, focus on adding synonyms for queries specific to your product line or online store.

It's easy for search engine administrators to add synonyms to their accounts. Simply log into the control panel and add or delete search terms you want to trigger the synonym expansion. Or, if you have a large number of terms to add, you can create an XML file and quickly upload that to your account.

We hope you'll join us on our quest to end unnecessary zero result queries!

Posted by Tianyu Wen, Software Engineer

Improved Gadget Administration in Google Sites with the FSCT