WordPress 2.2.3 Released

WordPress version 2.2.3 has been released. The release is slated as a “security and bug-fix” release. Considering this fixes a few security issues, it is highly recommended that you upgrade your WP install to the latest version ASAP. Considering WordPress 2.3 is around the corner, this upgrade is probably not going to sit well with a few people.

Two of the fixes in the latest version of WP are rated as “high priority“. Those two are labeled as, 4704 Invalid RSS2 Comments Feed and 4720 Users without unfiltered_html capability can post arbitrary html There were also a number of files that were changed. To see a complete list of these file changes, be sure to read WordPress 2.2.3 File Changes

Download the latest version of WordPress here http://wordpress.org/download/ Pardon me, as I commence with the upgrade! If you don’t hear from me by Monday, you’ll know why.

LocateTV Redesigns Embeddable Widgets

LocateTV, the internet version of TV Guide which was covered here LocateTV – TV Guide On Steroids, have redesigned their embeddable widgets based on user feedback. The new widgets now come in three flavors. Vanilla, Branded and Custom.

The Vanilla design is a plain and simple graphic with no bells or whistles attached. The Branded design is their standard widget design which features the colors of their website. Probably the most useful out of the bunch is the custom design. The custom widget contains adjustable color and sizing options so that blending it in with the design of your site is a piece of cake.

LocateTV is currently asking for feedback on these new widget designs. Please visit New embed designs: go on then and let them know what you think.

On a related note, LocateTV is showing one of the most powerful resources in an online companies arsenal, two-way communication. The end users provide valuable feedback, and within a moments notice, companies can fulfill the needs of users. I hope other companies are taking notes because this is the way it should be.

Web 2.0 Summit Next Month

It’s that time of year again where the folks that pioneer the web get together for tea and biscuits to discuss new ideas, new opportunities, and give a general direction as to where the internet may be heading. The Web 2.0 Summit will take place next month from October 17-19 in San Francisco, California.

The even has an all star lineup of confirmed speakers such as Seth Goldstein, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim O’Reilly and Dr. Evil himself, Rupert Murdoch.

For the past three years, the Web 2.0 Summit has explored ideas which have already begun to slip into the mainstream. This year, we’ll highlight news from unusual suspects—the enthusiasts and dreamers touching the edges of spaces not yet conquered by the Web, as well as established players who are looking to expand into new and previously unimaginable realms.

How is the Web infiltrating new beachheads in areas we never thought it could—or would? What are the majors doing at the edge, at the loony “twenty percent time” at Google, in the labs at MSN, IBM, etc., that might inform entirely new applications, opportunities, even threats? What are the edge startups promising to redefine the center? What are the things we wish or know the Web can do, but so far, is failing us? What are the edges in terms of policy, politics, and morality?

I would appreciate it if those of you who are going to be at the event and are considering using Twitter for your coverage to let me know so I can inform my readers. I’d love to go, but I don’t have the luxury and I know there are many others in the same boat. I’d also like to know of any blogs or sites that are going to cover this event as it happens. At least that way, it would almost feel as if those who couldn’t make it, were actually in attendance.

What Is Your Blogging WorkSpace?

One thing I find interesting is that every bloggers workspace is different. Each blogger has his or her own method to their madness. The color of the room they blog in, the room asthetics, room lighting all seem to play a major role in a bloggers workspace. Using Probloggers, workspace post as evidence, sometimes, a house doesn’t make for the best environment for blogging. The first user on Darren’s post uses a boat for their blogging HQ.

So, I ask those of you who blog, to please leave a comment on this blog post with a link to a photo that shows off your blogging headquarters. To start things off, I’ll show you my own Blogging HQ.

Click on the photos to see a larger version.

ProBlogger Interviews SEObook Author

Problogger.com Logo Darren Rowse of Problogger.com has published the first of a two part interview he conducted with Aaron Wall, author of the eBook, SEObook. In this interview, Aaron answers questions pertaining to link building strategies. Below is a sample of the interview.

When it comes to building links to a blog – do you recommend bloggers buy links, ‘use’ social media sites, trade links, linkbait, something else…. or some combination of the above?

I say try everything and see what works best for you. You might come across a trick that I haven’t used much that works well for you given your personality and your market.

One other thing I would probably add is that for most people it is probably not going to be worth it to spend tons and tons of time building up a social media account on a large generalist website. If you only have a few hours a day to spend online then you should spend most of that reading and participating on sites specifically about your topic, or writing your site.

Be sure to check out part one of the interview as it contains quite a few helpful tips.

WebSlides – Bookmarking Of The Future?

Monitoring my feeds, I’ve noticed there has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding a service called WebSlides. WebSlides is brought to you by the same folks that are behind Diigo, one of many social bookmarking services that are on the net. WebSlides allows users to take their bookmarks and turn them into a slide show.

Some of the uses for this service as stated by Diigo include:

Create a guided tour for any website
Show a list of houses to real estate clients
Review a list of job candidates found online
Bundle important course resources for students
Assemble all the pages on a specific family line.
Provide guided use cases for potential customers
Share the favorite places you would like to visit with your friends and blog readers
Provide a quick briefing, a simple tutorial or guided tour on any subject.

Here is an introductory video highlighting the service and what it’s capable of.

The ideas and the possibilities, do seem endless. The service is currently in an invite-only stage of life however, I have signed up and if they provide me with an invitation, I’ll be sure to provide you with an in depth review.

Searchles Needs A Video Ad

Searchles, a company specialized in the social threesome (as they like to put it) is looking for someone out there who can create an excellent video ad for their company. Cavman states, they have allocated a good fund for the project, and the payout will be based on the creativity and professionalism of the ad. Are there any takers?

PageRank And NoFollow Myths Answered

SEO Theory has put together a very well written document that covers the SEO myths surrounding PageRank and the NoFollow attribute. The document is a long, but informational read. I’ll try to cover the highlights for you.

SEO Myth Number 1. You Can Control The Flow Of PageRank On Your Site

Fact: Your PageRank is influenced by four factors:

What you do with your pages
What other people do with their pages
What Google does with its filters
Time

Fact: PageRank begins with your pages.

Fact: PageRank is an estimate, not a specific value.

SEO Myth Number 2. Rel=’nofollow’ Can Be Used For Search Engine Optimization

We throw “SEO” around like a word these days, and in some ways it has become a word. But it also remains an acronym for “search engine optimization” and optimization refers to the process of modifying Web pages so that they achieve optimum visibility in search results.

Can you use “rel=’nofollow’” to optimize for search? No.

Can you use “rel=’nofollow’” to optimize for anything? Yes.

Be sure to read the entire article, The PageRank control myth and the nofollow-for-SEO myth

From ValleySchwag To StartupSchwag

If any of you were fans of ValleySchwag, I’m sure your excited to see StartupSchwag. Roddy claims he has studied and learned from the mistakes of ValleySchwag and will be focusing on TShirts rather than everything else. Like it’s predecessor, StartupSchwag will be a surprise, web 2.0 Tshirt of the month club. Roddy has also stated that if there are any other schwag items such as ( stickers, lanyards, ect ) that they would be given out. Whenever those items would disappear, Tshirts would always be available.

The first set of schwag featured on the site is from TechCrunch. Go figure. The cost of joining the club in the U.S. is $19.55 which includes the standard $14.95 fee and $4.60 for Shipping and Handling. For Canadian or Mexican residents, the cost is $23.50 while International residents will be paying $25.40. The only item your guaranteed to receive each month is a Tshirt, but every now and then you might pick up a mystery bag filled with goodies. I think it’s a reasonable price if your into this kind of apparel.

On a related note, I have to admit that I have seen quite a bit of demand for items such as Web 2.0 inspired Tshirts, startup stickers, web 2.0 startup hoodies, all kinds of weird apparel so people can flaunt their favorite companies. If your looking at getting into the apparel business, Web 2.0 inspired clothing is a niche market which seems very ripe for the picking right now. If you happen to launch a company that specializes in Web 2.0 apparel or if you know of one that already exists, by all means let me know.

Web 2.0 Search Engine And One Thousand Links

Web 2.0 Search Engine is exactly what you would think it would be. Use the search engine to search for any Web 2.0 specific terms such as Ajax, mashups, blogging, viral videos, tagging, ect. The web 2.0 search engine even provides their own definition to the term although we all know O’Reilly has that claim. I decided to give this search engine a try and just for fun, I typed in Jeffro2pt0. Unfortunately, there were no results found.

The search engine also provides a link to their top 1,000 web 2.0 sites and services, organized by categories. An insane resource of Web 2.0 goodness, all on one page.

Let me know what you discover by using this search engine.

Thoughts and Insanity From Jeff

The Musings Of Jeff Chandler

Month: September 2007