BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursday Blog Hop

Amy Palmer (@bosoxamy) asked BlogPaws for Mike Arms' keynote talk from the 2010 BlogPaws pet bloggers social media conference in Denver. Tom posted it last night on the BlogPaws Community website. I just have to post it here for those of you who may not see it there (or on the BlogPaws Facebook page)... 


If you aren't familiar with Mike Arms, he's the CEO/President of Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, California. This video is 40 minutes long and worth every second. If you don't have 40 minutes, watch it for two minutes, so you see why I'm thankful there are people like Mike Arms in the world to look out for orphaned pets - like I was 17 years ago. 

Wordless Wednesday: I Could Be Great

Wordless Wednesday "4th of July!"

I Can Haz Business Cards??

Probably the most important thing a pet blogger should have, besides a blog, is business cards! 

I have my own business cards that @javathecat's mom made for me a couple of years ago, but they haven't been updated since @BrutustheDane took over as the Editor-in-Chief of The Anipal Times, so I need new ones.

Mom gives them out all the time. At the grocery store, at Petco, at parties, at work. She's always yakking about me and showing 'em my pic on that card really pulls 'em in. MOL.

If you're going to BlogPaws, you'll definitely want business cards to share with all the new friends you meet and and the people and pets you network with. In fact, it's pretty much mandatory.

By some lucky coincidencia, Zazzle is having their 50% off business cards sale this month!

Here are some cards from Mom's Zazzle shop to give you an idea, but Zazzle has TONS of great templates you can use to customize them any which way you like. One sided, two sided, photos, designs, all kinds of cards.

The Rainbow Bridge Ambassador
needs business cards, too!

If you enter "pet business cards" in the Zazzle search tab, you'll find TONS of great templates you can use to customize them any which way you like. One sided, two sided, photos, designs, all kinds of cards.

This isn't Mom's design. Just a card on Zazzle she really likes

What's SUPER awesome is that Zazzle has a 50% off sale on their custom business cards RIGHT NOW, that you can get in time for BlogPaws! It's like they're doing it just for us...  ; ) Nice of them, huh?


Just use the code BIZCARDS2012 at checkout in the "Zazzle Coupons/Gift Certificates" box. The offer is good through June 30th, 2012, and can't be used with any other offers. 


I'm always looking out for the 1/2 off business card deals to order my cards!

Click here to go to Zazzle!

I'm a Zazzle Associate, so I do make a small percentage when you use my links, but it doesn't cost you any more. So if you don't mind me getting a little nip from your purchase, I'd appreciate it if you do your Zazzle shopping by beginning with one of my links. It doesn't matter where you go from there! 


Machos gracias!
=^..^=

Wordless Wednesday

BlogPaws Pet Blogging and Social Media Conference

June 21-23, 2012  Salt Lake City

Register HERE!

Wordless Wednesday

Still time to register!

Me, Marcus & Manny at BlogPaws!

I'm assuming if you're reading this, you know all about the BlogPaws pet conference June 21 - 23, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mom works for BlogPaws as their Special Projects Manager, so she's busy helping plan all kinds of cool stuff for the conference.  

We're only four weeks away and she is really excited to hook up with all her pet blogger pals, all the pet related brands and sponsors she made friends with at last year's conference, the veterinarians, the celebrities, and - of course - the pets! 


At last year's BlogPaws conference, in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, Mom made lots of animal friends. There was a paparazzi explosion when ferrets Marcus and Manny (@informedferret) got together with my stunt double in the exhibit hall. (That's my guy wearing my pants.)

My stunt double (in my pants), Marcus & Manny
BlogPaws 2011

There's going to be a #BlogPawsChat on Twitter on Tuesday, May 29th, from 8-9pm Eastern Time. @BlogPaws will be there to answer questions and a whole bunch of us who are going, will be there to... chat!  ; ) 


If you have any questions about BlogPaws - if you haven't decided yet about going, if you're only just hearing about it now, or if you want to talk or get tips from other people who are going to the conference, come on by Twitter #BlogPawsChat on this Tuesday.


We'll have another #BlogPawsChat on Tuesday, June 12 - and a #BlogPawty on Tuesday, June 5th! So, make a note to join us on Twitter for the next 3 Tuesdays!

Use this code for a 20% discount on your BlogPaws registration: 
BlogPaws2012-Cokie


See ya!
Cokes

Thankful Thursday Blog Hop is Baaack!

Yes, friends, it's once again time to articulate your gratitude. Thankful Thursday has returned, and I'll try my best to keep up this blog hop every week, giving us all a nudge to appreciate our blessings. 

This week, I want to thank Boris Kitty for his awesome Sci-Fi Pawty last March (yes, this is way overdue). He threw the most awesome bash, raised lots of money for 1 by 1 Cat Rescue in PA, and gave away killer pawty prizes, the most cool of all being the PLUSH ALIEN FACE HUGGER that I WON!

@BorisKitty modeling the prize

Me and my Alien Face Hugger
Look how nicely we match

I decided though, that I had so much already to be thankful for that I should give my beloved Alien Face Hugger to Mom's nephew, so AFH is now hugging his face in Austin, Texas, and you may meet them BOTH at BlogPaws!  ; ) 

Mom's nephew models Alien Face Hugger
Isn't he a handsome little guy?

Your turn! What are you thankful for today? Post on your blog and come back later today to link up below. (I let my LinkyTools subscription lapse and have to wait for Brent to reinstate me later today!) Post a link to your FB page and on Twitter, too.


Put the Thankful Thursday badge on your blog (there's a widget code in the right sidebar) so folks know what's up, and then add the blog hop code, which will also be below laer today, to add the other blog hoppers to your page. 

Cheers!

Cokie

Wordless Wednesday

Join the BlogPaws Blog Hop!

Shrek and my stand-in
at Madame Tussauds, Hollywood

#AAAC graphic artists honored today at BlogPaws sponsored Awards on Twitter (& I attend a Hlwd Block Pawty!)

Honoring graphic artists in the anipal community

Sponsored by BlogPaws!

I'll be at the #AAAC Anipal Academy Awards Graphic Artists Recognition Ceremony on Twitter a little later today. Here's the invitation for more info: http://twtvite.com/preblogpawspawty.

First, I have to 'represent' at a block pawty at Hollywood and Highland for 'locals only' from 10am to 1pm pacific time, then I'll sneak back into the BlogPaws sponsored #AAA Pawty.

See, if you actually live in Hollywood, you show your local ID, and today only, we get a free tour of the Kodak Theatre, as it's set up for Cirque du Soleil's production of IRIS, free admission to Madame Tussaud's wax museum and a tour (and popcorn!) of the Chinese Theatre (which is where we always go to the movies anyway, but we've never actually taken the tour.)

Hollywood Sign from 'Hollywood and Highland' terrace

WALK OF FAME (AKA Mom's exercise route)

KODAK THEATRE

Come back tomorrow and I'll share my tip and pics with you for your next trip to HOLLYWOOD!!

And don't forget, you still have time to register for BlogPaws here: http://registration.blogpaws.com/ There are pet brands just waiting to meet and network with you - the pet blogger! Don't miss this opportunity to make the connections that could be pivotal in your career as a blogger!!

Love,
Cokie the Cat: Hollywood Insider
=^..^=

Save BlogPaws Live-Streaming!!

Dear Pals, if you're thinking of registering for BlogPaws Live-Streaming, please, for the dogs' sake, DO IT NOW - or it may have to go away - which will SUCK! If you've already registered, please spread the word!! 

Don't just do it for yourself, do it for all the others who live too far away, aren't mobile enough, or just can't afford the trip to Salt Lake City, but still want to be part of BlogPaws and have the opportunity to participate in some of the courses! If enough people don't sign up TODAY, BlogPaws will have to cancel the Live-Streaming altogether.

From BlogPaws yesterday: 

Should it stay … or should it go, now? 

Sing it with me! Okay, seriously …

Our purpose for offering the BlogPaws 2012 “Online Experience” with live-streamed and recorded video was to make it accessible for folks who can’t get to SLC. Plus, one of the most repeated feedback items we get from attendees at the conference is that you wish you could go to more sessions, but can’t due to time conflicts. We hoped the recorded video would solve some of that problem, too. 

We’ve heard that lots of you had intentions of taking advantage. But so far, registrations are behind predictions. Which means, we need to decide whether to cancel the video production effort.

We’ve always relied on our community to tell us what they want –so, we want to let you decide. If you really want this, if having sessions recorded for later viewing, or for viewing because you can’t be there, please register by tomorrow, Friday, May 18, at midnight. We need to receive at least 20 new people in this time frame to make this a go! Or, should I say, “a stay”?

Again, we want to leave the decision up to our community. If you or someone you know, have been planning to take advantage of our live and recorded video sessions at BlogPaws 2012, register now! And, please help us get the word out. 

Thanks so much from me, the BlogPaws Team, and @PepiSmartDog (Down Under)

Do it for me, mate?

Cokie

Wordless Wednesday

No comment. 

Not the Pants Again...

We've been pretty busy around here lately, Mom doing all her film and social media work, Dad working on a movie and his scripts, and me making sure everyone was sufficiently alarmed about my ear bump to pay a reasonable amount attention to moi.

Now that things are settling down a little, and my ear seems to be OK, we're getting back to the important things - LIKE MY BLOG.

Most of you know that, aside from being handsome, gregarious and witty, I'm also a Special Needs pet.  You know... I wear pants. Yes, because they look cool, but also so I don't pee on the floor. Just sayin'.

Yep. Pants.

I know this is old hat to my pals, but I get new readers all the time, so every so often I have to 'splain the pants thing again.

This time, I'll let a recent article about me at VetStreet.com called The Things We Do for Love: "Our Cat Wears a Diaper" (written by Romeo the Cat's mom, Caroline Golan) tell the story.

This is my pic in the article.
Mom's name's spelled wrong (she's a "Kristin")
but they got mine right!  

Me and Mom have also revised my ABOUT ME page, with a lot more info... about, you know... me. So if you feel like killin' a few minutes and seeing if there's anything about me you don't know, or forgot about, go ahead and read that, too. That way, if you see my stand-in at the BlogPaws conference this summer, you can use him as a conversation starter and explain to somebody why he's wearing pants!

Cosmo & my stand-in at last year's BlogPaws

If you haven't registered for BlogPaws yet, cut & paste this code, and get 20% off! --> BlogPaws2012-Cokie 

"NOSE-TO-NOSE" Pet Blogging Awards!!

BlogPaws just announced the 2012 BlogPaws "Nose-to-Nose" Social Media Pet Blogging Awards! And it's not JUST for traditional blogs, but includes "microbloggers" on Twitter and Facebook.  ; )

Nominations are open now! Start thinking about which blogs you love the most and nominate them HERE --> http://bit.ly/HWXq3 You can even nominate yourself. The nomination period closes on May 6th at 11:59pm MT, so don't wait too long!

This is NOT a popularity contest. Winners will be chosen by a panel of distinguished professionals on their expertise, creativity and performance in one or more of 12 specific award categories. 

Nose-to-Nose Award winners will be announced in a gala red carpet ceremony at the BlogPaws Conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday evening, June 23rd, 2012.
The ceremony be live streamed and free for everyone to watch, if you can't attend in person - but if you can, you'll totally want to attend in person! This whole BlogPaws Conference is going to be awesome! Register HERE now!

 

"Nose-to-Nose" Award Categories

1. Best Blog Design: judged on overall design elements of the blog homepage/landing page.
2. Best Blog Writing: judged on overall writing skill – is the message clear to the reader?
3. Best Humor Blog: judged on overall sense of humor – does it make us laugh?
4. Best Bark Blog: judged on the content as it applies to dogs and dog parents.
5. Best Meow Blog: judged on the content as it applies to cats and cat parents.
6. Best Wiggle Blog: judged on focus of blog toward non-traditional pets (i.e. ferrets, guinea pigs, chickens, etc).
7. Best New Blog: less than one year old, with good content and engagement.
8. Best Cause Blog: judged on message, purpose and results as demonstrated on the blog.
9. Best Video on a Blog: judged independently (one video per blog); is it well done, focused, creative and purposeful?
10. Best Photo on a Blog: judged independently (one photo per blog); is it well done, focused, creative and purposeful?
11. Best Facebook Design: judged on overall design of Facebook header and use of special Facebook page features.
12. Best Twitter Design: judged on overall design elements for Twitter profile background. 

Click HERE to submit a nomination and read the BlogPaws Official Rules and Regulations.

Good Luck!!

Cokie

=^..^=

Wordless Wednesday

Hope For Paws at BlogPaws!

Eldad & Audrey Hagar

Most of my regular readers and pals know about Eldad and Audrey from Hope for Paws. Mom interviewed them at their home, helping me with an article about them for The Anipal Times in 2010. 

At that time, they had just rescued a now famous little blind dog named Fiona. You've probably seen her video. It's completely viral - tons of newpapers, magazines, and TV stations have picked it up and run with it the last few weeks. I'm such an insider - I had such a jump on Fiona's story, her video wasn't even ready in time to be included in the article - but I did talk about her!  ; ) 

Eldad, Audrey and Fiona

Eldad showed Mom a video he was editing of a little dog he'd just rescued. She didn't realize until he mentioned it halfway through, that the little blind dog in the video was sitting on her lap. If Fiona's video affects you, imagine watching it with a clean and happy, but still blind Fiona licking your face. 

I was Editor-in-Chief of The Anipal Times, and we organized a Twitter Party (#ATPawty) with Hope for Paws as its beneficiary. We raised over $2000 in 24 hours towards Fiona's eye surgery to restore her sight in one eye. Yay!

Now, as a Special Projects Manager at BlogPaws, I'm very excited to have arranged for Eldad and Audrey to be at this year's BlogPaws Conference in Salt Lake City in June!

Eldad will be joining My Favorite Pup Jasmine and Paige the Border Collie (and their moms) in a presentation about "The Power of YouTube."

Lauren Girard and Paige the Border Collie

My Fave Pup Jasmine and CJ Jackson

And this is just ONE session of One day. Check out the conference program for info on all the awesomeness that is this year's BlogPaws!

You won't have a better (certainly not a more fun) educational or networking opportunity if you're in any way involved or interested in animals, animal products, or pets in social media - or even if you just want to hang out with us wild and crazy animal lovers and meet all your online pals!

I'll even make it even easier for you -- > Use this code for a 20% discount on your BlogPaws registration: BlogPaws2012-Cokie

And you can bring your pets! 
It's a no brainer. See you there!

Cokie

I'm joining Blog the Change in this post by making it official - I'm making the extreme sacrifice of letting Mom go to BlogPaws this year. That's 2676 miles away from me, and a minimum of four days home alone with Dad. I hope he doesn't forget to feed me. Give me my medicine.  : ( 

She'll be here while I'm home. Practically alone.   : /

I'm kidding. He won't forget. He loves me. 

 I'm making her hotel reservations right now.

She'll learn how to better promote The Anipal Times, her Boho Pets site, Hope for Paws and lots of other good pet-helping stuff. 

There. It's in writing.

Mom, sign here:

  

OK, then!

She'll see you there!

Cokes

=^..^=