Is The BlogRush Over With?

When I initially became aware of BlogRush and it’s associated claims of rushing traffic to blogs, I became extremely interested. As a blogger myself, I’m always looking into new ways to generate traffic. As we now know, BlogRush has itself experienced a rush, a rush that I believe is bigger than any smalltime blogger currently using their widget, has experienced. Their system is simple and at face value looks like it would work for everyone, but after reviewing my stats, it looks like it won’t work for me.

Out of 2,401 impressions or appearances on various sites, only 4 people have clicked a headline attributed to my site. If you ask me, that’s not exactly a rush of traffic. Now I know it could be possible that the headlines to my articles suck, but is that really the case? My blog is currently competing within the Computers and Internet category and I myself have clicked on a few of the links within the widget on and have found some really cool sites. However, till this day, I have yet to see any of my posts appearing on anyone else’s widget. I even spent half an hour, clicking on various posts from one widget to the next, and I never saw one post from my site.

It’s also worth mentioning that I have checked both my Entry pages, and my Exit pages for the widget url. As we’ve seen earlier, at least 4 people have used the article headline on the widget as an entrance page to my site. However, there are 25 hits for the widget url being used as an exit page. Although I don’t know how many of those exits are attributed to myself, I really feel as if I’m doing everyone else a favor, by having this widget published on my site versus helping myself out.

The only people that seem to be benefiting from this service are the big blogs who most likely have quite a few referrals. BlogRush has stated in their latest email that:

We’ll soon be adding a bonus credit system that gives certain bonuses only to our low traffic members since they need the help the most!

That may be enough to help us small timers out, but only time will tell. So far, I’m experiencing lack luster results with BlogRush and apparently, these people are too although I’m not sure why Darren is using Blogrush as his blog gets enough traffic as it is.

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Web 3.0 Dead Already?

I just finished reading a very thoughtful post written by Bill Snyder, A Preemtpive Strike: Death to Web 3.0 (and 2.0 while we’re at it). In his post, he makes quite a few valid points. One of those points is the fact that companies abroad are jumping aboard the web 2.0 bandwagon. It doesn’t matter what the company does, or what the company sells, that company needs a social network, and a Twitter user account even if they have no clear understanding as to why. As I have stated in numerous other conversations, social-networking is out of control but the good news is, the users themselves will determine which ones stay and which ones fall by the wayside.

Bill also makes another excellent point about the definition of web 2.0. Is web 2.0 one thing, or is it a series of concepts? I tend to agree with Bill in that the term describes a series of concepts. Since the web 2.0 O’Reilly definition was published, users have been coining the term Web 2.0 as a variety of different things. Whether it be the use of AJAX, website design or social-networking. Has anyone ever tried to explain what Web 2.0 is to a noob? It’s practically one of the hardest things on earth to describe because everyone has a different sense as to what it actually is.

Bill also states that Web 2.0 did not replace Web 1.0 and the web is not based on version numbers. Tim, I think your related to Bill! In any case, if you dissect a number of websites, web based applications, and quite honestly, anything that is related to web 2.0, it’s quite obvious that the web is still the web and the underlying code is still the same. So why are we still using the term web 2.0?

The whole point of defining Web 2.0 was to figure out where we are. Unfortunately for those who like buzzwords, we are everywhere. The whole point of discussing Web 3.0 is to figure out where we are going. Well, here’s the news: We’re not all going to the same place, and that is the beauty of this medium (or perhaps these mediums). The possibilities are endless and will continue to defy labels. We are just at the beginning of this “internet thing,” and what comes next is going to be many things — some will die anonymous deaths and others will change the very nature of the way we communicate.

I couldn’t agree with you more and I am definitely looking forward to what lies beyond the horizon of the web, however it will be described or defined.

Full Feed Or Partial Feed That Is The Question

An interesting debate is taking place on Problogger.net That debate centers around the question of whether or not your RSS feeds should be partial or full. Gina from Lifehacker argues for Partial feeds while Rick from Feedburner argues for Full feeds.

The argument I hear most often when it comes to partial feeds is that, the partial content serves as a teaser and is used to get the user to click on the article link to visit the actual page where ads are waiting to be clicked. Most content authors think that by providing a Full RSS Feed is the same as giving away their content for free which then, can not be monetized because users will never visit their site.

After reading the argument presented for both sides, I am going to have to side with Rick Klau from Feedburner.com He presents a number of points that are really worth considering. Some of the points Rick mentions include:

If you just include a sentence or two of a post in a feed, you’re asking the reader to click through to read the rest of the post – when the actual substance of the post is not at all obvious from those first few sentences.

It should be noted that in feeds who’ve compared full and partial feeds, we’ve seen no hard evidence suggesting that partial feeds alone increase the clickthrough rate.

full posts also contain far richer information within the posts – hyperlinks – that can be exploited by services like TechMeme, Technorati, and other RSS-aware services. Partial posts rob readers (and automated services) of that context, as the hyperlinks themselves aren’t included in the partial posts.

While it’s easy to see which side of the fence I’m on in regards to this issue, it has to be noted that partial feeds make sense for specific situations. For example, some publishers do not have the proper licensing rights to publish the full text of an article.

Most feed readers now a days give users the ability to choose how they want to view their subscriptions. The options are typically Full Text, Partial Text, or headlines only. I’ve always told other users of Feedburner to set their Feed to display the full post which would cater to everyone. Let the user decide if they want to see only a partial post or not.

To read the debate and decide for yourself, be sure to read Full Or Partial RSS FEEDS – The Great Debate

Which Class Of Twitter Users Are You In?

Chris Brogan has published an interesting article where he reviews his use of Twitter and comes up with a few different classifications of Twitter users.

Out of the different classes of Twitter users that Chris presents, I have determined that I am within the Announcers vs. Conversationalists class.

Announcers vs. Conversationalists

This is a current hammer-target for Eric Rice. He’s railed out about people (including me) using Twitter as a promotion engine. I understand this, insofar as some people do nothing but twitter links to their blog posts, their flickr pictures, and whatever else turns them on. (Note: I will Twitter that I posted this article when I’m done writing it).

But conversationalists know to use a mix. They talk with other Twitter users, using the @ function to make sure people see the threaded conversation. They engage with the flow of people twittering around them, building a social sculpture, and engaging in what Jeff Pulver calls amorphic communications. Conversationalists reach into Twitter and move people back and forth.

In the beginning, Twitter was a social networking tool that I believed I could use as a promotional stepping stone for my blog. I added all sorts of people to my friends list because I knew, most people would end up following me simply because I chose to follow them. After using Twitter for a few months now, I have changed my way of thinking. I still use Twitter as a tool to share postings on my blog that I think are good conversation starters, but I also participate in conversations with those I follow. I’m also beginning to follow only those people that I actually have an interest in.

I’m currently being followed by 54 people while I’m actually following 84 people. I wonder just how many of those that are following me actually give a damn as to what I post on Twitter. I am also starting to wonder if I should delete everyone that I am following and start over from scratch. Now that I have a sense as to the correct way of using Twitter as a social tool, I think I should either start over, or I should fine tune my friends list.

Thank you Chris Brogan for the inspirational post. It’s really made me step back and realize how and why I’m using Twitter.

If you enjoy what I write on this blog and you have an account on Twitter, consider adding me http://twitter.com/jeffr0 I need more social-media, social-web, web2.0 people to converse with. Outside of the Internet, no one has a freaking clue about Web 2.0 or any of the cool stuff going on in the Cyberworld.

Is Tumblr Dead?

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Tumblr, the service that makes publishing to your blog a breeze seems to be showing signs that the service is dead. Granted, there have been no official announcements and the following is only my opinion based on observations that anyone can make. Upon visiting the official blog for Tumblr, the last post to be published – Tumbling Towards 2.0 was back on April 27, 2007.

The post goes on to describe the development of Tumblr 2.0 and what to look forward to. Since today is August 28th, many Tumblr users are beginning to scratch their heads, wondering what is going on. Take a look at the comments on their last blog entry and you’ll see users are already starting to ask if Tumblr is dead.

No one seems to know where Tumblr is heading. Wouldn’t that be interesting if Tumblr, tumbled into it’s own demise? As I said, it’s not for certain if the service is dead or not but all of the signs I’ve seen point to that observation. What do you think? Am I just blowing smoke?

*UPDATE* It would appear as though I’m not the only one who has brought this subject up within the past few days. Amit published a post a few days ago where Marco, a Tumblr team member responded to his post with the following comment:

Tumblr and Davidville are both doing great and we’re hard at work on Tumblr’s next release. We’ll have something to say on the blog when it’s ready, I’m sure.

This is not the Tumblr forum – it’s my personal site. Official Tumblr news will never be posted here.

But your comment is duly noted. Thank you.

Web 1.0 And Web 2.0 Visual Differences

Sizlopedia has published an article which highlights the visual differences between web 1.0 and web 2.0. These differences are illustrated using a translated graphic, which simply shows how webmasters used to manage their website, compared to how webmasters of today manage their sites.

Web 1.0 Web 2.0 Visual Difference

The following questions were asked near the end of this article, Do you like the evolving web culture? Do you think that web 2.0 has helped users get more interactive or do you think it is just a propaganda term created to wipe out the old web standards?

I think web 2.0 has created a ton of opportunities. Ideas are turning into reality for many people and because of web 2.0, the barrier to entry is practically nil. Of course, the barrier to entry or lack thereof could be considered a drawback.

At any rate, I think social-networking is out of control and we are being deluged in web 2.0 startups on a daily basis. I think it will alright though, considering the market aka userbase will determine which of these startups stick around for the long haul, or which ones will die off.

Be sure to read Web 1.0 vs Web 2.0: The Visual Difference

How Would You Explain RSS?

Theres been an interesting conversation going on within the comments section of a piece of news that I clipped the other day. I clipped a section of a WinExtra article titled, New media isn’t as big as it thinks it is In this article, Steven points out that new media is still in it’s infancy. So much so, that anyone outside of the early adopters crowd most likely doesn’t have a clue as to what RSS is, let alone Vlogging, twittering ect.

The fact is that this whole new media thing is still so much in its infancy that trying to explain what RSS feeds are let alone how to use them to Auntie May who thinks that the Internet is Google is incredibly hard to do in plain English.

Then you throw things like podcasts and vlogging into the mix and you start seeing a whole bunch of deer caught in the headlight looks.

I tend to agree with your points Steven. Thanks to your article, another conversation was started centered around the question, How would I explain RSS to someone?

Alanocu started it off with his response: I have been asked that same question about RSS and it’s not easily explained. The benefit is often not completely understood.

Tidbit2 had this to say: I find the best way to describe these technologies is just say what you can do with them. I don’t understand all the technical details but I use them and learn from what other people explain on the net

juliapatriciaroy followed up with: The only way I can explain RSS in a way that understandable is if I can sit someone down in front of my computer and show them how I use it and how easy it is. I bet it will be another year, even more, before people really start to pick it up. Frustrating, it such an easier way to consume information.

Let’s not let the conversation about this topic end here. Please leave a comment, telling us how you would explain RSS to someone such as your Grandma, Aunt or someone who is less, than web 2.0 savvy. As for myself, I would simply send them a link to Web 2.0 In Video Format and instruct them to watch the easily digestible RSS video. If the video doesn’t work, there may be no hope.

My Experience With 10Links

My first shot at using 10Links happened on Friday evening. While I was participating in a late night podcast on Talkshoe called Techbytes, I opened up a browser window and loaded up the 10Links submission page. I told others in the podcast about the opportunity to self promote their site and or blog by getting their link on the front page and as midnight continued to get closer, I began to feel a bit of excitement because I knew other people that were going to participate at the same time.

While waiting on the submission page, 10Links provides a nifty counter which tells you the amount of time left before midnight. A weird anomaly happened to me when I refreshed the page with a little less than three minutes remaining. The page reloaded and the timer shaved off 10-15 seconds. I’m not sure why it did that but it only occurred once.

Timer Counting Down To Midnight

I wasnt sure how the submission button would appear, so I filled out the form to make sure that all I would have to do is press enter. When I refreshed the page with 15 seconds left till midnight, the submission form entries were erased and the submit button appeared. I’m still not sure why the Submit button appeared 15 seconds before midnight but when it did, I had to quickly re-type my information into the submission form.

As it turns out, my link made it through, but because I had to retype my information into the form, I ended up making a typo or two in my link. After emailing the 10Links folks about the error to see if it could be corrected, I ended up not receiving a reply back. My advice, make sure your information is correct before you press that button.

All in all, it was a decent experience minus those possible glitches. I did receive about 20-30 hits from the front page link while getting a few more hits once the link showed up in their archives. For you bloggers that are trying to get your site out their, give this service a try. Every link counts and the best part about 10Links is that its free.

Why Are Web 2.0 Sites Compressing Avatars?

I have a bone to pick with these web 2.0 sites and services. It may not be a huge bone but it’s an annoying one at the very least. Many of these sites and services allow members to customize their profile by uploading an image also known as an avatar. These images are usually .PNG, .GIF, or .JPG files. There is often a maximum dimensions rule as well as a maximum file size rule in place.

I don’t understand why these sites and services have to turn my images into pieces of crap. Most of my avatars that I have created in photoshop look great, until they are uploaded to one of these sites such as MyBlogLog or Technorati. Let’s go through a few Before And After pictures to try and illustrate my point. The first image will be the image as it should be seen, straight out of photoshop saved at maximum quality. The second image is what is seen after uploading the file to the service in question.

First up, Technorati avatars in JPG format.

Before Technorati After Technorati

Now lets take a look at MyBlogLog avatars in .GIF format.

Before MyBlogLog After MyBlogLog

In case you can’t see the differences notice how the second image always looks worst after it’s uploaded to the service in question. The image goes through some sort of compression and the end result is a crappy looking avatar. I have tried changing the images to .PNG and .GIF formats, saving them at the maximum quality level but the compression just rips these images apart.

Why do these sites and services have to compress these tiny images? Why can’t I as a user have a nice looking avatar without compression? I mean, take a look at that example for MyBlogLog, it looks like total crap. I urge you companies to turn that compression crap off. I think the file size limit along with the dimension limit is enough to restrain insane avatars from overtaking your hard drive space. There is no need to compress.

I wonder if I am the only one who has noticed this? Please let me know what you think.

Jaiku Lifestream or Feed Aggregator?

I was browsing the official Jaiku channel where users can voice their opinions, suggestions, and offer direct feedback concerning the Jaiku service. TheGirlInTheCafe published an interesting thought,

I wonder if it is worrying that 90% of the posts on Jaiku seems to come from imported feeds. That would turn it into a feed aggregator.

Excellent observation if I must say so myself. One of Jaikus biggest selling points is that it offers the ability to take your online presence and display it on one page, AKA, LifeStreaming. Users can import feeds from various sites that they are associated with onto their Jaiku page. When one of those sites are updated, the update is published not only on the users Jaiku page, but it can also be viewed on the Jaiku homepage.

Feed updates that are displayed on the Jaiku explore page as a direct result of your online activities are viewed as an acceptable use of Jaiku. In fact, this is generally how the service is supposed to be used. However, what is beginning to happen is that the Jaiku explore page is starting to become bombarded with a ton of feed posts which have nothing to do with the actual user. These types of posts are taking over the front page, leaving very little room for displaying actual messages through the Jaiku service.

There are two things I foresee Jaiku doing to alleviate this problem. (A) Jaiku could only show member Jaikus on the Explore page. (B) Jaiku could simply add a tab to the Explore page which will only show users Jaikus without showing any other information.

Seems simple enough to me and I have to agree, that Jaiku is starting to look more like a feed aggregator than a Lifestream service. Let me know how you would solve this problem.

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