Friday, September 23, 2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Hate New Facebook? Try Diaspora


Or of course, Google Plus.

Danny on Google+

Seriously, I'm tired of receiving all these emails about a yet to exist social network. But in the spirit of fair bloggerism, here's a copy of their email and a directory of existing pods:

Dear Friend of Diaspora* -

Thanks again for your interest in joining the Diaspora* community, and for your patience. We’re working on getting your invite out to you as quickly as possible, and we’re still committed to getting it to you by the end of October. We’re pushing out hundreds of thousands of invitations as quickly as we can -- thanks for bearing with us.

As promised in our previous message, we want to tell you a little more about why we believe so strongly in Diaspora*'s mission: to build a new and better social web, one that's 100% owned and controlled by you and other Diasporans.

Diaspora*'s distributed design is a huge part of it. Like the Internet itself, Diaspora* isn't housed in any one place, and it's not controlled by any one entity (including us). We've created software that lets you set up and run your own social network on your own "pod" (or server) and connect your network to the larger Diaspora* ecosystem. You can have a pod all to yourself, or one for just you and your friends, or your family, giving you complete ownership and control over your personal social information (including your identity, your posts, and your photos) and how it’s all stored and shared. Or you can simply join one of more than 20 open pods.[1]


This means you can do what you want. You can express yourself candidly, and be your authentic self. You can go by whatever name you like on Diaspora*. Pseudonyms are fine, and this both protects you (if you want to say something your boss or your parents disagree with) and opens the door to real connection. Here’s how one blogger and Diasporan put it:
Maybe his kind words mean so much to me because T is someone I've met through a [pseudo]nym -- he got to know the real me's ideals and beliefs, and liked that person... A compliment from [him] is based on my own sincerity, and thus, has a certain purity. It is untainted by perceptions of how I look, what I'm wearing, and so on. Given that, I value it especially highly.[2]
This kind of authentic connection brings back the social freedom that made the Internet awesome in the first place. And this is just the beginning.

You can make great connections with anyone in the Diaspora* ecosystem, not just the people on your own pod, because the pods are linked together.

You can also use Diaspora* as a home base for your outbound posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, writing to them all from Diaspora*. In the future, you’ll be able to monitor your inbound streams from Diaspora* as well.

Yet our distributed design means no big corporation will ever control Diaspora*. Diaspora* will never sell your social life to advertisers, and you won’t have to conform to someone’s arbitrary rules or look over your shoulder before you speak.

And because your information is yours, not ours, you’ll have the ultimate power -- the ability to move your profile and all your social data from one pod to another, without sacrificing your connection to the social web. Over time, this will bring an end to the indifferent, self-serving behavior that people can’t stand[3] from the walled gardens that dominate social networking today. When you can vote with your feet for the environment where you feel safest, the big guys will have to shape up, or risk losing you.

We’re still building this move-your-profile capability, as well as other key features. It’s hard work, but we’re building the future we want to see, with incredible community support.

Diaspora* is a genuine community effort. More than 160 people have contributed to our code, putting us in the top 2% of all open source projects tracked by Ohloh.[4] Hundreds more volunteers have translated Diaspora* into 13 of the world’s spoken languages so far, with another 32 translations in progress. Thousands of Diasporans have given us more than 3,000 points of feedback. (We’re listening closely, and building the features you’re asking for as fast as we can.) And of course, thousands of donors have helped pay for our development, and hundreds of thousands of people -- including you -- are patiently waiting for access to try it out.

Thanks again for your patience. We can’t wait to see you here, and to build a brighter future together.

Sincerely,
- Dan, Max, Ilya, Sarah, Yosem, and Peter
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

PR Useless? And Flippa.com: Close Enough

Why You May Want To Read This
  • If you are like me and have no clue about website flipping 
  • If you want to join me in not knowing anything about website flipping :)
  • Is Page Rank useless?
A few weeks ago, I tried analyzing one particular website auction taking place on Flippa. I guesstimated that the price for that site (uneasysilence.com) would fetch about $4,000 to $6,000 USD.

I was wrong by $2000.

It sold for $8,000.

Danny on Google+

Why Observe This Particular Site?

  • To see how it progresses and to see what happens. This could prepare me to make informed decisions regarding future purchases. I intend to analyze other websites to also see their performances later on. 

Now that uneasysilence.com is sold, I'm going to observe any changes that could happen to it as the new owner refurbishes it.

Note:
  • Uneasysilence.com gets regularly linked to by a website called techmeme.com which is basically a news aggregate of sorts or a glorified link farm - depending on your perspective.
If indeed uneasysilence generates monthly revenues of $1,500 USD a month, it would be very interesting to find out whether the new owner would still get the same level of performance as the previous owner has.

As of September 21, 2011. No obvious changes have been observed.


High PR Useless?

It would seem so after I discovered an auction on Flippa.com for a blog/website called provit.net. As I was analyzing the website, I discovered that it has an abnormally high Page Rank of 7.

For perspective, Mashable.com has PR8.

History
Bingo! I think I may have found the reason for the high PR. Searching for provit.net on webarchive, I discovered that it was once the home to a tech company named Fraunhofer with the description:
"Digital Product Development with Virtually Cooperating Teams Using Optical Networks"
2001
Discrepancy
At the time of listing the site looked like this:
Figure 1
This is a thumbnail and I wasn't able to take a screenshot of the original. But I read about it and it was a health website. Then an hour later it changed to this:

Figure 2

A Wordpress hosted blog that has been hastily put up. Ahhhhh, now I get it.

You can beat Google, but you can't beat WebArchive.
I suppose what happened is simple. Fraunhofer owned the domain from 2001 up to 2010. Somewhere along the road, it decided to redirect the domain to its new website which has a suffix of .de.

By 2010, it let go of the domain provit.net. Hence, the new guy selling the domain and the blog then picked up the expired domain and decided to put a health blog. He then decides to capitalize upon the High PR and upon realization that the people participating in the auction saw what happened, he changed the content to the latest iteration seen in Figure 2.

Conclusion
  1. The Page Rank for the domain will most likely fall since the content and ownership of the blog has just recently changed. This would also be true if the content will change. 
  2. If you purchased this site, thinking that you got a High PR website, then you may be in for a surprise  the next time Google updates its PR. 
  3. In this regard, PR is not totally useless as Fraunhofer is a legitimate German tech company. 
  4. Before purchasing websites with claimed High PR Rankings, check the history and whether it has recently changed ownership. 
  5. When in doubt use webarchive to verify.





Thursday, September 15, 2011

Prizes.org Boosts Traffic Big Time - Your Next Marketing and Promotions Platform

Photo Credit: XvoltageX
Danny on Google+

You need to read this if

  • you are a webmaster or a blogger and are looking for a new and very cheap way to increase traffic for your site.
  • you have a service oriented website (graphic design, content services, seo, logos, etc.) and are looking for zero cost advertisement. 

The cat is out of the bag. Traffic to my own network of blogs has increased significantly (3 figure percentages) based solely on my participation on prizes.org as a contestant and as a contest holder.

Sections:
I. How to increase traffic and clients using prizes.org as a contestant and make money as well.
II. How to increase traffic and clients using prizes.org as a contest-holder.
BONUS: How to install the prizes.org widget

Disclosure
1. Google owns Prizes.org. (Mashable). Knowing Google, there are reasons why it makes its acquisitions.
2. If you join and then win a contest by clicking here: Prizes.org (Affiliate), it will be your way of thanking me for divulging my current and only marketing strategy as of the moment. 


Section I. How to increase traffic using prizes.org as a contestant


First of all, ask yourself this question, "what is my service or blog about?" 

Let me tell you a story about Adam and Giorgos Vasileiadis. I don't know them personally but when I think of "graphics designers" from the top of my head, I can even spell their names because they're so damn good. 

How do I know? They keep winning the contests!   

In joining the graphics design contests on prizes.org, they not only showcased their talents and abilities, they also effectively advertised themselves as well as their services. 

And most of all, they got paid to do it (when they won)

For example, a contest was held by a game designer named Nicholas Wentworth Shaw, about creating the icons or logos for the two factions in a game he was creating. The prize was $150 USD. Giorgos won it with this:

This is now the property of Nicholas Wentworth-Shaw
Giorgos:
1. Win $150 in the contest for free - CHECK!
2. Showcase my abilities - CHECK!
3. Get referrals from people who see my work - CHECK!
4. Get contacted for future business - CHECK!
Take a look at Giorgos work at http://www.sloorpworld.com/


Section II. How to advertise and get some work done by creating a contest


Now let's look at this from the perspective of Nicholas. As an independent game designer, he needed someone to help him with the artwork as well as the storyline for the game. Needless to say, being an indie developer, he wanted to focus more on the programming aspects of creating the game. 

Moreover, he also needed to promote it when it was done.

To do this:

1. He made a contest about creating logos for the two factions - $200
2. He made a contest about writing the storyline for the game - $150

Thus, we can say that not only will he have created a fanbase (the contestants) for the game before it is even made, he has also done some work with the help of guys like Giorgos!

The possibilities that one can explore with Prizes.org are innumerable. Unlike traditional freelancing and outsourcing websites - prizes.org lets you choose the exact solution for your outsourcing needs.

How many times have you outsourced and gotten terrible results from seemingly good and well intentioned candidates who unfortunately didn't deliver?


Prizes.org solves that problem by letting you select the best solution and not just the best candidate. 


BONUS SECTION: How to Install the New Prizes.org Widget to Showcase Your Contest

1. Join Prizes.org (Aff)
2. Connect your Facebook and Twitter account so you can broadcast your contest once you've created it
3. Optional but recommended: Verify your account by inputting your mobile phone number - you'll get a $10 FREE CREDIT you can use to create a contest.
4. Fill out your profile - it's better if you input accurate information, so people can find you.
5. Click on Create Contest and fill out the details. You can even make $5 contests if you like. Actually, I've found that these $5 contests are also effective even if the amount is not so big. You just have to ensure that the contest would not be too difficult.


6. On Your Profile Page, click on "Get Widget"


7. Copy the Code and Paste on Your Website's sidebar



Why Prizes.org?

  • It is owned by Google
  • It is the best place to hold contests
    • It gives you options for the type of contest that you'd like to hold.
      • You can choose the winning entry
      • You can let the audience decide who wins
  • It is a safe platform where both parties are at ease about the transaction. 
  • It uses Paypal and also the option to use your credit card or debit card to upload funds
  • It is a mini social network
  • You can comment on the entries
  • You can mark the entries as your favorite
  • You can eliminate nuisance entries
  • You can send messages to participants
  • It's more reliable than just blaring out your contest on twitter or facebook

How to Redeem Your Credits if You Win a Contest on Prizes.org

Congratulations!

If you're reading this, this means that you already won something, correct?

1. Click on the Blue Dollar Amount on the top of your prizes.org dashboard
2. Find the Redeem Credits link and click it
3. Input your Paypal information.
Note: Prizes.org charges a 10% fee on top of a 5.5% Third Party Payment Handling Fee - so that's 15.5%
If you win $100 - you get $84.5 in your Paypal account.

Join Prizes.org

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Voting on the Internet

Secure and feasible voting on the Internet is still lagging in terms of security and viability.

Why This Matters To You
  • if you participate in online voting platforms which involve money
  • if you are holding a contest where the participants vote for the winner

Sometimes, with the prodding of marketing necessity or even political expediency and agenda, voting on the Internet has been downgraded to the status of a poll. In this regard, it can be considered to be less authoritative and one loosely conducted with a minimal consideration for accuracy.

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/235200

Security
Though I'm not personally a network security expert, there are a lot of resources and news reports on the Internet concerning the matter of security in online voting. The existence of political interest groups which have the capability to subvert any network security system also compounds the matter.


Verification
Danny on Google+
Aside from the technical issues surrounding online voting systems, there's also the matter of padding and ghost voters in any type of platform. In my case, it's in the weekly contests that I hold for my own network of blogs. I tried to allow participants to vote on the winning entry but I found that the entries with the most votes tend to be not as good as the entries of verified contestants.

Moreover, I found one of the entrants voting for himself using another account.

In any system there's always the crucial element of verification to ensure fairness.

In democracies such as in the United States, the Philippines and others, this most often hinges on the voters' registration information.

In websites, this verification system hinges on different levels.

  • Anonymous - No verification
  • Account Verification - Usually email verification
  • Social Network Verification - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+
  • Mobile Phone Verification - Call ins, registration codes, verification codes
  • Official Documents - Bank Statement of Account, Driver's License, Social Security, Government issued identification, etc. (Most often applied in banking and mobile payment facilities)    
As far as I have experienced, it doesn't go beyond this. I suppose that the next level for this would be online biometric scanning. But that too could be compromised if the infrastructure for transmission is not secure. It is data just the same after all - even if it's biological in nature.

Why I Wrote This
My intentions in writing this was to clear my mind regarding the system of voting on the Internet. Having participated in online voting platforms, I can say that most websites voting systems are flawed - therefore providing inaccurate information. 

This is more dangerous if the voting involves financial interests.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

NYTimes: Niche Blogs Are In

It's official, the impending fall of Yahoo.com, heralds the golden age of niche blogs and websites.
"AOL’s acquisition of TechCrunch last year for a reported $30 million was an acknowledgement that scale, once the grail of the Web, can be a disadvantage when it comes to attracting the kind of audiences advertisers want." (NYTimes)
Indeed, though these large sites still command a hefty readership, much of that traffic may not be converting because of the divergence of interests. People who go to any of the major news portals such as CNN.com, Wall Street Journal and NYTimes, most likely go there not to find information about a particular product or to focus on a particular interest - but to consume news.

Here's more:
"Like newspapers, portals like AOL and Yahoo are confronting the cold fact that there is less general interest in general interest news. Readers have peeled off into verticals of information — TMZ for gossip, Politico for politics and Deadspin for sports, and so on."
Of course, another possibility that may exist is the unbounded flow of information that independent sites provide. The blogs mentioned in the New York Times article have all mostly been co-opted or assimilated by bigger media companies.

Big Media Using Small Blogger's Tactics?
Danny on Google+

Indeed, there has been several instances when larger websites were caught red-handed by the Big G using small time SEO tactics to compete. Among the bigger names involved is Forbes.com.

Based on my own observations, some of the more respected sites are also leveraging their traffic to monetize  some portions of that precious white space.

This is a screenshot from a very prominent International news website:

Grey Area

I'm not so sure if this is in violation of Google's linking policies which generally frowns on paid linking. To quote: 
"However, some SEOs and webmasters engage in the practice of buying and selling links that pass PageRank, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. Buying or selling links that pass PageRank is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact a site's ranking in search results." 
I tried looking at the source code of the site in question but didn't find any links to the materials on the widget. Maybe some of you SEO guys can explain this better.

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1115855

Sunday, September 11, 2011

911

Update: I've compiled a list of the best resources for today.


From a Nearby Resident
I'm not American and I don't even live in the United States but I can remember finding out about the attacks from my old lady landlord back when I was still a student in Baguio City in the Philippines.

She knocked at my door and I opened it. With her wrinkled and wide eyes she alarmingly told me
"They bombed the twin towers." 


Being the half crazy old lady that I thought she was, I dismissed the news since I really needed to get to school on time. I didn't have a TV then and didn't even know where the twin towers were, I ignorantly said, "These terrorists do this all the time." 


Her eyes grew wider, "They do?!!"

I rushed out and excused myself before the conversation made me late for my university class. It was there that I would find out what the twin towers were, where it was and how many people lost their lives.

It was crazy.

It would be the topic of many conversations and discussions for many more years to come.

Looking back at the historical consequences of that event after 10 years, I thought of watching some videos on youtube. Nowadays, youtube is filled with all sorts of conspiracies and BIG HEADLINES THAT JUST MAKE YOU WANT TO CLICK. The videos that I posted here, are the ones I think provided the best perspectives since they're also the least biased.

To be sure, the devastation caused by this single event would reverberate in history as the one which would cause so many more suffering and wars all over the world - for all people. This was the beginning of a new era in world history, one where the value of life became less. An era when people would begin hating religion collectively. An era where hate will begin to gnaw at the hearts of everyone and the darkest realm of human thought would become expounded and expressed in so many ways, via different channels. Danny on Google+

I could have made a tribute for the victims of the attack on that fateful day, but then I realized that they're not the only victims of this one single event.

The world is.

From the Ground




Inside the WTC




From the Street




Friday, September 09, 2011

Diaspora Social Network Coming Soon

Is not a video. This will not play.
"Better Late or Never" or "Too Little Too Late" - choose your own title. The magical startup that was able to raise $200,000 for their social networking startup via crowdfunding site Kickstarter, recently announced that invitations were coming soon. The much publicized "facebook killer, may have launched too late with the entry of search giant Google in the social networking sphere. But who knows? Perhaps, there may still be room left for another social network.

Here's a copy of the official announcement:

Dear Friend of Diaspora* -

Thanks for your interest in being part of the Diaspora* community. You may not have heard from us in a while, but we’ve been working hard, head-down. We’ve built the first stage of a new social web, one better than what’s out there today: a place where each of us owns our own information, where each person controls his or her own privacy, where no-one is a product, and where we all control our own destinies.

We’re sending out alpha invitations now, as quickly as we can. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, you will receive it by the end of October.


There's been big news in the social networking world recently, and we can't help but be pleased with the impact our work has had on two of the biggest developments. We're proud that Google+ imitated one of our core features, aspects, with their circles. And now Facebook is at last moving in the right direction with user control over privacy, a move spurred not just by Google+, but more fundamentally by you and thousands of other donors, as well as hundreds of thousands of people who've lined up to try Diaspora* -- that is, by all of us who've stood up to say "there has to be a better way." We're making a difference already.

And aspects is just one of the many ways we're pioneering the future of the social web.

Here's a quick preview of some of the other ways:

We'll make the social web more fun than it is today.
Our distributed design gives you the security of owning your own identity and data.
This also gives you the freedom to do what you want online.
Our ecosystem provides the commons, the connective tissue for an evolving social web.
We're not gatekeepers, so our ecosystem will always support the latest apps.
We’ll tell you a little more about each of these points in the weeks ahead.

And we’ll keep working to get your alpha invitation to you just as quickly as we can.

Until then, thanks again for your interest in Diaspora*.

Sincerely,
- Maxwell, Daniel, Ilya, Sarah, Yosem and Peter The Diaspora* team
Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Join Diaspora
Diaspora Blog

Danny on Google+

$5 Contest - 1st Week of Sept


By Danny on Google+ 

Contest
$5 Dollar goes to the one who can provide the most despairing entry on the question of - would you die for love? To join click on the link. By the way, a lot of the entries are invalid simply because they didn't follow the instructions.

Prizes.org Verification
I recently got awarded $10 just for verifying my account on prizes.org. Though not necessarily fool proof, it keeps spammers at bay and helps keep the contest healthy. Prizes.org is google owned. May the best entry win.

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/970455

CA AZ Power Failure Stirs Social Media - 1 Million Affected

A lot of my social media friends on Google + are reaching out to others who may have been affected by the power failure that affected over 1 million homes in Southern California and Arizona. Apparently a major transmission line "went down" and that power wouldn't be restored until tomorrow.

Danny on Google+

Live Updates:

Map of Power Outage





Stay safe people :)

Further Developments: 

  • Power failure causes major traffic jams and has now also affected Mexico. (CNN)




Thursday, September 08, 2011

Basic Adsense Webinar Notes

Well, I just finished attending my first basic Adsense webinar from Google. Most of the things that were discussed was about Google Adsense Policies and improving the user experience on the site. It took about less than 30 minutes and the presenter was a little bit nervous, quite probably more nervous than me.

Danny on Google+

I actually took a lot of screenshots of the webinar itself but I just saw that the information there was confidential and proprietary.

So I'll just post my notes along with the Q and A portion as promised. Most of these are directly quoted as fast as I could type and I just corrected some for grammatical errors.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Three Birds with One Treadmill

So, everybody's going like "we're doomed, we're doomed" nowadays, including me of course. Nah, not really,  I'm a tough nut to crack. Yahoo's for sale, Steve Jobs is well, let's leave the dude alone... Arrington just got fired, credit crisis, fires, storms, unemployment, obesity, riots...


Danny on Google+

So I thought of a silly idea to solve one of these problems. Actually three of these problems:


Eh, whaddaya think?


Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1355757

Wanted: CEO of Yahoo and Reddit

I was about to write something sad and depressing, but then suddenly changed my mind when I saw this tweet:


Danny on Google+

Do you like those home TV shopping network commercials?

But wait! There's More!


Reddit Also Needs a CEO
Oh, yeah did I mention that reddit, Inc. was also looking for a CEO? Ok then, I am saying it again.

Please submit your CV with the following information:

  • "Picture of you giving a powerpoint presentation with a shoe on your head"
There's already one candidate:


And another:


I reserve all comments until further notice....

Great Dads: Million Pixel Mosaic by Randy Gregory

During these tough times, one can't help but admire the tenacity and drive of those like Randy Gregory, a web developer and father who has fashioned a website that paints a picture of hope through mosaics.

But that's not all, Gregory decided to take the next step and not only create just a mosaic, but also sell it's pixels in 10x10 blocks.

In a nutshell, this is the 2.0 version of Alex Tew's Business Model in the million dollar homepage. This is the next evolution of this generation's million dollar website.  

Enter the Million Pixel Mosaic

Million Pixel Mosaic
Danny on Google+

But the novelty of the idea doesn't end there. Randy provides a triumphant back story based on the background of an economic recession where most people would complain, blame the government, politics or circumstances.

Instead, Randy innovated 



Note: Though he has an excellent affiliate program that you may want to join - I just decided that I wanted to support someone who was brave enough to tackle problems with ingenious ideas. The links here are not affiliate links. 

Off With the Tech CEOs' Head!

Off with their heads!


Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo.com Fired by Phone. I wonder where's Jerry Yang now, maybe he could pull a Steve Jobs on Yahoo ala Return of the Jedi. Let's call it the Return of the Chief Executive Yahoo. Apparently, this Forbes guy disagrees. Sept. 7, 2011.

Michael Arrington, booted off company he founded. I really don't understand American business... The drama ensues with some saying TechCrunch is practically doomed. Sept. 2, 2011

Danny on Google+

Steve Jobs, resigns from Apple, Inc. due to health concerns. Cryogenic preservation anyone? Aug. 24, 2011

Eric Schmidt, goes out as CEO of Google.com. Facebook must have scared the bejeezus out of Larry. Jan. 21, 2011.

Kevin Rose, resigns from Digg.com. March 18, 2011.

Meanwhile...


Bill Gates Donations




Reddit's Organizational Shift

Reddit announces that it would be moving around the organizational ladder and taking on the identity of reddit, Inc. The fast growing social media community previously acquired by Conde Nast, is now owned by Advanced Publications, which to me, doesn't really make that much sense because Advanced Publications also owns Conde Nast. Go figure.

Danny on Google+

As confusing as it may sound, the group iterated that this would mean more "operational freedom" for them.

Reddit is also looking for a new CEO. Requirements: Post a picture of yourself hold a shoe on top of your head while giving a Powerpoint presentation.

I'm a new member of Reddit and I've seen that it's really on its way up both in terms of traffic and in terms of membership. They're now claiming to have 700,000 page views every 15 minutes.

Recent Controversies
Like any other Internet company which is based on a community, reddit has had its own fair share of controversy. One of this is the allegation of fraud that is transpiring in one of their subreddits (groups). Though not entirely representative of the community as a whole, such instances taint the community's otherwise healthy interaction.

UPDATES: From the rumor mill
Apparently, talks of dissent over Conde Nast's management has been brewing for quite some time.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Free Adsense Webinar Invitation

I Got a Free Google Adsense Webinar
from the Email
You need this, I need this. There's nothing like the real thing when it comes to these free and official webinars.

As much as possible, we want to get to the original source of information and that's why these free adsense webinars from Google remain an invaluable resource and a much appreciated solution for small bloggers like me.

Danny on Google+

The last time I attended any of these online business related webinars, it was conducted by Jay Berkowitz a well known and well connected Internet Marketer from Canada. His collection of FREE internet marketing podcasts (50 episodes in all) remain an invaluable resource for beginning and intermediate marketers who'd like to get a feel for the online business environment

The man is really accommodating and still holds free and regular Internet marketing webinars which you could find on their company website. (See: Ten Golden Rules

What Should I Ask the Google Adsense Team?
The webinar invite that I got from Google Adsense offers us the chance to ask a question to their expert. As a newbie in this sphere, I really have no intelligent question that I could think of right now. If you like, you could tell me what I should ask them and I would write on my blog after the webinar.

I'm really excited about this and would love to learn more from the Google Adsense team.

Saturday, September 03, 2011

NetworkedBlogs Premium Upgrade

It's time to take this blog to the next level by subscribing to the Premium listing service of NetworkedBlogs. I haven't used it before but I've been seeing a lot of bloggers use it lately so we'll see how this baby will fly. Networkedblogs' tag line was straightforward enough to merit my attention as it specifically targets over a million blog readers from Facebook. Though I'm increasingly becoming a Google+ addict, Facebook is still very much the Alpha of social networking with over 750 Million users.

I'm looking forward to meeting all you awesome NetworkedBlogs people and learning from you guys. I hope that you'll find something useful from me too.


By the way, did you know: that there's a blog service out there in the wild which charges $9.97 a month so that they'll provide you with something to write about on your blog?

See: THIS

Tell me what you think, would you buy into that? (I'm not an affiliate of this, just checking)


Danny on Google+

Friday, September 02, 2011

Do You Talk to Google?

Danny on Google+

Google knows what you want and what you don't want.   


Thursday, September 01, 2011

Nightsky Theme Fix for Blank Space - Free Blogspot Themes

I suppose that one of the things that are driving droves of blogger bloggers away from blogspot is the perception that there aren't many good themes when compared to Wordpress. I admit it but that's only half true. There are many free awesome themes for blogspot but the problem is not really the themes, but the things that you can do with it.

The widgets, php and other fancy scripts that make your audience go wow simply break when you add them to a theme that somebody else has made. Moreover, the picture elements for such free themes may disappear if the image hosting provider of the theme maker exceeds its bandwidth.


WIDGETS
For instance, one of the things that I am seriously envious about from Wordpress bloggers is the Top Post Scrolling widget which scrolls an uber big and gorgeous picture right at the top of the blog. We don't have that in blogger and the theme makers who are attempting to make these have to make do with workarounds.

EventId's in Nostr - from CGPT4

The mathematical operation used to derive the event.id in your getSignedEvent function is the SHA-256 hash function, applied to a string rep...