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Mostly Everything

Problogger: how many columns is best for your blog

I’m posting this link from Problogger. It’s an interesting piece on how to decide how many columns your blog should have. We’re actually in the process (actually, barely starting) of redesigning the m|ph weblog together with Gary. The primary consideration of the re-layout is to accomodate more ad space – so its more utilitary than anything. Because as it is now, the site works fine.

Design elements should take into account the following:

In a similar way that measuring clothes is important when designing a wardrobe, perhaps a good exercise for bloggers is to measure the size and space needed for the elements you want to show on your blog. Of course you’ll want to include content and a title – but here’s the start of a checklist for things that you might want to include (this is not a definitive list):

* Contact Details
* ‘About’ or Bio Details/Photo
* Advertising (contextual, CPM, text links, Blog Ads etc) – with these try to think about the sized ads you ideally want to include.
* Affiliate programs (image links and text links)
* Archives by Categories
* Archives by Date
* Polls
* Logo
* RSS Feed Details/Subscription Buttons
* Newsletter Signup
* Search Feature
* Blog Roll
* Stats Buttons
* Copyright statement
* Disclaimers
* Links to Webrings and other services
* Acknowledgments to designer/blog platform etc
* Recent Comments List
* Recent Posts List
* Links to older Key Posts
* ‘Now Listening to’ or ‘Currently Reading’ lists
* Amazon Wishlist
* Paypal/Donation/Tip Jar button
* Links to your other Blogs
* Flickr photos
* Links to other services or products you have to sell
* Link to Your Shop

Read the full thing here

Categories
Mostly Everything

Buying your own domain and hosting

I’ve noticed a fair lot of people have gone into more serious blogging, which includes the act of buying their own domain and hosting, installing WordPress or any other blogging tool.

I want to compile a listing of these people as well as how much they spent for getting their online services. SO if you do have your own personal domain and host, please post in the comment box and I’ll update this post as we go.

Jayvee
For me, I bought my domain from Big Sky Media where a *.com costs P550.00 a year. Cheap, noh? I chose these guys because payment methods were much easier – their BPI branch was in the middle of Makati. My hosting is being provided by b5media.

Jason
Pays $18 for the domain name (two years) from GoDaddy.com
Pays $30 for the hosting (30MB disk space and 6GB bandwidth/mo) from Dayanahost.com

Categories
Mostly Everything

more on God

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One of the funniest Google Ads I have ever seen. I wonder what keywords your site needs to have this pop up.

You see, God really loves you. 🙂

Categories
Mostly Everything

B-listed!

I got lost in the email exchange among the b5 tech channel dudes. We were talking about permalink formats and then suddenly jumped to how cold fusion can save the world. I didn’t get any of it.

However, during the email exchange I did chance upon Jon’s Blogger Idol site, which was located in his signature. A few links here and there eventually led me to Blogebrity.

It turns out I’ve made The List. How? Gee. No idea. My name links to Cellphone9 though.

I’m a B-list blogger. And Hugh MacLeod is a few inches away from me to the left. That column is reserved for the A-listers, which include Jason Calacanis, Scrivs, Robert Scoble, and Peter Rojas.

Speaking of Peter Rojas, I had a brief encounter with the guy. Check my old blog.

Categories
Mostly Everything

A Bugged Life 2005: The Year in Review

A few days ago, I encountered a series of posts from WIRED Magazine Online listing the most memorable moments of tech for 2005 as well as the rundown of the sexiest geeks of 2005. And yeah, I guess I could summarize my 2005 into these two categories; the events and people that made this year THE year for me. In a nutshell, 2005 was the year I finally found myself – in a photofinish when I hit the quarter life crisis age of 25.

Click below for a really long entry of my journey through 2005’s highlights.