How to Keep Track of My Blog

Here’s how you can easily follow and keep track of my blog!

Google Friend Connect

The widget to follow my blog is now on the top of my blog.

Here’s how it works:

Do you have a favorite blog and want to let the author and readers know that you are a fan? Well now you can do that and more with the Blogger Following feature! You can even keep track of the blogs you follow via your Reading List on the Blogger dashboard.

How do I become a Follower of a blog?

There are several ways to become a follower of a blog. One of the easiest ways is to visit a blog that has added the Following widget and click on the "Follow" button under the "Followers" widget:

You'll then see a popup window with the options to either follow publicly or privately:

Select how you'd like to follow the blog, then click the "Follow this blog" button. It is that simple, you are now a follower of the blog! If you elected to follow the blog publicly, your profile picture will be displayed on the blog with a link to your Blogger profile (Note: The widget may not show all followers of the blog. If this is the case all followers will be linked from the widget). When you become a follower of a blog, the blog will also be added to yourReading List on your Blogger dashboard and this site will also show on your FriendConnect profile for all the sites you've joined using Friend Connect. Additionally, you can become a follower of any blog or URL (even if the blog doesn't have the Followers widget) by adding the blog to your Reading List on the dashboard.

FTP Blogs

If you join/follow an FTP blog from your dashboard or the Nav bar, the owner of the blog WON'T be informed that you followed the blog. However, if you join/follow normally (via the gadget) the owner WILL be informed that you followed the blog.

How to remove yourself from following a blog

The easiest way to remove yourself from following a blog is to visit the blog, and click "Settings" under the Following widget on the blog.

You will then see a pop-up window with your profile settings. Click the "Stop following this site" link and you will be removed from following the blog. If the blog doesn't have a Followers widget, you can still stop following the blog. To do so, go to the "Blogs I'm Following" tab under your Reading List on your dashboard.

Then click the blue "Manage" button. You will then see a list of all the blogs that you are following. To stop following a blog, click the "stop following" link next to the blog you want to stop following.

Lastly, following a blog will create a subscription to the blog in your Google Reader account.

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Twitter

My Twitter name is @DJDRizz87.

Once you follow me on Twitter, you will be able to access all of my blog posts, which are shared via TweetDeck to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

Here’s how you follow my Twitter:

What is following?

Following someone on Twitter means:

• you are subscribing to their Tweets as a Follower
• their updates will appear in your timeline.
• that person has permission to send you private Tweets, called direct messages

If you follow @sprsquish, you'll get their updates on your homepage when you log in, as shown below. Your follower/following statistics are also listed on your home page.

See who follows you on your followers page, and make changes to who you follow on your followingpage. To learn how to follow someone, read our article about How To Follow Others.

What are followers?

Followers are people who receive your tweets. If someone follows you, they:

• become your follower and will display in the 'newest follower' section shown above.
• receive your tweets in their home page, phone, or any application (like Tweetie, TweetDeck, etc.) that they use.
• If you follow someone, you are their follower.

To see who someone is following, just click on the “following” tab in their profile. From there, you can chose to “view as timeline” or “view as list of people.”

The “view as timeline” option shows you Tweets from accounts they follow.

The “view as list of people” shows all of the accounts they follow. You also have the option to see who you both follow.

FAQ About Following:

How do I know who I'm following?

• You clicked the 'follow' button on their profile
• In place of the button on their profile, you see bold text reading 'Following' with an 'unfollow' link next to it.
• They appear in your 'following' list, linked on your home timeline, just below your username.

How do I know who is following me?

• Twitter sends you an email to let you know when someone new follows you, by default.
• Set up your email preferences to notify you when you have a new follower.
• The followers link on your profile page or home page's sidebar will also tell you how many followers you have and who they are.

How do I get followers? Can I ask someone to follow me?

There is no way to ask other users to follow you on Twitter. Though some users send an @reply to others asking them to follow, this isn't the best way to gain fans on Twitter. You should also avoid third party applications that promise to get you many followers, as these usually break our terms of service and can get your account suspended. The best way to gain friends and fans on Twitter is to engage with the service, follow others whose Tweets are meaningful to you, and be an active part of the Twitter community.

Can I restrict who follows me, or sees my updates?

• Yes: protect your profile.
• Protecting your profile means anyone who wants to follow you must submit a request for your approval.
• Only followers you approve can see your Tweets, which will not appear in search engines.

Once I start following someone, can I stop?

Yes.

1. Visit the profile page of the person you want to stop following
2. Then, click the following button to expose the drop down box, and click "remove."

Twitter does not notify you when someone has stopped following you.

Is following like adding someone as a friend on other social networking sites?

• No. Following on Twitter isn't mutual. Someone who thinks you're interesting can follow you, and you don't have to approve, or follow back.
• Deciding to follow back and changing your mind later is fine- just visit the person's profile page and un-follow.
• Twitter does not send a notification when you unfollow someone.
• If you want to approve who follows your tweets, protect your account. The same rules apply – you can approve followers, but you don't have to follow back. If you change your mind, visit your following page and "unfollow" them.

I don't want a particular person to get my updates, but I don't want to protect my profile.

When all else fails, you can block someone from following you. But, they will still be able to see your Tweets because your profile is public.

What are "follow limits"?

Twitter has follow and update limits for site stability and abuse control. You can read more about this here.

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Hope that this has helped you with accessing my blog and keeping track of it.

I completely enjoy all of you reading my blog!!

-Drew, Concerned American

Memorial Day Photos From Around The Country, And My Favorite Patriotic Songs of All Time

Tomorrow, I will be back with more news stories.

Today, I just simply want to commemorate this day by honoring those who have fought for our freedoms, and in some cases, died for them.

Here are some photos from various Memorial Day celebrations from across the country, courtesy of Huffington Post/ AOL News:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/30/memorial-day-photos-may-30_n_868766.html

A boy holds up at American flag in the crowded amphitheater of Arlington National Cemetery as all await the arrival of U.S. President Barack Obama to speak at a Memorial Day ceremony in Arlington,Va. Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

American Legion Post 78 members from left, John Wendrychowic, Michael Gaughan, and Shawn Flynn are seen before a Memorial Day paradeMonday, May 30, 2011, in the Bridesburg neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Barack Obama places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

A man sits alone at Arlington West, a memorial display with hundreds of crosses and other religious symbols representing service people killed in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, sponsored by Veterans for Peace, on the beach at Santa Monica, Calif., Sunday, May 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Members of Tragedy Assistant Program for Survivors (T.A.P.S.) stand during the playing of the National Anthem before President Barack Obama speaks at a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Alex Anaya, 2, foreground, watches veteran march in a Memorial Day parade Monday, May 30, 2011, in the Bridesburg neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A woman walks through the San Francisco National Cemetery as a flag flies on Memorial Day in San Francisco, Monday, May 30, 2011. Among the 30,000 Americans laid to rest here are Civil War generals, Medal of Honor recipients, Buffalo Soldiers, and a Union spy. The first known burial at the cemetery located in the Presidio occurred in 1854. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, left, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and U.S. President Barack Obama stand during taps at the Memorial Day service in the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Possible 2012 presidential hopeful, U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., and a friend, Jeff Chidester, march with in the Memorial Day parade Monday, May 30, 2011, in North Hampton, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Anthony Ortiz Rivera, 3, right, with his mother Veronica Ortiz Rivera, of Camp LeJeune, N.C., wears a button showing his father, Marine Staff Sgt. Javier Ortiz Rivera, who was killed serving in Afghanistan in 2010, as they wait for U.S. President Barack Obama to speak at a Memorial Day service at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Veterans of Foreign Wars honor guards salute during the playing of "Taps" as President Barack Obama participates in the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks during the Memorial Day ceremony in the amphitheater of Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Morning light falls on the San Francisco National Cemetery with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, on Memorial Day in San Francisco, Monday, May 30, 2011. Among the 30,000 Americans laid to rest here are Civil War generals, Medal of Honor recipients, Buffalo Soldiers, and a Union spy. The first known burial at the cemetery located in the Presidio occurred in 1854. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Riders with the Nassau-Suffolk Horsemen Association in civil war uniform lead spectators on a march through Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn for the Pre-Memorial day ceremonies, Sunday, May 29, 2011, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Liz Mueller and husband Bill Mueller of Bridgeville, Pa., visit the grave of her father, John P. Lesica in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, Pa., Sunday, May 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Tiffany Sanders of Bethel Park sits next to the grave of her grandfather Charles W. Ligo, an Army veteran who served in Korea, in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, Pa., Sunday, May 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Vietnam War veteran Michael Gaughan is seen before a Memorial Day parade Monday, May 30, 2011, in the Bridesburg neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm, Michael Mullen participate in the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

HENDERSON, NV - MAY 29: Roman Porrino, son of television personality Angel Porrino, runs holding an American flag at a Memorial Day weekend pool party at Ravella at Lake Las Vegas May 29, 2011 in Henderson, Nevada. His second birthday was on May 28. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Ravella at Lake Las Vegas)

President Barack Obama, left, stands with Maj. Gen. Karl Horst, commander of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, during the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Photo taken at the 2011 Worthington Memorial Day parade.

Photo taken at the South Florida National Cemetery.

Photo taken at the 2011 South Florida National Cemetery ceremony.

Photo taken at the 2011 Worthington Memorial Day parade.

Photo taken on Memorial Day 2011 in Boston Commons.

Photo taken for Memorial Day 2011 celebration in Waikiki Natatorium, Hawaii.

Photo taken for Memorial Day 2011 at Nashville National Cemetery.

incredulis:
6,160 crosses on a hillside in memory of our fallen soldiers

Kennprop:
Coast Guard fly by at Veteran Memorial Day Celebration

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My All-Time Favorite American Patriotic Songs

1) Johnny Cash-“Ragged Old Flag”

2) Lee Greenwood-“God Bless the U.S.A.”

3) Toby Keith-“Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”

4) Toby Keith-“American Soldier”

5) John Michael Montgomery-“Letters From Home”

6) Whitney Houston-“The Star-Spangled Banner”

7) Aaron Tippin-“Where The Stars and Stripes And The Eagle Fly”

8) Darryl Worley-“Have You Forgotten?”

9) Alan Jackson-“Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?”

10) John Mellencamp-“Our Country”

God Bless the United States of America, and have an awesome and blessed Memorial Day night!

-Drew, Concerned American

Idol Headlines for 5/31/11

Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina Added to City of Hope Softball Challenge, Presenting Awards at CMT Music Awards

Courtesy of MJ’s Big Blog:

Scotty McCreery and  Lauren Alaina have been added to the line-up of the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge.

The star-studded lineup also includes Brett Eldredge, Chuck Wicks, David Nail, Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, James Wesley, Jaron and the Long Road to Love, Joe Nichols, Kerry Collins (of the Tennessee Titans),  LoCash Cowboys,  Point of Grace, Robin Meade, and Vince Gill.

This year’s game is scheduled at 9am on Saturday, June 11 at Greer Stadium in Nashville, TN. Click HERE to purchase tickets. (Via CountryMusicIsLove)

The yearly challenge raises funds to aid cancer research at the City of Hope cancer research center in Los Angeles.  Check out this video from last year’s game, featuring Carrie Underwood and her then-fiance Mike Fisher.

Scotty and Lauren both told reporters last week that they will be appearing at the CMA Music Fest, so expect announcements about that soon. I could see the two of them making their debut at the Orpy that week.

UPDATE: Scotty and Lauren have been added as presenters to the CMT Music Awards airing on CMT June 8 at 8 pm.

BREAKING NEWS! #CMTawardspresenters: @ShaniaTwain @justinbieber @SMcCreeryAI10 @LAlainaAI10. LIVE June 8 at 8/7c! Vote: http://ow.ly/56Vbw

Congrats to both Scotty and Lauren for being welcomed, so far, into the country music scene. I wish you both the best of luck!!!

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Season 10 Idol Winner Scotty McCreery Pockets $250,000

From Forbes:

Because Scott McCreery, the latest winner of American Idol, is a minor, a judge had to approve a minor’s contract protecting his rights. That gave the Associated Press  an opportunity to take a peak at the contract. It says McCreery was awarded $250,000 for his win and as an advance on a record. He will also earn from merchandising and royalties on his music. Had she won, Lauren Alaina would have gotten the same deal. Instead she earned $87,500 for coming in second.

As  the AP story points out, that might seem like a lot but it’s actually less than what  past winners have earned.

Season Six winner Jordin Sparks received a contract that guaranteed her a $180,000 advance after the show and another $180,000 after delivering her first album. Also, in some past seasons, winners were paid a minimum of $100,000 for merchandise rights, records show. Draft merchandise agreements for McCreery and Alaina give him $50,000 and her $40,000.

Season seven runner-up, David Archuleta (who was also a minor when he won) was awarded $360,000 contingent on him recording an album.

In Pictures: The Top-Earning ‘Idols’

The slumping award money likely has something to do with the slumping fortunes of American Idol winners. Only Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry are real breakout stars among Idol alumni. Last year we took a look at recent Idol winners‘ estimated earnings. Underwood topped the field with $13 million. Clarkson ranked second with $11.7 million. Only the top four earned more than $5 million each. (Daughtry brought in $10.2 million and Kelli Pickler earned $7.6 million.)

None of the former Idol winners made our Celebrity 100 list this year. Carrie Underwood came the closest.

But former judge Simon Cowell did make our list, ranking 9th with $90 million in earnings, and current judge Jennifer Lopez did ranking 50th with $25 million in earnings, $12 million of which reportedly came from her Idol deal. Looks like at this point, the judges are the real Idol winners.

(Hat tip to The Hollywood Reporter’s Hollywood, Esq. blog for directing me to the story.)

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Scotty McCreery is getting some pretty decent pay for winning American Idol, considering that the economy is still sorta rough.

All for just singing? Wow!

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Scotty’s First Single, “I Love You This Big” Breaks Country Chart Record

Looks like we now have an answer to whether country music loves Scotty, they do:

It seems like Country radio stations love Scotty McCreery this big.
"American Idol's" Season 10 winner has shattered a Country chart record with his first single "I Love You This Big." The song landed at No. 32 on Billboard's  Nielsen BDS-based Country Songs chart -- the highest ranking for a new artist's first single since the chart converted to BDS data in 1990. "I Love You This Big" also has a strong chance of breaking into the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 next week.

• Topics
• Music Industry
• Scott McCreery
• Lauren Alaina

The previous record holder was Brad Cotter, the Season 2 winner of "Nashville Star," whose single "I Meant To" debuted at No. 42 in May 2004.
"Idol's" runner-up Lauren Alaina's debut single "Like My Mother Does" debuted at No. 49 and should crack the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100.
"I Love You This Big" reached No. 1 on iTunes' singles chart.

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Congratulations to Scotty McCreery for having success on the country charts!! Hope you have many hits!!

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Forget Scotty, Obama Was An “American Idol” In His Recent Visit to Europe

Courtesy of the Washington Examiner:

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Observing the start of Lord and Lady Obama's (aka president and Michelle) grand European tour and the fawning press coverage, one might conclude they were imbued with royal blood.

The normally reserved and thoughtful columnist for the London Times, William Rees-Mogg, gushed about the president's speech before members of Parliament, comparing him to Winston Churchill. Obama is to Winston Churchill as Lady Gaga is to Ella Fitzgerald. Both are singers, but that's where the comparison ends.

In his parliamentary speech, which began with herald trumpets announcing his arrival (appropriate since President Obama frequently toots his own horn by overdoing the personal pronouns "I" and "me"), the president spoke favorably of Adam Smith, the patron saint of economic conservatives.

Smith's philosophy is the antithesis of Obama's "spread the wealth around" socialist philosophy. Smith is to Obama as Ronald Reagan is to Karl Marx.

Daily Telegraph columnist Bryony Gordon claimed to have had a conversation with an unnamed Secret Service agent. She quoted the agent as saying about Michelle Obama, "She has this glamour that I haven't seen before. She isn't just a first lady. She is Hollywood." Gush.

During the Obamas' brief visit to Dublin, I lined up with thousands of people waiting to get in to hear the president's speech in College Green. I was especially interested in what young people think of the president now, since it was American youth who fueled much of the enthusiasm behind his 2008 election.

A girl of high school age said she "loves" Obama and added without prompting, "I hate President Bush."

"Why?" I asked.

She stumbled, as if entering unexplored cerebral territory. "I hate all American presidents," she said (but obviously not Obama).

"Even George Washington?"

"Yes."

If this girl represents what is taught here, it would appear the state of Irish education is worse than American public education.

I interviewed a middle-age man, who was only slightly less enthusiastic than the high school girl. "What about his policies?" I asked. "He promised to close Guantanamo and quickly end wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." That bothered him, but Obama's image clearly had gotten the best of his political judgment.

It was only after the Obamas had left for the G-8 meeting in France that a few in the British press began to recover from their fainting spell. Writing in the Telegraph, Andrew Gimson said, "Barack Obama's speech [to Parliament] failed to live up to his own high standards."

There were several factual errors in the president's speech, including his contention that since the War of 1812, when the British burned down the White House, "it's been smooth sailing" between the U.S. and Britain. Not exactly. Gimson cited one example: "Suez did not seem like plain sailing."

The president claimed, "young men and women in the streets of Damascus and Cairo still reach for the rights our citizens enjoy." That is debatable, especially since the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood will be active, perhaps decisive, in the coming Egyptian election. And who knows what government will follow in Syria, should Bashar al-Assad stop killing protesters, or Libya with or without Moammar Gadhafi, or anywhere else in the Islamic world?

There were some emotional high points in the president's address, especially his reference to "the grandson of a Kenyan who served as a cook in the British Army to stand before you as president of the United States." That brought applause, as it should have, but this is biography over which the president has no control, not policy, which he sets.

The Irish and British press put their skepticism on hold during the Obamas' visit, much as the American media regularly do with most Democratic presidents. In America, the big media have a political agenda, which is that of the Democratic Party. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, it was style over substance.

Forget Scotty McCreery, winner of TV's "American Idol." As host Ryan Seacrest might put it if he were announcing the arrival of Obama in Ireland and England: "THIS is our 'American Idol.' "

Examiner Columnist Cal Thomas is nationally syndicated by Tribune Media.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/05/obama-american-idol-europe#ixzz1NypJvGeF

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Although I applaud him for having good reception in Ireland, I don’t consider Obama an “American Idol”.

Most people would probably consider him an “American, Idle” who has tarnished the American presidency.

I applaud what he has done, but I don’t fully agree with everything he has done in his presidency.

However, he is my Commander-In-Chief, as he is the rest of America.

The office of the Presidency deserves respect, dignity, and honor. Obama deserves the same, even if you don’t agree with him.

-D-RIZZ OUT!!!