Interns – a wonderful “secret” weapon for driving traffic.

Ok, so “Crakalicious” is not a user name I would have chosen for a popular blog comment post, but who am I to judge?!
There is a point to this and it’s a good one.
I’ve used interns for years to delegate tasks and provide opportunity.
As a former intern myself, I was given a fantastic opportunity that I ran with… no, I sprinted with, to translate it into an editor-ship with a startup that is still in business after over 15 years.
I’m pretty proud of that.
Oh, right, let me get back to the point.
This post is about interns and one simple way I’ve employed them to get important, but time-consuming tasks, done.
Specifically, commenting on popular blog posts (definitely after reading them!) and linking back to my various web presences.
It’s a great way to build traffic, but it’s a low-dollar/hr task that I just can’t do any more.
Why is it ok?
Because my interns actually read the blog posts they comment on.
That’s pretty important, speaking as a blogger that has to sift through loads of spam comments that have nothing to do with my erudite (humbly spoken) writings, and link back to ridiculous sites, some of which make me sick.
And where did the name “Crakalicious” appear?
Well, I’m still laughing about it because it was on a CNN blog post about drug use.
Of course, junior and I had a talk and that name disappeared.
Then he replaced it with “John Smith” and we had another talk.
Now he uses his real name and we’re both happy

All the best,

Chris

App Maker, App Maker, make me an app… a geek’s wish list

This post will be regularly updated with my (and my friends’) app wish list.
The highly popular “Wiferam Alpha” is #4… but I think it’ll be #1 tomorrow.

#1 – Twitter follow spam terminator app
What would it be?
A real-time, side-by-side comparison of who’s following me and who I follow… followed by who “unfollows” me right after I follow them. It would also have a built-in “mass follow/mass unfollow” zapper that would melt the offender’s hard drive.
#2 – Home page ADD-helper cycler
What geek doesn’t have a touch of ADD?
What would it do?
Change my home pages in Explorer, Firefox + Opera on a rotating basis from a pre-determined list I create each time I open it. My interests are so varied (as is the wiring in my brain) that I can’t seem to remember what I favorite sometimes.
#3 – Social Media get-started-profile-auto-filler-outer
This one is self-explanatory.
Make it everything friendly and help me quickly auto-fill profile information. Not so much for me, but for folks I help get started in social media. Once we decide which avenue to pursue (not all of them) it would be incredibly helpful to be able to hit a magic button and launch a presence. C’mon @Loic, @Scobleizer, @ChrisPirillo, @a… I know you can do it!
#4 – Wiferam Alpha
And, yes, this one’s gonna get me killed
You’ve heard of Wolfram Alpha.
No?
You know, the amazing site that truly appears to be a mathematician’s “best thing since sliced bread”?
Well, guys, help me and my friends out with our marriages
Of course, my wife is awesome (hi honey, I know you read my blogs and subscribe to the RSS feeds… love ya ;0).
But after years of counselling, I’ve come to realize that I’m the one that needs help… or at least when I admit that and take the blame, things go so much better.
Kinda like milk and cookies… wait, maybe not, but I’m hungry and want milk and cookies.
Back to the point – this is what I need -
Let me enter a situation/scenario into Wiferam Alpha and it will run through all the variables… weather, PMS, how the kids are doing in school, is there a cure yet for autism, did I forget to shave… and it will tell me whether or not it’s ok to, say, have a beer, say “hi” or… breathe.
C’mon, guys, you know you want it just as badly as I do.
I think the default answer to queries will be “drink more beer” until the bugs get worked out.
I’m cool with that.
#5 – ?
I won’t be able to think straight until #4 gets developed.
I volunteer for the Beta!!!
Come on, gang, let’s crowdsource this puppy!

Cheers,

Chris

Gravatars are important for your online identity – here’s how you get them to show up everywhere by making them universal

You’ve seen gravatars that look pretty cool and you’ve seen far too many that scream “I’m generic because I still don’t understand all this web stuff!”

So why should you care?

Having an avatar other than the basic, auto-generated graphic, next to your name boosts legitimacy and can ramp up your web traffic.
Wondering how to make it happen?
Here’s how you do it:

• Go to Gravitar.com
• Click “sign up now”
• Type in your email, then click “sign up”.
• You’ll receive and email with an activation link (click it).
• Pick a username and password.
• Add an image by clicking the “add image” link.  Gravitar can then pull images from your computer, the web or a webcam attached to your computer.
• Choose “file” and find the graphic you want to use on your computer.
• Crop the image until you’re satisfied with the final appearance. Remember, this is how you’ll be instantly judged, so invest a little time in your choice or hire a pro.
• When asked to rate your avatar, select “G” (unless you want to risk being blocked). And make double sure it’s a G-rated avatar or you’ll lose credibility.
• Your comments on blogs (which you’ll surely make, right!) and forums all over the web will have your unique stamp… your custom avatar.

And  c’est ‘voila – you’re head and shoulders, or whatever else you put in your avatar, will stand out from the madding crowd.

All the best and welcome to the next level of the web,

Chris

@WebMindSet @ 14,000 ft & everywhere else.

TechMeme – oh to be popular

“At this moment, the must-read stories in technology are scattered across hundreds of news sites and blogs. That’s far too much for any reader to follow.

Fortunately, Techmeme arranges all of these links into a single, easy-to-scan page. Story selection is accomplished via computer algorithm extended with direct human editorial input.”

It’s truly a bookmark-worthy site… maybe even homepage-worthy!
Yep, it is.
So, I’ll replace Scobleizer.com with TechMeme as my homepage. But what I REALLY want is an app that will cycle my homepages within Firefox each time I open it up. THAT is my dream app of the day.

C’mon, one of you can make that happen…

Anyone? Buehler?

All the best,

Chris

Just who is Robert Scoble and why should you care?

Robert Scoble… come on… you know who he is, right?
Well, if ever there were a king guru grand poobah of social media, it’d be Scoble, aka @Scobleizer on Twitter.
And one of my dream goal is to have Robert Scoble come to me one day and say, “Chris, you da social media man!”

I can dream, can’t I?

Get tuned in to what he has to say and you’ll see a history that is unmatched because no one has his history or name recognition in the industry.
Check out Scobleizer.com, his most famous of blogs and you’ll probably wind up stuck there for hours if social media buzz is what you crave.
Dig the “From Scoble’s Lists” widget on the right side and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll get stuck.

All the best and let’s have fun on this social media journey!

Chris