Thank you to BING Social Search for sponsoring my post about social media. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Tonight turned out to be just a bit more exciting than any other old Tuesday night. We put Teagan to bed and then Hailey sat down beside me to play some Angry Birds Rio. No sooner did we fling our first bird into a marmoset when we heard the siren sounding outside. I had to think quickly. Was this the first Tuesday of the month, when they routinely sound the siren for testing? No, this was the real thing. The sky was getting darker and so we grabbed the kids and headed downstairs to our lower level.

We immediately turned to the internet and social networking sites like, Twitter and Facebook for real-time, weather-related news. It dawned on me how heavily we rely on the internet for current information. I even signed in to my Instagram account and searched the Chicago hashtag to see what photos people had posted of the brewing storm.

I have recently started using Bing.com as my search engine. What do I like about it? It “connects” me to people I’m already connected with. Bing’s social search allows me to see which of my friends is interested in the same things as me, who’s considering making the same purchases as me and in general, who I can start a conversation with about any topic I’m interested in. I just connected my Bing and Facebook accounts to get started and so far, the results have been favorable. It’s not that I don’t like to get out and “physically” shop with friends but sometimes, it’s just easier (with two kids) to shop from home online.

I also like the Bing Rewards program. If you’re going to search the internet, why not search it on an engine that rewards you for clicking around? Clicking around, people. That’s all. It’s pretty simple, use the rewards you collect from searching to get real stuff. Um, yeah, I’ll have me some of that!

Have you checked out Bing’s Social Search yet? I personally recommend it. I would love to hear about your experience using Bing to find exactly what you’re looking for on the internet. Let us know in the comment section how it has worked for you!

HP and ParentSphere are thrilled to give YOU the opportunity to attend the BlogHer Conference in San Francisco – less than a month away!

Enter for your chance to win $250 CASH toward your BlogHer registration, hotel or flight costs, partying, WHATEVER!

If you haven’t already registered for the conference, the good people at BlogHer are letting you know that time is running out. The conference is on the verge of selling out.

To enter to win this giveaway, leave a comment on this post, just a sentence will do, telling us why you want to go to BlogHer and if you’re already registered, what your plans are while you’re in the Bay area.

The only catch for this giveaway is that you’ll need to show us proof that you’re going to the conference (registration receipt). HP is generous enough to give this cash to support a blogger going to the BlogHer ’08 Conference, so, we want to return the favor and make sure the money is going to someone who will be in attendance.

That being said, the last day to enter this giveaway is Friday, June 27th. The winner will be chosen RANDOMLY (not based on comment) and notified via email. We’ll post about the winner after we’ve confirmed that he/she is registered for the conference in San Francisco in July. A check in the amount of $250 will be mailed to the winner shortly after confirmation.

Good luck!

For more information on the conference, click HERE.

To register or learn more about registering, click HERE.

View the conference agenda HERE.

Learn more about HP HERE.

I created a Twitter account over a year ago and really didn’t give it a second thought. I figured it was just another “distraction” in the online world. I would update here and there, “Tweeting” things like, “I’m hungry” and “Hey guess what? Chicken butt!” I had barely any followers back then and I barely followed anyone. I merely logged on to Twitter.com or updated from my mobile phone just for something to do. A year later and my Twitter account has taken on a life of it’s own and I now have hundreds of followers and am following hundreds. I also have “Tweeted” (or “updated”) over one thousand times. Today, I use Twitter as more of a promotional tool. I ask people to check out certain blog posts or ask for advice in switching blog templates. There is generally someone out there who will indulge.

I see more and more people using Twitter to promote their products, blogs, businesses, etc. Has Twitter taken the place of blogging? No, of course not. It has just provided us a way to spread the word more about ourselves and our endeavors. Consider it mirco-blogging, if you will. It has opened dialogue between people who would have most likely never known about each other. It has provided a way for families, colleagues and friends to quickly update on the who, what, where and when of their lives.

Signing up for a Twitter account is as easy as tying your shoe. Point your browser to www.twitter.com/signup and create your username. If you have a blog or a business, it’s not a bad idea to give your Twitter account the same name. People can easily search and find you based on that information. It’s also not a bad idea to use your name, that is, if you don’t mind that kind of exposure. Fill out the rest of the required information and click to create your account. You will be directed to another page that asks if you’d like to search your email contacts in Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Gmail or MSN. You can skip this part if you’d like to use Twitter as a tool to jot down thoughts for no one but yourself. On the next page, start Twittering or Tweeting away! It’s really THAT easy.

Here is some basic information for you. A “Tweet” can be up to 140 characters – that could be around three full sentences. Click the “Update” button to post your Tweet. There are four tabs located under the text box: Recent, Replies, Archive and Everyone. Recent will display your friend’s Tweets, Replies will display Tweets directed at you, Archive will display your history, and the Everyone tab shows the public Twitter timeline. Under Settings, you have the option to make your updates private, so they do not show up on the public timeline.

When you want to reply or direct a Tweet at someone, click the little reply arrow to the right of their Tweet. You will see the @ symbol in your text box followed by that person’s username (ie: @parentsphere). Type your message and click to Update. Your Twitter reply will then appear in that user’s timeline. To make sure you’re reading replies to your Tweets, click your Replies tab. Remember that if you’re replying to someone’s update to choose the reply function, otherwise, your Tweet will not show up for that user as a reply to his or her message. If you click Settings at the top of the page, you are able to manage your user preferences.

There are endless possible uses for this unique type of micro-blogging or instant messaging. If you take the time to familiarize yourself with the simple functions of this fabulous tool, you will find yourself connecting with many people in all different walks of life. Just a word of warning: Twitter is HIGHLY addictive and quite a time sucker. Know when to pull yourself away or you could end up missing on the finer things in life, like sitting on the floor playing play dough with your toddler.

Follow us at: twitter.com/parentsphere, twitter.com/pagirly, and twitter.com/cystsfts