Word on the street is that it’s final exam week for many students. We’re always happy to provide a study break, so in solidarity, here are some test-related posts from around the Blogads network:

WSWCM accurately illustrates many students’ sentiments towards their teachers:

A+ for being spot on.

DogShaming shames Ranger for scaring wimpy kid:

The kid gets an F for out-shaming the dog.

Tom and Lorenzo judge Katie Holmes’ Tom Ford number:

C for good color but unflattering shape.

The Pintester recreates the book Christmas tree:

The recreation isn’t too bad at all: B!

Regretsy highlights this felt nativity scene:

E for effort? Nah, still an F.

photo by flickr user blah.adam

It’s that time of the week for you to catch up on the updates and news you’ve been missing from around the Blogads network:

IMBOYCRAZY’s Alexi provides entertaining  life musings in her “Blind Leading the Blind” series:

Oh, hi, #3. I think we’ve met before.

Immaculate Infatuation recaps their Turkey Leg Ball extravaganza:

The event’s playlist is definitely worth downloading. It’s been the soundtrack to my week.

Mr. Kate just launched a new site redesign:

Loving all of the watercolor.

WTF, Pinterest? marks the end of the kale trend:

Back to being a brush-off garnish where you belong!

Betches Love This announces the first official Decembetch:

If you’re not wearing pink this month, you can’t sit with us.

photo by flickr user a2gemma

Dave Winer, a trailblazer in blogging software and all around visionary when it comes to the social web, is increasingly pessimistic about the survival of small and niche blogs in the face of Twitter’s “140-character grunts and snorts.” By extension, Winer sees diminishing coverage of important information niches. He sees a possible solution, networking, but thinks its unlikely: “If we could do more networking on a more regular and systematic basis, that would create incentives for more people to do it [blog], and would build flow independent of Twitter. But blogs work like everything else. Installed leaders don’t generally help upstarts.”

Dave was amazingly prescient in foretelling the exponential wave of people-powered publishing that started with blogging and rolled on through Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram et al. This post from early 1995, titled “Billions of websites,” included this passage: “Every writer can participate in the web. Someday, very soon, I believe, every writer will. That’s the next big opportunity in the online world.”

Dogs have been shaming and embarrassing themselves throughout the ages. What’s new is the perfect platform for sharing such behavior through hilarious and adorable pics on Pascale Lemire’s Dogshaming.com. Lemire took some time out to fill us in on the history and work that goes into running this incredibly popular and addictive site:

Q: When and why did you start Dogshaming?

A: I started Dogshaming in mid-August. It all started when my fiance, Mike, and I caught our more mischievous dog under the bed, chewing on Mike’s underwear. There was only the elastic band left. After laughing so hard that we cried, we started to get concerned. Was he going to be okay? Then he threw up part of them and the rest…well, you know. So Mike thought it would be funny to shame him, so he took a picture of Beau, which I posted on my personal blog. Within 12 hours, we’d amassed over 600 likes. So we started up Dogshaming, and the rest is history.

Q: How many picture submissions do you receive on average?

A: We receive probably over 500 submissions a day.

Q: From those submissions, have you found that any particular breed tends to be more frequently shameful?

A: Oh, yes: pitbulls, wiener dogs, labs and weimaraners are some of the most submitted.

Q: What pets do you have? Have they been featured on the site?

A: I have two weenies. They’ve both been showcased numerous time on the blog.

Q: What do your family and friends think of the site?

A: Everyone thinks it’s so funny. I’ve been really fortunate to have received very little backlash from this blog.

Q: What blogs do you read?

A: I read quite a few personal blogs from friends, but the popular ones I check are The Frogman, CuteOverload, Buzzfeed (we were featured in the 54 Best Tumblrs Started in 2012) and Awkward Family Photos.

Q: How much time do you spend on Dogshaming daily?

A: I spend approximately 6-8 hours a day working on submissions, Adoptable Fridays, correspondence, charities, etc. I’m a one-woman show, so it’s a full-time job!

Q: How much do you correspond one-on-one with readers?

A: I try to respond to all inquiries on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr within 12 hours. I am very active as our readership is the reason we’re still in business. Often, our readers have good ideas on how to improve the site.

Q: What joys did you not expect when you started the site? What pains?

A: The Adoptable Fridays is definitely the most fulfilling part of the blog. Being able to help these wonderful dogs who have no permanent home definitely makes up for the less fun parts. Every once in a while, I’ll receive a lude picture as a submission, or someone will tweet us about how terrible our site is and that we should quit Twitter. But then I realize, I have 18,000+ Twitter followers for a reason, and more than how many people read our blog every day? One person who hates our blog vs. hundreds of thousands who love it. Makes it easy to get past the negative.

Q: Which post has made you LOL the most?

A: Having seen close to 50,000 submissions, it’s hard to remember the ones who make me laugh. I think this one is probably one of the funniest, though.

ADVERTISERS: Make sure to check out Dogshaming’s current 300×250 and 160-wide ad units. Use Discount code “Blogads25” to receive 25% off when you purchase an ad within the next week. Dogshaming will donate another 25% of your purchase amount to an animal rescue center.

You’re officially invited to attend some awesome blogger-hosted events coming up. You can rest assured that each one is individually and simultaneously the social event event of the season. Check out what the bloggers around the Blogads network have been up to:

Gala Darling announces the location and date for the next Blogcademy meet-up:

There’s definitely a reason why she’s known as an international playgirl.

Immaculate Infatuation hosts the 3rd Annual Turkey Leg Ball later this month:

Consider Thanksgiving to be your practice day.

Your Life After 25‘s Da Vinci is organizing the first ever Blog Workshop May 17-19, 2013:

10% of the ticket purchases are going straight to Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children, Wellspring Living, and Suicide Prevention.

Alexi features weekly, interactive BOYCRAZY RADIO episodes on IMBOYCRAZY:

Last night’s episode includes special guest Kassem G. I’m not entirely sure who that is, but I am entirely sure you should be listening to the podcast right now.

It’s a CoverBoy Face-Off on Tom and Lorenzo:

This isn’t necessarily an event, but then again, yes, yes it is. All of you “Bitter Kittens” can vote with your comments.

photo by flickr user digital_image_fan

There have been whispers floating around that there may or may not have been some sort of election thing going on this week.  To help you snap out of the political coverage coma you’re likely still recovering from, here’s some non-political  features (remember those?) that you may have missed this week:

Regretsy showcases a typewriter that makes cocktails:

I feel like this is a contraption that Belle’s dad would have made in Beauty and the Beast. Crazy, old Maurice!

IMBOYCRAZY’s Alexi lists her top 75 reasons that keep her from wanting to die:

Thinking about the next thing I’m going to eat typically does it for me.

Tom and Lorenzo highlight the First Lady’s fashion:

I know that I said that there would only be political-free posts, but Michelle Obama’s fashion is always on point, objectively speaking, of course.

Turntable Kitchen features Sufjan Stevens’s version of “The Star-Spangled Banners:”

It’s like a patriotic sedative. Perfect timing, but also enjoyable any time of year.

Organic Authority lists laughter as a potential exercise:

I’m cancelling my gym membership immediately.

photo by flickr user Fraser Mummery

Post Sandy Sky

Hurricane Sandy has seriously affected so many people, homes and businesses this week, and that severity is not lost on us. This week, we’re shining a light on some of the storm-related posts–some with more (and arguably needed) levity than others. Between food contests, tongue-in-cheek survival guides and well-deserved doses of comic relief, there was no shortage of Hurricane Sandy coverage across the Blogads network this week:

Immaculate Infatuation wants you to enter your creative and delicious rations in their #SandySnacks Instagram contest:

Judging from some of the incredible pics, there’s no excuse for the rest of us to settle for microwaved ramen noodles tonight.

Gala Darling offers up 100 ideas to keep boredom at bay when you’re stuck inside:

I need to find out what a Monster High doll is.

Gala also provided a more serious and personal recap of what was going on in NYC after the storm:

Bill Cunningham is THE BEST.

Betches Love This have their very own Hurricane Sandy survivor guide:

It’s good to be prepared…in the betchiest way possible.

When #WhatShouldWeCallMe heard that all of their friends and family survived Sandy:

Hope everyone in the Northeast and/or with friends and family up there is doing well and able to get back to normal soon!!

photo by flickr user max_wei

This may be jumping the gun just a bit, but assuming that you’ll be celebrating Halloween this weekend rather than next Wednesday in order to avoid a brutal Thursday at work/school, gear up with these festive Halloween-themed posts from around the Blogads Network:

Betches Love This recap Pretty Little Liars‘ annual Halloween special episode:

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to be a full-grown adult and be completely invested in a high school show. No shame.

Gala Darling highlights some of last year’s best dog costumes at the Tompkins Square Park parade in the East Village:

Special shout-out to the hammerhead shark and the stegosaurus for teaching my heart what love is.

Oh, look! I also found Gala Darling’s 2010 coverage of the Tompkins Square Park dog parade:

Honorable mentions to Tron, Antoine Dodson and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Of course Regretsy has incredible Halloween costumes to share and inspire:

Aw, Bethany Hamilton…too soon.

Cutest Food shows off some tempting Halloween donuts:

WARNING: Do not go to this site when you’re hungry. It’s cruel.

The Pintester tries her hand at baking witch finger cookies:

Nailed it.

photo by flickr user hanna_horwarth

In case you’ve missed out on any of the following great finds from around the Blogads network, here’s a cheat sheet curated just for you:

The Comics Curmudgeon showcases what he does best- provides biting commentary on today’s comic strips:

Today’s selection includes disproportionate heads, an unrealistic celebrity drug deal and a pill-popping parent. Where is Peanuts when you need it?

Tom and Lorenzo takes a look at W‘s celebrity portrayal of style across the decades:

Looks like the art of not smiling was the only consistent trend over the years.

Regretsy offers up a peanut butter and jelly couple beard:

Just in time for Halloween! EVERYONE will get it.

Lamebook highlights some of the most successful Facebook statuses:

Liam Neeson quotes instantly up anybody’s Facebook street cred.

The Pintester answers the age old Pinterest question, “What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?“:

Spoiler alert: It’s not world peace.

photo by flickr user Kara Allyson

If it’s been a long, exhausting week for you, we’ve got the perfect prescription to perk you back up. Doctor’s orders: take a minute to let your heart melt over some of the cutest posts around the Blogads network:

Cute Overload displays a precious baby animal that I’ve never heard of.

-What is that, and how do I get one immediately?!

Hawaii Kawaii shows off snuggly Alpaca earmuffs.

-I’m glad to see alpacas finally getting some recognition in the fashion industry. This has been a long time coming.

Love Meow introduces us to best friends, Ollie the kitten and Bacon the dog.

-They’re the new Milo and Otis, minus the all of the life-threatening adventures.

Cutest Foods features candy corn marshmallows for Halloween.

-So cute, I could eat them! But, really.

What Should We Call Me illustrates what happens when someone cute smiles at you.

-That’s a smiling bunny, folks.

photo by flickr user a.drian