Earning, Blogging, Tips and More

Retweet To Share Tweets (BETA)

Twitter's got a new feature but it is still under Beta version. I'm privileged to be part of the Beta group and be able to test this new feature. It's simply a retweeting feature of tweets. Before, we have to manually write "RT" to indicate it is just a retweet. Now, everything's done smoothly.

The image above will tell it all. I'm also trying it now.

Notice the difference between a tweet and a retweet? It's the icon beside it!

I think Twitter must release this feature right away. For one, it is useful. Another it is really a cool feature. Kudos Twitter!

Thoughts On SEO Experts and English Grammar

I throw this question to all, specially to SEO experts, SEO "experts", SEO lovers and bloggers: Is it necessary that SEO experts be very good in English grammar and usage?

I am just curious really. I consider the likes of Problogger and Dosh Dosh to have excellent English skills (add people skills too). But ever since the advent of the "SEO era" where people seem so much informed about SEO, there was a sudden boom in the number of SEO-related blogs all around the world. People think that it's one speedy way to richness and fame. And so I made myself skeptic about this.

I've seen multitudes of blogs talking about SEO. Though there are excellent ones, I could not help but find out that a lot of SEO bloggers can't even make good use of the English language well. Some have noticeably a number of grammatical errors, a few have spelling errors.

No, I'm not saying I can use English perfectly. I have faults too. I just wonder if correct grammar (which is a factor to GOOD content) affects SEO. Is it absolutely fine to commit errors more than a few times if you "consider" yourself an SEO expert? Or are SEO experts required to be adept in using properly the English language?

For readers and bloggers, does it discourage you to read an SEO blog with grammatical errors?

Just a direct question really and I know we'll all learn something from thinking about this. How about you? What's your stand?

Google Updates PageRank of Blogs

Yep, you heard it right. Unlike before, today's blogosphere now doesn't really cringe to the thought of PageRank updates, down or up. Only the posties do and since I'm out of the postie line already, I'm not much affected of the PR update. I checked this blog's PageRank just now and it got a PageRank 3. Surprising. Or not.

So what are you waiting for bloggers? Check your blog's PageRank now!

Unfortunately for me, my other blog is still a zero after it has been whip-lashed by Mr G months ago. My main blog with a new domain due to server problemos is still an N/A. I've learned a lot from that though.

Now I'm not bitter or something about me getting out of the postie line. I knew that one day I'd be a non-earning blogger. And now that's what I am. And all I tell myself now is months from now, I'd be getting a job, a real job, and that's what's important. And being a postie is just a side line, for all of us.

I don't know where I'm getting at. Ok, just check your PageRanks my friends. Good luck!

Blog Anywhere! Get Your Globe Tattoo Now!

Globe Tattoo Broadband just got better! Now you can blog anywhere without spending too much on expensive wide-ranged wireless internet. No need to run to a nearby internet cafe to blog about something, and you can be away from home and still keep your blog going!

Now to attest all those premium goodness the Globe Tattoo Broadband has to offer, the author of Migs Mobile Network wrote his insights and experiences about the product which he won (and which I almost won, argh!) during the Philippine Blog Awards 2009. He also shares tips one can surely make use of.

Comparing the Globe Tattoo Broadband with another Globe service, the Globe 3G, Migs states:

Plus the fact that it seems to be faster than Globe 3G. Or maybe they’re just the same. However, with using your phone with your Globe 3G SIM, you first need to convert the KB browsing to Time based browsing or else, expect a bill for your prepaid plan with thousand of pesos more than what you usually pay. But internet usage via your Globe Tattoo SIM by default is TIME-BASED. No need to worry about over spending on internet connection charges. Nice huh?

Personally, I've tried Globe 3G and err, it was slow. So according to Migs, Globe Tattoo Broadband is way better than the older Globe 3G. He shares his experience about having only a really small amount of signal from 3G but when he used his Globe Tattoo, connection was fast. Add stable. He mentioned that he was able to read his mails, read feeds on his Google feed reader, chat, micro-blog, download a file, and watch live streams. Emphasis intended on the last one, lol. But hey, don't expect Globe Tattoo to be your perfect broadband solution. Migs says it all depends on the area.

...it really depends on the area. But you can try changing the network settings to make your globe tattoo faster. From the Globe Tattoo Connection Menu, click on Tools->Options->Network. By default, its on WCDMA preferred. Try other choices and see what connection is best for your location.

So there you have it, some useful tips and tricks from our techy guy Migs. Read the whole post at Migs Mobile Network entitled "I won a Globe Tattoo".

So a message for me and for everyone who are yet to get their Globe Tattoo Broadband kit: it is now only P895 (I remembered it was P1895 a year ago, lol). What a cool buy it would be. Save a thousand bucks and get speedy internet anywhere, huh. Because Globe loves us, P300 worth of free load will be preloaded into the Globe Tattoo sim. That's 15 free internet hours! Wah. There are also a variety of Globe Tattoo Broadband New Skins to choose from. Check out the Globe Tattoo Broadband Gallery for visual goodness.

More! More! Globe’s also giving you free UNLITXT All Day (promo until Nov. 15 only) every time you load at least P30 to your Globe Tattoo USB Stick and use it for surfing the internet within a day!

Erm, by the way, the P895 promo of the Globe Tattoo Broadband will only be until October 31, 2009. Everyone! Let's head now to the nearest Globe stores and purchase one now! I'll be buying mine on October 30! Woot. Happy blogging!

Lessons Learned From a Bad Experience With My Web Host

Last October 23, 2009, my self-hosted blog The Extraordinary Kiddo (http://bryankarl.net) went down. I thought everything's fine as after some few minutes, the blog went up again. Then I went to sleep. The next day, boom, blog's already suspended. It was the same (and I prayed it would be back to normal) until Sunday. I emailed my then web host (Kinohost, owned by Jon Towns) and got no reply at all. They're a waste of time so I decided to move on. Here's the complete story.

I've been through a lot because of such incident. I was thankful enough I do everyday backups of my database. I have only one backup of my files and it was one month ago but that's better than none. So here, lessons learned:

Choose a "reliable" web host. Reliable is relative. Reliable can either mean great customer rating/feedback, higher uptime, brand, speed of customer support, features, etc. It all depends on you. On my case, I'd go for the speedy customer support. Why? It irritates me much if I can't contact people from my web host. Now, my new host is just run by someone in the same country as I do and contacting support can be through Yahoo! Messenger or SMS. Easy.
Do regular backup of your database. There is an automatic database backup feature in WordPress. All you've got to do is configure it to send daily/weekly backups of your database to your email. Yes, email. No hassle.
Do regular backup of your files. You don't do this everyday. You just can't. Files always come in huge sizes and it would be burdensome to download them all everyday. Weekly backup of files can be good. Monthly is okay. But if you hate waiting for everything to be downloaded, maybe you could choose which parts to download. As the author of iFancy.Me states, the most important files you need to backup are: plugins, themes, wp-config.php and .htaccess.
Monitor your web host status. You could check how many times a month the server goes down. Or maybe you could check on irate customers. Do some simple Googling. You would find out if similar clients are praising or trash talking on your web host.

After all those, I've now recovered. And I changed domain name so please do link my main blog up. It's http://extraordinarykiddo.com, The Extraordinary Kiddo. By the way, my new web host is iRock Web Hosting Solutions, owned by a co-Filipino. Hope I won't be having problems with my new host.

Have you had similar bad experiences with your web host?

Business in Focus: World First

Now, let's shift our focus from bloggers and blogs to businesses that find majority of their existence and success on the web. In this post, we'll first discuss what the business is all about and next, the advantages of having your business run (either partially of fully) online.

About World First

Based in the United Kingdom, Word First is a fast growing foreign exchange broker that offers both private parties and companies the ability to achieve better currency exchange rates and other financial services.

For now, World First is serving around 20,000 private clients and 3,000 companies. Quoted from their site, World First's foreign exchange transaction volume was over £1 billion last year (2008).

Based in London, World First has worked with over 20,000 private clients and 3,000 companies to date. World First's foreign exchange transaction volume was over £1 billion last year (2008).

Click here for more information about currency (from Wikipedia).

About the World First website

The World First website offers a lot to customers and non-customers alike. Aside from a well-arrange template and readable text, there are certain features that are related to what the business is all about.

There's a currency converter on the side, a blog about currency, request links, related links, daily podcast from Chief Economist Jeremy Cook and video tutorials about currency and foreign exchange.

Whether you're a person about to transfer money in huge amounts or just a passer-by trying to get a look at the site, the World First website surely tells in detail what the business is all about.

Advantages of having a website, quick look

Some people might ask, why do you have to put up a website when you could go full blast marketing offline? The truth is, online marketing/advertising works as much or even more than the traditional marketing strategies.

Here are what you get when you do an online version or gateway to your growing business:

exposure - some customers nowadays just do a quick Google search and that is how transactions (some huge, some not) start.
connection - you can build connections to related businesses and that's one way for your business to start being heard of. Or you could create business partnerships out of it.
low maintenance, low cost - when you hire someone to build a website, the cost is not that high. The cost is even very low when you can do it by yourself. And maintenance does not require much overhead.
updated - when you are online, and your business is too, you get updated with the latest. Everything's going web nowadays and the news starts here. Financial news also start here as quick as real-time relay. Having a website will make your business "in" and be part of a directory-like world where people could reach up to you in one click.

Those four are just quick notes of the advantages of having a website for your business. Take a look at World First. I am sure a lot of clients found them online especially those outside UK. Those advantages are listed in a jiffy and could be expounded for further discussion.

So to businesses out there without a website, I'm sure you want to get one now. Good luck.

Typhoon Ondoy Aftermath: Bloggers Too Can Help

As of writing, Manila City (Philippines) is starting to rise up from the catastrophic storm that hit it last week. Though many families are now okay, a lot are still at a big loss and needs our help. Bagyong Ondoy (Typhoon Katsena) has done much damage. It took lives, properties and livelihood. People need help. Now's the time that bloggers must use their online presence to help spread the need for help.

Image from Boston.com
I am glad to see a lot of people calling out for help in micro-blogging sites such as Twitter and Facebook. And there are a lot of replies, willing to help, willing to volunteer. I am also seeing a lot of blog posts telling WHERE and HOW people can help, donate and volunteer. I made a post listing some of the drop off donation points here in Cebu.

I am glad the Filipino spirit of bayanihan is still living amongst us. As Chris Tiu's twitter update says:

Wonderful to see the relief centers packed with youth volunteers! We're not apathetic. There is hope for the Filipino people! - Chris Tiu

You too can help. If you know or have a list of donation drop off centers, spread em. If you are in Manila, you could be a volunteer. Take part now.

Check out this Google landing page on Help for Typhoon Ondoy Victims in the Philippines.