It is always good to learn from experience. The Online Journalism Blog has put together 100, (I know it says 1,000) things they have learned since starting out with post number 1. I think I'm on the same track as OJB as I've learned pretty much the same things they have.

One thing to note about this post is that it makes for great link bait. Although it hooked me in, check out how almost every post links back to an article within the archive which delves into the subject matter in more detail. This is a great example of not only producing great link bait, but it is also a good example of a list post that taps into their valuable archive of content.

What are some of the things you have learned thus far in your blogging ventures?

I've been doing this blogging thing for some time now and I've lost my ability to see things from a different perspective. RJ on the other hand has participated in blogging for only two weeks and has already published a post asking, is blogging a waste of time.

The post goes into what RJ is learning in class as it pertains to citizen journalism but he also shares his opinions on what blogging is actually doing as it pertains to America. This post has a political feel to it but I tend to disagree with his overall opinion of blogging.

I think RJ needs to step out of the political arena and check out some blogs that are anything but political. There are plenty of people out their who are behaving in a civilized manner and engaging in meaningful discussions.

Be sure to read the comments attached to his blog post as they contain some interesting responses.

Do you feel that blogging or for that matter, commenting is a waste of time?

Thanks to a study conducted by Envision Solutions who is a health care marketing communications consultant, it appears as though blogs about health are doing quite well. According to the study, just about half of all American adults have written a health related topic on a blog while 60% of those individuals write primarily on health related topics. The study also shows that an estimated thirteen million Americans posted at least one health related item to a blog between February and August of 2008.

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The second episode of Perfcast is now available for consumption. David tries out Xlite as a means of calling in and although he sounds better in terms of audio quality, there appears to have been a technical glitch which caused him to fade out every once and awhile during the show. Despite those hiccups, we had an interesting discussion about WordPress 2.7 and the following news stories.

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Oh the 404! Such a wonderful error to come across while browsing the web. Some are funny while others are helpful. Don't get caught with a rudimentary 404 page which does nothing to aid the user in finding what they were looking for. Instead, use these tips and plugins to create a kick ass 404 page that helps more than it hurts.

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Our own Ryan Caldwell in the Performancing Hive introduced an interesting question. Should he continue to display date information on his blog posts or should it be removed?

For the most part, users have responded that date information is important in determining if the information presented within the post is relevant or old. In my own experience, articles which don't have a date published end up frustrating me as I can't determine how old the information is. Also, I look pretty foolish when I come across an article and end up sharing it to everyone I know, only to find out that the post or subject matter is three years old.

I think the argument between which one bloggers should do is pretty simple. If the information you publish is not time sensitive, then you can probably do away with the timestamp. However, if you are a blog which publishes news or discusses recent events, the time stamp can serve as an important tool for not only your readers, but for search engines as well.

Let me know what you think in the comments. With regards to your feedback, I'd like to know your point of view from both sides. First as a reader, then as a blogger.

WordPress 2.7, (Tentatively) scheduled for a November release looks like it is going to blow the pants off of us. Recently, I took the opportunity to download a developmental version of 2.7 and although it is very early in development, I really like what I've seen thus far. Some highlights worth noting:

The developmental version of WordPress 2.7 should not be used on a live blog as it is not considered stable.

Redesigned back end: Although 2.5 introduced a brand new administration panel for WordPress, 2.7 is going to include a new user interface which I believe many people will enjoy. I liken it to the WordPress 2.3 backend with the style of 2.5.

Revamped Write Panel: One of the biggest complaints from users in WordPress 2.5 was the inability to move things around in the Write panel. Thankfully, this is coming back with a few additions tacked on.

Browsing And Installing Plugins From The Back End: WordPress 2.7 has tied the plugin repository into the back end of WordPress. This means you'll be able to search, download and install plugins right from your installation of WordPress. How cool is that?

There are many other features which may or may not make it into the next version but so far, I have really enjoyed working with the new user interface. The navigational column on the left hand side of the page threw me for a loop for a little while but I have since come to enjoy the lack of vertical scrolling thanks to this column.

If you really want to get a detailed overview as to the changes found within 2.7 thus far, I suggest reading this post entitled (First Look At WordPress 2.7).

Tell me something, are you looking forward to 2.7?

The fine folks over at CatsWhoCode.com have put together a list of around 250 different blogs who have DoFollow links as well as blogs that use the CommentLuv plugin and the Top Commentators widget. The purpose of their article was to compile this list for those out their who are looking to gain backlinks.

I must give these guys credit. They did mention within their article about spamming blogs using their lists.

So, if you want to create a real visibility for your blog and not being called a spammer, always leave relevant comments when you have something to say.
Please do not use this list for spamming.

I use DoFollow on my own personal blog as well as CommentLuv as a means of rewarding individuals who contribute to the conversations that take place on the blog. I will admit, it seems like these two avenues have opened up even more flood gates in terms of the amount of spam comments I receive. Worst yet, the list of DoFollow blogs were compiled using software called Fast Blog Finder. So not only do I as a blog owner have to deal with automated spam, I now have to deal with human beings looking for backlinks through means of leaving comments.

You know, if you want to generate backlinks, do it the old fashioned way. Create a kick ass article. Create something that is link bait. It may not be as easy as commenting on a bunch of blogs but at least you'll decrease the risk of your future comments being flagged as spam automatically from services such as Akismet. If you're not sure on how to create link bait, check out the following articles from Performancing.

The Art Of Linkbaiting

How To Create User Generated Linkbait And Build Relationships At The Same Time

The Five Components Of A Great Linkbait

How I Write List Oriented Linkbait

From Linkbait To Video Bait

Fantastico De Luxe, the popular script installer has been upgraded to version 2.10.4. This means that you should keep an eye out on your cPanel to look for upgrade scripts if you are using any of the following:

Coppermine Photo Gallery: 1.4.18 -> 1.4.19

dotProject: 2.1.1 -> 2.1.2

Drupal: 6.3 -> 6.4

Joomla 1.5: 1.5.4 -> 1.5.6

Open-Realty: 2.4.4 -> 2.5.2

TikiWiki: 1.9.11 -> 2.0

WordPress: 2.6 -> 2.6.1

The first episode of Perfcast went off without a hitch. While discussing WordPress, Lloyd Budd, (who is NOT a core developer) called in. Be sure to tune into next weeks episode and participate live.

STORIES THAT WERE DISCUSSED -
Are You Trustworthy - CopyBlogger
Stop Blaming The WordPress Team - WeblogToolsCollection.com
Monetization Of Twitter - Peformancing
Blogging Internships - TheBlogHerald
Liz Strauss Comment Counter Creates Controversy - TheBlogHerald

LISTENER FEEDBACK - None - We love hearing what you, our audience, thinks of the show, as well as the blogging industry. If you have something to say, please contact us at (perfcast at gmail dot com)

Each week, David and I like to look at the jobs available in blogging and related industries. We cover jobs that catch our eye, and hopefully don't pay too poorly. We will feature one of these jobs on each episode of Perfcast.

BLOGGING JOB OF THE WEEK - Business/Tech Satire Writer

BLOGGING CHALLENGE - Thank your top five commenter's.

The blogging challenge is provided as a means of challenging yourself with a specific duty each week. David and I will be participating in each challenge and will be highlighting various entries from the previous challenge. To have your entry viewed by David and I, leave a comment with a link to your entry on this blog post. You may be the entry we review on the next episode.

LENGTH OF EPISODE - 59 Minutes

NEXT EPISODE - Thursday September 4th, 2008 at 7 P.M. EST

MISC STUFF MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:
WTF Blog Design Clutter Series By Lorelle Van Fossen
WordPress Plugin Called Podcasting
Jeff Chandlers Stats Page
WP-Stats - The Plugin Which Generates The Stats Page

LISTEN TO THE SHOW: