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Real Time Viewer Stats

Posted by advertolog at Thursday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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Who’s Amung Us?

Author: Mitch Keeler

We have all seen statistical trackers that give you data about people who have been to your web site, but what about data on people on your web site right now? The second might be a neater trick to pull off I think. There is a service out there that promises to give you real time numbers when it comes to tracking who is on your web site right now.

Whos.amung.us is the service in question, and I have to say this does look pretty neat from top to bottom. All you need to do is post some code on your web pages in question - and you will be given a counter to see who is on your web site right now.

There’s no need to sign up or register either - everything just works. Give it a shot and let us know what you think. If you know of another solution for this problem out there as well let us know. Always like checking out new and interesting resources from the Web.

Great Web Site Review Tool

Posted by advertolog at Monday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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Grade Your Web Site!

Author: Mitch Keeler

So how does your web site stand up to some of the biggest ones out on the Web? It doesn’t matter if your coming in first or last, this web site review tool is a great one to use not only to figure out where you stand - but how to make your web site rank even higher out there.

WebsiteGrader.com gives you more output options than you could ever want or need. It tells you how you rank in just about every way, shape or form out there on the Web.

Here is a little more about the web site from the creators themselves.

Website Grader is a tool that helps measure the effectiveness of a website, from a marketing perspective. It assigns a numerical score from (a “grade”) to a given website. The score ranges from 0-100 (technically, 0-99 as 100 is not possible). It is based on a variety of data points about the website including the structure of the site, popularity, traffic, search engine optimization, marketing features and a slew of other things.

It covers search rankings, digg submissions, readability, Alexa traffic ranking, del.icio.us bookmarks, Technorati ranking, inbound links, page rank and a whole lot more.

SEO Tips for the Everyday Person

Posted by advertolog at Wednesday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

Making your way to the top of the search engines is not an easy task. It takes hard work, dedication and a little luck to be on your side. So how can you ever hope to rank higher than you already do? Well I have a handful of search engine optimization tips that might help you get going.

Use Title Tags for Links - Including title tags for your links is a good way to help people learn a little more about the link itself, and it also gives the search engine spiders a little more content to crawl through. As with any tip, you might just want to make sure you do it in moderation. A few words to help people find out what the link is about won’t hurt though.

Get a Sitemap - A sitemap is handy to have because it gives a full link list for the search engine spiders to follow. This way you can be sure they see all of your links for all of your web pages as well. You might also want to look into creating a special Google sitemap too.

Mix Up Your Pages’ Titles - Is the title for every single web page on your web site the same? This might be hurting you in the long run. Instead of just using “YourDomain.com” as the title of all your web pages - try describing the specific page first, such as “About Us - YourDomain.com”.

Have any other good tips to share?

Choosing A Web Hosting Company, What To Look At?

Posted by advertolog at Monday ~ June 06, 2007 to Uncategorized, Web Hosting
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Been here before, but here are a few important items to look for in a host from GreatResponder.com. Web hosting is a major part in the success of your online business. By choosing the right web hosting company for your web site, your success will be one step nearer.

After finishing the first stage of preparing your web site online which is designing the your website in a way that knock out all the competition, the second step in creating your online presence is to decide on the way of choosing the best web hosting company that will fit your needs.

This decision needs many different factors that can make your final decision a success. We will summarize here the most important factors that effect your decision and you must look for when choosing a web hosting company.

read more at GreatResponder.com or at Digg

Tags: Web Hosting Company, How to Choose a Host, Choose Web Host, Web Hosting, Hosting

Free Themes, No Matter the CMS

Posted by advertolog at Monday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

Finding free themes for your content management system that you use to run your web site is never a bad thing. If anything, it can give you some inspiration for your own designing needs or it can just totally give your web site face lift - if it has been a little saggy in a few areas. Here are a few content management systems to choose from and the best theme resources I could find for each.

There are a few good choices out there for Joomla themes:

Drupal has a few good theme resources as well for you to check out:

Can’t forget about the WordPress folks. They probably have more theme resources than any of the other content management systems out there:

What are some of your favorite theme resources for your content management system of choice?

Go Vote for Lunartics!

Posted by advertolog at Thursday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

Want a nice way to show your favorite web host a little love? The Lunarpages Lunartics blog has been nominated for best blogging host - but we need your votes to get to the top of the list. Just click on the banner - register and then vote for us.

Go vote early and often!

My site was nominated for Best Blogging Host!

Just think how awesome it would be to see us at the top of that list. After you are done voting for us then also check out some of the other blogs that have been nominated as well. This whole Blogger’s Choice Award is the first blog awards that I have really been all that excited about because it really is determined by the public.

Hopefully more awards will go down this route because well - voting for your favorites is always fun and feels a little rewarding in the end.

Oldest Domain Names

Posted by advertolog at Wednesday ~ June 06, 2007 to Uncategorized, Web Hosting
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The 100 Oldest Currently Registered .COM Domains

The list appears a bit dated (ha, ha, ha), but it is rather interesting to see who jumped on the web early. I was surprised to see domains this old. It won’t be long and we’ll have the attention of antique collectors.

read more about this | digg.com story

Tags: Oldest Domain Names, Domain Names, Old Domain Names, Domains, Old Domains, 1980s, .coms

3D Virtual Email, SHARKS & Miami Babes?

Posted by advertolog at Monday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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by Amy Armitage

I’m a huge fan of Visitorville and I use it every day to check out our traffic on the blog. My excitement peaked this week when Robert Savage from World Market Watch emailed me a heads up that their new product 3D Mailbox is live and ready for me to check out.

They even have a Hollywood style trailer!

I had a bunch of questions about how the program works and Robert was kind enough to take some time out to explain it all to me.

Amy: How did you come up with the idea for 3D Mailbox?

Robert: I want everything to entertain me. After years of using utilitarian programs like Outlook and Eudora, I knew there had to be more to email. Using them is like driving around in a Jeep with no shock absorbers. I knew that there were human needs that weren’t being met by the boring programs, and so I mulled over the idea for a while. Remember that I’m also the creator of VisitorVille, which depicts website visitors as avatars. So I was already leaning to humanizing things. Then it came to me when I was watching the opening scene of “Goldfinger”, set at the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach. We modeled this first level based on that scene, complete with Olympic-sized pool, ice rink and cabanas.

Amy: How long did it take from concept to launch?

Robert: Not as long as you’d think, considering that we had to build a robust email client that could compete toe-to-toe with the established email clients, plus integrate a full-scale shader-based 3D engine. I have about 50 people involved with the various aspects of the project.

Amy: I want to tell my staff about 3D Mailbox but I’m concerned they will get distracted and start playing during work hours… lol Do you think that will happen?

Robert: Personally, I work 15/7. I need things to make me smile. Anything that does, makes me more productive. Should you cram workers in cubicles, or give everyone a corner office? I believe that people need sea, sun and air to thrive.

Amy: I was reading the FAQ that right now the program is only compatible with Windows. Will you release for Mac or Linux users anytime soon?

Robert: We’re focusing on the Windows crowd for the moment, but haven’t forgotten about the Mac and Linux folks.

Amy: For everyone who hasn’t tried 3D Mailbox, how does the application work? Web Based or a download and installation on a PC or both?

Robert: It’s a desktop app, so it’s a download. You set it up just like a regular email program. It works with Gmail and all the web-based mail services, as well as with POP3 and secure POP3. You can automatically import your settings from any other client, or do it manually. Then you just read and write mail as normal. The big difference is that you’re immersed in a 3D world while doing it. Who doesn’t love sunshine, clear water, palm trees, the sound of seagulls and waves? It’s relaxing, like being on vacation — writing your mail on your laptop on South Beach :)

Amy: Will the program help prevent spam?

Robert: Yes! And I’m really excited about this. We’ve integrated in both the Free and Premium versions the best spam filter in the world, SpamBayes. It is very, very effective, and “learns” from your specific e-mails what is good and what isn’t. It’s an amazing filter. But we go beyond that. We let you literally feed your spam to the sharks, and that is very gratifying. You get the feeling that, for once, you’re getting back at the spammers.

Amy: Does the program use your mail servers or do we keep our usual mail settings?

Robert: You keep your own settings and accounts. We’re not in the business of storing or routing your mail. Like Outlook Express, 3D Mailbox is a pure email client.

Amy: Do you need an uber duber graphics card or special settings to get the full effect of the program?

Robert: You can use it with just 512 MB of RAM and 128 MB of video RAM. But if you want to get the most of the 3D graphics, then sure, the more RAM and the better video card you have, the more spectacular the graphics will be. It supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), so it can handle whatever fancy hardware you throw at it.

Amy: Does it take a lot of resources to run?

Robert: It takes more than your average email client, that’s for sure. And that’s because it has a 3D engine running, too. The 3D engine is the same kind of shader-based engine that powers games like Half-Life 2 and Halo 3, and there’s no way around using system resources to get that kind of intense, immersive visual experience.

Amy: Does it support IMAP?

Robert: Not currently, but that’s on the development list.

Amy: If you are in contact with another email user who also uses 3D Mailbox can you meet up in a virtual world and hang out poolside in Miami?

Robert: No. Now, that is something that *would* make workers less productive :)

Amy: What’s the next project in store for World Market Watch?

Robert: Levels 2-10 of 3D Mailbox. We have a lot of great, immersive environments in the works to suit every mood or interest.

Amy: What’s the difference between the free version and the premium version?

Robert: Not a lot! The free version has all the features of the premium version, and is free for life, but you don’t have access to human tech support, and you have our watermark and promotional text at the end of your outgoing messages, similar to what Gmail and Yahoo Mail do. Future levels will be available at a nominal charge. We’re still hoping that enough free users will get the premium version, though, just to support our efforts — since we don’t have any ads in the program, and don’t engage in the dark side of marketing.

Amy: So is each email message you send or receive represented by an avatar?

Robert: Exactly. There are avatars for good mail, and for spam. The good mail hang out by the pool, and the spam get sent to the beach to await their fate at the jaws of the Great Whites offshore. When you move a message to a folder (represented by cabanas complete with bartenders), the avatars walk there. You’d be surprised how human the scene is — but after all, each email you get was sent by a person, and communication with others is what email is all about. 3D Mailbox takes that communication to the next dimension.

Amy: Where can we download our FREE version of 3D Mailbox?

Robert: Right here

Thanks Robert!

If you’d like to see more on how the program works I have attached some additional screenshots. Be sure to let us know what you think of 3D Mailbox by leaving some comments!

New email meets the Bouncer (spam filter) at the entrance…

… takes a cooling, disinfecting shower …

…then takes the plunge into your inbox…

… and swims until you read it.

Once read, they hang out poolside…

… until you move them to a cabana

Spam gets sent to the beach to await their fate..

… at the jaws of the Great White Sharks.

If the Bouncer can’t decide if email is good or spam, it chills in the Ice Rink until you decide.

If you delete good mail, it goes to the trash alley.

Resize the screen however you like.

With over 60 camera angles, music and sound effects, you’ll never be bored!

Sick of Subscription Buttons?

Posted by advertolog at Monday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

I think that subscription buttons, you know the “Add to Google” or “Add to Yahoo!” buttons that you see on various blogs and Web sites out there have their place - but sometimes get overused. If you have over twenty of them in your web site’s sidebar that might just be a few too many.

Many said that the standardization of the rounded orange buttons was suppose to get rid of this issue - but it doesn’t.

Now if you like seeing the buttons there and you think they are handy - good for you. For the rest of us though I have a solution. Do your best to include the orange RSS icon as it is pretty much a standard that people understand. They know when they click that it means they can subscribe to the feed at hand.

Now when it comes to the other buttons - I say add a few for the most popular options and then push the others to another web page. I’ve done that with the Lunartics blog right here. Have a better solution to share? I’d love to hear it and I know a few other million people who might be interested as well.

List o? Design Resources

Posted by advertolog at Wednesday ~ June 06, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

I keep stumbling upon these great lists this week - and like a good Lunartics, I want to share what I have found with all of you. Going through the list of 100 Freebie CSS Resources I have found a few that I know, a few that I love and a few that are new to me. Here is just a small sample of some of their getting started links:

The other areas of design that are covered are: Tutorials, Tools, Code Libraries, Browser Bugs, Galleries, Templates, Articles, and Forums.

Be sure to check out the full list, because I am sure there is something we can all take away from it.

 

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