Commenting on other blogs does not help SEO
Uno as Afrikaans, Ideas, Online
Jul|9|2007
There’s a thought meme that says that if you comment on other blogs, your PageRank or Google Juice will increase. This is not entirely true.
Google uses the rel=”noFollow” to exclude pages from being included in crawls. So when you link to another site and that link includes the rel=”noFollow” then essentially there isn’t any linklove happening.
Many people think that simply commenting on other blogs can increase your Google Juice, unfortunately most blogs still have the rel=”noFollow” tag embedded as default so that linklove is never transferred. This stems from the days when it was still difficult to track down spam, although tools like Akismet have been doing a brilliant job at it lately. Spammers would increase their Google Juice by spamming your site with comments linking back to their site. The idea is not to get you to click on it, but for the search engines to pick up on the referrer, getting them a higher SE ranking.
Essentially what this means is that your commentors are never rewarded for commenting. So people who comment on your site regularly don’t get any linklove. So why bother?
Enter the No No Follow meme!
I’ve installed the No No Follow plugin ages ago, and actively encourage readers to leave comments (I’m still to hit the 40 comments a post mark, I’m working on it ok!). You do get rewarded with comments so go mad!
I haven’t found too many SA sites with the same meme running (only this?). How about it then folks? Open up the comment love!
For some background reading you can read:
Randy Clay Des
Bumpzee
Legal Andrew
(This post is actually about the noFollow meme and not SEO, although they are tightly linked)
Technorati Tags: comments, no follow, rel=”noFollow”, wordpress, plugin, seo, content distribution, blog incentive
Ironically, I’ve had to close the comments on this post as I’ve received way too much spam that akismet doesn’t seem to block. There are tons of other posts to comment on though.
DieBurger covers Facebook, a little
Uno as Afrikaans, Online, Web2.0
Jun|29|2007
I would have liked to embed this video on my site, but unfortunately Die Burger doesn’t allow that at the moment.
Vuisvoos ge-Facebook?
Terwyl sosiale netwerk-webtuistes soos Facebook besig is om lang kantoordae kort te maak, het Le Roux Schoeman van die beweegredes agter aanlyn-profi… VOLLEDIGE STORIE»
Dave and myself were briefly interviewed for an insert on Facebook and general trends for social networks. The video is unfortunately a little part in a lot what was said, so it doesn’t convey the entire message, but it’s still good exposure
You can view the video here
Technorati Tags: die burger, koerant, afrikaans, web2.0, facebook, social networks
IOL & Afrikaans: Misses the point once again.
Uno as Afrikaans, Online, Web2.0
Jun|27|2007
I’ve written how big newspapers miss the point before, and now they’ve gone and done it again.
IOL has an article on Afrikaans on the Internet, or rather in the blogosphere, but totally ridiculously misses the point.
I’ve also written some pieces on Afrikaans in the blogosphere before, thanks to an interview from Gerhard Mulder.
This piece on IOL is defamatory and doesn’t do the Afrikaans blogosphere any justice. Afrikaans on the internet is not simply Watkykjy.co.za, or Roekeloos.co.za, or Steve se Spoegblok nie, it’s also a home for people like Johan Swarts, Idiwidi? Have you read Da Mario? or maybe Kobus Ehlers? Anything from Appel and his Pols team? or what about even browsing through some of the Wordpress tags?
And again, recapping the post, most of the article is a rant against 2 or 3 personalities. Honestly, the afrikaans internet doesn’t just exist out of those few people. LitNet qualifies as a proper little blogosphere on it’s own (without the tech behind it), yet you don’t see people calling each other names there (at least, not crass names, they try to sound much more pompous.)
Either way, please don’t spread this kind of misnomer information around. It doesn’t do the blogosphere or Afrikaans justice, and at the end of the day it only shows your ignorance and poor research skills
Technorati Tags: iol, debbie smit, blogging, afrikaans, web2.0
Mans het ‘n male-crotch fixation?
Uno as Afrikaans, Die Online Matie
Mar|15|2007
Hierdie is ‘n moerse interessante artikel…
Die foto hier onder wys waarna verskillende geslagde die langste kyk.
Die volle artikel is oor Eye tracking en online newspaper design, of enige web design eintlik. Basies, waarna kyk jy as jy na ‘n website kyk?
Lees die volle artikel hierso. Dit het interessante gevolge vir die manier wat webwerwe ontwerp word.
In the case of Web design a picture isn’t always worth
those thousand words. According to Coyne users treat pages with
superfluous images like obstacle courses: The images create barriers to
content. Moreover, Nielsen and Coyne concluded that images appearing
unneeded, at least peripherally, will be erroneously tuned out.
Technorati Tags: eye tracking, design, afrikaans, die matie, ontwerp
update:
haha! lyk my ek lees heeltemal te veel BoingBoing. Hierdie artikel het daar ook gefeature, en sonder dat ek dit gelees het, het ek tot presies dieselfde gevolgtrekking gekom as hulle. Ek moet van die internet af klim…
Is jy geek of jeek?
Mar|4|2007
Henk het ‘n moerse posting gemaak oor geeks en al daai, jy kan dit hier lees.
Basies se hy, die woord Jeek is stupid en meaningless, en ons het nog nie ‘n ordentlike ondersoek ingestel tot wat dit beteken om ‘n geek te wees nie.
Dit was toe moerse lekker toe ek daar na Pollen se posting lees wat hy sy experience met sy iPod crash verduidelik:
Today I was smote by iGod, the small white thing (by 2004 standards) that claims to hold and protect my life. My music.
I must have angered it, browsed too long over its new incarnation,
or used its name in vain. Possibly it just got tired of me dragging it
around everywhere, dropping it indiscriminately, dressing it up in
tight rubber suits and insisting it play alt.country playlists for 12
hour shifts. I angered it, methinks, and I paid the price.
….
It’s like forgetting to switch off Disasters and watching the aliens invade your beautiful SimCity.
Dit is wat dit vir my gedoen het. As jy ooit jou PC geformat het en weer jou hele PC reinstall. As jy ooit ‘n crash gehad het en jy het dit self gerecover en nie ‘n techie gebel het nie. As jy ooit ‘n Rectron account gehad het, of iemand geken het waar jy jou PC parte cheap kon koop, en dink om ‘n hardware distributor te wees. Dis allerhande sulke klein dinge.
Ek dink jy qualify dan as ‘n Geek.
Technorati Tags: geek
Google Money?
Uno as Afrikaans, Ideas, Online
Mar|2|2007
Ek reken as Google so ‘n online tipe MS Money uitbring sal hulle vrek goed doen.
SA Blog Awards, ‘n bietjie insentief en ‘n bietjie crit
Mar|1|2007
Amazing!
Kyk net wat kan gebeur as daar ‘n bietjie insentief agter dinge is!
Vir agtergrond:
So ‘n tydjie terug (net na die Geek dinner in George ek dink?) het die SA blog awards gelaunch met ‘n moerse fanfare, maar ongelukkig meer aan die kritiek kant… So ‘n paar ouens het gekla dat die logo moerse onkreatief is… dit is hoe dit lyk:
Wel nou ja, ons almal het ons voorkeure seker maar. Dit pla nie vir my spesifiek baie nie, maar ek kan insien dat iemand wat ‘n ontwerp Nazi is bietjie ontstel gaan word deur dit. Anyways, die hele gesprek het toe op Quirk se blog gebeur, jy kan die hele storie in die comments lees, Quirk besluit toe om bietjie rep te kry en ‘n kompetisie aan te bied, hulle borg ‘n Apple TV console vir die beste logo.
Die resultaat? 83 Logo’s. Dis vrek baie. Tenminste, ek dink so. Ok, daar is ‘n paar ene’s wat nogals dodgy is… om 5 keer dieselfde een te submit, maar met verskillende layouts… hrm. Dis soos Wordpress wat vir my wil impress deur vir my toelaat om my theme se kleur te verander… not sold brothers.
Hierso is ‘n paar van my gunsteling enes:
Ek hou van die eenvoudigheid van hierdie. Dit is plain, simple en too the point. Die 07 wat uitstaan skei dit van vorige awards. Die sterkpunt is ook natuurlik die swakpunt. Dit is dalk te minimalisties.
Ek hou van die konsep agter die een. Die kleure werk net nie vir my nie. Die teks is dalk bietjie orals en verskil te veel van mekaar. Hierdie sou goed gedoen het a dit deur nog so 2 rondtes van ontwerp en crit gegaan het. Hoekom is die 2007 in ‘n font wat my laat dink aan stempels op kratte?
As jy dink aan Web2.0 is hierdie seker die naaste wat jy gaan kom aan iets wat die huidige ontwerp elemente weerspieel. Daar’s gradients en mirrors en rounded edges. En die everpresent grys-fade-into-swart. Gotta love it.
Dude…. Wat het jy gedink? Jammer, ek gaan nie veel verder comment nie…
Check nou, hier het die ontwerper ‘n klein bietjie verder gegaan en die ontwerp ‘n klein bietjie beter gemaak. Daar is nogsteeds daai “Sell by date” stempel op….
Ek hou nogals van hierdie ook. Die Courier style font is lekker techie, en trek mens se ook. Mens weet dadelik waaroor die topic gaan.
Hierdie het potensiaal… maar is nog hopeloos agter as dit kom by solid ontwerp. Dit lyk soos ‘n lugballon skou, wat sou kon werk as daar nog elemente was, of nog so ‘n paar gradients of watokal was. Maar net so op sy eie is dit bietjie te naby aan ‘n First Sketch.
hierdie is ‘n nice idee. Dis vinnig en vars. Die muis motief (wat in van die ander ontwerpe ook deurkom) is cute, miskien is dit ‘n bietjie oud though… dis like, so 1999 Geocities… Miskien die kleure verander sodat dit meer Suid-Afrikaans is?
Vanuit ‘n ontwerps perspektief is hierdie van my gunsteling ontwerpe. Ek is ‘n sucker vir emblems en die boontste linkerkanste werk net vir my… Dit pas totally glad nie in by die konsep nie… maar ek like van hom.
Hierdie ou is duidelik vas beslote op hierdie klein mannetjie. Ek is nie sold nie. Ek is nog nooit ‘n fan van African lappe of potte of sulke goed nie. Ek hou van daai metaal caps, maar enige van die Africana goed irriteer my bietjie.
Ek kon nie help om te lag met hierdie een nie… Dalk is dit omdat ek manlik is en in speel op daardie stereotipe… maar lyk daai nie verskriklik suggestive nie? I mean… come on..
Iets van my hou van hierdie, en iets anders dink dis ‘n cop out. Dit vang definitief mens se oog, en ek dink dit sal goed werk vir ‘n ander tipe ontwerp sienende dat daar niks behalwe Blog is wat vir jou segt dat dit iets met die Internets te doen het nie.
Hehe, nice idee. Dis amper eBoy styl, maar net nie. En dan is daar spraypaint drips wat altyd n wenner is.
Van ‘n illustrator oogpunt is hierdie great! Dit lyk baie cool en daar is definitief baie werk ingesit, maar in terme van ‘n logo… ek weet darem nie. Dis bietjie besig om as ‘n logo te dien. So iets sal great wees om in ‘n volgende rondte te inkorpereer as ‘n tipe mascot of somesorts.
Goeie, skoon design. Die RSS logo (enigste ontwerp wat dit in het btw) werk goed om te design saam te bring. Dis modern, sterk en simplisties. Die spacing is dalk bietjie funky, maar dit lyk hot.
nice idee vir die comments, dit werk net nie goed saam met die res nie. Die belangrikste hier is seker dat Serifs glad totally heeltemal nie werk met Web2.0 design principles nie, tensy jy dit goed kan afpull. Ek het lanklaas Serifs gesien… (Serifs is die klein “hooks” in die fonts. Ek verduidelik soos kak ek weet…)
nice idee. ek like die gritty splat. Font werk goed. Die design is dalk bietjie disjointed maar kan nog werk. Die Post-it note sou baie cool kon werk op sy eie ook.
Oh no! The violator!! hehe, ek like violators… Ek gaan violators meer gebruik… en daardie kleur wat vir jou laat dink dis swart, maar dan dink jy dis net jou monitor wat geskroef is, dan besef jy dis eintlik n vreemde mengsel van charcoal en grys en af-swart. Vuil swart enigiemand?
haha! Nou’s daar nog gradients ook!! Ek like…. maar dis net te veel soos die ander web2.0 logos. Maar ek like nogsteeds.
Baie cool re-work van die oorspronklike. Die ontwerp bly skoon, feature dit as ‘n tablet amper. Ek like.
Hierdie is nou die dude wat soos 500 van dieselfdes submit het. Dis nice… maar nou ja, daar moet ‘n limit wees! ek hou van die klein speech bubble. Vir een of ander rede feature hulle nogals prominently….
Die einde
En dit bring my by die einde! Dit was nogals ‘n lang posting. ek hoop mense het dit deurgelees, ek sal nogals comments geniet.
Dan sal julle ook sien dat hierdie een van die eerste techie posts is wat ek in Afrikaans doen. Ek het begin voel dat ek lanklaas oor die ander goed in my category geblog het. Tattoo’s? te lank terug. Afrikaans? Wanneer laas? Stellenbosch? Ok, ek is wel nie meer daar nie, maar ek kan darem seker nog so ‘n innocent bystander se opinie gee. Ek wil ook so ‘n bietjie minder blog oor Die Internet, eMarketing en daai tipe ding. Ek haat dit om Meta te wees…
Iets wat hierby wil sit: Kyk na die ongelooflike krag van die internet! As mens goed genoeg insentiewe het dan kan mens iets powerful doen.
MASC logo
Uno as Afrikaans, Stellenbosch Universiteit
Feb|9|2007
Ek dog ek sien iets vreemds….
Ek het pertoeval op hierdie logo, heel onder op Maties.com afgestrompel. Ek dog dis iemand wat ‘n groen brasserie dra, maar met die borste deel uitgesny. Gits!
Technorati Tags: JOOL, Majuba, Sonop, Stellenbosch Universiteit, Afrikaans
Muti will eat itself
Jan|28|2007
A while back Kottke.org had this posting:
People who have bookmarked del.icio.us on del.icio.us.
People who have bookmarked the people who have bookmarked del.icio.us on del.icio.us.
Ed. note: At this point, the del.icio.us web server started singing “Daisy, Daisy” and soon after, Skynet achieved consciousness.
And now, in following with the Muti.co.za trend… a South African web developer are to be proud to bring us:
blik is geinspireer deur muti - maar is bedoel vir Afrikaanse mense. Hier kan jy op hoogte bly van wat ander mense aanbeveel om te lees (dit gee jou ‘n blik op dinge) - dikwels goed wat sopas geskryf is.
**sound of hand slapping forehead**
I’ve definately been picking up a difference in the content being posted, the Afrikaans content is much more political (en oe, tog so kwaad!). And also, Blik has some serious competition. All that News24 needs to do is develop its own Digg and Blik is pretty stuffed. Come to think about it, a lot of the local developers products would fold if News24 decided to develop some quality products. At the time I took a look most of the new sites in Blik were News24 sites. The Top section is luckily a bit different.
Technorati Tags: muti.co.za, blik.co.za, south africa, web theory, clone, afrikaans, –>
Proper Web2.0 biznizz
Uno as Afrikaans, Online, Stellenbosch Universiteit, Web2.0
Jan|24|2007
You see, this is innovative. At least I think so…
My praise for 3 people in Eendrag is probably unparalled (I’ve had the pleasure of working with all three of them - Here’s to you Kobus and here, Marius and Linsen).
Check out their company called Freegrowth. They’ve been busy developing the new Eendrag website, which I think is the best thing to come along since Muti Myspace. Check out the development blog, which has since stopped (fools!)
Anyway, I don’ want to talk about them, even though I think they know more than most of the webdevelopers I’ve spotted (and that isn’t because the other people are bad, they are just really, really good). They stand head and shoulders above the rest. Maybe it’s because I really like their interfaces.
So enough praise for Freegrowth, I actually want to talk about another company, also out of the Eendrag stable. (Not that I have a preference for Eendrag, these guys just seem to bring out the webproducts. I was in Helderberg anyway, apparently 
I got an email this morning:
Beste UnoAangesien jou blog gaan oor als van tegnologie en die Bos tot Afrikaans en Web2.0, wil ek jou met graagte attent maak op http://www.planetminibox.com - ‘n Web 2.0 site wat shoutboxes (’babbelbokse’?) verniet weggee, tesame met ‘n paar asemrowende en unieke eienskappe aan die tagboard. Ek het gedink dit sal nice wees as jy so een op jou blog kan sit sodat ons vir jou boodskappe kan los en so, maar bowenal selfs ‘n review gee van die produk vir al die ander Afrikaanse mense wat soortgelyke blogs het en dink ‘n shoutbox sal hulle website kan bevorder? Beste van als is egter dat Planet Minibox geskryf is deur twee ouens wat nou in Eendrag woon. Daar is selfs ‘n Afrikaanse weergawe van die site in die weegskaal… sal maar moet sien daaroor
Herman
So i popped on over to Planetminibox.com to check it out, and I like the style.
So what’s the big deal? Simply, you can give your visitors
the thrills of real-time chat and Instant tabbed private messaging - embedded right into your site or blog - without
the need for anything besides their browser. That means no Java, no Flash, no extra fuss for your visitors
MiniBox is quick, clean and lightweight, but feature-packed nevertheless. Get a detailed feature comparison here
or if you already know a Chatbox is just what your site or blog needs, sign up right away for your free box.
And I think what I like the most is that it doesn’t have “oh, please use us! We’re South African! What? You’re not using us? How unpatriotic!” It’s registered as a .com and for some reason that works for me. And it isn’t a clone that I’ve spotted yet (I know messengers are all over the place though)
What doesn’t work however, is their scripting. I can’t seem to use the inline frames required, nor can I use scripting on my site. Something that they should take a look at if they want to imbed into sites like Myspace (which can have a huge adoption rate!) or even blogs hosted on blogging platforms like Blogger or Wordpress.
There’s that, and they really need to unclutter the site. Make it two clicks. At the moment the styling is still a bit all over the place, but hopefully they can clean that up. In the world of widgets your site is not important, it’s the product.
I’ve heard of these guys before, through the grapevine no less, but no more than that. I believe that they were being bought for a few million. I’d hang on to it for a year, get the numbers up and then sell maybe.
You can get there by clicking here.
Technorati Tags: blog, instant messaging, product, web development, web2.0, minibox, stellenbosch, student product, widget, south africa