So, in the past year or so, I’ve developed a number of sites that focus on my unique interests and have been blogging and writing on these sites.  This includes our newest project, Our Debt Year, a blog following our journey to being debt free by the end of the year.  If you’re interested in personal finance, you might want to check it out.

Most importantly, I recently started a new chapter by returning to grad school. I made the decision after taking inventory of all the benefits available to me at at ProQuest.  You may remember that I worked for LexisNexis for five years until our division was acquired by ProQuest in late 2010.  With LN, my tuition reimbursement generally only covered a JD degree or a MLS.  Other options were available, but they were the exception, not the rule.  When PQ acquired our company, I reviewed their benefits and found that any program could be reimbursed if approved by my manager and the company.  The bottom line, for me, was this amounted to a $5250/year raise and I left this money on the table for 5 years, totaling $26,250.  That’s a lot of money.

So, I started searching for a graduate level program that appealed to me and met the requirements of the reimbursement.  An MBA was a simple option, but I think that degree is a bit oversold and I have no interest in accounting and finance.  After a bit of Googling and comparing programs, I decided to pursue a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

This program is mostly online, but I had the privilege of visiting Spokane and the Gonzaga campus last week for the class “Leadership and Imagination.”  I’m going to post separately about this, but if you are looking for a Master’s program alternative to an MBA, I highly recommend this program.  The class was a great experience and truly challenged my views on imagination, art, architecture, drama, film, and music.  Most of all, I found that Gonzaga admits truly amazing and well-rounded individuals to the program.  The connections we made in our class were amazing and I look forward to spending time with these students as I move through this program over the next few years.

Hello everyone,

I’m pleased to announce that my partner and I have have launched a new website that’s been a few months in the work.  At a meeting in November, Kenan and I sketched out a plan for a new site that would fill a huge need.  We’re pleased to launch FitEgg.com, a triathlon website.  FitEgg is mostly a review site, focused on evaluating products and items that are useful to triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, and runners.  No need to be a triathlete to take advantage of this site.  We’re also publishing training, nutrition, and gear tips.

You’ll notice that I’ll be updating here a bit less and the focus will probably shift a bit.  Head over to FitEgg and let me know what you think about the new site.  We just got the logos and the overall design should be finalized soon.  Happy to have any feedback from my readers here.  Thanks,

Eric

October’s been a bit of a busy month for my blogging.  I made a decision to DoFollow my comments on 1 October.  About the same time, I decided to pony up the whole $2/month to join the ProBlogger forums.  I’ve been using it for a few weeks and I’ll give you a few bits of info if you’re thinking about joining:

1. Just Join.  It’s only a few bucks a month, billed monthly, so if you don’t use if for a month or two, you can cancel and only be out a few bucks.
2. Don’t expect miracles.  The site’s a few weeks old now.  There are quite a few people jockeying to become leaders and some are very helpful.  Many, however, are just posting to build their post numbers and aren’t contributing too much.  I’m probably guilty of this in some cases.
3. You’ll get some traffic, especially if you really get involved, make insightful comments, and participate in some of the challenges, like creating a list post.
4. There are going to be some growing pains.  Right now there are 3K users, plus or minus.  There are 350K users registered at SitePoint.  Be patient.

My overall take is that, especially at $1.95/month, it’s worth the money.  I’ve certainly received decent advice, a bit of traffic, and made a few friends that might lead to guest posting or guest posters.

A few bits before I get started.  If you’re here because you’ve heard my blog is DoFollow, you’re right.  However, please use your common sense.  If you simply say “Hey, thanks for this article.”, I’m going to delete your comment.  If you leave 15 of the same comments on different articles, I’m going to spam your comments.  I’ve decided to DoFollow because I hope it encourages folks to comment and contribute.  The side effect is that folks are going to drop by and leave a shitty comment.  So, if you’re willing to take a few moments to leave a good comment or start a discussion, you’ll get a tiny bit of link juice and maybe a bit of karma.  If you stop by, leave a BS comment, and move on, I’ll delete you and you’ll waste everyone’s time.  Please comment genuinely and thoughtfully.

It’s been a few weeks since I DoFollowed’d the comments section on my blog and I’ve got a few stats, not exact, I’m sure, but a decent overview:

• Since 1 October, I’ve received 48 comments, which is about how many comments I’ve received since I started the blog.  So that’s good.
• I’ve received 25 spam comments, either caught by Akismet or spammed by me.
• I’ve had a bit of ham and a few false positives, but nothing too serious.  I think this is largely because the slightly spammy nature of DoFollow comments.
• My uniques are up 102%
• My pageviews are up 130%
• Pages per visit are up 14%
• Bounces are down 22%
• Average time on site is up 79%
• I’ve more than doubled my FeedBurner subscribers

A few caveats:

• During this period, I’ve also joined the ProBlogger.com Forums, which is driving a bit of traffic to my site.
• One of my posts got a mention on a decently popular site, which drove traffic until it fell off the front page.

I’m really happy with my DoFollow decision.  Yes it takes more time to edit the BS comments and yes the comment quality has taken a bit of a dive.  That’s ok.  All other factors point to increased engagement with my content.  Spam is the price I’m willing to for a more open and collaborative web.  I’ll keep you all updated every few weeks/months on the stats here.

One of the reasons I started with WordPress a few years ago was the plugin community.  There are so many folks out there making amazing and unbelievably useful plugins that I wanted to highlight a few I’ve used or still use that don’t get tons of press.

Comment Redirect:  I’m a firm believer in the “Thank You.”  Comment redirect one way I found to recognize new commenters and say thank you.  After leaving their first comment, my commenters are redirected to my “Thanks for the Comment” page.  Really simple plugin but it pays off.

DoFollow:  This one might not be popular with everyone, but I’m a believer in the openness of the web.  That’s why I have DoFollow enabled on my comments and my entire site is CC3.0-BY-NC-SA.  This removes the ‘nofollow‘ tag from WordPress comments.  I think this creates value for everyone: you provide value to your commenters with a dofollow link and they, hopefully, provide a bit of value by leaving a decent comment.  Not always true, but give it a try.

Easy Picasa:  I’m not really into Flickr.  No special reason, just love the big G and Picasa works well for me.  One of my more popular posts is a little comparison of Flickr and Picasa.  Anyway, this lightweight plugin makes it so easy to insert your photos directly from the New Post screen.

What Would Seth Godin Do?:  Great plugin that came from this one little line in one of Seth’s posts “One opportunity that’s underused is the idea of using cookies to treat returning visitors differently than newbies. It’s more work at first, but it can offer two experiences to two different sorts of people.”

Wordbook:  Being very social is hard.  Wordbook links your blog to Facebook, automatically updating your status when you post.

WordPress Backup: Does backups, on your schedule, and emails them to you or dumps them in a folder on your server.  With 7GB of Gmail space, emailing is the most automatic option.  Does not backup your database.

WordPress Database Backup:  But this one does get the database.  Also emails or leaves it in a folder on your server.

The Federal Trade Commission just updated their policy on endorsements and testimonials and there might be an impact on bloggers.

A few months ago I mentioned that I would love to see the FTC regulate paid and shill blogging.  Most reputable bloggers disclose their paid content, show what benefits and swag they receive, etc.  If you’re blogging about products that you have been given for free or that you’re being paid to write, you should disclose your bias.  Period. Full Stop.

Now, can the FTC really regulate this? Of course they can’t.  But, I wouldn’t want to be the first person caught up in this because the FTC will make an example of the first people that find themselves afoul of this law.

Bloggers should see this as a validation of their hobby/business.  If the FTC feels that blogging needs regulation, they are slowly figuring out that blogs are a huge influence on people, their lives, and their commercial decisions.  In other words, it validates blogs as real, influential and trustworthy news sources.

Libertarian as I might be, I’m looking forward to the implementation of this new rule.

While it appears that most of these accounts are based in Europe, it’s never too soon to change your password.

I use an old hotmail account as my backup/secondary email for Gmail, so it’s very important to keep this secure for me.

I did just notice that Hotmail has a new feature to require a password change ever 72 days, which is an excellent feature.  My company requires new passwords every 90 days, and while it can get frustrating at times, it’s an absolutely stellar security feature.

Remember: Use words you can’t find in the dictionary, use a combination of numbers, letters, symbols, and upper and lower case letters.  Change it up a bit, use numbers at the beginning or toss a % in the middle of your password…

Eric

A few months ago I changed the copyright on this site to more of an un-copyright.

The logic behind this change was that the internet encourages collaboration and sharing of information and a Creative Commons license is the logical extension of this new technology.

I also think that part of this collaboration and sharing is giving people credit for being involved in the online community.  I’ve talked about this before as it relates to Twitter and Facebook, specifically that you should pay attention to people are involved online and judge them by their involvement.

NoFollow is a tag that was created by Google and implemented by WordPress and most other popular blogging and wiki software to prevent the passing on of ‘link juice’ to commenters.  The idea was reasonably solid: preventing any juice from passing in link comments should cut down on spam, because spammers endeavored to get some of that juice by filling comments with links.

However, it hasn’t really helped.  There are better ways, read Askimet, to prevent spam.  Personally, I think you should pass on some link juice to your commenters.  If someone takes the time to write a comment, why shouldn’t they get a little credit for it?

So there’s a new movement out there called DoFollow.  Here’s a nice Squidoo lens on DoFollow.  DoFollow is a bit of a misnomer, there’s no DoFollow tag, it’s just the absence of the NoFollow tag.  So I’ve implemented DoFollow on my site for the comments.

With that said, there are a few caveats:

• I will moderate comments.  I promise not to kill any comments that are constructive, even if I disagree, but I won’t tolerate hateful comments or personal attacks.
• Links are allowed and encouraged, but let’s not get too crazy here.  One link or two is great.  Three or more is probably spammy.  I’ll use my judgment.
• Comments have to be relevant.  So if you just drop a quick “Thanks for the post…Here’s a link to my site…” I’m going to delete you.  But if you comment on the content of my post or offer your viewpoint on the post, or link to a post you’ve done that’s related with a bit of background, I’m happy to have your comments.
• I think that’s it for now.  I reserve the right to change these rules at any time, without notice.

So, I’ll look forward to your comments.  Please let me know if you’re blog is DoFollow too.

I hate that I haven’t been updating recently, but I’ve been working on a new aspect of this site.  I’ve wanted to publish an ebook for quite some time now and I’ve finally done something about it.

About two weeks ago I started laying out the ebook.  I realized that I’d done quite a few articles about using Twitter and the best and most effective ways to engage your customers or fans using the service and decided to bring it all together and expand quite a bit on the content.

I’ve started writing the book, tenetively and creatively “Business Guide to Using Twitter.”  I hope to do better with the name before I publish.  I’ve written about half of the Twitter guide now, but I want to finalize the layout before giving out an outline.

In the next two weeks, I’ll publish a detailed outline of the book and a final release date.  Please use this newsletter signup link to be notified as soon as the book is available.  I promise not to spam you.  The plan is to finish the by the end of October.  Of course, the book’s free and will be released under my Un-Copyright.  Please see here for details of my Un-Copyright.

Please forward this along to anyone that might be interested in the book.

I hoped to post this yesterday, but was a bit distracted.  I think this is especially timely in light of the Joe Wilson thing.  Joe Wilson, Rob Miller, and all other pols would be well served to read this little article.  Agree or disagree, this manifest represents the reality of the internet and the social aspect of emerging technologies.  Pay special attention to #4, #9, #10, #11, and #15.

Without further ado, the Internet Manifesto, the work of a handful of German bloggers.  Thanks to the bloggers for releasing this document as CC-BY.  Originally published at http://www.internet-manifesto.org/

1. The Internet is different.

It produces different public spheres, different terms of trade and different cultural skills. The media must adapt their work methods to today’s technological reality instead of ignoring or challenging it.  It is their duty to develop the best possible form of journalism based on the available technology. This includes new journalistic products and methods.

2. The Internet is a pocket-sized media empire.

The web rearranges existing media structures by transcending their former boundaries and oligopolies. The publication and dissemination of media contents are no longer tied to heavy investments. Journalism’s self-conception is—fortunately—being cured of its gatekeeping function. All that remains is the journalistic quality through which journalism distinguishes itself from mere publication.

3. The Internet is our society is the Internet.

Web-based platforms like social networks, Wikipedia or YouTube have become a part of everyday life for the majority of people in the western world. They are as accessible as the telephone or television. If media companies want to continue to exist, they must understand the lifeworld of today’s users and embrace their forms of communication. This includes basic forms of social communication: listening and responding, also known as dialog.

4. The freedom of the Internet is inviolable.

The Internet’s open architecture constitutes the basic IT law of a society which communicates digitally and, consequently, of journalism. It may not be modified for the sake of protecting the special commercial or political interests often hidden behind the pretense of public interest. Regardless of how it is done, blocking access to the Internet endangers the free flow of information and corrupts our fundamental right to a self-determined level of information.

5. The Internet is the victory of information.

Due to inadequate technology, media companies, research centers, public institutions and other organizations compiled and classified the world’s information up to now. Today every citizen can set up her own personal news filter while search engines tap into wealths of information of a magnitude never before known. Individuals can now inform themselves better than ever.

6. The Internet changes improves journalism.

Through the Internet, journalism can fulfill its social-educational role in a new way. This includes presenting information as an ever-changing, continual process; the forfeiture of print media’s inalterability is a benefit. Those who want to survive in this new world of information need a new idealism, new journalistic ideas and a sense of pleasure in exploiting this new potential.

7. The net requires networking.

Links are connections. We know each other through links. Those who do not use them exclude themselves from social discourse. This also holds for the websites of traditional media companies.

8. Links reward, citations adorn.

Search engines and aggregators facilitate quality journalism: they boost the findability of outstanding content over a long-term basis and are thus an integral part of the new, networked public sphere. References through links and citations—especially including those made without any consent or even remuneration of the originator—make the very culture of networked social discourse possible in the first place. They are by all means worthy of protection.

9. The Internet is the new venue for political discourse.

Democracy thrives on participation and freedom of information. Transferring the political discussion from traditional media to the Internet and expanding on this discussion by involving the active participation of the public is one of journalism’s new tasks.

10. Today’s freedom of the press means freedom of opinion.

Article 5 of the German Constitution does not comprise protective rights for professions or technically traditional business models. The Internet overrides the technological boundaries between the amateur and professional. This is why the privilege of freedom of the press must hold for anyone who can contribute to the fulfillment of journalistic duties. Qualitatively speaking, no differentiation should be made between paid and unpaid journalism, but rather, between good and poor journalism.

11. More is more – there is no such thing as too much information.

Once upon a time, institutions such as the church prioritized power over personal awareness and warned of an unsifted flood of information when the letterpress was invented. On the other hand were the pamphleteers, encyclopaedists and journalists who proved that more information leads to more freedom, both for the individual as well as society as a whole. To this day, nothing has changed in this respect.

12. Tradition is not a business model.

Money can be made on the Internet with journalistic content. There are many examples of this today already. Yet because the Internet is fiercely competitive, business models have to be adapted to the structure of the net. No one should try to abscond from this essential adaptation through policy-making geared to preserving the status quo. Journalism needs open competition for the best refinancing solutions on the net, along with the courage to invest in the multifaceted implementation of these solutions.

13. Copyright becomes a civic duty on the Internet.

Copyright is a cornerstone of information organization on the Internet. Originators’ rights to decide on the type and scope of dissemination of their contents are also valid on the net. At the same time, copyright may not be abused as a lever to safeguard obsolete supply mechanisms and shut out new distribution models or license schemes. Ownership entails obligations.

14. The Internet has many currencies.

Journalistic online services financed through adverts offer content in exchange for a pull effect. A reader’s, viewer’s or listener’s time is valuable. In the industry of journalism, this correlation has always been one of the fundamental tenets of financing. Other forms of refinancing which are journalistically justifiable need to be forged and tested.

15. What’s on the net stays on the net.

The Internet is lifting journalism to a new qualitative level. Online, text, sound and images no longer have to be transient. They remain retrievable, thus building an archive of contemporary history. Journalism must take the development of information, its interpretation and errors into account, i.e., it must admit its mistakes and correct them in a transparent manner.

16. Quality remains the most important quality.

The Internet debunks homogenous bulk goods. Only those who are outstanding, credible and exceptional will gain a steady following in the long run. Users’ demands have increased. Journalism must fulfill them and abide by its own frequently formulated principles.

17. All for all.

The web constitutes an infrastructure for social exchange superior to that of 20th century mass media: When in doubt, the “generation Wikipedia” is capable of appraising the credibility of a source, tracking news back to its original source, researching it, checking it and assessing it—alone or as part of a group effort. Journalists who snub this and are unwilling to respect these skills are not taken seriously by these Internet users. Rightly so. The Internet makes it possible to communicate directly with those once known as recipients—readers, listeners and viewers—and to take advantage of their knowledge. Not the journalists who know it all are in demand, but those who communicate and investigate.

Internet, 07.09.2009

• Markus Beckedahl
• Mercedes Bunz
• Julius Endert
• Johnny Haeusler
• Thomas Knüwer
• Sascha Lobo
• Robin Meyer-Lucht
• Wolfgang Michal
• Stefan Niggemeier
• Kathrin Passig
• Janko Röttgers
• Peter Schink
• Mario Sixtus
• Peter Stawowy
• Fiete Stegers

Translated from the German by Jenna L. Brinning