By the Numbers: 14^th Anniversary for World of Words

(Courtesy Photo)
By the Numbers: 14^th Anniversary for World of Words 

It‘s another birthday for the World of Words by Elias Tobias, a poetry web blog.

It’s 14 years old in September, and despite a recent change in hosts that shut the site down for a few days, the popular blog can continue to grow. The World of Words by Elias Tobias has maintained a place in the top million web sites in the world for more than a year, according to Alexa.com, has a high ranking among U.S. sites, and is a top site in Indianapolis, where it is based.

The World of Words by Elias Tobias continues to embrace technology through the years.  It has its own facebook page, and podcasts of the author reading 26 poems from the Love Notes Collection.  Using YouTube, the Elias Tobias Channel has 34 videos, including 12 of “The Poetry Corner,” where Elias Tobias can be seen reading 12 of his favorite poems.  Other videos feature photography by Mike Hall, a video for the song “Next Flight” composed by Michael Albright, and a video biography of Elias Tobias.

Children can enjoy two short stories, “Briana’s Secret” in English and “The Peasant Princess” in English, French, Spanish, German and Arabic.   A text biography of Elias Tobias is in English and Spanish, and a biography of his wife, Patty, is available in English.

Articles include information about how to get published, how to start a poetry web site, four mini-lessons on how to write poetry, and an article about how to harness the power of words in an electronic age.

There are links to a free fan club, free poetry posters, free downloads of site logos for screen savers, free downloads of photos from the ArtBrushed Photo Gallery, featuring computerized alterations of photos by Mike Hall. There are two sets of 101 Words of Wisdom for those who enjoy quotes on topical subjects.  Learn about the unofficial fraternity of friends, Lambda Sigma Chi, and read their posted poems. One brother has a column of his experiences as a youth minister for his church.

The World of Words by Elias Tobias features a mission statement, a Reader’s Bill of Rights, advertising policy and a privacy policy.  Readers can get involved with The Elias Tobias Academy, links to education on the Internet and Mike’s Book Café, links to electronic books on the Internet, Poetry First Aid where poems that need help can be made new, ET Trivia, a game to find information on the site, and people can even write their own color poem via a link to this activity.

Press releases from years past are available along with a posted interview with Elias Tobias.  Archives monthly newsletters feature the Poem of the Month.  All photos published are in the Freeze Frame Photo Gallery

The best thing about the poetry web site is the poems, of course.  More than 250 poems are in nine books or collections, including Love Notes, Grace and Glory, A Cupful  of Words, 100% Fat Free Elias Tobias-brand Poetry, Color My Word, Figments of My reality, Mental Graffiti-Words on the Wall, a French poem collection-Les Aventures du Cow-Boy Cosmic, and a Spanish collection-Palabras de Inspiracion.

Finding the poems is easy with the internal search box with cross-referenced files that make keyword searches interesting. All previously published poems are in a linked poetry credits page post. It is easy to see why so many have discovered The World of Words by Elias Tobias, and there is more to come.  Those poets who are part of the International Poetry Link Exchange will be invited to share their work and promote their sites at the same time, while other poets with sites not yet part of the link exchange will be encouraged to participate.

At the Zoo

(Photos by Mike Hall)

A Siberian Tiger, monkeys, elephants, rhinos and a variety of birds, including cranes were at the Brownsville Zoo during a visit in 1998.  It was also the year the World of Words by Elias Tobias started with poems by Elias Tobias.  It has grown to embrace photos and new technology since its inception.

Have you read a good book lately? Find plenty of free books online at Mike’s Books Cafe.

In Memorial

(Photos by Mike Hall)

My mother-in-law, Mary Catherine Webb, passed away recently in her sleep on a Sunday afternoon, and the family gathered for a celebration of life on Sept. 1.  She was 89, was married 67 years to her husband, Gene, who preceded her in death, raised her family and grandchildren and more. She loved to travel and instilled the love of travel in her family, including my wife.  She had been battling a series of illnesses, including problems from Lymphoma, for over a month, and with all earthly and legal arrangements made, she went away. She was ready for her journey to the Lord.