Unsolicited Advice to the New Medblogger Who Left a Comment on my Blog

Dear New Medblogger,

You haven't posted a lot on your new medblog, but it looks like you are off to a good beginning. May I give you some advice?

Now, this is only my opinion. I haven’t read any books on the subject, and I'm certainly no expert. You just seem like a nice guy who may be getting off on the wrong foot and I want to try to help.

I've noticed that you are going to various medblogs and leaving comments like "Hey, check out my new medblog." Maybe it's just me, and I'll admit I'm kinda cranky and sensitive, but I don't really appreciate comments like that. It smacks of bad blogging etiquette.

I know you are in a hurry to build a readership, but I don’t think leaving self-promoting comments on other people’s blogs is the best way to go about it. Here are a few alternatives you might like to try.

1. Find a post on a medblog that interests you, then leave a comment pertinent to that post. You can be an angel or an asshole, just make sure your comment is interesting, so people will want to check out your medblog. And be sure you are logged in, so people can click on your name and be instantly transported to your new medblog.

2. I think some of my 15 readers use my blogroll as a starting point on their daily journey through the medblogs. You need to try to get blogrolled by other medbloggers. Some people are sensitive about blogrolling so you need to tread lightly. I occasionally receive e-mails from doctors/nurses/medstudents introducing themselves and asking me to check out their medblogs. I love meeting these new medbloggers and will always add the legit medblogs to my blogroll. But I'm easy that way. You may need to earn a place on other people's blogrolls. Bribes of link exchanges are nice, but I don’t let that influence me (much).

Here's something you should check out. Dr. WhiteCoat has created a giant List of Medblogs and is inviting medbloggers to leave a link to their medblogs in his comments section. Note that he is "inviting" you to leave a link to your medblog in his comment section.

3. Comment, comment, comment (about the blogger’s post!). You need to get your name out there. Leave lots of comments and pretty soon, people will start visiting your blog, linking your posts, and adding you to their blogrolls.

4. Submit a post to Grand Rounds. That right there will get you some visitors.

There is a lot of good blogging advice out there, I just wanted to give you a few pointers to get you started.

Best of luck with your new medblog.

Medblog Addict

I Spent the Night With Ike

I don’t like Ike.

Power company workers are my new heroes.

Men love chainsaws.

Men with chainsaws are idiots.

Men with chainsaws on ladders are crazy idiots.

Maybe it’s all the medblogs I’ve read, but while I stood around watching the chainsaw festivities (with my cellphone hidden in my pocket, ready to call 911), I kept thinking:

I can put fingers and toes in the small Ziploc bags.

I can put hands in the gallon size bags. No, I think I’d need the 2 gallon bag because I’ll need room for some ice. Crap, I don’t want to use my precious ice for packing severed body parts. What’s the least amount of ice I can use and still save whatever they happen to cut off. Crap, no stores are going to have ice. I’d better not have to try to find more ice. If it happens while working on a neighbor’s house, then they ought to supply the ice. How can I be so selfish. I should be willing to share my ice to pack a neighbor’s severed body part. Crap, if more than one person has something cut off, will I have to use separate Ziploc bags for each person. If I can put all of the severed body parts in one Ziploc bag, then I wouldn’t need as much ice.

I’ll have to use a garbage bag if they cut off a leg. Crap, that would require a lot of ice.

Rebuild of the NY Skyline

I was so busy this morning before work, trying to get ready for our unwelcome houseguest "Ike", that I forgot I wanted to re-post my 2007 9/11 post.

Yes, Dammit. It's Another Quiz

I’ve decided the weekends here at ATM will be devoted to fun stuff, quizzes, timekillers, etc. I’ll save the, umm, substantive, well thought out, creative posts for weekdays. Yep, that probably means you won’t see anything posted during the week. But enough of that, here’s the latest quiz I took.

It looks like if I ever get stuck on the moon, my ass will be grass.

These are the instructions they give you:

Imagine you are returning to the base ship on the sunlit side of the moon after carrying out a 72-hour exploration trip. Your small spacecraft has crash-landed about 200 miles from the base ship. You need to reach the base ship. In addition to your spacesuit, you were able to salvage the items listed below. Using what you know about the moon, rate each item in the list according to how important it would be in getting you back to the base ship.

4 packages of food concentrate
20m nylon rope
1 portable heating unit
1 magnetic compass
1 box of matches
1 first-aid kit
2 50-kg tanks of oxygen
20 L of water
1 star chart
1 case of dehydrated milk

2 45-caliber pistols, loaded
1 solar-powered radio set
3 signal flares
1 large piece of insulating fabric
1 flashlight

On the results page, they explain how NASA would have prioritized these items. [And no, I don't believe everything I read on the Internet, but it's just a fun quiz, poophead.]


Here are my results.

32%

Your score: 32%
Letter Grade: F
You Failed!

Oh, so you think you could do better than a 32%, huh? Well, take your own quiz here.

[Okay, you probably will do better than me. I sorta didn't read that nice little scenario at the top until I cut and pasted it here so I could write this post. I guess this explains why I get told to RTFD a lot at work. I will say that I got the first two items right. And I identified the least useful item. It was just those 12 items in the middle that messed me up.]

I'm a Daydreamer?

You can tell when I've been wandering through the medblogs--I steal everyone else's stuff and post it on my blog. I found this over at DisappearingJohn's place. The last time I took a personality test, the results said I should become a lawyer. I'm not sure, but I think my results here are saying I'd rather daydream than be around people. Finally, an accurate quiz!

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

NBPC - The Daydreamer

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color

You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the colors around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort in more subdued settings and find energy in solitude. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You are a down-to-earth person who enjoys going with the flow.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

I Created a New Drug

Dammit, if I'm smart enough to create a new drug, then why can't I figure out how to transfer a decent picture to my blog.

I stole this from Vijay. Go here if you want to create your own drug. If you create a drug for computer dummies like me, let me know.