Disqus - Latest Comments for Derek

Re: Giveaway: Five 1 GB USB Flash Drives With TaxCut Software

Derek — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:16:28 -0000

Being a fan of TaxCut and having not yet done my taxes this year, I would love to win one of these.

Re: I’m Getting a Raise and a Bonus, But Maybe I Should Leave

Derek — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:59:21 -0000

As the author/owner of three blogs and a full-time job, I can truly appreciate the thoughts you are having right now.

If the new opportunities at work do not pan out, do you think it would be a situation where you might be able to work part-time at your current job and devote more time to blogging? That could provide a transition period into being a "pro" blogger.

Right now my blogs do not make anywhere near enough to support my family so I will be grinding it out until the day is here where I can make that decision.

I look forward to hearing more about what you decide to do.

Re: Britney Spears: Doing Nothing With a Six-Figure Monthly Income

Derek — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:17:26 -0000

Wow, I am having a hard time even wrapping my head around the idea of making $737,000 per year let alone per month.

I wonder if having that much excess income could alter even those with financial sanity to some degree. I like to think that I am financially responsible and feel that I am doing fairly well to support the efforts that are important to me on my current salary.

It would be interesting to see how other people earning millions per year spend their money. It is easy to be critical of Britney but what are some of these athletes doing with their $10-50 million per year?

Re: Higher Health Insurance Premiums for Overweight: Discrimination?

Derek — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:54:09 -0000

This has been a very interesting conversation and has given quite a few things to consider.

Kat, while I initially thought this wouldn't be a problem I can see a lot of validity in what Toby is saying. Generally speaking being overweight is a matter of poor exercise and/or eating habits, however I believe there are medical conditions that can cause people to gain weight or have more difficulty in maintaining their weight. Is it right to charge these people more as well?

I'm having a hard time determining where you draw the line in terms of who should be charged more and why. Even if you only look at the issue of weight, I don't think it is a black and white decision as to whether someone is overweight to justify being charged more than someone else. How would you determine whether someone is within the appropriate weight range to avoid additional costs?

Re: Higher Health Insurance Premiums for Overweight: Discrimination?

Derek — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:14:01 -0000

While I don't see an issue with charging higher premiums for people that are obese, I would question the means of using BMI as the sole indicator.

If you use BMI to determine if someone is obese, you would find that nearly every elite athlete in professional sports would be considered overweight or obese. There should be a variety of factors used to determine the level of fitness.

The company that I work for is offering a discount on our annual premiums if we enter a handful of numbers, including our cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose, etc. Once you enter these numbers, you are supposed to be contacted by a health professional to devise a plan to help improve your health and fitness. It is possible these numbers could be used to determine premiums but there has not been any mention of that at this point.

Re: Announcing Weekly Giveaways for Helpful or Interesting Comments

Derek — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:40:37 -0000

I'm a daily reader via RSS but I admit that I do not come out from my RSS-rock to comment nearly as much as I should. :)

Re: 2 Ways to Tease Your Children

Derek — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:16:00 -0000

Our oldest is 9 right now, turns 10 in October. The funny thing is that even his younger brother, who will be 7 in a few weeks, gets in on the fun.

Re: 2 Ways to Tease Your Children

Derek — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:44:47 -0000

Lol, games with the kids are always fun. Our oldest has a habit of asking ridiculous questions that we could never know the answer to. We'll usually flip the table on him and start asking him goofy questions until everyone is laughing.

Re: Logo for Derek Semmler and Red Staple Media

Derek — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:38:40 -0000

Sean, just wanted to say thanks again for the outstanding turnaround time on everything as well as the great work.

Re: eBay WordPress Plugin From Affomatic

Derek — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:45:25 -0000

Yeah, I was encouraged by the prospects of this plugin - unfortunately my application to the eBay affiliate/partner program was denied.

Re: Is it More Important to be a Good Dad or a Good Husband?

Derek — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:05:10 -0000

Great post. As others noted, I think you are taking a good approach to this question and all we can really do is be the best person, dad, husband that we can be. The beautiful thing is that they all lead into each other - by being a good person, you will exhibit traits that will make you a good husband, which will in turn be setting a great example for your children and lead to you being a good dad as well.

Re: Dad's Barber Shop is Open for Business

Derek — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:23:25 -0000

I've been buzzing my head since my senior year in high school, although I haven't been doing the razor shave since leaving college. Personally, I think that I am one of the few men out there that would prefer to go bald so I can stop buzzing my hair every 2-3 weeks.

Re: Jammy Panty Party - Mother's Day '08

Derek — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:52:43 -0000

I don't think I ever would have pictured a jammy panty party being related to Mother's Day, but that sounds like a great idea and I am sure it was thoroughly enjoyed.

Re: I Can Be Particular at Times - Anal Tendencies

Derek — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:26:09 -0000

Count me as another that disagrees with you on the steak, although I am right there with you on the veggies. While I am not particular about the underwear folding, I am about how my jeans and shirts are folded. When my wife does the laundry I usually end up re-folding most of my clothes because it drives me nuts.

When I cut my lawn (hiring a yard service was my best money ever spent) I used to alternate between diagonal in alternating directions as well as side to side and front to back.

The poker ones really made me laugh, as I don't give it much thought but recalled my most recent poker night with the fellas. There was always one or two people that had to be constantly reminded about the blinds or were looking through the burn/discard pile after they folded. Ugh!

Re: Spotlight on Dads - Derek Semmler

Derek — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:43:56 -0000

Thanks again for including me in your Spotlight series! It was fun to participate and think about some of the questions that you presented.

Re: Spotlight on Dads - Derek Semmler

Derek — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:47:28 -0000

Thanks Chuck! It is interesting to hear that my description matches the image you had pictured as it is a goal of mine to be as open as possible in my posting and allow people the opportunity to know who I am.

Re: Premature Heartache - Darkness before Light

Derek — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:03:56 -0000

Jeremy, I too have to commend you on the strength that you and your family are showing during this time. As I read this post I had to hold back the tears because I cannot imagine the difficulty of seeing your baby in that much pain. You will all be in my thoughts during this trying time!

Re: No More Stuck in the Middle - Chani's Moving Up

Derek — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:04:06 -0000

Congratulations to Chani for the accomplishments and preparing for the new adventures that await. And congratulations to you as well for your part in all of her success.

Re: Cleaning Up the Toys - Friday Round-up

Derek — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:04:05 -0000

Cool tattoo party...I did not know that you had three, which is the same number that I have. Great interview over at Quirkee, I always enjoy learning more about the people behind the blogs that I read and that interview gave some great insight into who you are. Here is to a summer of great times with your daughter and continued success with everything!

Re: Spotlight On Dads - Tony Chen

Derek — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:43:05 -0000

Tony and Jeremy, great interview! It is interesting to see that Tony isn't too far from me geographically, as I work in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

Tony, at least you didn't say you were a Cubs fan! ;)

Re: The Manival #1

Derek — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:54:38 -0000

Great first edition of The Manival with so many interesting posts! Thanks for including my post among this collection and drop me a line on when I can return the favor by hosting myself.

@Chad :: The problem you are having accessing my site is likely a result of a problem with the Better GReader Firefox plugin. We found users that had an older version of this installed were experiencing exactly what you mentioned. Upgrading to the latest version should resolve the problem.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/...

@Brett :: The link under the Money section is taking me to the post on chivalry, which was linked earlier.

Re: Check Out Manival #8 at The Man Page

Derek — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:08:56 -0000

Brett, just wanted to say thanks again for including me in the list of host blogs. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it again.

As an FYI, there seem to be some issues with Blog Carnival as it appears the Manival submission form and carnival page are no longer active/available.

Re: Bailouts

Derek — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:31:21 -0000

While watching the local news this evening, I made a comment to my wife that is quite similar to what you have expressed here. Where does the line end with companies expecting a bailout from the government? These certainly are strange times, and unfortunately I have a feeling we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg right now.

Re: Opportunity Knocks

Derek — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:01:16 -0000

This sounds like an exciting opportunity and I have just submitted an application via the Ford Careers website. Thanks for mentioning the opening here on your blog.

Re: Tom Beardshaw› Parenting on Twitter: top 25 twitter dads

Derek — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:42:37 -0000

Nice list of dads, I've updated my list to include those that were missing as well. My list now stands at 265 dads and I keep adding more as I find them (or they find me).

Re: Happy 1st Birthday MommyDaddyBlog.com! | Mommy Daddy Blog

Derek — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:32:25 -0000

Happy Birthday to the blog/domain! It will be a blink of the eye and you will be celebrating birthday after birthday with your blog. Looking forward to being here for the next one!

Derek's last blog post..Odd Observation On Earth Day

Re: How-To Start a Company and Family at the Same Time

Derek — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:02:35 -0000

Ben, this is a very nice post and you have some great tips there for a healthy work-life balance. I love the story with the pictures as well!

Re: 10 Steps to Building an Online Media Empire

Derek — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:24:01 -0000

Ben, you've hit one out of the park with this list of steps. Wendy has done an outstanding job and has taken a huge step in expanding her brand and making the step to reach to the next level.

I'm so grateful that Wendy has included me as a member of her new team and look forward to the journey before me. And I think Chris was right when he said Wendy must have found the secret to longer days! :)

Re: Blog Tipping and Link Post Writing

Derek — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:35:47 -0000

Ben, thanks for the mention of my case-study on the All-In-One SEO plugin but it looks like there is a typo on the link.

You've included quite a few great posts in this list and I've found a few new interesting sites as a result.

Re: Blog Tipping and Link Post Writing

Derek — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:31:02 -0000

Ben, sorry for not mentioning it in my first comment but it appears that there is some extra text at the end of the href as it includes an "onclick" that shouldn't be there. The post link itself is correct.

Re: Blog Tipping and Link Post Writing

Derek — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:34:48 -0000

Ben, thanks for correcting the link.

The final verdict on the plugin would be that I think it is certainly worthwhile. Since my last update in the case-study, I've seen a continued increase in the number of visitors from the search engines.

In addition, I've seen an increase in the number of indexed pages and the search results have a more meaningful description.

I'd recommend using the plugin and will actually be making another case-study update in the next week or so.

Re: I’m In

Derek — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:01:46 -0000

Correct, I did eventually get in and have made a little money thus far. Still have a lot to learn myself.

Re: 2008/07/30/get-your-mom-on-twitter/

Derek — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:15:25 -0000

As the creator of the twittering dads list, I'd just like to say that if your dad (or if you are a dad) joins twitter, send me a tweet or comment on the post in order to be added to the list. It is a great way to find and connect with like-minded people.

@dereksemmler

Re: Saying No

Derek — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:46:31 -0000

Saying no can be a very difficult thing to do but you are certainly looking at it with a great approach. First and foremost, you need to make sure that you are taking care of the things that are important to you.

I've been guilty of that myself since I started blogging as I try to establish myself. However, when I step back and think about the fact that one of the reasons that I am doing this is to better provide for my family it makes you realize that saying no to your family is doing them more harm.

After just hearing you speak at SOBCon, I am new to reading your wisdom; and while it is disappointing to hear that we might not get as much of you, it is for a good reason.

Re: Be Sexier in Person

Derek — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:29:34 -0000

As someone that has been trying to work on this very thing recently, I loved this post. Attending SOBCon this year was a great, although somewhat awkward, experience for me. As Steve mentioned earlier, I tend to be very reserved as I question what I have to offer to the people that I am meeting.

Practice really does help though, as I felt much more comfortable at a recent Tweetup that I attended. I'm looking for more opportunities to practice and it has actually been fun.

Chris, at SOBCon you had commented that you had been staring at the back of my head for the better part of the day. The next time I have the opportunity to meet you, I will give these tips a try and actually introduce myself to you, lol.

Re: How The Arts Can Use Social Media

Derek — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:37:01 -0000

That is great to see that you came across this video and thought that it might be an activity that your daughter would enjoy. My son has been into the hip-hop dance for a couple of years now, his current teacher was just recently voted off the MTV show "America's Next Best Dance Crew" so that was kind of cool. My wife keeps telling me that I need to talk to the owner of the dance studio as their website is really lacking and could be so much more value for current customers and more enticing for future customers.

Re: Bob- The Next Chapter

Derek — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:53:25 -0000

Wow, I feel a lot of parallels to the situation Bob happens to be in; except for the fact that my company doesn't have anyone focusing on social media. When I approached my boss with an interest in introducing the concepts to the company, the response I received was that "all that web 2.0 stuff will just be outsourced". Doh!

Good luck Bob, I feel your pain and have also been moved to a position that does not utilize my talents yet I am trying to give it my best and learn new skills.

Re: My Site Dressed in Thesis

Derek — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:01:30 -0000

I've come close to buying the Thesis theme so many times and am now kicking myself for not taking advantage of the Black Friday discount. The redesign looks great.

But dang, the Thesis affiliate link to word count ratio in this post is insane, lol.

Re: Take Charge of Your Career

Derek — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:28:08 -0000

I've got a few books of this type on my desk right now and haven't made it through any of them. As others have noted, too many of these books fail to deliver (which is why I always get them from the library now).

Now, I'd be happy to take one of the half-dozen you're going to buy and hand out. ;)

Re: Things In My House No One Pays Me to Love

Derek — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:32:41 -0000

As I read through your list, I could not help but sit here nodding my head regarding a few of these items. When I participated in Movember this past year, I got my hands on some Canadian Club and have been enjoying that myself and have the "Career Renegade" book you mentioned on my reading list now (although I don't get through two books per week like you do).

With the bags, let me suggest you take a look at the Checkpoint Flyer from Tom Bihn. This bag is great if you travel as it meets TSA guidelines so that you don't need to remove your laptop, simply unfold the bag and you're good. I was fortunate enough to review one of these bags and it has become my daily use bag.

As for the iPhone, I cannot bring myself to go back to AT&T service so that is not an option. The Blackberry and the new G1 I picked up are serving me quite well.

Re: A Crash Course in Comments

Derek — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:28:26 -0000

Just about two weeks ago, I shared my magic formula consisting of three ingredients that has increased the comments on my blog:
- dialog (answer as many comments as possible)
- plugins (subscribe to comments, commentluv, keywordluv, etc.)
- return the favor (get out and comment)

There were a couple of bonus "ingredients" as well that included reaching out to other bloggers via links and asking your readers questions.

These steps have helped me build a growing community of people and I have a few more to implement from your list now.

Re: 101 Awesome Sites For Men, Husbands And Fathers

Derek — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:09:16 -0000

Found my way here via Cory (A Good Husband) and would love to have my Dad Balance site included in the list. My blog has been focused on helping dads find the balance between their career and spending time with their family. Thanks for putting together another great list of dad blogs.

Re: Follow Building Camelot on Twitter

Derek — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:35:17 -0000

Lol, I just signed up with twitter the other day as well after holding out for awhile with the mindset that I just didn't see the need for it. BTW, you're now being followed. ;)

I like the idea of adding exposure for dad/husband bloggers using twitter as well.

Re: Follow Building Camelot on Twitter

Derek — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:58:22 -0000

I've started to put together a list of dads/husbands on twitter and will have a post published early Monday morning (Chicago time). I've spent some time going through twitter trying to find people that I know are dads and have a nice list started, although it will certainly be a living list as I have just started there and still finding my way around.

Re: Buying A New HDTV? Here’s Some Practical Advice

Derek — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:52:07 -0000

Great resource Tyler! I've been doing research for too long myself and overloaded on all of the details. I'm pretty much set on a 52" Sony XBR5 LCD but haven't been able to bring myself to spend that much money yet when my 32" Sony CRT still works just fine, lol.

Look forward to hearing more once you have been enjoying the new TV for awhile.

Re: The Vizio VO47L HDTV: My New Love Affair

Derek — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:41:18 -0000

Congrats on the new setup! I've had my eye on a new HDTV as well but just cannot bring myself to spend the money when I still have a TV that functions just fine. We do have a smaller HDTV upstairs that gives me a taste of what to expect, although as you mentioned also makes me not so eager when I view a standard definition channel.

Enjoy the new TV and don't be shy about inviting the neighborhood guys over to share in your new toys.

Dereks last blog post..Man Cave Monday :: The Basics

Re: Please Pardon The Mess While I Renovate

Derek — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:14:51 -0000

Tyler, I think the new design looks great. Typically I am not a big fan of the magazine style themes but they seem to be gaining in popularity.

As others have mentioned, it is nice, clean and crisp. Good work on the redesign.

Dereks last blog post..The Manival :: 11th Edition

Re: 5 Reasons I Chose The Thesis Theme - Check It Out!

Derek — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 02:16:28 -0000

Tyler, saw your post on the DIYThemes forum about your use of the theme and had to come check it out. I've just recently purchased the theme myself and used it redesign one of my sites.

I like what you have done with it so far.

<abbr>Dereks last blog post..4 Tips For Low-Light Shooting</abbr>

Re: Heels.com Social Media Gig

Derek — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:30:36 -0000

Jason, congratulations on the new position! Enjoy the new challenges and the best to you. I'll be keeping an eye on the cool things that you will be doing for when the day comes that I land a similar position.

Re: Outliers, Quick Thoughts

Derek — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:41:09 -0000

Along with a copy of blink, I received this as a Christmas gift and haven't started reading it yet. Based on your feedback, I think I will move it up on the reading list though. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Outliers, Quick Thoughts

Derek — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:50:45 -0000

That is good to know, Outliers just moved up another spot on my reading list. =)

Re: BlogRush Battling Bozos

Derek — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:05:14 -0000

Bushido, yes their site does indicate that they are in BETA although I think that is only mentioned/displayed on their logo.

Andy, I've enjoyed your posts on BlogRush. As I posted on my site, it seems like there are a few others trying to rationalize why the traffic has been low.

Re: Why Best Buy Gets Customer Service; Praise from this Blogger

Derek — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 02:14:17 -0000

Your experience with Best Buy is quite different than mine. I've now gone more than 10 years since I last spent a penny at Besy Buy, which I discussed about a month ago on my blog.

That is a pretty sweet deal that worked out for you but it really does sound like an isolated incident.

Re: AOL Buys Goowy Widget Creator

Derek — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:36:59 -0000

As an FYI, Mark Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks as opposed to the Dallas Cowboys.

The commercials really weren't anything special this year, at least in my opinion.

Re: Google Stalking the Pilgrims!

Derek — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:13:25 -0000

Lol, that video is fantastic!

Browsing through the street view maps can be very addicting as you cruise around looking for familiar places - or people doing stupid things.

Re: Why You Should Ignore Most Link Requests

Derek — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:17:12 -0000

Lol, I had a guy negotiating with me that had a "best offer" of $4 per post for 2-3 links per paragraph.

Darren's post was very humorous as I have been through that process myself a few times, although the numbers are much smaller as I am a small fish right now.

Re: Congratulations to Jordan; MamaBlogga Expecting Again!

Derek — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:56:39 -0000

Jordan, congratulations to you and your family! Your contributions will be missed here so don't get too comfortable with that time off. :)

Re: New Contest: Win the World’s Smallest Laptop Computer!

Derek — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:54:00 -0000

Have you used the Eee PC? I've been thinking about picking one of these up to use when traveling or needing a break from the desktop machine. The small screen size has scared me off so far.

Re: New Contest: Win the World’s Smallest Laptop Computer!

Derek — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:00:51 -0000

@Andy :: Thanks for the feedback, which confirms that it would be much nicer to win one than to purchase one. :)

Re: Blog Marketing Tips #1: How to Optimize Blog Post Titles

Derek — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:18:36 -0000

Nice tip Andy, please keep them coming! While the tip itself may not have been new material, your perspective on the tip is new and well worth the read.

As Roxanne noted, the before and after examples were great. I've always been a fan of Brian Clark's headline writing ability and love his posts that dissect headlines with clear examples, just as you have done.

Looking forward to more tips.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for April 2 - Birthday Edition

Derek — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:36:14 -0000

Birthday wishes to all!

Re: How to Buy DailyBlogTips.com for Just $17

Derek — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:51:37 -0000

After reading about the sale of pizza.com recently, I wrote a post about domains that have sold and included two that I once registered that I thought were pretty good names and once tried to sell.

Who wants ProfitableAdsense.com? ;)

Derek's last blog post..By: Joel

Re: Pick a New Job, Post a New Job with the Marketing Pilgrim Job Board

Derek — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:53:55 -0000

Andy, just wanted to give a word of thanks for providing your job board. As someone that is looking to make a move from a more traditional IT role as a corporate Java programmer, I regularly check your job board for opportunities that are more in line with what I want to be doing.

Derek's last blog post..By: pauletet

Re: Using Search Engines Instead of the Address Bar to Navigate

Derek — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:24:55 -0000

My wife is in the group of people that regularly type a company name into the search box rather than entering the URL in the address bar. When I saw her do this for the first time, I questioned her about it and she said that she just finds it easier to type in "Amazon" or whatever and click the resulting link than to enter the full URL in the address bar.

Derek's last blog post..Q&A Round 3 :: The Answers

Re: Come & See the New Look for Marketing Pilgrim

Derek — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:19:34 -0000

I like the links (fresh, popular, pilgrim picks) on the sidebar as that gives easy access to a wealth of information. While I like the prominence of the search box in the header, the look of it just doesn't strike me; it feels like the typing area should be bigger or wrap, or the search button is out of place.

Derek's last blog post..Bug Out :: Playing With The Camera

Re: Cool Parenting Articles and Blogs to Check Out

Derek — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:08:52 -0000

Thanks for including The Man Page among this collection of great resources!

Re: 50 Best Dad Blogs

Derek — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:28:27 -0000

Vanessa, thank you to you and your team for including The Man Page among the 50 Best Dad Blogs. It is quite an honor to be included among so many other great blogs.

Re: Top 10 Blogs For Writers 2007/2008 - Seeking Your Nomination

Derek — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:11:30 -0000

I'd like to vote for Lorna and Tamara at Freelance Parent as not only do they have great tips and how-tos for everyone but they are sharing their life as an example of starting a business as a writer.

Re: Feuling Chicago Bloggers

Derek — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:42:02 -0000

Hey Paul, it was great to meet you and all the others at the meetup. Thanks to all of you for coordinating the night.