Getting that Google+ Setup Working Right Today !

They Ought to Give Away Honorary Guru Degrees

 

 

 

Figuring this stuff out without any geek-speak training is rough.

Except for a few minor adjustments, I think, I gotterdun.

 Here is a screenshot of my Google+ page.

It looks pretty spiffy, the way they made the colors match my outfit and kept my fanny covered up.

Somebody at Google designed the background and I think, I'll just keep it that way.

The rest of the stuff, is what I spent two weeks working on.

 Here Comes the Tricky Part

 

It seems like, if you write stuff, you have to establish yourself, as an author.

That Structured Data Testing Tool has to say:

"Authorship is working for this webpage."

Suppose you are an author who posts stuff on your own blog.

Then, you need that Testing Tool to give you credit for pushing the Publish Button, too.

The two samples above are shots of my blog.

Publisher mark up is verified and, authorship is working.  Yay !

Moving On to the Website

Things got a little tricky here.

That rascal Structured Data Testing Tool didn't want to give my homepage authorship.

But, they did say, "Publisher markup is verified for this page."

 So, I went and hooked up all the link stuff to my About Me page on the website.

And, I'll be danged if they didn't start calling me an author, over there !

Some Fine Tuning Remains to be Done

 

Like, BS University of Maryland should probably be changed to something different.

And, you should really have a profile picture that looks more true to life.

So, I thought I should ask my readers.

Should I show the world who I really am ?

As computer challenged as I am, here are a few links that simplified this transformation.

Get your Google+ working right, today.

The Definitive Guide to Google Authorship

Claiming Google+ Authorship and Publisher Markup for SEO

Some Kinda Freaking Frigatebird in Okinawa (Photos)

It Was Supposed to Be an Easy Day

Last night a guy sitting in a bar, watching TV, said "Albatross".

The birds they were showing looked like this one, to me.

So, I asked the guy if he's ever seen one of them in Okinawa.

And, he says, "Nope".

Well, I told him, he just gave me an idea for my blog.

These photos were taken back in 2007.

All I had to do was dig through some old files and post them, along with a good link.

That would mean about 20 minutes of work and I'd be done for the day.

The gal behind the counter was nice enough to loan me a pen.

The word, Albatross was scratched down on a napkin and slipped into my pack of smokes.

It's so much fun knowing tomorrow will be an easy day.

Heck, I bought the whole house a round and maybe, had ten more beers, myself.

Then, today happened.

Probably, a few thousand birds, online and called Albatross crossed my eyes.

None of them looked like this one.

Half a day of research is way more than needs to be wasted on one bird.

It was time to get some assistance or, scratch the blog for today.

I voted for HELP !

Twenty minutes after posting them in the Bird ID Forum, the emails started coming.

The bird isn't an Albatross.  It's some kinda freaking Frigatebird.

Moral of the Story

Don't talk to people watching TV in a bar, if you want to have an easy day tomorrow !

UPDATE:  From the Bird Forum.Net--This is a Great Frigatebird !

 

Based upon this information posted by Chris Butterworth,

"It's a 2nd > 3rd stage juvenile, white-breasted morph, Great Frigatebird. 

Lesser has much less white on the underparts and distinct 'spurs' of white running onto the

 underwing coverts and a tawny head at this stage".



More About the Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) at ARKive

A Million Views: It Happened Sometime Last Night !

One Million Views !!!

This happened a lot faster than I could have ever imagined.

The Blogger thing just took-off and hit 1,000,000 overnight.  Before I woke up.

The view-meter was at 1,000,061 when I got here this morning.

Here is the Screenshot

 

The contest is over. It will probably be this weekend before we determine the winner.

One million views, on a blog from Okinawa, Japan is a pretty big deal.

Call me a redneck, if you'd like. There's a little secret, I should probably tell you.

Five years ago, I didn't know how to turn a computer on so, I called a friend named, Joe.

And, he came over. He showed me where the power button was and hooked me up.

Then, we got the internet thing and wired me to the World Wide Web.

Through many trials and lots of errors, this blog got where it is today.

And, I made some great friends, around the world, along the way.

This internet thing, I used to be scared of may really take-off, someday.

Dontcha think ?

 

What Happens Next

 

The Blog and Facebook Pages, where contest entries were made, will be printed.

With the Ryukyu Dudes assistance we will pick the winner.

As promised, this will be a random selection, done redneck style. 

No fancy machinery, other than a pair of scissors and somebody's baseball hat.

Snip all the names from the contest entries and throw them in a hat.

Then, somebody just reaches down and pulls out the winner.

We'll find a pretty girl.  Thataway, nobody can say the contest was rigged. She does the picking.

Maybe, I'll even wear a tuxedo, or a T-shirt that looks like one.

Dang.  I hate getting all dressed up.

This thing is gonna hafta wait 'til the weekend.  But, we'll getterdun. 

Meanwhile, I'd like to thank everybody for visiting here.

Now, this whole internet thing gets me wondering, sometimes.

Do you suppose that meter would break if it hit, let's say 1,000,000,000,000 views ?

Disclosure About this Blog in Japan: It Falls Under US Laws

The United States of America Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

requires me to tell you some legal stuff about this blog.

Like, if you see any product advertised here and decide to buy it, um, I get paid by the advertiser.

Or, if I do a product review on something and get a freebie from the company, I'm supposed to let you know. That way nobody can say I tricked you into buying a piece of junk that I got for free.

Most of the junk I have, I paid for but, I have been known to collect old furniture from friends to furnish a house or, my new office. Sometimes, I buy brand new stuff.

The Photographer's Market, I got five years ago and, I just found out the 2013 edition is on sale.

 

The Writer's Market 2013 from Amazon is on sale before publication, too.

Any photographer or writer who is in the business of making money should have these books in their library.

They get a five star rating from me but, mine are a little bit too old for a book review.

US laws, which I fall under (sometimes) say I have to disclose this stuff, to you.

If you buy one of those books or, anything else, from any advertiser on this blog

THE ADVERTISER PAYS ME !

(yawn)

This Disclosure Statement will be reviewed by my free legal advisory board as soon as they sober up and may be updated periodically to comply with US Laws and the people who fall under them in Japan. 

Travel Photo: Children Perform Traditional Okinawan Dance

This photo was taken back in 2009 when this blog was just getting started.

Still not wired, I'm at the WiFi Spot doing a quick post.

Then, I have to run and do some quick celebrating.  That meter hit 900,000 views, overnight.

So, I figure it's time to start planning a million views contest.

Er, ya reckon I should quit doing this blog thingy and just take some Okinawan Dance lessons ?

Visit my homepage for the PHOTO OF THE DAY

The 750,000 Views Contest Winners and Their Photo Choices

The results are in and it's time to announce the winners.

The photo above was selected by BETTLETHUMBS from Southern California.

Title:  Take Our Picture Mr ?

Lucky for me these folks are some kind of web artists and hollered at me because I had the photo uploader turned off on that Facebook Page thingy.

Beetlethumbs nailed the screenshot right at 750,000.

Before I could get from the barstool to the cold beer and start celebrating

MUZA-CHAN from Bucharest, Romania hollered at me on Facebook

"I caught it too...(^_^)" !

Muza-chan aka The Santa Girl, gets around a lot so, I'm not sure if she took the screenshot from home or somewhere in Japan.  But, wherever she was, I know she was watching that view meter.

She nailed it right on 750,000.

This photo of the Guinness World Record Naha Tug-O-War was Muza-chan's choice.

THEN THINGS STARTED GOIN' WILD

SO WE DID, TOO

It took a few days for me to remember to check my email.

There was a third screenshot floating around and I wanted to giveaway three photos.

A sweetheart from Milwaukee, Wisconsin named Betty had taken one.

There was some sort of problem getting through to me.

Maybe, up north where she lives the internet pipes get frozen and everything gets stuck.

We communicated through the mail and I got her screenshot posted over on Facebook.

Betty's choice for a prize was this photo of Sueyoshi Waterfall in Naha Okinawa, Japan.

Congratulations Beetlethumbs, Muza-chan and Betty !

Last night I took a look back at where this blog was a year ago.

THE SHOOT THIS BLOG AT 100,000 VIEWS ENDED DEC 10, 2010

THIS OLD FOOL WAS GROANING AFTER CELEBRATING 750,000

VIEWS DEC 9, 2011

That's an incredible amount of viewers for a small blog published on the tiny little island of Okinawa, Japan and I wish I could give a prize to every visitor.

For now, all I can do is say THANK YOU

and I wish everyone a

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR !

PHOTO OF THE DAY:  DOLL OR NO DOLL?

Celebrating 750,000 Views at a Live House in Okinawa

What better way could a guy celebrate 750,000 blog views than this ?

Here's Boss.

He has a band and Live House not far from my bar.

So, last night after consuming way over the daily recommended minimum of beers,  I decided to go visit Boss's place.

Don't ask what possessed me to bring a camera along.  That's not recommended but, I did it anyway.

Boss is an alright dude who picks a mean guitar.

He lets me get right up on the stage where I can zoom in on the action.

That pretty girl is Aki.  She plays the keyboard.

She plays the guitar.

Plus she sings and dances better than anyone in town.

One of these days, I promised Boss, I'll go back over there with a tripod and no beers in me.

Then, do some professional shooting.  These photos were taken with my little CANON G12.

After I lost my balance and fell off the stage a few times, I took several more beer breaks.

Not wanting to let a good opportunity go to waste, I handed the camera to RyukyuRu.

He took 75 photos, or so, and I'm waiting for him to show up to get the files off my computer.

If we're lucky, he may do one of those MAP IT OKINAWA posts on this Live House.

I hope so, because, to tell the truth,  I don't even remember the name of the place !

750,000 views was a big event for me and I think, maybe I over-celebrated a bit.

Head hurts.

Stomach feels queasy.

Gotta go way up north and try to shoot a lunar eclipse tonight.

Think I'll go buy a few Ginger Ales.

Groan

Photo of the Day: The Dragon of Ogimi Okinawa, Japan

Here is one of a few hundred photos taken in the Village of Ogimi over the past 24 hours.  There will be many more colorful pictures to show as quickly as I can get them developed.

There are plenty of stories coming out of this trip and a few mysteries remain unsolved at the festival called Unjami ( Ungami to some) especially concerning women.  Imagine that.

One of the mysteries that popped up today was this girl from Romania.  That's right.  A gal shows up at this remote festival in the middle of nowhere Okinawa, Japan and says she's from Romania.  She's been following this blog for a year and I just found out today.  How's that for a small world ?

Well I got busy shooting dragons, dragonboats, races and women dancing, drinking and beating drums then, jumping in the ocean and cheering on their dragonboat teams.  I was so busy I forgot to ask the girl from Romania if I could print her name on this blog.  So, I won't until she says it's OK.

Right now I'm headed out the door to go recharge my batteries and the camera's batteries, too.

VISIT MY HOMEPAGE FOR THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Winners of the 500,000 View Giveaway Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta Tah-Dah !

It really happened this time. Not only did the viewmeter crank over and hit a goal, people actually got their entries in through Facebook or emails and we have two winners.  That's what I'm Tah-Dah-n' about, today.

Ladies first, a friend I met through StumbleUpon,  Betty-Boop chose "Attracted to Orange" a flower and butterfly photo.

Betty, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA reads my blog, follows me on Facebook and even chats at me a few times a day. So, it feels good to give her get one of my photos.

The other winner, Jerry, goes by the handle FishHawk and hails from Springfield, Missouri, USA.

Now, I haven't know him very long but, we've seen each other's comments on that crazy Scotsman's Channel Scotland Here and Now.

Fish Hawk, is another name for an Osprey and I have a whole pile of Osprey photos but, this is the one Jerry chose, only I'll give him a more spiffed-up version of it.

When he entered the contest, he said he didn't really care about winning a photo. He just wanted to beat that Ryan Dude from Scotland out of a prize. Hah !

It will take me awhile to get their photos ready for mailing.  That's another blog I can do as tips for those interested in learning the tricks of the trade.

Meanwhile, if you get a chance, visit the blogs of these 500,000 views winners, say, "Hi" and congratulate them.  They're both great people to know. 

I'm glad I met them and honored to have my photography displayed in their homes. 

Wonder if they'd mind me scratchin' my name on the frame with a pencil ?

WU HU HU ! Half a Million Views Coming Soon !

Excuse the goosebumps on the legs. It happens, sometimes when I get all excited.  This blog is going to hit half a million views before I get a chance to sleep tonight, almost guaranteed.

Don't worry.  I haven't turned into a fruitcake or anything like that.  This was just one of those photos I had in my wildlife collection that suited my purposes today. See, I'm watching that meter.

The true story about this photo can be seen by looking in the new page I created up above titled "The Doozies".  The blog post was "Laugh and Dance".  I'm good at laughing; like to see other people laugh, too.

In case you missed it, I'm giving away two photos, from my gallery, to the two lucky people who come closest to guessing the date that viewmeter hits 500,000.    RULES HERE

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll get back into my flip-flops.  These boots are killing me !

Visit my Homepage for THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Half A Million Views Contest

Ladies, Gentlemen and Others, it could happen anytime, now.  That meter up in the corner will turn over and hit the 500,000 mark so, it's about time we had a contest.  It'll be one that's easy to win.

In the past, I had a few contests but, the rules must have been too difficult to follow because everybody kept losing or the counter turned while they were sleeping.  This time, someone is guaranteed to win.

It'll be someone who looks at my photos and doesn't just come here to read, I hope.

THE PRIZE: Any one of my photos chosen by the winners.  It will come right to your house, postage paid.

It doesn't matter where in the world you live, I'll get the photo to you, as long as you have mail service.

There's a madness to my method.  I want a fan of this blog to win, not someone who just fell off a turnip truck or accidentally Googled me today.

A Fan, would be someone who clicked on that Facebook Badge over there and liked my Facebook Page.

Other fans of mine are folks who don't have a Facebook account but, we have each other's email addresses.

There will be two contest winners. Each will receive an A4 size photo, of their choice from:
Ryukyu Life (dot) com.



The Rules:

Guess the date, according to my blog post header, that the view-meter will hit 500,000 views.

Enter by posting in a comment on Ryukyu Life Facebook Page, your guess.

Or, email me with your guess of the date you think the counter will hit 500,000 views.

The winners will be those who were the first to guess the correct date.

In the event no one gets the correct date, the person who is closest to the correct date will win.

Winners will be one from Facebook and the other from my email.

Sounds simple enough, to me.  May the best Lady, Gentleman, or Other WIN !!!

SHOOT THIS BLOG AND WIN! A CONTEST WITH SOME RULES

This is a LIMITED OFFER, one time, probably THIS WEEK ONLY chance to WIN any photo in Mike's Ryukyu Gallery absolutely FREE. To win you have to SHOOT MY BLOG !

Shoot it just like I did in the photo above of my October 19, 2010 blog post. Only, there's a catch!
My Legal Advisor says we gotta have RULES. Don't ask who the legal advisor is. It's somebody who's always screaming  important stuff like, "Don't forget to take out the TRASH".

RULES:
1. Look at the view counter in the upper right hand corner of my blog.
2. Snap a screenshot of it when it hits 99,999. It's going to happen this week, I think.
3. Snap a shot of it when it hits 100,000. That could happen real soon after it hits 99,999.
4. Snap a shot of it at 100,001. That'd be when the contest is over, probably sometime this week.

LEGAL STUFF:
1. Only one screenshot of either 99999, 100000, or 100001 per individual may be entered.
2. Entries accepted via email, only.
3. There will be three prizes awarded. One for the first email containing the 99999 shot, one for the first email recieved with the 100000 and one for the first with the 100001 shot attached.
4. Offer is void in New Jersey and some other places where people talk funny. Just don't tell me where you live and you can participate if your email address is someplace where they have stupid laws and people call birds, boids. Do they still whack people there?

HOW TO ENTER:
1. If you don't know how to do a screenshot, don't worry. Prop your elbows on the table and shoot the winning numbers with your cell-phone camera or any other camera and email that shot to me.
2. To email me, if you're not already in my address book, simply go to MY HOMEPAGE and hit the thing centered on the top of the page that says "CONTACT ME". Then we can swap email addresses as long as you promise not to send any naked lady photos to me or naked anybodies, for that matter.
3. I will email the winners a humongous 300dpi JPEG file, suitable for printing, of any single photo they choose from any category in my photo gallery. If a winner prefers to have me print an 8x10 photo in either High Gloss or Matte, I will do that and cover the postage anywhere on Planet Earth providing it's not New Jersey or anywhere else where contests are prohibited by law. However, that means I'll need your personal mailing address. Have no fear; I don't do Xmas cards. I just want to give everybody (even people with boids) a chance to win.
4. Any disputes, gripes, or problems can be handled by the COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT. You can reach them by going to CONTACT ME and in your subject line type these words,
"COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT: C/O MRS RYUKYU MIKE" and see what happens !

All joking aside, this is a big event for me and there are way too many people for me to thank individually for the phenominal numbers of views my blog has been getting. I want to thank you all. If you're so inclined, make sure you follow the rules and SHOOT THIS BLOG !