NetGalley

I seem to have found out that several of my blogging friends have not heard of NetGalley yet. So, here is a quick rundown of the site. 

Just goto NetGalley and sign up as a reviewer. You fill in a few things on your profile (like your blog addy) and then search the galleys they have available. You can search by genre, publisher, or what has recently been added. Not all publishers are on NetGalley, but many are and several more are signing up. You click on request if you are ready and then you wait. The publisher reviews your request and either accepts or denies it. Once you are accepted, you can then download usually to several formats. All are currently available only as ebooks and are either ARCs or Galleys (hence the name). After you have read the book and reviewed it, you can copy, paste your review, where it's reviewed (some want to know if you have posted it to other places other than your blog) and you also click review completed. The publisher will get a notice of your review. You can also deny a review if you just can't finish the book for some reason. Oh, and you don't have to memorize all of this, the instructions on the site are quite clear and easy to follow. You can follow NetGalley on Twitter as well. :)

Hope this quick post helps those out there that haven't heard of this great site!

A Couple of Free things to Make Modern Life Easier

I have been suggesting these things to a couple of friends who had never heard of these programs. I thought maybe I should do a quick blog about them to let more people in on the goodies. :) One is Dropbox. This is a program you install on your computer (both PC and Mac friendly!) and you get free secure space to upload all sorts of stuff. You also get a public folder so you can post pictures to various sites. The Dropbox logo is from my public file. I don't have to go to the web site to upload, I do it all from my computer. There is no time limit and yes, it is free. You earn more space up to 3 MB by referrals. After that, there are monthly programs that you can buy if you wish. Those programs are very competitive out there. No, you have no obligation to buy unless you want more space. Just click here to find out about the program. Oh, and if you have an iPod Touch or iPhone, the Dropbox app is free! Great way to have files at your fingertips!

The other program is still not out of beta yet, but still worth mentioning. It is google voice. Just do a search for it and sign up for the program. I didn't have to wait long to get my invite. What I like about this programs is that you can hook up as many phones as you like to it and if you have to get a new cell phone and they make you get a new number, you don't have to give everyone you know the new number. Just give them the google voice number and it will work as long as you hook up the new phone to it. So, you don't have to confuse your friends and loved ones no longer. No more important calls missed. And it also allows you to screen calls if needed. Nice free program. Nothing to download. The only thing needed is a google account.