Jakob Nielsen published his list of the most common mistakes of weblog authors concerning the usability of their blogs: The Top Ten Design Mistakes.
- No Author Biographies
- No Author Photo
- Nondescript Posting Titles
- Links Don’t Say Where They Go
- Classic Hits are Buried
- The Calendar is the Only Navigation
- Irregular Publishing Frequency
- Mixing Topics
- Forgetting That You Write for Your Future Boss
- Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service
So much about this list, and I am aware of the fact that the MikeSchnoor.com does not conform with the first two issues so far. I believe it is important to reveal a little bit about yourself as an author, and in order to meet that small and simple criteria, I’m going to post my biography and some fancy picture in the About section.
However, the problem with having words linked like „here“ or „click“ as seen in the third issue doesn’t happen at all on this site. Usually it is quite easy for a reader to understand that links created by myself lead to that what they are targeted at.
The fourth issue of posting a list of the top articles in a blog is useful, and I might do this in the near future. Fortunately I don’t even use a calendar for its horrible usability. But I’m not sharing Nielsen’s opinion about mixing topics or posting irregularly. I do prefer to mix topics since I cover many issues on this blog. For this, the four major categories (shown on top of the site) combine the others which are seen as the „big list“ in the sidebar. And how can one expect to judge content by posting only if there’s time for blogging? If you have other things to do, this is more imperative than covering the show in your blog. Thus this is a problem which is aimed directly at corporate or professional bloggers who post once a week.
The question about your future boss is always important – never forget that one may like to hire you and become offended from your writing. But one may never forget that a flame war in your blog is different from a critical opinion and thought. If I have a problem with the fictional Company X, and I get hired from that company after two years, the company should accept that employees with critical opinions are more valuable than the simple digest that oyu can find on the street.
Last but not least, we do have a domain name here – or you wouldn’t read us at all, or not? ;)
Can you be a ProBlogger?
BlogkulturWell, certainly the phenomenon created by (and around) Darren Rowse is certainly a prime example on how successful a blog author can become. However, many others who aren’t part of the blogging star network continuously try to become the same – and fail! The Workboxers have written a nice statement concerning this failure routine:
Clearly, this is true. And who would ever want to publish their secrets on earning money to the people who generate that money? In the end, many people do not realize they need niches. And without these niches, they won’t be in the center spot of any attention. I know this, I realized this, and live wonderful with it. The question seriously is: Do you want to be a professional blogger, or rather choose to find the newest niche for you to dig in and become the counter part to Darren? I’d follow that way.
[via Light Within, Workboxers]
Mike’s new favorite…
…TV show is Puffy AmiYumi. I’ll see if he is goin to join the mailing list from there as well ;-) I wonder if he prefers the cartoon or the real girls Ami and Yumi which are actually pretty sucessful especially in the USA.
Weblog Top Ten Mistakes
Blogkultur, DesignJakob Nielsen published his list of the most common mistakes of weblog authors concerning the usability of their blogs: The Top Ten Design Mistakes.
So much about this list, and I am aware of the fact that the MikeSchnoor.com does not conform with the first two issues so far. I believe it is important to reveal a little bit about yourself as an author, and in order to meet that small and simple criteria, I’m going to post my biography and some fancy picture in the About section.
However, the problem with having words linked like „here“ or „click“ as seen in the third issue doesn’t happen at all on this site. Usually it is quite easy for a reader to understand that links created by myself lead to that what they are targeted at.
The fourth issue of posting a list of the top articles in a blog is useful, and I might do this in the near future. Fortunately I don’t even use a calendar for its horrible usability. But I’m not sharing Nielsen’s opinion about mixing topics or posting irregularly. I do prefer to mix topics since I cover many issues on this blog. For this, the four major categories (shown on top of the site) combine the others which are seen as the „big list“ in the sidebar. And how can one expect to judge content by posting only if there’s time for blogging? If you have other things to do, this is more imperative than covering the show in your blog. Thus this is a problem which is aimed directly at corporate or professional bloggers who post once a week.
The question about your future boss is always important – never forget that one may like to hire you and become offended from your writing. But one may never forget that a flame war in your blog is different from a critical opinion and thought. If I have a problem with the fictional Company X, and I get hired from that company after two years, the company should accept that employees with critical opinions are more valuable than the simple digest that oyu can find on the street.
Last but not least, we do have a domain name here – or you wouldn’t read us at all, or not? ;)
Odé an die Kinderschokolade
MarketingNun ist es aus. Schon vor wenigen Wochen gab sich Günter Euringer als Mann hinter dem Gesicht der beliebten Kinderschokolade bekannt. Kurz darauf modernisiert der Hersteller Ferrero die Verpackung der leckeren Süßigkeit mit viel toller Milch durch ein neues Gesicht.
Und schon passiert es: Wir mögen es nicht!
Die Geschmackspolizei vom Fontblog hat zugeschlagen, und die Kommentare wie auch mein eigener sprechen für sich: Der grinsend frische Jahrtausend-Junge passt vielen älteren Käufern der Schokolade nicht recht in den Sinn.
Scheinbar hat Ferrero mit seinem jüngsten ReDesign-Coup einen kleinen Marketing-PR-Gau fabriziert, der so langsam ins Rollen kommt. Persönlich distanziere ich mich von einer Diffamierung des wohl recht unschuldigen Jungen, dennoch ist ein Traditionsbruch wie dieser nichts anderes als ein entsetzlicher Eklat von schon trügerischem Ausmaß! Ich werde wohl in Zukunft keine Packung Kinderschokolade mehr kaufen, insbesondere deshalb, weil ich nicht zu der Generation Manga, Handy, Chatter und Tokio Hotel Fan gehöre.
Welche Agentur hat euch bei Ferrerro nur dazu beraten? Die Eltern kaufen das für die Kinder …und auch gerne für sich selbst. Wer die Tradition bricht, kann vielleicht viele Kunden verlieren. Ab jetzt kaufe ich beim Gesichtsneutralen Lidl oder Aldi das entsprechende Produkt… einfach nur aus Protest!
Flock me up!
Blogkultur, WebMein Problemkind AntiVir
WebMeine Damen und Herren, was ist denn da los, dass die glänzende Vorführversion eures ansonsten kostenpflichtigen Dienstes so rummuckt? Wären da ein paar frische Server hilfreich, oder sind schnellere Breitbandanbindungen eine sinnvolle Lösung zu eurem Problem? Als „umsonst-Kunde“ bin ich bestimmt daran interessiert, meine bisweilen guten Erfahrungen mit eurem Produkt auch in meiner baldigen beruflichen Karriere kundzugeben, was in der einen oder anderen „fully paid“ Premium Professional Version des AntiVir innerhalb einer mehr oder minder großen Firma resultieren wird. Bitte kümmert euch drum. Danke, ich hab euch nämlich irgendwie lieb!
Update gegen 10.45 Uhr:
Nun wird laut Golem angekündigt, dass ein inkrementelles Update für die Software vom Hersteller verfügbar sein wird, so dass die Downloadgeschwindigkeit drastisch reduziert werden soll. Katharina und ich sind schon gespannt! Welch ein Zufall, dass ich schon heute morgen mit dem AntiVir angefangen hatte.
I’ve been „Off Time“
MedienYes, I’ve kept myself busy otherwise than browsing the web, reading news, reading blogs, reading blog news, and writing about this all in my blogs or in comment fields. Indeed we’ve been enjoying the visit of Katharina’s mother and brother. Carin and Christian stayed here for three days and left us on Monday morning. On top of this, University started again and we scrambled out of our home to catch up with the new schedule – just to resign from the term break and get kicked back to reality. Especially yesterday was a long day since we’ve had a very very
painfulwonderful trip on our bikes.In the end, these are quite serious reasons for one to stay off from the blogosphere. But there is one thing I’ve kept myself silent about: I am the owner of World of Warcraft! This game kept me busy on both Monday and Tuesday afternoon… it was the try-out phase. I might consider contacting Robert for participating in the WOW-Blog on Gamers Living – who knows what the future may hold. Rob, do you want another man in your boat? Row row…
Your Online Tracker
BlogkulturThe article by „RSS Blogger“ Siegfried Hirsch describes an example of how to use social software to track your own footsteps on the web: Basically, Oliver uses the bookmarking service del.icio.us to maintain the mind map of his comments all over the web.
Apparently, most users at del.icio.us serve their database with their bookmarks and daily links. But social networking software is capable to do more than just the regular job – you can possibly imagine to expand it to any use. And since this social networking tool is able to generate its own RSS feeds, you can easily implement it to your own webblog or website. Further, the idea of tracking yourself on the internet is quite useful to review the conversations you’ve had in your past.
I already signed up at del.icio.us/sichelputzer and have begun to maintain the root for my own Comment Zeitgeist! In time I might add the numerous comments from the past, but I doubt this job to cover all past topics will become useful for anyone.
Ach ja, da war doch was…
Medien…genau, ein neuer TV Kanal, den keiner braucht, den keiner will: Das Vierte ist da! Anscheinend ist das neue Programm jetzt bei mir auf Sendeplatz 23 zu finden. Genau dort, wo früher der lustige Jugendkanal GIGA zu finden war. Schön, dass wir von den kleinen Computerkid-Pestbeulen befreit sind, die durch spätpubertierende Mutationen versuchten, den Qualitätsstandard von heimaktivem Computerspiel-Daddeln einen Hauch von Sinn zu geben.
Welche armen Menschen sehen denn sich alte Wiederholungen von schon wiederholten alten Serien und Filmen an? Was für ein Trauerspiel – das passt zeitgleich zum medialen Desaster der TV-Endloskampagne zur „Kanzlerfrage„, was hiermit auch mein Vorschlag zum Unwort des Jahres 2005 ist! Wann kommt eigentlich Das Fünfte? Das einzig Gute am Vierten ist, dass mal ein Klassiker dabei ist, der sich wirklich lohnt: Der Schakal am 21. Oktober ab 20.15 Uhr!
YahooMSN: Combined Instant Messenger
WebThe deal is nearly perfect: Yahoo and Microsoft are planning to combine their instant messenger tools Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger to allow their users to communicate with those from the opposing messenger tool. Sounds like quite the thrill against Trillian and other merger tools. However, the entire conversion of both networks is scheduled to be done not before spring 2006. [via Golem]