I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. I also wanted to thank everyone for visiting, reading and commenting on my little space on the internet. I am thankful for and appreciate every one of you. Keep those comments coming, they always make my day.

Originally, I wanted to write some grand post connecting literature to Thanksgiving, but didn’t get around to it. So I’m writing this little post. As they say, sometimes less is more.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Blog Action Day has arrived. This is the one day when I try to set aside posts about literature, writing, publishing and ebooks and focus on an issue that affects us all. This year that topic is climate change – a very real problem this earth is facing (and last I checked, this is the only earth we have, for now). This is a day when bloggers from all over unite on a single issue.

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I just wanted to post a quick note to say that my internet at home is currently down. We are getting some upgrades and they turned our DSL off yesterday. Should be back up by tonight, if not, then soon. Currently I’m sitting at a local Starbucks using their WiFi and enjoying a nice caffeine buzz from a mocha latte.

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I believe blogging is a powerful tool that is giving the mainstream media a run for its money. Blogs are becoming more accepted as a means to disseminate news and other information. This is why I think Blog Action Day 2009 is such a great idea. The event focuses on one pressing issue society faces, and this year that issue is climate change.

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This December Brad’s Reader will be 3 years old. In celebration, I’m going to be giving back to all of you who have made my blog a success. I never imagined that my blog would grow and evolve the way it has when I started writing a few posts about literature on the old Blogger platform.

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Yes, after much prodding I have finally jumped onto the Twitter bandwagon. My main reason for not joining sooner was that I wasn’t sure how I’d use Twitter. Would I write about the mundane details of my every day life? Would I write about writing? Would I make sarcastic comments about the book I’m currently reading?

Right now I’m still experiment with Twitter and, as they say, trying to find my ‘voice’. So my tweets might be all over the spectrum, from personal to sharing an interesting article on ebooks. I can assure you, however, that I have no intention of tweeting every little detail of my life (i.e. “I’m going to the bathroom now”). On average, since joining Twitter, I’m writing one tweet per day. But that will probably increase a little as I get more comfortable with Twittering.

With that said, you can check out my Twitter profile at: http://twitter.com/bradvertrees

I’m currently looking for a WordPress plugin so I can integrate my Twitter profile into this blog. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Twittering!

Since switching to the new blogging platform yesterday, one issue I have noticed already is the Brad’s Reader RSS feed. You’ll probably need to update your RSS reader to continue reading all the great content you have come to love from this blog.

To update your feed, you can either click on the RSS icon on the left side of the homepage. Or, just point your RSS reader to: http://www.bradsreader.com/feed/

As always, if you have any further problems or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Don’t worry, the intertubes aren’t broken. This is the same Brad’s Reader, just with a new, improved and upgraded design. My blog also has a few new features as well. Here’s a rundown of what’s new:

- More categories: The categories have been  updated to reflect how Brad’s Reader has evolved over the last year or so. You’ll find a handful of new categories and a few old ones are still around. This will make finding posts that interest you easier (i.e. there is now a category for ebooks!).

- Related posts: You will now see a small list of similar posts under each one. I’m actually really excited about this feature. When I first started Brad’s Reader, I did this manually. But as the blog grew it became impossible to go back and find related posts.
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Early Saturday morning I was struck with an epic case of the stomach flu, which I’m still recovering from. Needless to say, my posting has become a bit thin, and will remain so until I get back on my feet.

Until then, you can look forward to some very cool changes coming soon to Brad’s Reader.

If you’re still looking for something to read right now though, then you can always browse my top posts. Or, you can check out my New Readers Page to see what Brad’s Reader is all about.

How I have managed to run this blog since December 2006 and never have a privacy policy is beyond me. In fact, it never really occurred to me that I needed one until just recently. This is just a blog where people read my posts, maybe leave a comment or two, and if you really like me, subscribe to my newsletter. I’m not exactly collecting valuable data that I’m going to use in nefarious ways. (or am I?)

Yet the powers-that-be will beg to differ. So I have written this privacy policy in hopes to alleviate any fears that this blog is harmful to your computer, finances, privacy, love life, etc. I make no promises about this blog adversely affecting your mental health though.

Here it goes:

1. Leaving a comment or subscribing to my newsletter requires you give your email address. Your email address stays 100% confidential. I never sell, rent, or give away your email to any third party for any reason. If you leave a comment, I might send you a quick thank-you note via email, but that’s about it.

2. I do use third-party advertising on this blog (mainly Amazon.com and Google Adsense). They both utilize cookies and collect non-personal identifying information about you.

We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

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