Oh Dear, I have a PROBLEM with my Picasa Web Album, but Happy New Year 2012 Anyway!

I have just discovered that every picture I have uploaded from Blogger since 22 Dec 2011 is showing up in my Picasa Web Album in its own album, instead of my blog photo album. Now they keep adding new photo albums which are classified by DAY which means I am going to have many albums. Prior to this, all uploaded pictures automatically went into my related blogs' albums.

Check your Picasa Web Album. Are you having the same problem when you upload photos to Blogger ?

How do you revert back from Google+ to good old Google?

Actually I broke my promise "to see you in 2012" as per my last Christmas post, but because of this Google present, I'm here again. So I'll be patient and wait for Google to solve this problem.

Meanwhile, let's look back at  Year 2011:

And at the stroke of midnight, lets celebrate together!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ....

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

TO ALL MY FRIENDS EVERYWHERE,

 IN FLESH, IN MEMORY AND IN CYBERSPACE.

Samoans - For the first time in history, you are the first to celebrate. Samoa and Tokelau shall make a great leap forward by 1 day i.e. from Thursday 30th to Saturday 31st (thereby skipping Friday) to welcome 2012. Congratulations!

Lyrics of the Happy New Year song by ABBA:

No more champagne

And the fireworks are through

Here we are, me and you

Feeling lost and feeling blue

It's the end of the party

And the morning seems so grey

So unlike yesterday

Now's the time for us to say

Happy new year

Happy new year

May we all have a vision now and then

Of a world where every neighbour is a friend

Happy new year

Happy new year

May we all have our hopes, our will to try

If we don't we might as well lay down and die

You and I

Sometimes I see

How the brave new world arrives

And I see how it thrives

In the ashes of our lives

Oh yes, man is a fool

And he thinks he'll be okay

Dragging on, feet of clay

Never knowing he's astray

Keeps on going anyway

Happy new year

Happy new year

May we all have a vision now and then

Of a world where every neighbour is a friend

Happy new year

Happy new year

May we all have our hopes, our will to try

If we don't we might as well lay down and die

You and I

Seems to me now

That the dreams we had before

Are all dead, nothing more

Than confetti on the floor

It's the end of a decade

In another ten years time

Who can say what we'll find

What lies waiting down the line

In the end of eighty-nine

Happy new year

Happy new year

May we all have a vision now and then

Of a world where every neighbour is a friend

Happy new year

Happy new year

May we all have our hopes, our will to try

If we don't we might as well lay down and die

You and I

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - GBBD Aug 2011 and my Favicon

There are 3 colours in this rose - pink, white and yellow.

In order not to slow down the loading time of this post, the rest of the 27 more pictures of my blooming flowers has been uploaded in My Nice Garden Facebook Page. To view them, you can click on my sidebar or use the link here.

You also view and comment on the photos later but you need to "like" my facebook page before you can type in your comments there. You can also post your garden and flower pictures on my facebook page for discussion/querry.

At first I wanted to do a Picasa Wel Album slideshow or collage but it takes up a lot of time. Loading pictures to Facebook albums is almost instantaneous with the flexibility that readers can view them immediately or at a later date.

“Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - GBBD Aug 2011 and my Favicon”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on Aug 15th, 2011.

Help! Somebody wants My Nice Garden name

This bouquet is from Floria 2011 - for Cina, my first commenter.

I wonder if you have experience what I am experiencing. If you do, can you please share with me how to deal with this?

If you have not, maybe you can also learn from my experience.

Today, I have just received an email (spam or not - I don't know) that reads like this:

Dear Manager,

(If you are not the person who is in charge of this, please forward this to your CEO,Thanks)

This email is from China domain name registration center, which mainly deal with the domain name registration and dispute internationally in China and Asia.


On July 25th 2011, We received (Company Name) Ltd's application that they are registering the name " mynicegarden " as their Internet Keyword and " mynicegarden .cn "、" mynicegarden .com.cn " 、" mynicegarden .asia "domain names etc.., It is China and ASIA domain names. But after auditing we found the brand name been used by your company. As the domain name registrar in China, it is our duty to notice you, so I am sending you this Email to check. According to the principle in China, your company is the owner of the trademark, In our auditing time we can keep the domain names safe for you firstly, but our audit period is limited, if you object the third party application these domain names and need to protect the brand in china and Asia by yourself, please let the responsible officer contact us as soon as possible. Thank you!

The above email dated 28 Jul 2011 was signed off by somebody with a first name as the General Manager, Shanghai Office (Head Office) Address in Shanghai 200070, China with Tel, Mobile, Fax and website.
The sender's company name is not mentioned anywhere in the email.

Note: The real names has been left out to protect their privacy in case it is genuine.
 
Now, what should I do?
My dear readers, Autumn Belle needs your help!

Updated on Aug 11, 2011

The sender is among those listed in a post about "Domain Name Scams" by Firetrust a website selling anti-spam softward, the link is here. It seem to me that several other domain owners had  also received such emails. If it happens to you, check out the sender's details at the link provided.

At the moment, it looks more like a SCAM as we can't verify the authenticity and/or good intentions, etc. Hence, be cautious not to reveal your personal details or bank account numbers.

A Wine Coloured Blood Banana and My Google Adsense, Nuffnang Money

Scientific name: Musa zebrina

Common name: Blood Banana

Family: Musaceae

Category: Ornamental banana

Origin: Sumatra, Indonesia

Photo taken at: Floria 2010.

Jan 2011 GBBD and Foliage Follow-Up - My Roses

Currently, I have 3 pots of roses in my garden. Yes, 3 pots with 5 colours. How?

This pot contains 3 rose plants in 3 different colours, i.e. orange, light pink and dark pink. It was already like this when I bought it from the nursery. For the other 2 pots, one is a yellow rose while another is a miniature and of pale purple colour.

“Jan 2011 GBBD and Foliage Follow-Up - My Roses”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on January 14th, 2010.

I have created a Table of Contents under the 'Archives' Page on my top menu. It contains a list of all the titles I have posted since I started blogging. It is listed in chronological order and sorted by date. You can also create a 'Sitemap' showing your posts according to groupings, just like the 'Label' Gadget by Blogger. I learnt how to do this from Jacqueline at Jacq’s Blogger Tips*. Her link is here*. Jacq is also a Blotanical member.
Do visit her blog to find out more. She has posted many wonderful blogging tips that are very useful for non-tech savy gardeners like me.

As you already know, I have created a Facebook for Autumn Belle. I am still in the learning stage with not much activity. Last year (I think), I also signed up for Twitter but I hardly use it because I have nothing to tweet.

I have also created a Facebook Page for My Nice Garden. I understand that we can post an unlimited number of photos there. How true is it, I really don't know. The benefit is that we can interact faster and have a 2-way communication with our 'Friends' on Facebook. It is good to keep up with changes in technology.

You can view the My Nice Garden Page which is at the sidebar. If you like my page you can click 'Like' overthere.

As I don't have time to play games at Facebook, please accept my sincere apologies if you have sent any invitations or requests for games stuff and I have not yet responded. I don't even know how to play games there.

When I received my first rose from my darling, (once upon a time, a long long time ago, in a place far far away.....), I didn't want to throw it away long after it had withered. The petals didn't last long but I could keep the dried up leaves as a bookmark. Now that there are many new methods for crafting, I wonder what are the options or best method to preserve these gifted roses for rememberance. Maybe the easiest way is still the digital form.

Do you keep the roses given by your loved ones or do you throw them away after they have wilted?

Now, this post I am linking to a few memes to support my blogger friends.
1. Fertilizer Friday - Tootsie at Tootsie, her link is here *.
2. Blooming Friday - Katarina at Roses and Stuff, her link is here *, the theme is "Pattern" (see my first picture)
3. Garden Bloggers Bloom Day on the 15th of every month at May Dreams Garden, the link is here.
4. Foliage Follow-Up Day - Pam at Digging

Wishing everyone a rosy weekend and Happy Ponggal * Festival to my Hindu friends!

Cheers,
Autumn Belle

* You can click on the links provided for further information.

My First Google Adsense Money! Yippee!

Recently when I checked my Google Adsense Account, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have issued a payment of USD 108.97 to my name on 27 Sep 2010! I was more than 30 days late when I found out but luckily I have not missed the dateline yet.

Actually this is nothing to shout about. I signed up on 24 Aug 2009 and it has taken me about a year to earn this amount of money. Initially I earned less than a dollar per month which is very meagre, so this is something I have forgotten about. Anyway I enjoyed looking at those animated images on my blog, so I just left it there. Now that I have received the real money, it feels good, haha.

Why did I advertise?
Well, I do it in order to keep up with technology and also out of curiosity. I was actually sceptical that I could earn any money online.

How to do?
It is very easy. All I did was to sign up for Google Adsense, wait for their approval and then paste the ads in my blog. I am very concerned that the adverts may drive away my garden blog readers, so I have restricted the ads to 'AdSense for Content' only. I think earnings is based on per click basis when readers visit my blog to read the contents.

How do I receive my payment?
Google Adsense will automatically issue payment once the earnings exceed USD 100.00. I am using the Western Union Quick Cash option. This method is faster than the cheque method as cheques in foreign currency will take more than a month to clear in my country. I just have to print out the payment advice and bring along my Identity Card when I go to my local bank to collect payment. I also need to fill up a Remittance Form. There are no bank charges and payment is made on the spot. I have received RM 333.50.

“My First Google Adsense Money! Yippee!”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on November 13th, 2010.


A word of caution - never click on your own ads. It is stated very clearly in the terms and conditions that if you do so, Google Adsense will suspend your account and all your earnings will be disqualified!

Although my earnings are very little, I hope you can gain some information from my own experience. Hopefully your rewards will be much greater than mine.

Lastly, I'd like to thank all my readers for your valuable support and for visiting my blog. Your comments and visits are the biggest motivation why I continue to blog.

Post Publication Update
1. I found that Google Adsense suits people like me who are non-technies and non-pro bloggers. I do not like bling-bling or pop-ups. I only want to write a good post, the opinion which is genuininely mine and not influenced by any sponsor.

2. Although it is not my intention to make money online (it is beyond my capability anyway), I have to admit that I am very happy to get money out of something I love to do. There is this personal satisfaction that boosts my self esteem.

3. I have decided to donate the money to charity.

Somebody Stole My Post - The Oriental Garden of Sam Poh Tong, Ipoh

I HAVE NOTHING TO WRITE TODAY.

I AM SHOCKED AND I AM VERY ANGRY!

!@#$%^;*()_+

It has come to my attention, recently, that my old post titled, The Oriental Garden of Sam Poh Tong, Ipoh which was published on 28 July 2009 has been posted by another blogger in another blog without my permission and knowledge. It has the same post title, same contents and images and even my watermark!


My original post link: The Oriental Garden of Sam Poh Tong, Ipoh.

The pirated link: Also exactly the same name. Click here* . The Oriental Garden of Sam Poh Tong, Ipoh, published on 27 April 2010. The link was also posted in Facebook.



Note: The post has since been removed. As the blog is still in operation, I have removed this link*. Clicking on it will redirect the traffic from my post here to that blog which amounts to more advert money and better page rank for it.



Excerpts from my stolen post:
Sam Poh Tong, when translated means The Tripple Gems Cave. Some like to call it The Cavern of Tripple Gems. Discovered in 1890 by a monk from China, this Chinese Buddhist temple was built within a natural limestone hill and managed by monks and nuns. Inside the cavern, there are beautiful Buddha statues, natural stalactite and stalagmite formations and a tortoise pond. There is also vegetarian food and a columbarium here.

(a) It is difficult to accept and understand why some bloggers can just copy and paste to earn money and copy and paste to earn money and copy and paste to earn money or maybe there's no need to, can just use robots or what kind of sophiscated technology that I don't know about.

If it can happen to me it can happen to you too!

Be warned and Beware!

(b) If I don't write anymore, my blog will disappear into oblivion in cyberspace. Maybe it will be of use to some 'smart genius' who can repackage old wine in new bottles from the old blog posts. And then, when visitors go click, click, click, they earn $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ from Adsense, Amazon, Nuffnang, and other advertisers.


(c) This is sad and horrible. Where is the integrity and respect for another person's intellectual property?

CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME?

UPDATED on 2nd July 2010 

The following are some useful links recommended by fellow bloggers:

From Garden Bloggers dotcom:

a) Feed Scrappers III
b) Feed Scrappers II
c) Feed Scrappers - Guest Post by Dave Townsend

RoseBelle of Three Wisdoms blog has written 2 posts on this matter:
a) Protect Yourself From Copyright Infringement here,
b) How To Protect Your Published Contents on Blogger here.

Roses, Recollections & Real Blogger Tips

Actually Roses, Recollections and Real Blogger Tips - the 3Rs !

1. With hardly a week left before we bid farewell to 2009, this is my last Blooming Friday post for this year. As you look at the roses here, select your favourite. Some are imperfect, some average and there are the gorgeous ones too, just like us, human beings living in this imperfect world.

I wish to thank each of my Followers, Commenters and Blotanists who has brought so much sunshine to my life, nurtured my first 0.5 years of blogging history and left me with so many memories to treasure for the years to come. By the way, you can see me in the shadows in some of the pictures below.
I have some messages for you and I hope it helps .....

2. To my Followers and Commenters, please check your avatar or icons. Some of you do not have a link where I can find you to visit your blog and communicate with you. Do update your profile so others besides me can find you too. This is important.

3. Remember to back up your blog and template. This is very important! Can you imagine all your efforts and your beloved garden/blog disappear into thin air without a trace? Would you want to start from scrath all over again? Can you recollect everything you have ever written ?

Backing up your blog enable you to rebuild your blog later. This includes all the comments too.
Backing up your template enable you to rebuild your blog design.

Diana of Voice In The Garden taught me this. For steps on how to backup your blog, visit our blotanist Jacqueline of Jacq's Blogger Tips. Her step-by-step instructions are easy to follow. You can learn how to sign with your own signature on every post and type the © copyright symbol.

4. Create another test blog to practice new formats, designs, widgets, HTML codes that you are unfamiliar with before making major changes to your blog. Believe me, it really helps. Sometimes, if you do many steps quickly or simultaneously, unexpected things happens. For example, Blogger may think that you are spamming and quarantine your blog for a week. Or you accidently press the delete key and important details are deleted.

Joanne of Joanne's Cottage Garden taught me this. She saved my blog life when I had my first close encounter being listed by Blogger as a spam blogger.

Scary huh? That's why we need guinea pigs for our experiments. Sometimes, Blotanists need to behave like scientists too.

5. Photographs are important in blogging. Afterall, a picture speaks a thousand words. Resize your photos to 640 x 480 pixels (36.4 kb) before posting to save storage space if you do not wish to pay more for the extra storage. Upload photos of big dimensions like 3968 x 2976 pixels (5.97MB) only when necessary. The difference is quite significant.

6. Download Picasa 3. I have learnt this from Tatyana, of My Secret Garden. It is free and you can use this program to create collages, slide shows, edit photos, insert water marks, file your photos and many other stuff that I am still experimenting. By the way, I haven't tried Photoshop yet, partly because I don't find a need for that at the moment.



7. If you are using Blogger, the new editor enable us to post X-Large photographs. But remember to add a few line spacing before you upload the next photo, otherwise you cannot insert any text later. Another way is to use the new editor to post photos, then revert to old editor for texting. Yet another way is to edit in Html mode which is a little bit tricky and you need to be more cautious.

Update from commens: Diana of Elephant's Eye has a brilliant idea when using Bloggers new editor. She key in the texts before inserting the pictures.

8. Finally, this porcelain white rose is for my blogger friend Ms Andrea from the Philippines of Andrea in This Lifetime. This post is dedicated to her, the first commenter of my previous post, "Wednesday Wishes - Merry Christmas 2009". This bright spirited lady's latest post is "Hedges Delights" and the flowers are blooming beautifully.

This is my entry for Blooming Friday, final week of 2009. The theme this week is "Christmas!" My grateful thanks to Katarina at Roses and Stuff for hosting Blooming Friday. To see what others have posted or to participate, click here.

Acknowlegement: The photos are taken at The Secret Garden of 1-Utama. My grateful thanks to Dr. Francis Ng.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!