To Say, “Thanks!” an E-Scavenger Hunt with a Real Prize

Here’s the deal. I want to say, “Thank you.” Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. Thank you for watching. Thank you for hearing. And most importantly, thank you for listening, really listening, and responding. So how do I say, “Thank you?” With a gift certificate, of course.

But, as much as I’d like, I can’t give everyone a gift certificate. So join me in a game…a scavenger hunt…an e-scavenger hunt. Here is what I have in mind:

1. Number your answers to the 10 or 11 questions below.
2. Email your numbered answers to “teebarefoot at gmail dot com” before 11:59 PM CDT 30 September 2011.
3. Profit!

Sounds pretty easy because it is.

The Rules

The winner will be the person who answers the most questions correctly. If there is more than one winner, I’ll select randomly from the winning entries. One entry per email address, period. If I find you spoofing, you’re disqualified. Simple? Simple. The prize is a $50 gift certificate to SpreadShirt.com. You can use it in my SpreadShirt store, any of the thousands of SpreadShirt stores, or even design your own swag.

If there is a huge response to this game, I reserve the right to award more prizes if I feel like it or am drunk. The more winners, the more likely I am to give more prizes. So spread the word! Unlike other contests where more competitors means you’re less likely to win, this game is the opposite. The more winners there are, the more likely I am to award more prizes. Awarding additional prizes is totally at my discretion.

What you basically need to know are two URLs, my Yahoo page and my YouTube page. All the answers can be found in a video or written article at one of those two sites. I even broken the questions into two categories for you. The questions start off easy and get progressively harder. So good luck.

Here are the questions & clues
Videos @ YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/theBarefoot)
1. What is the name of my YouTube Channel?
2. In a video entitled Are you for real? I tell you my family name is from what geographical area?
3. In the video Lights, Camera, Non-action a pop-up annotation tells you what video editing software I use. What the name of that software?
4. According to one of my videos, if you wanted to donated $10 to the Red Cross, what word would you text and to what number would you send it?
5. 48 seconds into Word of the Week Wednesday: Moons I make a reference to a movie. What is the name of that movie?

Writings @ Yahoo (http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/14482/thebarefoot.html)
6. According to 33 Annoying Expressions that Killed Our Conversation, what two things will I do before I “agreeing to disagree?”
7. In the article Five Movies You Can Quote in Everyday Situations I reveal my favorite movie. What is the title of my favorite movie and what is the name of the leading actor or actress of that movie?
8. True or false? Driving with your pickup truck’s tailgate down improves your gas mileage. (Hint: The correct answer is in an article I wrote on gas saving tips.)
9. What is the name of the last check writer on earth?
10. According to Meeting My Maker & Buying a Pasta Maker & Fire, Lots of Fire what is the basis of Capitalism?

Bonus/Tie-Breaker
What is the full name of my imaginary institute? (Hint: I’ve used it in my writings, my videos, and even on a tee-shirt which I’ve worn in several videos.)

Employees and family members of The Barefoot mumble mumble Institute are ineligible.
Remember, the contest ends 11:59pm CDT 30 September 2011. Your entry needs to be received at “teebarefoot at gmail dot com” before then. If you can’t decode that email address, well, that’s really the first question, isn’t it?

Good luck!

The YouTube video introducing this contest. Chances are, you came to this blog post from the video. There isn’t anything in the video that will help unless you are unable to decode the cryptic email address. In the video, the email address for your contest entry is spelled out with “@” and “.” and other fancy symbols.

I’ve disallowed comments on this post to protect the integrity of the contest. Thanks for understanding. If you’d like to comment, please send me a Tweet @theRealBarefoot.

Yahoo Contributor Network – Publishing Options

Here are the various rights and payment options you may select when publishing with Yahoo Contributor Network (YCN). This at-a-glance matrix¹ should quickly clarify any questions you may have about publishing times, rights, etc. If you are new to YCN, your first three articles will be reviewed no matter what options you select. The following applies to your forth article and beyond. Note: ALL YCN content that remains on the site is eligible for performance or “per click” payment regardless of rights or other payments you may receive.

Payment→ / Rights↓	Upfront (plus performance) Pay	Performance Payments Only
Exclusive	Publishes after review4 All rights transfer to YCN Distribution is automatic2	This combination is dumb Always ask for upfront w/ Exclusives All rights transfer to YCN Distribution eligibility is automatic2
Non-exclusive	Publishes after review4 You retain rights including re-publishing Distribution eligible2	Publishes w/o review You retain all rights Distribution eligible2
Display Only	Invalid combination YCN does not pay upfront for previously published work	Publishes w/o review You retain all rights Distribution ineligible Can edit anytime Can delete anytime3

¹This matrix does not apply to items submitted under the News template. All news is reviewed regardless of the options you choose.
²Distribution outside the YCN network is the sole discretion of YCN. You will receive a small payment if your work is selected for sale.
³You will lose any pending payments.
⁴Review times (other than news) vary, but should not exceed 2 weeks. News is usually reviewed within 24 hours.

Hopefully, this clarifies the publishing options. You may also review an expanded tutorial of this information in a companion video at YouTube.

Behind The Writing: Constructing Great Web Article Titles

The forth video in my “Behind the Writing” series was released at YouTube today. The topic is “Constructing Great Web Article Titles.”

The title of an article is responsible for 90% of the article’s success. In this video, I offer practical advice on how you can create good titles. One side effect of following this advice that I didn’t highlight in the video is that it keeps you very aware of your article’s topic. By adhering to step one, you will remain focused on your subject matter and be less likely to wander off topic.

Due to time constraints (the video clocks just under 6 minutes), I had to edit the connections to any of my articles. If time had allowed I would have linked this to The 7 Deadly Sins of Writing for the Web. 7 Quick Reasons Why No One Read Your Last Article. This article has been a perennial performer even though it contains my favorite, un-fixable typo.

The video has annotations to highlight the 4 main points. Have a pen handy to take notes.

Here is part 4 of Behind the Writing – A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet.

Behind the Writing: How to Write a Great Title

Bookmark the series play list and check it for updates. I’ll be adding videos to the play list as they are produced, hopefully weekly.

Happy writing!

I’m Not Sure I’m Ready for a Throng of Adoring Fans

Throng is probably the wrong word. How about just that guy for now?

Until now, I’ve never inspired a song. I was blown away that my pebble in the cyber-pond rippled to resonance with Sly Hoax AKA y2kh8r. Sly captured the spirit of my written piece, My Minivan is a Chick Magnet perfectly. It was truly humbling to see Sly take the time and effort to turn it into his own video, complete with original music and lyrics.

Minivan is a joke I’ve told for a long time. For some unknown reason, the spirit of Berry White possessed me one night and I wrote it down with a little Langston Hughes flair. It’s been well received. If someone smiled and had a better day, it was worth it, but to see someone go all out and write a song about it, frankly, made my day.

Thank you, Sly. Y’all show Sly some cyber-love and give the video a view.

Visit BigBlueBabbon for more funny stuff collected by Sly.

Don’t Put Words in my Mouth

I laughed myself silly at this. Not far to go, I know.

Ventriloquist aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this twist had me crying with laughter. Paul Zerdin brings a volunteer on stage, outfits him with a remote-controlled mouth and has his way with the subject. The outstanding part is how well this guy plays along. He does a great job anticipating Zerdin’s quips. The “dummy” in this routine deserves a contract of his own. Notice the “sexy” wave. Then notice the dance moves that don’t happen.

Sorry about the sound quality. You have to turn up the volume and the laughter gets loud, but you’ll be laughing along with it, so enjoy.

When musical theater goes wrong

I’ve a friend who likes musicals.  This is for her.   Yes, I like to ruin life for everyone.

If you didn’t find that funny, it’s OK.  In the next life you’ll be reincarnated as an accountant.

Two new articles just out. Writing Tips & REM. Learn & have fun.

Useless Phrases that Killed Your Writing’s Impact Even the best writer can fall prey to these killer phrases. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe you didn’t edit sufficiently. Maybe you don’t know better. These are the phrases that detract from your writing and give your article the impact of a wet noodle in lunar gravity. These are the phrases that qualify as padding in web/article writing. Learn what they are. Avoid them at all cost. Read more »

10 Essential REM Videos on Youtube Need a pocket collection of one of the world’s best bands? Check out the essential collection of REM videos available via the mysterious magic of Youtube. There are probably a few memories in here for you. This was and AC special content request, but I had fun doing it. I wanted to do it months ago. I’m glad I waited. When AC guaranteed a minimum rate, I jumped at it. Read more »

7 Minutes of Geekdom

Nerds will be nerds. This is what happens when nerds try to answer the eternal question, “Which is better Startrek or Star Wars?” It’s worth the watch, especially the credits at the end where they show all the software and hardware involved in making this little epic.

Best New Movie

Somtimes things catch your eye and you must bow down. This is some of the best editing I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait for this movie. Hopefully, it will be out in time for Xmas. Enjoy Scary Mary.