This blog has lost it's way a bit, but I don't care! It started out with me posting my small projects and site updates but has turned into a general free for all for webmasters tips.
Nothing wrong with that I suppose and at least it's being read by a few people.
Just in case anyone is wondering (probably not) I've been working on a backgammon site for the past few days. It's a small site covering the rules, where to play and some backgammon news, if anyone wants to pop in the url is www.backgammonguide.com.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The Unofficial Cookie FAQ
Want to find out more about Cookies?
This site, Cookie Central, give you the low-down on how to create, delete, manipulate or just make your cookies crumble. (Had to get that in somewhere!)
Seriously though, this is a great resource for everything to do with Cookies, how they are made and why and also how some internet sites use them in certain ways that aren't really what they were intended for.
Have a browse to find out exactly how cookies work and also, if you want to use them, how to go about setting them up.
This site, Cookie Central, give you the low-down on how to create, delete, manipulate or just make your cookies crumble. (Had to get that in somewhere!)
Seriously though, this is a great resource for everything to do with Cookies, how they are made and why and also how some internet sites use them in certain ways that aren't really what they were intended for.
Have a browse to find out exactly how cookies work and also, if you want to use them, how to go about setting them up.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Links for Pagerank
As you all (undoubtedly) know, Google bases part of its ranking algorithm on the number, quality, and variety of inbound links to a website. Lately Google has thrown in the wrinkle of looking more heavily at authority links, but the concept is still the same, and more importantly, the message is still the same to website owners: linking is important.
Link Buying – What Is It?
Link buying is a very simple idea. Website owners need high quality (read high PR) inbound links. Websites that are of high quality are looking to monetize their websites. The opportunity is thus created – high quality websites open a section on their website where a website owner can purchase a plain text link with the hopes of improving their website ranking.
Is Link Buying OK With the Search Engines?
Well, Google does not like link buying. It is Google's view that buying and selling text links lowers the overall value and trustworthiness of links on the Internet. Matt Cutts posted back in September how Google and many of the people at Google feel about buying and selling links. In a word, they don't like it at all.
Yahoo has also come out against purchasing links. However, blogger Jeremy Zawodny, who also happens to be an employee of Yahoo's search department started selling links on his blog.
So Should I Buy Links?
It would be so easy to say that buying links is a decent practice and that you will never get in trouble for doing so. Heck, I would love to be able to buy a few links, including one on Jeremy's blog. But the truth is, if you want to rank well in either search engine for the long-term and not face a future penalty, you should probably refrain from buying links. Google has stated several times (many times through Matt Cutts) that buying links is not an acceptable practice and that doing so can get you in trouble. Matt shows an example of where this is the case here. According to him, Google has gotten quite adept at identifying purchased links.
I have no doubt that there are thousands of examples of sites that have purchased links only to see their rankings improve significantly. I seriously doubt that Google or any search engine that places significant weight on linking can properly determine whether every link is bought or natural. You may be able to buy a link and have great success with it.
But when it all comes down to the choice you have to make, you have to realize that link buying is a risk. If a search engine catches you buying or selling a link, they will undoubtedly consider your site to be more questionable. What we must also realize is that they are no longer relying simply on scripts to identify what they consider to be spam, they are also using human eyes to confirm what their scripts find.
The Exception to This Rule
Every rule has its exception, and this rule is no exception. There is a legitimate form of link buying. One of the really good things that has come about from link trading, buying and selling is that we have learned that plain text links have the ability to bring in real traffic. If this is what you are after, then buy links to your heart's content.
Overall Linking Strategies
Linking strategies and schemes will no-doubt evolve. I have heard of a few recently which I think can be very successful, but nothing will ever beat a quality, natural link from a source that links to you because you have something to offer.
This is a summary of an article written by Mark Daoust, the owner of http://www.site-reference.com. Read the full article on his site.
Link Buying – What Is It?
Link buying is a very simple idea. Website owners need high quality (read high PR) inbound links. Websites that are of high quality are looking to monetize their websites. The opportunity is thus created – high quality websites open a section on their website where a website owner can purchase a plain text link with the hopes of improving their website ranking.
Is Link Buying OK With the Search Engines?
Well, Google does not like link buying. It is Google's view that buying and selling text links lowers the overall value and trustworthiness of links on the Internet. Matt Cutts posted back in September how Google and many of the people at Google feel about buying and selling links. In a word, they don't like it at all.
Yahoo has also come out against purchasing links. However, blogger Jeremy Zawodny, who also happens to be an employee of Yahoo's search department started selling links on his blog.
So Should I Buy Links?
It would be so easy to say that buying links is a decent practice and that you will never get in trouble for doing so. Heck, I would love to be able to buy a few links, including one on Jeremy's blog. But the truth is, if you want to rank well in either search engine for the long-term and not face a future penalty, you should probably refrain from buying links. Google has stated several times (many times through Matt Cutts) that buying links is not an acceptable practice and that doing so can get you in trouble. Matt shows an example of where this is the case here. According to him, Google has gotten quite adept at identifying purchased links.
I have no doubt that there are thousands of examples of sites that have purchased links only to see their rankings improve significantly. I seriously doubt that Google or any search engine that places significant weight on linking can properly determine whether every link is bought or natural. You may be able to buy a link and have great success with it.
But when it all comes down to the choice you have to make, you have to realize that link buying is a risk. If a search engine catches you buying or selling a link, they will undoubtedly consider your site to be more questionable. What we must also realize is that they are no longer relying simply on scripts to identify what they consider to be spam, they are also using human eyes to confirm what their scripts find.
The Exception to This Rule
Every rule has its exception, and this rule is no exception. There is a legitimate form of link buying. One of the really good things that has come about from link trading, buying and selling is that we have learned that plain text links have the ability to bring in real traffic. If this is what you are after, then buy links to your heart's content.
Overall Linking Strategies
Linking strategies and schemes will no-doubt evolve. I have heard of a few recently which I think can be very successful, but nothing will ever beat a quality, natural link from a source that links to you because you have something to offer.
This is a summary of an article written by Mark Daoust, the owner of http://www.site-reference.com. Read the full article on his site.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
iGliss.com
iGliss is a great way to search and subscribe to RSS feeds and create personal digests from your favorite feeds.
Your digests can then be shared with friends so that they too can share the RSS feed content that you've found of interest.
Weblogs can be created which can be shared with like-minded people so that everyone benefits from what you managed to find using iGliss.
Your digests can then be shared with friends so that they too can share the RSS feed content that you've found of interest.
Weblogs can be created which can be shared with like-minded people so that everyone benefits from what you managed to find using iGliss.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Search Engines and Algorithms: Optimizing for Yahoo! Search and AltaVista
Search Engines and Algorithms: Optimizing for Yahoo! Search and AltaVista: "Search Engines and Algorithms: Optimizing for Yahoo! Search and AltaVista "
Although I'm not convinced, as the article says, that Yahoo will deliver you much more traffic that Google and MSN. Well ok, maybe it's right about MSN. This is a good article for those of you who wish to understand the search engines and their basic algorithmic functions.
Although I'm not convinced, as the article says, that Yahoo will deliver you much more traffic that Google and MSN. Well ok, maybe it's right about MSN. This is a good article for those of you who wish to understand the search engines and their basic algorithmic functions.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Spam and Viruses
It's little wonder that the past week or so the number of viruses appearing in mailboxes has climbed. I've had my fair share of the critters, even with firewalls and virus protection and now make sure that I backup fairly regularly.
The last week or so has gone crazy! The number of emails I get per day has nearly tripled and most are from spammers wanting to sell me viagra, rolex watches or cheap copied software.
It amazes me that it's even worth their while as most of the emails are poorly written and full of nonsense so that the spam filters won't catch them. I bounce them all back but I don't suppose that nowadays that makes much difference although it maybe makes me feel a little better.
The strange thing is that most of them don't come via the email address I use for my websites. It's freely available but out of all the emails I receive only around 10% to this email address is spam, the rest has to do with my websites and other online work that I do.
No most of the emails I get are to a yahoo address I use and I don't think it's ever been given out except to recommended retailers. mmmm... somebody along the lines must have decided to make a bit and sell a list I was on.
What can be done about the amount of spam emails and viruses we have to endure on a daily basis? I fear, not a lot. Without an over-riding authority to control the internet, the spam is here to stay but if we all did a little bit, we could make a difference.
So the next time you receive spam, at least bounce it back and for the really annoying ones, run the details through Spamcop and follow the instructions.
If you receive any gambling emails for casinos or poker, forward them to Fight Casino Spam. Know any others like these that can make a little difference?
The last week or so has gone crazy! The number of emails I get per day has nearly tripled and most are from spammers wanting to sell me viagra, rolex watches or cheap copied software.
It amazes me that it's even worth their while as most of the emails are poorly written and full of nonsense so that the spam filters won't catch them. I bounce them all back but I don't suppose that nowadays that makes much difference although it maybe makes me feel a little better.
The strange thing is that most of them don't come via the email address I use for my websites. It's freely available but out of all the emails I receive only around 10% to this email address is spam, the rest has to do with my websites and other online work that I do.
No most of the emails I get are to a yahoo address I use and I don't think it's ever been given out except to recommended retailers. mmmm... somebody along the lines must have decided to make a bit and sell a list I was on.
What can be done about the amount of spam emails and viruses we have to endure on a daily basis? I fear, not a lot. Without an over-riding authority to control the internet, the spam is here to stay but if we all did a little bit, we could make a difference.
So the next time you receive spam, at least bounce it back and for the really annoying ones, run the details through Spamcop and follow the instructions.
If you receive any gambling emails for casinos or poker, forward them to Fight Casino Spam. Know any others like these that can make a little difference?
XML.com: XML From the Inside Out
If your struggling to get your head round XML, RSS, Schemas, etc, then pop over to XML.com. Here you'll find easy to read and understand descriptions and examples for a wide range of technologies worth incorporating into your websites.
Webmasters worry no more... well for a little while anyway!
Webmasters worry no more... well for a little while anyway!
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