Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Blogger.com Makes It Too Easy to Censor Blogs - What to Do?

First, please read these two articles:

What is the current status? As of 4:30 Eastern Time (US) 7/18/07, Gates of Vienna was back up.

So why be concerned about it now? Because other bloggers need to know about this situation, and because it's time for Blogger to do something to prevent its blogs from being shut down either maliciously or by mistake. Gates of Vienna is a respected counterterrorist/antijihadist blog that in no way deserves to be treated as a "spam blog." This situation also shows how easy it would be to misuse Blogger.com to censor another blog.

How did this happen? It is possible that someone unintentionally clicked the "flag" button in the Blogger.com toolbar while attempting to navigate. But then, if a single error like that can cause a blog to be blocked, something is very wrong with Blogger.com! More likely, Gates of Vienna was maliciously flagged as a "spam blog" multiple times by one or more individuals who object to antijihadistist messages being made available to the public. Either way, Blogger.com is allowing de facto censorship, and this is wrong. It allows wrongdoers of every stripe to muzzle anybody who may be trying to warn the public about the crimes they have committed or are preparing to commit. It also will intimidate some bloggers into keeping silent - though not this one!

Does this remind you of anything? It should! The Digg "bury brigade" has aroused intense controversy for exactly the same reason: because it became too easy for a few anonymous users to muzzle opposing points of view or to cover up uncomfortable facts simply by clicking on a little button.

What are we asking Blogger to do? Blogger should add safeguards to prevent the same thing from happening again to this or other blogs in the Blogspot domain. If Blogger.com fails to take action, then other blog owners will have reason to worry about losing access to their blogs. They'll migrate to other blogging systems and and hosting providers that will help them to safeguard their ownership.

You may recall that I've blogged before about the issues that Blogger.com has with spam blogs (see Does Blogger.com think your blog is spam?) but this is a different situation. There is a very big difference between the minor inconvenience of requiring the blog owner to enter Captcha characters before posting to the blog, and the major intimidation Blogger.com causes by blocking the blog entirely.

Now please do this:

  • Link to the stories at Gates of Vienna and Foehammer.net from your own blog.
  • Ask everyone else you know who has a blog to do the same.
  • Publicize the story in every other legitimate way that you can think of: StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, Twitter, Pownce, word of mouth, chat rooms, you name it.
  • If you wish, post a comment here indicating where else this article is being publicized.

Contacting humans at Blogger.com: Google makes it especially difficult to contact anyone at Blogger.com directly. But at least for now, you can contact them at support@blogger.com. And here's a website with rolling updates on how to contact Blogger.com: How to Contact Blogger Support. So if you are not happy about the way Blogger.com is misidentifying Gates of Vienna and other blogs as spam, you can still let them know what you think.

Also see:

Keep the pressure on Blogger.com to do something to safeguard their blogging system against being hijacked by the same "bury brigade" that has rendered Digg.com all but useless! And for what to do about THAT, see How to Bury Digg.com.

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Posted by 1389 at 7/19/2007 06:00:00 AM 2 comments

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Monday, July 16, 2007

The Ft. Hard Knox Project

The goal of the FHK project is to assist politically-conservative bloggers, social-networkers, and citizen journalists to navigate the wild, wild world of Web 2.0 more effectively.

If you're interested in learning more about the Ft. Hard Knox Project, here are the links:

"Wiki...What?" A Wiki is a user-supported and continuously-evolving hypertext encyclopedia. Thus, by definition, a Wiki is always "under construction." The Ft. Hard Knox Wiki has recently been established within the Wikispaces environment, and it already has some useful articles. Its purpose is to offer an easy way to access tech tips and information, to help conservatives use the Web more effectively.

Using the FHK Forum and Chat Room:

The Ft. Hard Knox forum is hosted on Delphi, so you'll need to register for a Delphi user ID if you don't already have one. Registration for the basic functions is free, and that's all you need to leave messages on the forum or to use the chat room. Prompts will appear when you click on the link. It takes just a minute to sign up!

Updated 7/17/07:

Meet with us on Twitter!

  • The Monday night FHK forum chat has been discontinued for now. That's because it's too difficult to get everybody in different time zones all over the world to meet at the same time, especially in the summer when so many people are traveling.
  • Instead, we're encouraging fellow conservatives and antijihadist activists to meet with us on Twitter. You can use Twitter both in "real time" for chatting with people who are online at the same time, and as a forum for communicating with people who will be online at other times.
  • Click here to view all of our articles about Twitter. We'll have many more articles about Twitter in the future!
  • So how do I get started on Twitter? The easiest way is to ask an established user to introduce you to other Twitterers. Whom to ask? Me, of course! Don't be shy. Just go to the Twitter site, register an account, click on my profile at 1389, and add me as a friend. I'll "friend" you back soon afterward. Then send me a message introducing yourself, and I'll begin introducing you to others. I hope to see you there soon!

Updated 7/2/07:

  • We'll be discussing the Ft. Hard Knox Wiki during tonight's Forum Chat, so please stop by if you'd like to know more, or if you think you might be interested in working with us!

Updated 6/26/07:

  • The main page and blog for the Ft. Hard Knox project have moved to a new address, http://forthardknox.com/
  • From the new URL, the Ft. Hard Knox blog can be accessed via a cellphone or PDA browser as well as from a conventional browser.

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TinyURL for this blog post: http://tinyurl.com/yo8og9

Posted by 1389 at 7/16/2007 07:25:00 AM 4 comments

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Why StumbleUpon 'Owns' Digg

After all of the endless hype surrounding Digg, I was surprised to read this article by Darren Rowse at Problogger: Why StumbleUpon Sends More Traffic than Digg.

Hmmm, I thought, time to try it out! So, after finding out that StumbleUpon doesn't accept an all-numeric user ID, I signed up as 1389AD. I set up the little toolbar and started using it. Then, I ran across an article that came out a few months ago, but is still very much worth reading, so I used the toolbar to submit a review of the article on StumbleUpon: My Thoughts on Our Children's Children's War.

I was surprised at what happened next, and you probably will be too. Read all about it here: How to Bury Digg.com.

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Posted by 1389 at 7/16/2007 02:01:00 AM 1 comments

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Friday, July 13, 2007

David All shows us what we should be doing with Web 2.0

Here are some "must read" articles from Republican web strategist David All of the David All Group:

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Posted by 1389 at 7/13/2007 07:27:00 AM 0 comments

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Thursday, July 12, 2007

COUNTERTERRORIST BLOG SWARM WANTED!

THIS BLOG HAS BEEN MOVED TO http://1389blog.com.

The blog name has been changed to 1389 Blog.

Click here for this article on the new blog!

Please update your links, feed subscriptions, and favorites. Thanks!

This article by Julia Gorin is a must read for everyone:

Ending the Balkan Quagmire at American Thinker

This article is all about how US and EU counterterrorism foreign policy went so horribly wrong. It explains how jihadist terrorism has succeeded in overrunning Europe and in attacking the US. It's particularly important for Americans to read this article, because it cites news stories from reputable sources that have had some exposure in Europe, but haven't made it into the US media.

So why am I asking for a blog swarm?

Exactly because this information isn't getting around in the US, and I want this story to get some exposure!

Why is this story being kept off the radar screen in the US?

Simple: It's a catalogue of errors and misdeeds that makes the US media conglomerates look bad, and the US government (i.e., nearly everyone on both sides of the aisle) look even worse. It reveals an ongoing foreign policy fiasco that makes the Bay of Pigs Invasion look like a victory by comparison. And it isn't just a fiasco for the government, it's a fiasco for the American and European public, because it has greatly increased everyone's vulnerability to jihadist terrorism.

What to do?

  • Link to the original story on your blog.
  • Ask everyone else you know to do the same.
  • Publicize the story in any other legitimate way that you can think of.
  • If you wish, post a comment here indicating where else this article is being publicized.

This story has been submitted to Digg as How US and EU counterterrorism foreign policy went so horribly wrong. We'll see how long it stays there before Digg's censors and bury brigade get to it, as recently happened with Foehammer's Anvil.

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TinyURL for this blog post: http://tinyurl.com/yqzhnl

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Blogs and Websites that have Posted or Linked to:
Ending the Balkan Quagmire at American Thinker:

  1. Gray Falcon
  2. Foehammer.net
  3. Byzantine Sacred Art Blog
  4. Ft. Hard Knox
  5. Erik with a "K"
  6. Intergalactic Source of Truth™
  7. Orthodoxy Today
  8. Eastern European Forum
  9. Jillosophy
  10. SerbBlog
  11. Allah's Willing Executioners
  12. Israpundit
  13. JBlog Central
  14. New Serbian Optimism
  15. Right Wing News
  16. Fiery Spirited Zionist
  17. Liberty Post
  18. Free Republic
  19. Sulekha
  20. US Political Opinions (UK)
  21. Icerocket Blogs
  22. The Black Kettle
  23. American Council for Kosovo
  24. The Lighthouse
  25. Phanari
  26. 2nd Anagennesis - A Blog of Townhall.com
  27. Our Children are the Guarantors
  28. Vigilant Freedom/910 Group Blog
  29. Brucified
  30. EagleSpeak
  31. The Conservative Razor
  32. Atlas Shrugs
  33. Noisy Room
  34. Dumb Ox
  35. Geek Orthodox.org
  36. Ironic Surrealism
  37. Panhandle Poetry and Other Thoughts
  38. View from Minas Morgul
  39. Open thread on The Pirate's Cove
  40. Political Mavens
  41. Giltner Review
  42. Sokotica (full text of article)
  43. pjungwir at del.icio.us
  44. The Outraged Spleen of Zion
  45. Strategic Board
  46. Noblesse Oblige
  47. Field of Blackbirds
  48. Open thread at Little Green Footballs

Posted by 1389 at 7/12/2007 12:30:00 PM 12 comments

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Friday, July 6, 2007

Announcing 1389 Message Blog - Open for Public Access!

For quite a while, I've been keeping a separate "scratch pad" blog, called 1389 Message Blog. Throughout the day, I post various links, along with comments and messages, sometimes through the blog editor, but mostly by cell phone. I use this later on as raw materials for other writing that I do, including articles on 1389 Mobile Blog, the Ft. Hard Knox Wiki, and other places.

Well...I finally realized that I am not going to get around to using all of this material myself, so I've decided to open it up to public viewing.

Please don't expect anything fancy! I treat 1389 Message Blog as a workspace, so it's always "under construction." The posts that come directly from my cell phone might not have titles or tags. If I happen to be testing something new, I might change or delete a blog post. If I've used the material in an article, I may move everything to another blog or to a Wiki page and link to the new article from the post in 1389 Message Blog, so that I don't have to update it in two places.

Thus, if you find a link on 1389 Message Blog to something interesting that you want to do some serious writing about, I suggest that you link directly to the source, not to the post in 1389 Message Blog.

Here's the 1389 Message Blog Atom feed.



Other 1389 Message Blog features:

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Posted by 1389 at 7/06/2007 07:25:00 PM 0 comments

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Saturday, June 30, 2007

Tools for WordPress Bloggers - With Rolling Updates

Here's a roundup of tools and techniques for bloggers who use WordPress.

Rolling updates follow the main body of this article.

New items are being added to the list as the information becomes available. Your comments and suggestions are invited!

Rolling Updates:

TinyURL for this blog post: http://tinyurl.com/26gdu7

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Posted by 1389 at 6/30/2007 08:00:00 PM 1 comments

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Updating a Blog Post in Blogger.com

If you're a blogger, no doubt you've sometimes wanted to add more information or make corrections to one of your existing blog posts. You can use the editor in Blogger.com at any time to make your changes.

Here's how to update your blog post in such a way that readers of your blog will notice the entry and see what has changed:

  • To get into the editor, sign on to Blogger.com to display your blog(s).
  • Click on "Manage Posts" for the desired blog.
  • Select the individual post that you want to update.
  • (If you are already signed on to Blogger.com, and the blog is on your screen, you can begin editing by clicking on the pencil logo beneath the blog post that you want to update.)
  • Type in your changes to the body of the blog post.
  • Add a line of text to indicate what has been updated. If possible, the line should be bold or highlighted in some way.
  • You can also update the blog post header. It's safe to do this, because changing the header for an existing blog post will not change the blog post URL.
  • Change the blog posting date and time:
    • At the bottom of the text box in the Blogger.com blog post editor, there's a Post Options selection with a "flippy arrow."
    • Click on the "flippy arrow." This will reveal various options, including the blog posting date and time.
    • Overtype the blog post date and time to change it from the past to the immediate future. This will cause Blogger.com to treat this blog post as the newest, and to reposition it to the top of the list.
    • Blogger.com differs from some other blogging systems in that Blogger.com will not hide a future-dated blog post until the future date and time arrives. On the other hand, Blogger.com will recognize this blog post as having the newest date, and reposition it accordingly on the screen.
    • If you are using Blogger.com's feed option, Blogger will re-stream the updated version of the blog post into your Atom feed.
  • Publish your blog post as soon as you are satisfied with it.
  • Note that the changes to your blog might not appear immediately on your screen. To see the changed version, it may be necessary to clear your browse cache by deleting the temporary files in your browser.

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Posted by 1389 at 6/26/2007 12:50:00 PM 0 comments

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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Web 2.0, social network, and blogosphere spam - and what to do about it

Sooner or later, every forum moderator, blogger, blog admin, wiki organizer, or Web 2.0 aficionado will have to confront the issue of comment spammers. There are no easy answers. Posting a comment policy statement, such as the Comment Policy for 1389 Mobile Blog, may help to discourage human-generated spam, but 'bot-generated spam will require other measures.

Here are some articles on the topic that may be helpful:

Sometimes, though, the bloggers and webmasters themselves are to blame for degrading the quality of the blogosphere:

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TinyURL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/29e25a

Posted by 1389 at 6/23/2007 02:45:00 PM 2 comments

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Walk2Web: Web 2.0 tool for visual web exploration

Walk2Web is a new web exploration tool that starts you out with a preview of the starting site with its outbound links. From there, you can explore the web visually by "walking" from one link to the next as Walk2Web builds a network of links on your screen. Walk2Web shows the site at your current position in the main preview window, which offers tools to vote the site up or down, to set a public or private bookmark, and to post tags and comments about the site. Registration is free and allows you to use personalized features.

In addition to the main preview, smaller preview windows pop up as you mouse over other links on the screen. You can scroll the screen, either by moving the mouse to the edge of the viewing area, or by using the scrolling arrows. You are not restricted to the path you selected; you can click on any other link on the screen and restart your journey from there.

On Walk2Web's home page, you can request live help, access the Walk2Web surfer's blog, and build widgets for your blog or website, such as this button that launches Walk2Web with your site as the preview starting point.

Try it and see!

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TinyURL for this blog post: http://tinyurl.com/24t8yu

Posted by 1389 at 6/21/2007 07:01:00 AM 0 comments

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Monday, June 18, 2007

Social Bookmarking Made Easy with Browser Links

Those of us who enjoy social networking through bookmarking sites such as Digg, del.icio.us, and Newsvine are familiar with those little shortcut buttons, chicklets, and quicklinks that allow us to submit, vote for, and comment on our favorite web articles quickly and relatively easily.

But what if we’re reading an article with no shortcuts? Yes, we could still bookmark these the “old-fashioned” way (sign on to the various social bookmarking sites, and post the information using the url…sigh…yawn…)

OR we could take advantage of our browsers’ “links” button. Newsvine has posted a 10-second demo on how to do this with its Seed-the-vine service. It works exactly the same way with Socializer 2.0, which allows you to bookmark to multiple sites from a single page with its “Socialize this” link (Don’t forget to check out the “Create a Short Socializer Link” feature, which saves time when posting to multiple sites by providing a short url and pre-formatted post title!).

It takes a couple of minutes to set up the links initially, but for active social networkers, these little buttons will save a lot of time over the long run. All you need to do when you are on a page you want to bookmark or submit for promotion is click on the link!

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Posted by Jenn Sierra at 6/18/2007 03:48:00 PM 0 comments

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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Socializer 2.0

SocializerLogo

You know that long list of little icons at the bottom of some blog posts? They usually represent Digg, del.icio.us, reddit, Technorati, slashdot, and other social bookmarking sites. Socializer 2.0 simplifies that process. Socializer is free, by eKstreme.com webmaster tools and tutorials.

Socializer 2.0 provides several different convenient ways for surfers and webmasters to use the service.

One thing that's missing is a usable button. Maybe they'll have one soon.

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Posted by Jenn Sierra at 6/13/2007 10:51:00 PM 0 comments

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Saturday, June 9, 2007

Poli-Web 2.0 Made Simple

Eight Steps to Effective Online Political Activism:

Blog.

Whether you like to write, or you like to promote the writing of others, your blog is your link to Web 2.0. Services such as Blogger, WordPress and many others offer free hosting, and are user-friendly. You might as well grab a domain name you like while they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain through services such as GoDaddy.com. Don’t think you have enough material for a blog? You can always join others, and blog as a team.

Link.

Link to the bloggers with similar interests, and ask them to link to your blog. The more high-quality links you have to your blog, the higher you will rank on the search engines like Google, and the easier you will be to find. Signing up with a blog search engine like Technorati will also give your blog more exposure to other bloggers who may wish to link to yours.

Socialize.

Social networking sites are having a big impact on the quality of the information that is available on the web. Social networking increases exposure to you blog, and gives you another way to interact online. Social networks include purely social sites like MySpace, as well as social news sites like Digg, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, and others.

Discuss.

Online discussions are happening around the world, 24/7, in internet forums like Delphi Forums, and groups services like those available through Yahoo and Google. Need help finding an online discussion in your area of interest? Try Omgili, a search engine for online discussions.

Wiki.

A wiki is a good way to compile and sort information for easy reference. It can be open to the public, or to members only. Free wiki services are available through Wikispaces, and others.

Recruit.

In addition to the online networking we’ve already discussed, it is important to remember that some of the people you want to attract may not even be online, and may not know how to find you. This is especially true if you wish to work with political activists who may be a bit older than the typical tech-junkie (who is about 22 and grew up on the internet). Your fellow activists may need to be drawn in through e-mail, and word-of-mouth, so don’t discount the value of good ol’ fashioned salesmanship.

Promote.

Once you have a great blog, you’re on everyone’s blogroll, you’re active in social networking and the discussion forums, you have a wiki to organize your information, then what? The internet is centered around what is happening right now. What you’re doing right now matters so much more than what you did a few months ago. Your blog needs to be current, as does the information you are promoting in your online discussions and networking activities. Your readers and online friends need a reason to continue returning to visit you. This can be done through relevant e-mail lists, periodical updates, freebies, or reliably updated content.

Geek-Up.

Political Bloggers are finding new and innovative ways to interact online through technology, like webcasting (HotAir), daily feeds, (AmericanMinute), and 3-D (Ron Paul – Second Life). Remember, it is important not to use technology simply for the sake of having a cool gadget. Using bandwidth for no real purpose, makes the pages download too slowly, discouraging participation. But technology can be used effectively to make your content more fun, interesting, and attractive. Yes, improved technology costs money. Political activists are already investing money in making sure that their political viewpoints are well-represented online. What is it worth to be sure that your views are also represented?

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Posted by Jenn Sierra at 6/09/2007 11:20:00 PM 0 comments

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How often do you look at your own blog?

"Why would I want to do that? I haven't forgotten what I wrote last week. Besides, I'm busy. It's time for me to get out the next blog post!"

Do you know how well your blog is working?

There's no substitute for bringing up your own blog in your own browser and taking a good look at it on a regular basis. It's even better if you also view it on other platforms and browsers. If your blog has a mobile web interface, be sure to set up the proper environment to check that too.

Here's what you can learn by putting yourself in your readers' shoes:

  • Does your blog actually display? Don't laugh. I've looked at a lot of blogs lately, or tried to look at them. I was surprised by what I found.

    Your blog may be among the many that won't even come up at all.

    How do you know it's running if you haven't tested it recently? If you're serious about blogging, you won't want readers to find that your blog is down. If that happens too many times, readers will stop visiting because they think your blog is defunct. Worse yet, other bloggers and webmasters will stop linking to it.

    You can't just assume that your hosting provider and your blog publishing system are making your content available, unless you monitor your blog regularly.

    • Does the entire main page load up on the first try? Or does the loading process stop before the page is complete, leaving you with pictures or text that are cut off in the middle or missing entirely?
    • Does the initial page provide everything that the reader needs to begin navigating, including excerpts or full text from one or more recent blog posts?
    • When you click on the URL for an individual blog post, does the entire page become visible, including comments?
    • Are your outbound links working? Check your recent blog posts. Click on outbound links individually or run a utility. If a link is dead, either fill in the updated URL, or delete the link entirely.


  • Is all of your text legible? If you want people to make a habit of reading your text, give them an unrestricted view, and don't give them eyestrain and headaches.

    • Is any of your text hidden behind misaligned widgets, add-ons, photos, or other text elements?
    • Is there too little contrast between the text and the background?
    • Is your background so loud or busy, or your layout so cluttered, that readers have a trouble focusing on your text?


  • Does your blog take too long to load? Remember, people may be browsing from anywhere in the world, sometimes from mobile devices. They don't all have as much RAM as you do on your desktop. They don't all have broadband connections with unlimited access at no additional charge.

    So don't try to make them drink from a fire hose. Their connections will time out, their browsers will crash, they may incur extra charges. Many readers will give up and never come back.

    If you want those readers to stay, make it easier for them.

    • Limit the total size of blog posts, text, and graphics that appear on your home page, and on each subsequent page.
    • Break the data stream into chunks and let each reader decide what to see next.
    • Don't cram your last fifty blog posts onto one display. These endless vertical scrolls hog system memory and run at a snail's pace. All too often, the text at the end is cut off. Readers hate that. Instead, display full-text blog posts individually or in small groups.
    • Don't post high-resolution graphics directly on the page. Let your readers click on a thumbnail view when they're ready to display or download a large photo or chart.
    • Don't autoload music or videos. Readers are always complaining about websites or blogs that monopolize their bandwidth, make unexpected noises that disturb others, or launch some sort of multimedia extravaganza without asking. Let readers decide by clicking on a link when they are ready to see the next set of blog posts, watch a video, or play music.


    Does your blog offer an RSS or Atom feed? There are many advantages to offering a feed, so you certainly should set up that feature if you haven't already.

    • Subscribe to your own RSS or Atom feed. That way, you can be sure that it comes out promptly and is formatted correctly.
    • Use full feeds, not just headlines or excerpts. Don't frustrate users by making them wait for something else to load in order to finish reading your article. Also, some search engines use your feed to index your blog, so it's to your advantage to provide the complete text.


  • Are readers leaving comments on your blog? If they do, be sure to pay attention. You may even find some good ideas in the comments for this blog post!

The bottom line: Review your blog regularly to make sure it's functional and user-friendly, and you'll be sure to attract and keep far more readers.

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Posted by 1389 at 6/09/2007 05:23:00 PM 4 comments

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Updated: Playing Blog Tag with 8 Things

I just now visited The World According to Carl, which is another blog in the Hillbilly Ecosystem.

There I saw a post entitled 8 Things. It's a blogging game, and the rules are as follows:

Players start with 8 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts. Players should tag eight other people and notify them that they have been tagged.
Okay, here are eight random facts about 1389, the admin of this blog:
  1. One of my few pleasant memories from elementary school was the Bell Labs series of science documentaries, including Our Mr. Sun.
  2. I used to take care of the birds and snakes for a small zoo in Ohio.
  3. I once worked on an IBM 1401 Autocoder conversion. My, that goes back a ways...and that wasn't even my first programming job.
  4. I once saw a tornado...from the inside. Not an experience I would care to repeat.
  5. My maternal grandfather made his own beer during Prohibition.
  6. My father drove a soft drink truck during the Depression.
  7. My first computer was an IBM PC with two floppy drives, a green monochrome monitor, and an Epson dot-matrix printer, which cost me roughly five thousand dollars. To do graphics, I added a CGA board and used an RF modulator to route the results to an old black-and-white television set.
  8. Many years ago, I lived and worked in downtown Chicago. At that time, I remember that there was a herd of stray cats living near the train tracks under the old U.S. Post Office building. I found out because I saw someone in an office building elevator who was bringing them food.

Now I have to find eight other bloggers to pass this along to. If you're a blogger and you don't have time to deal with this, I'll understand; otherwise, I invite you to give it a try. This is an opportunity for us bloggers to get more acquainted with one another, and for the public to get to know us a little better.

If you are seeing this blog post now and you feel like joining in, consider yourself "tagged" by 1389!

Update #1: I did manage to send the tag out to eight other bloggers, but not all at the same time. Hardware problems intervened, and I can no longer recall everyone who was on the list. Oh, well...

Update #2: Here are some random links from the same chain, both before and after me:

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Posted by 1389 at 6/09/2007 05:00:00 PM 1 comments

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Thursday, May 31, 2007

Does Blogger.com think your blog is spam?

If you have a blog on Blogger.com, you may find that Blogger has begun requiring you enter an odd-looking string of characters each time you publish a post. This extra step is called "word verification" or "Captcha." You must enter a string of characters to identify yourself as a human being, as opposed to an automated procedure.

Blogger Help gives two reasons for this requirement in Why do I have word verification on my posting form?

  1. Blogger suspects that your blog is spam. An automated process within Blogger applies certain filters to identify potential spam blogs or "splogs" - bogus blogs full of gibberish, designed to fool search engines. The endless proliferation of "splogs" causes problems for the Web as a whole, not just for the owners of legitimate blogs, as Wired.com explains in Spam + Blogs = Trouble.

    If your blog is flagged as potential spam, then Blogger will require word verification every time you publish a post.

    Not only is this a nuisance for you, but it also hurts your efforts to gain readership for your blog. Your blog will be penalized in Google's search algorithms. Moreover, your blog will be excluded from the "Next Blog" taskbar button and the blurbs on Blogger Dashboard.

    So what do you do if you know your blog is legitimate? The next time you post to your blog, click on the encircled question mark next to the Word Verification caption. A form will pop up that lets you submit a request for a human review of your blog. Enter your e-mail address, and in a few days, you should get an answer from Blogger Support about clearing your blog for regular use.

  2. You, or your blog team members, have been posting too rapidly. Blogger will require word verification for the next 24 hours to control the load on its servers, as well as to discourage spam. During that period of time, if you post to your blog by e-mail, the blog posts will be held as drafts.

    Blogger makes no exceptions for specific blogs, so it's no use contacting them to complain. So if your blog must support an unusually high posting rate, you'll have to host it elsewhere and support it with more specialized software.

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Posted by 1389 at 5/31/2007 07:43:00 PM 4 comments

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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Are you a blogger and a twitterer?

The folks at twitterfeed.com are providing an automated service that captures your blog's Atom or RSS output at regular intervals and posts up to 140 characters of each blog post to Twitter. You can post under your existing Twitter ID, or set up a new one for the blog. It's free and in beta test status at this time.

For a ridiculous example of how this can work, see I Can Has Cheezburger, which is the twitterfeed-powered version of the infamous "LOL" bad-grammar cats macro-meme explosion that has been amusing (or irritating) everyone all over the "intertubes."

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Posted by 1389 at 5/30/2007 07:35:00 PM 2 comments

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Introducing Ft. Hard Knox for Politically-Conservative Web 2.0 Activists

Fellow blogger Ron Goodwyne introduces this new blog:

The project is called Ft. Hard Knox and you can find it at www.FortHardKnox.com. Of course you’ll find excellent conservative commentary and opinion there but that is not its primary purpose. It is designed to combine blogging, wikkis and message boards in one platform to involve people who are not necessarily web savvy.
Some of the authors on 1389 Mobile Blog will be helping out at Ft. Hard Knox as well.
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Posted by 1389 at 5/29/2007 09:42:00 PM 2 comments

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Friday, May 25, 2007

Technorati has changed...and some of us have misgivings

DigiDave discusses the changes in Technorati's user interface in Technorati's New Design. Also, please read the comments posted there.

Seems as though Technorati is de-emphasizing the blog search and blog networking features that made it so worthwhile, and instead trying to be a news aggregator for the general public. It's possible that they are afraid of competition from Google's blog search, which is much less powerful and does not have the infrastructure to promote blogger networking. 1389 thinks that they're making a mistake in trying to reach the mass market by downplaying their strong suit and becoming a me-too player in the already crowded news aggregator arena.

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Posted by 1389 at 5/25/2007 07:24:00 PM 0 comments

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Good News from the Hillbilly White Trash Blog!

The good news has just arrived! 1389 is pleased to announce that 1389 Mobile Blog is now part of the Hillbilly Ecosystem.

But this is cyberspace...what do you mean by "ecosystem"?

In the blogging world, an "ecosystem" is a whole environment of related or like-minded blogs whose authors and admins work together to promote one another's efforts so that all of the blogs will thrive and flourish.

That brings us to Hillbilly White Trash, which is a funny and informative blog based in Asheville, N.C. This blog is hosted by Lemuel Calhoon, who describes it thusly:

Commenting about politics, religion, firearms, food, Celtic music, beer, science fiction and the Asheville Vortex. Home of the Hillbilly Ecosystem.
To see the other blogs in the Hillbilly Ecosystem, just look at the blogroll to your right, just below the new sign! Click on a few of them; stop by and visit!

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Posted by 1389 at 5/23/2007 07:26:00 PM 0 comments

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