PAULA NEAL MOONEY

by Paula Neal Mooney "Why I Cut Off My Breasts" That was the intriguing title of an Oprah show about Rene Syler , a CBS "The Early Show" co-anchor -- who I didn't even know was fired without warning Dec. 1. Looks like those steps were ordered by the Lord, however. Rene Syler had her CBS finale on Dec. 22 then underwent a bilateral mastectomy Jan. 9, followed by reconstructive breast surgery. Her final operation was March 8. But the so-called controversial thing about 44-year-old Rene's case was that she didn't have cancer...yet. "Only God can judge me..." Watching the video of Rene Syler on Oprah , at first I was as judgmental as Job's friends over Rene's decision to have her breasts removed as a preemptive measure to cancer. If only she trusted God more and didn't live with the fear of getting cancer , I thought to myself. But learning more about how Rene Syler suffered for five years through cancer scares, abnormal mammograms, pa...

by Paula Neal Mooney The other day Oprah featured this ingenious no-complaint bracelet viral idea begun by Pastor Will Bowen of Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, Missouri. The hope is to get people to catch themselves complaining and switch modes into something more grateful. I'm all for it! In fact, I just hit their site at A Complaint-Free World and ordered seven of them. The no-complaining bracelets are free, but I gave a $6 donation, which I hope will cover the postage. I plan to give more. I just love sites that use PayPal so I don't even have to grab my wallet... I'd love to have 700 no-complaining bracelets so I could give them away to nearly everyone I know -- since many people seem to think that complaining is some sort of right of passage, bonding ritual, or just the thing to do. If only they knew how much they were blocking their blessings... The Bible has so much to say about how vitally important our words are. It's not just talk -- when others compla...

by Paula Neal Mooney Today the Bob Dyer of the Akron-Beacon Journal got his "King James builds a castle of a home" piece smack dab on the front page of my local paper. And it's no wonder: Even though us Ohioans are used to LeBron James -- some see him about town, others have pics crowding their bureaus of LeBron's days playing for St. Vincent-St. Mary -- or "St. V" as they call it around these parts -- we still are hungry for all things LeBron James . LeBron James' new house is an object of fascination. It first started in 2003, as Dyer notes, when LeBron James bought a home in beautiful Bath Township for $2.1 million. I remember the day I sat in a conference room at the Akron-Beacon Journal downtown as a woman announced that LeBron was having that house razed to the ground, saying she knew where it was located. Within seconds, a reporter quietly tipped out of the room to follow up on her tip, and all of us reader panel participants chuckled. A home...

by Paula Neal Mooney I didn't post that much this weekend, but my blog traffic increased enormously. After a quick Google Analytics analysis of my stats, I've derived the following about some of my most popular posts this weekend. Hopefully they can help you increase your blog traffic, too: 1 - Post your blog income Even if you've only made 5 bucks online, post it and tell us how! Many people are interested in turning blogging into their full-time careers, and are hungry to learn about ways to make money. I know that's why my I've made $4,375.75 online! Here's how you can too... post was pretty popular. 2 - Champion a cause Ironically, my most popular post by far over the last week was Shaquanda Cotton Needs You... , an issue close to my heart. I didn't care if I lost every single one of my readers after writing that one; I just knew it was a story that needed to be passed along. Don't pander to your readers, write from your gut... 3 - Predict Hot Stori...

Update: I just came back from Chicago -- today is Monday, November 24, 2008 -- and I still couldn't stay away from my blogs, like a forlorned lover. Anyway, I feel severely impressed to update this post with a sort-of apology to Rosalind Gardner. For 20 months after I wrote this original post, I'm still benefiting from the lesson I learned from reading Rosalind's book -- like "build a theme park, not a mall," when Ms. Gardner foresaw all those years ago that niche websites would rule. And every 90 days, think of starting a new website. I've got a hankering to start another website -- and her words come back to me. So while I still think 47 bucks may be a bit steep, I'm being blessed by the lessons learned therein, so I do recommend her book if you've got the money. Forgive me, Rosalind. Carry forth and sell online! by Paula Neal Mooney Though I'm away from my Ohio Valley and here in Chicago, I can barely stay away from my blog. It calls me like a f...

by Paula Neal Mooney The other day I was so excited to write about Google's new AdSense Referrals Beta program because I caught it right when it was announced to the public. I published the post, pinged it on Google's blog search ping search , then searched for it thru Google Blog Search . Nothing at first. Pretty soon after, I received an email for my Google Alert set up on http://paulamooney.blogspot.com -- letting me know that Google had indexed my blog page. I re-checked a Google blog search on "Adsense Referrals Beta" and there was my blog post. It made it in at the number two position for relevance, right under Darren Rowse, Mr. ProBlogger.net himself. How did I get Google to pick up my info so fast? Besides the aforementioned publishing and pinging, I relate this to two other factors: 1 - Having a sitemap listed in Google Webmaster Tools for my blog Visit Google Webmaster Tools if you haven't already, click on the Google Webmaster Tools (including site...

by Paula Neal Mooney How many times has a goofy Google Adsense ad popped up that you knew no one would click on? The new Google Adsense Referrals Beta program is seeking to eliminate ads that don't fit your blog. Sign-up to join the new Google Adsense Referral Beta program here . If you're accepted into the new Google Adsense Referrals Beta program, you'll be able to "search for products that match up directly with your site's content," the Google InSide Adsense blog says today. "And you can customize your referral units to match the look and feel of your site, making it easier than ever to find a referral ad that fits in seamlessly with your site's design and content," they continue about the new Google Adsense Referrals Beta program . "As with our current Google referrals, you'll generate earnings when your visitors click through to an advertiser's site and complete an action defined by your advertisers, such as a sale or sign-up...

By Paula Neal Mooney Did anyone catch what the ladies of The View said about The Secret ? Us east-coast-time viewers were pre-empted by President Bush’s speech today. My TiVo was poised to play their views of The Secret when W cut in. Googling "The Secret on The View" has gotten me little, as has going to The View’s website. No secret there. Anyhoo, this all comes in God’s perfect timing as it were, since The Secret has been on my mind since I first saw it on Oprah. You may remember when I asked my readers, “ Is The Secret Anti-Christian? ” and got a boatload of good responses from The Secret supporters and detractors. I still haven’t seen the DVD, nor watched The Secret fully online. Therefore when this reviewer for this sponsored post ordered a $75 review on my blog about The Official Secret Seminar , my first knee-jerk instinct was to turn it down. Instead, I accepted it, wearily wondering to myself: Am I selling my soul for $48.75? But I watched and prayed, watched...