Blogga-Girl
A Girl-Geek Takes on the Blogosphere

There is a chance that I might be slightly obsessed with my websites’ statistics. I have two sites, and check the visitor stats everyday. Sometimes, I check the several times in a day. Over the last year, I have tried several tools to track website statistics. You will find that there are many tools available across the blogosphere. I am going to share the tools that I rely on regularly.

• Sitemeter:  This tool is one of the easiest stats tools to use. All that is required is registering, which is free. After registering, you can choose a meter style, and copy and paste the code in your site. It usually fits in the sidebar.  Sitemeter also offers premium services, such as an invisible sitemeter. With Sitemeter, you can see how many visitors have landed on your site, their geographical location, the specific page they on which they landed, outgoing clicks, their ISP provider, their browser, operating system, and more. Sitemeter is one of the easiest statistic sites to navigate, though it is not as comprehensive as some other tools such as Google Analytics.
• Google Analytics:  This is one of the most comprehensive statistic-tracking sites available. You can track most all aspects that you mightneed.  I do use Google Analytics from time to time, and I do like it. However, I find this site so comprehensive, that it can be confusing to navigate and interpret the data. If you are not easily confused by stuff like this, Google Analytics may be the perfect tool for you.
• Woopra: This is a new site-tracking tool that offers features similar to those in Google Analytics. I do find Woopra easier to navigate. The interface is very slick, appealing, and user-friendly. The only problem with Woopra, is the fact that your website must be approved first. Generally, this would not be a problem, but I waited over a month for my sites to receive approval.  Remember, patience is a virtue. I found Woopra to be well worth the wait. This is a new site, and does involve downloading software. Yes, the software is free.  Hopefully, as Woopra grows, the sites will be approved faster.

• Feedjit: This is a javascript widget that you can place in your website’s sidebar.  Feedjit will list several of the latest visitors’ geographical locations, and the sites that referred them. Feedjit is super simple to install on your site. It is nothing more than copy and paste.
• Globetrackr is another tool that fits into your blog’s sidebar. It displays up to 10 of your latest visitors’ geographical locations. In addition, it will display the top 10 countries from which your visitors came.  Again, Globetrackr is easy to install, since it also is copy and paste. Unlike Feedjit, Globetracker does not require javascript, and can even be installed on your Myspace profile.
• Wordpress Stats: These are free for bloggers who use Wordpress as their platform. While, they are far from being comprehenseve, Wordpress stats are extremely user-friendly. Basically, you can see sites that refer your visitors, search engine keywords, incoming links, outgoing links on which your visitors are clicking, and the specific pages and posts your visitors are reading in your blog.
• My BlogLog: This is mainly a social networking site for bloggers. My BlogLog is free, and I find it a fun and useful site to visit. I am always finding new and interesting blogs to read. One of the best features of My BlogLog is the statisitcs tracking. With a small piece of code placed in your blog’s template, you can track three basic areas. You can see referring sites, specific pages and posts that your visitors are reading, and outgoing clicks. While the statistics feature is free, there is also a premium version. With the free version, you can see up to 10 of the latest stats in each category, for each day. The only drawback is that you cannot view the present day’s stats. You can view stats from the previous day. The premium version only costs $3 per month, per site. With this version, you can see up to 100 results in each category. You can also view the present day’s statistics. My BlogLog also offers free widgets for tracking your site’s most popular outgoing links. My BlogLog is a comprehensive site that is worth checking out.

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

A couple of weeks ago, I tuned into Net at Night, a podast by Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur. As you can guess by the title, the main topic of this podcast series is the internet. While listening to one particiular episode, I learned about a newly-released search engine called Viewzi. This search engine is like no other. Viewzi allows users to search for information and websites in ways that sets it apart from other search engines, incuding the giant Google. Viewzi is much more visual and interactive.  Searching on Viewzi is definitely worth a try.

While testing the waters with Viewzi, I discovered that one of my previous posts had been ripped off and used on another blog. I had done similar searches on other search engines, but I failed to notice this site in the results. I think that Viewzi’s visually-based platform drew my attention to the Hosting News Blog, while on other text-based search engines, it had become lost amidst the numerous results.

I checked out the post, a.k.a. my post, on the Hosting News Blog. There is a disclaimer on Hosting News, that the posts are written from different authors. As such, those behind Hosting News, claim they are not responsible for the content in the posts and cannot be held accountable for someone following bad advice. Yet, there is no information about who exactly owns the Hosting News blog. There is advertising on this site. Therefore, someone is making money using other people’s content without their permission. In addition, there is no trackback or credit to any of the original authors.

I guess you could say I am a little ticked!

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

Earlier this year, I decided to splurge on a Zune. Well, actually, I was debating between the Zune and an iPod.  I quickly realized they both have advantages and disadvantages when compared side-by-side. Ultimately, I chose to go with the Zune.  There were two factors that played into my final decision.  The first was the fact that Zune offers a monthly subscription service, while iTunes does not. The second factor was the availability of the Zune Social.  I soon learned that they main downside to the Zune, was the lack of movies available for download, as well as audiobooks and tv shows. Since the Zune is much newer than the iPod and iTunes, the selections and choices have obviously been much more limited.  I do believe, however, that as the Zune becomes more popular and widespread, the choices in movies, tv shows, and audiobooks will also grow.

go to the table!

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

As a blogger, I am not oblivious to the fact the Digg has become a wildly popular news service in the world of blogging. Yet, I have discovered another such service, quite by accident. Blogging Zoom is a newer service than Digg. While Digg may boast a higher number of users, readers, and traffic, Blogging Zoom has done more for my various blogs than Digg ever has. I have used both services on other blogs, and have found that I usually receive more traffic from Blogging Zoom. I also receive far more Zooms than Diggs. Why would this be, considering that Digg is on an infinitely larger scale than Blogging Zoom?

For one thing, it may be a strong possibility that Digg may actually be too big. When I post or Digg a story, it just seems to get lost in the shuffle. I think that the highest number of Diggs that any of my posts ever received was only about three. On the other hand, with Blogging Zoom being on a slightly smaller site, my posted stories don’t just get pushed to the proverbial “backburner.” Thus the number of “zooms” has been greater.

Another thing I prefer about Blogging Zoom, is the design and style of the Zoom button. I think it is just more attractive than the Digg buttons. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion. I am sure that the right “look” does, at least to some degree, depend on the layout and design of your site. Having a self-hosted Wordpress blog, I actually had a much easier time installing the Blogging Zoom button. I tried to install a Digg button, but honestly, I just could not get it to work properly. I checked the Wordpress forums for help only to discover that many others had the same difficulty.

There is one definite advantage to Digg. If you do have a well-written post about a popular, newsworthy, and current topic, Digg can take your blog to a much larger audience. That is, of course, only if it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

So which do you prefer? Try both and compare the two services for yourself. Only you can ultimately determine which is best for your site. In the meantime, Digg me or Zoom me. Better yet, do both.

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

I have been blogging off and on for nearly a year now. I like to think of myself as at somewhat computer and internet savvy. Yet, this week I discovered that I know just enough to get myself into trouble, but not quite enough to get myself out.

Last week I secured two domain names from Godaddy. My goal has been to set up two self-hosted Wordpress blogs. I formerly used Blogger, but decided that I wanted to give Worpdress a whirl. I wasn’t sure if I would like it our not. I discovered that there are definite advantages and more leverage if you host your own Wordpress blog.

I began by purchasing two domain names: daily-adventures.com and blogga-girl.com. I then purchased two separate deluxe hosting plans and let godaddy do their part in setting them up. When they completed that portion of the process, I went in to install the Wordpress application which is readily available as part of the hosting plan. However, I discovered that my hosting server needed to be Linux-based, while I had chosen Windows-based. So I had to call tech support who said it was an easy fix to switch it over to Linux. However, I would have to wait a few hours before I could access my hosting account and complete the Wordpress installation. I was cool with that.

After the migration to the Linux server, I once again tried to install the Wordpress application. I would call it a partial success. I got the Wordpress installed and set up, imported my existing blog, and chose a theme. I learned how to download, upload, install, and activate plugins and themes. However, one big problem remained. I had to type www.blogga-girl.com/wordpress into my address bar. I could not just type in blogga-girl.com without the /wordpress. When I tried it went to a temporary landing page that just said “website coming soon.” So, I called tech support again. Thankfully, they always very friendly and helpful. I have been very impressed and pleased with the tech support at Godaddy.

The tech support guy easily walked me through the process of moving my Wordpress application into the correct directory. He made it so easy. However, when I got off the phone with him, I soon discovered that the other pages on my blog were not accessible. What did I do? Rather than call back again, I was a little over-confident that I now knew exactly what to do. I mean the tech support guy was a good teacher. I started moving files around, only half-realizing that I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing. When I typed my URL into the address bar, nothing came up but three lines of jibberish. I had COMPLETELY HOSED BOTH OF MY WEBSITES!

I called Godaddy and I was sure I looked like a complete fool. I couldn’t even remember which files I had moved and to which folders I had moved them. This tech support guy was also very helpful and said that the best thing I could do was cancel the hosting plans and get a new one and start over. He said to wait about 24 hours for it to be set up again and then call back and they would walk me through the entire process of setting up my Wordpress blog. He also informed my that I only needed one deluxe plan instead of two, even though I had more than one domain. That was good to know.

To make a long story short, I now have two working websites and two working Wordpress blogs. I also have the sensibility NOT to move files when I don’t know what the heck I am doing!

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

As a blogger, I was thrilled to discover that I could create a mobile version of my blog in a matter of a few minutes. Why should a blogger offer a mobile version? Quite simply, more and more potential readers are using the Blackberry, iphones, and other mobile devices to access the internet. More specifically, many are using such devices to routinely check email. They are also using them to keep up with rss subscriptions via rss readers, many of which can now be easily accessed on mobile phones. While people may still be able to access your full site via their mobile phone, most sites load quite slowly. In comparison, a mobile version of a particular site loads much more quickly. That is one of the main reasons why I believe offering a mobile version is a good idea. Plus, in my opinion, it is just pretty darn cool.

Wirenode is a fairly new site, based out of the Czech Republic, though an English version is readily available. The site is quite user-friendly. Creating a mobile web page for your blog is literally as easy as 1-2-3. You can even change the text and background colors, and add RSS and Twitter widgets, photos and more. Once you have created your mobile website, you can preview the page on a “fake phone.” The really fabulous thing is that the service is free!

Check out the Blogga-Girl Mobile Site:

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

I am excited to announce that I have secured the domain name, blogga-girl.com! I further decided to secure a web hosting account through godaddy, specifically for Blogga-Girl. The hosting account is in the process of being set up by the good folks at godaddy. I am sure I will have much to learn in this process. However, I do believe that there is more that you can do with your Wordpress blog if you have your own hosting apart from Wordpress.

I am realistic enough to expect many an obstacle to overcome, However, I am also excited and optimistic enough to anticipate that this process will make Blogga-Girl a can’t miss blog. Look for good things to come in terms of both content and design!

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

I have always enjoyed writing, and I like to think that I do it fairly well. I never did follow my dreams and aspirations of writing and journalism in college. My gift and passion for writing become something that had long been buried deep inside me.

Last year I discovered the growing phenomenon of blogging. The more blogs I read, the more I dug up my once-buried passion. I soon realized that I too could gain a following of loyal readers. I could practice and hone my writing skills. Additionally, I learned to love and appreciate blog and web design. I even became somewhat skilled at manipulating the html that was once scary and foreign to me. I am constantly learning what works and what doesn’t. I am experimenting as I go, often by trial and error.

Here I am offering a few considerations for potential bloggers to ponder before starting a blog.

• You must decide which blogging platform, service, or software you will be using. There are many available, but the two most popular seem to be Wordpress and Blogger. I have used both, finding advantages and disadvantages to each one. Blogger’s Guide offers a comprehensive article comparing the two platforms. Some blogging services are free while others are paid services. Many offer both free and premium services.
• Do you have time to read other blogs? If you don’t make time to read, you likely will not make time to write. In his book, On Writing, horror author, Stephen King, stresses the absolute necessity for aspiring writers to first be readers.
• If you want to be a serious blogger, not just a hobby blogger, you may want to practice Jerry Seinfeld’s productivity secret. Basically he writes material every day, not just on days when he feels creative. Bloggers who want their writing skills taken seriously need to do this as well.
• Decide on a general theme or topic for your blog. If you have a wide range of interests, it may be more difficult for you to narrow it down. You may consider choosing just one area and create a blog based around that concept. Once you have your blog rolling, and have several posts under you belt, you might consider starting a second blog based around an entirely different interest. I currently operate three blogs, each one focusing on different concepts.
• You must decide how much personal information you are willing to divulge in your blog. This includes your regular posts, but also includes your profile (most blogging platforms include one) or about section. Remember, that once you place information on the web, it has the potential to be exposed to an almost unlimited number of readers across the globe.
• Keep in mind that writing blogs is not quite the same as “traditional” writing. Blogs are in effect, temporary. If the blogging service you use suddenly goes down, your blog also becomes unavailable. In the same way, if a blogging service were to basically go out of business, the blogs hosted on that service, could just disappear. Similarly, if you decide to discontinue your blog, and thus choose to delete it, it is lost forever. For these reasons, it is a good idea to back up all your posts, and maybe even print off a hard copy. Books and other traditionally written materials are really a kind of legacy. They are left behind long after the author has died. In the general scheme of things, blogs are very temporary. Most writers who confine themselves to blogging will likely not leave the same type of legacy as traditional authors.
• Blogging can take up a valuable time. Each blogger must decide just how much time they want to invest in writing, research, reading, designing blog layouts, publicizing their blog, social networking, search engine optimization, and potential monetization. Monetizing your blog is basically using your blog to make money. If you are blogging as a more personal hobby, these factors may not be an issue.
• What will your blog’s title be? Just as important, do you want to have your own url or domain name? Securing a domain name through such services as godaddy does require payment. This does not necessarily mean you have to fork out a small fortune. I bought a domain name for only $10 a year. The real stickler comes in finding a domain name that you actually want, but that is also available.

Keep these points in mind, but don’t let them scare you into thinking you can’t be a successful blogger. If you are passionate about writing, blogging can actually be a great tool. Blogging can help you become a better writer than you ever thought possible!

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList

Through one of my Twitter friends, I learned about this neat little application called Digsby. Digsby is basically a one-stop spot to keep track of your IM, email, and social networks. With this cool tool, I can see my Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter friends’ updates and newsfeeds in one quick glance. I can also keep track of which of my IM contacts are online using multiple IM clients. I can keep track of incoming emails from more than one provider. For example, I use Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail. Digsby also offers some widgets that you can embed on your websites and even Myspace and Facebook. One of the widgets I use is the chat widget. I highly recommend Digsby, especially if you are a social butterfly on the net. It is a big time saver and quite a nifty tool.

Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList