Recently in Blogging Category

Now that we bloggers have changed the world, the web, and the news, people are starting to look at us in a new light. We've even gotten into the dictionary, and some news outlets are starting to look to blogs for more news to cover. I'm starting to notice that the singular term "blog" is insufficient to explain the panopoly of blog types that exist in the great blogosphere. As such, I'd like to propose a new naming scheme for blogs. That said, "Lockjaw's Lair" will now be known as a "PoliBlog+."

Here are some proposed blog terms.

• PoliBlog - Blogs that primarily focus on politics, elections, and government shall now be known as PoliBlogs.
  
• LifeBlog - Blogs that serve as personal diaries, expressions of personal feelings, talk about kids, motherhood, pets and the like should be known as LifeBlogs.
  
• HobbyBlog - Needlework, craftyness, artwork and the like shall take place on the HobbyBlog subset of blogging.
  
• PhotoBlog - AudioBlog - VideoBlog - We're all familiar with these, and these terms have arisen on their own.
  
• TechBlog - If it's about computers, the Internet, gadgets, cellphones, or other technology, then it's a TechBlog.
  

We need more. For instance, I can't quite think of a good name for the entertainment subgroup. MiscBlog can exist as a catch-all for those other blogs with no real focus. I welcome any suggestions.

Welcome to the PoliBlog continent of the Blogosphere.

I've posted about this elsewhere, but haven't done so here, because it's a little outside of my normal fare. If you're looking for a good way to get at least 10,000 true visits to your blog or other website by real people, you should check out HonestyHits. It's a service where you surf other sites to earn credits, which are then applied to bring others to your site. HonestyHits has one other cool thing that sets it apart. They give you 10,000 credits/site views when you join.

So, join up. Enter your site. Be sure to set your site to only allow views from MANUAL surfers, because they do have an automated surfing system that doesn't require real eyeballs on your site. Allocate all 10,000 credits toward your site, and let it go. It won't be 10,000 surfers in a week. They'll trickle in over a while. It's pretty cool, and has brought a lot of viewers to my site.

Of course, once you've got them there, you need to have good content, or you'll never see them again. That part's up to you. I'm just suggesting a good way to get some more viewers to your site. If you're interested in info, go to HonestyHits and check it out.

I've used Blog Explosion for a while, and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. The concept is simple. You use their "surfing" tool to view blogs that belong to other members, and you earn credits. Those credits are used to send other "surfers" to your blog. For every two blogs that you visit using their site, they'll send one surfer to your blog. Simple concept, and it works fairly well. I've found a lot of good sites through Blog Explosion and had a lot of new users come to my site because of it. What a deal!

I've noticed another traffic exchange system out there. It's called Blog Clicker. Like Blog Explosion, Blog Clicker lets you browse member blogs and earn traffic for your own blog. It's a bit newer, and has a different look and feel, but works very similarly. If you're a Blog Explosion user, and are looking for a different batch of blogs to browse, give this one a try.

I've found one more traffic exchange system to give a try, too. It's called BlogAZoo. I haven't used it very much yet, but I thought it might be worth a try. At any rate, it's worth joining and surfing a bit, just to see a new batch of blogs. It looks like they've only got around 1600 members so far, so you can get in early.

That's my short traffic exchange entry for the day. If you've never used a traffic exchange system before, give Blog Explosion a try and see how it works. You'll find some new blogs to read, and some folks will find yours. If you're a Blog Explosion user, don't hesitate to try Blog Clicker and BlogAZoo for something new.

Eric S. Raymond wrote, and continues to update, a book called "The Cathedral And The Bazaar." It's a book about software development. The analogy compares centrally-developed software such as Microsoft Windows to Open Source Software such as Gnu/Linux. The analogy works well, but I didn't want to steal it directly. In looking at the difference between the Mainstream Media (MSM) and the Blogosphere, I had to come up with my own analogy. I've decided on "The Supermarket and The City Market."

The ongoing debate over the quality of the MSM -vs- the Blogs is getting pretty heated. Many MSMers are getting rightly upset that their hold on the attention-span of the news-consumers is weakening. This begs the question, why would a savvy news-consumer go to an amateur pundit writing from his bedroom, when he has access to serious news businesses with full staffs to gather the news? The answer, I believe, can be found in how we shop for other items.