I know I am a little late to the party, but I have finally joined Twitter. I do think it will be a good way to promote my blogs. So of course the very first thing I wanted to get was a “follow me” badge for my blogs.
If you look over there on the right hand side of the blog I found a great one.
It is from GOTOWEB20 and it is a simple script that is very easy to customize. It took me all of two minutes to set up the badge and install it on my blog.

Now do me a favor and click that button so you can follow me on twitter, and then go to gotoweb20 and get your own!

Update: In the comments Brian pointed out you can code the button yourself without going to an outside source. You can get the code here at the BlogEngage Forum.

I spend many hours every day on the computer. Offline I am a tax adviser so during the months of January to April I might spend 12 or more hours every day on the computer. And without fail by mid February I would have some form of RSI, Repetitive Strain Injury.

Repetitive Strain Injury

RSI refers to arm and hand pain that can occur when you perform the same motion over and over again. It is common in the computer world. For me, I would often get pain and weakness in my right forearm. I have been diagnosed with Tendinitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I was prescribed wrist braces and pain relievers. But nothing seemed to really work. Surgery could not promise a cure, because the real problem was the amount of time I spent on the computer. It seemed like my only options were to live with the pain, or go on disability. I didn’t like either of those options.

Before I go on, I want to stress that I am not expert in Repetitive Strain Injury. I am just sharing with you what worked for me. Everyone’s situation is different and you should consult with your own professional advisers regarding your particular situation.

Avoid Using Braces or Splints

Short term these are OK, but if you use braces or wrist splints for an extended period of time the muscles in your wrist will weaken. With weak muscles you will not be able to support your wrists properly without the splints, and you run the chance of re-injuring yourself. Limit splint use to one or two weeks at most, and when you are not on the computer, do strength exercises that target the hands, wrist and arms.

Always use proper wrist position

The funny thing here is that many devices that are designed to help prevent repetitive strain injury can actually make it worse. It is very important that you keep your wrists straight and in a neutral position. Using a wrist rest can put the wrists in a bent up position that can make repetitive strain injuries worse.

Put Your Hands in Your Lap!

This is actually the technique that made the most difference for me. When we spend long hours on the computer there are many times when our hands are not being used. It might be for less than a minute, but you may have your hand on your mouse waiting for a page to load, you may be thinking about what you are going to write next, or you may be watching a video. No matter how short a time, take your hands away from the keyboard, away from the mouse, and put them in your lap. By doing so you give your neck, shoulders, arms, wrists and hands several “mini breaks” during the day. All those little mini breaks add up and I found that even after a long 12 hour day I was still pain free.

As bloggers and webmasters we can spend many hours per day in front of the computer. By following these few simple techniques, you can drastically minimize your chances of getting a repetitive strain injury. So now tell me, while you have been reading this post, where have your hands been?

I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. I never intended to infringe on anyone’s trademark. I am not sure that I have. But just last week I received a letter demanding that I stop using a domain that I own, (not this one) because the first five letters of my 12 letter domain name are trademarked.

The company is not a large company that anyone would have known about, the characters they claim as theirs alone are a common word and a common acronym. Most people would assume they are in the public domain, much the same as I am assuming that “Webmaster” and “Blog” are in the public domain. (If not I am going to get them trademarked as soon as I finish writing this.)

It just so happens that this is one of my most successful domains, and not because of the 5 trademarked characters. In fact, I had recently changed the name of the blog for better SEO. The blog name contains none of the trademarked characters, it is just the domain.

If I had the money to hire a lawyer I might have a decent chance of defending my claim to the domain. I mean seriously, 5 letters our of 12? The company claims that their customers have been confused and have thought that my blog is related to the company. I find that hard to believe.

Searching the internet I have found that generally there are two things you should do when you receive a cease and desist letter. The first is to take it seriously, the second is to hire an attorney.

But the reality is, I have no money to fight this. I will try and appeal to the company’s sense of fairness. Maybe I can receive some small compensation for the loss of income and hard work. But I doubt it. Because I lack the resources to defend my rights, they will be trampled.

I bring this up here, not because I am asking for money, but because I think there is a problem with the system, and I am not sure how it can be fixed. It does not seem right to me, that just because someone else is bigger and has more money than me, they can take what is mine and there is nothing I can do about it. I know this has happened to many people in much bigger ways. It is not like I am losing a major source of income, or my life’s work. Just my very first domain that made a little money from adsense and other ad sales.

So bloggers everywhere beware. And if you have any ideas about what can be done please let me know in the comments.