Well, about two months ago I finally joined the ranks of Swagbucks users. I'd heard about it for a while in the blogosphere but didn't ever want to sign up—I guess I simply wasn't motivated and didn't understand.
Put simply, you earn Swagbucks by searching the Web and can redeem those points for gift cards and prizes. I have probably earned enough for about $20 of Amazon gift cards, just for searching the Web. I think the most important thing to remember is you can simply use Swagbucks for things you already do anyways.
Things I've Come to Understand: *You don't have to search for Swagbucks, the site awards them to you as you do your normal searching. (I still prefer the main Google search, but for the most part searching through Swagbucks meets my needs.)
*It might not seem like much at first, but it adds up quickly and you are rewarded for normal activity.
*The Swagbucks toolbar is essential to remind you to search through Swagbucks, plus gives messages for special codes you can redeem for extra points.
*Just searching is only the first layer of Swagbucks. There are tons of Special Offers that offer you points for things you probably use anyways. Signing up for Snapfish (photo printing) gives you 45 points. Making a purchase on GoDaddy (Web domain) gives you 150 points. Using VistaPrint (online business cards and printing) gives you 150 points. I haven't signed up for all of these yet, but ALL are things I've been planning to do before I got Swagbucks. If I sign up, I can redeem 350 points which could give me about $25 for a gift card of my choice, or to use to purchase music, t.v. episodes, and more. Did I mention that I'd get back more money than I'll actually spend at those sites?
*Although the times that you win can vary, I typically plan on getting at least 3 rewards a day: morning, afternoon, evening. If it's been a while since I've won, I'll search and usually win on the first one or two entries.
*You also get points (Swagbucks I should say) for shopping online. You get a certain amount of points for however much you spend. Heard of iTunes, Walmart, or 1800Contacts?? I use all regularly, and all qualify you for points.
I get some extra Swagbucks for referrals, so if you are interested, please check it out and sign up from my link. Ask me questions, and I'll try to answer.
I just posted my first post of the year. It seems like it was my first post in like...3 months. And no, I'm not going to check the actual date.
But this was the first time I saw the date at the top—Jan. 4, 2010. Why is it always weird for the first time? I haven't even written it down yet. More fun will come I'm sure.
Last year (2008) I did a list of my top 10 experiences. I briefly thought about doing it again for 2009 but didn't feel motivated yet. Reading mine from 2008 offered a little bit of encouragement though. I'm not usually a big resolution person either. I like making goals and to-do lists but I've never been too serious about New Year's Resolutions.
Today I got a little kick and started writing down some things I hope to accomplish this year. So maybe these aren't resolutions but these are my goals for 2010, in no particular order.
1. Officially start HS2COLLEGE. Prepare at least one 8-page publication.
2. Learn to more effectively build a Web site.
3. Double my current savings.
4. Travel outside the country.
5. Publish five articles or posts on other sites or publications.
6. Scrapbook 1 hour each week. (I'm SO behind!)
7. Build my personal brand and network for future career opportunities. (I have specific ideas and steps for this.)
8. Post on HS2COLLEGE site every day for a month.
9. Create two video or podcast posts.
10. Automate my finances. (Based on my reading the book "I Will Teach You to Be Rich.")
11. Write in my journal once a week.
12. Make monthly goals, meet monthly challenges.
13. Write Susie a real letter once every other week for the remainder of her mission. Oh, and make her a mission scrapbook.
14. Try to be less shy, awkward in situations. Let myself be vulnerable more often.
15. Take a cycling class. (I still never have!)
16. Read more often.
17. Attend the temple at least once a month. (I tried for once a week for a while last year but missed a few, so this is more safe.)
18. Always remember that I am a strong, confident daughter of Heavenly Father. I can do great things. I can accomplish great dreams. I can be the person I want to be.
OK, I have a few others. And several of these are very vague for now. But that's that. I also love my sister's 2010 motto "No Junk." I want to get rid of lots of random stuff, plus be more controlling of my entertainment and how I spend my time. I'm hoping to address this type of stuff in monthly goals each month.
When it comes to modern language usage, especially concerning any technology-related terms, I get slightly frustrated with those who make claims like "'Text' is not a verb," implying a speaker cannot say "I'll text you the information." Instead a speaker would have to say, for example, "I'll send you a text message with the information." (Don't even consider using any forbidden slang terms like "info.") In the second example, the verb is now "send," while the noun "text message" is acting as a direct object. (Get crazy and shorten that to "text.") "You" is then the indirect object, and "with the information" is a prepositional phrase. ...Oh dear, I've let my 7th grade sentence dissection exercises lead me off track. *Focusing*
I admit. I am a decriptivist as far as grammarians go—if you can bring yourself to even slightly consider me a grammarian. And I just realized I have a much easier time identifying myself based on my views of grammar and English usage than I do on my views of political issues. In the world of grammarians, with many stereotypically described with a better-than-thou motivation to find every—any—mistake, I often feel as though I am the minority fighting for my voice to be heard, struggling for my beliefs to be understood, accepted, maybe respected. But the bombardment of those screaming "Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E means 'you are.' Y-O-U-R means 'your" (Oh wait, that was Ross in "Friends") tends to overshadow my stubborn statements of "Yes, 'texted' can be used as a past tense verb of 'text'" or my response "I'm good." to questions of how I'm doing.
No, I'm not saying you don't need to use an apostrophe and the extra "e" in "you're" or to not bother distinguishing between "there," "their," and "they're." While I'm not sure how to exactly determine what will eternally be right and wrong in overall usage of a language, there are accepted styles of language for various settings that you simply have to conform to. (Well I suppose you don't HAVE to.) But to be taken seriously academically and in job interviews, there is one form of "correct" language and to be taken seriously in another setting, there is different form. I for one embrace the fact that I can speak differently than I write in a professional setting. That my academic writing differs from my writing on my blog. That I can speak one way with my friends and another with subject experts. That every day I can make up words and opt to include usage I wouldn't dream of in another setting.
I have control of my language.
Do you remember your teachers telling you to never start a sentence with "and"? Or the dramatics of the apostasy that follows if you split an infinitive? No doubt these teachers also emphasized that a preposition should never end a sentence. These "hard-and-fast rules" reflect years of trying to control a language and fit it in a mold. (I love that I listed these three examples and then found all three mentioned in an article entitled "Three Grammar Rules You Can (And Should) Break.")
There may be some individuals somewhere who still insist on these rules. Maybe. Perhaps some nitpicky teachers are still teaching them. Perhaps. But really what is the point? Sooner or later, students and language users realize that the contorted, un-split sentence is awkward and, hey, look around, people are splitting the heck out of infinitives left and right. Nevermind that not ending a sentence with a preposition is a rule that really has nothing to do with the preposition but instead wants to get rid of unnecessary words. ("I have no idea where this rule came from" is fine. "Where are you at?" might be better as "Where are you?")
Forrester: Paragraph three starts...with a conjunction, "and." You should never start a sentence with a conjunction.
Jamal: Sure you can.
Forrester: No, it's a firm rule.
Jamal: No, it was a firm rule. Sometimes using a conjunction at the start of a sentence makes it stand out. And that may be what the writer's trying to do.
Forrester:And what is the risk?
Jamal: Well the risk is doing it too much. It's a distraction. And it could give your piece a run-on feeling. But for the most part, the rule on using "and" or "but" at the start of a sentence is pretty shaky. Even though it's still taught by too many professors. Some of the best writers have ignored that rule for years, including you.
Maybe this is all a result of the English language completely and definitely going down the drain. The teenagers are ruining it! Text messaging and e-mail will be the end of all that was good and all that we cherished!
...
Calm down people. Yes, here is where my passion for descriptive grammar steps in. I think I pretty regularly make conscious decisions about what I say and how I use the English language. That's right, once again, I do my research, choose my side and proceed to respond "I'm good" to the question "How are you?"
How many times have you heard "Ain't ain't a word, and you ain't supposed to say it." But is it not widely used informally? I don't personally use "ain't" on a regular basis, but I love belting "Ain't it a shame that every time you hear my name you can't think straight" with Kellie Pickler like any country music-loving gal. No, technically "ain't" may not be a word in standard usage, but it's everywhere and can't be denied. It might drive some people crazy, but who can say that "ain't" can't be a "proper" word? Why were "haven't," "who's," "doesn't" and "you're" chosen, but "ain't" left behind?
P.S. This is not me advocating for a wider use of "ain't." I'm just saying.
I just discovered yet another book to add to my To-Read list: "The Lexicographer's Dilemma The Evolution of English from Shakespeare to South Park. " The author, Jack Lynch, is a professor of English at Rutgers University and was the editor of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary. From what I've read thus far, he describes how we got "proper English" and that grammar isn't made up of rules or laws like the law of gravity or those against thefts. Instead they are fallible by people and subject to change.
"Most of these [rules of English] probably describe the speech habits of of some class of people, once upon a time. It will tend to be the upper class of people a generation or two ago. And that's what many people decided proper English is," says Jack Lynch.
Stated simply, I advocate for grammar usage based on the needs and desires of the people who use the language. I embrace language change and get excited when those changes evolve, are identified, and then accepted. Disregarding various opinions and arguments of whether those changes are for the better or worse, I appreciate the notion of a group of people taking control of their own lives—in this case language. Language as a whole should embrace change, especially those reflective of a current culture and lifestyle.
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