AListForEverything

I've always been shocked that the price of printers is low and the price of ink is high.  The replacement ink costs almost as much as the printer!!!  Even at retail prices, purchasing replacement ink just two times will end up costing more than the printer.  Can you believe that??!!

For example, I bought my color inkjet printer on sale for under $100.  The replacement ink costs about $75.  It's painful to buy expensive ink for a cheap printer!  We also have a laser printer that can also be replaced for under $100.  The ink for that printer also costs around $75. 

I've stayed away from refurbished or refilled inks in the past because I heard they aren't as good or could even damage the printer.  But when the retail ink costs almost as much as the printer, I'm almost tempted to just get a new printer each time instead of just an ink cartridge.

I finally broke down and started shopping online for the best deals on ink.  I have found Omnipro to have consistently low prices across their products.  I bought the cheapest replacement inks for both our inkjet and laser printers.  The inkjet replacement was $15 and the laser cartridge replacement was $25, making a savings of $110 on this purchase!  They were all remanufactured cartridges, but they were so cheap, it was worth it.  I don't really need top-end, perfect colors when printing.  Assuming that the cartridges work good enough, each time I buy ink from Omnipro, I save enough money to replace the whole printer. 

 Click here to shop at Omnipro.

I have been satisfied with the pages I've printed with their ink.  It has been good enough.  I will continue to buy ink from them.  Chances are, you can save $$ too!

What is carpodding?  It is a term I made up to describe listening to podcasts while driving.  It's a versatile word.  You can get creative with it.  In essence, carpodders are people who carpod. 

Unfortunately, I can't claim to be the first person to invent this word.  It is defined at techweb and a couple other places.   It's not defined on wikipedia, dictionary.com, or even urban dictionary... yet.

Most people write about carpodding because they do it while they commute to work.  There are even podcasts called Monday Morning Commute or My Daily Commute. 

Some of you might be wondering, just how do you carpod?  You need three things:

1. a portable music player (probably an iPod)
2. podcasts in your player (probably by downloading MP3 audio files and importing those files into your player)
3. the ability to listen to your podcasts while driving

And others of you are wondering, how do I carpod safely? After all, it's against the law to be driving around with headphones on both ears.  I guess the simplest way would be just use one headphone.  You could buy a speaker for your MP3 player.  I chose to buy a fairly cheap car radio with a headphone plug and connect it to my iPod.  There are much fancier solutions, like car radios that directly plug into and control an iPod.

What would you listen to while you carpod?  Pretty much anything!  Check out these blogs and articles about finding podcasts.  Some even write about free audio book resources. 

Sometime soon, I'll share my list of favorite podcasts.  That's a problem with podcasts... they are slow to review because you can't skim them.  As Scoble said, they're great for places where you can't read... like the car. 

Happy carpodding!

p.s. It would be really cool if the podcasts were already automatically in your car stereo - and you could bypass the player, downloading and plugging into the stereo!

When writing a blog about the customizations I made to BlogEngine.NET 1.3, I wanted to see if I documented all of the code that I changed.  I needed to compare the code files I deployed to the server with the files I originally downloaded from the project website.  I wanted to see which files were missing, added, or different from the original files. 

I didn't have a diff tool that would allow me to easily compare the contents of two folders, traverse through all of the subfolders, let me know if files were missing in either of the folder trees, and also let me know if the contents of the files were different in either of the trees. 

I looked around and the best tools I found to do this comparison are:

• KDiff3
• Beyond Compare

Below, I provide detailed reviews of how a few products were able to perform the task of comparing the contents of two folders. More...

This blog is part of a series, Checklist for Starting Your Own Blog Business.

When starting my blog, I wanted to find a tool that would allow me to quickly create blogs, with powerful yet flexible functionality. Here’s my checklist of “must have” and “nice to have” features:

• Setup:
  • Ability to post to my Visual Studio development server as well as the production web server.
• Writing the Blog Content:
  • Quick and easy to compose/write the blog posts
  • Easy to include a picture in the post
  • Writes clean HTML that renders nicely across multiple browsers (i.e. standards & semantic web compliant)
  • Easy to format code (syntax highlighting)
  • Gives me full control of the final HTML
• Edit the Blog’s MetaData:
  • Categories
  • Tags
  • Excerpt/Description
  • Slug
  • Turn comments on/off
  • Edit the published date
• Manage Posts:
  • Edit existing posts
  • Delete existing posts

The following is my ranking of tools for writing blogs.  The rest of this post will provide more detailed reviews, in this order.

1. Windows Live Writer (MY PICK) – the best combination of features, cost is free, very clean output
2. Using the blog server software’s online post editor – less robust editor, but available anywhere
3. Microsoft Word 2007 – hands down the best editor, but the HTML output and ability to manage blog metadata and posts was too weak
4. BlogJet – not quite as robust as Windows Live Writer, also not free… however, the tool itself looks much more polished than WLW
5. ScribeFire Mozilla plug-in – nice if you like to blog about web pages you discover while browsing with Firefox
6. BlogDesk – less features than Windows Live Writer, did not try
7. Web page HTML editors – good HTML output, no blog management
8. Contribute – wouldn’t post to my ASP.NET development server
9. Blogger for Word – discontinued product for older versions of Word; did not try
10. RocketPost – poor support; did not try

Conclusion

In an ideal world, there would be a tool with Microsoft Word’s editing power and portability – along with WLW’s ability to insert blog metadata – plus better overall blog management screens – and better image management. In the real world, I am using several tools to write blogs and manage my blogs: composing and publishing with Windows Live Writer, taking screenshots with SnagIt, and using Microsoft Word to share post drafts with my editor.

Hopefully I gave you some helpful information about these blog writing and publishing tools.  I learned that there still wasn't a perfect tool for writing, publishing, and managing blog content.  In my opinion, Windows Live Writer provided the best combination of usability and features.  I'd love to hear what tools you are using and how you view their pros and cons. 

More...

This blog is part of a series, Checklist for Starting Your Own Blog Business.

Instead of answering the question, “What is a blog and how is it different from a website?” I am going to refer you to an incredibly well written summary, the Technorati FAQ.

Hosted Service vs. Self-Hosting with a Custom Domain Name

Tibi Puiu at the Lost Art of Blogging says that the #1 mistake that new bloggers make is using a hosted service instead of starting with their own domain. Hosted services, like Blogger, can be really tempting because they are quick to set up, easy to use, and free.

I knew right from the start that I wanted to host my own blog engine with my own domain name. But what if you’re not sure you really want to blog? If you just want to “try out” blogging, then use a hosted service. Try it for 3-4 weeks. After the initial enthusiasm, if you decide you to continue then make the move to hosting on your own domain and make the move early! If you go this route, you might consider buying a domain name and setting up blogger to use your domain name, not theirs. This move alone will help you down the road.

TechZ from Attackr.com wrote a clear, excellent list of the advantages & disadvantages of both a hosted service and self hosting. Phillip Lenssen at Performancing wrote another amazing analysis of the pros and cons of self-hosting, where he contrasted the advantages of full control against the disadvantages of the time commitment and learning curve. Meg from Dipping into the Bigpond explained the top disadvantage of moving from a hosted service to self-hosting,

“The metrics used to determine how popular a blog is (and perhaps affecting your earning ability), are all reset. Technorati links, Google PageRank, and Alexa Rank all fall to zero and you have to start building them again. If you’re lucky, you can take your feed subscribers with you, otherwise you’ve got to cross your fingers and hope they’ll update with the move.… Probably the most common regret from bloggers is “I should have done this sooner“.”

Randfish from seomoz.org encouraged people to self host when he described,

“The right blog CMS (Content Management System) makes a big difference. If you want to set yourself apart, I recommend creating a custom blog solution - one that can be completely customized to your users. In most cases, WordPress, Blogger, MovableType or Typepad will suffice, but building from scratch allows you to be very creative with functionality and formatting. The best CMS is something that's easy for the writer(s) to use and brings together the features that allow the blog to flourish… Hosting your blog on a different domain from your primary site is one of the worst mistakes you can make.”

Clearly, as all these people attest, if you are serious about blogging, then you will "self" host customized blog engine server software with your own customized domain name. 

Furthermore, if you are a software developer then self-hosting with your own domain name adds credibility. You can get some light experience with DNS through coordinating domain registrars and website / email hosting companies. You learn a little about server configuration through the process of setting up and deploying your blog engine. It shows that you can competently navigate the current technology landscape… that you’re not completely dependent on the corporate IT department.

 

Choose Your Blogging Name (aka Pen Name)

You blogging name is how you will be signing your blog posts.  Many people use their real name or a nickname.  Use your blogging name to comment on other blogs and participate in forums.

Tami Baribeau from CuppyCake further describes the importance of choosing your focus, the name of your blog, your “pen name” in the blogosphere, and your blogroll. In particular, she recommends that your blogroll only include the blogs that you personally read regularly. Your domain name is typically also the name of your blog.

 

Choose a Domain Name

Recommend Tool: InstantDomainSearch.com

Once you decide to make the plunge, you have some coordinating to do between lookup tools, domain registrars, hosting companies, etc.

First, choose a domain name. As Syed Balkhi from Balkhis says, go for a .com domain if you are starting a new business or website. If you aren’t sure about the difference between a .com and a .net, read TLD (Top Level Domain) descriptions on the Enom FAQ or go straight to the source at IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority).

An excellent tool for checking on the availability of domain names is InstantDomainSearch.com. The usability on that site is incredible!!! It does what you want quickly and instinctively gives you several tools, like WHOIS, Domain Name Hacks, and Visit Site. CAUTION: the InstantDomainSearch results are not always accurate. Don’t get your hopes up just because you see green.

If your top choice is already taken, several companies, like Enom will offer suggestions for alternate names.  Jeff Atwood describes how choosing a domain name can be difficult.  He noted the following resources:  Seth Godin discusses making up a new word.  Mike Pope suggests a trochee.  You could use an elaborate process, like those used by Michael McDerment of Freshbooks or the Igor Naming Guide. Or follow the 37Signals trend and just pick something catchy. And try to avoid unintentionally bad domain names.  

Some domain name lookup tools have been accused of cybersquattting and front running. There are stories about some companies registering domain names immediately after you search… only to charge you more $$ when they resell those squatted domain names to you. I have always had positive experiences with Instant Domain Search and endorse them.

 

Register the Domain Name

Recommend Tool: Google Apps

I recently learned about using Google Apps for domain registration and I’m sold! It is by far the cheapest and highest quality package I’ve seen. For just $10/year, you can register a domain name, register it privately with annual auto-renew, and get several Google services, including 2GB GMail per user. The price is awesome if you can tolerate ads on the side of your GMail. You can upgrade to a paid hosting plan if you don’t want the ads. If you just need one simple web page, they offer a WYSIWYG web page editor and your page can be seen at www.yourdomain.com.

It is interesting to note that Google outsources the actual domain registration. My registration was done by Enom. The Enom administration pages were powerful and easy to use. Enom adds some interesting services, including text messaging and maps. Google Apps also makes it easy to access your DNS records at the registrar because they store your registrar administration logon info. One less password to remember. Cool.

Another thing to note is that Google does not handle domain transfers, but you can add Google Apps to a domain that was previously registered. I have a domain parked at 1and1.com, without a website, which I could not set up. Another domain with a website hosted at CrystalTech was a breeze to set up.  If you try the CNAME method, Hscripts.com has an easy to use online DNS Lookup tool.  Also, the setup process can be slow, as seen by this Google message:

We are checking domain ownership. This may take 48 hours to complete.

 

Buy a Web and Database Hosting Package for Your Blogsite / Website

Recommend Tool: CrystalTech

For me, the host had to support ASP.NET and SQL Server because I write software with Microsoft's .NET and those are the technologies I know. Similar to Jeff Atwood at Coding Horror, I prefer CrystalTech. Their “Developer” plan starts at $2.95/month and includes a SQL Server database! They keep on the cutting edge with technology and frequently offer free hosting for beta technologies. In my experience, their tech support is responsive, even with the Developer plan.

 

Buy an Email Hosting Package for Your Domain

Recommend Tool: CrystalTech, use the included email hosting with the web hosting package

Sending your mail through GMail or using GMail as a free SMTP server might be tempting, but I don’t think it is worth it in the end. You are better off using your domain email and having your return address look like you are using your domain email.

Keeping the email with Google Apps is also really tempting. The price and online accessibility are hard to beat.

A benefit of hosting email with the website hosting company is the ease of setting up SMTP email (server-generated email) from your website. It appears that sending Google Apps email from a website hosted at CrystalTech isn’t currently possible, as seen in this thread and this one. The space allowed on the CrystalTech plans should be enough to support growth.

If your blog or business generates enough revenue, you could consider purchasing dedicated server hosting with higher space and traffic limits for email or completely migrate the email off to a dedicated email hosting company like Inbox.com, Intermedia, MailStreet, 123Together, or ExchangeMyMail. Some interesting CrystalTech discussions about hosted Exchange are in this thread and this one.

 

Choose a Blogsite / Website Design (aka Theme or Skin)

Recommend Tool: Open Source Web Design

There are lots of good pre-built designs to choose from. Typically, your blog engine will have several “themes” or “skins” that are available and easy to use. Or you could make your own. Open Source Web Design has hundreds of designs that can be used for nonprofit or commercial sites.

 

Optimize Your Blog

OK, so you’re just getting started.  Just start writing posts/articles. Get used to the flow of blogging.

Then concentrate on optimizing your blogging experience.

For now, I'll share one optimizing tip.  Randfish from seomoz.org recommends optimizing your blog titles for keywords. I have found Google Adwords to be easy to use and free. If you have the money, you might try WordTracker or KeywordDiscovery. Randfish also recommends using Technorati tags.

 

Conclusion

The steps for setting up a blogsite are fairly similar to the steps for setting up a website.  Enjoy the resources I've shared.  If you use different tools, I'd love to hear about them.

Starting to blog? Here’s a checklist of how I got started:

1. Choose Your Blogging Name (aka Pen Name)
2. Choose a Domain Name
3. Register the Domain Name
4. Buy a Web, Email, and Database Hosting Package for Your Domain
5. Choose a Blog Engine
6. Choose a Website Design (aka Theme or Skin)
7. Customize the Blog Engine
8. Choose a Tool for Writing Blog Posts
9. Prepare the Software for Production
10. Deploy the Software to the Production Servers
11. Configure Production Settings
12. Start Writing and Publishing Posts
13. Optimize Your Blog

Kris Larson from Carthage wrote an excellent article for BloggingTips.com about revisionist blogging.

It’s ironic that I read this article this afternoon because earlier today, I just happened to be thinking about how I view my blogs more like documentation than a journal. Documentation is usually described as something that should be a living document. Documentation is a form of writing that usually does not need to be changed. However, when it is inaccurate, it should be updated. A journal, however, is more like a snapshot or a permanent record of one person’s writing at a specific moment in time.

My view is that the content of this blog is like a living document. I will update it when necessary. If I do make updates to a post, I plan on telling you, the readers, of what was changed and when.  This is important because you, as the reader participating by making comments, should get credit and respect for taking the time to make a comment.  An important part of blogs is the dialogue in the comments.

My perspective on revising blog posts is supported by Kris Larson when explaining,

If your blog is subject-oriented or professional, there’s really no reason not to bring the whole thing up to your current high standards. I would say the only exception is predictions.

In this blog, I am writing on specific subjects that are professional in nature.  I agree that the content should be updated when it is shown to be inaccurate or even when the solutions I present are less than ideal. 

The opinion in favor of revising further resonates with me when Kris adds,

Do always feel free to revise things like spelling and grammar mistakes, small factual errors, broken links, etc. That won’t affect the tone or message of the post, and it will make it easier for your public to read.

I completely agree with revising spelling, grammar, fact checking, etc., for almost all types of blogs.  Yes, revising takes time.  So does writing and editing.  But so does reading - and the reader should be shown the respect to make the writing as good as possible.