Even a hardcore multi-tasker like myself has to give in a bit after reading How to Turn Your Dream Projects Into Reality over at ProFreelancing. That post is from late March, but it is the best explanation I've read in a while for not doing a million things at once - such as creating multiple blogs all at the same time. It still doesn't stop me from my style of multi-tasking, but it clarifies what I've recently concluded: build one blog at a time.

The serial approach is ideal for any projects that will be ongoing/ long-term. That's especially true if you can get each project to a self-sustaining state. That is the true value of the serial approach to website portfolio building. Or you can do as I and other bloggers have done: set up multiple blogs at once and never have any of them go anywhere.

[Updated with screencast.] If you've spent any time on Twitter lately (via Twhirl or any other client), you know that the service has been having growing pains. There is Pownce as an alternative, but for some unexplainable reason, it doesn't appeal to me. Twitter seems "better" b/c of the well-utilized API and all the desktop/ browser clients. But what do you do if Twitter goes down? Or if the Twitter clients are not showing updates for 20-30 minutes, despite your setting of 3 minutes?

I'm not talking jumping ship, but there is Plurk - something numerous Twitterers have tweeted about. Maki of DoshDosh.com noted on Twitter that Plurk seems more friendly. Consider that as of this writing, he's following over 900 people and has nearly 3800 followers. Yet, he says that he doesn't get many responses on Twitter when he asks questions.

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[Flickr credit: preciouskhyatt | CC.] The wonderful late Spring weather of the past few days always triggers "revelation" season for me each year - a time when I (re-)discover some truths about myself, particularly in terms of writing career. For example, it pains me to say this but up until very recently, I've unwittingly been focused on the financial aspects of blogging. In my defense, it wasn't intentional - but that mindset was there nevertheless, and inexcusable. I did once blog because I loved writing, but thoughts of "career" intruded along the way and took over.

In fact, this mostly accounts for why I've blogged so many, many niches - probably beyond the average freelancer - in the past four calendar years. That is, other than originally being inspired by Darren Rowse/ Problogger, who made multiple niches work for him. But Darren is a rarity in the blogosphere.

The Truth and Fear

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[Flickr credit: matsuyuki.] Lorelle spells out, at Blog Herald, the three sources that your web traffic comes from: search engines, links, word of mouth. Which one are you writing for? She offers some of the most convincing reasoning for focusing on "word of mouth" - a powerful form of communication now and throughout history. Write for word of mouth traffic, she says, and traffic from other sources will follow.

Another facet of that question is, "Who are you writing for?" I'd like to pass on some advice about writing that I learned a long time ago, which I've just rediscovered scribbled in an old notebook of mine. If you want your writing to be impactful and/or meaningful, write for someone that cares about you and what you have to say.

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[Flickr credit: Coyotejack.] Around late 2006, there was a report that the number of mobile phones had outstripped landlines in North America - a pattern headed for duplication elsewhere in the world. Then the iPhone, a revolutionary communication device, appeared and those lucky Americans that got one probably rejoiced. The iPhone offers true mobile browser access in a handy package - reportedly with an expensive two-year overall contract cost.

But what about the rest of us? There isn't another phone that comes close to the size of the iPhone and simultaneously offers true mobile browsing. If there is, after a year of looking, I haven't found it. (The iPhone still hasn't come to Canada.) Well okay, there's the CECT T5 T32 iPhone clone [via RedFerret], though I'm talking about something official, from a known phone manufacturer. (If I'm going to spend over $200 on a phone, it'd better be something I can rely on.)

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There was a time on the Web when sites were built by a select few people who understood HTML and JavaScript. Then came graphics programs that would generate some of the code for you web page design for you - but you still needed to know how to design. Then came WordPress and other open source blog platforms - arguably as important a technological innovation as Gutenberg's press, because these platforms have enabled the "masses" to communicate.

More recently, there've been a number of JavaScript code libraries - such as Script.aculo.us or jQuery - that have enabled many non-programmers to add advanced user interfaces to their sites. In a similar vein, CSS grid frameworks are enabling non-designers to jazz up their sites with quickly-prototyped, slicker layouts.

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The common wisdom online seems to be that if you're getting critical comments on your blog - even the kind that say "you suck" - then you're definitely starting to be noticed. Of course, that's a type of notice most people can do without. (Note that this does not necessarily mean you are not being noticed if you are not getting negative comments.)

Some bloggers moderate comments and remove anything rude or insulting. Others leave all but the most offensive. But if you do leave them up, should you respond to negative comments? Ignore them? If you respond, how should you do so? Chris Garrett offers some great advice on when to answer critics. If you visit, read the comments as well, which provide even more insight and advice. Also check out Deb Ng's advice on handling negative comments, published here on Perf last year.

So, do you get negative comments on your blog? How have you handled these?

In the blogosphere there are obviously many different styles of writing. One style that I enjoy is the first person account of an experience - particularly if it's about visiting a restaurant or most especially about visiting some place. Travel writing has been popular in print for a long time - just think how much advertising newspapers get in their travel section - and my research suggests that it's popular online as well, and very competitive.

What's particularly interesting is reading the exploits of a new breed of traveler sometimes known as a digital bedouin (wanderer) or digital nomad. This types travel either for fun or work (conferences, workshops, meetings), carries around the requisite gadgets, and blogs about what's going on pretty much every day. They either carry a laptop/ UMPC with them, or they go to local Internet cafes when available. The Internet makes this possible, and some people have embraced it.

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If you're new to Performancing's PMetrics web analytics service - or simply haven't checked your stats panel lately - you might not know about some of the new "daily" features in the Dashboard section. You can see them in the screen snap below, in the green-highlit area.

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Need chart graphics for your website? Google released their Charts web API not too long ago, making reasonably nice charts available to anyone with an Internet connection and web browser. No expensive diagramming software nor Excel spreadsheets are necessary. Using Google Charts really is as easy as pie (charts).

Types of Charts

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If you own websites/ blogs and plan to maybe sell them someday, here's something sobering. Google keeps flexing it's muscle, and engineer Matt Cutts (the closest thing to a Google PR person and public "voice") is saying that if you sell your site, there's a consequence to the buyer: Google will cut the ranking down to zero.

Since Google has been registered as a domain registrar for a while now, they have access to your domain's whois records. So they know when a domain changes hands. Even if you use "privacy" on whois records, they can track you through use of Google Adsense, (Google) Feedburner, Google Analytics, and who knows what else. Unless your sites are Google-free.

Is It a Big Deal?

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Chris Garrett is running a global blogger survey, and if you participate, you're eligible to win one of 10 copies of the ProBlogger Book that he co-wrote with Darren Rowse of Problogger.

Darren wrote an inspiring article, 12 Traits of Successful Bloggers. It's inspiring, at least to me, because I think I have many of the traits (either at present, or have had in the past and thus can recover). The short list:

1. Creative and playful.
2. Innovative.
3. Connectors.
4. Community Enablers.
5. Information Mavens.
6. Communicators.
7. Interest.
8. Entrepreneurs.
9. Originality.
10. Perserverance.
11. Focus.
12. Curiousity.

Now to work on my weak areas, the biggest of which is "Focus" What about you? Which traits do you have? Which do you think is the most important? (I vote for "Perserverance", because if that's all you have right now, it'll carry you through while you build the other traits.)

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Do you love Twitter enough to write mini-stories with it? If you can produce a story (not poetry) in EXACTLY 140 characters, Twitter it, then post the link to it at Copyblogger's Twitter Writing Contest page. You'll be eligible to win a 4Gb iPod Nano. If you want to donate prizes to this contest, you can post info there too.

Twitter is becoming so popular that it's gaining converts in droves, creating buzz in the blogosphere, and spawning popular Twitter apps/clients such as Twhirl (and serving up 500 errors at times - presumably when it can't handle the load). One of my Hive colleagues, Brian from Candy Addict, is being interviewed by Donny Deutsch for The Big Idea TV talk show this morning. So he set up Twitter on his mobile phone so that he could Twitter the experience before and after the interview. You can go one step further and livecast. And then there's Twitpitching to propose an idea to someone.

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If you're not going out this weekend to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, maybe you'll want some reading material. (Or you could go see a recent release like Iron Man - but skip Speed Racer, in case you're expecting it to be as good as the Wachowski Brothers' earlier effort, The Matrix.)

It's still arguable whether or not bloggers are generally opinionated, but some are definitely introverts. Chris Garrett gives some advice on breaking out of your solitude - something that's necessary for online success.

One way to ease into being less introverted is to speak in front of people. (I was incredibly shy before becoming a teaching assistant in college.) If you don't want to do that, try talking to a video camera set up on a tripod. (Or just start with podcasting. Both are less intimidating than public speaking.) Start with product or movie reviews, or a simple vodcast about something you know. (Write a rough script, to keep yourself focused.) Review the recordings and if something's good, pop it up on YouTube. (Then use Google's new YouTube Insight tool, to study the breakdown of viewers.)

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Peter D. Marshall, a veteran filmmaker, asked on Twitter whether anyone had links for social media tips for a talk he's preparing. The talk is aimed at theater people and how to promote themselves using social media.

Now, I see a lot of musicians on MySpace, but I've so far only come across one on Twitter: Henry Rollins. (Not that I've actively searched, mind you.) He's not very active, and only follows 21 other Twitter accounts. Still, he establishes a presence and indicates when he'll be play somewhere next. He also divulges little tidbits that give a glimpse into his life. This has garnered him over 6,500 followers on Twitter.

Yeah, So?

Well it's like having a sort of subscription list if you are a performer, because then you can equate "follower" with 'fan" (most of the time). Now had you started to build these followers from scratch by asking the same 6,500 people to sign up for an official newsletter, you might not have the same response. But now that you have these followers, you can offer something, and because they feel they know you, it's possible that you'll get a much better response. (Just speculating.)

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