If you only want to join in on the conversation below a requested advice post and add a comment and you don't want to write a full article to be published, all you need to do is "click" on the comments link...don't worry about the number of comments.. in future to make it easier we may still show the number of comments in brackets like a traditional blog post and next to the number of comments in brackets the link to "add your comment" instead)

When you read 'requested advice' and you want to write an article and provide advice to the particular problem, the requested advice problem posted by a parent seeking help, transfers over into your article. All you need to do is click on the link "write advice" that is associated with the post for help. A great tip in your article is then you can italic the question or problem, making it easier to signify that you are giving your advice based on the issue posted by another parent.

See below...

This post is from from my other blog here

Hi I’m Rachel, I am Australian.

A little bit about me…I have two web businesses that are US focused and one Web-Software company that helps build Web 2.0 communities (1 business, 2 start up phase)…I live in Ozzieland for lifestyle reasons and work 100% in the US online space and have been doing so since 1999. I love Amercians, I have always been impressed by their command with words and social ease in which they interact with each other, collectively as a group.

Twenty things about me

• I don’t get complicated jokes with punch lines (especially my husbands or father-in-laws ones).
• I have been converted from an insane, ‘dominate the world’ workhorse into a relax, easy going, fun mom who acts her kid age.
• I am not scared to meet people face to face anymore, outside of my computer and all that was business.
• I used to love surfing my mini-mal, but I still now do but in my dreams.
• I used to love shopping and make up and I still now do but again in my dreams.
• I am a vicious researcher of any trend or market that I am obsessed about.
• I have discovered being a mother to be the most fulfilling job in the world. It used to take me 50 employees to say thank you to give me some slight sense of fulfillment, but a smile from my little man and pooooof I am floating
• I love my husband as a life partner, he is Noel in Notebook and as a business partner, he is my JFK
• I used to despise blogging ‘what the hell is that’, when they first came out and guess what I am obsessed now by blogging.
• I admire mothers…moms are AMAZING. Their stories are AMAZING. I dreamed of providing a voice in Minti because mothers are SMART and we need to learn from them.
• I love dogs, I have two of them, both Bichon x Maltese (why this mix, my husbands allergies aren’t affected by their wool coat)
• I have a loud laugh, but my husband says I am likeable.
• I find that big things comes in small packages to be true.
• I am a science, tech and business geek.
• I am cool when it comes to being one of the boys kickin the footy (ALF Aussie Rules), surfing, music and clothes and can be very tough in a boardroom of men.
• I used to be wild and out there, now I am straight laced and in there.
• I like warm people, but also introverts too, genuine people that have guts.
• I like to belong and feel like I am making a difference.
• I like smart comedy, but also funniest home videos sends me into weeing fits of laughter.
• But, most of all I am on a mission to set up a dynasty for my kids.

Did you know that you can move your mouse over anyones comments and click on the star rating you believe you want to give and magically the stars go from gold to "green". Cool ay? Also, make sure you are logged in otherwise (it's happended to me) you will be anonymous. I just log in click "remember me" and never log out, I just close the browser. Anyway have fun rating other's comments, there has been some amazing and helpful comments around the place.

See you on Minti

Cheers, Rachel

If you have some advice to give, all you need to do is make sure you are a member of Minti and click on the green bar the word write advice. What method has worked for you? Any advice to do with parenting is helpful...Share your advice and at the same time gain recognition for your advice.

Topics to write about...

- nutrition
- starting school
- Graduation Ball
- Teenage issues, drugs, friends, internet
- baby and toddler development
- family planning
- Dressing baby/toddler appropriately
- Sleep
- Parents/relationships
- Role of grandparents
- Saving for school fees
- Ideas to encourage your toddler (letters, numbers, drawing)
- Milestones in development

Average visits to articles range from about 100-1000 so you have a great audience to share and meet friends here at Minti...we are only in beta at the moment and we hope to be able to start marketing soon. Thank you for all beta members for supporting us.

See you on Minti!

Rachel

After a trial of cafepress, Matt has created an cool Minti Store were you can buy Minti logo items like t-shirts, bibs and teddy bears. We are having fun with all the goodies Matt's brought over and I am really finding the bibs for Codi very useful as well as getting into the Minti vibe...

I like the idea of building a parent-to-parent advice-opedia and community that is fun, fresh and most of all I really like the people here, I have learnt so much from first hand advice...visit the Minti Store

When you click on the image icon (the one with a little mountain and moon/sun), a window will appear. Ignore, the preview text, all you need to do is click in the URL field and click "browse server". A bigger box will open up, this time look down towards the bottom of this bigger box and click in the field and click on browse this will enable you to browse your computer and find were your pictures are stored.

You then select the picture you want and then go back down the bottom of the bigger box and click on "upload". You will then return to the first little box you started off with. Now if you have uploaded a digital picture it will be very large. Look on the left mid way down and you will see "height" click in this field and type in say 300, this will automatically resize the width as well. You can then play with the height, a big size photo is around 300 and healthly to smaller size is around 100. Click ok and it should load the picture in your blog post or forum post.

Another trick is to hold down the "shift key" and at the same time click "enter" so you can place small spaces between your text and photo.

Good Luck.

Any problems feel free to buzz me.

This post is from from my other blog here

It was lovely to be part of this special feature, mainly because it is highlights a change in thinking. Women are starting to draw a line in the sand and saying that we are proud to be ‘mumpreneurs’ (’mompreneurs’).

Codi thought it was interesting to see his picture on some colorful paper.

Articles are likely to create an impact with with supporting features surrounding the advice.

- Add a few tags: keywords that are relevant to the article. It doesn't have to be many, just the main important "key" words that will help parents find your important advice.

- Add a picture it helps a visitor get hooked into reading your advice. Search "free use photos" ..make sure you copy the link address of the photo and add to external links.

- Anyone can add related links if you are a member, why do this? It helps the advice spread on related topics and gets conversations going.

- External links: really useful for wanting to find out expert opinion, know the authors personal blog and find useful resources on the topic. Expanding the advice and all the information surrounding it, helps share the information and helps your advice become a reference point of some authority.



It is so great to see advice growing...be part of the Minti Village in helping to raise children...

On the homepage of Minti and your member page you can click on the green heading links to see the whole section expanded for you. So for example if you click on "Latest Activity" on the homepage, it takes you to an expanded list. In addition the links "recent advice" and "requested advice" are also hyperlinked.

On my homepage: If you click on "Blog" from my homepage, you can see my entire posts and read from the bottom up, which enables you to read from start to finish and comment on individual posts. "Advice" is the same.

Have fun on Minti exploring...

Hi Minti Friends,

If you are wondering how to get started...It is really easy to write your advice, I've written this based on my experience. I too was a little nervous to start with, but I've compiled it all here to help you get started... "Golden Parenting Advice"

Thanks for joining the movement...Here is an article I wrote on "Passionate Parenting", which may help explain the motivation behind Minti and that every parent has a voice.

Lets help make a difference

The new features have just gone live!!

One thing that I have found hard to work out initially, is after I send a request for a Minti parent to be my friend or vice versa, I don't realize that I can also click on my friends link on my orange nav bar and grant and accept new friends.

However, currently I do really like receiving a personal messages back, so also clicking on be my friend to accept is great. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that you can also go to your "my friends" link on your nav bar at your homepage and manage your friendships there too.

Cheers.

It's so great to see members entering a post on their blog (which you can do from your member page)... For those who might be saying...what is a blog? Well, the answer is really simple. A blog is an online journal, where you can talk about whatever you like. The funny word 'blog' comes from the word 'web log'. For example; On a ship, the captain records each day what happened at sea (a captain's log)...so a web log (nicknamed blog) is your free platform to talk about your day or topic you find an interest in. The special thing about blogs is it's freedom to be your own amateur commentator, journalist, expert in something you love and the feeling of self expression is very satisfying.

Over the last couple of months, I have also learnt to write more freely, friendly and more informal. I think blogging has helped me break down my "business-like" structure (learnt over the years) in regards to how I write content .

However, a few tips: try and keep very specific information like the suburb in which you live, names of schools and so on, private. If you would keep things private in the real world it is a good idea to do the same online. All you would know about me is that I live in Perth, Western Australia. On my mommy blog (time4mom.com and here) I talk about my day with Codi, but I don't say the name of the places I go. I say our favorite park, or we went to the shops today, but not the name. I actually had to re-read my content on my mom blog and edit some of the info I had previously written.

Blogging can become so exciting and addictive. You can gain a lot of respect in your chosen topic, network with really interesting people and meet friends with like interests.

You are in charge of your own content, you are like mini journalist, feature writer or author. So with this freedom and mini fame, you also need to be thinking of your audience and that your readership is the entire world wide web and put some safe guard measures in to keep the whole concept of blogging fun, interesting and safe.

Welcome new and existing members...cool parents!! If it's a bit quiet when you join it is because we haven't yet released the next developments that focus on this. We've been trying to bring out a lot of features as quickly as we can and ehanced communication has become important.. Hopefully we can cover things like... you will know if someone has sent you a private message to welcome you or say hi. More explanantion on how to use your friends forum - like checking back to your "My Friends" link on the orange nav bar to remember to grant friendship. Also how to add members...you click on the member link and under their avatar the link will say "Be my friend".

You will also be getting communication from us in a really easy format, so we inform you, not bug you about what is happening at Minti, explain how to use features like (friends) and see who has been active or wanted to be your friend.