Webmaster Update 2:  LostinIraq.com is now offline, but you can still access the site via Archive.org.

Webmaster Update 1:  Unfortunately, the Milblogging.com Blog Comments are currently not working.  It just leaves a blank comment.  We're researching the issue right now. Thanks to Kathi for catching this.  Honestly, it's actually a glitch, and not an evil plot to block snarky comments from certain readers.  Anyway, I'll start researching this issue just as soon as I finish my latest enhancement: automatically deleting all comments from users where the first name starts with the letter "k".  Coming Soon!

Example of an Xanga Blog

I’d like to thank everyone who has been recommending inactive/obsolete sites for removal from the Milblogging.com database.  There are several hundred sites in the database that no longer exist or have been inactive for years.  Anyway, the glory days of leaving inactive or obsolete sites in the database are gone. Now that we’ve reached over 2,000 blogs indexed in the Milblogging.com database, we’re gonna start cleaning house so that we can improve things around here.  Particularly with the Xanga.com blogs, there’s nearly a hundred listed that have been deleted by their owners or that are no longer active.

I don’t want to put down Xanga.com, but if you open up a Xanga blog, it’s like watching the blue screen of death.  I’m assuming most of the Xanga users made the move to Facebook or Blogger.  I’m not saying the Xanga design is the worst I’ve seen online, but I’ve seen better websites designed by a box of rabbits.  In fact, I threw up once after eating at a buffet and partying all night, and I'm pretty sure my vomit was better organized than an Xanga website.   

I’m just saying.

Back in 2006 I submitted Milblogging.com to Wikipedia and it was accepted.   Since then, Milblogging.com receives regular traffic from Wikipedia.  It took awhile for the site to be accepted, but after going back and forth with the folks at Wikipedia they finally agreed to list it.  In fact, a lot of the "fat" I originally wrote, has been trimmed by their editors. 

Now, if I remember correctly, if you plan to get listed on Wikipedia, you or your website have to be considered notable by Wikipedia’s standards.  I have no idea what notable really means, nor do I care.  But apparently Milblogging.com was notable enough to be accepted.

Getting coverage on sites like Wikipedia, BlogCatalog and others, certainly helps build steady traffic back here.  So I suggest giving it a shot.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go bottle-feed some baby kittens that were abandoned by their mother.   There’s even a baby squirrel in the litter that I rescued from the jaws of a wild bear.  Anyway, I’m not just a military blogger, I'm also a humanitarian.

I can almost taste that 2008 Weblog Award.

Thanks to Jakob, who has been keeping up his research on military blogs with polls, stories and more.

As you can see the rules are pretty self-explanatory for the CAC folks.  The only point I kind of disagree with is # 4.  Especially, if you're a grunt.  It kind of defeats the purpose of being in the Infantry.  I mean, the things I learned at Fort Benning from Drill Sergeants.  For example, when they would yell at us to Shut our Mouths.  Only, instead of 'Mouth' they'd replace it with another word.  For arguments sake, let's just say the first part of the other word rhymed with 'shock' and the second part was 'holster'. 

Pretty much creating the most awesomest phrase I've ever heard spoken by any human being.  Shakespeare is a distant second.

(Stars and Stripes)  Christmas cards are often bearers of family photos and newsletters along with festive greetings. Some military spouses have found that a personalized weblog delivers family news all year long — and crosses one item off the holiday “to do” list.

“My Christmas letter turns into a New Year’s letter … then an oops-maybe-next-year letter,” said Air Force wife and family blogger Jen Parrott of Spangdahlem, Germany.

What do you get the Milblogging.com Webmaster for Christmas?  I'm sure many of you are asking yourselves.  Well, if through some miracle I make the list of 'Best Mlitary Blog' Finalists in the 2008 Weblog Awards, you could always vote for Milblogging.com.  But like most things in life, I don't always get what I wish for.  Like last Christmas.  I asked Santa to let me wake up at home with my wife and kids.  Instead, I ate at a Chow Hall in the desert where I was greeted by two Kuwaitis holding hands and dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus.  Both male. 

I still don't know what was more disturbing.  Watching Mrs. Claus pick his nose or going to the fixins' table and seeing a giant camel sculpture made completely out of butter wearing an elf hat.

Picture of Lance Corporal William Walker

(Peterlee Mail)  A DIARY detailing a brave soldier's life in the First World War trenches has been unearthed in pristine condition.

The First World War writings of Lance Corporal William Walker have now been printed in a book called My Experiences in the Great War after it was found in his daughter's loft.

The Hartlepool soldier served in the Highland Light Infantry in France from 1915 to 1917 where he wrote about the battles in an old school book.

At 20-years-old he left his job on Hartlepool's dock to fight on the front line where he saw action during the Battle of Loos in 1915 and the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

He returned home just months before the war's end in 1918 after being shot twice, with one bullet destroying his left bicep. He died, aged 82, in 1977.

Read the entire story here.

(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)  Mr. Hill has a soft spot for those who defend the country.

The scheduled Milblogging.com site upgrade that occurred this morning at 1 AM was a success.  The minor upgrade included much needed bug fixes and improvements in functionality.  I’ll be sharing information about each bug fix and enhancement over the next few days.

Bug Fix 1: Make Changes to a "Claimed Blog"

If you've claimed any military blogs indexed in the Milblogging.com database, you can now make changes to each "Claimed blog" and the changes will be instantaneously displayed on the website.  This allows you to keep information about your military blog updated in the Milblogging.com database.  You can modify information such as: Title, Description, Country, Language, Author, Branch, Gender, Feed Type, and Feed URL.  Keeping your blog up-to-date in the database, helps Milblogging.com visitors improve their chances of finding the blogs that interest them.   To make changes to a "Claimed Blog":

1.  Sign in to Milblogging.com with your member information.
2.  Click on the My Milblogs URL at top of the site. 
3.  On the My Milblogs page, scroll down to the "My Claimed Blogs" section and click the Title of "Claimed Blog" you want to update.  The "Military Blog Profile" page will appear.
4.  On the "Military Blog Profile" page, scroll down to the Actions section, and click Make Changes.  The Manage Milblog page will appear, that allows you to make changes.