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When Kate's blog submission Ladies in the Red: For the Broke and the Beautiful crossed our virtual desk we were intrigued and wanted to learn more. As it turns out, Kate, and her story is pretty intriguing all the way around - a mix of down to earth financial advice and information with great personality and a big dose of humility, this girl has seen financial ruin (is still in the midst of it actually) and lives to tell, and teach, about the process of crawling back out.

We asked Kate a few questions, read further to get the rest of the scoop on her story:

What happened in your life that made you want to start this blog?

I'm 29 (next month) and have experienced both business and personal bankruptcy (the personal caused by the business). I was in the disposable industrial clothing business (i.e. adult nappies). Following a government embargo on clothing from China, who supplied our orders, my company crashed spectactularly along with every every penny we'd invested into it (or it was spectacular to us - like watching a huge firework as it hits your house) and I lost everything I've ever owned. There was a positive note in this however, at least I didn't have to feign interest in the absorbancy and fit of adult nappies anymore. Every cloud...

What about that experience made you want to get typing so publicly?

I began blogging about my experience because I quickly realised on becoming bankrupt that there was very little support out there for women going through what is still quite a taboo subject for many people. I didn't want to hear about how my life was "over" and I'd "never get myself back on feet again" as so many people wanted to tell me, but wanted something upbeat and positive. Something that focused on moving on and moving up instead of wallowing in the misery of bankruptcy. I couldn't find what I wanted so I tried to create it myself, and Ladies in the Red: For the Broke and the Beautiful was introduced to the world in March of this year...well, I say 'the world' but I know for a fact that the initial regular reading 'community' was made up only of my mum and my Aunty Annie.

What's now? What's next?

I'm out of bankruptcy at the end of next month, just as I turn the grand old age of 29, and the blog is getting more readers every week (I think I might be up to double figures now!). This Lady in the Red will hopefully be a Lady in the Pink in the future. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

According to a recent study by Proofpoint, an email security and date protection company, 10 percent of companies surveyed have fired an employee for violating company policy regarding blogging and/or posting to forums while on the clock.

Although Ryan Singel at Wired's Threat Level blog speculates that the survey results may be a bit inflated or exaggerated based on the position Proofpoint has as a company in the business of selling email monitoring programs. Christopher Null at the Yahoo! tech blog The Working Guy considers the stats to be a bit more realistic, pointing out: "It's important to note that those statistics refer to the number of companies that have taken any action, not the number of workers who've been affected."

The survey included 308 companies, 28 of which have apparently fired bloggers for going against company policy.

Interested in the study in it's entirety? You can download the full report entitled "Outbound Email and Content Security in Today's Enterprise, 2007" here.

On Saturday, July 30th, numerous bloggers will brave sleep deprivation, over-caffeination, and goggle-eyes with one collective goal in mind: raising money for their favorite charities via Blogathon 2007 by posting to their blogs at least once every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight.

The Blogathon has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars altogether since it's inception in 2001 and is still going strong with even more bloggers and sponsors pitching in each year.

From the official event website:
"What is a blogathon? ...remember when you were in school and you would bowl for charity? And for every pin you knocked down you got, say, ten cents? Or run for a dollar a mile? During the Blogathon, people update their websites every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight. For this, they collect sponsorships. Pledges can be a flat donation, or a certain amount for every hour the blogger manages to stay awake."

There's still time to sign up as a blogger, a sponsor, or a monitor - or for more information check out the event FAQ.

Chicago-based professional yogi sought for weekly blog posts with a local focus on - what else? yoga.

Nerd, techie, geek, or otherwise brilliant tech-minded, well-written blogger wanted for new blog-style magazine.

30 posts in as many days expected of an Atlanta Falcons fan for NFL football blog.

Local handyman/toolie blogger position avaiable at Denver, Colorado hardware website.

Canadian HI/FI website needs an audio/video junkie for regular blog posts.

Shakespeare-devoted site/blog seeks MA or PhD-carrying bard blogger.

Established SEO website seeks experienced and passionate SEO expert/blogger.

Stress-free blogger wanted for relaxation and massage website.



As always, if you'd like to see your blogging gig posted in the Bloggapedia Blog, feel free to send complete details for consideration via our contact form.