October 2007
Monthly Archive
Social Media October 31st, 2007 by Stephen
How Digg fought spammers and increased page views in one fell swoop
Back on September 19, 2007 Digg launched a new profile system. The idea was to put a little more social into the Digg system. Some people liked the changes while others did not.
A common thought at the time was that Digg made the changes to increase its Page View metric. This thought is based on the fact that links inside a users profile page were changed in such a way as to no longer allow "blind digging" of a user's submissions.
Many people focused on the "extra" click now required to get to a story. With the "Digg this" button removed from the profile page (and the story synopsis) anyone who went to your user profile page to see what you were up to would have to click on each story (going to the digg story page) before they could digg it or even get the story synopsis. This "extra click" methodology was seen by many top diggers as a way for Digg to quickly increase its Page View metric.
If you look at the old Digg profile page you will see that you can quickly interact with a story without ever going to the story page on Digg. You need never go anywhere but a user's profile page to find content on Digg.
The old Digg profile page looks a lot like all of the category pages on Digg. If you go to any non-profile page on Digg you will see content presented in the same manner as was once done on the user profile pages. It is only the profile pages that have been redesigned in such a way as to increase Page Views.
This tells me that this was not done to increase Page Views even though it likely will. There is a bigger change at work here and something that many people did not catch on to.
As you can see with the new profile pages there is no ability to digg, bury, comment or even see the actual content until you click the link and go ot the story page on Digg.
By changing the user profile pages so that they link to the Digg story and not directly to the story content (off of Digg), Digg has removed one of the biggest reasons SEO types spam Digg: BACK LINKS.
In the past every person who dugg a story would generate a back link in their user profile page, sometimes several back links. Every digg and comment created a new link in the profile page. If a story received 1,051 diggs and 500 comments that story would receive in excess of 1,551 back links from Digg. I say excess because you still get multiple back links from Digg due to the various category, sub-category and other areas a story can appear on Digg.
By removing the back links in the user profile pages Digg has both increased potential Page Views (you need to click twice to get to content from a profile page) and decreased the amount of back links that Digg provides. There is now no reason for a spammer to submit crap to Digg in the hopes of getting some back links.
Why? Because when a story gets buried it provides no more links, anywhere on Digg!
Sploggers will still try to game Digg for traffic, they just can't game it for SEO anymore. I wonder if the change at Digg had something to do with Page Rank dropping on so many Tech and News sites?
Social Media October 30th, 2007 by Stephen
How (Not) To Fail at StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon is the wonderful browser plugin that allows you to discover new content almost at random. The service also allows you to network by adding friends with similar interests. Once you become a fan of someone content that they find interesting will be served to you. Becoming mutual friends allows you to send content to a person while including a personal note.
Personally, I love StumbleUpon and use it more than any other social networking platform out there. The ability to send content to my friends (with a note attached) is just great.
With all that said I also like stumbling through general content that my friends have not approved of. Some of that content is good while some of it is utter garbage. As a long-time stumbler let me help you out with the following tips:
Stumbling Tips
- If you are going to Stumble your own content make sure it is good - Everyone thinks their own stuff is the bee's knees, it's not. There is a lot of utter crap in the blogosphere. There is also a vast amount of crap that is nothing but rewritten crap from somewhere else. Unless you are either making news or providing original commentary on something please do not Stumble the article.
If you read something cool on Kotaku and you are blogging about it, (but adding nothing to the discussion) don't Stumble it. If you are adding more to the discussion than the original source then you can feel free to Stumble it.
- Make sure I see content when I visit the site - Too many blogs believe that shoving all of the advertising "above the fold" will result in more clicks. It will, but not the sort of click you want. When I come to a page that is all ads and the content requires scrolling down to reach I will thumb it down sight-unseen. I don't care what you are writing about, my time is like money and if I have to scroll down past a bunch of Google ads to get to it I will thumb you down and move along.
Take a quick peek at the big news sites, do they do that? No, they shove their advertising all over the place but the content is above the fold.
- Don't copy - This goes along with the first point. Nothing makes me thumb down a site faster than reading something that is just copied from somewhere else. I have no love for plagarism or lazy bloggers who just cut-and-paste a portion of an article and link back (or not) to the source. Please don't waste my time.
- Do try to be different - LOLCats are becoming old hat but, if you create a LOLCat that brings new life to the system I will thumb you up. For example, the Schrödinger’s Cat LOLCat "I'm in your box, maybe" (original image) was great and got an instant thumbs up from me. All those people who took the image and pasted it in their blog? They all get a thumbs down for copying.
- Spelling errors - Yes we all make mistakes sometimes but if you can not tell the difference between; there, their, and they're you should not be writing. Same goes for; begining, beginng, beginnign, etc... Please take a minute to run a spell check on your post.
That's about all I have for right now. Keep creating quality content and you too can gain thousands of hits a day via Stumbleupon. Create crap and you get nothing.
Family October 30th, 2007 by HMTKSteve
It’s my Anniversary
Ten years ago today I married my wife. We had not known each other very long when it happened.
We were on a trip to Las Vegas together when we got the insane idea to get married. Neither one of us wanted a huge wedding so we eloped in Las Vegas on the day before Halloween. We would have done it on Halloween but we had heard a rumor that the state offices would be closed on Halloween.
Aside from ourselves the only family member present was my wife's Aunt Doe. She was present for the ceremony and cried. Afterwards we went out to eat.
When we got back there were a lot of stunned family members and friends. I don't think anyone expected us to do it and some believed that our marriage would not last. It has been ten years now and I am looking forward to the next ten, and the ten after that and so on.
A few weeks ago my wife and I had an argument and I remarked (off the cuff) that I did not know why I married my wife. It was meant as a joke or a tension breaker but I could see that it had a different effect, an undesired effect.
I am taking this opportunity to fix the mess I made that night and to reaffirm my love and devotion for my wife. Sometimes she jokes that I spend more time online than off so I might as well do it here.
Reasons I married my wife (no particular order)
- She can cook - Not just in the kitchen but when she is in the kitchen she is a great cook. I enjoyed this a lot more in the early part of our marriage, before all the food allergies kicked in. These days I am stuck with a very limited diet and eating out always results in some type of intestinal distress. I don't know how she stands me and my severely limited diet.
- She is patient - She is able to juggle a lot of things and not show stress. I could not juggle half the things she does yet she does it all, hardly ever complaining.
- She gives great back massages - Well, she does!
- She is a good grounding influence - I admit it, I get a lot of hair-brained ideas into my head and if not for her I'd have likely strapped myself to a rocket powered sled at some point in the last ten years and killed myself. Maybe that's why she keeps our life insurance policy up to date?
- She's good looking - Not just then either, she gets better and better looking each day. Yes, my prescription for glasses is current!
- She's smart - She has enough sense to figure out things on her own and she's not afraid to share her two cents with me, on occasion.
- She's good with people - Part of being full of hair-brained ideas also means I tend to forget things (and people). I count on her to keep relationships going smooth because I tend to forget those simple parts of life. I can sometimes be abrasive with people too and she knows how to fix my mistakes.
- She's everything I want in a partner for life - I don't know what else to say, she fulfills me. She doesn't take my crap and keeps me on my toes. I need that, I just don't normally admit it!
There you have it. Happy Anniversary honey, you're the greatest!
image is from my wife's flickr page
Military and Politics October 29th, 2007 by Danny Mc Guire
About the support The troops by bringing them home slogan
1. This is not a debate for the anti-war vs pro-war discussion
2. Please try to stay on topic.
One thing that has been bugging me for a while is the anti-war slogan, "support the troops by bringing them home." Let me start off by saying, as a former soldier, no one wants to be in a war zone. No one wants bullets whizzing over their head (better than through your head though) or artillery dropping left and right. However, a soldier's job is to kill people and break things.
When I hear people say, "support the troops by bringing them home," I can't help but think how misguided that statement is. Would you apply the same statement to police officers or fire fighters?
"Hey California fire fighter, those wild fires are real dangerous! I'll support you by telling you to go home and let that fire burn out."
"Hey New York City police officer, it's dangerous on those streets why don't you just hang out in the police station where you will be safe?"
Doesn't have quite the same feel to it does it? It sounds almost parental in the way it gives the impression you lack faith in the person and want to protect them rather than let them do their job.
I don't see how supporting the troops can be anything but arming and feeding them. This whole "support the troops by bringing them home" feels like a backhanded slap in the face to me. When I hear it I can't help but think that the speaker lacks any and all faith in the troops and considers them to be a bunch of kids that need protecting.
Well, am I right or wrong? Please add to the discussion and feel free to bring up other slogans used on both sides of the argument. Slogans only please.
Games October 29th, 2007 by Stephen
Was the Halo Effect an Illusion?
As can happen the sales data for September 2007 has been modified as more and more stores report their information. Because of this early reporting is often close but inaccurate.
It was widely reported that Xbox 360 console sales beat out the Wii in September based on massive sales of Halo 3. Now that sales numbers have settled we find that Microsoft was not able to knock the Wii off the top of the mountain.
As you can clearly see in the graphic above (from VGChartz) the one week where Xbox 360 sales almost beat out the Wii, they did not. They missed the Wii sales figure by about 5K consoles. Yes, on the week of September 29, 2007 (one of Microsoft's best weeks for the Xbox 360) they did not surpass the Wii in sales.
This makes me wonder. Will we see a rush of reporting on this new piece of data or will people be left to think that the Xbox 360 did better than it actually did?
Don't forget that there is only one console that beats the Wii in week-to-week sales and that is the Nintendo DS.
Games October 29th, 2007 by Stephen
Virtual Console releases for October 29, 2007
Todays three games all share a hauntingly similar theme.
Castlevania® II Simon's Quest (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): In this one-player adventure, you'll take on the role of Simon Belmont once again and duel to the death with Count Dracula. Grab your legendary whip, Vampire Killer, and roam freely through Transylvania on a quest to find the count's missing body parts-these are the key to breaking an evil curse. This quest won't be easy, though, for you must battle hideous fiends who stalk the land. In addition to the intense action and tight control the Castlevania series is known for, this sequel also introduced several unique game-play elements into the fold. Build experience the longer you play, buy weapons and items from merchants, or talk with villagers to get clues (some of which are false). Watch as day turns to night and then back again. Take a deep breath, steady your nerves, and help Simon end his curse and defeat the count once and for all.
SAMURAI-GHOSTâ„¢ (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Animated Blood and Violence, 600 Wii Points): This action platformer features a samurai ghost from the depths of the underworld. In a past war, Kagekiyo managed to defeat the shogun Yoritomo and his clan. However, their evil spirits were not completely destroyed, and now, in the world known as Dark Side, they seek the time of their rebirth. In order to shatter those ambitions, Kagekiyo must make his way across seven zones and head for "The Heart of the Darkside" where Yoritomo lies in wait. Use spirit weapons to power up your sword, or other items, such as candles to recover health, and defeat the endless hordes of enemies. Each zone is not only protected by a boss but also includes demons as well as real samurai from 12th-century Japan. Get ready for some intense one-on-one combat action.
MAGICIAN LORD (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Blood and Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1990 and regarded as one of the NEOGEO's earliest signature games, this side-scrolling platformer mixes action with the mystical world of fantasy. A magician named Elta, last descendant of the famed Magician Lord, takes on an epic adventure to save the world from the evil Gul-Agieze. Elta must battle through eight stages, collecting the eight tomes of power that are key to defeating Gul-Agieze and his evil plans. By obtaining orbs in one of three colors (elements) that appear during the game, Elta's offensive powers and jumping abilities can be strengthened. The effect varies considerably depending on the combination of elements, though, and Elta can transform into six different forms: Waterman, Dragon Warrior, Shinobi, Samurai, Raijin or Poseidon. Can you help Elta to become the new Magician Lord?
All of these games can be purchased via the Shopping Channel on your Nintendo Wii. What? Don't have a Wii? Then follow this link and buy one!
Tech Deals October 28th, 2007 by Stephen
Free Massage Chair with an HDTV!
This deal is just too good not to pass on.
For a limited time, get the True Seating Concepts faux leather massaging recliner with ottoman (retail value $399.99) for free with your purchase of any Samsung HDTV 32" or larger at BestBuy.com. All you have to do is click the link below and follow the following instructions:
- 1. Select a qualifying Samsung HDTV below.
- 2. Select the massaging recliner with ottoman below.
- 3. Click the Add Items to Cart button at the bottom of the page.
The lowest price HDTV you can select is a 32" 720P model for $799.99.
Free massage chair (shipping extra) with select Samsung HDTVs at BestBuy.com. Now through 11/3.
Internet October 28th, 2007 by Stephen
Art.com credit card information hacked by hackers
EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Art.com, Inc., an online retailer of posters, prints and framed art, operating websites including Art.com and Allposters.com, today issued the following notice to its customers alerting them that a criminal internet “hacker†recently broke through Art.com’s multiple security layers and illegally gained access to names and encrypted credit card account numbers for some transactions made on its websites from July through September. To date, the company is unaware of any unauthorized use of those credit card numbers or any attempted identity theft related to the intrusion.
Michael Heinstein, Chief Executive Officer of Art.com, Inc. stated: “We value our customers tremendously and understand how important security is to them. This is why we have acted to notify affected customers and credit card companies as quickly as possible after vigorously investigating this event. In addition, we quickly took additional steps to secure our sites against any future attacks of this type.â€
Art.com, Inc. does not store information such as social security or driver’s license numbers in connection with customer purchase transactions, so customers have no reason to be concerned that such information was accessed. The company regrets any inconvenience this may cause its customers and is doing everything it can to ensure that nothing like this happens again.
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