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e_Marketing Blog What Makes A Good Blog? Since I'm writing a series on "Creating A Successful Blog" I've been looking (not very diligently) for other opinions on what makes for a successful blog. One thing I've discovered is that there is no magic answer to this question. First of all, every blog speaks to a different audience in a different tone of voice. So what one group likes another group will find boring or maybe even overtly aggravating. I stumbled on an instance of this today when I followed a link from Lisa Barone's post called "Six Kickass Writing Resources for Bloggers". First on her list was "What Makes a Good Blog?" by Merlin Mann. Now I must admit there are several things in Merlin's list which I agree with, but I find the overall tone fairly aggravating. For instance, he says, "People start real blogs because they think about something a lot...They make and consume smart forebrain porn. So: where do this person's obsessions take them." Frankly I don't see why "obsession" is a necessary part of blogging. Is it because in order to do real blogging we must express our personality; and expressing our personality necessarily involves creativity; and because creativity is so relatively scarce and difficult that it will not happen without an obsessive focus on something? Or is this just the way an obsessive person looks at it? Of course it takes all types. But there is a certain arrogance and air of superiority about talk of obsession and creativity that I can do without. WiMAX for Portland WiMAX service will soon be available in Portland, Oregon. What is WiMAX? It is a wireless alternative to cable or DSL. For a number of years this technology has promised to revolutionize the delivery of "last mile" service connecting homes and offices to internet access points. But these days the focus is more on mobile applications that make it a viable alternative to standard cell phone services. The provider of this service in Portland will be Clearwire, a company formed through joint cooperation of Sprint, Clearwire, Google, Intel, Comcast, and Time Warner. WiMAX will not be significantly cheaper than the alternatives, but it does promise to offer greater potential for merging disparate services such as internet, cell phone, Voip and cable tv. Upgrading to Wordpress 2.7 Just finished upgrading one of my many Wordpress blogs to v 2.7 - the newest upgrade which was released on Dec. 10 makes several attractive improvements to the interface. This upgrade is not so concerned with functionality as it is with improving the user interface. I was able to upgrade my Article Marketing blog in about 15 minutes when all was said and done. There were no suprises and no hitches along the way. I'm sure subsequent upgrades on other sites will go faster. |
Cottage-Sales.com - Looking for a cottage or summer home in Canada? You've come to the right place. We have valuable background information on cottage sales and what to look for in a summer home. If you've done any searching for cottages or summer homes, you know this market changes daily. Cottage-Sales.com is a member of the Linknet network of websites. Full Color Printing on Vinyl Banners Now PossibleMay 5, 2006 - Linknet Product News Full Color Vinyl Banners - Vinyl Banners shipped across North America Calendar Printing - Place calendar printing order at PrintPelican.com Trade Show Display Graphics - Beautiful trade show graphics Full Color Printing on Vinyl Banners Now Possible by Rick HendershotMost of us know what a "banner" is -- not the kind used in web pages -- but the kind used as signs on the sides of buildings, on fences, or across the stage at conferences. Roughly speaking, a banner is a large flexible sign or poster made of a durable material that can be easily folded or rolled. We are used to seeing banners strung across the road at fall fair time, or to promote a worthy cause. In recent years banners or "banner signs" have become much more versatile than even five or six years ago. These days banner signs are used in all kinds of places where we used to see more permanent signs. Instead of a sign made of wood or plexiglass we now often see a vinyl banner sign that serves the purpose very adequately. Today the most common material used to make outdoor banners is smooth, good looking but durable vinyl. A banner printed on vinyl will stand up to the sun and rain for a number of years, so vinyl banners are often used in places where a quick, low cost alternative is needed. Sometimes vinyl banners serve as a temporary substitute for a more permanent sign which will come later. Other times where the site is only temporary -- such as a construction site, or a special event like a family reunion -- a vinyl banner is the only sign that will ever be used. The great advantage of banners is that they are made of flexible and lightweight material. That means a vinyl banner can be rolled up or folded when it is time to take it down or move it to a new location. They are also relatively inexpensive when compared to the alternatives. What has made vinyl banners so versatile is that they can now be printed digitally in beautiful full color. Printing a vinyl banner used to be a fairly crude and laborious process, but the "digital revolution" changed all that. Special printing machines can now print directly onto vinyl that can be used either indoors or outdoors. The design and printing process is actually quite simple -- as long as you know something about digital printing. Banner designs can include photographs, artwork, fancy backgrounds, company logos. In other words, any graphic image that can be captured in a computer file can be printed on a vinyl banner. All suppliers don't use the same process The best place to find a source for vinyl banners is on the internet. A small number of companies specialize in prividing low cost, fast-turn-around vinyl banners. A specialty vinyl banner company has mastered the details of banner printing and prints hundreds or even thousands of them every month. They can usually offer the lowest price and fastest delivery too. But not all vinyl banner suppliers use the same process or the same equipment. Some use silk screening, while others use low end ink jet printers. The best suppliers use higher end solvent digital printers. It is important to know the difference between these processes, and often you cannot tell by looking at the descriptions provided to you on supplier websites. Silk screening has adapted some digital capabilites, but when it comes to the actual printing, it is still an older "low tech" process. It remains an important method of printing certain things that cannot be done "digitally" -- for instance, for printing on unusual materials, or wherever special inks are required. But setup costs are normally higher, turn around times longer, and printing smaller quantities is often not feasible. Lower end ink jet printers are sometimes used to print on vinyl. But the bottom line is that these inks are meant for indoor applications and short term outdoor use. They are more quickly faded by UV from the sun, and are also susceptible to scratching and water damage. When ordering a vinyl banner for outdoor use, or one that you want to last a couple of years without fading, be sure to go with a true solvent ink process. Especially when it does not cost any more. Article Source - Trade-Show-Tips.com
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