The increasingly popular Linux distribution, Ubuntu, has just released the most recent version of this user-friendly, open source operating system: Oneiric Ocelot. [Read more…]
Archives for October 2011
3 Free Online Resources I Discovered This Week
Specifically, Resources useful for Copywriting
If you can write, there is (apparently) plenty of opportunity to make a lot of money copywriting.
At least, that’s the story I’ve been buying recently.
In pursuit of a lucrative copywriting career, I’ve been doing research about copywriting and studying the market, and in the past week I’ve come across some useful (and FREE) online resources that you are bound to love. [Read more…]
Three Guest Blog Networks (and Why They Suck)
If you’ve been blogging for a while, you’ve probably realized that it takes a LOT of time to make it work. Sure, technologically, the blog will stay there as long as you pay your hosting fees, but if you want a thriving, engaging blog that brings lots of traffic (and lots of money) you have to keep feeding it with new content.
The problem for many bloggers is that they don’t have time to frequently and consistently write quality posts. I’ve been there. Having (or building) a successful blog is a full-time job, and for bloggers who are trying to make a go of it on the side will almost certainly run into this problem.
For a while, I tried to feed my starving blog by getting guest blog posts. In my despair, I came across three blog networks: Web Traffic Control, Blogger Link Up, and My Blog Guest.
Here’s a critical overview of why I think they suck.
Web Traffic Control
This website is based on the idea that people who have something to advertise will pay people with a blog to publish a guest blog post about the product or service they are advertising. Web Traffic Control is the “service” that brings the two parties together. The advertiser pays WTC $30 per post. WTC keeps half the money, publishes the post on your blog, and gives you, the blogger, $15.
That doesn’t sound too bad, right? So why does Web Traffic Control suck? Several reasons:
- You have to be at least a Google Page Rank 2. Realistically, if you are any good at blogging, this isn’t that hard to do, but it does take time.
- You have to have a self-hosted WordPress blog to participate. Though WordPress is one of the best blogging software options available, not every blogger uses it, and not all the bloggers who use it are self-hosting (even though they probably should be if they hope to make any serious money).
- You have to grant WTC login credentials as an editor. Though the system appears to be set up to publish blog posts automatically, that is without someone from WTC personally accessing your site, the idea of giving login credentials to an outside party certainly creates a sense of uneasiness.
- NO ONE IS USING IT! The first three issues might not be such a big deal if Web Traffic Control actually worked. The problem is that they don’t have enough advertisers participating to supply the bloggers with any content to publish. I’ve had an account set up with WTC for a few months and haven’t had any posts show up. Until more advertisers start using it, WTC is a waste of time.
Blogger Link Up
The Blogger Link Up network is low-tech in comparison to WTC. It’s essentially an email newsletter sent out to everyone on the list three times a week. Users who have guest posts to give away or blog owners who need a specific blog post written enter that information on the website, and the offers and requests get sent out to the people on the list.
Each newsletter starts off with a brief message from the webmaster (which is sometimes useful and sometimes not so useful), and then the list of offers and requests.
On the positive side, I think the BLU is a great concept for networking with other people in the blogosphere. And if you keep your eye out, you can come across some good opportunities (I had an article published on a Page Rank 7 site through a connection I made with it).
The problem is there is no quality control. Just like any other free-to-use ad site (cf. Craigslist) the offers are only as good as the person behind them. This usually means a lot of junk posts. The offer in the newsletter might seem good, but when you get the final product, more often than not it turns out to be a poorly-written, barely grammatical piece of fluff content with no substance and a link in the author byline to a site that is not related to the actual blog post at all.
I regret some of the junk that I’ve published on my sites through shady offers on Blogger Link Up.
My Blog Guest
Similar to the Blogger Link Up, My Blog Guest is a network of writers and publishers. Instead of being a newsletter, it feels more like a social networking site where there is actually the possibility of interaction between the two parties.
My Blog Guest has one up on BLU because they review the articles in the offers to make sure they are original, and for the most part they are of higher quality than BLU. The ones I’ve received are grammatical, have substance, and are usually written by someone with experience in the field they’re writing about.
The problem? The articles lack panache. They are informative but impersonal. You might get some search engine traffic from these, but dry content isn’t going to connect with your readers.
Back to the Basics
After my brief sojourn in the safari of guest blog post hunting, I’d like to think I’ve returned a wiser blogger. By and large, it’s a barren wasteland, filled with ghost towns, sickly game, and jackals.
I’m sorry to my regular readers for publishing some of the refuse that has been on my blog recently. I’ve realized the error of my ways and will be more selective in what is published from here on out.
If you are running a blog of your own, hopefully this post will help you learn from my mistakes. Don’t publish fluff content just to keep the search engines happy; your readers are more important. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to post quality content as frequently as you planned, reduce your frequency, not the quality of your posts. Don’t partner with just anyone willing to throw you a bone — publish good content by people with authority in your niche.
Do it well, or don’t do it at all.
Top image by Maria Reyes-McDavis
Safari image by Andrew Turner
Roomba Vacuum Robot Review: Save Time Cleaning With Ease
Roomba iRobot Vacuum Cleaner
Robots are cool.
Robots that actually do something useful are phenomenal.
When I saw an ad for a Roomba iRobot vacuum cleaner, I showed it to my wife, half expecting her to call me crazy for wanting to invest in a robot. (The phrase itself does sound kind of silly — to “invest in a robot.”) Much to my surprise, she was almost as excited as I was.
While I saw it, fantastically, as a step into the future — a chance to join the ranks of robot owners like the Jetsons or the Skywalkers — to her it was a simple, easy way to clean our house. We were both pleased with the purchase.
The Self-Sufficient Robot Vacuum
Like any vacuum cleaner, the Roomba iRobot is designed to clean your floors. The key difference is that it cleans on its own. Instead of wasting time pushing around a traditional vacuum, having a Roomba makes it easy to clean while working on something else at the same time. Our Roomba is cleaning our house right now, even as I write this review.
The first few times we used our Roomba I would stand and watch it clean, struck with wonderment at this ingenious creation. Now that it has become a normal part of our life, it’s easy to turn it on and go to another room until our robotic vacuum cleaner is done.
This kind of efficiency is a huge benefit for people with a busy schedule. But even if you’re not busy, it’s nice to put the robot to work so you can do something more entertaining.
The Roomba is Smart and Versatile
Using various sensors, the Roomba is keenly aware of its environment. Even in rooms with a combination of carpet and hardwood floors, the Roomba adjusts on the fly to clean any kind of floor. (There are even pool-cleaning Roomba robots.)
The Roomba iRobot can also sense stairs and ledges, so you don’t have to worry about your new robotic friend falling to its death.
If you want to keep the Roomba out of certain rooms or areas, you can use battery-operated “virtual walls” to create a barrier that your robot will not cross. This is a great way to clean one room at a time.
Easily Clean Those Hard-to-Reach Places
The Roomba makes it easier to clean in the “tough spots.” Because of its height, your robot can clean under furniture in places that would be difficult to reach otherwise.
With a traditional vacuum, it’s hard to clean along the edge of a wall. No matter how hard you try, there is always a small gap between the cleaning brushes of the vacuum and the baseboard. The Roomba, however, doesn’t have this problem. The construction of the cleaning brushes allows the Roomba iRobot to clean the edges of the room.
The Roomba Deals With Pets
My wife and I adopted a dog a couple years ago. We love him very much, but — being a beagle — he has a tendency to shed… a lot. I’m not sure exactly how it does it, but the Roomba excels at picking up his hair.
Charging the Roomba
The only problem I have with the Roomba is the charging process. It runs on a rechargeable battery, which is great, but because of the sensitivity of the battery, the instructions state that you should leave the Roomba plugged in to the charger at all times. I haven’t done any testing to see what kind of electrical pull this causes, but the concept of leaving it plugged in constantly contradicts my eco-friendly philosophies. For storage purposes, owners of the Roomba iRobot vacuum cleaner are advised to remove the battery from the robot completely. Hopefully, Roomba will come up with a better charging option.
Get Yourself a Roomba at a Great Price
Despite the charging situation, the Roomba is a great purchase. My wife and I love having a cleaner house and more time to do what we want.
With all the things the Roomba can do, you might expect these robotic vacuum cleaners to be pretty expensive. However, you might be surprised to find that these robots cost about the same as their higher-end traditional counterparts. Moreover, you can often get a discount off the retail price by ordering your robotic vacuum cleaner on Amazon.
If you want to save time and clean your house easily, you can get your very own Roomba iRobot Vacuum Cleaner on Amazon right here or through any of my referral links in this review. |
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How Twitter Improved My Blog
Want to take your blog to the next level and drive in masses of new traffic and new customers?
There are two powerful ways that you too can use Twitter to drive in thousands of new readers to your blog each month and enable your blogs to go viral, getting them in front hundreds of thousands of new prospects.
Twitter Badges
The first and perhaps easiest way to reach new prospects for your blog with Twitter is by using the Twitter Badge in your blog posts. This enables readers who really love one of your blog posts to instantly re-Tweet your blog post to their Twitter followers with just one click. This gets your blog out in front of tons of new potential customers without you doing a thing.
The badge also acts as a counter and show how many times your blog posts have been re-Tweeted by others. This also boosts your credibility. People like to like things that others think are cool too. So the more times that a blog post has been re-Tweeted the more perceived value it has. Along with your blog analytics this can also act as a guide to help you create better blog posts.
Obviously common sense tells you that creating more posts like the ones that have been re-Tweeted the most will help you to boost your traffic even further and will be of most interest to those who are help in you promote your blog by re-Tweeting your content.
Tweeting
The second incredibly powerful way to use Twitter to promote your blog and drive in new readers is by Tweeting clips from your blog with a link back to it. In contrast to just bombarding Twitter followers with sales messages this gives you a way to offer real value and funnel your followers through to conversion.
The 140 characters per Tweet allowed by Twitter is very restricting so use URL shortening tools like bit.ly to make them smaller and get more into each message. Note that if you sign up for bit.ly instead of using the free version you will be able to use custom URLs. If you are using a WordPress blog, which is highly recommended you can use the new Publicize feature to automatically syndicate your blog posts to Twitter and Facebook.
Multiple Accounts
Don’t just limit yourself to one Twitter account either. Professional Internet marketers use multiple Twitter accounts to reach different niche markets and drive in even more traffic. You should also be having all of your staff members and contractors Tweeting links to your blog posts as well in order to reach their followers and their follower’s followers.
One real estate investment education company has used this strategy to generate an average of 800 views to each of their daily blog posts and become ranked number 1 in their category by the Inc. 500. Just think about it, that’s almost 30,000 more hits on your blog each month. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out you only need a small percentage of those readers to buy from you to make a killing online.
The Top 10 Reasons to Watch Internet TV
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of very valid reasons to watch Internet TV. The following ten are most often quoted by viewers as their main reasons for watching Internet TV.
Reason number one to watch Internet TV is the almost unlimited number of stations and shows available to viewers. From Afghani movies and British sitcoms to Yemen’s latest news or Zimbabwean soap operas – and just about everything in between – it can be found on Internet TV.
The second reason for watching Internet TV is that it can be watched on a PC or on a laptop, making it possible to watch one’s favorite shows or keep up with the latest news whenever and wherever.
The convenience of this is reason number three. TV shows will no longer have to be missed, as it is possible to watch or download them any time, at home, at the beach or even at work.
The fourth reason, which could easily be the first one, is the fact that Internet TV is free. There is no monthly cost and all that is required from a viewer is to sign up (which is usually free) and maybe download a specific player, which is usually done very quickly and equally free.
Because it is free and easy to set up, every computer or laptop in the house can be set up for different stations, which is reason number five. This allows the kids to watch their favorite shows while mum enjoys her soaps and dad watches his favorite sport. Fighting over the remote control thus becomes a thing of the past.
Talking about sports, reason number six is presented by the fact that not only those who are abroad for whatever reason can follow their favorite home team, it is also possible to access extreme sports events and so on, which are not normally shown on ordinary TV channels.
News coverage is reason number seven. Sadly, many countries’ citizens are kept in the dark as to what is really going on through extreme censorship on the news their regular TV stations present. Being able to watch uncensored news allows them to get real, uncensored news from all over the world.
Thinking about censorship, reason eight is the availability of adult shows. Both professional and amateur x-rated content can be found and watched with ease on Internet TV. Having the ability to watch them without fear of the kids walking in makes this reason even more valid.
It is possible to find many old, almost forgotten shows and classic movies on Internet TV stations. Remember Kojak or the Martian Chronicles? There’s nothing like indulging in a little nostalgia as reason number nine.
So what is reason number ten? Well, it encompasses a whole list of other reasons, from educational and discovery programs great for teaching kids about the world around them, the ability to check the weather in holiday destinations and shopping, music, hunting and fishing channels to being able to improve one’s foreign language skills by watching TV shows or movies in any desired language.
Top image by balleyne
How RFID Chips Are Making Your Identity Harder to Protect
You might be surprised to find out what common products now have RFID chips in side of them. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification and most commonly used on toll roads for collecting your credit card information as you pass through the toll without having to come to a complete stop. This has made driving on toll roads much more convenient, but that same technology can pick up an RFID signal from over 300 feet away. In fact, you might even have other RFID chips in your car that those same scanners could pick up and someone could find out more about you than you want them to know.
Did you know that many driver’s licenses and passports have RFID chips inside them too. This means that anyone with an RFID transmitter (which can easily be picked up on eBay) can find out who you are from the distance without even having to bump into you. The way it works is the transmitter will send a special signal to the surrounding area, and if any RFID chips are in the vicinity it will send back a ping along with the information it contains. Some crooks are using the RFID chips in your car keys to get access to your car while you are shopping. This is usually a two man team and it is much more high-tech than other forms of car theft, but it still happens. It should be noted that car’s with RFID ignition systems have had a 90% reduction rate in car thefts, but don’t think you are not vulnerable just because you have such a vehicle.
RFID chips are even commonly found in car tires today. This technology allows car owners to monitor the tire pressure in their cars, but the RFID signal also contains the car’s VIN number and you can be tracked by the simple signal coming out of your tires. The vulnerability here is that the VIN number on your car is connected to your name and personal information about the vehicle, and someone with the right RFID tools can freely get all of that data without any trouble.
Many retail stores are contemplating using RFID technology to keep track of inventory as well. This means that jeans and shirts will soon have RFID chips so an employee can just scan a shelf at one time and know exactly what is left and what needs to be ordered. The problem is that if retail stores have RFID scanners in them, they can essentially be scanning customers as they walk around and find out their identity through their driver’s license. They will know the names of people in their store who have not even purchased anything yet. This might seem innocuous to you, but remember that many identity thieves have this same technology. And if these RFID chips remain on the jeans you just bought, that chip will be able to get picked up when a criminal passes by your house, even if you threw it out and it’s sitting in the trash. The thief will know that you just bought a pair of $100 jeans.
Top image by ZapTheDingbat
RFID image by midnightcomm
Yet Another Netflix Announcement: No More Qwikster
DVDs will be staying at netflix.com
Netflix customers were greeted today with an email announcing yet another change in Netflix’s plans for the future.
A few weeks ago, Netflix announced a split in the company. Online video streaming would continue under the Netflix brand, and a subsidiary named Qwikster would take over the DVD side of the business. Each brand would have distinct operations and a separate website.
In a rare case of a big company actually listening to its customers, Netflix’s announcement today was in direct response to customer complaints about Netflix’s proposed plan. Two distinct services with two distinct websites would not be user-friendly for customers of both brands.
Thankfully, Netflix relented of its awful plan. In case you didn’t receive it, here is a copy of the email:
It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.
This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster.
While the July price change was necessary, we are now done with price changes.
We’re constantly improving our streaming selection. We’ve recently added hundreds of movies from Paramount, Sony, Universal, Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, MGM and Miramax. Plus, in the last couple of weeks alone, we’ve added over 3,500 TV episodes from ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, USA, E!, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, TLC, SyFy, A&E, History, and PBS.
We value you as a member, and we are committed to making Netflix the best place to get your movies & TV shows.
Respectfully,
The Netflix Team
Will this change in Netflix’s plans have an effect on your subscription? Is Netflix’s quick about-face the sign of a company dedicated to customer satisfaction? Or is it the sign of a lack of clear direction and leadership — a lack of confidence? Leave your comments below.
How to Fix a Slow Mac
No mаttеr how goоd а Maс іѕ, thеrе will cоmе а time when it gеts ѕluggіѕh. Whеn thіs haрpens, уou wіll nаturally wаnt to find an еffеctіve wау of fіxing it.
Resource-intensive programs are the moѕt common reason for a Mac ѕlоwіng down. In this сaѕе, removing the progrаm оr upgradіng your ѕуѕtеm maу bе thе best wayѕ of fіxing a slow Maс.
Another possible rеаson for a Maс getting sluggіѕh iѕ when а number of prоgrams tаkе uр large аmountѕ оf уоur сomрuter’s RAM. Fіxіng a slоw Maс wіll thеrеfоre rеquirе freeіng up some vаluablе ѕpaсe in yоur RAM. Whеn уour Mac bеgіnѕ tо slow dоwn, thе moѕt commоn сulpritѕ аre thе sо-callеd mеmory hogs. The best methоd for fіxіng a slow Mac iѕ to kill thеѕе mеmоrу hоgѕ. And while therе аrе several differеnt wауѕ оf fіxіng а slow Mас, уou wоuld nаturаllу wаnt to foсuѕ on thе ѕіmрlеst and lеsѕ time-сonѕumіng. Fоr thіs rеason, wе іntroduсe yоu tо thе MасKeереr by ZeoBIT.
The Clеan Up And Sреed Uр App Thаt Delivеrs Rеsultѕ
MaсKeерer haѕ bеen dubbеd as thе 911 fоr your Mас beсauѕе іt doеѕ mоrе thаn sіmрly fixing a sluggіsh Mас. In fact, іts prоbаblу all yоu nееd tо keep уоur Mаc sаfе аnd running in perfeсt conditіon. Fіxing a slow Mac iѕ vеrу fаѕt, sаfe, and еаѕу wіth the MaсKeeреr. In јust onе сlіck, thе рrоgram will ѕсаn уоur hаrd dіsk for mеmorу hоgs that аffеct уour Mаcѕ pеrformanсe. Oncе these mеmоrу hogs аrе identіfіеd, уоu mаy thеn рrоceеd tо thе next ѕteр іn fіxing a ѕlow Maс, whіch is removing thе culрrіtѕ frоm yоur ѕyѕtеm. By simрly cliсking on thе Rеmоvе button, уou can ѕaу goodbye tо thе mеmory hogs аnd hellо tо а fаѕtеr Mас.
Oрtіmіzе Yоur Slow Maс FAST
Aside from rеmоvіng mеmоry hogs, the MасKееper alѕо hеlps in fixing a Maс that is running оut of stеam wіth іtѕ орtіmіzаtiоn feаture. Thiѕ feature іncludes аn uninѕtallеr that mаkеs ѕurе unwаnted files are cоmplеtelу rеmovеd frоm yоur ѕystem. It аlso has an updаte tracker that lets yоu know whеn cеrtain progrаmѕ neеd to bе uрdаted. Kееріng apрlісаtiоns up-tо-date іѕ аlѕо еsѕеntial іn fixіng а ѕlоw Mac beсаusе outdatеd ѕoftwarе оftеn cаuseѕ уоur Maс to ѕlоw dоwn as wеll.
And аs рrevіоusly mеntiоnеd, thе MacKееper dоeѕ mоrе thаn juѕt fіxіng a ѕlow Mаc. It alsо has ѕоmе vаluablе ѕeсuritу feаturеѕ that уоu wіll surеly apрrесiаtе. Fоr оnе thing, the MасKeeреr can keep уour Mас proteсtеd frоm hаrmful fіles thаt mаy pоse а threat to your privaсу. What’s the uѕe of fixіng a slоw Mac іf you саn’t kеeр іt ѕаfе, rіght? With thіs in mіnd, уоu’ll аlso apрreciatе thе anti-thеft ѕеrvісe providеd by MaсKеeреr. This fеature allows you tо traсk thе lоcatіon of a ѕtоlen Mac and takе а snарshot оf thе thіеf — very hеlрful indeеd fоr rеcоvеrіng а stolen Maс. So, thе nеxt tіmе уоu fеel the neеd fоr fіxіng a slоw Mас, ѕtоp loоkіng for cоmpliсatеd sоlutionѕ. Juѕt downlоаd the MacKeерer аnd ѕtаrt fixing a slow Mаc and keеріng it ѕаfe аt the sаme time.
Local.Woot: Aggregating a Dying Market of Local Deals
Do We Really Need Another Local Deals Site?
Woot Says, Yes
From time to time I get emails from Woot.com, the brilliant originator of the one-deal-per-day online phenomenon. The typical Woot email contains their signature tongue-in-cheek copywriting and news from the Woot universe.
Until recently, this universe included: the original Woot.com, Shirt.Woot, Wine.Woot, Kids.Woot, and Deals.Woot. An email sent to “Extra Special Deals.Woot Users” on Friday (Oct. 7, 2011) announced a new member to the family of Woot sites: Local.Woot.
Introducing Local.Woot
Similar to other local deals sites (like Groupon or LivingSocial), Local.Woot will “focus on retailers who sell vouchers by local area,” the email said. The about section of the site goes into further detail, explaining Local.Woot as a kind of aggregate of other local deals sites:
Visit here every day and you’ll find all the current Living Social, Amazon, Groupon, etc. deals for your area.
By aggregating deals from these other organizations, Local.Woot allows users to have a broader view of the deal scene in their city. Similar to Deals.Woot, users vote for the local deals they like and leave comments to help other Wooters. The most popular deals make their way to the front of the “Top” section, and the newest deals show up in the “Fresh” section.
Is the Innovative Woot Behind the Curve?
Despite the initial positive buzz around the group deals system, recent events are casting doubt on its sustainability. While it’s great for consumers to find coupons for ridiculous discounts, many business owners are not pleased with the system — for various reasons.
The announcement of the death of Facebook’s deal system and the troubles that the Groupon IPO is having adds further evidence to the decline of the market.
Entering so late in the game, Local.Woot may be a wonderful idea that just came a little bit too late. Will the aggregating system help Local.Woot weather the tumultuous world of local deals? Or will it be another “also ran”? Only time will tell, but in the meantime feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.