Blogsolid - Ideas for better blogging

1 Day. 623 Visitors. Crash! Here’s How…

August 10th, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

“King for a day.” Not only the title of a cool Green Day song, but also what I was thinking to myself yesterday while watching the Blogsolid visitor statistics skyrocket. I couldn’t believe it when the final tally for the day came to 657 visits (623 unique visitors) from 62 countries around the world – and this within the first week of launching! Amazed at my new found glory, I smiled unaware of the impending doom awaiting my beloved blog. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself, so here’s a rundown of the events leading to this bittersweet achievement: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Power | 10 Comments »

Guess Who’s Back (After 12h Downtime)

August 9th, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

After about 12 hours of downtime, Blogsolid is back in action. I apologise for any inconvenience, anger, tears, disappointment and anguish caused by the sudden disappearance of the site. Check back tomorrow for a full explanation of what happened - at least it makes for a good story!

Kind regards

Imar

Posted in Info | No Comments »

And Your Point Is?

August 8th, 2007

By Jonhenry Wilson

People browsing the Internet are inevitably paying for that pleasure. Be it directly from their pocket at an Internet cafe or a monthly subscription for the home computer.

If they’re not paying, their firewall-oblivious boss is. By virtue of this fact, the school of thought is unless it’s flashy, interactive, entertaining content; the chances are decent that people won’t stick around for too long on a given blog to read it. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Basics | 2 Comments »

If Your Blog Were A Restaurant

August 6th, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

Food, glorious food! If you’re anything like me, you’ll agree that eating is very important. Even a humble cheese sandwich gets me smiling, and since I really enjoy good food, I am pretty particular about where I eat. This got me thinking about blogging; if your blog were a restaurant, would you eat there?

Here are a few thoughts about what good blogs and good restaurants have in common: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Growth | 2 Comments »

5 Ideas for Better Blogging With Pictures

August 1st, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

Everyone loves pictures and lately, with the abundance of digital cameras going around, everyman and his dog are posting photos on their blogs. I read a new article on A List Apart today called Reviving Anorexic Web Writing. I thought it was an enjoyable and thought-provoking piece, well worth reading - especially for bloggers. The article was mainly about writing, but the author touched on an important issue regarding pictures on the internet - “alt text”. This inspired me to share a few thoughts about using pictures when blogging: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Growth | 3 Comments »

Wordpress: Unleash the Slug Within

July 30th, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

This entry is for Wordpress bloggers and theme developers.

When I first dipped my toe in the unchartered waters of a self-installed Wordpress blog, I was pretty overwhelmed by all the settings and options on the Dashboard. Since I was developing my first Wordpress theme, I had no choice but to delve deeper and by reading endless support pages, forums and tips on other blogs, things slowly started making sense. One peculiar creature I found dwelling in these parts is the Wordpress slug. I will discuss 2 species: the Post Slug and the Category Slug. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Power | 9 Comments »

15 Evergreen Writing Tips

July 25th, 2007

By Lisel

Writing as you talk may not always be the greatest idea – even when blogging.

Putting something down in writing means that it’s as good as “black on white” - even if it finds itself on a computer screen - and it can be annoying to read if poorly written. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Basics | 4 Comments »

27 Ways Around Wordy Phrases

July 18th, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

Use single-word substitutes instead of phrases whenever possible without changing meanings. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Power | No Comments »

Blog Legibility Makeover In 5 Steps

July 11th, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

Do people complain that their eyes hurt after reading your blog? Well, even if they don’t, it may be wise to give your blog a legibility makeover. Here are some ideas that will make reading your blog even more of a pleasure than it already is: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Growth | 1 Comment »

Perception - A Blogger’s Secret Weapon

July 4th, 2007

By Imar at Blogsolid

Readers are the life blood of blogs, right? I know I’m not alone when saying that sometimes it seems like I have to resort to all sorts of weird and wonderful tactics to increase my blog traffic. Well, human beings are strange and complicated things and we bloggers can use this to our advantage… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Solid Power | 1 Comment »