the blog lab

Fast Away The Old Year Passes...

2009-12-21T23:26:00.000-08:00

First of all, courtesy of the Mental Floss web site, possibly the most disturbing image of Santa I've ever seen:

That's disturbing on many, many levels. Discuss...

On a more pleasant note, the crew at Daily Blog Tips [which you should be subscribed to; if not, take care of this NOW] recently posted the results of a group writing project: 90 Reviews Of 2009. The title is a little deceptive: it's not so much multiple reviews of the year about to end as a look at some of the best postings on the Web this year, in a variety of topics. A lot of these, I should note, will be useful to bloggers in the Home Audience, if for no other reason than as examples of notable posts. There are whole sections on blogging topics and marketing, for those in the monitization trade, as well as parenting tips [none written by Jo Frost, oddly enough. Incidentally, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the differences between the British and American covers of her books kinda interesting? (The British seem to want discipline, while Americans seem to crave a bit more warmth {motherlyness?} in their Supernanny. Check it out for yourself, if you don't believe me...]

Anyway, read the posts, take whatever you can from them and, for God's sake, don't stare into the eyes of this guy:

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

-Mike Riley

What I Did On My Summer Vacation: Nothing - And Rather A Lot...

2009-09-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

About three months ago, I announced a "time-out" for my various blogging endeavours [this site, as well as After Midnight, Challenging The Thunder, and Coming Out Of The Candy Store]. Part of that declaration was due to personal issues that are still in the process of playing themselves out. But part of it was, pure and simple, burnout. I was beat, out of ideas, recovering from the less-than-successful "Can-Am Celebration" [which, at the end of the day, I didn't even take part in officially. I am grateful to those of you who did, though]; I had stopped giving the proverbial "rat's ass" about any of it. I needed a rest.

So I stopped [to quote my Muse Of Choice, Dorothy Parker: "It's only an old wives' tale that you have to taper off"]. I jumped back in, very briefly, to comment on the Entrecard shuffle in mid-July [you knew I couldn't resist that topic, didn't you?], but spent most of the next 90 days neither blogging, or reading blog posts. Oh, I'd see the odd item in the news, or think about a matter of writing or design, that tempted me to the keys. But nothing held together long enough to turn into an actual post. Lesson One: It happens. People who get paid for this sort of thing run dry periodically.

Interestingly, I found I was still selling the odd EC ad. Lesson Two: Ec'ers will sometimes "buy in bulk", purchasing space in as many low-priced blogs as they can afford. Even those which clearly state they're on sabbatical. Makes you wonder if they think anybody actually reads the blogs, instead of just "harvesting" cards [of course, this has been an on-going problem at EC, one that I don't think has been solved yet]. I'd make some comment here about how visitors should at least look over the current entry when visiting a site, but it didn't work in the past, so...

Desperate to get my creative juices flowing again, I turned to the "father of the essay", Michel de Montaine. Sorry. Seemed like an original thinker and all [though he did use a great deal of Classic literature to make his points], but just didn't inspire me. Lesson Three: the Muse tickles on her schedule, not yours. Nothing wrong with looking for inspiration wherever you wish, but understand that the Creative Moment comes when it comes, not when you would have it. There are people who suggest writing at least fifteen minutes per day, or at least to try and write something daily. If that works for you, great. I would think, though, that some days' output will be better than others. Only the mediocre are truly "at their best" each day...

Thinking that perhaps I needed to update my references, I plunged head-first into Facebook

[no matter how hard I try, I just can't make myself "follow on Twitter "] There is a school of thought that Twitter and Facebook are "blogging's next wave". I guess, but, with a few exceptions, most of the blogs I've ever seen are hardly getting warmed up by the time they reach 160 characters. Lesson Four: "trendy" doesn't always equal "usable". Use the form that best suits your needs.

But, for what it's worth, the biggest lesson was the one that the whole process taught: Lesson Five: Sometimes you need to walk away from the things you enjoy to realize how much you enjoy them. None of this is profound, or worthy of being engraved in stone, of course. But all of it worth thinking about. It's good to be back...

Update: since I wrote this, Daily Blog Tips featured a guest post on writer's block, one of the reasons I went on vacation. Check it out for yourself here. "DBT", by the bye, is a frequently excellent sources for bloggers at all levels [although a lot of it is monitization. Not that there's anything wrong with that]; subscribe...MR

-Mike Riley

From The Sidelines: The Entrecard "Purchase"

2009-07-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. I'm on sabbatical. But yesterday's Entrecard news pulled me off the sofa, with a few thoughts:

- who or what is Zip Runner, Inc [Entrecard's new "owner"; quotation marks to be explained momentarily] - This is, or was, nearly as big a mystery as why people really give a damn about the horse's- asses collective known as Big Brother. But, as usual, I digress. Kudos to "Turnip of Power" and Mama ASID of BadGals Radio fame [her anti-Entrecard blog is known as "It's EntrePod"] for the 411. Sort of. I mean, they presented everything that is known about ZR; the problem is, there's just not much to know. Based in Southern California, it appears to be little more than a front for venture capitalist Andrew Te. Through ZR, Te invested 112k in EC [a lot of two-letter names and abbreviations in that sentence; maybe I'm not as much off sabbatical as I thought...]. Given the current economic climate, Mr. Te [why do I picture him wrapped in chains, saying, "I pity the fool who don't pay up!"?] probably called in his investment. Which he had every right to do. Despite Graham's many attempts at making EC profitable [or at least break-even able], at the end of the day, he couldn't pay off his chop. While it may seem unusually kind for Te to allow Langdon's loss of the company to him to be called an "acquisition", it allows both of them to save face; entrepreneur Graham goes on to another project [that said, I didn't know the act of writing a blog made one an entrepreneur; maybe I'm doing better than I thought], investor Te can pretend he didn't sink 112k into the Blogosphere equivalent of the Titanic; big smiles for everybody!

- what happens to EC? - Damn good question. As "ToP" and Mama ASID point out, ZRInc has no obvious interests in development anywhere else in the Internet. It's unlikely Te has much interest in trying to solve EC's problems. He's trying to get his money back. Investors. at least the smart ones, try not to sink any more money into a losing investment. Te's goal, therefore, is probably to find another purchaser ASAP. Who'd buy? Google and Microsoft, the US and USSR of the ongoing Internet Cold War, are likely pigeons...sorry, players. Then again, $112,000 US is pizza money for these guys. EC is a proven social network. Either one could do worse than buying it and turning its promotional-developmental networks [the Internet's equivalent of the military-industrial complex] loose on it. And the buyer gets to thumb its nose at the other one, which both seem to just live for. As for other possible dance partners, your guess is as good as mine. After all, Te came out of nowhere. There may be others. Fast money takes it, I'm guessing. Will the real problem [finding a profit-making paradigm for EC] be addressed? I'd like to think so. But I was raised a Cynic, and I'm too old to give up the old-time religion now...

-whither Graham? - Short answer; who cares? That said, for all my on-line grumbling about the seemingly endless series of snafus that marked his operation of EC: 1], he had the cojones to go for it, and, 2], he didn't give up on it. Yeah, much of what he tried didn't work. But he tried. When one attempted "fix" failed, he went to another one. And another. And another...but at least he tried.
Now he has a blog, where, if I understand it right, Graham will regale us with stories of his entrepreneurial adventures. Could be interesting. After all, I live in western New York State. A whole cottage industry has grown up around the players of the Buffalo Bills teams of the early 1990's. They can tell marvelous stories about playing in four straight Super Bowls. Unfortunately [and you can't begin to understand how painfully sad the fact makes me], none of them can tell you what it's like to win one. Of course, knowing what not to do does save some preparation time.

Graham, good luck.
ECers, good luck.
Mr. Te, good luck.
And good luck to all of you...

-Mike Riley

Lab Is Closed...

2009-07-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

It is with great regret that I must take a break from writing this blog. I have several personal matters to attend to, which will consume the vast majority of the time I used to spend writing it. As of now, I hope to return to blogging, in one form or another, in January of 2010.

I want to thank my readers and commentors for their friendship and insights. So that none of you will worry, please understand that my health is good. I just need to devote my full attention to these "off-stage" matters.

My intention is to leave the previously written posts up, for those who may not have yet read them.Entrecard advertisers: please be aware that I am taking no new ads. Any ads that I have already agreed to use will be presented as scheduled. I intend to leave the EC widget up, but EC may remove it because of no new posts.

Again, with regrets, I declare INTERMISSION. Smoke 'em if you got 'em...

-Mike Riley

Another Fine Mess

2009-06-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

Once a person reaches a certain age - it varies from person to person, but it's usually somewhere in the 40's - he or she begins to realize there are certain constants, things that happen on a regular basis. These constants can be expected, the same way one expects the change of seasons. Other examples include:

- the late-season collapse of [insert your favorite hard-luck team's name here] - for me it's the Buffalo Sabres. You likely have your own choice;

- the unavailability of the outfit you want/need to wear to an event - never fails. And, of course,

- Entrecard shooting itself in the foot - as certain as death and taxes. You know, I don't really enjoy being critical about EC. But its moves are usually ham-handed at best, and downright idiotic at worst. Take the latest announcement from Graham & Co.: offering, for those unable [or unwilling] to visit sites and acquire EC credits "the hard way" [Heaven forbid someone actually have to read a post once in a while!], the option of gathering credits by either purchase or "completing offers" [The purchase option doesn't bother me; if people want to buy EC credits to advertise, well and good. They know what they're buying, and what they're spending]. But "completing offers"? Sounds like the scam certain "apps" on Facebook [and other social sites that offer games] run. Here's how it works: the ad for the credits [or points or whatever] tells you the offer is free, if you do what they tell you to. In practice, this involves you being forced to sign up for one or more "programs" offered by businesses. At best, you'll end up with scads of spam, trying to sell you something [now do you see why people have more than one e-mail address?]; at worst, you're stuck trying to meet a series of conditions that can cost many times more than the value of the item you're getting for free.

Why would a networking site do it? Well, if Entrecard is like most sites that do, they get money for each person who gets involved in the process, as well as their cut of credits actually sold. A percentage of the money made on each person in the process also goes to whomever put the offers together. In the case of EC, they are working with a company called Gambit. Since I kept getting "error" message when I tried to use the link provided to the new service [note to EC: the whips aren't working. Have you considered kindness? It works wonders...], I cut straight to the "middleman"; Gambit. If you're interested, click on the "take the tour" option on the front page. Based on the the sites they note working with, and the "example" of their system, it's likely you've seen this before [I must play the right games on Facebook; almost all of them have a set-up like this, presumably created by Gambit]. I have no reason to believe that Gambit is an inherently dishonest company. But I am a bit troubled by the fact that social networking sites [FB, EC, etc], especially since both Facebook and Entrecard have a large number of pre-adult members, would do business with a service which offers a program built around questionable ethics.

As I said earlier, I don't object to Entrecard selling its credits. I do have serious doubts about the program offered through EC by Gambit. I'd like to think that Entrecard management may have doubts, also. Are desperate times leading to desperate measures?

-Mike Riley

Random Thoughts Are Better Than No Thoughts At All

2009-05-20T22:04:00.001-07:00

Oh, wow. There are still people here? I thought this had become a permanent study hall. Sorry I abandoned you for so long. Part of the problem is that I don't feel particularly expert at blogging tips anymore. Whether your interest is better writing, better visuals, better monitization [is that even a word?], or some combination thereof, there seems to be someone out there writing frequently and consistently [sounds like saying the same thing twice to me; that said, the same post quotes what I think is a good rule: "Don't talk unless you can improve the silence". And if it only were silence!] on the topic, or topics, in question. In the past, I've linked to articles or sites I thought useful; lately, there seem to be so many of them that I don't know what's good or bad anymore. At the end of the day, though [cliches; avoid 'em like the plague], I think the same things that make any type of writing good make blog posts good:

-simple, clear writing is best. And this comes from your ol' buddy, Dr. Verbose! Seriously, the clearer and more easily the idea flows, the easier it is for the person at the other end of Said Communication to get the message. And, as the immortal Wedding Event known as the Hokey-Pokey teaches us, "that's what it's all about".

-plan before you write. I'm not saying outline the whole thing up front [most of us wrote the outline for our papers in school after we completed the assignment]. I am saying have at least an idea in your mind of where you're going [usually from Point A to Point B; by the way, what are Points A and B? And why should we care about them?].

-respect your audience: use proper spelling and grammar. Yeah, we're almost all of us a bit weak on points of grammar. But in this era of SpellCheck there is simply no excuse to mis-spell the words you choose. If you don't respect your words enough to use them properly, why should your reader respect them enough to read them?

Another reason that I've lost the fire that I once had for blogging tips is that I'm tired of Entrecard! There, I've said it. Everyone who drops here that hasn't received a reciprocal drop in recent days now knows why. Frequently in this blog, I've taken on the role of EC Whipping Boy. No, not the victim of scorn from the 125 X 125 crew; more the part of the person wielding the cat o'nine tails [in my own defense, I was only critical of those things that I felt needed criticism. Indeed, I was cautiously optimistic about EC selling ads in its ubiquitous widgets. The firestorm that blew up and out over the short-lived policy of not allowing paid-ad refusals was much ado over nothing: Since bloggers, by right of creation, own their blogs, of course they would have the right of refusal]. I stayed on the sidelines during the whole "must register to use Forums" controversy because, one, I almost never read them, and two, the whole EC Forum section has been so controversial as long as I can remember, it seems useless to tackle any one issue.

What else is making headlines on the 'Net? Facebook? As a time-killer extraordinaire, it's a little marvel [my favorite apps are, in no particular order, Street Racing, Metropolis, Vampire Wars, Mafia Wars, and the one that lets you "suck your friends' Lollipops"]. I enjoy taking a quiz or two, usually the ones that challenge my memory of 60's and 70's cartoon shows. And it is without question the best way to realize just how many people you went to school with that you don't remember anymore. But, when all's said and done, it's just as useful [mostly not at all] as Twitter. If you're a celebrity, trying to promote your agenda by sending out little messages to a large group of "followers", I get it. But for the average person, who cares? You're going shopping. Who cares? You're having dinner with friends [obviously, ones you think more highly of than the ones who are getting the "tweets", since you're having dinner with them]. That's nice. Who cares? (As for those souls who feel compelled to share information concerning their bodily functions, you have my honest sympathy. But not a bit of my interest.)

Don't get me wrong. I haven't yet given up on this space, and will post to it whenever something seems necessary to say. But you probably won't see a lot here, at least for the foreseeable future. Check in periodically [unless you're here daily, dropping, dropping, dropping those EC cards]. I'll show up just when you least expect it. And I'll probably yammer critically on something I know nothing about. It's what I do best...

-Mike Riley

The NEW "New Entrcard Economy"

2009-03-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Friends, I have bad news to report; the ladies at BadGalsRadio are pissed. Then again, I can see their point. They declare their anger in this post, a fundamental blast against the Entrecard "drop and run" technique. To be fair, EC does not endorse "d 'n' r", nor do they encourage it. Then again, in a system which allows, no, requires the acquisition of vast numbers of EC credits [which can then be used to advertise on the most popular EC blogs], what did they expect would happen?

To be fair, Graham and Co. have tried several ways to get droppers to linger and comment. Limiting the number of drops per blog in theory should give EC'ers the time to leave a comment or two [of course, serious 'Carders simply started multiple blogs, then shifted credits around as needed]. SezWho seemed to be a step in the right direction, but went nowhere [technical issues at the launch didn't help]. Comment contests were nice, but only for the host blogs [and, if memory serves me right, most of the comments were, at best, "Great blog! Hi..."; at worst, they were an excuse for link requests and monitization offers (obviously people who, again, weren't even reading the blogs).]. Nothing seems to work.

Another issue BadGals is aggravated by is this weekend's announcement by EC that, starting very soon, it will sell advertising on blogs, reducing [in theory; see below] the maximum number of ad impressions to 50 % in some cases [if paid ads run on specific blogs]. As EC's in-house J. Arthur Crank, you'd think I'd be bothered by the whole thing myself. Truthfully, though, I'm rather blase about it. Of course Entrecard needs to find a revenue stream to support itself; selling advertising is a reasonable way for the company to do so [with tens of thousands of users, it certainly has an audience]. And, for the vast majority of EC blogs, nothing will change. Let me explain: enterprises spending money on advertising will want the biggest "bang for their buck" [or Euro, Australian Dollar, or, well, you get the idea]. There is already a whole sub-industry on the Internet concerning keywords, ideal ad placement, etc. "Real-world" advertisers already have experts advising them on where to spend a shrinking advertising budget. EC ad buyers will almost certainly want to purchase space on the most popular blogs, within their field of interest. Sure, there will likely be some experimental "mass buys", wherein an advertiser will consider buying space on a large number of blogs within a category. But I expect these to be few and far between.

One point I disagree with the BadGals on; those blogs that are chosen by "money" advertisers will receive compensation, at least to the degree they are willing to sell acquired credits back to EC [I'm assuming "selling credits back" is not mandatory; it shouldn't be. None of this should be mandatory...]. Will EC get the lion's share of the compensation? Of course it will; it created the mass of audience, and it's handling the sales of space.

One point I agree with BG on; there should be no penalty for rejecting advertising. In the above paragraph I said, I think rightly, that EC created the "mass of audience". It did so by creating the social network that is Entrecard. But the most popular blogs within EC are responsible for creating their own following. Just as a radio or TV station, newspaper or magazine can choose to turn down advertising not consistent with its philosophy, EC blogs should be free to refuse advertising they are for any reason uncomfortable with, without penalty, save the loss of compensation. We the bloggers own our blogs. It is our toil, tears, and sweat that power them [no matter what Blogger thinks; of course, with their "I power Blogger" buttons, they've shown that they get the message].

Once again, Entrecard is rolling the dice. Unlike some of their previous attempts, I believe this one could lead to a stronger Entrecard framework, which will make the whole network of blogs more secure. Let's see who comes to the table. Let's see who chooses to sell ad space. Let's see who rejects it, and why. Let's be observant, patient, and willing to let this brave new EC world play itself out for a while.

-Mike Riley

Entrecard Market - Am I Missing Something?

2009-02-27T00:19:00.000-08:00

I must be the Official Nay - Sayer when it comes to EntreCard. Don't get me wrong. I am glad to have EC as a promotional service for my blogs. Sometimes I can even work up the energy to do reciprocal drops, and do a little reading and commenting. But frequently, when it comes to other services Graham and Co. offer, I just don't get it.

Take the new "Market" section. I've made a couple of visits, and there is an interesting array of goods and services on offer [I even ordered Jenelle's CD, I like new music, and a little gamble that doesn't involve actual cash is fine by me]. Some services, by definition, probably would be of interest only to EC users [EC/website redesigns, for instance]; what I'm not exactly clear on [and I am far from the brightest crayon in the box] is what the seller gets in the exchange. Sure, someone offering goods or services could save the EC credits tendered, then sell them for cash [and does anyone besides me remember when EntreCard, at least informally, discouraged such transactions?]. But most casual EC users are probably not too interested in that extra layer of effort for compensation [and, by the bye, what is the going rate for EC credits, anyway?]. I can see someone wanting to build up credits for advertising or purchases in the Market. But how much advertising or purchases will the average EC'er want to make?

Let's return to Jenelle's offer [I actually have a bit of interest in this one; I'm hoping to market a CD sometime this year]. In exchange for your 1000 credits, you get a recorded CD of original music. Fair enough. But what does she get? Well, to order a CD [and, I'm guessing, anything else], you have to give out an e-mail address. This is in case there are any problems with your order. If the seller gets access to these addresses, s/he has a list of potential purchasers of future items, which could be marketed directly to those on such a list. Remember, unless the seller plans to re-sell the credits, s/he has yet to make any money on the transaction. And, in the case of physical goods, there are expenses related to making, packaging, and mailing the product offered [of course, this is not as important when offering non-hard goods (125x125 cards, guest posts, etc)]. Then again, a few Market offers involve buying ad space for extended periods on specific blogs. Doesn't that go against the whole EC principle of buying ad space on a variety of blogs with credits acquired through drops? [I understand where the Sellers are coming from on that one; I wish I'd thought to do that myself. See "Entrecard Exploited" for an early experiment along these lines]

As I said at the outset, I remain a supporter of the basic principle of

EntreCard; I just wonder where Graham and the other administrators are going with some of these new services.

[Image at right from Kongtechnology.com, via Google]

-Mike Riley

Tactile Sensations

2008-12-30T21:35:00.001-08:00

I bet you've been wondering where I've been the last couple of months. Yeah, I'll just bet you're wondering. Right. Well, if you must know, I went out in late October for a sandwich. The next thing I knew, I found myself involved in sensitive negotiations between one S. Claus, and Local 1 of the AF of Elves, concerning overtime payments. As anyone who got Christmas presents can certify, those talks ended successfully. After purchasing and enjoying my meal [ham and provolone, on wheat bread], I safely returned to this locale, and bent to the keyboard...

As any human can communicate, some things are just better when the sense of touch is involved. Anyone who has ever kissed or caressed another human knows the joy and beauty that touch brings to such an activity. Manufacturers of touch-screen devices are constantly trying to improve the simulation of pressing a letter key or button on their machines, going so far as to add the sound of a "click" when someone inputs on the device [of course, this has its limits; PC Magazine's Sascha Segan registers his complaints in this column].

This love of the tactile frequently shows up in future-based fiction, most notably in the world of Star Trek. In the world of the 22nd or 23rd century [I always forget which one it's set in], virtually everything we currently find in hard copy print today would be available on computer screen, portable device, or whatever technology the inventors of future days can come up. But in the world of Trek, old books are highly prized gifts; Spock presents Captain Kirk with a book [and reading glasses!] in one of the movies, while Captain Picard, among others, receives a book on a special occasion. Certainly part of the attraction is the item's antiquity: I personally would be surprised to find actual printing being done anywhere in the developed world by the end of this current century. But there is also a tactile component to a book or magazine - the heft of the piece of print, the sensation of turning pages, even the odors that sometime are associated with a particular hard copy item [can any of us of a certain age say they truly have forgotten the aroma of freshly-mimeographed pages?]

This all comes up, of course, for a reason: the announcement that the current issue of PC Magazine {January 2009} will be the last printed one. Future copies will be available only in digital, with full text being available to those who subscribe. Given the current economic crisis, I can understand the decision, After all, it reduces costs to make only digital versions [as well as reducing the price to subscribers; an ad at PCMag.com touts the digital price per issue at 62 US Cents. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I will miss the feel of a copy of PC Magazine, the aroma of its glossy page stock. I understand the logic behind the decision, but the realities of it are still disappointing.

Speaking of the new economic realities, bloggers should take to heart the Assassin's Creed; namely, BE PREPARED ! If your blog

host were suddenly to go "belly up", would you be able to move it to a new host site? Have you backed-up your previous posts [given the circumstances, more than one site may be advisable: who knows where bankruptcy may strike?]? (By the way, finding free hosts for your archives isn't difficult; a quick online search, followed by checking the pros and cons of each location, should do the trick) I'm really not trying to be a fear monger, but, watching the imminent collapse of up to one-quarter of US chain stores, and remembering when the "dot com" boom went boom in the 90's, a little preparation seems in order.

But, in the spirit of the season, let's hope [and pray, if appropriate for you] for fiscal recovery in the New Year. I also hope you have much happiness, love, and more than a little fun...

-Mike Riley

New Tools For The Holidays

2008-10-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

I've been subscribing to PC Magazine for about two years now, on and off. One of my favorite issues each year [and I've had the good luck to get them both, despite my less-than-perfect subscription record] is the "Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites/ Top 100 Classic Web Sites". The Classics, as you'd assume, are the Usual Suspects [in fact, PC Magazine considered them so standard, they didn't even bother printing them in the magazine; they are available for quick-n-easy download at the web site], but the undiscovered sites included a few useful apps in the rough. In no particular order, here's what I liked:

Jott - Free speech-to-text service that allows you to update your blog, Twitter feed, or to-do list, from any phone. PC Mag said the conversions were "surprisingly accurate".

Oddee - Ya know those weird photos some bloggers seem to be able to lay their hands on? They probably found them here.

Damn Interesting - Slow day for posts? You may just find a launching-pad in this collection of, well, damn interesting factoids.

NationMaster - A storehouse for world data, set up to allow multi-national comparison based on customizable criteria. Who leads the world in chocolate consumption? NationMaster knows...

Searchme and Viewzi - two new ways to search. Searchme uses Apple's Cover Flow interface to present search pages as a series of horizontally-presented previews. You can also create "stacks" for later research. Viewzi combines visual search results from the standard sources, then lets you decide how to present them.

WhatTheFont - See a font you like on someone else's blog or web site? Upload a scan [or submit the site's URL], and WhatTheFont will e-mail you the font's name.

PicApp - A free stock - image service. Type in a topic or name [yes, they do celebrities, too], and it'll provide images for your blog [suggestion: be specific in your topic. I used "tools", and got several shots of a little girl at the beach, with a toy shovel [yes, it's a tool, but...] before coming up with some hand tools. Also, I had difficulties with downloading the photos [that could be some Blogger issue, or the network this computer is connected to. Just be aware of it].

Of course, there are many more sites included in the November '08 issue. Go and do research...

-Mike Riley

Economics 101

2008-09-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

A confession: I know very little about any theories of economics. I know it when I have to deal with it at the supermarket or at bill-paying time, but, generally speaking, I know about as much about economics as your doorstop [maybe a bit less; the doorstop usually reads your paper before you bring it in]. That said, I suspect the above Calvin and Hobbes cartoon is as good a starting point as any for our discussion.

As to the current US financial crisis, I've got no solutions, or even suggestions. For a quick read on how the whole mess started, I recommend this article; it's one that even I could understand [then again, when your barn is on fire, do you really need to know what knocked over the lantern?]. As for sensible opinions on the whole thing, many of my fellow bloggers are taking it up; something tells me you can't swing a cat on the Blogosphere right now without hitting one. I'd have no idea whose site to visit: read around and find an opinion that makes sense to you.

Speaking of economies, the Entrecard system is frequently referred to as "an economy". But since, for most participants, no money changes hands, I think that's just people making themselves feel good about taking part in the activity. Truthfully, I think of at least the advertising element of the system as "fantasy football"; as a participant, you have 'X' number of credits to work with. You use your credits to advertise your blog on those sites which you believe will bring you the most visitors, as a team manager in FF uses his "payroll" to acquire the best players available. The principal difference is that, in FF, all participants have the same payroll to start with, while EC allows the more ambitious to acquire a larger bankroll.

Of course, those who work hard within the rules should be allowed to prosper. But every successful economy throughout history has had one common element: the existence of a strong and secure middle class. Pick any EC category at random. You'll notice a few sites [based, one assumes, on the merit of the blog represented] trading for two thousand EC credits or more, a small group available for hundreds of credits, and a large group of sites selling ads for 128 credits or less. (I recently read a post on one site, celebrating the fact that the blog had reached the top advertising rate in its category. Legitimate congratulations are in order for that blogger. But, and an important "but" at that, if your product is priced too high for the average participant to buy, these large blocks of credits will pass from hand to hand within the "plutocrat" community.)

To be fair, Entrecard has admitted that the problem exists [go here for a recent EC Forum discussion on the matter]. I'm a little sceptical of the "luxury goods" option; anyone competent in PhotoShop or Gimp can make an EC ad look enough like the "golden ticket" sites to make the distinction meaningless. But 10 out of ten for at least considering the issue. As in the real world, there are no simple solutions. Then again, in an artificial economy, no one is hurt when the wrong manipulations are made.

-Mike Riley

When He's Right, He's Right...

2008-09-16T02:11:00.000-07:00

This will be a very brief post. It's on a topic that somehow didn't make it into the "Pet Peeves" that started this blog, but certainly bothers more than a few bloggers: those bloggers who use automatically starting music on their blogs. More and more I'm running into such blogs, as well as posts complaining about the issue. Well, Nate Balcom or, as he chooses to call himself, NatBal, is addressing the issue in a graphic way. In this post, he explains why the practice is so annoying, and offers free buttons and links for your use [one of which starts this presentation].

Now, I like music. And I think it's great when someone wants to introduce me to something new, or share an old favorite. But JEEZ LOUISE, CAN'T YOU LET ME CHOOSE IF I''M IN THE MOOD THAT DAY? Sorry [For some reasons, Nate's buttons don't "play well" with my sites. But if I can get them to work, I'll add them. Oh, yeah...].

That's really all I wanted to bother you with right now. Hope things are well with you, and sorry again for that shouting in the last paragraph...

-Mike Riley

Not A Bad Place To Start

2008-09-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

First of all, my obvious apologies to those of you who are vegetarian/vegan. I don't
mean to be sliding my meat into your computer [and an apology to those made uncomfortable by sexual innuendo], but it's surprisingly difficult to find an image to illustrate the concept, "Back to basics". My first thought was to use an album cover. But whose? There seems to be an unwritten law that any performer who's worked for more than a few years put out an album under that title. Artists as varied as Anvil, Christina Aguilara, Billy Bragg, the Manhattans, and Olivia Newton-John have all released "B2B" collections. And there are probably hundreds more out there! This was as good a compromise as any, using the meat grinder and what I hope is fresh beef [an apology in advance to anyone contracting the dreaded e'coli bacteria from spoiled meat that may appear on this page].

Anyway, the point to all this is to cite "C & D", artisan crafters [those aren't synonyms, I hope. I'm sorry if they are] from Montreal, PQ, Canada. In their blog ["Catherinette Rings"], there's a post on "5 Basic Blogging Tips". The suggestions are great advice for anyone out there [especially your newby friends who want info from you] and summarised in an easily remembered manner. There's also info on how to add widgets in Blogger, and a long list of sources for widgets, advertising options, etc. Like any collection [including a "Back to Basics" CD], you may not enjoy all of the links, but it's a pretty good starting point [along with our own "Access To Tools"; scroll down the right-hand side, you'll find it]. For what it's worth, their rings look pretty good as well [I'm sorry I'm not a bigger expert on what's hot out there, but they use the word "Steampunk" in one of their flyers, so they must be hip].

-Mike Riley

"the lab" is back in session...

2008-09-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah, Summer is over [for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway]. I took an unannounced vaca for the end of August [saw Joan Jett in a free concert, among other things. Pretty cool], and now, we begin anew the pursuit of Better Blogging Through Science. Hope you had a little rest as well.

Regular visitors to the lab have noticed that I almost never mention WordPress. There's a simple reason for this; I don't know anything about it [Any WordPress users who'd like to contribute an article or two on the subject are welcome to write their insights as Guest posts; I still offer 500 EC credits for any published submissions. Contact me here if you're interested]. Anyway, I have found another site with a variety of WordPress themes; namely, WebFrap. It's well laid out, and has an attractive selection of themes for your consideration, and download. If you use WP, check it out.

Similarly, I'm not into customizing my site [I'll be honest; I'm trying to teach myself the necessary programming language. Let me tell you, French was much easier]. So far, I've learned how to use widgets, add a photo or two, and, just recently, how to use those damn hyperlinks in my copy [see above and below. It's so easy on Blogger, you'd think I'd gotten it before now. Well, no]. The Woman I Love laid much abuse on me before I picked up this amazingly easy trick [especially as I'm running a site dedicated to blogging tips]. But, despite the embarrassment of loving a man who couldn't hyperlink, she was patient, and I have now risen in her esteem to
"Average". Ah, romance...

Where was I? Oh, yeah, customization. One way many bloggers give their sites a distinctive look is through the use of non-standard icons. A great source for ready-made icon packages is IconzWorld. The site offers a wide variety of icon packages to download and use in your blogs. Visit and use.

Finally, a belated tip of the tam o'shanter to Jordan McClements. He's making a generous offer, that addresses a common need of many bloggers; royalty-free illustrations for postings. Most of the time, bloggers wishing to use photos on their sites just download them from their website of choice [yeah, I've done this. I'm not proud of myself, but there you are]. Given the number of blogs x cost of pursuing legal redress against a violator, the odds may well be in your favor. But consider your annoyance if one of your posts was lifted by someone. Anyway, Mr. McClements is very generously offering the use of over one thousand photos from his collection, for non-commercial blogs, as well as MySpace users. The collection in question can be found here [while the vast majority of the photos are Irish rural scenes, there are also photos from elsewhere in Europe, the United States and Canada.. And, just as Toronto has played cities around the world in the movies, a night sky over Belfast might "do' for your moonlight needs. Take a look]. Jordan has also helpfully provided instructions on how to upload his photos for use; find that info here [Blogger users who lift photos through their browser, then add them to their blogs should caption the photo "Photo courtesy of IrishViews.com"].

Hope your Fall [or Spring, below the Equator] finds you well. As always, more to come.

-Mike Riley.

Bagpipes And Bargains

2008-08-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

At the last Celtic Festival The Woman I Love and I attended [a birthday gift from The Woman], a member of one of the pipe and drum corps in attendance opined that I was actually Scotch-Irish, instead of Irish, as I had always believed [his theory had something to do with the way my last name is spelled, and need not be repeated here. For that matter, my family has lived in America for at least a century-and-a-half, so why my ancestry is entering into all this is beyond me. Oh wait, now I remember. It's setting up an explanation in the next line or two]. Anyway, his opinion made me think. I don't consider myself "tight" by any means, but if I can get something useful for nothing, I'm certainly not against that. If you're like that also, this article may be for you.

Microsoft Office(R), in its various versions, has become known as the "standard" in office software [of course, just about anyone can use word processing, spreadsheets, and drawing programs, as well as other nifty features. But Office (R) is pricey. What to do? Well, the most popular answer nowadays, and one that puts absolutely no drain on the bank account is Open Office.Org. Its URL is [you guessed it]: http://www.openoffice.org/. Its story is intriguing.

Back at the turn of the century, a company known as Sun Microsystems bought a software package called StarOffice from a German company. No huge news, right? Wrong. StarOffice was developed in open-code, meaning it could be used by most operating systems with small modifications. Sun was using a lot of open-source programs [still does], and their operating platform of choice was Unix, also open-source. In an attempt to stem the tidal wave that was Office(R), Sun put StarOffice on the market. For free. Ever since, they've shaped the open-source community's development of Open Office . org [hereafter, at least occasionally, OO.o. Neat abbreviation, huh?].

Open Office.org calls them by different names, but matches Office (R) feature for feature. Indeed, if work computers use Office (R), you can almost always assimilate those documents into OO.o [At the moment, the only fly in the ointment seems to be the Mac's OS/X; OO.o 'doesn't play well" with it, although improvements along this line are said to be imminent. Stay tuned...]

Next time, some more freebies to help you use your computer like a pro for less [free, actually, but who's telling? Not me...].

-Mike Riley

Open Lab: A Little Of This, A Little Of That

2008-07-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

What are we now, a little less than a month into the new "liaison" between EntreCard and SezWho? Maybe it's time to take a Polaroid, as it were, of the situation [not to change the subject, by the bye, but did you hear Polaroid is giving up making film, and film cameras? Like most manufacturers, they realize that the marketplace is going digital. But, as someone who's taken one or two risque photos with Polaroids, thereby avoiding sending explicit film to a processor and risking their refusing to print photos (actually happened to an acquaintance or two). Like many people my age, I'm missing my youth]

First thing I've noticed; people don't seem to be jumping on SezWho as much as I expected [this could be tech-related; there are still those demon issues with some platforms, especially Blogger. This site is one of two I still can't get registered. My other two (all four are Blogger, in case you're wondering) are running fine with the SezWho widgets]. Maybe I'm just visiting sites that haven't signed up, but random selection should give me a higher percentage of SW sites. On one hand, bloggers are an independent breed, and will go to a new feature only when they're ready. But I'd suspect Graham and the EC front office might be disappointed with the turn out, what with the strong boost they gave the new hook-up.

Another issue [this one connected, I think, with the concept of SW] is comments vs drops. Look, we all figured that there would still be more "drop and run" types than "commentors". Fair enough. But I've yet to notice any real "bump" in the number of comments I get. Of course, of the two sites I have that are currently working with SW, one is a humor/general blog [probably hard to make comments about, except of the "you suck" or "you rock" variety], and an history blog about Niagara Falls daredevils [again, not too encouraging of comment, although a few people have tried. At any rate, the "rating" stars only show up on the original post, not the "comments". SW needs to fix this for Blogger-users ASAP].Anyone else want to write about their SW experience? Comment at the end of this, or at least leave a link to any posts you've run on the subject.

###########################################################################

Regular readers of these ramblings know I love toys. I'm talking about web-based or downloadable, FREE tools to create images for blogs. In fact, there's a link list for several of them already. Just scroll down the right-hand column until you get to the "Access To Tools" picture. Yes, it was created at one of our link sites. Today, courtesy of the fine folk at Despair.com via Regretful Morning, a program that helps you create parody versions of those "motivational posters" that so many offices and schools have displayed [usually, such posters don't bother me too much. But I always wondered why the "Effort" poster was located outside the Men's room, while the Ladies' room was marked by a poster entitled "Adventure"] Anyway, here's the link: [http://diy.despair.com/motivator.php].

That's all I've got...

-Mike Riley

Harry Houdini On Promoting Your Blog

2008-07-21T19:07:00.001-07:00

...and I can already see a few of you in the back taking bets on whether I can use the career of the greatest magician who ever lived as a lesson to bloggers. Sucker bet, my friend, sucker bet. Of course I would not bring up an example that I hadn't already considered carefully [especially one dressed only in swim trunks and manacles].

(For the uninformed: Harry Houdini is believed by most experts to be the greatest magician of the 20th Century, and very likely the greatest of all time. Among other feats, Houdini
-made a live elephant disappear on stage,
-regularly accepted challenges to escape from specially-built
packing crates, handcuffs, and other restraints,
-popularized escaping from straitjackets - in full view of the
audience,
-escaped from many jail cells around the world while wearing only
swim trunks, and after being thoroughly searched [I'll tell
you why he did this momentarily].
The experts will tell you that there are magicians working today who can duplicate many, if not all, of Houdini's illusions. What made his performances memorable, however, cannot be duplicated: the skill with which he manipulated the audience into believing that he was doing exactly what he told them he was doing.)

All right, you know the whom of this presentation. Now here's the why.
In addition to his unarguable magic skills, Houdini worked hard on his promotions as well. Harry would frequently announce his presence in a city by escaping from the local jail, or freeing himself from a straitjacket while dangling from a 15- or 16-story building at the busiest intersection in town. He gave newspaper interviews on magic. He was one of the first performers to see the potential of doing radio appearances. Houdini frequently said that his stunts and [usually] unpaid radio and newspaper appearance got him more newspaper space, and thus more free advertising, than anyone else of his era.

O.K., I hear some of you saying; I can't escape from handcuffs, or from a glass box filled with water [two more Houdini feats]; how can I get free publicity like that? Well, if you blog at least semi-regularly, you probably have some skill you're reasonably knowledgeable about. Why not write an article for your local newspaper [or weekly tabloid] on what you know about? [Those weekly papers are usually more than happy to have someone provide some copy for free. And some of those papers even pay a token amount!] If you do, make sure you include your blog's web address somewhere in the piece. Call up your local radio station, and offer to talk about your interest for free. If your community's cable-tv system has a public-access channel, it's likely that one or more shows on the station are on the lookout for possible interview subjects. Sometimes you have to overcome shyness to get on those programs, but it's all just one more opportunity to get your message out. And, in that immortal lyric from The Hokey Pokey,
"That's what it's all about".

-Mike Riley

SayWhat?

2008-07-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Human nature is a funny thing. Sure, most of us, having been raised in the company of other humans, know what we should do in most situations: don't honk the horn at an old person crossing the street, don't take the last piece of pie without asking someone [if you're stupid enough to take it when someone is around], don't launch your sleeping older brother from a recliner by pushing in the foot board [hey, he TOLD me to make sure he got up. And I really did try to wake him by other means first!]. But, no matter how well-behaved we are, an incentive [receive reward/avoid penalty] does tend to make us behave even better.

This brings us, of course, to the new association between EntreCard and SezWho. When I was in high school [Canisius High, Buffalo, NY; Class of '75], I actually took a year of Canadian history. As is often the case in such learning, the subject was not nearly as important as the education I received from its instructor, an old Jesuit named Fr. Greer. To his credit, I believe he felt the same way. One of the aphorisms he dropped on our adolescent minds was, "History happens for two reasons; the good reason, the one we tell our grandchildren and the history books, and the real reason, which is why a human does something". Looking at most of history in that context, it's clear that many wonderful things have been done for very banal reasons. But I digress.

Whatever else people may say, the EntreCard - SezWho affiliation, in this context, is a piece of genius. Graham, in his statement, gave us the good reasons: increased socialization, elevated "conversations" between blogger and reader, a generally higher level of discourse in blogs [since readers are encouraged, through credits based on the quality of their comments, to leave at least reasonably well thought out replies]. No one can, or should, deny that these are things serious bloggers have always wanted. But I believe that the real reason for the new paradigm is to discourage EC'ers from just "dropping and running". Not that there's anything wrong with it.(In the same way, it's said that a 19th-century German leader invented the idea of sewing otherwise useless buttons on the ends of his soldiers' uniform sleeves, to prevent them from wiping their faces and dirtying their coats)

Understand, I'm not against the encouragement of comments. Sometimes it's very frustrating as a blogger to post what you believe to be the best thing you've ever written, only to find that no one seems to have given the proverbial "rat's ass" about it. Allowing other bloggers to vote on the quality of posts and comments is another stroke of brilliance; the more you involve someone in an activity, the more time and effort they will invest in it. It's just human nature.

As to the actual results of all this, I'm not really sure. My mind says that, if EC'ers are reading more blogs [to write acceptable comments], fewer cards will be dropped. Then again, if the comments are highly enough prized by other blog readers [and thus rewarded with credits], the difference may turn out to be a wash. Bloggers will have to decide if their best strategy is to "drop and run", or to write well-thought-out comments [I suspect most bloggers will fall into one or the other category]. The cynic in me wonders [and I apologize for old Mr. Skeptic] if, by slowing the card-dropping-rate, EntreCard is trying to subtly encourage the sale of EC credits [some of which, at least,, EC sells itself]. (That's the downside of human nature: all those real reasons pop up in your head as you think through the new rules. Oh, how I wish Mr. Skeptic would go away!)

A final thought: sites like SezWho [and EC, for that matter] talk about the "socialization" of their locales. I may be old-fashioned, but I still believe that the best way to socialize is to go where large groups of people gather. Introduce yourself. Sooner or later, someone isn't going to think you're unstable, and will introduce themselves back. At least here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's Summertime, people! Get out and get some air, for gosh sakes! There's more to life than the Blogosphere!

-Mike Riley

PS: Please, oh please, oh please vote for this post! I want to be at least a Four-star member by the weekend! Thank You...

"Chain, Chain, Chain..."

2008-07-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

If everyone who reads this post had a nickel for all the SEO theories out there, none of you would need to worry about SEO; you'd be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. Search engine optimization is one of those money-making blog factors that actually has some relevance for all bloggers. People not in the profit game may not care as much, of course, but anyone who takes the time to create a blog would like it to be as popular as possible, to be consulted, to be searched for. And the simple fact is, the higher you are on a Google search page, the better off you are in such matters [indeed, more than a few experts will tell you that your blog must be at the top of page one for Google to do you any good at all. They have a point; unless I'm completely dissatisfied with the first Google search result, I almost never go any further].

Which brings us, naturally, to yet another SEO theory: the Linkback Project: http://www.linkbackproject.com/?p=7. The posting, by the mysterious "Dr. Algorithm", explains it as well as any one could, I suppose; I have to confess that, when confronted with such exposition, Mine Eyes Glaze Over [this wouldn't be so bad, mind you, but my brain usually glazes over as well]. Still, the good "Doctor" makes a case for the project, if for no other reason than to see what happens if someone tries it. (Short-term, I suspect that it will be quite helpful to its members; "pyramid"-type schemes, even those which have no illegal components [and I believe this one if legal at every level] are frequently very successful in their early stages. Long-term, though, trust Google to come up with yet another change in their mathematics, so that the system can't be "gamed")

Take a look at this one for yourself, then, if it makes sense to you, go for it. In the int erst of science, I'm putting this blog on the list. Let's compare notes over the next few weeks.

-Mike Riley

PS: Part of the process involves putting the currently active links in a post:

1. The Linkback Project2. All About Crime3. Foolsville4. Guy Vestal5. SunEGrl Loves To Shop6. Great Ways to Make Money Online7. Shabam Development8. CoffeeCoffeeCoffee~the blog9. Kinky Personification10. Da Kinky Kid Speaks11. Josh Ottley Dot Com12. Cebu Entrepreneur13. Random Detoxification14. PoeARTica15. CoolAdzine for Marketers16 http://the-blog-lab.blogspot.com [the blog lab]

Inside (And Outside) The Box: An Entrecard Experiment

2008-07-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

Back in March, this site ran three "Think Tank" posts on EntreCard's plans to allow members to buy and sell EC credits. At the time I predicted, among other things, that 'Carders would soon be offering ad agency-like services [ad creation, purchases on relevant sites, etc] to potential advertisers. History, to date anyway, has shown I didn't have a clue as to what would really happen [go back in the March archives, to get an idea of how far off I turned out to be. If you're not that heavily interested, just understand that 99 % of what I had to say, while reasonably well thought out, was, to reference the Sex Pistols, bollocks]

Still, even a blind pig hits a truffle now and then. Case in point: the EntreCard to your right. Its sponsor is Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. For the last few years, they've been building their new home, and want to throw an appropriate dedication service to commemorate its completion. Keeping this short, they're asking 'Carders for donations of EC credits, which they then plan to sell on the EC market to defray the cost of their service. It's not completely new, of course [nothing under the sun is]. The original version used to be done by non-profit groups across America [and in other countries as well, for all I know]. "Money-off" coupons in the US used to [and still may] have a cash value. It was usually some ridiculously low rate, like 1/20th of a US cent (the whole thing was the result of some obscure law. If you're really interested, Google the matter, and leave a "Comment" with your findings). Boy Scouts, church groups, animal shelters [you get the idea] used to collect as many coupons as they could, then cash them in. I'd like to think someone at the church remembered the old technique, then updated it for the new century. Then again, perhaps someone invented it fresh. Either way, it's an example of out-of-the-box thinking. That may be the only point made in my original EC posts that lives beyond the original entries. Bottom line: if you do what everyone else does, you'll have way too much competition. Find your own space in the forest. Then open the best pop stand you can operate...[if you carry Diet Pepsi, I'll be there]

-Mike Riley

"The Game Is Afoot"

2008-06-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

"Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!"

-Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Abbey Grange.

In the above, Conan Doyle evokes the image of a hunt, with the game moving around and ready to be stalked [for only a boor would attack a creature at rest]. Good writing, both in blogs and elsewhere, has an element of the hunt in it as well. We search our minds [and a thesaurus, when necessary] to add the correct word. We use a favorite search engine to gather the correct information. Why? Because we want to look good in our writing [and yes, there are some good reasons for this; If you are a money blog writer, you want your readers to think you know what you're talking about (especially if you want to sell them something). Even if you're a casual blogger, it's important to be accurate when you write. If you don't have the interest in what you're doing to do necessary research, why should I invest my time to read your blog?]

Case in point: when I was thinking about writing this post, I remembered [or thought I remembered] that Conan Doyle had written a Sherlock Holmes story with the phrase, "The game's afoot". But I wanted to note which story it was from. My first search was "the game's afoot". It gave me several interesting facts, including that Shakespeare had actually used it first in writing [Henry V, if you must know]. But I couldn't find which story it was from. I searched again, using the phrase, "Sherlock Holmes quotes". Success! The first site listed had the quote [corrected to have Holmes saying "The game is afoot"], which story it was from, even a link to the story itself, if I were interested.

Unless you have one of those legendary "photographic" memories it is exceedingly dangerous to depend on your remembrance of a particular quote or historical event. A mangled quote or incorrect date may not change the point of your posting. but it does make what you say subject to question. If the details are inaccurate, the thinking behind your words may seem faulty to a reader.

Of course, fiction writers can't research an event they're making up. Then again, well-researched details, worked into your writing, will make your post look more "real". So take the time. Do the work. Get the right information. And Dr. Watson says hello.

"Writing is hunting, and as humans we are born to it"

-"Grumpus", When Things Get Dark.

-Mike Riley

Cat Tales: The Firefox Chronicles, vIII

2008-06-18T22:51:00.001-07:00

Like many in the Internet-connected world, I was eagerly awaiting the arrival this week of Firefox 3's "official" beta, Release Candidate 1. But not so eager that I wanted any part of Tuesday's scrum. Oh, as a promotional gimmick, creating a new world's record for "Most Downloads In A Day" is a good one [although Guinness, the traditional arbiter of such matters, currently has no such record posted]. I just had a sense that the chaos [I've always wanted to name a cat that, by the bye. There are days it fits one or more of The Woman I Love's and my three cats] of hundreds of thousands [actually, an estimated eight million] of downloads couldn't be good for Mozilla's servers*. [It wasn't. Delays, crashes, and mayhem were the order of the day. Sounds like Chaos the Cat, doesn't it?]

Therefore, I went to the download site Wednesday morning, after work, encountered no delays [the FF3 .exe file downloaded in under three minutes, using broadband connections], had an easy instillation ['wizard'-driven install], and was able to look over the thing in a matter of minutes [after putting down the leftover cereal milk for Chaos, sorry, Buddy. The other two felines are Malachi and Webster. If I can figure out a clever way to do it, I'll tell you about all of them in a future post. Otherwise, just accept that those are the cats' names. Move on. Don't dwell on these otherwise meaningless asides].

I didn't have a huge amount of time to look over the new browser. But I did notice it really is faster than FF2 and its descendants. It has a clean look, and, as usual, add-ons/extensions are quick 'n' easy to install [one problem of using open source, and allowing just about anybody to develop new functions for the Fox, is that a lot of those extensions aren't yet updated to work with FF3. But I expect this will be sorted out quickly. You'll have the chance to find out what does and doesn't work during the installation process; those extensions that work are automatically carried over to FF3].

Should you drop your current browser for Firefox 3? I dunno. I use IE 7 at work, and Firefox at home. Is one noticeably better than the other? I dunno. Do I believe Firefox is less-likely to be virused [is that a valid verb?] than IE? Oh, yeah. And, like just about everything I recommend, it's free. Worth the experiment, if you have any uncertainty about your current browser.

-Mike Riley

* Riley's First Law - Unless there is a limited amount of a desired item, picking it up on Day 2 is perfectly acceptable.

Good Advice Is Where You Find It...

2008-06-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

This isn't going to be a long post. But I just read an incredible article, with lots of useful advice and information for every blogger. And the amazing thing is that I read it on "The Cleveland, Ohio Real Estate Blog"! Take a few minutes and read: http://www.youshouldown.com/2007/06/websites-and-real-estate.asp, by Cecelia Sherrard. Take notes. This one has some great ideas, written from an interesting perspective. Well worth ANY blogger's time.

Sorry I haven't been here much lately. I've been working on the 100th post at one of my other sites: AFTER MIDNIGHT [http://aftermidnightpage.blogspot.com].

Once that celebration wraps up, I'll make it up to you, I promise. We'll all go for ice cream...

-Mike Riley

They Just Want To See Me Angry, Don't They?

2008-06-06T00:11:00.000-07:00

You know, it's been a while since I've bored you with an entry on EntreCard. So let's see how quickly YOU get irritated when you think about the social networking/promotional program.

Understand; I like EC, and in most respects, I'm very happy with it. But one thing really sets me off: the number of droppers who DO NOT HAVE an EC widget on their sites. I'm really starting to get tired of people who pick up credits on my site, but refuse me the opportunity to do the same. Strictly speaking, this is a behavior of individual 'Carders, so I shouldn't, in theory, have any reason to be angry at the service. But I am. If EC can track which sites have visited mine [see "Drops Inbox"], it should be able to check for its widget on those sites. No widget, no credit for cards dropped that day. Seems fair to me.

Now, for most of us, it's the weekend. Go out and enjoy it, if you can. But don't tick me off...

-Mike Riley

New Tools

2008-05-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, campers. A few new things out there on the Web. Check them out.

The following is presented in no particular order:

Free 125 Cards [http://www.125cards.com.] Based on my experience, I wasn't thrilled. And I wanted to be. After all, several ad sites insist on 125x125 cards for advertising. [EntreCard, in particular needs to add a few new backgrounds in their "Standard" section, especially with the exponential growth in the number of users. I can't speak about what other sites do or don't offer, so I'll just assume the problems are similar there].

Fair-is-fair; Free 125 Cards has a good selection of backgrounds. I especially like the feature that lets you search for backgrounds by color. But once you pick one, working with the text editor is less-than-intuitive [for example, the icons for some options come up BEHIND the text entry box, where you can't see them. Also, you'll probably have to use trial and error to figure out how many characters will fit in each line of your message, then type the message, line-by-line. Wordwrap, or some option that allows you to split lines of text, would definitely be useful here]. And, unfortunately, you can't upload your image to alter. While we're being fair, though, as this is posted the site has only been up for about a week. Perhaps in future incarnations, these issues will be resolved. And, as John Belushi correctly noted in the Blues Brothers classic Rubber Biscuit, "Wad'd'ya want for nothing?"

Improve Your Images Thanks to TechiesDen [http://techiesden.com/] for pointing out Improve Your Images [http://www.improveyourimages.com/]. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks easy to use, and [most importantly, as far as I'm concerned] it's a FREE alternative to Photoshop. Try it, and let us know what you think.

EntreCard News The crew at EC has added a couple of improvements to the system, most notably an option that allows you to add blogs to your account. For multiple bloggers like myself, it seems like a good addition, although I never had a problem using my three sites under the old system. They've also put together an e-book on using EntreCard, which looks very helpful for new users. It also has a few tips that I'm planning on using, so even regular users should look it over. I didn't agree with everything in it [dropping a few cards a day will not help you build up a healthy advertising account], but it does make an effort to bring a little sanity into the process. EC ISN'T just about dropping.

So try these things out. Better yet, look around. See what YOU discover. And, when you do, tell US about it. The more we can share, the better the process of blogging can become for everyone.

-Mike Riley

Bloggers Unite - Bloggin' Like Spiderman

2008-05-15T02:00:00.000-07:00

One of the most memorable lines from the first Spiderman movie is this: With great power comes great responsibility. Lifted from the Webslinger's comic books, it's most likely an adaptation of a line in a speech written for former US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "Today we have learned in the agony of war that great power involves great responsibility" [Roosevelt never delivered the speech; he died the day before its scheduled presentation].

What does any of this have to do with blogging tips, or today's Bloggers Unite topic of human rights? In words actually delivered by a former US President, "Watch and learn"...

Most of us who are blogging today have no idea what censorship is like. We write on whatever topic suits us, in whatever way we choose. In such an open environment, it's easy to forget that such freedom is not universal. In many parts of the world electronic writing is rigorously monitored, censored and, if a government feels the need, suppressed. Those of us who are allowed to write freely are given great power. We must use that power in a responsible manner. (I'll return to that thought in a moment) But we are also required to work for the freedom of all who want to express themselves without fear of punishment. Until we do, our freedom is in continual peril. Think on that for a moment. If the right to express yourself can be taken away in one place, it can be taken away any place. It may not come in the form of a brutal dictator. It could come through a well-meant proposal to bar "oppressive" blogs [Understand, I am not in favor of the hate mongers, pornographers, or anyone who makes my skin crawl when I realize they belong to the same species I do. But limiting even their rights could become the first step in limiting mine. And I'm very sensitive about my rights. Besides, if someone reading those posts can't see how useless they are, the world is in much worse shape than I think it is].

Bloggers have great power. They also have the potential to cause great harm. Consider the phenomenon of on-line bullying. Many of us have heard accounts of how bloggers have used their pages to cruly harass persons, sometimes even persons they do not know. We have also seen at least one of these cases end in the suicide of the person who was being lampooned. Now I don't believe that the individuals in that case wanted to see that sad person take his own life. But they should have known that words have power, to hurt, to crush, even to drive a person to death. Fortunately, words also have the power to unify, to lift up, to carry us towards a higher purpose. Your posts don't have to read like the Second Coming of Pollyanna [Mine sure don't]. But, when composing your words, consider the effect they may have on their subject, especially if a person written about is in private life [emphasized because of the legal issue of libel; I'll post on that in the near future].

With great power comes great responsibility. Remember YOUR responsibilities: to your fellow bloggers, to keep the reputation of blogging favorable; to your subjects, that you are as accurate and factual as possible in your writings; to those who are not free to express themselves, that your make every effort you can to get them the rights they deserve; finally, to yourself, that you work to preserve your rights. And keep your Web shooters full...

-Mike Riley

Guilty!

2008-05-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

I think most bloggers do [or don't do] something, in the operation of their blog, that may hurt its repeat readership. And let's face it, while an especially-interesting post, or a particularly heavy ad campaign, may bring you new readers, those efforts are wasted if they don't become regular visitors. One that I've just become aware that I'm guilty of (and deserve a session with the Blogosphere's Judge Judy for, if such a one exists) is not replying to readers' comments.

Under the best of circumstances, it's difficult to know if anyone is reading your posts [I got a comment recently from fellow blogger Dave Rosenthal, of http://welcomebackrosenthal.com/, that used his EntreCard stats to postulate that about 1 in 100 'Card droppers actually read posts on a site they drop on. I'd be curious to hear what others' experiences are, but that's not the point of this post]. If someone actually shows the interest to A] read your blog, and B] make a comment, don't they deserve some reply? Even if it's a "Hi Erica! Good luck with your new site for "Tales From The Tracks": [http://www.talesfromthetracks.com/]! And thanks for your kind words on my recent post". First of all, you show they you've read their comment. Then, by taking a few minutes to update yourself on the happenings at their site, you can then comment, sensibly, on what's going on there.

(My problem, it turns out, is that I almost never re-read my posts. It's waaay too scary. But, like the little boy in that classic story, I need to fight my fears, listen carefully for the noise under the bed, reach for my "old-school" Victoriaville hockey stick, and bash the defenseless creature to within an inch of its miserable life. Like Billy Warhol, residing on the Blogosphere at http://billiondollarbaloney.blogspot.com/. By the Bye, Billy, where's my gazillion dollars? Just kidding, as I expect you were.)

Seriously, though, what should bloggers do about comments? Reply to them, preferably on your comment page. As noted above, get a sense of what they're up to on their site. Like Dan Thornton, purveyor of The Way Of The Web: http://thewayoftheweb.blogspot.com/. Congrats on the new kid, Dan! Or Tix-R-Us, who's about to split, atom-like, into a collection of mini-blogs at http://www.dorkage.net/. Tix [may I call you that, by the way?] is also responsible for a bit of wisdom, pulled from one of her new blog-ettes:"...[P]eople believe graphics, not data". I think she may have a point there.

If all these options seem "too little, too late", consider an entry in your blog where you spotlight the blogs of your commenters, with links and compliments aplenty. Hey, it could work...

-Mike Riley

An Improvement...

2008-05-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me realizes the title above referrs to an improvement to this blog. Believe me, the LAST thing you want to see is me heading towards a wobbly wall in your residence with a power tool. Or an unpowered tool, for that matter. It's Just going to be ugly. So don't let me do it. You have been warned...

That said, there IS an improvement to this blog. I've suggested visiting a series of sites in these posts. Now the vital links are together, in a sidebar feature called "Access To Tools". It's on the right-hand side of this blog, under the parking-lot sign of the same name. As other useful items are discovered, they will be added. Hope this helps.

That's all for now. Go off and be creative.

-Mike Riley

A Few Words About Words, And Another Tool

2008-04-29T23:35:00.001-07:00

Around this time forty years ago [my goodness, I wasn't even of legal age back then], the number one song in the US of A was the one sold in the sleeve pictured above; Tighten Up, from Archie Bell And The Drells. Propelled by a strong bass line [still pretty tasty today], as well as a relatively clever dance of the same name, Tighten Up is still a very popular tune in the Oldies world.

I bring all this up to note that tightening up your posts is good advice. Of course, there are times when you need to use every word to tell a story, paint a verbal picture, or explain an idea. Most of the time, though, fewer words are best. When you finish a post, and before you hit "Publish", look it over carefully. Pretend that you're not being paid by the word [for most of us, who don't get paid at all, this should be easy]. See if there are simpler ways to express your ideas. Make cuts and rewrites as needed. Then, and only then [after using "Spellcheck", of course], send your words to the Blogosphere. Those who will read your posts thank you.

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In a few of these posts, I've complained bitterly about the difficulties of properly sizing images for various purposes [my gripes were centered around EntreCard's "125x125" rule. I don't mind the size specification, but I couldn't find an image sizing tool that worked accurately enough to suit EC's limits]. But now I wish to show my gratitude to a programmer, or programmers in The Netherlands [flag depicted at left] and our good friends at Google [they're just everywhere, aren't they?], for pointing me to:

http://www.resize2mail.com/. As you might guess from its name, it's really designed to resize digital photos for e-mailing and other similar needs. But it also works quick and easy for resizing any gif or .jpg image. Here's how it works:

1. / Scroll down to the area under "3 easy steps"

2. / Under "options", select "on your own" [interesting way of putting that, isn't it?]

3. / Type in the correct dimensions where indicated

4. / Press the "okay" [another interesting term] button

5. / Your resized image appears. Save it to your computer, then take it to your favorite image modifying site [Splashup: http://www.splashup.com/ is very good for this], put in any copy, save it, then submit it to EntreCard [or wherever else you plan to use it].

Caveat: I've only submitted one card. It did work, though. Besides, if any of you have taken college-level science courses, you should know that the Lab Supervisor [me] usually leaves the research work to the lab members [you]. E-mail me if you have any problems. I probably can't fix them, but if enough of you have issues, I'll write another post completely denying authorship of this one. C'mon people! I have tenure on the line, for goodness sakes!

-Mike Riley

new toy

2008-04-27T23:58:00.001-07:00

You know, I don't usually go in for this sort of flashing sign stuff on my blogs. But I just became aware of a site that makes it very easy to add customized images to your blog.It's called ImageChef and, appropriately enough, it can be found at:http://www.imagechef.com/ .[Understand, I still believe in the power of well-written ideas to make a blog sing. But there's nothing wrong with using an appropriate illustration to add to your message]Image Chef offers a wide variety of decorations, in different styles [like our post-opening extravaganza], which you personalize by simply adding your message. What sets IC apart is that you can save your image to an "album" which you can then, if you wish, allow others to see. In addition to the animations, they have a variety of photo "frames" [uploading photos is quick 'n' easy], and other assorted things to decorate a blog, MySpace or Facebook site, or wherever you can download it to. Best of all, the Chef is FREE [would I send you to a pay site? C'mon, you know your Uncle Cheapskate!]Anyway, if you are looking for something a little different to decorate a post, take a look at Image Chef.
-Mike Riley

The Ten-Cent Tour

2008-04-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

As you've probably noticed [if you're at least a semi-regular visitor], I've remodeled the look of the site yet again [three times in just over two months! Do you think I've got it right yet?]. This redesign came from a desire to make the site look more like my new EntreCard:

and THAT [the new EC] came from a sense that my other card [made from EC default design] was boring, and didn't stand out. I got the design from someone who made a series of 125x125 images freely available [I've honestly forgotten which site I got it from; if it was yours, please comment here, so I know whom to thank]. I liked the idea of using a photo-style card. But how to put the title and slogan on the picture? Here's where I need to thank Romelo [http://www.romelo.com]. On one of his recent posts, he introduced me to Splashup [http://www.splashup.com], a free online site that offers features similar to Photoshop. (Romelo says it's only a beta site, but the last entry on its blog was made in November of last year; this may be as good as it gets)

You can register, or not, as you wish. When you're ready, jump to "Jump Right In". Upload your image [there is an expand/contract option for images, but the slider control is not very accurate; you may want to re size your picture elsewhere, then upload it]. Look for the "A" in the left-hand column. This accesses the "text" options.Several type faces and sizes are available from drop-down boxes at the top of the page. Type in the message you wish, then save your work. As you can see from above, the type and image remain clear throughout the procedure.

As noted, I wanted the blog to resemble the card. I found a Blogger template {Thisaway Blue] that had the right color scheme. When it came time to customize the template's look, I decided to simulate the card design on the header. I found a similar, slightly larger version of the "splash" photo, and uploaded it to Splashup. Once I typed the message on the photo, I used the expand/contract option to enlarge the image to the right size [again, not as accurately as I would have liked, but fortunately the sizing issues were not as critical as when making an enforced 125x125 image], uploaded it to Blogger, than used it as a header "photo" illustration, checking the "use instead of title" option. The result is what you see here [well, UP THERE, actually, but you should figure that out for yourself]. I like the overall look of the site, and hope you find it attractive, too.

So there you are. I've posted about the "You Drop-I Link" widget in my previous post. The other items are carried over from the previous incarnations of this blog, except for using a different clock [It's probably silly to use a clock, when so many viewers of the site are in different time zones, but I've always liked the look of a clock. Mouse over the clock to find out how to get one of your very own]. Once I made a few errors, putting the new look together was pretty easy. Believe me, if I can do it, it's an almost sure bet you can, too. Just remember to save your current template before starting on the new one. That way, if your "artistic vision" doesn't pan out, you can always go back to your original one. If you would, please leave any comments, suggestions, etc on how to make this an even better-looking blog.

-Mike Riley

A Widget Worth Wanting

2008-04-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

If you're like most bloggers, you want something to make your blog stand out. Something that makes visiting your site worth the trip. Anthony, the proud host of "Work at Home Wealth" [http://work-at-home-wealth.com/blog/], has come up with a very cool widget for EntreCarders. When someone drops a card on your site, the widget displays a brief summary of the site, along with a click-on link to it. Although the "You Drop, I Link" widget is still in beta, it works very well, as long as you pay attention when you install it.

Anthony has put together two posts on how to install the new device, and, if you follow his instructions carefully, it will work. You can even do some cautious customization [I widened mine to fit its space in the column], making it work better in your particular blog. The big thing to remember is: do NOT drop any semi-colons when you install your personal information {EC ID, etc}. This will all make sense when you read Anthony's posts. Those of us who use Blogger may find that it adds code, which will have to be deleted. And make sure the EC information is accurate [I mistook an "8" for a "B" when I was installing the code for the widget on this site. And yes, it DOES make a difference]!

On a personal note, I want to thank Anthony for helping me get this new feature installed correctly. He seems to be very interested in making sure people who are trying his new device have a good experience with it. If you do have issues, I'm sure he'll help you as well.

"You Drop, I Link" seems like a great feature to give your EC droppers a "value-added" bonus. Try it here, then, if you like it, click on the above link to get one for yourself.

-Mike Riley

Reflections Of YOUR Life

2008-04-10T22:59:00.001-07:00

Throughout the history of art, there have been many great works created as "commissions". Usually, this means that a wealthy person offers an artist some of his wealth, in exchange for an item. In many cases, the "benefactor" [rich person] will make suggestions, or demands, about what will be part of the work (For a truly humorous example of to what extremes such "requests" can go, Google "Hiawatha's Photography", by Lewis Carroll).

That said, much art [maybe all art; we'll look at that in a moment] is the result of the creator's experiences. No matter how clever the artist, s/he can only create based on their realm of knowledge, what they can envision, based on their life experiences [this does have a point. Hang in for another line or two. It's worth it].

Among other things [at least, most bloggers tell themselves this], blogging is an art [although I'd hope for a healthy dose of craft in the final product]. One of the more artistic blogs out there right now is Lorelle On Wordpress [http://lorelle.wordpress.com/]. In this posting, http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/liz-strauss-at-wordcamp-dallas-transcript-60317-comments/, she quotes social-networking maven Liz Strauss:

Whenever we say we’re talking about ourselves, we’re revealing something about ourselves. But it’s how we reveal it.

But when we ask our readers, “How’d you like this blog post we just did?” “How’d you like what I just did?” “How did you like what I just wrote?” We think we’re asking them about them. But we’re really asking them about ourselves.

And we need to be really careful that we know the difference.

Let that resonate in your head for a few minutes. You see, it really is about you. Whether you write poetry, or humor, or tips on better blogging, it can only come from what is within you, what is part of you. Even if your blog is about making money by blogging, it comes from what you bring to the table.
What does this mean to you? Be knowledgeable. Know your subject [If you write a "personal diary", know yourself. If you don't, ask around. Someone around you may have a few clues]. Work on your craft. Better blogging is really about YOU.
-Mike Riley

Two Days, One Cause...

2008-04-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

One of the least useful things that can happen, when a new idea hits the table, is for more than one group to do the promoting. Take RSS Awareness Day. To be very honest, I'm not exactly sure whose idea it was first. But the point is we now have two days, a week apart, to promote an easy, convenient way to distribute your posts. April 24th has been selected by Enterprisers for their RSS Day, while Daily Blog Tips has selected May 1st [once and for all removing the stain on that date caused by it being International Socialism Day].

For all the intermural mash-up, it seems as if both sides have the same, useful goal in mind; to increase the use of RSS [Really Simple Syndication] as a means of distributing posts or, more to the point, to get more people to read postings through RSS. The team at Daily Blog Tips pointed out in a recent release that, over the last three or so years, RSS readership has gone up by only four-tenths of one percent, from five percent to five-point-four percent! Why don't people use RSS more? In my case, I never think of it, and, when I do, I prefer to read posts at the original site whenever possible. That way, I can see any illustrations, charts, etc, associated with the post [RSS syndication does not include visual portions of postings; why is that, by the bye?].

The crew at Daily Blog Tips invite you to www.rssday.org; don't rush, by the way - the site is just established. But I like the color scheme. Meanwhile, the Enterprisers [why do I have a picture of Kirk, Spock, Picard, and Troi when I think of that name? Damned if I know] hope you'll stop at their wiki, http://enterpriserssdayofaction.wikispaces.com/.

As far as promotional materials go, Daily Blog Tips has a better package, including a competition with some high-power prizes on the table. But the Enterprise crew has [so far; Blog Tips says it'll have more banners next week], to my mind, the better visual symbol, reproduced above. No matter which day in future years is celebrated as RSS Day, let's keep the megaphone logo, which works for just about anyone, regardless of language.

-Mike Riley

An Inspiration And An Irritation

2008-04-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Some days, Your Host has the worst memory in the Cosmos. Case in point: I recently saw an EntreCard ad for a blogging carnival. I've never thought about entering one before, because the topics are usually very specific, and not things I usually write about. But this one simply called for "your best blog entry". Well, I could do that. Unfortunately, I didn't write down which site was sponsoring the soiree, so I was ultimately unable to enter. But, it did bring to mind the important question: which was my best blog entry, and why? It's a question every blogger should consider.

What criteria would YOU use to select your best post? Was it the one that inspired the most responses [If that were my basis, my best would be a posting on "American Idol" during Sanjaya's [remember him?] run on the show]? Would it be one that brought in few responses, but the ones that came were particularly interesting? For marketing-oriented sites, would it be one that inspired many sales? Was it one you felt was well-written, or particularly funny, or heart-felt? How you choose to answer that question says a lot about what you're trying to accomplish with your blog.

Of course, there is no right or wrong answer. But look over your posts when you have a little time to think about them. Pick YOUR best post, for whatever reason. Re-read it from time to time. Let it inspire your future words.

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Recently, I've noticed a trend in blogs that really irritates me no end. You click on a blog site that looks interesting. Then, just as you're about to read it, the page you were looking at disappears, replaced by an ad. To me, this is even more annoying than the universally- [and rightly, I think] hated pop-up.You can avoid a pop-up. This comes out of nowhere, and frequently is more difficult to get away from than a pop-up. Sites like this are nothing more than Trojan Horses, and even if returning to the original site is as simple as clicking a box, the overall effect makes the blogger look like nothing more than a crass con-artist. And nobody wants to be the victim of a con.

If you operate, or are planning to operate such a site, please, please, please reconsider. There is no shame in honest advertising on a blog. There is much shame in this.

-Mike Riley

Trolling For Freebies [Shameless Promotion]

2008-04-01T00:54:00.000-07:00

Something I may or may not have mentioned in these little texts is that I am totally inept when it comes to artwork, coding, writing html, xthml, etc. (I admit this is a major flaw in a site dedicated to offering advice to other bloggers; anyone interested in helping out on this matter, please leave me a comment with contact information. Please...)

Anyway, I really think the EntreCard that I'm currently using for this site needs work. Fortunately, help is at hand, thanks to Jay Francis Hunter, of scribblesandwords.com. In conjunction with his new services page [http://www.scribblesandwords.com/services-hire-jay/], he is offering free 125x125 banners [suitable for EC, Project Wonderful, etc]. The only cost to YOU is writing an entry publicising said service page. (If you want to see the full rundown, visit www.scribblesandwords.com, and look for the decorative banner under: "Jay's Favorites". [The post also links to a page of banners he's already done. You'll recognize some of them from your 'Card dropping. I'm really looking forward to what he'll come up with for us...]

I always think "news you can use" is worth sharing, so go and take Jay up on his offer. The Blog Lab is...

-Mike Riley

Why "A" Does NOT Equal "B"

2008-03-28T00:45:00.000-07:00

A lot of people I know say that the complaint I'm about to present is little more than "nit-picking". Well, bring out your nits! I'm in a picking mood [By the bye, where does the word "nit-picking" come from? Just curious...].

Here are two sentences. Let's call them "A" and "B" [Actually, sentence "A" is better known as "Pipi", while sentence "B" is called "Esmerelda". "Esmerelda" is a skinny, bearded man who likes to go grocery shopping in a tutu. And no underwear. But I digress...:

-A) Your slip is showing.

-B) You're slip is showing.

Do they both make sense as currently written? Of course not! If they did, would one of them be an easy target for ridicule? For the record, sentence "A", or "Pipi", referrs to an owned, or possessed, item. The slip belongs to you. It's your slip. And it's showing! Pull your skirt down, before every person in Toonerville makes some kind of comment. "Esmerelda", sorry, sentence "B" starts with the contraction "you're", short for the words "you are". "You are slip is showing." No sense there. Especially since "Esmerelda" never wore one [I actually knew of a person who shopped dressed the same way as "Esmerelda". You did NOT want to see him looking for something on a bottom shelf, believe you me!].

What happened? You've run into the phenomenon known as "homonyms", defined as "two words that sound identical, but have different meanings". The Woman I Love, were she here [she's at home, asleep, lucky her...], would tell you, quite correctly, that I get agitated over the smallest of things. Say what you will, that woman's got me pegged. Nevertheless, an incorrectly-used homonym can send me into madness. Silly? You bet. But there's a point worth making here. Writing, especially good writing, is an art. Like any other art, those who are the best at it develop the craft of good writing. Part of that craft involves knowing, and using, the correct word at the correct time. Never mind that your reader will probably figure out what you meant. Using the wrong word will just make you look clumsy and uncaring. Please, folks, take the time to use the correct homonym. The few extra seconds will make your writing look more like the product of a serious writer, and less like "Esmerelda" from behind on a windy day...

A Few Common Homonyms...

"there" vs "they're"

"to" vs "too"

"wear" vs "where"

"hear" vs "here"

(I think you get the idea. Please, make my life less stressful, and your postings better written. We'll all be happier. Even "Esmerelda".)

-Mike Riley

A Couple Of Quick Points...

2008-03-25T00:56:00.001-07:00

Just a note or two. It won't take you long to read but, in the immortal words of Bill Cosby [on "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids"], "Hey, if you stick around, you may learn something!"

-I know we are all sick to death of EntreCard items on the Blogs Of The World. At least I am. But Ramona Iftode, on her site, makes some sensible observations about how truly casual EC users can get real value from their drops. Check out her ideas here:

http://ramonaiftode.com/blog/get-something-more-from-that-crappy-entrecard-traffic/#more-66. [By the bye, Ramona's site is always full of good observations. Well worth adding to your "regularly visited" file...]

-Second, in answer to many requests [okay, one request. But it was a nice request.], RSS syndication for this blog is now available! Just click on the Universal RSS symbol atop the right-hand column of the blog to sign up (The syndicator is FeedBurner. Hope that's not a problem). Thanks to "D.S.W.B. for asking. Check out that site here:

http://www.directsaleswebmarketing.com/.

That's all. At ease. Back to whatever it was you were doing...but subscribe first, why don't ya?

-Mike Riley

A Point To Seriously Ponder

2008-03-24T01:03:00.000-07:00

What follows is part of a longer posting at my other site, http://aftermidnightpage.blogspot.com. It's an issue that many bloggers [those who try to make money at Blogger by running a "monitization" site] are going to be facing over the next few weeks and months. I am not advocating ANYTHING at this point except a calm consideration by all parties of the issues on the table. That said, keep your powder dry. You never know...

As an interested observer [and a Blogger user], I find myself very concerned about an apparent new policy at "Big B"; namely, dropping blogs that are using non-Google ads. I'd have to be a lawyer to understand every word of the Blogger Rulebook, but I don't deny they have the right to do this. What I wonder about, though, is how long Blogger bloggers [there must be a more graceful way to put that, but I don't know how] are going to put up with it. With the exception of my EntreCard, I choose not to use any "monitization" features on my sites [and I have some doubts as to how much money is on the way to 'Carders; see [below], where I've written a three-part consideration of the soon-to-be-implemented EntreCard "purchase" policy]. But I do believe that every blogger has a right to operate his or her blog as they see fit. Host sites that will not acknowledge this right may find themselves deserted, or worse, populated entirely by old cranks like me [along with the infamous sites that include "wish lists". There's something about 13-or 14-year-old girls (and boys) posting sites that seem to be little more than "come-ons" for "Sugar Daddies" to make their wishes come true that just creeps my ass out, big time. I'd rather see them go than the commercial blogs]. If, on the other hand, Google [owner/operator of Blogger] is simply looking for a percentage of money made on their blogs from non-Google sources, I can understand that. After all, Google provides a free hosting service. If people are using the free service to make money, the site should receive some form of compensation. But I have yet to find any notification/warning/request for discussion from Google anywhere in the Blogger site. Blogger has what I think is an unfortunate reputation as unfriendly to money-making sites. This will not help. (Perhaps the ultimate answer would involve the creation of a separate tier of money-making blogs. A lot of bad feelings have been raised by the current "blog raids". But I don't believe it's too late to mend the rifts.) Google is, without question, powerful. Time will tell if they can also be reasonable with a group of blog creators who are, for the most part, small businesspeople.

Just a thought, campers...

-Mike Riley

The Sad State Of Refrigerator Doors

2008-03-21T01:06:00.000-07:00

Have you taken a good look at your refrigerator door lately? Now, if yours' is like most peoples', it does an excellent job of keeping the cold in, and the warm out. That's not the problem I want to address [By the bye, if that is your problem, get that fixed as soon as possible. Besides making the storage of food at best problematic, it keeps your coolant motor running, which can lead to overheating, burnout, and, worse, fire. You may not be the only person who can prevent house or garage fires, but a lot of it is on YOUR shoulders].

No, the issue here is the quality of your children's drawings posted on the fridge (Of course if your child is a budding Matisse, or better yet, the next Warhol, please ignore the rest of this posting). I'm not saying your child is untalented. First of all I don't know. Secondly, the problem is probably not his or her fault. You see, funding has been cut for education in many American school districts. When budgets are cut, what money is available just doesn't go as far. I'm not here to judge what is important, and what can be eliminated when times are tight [oh, wait a minute, I am...sorry], but my votes would involve sensible reductions in military spending, as well as a tax system that brutally punishes the rich [after all, years of tax breaks for the wealthy have done nothing to demonstrate what The Great Communicator called "trickle-down economics", and his running mate correctly identified as "voodoo economics"], and increases in all varieties of, among other things, education. That would include education for the arts [Do you see where this is going yet? Hang on, we're nearly there...]. Arts education would not only improve those refrigerator artworks, but encourage creative thinking in many areas of life [As this is a Presidential election year here in the US, maybe it's a good time to press any candidate you may encounter on his or her policy towards education. Thank you].

But, since the better part of the currently maturing generation missed out on the whole "arts education" experience, maybe Your Host can throw together a few places for tips that can improve the appearance of your blog [and don't think I'm playing superior; I plan to go over this very location with a fine-tooth comb over the next week or two. It's Spring, (or Virtual Spring, anyway); let's all do some Cleaning and Maintenance!

Color Theory And Reality:

http://www.webreference.com/new/color.html - Actually a series of articles about color coordination and color theory. Understandably written, well worth your time.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/620/li1.htm - Another perspective on color coordination, from an Arabic newspaper. [In English].

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/color-for-coders - More technically oriented than the first two pieces, it's very useful for its illustrations of color in use [The illustration that tops this article is from this site].

Blog layout/design:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/ - State-of-the-art insights, from a source for cutting edge style.

http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmF_mWi6r-9I - A YouTube driven course of design principles.

http://www.lukew.com/ff/ - Functioning Form is the blog of web theorist and designer Luke Wroblewski. I'll be honest; he goes over my head. But if you want to consider the Future of The Web and Blogging, this is a good starting place.

Have a marvelous Passover, a Happy Easter, or a Nice Weekend. And please offer a SUBMISSION or two, for goodness' sake! We are offering 250 EC credits for your submitted articles that make it to the blog. So take some of my credits! Please!

-Mike Riley

Upping The Ante

2008-03-11T00:56:00.001-07:00

Okay. First of all, there is one more post coming in the "EntreCard" series [look for it either later this week or early next]. (Editor's Note: because I started the third EC post as a draft before writing this posting, it actually appears beneath this entry. I'm sure there's some logic to all this, but I'll be Da---- if I understand it. - MR)

After that, I want to get back to this site's true focus; namely, writing and layout tips for the casual [ie, non-commercial] blogger. I've been hoping for submissions from long-time bloggers, tech-heads, you know what I mean. So far, though, the pickings have been non-existent, never mind slim.

Okay. You need a bribe to play. Fair enough. Acknowledging that reward is a primary motivation in human activity, and to celebrate the acceptance of this blog by the good folk at BlogCatalog, I am now offering 250 EntreCard credits for any published posts (They still have to meet the Guidelines posted at the top of the right-hand column of this blog). If you're not a 'Carder, first of all, you should be.

Secondly, I think we can work out some kind of compensation [but not money. I don't have a lot right now, or ever, for that matter].

Go ye and blog...

-Mike Riley

PS: The Chinese character illustrating this post is translated, roughly, as "Wealth". Just thought you'd like to know...

Think Tank: EntreCard And The New Blog-Based Economy (III)

2008-03-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

As noted in previous posts in this series, the social/business networking service EntreCard will begin buying/selling EC credits in the near future. This reflects an acknowledgement of a "grey" market in EC credits that already exists. So who'll buy, who'll sell, and, most importantly, who'll make money?

In the short term, anyway, I think this is a seller's market. Those who have credits to spare will off-load them to buyers at the best rate possible. I still think 5 US Cents per credit is as good a starting place as any [I got this figure by looking at rates for the similarly-sized ads of the Wonderwall service].

If you've been an EntreCarder for more than a month or so, try a simple experiment; go to a blog you formerly advertised on. Then check what its current ad rate is. In most cases, you'll find the rates have gone up [in some cases by 100 % or more]. When I first noticed this, my reaction was, "Boy, I must have picked blogs just before they began to peak in value [I always try to buy my EC ads at a low rate] !" But then I thought about it. Nobody is that good at picking blogs to advertise on, or that lucky. Then I realized that inflation was at work. In the days before any new economic system kicks in, the value of the form of exchange frequently rises.

Who'll be buying? People who can market the credits. My personal model is something like that of ad agencies, which in the real world frequently persuade the potential sponsor to advertise, create the advertising, then purchase space to promote it. Who'll want to advertise on EC? At first, anyway, people who are already used to marketing their products or services in that way; I have no crystal ball as to whom, but look around at the ads you see on the Internet now, and I suspect they'll be among the Usual Suspects.

Long term, I'd guess [and it's only a guess] that businesses that are well-known already would be next in line. If EntreCard holds to its "blogs of distinction" philosophy, companies would have to establish blogs to be linked to the EC ads. (If you handle marketing for a national fast-food restaurant chain, for instance, this doesn't sound too complicated. A blog that features "Great Moments In The History Of [your restaurant here], for instance, with an internal banner linked to the REAL commercial they want to present probably would fit within the EC guidelines. Of course, the viewer would have to click on the banner. But a free coupon should make that happen)

After that, the options seem endless. How about regional advertising? If EC can tell you which bloggers are "nearest" to you by location, you can tell an advertiser in your town where to advertise. In fact, I'm sure that people more clever than myself are working out the details of this, and other advertising possibilities, while I type these words.

As I've said throughout these posts, I'm really not interested in exploring any of these possibilities. But the changes that they will inevitably bring to EC intrigue and, to be honest, worry me. I hope we can all stay friends when EVERYONE is playing for money...

Think Tank: EntreCard And The New Blog-Based Economy (II)

2008-03-05T23:07:00.001-08:00

[Before I get back to the topic at hand, a quick explanation; I'm not planning on making this a "how to make money blogging" site (as I think Laura might be concerned about, see Comments to previous post). But I've become intrigued with the whole EntreCard phenomenon - collecting/dropping Cards, the seemingly endless (for the moment, anyway) series of contests, the sense of honest friendliness among its members. I truly hope none of that is lost in the New EC World. But I can't see it working out that way.

I am not very good at monitization; the ideas I'm throwing out here are my own, and should therefore be looked at with great suspicion. But if you can make some coin with them, well and good. Please bear with this post, and perhaps one more on the subject. Then we will return to our true goal of making the Blogosphere a better place through SCIENCE! - MR

This post takes the form of an history lesson, or at least one of those clever vignettes you sometimes see promoting The History Channel. I apologize. But it features one of the most intriguing "moments" in the history of North America.

The photo above needs a little explanation. Imagine a line of humans, moving cautiously across an ice field, climbing up the iceberg-like side of a mountain. This line extends across a massive stretch of ground, in both directions, as far as the eye can see. You are weighed down with over one hundred pounds of food and other supplies, as is everyone else in line. The line moves slowly in cold that reaches well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. You shuffle uncertainly, cautiously searching for drop-offs and gaps in the ice that sits below the snow. It's 1898, and you are trying to get across the principle land route to the hottest gold rush site in a generation; the Klondike region of Canada.

Tens of thousands of men and women abandoned safe, sane lives in the United States, Canada, or other parts of the World. With little or no experience in winter travel [or gold mining, for that matter] , these brave people headed to what is now Canada's Northwest Territory. They slept in tents, or on the cold ground in sleeping bags. When they finally reached the gold fields, the third-largest city on the continent, Dawson, sprung up to supply their needs and wants. This "city" had wood-framed homes, taverns that at least matched the ones in the "outside" world. They had large theatres for plays, and most of the bars had performers brought in from the East. They had banks, to keep the proceeds of lucky miners. They had newspapers to inform the locals what was going on there, and in the outside world.

And yet...within five years, it was almost all gone!

The gold was, for the most part, "played out". Without the draw of riches, many of the region's residents left, for the next gold rush, the next opportunity, the next big thing.

Some stayed on, of course. But they were in the minority.

After the gold rush [that'd make a great song title, wouldn't it?] , many books came out about the Klondike rush [one of the best is Pierre Berton's Klondike. Berton's parents did stay on after the 'rush, and he grew up in the abandoned town]. Most of them pointed out that, while a few prospectors hit big, most of them headed home empty-handed. A few added the observation that those who seemed to do best in the whole era were those who provided goods and services to the miners. Further, the ones who did best within that group frequently were the ones who thought "outside the box". For instance, one salesman somehow transported hundreds of cats to Dawson. No one could figure out why. He grew rich selling his cats to lonely miners who wanted a pet!

Mull over the story of the Klondike over the next few days. I think there may be a lesson or two for EntreCarders [thought I'd forgotten about all that, didn't you?] in the frozen North. We'll talk again soon...

-Mike Riley

Think Tank: EntreCard And The New Blog-Based Economy (I)

2008-03-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

The social networking-advertising site EntreCard [of which I am a member] has made great strides since its introduction late last year. There are currently some five thousand members, and current 'Card users have created a fund of 30, 000 EC credits to induce new enrollment. The requirements to join are very simple; a blog "of quality" [a description which, for the most part, actually fits], and a visual "card", which must be 125 x 125 pixels. The program gives users the opportunity to promote their blogs by purchasing "ad space" [for want of a better term] on other member blogs. The purchase medium is EC credits, mainly earned by visiting other EC bloggers' web sites, and clicking on a widget that holds an EC ad. Other ways to acquire credits include winning them in regularly-held drawings, usually sponsored by EC members who have mastered the credit-gathering system [more on this shortly], or through cash-for-credits transactions [EC currently acknowledges the existence of an active "grey" market in credits; the service will soon establish its own credit marketing operation for EC points]. The "grey" market appears to be moderately active, with 'Card credits even turning up on eBay, and several sites devoted to such sales operating openly on EntreCard.

The two principle "systems" by which "Carders" drop are reciprocal dropping [dropping EC cards on sites that have visited yours], and power dropping [using advanced techniques to drop on many sites in a short amount of time]. EntreCard sets a strict limit of 300 cards per day, per blog [a limit many members get around by operating more than one blog. I currently operate two myself, and by no means would I consider myself a power player in the Brave New EC World]. The service says[reasonably, I think] that most people get nowhere near the 300 figure, but admits that some of their active users do reach the limit.

Time for some horseback figuring: for a moment, let's assume that the soon-to-be marketable EC credits sell for five cents apiece [probably somewhat high, but an easy figure to calculate]. A reciprocal dropper like myself will typically drop about 60 cards per day, per site. This works out to three dollars in salable credits available to sell. Not exciting in itself, but consider that the operator of two blogs would, in theory, be able to clear about thirty dollars a week. That would, for instance, cover the cost of high-speed Internet access in many communities, with a little cash left over. But consider if the rate per credit were to rise to twenty-five cents [a figure I predict we may see within the first year of the marketing plan]. The figure per blog rises to fifteen dollars per day, per blog, and seventy-five dollars per week! [little wonder, then, that EntreCard announced this week that it was aware of the existence of software designed to automatically drop cards. It also announced improved security to prevent such ploys, but, with money on the table, it's probably just a matter of time before someone develops an undetectable program to "carpet drop" cards]

So, a pool of potential sellers appears to be in place. But who will be the buyers? What will bring them to EntreCard? How will those transactions be handled? And who will the real money-makers be? I'll try to address those questions in my next posting.

-Mike Riley

Some Thoughts On Templates

2008-03-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

Just as a house is built around a frame, a blog is built around a template. Your template gives a structure to the posts, links, widgets, and other elements that make up your blog. Careful selection of your template's design, including color scheme, will make your blog stand out from others with similar themes.

The two main template formats, Blogger and Wordpress, are both based on html/xtml language. Which one you select [or if you select another one entirely] depends on your blogging requirements, as well as which system you prefer to work in. There seems to be a feeling that Wordpress is more suitable for business-oriented blogs, while Blogger is better for personal blogs. I have never felt comfortable trying to create a blog using Wordpress; if you feel comfortable with one format, use it. There are plenty of business blogs that use Blogger, and many personal blogs on Wordpress. If anyone has a stronger opinion one way or the other, please comment on this post. Your insights will help newbies make the choice that is right for them.

(Along that line, I'd really like to hear from those who use neither Blogger or Wordpress, and why. Please comment below)

-Mike Riley

While We're Waiting...

2008-02-26T01:06:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who's helped make this a successful launch! Whether you were drawn here from the posting in "AFTER MIDNIGHT", or from one of the ads on various web sites, thank you for taking a few minutes to look things over. I hope you'll be back for repeat visits!

As the "Welcome" message at the top of the right-hand column says, I'm welcoming submissions on this site. As noted, please send them to the e-mail link in the message, and please put the word "Submissions" in your title line. You don't need to be an acknowledged expert, but I would hope you'd at least know what you're talking about. Hope to hear from you soon...

While we're waiting, here are a few links to sites that say they can help your writing skills:

Read a valuable RSS Feeds & Blogging Tutorial at Web Site101 Small Business Ecommerce Tutorial.

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/12/30/tens-tips-for-writing-a-blog-post/[Problogger.net has plenty of help for newbies; check it out]

http://www.instigatorblog.com/5-blog-writing-tips-to-get-more-comments/2006/10/04/ [though written from a monitization perspective, there are still good tips in this entry]

http://scalzi.com/whatever/004023.html [John Scalzi has a "Damn The Torpedoes!" style, but his points on writing are all well taken]

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writebetter [Dennis Mahoney's post requires reading to glean all his insights. Good reading is a key skill in developing good writing skills...]

http://tojou.blogspot.com/2006/10/tips-for-blog-writing.html [An older link, still working as of writing, for more tips]

If you feel that none of these are helpful, a good Internet search should connect you with something you'll find useful.

-Mike Riley

Pet Peeves

2008-02-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

For about two years now, I've put together a mildly-successful blog (AFTER MIDNIGHT; look for widget/link on right-hand column), along with some riduculously-UNSUCCESSFUL ones [why dig up the past?}. I don't know that I have the right to call myself a blog "expert", but I do know what I like - and don't like. I believe my "likes" are a matter of personal taste; my "dislikes", however, hopfully reflect fixable issues with the blog in question. Here are some of those "pet peeves":

*Spelling/Mis-used words: This one goes back, no doubt, to my school days, when points were taken off writing projects for misspellings. In the "SpellCheck" era, such mistakes are just INEXCUSABLE. Besides, a correctly-spelled postings makes its writer look more intelligent and in control of the topic. A simular peeve is the mis-use of words ("their" for "there" is one example). This is a harder matter to correct; perhaps a future posting will adress this?

*Illegible Blogs: This usually comes down to one or two issues; either the blog's color scheme does not allow for easy reading, or the type face is too darn small. A blog's color design is a key part of its overall "look". It usually comes down to the taste of the blog's creator. As such, criticism of such matters can come off like criticism of the blogger's first-born. But you're doing the blog for a reason. You want it TO BE READ. A survey I saw not too long ago noted that black-on-white is the easiest read of any color combination [flying in the face of this fact, AFTER MIDNIGHT is white-on-black. But the contrast shows the copy quite well, I believe. At least no one has complained about it yet]. As to text size, I think this shoes the problem nicely. As a blogger in his 50's, I really can't read the smaller type faces easily. If I can't read it easily, why would I struggle to try?

*Blogs that take forever to download: I do most of my blogging and reading of blogs at work. Here, we have T1 lines, bringing the Internet into our computers at near top speed [I don't know the technology well enough to explain it. Let's just say it's DADBUM fast]. Yet many blogs take forever to download. Usually, these blogs are over-laden with widgets or other gimmicks. Again, it's a taste issue; but people don't want to wait for your page to download. Reduce the number of widgets, and your download speed will almost certainly increase.

I know I've only mentioned three "peeves". Frankly, though, those are the main issues I have with blogs. If I'm interested in the topic, I can usually sit through observations on it, whether or not I agree with the blogger's viewpoint. If I'm not interested, I probably won't read it anyway. If we as bloggers can try to address these areas, though, it would almost certainly make blogs better.

-Mike Riley