Saturday, September 03, 2005
Bloggers Spelling Suggestion of Technorati [OPML]
It made me chuckle.
Bloggers spell checker is so poor, it doesn't recognise Blog [or British English Spelling]. At least it keeps me on my toes.
| Technorati Tags |
| Spell Checker [feed], Technorati [feed], Bloggers [feed], Blogger [feed], Blog [feed] |
Another Thing I just noticed [OPML]
But yay, I have an inward link :)
Thanks Zoli ;)
You know, I criticize a service, it gets fixed and works for me, and I feel bad for criticizing :)
| Technorati Tags |
| Blog [feed], Technorati [feed], Zoli [feed], Service [feed] |
Just Looking at my Logs [
Currently this month, Google is at 4 and so is MSN. Yahoo is nowhere to be seen. Anyway, I noticed one of the searches was for "does blogging make money". This got me thinking, I'll type this in on Google and MSN (I can't tell which search came from which search engine). I couldn't find my page with in the first 15 pages of results on both search engines. I went through each page of results and got bored looking for me.
If you are that person email me: paul.kinlan@gmail.com and tell me how you found me :)
I can answer the question "does blogging make money". Well for me, No it doesn't ;)
| Technorati Tags |
| MSN [feed], Yahoo [feed]Search Engine [feed], Search Engines [feed], Search [feed], Blogging [feed], Google [feed], Make Money [feed], Awstats [feed], Logs [feed], Log Analysis [feed], Log [feed] |
Friday, September 02, 2005
Technorati, boooooo [Part 3] [OPML]
I do however agree with the following statement:
We need a FAQ, we need a knowledge base, we need better community support from your support. You can't continue with the "support service" as is, because, it doesn't support any service. [ps I don't think a Wiki is the answer either, the developer Wiki is rather rubbish, the pages should just be static support pages]Now, let’s talk about communication: emailing techorati support is a
complete dead end. Bloggers quickly learned the trick: emailing Dave Sifry
(CEO), or perhaps Kevin Marks, or tagging blog entries with their names used to
result in a response, and sometimes even corrective action. That’s no
longer the case. I understand. The CEO personally emailing back is
not exactly scalable communication. But why doesn’t Technorati have a
searchable Knowledge Base, or at least a FAQ of known issues and
solutions? This is really Customer Service 101.
I really don't know if we should be complaining about this, after all Technorati is still a free service, it has a free access API and it has provided me with a lot of hits on my blog.
| Technorati Tags |
| Technorati [feed], Searchable Knowledge Base [feed], Support Service [feed], Wiki [feed], Bloggers [feed], Erdos [feed], Zoli [feed], Tagging [feed], Community Support [feed] |
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Start.com, please listen! [OPML]
The problem that I have had with it is one that I mentioned ages ago (http://www.kinlan.co.uk/2005/07/startcom-little-annoyance.html) and is still there. It revolves around not being able to cancel a close event on the RSS feed panels that you have when you enter the page.
Can Start.com fix this, it really bugs me.
| Technorati Tags |
| Rss [feed], Web Portal [feed], Ajax [feed], Feed [feed], Start [feed] |
FeedBurner [OPML]
I think I have fixed it. You can view the RSS feed by clicking the Feedburner Icon in the top left portion of the Title. The ATOM feed is at http://www.kinlan.co.uk/atom.xml.
Enjoy!
| Technorati Tags |
| Rss [feed], Feed [feed], Atom [feed], Feedburner [feed], Xml [feed] |
Technorati, Booooooo [Part 2] [OPML]
A quick email saying:
"Your site was black listed" or, "yeah we had a problem", or "your site was down when we tried to index it so it was taken off our lists"; would have sufficed.
Anyway, I still love you Technorati :)
| Technorati Tags |
| Technorati [feed] |
Technorati....Boooooo! [OPML]
Some of the failures they have experienced are massive slow downs in "cosmos" search and massive backlogs in their support queue.
I would like to add in my 2 pennies (2 cents (2 yen etc)) here, I sent a support request in close to three weeks ago now and have still not recieved any reply.
I know that you (Technorati) are providing a great service and it is "Free" at the point of use, but to have your site claim that within 3 business days a reply will be sent, and then not to have a reply; it is a bit silly and I am sure I am not the only one.
This isn't hate mail or anything, I love Technorati; I regularly use Technorati; Technorati has helped the readership of my blog increase massivly for which I thank no end, but you still need to get a handle on your support issues.
I will still stick with you though!!
| Technorati Tags |
| Sifry [feed], Technorati [feed], Cosmos [feed], Support Issues [feed], Support Request [feed] |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Recumbent Cycles [
A recumbent bicycle is a variety of bicycle which places the rider in a seated or supine position (rarely, in a prone position). Recumbents hold the world speed record. The back of the rider is supported, and the rider's legs are extended forward to pedals that are about the same height as the seat. Steering is either above seat steering (ASS), which uses a handlebar that is located in front of the rider, or under seat steering (USS), which uses a handlebar located under the seat. The wheels are often smaller and/or further apart than on an ordinary bicycle.
To quote my uncle.
"My name is Andrew Kinlan and I love bicycles. I'm pretty much interested in just about every aspect of cycling from its history to its future, but have a particular and faithful interest in recumbent bikes. I have owned a few and ridden many different types of recumbent cycle over the years."
"I consider myself lucky that my brother and his wife live in Holland. Regular family visits and excursions to Ligfiets winkels (recumbent cycle shops) and the annual Cyclevision event has indulged and expanded my passion for recumbents."
"The Dutch and Germans admittedly have a talent for making good quality recumbent cycles and trikes."
"My ultimate goal in starting my business would be to have a largest collection of the finest recumbent cycles people can try and ultimately buy. I must confess that I'm not an expert or professional in the cycle trade but perhaps a professional enthusiast."
"It is as an enthusiast that I have chosen the Dutch manufacturer Rainbow. They are one of a group of Dutch recumbent manufacturers that provide a supreme quality product. Riding their machines and seeing at first hand who makes them and how, has lead me to wanting to introduce Rainbow recumbents to England. It's as an enthusiast that I would like to introduce people to the experience of riding a recumbent cycles and ultimately making the right choice from a selection of quality products."
"If you have any questions concerning the recumbents or would like to test ride a Rainbow please contact me to make an appointment."
Kind regards
Andrew Kinlan
If you are interested in Cycling and would like to see some of my uncles selection please visit his site [http://rainbow-recumbents.co.uk]. I would much appreciate it.
| Technorati Tags |
| Recumbent Bicycle [feed], Recumbent Bikes [feed], Recumbent Cycle [feed], Recumbents [feed], Enthusiast [feed], Rainbow [feed], Quality [feed] |
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Google Desktop Beta 2 Again [
My machine now runs back at normal speed, yeeehaaa!
Ah well, you live and learn.
| Technorati Tags |
| Google Desktop Search [feed], Google [feed], Beta [feed], Index [feed], Search [feed], Desktop Search [feed] |
Monday, August 29, 2005
The Failures of my first AJAX Application: Part 1 [OPML]
I have been talking about the positive successes that I achieved out of doing the little mini project. I must state though, that this has nowhere near been a complete failure, and that for each of the failures that I will talk about over the next week or so, I have still learnt from them and most of what I have learnt will go into the next project that I embark on.
Anyway, back on track now.
This entry is sub titled: It didn't help me provide search facilities to related topics.
A while ago, I thought that it would be a very good asset to provide value added data to each post that I create I need people to come to my site, but I also need people to be able to find related information about what I am talking about. Mainly for the purpose of providing further education to the readers. After all I cannot provide all the information a reader needs; only the start, or maybe an informed opinion.
This Value added information and resource citing leads me to a comment by Robert Scoble. Robert gives a nod towards Kevin Burton who is talking about an article about some big Web News Publishers not liking linking [citing] to Blogs where they got their article from. Robert pushes the attitude (and a correct one I think, but not what I believe Kevin was getting at) that people still think that the best way to get traffic to their site is that once you have a person in keep them in, provide everything that they need. I personally don't like this, the idea of a monolithic site scares me a little, just look at about.com [personal opinion, and not completely related to this entry]; okay they direct people to other sites, but man can you get lost in that site; is it very useful? I don't know really. But Robert seems to point out that some of the highest trafficed sites are ones that give the user some information and then point them off in the right direction for some more information.
Whilst I would like my readers to look at a couple of more entries and to email me more, I would also like my readers to use me as a moderator of opinion, a person who doesn't know everything but will help them learn a bit more by directing them to the information that they need to get where they are going. Other people can provide the information a lot better than I can, so why should I not let my reader know about it.
Really there are two threads, which when intertwined make a rope: one being a company not liking to show their sources and appearing to have obtained the information all themselves, which is probably classed as theft in some countries; and the other being one of trying to give their users all the information that they can to increase advert revenues. Ultimately, if you twist the two together they become the same thing. After all, I suppose they have the same goals.
Again I have gone a bit off track, but you will see why.
The AJAX application was supposed to allow me to provide the user (the blog author) with related searches for the main Search Engines, which would direct the reader of the article being written to more information. The only thing the application provided was Technorati Tag creation. If you compare one of my older entries, with this one, I do believe that the value that the extra "outward" information is a benefit over and above the Technorati tags that this entry will link to.
You can email me: paul.kinlan@gmail.com to let me know which you prefer.
The next version of the application, must include related search information. Related search information is very hard to create, hence why I have not done it in a while. But I do belief that if it did include it, my site would be a bit more useful to the readers that subscribe to my feed.
I have some plans to provide related searches [All via Yahoo, because no other search engine provides similar API's], but also some "quick links" that are related to the context of the entry.
| Technorati Tags |
| Search Engine [feed], Technorati [feed], Search [feed], Ie7 [feed], Ajax [feed], Api [feed], Feed [feed], Beta [feed], Blog [feed], Tag [feed], Robert Scoble [feed], Kevin Burton [feed], Weblogs [feed], Blogs [feed], Monolithic [feed], Value Added Data [feed], Web Application [feed] |
Google Desktop Beta 2 [
Desktop Timeline!

It shows you everything you have been working on for a given day, to a stupidly amazing amount of detail. It shows, when I looked at a page, when I opened a document etc.

It is a really good feature if you were to say "I was reading a page at about 12pm on Tuesday, now what was the address" or, "I was looking at a document in the evening, now what was the name of it". And it all accessed via a little date picker.

I must say. It is darned SWEET!!!!
I am going to toss a coin now to see if I keep it or not: Heads, Google Wins; Tails, Google Loses.
Flick....
Catch.....
.....
Tails.
Sorry Google, I am removing it. I don't think I will try it again. I feel like I am giving away too much of myself to you! And my PC was really, really, really slow.
Sorry!
| Technorati Tags |
| Google [feed], Google Desktop [feed], Beta [feed] |
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Channel 9 Re-Design [OPML]
Channel 9 is a Microsoft website that is run by some of the developer/evangelist (Robert Scoble, Jeff Sands et Al [sorry if I missed anyone else out]) guys over there to let the Developer Community know what is going on in Microsoft. Over the past year, I have been watching their videos (Most of them are excellent), just to see what happens there and what runs through their heads.
I must say, Microsoft seems like an excellent place to work, a lot of creativity and some great minds work there.
Anyway, to get back on track; Channel 9 has had a major overhaul to the UI and I must say that it looks sweet. They have removed their Blog style vertical list of entries and replaced it with a much nicer "Most Recent" section, therefore a lot of the important content is on one screens worth of space, rather than about 9 screens worth of vertical real-estate. I have been touting with this idea on my site, but the feedback I have had is that most people like the "traditional" blog style.
The comment section, looks pretty funky. There is a lot going on on the page, but the design is a design that I like. One of the things I think is pretty cool, is the box with something popping out of it. [see the pics]. I don't know why I like it, maybe it appears they are not constrained by HTML tables and stuff, they are breaking out of it or something. I don't know what it is but I have always thought it looks pretty darn cool! [NOTE: I think this is an artifact from the fact that my screen is so small and the content of IE7 gets squashed]


They have also included a Tagging section, which list the most popular Topics that people are talking about. Ala Technorati (Which still doesn't consistently index my site). I really like this, even though it harks back to the old Yahoo style directory of topics system. It's an Idea that I think if used correctly can be a really cool and extra value added feature. I can see what people are talking about and what topics interest people. It kind of helps me, because, I know that I can determine if something I talk about will be interesting to people.
My General opinion of the new design is a BIG THUMBS UP. I really like what they have done. Well done guys.
Even if you don't like the design, I would still recommend the content of the site, it is truly amazing!
| Technorati Tags |
| Robert Scoble [feed], Channel 9 [feed], Microsoft [feed], Technorati [feed], Blog [feed], Ie7 [feed], Yahoo [feed] |
Google Desktop Beta 2 and IE7 [
Browsing the Web is so slow now, each page can take an absolute age to render.
I have also noticed Tabbed Browsing in IE7 (Internet Explorer 7) is pretty much useless on my machine now, if I go to one tab, type the address in that I want to go to, then move to another tab, the content will be displayed in the window I have just moved too. Arghh! I am pretty darn sure that this has to do with.
Additionally, trying to type in to the WYSIWYG editor on Blogger is a harrowing experience; 8 times so far, whilst writing this Entry has the Browser inexplicably locked up.
GoogleDesktopCrawl.exe seems to constantly take 99% of the processor utilazation up, with no sign of my Personal index being increased.
Outlook Integration is pretty darn slow on my machine too. If an email comes in, it appears google desktop will index it, however if you try to move the email to another folder it will lock Outlook up for a short while. And don't get me started about IMAP. For one reason or another, I have IMAP set up in Outlook, with GoogleDesktop tied in, I am pretty sure it downloads all the contents of my IMAP account each time an email comes in.
Additionally all the News is USA Biased, whilst I have nothing against this, I would like to see some UK news please.
The Whats Hot Widget is pretty nice, and for all my complaining it is quite handy to have the Email Tab integrate in to Gmail. However, the Email Widget doesn't seem to have any decent ordering on the email list.
Google Desktop; No Thanks! I am going to remove it in a couple of days.
| Technorati Tags |
| Internet Explorer 7 [feed], Googledesktop [feed], Gmail [feed], Google [feed], Ie7 [feed], Outlook [feed], Desktop [feed], Uk News [feed], Blogger [feed], Widget [feed], Internet Explorer [feed] |
