My Writings. My Thoughts.
My favorite social bookmarking sites
// July 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // General
I love sharing bookmarks via social bookmarking sites. There are literally hundreds to choose from, but here are my personal favs:
How to get started doing product reviews
// July 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // General
One thing I have been doing a lot of lately is product reviews. Any blogger can get started in product reviews, though keep in mind that most advertisers are going to be looking for certain criteria, including:
- An active blog — preferably one that has been around at least several months, and has a decent following (at least 500 unique hits per month)
- A Google Page Rank of at least 1 (remember, the higher the better!), and a decent Alexa ranking
- Detail-oriented posts that show your willingness to research a product and thoroughly represent it to your readers
- Interaction from your visitors
If you feel that you and your blog qualify, the easiest way to get started is to start contacting companies directly, pitch to them your blog and why it’s so awesome, and ask if they would be interested in coordinating a product review with you!
Too much, not enough
// July 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // General
Have you ever noticed that on those days that you have a lot to do you never have enough time to get things done? My weekends are like that. Then again, I have a habit of saving some of my freelancing projects for the weekends, which I really shouldn’t, since it’s on the weekends that I do things with the kids.
In any case, people like my mom drive me crazy, as it seems like she has nothing to do and all day to do it in, yet never gets anything done. Grr!
What the font?
// July 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Design
WhatTheFont! is my favorite online font resource. The title is hilarious, since it’s obviously a direct spin-off of a popular curse-containing phrase, but more importantly it helps you figure out fonts that you just don’t know the origins of by allowing you to upload a picture. It traces the letters and curves, and comes up with its best guesses as to what the font in question might be.
I have used WhatTheFont! several times, and I’d say that 50% of the time it’s correct, or at least close. I love the fact that it provides names and links to the fonts it thinks may be the one(s), since you can then directly check out and/or download those fonts.
Just how much do you know about SEO?
// July 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // SEO
SEOMOZ has a fun little quiz (well, maybe it’s not so little, considering that there are 70+ questions) that shows just how much you really know about SEO. People think they know a lot about Search Engine Optimization, but the truth is, you may not know much more than the basics!
I went ahead and took the quiz, and here’s what I discovered: I suck. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who knows the basics, and little tidbits here and there, but clearly not enough to be classified an SEO expert by any stretch of the imagination! 
How often do you put up new layouts?
// July 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Design
One of the fun parts of maintaining a blog is being able to completely customize the look of it. Whether you self-host using WordPress or another platform, or you rely on Blogger, LiveJournal, or WordPress.com, there are tons of customization options. A lot of the free hosting platforms provide pre-made templates that you can edit. And if you self-host, there are many talented designers out there that have created free themes for you to use at your leisure.
If you find yourself short on time for design, one great idea is to come up with a fantastic look, and then just update its colors several times a year. This way you have a complete design that you’re familiar with and love looking at, but it never gets old because you can simply refresh the colors!
Censoring your own blog or Forum
// July 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Social Networking
Do you have the right to censor your blog or forum if people are posting unflattering remarks about you or someone else? Apple thinks they can. They’re deleting conversation threads over its iPhone 4′s reception issue. Apple is showing how they really don’t care about what you have to say, it’s more about what they want potential customers to see, hear and read.
Bucket list for kids
// July 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Real Life
If you have children, what are the 10 things your child needs to make sure they see either before they become an adult or before they die, heaven forbid? Here’s my list.
- Disney World
- Six Flags amusement Park (any will do)
- Major league sporting event (baseball, football, etc.)
- Statue of Liberty
- Grand Canyon
- Skiing on the Rocky Mountains
- Smokey mountains of Tennessee
- Broadway musical
- a foreign country
- Kennedy Space Center in Florida
The Chicken vs. the Egg
// July 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Real Life
If you’ve ever wondered while sitting in a car, plane, train or even coffehouse which came first, the chicken or the egg, someone apparently thinks they have the answer. British scientists claim that the chicken came first because an anzyme used to create the shell can only come from the chicken. OK, so at what point when the chicken evolved, did it spontaneously go to laying eggs?
Mel Gibson
// July 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Real Life
This is usually not a blog that talks about celebrities, but if there was anyone that needed a blogging PR campaign, it would be Mr. Lethal Weapon himself. I’m not going to start it because I think he emptied his bag of marbles a while back. I had no idea his character had any kind of basis in his own personality.
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