Yes, it’s actually true – The TweetMeme button is going away. Gasp! That’s ok, though. It’s actually being replaced by a similar (slightly improved) OFFICIAL Tweet button from Twitter!

If you like your Tweet button “plugin-style,” you can get it from Share This. They are partnering with Twitter for the launch of the new Tweet button.

If you’re wondering whether this was a hostile takeover, the answer is “no.” It’s very amicable, and there is benefit to both companies. You can read what TweetMeme has to say about it, and then go check out what Twitter has to say. You can also watch an interview with Nick Halstead, founder of TweetMeme (and now DataSift), conducted by Robert Scoble.

The interview provides a good explanation of why this shift took place. It was to facilitate the creation of DataSift, which Nick Halstead describes as “Track on steroids”.

This is all very interesting, and there is already a lot of good info out there. Tons of big sites have already integrated the new Tweet button, such as Youtube, Gawker Media, CNN.com and more.

But as a web developer specializing in WordPress, my big question is, what will happen to this: TweetMeme Plugin for WordPress? Will TweetMeme still develop it? When will it integrate with the new Twitter Tweet button? Or will Twitter take it over and/or make a new one? The TweetMeme plugin is excellent, easy to install and works virtually flawlessly. I hope that will remain the case!

If you like Twitter and you like the movie ‘Rushmore’, you’re bound to love Twitter’s recruiting video! It’s based on that musical montage scene in ‘Rushmore’ that illustrates all the different clubs Max has started or leads. In case it’s not obvious, Twitter is hiring! Check it out:

Being a work at home mom has its challenges and drawbacks, but for the most part, it’s really the best job I’ve ever had. Here are my top ten reasons why being a WAHM is awesome!

10. I can load & start the dishwasher on my morning break
 9. I can easily work “overtime” after the kid goes to bed
 8. If a procedure or policy isn’t working, I can change it without going through any red tape
 7. My watercooler is Twitter (Shout out to my Twitter Peeps!)
 6. I can listen for the mailman, then go get any checks from clients out of the mailbox, take them to the bank, run a few errands and get lunch to bring home
 5. I can do my work at Starbucks for a few hours if I want to
 4. I can start dinner cooking on my afternoon break
 3. I can go pick up my son if he is sick at school without apologizing and genuflecting all over the place to boss & co-workers, then just make up the work later that day
 2. I’m there to do my son’s homework with him the instant he gets home from school
 1. Including what would otherwise be commute time and times when he is off school for holidays, teacher days etc., I probably get to spend an average of 20 hours per week more with my son than I would if I worked full time in an office!

Those are some great reasons – my top 10. I really think this arrangement allows a much more even balance to work/family, something that women, especially, struggle with.

What are your reasons for why you love being a Work At Home Mom or why you would like to? Leave me a comment & let’s talk about it!

Twitter Car Battery Saga

I do have AAA, but I didn’t have my card with me that day, so I used the Safari web browser on my iPhone to look up the phone number. I called and reported my location, etc. Then while I was waiting, I Twittered!

But not just about random stuff. I asked if anyone knew how much car batteries run these days. I was pretty sure I needed a new one, but I hadn’t bought one in a long time. The AAA representative on the phone said that the person they were sending out could test my battery and sell me a new one and replace it for me if I wanted. I thought that was a pretty cool deal as long as I could be sure I wouldn’t be gouged!

I got helpful replies from @enjaysauce, @HaDAk and even @AAAauto. @enjaysauce and @HaDAk told me about how much they run, which I really wanted to know right at that moment. And @AAAauto told me a tech could test my battery and sell me a new one and install it for me, if I so desired. I already knew that, but it was nice to see them on Twitter, checking in on their members!

When the tech got there he ran some diagnostics and, sure enough, I needed a new battery. There was corrosion on one of the posts, and he said my battery should have lasted longer than it did. Who knows why it didn’t, but it was a goner and needed to be replaced. The corrosion was just a symptom of some bigger problem with the battery.

So he proceeded to change out my battery, but there was a complication. The corrosion had eaten through the contact that attaches to the post of the battery that carries the charge to the engine. So he very carefully peeled off the contact, which he said was breaking in half like carboard (I believe him, I was watching – in fact, here is a picture!)

It was $141.xx for a replacement battery, replacement contact and the labor (which exceeded half an hour, due to the delicate contact-replacement operation). And because of my Twitter-attained knowledge of the price of an average battery these days, I was ecstatic with that amount. I thought it was extrememly reasonable, and I thought the tech did a great job.

To top it off, the tech saw the Blog Solace magnet on the side door of my car (my Vista Print special, which I love), and asked me about it. He said his wife needed a web site and blog built, and he took one of my business cards.

I’d say that was an all-around successful, social media, networking, modern, 21st century car battery replacement experience! Thanks to all my Twitter buddies and the help that day. And thanks to @AAAauto for following up afterwards to make sure everything was taken care of!

I had trouble with Twitter and Facebook all morning. Twitter was slow to load, when it would load at all, and often would not change pages within the site. And Facebook wasn’t just slow, it was giving me weird messages about not being able to write to the database. I actually Twittered that Facebook was having as much trouble as Twitter today, without realizing they were *both* under attack!

I just read on Mashable a few minutes ago that Twitter, Facebook and LiveJournal are banding together to investigate a “Distributed Denial of Service attack.” I guess that would explain the problems this morning. I don’t use LiveJournal, but when both Facebook and Twitter were having problems, it did seem a bit odd.

I’m still actually having a bit of trouble on Twitter, but that comes with the territory. I do see the “Fail Whale” less and less these days, but it can be slow. It will be interesting to see where these DOS attacks were coming from. It must be from the Anti-Twitterati!

Hello, welcome to the launch of my blog!  For awhile I had a website here attempting a Web Design service, but I soon learned that straight Web Design was not my thing.  WordPress and backend administration is my thing!  A much different animal.  I am attempting to improve and hone my web design skills, but I don’t think they will ever truly be my forte.  WordPress will always be my love!

This blog will probably reflect most areas of my online life, mostly professional.  The line gets blurred a lot, though, for a lot of reasons.  Clients often become friends, social networking is very social even though it’s used mostly for business networking, and I’m a “Work At Home Mom.”  There will probably be a lot of issues/strategies I can address here that will be interesting to other Mothers attempting to make a go of working from home, so that might be the subject of some of my blog posts.

By way of short introduction, if you don’t know me already, I’m a 41-Year-Old divorced mother of a Developmentally Disabled six-year-old boy and am running my own business (Blog Solace) and living in Bothell, Washington near Seattle.

My business is described as being “expert WordPress help” and I use self-taught, hand-coding skills to manipulate the CSS, XHTML and PHP within the WordPress platform to optimize both static and blogging WordPress sites.  I have vast knowledge of the ins and outs of WordPress and keep up-to-date on its advances, plug-ins, capabilities, updates, etc.  It truly is a passion, and it is not just my job, it’s my hobby.  I truly love what I do.

Please watch this space for my thoughts, insights, queries, and more on WordPress, life online, Twitter, social networking, social marketing (it’s just an interest, I’m no expert), SEO tips (again, not an expert, but I probably know more than the average joe), WAHM posts, and whatever I feel would fit into this space!

• Name:  Sherry Dedman
• Age:  43, Divorced
• Location:  Bellevue, WA (Near Seattle)
• Vocation:  Independent web professional offering WordPress blog help, development, troubleshooting and more
• Hobbies:  WordPress, learning about Social Media, reading, writing, blogging, walking, cooking, learning and exploring the Seattle area.

I describe my business as “expert WordPress blog help” and I use self-taught, hand-coding skills to manipulate the CSS, XHTML and PHP within the WordPress platform to configure and optimize both static and blogging WordPress sites.  I have a great deal of knowledge of the ins and outs of WordPress and like to keep up-to-date on its upgrades, plug-ins, capabilities, advances, etc.  It absolutely is a passion, and not just my job – it’s my hobby.  I truly love what I do.

Additionally I am the mother of a wonderful, developmentally disabled boy, thus a single Work At Home Mom.  My blog here will consist mostly of posts about my work, WordPress, XHTML and CSS, exploring social media and SEO.  But it will sometimes also concentrate on the challenges of being a single Work At Home Mom, especially to a child with special needs, and the challenges of running one’s own business.

Where To Find Me Online:

I’m all over the place!  Find me and add me at any of the following places:

• Twitter:  SherryDedman
• Linked In:  Sherry Dedman
• Facebook:  Sherry Dedman