Maria’s Guides

• Annals of Technology: Damn Spam
  An excellent article about the history of spam. In The New Yorker.
  (tags: spam history newyorker)
• popuri.us
  This one-trick pony displays rank for any URL on about a dozen different ranking sites, including Google, Alexa, Yahoo!, and more. You can link to results if you have rank worth bragging about.
  (tags: rank seo statistics)
• Expired - But Not Gone
  Ever wonder what happens to expired domain names? This article fills you in. On the Daily Domainer.
  (tags: Internet domain webdesign)
• Clean CSS
  An online utility for Web designers and bloggers that optimizes CSS.
  (tags: utility webdesign css)
• What Is Google PageRank? A Guide For Searchers & Webmasters
  A detailed article that explains how Google PageRank works. On SearchEngineLand.com.
  (tags: Google search seo)
• 43 Web Design Mistakes You Should Avoid
  Hmmm…I think I make at least 10 of these mistakes in my blog. But heck, at least I know what they are! On DailyBlogTips.com.
  (tags: blogging webdesign Advice)
• Visible Earth: The Blue Marble
  A great image of the western hemisphere from NASA. It’s my new desktop picture.
  (tags: earth photos NASA)
• DownloadSquad Discovers Splogs. Welcome to 2005, Guys.
  Some more commentary about splogs. On Deep Jive Interests.
  (tags: splog blogging copyright)
• Stay Away from In-Text Advertising
  This is an article I wish all bloggers would read. In-Text advertising has to be the most annoying type of advertising on any blog. On Daily Blog Tips.
  (tags: advertising blogging webdesign)
• 12 U.S. Laws Bloggers Should Know
  The title says it all. If you blog in the U.S., you should be familiar with these laws. On Daily Blog Tips.
  (tags: blogging tips copyright)
• The Future of RSS
  Another excellent article about RSS. On ReadWriteWeb.com.
  (tags: RSS reference feed)
• Google - The Ultimate Money Making Machine
  Remember college economics? This great article explains supply and demand as it applies to the real and online world. Interesting stuff! On Read/Write Web.
  (tags: economics theory Google)
• Free Hugs
  This Rockeboom video made me feel GOOD. And thanks to Miraz for her post about Rocketboom.
  (tags: video feelgood rocketboom)

Information from Software Update.

With iTunes 7.3, you can now activate iPhone service and sync it with your music, TV shows, movies and more. Also, you can now wirelessly share and enjoy your favorite digital photos from any computer in your home with Apple TV.

iTunes 7.3.2 provides bug fixes to improve stability and performance.

A service that makes it easy to post links on Twitter.

I recently found Twit This, a Web site that enables you to post any URL to Twitter as a tweet.

Here’s How It Works

When you browse to a Web page you want to share with your Twitter followers, you invoke Twit This. (I’ll explain how to do that in a moment.) The first time you use this feature (or if you have not set up your browser to remember your password) you’ll be prompted for your Twitter User ID and Password to log in. You’ll see a form like the one here. Choose an option from the pop-up menu to indicate the text you want to appear before the link and, if desired, add some additional text in the box beside it. Then click the Twit This Page button. The link and your text will be sent to Twitter as a tweet. A confirmation page with a link to the tweet appears so you can view it.

It’s quick and easy. The only thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t return you to the original page when it’s done. (But I’m just picky that way.)

Invoking Twit This

There are a number of ways you can invoke Twit This for a URL.

• Install and use the Twit This bookmarklet. On the Twit This home page, you’ll find a bookmarket that you can drag to your browser’s toolbar. You can then click the resulting button while viewing a page you want to Tweet about to access Twit This’s features.
• Click a Twit This button or link in the post. Of course, that requires the blogger or Webmaster to include a link like this. (Keep reading.)

Adding a Twit This Link to Your Posts

The Twit This site’s Home page includes code you can insert in your Web pages to add a link that will invoke Twit This. The code, which uses JavaScript, is available with or without a clickable button. You can include the code anywhere you like on a page.

If you’re a WordPress user, you might want to try the Twit This plugin, which will place a link for each post. I downloaded this plugin but I admit that I didn’t install it. I’m very particular about how and where my links appear, so I decided on a do-it-yourself approach.

To manually add a Twit This link to a post, insert the following code anywhere within The Loop in your template file(s):

<a href="http://twitthis.com/twit?url=%3C?php%20the_permalink%28%29;%20?%3E">Twit This</a>

When you save the change, the link will appear for each post. You can see the Twit This links on this site at the bottom of each post. I got fancy and included a tiny Twitter icon so it would match the format of the other bookmarking/social networking sites I listed.

[Shameless Plug: If you don't know what The Loop is or how to edit your WordPress theme files, you need to get a copy of our book, WordPress 2: Visual QuickStart Guide. Chapter 6 will fill you in on what you need to know. You can learn more about this book and get more WordPress tips at the book's companion Web site, http://www.wpvqs.com/]

Try It!

Obviously, if you’re a Twitter user, the bookmarklet is a great way to share your Web finds with your Twitter followers. But if you’re a blogger or Web designer interested in getting more exposure for your posts or site, including a Twit This link can help spread the word. After all, not everyone will have the Twit This bookmarklet installed. But many Twitter users will be interested in trying out a Twit This link.

After all, that’s how I learned about Twit This myself.