When I set out to build my blog from scratch, I had grand plans. These plan had to be put on hold for various reasons, and I ended up launching a version of ViNull.Com that was slapped together in a few weeks. These last few months I've been rebuilding the site from line zero, and this weekend reached a point where I felt I could deploy.
Now, on the surface there isn't a whole lot of difference. The first thing you may have noticed is the google ads are gone. I never felt the ads were targeting my content very well, and they weren't adding up to much revenue so I've killed them. Amazon will now be the sole ad provider on my site - the bar on the right is supposed to target products based on site content, so we'll see. It has always been the long term plan I will develop a system that allows me to select products to show with a post, and this hasn't changed.
The store link came in last minute. While switching out amazon ad types, I saw amazon has a new option in beta. Simply put, I can embed an amazon store inside my site. Currently it's very limited - I along with many others in the beta want to be able to select every product by hand. Right now I can choose nine "featured" products, and then add categories. Still, it's pretty cool and since it's beta it may get the features I want to make it a permant fixture. One thing I've always liked about amazon ads is they don't change the cost to the consumer - I get a little kick back for the referral, but the price doesn't increase.
The code section makes up that last of the big changes. The software that runs this site is now hosted on Source Forge as an open source project. More details under the code section, but in short the idea is the code will be helpful more in a learning role than yet another blog framework. You could take the code (ViNull Siding) and make a few changes and run your blog with it, and my goal will be making that easier as time goes on, but if you want an off the shelf blog package, there is far better out there.
Some minor changes include loading flickr photos using the Flickr API versus RSS, placing the site content under a Creative Commons license (check out legal below), and presenting a full site map for search engines to follow. Reviews now list the blog posts I've made that can count as reviews, and the code section tracks code posts. I've started the code for tagging as well (which right now only has one feature: I can tag a post). I've also reworked the admin, but you aren't allowed to see that.
On the todo list - revamp the photos section; with nearly 1,000 photos on flickr it's not hard to see that I enjoy using my camera. Add MetaWebLog API support so I can use blogging tools such as flock and Windows Live Writer. Reviews may get a touch up, adding some more product details to the review. I also have some design level changes in mind that will make skinning the site easier should anyone choose to try and build a blog from the code.
Oh yea, stats... I have no idea if anyone actually reads this site right now!
Posted By Mike On Monday, September 11, 2006
Filed under blog |
Comments (2)
Daryl
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Monday, September 11, 2006
12:45:00 PM
Wait, you're actually acknowledging that you might use Flock one day? ;)
Mike
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Monday, September 11, 2006
1:17:39 PM
By the time I get the API working, you guys will have had enough time to make flock useful. =p
