You could win a $50 gift card on me

Somewhere before the end of this day, this blog will host its 100,000th visitor. In celebration, I’m giving away a $50 gift certificate to a chain restaurant of your choice (Applebee’s, Chili’s, Red Lobster, etc. – anywhere that’s convenient for me to buy a gift certificate!). If you prefer, the gift card can come from a major national retailer, such as Best Buy or Amazon.

I won’t be able to pinpoint exactly who the 100,000th visitor is, so here’s what I’ll do instead. If you leave a comment on this blog post (critical comments are ok; off-color comments aren’t), and subscribe to the blog by email (use the “Subscribe by Email” tool near the top of the right hand column), I’ll put you in a drawing for the gift card. I’ll make a spread sheet and use a random number generator to select the winner.

The “Subscribe by Email” feature gives me a more accurate understanding of who’s subscribing, and it will let me verify that you subscribed. You’ll be able to unsubscribe at any time, if you wish, but I hope you won’t.

And yes, if you’re already subscribed by email, you are eligible. Just leave a comment if you want to be part of the drawing.

So remember, to be eligible:

  1. Leave a comment on this blog post.
  2. Subscribe to this blog by email if you haven’t already done so.

To be eligible, enter by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012.

Thanks for dropping by, and thanks for reading!

Infographic: the history of e-commerce

Thanks to ZippyCart.com for this infographic.


[Via: Shopping Cart Reviews]
View Larger Image and Get the Embed Code to Add This Infographic to Your Site.

Grammar Friday

Today’s two grammar tips:

  • Never use the words “reason” and “why” in the same sentence, as in, “The reason why I was late is that I missed the bus.” The reason is the why, so it’s redundant to say “the reason why ….” Just say, “The reason I was late is that I missed the bus.” If you feel you need a word to follow “reason,” use “that,” which introduces essential clauses. You can also convey the same thought with fewer words: “I was late because I missed the bus.”
  • If something is ironic, it’s the opposite of what is expected, appropriate or fitting. It would be ironic if a center for the disabled had no wheelchair access ramp. It’s interesting and amusing, but not ironic, that George W. Bush is right-handed and a Republican and Bill Clinton is left-handed and a Democrat.

Related Reading (Affiliate Link)

Thanks for visiting. While you’re here, please look around the site. You can subscribe via e-mail or RSS feed. The tools to do so are at the top of the right-hand column. To share or retweet the entry, use the buttons below. You can follow me on Twitter: @peterfaur.