Archive for August, 2007

You’ve seen them on the web. You may even use them on your blog. Snap.com’s Snap Shots system quickly spread across the web, infiltrating many popular and semi-popular blogs. Some people like them, others loathe them. The question is: Should you use them or not?

It depends. Snap recently introduced more functionality into the Snap Shots lineup. Some of the features are actually useful, while others are just annoying. Let’s take a closer look. (more…)

Yesterday (around noon) I posted an article called Don’t Block Firefox! I wrote it after reading about an annoying site called WhyFirefoxIsBlocked.com on Reddit (and later on Digg). I submitted it to StumbleUpon, and posted comments on Digg and Reddit (including a link to my post).  Within two hours, it was the most popular post on Webmaster-Source. I looked at the “Popularity: 100%” in disbelief. How did that happen? I immediately opened a couple of tabs and logged into Google Analytics and pMetrics.

The pMetrics “Spy” tool (the main reason I have a pMetrics account) showed a steady stream of people coming in from StumbleUpon. SU has been the top traffic source on Webmaster-Source for a couple of months now, so I wasn’t too surprised about that, though the amount of people coming in was a lot more than usual. (more…)

A site has sprung-up recently called “Why Firefox is Blocked.” They claim that webmasters should block all users running the Firefox web browser (sorry, morons, but Firefox is king) because of the AdBlock Plus extension. They claim that users of the extension are thieves because they use websites while blocking the advertisements. By some weird logic, they believe that webmasters should be given the option of blocking AdBlock. Seeing as they aren’t, they think that Firefox itself should be blocked.

There are several holes in their argument. (more…)

• Hey, guess what! Limewire’s pulling a Napster!
• Blogsolid.com has just spoofed Darren Rowse’s “31 Days to a Better Blog” series with “31 Minutes to Building a Better Blog.” It describes a lot of bloggers well.
• If you’re having trouble explaining RSS to your readers, you could link to yet another Blogsolid post, or you could send them over to this cool video.
• Sprint has plans to roll-out WiMax service in “select cities” by the end of this year. They’ve dubbed the service “XOHM.” How the heck do you pronounce it? And why can’t they just call it WiMax?
• ReadWriteWeb says “JavaScript is Slowing Down the Web.” Speed issues or not, cut down on the widget mania anyway.
• Which JavaScript framework is the one for you? I like Prototype/Script.aculo.us personally. ZenPerfect.com reviews Prototype/Script.aculo.us, jQuery, Yahoo UI Library, MooTools, and points you in the direction of some others.
• Mashable: 30+ Firefox Tools for Bookmarking & Search
• WordPress Bloggers: Full Posts or Partial Posts? It’s up to you. If you choose the latter, which method are you going to use?
• ProBlogger Darren Rowse wants you to play around with another Statistics toy. Seriously, it can be useful to Create a Heatmap of Where Readers Click on Your Blog.
• Movable Type 4.0 is out, and they may have one-upped Wordpress. Get your two cents (75 cents in some cases…) in and tell the Wordpress devs what you want to see added to Wordpress. While you’re at it, vote for one of my suggestions…
• Arg! Mashable beat me to it! MovableType 4 vs. Wordpress 2.2.
• You’ve written hundreds of great posts, now how do you get people to read the older ones? Create a “Sneeze Page”!
• Did anyone (besides The ProBlogger) know that you can buy StumbleUpon traffic? Sure enough, S.U. allows you to run “Sponsored Stumbles” for $0.05 per impression.
• American Airlines is suing Google over AdWords. Really, another lawsuit over that? There’s nothing wrong with allowing competing companies to run ads for search results like “American Airlines” or “Geico”.
• What the #@$@%!? People are trying to block Firefox! Because of Ad-blocking plugins! People have a right to block ads if they want….and I run ads on my websites. Bloggers, voice your opinions to WhyFirefoxIsBlocked.com. I don’t use AdBlocking software generally, but I believe people have a right to if they wish. We should be blocking Internet Explorer, not Firefox. Also, here’s a big flaw in their argument: There are ad-blocking add-ons for Internet Explorer. Anyway, if you ever run into a site that actually is blocking the ‘fox, just install a user-agent switching extension.
• WORDPRESS GOD: 300+ Tools for Running Your Wordpress Blog. Mashable’s at it again…
• …and again. 50+ Digg Tools and Resources.
• Performancing.com has released their Wordpress theme for this month. This one is called “News Theme.”
• Wordpress Plugin Releases For 8/18

There’s writer’s block, but what about designer’s block? I’ve been trying to design a new template for a tech blog, but I’ve been unable to do so. I’ve got a general idea of how I want to lay-out the content and sidebars, but as for the overall look….

Not even design galleries have helped so far. I open up Photoshop to make a mock-up, and a pay around for a little, but I don’t end up with any viable results. I even tried “just having fun with CSS” to see if I’d get anything good. Did I? Not really.

If you have any tips for combating “Designer’s Block,” be sure to post them in the comments.

• Facebook had some code leakage recently. It was nothing much, just the code for the main page (which was mostly includes). Nik.com.au has a nice tutorial on preventing code leaks.
• Google’s not being nice about paid-link advertisements. They seem to have banned Text-Link Ads from the search results. Oh well, at least they have an ad at the top…
• A history of the Amiga, part 2
• 30 Most Popular Blogs | August 2007
• You’ve seen those ridiculous websites like Earthle.com? Finally, someone’s written an article explaining that having a dark page background does not save power.
• Skype is now usable on the iPhone. Digg users exclaim “Take that AT&T,” though it’s benefiting them if anything. Data minutes are expensive, and you can’t guarantee you’ll be at a Wi-Fi hotspot all the time.
• How do you explain RSS to your readers? It’s hard to sketch-out the general idea with words alone. ProBlogger has dugg-up a great video from VideoJug. Just embed the video on a “What’s RSS?” page along with a link to your feed (maybe an email subscription link) and you’re done.
• I think we now have conclusive evidence that Alexa is virtually useless. YouTube bigger than Google? Yeah, right. Time spent on a site is not a great metric of how “big” a site is. I tend to leave sites open in extra tabs for hours on end, and I may not stay on Google search results for too long, I use it a heck of a lot more than YouTube. Some Digg users have argued that you’re using YouTube when you view videos embedded on blogs. If you want to be like that, don’t forget AdSense ads. Also note that YouTube is owned by Google. So all those stats count toward Google’s total, right?
• Should Links Open in a New Window or Not? I try to avoid opening new windows on people (I use Firefox, and I hate having unwanted windows/tabs opened).
• The iPhone is now fully unlocked.
• Who’s been anonymously editing Wikipedia? You’d be surprised…
• Did you know that half of Americans are clueless about online threats? Luckily I’m part of the other half…
• Movable Type 4.0 has been launched, and ProBlogger has an interview related to it. Hey Wordpress devs! Get to work, their catching up!

CSS. Without it the web would look pathetic. If the W3C hadn’t put out the CSS standard, our blogs would look like this, this, or this. Is that scary or what?

Whether you’re a web designer, a PHP coder, or a blogger, it pays to know the ins and outs of CSS and HTML. Even if you’ve memorized the entire CSS Spec documents (unlikely), there’s still more to learn. CSS Maniacs everywhere are coming up with new techniques every day, and it’s a good idea to keep current on the latest methods for dodging around Internet Explorer bugs and building CSS grid layouts. Then you have a constant stream of downloadable utilities (and Firefox extensions) to aid you in your design work.

Well, let’s cut to the chase. Here are a few CSS tutorials, techniques, and resources (in no particular order): (more…)

Is web design an art? I believe it is, and I’m prepared to vehemently defend my opinion.

Layout/logo design takes time, effort, and ability. Take a look at Ars Technica, Apple, The Leaky Cauldron, North X East, and ProBlogger. Notice their designs.

When designing, your goal is to create not just something functional, but to convey a message. Look at Apple.com. The design says “High tech,” “clean,” and several other things.

A few months back I wrote a post on logo design. Near the end it said “Logo design is an art, as is web design (or virtually anything with the word “design” in it…).” A Digg user said in response “no, design isn’t art. Art and design have mutually exclusive purposes. Thanks for playing.” Typical of Digg users, but whatever.

I want to know what everyone else thinks. Is design an art? Yes or no? Comment below, and feel free to explain your decision.

This month’s highlighted Wordpress theme is Blog Oh Blog, which is a copy of the design used by BlogOhBlog.com, the creator of the theme.

It’s a three column layout, with a fixed 990px width, and plenty of good spots for sticking AdSense ads. It’s fairly simplistic, though not too much so. Take a look and download it if you wish.

• The W3C will be introducing some new elements in HTML 5 / XHTML 2. Included are section, figure, and (yeah!) aside. Hopefully Internet Explorer will support it reasonably within ten years of the standard’s release…
• There are 70 more user-submitted blogging tips from ProBlogger (who has enough time to read all those?). Also note that Darren’s got a new design up.
• Yeah, the new iMac is out! Ars Technica has a lengthy review, and Macworld has finished their benchmark tests for the iMac.
• What the heck? Pligg is for sale! What’s up with that? For the uninformed, Pligg is a PHP-based CMS for running a Digg-like website. If you’ve got the money to buy it, make sure you keep the ownership from falling into the wrong hands.
• Microsoft is up to something…again. At a glance, they seem to be releasing some software under an Open Source-type license. According to Digg users, it’s more likely a publicity stunt.
• Here’s a useful guide you may want to take a look at: Learning from Facebook: Preventing PHP Leakage. It covers several methods to keep your code safe from prying eyes.