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More Blogger Aloha – A Maui Blog

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Aloha!It was only a few months ago when I writing about how hard-working Hawaii blogger Sheila from GoVisitHawaii.com was nominated as a finalist in the Lonely Planet’s Best Travel Destination Blog of 2009. It was a rough battle with some other amazing blogs from across the globe, but GVH took home the top prize.

Over the weekend, another one of my favorite Hawaii bloggers, Liza from A Maui Blog, was featured on the new So Much More Hawaii site, which is put together by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. The piece is a Q&A style with Liza and she offers some very nice insight into the what/who/why of her blog and her Aloha for Hawaii. Be sure to read the entire post and leave your own comments.

I think it’s pretty cool that the HVCB has taken to blogging and social media (@hawaiihta) to help spread the beauty of Hawaii. It’s also fitting that they choose to feature Liza and A Maui Blog because she herself has been a big advocate of social media Aloha with her blog, via Twitter as @AMauiBlog, and by taking it one step forward by adding the “in real life” connections via her Maui Tweetups. Cindy and I had the great pleasure of meeting Liza and a few other Maui tweeps on our visit to Maui last February, and it was such an awesome part of what turned out to be an amazing two weeks in paradise. Having met her in person, I can say that everything that Liza exudes on her blog and via Twitter is 100% completely genuine, which is a very admirable trait in my book, and one of the big reasons you should be reading her blog.

Maui Tweetup

Left to Right: Dave (@raatz), Liza (@AMauiBlog), me (@webnelly) – not my best shaka. :)

Be sure to check out the full article with Liza over at the So Much More Hawaii blog. Also, I featured A Maui Blog in our Weekly Website series back in January, so take a read there to see more of why I really enjoy her blog. And of course, if you’re not already subscribing to A Maui Blog or following @AMauiBlog on Twitter, you’re missing out.

Way to go Liza, and keep up the great work!

 

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Some Aloha Reading…

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Blue and GreenIt’s hard to believe a month has already passed since our most recent trip to Maui. There is still a lot of work and updates to our site that I have on my plate, and it’s not hard to see I’m falling behind. :)

In place of a full post today, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts to pop up in my feed reader in the past few days. Enjoy.

  • The latest edition of the Carnival of Aloha is now available over at Homespun Honolulu. This month’s edition features a pair of underwater posts, an interesting discussion on SPAM, a little bit of the arts, fresh flowers, and some fireworks in Waikiki. Lots a great stuff at the Carnival as usual, be sure to plan some time to go through it all.
  • Sheila over at Go Visit Hawaii is having a really great week. Last Friday, she and her husband were on hand in San Francisco to accept the Lonely Planet’s Travel Blog Awards, where she scored the Best Destination Blog. On Tuesday, she was blowing the candles off of a blog birthday cake celebrating 2 years of sharing tons of expert Hawaii travel advice. To add more icing on that cake, she’s getting set to play travel guide in real life with an upcoming trip to Maui. (Plus, her Canes are doing better than our Hawks, but that’s a sore subject right now).
  • Speaking of Maui, Liza over at A Maui Blog shares a topic closer to my heart…er stomach. :) She’s started a Where Locals Eat on Maui list on her blog, which she’s calling a “work in progress”. Cindy and I have been lucky enough to visit some of the top places on this list, and I caution you not to read this on an empty stomach. Some very ono eats and some good memories. Oh, and that “work in progress” reference means you get to help chime in with your favorites. Be sure to talk a little story while you’re there.
  • Boy, that’s a lot of reading by now. Give your eyes a little rest and enjoy this stunning photo from Kuanyin at Wailea Daily Photo. I can only imagine how amazing this was to see in person.

While not an excuse, you can see how easy it is for me to get wrapped up in more reading than writing. So many great blogs and posts out there, so little time. :)

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Share some Aloha for GoVisitHawaii.com

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of GoVisitHawaii.com. Not only have I been recommending GVH to friends and family as the best online resource for all sorts of Hawaii Travel Advice, we’ve also use it for our own trips.  When we were looking for a nice spot for breakfast after our sunrise visit to the  Haleakala Summit, Go Visit Hawaii had a review.

Back in November, when our February trip seemed so far away, Sheila was sharing a great deal that almost led to a last minute getaway for Cindy and I. When it comes to knowing Hawaii inside and out, and sharing every bit of it, she’s the tops. It’s no surprise that she’s been asked by Budget Travel to participate in their Trip Coach series for Hawaii the past two years (2007 and 2008).
Time to Give Back
For all the hard work that Sheila has done over at GoVisitHawaii.com, she is one of five finalists for the Best Destination Blog in the 2009 Travel Bloggers Awards held by Lonely Planet. We have a lot of respect for the work that LP does with their guides, so this is a pretty big deal just to be nominated.
So, I’m putting out the request to all the friends, family, co-workers, and readers here at our site that I’ve recommended Go Visit Hawaii to in the past year or so. Here’s your chance to say Mahalo for having such great Hawaii Travel Advice right at your fingertips. I’ve only heard great things from all of you about what you’ve taken away from visits to GVH, and if you haven’t seen the new site design yet, get on over there and check it out already!
You can check out the other nominees and place your vote here. Even though you may live in the Chicagoland area like we do, you’re only allowed to vote once (I kid!). Voting is open until March 20th, but that deadline will be here sooner than you think. Don’t delay and get your vote in now.
Mahalo to Sheila for all the hard work she’s done with Go Visit Hawaii, and congrats on being nominated for such an amazing award.  And a big mahalo for all of you out there for your consideration and your votes.

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Sharing: How to Photograph a Sunrise

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

I’m telling you, the anticipation of seeing our first Haleakala sunrise is popping up all over the place. Here’s another example that I thought was helpful to share. The following is an article on how to photograph sunrises, which showed up in my RSS reader just this morning.

How to Photograph a Sunrise – from Digital Photography School
The post is short and sweet, with a few good quick tips to remember.  Luckily, I had planned for all the gear mentioned (including the remote shutter release) for my DSLR, but still hadn’t gotten around to scoping out exposure settings.  I am just a little nervous about getting good shots (aside from the threat of weather) because I know there’s only a limited amount of timeyou have to “get it right” each morning.
Even if I don’t get the perfect shot this first time, I’m planning for a redux when we stay overnight in Hana, so that’s reassuring.  Regardless, I still know it’s going to be a memorable experience.
Talk Story
Have any of your own favorites from Haleakala? Maybe you have your own special techniques or tips on how to get the best shots.  Share them with us, the more links, the better.
Mahalo.

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Weekly Website: A Maui Blog

Friday, January 2nd, 2009
Aloha! Welcome to 2009 and another installment of our Weekly Website series.
We’re sticking with a Maui focus for our featured site this week, and we taking a look at one of the categories of blogs that I like to call “life in paradise.”
A Maui Blog
While the sites in our weekly series to this point have been travel and information guides focused on Maui and the other Hawaiian islands, A Maui Blog is the first in our series that showcases life on Maui. The blog is written by Liza, who has been living on the Valley Isle since ’94 (lucky duck). Checking out the archives at A Maui Blog, it was started back in December of 2006, but has really taken off with regular posts now in the past 3 months or so. While that might not seem like a lot, Liza has been blogging non-stop on her original blog, Liza’s Eyeview, for 2 full years now. For those of us that have a passion for blogging, we know that it takes a lot of work to keep up that pace for so long.
I referred to this blog as being in category I call “life in paradise,” because that’s what A Maui Blog is all about. It covers different aspects of living on Maui, from things like local news, weather, and events to updates on what her kids are up to. There are a lot of great photos, too, which we really like. These aren’t all just the typical postcard views either (although there are some of those). We enjoy the everyday photos that showcase life on Maui, whether it’s a day at the mall or outdoor xmas decorations, Hawaiian style. It’s that view of everyday life that I enjoy the most about her blog, as well as the notion that life on Maui isn’t always about sunsets and going to the beach.
Features
A Maui Blog is a traditional blog, which aren’t structured with the navigation and features of a full website. For those types of blogs, the focus in this part of our review looks at some of the regular post series instead of site features.

The are currently three series that are featured on A Maui Blog, with my favorite being the Wordless Wednesday series. There’s something about photos that just capture the pure essence of Maui that need no further explanation. Those always gets to me. I also enjoy the Aloha Friday series each week, because after all, who doesn’t look forward to Fridays?

The Aloha Friday series at A Maui Blog is in participation with many other blogs featured at An Island Life. You can find even more blogs participating there each week.

Favorite Posts
I’ve only been following A Maui Blog for about a month or two, but that’s still enough time to gather a few favorite posts.

We welcome you to talk story if you have thoughts on this review or on A Maui Blog. Mahalo to Liza for sharing a little bit of her family’s life on Maui with all of us, and keep those photos coming!
Stay tuned next week for another edition in our Weekly Websites series, and if you have a blog or site you’d like us to feature, read below.
Mahalo.
The Weekly Website Series here at our blog showcases various websites and blogs that we like to frequent, as well as recommend to others. There are so many Maui and Hawaii focused sites out there, it might seem a little intimidating at first. By featuring sites that we us ourselves and have found very helpful and engaging, we hope to introduce others to the very best out there.

To follow along with future editions of our Weekly Website Series, be sure to subscribe to our blog feed to get the latest posts and updates. We already have a bit of a queue, but if you haven’t seen one of your favorites yet, you can contact us or send me a note on Twitter.

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