An example output image from the simple text-to-sign generator

ERE are some arbitrary notes that I keep in mind while trawling the Web and managing Web sites.

High Traffic

If my Web sites make the front page of Digg, then that’s x0,000 of visits from Digg alone (more impact than Slashdot), plus the ‘aftershock’ (sites that write about what they read on Digg). It’s scary to watch at times. I’ve reached the front page of Digg and Slashdot quite a few times (as the source cited, not just a story submitter). The last time was half a day ago and it knocked down a site.

Netcraft

I always have Netcraft in sight. Be aware that Netcraft is very popular among *nix sysadmins, so it’s biased in favour of that audience.

Tracking Own Site

Not tracking use is a good idea. The habit is time consuming and distracting. Vanity is its only benefit. It has no real impact on content that you write anyway. On the other hand, be aware that by tracking backlinks you can find out if someone says something incorrect about you. Technorati is a decent tool for (almost) spam-free tracking of citations.

Spyware

NoScript (or equivalents) should always be enabled when browsing the Web, with exceptions. If only people knew the type of things that happen when they merely land on a page with JS enabled. Mouse being tracked, computer setup being probed and sent over the wire. Microsoft has some really nasty patents on it, so privacy was long ago forgotten.

Linking to Trolls

To clarify and put things in context, I don’t link to trolls myself. There are cases where inflammatory remarks are posted as a plea for attention. If someone does link to a troll, then I ensure people do not vote for it and promote it (social sites). rel="nofllow" has its merit as well.

Words to Avoid

I use the “Big Lie” argument quite a lot, but very cautiously because of what it’s associated with. It’s like a perfectly correct theory was poisoned by Godwin’s law. It is the same story when it comes to ‘patent terrorism’ (Sun exec and others), anti-Linux Jihad (Groklaw’s phrase), anti-Linux propaganda/brainwash.

IGG had a long downtime last night (or so it seemed from here). More strangely, this morning, some content simply vanished. About 20 hours after I submitted a timely FSF-related item, the item is just gone. I don’t know if Digg had a massive error that led the Web site to restoring from backup. I checked their blog, I checked the front page, but there is nothing to indicate this.

I submitted a link to a video of Professor Moglen, which very quickly accumulated a lot of Diggs and at least one comment Why has it disappeared? Has Digg censored (as in “deleted”) this? If so, why did this happen after so many hours of the item being ‘live’? For the time being, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. I wish to see if more than just my own contributions was lost.

In any event, I have submitted the same story to Netscape, in case you are curious about the content which Digg had deleted (either deliberately or not)

Blogs and useless content aside, I think this screenshot I’ve just grabbed speaks for itself (click to enlarge).

More and more people are now able to blog. With technical barrier lowered, more information can be delivered more quickly, whether we like this or now.

Most bloggers prefer mundane tidbits to deep thoughts, and backed by voice transcription and video sharing, the cell phone may soon be the tool of choice.

The prevalence of blogs is (just as expected) sucking some of the fun out of it. This lacks the appeal of a unique occuption. For myself, I predicted this over 2 years ago.

Are blogs dying as a whole? Not quite. Instead, blogs with a particular focus — blogs that deliver consistent content (not streams of consciousness) appear to survive. Here are the words of a man who cannot stand the disruption to his profession.

“Millions and millions of exuberant monkeys … are creating an endless digital forest of mediocrity,” Keen writes in a book published Tuesday.

His views have infuriated bloggers and others, especially in Silicon Valley, who argue he is an elitist intellectual, a conservative pining for a return to old ways, and a writer who cannot keep his facts straight.

As you look around the Web and track blogs that you used to read, often you find that the pace of blogging has declined significantly. In retrospect, blogs became very popular very fast, so they attracted many millions, which in turn led to the anti-climax. Long live the culture of personal blogs that were actually lively! Not many of them are left, unless you focus on “Internet celebrities”. Professional blogs replace drivel. I too have moved on.

couple of years ago I complained about AdSense placing anti-Linux ads (from Microsoft) right inside my Linux pages. It was then that I was told about an option which prevents this from happening.

Earlier today I logged in to my AdSense account again. It’s something that I only do twice a month. What did I discover? A new little feature that apparently gives advice to publishers. Here is the message I received:

Aha! So the high payers are apparently not allowed on my sites. Who could that be?

The apple does not fall far from the tree. This may explain why many Linux sites out there still display blatantly anti-Linux ads from Microsoft. Isn’t advertising lovely? Microsoft knows no bounds.

EB statistics/tracking services share some very encouraging figures which suggest that Netscape and Digg lead the pack of social-driven news sites. As I am active on both sites, I am more than pleased to see this. Some time this weekend I will have submitted my 10,000^th story to Netscape.

Knowing that Netscape attracts roughly 5 million unique users per month, I am certain that my contributions have an impact. They primarily promote digital freedom — something which I passionately believe in and therefore perpetually promote.

Y blogging pace has certainly changed recently. I have slowed down in order to give way and priority to other activities. Regardless, I have also been inactive because my father was visiting. He departed this afternoon.

All in all, however, it’s acceptable and very much aligned with my intentions. I am beginning to think of rearranging my blog and let is revolve around links and short opinions. I’ll make a start with a piece of news that caught my sight the other day.

Study Commissioned by AMD Reveals Scope of Annual U.S. Data Center Energy Consumption: 45 Billion kWh, at Cost of Nearly 3 Billion Dollars

AMD Calls for Increased Collaboration between Technology Industry and Government Officials to Track and Reduce Energy Consumption