The Talk.

Hello! Just a friendly reminder that I'm going to be migrating my RSS feed here soon so if you'd like to keep up on the shenanigans of L'Casa Wharzinger, click here!

*****

Let's sit down and chat a minute, shall we? I have some very important things I want to talk to you about, reader, and as your blogger here at Turn Right I've always kind of known this time would come. It just came sooner than I really anticipated, but that's the nature of the blogosphere.

You see, sometimes, when a young blog starts to get a little older, it starts to undergo some ... changes ... that it might not understand or find slightly scary. It will start to look different, both in appearance and how it carries itself, the kind of content it publishes and doesn't, the tone of the posts will sound slightly awkward for a little while sometimes before finding it's new, more mature point of view. And the blog might start to feel new urges and desires that seem almost foreign and certainly strange, which will cause it to question it's purpose in the blogosphere, the direction the blog is heading in, and have it staring lustfully after stats and pageviews that are, in all honesty, way out of it's league.

This is perfectly normal, a part of bloggydom that many blogs go through, and there's no reason for it to ever make the blog feel strange or misunderstood or as if it's all alone on the Internet. The blog might look around at all the other blogs and wonder how they all seem to have their shit together -- sponsors, ads, affiliates and tons of readers who always comment -- while they feel like they're moving underwater, trying to hide their slightly outdated layout behind a layer of amateur photographs, hoping to distract you from that awkward banner ad that they hope you don't notice despite its always untimely appearances.

I just want you to know that it's normal, and while it might be not all wrapped up in a tidy bow like those blogs just a year or two older, someday all of this strife and awkwardness will be well worth it once we mature and look back on this phase of blogging and cringe slightly at the poorly-thought-out color scheme and obvious beginner Photoshop tricks.

So with that out of the way, I wanted you to know that I've joined a couple of affiliate networks. I've long since been an Amazon affiliate, but I often forget to use those links because, well, Amazon encompasses a lot of stuff. But I've recently joined specific brands, like MOO.com, World Market, Canvas On Demand, and PureBond Plywood, that have products I have either personally used or ones that I would use without any kickback because I like their stuff and what their companies are about. So.

You might notice some ads in the sidebar here soon, and there might be some posts that are more of the sponsored type showing up here and there. This is a choice I've mulled over for some time, and please know that Mama don't put up with crap for the money, mkay? I'm not going to suggest anything to you I wouldn't use in my own house with my own family, and I'll tell you if something is crap all the same.

But if you ever feel inclined to help this little blog with it's first after-school part-time job so it can finally afford the same cool things that the bigger blogs have, please click through the links if you plan on purchasing things from those vendors and share the love, yeah?

If you have any questions you know you can ask, right? I want to be an open book for you, but I'll work really hard on just being honest and not being overbearing or creepy as long as you agree to click smart and always make sure your purchases are made on secure websites, okay? I don't want you to catch a virus, or worse, have you end up with malware popping up a few months from now, because I'm honestly just not ready to be tech support any time soon. Your choices can greatly alter your long-term online experience, and I only want what's best for you and your internetting future. That's why I wanted to sit down and have this talk with you, blogger to reader, so that we can all move forward together with the power of knowledge and communal support on our sides.

I'm sure you have other blogs you need to catch up on, probably a linky party waiting for your submission, so I'll stop now. I'm just glad that we're close enough that we could have this talk like adults. I think it means we have a stable relationship, which is something I greatly treasure as we continue this blogging journey together.

Oh, just one more thing -- a little Pinterest can be good and healthy for your curiosity, but don't spend hours in front of your computer clicking and pinning, okay? It'll give you a warped sense of what real DIYing is all about and more than likely make you feel inadequate, which you're absolutely not. You're just probably a little less experienced, that's all.

Besides, all that squinting at the monitor in the dark will make you go blind.