Tagged: blogging RSS

  • Gerrybot 10:16 am on January 26, 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: Adsense, blogging, , Hacks,   

    WordPress AdSense optimisation: Using WP-Super-Cache to improve eCPM 

    Steve, a blog entrepreneur I’ve known for some time, has posted a very clever technique to improve your Google AdSense income. It revolves around using WP-Super-Cache (which is a performance optimising plugin for WordPress) to reduce the amount of adverts you’re serving.

    What? Yes, it’s a well known fact that if you display a lot of adverts without them leading to conversions, Google reduces the value of the adverts. What Steve’s proposing is that search engine visitors are more likely to convert via AdSense ads. Therefore, if you find a way to ONLY serve to AdSense traffic, you’ll get better conversions and better revenue.

    Because the income I make from Adsense ad clicks is directly related to the conversion rate of the people seeing the ads, it is to my benefit to only show these ads to interested parties. If too many ad impressions are shown but do not lead to conversions, Google will reduce the payout per click for my entire site. This phenomenon is know as “smart pricing”. In this case of MyWifeQuitHerJob.com, the best way for me to maximize conversions is to show Google Adsense ads only to search engine visitors and this is exactly what I do.

    Maximise Adsense by only showing ads to search engine visitors at MyWifeQuitHerJob.

     

  • Gerrybot 3:01 am on December 20, 2009 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, ,   

    10 Things You Need to Know About WordPress 2.9 

    Wow – I haven’t been following WordPress developments lately, just mostly keeping up with security updates. But the 2.9 release looks jam-packed with amazing new features. I can now see WordPress developing into a full-blown CMS with some of this stuff.

    Gentlemen, start your engines! WordPress 2.9 is just around the corner. Unlike WordPress 2.8, which Mark Jaquith describes as the Snow Leopard of WordPress since most of the basis of the WordPress 2.8 upgrade was complete rewrites and optimization of the infrastructure that ran WordPress instead of providing lots of new features in the same way Apple’s new OS X release is a focus on improved performance instead of features, WordPress 2.9 brings major new “bling” to the table.

    via 10 Things You Need to Know About WordPress 2.9.

    Themeing hooks for image thumbnails, automatic database repair and optimisation and so much more. Well done, WordPress – get the latest version from WordPress.org.

     

  • Gerrybot 5:27 am on December 5, 2009 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, ,   

    Death of the Blog Post by Smashing Magazine 

    Smashing Magazine posit that the fixed-format blog post may give way to a more elaborate blogzine style of posting in which each post has its own unique stylesheet, making it look more like a magazine in concept than a blog.

    I first saw this in effect when Jason Santa Maria redesigned his blog a while back. It’s an amazing concept, and visually stunning. The problem for 99% of web users, bloggers and whatnots is that they just don’t have the design skills to make something like this happen. Plus, for the majority of people, having to think so hard about the design of an article would be a disincentive to write at all!

    For those designers who have the time, creativity and ability to make the blogzine format work, there may be a new niche in it for them to own.

     

  • Gerrybot 2:32 am on November 27, 2009 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging,   

    Thinking up ways I can link some music blogs to an end of year project. Nuff said for now.

     

  • Levee 8:30 am on January 22, 2007 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, ,   

    Northern Irish Blog Recommendations 

    Right, imagine you were approached by a friend or colleague and asked to recommend a good Northern Irish political blog….

    Who would you recommend?

    I’ve lamented the state of the Northern Irish blogosphere a while back, and now that I’m starting to get back into the flow of things I’d like to update my reading list. Damien Mulley pulled out a good list of Irish political blogs late last year.

    I’d like to see something similar for Northern Ireland specifically. Roll up your sleeves, and help me out with your suggestions in the comments below!

     

    • Paul 1:54 pm on January 22, 2007 Permalink

      I read on a regular basis, Slugger(for the posts not the commnets), A Tangled Web (for the commnets not the posts!), Balrog, Everything Ulster.

    • Phil 12:09 am on January 23, 2007 Permalink

      I too am trying to get some friends into blogging. There arent a great deal of northern irish blogs unfortunately, yet.

    • Cybez 12:42 am on January 25, 2007 Permalink

      I’m finding lots of new Northern Irish blogs every week but none of them I’d term as being ‘political’. Maybe Slugger’s got that corner sewn up and to encourage new Northern Irish political blogging he’d have to turn off his comments.

      An interesting blog I found today is http://splinteredsunrise.blogspot.com
      a title that reads
      Fortnight, voice of the neocons
      followed by
      ‘If there’s one thing that annoys my brain on a regular basis, it’s Fortnight magazine. Actually, it’s been annoying lots of people for donkey’s years. How this journal has got away with pissing down our backs for so long is a source of wonderment.’ caught my attention.

    • Hanson 2:44 pm on January 31, 2007 Permalink

      I have been bloging for a month now.

    • voice4democracy 1:57 am on February 19, 2007 Permalink

      Voice4democracy is a site that is exclusive to NI Unionist politics

    • Cybez 12:30 am on February 26, 2007 Permalink

      Can I advertise on here by posting this link for a Northern Irish bloggers surf-ring

      http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?ring=Cybez;action=list

      the more Northern Irish blogs that join in the merrier. :-)

  • Levee 4:27 pm on October 6, 2006 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, , Me,   

    What's Happening? 

    I’m sorry to say that The Levee Breaks has fallen by the wayside recently. It’s got swept up in the general madness that is life at the moment.

    My political blogging has run out of steam to a degree – when all you’re shooting for (pun not intended) is people to settle down and live in a civilized Northern Ireland, you don’t have history on your side! You certainly don’t have a guerilla movement and hundreds thousands of dead bodies to lend legitimacy to your argument!

    Unlike my compadres in the Unionist/Nationalist blogging communities, I can’t abide repeating myself ad nauseum, even though I think my argument makes more sense.

    Frankly, in Northern Ireland the same issues still exist: one part of the population wants to be Irish, the other British. Will Nationalists be happy to argue for a United Ireland in a perpetual talking shop, or will their politicians let it slide, happy with their slice of the power-sharing cake?

    I don’t know. And to be honest, right now I don’t care.

    I’ll continue to post political pieces, but I’m not as motivated by it as before, mostly because there’s nothing I can change. Most idiots are only too happy to swallow up the garbage their politicians sell to them. They’re not listening to me or attempting to broaden their perspective. Are they?

    Ah, who cares? I’ve still got jobs to hunt and a family to worry about. I’m still reading most of the main blogs, although I’m lamenting the loss of others (not JoBlog for some reason).

    I’ll be having a wee think about my life as Levee and maybe try to do something different with the site to make it a bit more fun. Remember when blogging was fun?

     

    • CyberScribe 4:37 pm on October 6, 2006 Permalink

      Maybe you’ve recovered from that condition known as OPBD (Obssesive Political Blogging Disorder.At times I display symptoms of it – like …
      is their as third alternative for N.I. a United Ireland fully part of the UK, equal to England Scotland and Wales.I better stop now in case the OPBD gets out of control.
      Have Fun Blogging! :-)

    • Mr. Levee 10:24 pm on October 6, 2006 Permalink

      What about you? Launched yet another blog – what’s this, your third or fourth?

      You should set one up on WordPress.com – they’re much nicer than Blogger!

    • CyberScribe 11:13 am on October 7, 2006 Permalink

      I like blogger cause I feel a bit different from the average blogger on it, as I’ve 2 readers and the average is only 1.I’m running out of titles for blogs so I’d have to wait for some inspiration before I started another one :-)

    • Mr. Levee 4:10 pm on October 7, 2006 Permalink

      What happened that Wiki thing you were toying with, did you do anything interesting with it?

    • CyberScribe 10:01 am on October 8, 2006 Permalink

      http://cyberscribescorner.wikispaces.com was just an experiment to see what would happen if I invited everyone with an e-mail addy on my blogroll @ shitty first draft ( @that time) to try out wikispaces.As you can see there wasn’t any interest in individuals posting anything. I reckon that was because they’d there own blogs and finding time and inspiration for one blog can be for some people hard enough.
      Wikispaces would be ideal for writers with an interest in one particular subject who would put a bit of effort, more than an average blog post,into an article of at 500 words.A gap, in the Northern Irish blogosphere, for subjects like Politics, Book reviews,Theatre reviews, Environmental issues etc I believe exists.The advantage with wikispaces for these is that the discussion pages are seperate from the posts. I’d suggest that some of the well written blog posts can be spoiled by comments and that on wiki this wouldn’t be as obvious.
      Another need that I’ve noticed is a community blog for people that don’t have time to post regularly.

      …time for coffee :-)

    • El Matador 9:32 pm on October 9, 2006 Permalink

      Mr. Levee-

      “Unlike my compadres in the Unionist/Nationalist blogging communities, I can’t abide repeating myself ad nauseum, even though I think my argument makes more sense.”

      I think you do a great disservice to those Unionist or Nationalist bloggers who attempt to write outside the box by tarring them all with the same brush. A simple glance at the front page of El Blogador for instance will reveal it to be nothing like a press release regurgitator. Likewise, there is nothing inherently wrong with being Nationalist or Unionist, although clearly there are those of both ideologies who are not prepared to open their mind to other opinions. That’s the nature of political life.

      “Most idiots are only too happy to swallow up the garbage their politicians sell to them. They’re not listening to me or attempting to broaden their perspective. Are they?”

      You make good points when you write political pieces (although political pieces have been sadly absent from the Levee Breaks for quite some time). However, much like the Alliance Party, attempting to dictate the ’solution’ to ‘idiots’ will just alienate them. Like all politicos, one is only as good as one’s ability to convey one’s case- if people aren’t listening, then keep repeating it until they do listen. Otherwise the extremes win by default Of course, there are some who will never listen- again, that’s the nature of politics.

    • Parnell 9:04 pm on October 10, 2006 Permalink

      Mr Levee, Blogging is supposed to be fun. It can and does influence people, but the objective of running a blog is as originally stated, to have fun. The Levee Break has made its mark on the Irish blog scene, thats were it belongs and that’s were it should stay. Have a break or a subtle change of direction, by all means. But The Levee Break is a (grade A) listed blog. Keep up the good work. I mean that.

    • Mr. Levee 9:26 pm on October 10, 2006 Permalink

      El Mat: I take your points, but as a long-time reader you should know my comments are directed at the majority of dunderheads who rubberstamp bigottry at every election here. In terms of bloggers you and Mr Parnell are exceptional – my reference is to those who take every news item and run it through a -hmmm- Republican or Loyalist filter.

      I’m not a politician. I’m not affiliated to any political party or ideology.

      All I’m saying is that for the moment I’m bored with the lather-rinse-repeat nature of politics in Northern Ireland. It’s hard to comment on something which appears so stage managed the scripts will turn up one day under the Freedom of Information Act.

    • Mr. Levee 9:27 pm on October 10, 2006 Permalink

      By the way guys, I do still have a lot to say. I’m working my way through Paisley’s biography (with clenched teeth), so you’ll be getting an opinion about that sometime soon!

    • El Matador 6:33 pm on October 11, 2006 Permalink

      Sounds like fun- have you ever read the Secret History of the IRA? Tough going, but interesting. BTW, what’s your e-mail address, Levee?

    • Mr. Levee 8:18 pm on October 11, 2006 Permalink

      No, but I read a book about the UDA some time ago which was utterly disgusting, especially how quickly those types of organisations become corrupt on their power.

      I read Joe Cahill’s biography this year as well. Not sure if it was just me, but the first few chapters reminded me of that Michael Collins movie – sure we were only wee lads, all innocent, until we shot a policeman in a back street

      It’s a bit romantic, all cloth caps and short trousers. Oh, and brutal murders.

      I don’t know about you but when I read a book (particularly factual or biography), it affects me. Paisley has put me in the foulest form….. :(

      I’ll drop you a wee email privately – there’s a contact form here, but either it doesn’t work or no-one uses it!

    • El Matador 11:04 pm on October 11, 2006 Permalink

      “sure we were only wee lads, all innocent, until we shot a policeman in a back street.”

      Typical.

      The IRA one was understandably dismissed by Gerry Adams not because of the brutality contained within, but probably because it showed the provos up as utterly incompetent and hopelessly compromised. It’s no surprise that they’ve come to the point where they are now- i.e. without arms and operating as the SDLP-lite- they didn’t really have any other choice.

      Regarding Paisley, I find it difficult to understand how so many ‘ordinary’ Protestant voters can forget what kind of person he is when it comes to casting their vote. And even at the height of his idiocy, he still topped the poll in every election he was in.

    • CyberScribe 10:00 am on October 12, 2006 Permalink

      ‘Regarding Paisley, I find it difficult to understand how so many ‘ordinary’ Protestant voters can forget what kind of person he is when it comes to casting their vote. And even at the height of his idiocy, he still topped the poll in every election he was in.’
      My Granny, from North Antrim, used to think the sun shone out of Paisley’s arse.I reckon a lot of his votes were down to his hypnotic preaching and beliefs, even voters who didn’t attend the Free P church.

  • Levee 9:12 pm on April 27, 2006 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, Conflict, internet, , , Society   

    Can Blogs Influence Northern Irish Politics? 

    Spurred on by Matthew Ingram’s post on blogs affecting politics (and society), I’m wondering to what extent local (Northern Irish) bloggers can challenge traditional preconceptions in our wider society.

    That was a long sentence! What I mean is, can blogs like Slugger encourage a wider variety of debate than what we’re exposed to when it’s just one-way propaganda from the party press office?

    I specifically mention Slugger O’Toole, because Mick Fealty and the team have done a fantastic job of creating an open forum for debate. In fact, a few people (who don’t know about my double life as Levee) have recommended Slugger to me. They’re always enthusiastic. Many can see from the comments how regressive the ‘old’ attitudes are, and biggoted commentary exposes the futility of the traditional stances (my opinion).

    There are other sites which impress me due to their seeming desire to explore new avenues. For instance, Big Ulsterman regularly challenges traditional ideologies by putting forward an alternative viewpoint and trying to reconcile ‘his’ culture and background with Nationalism and (to a lesser degree) Catholicism. He too, appears tired of politics here running around in circles with nothing ever being resolved and rarely ends a post without suggesting something Big that his subject might undertake.

    Can Northern Irish Bloggers Make A Difference?

    Over to you. Can those of us who blog on politics here make a difference? Is our audience wide enough to make a dent in the old school? What was your motivation for starting a blog in the first place (assuming you have one)?

    Update: Slugger has recently run a more detailed commentary on this subject. Worth a read.

     

  • Mrs. Levee 8:56 pm on April 3, 2006 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, , google-romance, Technology   

    Google Romance, Did Anyone Else Fall For This? 

    I came across Google Romance on Sunday and thought it was the coolest idea ever! I raved to Mr Levee about how I wished i was single and could participate.

    Of course I have since discovered that it was obviously an April Fools joke and I am the biggest fool ever.

    No flies on me eh?

     

  • Levee 12:46 am on February 27, 2006 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, ,   

    The Levee Breaks: University Approved Reading Material! 

    Who’d have thought it guys and gals? The Levee Breaks is on Keele University’s Northern Ireland Government & Politics On The Internet list under weblogs.

    Joining the Levee Breaks team on this esteemed list are the guys at El Blogador, the Balrog crew, Ireland Free, JoBlog and United Irelander.

    One of the most rewarding things about running a blog is being able to see who’s linking back to you. Having said that, I had no idea that my opinions and those of my part-time collaborators were so well regarded in the academic community! Congratulations to everybody else who’s listed on there too!

    Question to other bloggers: What’s the strangest site to link back to you?

     

  • Levee 10:02 pm on February 24, 2006 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: blogging, Technology, Technorati   

    Technorati Adds A Favourites Feature 

    I’m not sure how deep some of you are into your blogging. I think the furthest extent some people go to is to add their blog to all of those crappy directories that are out there.

    I go a little bit further. Rather than checking other blogs daily, I subscribe to RSS feeds. RSS feeds are little files your blog supplies which get updated each time you publish a new post. Little RSS reader programs check your RSS feed for updates and notify you automatically when there’s new posts to read. It’s actually a little bit like email.

    Another useful blogging tool (and the point of this post) is Technorati. Technorati is primarily a blog search engine, but can do a load of other things for you. It can tell you how many blogs are linking back to you, how popular you are in the blogosphere and it allows you to tag your posts to make it easier for people to find your posts.

    Anyway, they’ve just launched Technorati Favorites, a service that allows you to bundle all your favourite blogs together in one place.

    For instance, you could line up Slugger, El Blogador, Desolate Row, Big Ulsterman, etc all in one place. It’s great for a bird’s eye view of what’s happening in the blogosphere and the best bit is, you can share it out. Here’s my list of favourite blogs as an example.

     

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