Blogs as Websites

I am noticing that more and more people are using blogs as websites. Avoiding website domain name and hosting charges is perhaps one reason. Ease of publishing is likely another. If all someone wants to do is post a few pictures, write about themselves, and link to other sites, everything you need is pretty much there. Blogs are also handy for organizations promoting a time-limited event. Why go through the hassle of setting up a website for something that is going to come and go within a few months? For example, the Edmonton Anarchist Book Fair has set up a website on Blogger, for their event coming up in September.

LiveJournal Functions

In the past few weeks LiveJournal has come up with some added functionality. Users can now have a control bar at the top of the screen whenever logged in, making navigation a lot easier. The My LiveJournal section has also been spiffed up with direct links to posting and Friends' pages, for example.

Movement At MySpace

I've been putting some work into my MySpace pages. I am finding that MySpace is where I am doing the most serious networking and connecting. It's probably a numbers thing -- millions of users.

You Tube

I got a mini DV camcorder last month, and have been looking for a place to host my vids without taking up all my space and badwidth at my websites. You Tube is the solution I settled upon. It is like a video version of MySpace. Videos have to be maximum ten minutes and 100 Megs. Once uploaded, the file is converted into Flash and streams from the site. You are given a direct link to the file, as well as the coding to embed it into your existing website. Of course it has the usual user agreement that the site can use your work for whatever it wants, but even still this is not a bad deal. Here is what I have done so far.

Living's Sanctuary at Piczo

At the request of some of my friends who are using Piczo, I decided to check it out in more detail and set up a small page of my own. I tried to go for a consistent look and feel throughout the site. Here it is: Living's Sanctuary.

Video Blogging

I've been thinking a lot about video blogging. MySpace includes sections for vids now. Video blogging is a lot more personal in that the viewer is not only hearing what the person says, but also seeing the blogger. Someone has to be very comfortable with this medium in order to go for it. I am considering starting up a video blog, and am not sure if I will put it on MySpace or just plunk it onto one of my existing websites.

My Life of Travel

I just found out about My Life of Travel. It is a portal for people to create travel blogs. This is one of those cases where there is strength in numbers, as this site creates a community for travel bloggers. Readers can view blogs by travel destination or user. Blogs include maps, as well as entries and photos.

Piczo

Some of my friends are building their own website using Piczo. They are easy to build, picture-based sites. Looking through the information, it seems to be geared towards younger people. However, the same could be said of MySpace, where more and more older folks (25+) are getting in the game.

MSN Spaces

I started playing around with MSN Spaces this afternoon. I forgot I even had one -- I last wrote a blog entry almost a year ago, and that was only as an introduction. I find the layout a bit confusing, but MSN Spaces is quite popular with some on the blogging scene.

Del.Icio.Us = Delicious?

Generally, when I visit cool sites I want to remember, I add them to my bookmarks. In Flock, the browser I have been using most often because of the interactive blogging capability, instead directs me to my page at del.icio.us, which lists my bookmarks, along with short descriptions and the number of other users who have also linked to the same page. It is interesting to see what others find cool and popular, but I think having the bookmarks right there in the browser, accessible through a drop-down list, is far more convenient. There is also the question of provacy -- I don't necessarily want everyone knowing what websites I visit. However, del.icio.us is available by RSS feed, and as a result one can add it to their blog or website. Want to see what I link to? Here is my page: del.icio.us/livingsanctuary

Bravenet Web Journal

So last night I decided to try out the Bravenet Web Journal feature for the first time. I have been using Bravenet for website tool such as guestbooks and counters for a while now, and most recently for hosting. The company's Web Journal offers a variety of styles to choose from, as well as the ability to customize colours and layout. You can add links to other websites (such as other blogs, or just sites you enjoy), which is something I miss in LiveJournal, and there is a tag board where people can "shout" comments. Here is what I have so far -- not much, but I really enjoy the layout and functionality. Add best of all, it's free! Santiano's Swamp

Notepad Necessity

This post sort of falls into the category of "Common Sense -- Which Isn't." A few of my friends who are MySpacers have complained that they type up a long blog entry directly in MySpace, only to have their hard work vanish when they hit the Submit button. They have figured out a secret that hardcore bloggers should know, regardless of their blogging program. Compose your entries in Notepad (or the text editor of your choice) first, save it as a text file, then copy and paste it into your blog's composition screen. You can do the formatting and add the HTML for links at that point. This way, if things go screwy, at least you have a backup. Ditto if your blogging program's server crashes or something goes terribly wrong. Do I practice what I preach? I should.

Ianism.com

It is with great joy to announce that my friend Ian Scott has rejoined the world of blogging with Ianism.com. Ian's takes on life, religion, and politics are always very personal and controversial. I don't always agree with his conclusions, but find his posts very intellecutual stimulating. Check it out and see what you think.

LiveJournal

I started my very first serious blog using LiveJournal. In fact, that is where I still maintain my main blog, where I link out to my various projects across the Web, as well as write the occasional socially conscious post or funny observation about life. I'm a paid member, which means I have more control over what my blog looks like (custom templates and such), the methods by which I can post, and the ability to bake my blog into the framework of other of my websites. Here it is!

Life In The Fast Lane

I finally upgraded to high speed Internet this past week, and what a difference it has made in my online activities -- including blogging! My updates transfer from the editing screen live onto my blog in record time. High speed also helps save time when I am visiting the blogs of my friends, and researching interesting sites to write about. High speed is not mandatory, but highly recommended for serious bloggers.

Blog Reviews - Is Your Blog Up For It?

The Blog Talker will include reviews of blogs. If you would like me to review your blog, or if you know of a blog you think I should check out to be included here, shoot me an e-mail and I'll check it out.