The Canary Report

It’s time to take The Canary Report to the next level!

Posted on Jun 27, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

The Canary Report will experience some growing pains over the next month as we upgrade our website and expand our services!

The Canary Report will experience some growing pains over the next month as we upgrade our network and expand our services! Thank you for all your support!

Aloha Canaries!

You’ll start to see some changes over the next month at The Canary Report as we upgrade our website and network so that we can expand our services. The biggest changes you’ll see will be in the overall design and an upgrade to a better platform for our online social network. I want you to know that I will be doing everything I can to make the new website and network as comfortable and user-friendly as is it now, so please don’t get nervous– I will build another nest for us as safe and comfortable as our current one, I promise!

Please note that this blog you are reading right now will stay right where it is– in fact, one of the biggest changes will be our current network merging into this thecanaryreport.org site.  I’m excited about the changes because the new design will integrate all our services– my blog that you are reading here, all the resources pages, and our entire network with forum, our Canary Report Bloggers, our groups, chat, and photo albums will all be located on this website here at thecanaryreport.org– it will all be under one roof. This will allow us to offer more comprehensive services to our community with more content and information to provide canaries with informed dialogue about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

If you are a current member of our network, click here to learn more about the move and how you can help us pack and migrate over to our new network. If you are not a member, you might think about joining now so you can review our archives before the move. All current members will automatically become members of our new network.

Everyone should plan on the upgrades happening within the next two to four weeks if all goes smoothly on my end. But community members should start saving stuff you want to keep right away, including the content you want to save from other people’s posts. I cannot guarantee that everything will be moved from the network, we might lose some content, so be sure to save your favorite stuff. (Again, nothing will be moved that is on this blog, only the network will be migrating from the Ning platform to join us here at thecanaryreport.org.)

I’m sorry for any disruption this may cause, but I promise that after we get through this month of change, we will emerge as a BIGGER and BETTER Canary Report!

Holler if you have any questions.

THANK YOU for all your support! Remember, TOGETHER we are stronger!

Aloha,
Susie xoxo

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Tags: Support

The site is under construction today!

Posted on Jan 21, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

We are doing some design work on the site today so things may look a little jangled up for awhile. You should still be able to navigate the site and leave comments. I’m sorry for any confusion. Thanks much for your patience! Aloha, Susie

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The Canary Report will host special group chats for Christmas

Posted on Dec 23, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

Happy Holidays, Canaries!

I’ll be hosting special Group Chats at our social network on Christmas Eve at 9:00 pm Eastern Time, and Christmas Day at 3:00 pm Eastern Time.

Come join us to share some virtual nog and real holiday cheer!

Aloha,
Susie

Photo credit

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The Canary Report is under construction!

Posted on Dec 09, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

Things might look a little crazy and disorganized on the site over the next few days while we make adjustments with the new theme. Our web designer is moving through the process as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience!

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Change is here at The Canary Report!

Posted on Dec 05, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, News, Susie Collins

With a new theme that’s easier to read, navigate and search, The Canary Report is reborn as a safe home for the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity community!

Aloha Canaries,

As you can see, we’ve launched a new theme! I think this new format will better present the mission of The Canary Report, which is to provide news, information and inspiration to people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

You’ll notice right away that I’ve eliminated the separate home page and made the heart of the site the blog itself. You’ll now have the choice to “Read More” of a story that catches your interest, or scroll on quickly to the next report.

In addition to making the navigation easier for you, this theme will allow me to bring you more news faster, and if I chose, to quickly post a micro blog.

Probably one of the first things you’ll notice is that the font is bigger and that there is no more animated feature box; I did this to provide better access for my readers with sight sensitivities.

As an overarching change in direction, The Canary Report’s tagline is no longer about “sounding the alarm,” but rather about creating “a safe home for the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity community” through this blog and our social network. So most of the changes are geared to that end. I really want to focus on building a strong online MCS community, providing smart and practical commentary that can help you cope with things, tons of support and resources, and most of all, lots of love and understanding about the challenges you face with MCS.

We are still under construction, so over the next few days, you’ll be seeing some color, content and format changes. I still need to go through all 950 posts on the site to tweak them a bit so their format matches the new post box. In the meantime, if you scroll through the blog, the posts may look a little jumbled– I’ll have that fixed soon!

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see this blog and our social network become more integrated so it no longer feels like they are two separate sites.

In the very near future, you’ll start to see some advertising. I will retain as much control as possible over our sponsors so that the products are suitable for our community; you won’t be seeing ads for commercial dryer sheets and air fresheners! Monetizing the site will allow me to keep improving content and services for you as time goes on.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all my community members, readers, contributors, and guest bloggers for all you’ve brought to The Canary Report. I have always looked at this as an adventure in teamwork and I do hope this blog and our network are helping to make your life with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity a bit more bearable. Together, we are stronger!

Aloha,

Susie xoxo

PS A special thanks to Cassie at Mamas On the Web for all her tech support and hard work on the new theme. I really admire her diligence and patience. Given the number of times I’ve changed my mind about the theme, colors and format, it will be a miracle if she ever talks to me again after we’ve finished! Mahalo to you Cassie! xoxo

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Tags: MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Support

A message from the editor

Posted on Apr 12, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

Aloha Dear Readers,

If you’re reading this, then you already know we’ve launched the new and improved Canary Report! It’s very exciting, and the fruit of a lot of labor, not just from me but from web designer Jason Fowler, who designed our new logo and did a lot of the code work, and Grant Gannon, who specializes in this particular theme and is helping with some final tweaks. A HUGE thank you to them both for their hard work and diligence, especially when things got difficult during the migration from the old theme to the new.

There are a few glitches still to work out, like the loading times of the pages, but all in all, The Canary Report is reborn!

First, I wanted to thank the flock for your patience during the three weeks we were offline. I really missed you! That you all came back so quickly means a lot to me.

Couple things to note about improvements to the site:

Categories, Comments, and Sharing

• Categories are reorganized, with main categories listed at the top menu bar. Drop down menus tell you the subheaders.
• Home page now has a fancy Featured Story box with rotating top stories of the week.
• Comments are much easier to access now with a link at the top of each post.
• A list of related topics is now at the end of each post.
• A “Share and Enjoy” bar is now at the end of each post so you can directly Digg, Twitter, share on Facebook and other social network sites.

Contributors

The Canary Report now has a team of contributors with specialists in the fields of disability law, public health, indoor environmentalism, safe architecture, safe household products, and more. We also have two top media researchers scouring the interwebs for stories of interest to people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. This infusion of talent and expertise will enrich The Canary Report’s content and help you get the quality information you need to live as safe, healthy, and productive a life as possible. A big mahalo to Linda, Keith, Amy, Bonita, and Michael for joining Team Canary!

The Flock, a social network for peeps with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Rather than just add a plain forum on the main site, we’ve created an adjunct social network called The Flock. There, you can participate in an active forum,  but also add photos and videos to share with everyone, design your own home page, and even do your own blog posts. So far, we’ve had great conversations about bath soap, bathroom and floor renovations, no-fragrance policies at schools, tips on how to talk to friends and co-workers about perfume use,  apartment hunting, CFL lamps, and much more. Many have posted photos and vids to share. We have everyone joining in the conversation from newbies to seasoned MCSers who know the ropes. Come join The Flock!

Mahalo!

It takes a village to create a blog, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported, visited, and contributed to The Canary Report. The best is yet is come!

Aloha,

Susie xoxo

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Tags: Health, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Support

Change is coming to The Canary Report

Posted on Feb 14, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

Aloha Dear Readers,

Posts on The Canary Report will be sparse over the next few days. I am taking apart my office, removing all the furniture, cleaning and painting (safe paint!) top to bottom, and then putting it back together in an arrangement that will work much better for me.

This is a precursor to an extreme makeover to The Canary Report itself. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be launching a whole new theme on the website, one that will be easier to use and navigate (I promise!), with capacity to include information pages. This means that The Canary Report will be transforming from a blog about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity to a full service website on MCS that includes a blog component.

After the launch of the new theme, I’ll be packing the site full of information on disability rights, safe housing and construction, healthy living, health care, products, research, mold, chemicals, alternative products and more. Guest bloggers will also be coming on board, including attorneys, medical doctors, architects, specialists in ADA and worker’s rights, and many others. It’s very exciting!

In addition, several adjunct social networking components will be launched, including a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube (I hope to be producing MCS videos soon!).

Most exciting, a dedicated social network specially made for The Canary Report community is already launched! I haven’t figured out all the bells and whistles yet myself, but I hope you’ll go check it out and join– you can start your own blog, share your photos and videos, ask questions on the forum, and chat amongst yourselves. You can get a sneak peek at the new logo, too!

Okay, I’m off to start stripping my office. I hope you’ll go play on the new social network site over the weekend. Try not to feel intimidated or confused with the format, just take it slow, poke around, click on everything. Don’t worry about making a mistake, ok? Just play, you can always delete anything you don’t like or just check with me and I can help. It’s going to be really fun– so now, instead of just me posting things for you, we can ALL share with each other!

And hey, all you “lurkers” out there! Come join us in the conversation, come share your wisdom, your worries, your life with MCS. Together, we are stronger!

Before I close, I just want to reassure you that The Canary Report itself will remain pretty much the same. I will continue to search the Interwebs for information and news about which I think you’d be interested. And, if I can ever figure out how to find the time, I’d like to start writing original essays for you on MCS issues. All in due time, my Dear Canaries.

Enjoy your three-day weekend!

Aloha,

Susie xoxo

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Tags: Editor's Notes, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

We’re on Alltop.com!

Posted on Nov 01, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Media/Videos, Susie Collins

The Canary Report is now listed on the online news aggragator Alltop.com! In the world of blogs, this is huge and wonderful. But it’s not just The Canary Report that’s listed in Alltop’s new Environmental Health topic, some of our flock have their blogs listed, too! “The Oko Box Blog,” “I Learned Something Today,” and “Living W/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity” are listed! And organization blogs like “MCS America” and “Enviroblog” can celebrate, too.

I’m thrilled!!

Let me tell you how this all came about.

I recently received a request from Neenz Faleafine at Alltop.com to help her develop an Environmental Health category. The request stemmed from a friend I’d made on Twitter, Burt Lum, who lives on Oahu. Burt tweeted one day about the beautiful rain on a sunny day, and I responded that not only is it beautiful but it makes rainbows! Next thing you know, Burt is visiting The Canary Report, loves it, and contacts Neenz at Alltop suggesting that we be listed.

When Neenz contacted me, she asked what category might work best for The Canary Report, and I told her that Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is an Environmental Health issue. Well, Alltop didn’t have an Environmental Health topic yet, so she asked if I would be interested in gathering together some feeds to launch the topic. I jumped at the chance! I was so excited to help develop this very important topic.

I submitted a bunch of feeds that I thought would work for Environmental Health– some did, some didn’t– and Neenz added some feeds that I had never seen before: she knows her stuff! For those of us bloggers hunting for topic inspiration, or for anyone doing the rounds to stay up-to-date on news and information about MCS and Environmental Health in general, you can’t beat this group of links on Alltop.com!

Mahalo to Burt for his matchmaking and mahalo to Neenz for putting together a great Environmental Health topic on Alltop! I really appreciate all your support not just for The Canary Report, but for all the sites promoting education and awareness about Environemntal Health. Aloha!

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Tags: Environment, Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, SocialNetworking, Support

New category on The Canary Report “Resources” page: Environmental Health

Posted on Oct 21, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

I’ve developed a new category on the Resources page: Environmental Health. Let me know if you’d like to see something added to this new category or any other!

Environmental Health

Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: Your Home & Your Health

EHS Today: Environment

Enviroblog

Environmental Health News

Environmental Health Perspectives

Healthy Child Healthy World

Secret Ingredients

Switchboard: Jennifer Sass’s Blog (National Resources Defense Council)

The Angry Toxicologist

The Center for School Mold Help

The Collaborative on Health and the Environment

The Pump Handle

U.S. Air Now (Current air quality in United States)

Women’s Voices for the Earth News

Thanks, Linda, for suggesting CMHC!

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Tags: Editor's Notes, Environment, Environmental Health

The canary is taking a one day break

Posted on Sep 07, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

No posts today, I’m kicking back, off to bed early. If you want to amuse yourselves, check out the comment section on this Aug 10 post. It’ll make you WILD. Would love to hear your thoughts!

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Tags: Editor's Notes

My apologies to my loyal readers

Posted on Aug 26, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Editor's Notes, Susie Collins

My bad.

Early this morning at 2 a.m., bleary and exhausted, while trying to figure out how to control the massive amounts of spam comments that were flooding the site, I accidentally deleted ALL the comments of the past few weeks. MAJOR BUMMERS. I got so mad at myself because there was so much information in the comments that loyal visitors had left: info about air filters and kitty litter and childhood trauma from chemical cleansers. I know the commentors took time and thought to write these comments and as host it’s my responsibility to protect and honor your input, a bloggers creed. I’m so sorry!

There’s a possibility that the comments are hiding somewhere in a cache that I don’t know how to access. But I have a bad feeling that the cache function wasn’t activated. The loss of your thoughts is especially annoying because, with the help of a member of the Canary flock, I had improved the comments a bit yesterday by fixing the avatar function so that people with Gravatar accounts have their photo show up with their comments– I was so happy about that.

Anywho, thanks everybody for your patience while I learn how to do this. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement, it means a lot to me. I’m not very geeky, so it’s a steep learning curve. I look at the pages of code and settings and have immediate brain freeze. So please continue leaving comments and I promise not to accidentally check that stupid little box that marks a whole chunk of good comments as spam and sends them to to the ether.

PS I hope to have a link to the comments function under each post on the blog page soon (right now you have to click on the individual post to access the comments). And I have lots of other plans for more user-friendly widgets and information… stay tuned!

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Tags: Editor's Notes