Antbag.com

For the past week or two, I’ve seen quite a few posts about Google Page Rank, and the hit that many popular blogs took this go around. It was first reported that two ultra-popular blogs that I regularly read, Copyblogger and Problogger, went from a PR6 to a PR4. This past week, it seems that they have recovered. Problogger is now a PR6 and Copyblogger has actually gained rank landing at a PR7.

The apparent reason the Page Rank of so many sites took a turn for the worse, is based on the sites having paid links. Not sure how this will affect services like Text Link Ads, but I’m sure it’s not good news for them.

I’ve never had paid links here before, mainly because I didn’t qualify back when I applied for TLA. At the time, my blog had a Page Rank of 3, and I think a PR4 was required before your site was considered established enough to be profitable. With this update, seems I’m a PR5 now. Although I’ve placed ads on this site from time to time, I’ve never really set out to directly monetize it. What money I have made from it has been in more of an indirect way(WP design/customization), not through ads.

Why does it matter?

So the golden question is, how important is the Page Rank of your site? Maki, from popular money-making blog, Dosh Dosh, says it doesn’t matter. He makes the point that that what Google does is completely out of anyones control, and bloggers/siteowners don’t need systems that use Page Rank as a metric for measuring comparative value.

If your ad revenue is affected just because PageRank changes, then you’re not doing something right. Not exploring the right monetization options. Not having a long term business plan. Not making full use of the traffic you have. Not getting the right advertisers who know the value of your site.

While I agree with him, I must admit that I get a big chunk of the traffic on this site through Google. Ad revenue aside, if Page Rank determines how high on the list your site is, then you can’t deny it’s somewhat important. Especially when you consider that Google is seemingly taking over the world…

Tags: Blogging, Web by Anthony ∗ 16 Comments »

I admit it. I didn’t really get the appeal of the tumblelog(aka miniblogs). I could see the value of having the mini-blog in your sidebar, for things you might like to share, but aren’t really full-blog-post-worthy, but aside from that…..

While checking out an incoming link the other day, it turned out to be from a friend of mine with a Tumblr tumblelog. So I decided to sign up, and check it out.

Of course, the first thing I did to mine, before even thinking about posting, was to start manipulating the template. I ended up making it look like a mini version of this site…..which only took about 20 minutes. Tumblr is like a super mini version of Wordpress, without so many options. You have no sidebar. Basically, you have four six ways that you can post:

1. text
2. video
3. quote
4. link
5. chat
6. photo

It’s that simple. It’s actually fun.

So, what’s it actually good for?

For me, the value is creating a cool place to bookmark places on the web I run across, and to post things I want to remember. Does anyone actually read these things? I really don’t know. Whether they read mine or not, it doesn’t really matter to me. I like it because it’s extremely easy to use, and it’s easy to change the design however you want. If you want to see what I find interesting, you can check mine out at antbag.tumblr.com.

Tags: Blogging, Web by Anthony ∗ 5 Comments »

Have any of you bloggers ever considered buying a blog…one that’s already well established? I noticed yesterday that Collis Ta’eed, best known as the founder and designer behind Freelance Switch, has put his NorthxEast blog up for sale. I have to admit, I was surprised. Collis started this blog back in February of this year, and has steadily built the readership up to about 2000 RSS subscribers. NorthxEast.com also served as the launching pad for the super-successful Freelance Switch.

This would be a great opportunity for someone trying to get into full-time blogging. You could start from scratch like most, or you could step right into a ready-made profitable web business. The blog already has 2k subscribers at only one post per week. If a talented writer bought the blog and wrote 3-5 times or more per week, I’m betting the subscriber-ship would definitely grow. (Unfortunately, I’m not a very talented writer, myself. ) You not only get an established blog and domain name, but also the excellent design. Collis’ websites sport some of the best looking blog designs on the web IMHO.

So, have any of you ever considered buying a website? What elements would help you determine what the site is worth? If you’re interested in NorthxEast, you can hop on over to Sitepoint and place a bid.

Tags: Blogging by Anthony ∗ 12 Comments »

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed I haven’t posted in about two weeks. I made the decision to step back and breathe a little. Not so much from writing on my blog, but step back from the internet altogether. I believe the internet is a great thing. Tons of information at your fingertips, loads of opportunity, and endless entertainment. However, the World Wide Web is not LIFE. The internet is a great tool, but it can easily become an addiction….a lazy man’s playground. I’m not under the impression that I’m addicted, however it has increasingly become a time waster if I don’t have a specific purpose for being online…or the computer for that matter.

Three primary reasons for my lack of posting.

1. Although I’m spending less time online, I have become busy doing some design work.
2. I have several business ideas, that I’ve been spending some time laying the foundations for.
3. I’ve been spending more time with my son - away from home. If we’re at home all day, I’m probably spending too much time on the computer, while he’s not getting the attention he deserves.

What About You?

I realize that the term “blogoholic” is no new term, and so, I’m breaking no new ground here. However, I thought it would be fun to put together this list of traits that may indicate you need to step away, and take a little time off from your blog. It’s easy to get so caught up in the web, that you forget you actually have a life to live.

1. You fall asleep at night thinking about your next post.
2. You wake up in the morning thinking about your next post.
3. You check your web statistics more than three times a day.
4. You would rather blog than eat or sleep.
5. You feel like the world will end when your internet connection goes down.
6. You see a possible blog post in everything you see and do.
7. You have Google Reader set as your homepage.
8. Your level of self-esteem is tied to the number of blog comments you receive.
9. Your level of self-esteem is tied to the number of RSS Subscribers you have.
10. You consider the the Wordpress Codex as pleasure reading.

If this sounds like you, maybe you should back off a bit……..

Tags: Blogging by Anthony ∗ 6 Comments »

John Lampard recently interviewed me for his site, disassociated.com, in relation to my Wordpress theme development. 5 Questions: Anthony Baggett was a fun experience, especially since I had never had the pleasure of being interviewed.

We all know that bloggers love to get incoming links, right? And in my opinion, an interview is like the ultimate incoming link. Jonathan-C. Phillips touched on this recently, how an interview is like a recommendation. So I really appreciate the opportunity and the exposure!

John Lampard also runs The Interchange Desk, a site for those looking to make a change in the career department.

Tags: Blogging, Design by Anthony ∗ 10 Comments »

With blogging’s rise in popularity, the sidebar has become a place for much more.

The far majority of websites and blogs have at least one sidebar. The primary purpose being to provide deeper navigation into the website. With blogging’s rise in popularity, the sidebar has become a place for much more. The sidebar is a great place to put information and links that will benefit readers by providing them quick access to useful info. I got the idea from a post on bill2me.com to make a list of what I think are the essentials.

First, I want to list a few things that are found in many sidebars, but are wasted space in my opinion.

• Calendar
• Archives(by date)
• meta(site admin links)

Having said that, yes, I do include those things in the default sidebars in my themes. Why? I guess because that’s the normal thing to do, and that is what people expect to find in a theme. I haven’t really considered doing any different, since most Wordpress users use sidebar widgets anyway. All three of these elements can be useful in certain types of sites, but in general they don’t really add value.

So, what are the more important things to include? Well this really comes down to opinion and personal preference. What I find to be crucial, you may think otherwise. Here, I’ve made a list of what I think are the 5 most essential items to include in a sidebar, and why.

1. Pages / Navigation - Some sites, such as this one, have a horizontal navigation menu right under the header. All sites don’t. It’s frustrating for me to visit a site, and the only means of navigation is either going to the bottom of the page and following the “previous entries” link, or by searching the Archives(by date). The truth is, I probably won’t take the time to do either. So I think providing easy navigation is the most essential. Preferably with a nice sitemap.
2. Recent Posts - I like to display recent posts, because this is obviously the first place a visitor will look when visiting a site for the first time, to try getting an overall feel for the content.
3. Recent Comments - This is important, in my opinion, because it makes it easy for the reader to follow any conversations that are happening on the site. And hey, isn’t conversation what blogging is all about?
4. Categories - This one goes right along with navigation. If a reader is looking for specific information, this makes it easy for them to see if you have anything to offer about that subject.
5. Subscription Options - If you want to build a community of regular readers, it’s much more likely to happen by RSS.

That’s my list. What would you consider the most important elements of a sidebar? What am I leaving out?

Tags: Blogging, Design, Wordpress by Anthony ∗ 11 Comments »