The Internet is like having a giant library at my disposal. Bad weather days are not quite the same when I can ask:

I wonder if . . . and get answers to questions or browse sites that motivate me to write.

Here are a few sites that feed my eyes, brains and fingers:

I giggled when a marketing expert suggested I include the word the in my metatags.

Apparently I underestimated the power of this three-letter word. The is one of only three articles in the English language (a type of adjective that gives information about a noun) and the only definite article (can be singular or plural).

But thanks to President Bush (“the google “or is it “The Google?”), THE is getting a lot of attention. That works out nicely for me. In response to some recent inquiries, I’ve decided to devote time to sharing the nuts and bolts of my writing life.

I’m always fascinated by how others react to my work.

I spend a lot of time trying to determine how to resolve the innate conflicts between my naturalist life and my writing life. Then I get a bit of feedback that gives me a lift.

I love it when I hear about artists who are not just hype to sell products. With no school-aged
children living in my house, I have to rely on my friends with kids to
share some amazing music.

When a colleague sent me Pink’s Dear Mr. President,
I wept. Her high school age children listen to Pink. People in their
teens, 20′s and 30′s have a greater stake in what happens in the future. They
are waking up to the fact that we, as citizens, are each responsible for
what happens to the people around us in the places where we live. They
know the folks in charge are clueless and not accountable. They have
the energy and the means to set things right.

Of course The Dixie Chicks also get my vote. They faced unfair assaults for speaking the truth early on, when most people failed to notice that the emperor had no clothes. Our country has a history of attacking artists for free speech, but the artists have always prevailed. Sing Out Magazine may well be one of the longest running publications in this country. When will we ever learn?

I was recently asked if I would consider writing blogs for busy entrepreneurs and business owners.

To my understanding a blog is a first-person account of some important issue or aspect of a product or service. So how do you ghostwrite a journal entry? I certainly won’t pretend to be someone else, but is there an ethical way to help someone for whom writing is more painful than root canal?

I began with the search engines. “Ghost Blogging” brought me to lots of sites where one or more apparitions are the main topic of discussion, especially with Halloween coming up. But there were a number of sites and forums for writers providing information that gave me insight into the real differences between ghost writing a blog and ghost writing a speech. The fact that a blog is ongoing makes a huge difference.

Now, where do I draw my personal boundaries when deciding to provide writing support for blogs?

Without the Internet, I would not have a website, a blog or a business. Without free access to search engines and information, I could not provide timely research or content to my clients.

I watched the Bill Moyers documentary The Net @ Risk and what I saw scared me witless. How bad does it have to get before we realize just how much freedom we
are losing?

The issue is NET NEUTRALITY. Basically, the major phone and cable companies including AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner continue to lobby our elected officials and the FCC; they are close to pushing through legislation that would allow these corporations to create a two-tiered system of Internet access. Yes, it would cost each of us more money for less Internet access than we currently have. The mega media corporations don’t stop at the federal level. They have succeeded in 14 states in making it harder for local fiber optics companies to become established and operate. At the local level these relentless corporate entities are trying to trample American municipalities that have successfully built
their own fiber optic networks.

The situation is so dire that MoveOn and the Christian Coalition have become allies in the fight for what’s left of free speech.

This is an excellent time of year to use your webcam for nature study.

A fellow writer turned me on to this website. It is a perfect place to network and to discover all kinds of resources. I posted an essay on that site the other day. I’m feeling quite affirmed by the feedback.

I’ve struggled to ensure that any content I put on this site educates, informs and entertains my readers. I try to be mindful when I make a political comment. That said -

I was listening to Gore Vidal on NPR. He said: I was born in a republic, now I live in a homeland.

I wish I had that skill with words.

In 2004 I was a staff writer for a trade newsletter and first became aware that it was possible to run a business using a laptop as the main business computer. The news rocked my world. You mean I could hike and work and not have to choose between the two? Well almost.

It’s leaf season and I would rather be hiking than tending to business. It wouldn’t be an issue, but I need better phone communication and better Internet access if I’m going to be in business while on the trail or off the grid.

So here I am, as the sun sinks lower in the cloudless sky and the bright yellow maples turn to amber, having spent the day hiking with the computer. Now I remember why I typically hike with an old fashioned notebook and pen.

Leaf Season is always a surprise. This year it’s warm and sunny. I’ve also been caught in a blizzard in early October.

Yvonne Perry hosts Writers in the Sky Podcast, offering writers an opportunity to showcase their work and educators the opportunity to download content to further knowledge.

Click on this link to listen in. You must have iTunes software loaded on your computer. You can download the
software at no cost on http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.