Please check your spam folder

I have been meaning to post this before, but always forget until I have someone from whom I have received sign ups from numerous times, and then I remember again that I want to post this.

Please, if you don't hear back from me about your sign up within about seven days, check your email spam folder for an email from "Angie @ Catholic Mothers Online."

Please do this (and then email me, if need be) before you assume that you have just not been allowed to join. Even when someone is not eligible to join (because of not meeting the minimum requirements that are all posted above the sign up form), I *still* email them (unless it is quite obviously spam).

So...unless you are a obviously a spammer, you WILL hear from me within seven days (or, unless I'm really behind, and then give me a day or two beyond that). If you haven't, please be sure to check any spam folders you have before you try to join again.

Thanks!!!

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The Official Stand on MySpace Blogs

I have personally contacted just a couple of people who have requested to join the blog roll who use a MySpace blog, but wanted to record it here on the CMO blog as well. I had to make the decision that I would not include blogs that are on MySpace on the CMO blogroll at this time.

I had two main reasons for that --

1. It appears to me (a non-MySpace person, mind you) to be a little confusing about adding the coding to MySpace. At least I know that I have been asked about how to do it by people with MySpace, and I don't know how. So, that has made me assume that it would be difficult to add it in the same way that you can add it to blog servers such as TypePad, Blogger, etc.

2. Because the comments feature is featured so prominently on MySpace pages, and it can often (not always -- but I have seen it plenty) lead to things that might not be family friendly, it makes me concerned.

Now...mind you, I do want to note that I have generally not censored the blog roll. There are, indeed, blogs on the roll that may not be as family friendly as others.

I apologize to anyone who wants to join and is not able to because of this previously unposted guideline. Much of my feelings about it may be because of my lack of familiarity with MySpace. But, as the person who has to put so much time and effort into the CMO Blogroll, then that means I'm also the one who gets to make that call.

Again -- sorry to anyone who it may effect. Really though...of all the applications I have received, I have only had two or three requested from MySpace, so this does represent a very small percentage.

Thanks for all your support & for making this blog roll so successful!

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A couple of notes about being added to the blog roll

Hi to everyone!

I'm so pleased to say that our wonderful community has just grown by leaps and bounds. I can hardly believe that it was just before Easter when I was starting it up and afraid that nobody would join, and here we are -- at almost 200! Wow!

Some recent emails/comments to the blog bring me to just a bit of administative notes today. Please, please, please -- I don't want anyone to feel "called out" if you have emailed me about any of these things. If you have, you are not the only one. And, that's why I wanted to take some time to post here so that people interested in the blog roll can see it here before they have to wonder about the same things.

Like all of you, I am a very busy Mom. I have three wonderful (and busy!) kids, an awesome husband, an online business, a couple of blogs (LOL), a rewarding job with special needs kids/kids with delays a few hours per week, and a million other things going on each day. We all know the drill, right? You're in the trenches of motherhood with me!

I am thrilled to also be able to be the administrator of both this blog roll and another scrolling link list (for a group of moms on Etsy). Because I could allow myself to be making additions/changes many times a day on those two lists (due to requests coming in to join, blog name changes, link changes, etc), I have to limit the time in which I will make those changes and additions. And, so please do not be surprised if you email me about (or sign up for) the blog roll, and I don't get back to you for a few days. I update the roll at least every 3 - 4 days. There are times when I do it more often, but that is a typical time frame.

So...if you want to skim, here is the important part...

1. If you sign up and don't hear from me right away, please be patient. There is no need to sign up again, unless one full week has passed without hearing from me. Typically, within 3 - 4 days, you will receive an email from me with instructions and coding.

2. If you would like to be added to the blog roll, you *must* send me an email after you have installed the coding to your blog. I will not check back on your blog until I hear from you, and it's only after I check back on it that I add you in. I have had a few instances where people wonder why they weren't added after the "signed up," and I find this is often what has happened -- they installed the code, but didn't notice in the instructions that they had to email me back. (I understand -- I'm sometimes bad about overlooking details in text too.)

3. Once I get that email back from someone, I will check back on their blog and then add them during my next update. That can mean that if they email me back right away after I sent them their coding, it might be three or four days until I update it again. When I do updates and add people to the blog roll, I email them to let them know that they are about to be added. However -- if you email me and then don't hear back from me or get added to the blog roll within seven days, please email me to be sure I got your email.

I hope this doesn't turn anyone away! I just realized that there were some areas that might not be so clear, and so I wanted to take a few minutes to clear them up!

Thanks so much for supporting our blog roll! It is just wonderful to be blessed by getting to meet and interact with so many Catholic mothers!

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Sorry -- I have been behind in updating!

If you have sent an email to me in the last few days, I apologize that I haven't gotten to it yet. With the end of the school year just about here, things have gone a little crazy. Please be patient if I am not able to get back to you right away -- I promise I will get back to you!

Thanks!!!

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Sending out emails soon...

I am going to be sending out emails soon to all those that I currently have in folders that I am either waiting to hear from that they installed the coding or waiting to hear from on their icon preferrence (for above the blog roll). Between the two folders, I have 40+ bloggers that I am waiting to hear from, and so I will be sending out a friendly reminder. ;)

Granted, some of those in the folders have only just contacted me in the last few days, but I do have some sign ups from a month ago. So, I'm not as worried about all of you that I have heard from in the last few days, but I just want to do my best to clean up my folders a little bit.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the Catholic Mothers Online blog roll! I am shocked and happy to report that we are currently at 97 blogs on the blog roll. Wow! I certainly didn't expect THAT a month ago!

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Join by April 30th to be entered into a contest!

Please see this post for details!

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testing the blog roll

Check it out -- I'm testing it out. ;) (It's over to the right in my sidebar.)

I am going to come up with a couple of different picture options so that you will be able to choose which one (including some that are smaller).

If you have joined already and haven't received the code, don't worry. :) I will be sending it later -- after I create a couple more button choices so that you can choose which code to install.

And, remember -- there are prizes possible for joining before April 30th!

Oh...and don't forget to spread the word about the new blog roll by posting about it on your blog or just telling friends!

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Prizes for Joining!

To help encourage the growth of the new blog roll (which I have been testing periodically to make sure I have it all figured out!), I am offering a drawing. What do you need to do? Just join the blog roll and install the code on your blog! That's it! But, for an extra entry in the drawing, you can do a post (even a quick one) to announce the new blog roll and that you have joined.

This will run through April 30th, 2007 at 11:59 pm EST. Two winners will be chosen for your choice of a Hail Mary 5x7 digital art print that I created. They are shown here:

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Join The Catholic Mothers Online Blog Roll!

(*Please Note: This is an older posting to the Catholic Mothers Online Blog. To read more recent posts, please click on the header. However -- this *is* the correct posting to sign up for the blog roll.*)


Thank you for your interest in joining the Catholic Mothers Online Blog Roll!


Requirements for joining this blog roll (by submitting your information and clicking "I agree," you are agreeing that you do meet the requirements for enrollment:

• This blog roll is for mothers. However, this includes mothers with children of all ages, as well as those who haven't been blessed with a child yet, but do pray for that to happen in the future. This is also for women who serve as mothers through being a godmother, as well as those women who are simply mothers at heart. As one wise blogger said, "Isn't every woman a mother at heart?"
  
  
• Membership is open to bloggers who are Roman Catholic or Orthodox, as well as those who are currently going through the RCIA process.
  
  
• You must recognize and respect the Magesterium of the Church and be obedient to the Pope and authorities under him. We feel this isn't asking too much, as that is at the very heart of being Catholic. We don't want to police what you are writing in regards to the Church. If you feel called to write about something you don't agree with, please do so in a respectful manner. (If you cannot abide by this and we are contacted about a posting of yours, we will contact you to discuss it prior to removing your blog from the roll.)
  
  
• You must have at least three postings on your blog and also have had your blog for at least two weeks. If you fill out the form before that time, you will be asked to wait and resubmit the form at the appropriate time.
  
  
• Your blog must be set to public access, and must be almost entirely in the English language. (Because we check up on the blogs on the roll, the volunteers who help with this must be able to get to your blog, and they must be able to read the language, which is our reasoning for these rules.)
  
  
• You will need to add the coding to your blog with the blogroll (you will have to add this prior to being added). This will include a small picture, as well as the alphabetical listing of links of all the blogs on the roll. (Don't worry -- there will be a scrolling button so that even as the list grows, it won't take over the side bar of your blog!) This needs to be displayed on your blog somewhere that it can easily be found. Since I do check up on all the blogs on the blog roll periodically -- I need to be able to find it. I will look around, but if I can't find it, your blog will be removed from the blog roll. (I may or may not notify you of this after you have been removed.)
  
  
• You will need to post to your blog at least once per calendar month.

We reserve the right to decline a blog based on its content, even if it meets other requirements. This does not happen often, so please do not feel that your blog is going to be "judged." But, it does happen from time to time, so we felt it best to mention it on here as well.

• Anyone whose sign up has been in the queue list for joining for over a month and hasn't installed the code by that time will have their sign up deleted from the queue. If your sign up email has been deleted and you contact me about joining again, you will be asked to fill out the sign up (below) again.
  

If you feel like you still want to join, please fill out the sign up form below. You will be contacted within approximately one week. (If the form does not work, you may email the information to catholicmothers (at) comcast (dot) net.)

***PLEASE WATCH YOUR SPAM/JUNK EMAIL FOLDER if you have one! Many times I have received multiple requests from the same person over and over only for them to later find all of the emails I sent to them in their spam/junk folder.

*Please Note: You will be able to choose your own image for above the blog roll on your site. To browse various images, please visit this link to view all of the image choices.*

How to Sign Up:

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