DataPencil.com http://www.datapencil.com Latest blogging ideas, tips and tricks! Sun, 18 Nov 2007 05:34:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 en http://www.datapencil.com/http://www.datapencil.com/images/dp144.jpgdatapencil.com325221http://www.feedburner.com Google pagerank update begins http://www.datapencil.com/google-pagerank-update-begins/ http://www.datapencil.com/google-pagerank-update-begins/#comments Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:34:03 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/google-pagerank-update-begins/ …and it doesn’t look too good. A lot of top websites are noticing a dramatic pagerank drop, often by as much as 50%.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/google-pagerank-update-begins/feed/ 50 Plus Ideas for Writing a Kick Ass Press Release. http://www.datapencil.com/50-plus-ideas-for-writting-a-kick-ass-press-release/ http://www.datapencil.com/50-plus-ideas-for-writting-a-kick-ass-press-release/#comments Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:29:32 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/50-plus-ideas-for-writting-a-kick-ass-press-release/ If you’re not sure about what you should cover in a press release, consider these ideas to see if any apply to your business to get you started.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/50-plus-ideas-for-writting-a-kick-ass-press-release/feed/ Ultimate Photoshop Design Resources http://www.datapencil.com/ultimate-photoshop-design-resources/ http://www.datapencil.com/ultimate-photoshop-design-resources/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2007 11:14:01 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/ultimate-photoshop-design-resources/ There’s no doubt that I like to design. Next to coding, I also love to edit photos, designing websites etc. My personal favorite tool to achieve this, has to be Adobe Photoshop. Next to a good tool, you’ll need some good resources.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/ultimate-photoshop-design-resources/feed/ Jello Wala Mello WordPress Theme http://www.datapencil.com/jello-wala-mello-wordpress-theme/ http://www.datapencil.com/jello-wala-mello-wordpress-theme/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:41:17 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/jello-wala-mello-wordpress-theme/ Jello-Wala-Mello is a news / magazine-styled WordPress theme created for multi-media sites. It requires WordPress 2.3 to work properly.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/jello-wala-mello-wordpress-theme/feed/ Warning: These 9 Photoshop Techniques May Result In Great Photos http://www.datapencil.com/warning-these-9-photoshop-techniques-may-result-in-great-photos/ http://www.datapencil.com/warning-these-9-photoshop-techniques-may-result-in-great-photos/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:18:04 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/warning-these-9-photoshop-techniques-may-result-in-great-photos/ The title says it all - some great tutorials and techniques in this lot. Which is your favorite? I like the Lomography one!

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/warning-these-9-photoshop-techniques-may-result-in-great-photos/feed/ JPG, Gif, and PNG oh my http://www.datapencil.com/jpg-gif-and-png-oh-my/ http://www.datapencil.com/jpg-gif-and-png-oh-my/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2007 06:27:52 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/jpg-gif-and-png-oh-my/ In most cases you’ll use JPG for compressing images for your website, but there are other formats that are useful for certain applications. Here are a few formats and bit about each of them.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/jpg-gif-and-png-oh-my/feed/ 29 reasons you need to stop blogging right now http://www.datapencil.com/29-reasons-you-need-to-stop-blogging-right-now/ http://www.datapencil.com/29-reasons-you-need-to-stop-blogging-right-now/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:59:19 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/29-reasons-you-need-to-stop-blogging-right-now/ Too many bloggers think blogging is easy, it’s harder than passing a huge passing a huge melon and yet noobs are dazzled by the huge piles of cash gathered by the professional bloggers. If you are doing any of this list, forget it.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/29-reasons-you-need-to-stop-blogging-right-now/feed/ Blogging is Dumb, Stupid and Successful http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-is-dumb-stupid-and-successful/ http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-is-dumb-stupid-and-successful/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:57:02 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-is-dumb-stupid-and-successful/ Most blogs are dumb, even the successful ones. The ones about blogging. Everyone is looking for that next quick fix. Like a bunch of cyber junkies. Only our drug of choice is knowledge. It’s no ones fault. We are plagued by the seemingly easy success of others and can’t understand why we can’t be as successful.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-is-dumb-stupid-and-successful/feed/ Green (and ugly) PC from Lenovo http://www.datapencil.com/green-and-ugly-pc-from-lenovo/ http://www.datapencil.com/green-and-ugly-pc-from-lenovo/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:52:11 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/green-and-ugly-pc-from-lenovo/ Lenovo recently released the ThinkCentre A61e, a brand new green computer. The ThinkCentre A61e uses few hazardous materials, consumes little power and is easy to recycle. Because of that it has received the desirable EPEAT Gold status.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/green-and-ugly-pc-from-lenovo/feed/ Protecting Your Online Reputation http://www.datapencil.com/protecting-your-online-reputation/ http://www.datapencil.com/protecting-your-online-reputation/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:28:09 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/protecting-your-online-reputation/ Customers deserve the right to review your services in an impartial and public way. However, they don’t have the right to deceive people about your business. Now more than ever, when disgruntled customers spread falsehoods about you online, the damage can be significant. Today, we look at one example and evaluate some ways to protect yourself.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/protecting-your-online-reputation/feed/ 9 Blog Hacks to Help Show Readers Your Best Stuff http://www.datapencil.com/9-blog-hacks-to-help-show-readers-your-best-stuff/ http://www.datapencil.com/9-blog-hacks-to-help-show-readers-your-best-stuff/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:25:37 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/9-blog-hacks-to-help-show-readers-your-best-stuff/ Are you letting your killer posts languish in your archives, sandwiched between January and March? How many great posts have you published in months gone by that new visitors will never see?

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/9-blog-hacks-to-help-show-readers-your-best-stuff/feed/ 5 things you can do to improve your blog in 1 hour http://www.datapencil.com/5-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-blog-in-1-hour/ http://www.datapencil.com/5-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-blog-in-1-hour/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:23:24 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/5-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-blog-in-1-hour/ “There are a lot of posts out there on ways you can increase traffic to your site, and unfortunately nearly all of them ask you to do things that, well, take time. For those of us who want things to do right now, here’s a quick list of things you can do in the next hour that will improve your site if you haven’t already.”

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/5-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-blog-in-1-hour/feed/ How I Tripled My Traffic in Less than an Hour http://www.datapencil.com/how-i-tripled-my-traffic-in-less-than-an-hour/ http://www.datapencil.com/how-i-tripled-my-traffic-in-less-than-an-hour/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:22:23 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/how-i-tripled-my-traffic-in-less-than-an-hour/ Do you watch how you do things? Do you ask other folks whether they go about things the same way? When you find the places that they do things the same way, it could be that you’ve found something that most people do.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/how-i-tripled-my-traffic-in-less-than-an-hour/feed/ To Build Lasting Relationships in the Blogosphere, Behave Yourself http://www.datapencil.com/to-build-lasting-relationships-in-the-blogosphere-behave-yourself/ http://www.datapencil.com/to-build-lasting-relationships-in-the-blogosphere-behave-yourself/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:19:25 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/to-build-lasting-relationships-in-the-blogosphere-behave-yourself/ Regardless of what people say about online relationships, I believe that online friendships can learn a thing or two from the real world relationships. It’s not like online relationships are a mere networking between faceless computers. There are real people behind computers who share this 3 dimensional world with us.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/to-build-lasting-relationships-in-the-blogosphere-behave-yourself/feed/ Blogging Success is About The Long Haul http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-success-is-about-the-long-haul/ http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-success-is-about-the-long-haul/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:17:57 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-success-is-about-the-long-haul/ It takes time. It takes planning. It takes trial and error, with a lot of error, before you find that magic combination that brings attention and profits. What works for one won’t work for another, and what works for you may only work for you, not everyone else.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-success-is-about-the-long-haul/feed/ The Best WordPress Magazine Themes Available http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-wordpress-magazine-themes-available/ http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-wordpress-magazine-themes-available/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:15:23 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-wordpress-magazine-themes-available/ Magazine themes for WP users.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-wordpress-magazine-themes-available/feed/ 62 Constructive Opinions on the Best Way to Make Money Online http://www.datapencil.com/62-constructive-opinions-on-the-best-way-to-make-money-online/ http://www.datapencil.com/62-constructive-opinions-on-the-best-way-to-make-money-online/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:14:06 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/62-constructive-opinions-on-the-best-way-to-make-money-online/ There are quite a number of tips in this article and I think you can take advantage of this in several ways.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/62-constructive-opinions-on-the-best-way-to-make-money-online/feed/ Air Force spends $450,000 on study of blogs, discovers the obvious http://www.datapencil.com/air-force-spends-450000-on-study-of-blogs-discovers-the-obvious/ http://www.datapencil.com/air-force-spends-450000-on-study-of-blogs-discovers-the-obvious/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:11:44 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/air-force-spends-450000-on-study-of-blogs-discovers-the-obvious/ “Blog entries have a different structure,” Ulicny said. “They are typically short and are about something external to the blog posting itself, such as a news event. It’s not uncommon for a blogger to simply state, ‘I can’t believe this happened,’ and then link to a news story.”

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/air-force-spends-450000-on-study-of-blogs-discovers-the-obvious/feed/ How to Add to Blogging Conversations… And Eliminate the Echo Chamber http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-add-to-blogging-conversations%e2%80%a6-and-eliminate-the-echo-chamber/ http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-add-to-blogging-conversations%e2%80%a6-and-eliminate-the-echo-chamber/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:11:14 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-add-to-blogging-conversations%e2%80%a6-and-eliminate-the-echo-chamber/ One of the criticism that is often leveled at the Blogosphere is that it is an echo chamber - that the same stories get blogged about in the same ways by blog after blog - without anything constructive or unique emerging. Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.net gives some great ideas on how to fix this and turn blogging back into a conversation.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-add-to-blogging-conversations%e2%80%a6-and-eliminate-the-echo-chamber/feed/ Warning: Read This Before Starting A News Blog http://www.datapencil.com/warning-read-this-before-starting-a-news-blog/ http://www.datapencil.com/warning-read-this-before-starting-a-news-blog/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:10:27 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/warning-read-this-before-starting-a-news-blog/ You may have heard of the “echo chamber”. This phenomenon occurs whenever many of the blogs in a niche begin to link to and talk about a popular news story.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/warning-read-this-before-starting-a-news-blog/feed/ 5 Post Types For When Writing Without Expertise http://www.datapencil.com/5-post-types-for-when-writing-without-expertise/ http://www.datapencil.com/5-post-types-for-when-writing-without-expertise/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:08:34 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/5-post-types-for-when-writing-without-expertise/ There are five main tactics for blogging without expertise, here they are with descriptions of each.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/5-post-types-for-when-writing-without-expertise/feed/ Build Brand Awareness with Google AdWords http://www.datapencil.com/build-brand-awareness-with-google-adwords/ http://www.datapencil.com/build-brand-awareness-with-google-adwords/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:04:39 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/build-brand-awareness-with-google-adwords/ Google AdWords is one of the best places to advertise your website. Most people, however, avoid using it thinking that they would need a big budget in order to obtain results. Not at all, my friend, especially if your goal is to build brand awareness rather than to generate massive traffic on your site.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/build-brand-awareness-with-google-adwords/feed/ 50 Tips to Unclutter Your Blog http://www.datapencil.com/50-tips-to-unclutter-your-blog/ http://www.datapencil.com/50-tips-to-unclutter-your-blog/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:01:21 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/50-tips-to-unclutter-your-blog/ Blog clutter is the stuff your readers really don’t need, and it serves mainly to get in the way of your content and other vital information. Your content and important pages are the signal, and blog clutter is the noise. You can enhance the first by cutting out more of the second.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/50-tips-to-unclutter-your-blog/feed/ Blog Struggles: The Search for Blog Content http://www.datapencil.com/blog-struggles-the-search-for-blog-content/ http://www.datapencil.com/blog-struggles-the-search-for-blog-content/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:00:16 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/blog-struggles-the-search-for-blog-content/ Dig into your brain. Explore your history, experiences, education, lessons learned and unlearned, the things you already know, and blog about them. Think about this. You don’t have to go very far, and you don’t have to work very hard, to get content from inside of your head.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/blog-struggles-the-search-for-blog-content/feed/ Confident Writing: Writing for the new media http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-writing-for-the-new-media/ http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-writing-for-the-new-media/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:58:35 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-writing-for-the-new-media/ I was talking the other day about getting clear on the container or the medium that we’re writing for before we start to write. It reminded me about another set of questions that’s been buzzing around my brain recently about the kind of containers the new or social media provide for our words and what if any changes we need to make.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-writing-for-the-new-media/feed/ Building your blog with StumbleUpon http://www.datapencil.com/building-your-blog-with-stumbleupon/ http://www.datapencil.com/building-your-blog-with-stumbleupon/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:28:36 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/building-your-blog-with-stumbleupon/ 10 great tips for leveraging the power of StumbleUpon and its good quality traffic in order to rack up an impressive blog readership.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/building-your-blog-with-stumbleupon/feed/ WordPress Magazine Themes http://www.datapencil.com/wordpress-magazine-themes/ http://www.datapencil.com/wordpress-magazine-themes/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:27:27 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/wordpress-magazine-themes/ Ryan puts together a list of ten magazine style WordPress themes and details the positives and negatives of each of these themes for this list. I am not sure if “The Best” is an appropriate title for the post but I like each and every theme that he points to.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/wordpress-magazine-themes/feed/ Are You Truly Focused on Your Audience? http://www.datapencil.com/are-you-truly-focused-on-your-audience/ http://www.datapencil.com/are-you-truly-focused-on-your-audience/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:52:37 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/are-you-truly-focused-on-your-audience/ The key to effective blogging and online marketing is a relentless focus on the needs of the people you are trying to reach. Are you doing everything you can to reach your target audience?

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/are-you-truly-focused-on-your-audience/feed/ Convincing Clients to Invest In Search Engine Optimization http://www.datapencil.com/convincing-clients-to-invest-in-search-engine-optimization/ http://www.datapencil.com/convincing-clients-to-invest-in-search-engine-optimization/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:51:52 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/convincing-clients-to-invest-in-search-engine-optimization/ How you convince a client to invest in search engine optimization when the client is watching their competitors rank well by breaking every optimization rule in the book.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/convincing-clients-to-invest-in-search-engine-optimization/feed/ Google and Trademark Laws http://www.datapencil.com/google-and-trademark-laws/ http://www.datapencil.com/google-and-trademark-laws/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:44:54 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/google-and-trademark-laws/ Greg Lastowka is an Associate Professor of Law at the Rutgers School of Law, Camden, and he finished a (draft) paper titled Google’s Law [PDF], which he says is a discussion of trademark law matters and the suits against Google for its AdWords practices (with some general Google history thrown in).

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/google-and-trademark-laws/feed/ How to Make the Digg Home Page http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-make-the-digg-home-page/ http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-make-the-digg-home-page/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:07:48 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-make-the-digg-home-page/ An illustrated guide for beginners that explains how to build up a solid network of friends on Digg. Building a network of legitimate, reciprocal friendships with people whose content you enjoy is _by far_ the best way to help your stories hit the home page. All it takes is a love of interesting Web content and participation. Digg in!

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/how-to-make-the-digg-home-page/feed/ Keep the conversations going | Blogging Tips http://www.datapencil.com/keep-the-conversations-going-blogging-tips/ http://www.datapencil.com/keep-the-conversations-going-blogging-tips/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:17:10 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/keep-the-conversations-going-blogging-tips/ When you post an article on your blog consider that the start of a conversation. As you grow your blog and gain readership, conversations will also grow. Here are some Blogging Tips on keeping the conversations going.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/keep-the-conversations-going-blogging-tips/feed/ PHP Functions Video Tutorials http://www.datapencil.com/php-functions-video-tutorials/ http://www.datapencil.com/php-functions-video-tutorials/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:28:32 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/php-functions-video-tutorials/ Three videos on PHP functions that targets total beginners to programming and PHP, covering basic topics like how to spot and use functions, what are functions ‘returns’ and what are function ‘arguments’.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/php-functions-video-tutorials/feed/ Search Google for Huge Images http://www.datapencil.com/search-google-for-huge-images/ http://www.datapencil.com/search-google-for-huge-images/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:25:56 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/search-google-for-huge-images/ Google Images has a new* search option to find extra-large images only. Previously, you were only able to toggle between large, medium and small**. For instance, querying for the keyword “google” with this option found a Google logo with the dimensions 3600*1500 pixels. Note that in combination with image sizes, you can customize your search.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/search-google-for-huge-images/feed/ Top 30 blogs ranked by Digg saturation http://www.datapencil.com/top-30-blogs-ranked-by-digg-saturation/ http://www.datapencil.com/top-30-blogs-ranked-by-digg-saturation/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:23:56 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/top-30-blogs-ranked-by-digg-saturation/ Tracking the number of times a particular blog hits the Digg homepage isn’t really a great indicator of popularity. Some Digg stories get a couple of hundred Diggs while others are far more popular and attract several thousand.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/top-30-blogs-ranked-by-digg-saturation/feed/ Check your Digg saturation http://www.datapencil.com/check-your-digg-saturation/ http://www.datapencil.com/check-your-digg-saturation/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:22:32 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/check-your-digg-saturation/ Patrick from Blogstorm came up with a way to rank websites using a Digg saturation value that he come up with by searching Google with a specific URI. Apparently Google really likes sites that are Dugg. To check your own Digg saturation, just replace weblogtoolscollection.com with your own blogs’ URI. What is your Digg saturation?

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/check-your-digg-saturation/feed/ ZDNET: Spokeo, a social network aggregator http://www.datapencil.com/zdnet-spokeo-a-social-network-aggregator/ http://www.datapencil.com/zdnet-spokeo-a-social-network-aggregator/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:19:15 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/zdnet-spokeo-a-social-network-aggregator/ Keeping up-to-date with all of your friends’ activities across various parts of the social web can be a pain and that’s where Spokeo hopes to make life a little easier. Started by four recent Stanford graduates, the service is best described as a social network aggregator.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/zdnet-spokeo-a-social-network-aggregator/feed/ Friendfeed: Track Your Friend’s Web Activities http://www.datapencil.com/friendfeed-track-your-friends-web-activities/ http://www.datapencil.com/friendfeed-track-your-friends-web-activities/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:18:12 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/friendfeed-track-your-friends-web-activities/ Friendfeed is a cool new service by ex-Gmail and “don’t be evil” inventor Paul Buchheit. Friendfeed (which partly looks Google-like, too) tries to solve the problem of keeping track of your friends activities on the multitude of social networks, blogging tools, photo upload sites and so on… a kind of meta aggregator.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/friendfeed-track-your-friends-web-activities/feed/ 3+4 Tips for the Traveling Blogger http://www.datapencil.com/34-tips-for-the-traveling-blogger/ http://www.datapencil.com/34-tips-for-the-traveling-blogger/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:16:06 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/34-tips-for-the-traveling-blogger/ When you travel, your blog doesn’t have to be the last thing on your mind. Make it your first and take your readers on a journey with you. Whether you’re going on a hectic business trip or a casual vacation, here are a few ways to bring your blog along for the ride.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/34-tips-for-the-traveling-blogger/feed/ New Article Series - Blog Struggles http://www.datapencil.com/new-article-series-blog-struggles/ http://www.datapencil.com/new-article-series-blog-struggles/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:14:27 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/new-article-series-blog-struggles/ “The series is called “Blog Struggles” and will cover how to find and write content, editing blog content, blog writing tips, finding your blogging voice, when to publish - and when not to, how to encourage comments or spurn them, comment spam, trolls and mean folks, splogs and content abusers, reader perceptions…”

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/new-article-series-blog-struggles/feed/ Should You Advertise Your Blog? http://www.datapencil.com/should-you-advertise-your-blog/ http://www.datapencil.com/should-you-advertise-your-blog/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:10:45 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/should-you-advertise-your-blog/ If you’ve been wondering if you should buy advertising in order to increase traffic for your blog, perhaps I can help put your mind at ease. Unless you are running a business that already has a solid business model that isn’t based on advertising revenues, you probably shouldn’t advertise your blog.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/should-you-advertise-your-blog/feed/ The Art of Smilies in WordPress Blogs http://www.datapencil.com/the-art-of-smilies-in-wordpress-blogs/ http://www.datapencil.com/the-art-of-smilies-in-wordpress-blogs/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:59:10 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/the-art-of-smilies-in-wordpress-blogs/ There are a lot of different types of smilies you can add to your WordPress blog to customize their look, but honestly, what ever happened to the cute traditional text smilies :-) that we used to use in our emails? Aren’t they good enough?

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/the-art-of-smilies-in-wordpress-blogs/feed/ Who Does Your Blog Serve? The Secret to Sustainable Blogging http://www.datapencil.com/who-does-your-blog-serve-the-secret-to-sustainable-blogging/ http://www.datapencil.com/who-does-your-blog-serve-the-secret-to-sustainable-blogging/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:16:07 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/who-does-your-blog-serve-the-secret-to-sustainable-blogging/ A video from ProBlogger. “While many would argue that a blog’s readers are the ones that a blog needs to benefit the most - I think that there’s someone else that the blogger needs to consider providing for - themselves. A balancing act needs to happen between benefiting blogger and reader in any good blog.”

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/who-does-your-blog-serve-the-secret-to-sustainable-blogging/feed/ The 7 Habits of Highly DEFECTIVE Bloggers http://www.datapencil.com/the-7-habits-of-highly-defective-bloggers/ http://www.datapencil.com/the-7-habits-of-highly-defective-bloggers/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:08:27 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/the-7-habits-of-highly-defective-bloggers/ From the article: “Are you having little success with your blog? Has your subscriber count barely hit double digits since you started the blog six months ago? Is your monthly affiliate/CPC revenue not even enough to afford you a cup of coffee? Well, quite possibly you could be following the seven habits of highly DEFECTIVE bloggers.”

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/the-7-habits-of-highly-defective-bloggers/feed/ 12 Ways to Make Better Use of Your Footer http://www.datapencil.com/12-ways-to-make-better-use-of-your-footer/ http://www.datapencil.com/12-ways-to-make-better-use-of-your-footer/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:07:27 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/12-ways-to-make-better-use-of-your-footer/ Great list of ways to use an extended footer on a blog, and why you should move stuff down there as opposed to cluttering up your sidebar.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/12-ways-to-make-better-use-of-your-footer/feed/ Five Reasons Why It’s Better to be Big & Popular than Small & Nich http://www.datapencil.com/five-reasons-why-its-better-to-be-big-popular-than-small-nich/ http://www.datapencil.com/five-reasons-why-its-better-to-be-big-popular-than-small-nich/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:06:03 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/five-reasons-why-its-better-to-be-big-popular-than-small-nich/ Why microsites (or any secondary sites for that matter) are almost universally a mistake.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/five-reasons-why-its-better-to-be-big-popular-than-small-nich/feed/ 10 Chat Widgets to Consider http://www.datapencil.com/10-chat-widgets-to-consider/ http://www.datapencil.com/10-chat-widgets-to-consider/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:03:38 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/10-chat-widgets-to-consider/ Embedded chat in a website provides the ability to more closely connect with your readers or customers, depending on the instance. Check out these 10 chat widgets chosen by Read/WriteWeb.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/10-chat-widgets-to-consider/feed/ Notify Unconfirmed Subscribers Plugin release http://www.datapencil.com/notify-unconfirmed-subscribers-plugin-release/ http://www.datapencil.com/notify-unconfirmed-subscribers-plugin-release/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:02:22 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/notify-unconfirmed-subscribers-plugin-release/ Wordpress Plugin for notifying unconfirmed subscribers. NUS asks you for your FeedBurner username and password and fetches all those unconfirmed subscribers allowing you to send a personalized email to them asking them to verify their subscriptions.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/notify-unconfirmed-subscribers-plugin-release/feed/ Blogging Questions & Answers 1 http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-questions-answers-1/ http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-questions-answers-1/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:53:22 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-questions-answers-1/ The first edition of the “Blogging Questions & Answers.” I will kick it with 10 questions every Wednesday, so if your question was not answered today it will be next week. If the volume of questions increase I might change it to 20 questions answered each week.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/blogging-questions-answers-1/feed/ Confident Writing: Starting to write with clarity http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-starting-to-write-with-clarity/ http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-starting-to-write-with-clarity/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:53:02 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-starting-to-write-with-clarity/ There are things we need to clear away before we can start to write with clarity. Maybe some things we need to do - like slowing down or acknowledging any latent fears - and some things that we might need to change - like our perspective.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/confident-writing-starting-to-write-with-clarity/feed/ Integrate Drupal with WordPress http://www.datapencil.com/integrate-drupal-with-wordpress/ http://www.datapencil.com/integrate-drupal-with-wordpress/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:52:16 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/integrate-drupal-with-wordpress/ These two competing platforms now have a common bond. This Drupal module will allow you to run/administer a WordPress blog from inside Drupal as a module.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/integrate-drupal-with-wordpress/feed/ Google’s Speedy Indexing of Blogs http://www.datapencil.com/google%e2%80%99s-speedy-indexing-of-blogs/ http://www.datapencil.com/google%e2%80%99s-speedy-indexing-of-blogs/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:52:05 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/google%e2%80%99s-speedy-indexing-of-blogs/ It looks like Google could be using Google Blog Search results in their main search queries to give Google users a more up to date search result - something that puts bloggers at a distinct advantage over other kinds of more static sites.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/google%e2%80%99s-speedy-indexing-of-blogs/feed/ Marketing Your Blog in a Saturated Niche http://www.datapencil.com/marketing-your-blog-in-a-saturated-niche/ http://www.datapencil.com/marketing-your-blog-in-a-saturated-niche/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:50:33 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/marketing-your-blog-in-a-saturated-niche/ So many bloggers though try to copy what bloggers are currently doing, and fail to realize that it took many steps to get the blogs to their current status, and without going through those steps, your blog probably won’t do very well.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/marketing-your-blog-in-a-saturated-niche/feed/ Six Ways Blogging Differs From Other Types of Writing http://www.datapencil.com/six-ways-blogging-differs-from-other-types-of-writing/ http://www.datapencil.com/six-ways-blogging-differs-from-other-types-of-writing/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:49:31 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/six-ways-blogging-differs-from-other-types-of-writing/ Different means of publication call for different writing styles. There are some things about writing for a blog that make it different from any other type of writing.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/six-ways-blogging-differs-from-other-types-of-writing/feed/ Be Selfish By Helping Others http://www.datapencil.com/be-selfish-by-helping-others/ http://www.datapencil.com/be-selfish-by-helping-others/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:49:17 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/be-selfish-by-helping-others/ This might sound bad, but when you are helping someone you gain more benefit for yourself compared to the individual you are helping.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/be-selfish-by-helping-others/feed/ The Best Way to Make Money Online: A Group Survey http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-way-to-make-money-online-a-group-survey/ http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-way-to-make-money-online-a-group-survey/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:48:16 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-way-to-make-money-online-a-group-survey/ I want to know what you think is the best way to make money online. What really works well to bring in a substantial amount of income (at least in your own experience).

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/the-best-way-to-make-money-online-a-group-survey/feed/ When Usability Guidelines Go Out the Window http://www.datapencil.com/when-usability-guidelines-go-out-the-window/ http://www.datapencil.com/when-usability-guidelines-go-out-the-window/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:47:46 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/when-usability-guidelines-go-out-the-window/ If there’s only one design guideline you follow it should be this: Create your site to fill your users’ needs and expectations, not your own.

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/when-usability-guidelines-go-out-the-window/feed/ 3D Design Inspiration http://www.datapencil.com/3d-design-inspiration/ http://www.datapencil.com/3d-design-inspiration/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:46:45 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/3d-design-inspiration/ “Wow, this are amazing! Some could even be real! Especially the 3rd, 5th and 6th ones.”

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/3d-design-inspiration/feed/ German web host goes green http://www.datapencil.com/german-web-host-goes-green/ http://www.datapencil.com/german-web-host-goes-green/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:45:36 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/german-web-host-goes-green/ The German web host Strato has stated that it will be completely carbon-free in January 2008. The impressive thing is that they will go the whole way with real renewable green energy and not just purchasing green tags (RECs).

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]]> http://www.datapencil.com/german-web-host-goes-green/feed/ Brainstorming Techniques for Bloggers http://www.datapencil.com/brainstorming-techniques-for-bloggers/ http://www.datapencil.com/brainstorming-techniques-for-bloggers/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:42:57 +0000 admin http://www.datapencil.com/brainstorming-techniques-for-bloggers/ By brainstorming you can find topics that will engage your readers, and you’ll also be able to approach common topics from a new perspective that doesn’t just repeat what everyone else is writing.

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