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Filed under: Blogging

Backfilling another month of archives

Those of you who subscribe to my blog via either RSS or the built-in Posterous engine may see a little over 30 "new" posts to my blog.  These posts are all from April of 2004 and are imported from my old blog. There's a lot to import and no automated method for importation, so I am doing it manually a little at a time.  Occasionally, you will see a flurry of old posts. Sorry for the noise. I just want all my stuff under one roof.

Thanks for the patience.

Monetizing your blog, but not mine

Here's some advice from someone who chooses not to do it himself.

  1. Start with something about which you are passionate. Notice how "all over the map" my blog is? This is not the way to monetize your blog. Focus on a topic or area about which you have strong opinions, some knowledge, and a real interest in sharing both. Firstly, it will help you blog more frequently (a good monetized blog has at least a post a day, usually more) and secondly it will help shape your agenda (if you are passionate about it, you will have an agenda. If you don't, you probably aren't).
  2. Post new content. Make it fresh. Infuse it with your views, your personality, and your agenda. Sharing links is fine. Sharing ideas is profitable. Your ideas and thoughts should be specific. It's not enough to say "I don't like X". Explain why. Convince your audience to not like X as well. Present facts, numbers, anecdotes, and research (preferable original research). Frankly, no one cares that you are a Democrat who hates Republicans or a Republican who hates Democrats or a cat who hats dogs or a guy who hates cancer. They care that you have a reason for your beliefs. They care to hear the reasons more than the beliefs. Let the audience learn who you are through your reasoning, your passion, and your style. You can't do that without posting original content.
  3. Socialize. That does not mean allow people to click like or retweet your posts. It means really engage with your audience. Bring them into the conversation. Not just through a good comment system, but through genuine interaction. Feature content from them. Interview or profile them. Engage them with contests and games. Ask their opinion. Make them a community. Do that, and they will return.
  4. Find inventive and varies ways to make money. Advertisements are one way. So are partnerships and endorsements. Product placements are another way. The two most difficult to create revenue, though, are donations and subscriptions. You can try them, but are far less likely to see great value. Increase your Youtube views so you can become an affiliate. Join Amazon's affiliate program. Use ads (judiciously) on your site. Find unusual ways

Notice how much of the above I don't do. Also notice what parts I do. I'm not particularly interested in profiting from this blog. I'm not opposed, but I don't seek it out. My old blog was far more profitable, still gets more daily hits even without fresh content, and still generates more money. Oh well. For me, this has always been about experimenting with words and ideas. Sometimes I get lazy and post links to interesting things. Sometimes I post my thoughts. My only hope is that in the end those who read this know the kind of person I am through my content and my writing. For now, that's profit enough.

On account of the Internet needing better content

We are all guilty of it. Facebook, Slashdot, Twitter, Digg, Reddit and other social media sites have made it easy (trivial, even) to share links to good content on the web and like good consumers, we've done as we are told. We see it. We like it. We link to it on our 8 favorite sharing sites. We continue surfing the web. And isn't that awesome? I mean, we get to show our 200 closest friends exactly what we are reading in the expectation that they will appreciate it. The greatest compliment, of course, is when one of those close friends re-shares the same link. Oh joy! We inspired our friend to show others what we showed them!

I love being able to one-click-share things I enjoy with my friends, but I regret what it's done to me. It's turned me into a medium and turned me away from being a source. Sharing is wonderful. It's immanently human, and I don't mean to suggest we should stop. But I do mean to ask what happened to all the great original content. My friends share link after link and they have stopped (mostly) sharing the contents of their own minds. I miss that. I have smart, funny, insightful friends and I have always enjoyed hearing their thoughts in the past. Sadly, Facebook has nearly ended that. All I get now are links to others' content, snippets of mundane life ("Bob checked in to Starbucks" and "Sally likes Farmville"), and the occasionally clever, but ultimately meaningless, status update. I appreciate knowing what my friends like and what they are doing, but I appreciate more knowing why they like something and why they are doing something.

Take a moment to post a short paragraph or two talking about something original. I understand writing can be hard to start. Maybe I can help. I'll post four writing ideas below. Take one. Hell, take all four! Just take a moment to post something on the web that came entirely from your own head. If you do, I promise to link to it. ;-)

  • Look around you. Pick one thing (a strawberry, an interesting chair, your favorite shirt, the waiting room, or the dream home in your mind) and describe it. Make sure you are specific. Describe the colors, the textures, the shapes and smells, the taste of whatever you've picked as the object of your writing attention.
  • Think back to something memorable. Describe it narratively. Think about your last day on a job, the time you went to a store with your grandmother, the crucial sixty seconds of a game, the first time you saw your child, or the peaceful lunchtime walk you took. Pick something, and share it. Talk about how you felt, what you enjoyed or hated about it, or how it impacted your life.
  • Pick something you know how to do well. Explain the process of doing it. Whether it's setting up a JBoss server, making an origami swan, fighting for freedom, running for public office, linking your blog to Facebook, or buying a car, there is someone who will benefit from what you know. Share your knowledge and make the world better. Be specific. Don't forget any steps or assume any knowledge. Step through the process procedurally.
  • Think about something you believe, but cannot prove fully. Explain why you believe it. Do you be believe cell phones cause cancer? That America is on the wrong path? That roses are overrated. Adults are just obsolete children? That Tom's blog is a waste of time? That Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the best show ever? That XHTML2 is better than HTML5? Well then, take the time to explain why you believe it and how that believe changes what you do.

I look forward to seeing what you write. Now, I'm off to Red Lobster, where I will take a pic and post it on Facebook with little surrounding content. I mean, let's face it. MY mundane activities are interesting, right?

Superious Android App

I'm trying out the new Superiors Android App.  It's a third party app that allows me to manage my Posterous sites and groups.  It also allows me to explore my subscriptions.  Not a bad app, I think.  If you have an Android device, you can get it for free in the market.  Coolness!

The Derailed Danvillian Posting

I had posting plans, but rather than post what I'd intended, I will share the exchange I just had with my daughter.

Cadence:What are you doing?
Me:Writing.
Cadence:About what?
Me:Just about what I'm doing.
Cadence:Oh, you mean like being lazy on your iPad and eating unhealthy chips?
Me:Ummm, yeah, I guess that's about it.

So, I guess her post idea seemed funnier and more honest than mine.

Hope everyone is having fun back in VB and elsewhere. Danville is as Danville always is. The oh-so familiar basement is still my Fortress of Solitude from the the redneck Lex Luthors of the world.

The Cartel of the Red Cowl - Navigating the Great Material Continuum

Following are the Rules by which all good Ferengi everywhere live their lives profitably.

Rule 001 - Once you have their money, you never give it back.
Rule 002 - The best deal is the one that brings the most profit.
Rule 003 - Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to.
Rule 004 - A woman wearing clothes is like a man in the kitchen.
Rule 006 - Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.
Rule 007 - Keep your ears open.
Rule 008 - Small print leads to large risk.
Rule 009 - Opportunity plus instinct equals profit.
Rule 010 - Greed is eternal.
Rule 011 - Even if it's free, you can always buy it cheaper.
Rule 012 - Anything worth doing is worth doing for money.
Rule 013 - Anything worth doing is worth doing twice.
Rule 014 - Keep your family close, keep your Latinum closer.
Rule 016 - A deal is a deal. (until a better one comes along).
Rule 017 - A contract is a contract is a contract - but only between Ferengi.
Rule 018 - A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all.
Rule 019 - Satisfaction is not guaranteed.
Rule 020 - Only give money to people you know you can steal from.
Rule 021 - Never place friendship before profit.
Rule 022 - A wise man can hear profit in the wind.
Rule 024 - Latinum can't buy happiness, but you can sure have a blast renting it.
Rule 025 - There's always a way out.
Rule 026 - As the customers go, so goes the wise profiteer.
Rule 027 - There's nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman.
Rule 028 - Whisper your way to success.
Rule 029 - What's in it for me?
Rule 031 - Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother. (insult something he cares about, instead).
Rule 033 - It never hurts to suck up to the boss.
Rule 034 - War is good for business.
Rule 035 - Peace is good for business.
Rule 037 - If it's free, take it and worry about hidden costs later.
Rule 039 - Friendship is temporary; profit is forever.
Rule 040 - She can touch your lobes, but never your Latinum.
Rule 041 - Profit is its own reward.
Rule 042 - What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too.
Rule 044 - Never confuse wisdom with luck.
Rule 045 - Ambition knows no family.
Rule 046 - Make your shop easy to find.
Rule 047 - Don't trust a man wearing a better suit than your own.
Rule 048 - The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.
Rule 049 - Everything is worth something to somebody.
Rule 050 - Gratitude can bring on generosity.
Rule 051 - Reward anyone who adds to your profits so they will continue to do so.
Rule 052 - Never ask when you can take.
Rule 057 - Good customers are as rare as Latinum, Treasure them.
Rule 058 - There is no substitute for success.
Rule 059 - Free advice is seldom cheap.
Rule 060 - Keep your lies consistent.
Rule 062 - The riskier the road, the greater the profit.
Rule 065 - Win or lose, there's always Huyperian beetle snuff.
Rule 068 - Ear stroking will get you anything.
Rule 069 - Ferengi are not responsible for the stupidity of other races.
Rule 072 - Never trust your customers.
Rule 073 - If it gets you profit, sell your own mother.
Rule 075 - Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of Latinum.
Rule 076 - Every once in a while, declare peace. "It confuses the hell out of your enemies".
Rule 077 - It's better to swallow your pride than to lose your profit.
Rule 078 - When the going gets tough, the tough change the Rules.
Rule 079 - Beware of the Vulcan greed for knowledge.
Rule 082 - The flimsier the product, the higher the price.
Rule 084 - A friend is not a friend if he asks for a discount.
Rule 085 - Never let the competition know what you're thinking.
Rule 087 - A friend in need means three times the profit.
Rule 089 - Ask not what your profits can do for you, ask what you can do for your profits.
Rule 092 - There are many paths to profit.
Rule 093 - Act without delay! The sharp knife cuts quickly.
Rule 094 - Females and finances don't mix.
Rule 095 - Expand or die.
Rule 096 - For every Rule, there is an equal and opposite Rule, (except when there's not).
Rule 097 - Enough... is never enough.
Rule 098 - Every man has his price.
Rule 099 - Trust is the biggest liability of all.
Rule 100 - If they take your first offer, you either asked too little or offered too much.
Rule 101 - The only value of a collectible is what you can get somebody else to pay for it.
Rule 102 - Nature decays, but Latinum lasts forever.
Rule 103 - Sleep can interfere with...
Rule 104 - Faith moves mountains... (of inventory).
Rule 105 - Don't trust anyone who trusts you.
Rule 106 - There is no honor in poverty.
Rule 107 - A warranty is valid only if they can find you.
Rule 109 - Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.
Rule 111 - Treat people in your debt like family, exploit them [ruthlessly].
Rule 112 - Never have sex with the boss' sister.
Rule 113 - Always have sex with the boss.
Rule 115 - The best contract always has a lot of fine print.
Rule 116 - There's always a catch.
Rule 117 - Everything is for sale, including friendship.
Rule 119 - Never judge a customer by the size of his wallet, (...sometimes, good things come in small packages).
Rule 121 - Everything is for sale, including friendship.
Rule 123 - Even a blind man can recognize the glow of Latinum.
Rule 125 - You can't make a deal if you're dead.
Rule 126 - Count it.
Rule 127 - Stay neutral in conflict so that you can sell supplies to both sides.
Rule 135 - Never trust a beneficiary.
Rule 139 - Wives serve, brothers inherit.
Rule 141 - Only fools pay retail.
Rule 142 - There's no such thing as an unfair advantage.
Rule 143 - Risk is part of the game... play it for all it's worth.
Rule 144 - There's nothing wrong with charity...as long as it winds up in your pocket.
Rule 146 - Necessity, n. The mother of invention. Profit is the father.
Rule 152 - A lie is a way to tell the truth to someone who doesn't know.
Rule 153 - Sell the sizzle, not the steak.
Rule 162 - Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit.
Rule 168 - Whisper your way to success.
Rule 169 - Competition and fair play are mutually exclusive.
Rule 171 - Blood is thicker than water, and Latinum is thicker than both.
Rule 172 - Chances aren't what they used to be.
Rule 177 - Know your enemies... but do business with them always.
Rule 181 - Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit.
Rule 188 - A fool and his money is the best customer.
Rule 189 - Let others keep their reputation. You keep their money.
Rule 190 - Hear all, trust nothing.
Rule 191 - A Ferengi waits to bid until his opponents have exhausted themselves.
Rule 192 - Never cheat a Klingon... unless you're sure you can get away with it.
Rule 194 - It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door.
Rule 200 - If you're going to have to endure, make yourself comfortable.
Rule 202 - The justification of profit is profit.
Rule 203 - New customers are like razor-backed Gree worms... They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back!
Rule 204 - It takes a Ferengi to cheat a Ferengi.
Rule 208 - Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer.
Rule 211 - Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success... don't hesitate to step on them.
Rule 214 - Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach.
Rule 216 - Never gamble with an empath.
Rule 217 - You can't free a fish from water.
Rule 218 - Always know what you're buying.
Rule 219 - Possession is 11/10 of the law.
Rule 223 - Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox.
Rule 229 - Latinum lasts longer than lust.
Rule 231 - There's a sucker born every minute; be sure you're the first to find each one.
Rule 236 - You can't buy fate.
Rule 239 - Never be afraid to mislabel a product.
Rule 241 - Never trust a hardworking employee.
Rule 242 - More is good... all is better.
Rule 253 - Synthehol is the lubricant of choice for a customer's stuck purse.
Rule 255 - A wife is a luxury... a smart accountant, a necessity.
Rule 256 - Accountants do not play the game; they only keep the score.
Rule 260 - Life's not fair. How else would you turn a profit?
Rule 261 - A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience.
Rule 262 - A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.
Rule 263 - Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for Latinum.
Rule 265 - The customer is always right, (...until you get their cash).
Rule 266 - When in doubt, lie.
Rule 267 - If you believe it, they believe it.
Rule 270 - In business deals, a disruptor can be almost as important as a calculator.
Rule 277 - Anything worth fighting for is worth hiding from.
Rule 284 - Deep down, everyone's a Ferengi.
Rule 285 - No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Rule 286 - When Morn leaves, it's all over. (Quark made this rule up)
Rule 299 - Whenever you exploit someone, it never hurts to thank them. That way, it's easier to exploit them the next time. (Neelix made this rule up)
The Unwritten Rule - When no appropriate Rule applies, make one up!

I've started using my RedCowl.com site. I was debating what to do with it, but it makes sense that I should use it to post my Ferengi thoughts and ideas there. I've been saying I should set up a site to do that. Now I have one.

Tom's old blog

Welcome to the new hotness

After repeated attempts to rewrite my old blog software, consider this my tossed in towel. I ain’t doing that when tools like Posterous.com make it so easy to do all the things I wanted to write myself. So to that end, know that Jr High Drop Out is the new Digital Elite.

I won’t be migrating posts from the old site to here, except maybe as an occasional repost. Instead, the old site will stay up as reference and the new site will be where all the cool kids go for the latest in Tom-related news and stories.

Enjoy!