Welcome to Dogster’s For Love of the Dog Blog!

I’m glad you’re here! Feel free to sniff around or even leave a message here or there in the comments!

Some Dogsters have written in asking for a little help in how to use a blog so, being the friendly folks our dogs would want us to be, I thought I would answer a few questions to make it that much easier to hang around with the dogs on the blog! So scroll down through the sections and I’ll try to answer your questions. If you don’t see what you need to know here, bark in and let me know what else you need to know. Chances are that if you need to know it, so do a lot of other Dogsters!

All the best barks!
Joy

What is a blog?
A blog is short for “web log.” A web log can be a personal diary of one or a few writers. It can also be a place where people rant on certain issues, such as politics. Other blogs are more news-centered, featuring articles from other sites.

This blog is a bit of all of that, with an emphasis on news on and off of Dogster. I am constantly searching articles and news from numerous sources to bring as much information as possible to the blog.

How often is this blog updated?
I would have to say at least once a day and sometimes two or three times a day if there is a lot going on that I think Dogsters should know about. Of course, since this blog is read by folks around the world, new comments are being added many more times during the day.

Many of those comments are being added to older posts! If you have been reading posts on particular topics, keep checking back to see what others are still saying! Rvery day, many new readers join us on the blog and make new comments, even on posts that are five or six months old! So just because we talked about something a few months back, the subject is still open for discussion!

Why are some words different colors in the posts?
Many of these posts have hyperlinks or links that allow you to immediately access other pages mentioned in the posts. For example, if the post mentions a Dogster by name, the name will be linked to the Dogster page. You’ll know its linked because the name will be a different color and, when you scroll over the name with your cursor, your cursor will change while its over the name to show you that you are looking at a link.

You’ll also see these links in relation to other sites, news agencies, organizations, and anyone or anything else that could be a source of information to readers.

Why do I never seem to come back to the same page twice when visiting the blog?
Every time I add a new post, it goes at the very top of the page. Each page only allows for ten total posts on each pages. So the home page is always changing!

If you are looking for a post that is very recent, just scroll down the page or hit the link that says “read posts written before these.”

How do I find older posts, posts on certain topics or posts with particular words or names?
Check out the search function at the top of the page. Simply type in the words you are looking for (for example Texas or Amish) and every post with those words will come popping up, newest shown first.

How do I get in the conversation and “bark back?”
There are two ways you can be heard. First and the most direct way, bark in a comment on a particular post. To the left under each post title is a little link that says, bark back.” Hit that link and you will be taken to a screen with a comment field. Type in your comment, hit submit and you’re live! (I do keep a close eye on the comments to make sure that no one gets bitten but in general, your comments will stay up as long as the post stays on the blog.)

The second way to bark in is by sending a message to “Bark back to the Dogster Blog.” On the right of the page there is a list of links under the heading “Pages.” Hit the link that says “Bark back to the Dogster blog,” and you will be directed to another page where you can send me a message directly. Anything sent this way is NOT visible to the whole world unless I put it on the blog. This is the best way to send me press releases, announcements, ask about having something reviewed, suggestions for posts and, well, you get the picture.

Can anyone comment or bark in?
Yes! I love hearing from Dogsters, Catsters and everybody else! We’re one big friendly pack here!

How can I get something reviewed or covered in the blog?
Bark in using the “Bark back to the Dog Blog” link on the right side of the page.

How do you decide what to cover or review?
That’s a great question! I wish I had a great answer. So much depends on what is happening in dog news. I look for information that I think dog lovers would want to have. I also look for items that will interest and amuse them as well.

I sent in a suggestion a while ago and haven’t seen it on the blog yet. What happened?
I apologize that I can’t get everything that comes in on the blog. (Puts tail between her legs and looks sheepish.) Dogsters and others are very, very generous in sending in suggestions for posts. That means there is no way I can get all of it on the blog. But I try to get as much as possible on it. If your suggestion hasn’t shown up, keep watching for it and even check back in the posts a bit. Sometimes, I get barks about topics that I’ve already covered. (That’s okay though! I’d much rather hear about something five times, than not at all!)

What if I disagree with you or another Dogster’s comment?
Bark in! Oftentimes there’s more sides than one to a story. If you know something we don’t, let us know about it! I do, however, strongly encourage everyone to be respectful of other commenters.

No foul language or personal attacks on other commenters. (As I said recently at a convention before opening a panel, “No calling anyone a poopyhead.”) Let’s address the issues and not throw mud!

I do not remove comments because I disagree with them but I will remove posts if I feel they are abusive. So tell me I’m wrong but tell me WHY I’m wrong. If you can convince me I am wrong, I’ll be glad to apologize and let others know the truest version of the facts.

That’s pretty much it but if you have any other questions about this blog or how to use it, please bark in!