If you're new to the world of FarmVille, it won't likely take long for you to figure out why this game has captured the imagination of so many people. There are a ton of options when it comes to what seeds you can grow, what buildings and decorations you can put on your farm, and which types of livestock you choose to raise. Because you do have so many options though, it can be a little difficult at first to figure out where to start in order to develop your farm right.

Expand Slowly

You want to get the most out of your land when you're working in FarmVille. This means that you'll want to clear a substantial amount of land so that you can plant as many crops as possible. You do have to be careful about how much land you clear at once though. It costs 15 coins to clear one plot of land, so if you clear too many at once, you won't have any coins left to buy the seeds you want to plant.

It's best to slowly expand your plowed plots of land so that you're always able to take full advantage of their planting potential. After each harvest, it's a good idea to replant on all of your current plots first. Once you've done this it will be much easier to figure out how much more land you can afford to clear this time around. Following this pattern will quickly allow you to expand your farm while ensuring that you always have enough money to plant on all of your cleared plots.

Plan Your Harvests

Another aspect of FarmVille that it can be tough to get the hang of at first is timing your harvests right. Each crop you plant in the game will take a particular amount of time to mature. Once a crop is mature, you can harvest it. But don't wait too long. If you don't get back in time, your crops will wither and you'll just have to plow the land again and start over. It's important to plan your plantings so that you'll be able to get back to check on your farm before this happens.

One of the great things about FarmVille is that you can take it as seriously as you want to take it. If you only want to log in once a week, that's fine. Just make sure you plant crops that will last that long. Once you start playing though, it's not likely you'll be able to stay away for very long.

As some of you may know, I have a good friend, Scott Campbell whom developed Type 1 Diabetes (as opposed to Type 2 which is from incorrect diet and lack of exercise) due to medication he was put on as a teen.

Scott has always fought this disease but over the last year he is losing the battle. Recently his doctors gave him a year or two to live as the disease has wrecked havoc on his body.

The good news is that he is at the top of a pancreatic transplant list. The bad news is that he can't fully afford it.

As a result the official organization www.NTAFund.org (Fundraising Assistance and Support for Transplant and Catastrophic Injury) is helping him raise the last bit of money he needs for his transplant.

Here is his page there that gives more info. Donations can be made via the website or via the donation telephone line 800-642-8399. It is IMPERATIVE that the donation is made in Honor of Scott Campbell otherwise it will go into a general fund that anyone can access including junkies that finally figured out their liver is no good because they were smacked out all the time.

I know you all are great people whom are under tight finances. I myself am on a shoestring budget and have only managed to scrape together a few dollars to help him.

Even if you can't afford to help, reposting this on your blog, mentioning it in a Twitter post, printing out and giving to friends/family and/or taking this info to work or associations, we can, together all help Scott finally have a normal life that does not involve being in ICU at least once a month. The shortened url is http://dld.bz/9VgQ

Thank you for listening!

On a side note get your free Diabetes Support & Awareness wristband here. (No longer available.)

Taking the day off to do some serious housework. Have a great day!