Newsletter for November 2009
Oct, 29 2009
Hello Foodie Blogroll Community and a Happy November!
Welcome to this month's installment of the Foodie Blogroll Newsletter. You are a valued member of our community and we always welcome feedback and suggestions.
The New Foodie Blogroll Website is Up and Running!
This past few weeks have been very exciting! The new website launch has gone very well. We received great feedback and are really happy our members find the new layout and browse features easier to use.
What's new?
- A Brand New Look: The new design is more organized and dynamic. Our hope is that it will make it easier to navigate through the thousands of blogs and members pages.
- Comments: You can now leave comments on any item, including blogs, members, contests and news items.
- Browsing Blogs: The directory is now organized by by Country, Tags, Language, By Date and Alphabetically. The search is also much improved, allowing you to find blogs by matching your search criteria on the title, url and tags.
- Browsing Members: A new section of the site where you can find members by Country, Language, By Date and Alphabetically. You can see details about the member, their blogs, location, language, social networks and friends.
- My Account - Manage My Blogs: This feature allows you to edit your blog information directly. No need to wait for us to update your details anymore.
- My Account - My Profile: This feature allows you to edit your member information.
- My Account - Friends: Just like on Facebook, you can now make friends and network with other bloggers in our community. Friends can share more detailed information with each other, such as email and real name.
- My Account - Favorites: You can now add your favorite blogs to your profile making it easy to keep track of what's happening on your frequently visited blogs.
- Rank Blog: You can now vote for blogs! Later we will be using the ranking in conjunction with the contests and giveaways.
- RSS FEED: You can now subscribe to the Foodie Blogroll RSS Feeds! By subscribing you can keep up to date with the new blogs of the day, and the latest articles.
Issues Resolved: We had to work through some issues caused by the transfer to the new system. Fortunately, we were able to resolve all the issues, including a bug that was preventing our users on Macs using the "Safari" browser from using some of the features of their account. If you are still experiencing issues with your account please let us know via the Contact page, we want to make sure you are all set to enjoy the new website and benefits.
New Tutorials:
Due to popular demand, we also added new tutorials to help our members install the Widget code on their blogs. We have detailed instructions for blogs hosted on wordpress.com, posterous.com and Windows Live Spaces. See the complete list here: http://www.foodieblogroll.com/tutorials/
Remember to update your profile, if you haven't done so already, for a chance to participate in the "Update To Win" giveaway during the next 7 weeks.
Thank you all for your feedback!
Here are November's contests and giveaways:
New Contest : Update your info for a chance to Win a Foodie Blogroll Mug
We are very excited to welcome you to try out our new features and to offer an extra incentive, we are announcing a special giveaway for our members who update their profile and blog information during the next 8 weeks. Each week, starting with Friday October 16, we will randomly pick a member from the pool of eligible members who have updated their blog and profile information.
Prize:
One lucky member will win a custom Foodie Blogroll Mug per week. A random winner will be chosen every week (for a total of 8 winners) from the pool of eligible members who updated their blog and profile information within 10/10/2009 and 11/27/2009.
Eligibility:
To enter: login to your account and update your blog url, rss, title, description, language and location. Also update your profile information, with your up to date contact information, country and language.
Legal Notice: No purchase necessary to enter. Contest void where prohibited. Contest open to members who are 18 years or older. Contest open only to currently eligible Foodie Blogroll Members who update their profile and blog details within 10/10/2009 and 11/27/2009. Restrictions may apply. The winners will be announced on 10/16/2009, 10/23/2009, 10/30/2009, 11/6/2009, 11/13/2009, 11/20/2009 and 11/27/2009.
New Weekly Contest: RegionalBest.com Free $25 Shopping Spree
Enter to win a $25 Shopping Spree! Three winners will be named weekly through November 27.
Looking for something really different, yet affordable, for the foodie on your list? RegionalBest.com offers an online food marketplace where you buy direct from some of the best bakers, chocolatiers, cheesemakers and other food artisans across the country. The site offers convenient, one stop shopping for handcrafted and handmade foods that are hard to find on your own, like chocolate covered bacon, rosemary shortbread, cheddar cheese hand rubbed with sea salt and honey, and organic gluten-free brownies. You’ll also find classics like Vermont maple syrup and hickory smoked ham.
There are hundreds of products in over a dozen categories, including 225 foods for less than $25. Gift certificates are also available. Each artisan’s photo and “story” are featured along with their products, so you know who grew or made the product, and with what ingredients. Foods are attractively packaged for gift giving and ship directly from the producer to maximize great taste, quality, freshness and value.
Browse the site at http://regionalbest.com.
Prize:
Each week 3 winners will receive a $25 Shopping Spree Gift Certificate from Regional Best. Winners will be able to choose from 225 foods. 3 winners will be chosen every week (for a total of 12 winners) from all the entries.
Eligibility:
To participate please follow these steps:
1) Leave a comment here on the contest announcement article on the Foodie Blogroll website.
Just scroll down and leave your comment. Please Note: You have to login to your Foodie Blogroll Account first.
2) You also must currently be a current active member of the Foodie Blogroll having the latest version of The Foodie Blogroll Widget on your blog.
3) Products ship only within the Continental U.S.
4) Shopping Sprees must be redeemed by December 18, 2009.
Legal Notice: No purchase necessary to enter. Contest void where prohibited. Contest open to members who are 18 years or older. Contest open only to currently eligible Foodie Blogroll Members. Contest open only to continental US residents. Shopping spree prize Restrictions may apply. Winners will be announced on 11/06/2009, 11/13/2009, 11/20/2009 and 11/27/2009..
New Weekly Giveaway For November: Adaptable Feast Cookbook:
We are excited to announce this giveaway in partnership with Ivy Manning, who blogs at Ivy's Feast and author of Adaptable Feast.
Adaptable Feast is about cooking in mixed-diet families, where there are hearty and satisfying meals for everyone at your table – vegetarians, vegans and omnivores. Inspired by her own background as an omnivore married to a vegetarian, Manning has developed a diverse and delicious collection of 90 recipes, each adaptable to yield a few vegetarian servings of a meaty dish, or a few omnivore servings of a vegetarian one.
Typical entries in this beautifully illustrated cookbook include elegant Japanese Eggplant and Halibut with Miso Glaze, and a sumptuous Spaghetti Carbonara for gourmands of all persuasions. Ivy says that it is a great book for the holidays, giving you ideas of how to feed the mixed crowds of eaters that may be dropping by for festivities.
Prize:
The winners of this giveaway will receive a copy of the "Adaptable Feast" cookbook. A random winner will be chosen every week, for a total of 4 weeks (meaning 4 prizes will be given out).
Eligibility:
All you have to do to participate and have a chance at winning the prize is to be a current active member of the Foodie Blogroll. Make sure you have your widget up and running, or you will not be eligible. If you are not a member yet, all you have to do in order to be eligible is sign up for the Foodie Blogroll, be approved and have the latest version of The Foodie Blogroll Widget on your blog.
Legal Notice: No purchase necessary to enter. Contest void where prohibited. Contest open to members who are 18 years or older. Contest open only to currently eligible Foodie Blogroll Members. Restrictions may apply. Winners will be announced on 11/6/2009, 11/13/2009, 11/20/2009 and 11/27/2009.
New Weekly Giveaway: Poor Girl Eats Well Cookbook:
We are excited to announce this giveaway in partnership with Kimberly Morales, who blogs at Poor Girl Eats Well and author of Poor Girl Eats Well - To Go!
Poor Girl Eats Well – To Go! is Kimberly Morales' self published book about eating well on a budget. You can order her book on her website.
Her very popular blog Poor Girl Eats Well, has been nominated for a Foodbuzz blog awards nominee in the category of “Blogger you'd most like to see have her own show on the Food Network”. So be sure to congratulate her on her nomination.
Her blog is dedicated to those who can't always afford the best but still expect the best. “Often imitated, never duplicated, I will show you how you can stretch your dollar while making delicious, good-for-you meals”. You can enjoy her tips, tricks and delicious recipes in her book! This 46-page mini-book features top favorites like the Caprese Omelette, Shrimp with Pineapple-Pepper Relish, and the Mushroom Asiago Quesadilla. A few of the most popular tips are featured too, with the bonus tip on how to have a successful $25 Shopping Cart trip.
A perfect holiday gift for anyone that loves food!
Prize:
The winners of this giveaway will receive a copy of the "Poor Girl Eats Well - To Go!" cookbook. A random winner will be chosen every week, for a total of 4 weeks (meaning 4 prizes will be given out).
Eligibility:
All you have to do to participate and have a chance at winning the prize is to be a current active member of the Foodie Blogroll. Make sure you have your widget up and running, or you will not be eligible. If you are not a member yet, all you have to do in order to be eligible is sign up for the Foodie Blogroll, be approved and have the latest version of The Foodie Blogroll Widget on your blog.
Legal Notice: No purchase necessary to enter. Contest void where prohibited. Contest open to members who are 18 years or older. Contest open only to currently eligible Foodie Blogroll Members. Restrictions may apply. Winners will be announced on 11/6/2009, 11/13/2009, 11/20/2009 and 11/27/2009.
Weekly Giveaway : Custom Foodie Blogroll Tote Bag Extended Another 8 Weeks!
In order to encourage all of our members to keep blogging and contributing to this wealth of information we decided to run the Tote Bag Giveaway for an extra 8 weeks!
Prize:
The winners of this giveaway will be receiving a customized Foodie Blogroll tote bag! We hope it will come useful on those trips to the grocery store. A random winner will be chosen every week, for a total of 8 weeks (meaning 8 prizes will be given out).
Eligibility:
To be eligible, you must be an active member of The Foodie Blogroll. All current active eligible Foodie Blogroll members are automatically enrolled in the contest. No geographical restrictions, so even our overseas members are eligible.
Legal Notice: No purchase necessary to enter. Contest void where prohibited. Contest open to members who are 18 years or older. Contest open only to currently eligible Foodie Blogroll Members. Restrictions may apply. Winners will be announced on 11/06/2009, 11/13/2009, 11/20/2009, 11/27/2009, 12/4/2009, 12/11/2009, 12/18/2009 and 12/25/2009.
Member Feedback: New Foodie Blogroll Features Request
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Please keep sending your feedback! We really appreciate it! Please let us know your feedback via our contact page: contact page! Thanks! |
Royal Foodie Joust Polls are open!
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Don't forget to participate in the Royal Foodie Joust forum contest which is also available to all active members no matter their location. We have many entries every month, so remember to vote for your favorites! Polls are open now on the forum. You can vote for the best overall entry, best photo and most unique interpretation. |
