In So Many Words

Isn’t this the neatest button? I can’t remember where I first saw it, but I got it from twittercounter.com. I have gone on and off Twitter over the last few months, but I am starting to get back into the socializing mode again now.

If you are on Twitter, please feel free to leave your username/link in the comments, and you can follow me if you’d like – my user name is wheresthebox.

Usually I mention at some point each month that the new issue of Root & Sprout is up, but I don’t know if I’ve told you that there is also a community that has built up around this site and its philosophy. First of all, what is Root & Sprout?

Root & Sprout is an online site with new articles published each month, all geared towards “practical information, stories and advice about being a parent and raising a family” and based on the concept of “gentle, hands-on parenting.” Although there is a team of writers being developed, submissions are also accepted from anyone who wishes to contribute.

The articles are categorized by stages, such as Shoots for preschool age and Buds for elementary school age. And I love the special needs category name, Wildflowers. There are also sections devoted to learning and crafts, healthy living and product reviews.

Grow Together is the place to meet other parents who are dedicated to “giving kids the roots to help them sprout.” Once there, you can share your thoughts in the forum, join groups that fit your specific interests and even post to the community blog. Visit my page to check it out. See you there!

This weekend there was some buzz about the room feature on FriendFeed and then, when a Mom Bloggers Club room was created, I decided to check it out – and absolutely love it!

It is easy to add almost any online service to create a personal feed of your online activity, plus you can subscribe to other people in FriendFeed and see what they are doing. Then you can join or even create a room and begin connecting with people right away. To me, it is a cross between Twitter and an online forum – quickly post your comment or link without having to go in and out of different topics, but still see a threaded view to know who is replying to what.

I created a room for Autism Spectrum Disorders and am inviting anyone who is connected to autism in any way to join and start talking/sharing. You can also subscribe to me on FriendFeed if you want to.

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. I know everybody’s probably trying to catch up on things from the last few days, so to make it a little easier, here is a list of my posts since Saturday:

• New Autism Section on BlogNetNews.com
• Success Sunday: What Are the Best Days of Your Life?
• IEP Goals and Related Services
• IEP Modifications and SDIs

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the social media site sk*rt. Well, they have just changed their name to kirtsy and want to get the word out. In fact, they are having a huge giveaway with $1000 in prizes to one lucky winner who helps spread the word about the new name.

So, if you haven’t already, go check it out. I always find interesting stories there, and one thing I really like is how easy it is to express your opinion. Just clicking on a story takes you to the source while voting for it at the same time. If you don’t feel it is worthy, you can “lose it,” or “unvote” if you have already clicked on it.