Star Tech

They've Got Their Act Into Gear


Among the emails for my `Blog Cabin' column in mX newspaper, published in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, was this request from two Brisbane students.

Can you tell us if this blog is a good concept and how can we improve the site. Thanks, from John and Andreas.

I'd never heart of a DACOL until I reviewed Rags to Race Cars. But commit this acronym to memory. A deftly-named DACOL is a Dear Awesome Car Owner Letter. Baffled? Don't be. It's exactly what it purports to be. Bloggers see awesome car. Bloggers slip standard letter under windscreen wiper, introducing themselves to the owner in the hope that he or she will get back to them.

It's a great idea and a feature that is characteristic of a good start to a funky site. John and Andreas have given themselves five years to become millionaires, but at the moment they're $999,880 short. Nonetheless, it could be irresistible to follow their progress.

The stated intention is to share innovations, motivating factors and business ventures along the way to financial nirvana. Excellent idea, but all those editorial streams will have to be encompassed into a coherent flow.

The blog has started on the right foot, but there needs to be a conscious balance between text and illustrations. Slabs of text, no matter how well written, are just downright boring. Since both authors are design students, it'd be fairly simple to put theory into practice. There is no shortage of images to ilustrate posts on an automobile blog, and the ``look'' of the site will improve greatly once there are design elements on the pages.

Car-related blogs are great because they transcend state and national boundaries. There's huge potential readership in a blog like this, because you don't have to be a rev-head to read and enjoy a blog of this nature. That's something to keep in mind, when determining the editorial mix as the blog progresses.

I'd strongly advise the installation of a hit counter to show the reader stats. If you want to increase your readership, you have to know who's reading your posts. Auto bloggers, unlike us mere mortals, should be, ahem, driven to succeed.

Star Tech

Many Thoughts, But No Confusion

Not everyone has had to wait a fortnight for a review of their blog, but Confused Sam waited patiently while I spent most of last week with a family member in hospital. Thank you, Sam, for your patience. Your strength is the ability to write posts in a completely colloquial manner. You write just as I imagine you would tell a story to a group of friends. It is spontaneous prose and therefore it is genuine in its nature. There is no artifice, there are no gimmicks. That is a great strength for any writer.

As you know, when we first started exchanging comments about your blog, I told you the single most common thing I have told most bloggers. Your site was in danger of being perceived as one-dimensional. It was flat and featureless to the casual reader - because it was simply one slab of text after another. The danger of this approach is that readers might lose interest, just as they would while reading a newspaper with no photographs or captions or headlines or breakout quotes.

To your eternal credit, you took the advice in the right spirit and on 10 June your post `Looking Back at my Inspiration' ran with a photograph. Immediately, your blog took on a different dimension. The artwork that illustrated your poem `But Forever' on 20 June was well chosen and really complemented a poem that spoke with broad appeal. I'm guessing you copied the illustration off Google Images or some image bank - if so, always check copyright implications. Even if there are no restrictions on the publication of such an image, it is good practice to run a caption crediting the source material.

My favourite post was `Time Stops at Shamli' on 26 June, not just because Ruskin Bond and I share the same publisher, Penguin, but because this was a book I had not read. Your interpretation of the story was simple and powerful and you drew us into your view of two lives in the hill station. Your latest post, `Shall we Dance', on 26 June just reinforces my impression that you are a bit like the gears on a mountain bike - you move very efficiently in a variety of conditions and at many different speeds, across a variety of terrains. I look forward to watching your blog as it progresses.

And if you'll permit me to deviate from your blog for a second, it's interesting that you hail from Pune, for two reasons. First, my mother was educated there, at St Mary's Convent. And second, some years ago, a young student from Pune sent me a news report for publication. I could not publish it, but I edited it and sent it back to him with a letter explaining certain things he needed to do when writing. He took the advice on board, brushed up his writing skills and his byline began to appear in my magazine fairly regularly while he was still a university student. Today, his name is well known in journalism and he never fails to acknowledge what a great help it was to get those two pages of unsolicited - and unexpected - advice from a total stranger.

Why is this relevant to you, Sam? Because a kid you help one day may turn out to be a famous writer too. It's all about passing on the knowledge - which is why I review other writers' blogs.

Star Tech

Okay, So We Get The Picture

I had an interesting question on the weekend from that livewire blogger Bart.

``How do you format your photos in your posts? Do you link to a separate locale? And how do you get the little copyright blurb in there? I've seen others do this, not always with copyrights. Some pictures I'd like to caption separately and I have no clue how.’’

My photos are also saved as jpeg files, and I only ever upload low-res versions of the original hi-res files. When I’ve written my post and I’m ready to upload a picture, I simply click on the coloured ``Add Image’’ icon. Then I choose the alignment I require and tick ``Left’’ if I want the picture to align on the left-hand side of the post, or ``Centre’’ if I want it in the middle, or ``Right’’ if I want it to appear on the right. Then I tick the Size icon. I use ``small’’ if I need the little dinkus that appears with the Gizmo Machismo posts or the H€adlines & D€adlines segments. But if I’m just posting a normal picture, I tick the ``large’’ box.

Then you just need to click the ``Browse’’ option and select a folder or desktop, depending on where you’ve saved the image you need. Tick the precise image you require and hit the ``Upload’’ box. As I mentioned in a Star Tech segment on 29 April, the picture will appear in a default position up the top of the post.

To drag the picture to its intended position, simply click on it to activate the element, then drag and place it. To enlarge the image, just click on it to activate the element. Then click on any of the toggles that outline the picture and enlarge to whatever width and depth you choose.

As for the ``copyright'' lines I use under my pictures - they are typed in normally. Then I highlight the text and click the ``Centre Text'' option, click B for bold text. You can also display it in a different typeface/ font and size by clicking and choosing respective options from the pulldown menu.

Star Tech

Every Blogger Wants A Traffic Jam

Here is a query I recently received from Weston Sabawo, whose work can be seen at Owatalk.

Could you please tell me how to increase traffic to my blog.

Mate, they'll be giving out Nobel Prizes (and marketing awards) to the person who cracks the one-step method of getting 100 hits a day. Great to see you’ve got an XML site feed and links to other sites. Building a library of links is a good idea, because it can earn reciprocal links and visitors.

Replying to posted comments builds dialogue, creates the expectation of a response - and encourages readers to return. Posting frequently and coherently can help increase readership as will a wide range of issues because you project wider appeal.

To take your blog to the next level , you need to build a loyal readership - inducing people to return to your site. There is a significant discussion thread at Google Blogger Help, but I would also advise you to install a hit counter so you can see who's visiting, how long they spend on your pages, and what they read.

Think about using the Blogger Profile option too. Readers like to put a name to a blogger and even if you don't want to post a picture, it's good to include some details. Your aim is to increase traffic, so you need to give readers a way to recall who you are.

Finally, try visiting blogs with similar themes and leave comments - people may follow the link to your site. Good luck. And keep your focus on that Nobel Prize.

Star Tech

Rank And File

I’ve had a couple of Technorati-related emails after my Star Tech post on May 7, titled Go For Technorati’s Figure Of Authority. This is the most common theme …..

What is my blog's Technorati Rank and how is it calculated?

There is, of course, a vital link between Technorati Authority and Technorati Rank. The blog with the highest Technorati Authority is - of course - the No.1 rank. If your blog is ranked 200,001, then there are 200,000 blog ranks between you and the blog at No.1. This is succinctly explained by Dorion Carroll in his post Technorati Authority and Rank on Saturday May5. He writes: ``Since at the lower end of the scale many blogs will have the same Technorati Authority, they will share the same Technorati Rank. The best way to increase your Technorati Authority is to write things that are interesting to other bloggers so they'll link to you. Linking to source material when you blog is also a great way to engage in conversation and help others find what you find interesting.''

Star Tech

Missing Links. (Where Did They Go?)

Here’s a query I got asked during the week – it’s a variation on a fairly common theme among bloggers.

I have a question regarding my blog's list of incoming links. Although my blog has at least 20 incoming links, Technorati only recognises four. Why is that?

There is a well-informed discussion thread at Google Blogger Help. However, to the best of my knowledge, there are two specific reasons that could be the cause. First, Technorati's ranking system measures the number of blogs, not the number of links those blogs provide. This means if two blogs each include five links to you, Technorati will credit you with two links, not 10.

Second, while Technorati is geared to index full content from blogs, this only apllies to full-content feed from respective bloggers. If this is not the case, Technorati indexes the HTML on the front page. If bloggers have linked to you ``after the jump'' (ie, not on the front page) the link will not be recognised.