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I have some good news to share with you all; I'm going to be moving! Well, my blog is, anyway.
Yes, after reading up on blogging tips and advice at the Money Blog Network, I've decided to get my own domain and make a more serious effort at blogging as a serious endeavor. I've already set up the weblog at www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/, and as soon as I get things up and running (probably this weekend, as I'm making a concerted effort to have this switch-over complete by Monday), you'll have a brand-new Amateur Financier site to read and enjoy!
I'm letting all of my loyal readers (or at least, the two people currently following me on RSS feeds) know about this change-over to express a couple of concerns. First, to paraphrase Doctor McCoy from Star Trek, I'm a biochemist, not a webmaster. There might be some quirks and other problems in the transfer that prevent me from doing a seamless transition from Blogger to Wordpress (hosted on Dreamhost, for those who want all the gritty details), and I just want to give you all fair warning.
Second, I'm not sure how this move will affect those of you following me using RSS feeds. I hope that the transfer options on Wordpress will allow me to adjust everything from my end, so that you can continue to receive my words of wisdom on a daily basis. But to ensure uninterrupted bulletins from my blog, you might need to update your feeds. (And if you are linking to my blog elsewhere, I ask you to please adjust your links when the new blog is up and running.)
Third, this move is part of a larger effort on my part to make this blog more relevant and interesting to you, my readers (and, I won't deny, more profitable to me). So, please, if you have any advice or suggestions, on issues from the appearance of the blog to the specific subjects I should cover, let me know. This is a good time for making changes to my blog, and any feedback I can get will be given all due consideration.
Finally, thank you to everyone who is watching me; I hope that I can continue to entertain and inform through my writing.
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Working Through the Monday Blahs
For those of you who read my post last Monday, you know the college where I am working had Spring Break last week. Since that's currently my only job (although, hopefully not for too much longer *crosses fingers*), I effectively had Spring Break as well. I spent most of it out visiting my girlfriend, and had a great time.
Unfortunately, though, it's left me behind in my blogging. I've managed to get the last two entries out during this rather busy weekend, but I'm getting stuck about what I should write this week. Luckily, I have a few ideas of how to break my mental block:
1) Catch up on my PF blog reading - I've got over two hundred entries to read in my RSS feed, just from the few writers I follow regularly. Reading, digesting, and possibly commenting on all those articles should certainly spark an idea or two.
2) Reading more PF books - I've been falling behind on my reading to learn lately; between my job, my blog, and my personal life, I haven't had a chance to read some of the books I've really wanted to read. Besides sparking some ideas for related posts, it might even be worthwhile to consider putting up a few book reviews.
3) Engage the PF community - I'm currently a member of the Money Blog Network forums, where a lot of PF bloggers gather and discuss various issues. More than a few of the topics I've read through made me think, 'hum, this might make a good blog entry'. Now all I need is some follow through.
4) Write to teach myself - There are plenty of personal finance and money topics I'd like to learn more about; making an effort to identify, study, and then write about those topics would be an excellent learning experience, and would probably provide enough material for years worth of posts.
5) Consider a different blog - I like personal finance, and love writing this blog. But, as they say, variety is the spice of life. Perhaps cutting down on the 7-10 entries a week I put up on this blog and starting another blog for one of my other interests could help to keep me motivated.
Just some thoughts on how to break my Monday 'Blah' mood and start writing again.
Unfortunately, though, it's left me behind in my blogging. I've managed to get the last two entries out during this rather busy weekend, but I'm getting stuck about what I should write this week. Luckily, I have a few ideas of how to break my mental block:
1) Catch up on my PF blog reading - I've got over two hundred entries to read in my RSS feed, just from the few writers I follow regularly. Reading, digesting, and possibly commenting on all those articles should certainly spark an idea or two.
2) Reading more PF books - I've been falling behind on my reading to learn lately; between my job, my blog, and my personal life, I haven't had a chance to read some of the books I've really wanted to read. Besides sparking some ideas for related posts, it might even be worthwhile to consider putting up a few book reviews.
3) Engage the PF community - I'm currently a member of the Money Blog Network forums, where a lot of PF bloggers gather and discuss various issues. More than a few of the topics I've read through made me think, 'hum, this might make a good blog entry'. Now all I need is some follow through.
4) Write to teach myself - There are plenty of personal finance and money topics I'd like to learn more about; making an effort to identify, study, and then write about those topics would be an excellent learning experience, and would probably provide enough material for years worth of posts.
5) Consider a different blog - I like personal finance, and love writing this blog. But, as they say, variety is the spice of life. Perhaps cutting down on the 7-10 entries a week I put up on this blog and starting another blog for one of my other interests could help to keep me motivated.
Just some thoughts on how to break my Monday 'Blah' mood and start writing again.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Of Links and Lawsuits
I came across an interesting post on Slate regarding a court case over online links. Essentially, a real estate website called Blockshopper was being sued by Jones Day, a multinational legal firm, because of how Blockshopper linked to some of the lawyers employed by Jones Day (in the context of real estate transactions involving the lawyers). Jones Day made the argument that such links were a form of trademark infringement, in the sense that the links might imply that there was an affiliation between Jones Day and Blockshopper.
Numerous groups appealed to the judge to dismiss the case, including Public Citizen, the Electronic Freedom Foundation, the Citizen Media Law Project, and Public Knowledge, but ultimately, Blockshopper settled. The terms of their settlement dictate that they reference lawyers at Jones Day by posting the full URL (aka, http://www.jonesday.com rather than Jones Day).
'What's the problem with that?', you might ask. Well, as the Slate article goes on to describe, at issue is not just Blockshopper and Jones Day, but the broader issue of how, when, and in what fashion bloggers and other online publications can link to supporting documents. It presents a slippery slope, where companies can demand what link text is used to reach their sites, as well as the other information that is incorporated in the linking text, leading online publishers to either dispense with links altogether or have to deal with any number of different requirements from the linked sites.
And sadly, there have even been recent efforts to stop people from linking to public sites altogether, as in the case of Jennifer Reisinger. At issue is whether she could link to the Sheboygan police department's web page. If she's unsuccessful, it could have the effect of decreasing the willingness of websites to share links and other information.
I'm not certain how this case will end, but being a new blogger, I'm interested in how things shake out. If this case and other similar cases currently pending end with rulings in favor of allowing websites to control how other sites link to them, the internet landscape could look much different in a few years; much more barren and less of a web, only positive comments being readily accessible. I know I don't want that kind of legal landscape; I'll have to see what (if anything) I can do to support the cause of allowing free linking to public sites, regardless of the content of the linking site.
Disclaimer: Given the subject of this blog post, I feel I should mention that I am in no way affiliated with any of the groups, corporations or websites associated with the links in this post.
Numerous groups appealed to the judge to dismiss the case, including Public Citizen, the Electronic Freedom Foundation, the Citizen Media Law Project, and Public Knowledge, but ultimately, Blockshopper settled. The terms of their settlement dictate that they reference lawyers at Jones Day by posting the full URL (aka, http://www.jonesday.com rather than Jones Day).
'What's the problem with that?', you might ask. Well, as the Slate article goes on to describe, at issue is not just Blockshopper and Jones Day, but the broader issue of how, when, and in what fashion bloggers and other online publications can link to supporting documents. It presents a slippery slope, where companies can demand what link text is used to reach their sites, as well as the other information that is incorporated in the linking text, leading online publishers to either dispense with links altogether or have to deal with any number of different requirements from the linked sites.
And sadly, there have even been recent efforts to stop people from linking to public sites altogether, as in the case of Jennifer Reisinger. At issue is whether she could link to the Sheboygan police department's web page. If she's unsuccessful, it could have the effect of decreasing the willingness of websites to share links and other information.
I'm not certain how this case will end, but being a new blogger, I'm interested in how things shake out. If this case and other similar cases currently pending end with rulings in favor of allowing websites to control how other sites link to them, the internet landscape could look much different in a few years; much more barren and less of a web, only positive comments being readily accessible. I know I don't want that kind of legal landscape; I'll have to see what (if anything) I can do to support the cause of allowing free linking to public sites, regardless of the content of the linking site.
Disclaimer: Given the subject of this blog post, I feel I should mention that I am in no way affiliated with any of the groups, corporations or websites associated with the links in this post.
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