Archive for February, 2008
links for 2008-02-28
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Worksheet to help you plan out blog posting
links for 2008-02-27
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Using the + symbol in gmail addys you can create aliases to fight spam
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Documentation for ESX Server 3
links for 2008-02-26
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Open Source Alternatives to Proprietary Programs
links for 2008-02-25
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free ebook that helps writers maintain focus and get the words out and down on paper.
Why I think the system is broken
Podcasting keeps threatening to jump the shark. Seems like we hear that it won’t take off, then we hear it’s gaining ground, then we hear old media will never let it dig it’s way to sunlight. Podcasting isn’t dead and more lip service is being paid to it every day, however the service model that supports podcasters is old and broken.
We are trying to force podcasting into an old mold. Podcasting is not traditional media and the old ad systems and tracking methods just don’t work. There isn’t even a good stats system. Systems like RawVoice (powering Blubrry and TechPodcasts) as well as Podtrack are using redirects to count hits on the media files. How many hits versus how many downloads are completely different. How long are people listening? How much data is being transferred? Who knows, it’s all bout the clicks. It’s frustrating and there isn’t anything else.
It leads into the same old ad model.
To get into the stats tracking system, and possibly the ad system, one has to go through a survey where they ask you about your subscriber base, your hit count, your page views… all the stats that I wonder how many people have a handle on if they are signing up for stats tracking.
There are systems for stats tracking - most are utilizing java script which is great if you aren’t a tech site and all your visits have java script enabled and aren’t using a plugin to block stuff. Did you know there is a plugin to actively block the Google Analytics code from placing the cookie on your system? Google shows that I have 1/32 the amount of hits that I actually have because the people that are make up my audience are the people that are blocking the cookie intrusion. When the day is over I am going to trust my webserver logs because only they know how many times they served up a page and to who.
With all this clicking and viewing and scripting comes the methods ad networks use.
Ad networks want click throughs - not page views. Affiliate advertising is great if people are going to buy that Dell or Apple computer while they are on your site. Most likely they won’t but they will remember that Dell ad and go straight to dell.com when they are ready to buy. You provided the ad view that reminds them later what to buy but you see NOTHING from that ad in monetary value. It’s free advertising and free website space. If you are lucky enough to have hundreds of thousands of page views per month or even day you will be lucky enough to get ads that pay with cost per impression. Why do you have to have such crazy traffic? Because now that you do you can command better pay.
This isn’t even a model of traditional media. How often to people click on their TVs on on magazine ads? Never, the technology doesn’t allow them to. Yet advertisers pay MILLIONS for the VIEWS.
THE VIEWS.
Even on television shows that have less viewers than many websites they are paying big bucks to get their ad on.
Why can’t we command the same respect for our internet sites or for our podcasts and video? Because no one is standing up and saying “fuck this”. I have a policy that I don’t like to go on crazy rantfests about broken systems if I don’t have a better suggestion or plan to roll up my sleeves and work on fixing it.
I am fed up with the crappy stats systems, the crappy online advertising models, and the substandard promotion directories and I plan on doing something about it.
Making the best of my valuable time?
I need to make the best of the time I have. I don’t think I am using my time in the most efficient manner possible.
I am running three major blogs and one of them has a podcast. That in itself isn’t too bad as two are on technology and one isn’t really, but still, the amount of information I have to keep up with to write posts and produce worthwhile content is quite large.
I keep up with tech because I am a geek and I enjoy tech. The Alternageek podcast topics vary widely so I can pick and chose from just about anything tech related. The downside is that it is so varied I have to keep up with A LOT of sources. I also have to try new hardware and software because we like to teach people how to do things. Preparing for the podcast is very time intensive.
Linuxchic.net is mostly linux related but I tend to include a helping of social networking stuff too. Some of the stuff from the podcast site overlaps with linuxchic.net but so does my audience and who wants to hear about that stuff twice. blog(a)gory is a blog to help people improve their blogging as well as link to blogging news. Unfortunately that is the site that falls by the wayside more often than not and I have been doing good to get a post out once every two weeks due to a lack of time to keep up with tips on writing. Producing content for blog(a)gory is the hardest one of all but writing is my hobby so I would love to dedicate more time to it.
On top of all that I have thousands of emails a week, thousands of feed posts in Google Reader every day, I have to keep up with comments, Twitter, and they sysadmining of the websites. I would like to think the sites admin themselves but I still have to keep the server patched, make sure backups are running, make sure links work, make sure logs are rotating, make sure the stats systems that read the logs are working, make sure the servers stay secure, and then I have the marketing and promotion pieces of the sites. They cost money just to keep running and even though I have been running linuxchic.net as a blog for almost 2 years and alternageek.com for 9 months, they still don’t even pay for the hosting, much less the work.
Oh, and don’t forget I have a fulltime job as a sysadmin where I support over 200 servers and those servers come before any of that other stuff. My most important job of all is the 4 kids I brought into this world and I sure can’t let them down. I wear a lot of hats and if I could afford to outsource some of the stuff and hire a marketing and finance dude/gal or a personal assistant I would definitely do it.
Sometimes, it can be a little overwhelming, but not too often. My biggest complaint is that I don’t have time to dedicate to producing more worthwhile content. I need to better manage the prep and research time so that I spend less time catching up and more time writing and podcasting. I could narrow down the feeds but then I am reducing the number of sources where I get my information and in doing so may not get to see every aspect of a story or news item and if I can’t report to my audience the most well rounded view possible then I am cheating them.
If you have any tips on managing content, resources, and time I would love to hear them. Likewise, if I find a better solution to my manic multitasking I will share that with you as well.
links for 2008-02-23
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Although the big networks recognize the need to appeal to bloggers, they don’t fear them — and that means they don’t respect them.
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Sync iPodTouch/iPhone over wifi
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How to setup the iPod Touch and Ubuntu linux to sync
links for 2008-02-21
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Someone is WRONG on the internet
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5-part comprehensive guide to keyword research for bloggers that walks you though the entire process using real-life niche examples.
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Greater Internet Dickwad Theory
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Shutdown and restart Windows from the command line
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Windows Command line reference
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Disposable temporary e-mail address
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Beautiful custom themes for WordPress (Smashing Magazine)
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Schedule emails (or blog posts) for later
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Get an SMS when a new item appears in a feed
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Upload videos to multiple services at one time.
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I’m wondering whether we need a new theory of relativity for economics, where the standard models are unable to explain a growing number of situations where highly competitive markets are delivering less-than-optimal results.
links for 2008-02-20
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JUST NEVER USE THESE WORDS Douche, douchebag, douchery, asshat. Techcrunch uses them, need I say more.
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PodCamp Midwest Highlights