Justin Wright » Blogging

Quick Interview at Blogger Talks

Justin Wright — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:07:29 +0000

Hey Everyone, just wanted to let you know about an interview I did for Blogger Talks. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a blog devoted to interviewing various bloggers from around the world. It’s an awesome content and something I find very interesting.It’s always cool to see what other bloggers have to say.

You can check out the full article here: Justin Wright Talks About Passion, Zoopmedia

Headway Theme Overview

Justin Wright — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:10:03 +0000

Headway, a new premium WordPress theme, is unlike any other themes out there. It utilizes some awesome features such as a layout editor and leaf system.

I just finished creating a brief overview of the Headway theme to help a few people understand how it works and wanted to share it with everyone:

If you’re interested in Headway, you can visit their website here. You can also check out the detailed Headway theme review over at the ZoopMedia blog.

Moved To A New Server

Justin Wright — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:30:25 +0000

Last night, I finished moving my blog over to a new server. Everything should now be complete and there should be no issues (I hope).

Why The Move?

Over the last two years, my blog has been hosted on a GoDaddy shared server. It worked great in the beginning but it’s been getting slower as each week goes by. It’s most likely from having more daily visitors, using more images, and adding more and more posts.

Luckily, my blog should now be loading MUCH faster, which is great for all of us. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you notice the speed difference (or any issues).

Use FriendFeed As A Lifestream

Justin Wright — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:42:43 +0000

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been doing some cleaning up on my blog over the last week and a half. I’ve removed a few things from my single post pages, as well as made some changes to my sidebar. The main thing I did with the sidebar is integrated a lifestream showing all my updates from various websites and social networks. Here’s how I did it:

1. Decided Which Tool To Use For The Content

There are a few programs out there that will create a lifestream for your blog or website. However, none of them are as easy to use as a simple FriendFeed widget. I actually used the same widget I was using in the past, which looked exactly like this:

As you can see, it’s a bit ugly. The border didn’t match anything else in my sidebar and it looked a little out of place. The major drawback to using the FriendFeed widget it that it doesn’t give you many options for customizing it when you set it up. Luckily they do have some custom CSS settings you can use. Which leads us to the next step.

2. Styled The FriendFeed Widget

The next step was a little tricky since I couldn’t get it to work at first. FriendFeed gives you some CSS codes to use, which can be added to your active WordPress theme stylesheet. I messed around with it for awhile and ended up adding the follow code to my stylesheet:

#friendfeed { border: 0px !important }
.widget { border: 0px !important; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times;}
.feed { border: 0px !important; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times;}
.body { border: 0px !important }
.logo { border: 0px !important }

As you can see, I went a little overboard with the “border: 0px” but it managed to remove it. I also added the font-family my theme uses so it matches the rest of my site.

Here’s what the finished widget looks like:

It looks a lot better in my opinion. I’m a big fan of no borders because it makes it look a lot cleaner.

3: Added Some Links Below The Widget

As you can see in the picture above, I also added some links below the widget. This was simple html code that I added directly below the widget. For the subscribe link, I simply pointed it to my FriendFeed page since I prefer people going there. You could also make the link go directly to the RSS feed of your FriendFeed.

I also decided to add a “view full lifestream” link, which I’ll talk about in the next step.

4: Created A Lifestream Page

After debating for awhile about whether or not I wanted to have a lifestream page, I decided to go with it. It allows me to list a lot more content for those who want to view it without forcing everyone to see my super long sidebar on every page.

To do this, I simply created a page titled Lifestream. I then embeded the same widget code I used for my sidebar into the page, which looks like this:

(If you want to use the code, make sure to remove the line breaks.)

If you look closely, you’ll notice I set the number (num) to 300. This will set the widget to list 300 of your latest items. However, I have noticed there seems to be a limit on how many items you can list. I’m not even sure if it’s listing all 300 of my latest items or not. Either way, it’s listing a lot more than I am on my sidebar.

Here’s what the finished product looks like:

Of course, the main page lists a lot more stuff. Overall, it looks pretty cool.

All Done!

So that’s everything I did to get my lifestream up and running. It’s fairly simple to implement and makes a good addition to your blog or website. As to how useful it is, we will see. I’m not real sure how many people really use lifestreams but I figured it was worth a shot.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions. I’ll try and help you out.

Woopra: Analytics On Steroids

Justin Wright — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:04:55 +0000

One of the things I took away from WordCamp Dallas/Fort Worth was a Woopra account. Prior to the event, I had never heard of the analytics service. However, I am now fascinated by it and can’t stop playing around with it.

What Makes Woopra Any Different Than Google Analytics?

The answer is real-time stats. I can literally see who is on my website anytime I feel like it. I can also see what page they are viewing, where they originally came from, and all the brower/operating system stats I could want.

If that isn’t enough, I can even send a chat request to anyone currently visiting my site and have a real IM style conversation. It’s amazing!

It sure beats looking at delayed stats…

The Interface

Another thing I really like about Woopra is the interface. They offer a desktop application for PC and Mac which allows you to monitor your stats right on your computer. I would consider it the TweetDeck of analytics software.

Check it out:

As you can see, I wasn’t kidding about calling it a TweetDeck version of stats. It actually looks similiar in a few ways. You can browse through all different stats, such as live visitors and referring URLs. You can also look at a map and see where your current visitors are from.

Overall, the interface is really cool and pretty simple to learn.

What About Regular Website Stats?

Just like Google Anaytics, Woopra will also show me regular stats like visitors, unique visitors, and where they are coming from on a map. However, I do not like this part of Woopra and actually prefer Google Analytics.

It just seems easier to monitor long-term stats using Google Analytics, plus all my data is already in there. Plus Woopra is still in beta so I would not trust it as your only source of statistics. I currently have my sites setup with both and have not seen any downsides or slowdown from it.

Installation

Installing Woopra is a breeze. Just like Google Analytics, you simple paste a line of code right above your closing body tag. That’s it. You can then view your stats on Woopra’s website or download the desktop application (which I prefer).

The only downside is since they are in beta, they require that your site be approved before you can start using it. So hurry up and submit your sites so you can start using the software.

Use It For Real-Time Tracking

Overall, I would say this is a great complement to Google Analytics. The real-time stats are amazing, if not a tad geeky. I find myself stairing at them getting excited when I have a few people on my blog at one time. However, it isn’t a full on replacment for your other analytics programs so I would plan on using more than one.

I recommend testing this out and playing around with it. It’s a great way to see how many people are on your blog at any given time.

Get a free acount today at Woopra.com.

Back From #wcdfw09

Justin Wright — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:50:04 +0000

I Made the drive back from Dallas last night and managed to make it in one piece. Overall, WordCamp Dallas/Fort Worth (#wcdfw09) turned out to be an awesome event where I learned some awesome things about WordPress.

I met some awesome people (including @sivori, @claygriffiths, @grantgriffiths and @plagiarismtoday) and learned about the future of WordPress from @photomatt.

If anything, it gave me a big boost in motivation to keep on going and try as hard as I can at blogging. Plus I managed to hand out a huge stack of Zoopmedia business cards which is always a good thing.

The only downside to the whole trip was me not winning the MacBook Pro they gave away. I did get an iPhone case though so I’m not complaining.

Happening This Week

I thought I would also use this post to focus on some upcoming events here in Austin. I’ll be attending both events so come check them out and look for me.

Wordpress Wednesday

When: July 1st at 9 AM
Where: Central Market Cafe (Second Floor)
RSVP: Go Here

The Social Media Rockstars meetup group will be meeting once again to talk about blogging and WordPress. It’s an awesome group and a great place to meet fellow bloggers and learn some new things about blogging.

Beer and Blog Austin

When: July 5th at 6 PM
Where: Opal Divine’s Freehouse
RSVP: Go Here or send a tweet to @beernblogaustin

The Beer and Blog Austin Chapter will be meeting again to drink some beer and chat about blogging, WordPress, and anything else on our mind. It’s only our second meetup so the more people the better. We still need help marketing as well so feel free to spread the word.

Recap Of WordCamp

Over the next week, I will be posting about the things I learned and summaries of presentations from the WordCamp event. The majority of them will be over at the ZoopMedia blog but I’ll probably squeeze a few in here as well.

The first post, Using WordPress As A CMS, is already live so go check it out. It’s got some great information about plugins.

TweetDeck Vs. Tweetie

Justin Wright — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:45:14 +0000

I’m hanging out at WordCamp Dallas (Live Stream) and it seems like everyone is using desktop applications for Twitter. However, when it comes to which one is the best it’s a mixed bag. People seem to all have different opinions based on how they use Twitter.

Some people prefer TweetDeck while others prefer Tweetie. Someone even told me about Nambu which is a brand new application that’s still in beta. I gave it a quick try but wasn’t feeling it so I uninstalled it right away.

I’ve been using TweetDeck since it first came out and have been really happy with it. I like the fact you can monitor everything using columns and it has a boatload of features.

However…

Since I arrived here in Dallas, I’ve been stuck using my 13″ screen (which is a pain in the ass). At home, I have a 24 inch monitor and have no problems with screen real estate. I can have TweetDeck up all day and it doesn’t bother me since I have a lot of desktop space.

As soon as I opened TweetDeck on my MacBook, it took up my entire screen. So I narrowed my columns and hid some of them. It fits fine on my screen now, but I miss seeing all the columns for my various Twitter accounts.

Tweetie Test Drive

So I installed Tweetie yesterday and decided I would give it a test drive. I previously used it when it first came out but I was so used to TweetDeck that I decided it wasn’t worth my time. I uninstalled it and went on my way.

But now that I’m using it again, I like it far more than TweetDeck. I can add all my accounts and monitor them in a super easy way. From an interface point of view, Tweetie is amazing. You simply click on your avatar for the various accounts and you get all the features you need.

What I really like about Tweetie is how they have managed to do everything in one column without making you feel limited. I feel like I can do everything I can in TweetDeck without the huge command center window. Plus it looks so much better and reads like an iChat conversation.

Which One’s Better?

It’s a tough call. After using it all day yesterday, I’ve decided to stick with Tweetie. It’s so painless to use and takes up as much space on my screen as iChat. But I think it really comes down to what you prefer and what features you use the most.

As far as the iPhone goes, I still plan on using TweetDeck since I really like the interface. For an in-depth review, check out TweetDeck for the iPhone.

I’m interested in hearing what applications everyone else is using.

Which Do You Use?

Austin Tweetups

Justin Wright — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:34:44 +0000

Since I’ve moved to Austin, I’ve been trying my hardest to attend every event related to social media, blogging, and business in general. I even started a Beer and Blog Austin chapter I’m hoping to kick off soon.

Of all the events so far, tweetups have become one of my favorite ways to meet new people that are interested in new media and technology. And it just so happens there are a few tweetups here in Austin that are coming up over the next week that I wanted to share with everyone.

Kickball Tweetup

Date: Sunday, June 14th

Time: 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Location: Clarksville Park

@Daveiam and @AaronMSB are putting on a kickball tweetup that should be a bunch of fun. It’s a BYOB event which makes it perfect for people like me that like to do things on the cheap. So grab some of your favorite beer and head to the kickball tweetup Sunday night. I plan to be there so don’t forget to say hi.

If you plan to attend, send your RSVP’s to @AaronMSB

Statesman/AustinTweetup.com Tweetup

Date: Thursday, June 18th

Time: 6:00 PM – ?

Location: Opal Divine’s on 6th Street

@Statesman along with @AustinTweetups are putting on this event so it should get a great turnout. There will be drink specials until 7 PM so get there early if you can. And don’t miss “The Twitter,” a special margarita that Opal Divine’s is having for the event. It sounds pretty good so I’ll do my best to try it out and put a post up about it.

See You There

I hope to see some of you at the events. I will continue to post the Tweetups as they come along and will try to do a recap of each of the events and let you know how it was.

If you know of any other tweetups happening here in Austin, please let me know and I will add them to the post.

Beer and Blog Austin Is Here!

Justin Wright — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:03:33 +0000

Some goods news for everyone here in Austin. I just started up the Beer and Blog Austin Chapter!

The site just went up and I have already done some work on it and put up the first post describing the group an what it is about.

You can check out the first post on our blog now: Beer and Blog Austin Is Starting Up!

What Is Beer and Blog?

Basically, it is a weekely meetup where fellow bloggers come together to help each other out and drink beer. It’s the perfect combination to have a great time and also meet new people.

The group is open to anyone that is interested in attending. It doesn’t matter what you blog about, which platform you use, or how much experience you have. Just show up and check it out!

When and Where?

This part is still up for debate. I am still trying to find the best bar to have the weekly meetups at. Ideally, the bar would have all of the following qualities:

Cheap Drinks
Free Wifi (That Works)
Central Location (I’m Thinking Either Downtown or Soco)
Did I Mention Cheap Drinks?

So if you have any suggestions on where we can meet, please feel free to leave a comment here or over at the Austin Chapter website. At first thought, I’m thinking about Doc’s Motorworks since I know they have free wifi.

Get Updates

If you want to stay up to date on future events and announcements, feel free to subscribe in one of three ways:

Follow Us on Twitter @BeerNBlogAustin
Join Our Facebook Group: Beer and Blog Austin
Subscribe Via RSS Feed

I plan to update all of the above whenever we have a new event scheduled. I will also write a post here and on the official Beer and Blog Austin page.

Help Spread The Word!

The next step is finding bloggers here in the Austin area. If you are a blogger in Austin, please feel free to write a quick post about the group. The more people we can get involved the better it will be for everyone. You can also spread the word via Twitter (I started using the #bnbaustin hashtag).

I look forward to meeting some fellow bloggers here in Austin (and drinking some beer)!

Blog Post Frequency Experiment Results

Justin Wright — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:47:30 +0000

Back on March 18th, I wrote a post about blog post frequency and an experiment I was conducting. Now that it has been a few weeks, I thought I would go back and take a look at my traffic stats ever since I started writing a little less frequently.

Here are my stats starting two weeks before the experiment through April 12th:

Not Much Change

As you can see from the graph, not a whole lot of changes took place. If anything, my traffic started increasing a little bit since I spent more time promoting my blog than writing. I did not notice any dips in traffic from not posting for a few days which was suprising to see.

The search engine traffic I received everyday kept my traffic pretty consistent which is a good thing to see. I also experienced a gain of 12 RSS subscribers during the time period. I also blame this on the fact that I spent more time promoting my blog.

Conclusion: Blog Post Frequency Isn’t That Important

Based on the traffic stats, I have concluded that blog post frequency is not nearly as important as some people may think. Readers will still continue to read your blog, regardless if you post everyday or once or twice a week.

The two benefits that I can see from posting often are: Getting more posts indexed in the search engines and getting more of your RSS subscribers to visit your actual blog everyday. However, these are not that big of deal unless your blog is new and still not generating a decent amount of traffic from the search engines.

What it really comes down to is marketing and promoting your blog. The more time you spend marketing the more traffic your posts will see. But marketing alone will not make up for good content. So it’s also important to write great posts, even if it’s only once or twice a week.

What Now?

Based on this blog post frequency experiment, I have decided to not follow a set posting schedule. Instead of trying to write a certain amount of posts each week, I am simply going to write when I have something to say. That way I won’t force myself to write on certain days if I don’t have anything good to write.

Now I need to find some new ideas for experiments…any suggestions?