Mountain Of Knowledge

It was the first thing Man asked for.
Before love, before sex, before shelter, even before eating, Adam and
Eve reached for the “apple” from the Tree of Knowledge. Knowledge!
Before they could move forward, they needed to know who they
were!

My name is Marc, I am a clone of
Adam. Like many before me, my hunger is for knowledge. At an early age
I set off to climb the Mountain of Knowledge. I mused upon every
element there, everything from the grains of sand to the setting of a
giant sun. There is nothing too small or insignificant in creation.
Thus, this journey has become a sacred
adventure.

 

I have learned many lessons on that
Mountain and have carried them back here, assembling them in my
journal, "grains of
sand". For the many who have stopped at my journal, I am
thankful and gracious for your company!

 

While climbing that Mountain of
Knowledge I have noticed many sets of footprints, yours! Each day many
of you return here, leaving your insight, your images, your joys, your
fears and above all, your purpose! As this week's Guest Editor, I am
entrusted with the task of illustrating six journals (not fair,
really). Six fellow journeymen, their hearts and minds wide open,
leaving their life’s encounters for us to muse
upon!

 

Mary,of "FrankandMary".
Her heart is an open house for all people and all things.  Her thoughts have a way of unifying
the reader to affirm our commonalities. Her zeal for her
commitments,the treasuring of her kinships provokes us to hit that
comment key. Sadly, her “tip jar” is gone, so read
and enjoy!

 

Marie of "Photographs&Memories",
has captured the essence ofwhat makes life so sacred in her
photographic journal. I view her photos, close my eyes and become
boundless. I journey to a snowbound cabin, my feet suddenly ice cold. I
am taken to white picket fence in a seaside town where I spent a
weekend with my sweetheart. Her photos have us become more sensitive to
the image displayed. Truly, an art of the
artist!

 

Martha, (Just
visiting) has two journals running. Just Visiting, is
appropriately named. She moves so quickly, with so much energy, it
seems like she is just visiting! When she does stop, she brings a sense
of renewal. She exhibits her self exploration through her challenges
and confessions. No doubt, she has jogged the Mountain many
times!

 

Robin  with Her
"Tales
of Trailer park princess" is just one of her six journals!
She clearly brings her deep sense of compassion, hospitality and hope
here. Imaginative, she explores and reveals the brighter sideof
life!

 

Indigo of "Ravens
Lament", takes on giant meanings and threads them through the
eye of a needle and then weaves a quilt of warmth. Her faith is
extraordinary., living with obstacles and doubt, she uses them to carve
a new direction for herself and you to follow. There is nothing more
potent than Hope, and she serves up a healthy portion in each
entry!

 

Rebecca of In the "Shadow
of the Iris". Has the art of making the reader receptive,
because she holds nothing back in her observations. She becomes our
eyes. Rebecca's appetite for climbing is voracious! She has brought
enough material from that Mountain that belies her young age!. Her
grace and gratitude is always evolving, strengthening her
connection to her passions of living a deeper and fuller life! I can
hardly wait to see what she will be writing in a few years from
now.

 

You now have some wonderful reading
ahead of you! I want to thank the editor at AOL for allowing me this
opportunity to feature a few of the writers who with their acts of
kindness have made this world a better place!

 

As for me, I am heading back to that
Mountain, the journey continues!

 

Peace and Blessings to
all!

Marc J

 

Tags: Guest Editor Picks

Friday Blogplugs - 2/29/08

Hey
folks,

A short week for me as I was out with the flu
for a couple of days. Just getting my bearings back. Off we go
blogplugging..

* Indigo
recently found herself needing the "Domestic Violence
Hotline" number to help a friend. She urges you to have it handy and
has badges in her entry
that you can display in your
sidebar.

* Krissy
wants you to know that she is still under
the weather and hence not able to blog much.

* John's list
of cool
things starts off with Apollo 11, The Starship Enterprise,
and Star Trek.

* Ken expresses
his views on harassment.


* Sherry is
preparing
for a trip to the hospital and wants to thank everybody for their
support and prayers. She also requested her friends from the weight
loss group to fill-in
during her absence.
 

* Sugar has some furry
notes that needs to be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator
door.

* Dan reviews
the show Lost: The Constant ..Season 4, Episdode
5.

*
Krissy writes about the games
they played at her husband John's birthday
party.


* Sherry
rants
about parents not seating their kids in the shopping cart and strapping
on the safety belt. In the past, she was witness to a child falling
from the cart and having the ambulance
called.


* Beth
wouldn't trade her home in Nutwood Junction for anything. A
very tranquil reading,
I must say.

* Donna
wants us to know that she has had it with winter and writes
about her attempt to get her car out of her inclined driveway. Not fun!
Please stay warm.

* Guido has
formed a AIM group called J-land
as a further means of communicating within J-land, allows the sending
of group emails etcetera. If you want to be part of this group please
send email to Guido. Details in his entry.

* Donna (this
is a different Donna:)) has some more poetry
for you this week.

* Sherry is
hitting diet
fatigue and has tips on how to get over
that.

* gifdude
writes
about how he lost 45lbs and gained it all back. He is not a quitter
though, he is trying again. Hope you lose it for good this
time!


Contests R
Us

* Weekly
sentence with Val. This week's letters were TPIWIS
and the winners are here.


Lights, Camera and
Action!

* Marie's AOL
Community Photo Challenge, winners
for advanced entries
for the subject "Winter
Blues".

In other
JLand
news...

* This week, JLand lost another
one of its own. Irene, who had been battling
cancer, succumbed to her illness. She
had a journal called "Meet
Me At The Breakfast Table".
She will be greatly missed. May her soul rest in
peace. Our deepest condolences to her
family.

*
And finally, one
last item from me. Do you find blogplugs useful? Are people clear on
how blogplugs work? Do you have ideas on how to improve it? Or how to
improve the discovery of other quality journals? The best ideas
generally come from users, hence we are asking you for suggestions.
Please leave your suggestions, if any, in the comments section.


--

Thanks again for the blogplugs
this week. Don't forget to tag your best entries with
"blogplugs". If you want to be a Guest Editor or have some
interesting (or useful) blogplugs, send your submissions to
JournalsEditor@aol.com and we'll review
them.

~Vish

Tags: blogplugs, aol journals, features, top
picks

Guest Editor's Picks -- February 22, 2008

Hello all you lovely
J-Landers. I'm Pam, your Guest Editor for this week. I am absolutely
thrilled to bits and extremely honoured to have been chosen,
and I will do my best to showcase some great journal's.

For those of you who
don't know me, I am a 38yr old mother of one, fabulous, funny and
loveable teenage daughter, who, In J-Land Is referred to as "My Wee
Treasure" much to her displeasure I may add! lol.  I
met  my wonderful, future "hubby to be" 16 years ago, He was,
and still Is, my best friend. He is known as "Mister Man". I am also a
"Mamma" to my 3 beautiful cats, Purdie, Oscar and G-Cat, who Is a brand
new addition to our family, since being
abandoned.

I love my cats with
a passion and one day, want very much, to have my own cattery for
stray's and unwanted or abandoned cats. I first started writing my
journal, Almost
40!  In August 2007. I sat one saturday
night, In sheer desperation, with my bottle of wine, just needing to
reach out to any ears available! lol.  I wanted to try and do
something, that would get the publisher's knocking on my door, offering
me book deals! lol. Oh God loves a tryer! If nothing else, I still have
hope!.

I love writing and
feel a connection with people here In J-Land, that I haven't
experienced anywhere else! It's the strangest, yet fantastically
uplifting experience, I have ever had, people, I have never met, saying
things that totally lift my spirits and touch my very soul, and for
that, I want to thank each and every one of you, who have taken the
time and trouble to stop by my journal. Thank You all so very much.
xx

Now for
the best bit: It's time to grab a cuppa and enjoy some truly wonderful
journal's:

My Guest Editor picks

                  caring and
sharing
Morton, Is one of life's  true
gentlemen. He cares for his mum full time and has been diagnosed with
M.S. himself. I love his determination and attitude. He Is definately
not one of life's "quitters". His shortcut's leave me In stitches,
demonstrated in his entry  "be my valentine".While he awaits
the parts arriving to fix his tumble dryer he "discovers" that by
spinning the drum and closing the door fast, It works!! and dry's the
washing just as well. lol.

                        Amanda
and the Gang
Amanda, Is a  very funny lady
who spends a lot of her time at her allotment. As well as being a wife
and mother she also has 5 cats and a beagle!.  Living with the
very painful condition Fibromyalgia, which, I noticed a few other
J-Landers also suffer from, she battles on, to keep building up her
allotment and has even taken up pottery. Amanda's down to earth
attitude and wit, Is a real tonic. She may not post as regular
as I would like,  but I just know how
much I smile, when my alert shows her
name.

                      ISN'T
SHE GREAT!!
Yasmin, always seems to be
able to put a smile on my face, she lives with her 2 cats Scarlett and
Domino, and It's very clear to see, they are her, "little darling's".
Yasmin certainly does have a zest for life!. Her travelling exhausts
me! lol. Her fantastic ability to describe everything to a "T", Is a
real gift. After reading her entry named "REMEMBER WHEN!!!!" I was
taken back In time, to share In her memories of her first disco, what a
brilliant read. 

                 
Boredom Eats Away At
Me
Jenny, a total music lover and No:1
Queen fan, Is 30 going on 18!! lol. Her journal leaves me In awe of the
things she manages to do. All the gigs she attends, Her bike ventures
and best classic line of all, was from her entry, "Work, NHS, Family
and Friends" she describes feeling worthless, sitting In a
meeting at work and decides to doodle away on her pad,  It
turned Into a Pirate Boat that she was so proud of, she took It home!
lol. Her closeness with her best friend Trina Is heartwarming, they
have so much fun. Jenny shares all her stories from every gig she goes
to and makes you feel a big part of It all.

                       
A Quiet Life......I
Wish
Carol, Is simply one of
life's nice people. Although, she strikes me as rather shy sometimes,
her motherly kindness and protectiveness shines through. I adore
reading her stories, Her young son Adam who Is just 7yrs old had an
accident a while back and burnt his hand quite badly. Carol got a
terrible fright and I really felt for her, Even then, with so much
going on, she was kind enough to pass on messages, that I
had left for Adam and even took the time to mail me back his
answer! How thoughtful. It was appreciated very much Indeed. I
am happy to report, that he Is on the mend and healing well. Way to go
Adam!. 

                     A
journey of another
kind
Jane, Is brand new to me, and yet she
has made such an Impact.  I came across her journal
after popping along to wish her well on receiving an award, only to be
sat, staring at the screen, In silence, as I read her story. Jane has
been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and continues to put up an
almighty fight. Her sense of humour Is astounding. I want to do more,
but I can't, I remain helpless. A little support may help to ease the
burden of such a despicable disease. Jane you are In my thoughts and
prayers.

Please stop by my
choices and wish them well. There were so many to choose from, I have
been sighing and huffing and puffing all week! lol. It has been a real
honour. Don't forget to pop back next week for the next six
picks!....and that my dear J-Lander's, bring's me to a close, so, Take
Care wherever you may be.

Love Pam
xx 

Tags: Guest Editor's
Picks

Friday Blogplugs - 2/22/08

Hey
folks,

I am blogplugging from sunny Seattle (yes!),
where I am visiting family for the
weekend.

* Winivere,
gives us a detailed
look, into how she manages her
money.

* Ken sees
opportunities
to help others everyday and challenges us to
move out of our
comfort zone.

* Indigo
reminds us that words
do hurt and urges us to use them carefully, especially when
commenting on a journal whose writer is going thru some tough
times.

* Guido has
set up a journal about the aftermath
of Hurricane Ivan at Madagascar.


* Krissy is
recuperating after a bout of pneumonia and she and John are making an
hour
by hour list of what is needed to be done for their meds.



* Lisa provides us an update
on her doctor's visit and the emotional roller coaster ride that it
was.

*
Sugar wants us to know that February is National Pet Dental
Health month and has some additional
info for you. She also has some tips
to keep your pets warm.

Contests R
Us

* Weekly
sentence with Val. This week's letters were TCRABC
and the entries are here.


Lights, Camera and
Action!

* Krissy's
JLand Photo Shoot entries
for the subject "My
Pet".

* Marie's AOL
Community Photo Challenge, beginner
and advanced
entries
for the subject "Winter
Blues".

Other "blog"
plugs...

* If poetry is your
bailiwick, then do drop by Donna's journal
where she has poured out her
soul.

* Want to grow the
perfect
tomato ? Then say hello to Ray White
who at 94, is perhaps our oldest journaler. He has had his
journal for 4
years.

* Please stop by
Paul's journal
to say hello. Paul is a retired TV reporter, nee
teacher, actor now wallowing in
academia.

--

Thanks again for the blogplugs
this week. Don't forget to tag your best entries with
"blogplugs". If you want to be a Guest Editor or have some
interesting (or useful) blogplugs, send your submissions to
JournalsEditor@aol.com and we'll review
them.

~Vish

Tags: blogplugs, aol journals, features, top
picks

Guest Editor's Picks -- February 15, 2008

Osiyo!
(Hello),

Welcome to this weeks, Guest Editor Edition! I'm as
surprised and delighted as you are to be the chosen
guest editor. I'm a tad uneasy talking about me, but it
seems requisite that I tell you a little bit about
myself:

Raven's
Lament began
as a means to communicate my growing frustration of living in a world of silence,
brought on by my deafness. Around the same time I was blessed with a
hearing dog to aide me on my journey. Since those first few intrepid
footsteps, my journal has evolved to be so much more than originally
intended. I found within it's pages, I did indeed have a voice. That
voice has been outspoken on Domestic Abuse, Animal Cruelty, Compassion
and Empathy. My original premise stills stands strong, I invite my
readers into my world to experience the life of a Native American Deaf
woman through my eyes. Along the way I've encountered and
befriended so many wonderful, caring people within these journals. Come
sit by the fire, warm yourself and let me introduce you to a few of
those
individuals.....

 "I Shaved My Legs
For This" I would be remiss if I didn't place this journal
on the top of the list. I still miss Kim and her inspirational words.
She drew people to her even before her battle with Cancer. I never knew
someone who fought so hard, with so much passion and love for all those
who knew her. Her journal is a testament to life and the challenges we
face to live it to the fullest, despite our battles.
Mary, was kind enough to remind us this
past Tues. would of been her 45th Birthday. Stop by and remember this
beautiful spirit and her
story......

 In The Shadow Of The
Iris,
is
another thought provoking gem hidden among the
volumes of journals. Rebecca has become not only a friend, but a joy to
read. She is what I would call a "Tell it like it is kind of woman".
I've found her outlook on life to be an interesting
view.

 Grains Of
Sand , 
In his
journal Marc restores my faith in men. Not to say
there haven't been a few within the journal's realm that haven't made
me pause. This gentleman honestly has a deep understanding of life, the
lessons wherein, as well as that elusive knowledge on how a woman may think.
Whenever I get the pleasure of reading his thoughts, I walk
away somehow enlightened and
inspired......

(((Reflections))),
Is written by Michelle. If there
ever was a woman who expressed such beauty of spirit it was her. Not
only does her spirit reflect in her words, but in her actions and
comments to those who have come to know her. You won't regret
encountering this wonderful woman. She knows how to make someone feel
cherished.

The Long Climb Back
Up,
Is Linda's story. It's a journal about endurance, faith,
courage and a battle so many of us have faced. Linda is not just a
testament to weight loss, she is inspiring, funny, and in my book down
to earth. She doesn't just inspire you to lose weight, but to truly
challenge life on life's
terms.

Nutwood
Junction, Is Beth's little piece of
Nirvana. In her own words describing her journal, she has said
"Anything can and will show up here". I'm delighted to say she
wasn't kidding. She has a fresh perspective on just about anything
under the sun. Boredom doesn't exist in Beth's world....an interesting
and thought provoking read
always.

And that my dear friends ends this
weeks "Guest Editor Picks". There are so many more I could of
recommended and would of loved to do a review on as well. Never know,
maybe someday I'll show up on these pages again. For now it's been a
delight and a pleasure to be the this weeks
entertainment.....

Friday Blogplugs - 2/15/08

Hey
folks,

A very gorgeous Friday here in Northern
California. In fact, we have had spring weather the last week or so and
I am enjoying it. Hope you all had a good Valentine's day. We have
quite a few blogplugs to get to. Let's go get 'em.

* Indigo
pooh-pooh's
the idea of putting aside one single day of the year to celebrate
love.

* Ken thinks
aloud about the consequences of taking shortcuts
in life.

* Marie
narrates an excellent story about hot
chocolate, a metaphor for
life.

* Indigo
talks about the art
of the written word and how she has evolved as a writer. I am
not doing justice to this entry, it's just a beautiful
read.

* Krissy is
disappointed that the party
that she was throwing for her husband John, had to be postponed,
because of a snowstorm. If only you had moved it to California
:)


* Donna gets very emotional about
the loss
of her sister. Our sympathies are with
you.

* Janna recounts
a hilarious tussle between man and
cat. 

*
Sugar shares some
observations about boys and girls (the furry kind!) and a
poem
for them.

* Paul posts the next
10 movies of his top 100 best movies
list.


* Tawnya does a weekly entry on her blog called Wednesday
Hero.

* gifdude is
excited
about his Apple TV
upgrade.


Contests R
Us

* Weekly
sentence with Val. This week, the letters are TCRABC
(The chef roasted a baby
carrot).


Lights, Camera and
Action!

* Krissy's
JLand Photo Shoot subject
for this week is "My
Pet".

* Marie's AOL
Community Photo Challenge, subject
for this week is "Winter
Blues".

*
Marie's AOL
Community Photo Challenge subject was "Love" and the winners for the
beginner's challenge are here.
The winners of the advanced challenge are here.

* Vicki's
photo
for the subject "red" - yet another photo
challenge.

* Marie has a
video showing how to do basic
corrections to your photograph using Photoshop and another
entry on Photoshop
& Elements
Tutorials.

*
Marie lists another great
site for photography tutorials.

From
our kitchen to yours...

*
Sugar, our resident Julia Child, cooks
up a romantic meal.

In
other JLand
news...

* The
Chat team is aware that the single sign-on does not work on
the "Journals Chat" page when you use a standalone browser (works from
within the AOL client). So, you have to sign-in again on the Journals
Chat page. Apologies for the inconvenience. They promise a fix by the
1st week of March (their next
release).

--

Thanks again for the blogplugs
this week. Don't forget to tag your best entries with
"blogplugs". If you want to be a Guest Editor or have some
interesting (or useful) blogplugs, send your submissions to
JournalsEditor@aol.com and we'll review
them.

~Vish

Tags: blogplugs, aol journals, features, top
picks

Guest Editor's Picks -- February 8, 2008

Hope you all
enjoyed the Super Bowl last weekend, that Big Easy readers had a fun
'08 Mardi Gras, & that ALL everywhere have a lovely upcoming
Valentines Day on the 14th!
Guess who's Guest Editor this week? It's me! WOO HOO! Doing a little happy dance! {{}}
Getting my 15 minutes of fame! LOL
So, TY Journal Editors. hehehe
I was totally surprised when Vish asked if I'd be willing to participate. ;)
I'm told I need to write a few lines about myself, then pick 5-7 fav journals. So, here goes:
My name is Sugar, from:   MY BELOVED FURR BABIES,  A LITTLE BIT OF SUGAR, PLEASE (private, email for admittance),  SUGAR SHACK KEEPSAKES,  From My Kitchen To Yours,  PRAISE & PRAYER (private, email for admittance),  J-LAND PET MEMORIAL,  African Memories,  &  Honduras & Philippines Remembered.  Many of you already know me, as I have several blogs in J-Land!  :) 
My main journal, & praise journal are private, but you can always email & ask for admittance... the others are open to all. I'm
an over 50, over weight, retired nurse, minister, former worker with
the homeless, & foster mother to abused children for many yrs. I'm
a grandmother, with multiple health conditions, living with my Son
& his family in MO now, altho I'm a TX gal orig. My 3 girls (dogs)
keep me company.
I have been in J-Land a little over 2 yrs, &
only started on a computer shortly before that. Must say that I have
found J-Landers to be such nice people, & have made many friends
here. Since I'm disabled & mostly housebound, J-Land means a lot to
me. {}
So, visit any of my journals, you're bound to find at least one that sparks your interest.
I
write about a little of everything, from my hum drum life & family
issues, to my fight with Cancer, TN, OA, Depression, & my battle
with weight... trying to keep an upbeat journal as I do so. My
other journals are about my pets, recipes, graphics I make, religion...
well, you get the ideal, I have a blog for it all. LOL
I'll wager when I was asked to write a "few lines" about myself, he never thought I'd write a chapter. hehehe :)

There are so many wonderful blogs that I read, it's hard to try & pick just 7...

So, I'll just pop down a few that you may not have read, (unless you're a regular reader of mine, then you probably know these) in no specific order:

 1. Millies Meanderings   (private
but you may email & ask for admittance) lovely lady in the UK who
has so much on her plate. just read her archives. now she's dealing
with her teen dtr fighting throat cancer. yet both stay cheerful most
of the time, they're warriors in a tough fight, but have the faith,
hope, & courage to win!

2. TNT  i've
known this lady from before she started a journal, we were in the
same online weight loss group. she tells about her family life, posts
jokes & poems, & her beliefs, you'll enjoy taking a peek.
 3. I Shall Overcome  writes about her everyday life, jokes, etc. she also came up with the journal to honor J-Landers who have passed away... J-LAND ANGELS

4. My Day, My Interests 
great photos, you'll love browsing through her journal, it's so
uplifting with the beautiful pics. plus some information on a few of
her posts.

5. My Brain Is In Pain  this
one is AC (adult content) for some of it, & at times controversial,
but he's so funny!!! You'd never know he lives in so much pain, seldom
mentions it. {{}} also, his aunt passed away this week, so leave
condolences please.

6. Me Thinks Too Much  funny
& entertaining as she talks about her day to day life. right now
she has a broken leg, but she doesn't let that get her down! she's like
the energizer bunny, she keeps going!

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

And last, but FAR from least...

A fairly popular blog, so many already know of it, but I just had to add it...

7. My Simple Rhymes  like no other blog I read. i love her, she's a sweet online friend. this dear lady in the UK, journals about her life, all in rhyme. you'll love it & her. ;) She's been feeling "down" lately, so give her an uplift by saying HI.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

7 already?
GRRR I could've kept going! So many terrific blogs out there to be
read! Many with lots of followers, & some with only a few. But each with a story!
If
I didn't pick yours, know that I love each of those I read or I
wouldn't read them! But I was only allowed 7, so I chose a few of the
ones that the majority of J-Land might not know about.

Well, there you have it, the powers that be...say only 7, LOL.
What
are you still reading this for? Click on the links above & have fun
reading & making friends! Remember to leave comments & your
link so they can visit you. ;) And give them a "CONGRATS" for being an
Editors Pick!

Have a nice weekend.

Friday Blogplugs - 2/8/08

Hey
folks,

TGIF (Thank God It's Friday!) -- time for a
roundup of your blogplugs.
We have quite a few of them this week. Without further ado, let's
begin.

* Val has a new game
called the "Weekly
Sentence". Judging fom the number of responses, people seem
to like it!. Update: They have the winners
here.

* Krissy's JLand Photo
Shoot entries
for the subject
"Old".

* Marie's AOL
Community Photo Challenge subject was "Love" and the entries
are here.

*
Jim, hopefully enjoyed
his SuperBowl weekend. I didn't...my Patriots lost
:(

*
Ken writes to say that a rose
is not a rose...unless it is
certified.

* Paul
posts a list of 100 movies that he really likes. Go here
to join the discussion

*
Karen celebrates her daughter's birthday with a glowing
tribute.

*
Beth is back to her kindler,
gentler self. Thank goodness! (just
kidding)

* Sugar has
some furry
treats for ya!

* Betty shares her old family
pictures and encourages you to participate, by posting a link
to your family pictures.

* Guido has created a shared
journal, "call for
support", to help JLanders who are going thru a tough time.
If you know of any JLanders who are in need of some moral support and
encouragement, please post an entry there. The community has been
wonderful in rallying around folks in need.

*
Guido has some great shared journals listed here,
that he would like you to visit. Also, if you have a shared journal
open to everybody please list it
there.

* Speaking of shared
journals, Make 'em
Laugh is one that will have you ROTFL (rolling on the floor
laughing). You can contribute too, but make sure you abide by Jeanne's
guidelines (listed in the About Me section of the journal).

In the, other JLand
news,
department..

* Joe
Manna's last day at AOL was yesterday, as some of you have
read on his blog post here.
Joe will be greatly missed. His new home is here. Not sure if we want another Joe to replace
him! However, the show must go on, and we are still here for you.

* The
Chat team has added "user generated chat rooms" to their Chat
product. You can create your own chat room and invite your friends and
family to it. Just go to http://chat.aim.com and look
for the "Create Chats" tab at the
top.

--

Thanks again for the blogplugs
this week. Don't forget to tag your best entries with
"blogplugs". If you want to be a Guest Editor or have some
interesting (or useful) blogplugs, send your submissions to
JournalsEditor@aol.com and we'll review
them.

And finally, a very happy
Valentine's day to you all! You are the
best!

~Vish

Tags: blogplugs, aol journals, features, top
picks

How to add a yourminis widget to Journals

As previously announced, you can
add mini-applications (aka widgets) to your AOL Journal very
easily.

This update shows you how to take a widget
from yourmini's and add it to your
Journal.

1.   First, pick a
widget.   Yourmini's has thousands of widgets to use
from - from photo's,  search, to do lists, video's
etc.  You can choose a widget from the Yourmini's gallery
which is here.


For this example, I'll assume you chose the "Flickr"
widget.

2. On the widget page, you can do a few
things:
 - Customize your widget
 -
Re-size it
 - Copy the widget to another
site.

3. Customizing. 
All
Yourmini widgets have a menu that allows you to customize the
widget.  This menu is shown in the top right hand corner of
the widget.     See
below.



The
first menu is the color menu - you can change the color of the widget
using this option.

The second is the detailed
options.  Click on the down arrow, and you get the options -
e.g. in this example you can show photos from a user (enter the user
name)  or a tag describing the photos (e.g. cats). Selecting
one of the options allows you to customize the widget. If you have
photos on flickr, enter your username and you will see
them.





4. 
Re-sizing.  You can re-size the widget by grabbing the bottom
right corner and dragging with the mouse to
re-size.

5. Put the widget on your
Journal.

- To do this, you must "grab the
code".   So go to the menu again and click on "Copy
Me".  You will get these options. 


-
Click on the first option, to grab the code.  Then hit "Copy"
which copies the code to the clipboard.

- Now go
back to your journal entry and put it in HTML mode.



-
Finally paste in the code you copied.   Hit CTRL+V to
do this.


That's it.   It
may seem very long to do this, but it is actually not once you get the
hang of it.  

Tags: aol
journals, yourminis,
widgets, willspeaking

New widgets for your AOL Journal

AOL yesterday announced that they
purchased another company called "Goowy".  What does this mean to AOL Journals
users?   Well, with this announcement, AOL has got
some great new widgets that can be used in your
Journal.   They come to you from a website named "yourminis.com". 


What's a widget?  Hmm... that's a
technology term we use, and it is essentially allows you to have a mini
version of an application on other pages, like your blog.  For example,
Youtube has a widget
that allows you to view a Youtube video on your
page.   

Yourminis has many of these
widgets that you can now use on your AOL Journal. 


First, let's show you some
examples:

The "Flickr" widget
allows you to show any photos on Flickr. These can be from your account, 
or from a tag (e.g. if you want to show cat
photos).  





The "AOL
Pictures" widget shows photos from the
public galleries on AOL Pictures.



The "Countdown"
widget allows you to countdown towards an event. E.g. a wedding, a
birthday, anniversary.  It's very
nice.



The "Weather"
widget allows you to put your city and show the weather. Or maybe a
city where you want to go on vacation
:-)




The "eBay" widget will
let you search for items on
ebay.




And lots, lots more. You can search for widgets
on Yourmini's gallery
page.

In the next blog post, I will show you how to add a widget
from yourminis to
your blog.

More
Details:
Read
more about yourmini
widgets here.

Search for yourmins
here.

Tags: aol
journals, willspeaking,
yourminis,
widgets

Guest Editor's Picks -- February 1, 2008

WELCOME

 

I'm Missy (from MISSYZ
STUFF), your Guest Editor for this week. I have been a member
of the J-land family for about 14
months now and must say that it has been an experience like
none other. The people here are absolutely amazing. I will tell you, I
have never been part of a blog community like
this one and I have never met such a large amount of
people that are so willing to support, befriend, and
offer encouragement as much as you all
do.

 

ABOUT
ME

 

I am 23 years old, live in Vinton, Va and am a proud mother of my five
year old son, Antonio. My employer is BB&T bank, another
amazing experience with all the people that work with me. I hope to one
day pursue a career
in training of some sort, preferably for the bank. I have
finally found my passion, and that happens to be teaching and helping
others. As far as my history, I was adopted at a young age and raised by my
grandparents. I had a troubled childhood and have fought with anxiety
and depression for a very long time. I feel as if I am getting a grasp
on these and hope to one day be cured! Enough about me, Now for my
picks...

 

PICKS

 

Janie from There Is Only 1
Today enjoys writing about
her everyday life and
adjusting to her husband's retirement. She told me that she started her
journal with the hopes to share her faith and try to add some positive
thoughts into our day.

 

 

Paula from Paulines Country
Tales And Other Thangs writes about her adventures as a country girl in Texas and
her life on the ranch.

 

 

Andy from Andy The Bastard: With his very controversial sense of humor,
he will have you falling out of your desk chair
laughing!

 

 

Melissa from My Story Book
currently posts chapters of "The Book of Mona", a story she is writing
and keeps us updated with her daily happenings. She seems to be
struggling right now so, stop by and offer her some encouraging
words.

 

 

Linda from Lost In My Own Thoughts Shares with us her pictures and graphics. She writes about
her life and keeps her journal fun!

 

 

That's it! Please stop by and
visit these wonderful journals and don't forget to come by next week
for the new Guest Editor picks.

Friday Blogplugs - 2/1/08

Hey
folks,

It's Friday -- Blogplugs time for Journals!
Here we go:

* Indigo writes
about her trust
being betrayed and how she is handling
it.

* Ken wants
you to be aware of how our national
budget is allocated and keep the promises of our candidates
for the Presidency in
perspective.

*
John is celebrating the second anniversary of his bone
marrow
transplant.

*
Indigo takes a stand on dog
fighting.

* Jo,
an Animal Hubbub alumni, let us know that she has has started
a new animal-related blog titled, Frequently
Feline.

*
A US military wife did not realize what she was getting into,
when she signed up for exercise
classes at the Y. She misses her husband, who is currently
deployed in Iraq.

* Ken
writes about a glorious
day he had, and looks back at the time he spent with his best
friend, his dad.

*
Marie revisits
the guidelines for the aol community photo challenge and provides some
banners
that people can use on their entries. And here are some entries
from that challenge.

* Krissy's JLand Photo Shoot Challenge
for this week.

I just
noticed that there are 2 photo shoot challenges one hosted by
Krissy and another one by Marie. Pick one or both to post your photos
to.

In other JLand
news..

*
Nice Matters awards are being handed out to the most well
behaved JLanders (just kidding). Congratulations to the recipients. You
can read more about it here
and here.

*
Another JLander has passed away. Walt used to write on his
journal, The Diatom
Project. Our deepest sympathies go out to his
family.

--

Thanks again for the blogplugs
this week. Don't forget to tag your best entries with
"blogplugs". If you want to be a Guest Editor or have some
interesting (or useful) blogplugs, send your submissions to
JournalsEditor@aol.com and we'll review
them.

Have a safe
weekend!

~Vish

Tags: blogplugs, aol journals, features, top picks