Another Chinese Cyber-Dissident Jailed
Not to brag as much as give thanks: it’s nice to live in a place where you won’t go to jail for having something to say. "Cyber-dissident" Zhang Jianhong (pen name, Li Hong) can go to jail for it, and is, for six years.
We can also be thankful phrases like "reeducation-through-work camp for counter-revolutionary propaganda" still sound to us like something out of a George Orwell fantasy.
WordPress – Extra Text Editing
A client asked me today for more control in their Wordpress control panel. Specifically, when posting they wanted to control the font sizes, colors and do a bit more. As a designer I always freak at that question as I think the code is going to be filled with massive amounts of font tags and out of order strong tags and ohhh the madness. But, then again, maybe I’m overreacting.
Entertainment vs News – PR Crisis?
Gerald Baron, Founder and CEO, PIER System/AudienceCentral; Author, "Now Is Too Late: Survival in an Era of Instant News" made some pithy comments about the ‘news as entertainment’ trend and its effect on PR in today’s Daily Dog.
Blog Screen Size Paradox
Most bloggers or site owners pay a lot of attention to their web analytics and stats. The big three numbers for most of us are unique visitors, referring URLs and referring keywords. Of course, there are other metrics you can look at, but most site owners tend to hone in on those three. Of all the other numbers available, I think perhaps the least often used (and acted upon) is the screen size metric.
How Does Google Rank Your Blog?
Google has filed a patent application for ranking blogs using measures of quality, and Bill Slawski at SEO by the Sea has an excellent summary of the key factors. The quality factors fall into both positive and negative categories:
NCAA Hoops, Celebrity Deaths Top Google Searches
The top Google searches from the past week carry a sobering dichotomy of elation and sorrow as information seekers sought to join in the celebration of March Madness as well as take part in mourning the suicides of actor/comedian Richard Jeni and former Boston frontman Brad Delp.
AOL Plugin About Location
Skyhook Wireless is powering a location-based plugin for users of AOL’s AIM service. The Wi-Fi based AIM Location plugin lets users set and share their location with other users who have the plugin.
Beyond the Hurdles to the Digital Natives
The CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, Germany, started last week and runs until March 21.
CeBIT is the world’s largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work.
Receptive Minds & Great Conversations
One of the neatest things about speaking at conferences on topics you’re passionate about is connecting with like-minded people. And one of the best things is meeting those who are yet to be wholly convinced but are willing to engage in discussion. That means you have to work quite hard to present some persuasive arguments for your point of view.
Pet Food Scare Sends Searchers Chasing Answers
When news of a major pet food recall got out, pet owners hit the search engines over the weekend worried about their furry best friends.
One dog, nine cats. That’s the death toll so far in a mysterious outbreak of kidney failure linked to Menu Foods, Inc.’s various pet foods distributed by well-known grocers like Kroger, Safeway, Wal-Mart, and PetSmart.