Info, links, comments and wishlists from a webdiva.
Believe it or not, I’m typing this in a break at a community college class I’m taking about selling on ebay. I don’t know yet if the class is a waste of time or not. What I do know is that I like getting out of my head for a few hours a week.
I’ll keep you up to date on whether I sell something… later.
Are you using Google sitemaps yet?
No? Here’s one reason why you should consider beginning:
Question #2: What exactly does a Google Sitemap do?
Answer #2: Well here it is… any time you add new content to your site or your blog, you’re going to want Google to include the most up-to-date version in its listings. In the past, this meant waiting for Google to index your site all over again… but since Google runs on its own agenda that could be next week… or next month… or next year. You never knew and it was extremely frustrating.
But finally Google has solved this problem with Google Sitemaps!
By using Sitemaps you can proactively tell Google every time you update your site so Google knows exactly when they need to come back and reindex it. And best of all, it’s free!
Think of it as sending Google an invitation to visit your site every time you change it and add new information. This is particularly useful for blogs or other newsy web sites that are updated regularly.
Very cool.
You have a blog. You post content. You have Google ads on it. Why aren’t you making money?
There are ten possible reasons, according to ProBlogger Darren Rowse:
Darren also points to Performancing’s Can Anyone Make Money From Blogging? for more info on this topic.
Want to track changes on Web sites that don’t have an RSS feed? Let ChangeNotes help.
This free service monitors the web pages that interest you and notifies you by email when they change. You might like to monitor the web pages of your work or former work, clients, customers, industry groups, competitors, friends and family, hobby sites, school, clubs, and community sites, etc.
(Found via LifeHacker.)
In a follow up to a previous “cool tools” post, here’s another resource for finding great little tools: Library Web Chic’s Cool Tools Update for Webmasters. Included in the list are link popularity checkers, password keepers and php editors. Worth bookmarking.
LifeHacker has compiled a great list of portable applications as part of a post entitled “Geek to Live: Carry your life on a thumb drive (or iPod).”
Some of our favorite self-contained, standalone applications that don’t have to make changes to the operating system to run include:
- Web browser: Portable Firefox, 7.55MB installed
Includes all Firefox profile information, like bookmarks and extensions.- Office Suite: Portable Open Office, 90.6MB installed
Spreadsheet, word processor and presentation software.- Email: Portable Thunderbird, 21.7MB installed
Email, address book and mail filters.- Instant Messenger: Trillian Anywhwere, ~34 MB installed (depending on the size of your Trillian profile)
Multi-protocol instant messaging client works with AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ and IRC.- Virus Scanner: Portable ClamWin, ~15Mb installed (with definitions)
Open source Windows virus scanner.- Remote Login: TightVNC (viewer executable only), 159KB installed
Log into your remote VNC server with the TightVNC viewer. See previously-posted feature, How to control your home computer from anywhere for more information on using the TightVNC viewer.John Haller’s excellent Portable Apps site also offers the Portable Apps Suite, which includes a web browser, email client, web editor, office suite, word processor, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client and FTP client and weighs in at a mere 117 megabytes (44MB for the Lite version).
Also, Adam recently covered how to run a CD-ripper and music player from your iPod so that you can listen to the music on your ‘pod without ever launching iTunes in his article, the self-sustaining iPod. (Remember, to use the iPod as a hard drive, in iTunes’ preferences pane, check off “Enable disk use” in the iPod tab.)
Hmmm… sounds like it might be time to get my own 1GB portable life device.
Here’s an oldie but goodie, a powerpoint presentation presented at Computers in Libraries earlier this year. The download time sucks, but it’s worth it.
(Found via LibrarianInBlack.)