Catch up day

Whew!  It's been a few days of no posting, so I'm going to catch you all up on what's been going on here at The Craftsman B&B.

Wednesday I was left alone.  Well, Mike went out in the car, it got dark and it was just me and Laura.  I kept a careful watch of her all night.  I positioned myself between her and the front door at all times.  I was waiting for Mike to return, but he didn't.  So I took his half of the bed and went to sleep.  The next day, still no Mike.  Then guests started checking in.  Where was this guy, he has never been away when guests check in.  Laura showed them to their rooms, I of course did too.  Then finally Mike was back.  Where was he?

Mike started unloading the car.  Looked like a trip to the grocery store and Costco.  Did that need to take an overnight trip?  Why was I left here alone?  Then he brought a box into the shop, followed with another trip for stuff into the shop.  Maybe this is why he was gone so long, stuff for the shop.  Sure enough, he got a new tool.  When I finish this blog, I will watch him set it up and do what ever he does with it.  I hope it's not too noisy.  I like to lay in the shop when Mike is working.  It's warm, there is music playing and if it gets too loud or I get bored, he lets me out to roam the yard.

The Booze for Boobs event was a lot of fun.  I laid behind the couch to stay out of every ones way and to shelter myself from the loud music.  It wasn't heavy metal, just loud.  Another patron brought in her dog too, it was blue too, but it was way bigger than me, a Great Dane.  I kind of felt tiny, for the first time.  We didn't stay long as we had a houseful of guests.

So before I started writing today, I checked my e-mail.  Someone wrote about me in their blog.  You can read about it here.  It wasn't another story about how adorable I am, I get that kind of mushy stuff when I read guest reviews online at tripadvisor.com, bedandbreakfast.com and bnbfinder.com.  This is is a professional blog for innkeepers.  Now, maybe some peers will be exposed to my blog.  Are there any other spoiled innkeepers dogs out there?  I'm sure there are, but have they been taught to type?  Not likely, I hope I am the only one with that skill.

Blogging and Web 2.0

Why do you log on to the Internet?  Most people check their e-mail and look up information.  Well now we have what people are calling Web 2.0.  This is where the average user has input to what is on the Internet.  This is social networking, adding your information to a wiki, you are now the Internet.  YouTube, MySpace, Blogs and just about any topic you can think of has a forum.  You are able to communicate with people that have the same interests as you do.  Mike uses a forum to connect with people world wide as well as people in his own back yard.  Personal e-mail is used almost as much as a phone call.  Mike sends an e-mail to the neighbors across the street all the time.  It allows you to communicate with other people on their time, without the worry on interrupting them.  The younger set is using text messaging more than e-mails or phone calls.  You've seen them walking down the street, on the bus, wherever, texting.

I have been writing this blog for a few months.  My idea is to tell the world about Pacific City, the Oregon Coast and The Craftsman B&B.  Where to visit, hike, eat and to tell about the people of Pacific City and some of our interesting guests we have had stay with us.

The Fall television shows are making a comeback.  I was excited to see the Martha Stewart show was back on the air.  I like to watch those little French Bulldogs running around the studio.  Martha did a show yesterday on Blogging.  Martha is one of Mike's business hero's.  She has turned what she loves into a huge corporation.  Her blog communicates to her fans what she is doing beyond her show.  Mike's aspirations are not that grand, but he was able to retire at 40 to start The Craftsman B&B.  Martha had Perez Hilton, celebrity blogger and a few other blogger's she has discovered and liked what they were doing.  Martha is very busy, so she does have help with her blog from her sister and an assistant.  Because I am a spoiled dog, I have to do all the blogging myself, what else am I going to do while Mike is attending to his guests.  It is nice for me to go out and explore the area so I can have good stories for you to read every day.  I love rides and walks.

Martha has a circle of blogs she likes and it gives you, the blog reader, a chance to view other blogs she is interested in.  Like me, she links to other sites to give you more information if you click on the hyperlink.  She tracks her blogs and knows which entries generate the most hits, good marketing skills.  The day she was linked on Perez Hilton's blog she had a ton of hits.

So if you are a blogger, link to this blog, write a story about me.  Us blogger's can do a lot to promote each other.

OK, now for some more Web 2.0 hints I have learned.  Google alerts, this is awesome!  Sign up for what keywords you are interested in.  You could follow your sports team, the city you live in, your name or home made dog treat recipes.  Google will then send you an e-mail, you decide how often, with every site your keyword shows up on.  It searches web pages and blogs.  I have signed up for this B&B, so whenever something is written about us, I get an e-mail from Google with the links to the sites that mention us.

You can subscribe to this or just about any blog, you can become a follower of this blog.  When people read my blog, they can link to your blog.

So become a part of Web 2.0.  Join an online forum, write a blog, tell the world your story.  Just don't get to busy to read my blog everyday.  If you do get overwhelmed by the Internet, come pay me a visit, learn a new trick for an old dog, relax at the best place on the Oregon Coast, The Craftsman B&B.