Monthly Archives: April 2012

Areavoices Digest #73 – Capitalizing on the Pinterest explosion

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No doubt you’ve heard about the meteoric rise of Pinterest. In two short years, the digital bulletin board has become the third most popular social network trailing only behind Facebook and Twitter in the number of monthly users. In fact,  Pinterest doubled it’s number of users between January and February of this year and no other social network reached 10 million users faster than Pinterest. Although recent reports suggest that growth is slowing Pinterest is still a hot commodity for it’s millions of users (80% of them female). Now one of our Areavoices bloggers is making it easier for you to Pin without really pinning.

Her name is Jen Burris and she’s taking what she sees on Pinterest and trying it out for herself. And we get to read about it on her blog. It’s just one of the recommended blogs of the week. Enjoy!
Pin It
http://pinit.areavoices.com
Pinterest is the fastest growing social medium around these days. Follow as this blogger tries out
some of the pins she finds on the digital bulletin board.

Joe Fitness
http://joefitness.areavoices.com
One of our most popular health and fitness blogs. Joe answers real life questions like “Is Nutella
really good for you?” or “What is the cardio machine you should be using, but aren’t?”

MSUM
http://msum.areavoices.com
Follow the news and information from the campus of Minnesota State University Moorhead.

FM Ballet
http://fmballet.areavoices.com
News from Fargo Moorhead Ballet, a nationally respected regional professional dance company that presents a multidisciplinary repertoire from ballet, jazz, modern, and tap.

Father Knows Least
http://fatherknowsleast.areavoices.com
Hilarious stories from a man as he takes on the job of fatherhood.

Areavoices Digest #72 – Spinach Bacon Mac and Cheese and Black Russian Cake

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I enjoy writing my little blog on the Areavoices community. I really do. I love sharing news of the latest and greatest blogs on the platform. But deep down, I think I’m a frustrated food blogger.

As evidenced by my consumption this week of a great food blog called Lagniappe. (See link below). It’s written by Beth Rickers of Worthington, Minnesota.  I was attracted by a recent post in which Beth describes a pretty decadent meal that starts with Spinach Bacon Mac and Cheese and ends with Black Russian Cake. Hello! The diet can take a break for a day.

Beth is consistent with her recipes and she’s a great writer. It must be so much fun to write about so much deliciousness. Lagniappe is just one of our recommended blogs of the week.

Living in Retirement
http://retire.areavoices.com
Chartered Financial Consultant Tim Barton helps readers plan for retirement.

Red River Convoy of Hope
http://rrvconvoy.areavoices.com
Convoy of Hope is a faith-based non-profit founded in 1994. This blog will promote
their “one-day blitz” on June 30th to help thousands in need.

Lagniappe
http://lagniappe.areavoices.com
Lagniappe means “something a little extra.” That’s just what you get in this food related
blog out of Worthington, Minnesota. Lots of yummy recipes!

Purple Politics
http://purplepolitics.areavoices.com
The thoughts of a blue state girl surrounded by red.

Living Empowered
http://livingempowered.areavoices.com
A Soul Sisters blog with advice on how to “Tap into your power, realize your potential, and achieve your dreams.”

Areavoices Digest #71 – Scenery and History

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A nice mix of blogs to recommend to you today, especially if you love beautiful Minnesota photography and a step back in time. Enjoy!

The North: A blog of scenic discoveries
http://justinmullet.areavoices.com
A blog featuring the beautiful landscapes in the Bemidji, Minnesota area.

Lasso the Moon
http://lassothemoon.areavoices.com
Donna Karis writes about life with a special needs child.

New Plateaus
http://newplateaus.areavoices.com
Learning about the world – Learning about ourselves. Social commentary from Brandon Ferdig.

History of Hastings
http://historyofhastings.areavoices.com
A collection of images and stories from the archives of the Hastings Star Gazette.

Flash from the Past
http://pastblog.areavoices.com
From the archives of the Red Wing Republican Eagle and the Goodhue County Historical Society.

Areavoices Digest #70 – A song that might drive WDAY’s Weather Guys Crazy!

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Okay, technically “Fargo’s First Radio” isn’t turning 90 until May 22nd, but I’m a firm believer in celebrating milestones as long as possible.

But perhaps more than that, the station’s anniversary is worth mentioning today because of something the fine folks at ‘DAY just started doing. They’re helping us relive history. (I mentioned last week how the Duluth News Tribune is celebrating history in it’s Attic blog, now WDAY is following suit). The station has uncovered some classic old radio clips from the past century – with the voices of Ken Kennedy, Jack Dunn and more. (Trivia: Did you know WDAY radio personality Ken Kennedy discovered singing great Peggy Lee, the former Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, ND?) What’s even more fun is hearing the old game shows and commercials. Now you can hear these clips from the Golden era of radio on the WDAY Radio Blog.

I have to point out one clip in particular. It’s from a live weather report in 1946. What stands out to me is the weather jingle sung by Lynn Abbott. It is vintage. Really cheesy. But delightful. I’m sure the jingle stopped airing in the 1940′s or 50′s, but it never really went away. I remember a couple of years ago when I worked for WDAY, the studio production crew would pipe this old jingle into the studio as the meteorologists were prepping their forecast. While I think they all appreciated the walk down memory lane, I think it might have driven them a little nuts too. Now you can listen to that song on the WDAY radio blog.

The WDAY radio blog will be sharing these clips with us through the spring and even summer. Please feel free to leave your comments and memories in the comments section of their blog.

Now here is the WDAY radio blog along with the rest of the recommended blogs of the week:

WDAY Radio
http://wdayradio.areavoices.com
Fargo’s first radio celebrates its 90th birthday by uncovering some rare audio and video clips from radio’s golden era.

Marilyn Hagerty
http://marilynhagerty.areavoices.com
Grand Forks own media darling. The 85-year-old retired Herald columnist has captured the nation’s attention with her
restaurant reviews. What started with a review of The Olive Garden is now taking Marilyn around the world!

Oil Patch Dispatch
http://oilpatchdispatch.areavoices.com
Forum Communications reporter Amy Dalrymple brings us news from the oil boom in western North Dakota.

Chew the Fat
http://mpfitness.areavoices.com
A health and fitness blog designed with you in mind.

Real Money
http://realmoney.areavoices.com
Advice from The Village Financial Resource Center as we hit the heart of tax season.