It's been quite sometime since I wrote a post here. It's not that I have been too busy as I have been updating my other blogs, it's just one (or a few) of those days when you just don't feel like updating.
Finally got around to visiting one of the blogs on my long long overdue "to review" list. I only a few more to go now. I also realise that most of them have removed the link to my blog but I am still going ahead.
'A battle of faith and love' is one of the few blogs that made me think. The author who calls herself Chickpea, who was raised as a Muslim, shares her thoughts on religion and spirituality. Most of the content is quite serious. Quite interesting as I ask/ have asked the same questions but came to quite different conclusions, though some views on some issues were quite similar.
The blog has a simple and neat Wordpress layout with no ads - makes it stand out from the ad splattered blogs that litter the blogosphere now.
Showing posts with label blogosphere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogosphere. Show all posts
22 January 2008
08 January 2008
The Freemium model
The 'Freemium model' is the latest concept from Chris Armstrong, Editor-in-chief of Wired and best known for his 'Long Tail' theory.
I read the exclusive interview with the author on the 123-reg blog, where Chris discusses his latest concept and clarifies some misconceptions about the Long Tail theory. He also shares his thoughts on social networking as well.
In the interview, Chris mentions how online companies "experiment with giving away one thing to sell something else." I guess commercial blogs work with the same principle but in a slightly different way. That is why you see ads and sponsored posts on a number of popular blogs.
I specially found the interview with Chris really interesting because it is quite relevant to my doctoral research topic. It was also the first time I heard about the social networking site Ning (www.ning.com). That doesn't sound good for someone who's doing research on the Internet and show how no one can claim to be a "Net Guru" as the Internet is evolving so quickly with new applications and sites emerging every day. Looking forward to his new book.
I read the exclusive interview with the author on the 123-reg blog, where Chris discusses his latest concept and clarifies some misconceptions about the Long Tail theory. He also shares his thoughts on social networking as well.
In the interview, Chris mentions how online companies "experiment with giving away one thing to sell something else." I guess commercial blogs work with the same principle but in a slightly different way. That is why you see ads and sponsored posts on a number of popular blogs.
I specially found the interview with Chris really interesting because it is quite relevant to my doctoral research topic. It was also the first time I heard about the social networking site Ning (www.ning.com). That doesn't sound good for someone who's doing research on the Internet and show how no one can claim to be a "Net Guru" as the Internet is evolving so quickly with new applications and sites emerging every day. Looking forward to his new book.
17 November 2007
Moving to WordPress
At present all my blogs are hosted with Blogger. I am quite happy with that but I would be lying if I told you that I haven't been tempted to move to WordPress and hosted somewhere else. One of my friends was describing the various bells and whistles on his WordPress powered blog including the various plugins support by this blog publishing system, the ability to block IP addresses of people I don't like and of course the huge number of themes available on the web.
A lot of people told me that if I consider myself a serious blogger, then I should move from Blogger and get myself a unique domain name and host my blog somewhere. In the past I did survey around a bit but good hosting companies that supported WordPress were charging quite a lot. However, today I realise that there are a number of reliable and reasonably priced blog hosts around. 34SP.com Ltd is one affordable WordPress webhosting company that I recently came across. Their prices start from $35.95 per year for 200Mb space and 2000Mb of bandwidth per month. For those who are new to WordPress, do check out their list of useful WordPress resources on the web - from codex, themes and plugins to discussion forums.
Right now they are offering all new customers who order WordPress hosting a free upgrade - double storage space and bandwidth.
A lot of people told me that if I consider myself a serious blogger, then I should move from Blogger and get myself a unique domain name and host my blog somewhere. In the past I did survey around a bit but good hosting companies that supported WordPress were charging quite a lot. However, today I realise that there are a number of reliable and reasonably priced blog hosts around. 34SP.com Ltd is one affordable WordPress webhosting company that I recently came across. Their prices start from $35.95 per year for 200Mb space and 2000Mb of bandwidth per month. For those who are new to WordPress, do check out their list of useful WordPress resources on the web - from codex, themes and plugins to discussion forums.
Right now they are offering all new customers who order WordPress hosting a free upgrade - double storage space and bandwidth.
07 November 2007
Loads of fun quizzes
If you are a blogger, I am sure you would have taken one or more of those online fun quizzes and tests. If you don't know what I am talking about, here's an example: Ladies, take the sexy test to find out how appealing you are.
Quiz Rocket has loads of online personality quizzes and fun tests. it's pretty amazing how these simple tests can tell about your personality. I don't really take them seriously and just reading the answers make me laugh. They have a few trivia quizzes to test your general knowledge as well.
Mommy blogger
Here's a long long overdue review. Sometime back, I had promised to review blogs for free but along the way I somehow forgot all about the list of blogs to review, until today.
Saw that on top of the list is "My Little Tribe", a personal blog of another mommy blogger. It has a really neat and clean template and the font used for the title is quite unique. Carla, the "matriarch" of the tribe blogs about her life as a mother and a wife. I like the pics she posts up - quite artistic. The fact that her blog does not carry any noticeable ads will definitely appeal to a lot of people who are sick of blogs plastered all over by ads (including my own).
Saw that on top of the list is "My Little Tribe", a personal blog of another mommy blogger. It has a really neat and clean template and the font used for the title is quite unique. Carla, the "matriarch" of the tribe blogs about her life as a mother and a wife. I like the pics she posts up - quite artistic. The fact that her blog does not carry any noticeable ads will definitely appeal to a lot of people who are sick of blogs plastered all over by ads (including my own).
27 October 2007
1K + posts
This is my 1001st post on this blog.
My blog also turned 4 last month. My first blog post was on Monday, September 08, 2003 and it has come a long way since then.
I picked up a lot of skills as I went along and learnt from other bloggers. Through this blog, I made some really good online friends, most of whom I have never met in person but feel like I know them personally.
I would like to say a BIG "Thank You!" to all the visitors to my blog.
My blog also turned 4 last month. My first blog post was on Monday, September 08, 2003 and it has come a long way since then.
I picked up a lot of skills as I went along and learnt from other bloggers. Through this blog, I made some really good online friends, most of whom I have never met in person but feel like I know them personally.
I would like to say a BIG "Thank You!" to all the visitors to my blog.
20 September 2007
Charlotte Cosmetic Dentist
A dentist who is also into amateur photography- sounds strange. Well, Dr. Tom Farley, is a dentist who uses his hobby to document his dental work. The photographs have proven useful to visually communicate with patients, labs, insurance providers as well as his peers.
Dr. Farley is a qualified cosmetic dentist who resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. His clinic offers a full range of dental services from restorative to periodontics to whitening. In case you are wondering, his portrait studio is situated right in his office.
I later found out that he's a blogger as well. check out his blog here.
15 September 2007
A global child
The next blog on my review list is Preyanka's 'Dreaming of Hanoi'. Preya is a true global child. She was born in Calcutta, India to an American mother and Indian father. She spent her childhood moving between Colorado, India, and Thailand before moving to Hanoi, Vietnam in 1992. She finally went back to the US in 2000 and right now teaches English literature to high school students in Boulder, Colorado.
Used to visit her Blogspot blog before she finally moved to her new website. The blog has a neat and tidy template uncluttered by ads.
She asked me to give her some "brutally honest advice" and well all I can say is, keep doing what you have done so far. I love her pictures and really original and thought provoking posts. I can identify with some of her posts as an expat child myself - but slightly different, as an Asian in the West.
One really touching post was that on the evacuation of thousands of orphans after the fall of Saigon. It's a description of the hope amidst the chaos, as told by her mother, Cherie Clark.
Really nice blog.
06 September 2007
Mei's wire jewelry addiction
Mei is a mother of two boys, from Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. She blogs at "Wire Bliss: Handcrafted Wire Wrapped Jewelry".
I remember when she used to have a generic Blogger template but has now changed to a 3 column template. It definitely looks more unique. However the ads that come just before the posts were a bit too distracting. There are ads inside the post as well and having too many ads may turn off some visitors.
Her handcrafted wire jewelry are amazing. Mei calls it her addiction and they really are works of art.
Besides the end products, short tutorials showing how she made the jewelery would definitely attract more visitors to her site.
If you love jewelery, you will love Mei's blog.
I remember when she used to have a generic Blogger template but has now changed to a 3 column template. It definitely looks more unique. However the ads that come just before the posts were a bit too distracting. There are ads inside the post as well and having too many ads may turn off some visitors.
Her handcrafted wire jewelry are amazing. Mei calls it her addiction and they really are works of art.
Besides the end products, short tutorials showing how she made the jewelery would definitely attract more visitors to her site.
If you love jewelery, you will love Mei's blog.
01 September 2007
A random review
Was just going through a blog called Random Encounters of We. It has two contributors: RandomEncounters and Random2 (the lady and the gentleman in the picture?), though I didn't come across a single posts written by Random2. I know a lot of bloggers prefer to remain anonymous but a "about us" or "about this blog" page would be nice.
It has some really interesting posts. Like mine, the blog has no specific niche and covers a number of topics. As RandomEncounters mentions, "Random is my Niche". She does have another blog with a specific niche called Random Games. It lists loads of interesting games.
One thing I didn't like about the blog was the design. I guess it is a matter of taste and everyone is different but I wish they would change the background colour from Green to something less harsh to the eye.
Having said that, I was quite impressed by the fact that they have a Google page rank of 4. That's really excellent for a blog that was only started in November last year. Would love to know their secret.
It has some really interesting posts. Like mine, the blog has no specific niche and covers a number of topics. As RandomEncounters mentions, "Random is my Niche". She does have another blog with a specific niche called Random Games. It lists loads of interesting games.
One thing I didn't like about the blog was the design. I guess it is a matter of taste and everyone is different but I wish they would change the background colour from Green to something less harsh to the eye.
Having said that, I was quite impressed by the fact that they have a Google page rank of 4. That's really excellent for a blog that was only started in November last year. Would love to know their secret.
28 August 2007
A Global Nomad in Thailand
Next on my "to review" blog list is Lillian's "My Thailand Diary". Lillian is another Third Culture Adult, or Global Nomad. Her background is quite interesting: she's Swiss but was born and grew up in Papua New Guinea. Now she resides in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand along with her husband and three children. Her blog records her interesting adventures as well as normal everyday life as an expat living in Thailand.
I have seen her go through a number of blog template changes before she finally settled on the one she has now. I prefer this to the colourful template she had before this - maybe because I have a weakness for simple and neat looking site template. What I would love to see is a list of her most popular posts. I am sure that there's a WP plugin for that.
Apart from one Google adsense unit at the top, you won't find other ads on the entire blog and I find it quite refreshing. I know it sounds strange coming from someone who has ads plastered all around his blog. I guess she not really into making money from her blog.
Go over and say "hi!" to Lillian.
I have seen her go through a number of blog template changes before she finally settled on the one she has now. I prefer this to the colourful template she had before this - maybe because I have a weakness for simple and neat looking site template. What I would love to see is a list of her most popular posts. I am sure that there's a WP plugin for that.
Apart from one Google adsense unit at the top, you won't find other ads on the entire blog and I find it quite refreshing. I know it sounds strange coming from someone who has ads plastered all around his blog. I guess she not really into making money from her blog.
Go over and say "hi!" to Lillian.
24 August 2007
Happy Birthday Blogger
16 August 2007
Do follow ah ok lah
After putting it off for several months, I finally updated my blog template from the old classic Blogger to the new Blogger.
Came across this free template called Adsense Tech Template by by Charm Skins. Spent several hours yesterday tweaking and modifying the template to look like my previous template and it was finally done around 2 am in the morning.
So what do you think?
One of the major advantages is that this template now allows me to remove the 'nofollow' tag from the comment module. So I am officially part of the Do follow movement. For more information, read my post "I do follow" on my SEO Expert blog.
I have also joined the "Do Follow Blogroll" that was started by my online pal, Tricia. Don't forget to leave your comments.
Please refer to the 'Do Follow Bloggers' post on Trica's blog for more information if you want to join in as well.
Came across this free template called Adsense Tech Template by by Charm Skins. Spent several hours yesterday tweaking and modifying the template to look like my previous template and it was finally done around 2 am in the morning.
So what do you think?
One of the major advantages is that this template now allows me to remove the 'nofollow' tag from the comment module. So I am officially part of the Do follow movement. For more information, read my post "I do follow" on my SEO Expert blog.
I have also joined the "Do Follow Blogroll" that was started by my online pal, Tricia. Don't forget to leave your comments.
Please refer to the 'Do Follow Bloggers'
15 August 2007
The queer blog
Ryan is a blogger from Melbourne, Australia and his blog is titled simply "R*yan". It is a personal blog and he has a nice writing style. Mind you it's a PR 5 blog with over 100 subscribers.
I like the way he has personalized his blog. It's amazing what a nice background can do to the over look of your blog. Certainly makes it slightly different from all the other Blogspot blogs with generic templates.
I also like the fact that he has pictures to go with almost all his posts. Something I have been trying to do as well. There are a lot of nice pictures and a lot of them are pictures of men. What do you expect? After all this is a blog with a queer bent.
Unfortunately Ryan has taken an "indefinite break" from blogging. You can still and read his old posts though.
I like the way he has personalized his blog. It's amazing what a nice background can do to the over look of your blog. Certainly makes it slightly different from all the other Blogspot blogs with generic templates.
I also like the fact that he has pictures to go with almost all his posts. Something I have been trying to do as well. There are a lot of nice pictures and a lot of them are pictures of men. What do you expect? After all this is a blog with a queer bent.
Unfortunately Ryan has taken an "indefinite break" from blogging. You can still and read his old posts though.
04 August 2007
On the road with Karen
Just visited Karen's blog - ' My Road'. It has a nice tidy layout and regular visitors might have realised by now that I have a soft spot for minimalistic web templates. The banner also fits the name of the blog.
I had a look at the coding of the site and noticed that the title html tags are missing. It might be a good idea to add them as they do play a part in search rankings.
Just learnt about the "Steps to Better Blogging" while going through her blog. I might join in as well. She is also one of the bloggers who "Do follow", so go over and leave her a comment.
I had a look at the coding of the site and noticed that the title html tags are missing. It might be a good idea to add them as they do play a part in search rankings.
Just learnt about the "Steps to Better Blogging" while going through her blog. I might join in as well. She is also one of the bloggers who "Do follow", so go over and leave her a comment.
02 August 2007
The story of Harry McFry
Harry McFry is a genealogical detective (someone who researches Family trees) who lives on the outskirts of Barrington, New Hampshire.
Actually, he's an imaginary character created by Thomas Hamburger Jnr. Follow the adventures of Harry in his blog 'Harry McFly investigates: The case of the missing family'.
I like the fact that instead of using a generic Blogger template, he has customized his blog using a 3 column template. I don't see any ads apart from link to titles on Amazon.com. This indicates that writing is obviously something that he's passionate about. Drawings to go with each chapter would make this blog even better.
As someone who''s really into genealogy, I really like the story. It is now 130 chapters long. The first post comprising of 4 chapters was started back in January this year and starts when Harry receives a call from a mysterious lady... Go to the blog to find out what happens next.
Actually, he's an imaginary character created by Thomas Hamburger Jnr. Follow the adventures of Harry in his blog 'Harry McFly investigates: The case of the missing family'.
I like the fact that instead of using a generic Blogger template, he has customized his blog using a 3 column template. I don't see any ads apart from link to titles on Amazon.com. This indicates that writing is obviously something that he's passionate about. Drawings to go with each chapter would make this blog even better.
As someone who''s really into genealogy, I really like the story. It is now 130 chapters long. The first post comprising of 4 chapters was started back in January this year and starts when Harry receives a call from a mysterious lady... Go to the blog to find out what happens next.
27 July 2007
Becca's Buzz reviewed
BeccaGirl (as she calls herself) blogs at "BeccA's Buzz". There are a few questions I would like to ask her. Like why she added another blogspot in the url and why the 'A' in the title is capitalized. Her 'profile' doesn't tell me much about herself. I guess she prefers to remain anon like a lot of other bloggers.
It's a personal blogspot blog. I like the fact that she has customized the template a bit, including a banner with pictures of herself. The Google search looks a bit odd. It might look better if it''s the same colour as the background (grey) and shorten the site name
I was going through her old posts and she has been blogging for quite sometime now (since Aug. 2005). Like me, she has definitely been blogging a lot more now and I can guess the reason. ;-) Her blog's PR is still 0 and maybe joining some link exchanges might help. I hope this review does.
It's a personal blogspot blog. I like the fact that she has customized the template a bit, including a banner with pictures of herself. The Google search looks a bit odd. It might look better if it''s the same colour as the background (grey) and shorten the site name
I was going through her old posts and she has been blogging for quite sometime now (since Aug. 2005). Like me, she has definitely been blogging a lot more now and I can guess the reason. ;-) Her blog's PR is still 0 and maybe joining some link exchanges might help. I hope this review does.
24 July 2007
Asian Wild Rose reviewed
A few of the guys on my review list have asked me to hurry up with their reviews. No! Not really. A few asked politely whether their blogs have been reviewed. I must confess that I have neglected it for a while but I hope to go through the whole list before the end of this month. Unless of course some new bloggers request a review as well.
Next on my list is Tracy, a blogger from Calgary, Alberta who has a blog called "Asian Wild Rose".
It has a generic looking Word Press template with a simple but nice unique banner. I am not quite sure whether the lady pictured is her. The 'about us' page mentions "we" so there might be more than one blogger.
Lot of funny posts about everything Asian (read Chinese) in Canada and Abroad. Really enjoyed going through the blog though I would have loved more pictures. It has a great number of links on the side bar but nothing wrong with that. The blogger says
Next on my list is Tracy, a blogger from Calgary, Alberta who has a blog called "Asian Wild Rose".
It has a generic looking Word Press template with a simple but nice unique banner. I am not quite sure whether the lady pictured is her. The 'about us' page mentions "we" so there might be more than one blogger.
Lot of funny posts about everything Asian (read Chinese) in Canada and Abroad. Really enjoyed going through the blog though I would have loved more pictures. It has a great number of links on the side bar but nothing wrong with that. The blogger says
Asian men are sexy and strong and I’m glad they like ME and only ME! :)
19 July 2007
Blog overhaul required
Next on my list of blogs to review is Anylees' Wonderful. I don't want to be rude but I cringed when I opened the blog. The reason - it is the generic Blogger template that I hate the most. Nothing against the designer or against the blogger but light green dots is not just my thing. I am not really fond of that red colored font either as it makes it hard to read the posts. My suggestion to Anylee is to get a brand new template with a nice header.
Most of the posts are short and few are quite interesting. As I have always pointed out, longer original posts tend to get more comments. Some pictures to go with the blog would be a good idea. Yeah! This is true for my own blogs too. I keep telling myself that I should have an image to go with each post but so far ....
Most of the posts are short and few are quite interesting. As I have always pointed out, longer original posts tend to get more comments. Some pictures to go with the blog would be a good idea. Yeah! This is true for my own blogs too. I keep telling myself that I should have an image to go with each post but so far ....
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