Ben Barden - PHP/MySQL Developer

When to use an IP ban, and other ways to stop spam

Ben — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:45:35 PDT

In a previous post, I said that banning by IP address doesn't work. But in some cases, banning by IP is all you've got. When should an IP ban be used? What other measures should you use other than the IP?

When to use an IP ban

Any site that allows user contributions is at risk of being spammed. I've seen blogs with tens of thousands of spam comments, and forums with thousands upon thousands of spam accounts.

Some spam comments use IP addresses once only, so there's not much point banning the IP. However, if you see a lot of spam from the same IP address, banning that IP is a good idea. It can mean that the spam comes in on a new IP address, but without banning any IPs, you'd probably get a lot more spam.

Banning by IP can be very effective when you're banning a static IP, which is an IP that doesn't change. Dynamic IP addresses can and do change, which can result in a banned user being able to access your site, and legitimate users being banned if they end up with the same IP address as a previously banned user.

When to ban a range of IPs

Look out for similar IP addresses. For instance, if you ban the IP 1.2.3.4 and suddenly you start getting spam on 1.2.3.5, you could adjust the ban so it affects 1.2.3. which will ban everything from 1.2.3.0 to 1.2.3.255 inclusive. If you then start getting spam from the IP 1.2.4.6 then you could ban 1.2. which will ban from 1.2.0.0 to 1.2.255.255 inclusive.

IP ranges aren't perfect, but they can be used to lock out a lot of IPs in one go. Be careful though - you're more likely to ban legitimate users in the process.

Don't rely on the IP

If you're trying to ban a specific person from your site, perhaps because they are trolling your site (posting unconstructive comments and trying to cause trouble), keep an eye on whether their IP changes if they post comments on your site. If possible, cross-check the IP with other bloggers who may have comments from the same person.

Above all, don't go accusing people of posting things unless you're absolutely 100% certain that you have the right person. If you can't verify the IP and an IP ban doesn't work, it's better just to ignore the person - responding to them will fuel the fire, and keep them coming back for more. This is a good approach with trolls anyway - banning their IP address, even if it works, may push them to get around the IP ban so they can continue to cause trouble on your site.

Other ways to filter out unwanted comments

Depending on the software you use, an IP ban isn't the only way to filter out unwanted comments.

Akismet. If you use WordPress, you really shouldn't be without this plugin. Most spam will go into the spam queue without you having to lift a finger. Make sure you check your pending comments and click "Spam" on anything that should be in the spam queue. Also, check your spam comments and click "Approve" on anything that shouldn't be there. Akismet tries to keep track of incorrectly filtered comments and adjusts its rules accordingly, so it's important to tell it if a mistake has been made instead of just deleting the comment.
Question/Answer. This can be an effective way to keep out spammers without making life difficult for legitimate users. There are two problems, however. Firstly, it's not too difficult for a computer to solve "3+3", is it?! Write the question in words instead of numbers, e.g. "What is three plus three?" Secondly, it's wise to rotate your questions regularly. Make sure a question is chosen at random from a selection of three or more, and change the questions from time to time. Otherwise, it doesn't matter what your question is, people will write scripts that answer it automatically.
Word verification. I know a lot of people aren't a fan of word verification images (also known as a CAPTCHA). Some of them are really difficult to read, and many have been "solved" by spammers anyway. However, in some cases they are pretty much essential. Even though a lot of spammers can get past them, not all of them can. In software such as vBulletin, using the built-in word verification can help to reduce spam signups. It doesn't stop spam completely, but it does help.

Here are some more ways to fight spam.

What do you think? Do you ban by IP? Does it work?

Announcing my new music site

Ben — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:37:18 PDT

Just over a week ago, I relaunched my music site. Some of the things you can see over there include:

The whole site has been given a major facelift and is now using Injader
Three of the album covers have been redesigned
Two of the albums can be heard from the site itself (no need to go to last.fm)
I've started posting regular updates in the music blog, which is fully integrated with the site
One of the recent announcements includes news on a new dance music project

Check out the new site: Music by Ben Barden

A tip to improve TweetDeck 0.26.1 and multiple accounts

Ben — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:13:31 PDT

TweetDeck 0.26.1 has just been released. Amongst other things it includes support for multiple accounts. I'm very happy about this as I currently have four Twitter accounts, and I'm sick of signing in and out of them all the time.

However, once you start using multiple accounts in TweetDeck, you can quickly end up with lots of columns - and there's only so much space you can use. Of course, that depends entirely on your monitor, but on a 17" laptop I can't go beyond 4 columns. Plus, I don't particularly want to use up the whole screen on TweetDeck alone. But I do want to see the replies across all four of my accounts...

If you're willing to combine a few of the columns, you can use the Search option to set up one column for all of your replies. Click the search button to get started - it's the black magnifying glass.

This will display a window where you can enter some search terms.

Now, for some reason, this version of TweetDeck displays white text in some of the text fields, and it's a bit difficult to read. The box is a bit too small for this example anyway, so I'll just explain what you need to post below.

A Twitter search can include a combination of words and phrases. For instance, if I want to see all of the replies to all of my Twitter accounts, I would enter the following into the search box:

@benbarden OR @injader OR @cmfads OR @cmfblogs

If I want to search for a few different keywords so I can keep up with any mentions of CMF Ads, I would do this:

@cmfads OR #cmfads OR cmfads OR "cmf ads"

Note the quotes around the search term that has a space in it.

Once you've entered the keywords you wish to search for, hit Enter. You'll then need to choose the account you wish to create this search under, then click the Select Account button. The search column will now be added, and you no longer need to have a "Mentions" column for each individual account. Pretty neat!

Importing a WordPress SQL file gives a database constraint error

Ben — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:39:39 PDT

This problem was raised by Misstique over at Guilty Pleasures.

Problem diagnosis

After downloading a database backup prior to upgrading WordPress, the upgrade ran into some problems, and we now want to restore the backup. But a problem occurred:

Cannot delete or update a parent row: a foreign key constraint fails

By default, a database backup will save all of your tables into an SQL file, and it will organise them alphabetically. This is a bit of a problem if you have database constraints where some tables reference other tables before they are created.

How to fix this problem

On looking at the backup file I discovered that two tables are to blame:

sz_blog, which references sz_site
sz_blog_user, which references sz_blog and sz_email

The solution is to edit the SQL file and ensure that the tables are created in the following order:

sz_site
sz_email
sz_blog
sz_blog_user

If you're not confident editing SQL files directly then I suggest asking a technical person to help you out. Let me know if you need any help.

Redoing the import

Once the SQL file has been corrected, you need to do the import again. Unfortunately, as the last import failed, we need to delete the tables and start again.

Go to phpMyAdmin and select all of the tables in the database (making sure you are looking at the right database and you have a current backup!!). Then look for the "with selected" drop down list, and select "Drop".

This will delete all of the tables. Except it won't delete all of them, because there's a foreign key constraint there, too. Argh. Anyway, go back and delete the last two tables - sz_blog and sz_site - before importing the backup once again.

Oh wait... there's another error.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the last of the problems. When I did the import, I got another error:

#1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ' '', 0, '(email address removed for privacy reasons)', '')' at line 1

The query that caused this error was as follows:

INSERT INTO `sz_comment`
VALUES ( 0, 38, 5, '2008-02-28', '', '5', '0', , '', 0, '(email address removed for privacy reasons)', '' ) ;

Look at this: '5', '0', , '', - Note the comma with no value placed before it. This is the field rating_count, which for some reason hasn't exported properly. Perhaps the plugin that uses it hasn't set the value correctly. Odd really, because the default value for this field is '0'.

If we want to import the sz_comment table, we're going to have to update every row in sz_comment with an empty value so it says 0, instead of just a comma. In this case, that's 181 rows to check. Not all of them are missing a value, but quite a few of them are. In the end, I updated 27 rows to resolve this problem.

Again, before we can import, we have to delete the old tables.

But it seems there is another error. sz_posts has the same error as sz_comment, shown above. So we now need to fix that too.

What can we learn from this?

Firstly, developers should be very careful with database constraints where backups are concerned. I'm not sure if there is any way to export the tables in a certain order, but the import certainly didn't work, and most bloggers would not be able to fix this issue on their own.

Secondly, the sz_ prefixes on all of the tables suggests that these problems are caused by a plugin from SezWho. I believe that SezWho has been acquired by JS-Kit, so if you want to continue using a comments plugin along those lines, try using JS-Kit. However, this may not be enough, as it's possible that the SezWho plugin leaves various sz_ tables in your database even after the plugin is removed. If this is the case and you don't mind losing your SezWho data, a much simpler solution to this problem would be to avoid importing any table that starts with sz_. I don't know if there's a way to migrate from SezWho to JS-Kit, but if you're having problems with a database import and you haven't already migrated your data, you'll either need to follow the steps outlined above or wave bye-bye to your comment data.

Have you experienced this problem?

Not everyone is technical

Ben — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:31:55 PDT

This is something I heard numerous times in a previous job, and also from online friends. I don't think enough technical people appreciate it.

Does everyone understand the jargon you use?

Your blogging software may claim to be really easy to use even for non-technical users, but one of the biggest problems you'll face is all the jargon you're exposed to, such as pings, permalinks and tags.

I've read a lot of blogs where the author uses jargon and they assume you know what they're talking about. I know what most of the terms mean, and I know where to look if I find a new one. But not everyone will understand you if you use jargon.

I try to limit the use of jargon where it's not necessary to use it, and I also try to explain jargon where it's appropriate to do so.

Do you know what you're talking about?

If you don't define jargon because you don't want to be defining it over and over again, there's an easy solution: define it once, and link future uses of the word or phrase to your definition. This approach assumes you're publishing your articles on a blog or website of some sort.

If you can help another person to understand some technical that they didn't know previously, you know what you're talking about, and you're able to educate others. This is a great skill to have.

Are the explanations any good?

Some bloggers are good at explaining what things do, but some things are still not explained very well. For instance, when tags were introduced, they suddenly started appearing on a lot of websites with no real explanation as to what they were. Sure, you could go looking, but why should you have to?

Technical people seem to know what tags are and how to use them well, but some non-technical people don't even realise they exist. People need to be educated so they understand what these things are for. The first step is to explain what tags are - keywords that are used to identify content. I think "keywords" is generally a better name than "tags".

The technology doesn't matter

It's all very well embracing technology and looking to the future, but a site cannot become anything without people to use it. I've seen far too many "cool" sites that look great but do very little, or are not much more than a showcase for the developer's skills.

Showcasing your skills is fine if the site is only provided as part of your portfolio. But if you want other people to use the site, focus on the benefit to people other than yourself and don't put the technology first. Does it really matter that you've used AJAX and there are loads of "cool" effects if the site is a complete nightmare to use? Will a non-technical user have a clue what AJAX is or will they even care about it if the site provides no real benefits to them?

On the flip-side, in the past I've been asked to "make Injader more AJAX-y". This is silly - using a specific technology does not automatically improve the software. Actually, I'm working on a few things for the next version using AJAX, but it's not a gratuitous use of technology for technology's sake. Sorting a table by clicking on the table header is one example. Don't sell it as "new AJAX stuff - cool!" Market it as a feature that will benefit the user.

Bridging the gap

If you're a technical person and you never really manage to bridge the gap between your technical expertise and a customer's requirements, chances are you'll never really give the customer what they want.

We can always do better, and it's up to all of us to try and make improvements where necessary.

What do you think?

Reasons for using WordPress - do they apply to Injader?

Ben — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:31:18 PDT

Every so often I come across a post that lists several reasons why you should use WordPress. For instance - 13 reasons why you should use WordPress. How many of those reasons also apply to Injader?

1. WordPress is free. So is Injader, Blogger, Drupal, Joomla and many other open source content management systems. Some systems are not free, but many of them are. This is a good benefit, but certainly not unique to WordPress.

2. Really, any host can run it. Well, if the host supports PHP/MySQL, then you should be able to run WordPress, Injader or any other PHP/MySQL-based system. This is true of other products that use PHP/MySQL, too - whether it's a CMS, a forum, or a store. Some hosts offer very limited features, which can result in paying less money for your hosting, but most sites will need PHP/MySQL for something.

3. Setup is no problem. I mostly agree, but WordPress requires an extra step not listed in the blog post. You have to manually edit a config file, and type in your database connection details. Many technically-minded people will be familiar with this step, and to be fair, those who don't understand it could struggle with setting up a database in cPanel too.

In Making a Better Open Source CMS, the author writes:

Your tool will see better adoption if you stop to consider the out-of-the-box experience before you ship it. I want to download, unpack, and run an installer in my browser. Ask me a few questions, and then you go set up the database tables and write the conf.php or whatever. Set constraints for yourself as you design this experience: 10 minutes from download to running, never send a user to the command line, never force open a text editor. It will be hard, but you're good at solving hard problems, and this is time very well spent.

I know you can "make do" with the text editing route, and changing file permissions is a pain in the backside as it is. But editing config files by hand when you're not a technical person can create a whole range of problems. What if you put a double quote between the existing double quotes? What if you omit a quote from the end?

Injader doesn't ask you to edit a text file, you type stuff into the installer. You may need to set the permissions in your FTP program, but this is easier for non-technical users to do than editing a PHP file.

4. Tons of quality support. WordPress definitely has a larger community than Injader. You can get fast and professional support at Injader.com, but there aren't a lot of other sites that will be able to help you. This is the problem with a new system - there aren't many people using it, so not many people know it. And as a result, not many people will take a chance on it. But I'm always willing to answer questions and help people with Injader, and on the plus side I know everything there is to know about Injader, whereas many WordPress people specialise in certain areas.

5. Designing it yourself is easy. The Injader theme system is no more difficult than the WordPress system. Thesis is a nice option for WordPress, but it's not free. Wouldn't using it negate point #1 about the system being free?

6. Finding someone to design is just as easy. Again, this comes back to the point I made in #4 - Injader's community is smaller than WordPress. There are a few people who are starting to build themes though. Rome wasn't built in a day!

7. Thousands of awesome 3rd party plugins. Bit of a double-edged sword, this. Yes, WordPress has plenty of plugins that are very popular, there's no doubt about that. However, there are a number of reasons why relying so heavily on plugins is a risk in itself. Also, I wouldn't say there are "thousands of awesome plugins" - there are some poorly coded plugins, and there is some duplication, too.

Injader focuses on providing the main features in the core - WordPress seems to be a bit too focused on making virtually everything a plugin. There are inconsistencies - for instance, why is revision control in the core, but you can only turn it off by editing a config file or installing a plugin? That seems totally backwards. Either provide it in the core and also provide a core setting so you can disable it, or don't provide it in the core at all.

Incidentally, I'll be writing more about the drawbacks of plugins in a future post at Top Ten Blog Tips.

8. Thousands of premium/free themes. This is similar to point #6, so the same arguments apply.

9. You don't need much technical knowledge to manage it. WordPress has some unnecessary jargon where a plain English description would be better. Calling the default block of links (login etc) "Meta" is silly. "Post slug" is daft - what's a slug?

Other than that, all systems take time to learn. Anyone who is used to WordPress will say it's easy to use. Non-technical users will usually take longer to learn. In my view, Injader is at least as easy to learn as WordPress, if not slightly easier. Also, Injader is being improved so it is even easier to learn. Maybe we should revisit this once Injader 3 is released.

10. It does everything for you. The point of using software to run your site, rather than coding everything by hand, is that many tasks will be done for you. I think this could probably apply to most systems!

11. The admin panel is sexy. I'm not sure that's the best description. Functional, yes; well-organised, yes; sexy? Not exactly. Anyway, if that's what you like, Injader 3 is a major improvement over the existing Injader Control Panel...

12. You can update your blog anywhere. WordPress certainly has an advantage here. I may look at doing this in Injader. Then again, I haven't tried doing anything in Injader on a mobile device - in theory, anything with a modern web browser should be able to run it. Anyone want to give it a try?

13. Multiple authors can access it. Injader can do this too, although there are a few things I'd like to improve in that area.

In summary

Most of the reasons outlined above are not exclusive to WordPress, and some sites would be better suited to a system other than WordPress. There are definitely areas where WordPress comes out on top, and WordPress has many strengths not listed in the reasons above. But it is not a perfect system suited to every possible site.

I'm quite open about the fact that Injader is not perfectly suited to every possible site you could think of. I don't think that WordPress is perfect for every possible site. Sometimes you need functionality it doesn't provide, but you don't want to install dozens of plugins that may conflict with each other, slow down your site, or not have any support options.

A system that has been around for a long time may be viewed as a more reliable option than a system that is both newer and not as widely adopted. I think it's best to try out a few systems so you can get a better idea of which system is the best tool for the job. Sticking with what you know may be easier in the short-term, but don't rule out alternatives before trying them.

What do you think? What type of site do you think WordPress is best suited to? Which sites should consider an alternative system?

Google may remove "beta" from some of its products soon

Ben — Sat, 30 May 2009 10:58:46 PDT

From "Google finally dropping 'beta' from some apps":

Google Apps Premier Edition, the paid version of Google's online applications suite that comes with customer support and a service-level agreement, is not labelled as a beta, noted Matt Glotzbach, product management director for Google's enterprise products.

But he acknowleged that many of the applications within it, such as Google Docs and Google Calendar, still are. "It's a minor annoyance and something you'll see addressed in the not-too-distant future," he said.

Pressed further, Google Docs Product Manager Jonathan Rochelle said: "We're going to deal with that very soon; we're going to figure out a way to fix that."

As I wrote previously, it seems silly to have something in beta for 5+ years with no sign of coming out. Coming out of beta gives no guarantees that bugs will never occur again. In my view, the sooner you get out of beta, the sooner you can start focusing on the next release.

Besides, it's a bit odd to have software in beta that businesses are paying to use. You can't have it both ways. I'm glad to see this use of the word "beta" is likely to come to an end soon.

Injader 2.3.1 pre-release testing: Subscribe to comments by email

Ben — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:51:41 PDT

I've just upgraded benbarden.com to Injader 2.3.1, which will be released very soon.

Until then, I'd like a few volunteers to try out the main new feature: subscribing to comments by email. Note that this is a built-in feature - it does not require a plugin. (Here are some more things that Injader can do without plugins.)

It's pretty simple to use: when posting a comment, you'll see a checkbox - "Email follow-up comments". Tick this box and you'll receive an email whenever a new comment is posted on the article. To unsubscribe, follow the link in the email. The email is one thing I haven't tested yet, so please keep an eye out for any strangeness.

Let me know if you have any suggestions or if you find any bugs. This feature will be available on my other sites - including Top Ten Blog Tips - in the near future. Thanks for your help!

How I got into software development - and what I've done so far

Ben — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:40:10 PDT

Image by Martin Bekkelund.

Back in 1997 I was working for a customer service department, dealing with office admin and learning the ropes of the business world.

After moving from temp status to a permanent position, I started to notice a trend: a few colleagues were asking me to help with general PC issues. Gradually, more and more of my time was spent on this kind of work, until one of the managers suggested that this might be a good approach for other teams in our department. And so, the "super user" role was created.

By this stage, some people were suggesting that I should try and move into the IT department. At the time, there weren't any positions available, but I put my name forward anyway and asked if they could consider me if any jobs came up.

A couple of months later, there was an opening, and I got an interview. Amongst other things, I was asked whether I wanted to do application support, or development. I expained to the two managers who interviewed me that support seemed more accessible as I'd already been doing it in the super user role.

But because of that, I expressed an interest in the development side of things, as I hadn't done it before. I knew it would be difficult, but I wanted a challenge.

Shortly afterwards, I was accepted as a trainee programmer and prepared to move into the IT department.

Starting out

The first six months were very tough indeed. I think most people were unsure of how to teach someone who was so new to software development, because there's so much to learn. One of the first things I discovered was that reading manuals isn't the best way to develop your skills! Good for reference, but not as a tutorial.

I immediately went on two training courses, both for the document production tool I would be responsible for. One with the software vendor, one with the other staff who used it in a different office. Once I returned from these courses, I started to doubt myself, wondering if I could remember everything that I needed to.

I soon discovered that if I set up a test project to try things out, I learn quickly. It did take some practice to get the hang of the concepts, but once I got going, I was hungry for more. So I bought a book on HTML and started learning it at home.

Learning the web

Once I'd learned a bit about HTML, I moved onto CSS and started building my own personal website. As with most first attempts, it wasn't great, but it was a good project for me to work on.

Then one day I heard that my department needed someone to create an intranet site for them. Suddenly, my niche job grew into a role that affected the whole department. The role later expanded so I was able to help the intranet authors from other departments and even in other offices.

However, as the years passed, the initial buzz of the intranet was disappearing. Departments realised that they needed a dedicated person to update their site, but kept passing the responsibility to short-term employees who left just months after they joined. It reached the point where I was one of very few people who still took the intranet seriously, but it wasn't viewed as a large enough part of my job for me to be able to pioneer the platform more. There was little I could do to get people using the intranet in new ways unless I did the content for them, and then the other departments would rely on me to get that content updated (even though they could do it without my input).

Moreover, despite gaining new development skills and working on various projects, I found that there was very little programming work for me to do. It seemed like the department was slowly grinding to a halt, desperately bogged down with unnecessarily complex and long-winded procedures and nobody was able to sort through the mess.

A fork in the road

An opportunity came up that sounded interesting. The department had plenty of development staff, but no dedicated testing staff. A new position was created for a System Test Manager, who would be responsible for testing across all projects. They would need to set up processes and documentation, and gain buy-in from all technical and management staff.

There were a number of reasons why I applied. As a developer, I wasn't doing much development. I felt I had gone as far as I could go in the department without being promoted, moving into a new role, or looking for a job elsewhere. I wanted to be a senior developer, but there were no vancancies, and my manager said I still wasn't there yet. Disappointingly, he also rejected my application for the testing role, saying he thought I would do better to continue with my current career path.

However, a couple of months later, I was approached with an offer. The other managers agreed with my comment that I was the right candidate for the role, and after a few discussions, I became the System Test Manager. Well, not exactly - I ended up being a Senior Test Coordinator - but that wasn't a problem.

A new challenge

Focusing on testing was an excellent move. I spent a couple of years doing everything I could to learn and develop the testing documentation, tools and processes within the department. I trained all the technical staff in how to write scripts in WinRunner (an automated testing tool), and I quickly became the go-to person for all things related to testing. I also gained the ISEB Foundation in Software Testing qualification, and even had the opportunity to tackle the areas of the development process that went beyond the boundaries of testing. A renewed interest in the intranet allowed me to work on setting up a Department Portal, which contained departmental policies and procedures, and a technical knowledge base. This time around, there was support from the senior managers, so it was a lot easier to gain buy-in from the department as a whole.

However, things were changing, and the company was planning to relocate having bought another business. Redundancy loomed, and while the redundancy payment would have been nice, I knew the wait would be long and demoralising. As I would have to leave the company within a couple of years anyway, my wife and I decided to move to Australia instead.

Big changes

As soon as we arrived, things changed drastically. Moving abroad is a big change in itself, but I had also left a job working for a large insurance company and started working for a small software company. I moved back into IT development, and there was an enormous amount of work to do. Starting with a few small changes, I moved quickly and soon progressed to the larger projects. Rewriting a club membership system in an industry I'd never worked in before meant I had to learn fast, and work hard. No problem. Within the first six months of release, over 40 customers were using the new version, and all of the staff quickly suggested ways we could build on this success with small changes and new features.

The most exciting part was the CRM solution. I took an old Microsoft Access database of customer details and built it into a fully web-based version that the staff could access from anywhere. This quickly evolved into a convenient method for keeping track of recent calls, which greatly improved the quality of service. Down the road, I extended the system to include online quotes, invoices, a simple event calendar, quarterly support invoices, email reminders for customers with outstanding balances, an online customer control panel, and a CSV export into the company accounting package. There was always something new to work on, so I was never bored.

After two and a half years abroad, we felt that the time was right to move back to the UK, and set the plans in motion once more.

Extra-curricular activities

Although I enjoyed my testing role, I missed writing code. I decided to learn PHP, and built a very simple content management system so I had a real project to work on. This was a much more convenient way of managing my websites than coding them all by hand, so I developed the system as far as I felt was necessary for my purposes.

When the company relocation was announced, I was approached to work on a relocation website. The idea was to provide information on the town that the company would be moving to, with maps and some background on the surrounding villages. Suddenly my hobby project had a real use.

The site was a huge success. The company directors were particularly happy with the results, especially as most of the configuration was done out of working hours, and I frequently added new features to the CMS so the site was as easy to use as possible. It then occurred to me that the CMS might be of benefit to other sites, but I didn't develop it extensively until we moved to Australia.

Today, the CMS is called Injader. It doesn't have a massive userbase, but I'm confident that the recent and upcoming changes will gradually push it out to more people.

My latest project is an ad network called CMF Ads. I'm the lead developer for this site, with over 400 active publishers and over 2,300 ads running as I near the end of this very lengthy post!

So what's next?

I'm currently looking for a senior PHP development role where I can work hard and develop my skills further. I want to build on my existing experience. I want to make a difference.

I have a real passion for software development. I love coding. I love building sites. And I want to do a lot more of it. I can't wait to start the next chapter of my career and continue my journey to go the extra mile in everything that I do.

The 2009 job market

Ben — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:32:09 PDT

Image by pen3ya.

This weekend, my wife and I will be returning to the UK after two and a half years living and working in Australia. I've already submitted my CV to online job sites and started looking for work. The sooner I find a job that I am well-suited to, the sooner we can settle down in the UK.

Tough times ahead

I'm sure there are people reading this post and thinking that it's a bad time to be looking for work. There may also be people who are totally confused as to why we're moving to the UK in a poor economic climate - not to mention the meteorological climate! (Actually, I hear it's been nice over there recently). Don't forget the levels of unemployment. Why look for a job now?

There's another side to this downturn that only became apparent once I started looking for jobs. Actually, I had a look at some jobs a few months ago, in preparation for the move and so I knew what to expect. It seems as though there are jobs that are not being filled, because everyone's afraid to leave their existing jobs.

Does a degree matter?

I'm often surprised by the jobs that require a degree and experience. How are the entry-level candidates supposed to find work?

I'm not an entry-level job seeker, as I've been working in IT for over 10 years - but in the past I've been put off by the large number of jobs that require a degree. I didn't go to University because I felt I could get much more out of a job and a few years of experience than I would get out of a degree. I didn't enjoy studying at school, but I really enjoy working. Also, I didn't want to get into a lot of debt, something that seems to be inevitable when you go to University.

Not having a degree can pose a problem when jobs state that you must have a degree. However, I've noticed an increasing number of jobs that ask for a degree, or equivalent experience. This seems like a logical move and has increased my confidence since I embarked on my hunt for a job.

Why move to Australia?

Back in 2006, the IT department I worked for was in the initial stages of being absorbed by the IT division at our head office. We had considered staying for my redundancy payment, but I didn't like the sound of waiting for 2 years with very little work to do. The money never mattered to me.

Instead of enduring the agonising wait for redundancy, we arranged to move to Australia. While I'm sure a lot of our friends and family will want to know all about how our lives changed when we moved, I don't have a lot of stories. I didn't go surfing or make loads of friends. I spent two and a half years immersed in work, which was made easier by the fact we worked from home. I developed several new programs, rewrote some existing software, built an online customer database and worked on numerous smaller projects. I probably did more coding in my first three months than I did in 6 years as a developer in my previous job. This is because my previous job was at a large company and my Australia job was at a small software company.

Now we're moving back, it occurred to me that two and a half years working for an Australian software company was not just a great change of lifestyle, it's an excellent addition to my CV.

Looking for a great job

Working takes up a large portion of our lives. If you can find a job that you enjoy doing, it will have a positive impact on your life as a whole. I'm hoping to find a job that allows me to use my existing skills while also challenging me to go further. I'm not someone who shows up, does the bare minimum and then goes home. I go the extra mile because I want to make a difference.

What do you think?

What other factors characterise the job market in 2009?
Have you been looking for work recently? How have you been getting on?

How often do your customers contact you for help?

Ben — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:06:11 PDT

The fewer small queries that developers are required to assist with, the more work they can do, and the more customers they can support.

Image by Guin's View.

Typical queries

As a developer, I expect to receive a number of queries relating to the work I do:

Can you add this?
Can you change this?
Can you fix this?

There are certain queries that I try to keep to a minimum:

I can't find an option to change/delete this, can you do it for me?
I can't remember how to do this, can you do it for me?
I can't remember how to do this, can you tell me how?

These queries usually make me ask the question: is there anything the system could do differently so the customer can do this without contacting me?

Are you doing the customer's job for them?

It's possible to be too helpful. If you encourage any and all customers to contact you whenever they need to, it can quickly get out of control. There are some things to watch out for:

One person calling all the time with the same problems. This suggests they could do with some training.
Lots of people who mention the same problems. Whether there's a workaround or it's just a case of explaining how things work, you need to think about whether there's a way to simplify the process.
Repeated requests to modify data because the customer can't do it. Is this something they should be able to modify? Why are you having to make the changes for them? Perhaps you need an Edit option, or you need to make it more obvious.
Queries relating to bad data, either when it's being entered, or after the fact. Bad data can quickly create a very messy database. Limit what the user can type into a field - don't let them type things they shouldn't be able to. For fields such as telephone numbers or dates, force the data to be entered in the correct format. If all else fails, build a few database tools that will help staff to make the data consistent, such as forcing all text fields to be in uppercase or title case.
Being asked to do things for someone who should be the one doing them. For instance, does it seem like a worthwhile use of a developer's time to upload images or modify text on a website if you could allow users to do it on their own?

What does the customer want?

I know people who would rather have things done for them. This is not a major issue if it's a one-time thing. But if you find yourself doing more and more things - let's saying uploading an image - perhaps you need to help your customer to do things on their own.

If you get paid for each change, you might argue that you should try to keep that money coming in. But if you're swamped with work, wouldn't it be better to help your customers to do things so they don't have to contact you with the smaller queries? You won't be charging them as often, so when they do contact you, it's for the things you do need to sort out - and this work may also be a bit more interesting.

I certainly don't mind helping people with small queries, but if the same person keeps raising the same query, it might be worth putting together a guide. Especially if it's a large topic, such as HTML or CSS.

What are you being paid to do?

Contractors and freelancers get paid for what they do, either by the hour or per job. Try to resist the urge to get paid for things you don't normally do. If you really need the money, that's one thing, but small queries can quickly mount up and stop you from being able to work on other things.

In some cases there will be queries that come up on a regular basis, say every week or every month. If there's any way you can help the customer to do this without contacting you, it may seem like you're shooting yourself in the foot as it means you won't be paid to do it for them. But there are only so many hours in the day, and if you have more jobs than time to do them in, it's better to cut down on the things you don't need to do than reject jobs that could further your career.

What do you think?

How often do your customers contact you for help?
Do you try to limit the repeat queries by building tools?

Stop hiding behind "beta". All software has bugs anyway.

Ben — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:38:10 PDT

A link I found over at disassociated brought back some of my views on software that is in beta. I haven't written about this for a while so I thought I'd sum up a few of my thoughts.

Beta software is a way of saying the software might have bugs. That's not new; all software has bugs.

Some people think that the "Web 2.0 way" is to label everything as "beta" instead of using version numbers. So why is it "Web 2.0" and not "Web Beta"?

Software is rarely "complete"; if anything it's a lot better to have a package that is routinely improved, than to have software that never gets updated. Besides, version 1.0 (presumed to occur "after beta") is not the holy grail of software releases - it's just the beginning.

Beta should mean that the software is feature-complete, but may still have issues. The arbitrary usage of "beta" to mean "I haven't tested this yet, but you can do that for me" has made the word completely meaningless. It's an insult to those who use it correctly.

Having said all of that, it's probably just an easier way of saying "you should've read the end user licence agreement, which says we are not accountable for any data loss". Instead, it ends up being "the software is in beta; expect bugs". Which is easier to remember - but the software should come out of beta eventually.

I currently have version 2.3.0 of Injader in beta testing. When I'm happy with how it's working, I will release version 2.3.0. I will never guarantee that any version of Injader is bug-free. If I find a bug or someone else does, the time it takes to fix that bug will depend on how serious it is. Some bugs will get a special bug fix release that goes out between the numbered releases. Some will wait until a future version.

Versioning probably isn't necessary for software that is not downloaded, but it's OK to say a site is in beta. It just seems silly to have a site that's in beta for 5+ years (i.e. Gmail) with no sign of coming out. But look at it this way: you can enhance Gmail with various features in Google Labs. Now, if Gmail was really in beta, why wouldn't those features be added to the core service without being part of a "Labs" section? In my mind, Gmail is not in beta, but Labs is.

What do you think?

Round-up, May 4th 2009

Ben — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:23:49 PDT

It's been several weeks since my last round-up. In this period, I took a short break from blogging, and made a few changes to some of my blogs.

Development work

Injader 2.2.1 was released on April 8th. Amongst other changes, it includes a WordPress import script.
Meanwhile, Injader 2.3.0 is currently in development. I've posted about some of the upcoming changes.
Things have been pretty busy over at CMF Ads. One of the major changes is the new Alerts system, a support ticket system that is integrated with the rest of the site. We've also released some in-house shop listings, and we're looking for members to help with the beta test of our member shop.

New blog posts

Aside from all the new posts, Top Ten Blog Tips was relaunched with a new design. There were too many posts to list here, so here are some of the highlights:

April 3rd: Google Analytics guide (parts 1-4) (The Guide to Blogging)
April 7th: Purchasing power: your credits go a long way (CMF Ads Blog)
April 8th: 10 tips to hit the ground running after a blogging break (Top Ten Blog Tips)
April 9th: Building a strong community with vbulletin (benbarden.com)
April 15th: 10 tips for writing a blog post (Top Ten Blog Tips)
April 17th: What to look for when choosing a blogging platform (The Guide to Blogging)
April 17th: Did the 1 million follower contest flood Twitter with spam? (benbarden.com)
April 20th: Tips for using the CMF Forums (CMF Ads Blog)
April 21st: Is Twitter making a mockery of blogging? (benbarden.com)
April 22nd: 10 tips to follow before taking a blogging break (Top Ten Blog Tips)
April 23rd: Running a successful online community (benbarden.com)
April 24th: 8 out of 10 people dislike Follow Friday (benbarden.com)
April 26th: Forums aren't dead yet (benbarden.com)
April 29th: 10 tips to improve navigation on your blog (Top Ten Blog Tips)
April 29th: Using Google Reader to organise your feeds (benbarden.com)
May 1st: Why the lack of advertising tax is a big win for publishers (CMF Ads Blog)
May 1st: Are companies really hearing your views? (benbarden.com)
May 2nd: Statistics for April 2009 (CMF Ads Blog)
May 3rd: Blogs and forums - is there much of a difference? (benbarden.com)

I will make sure the next round-up is posted a bit sooner so you don't have a big long list of posts to read!

Blogs and forums - is there much of a difference?

Ben — Sun, 03 May 2009 21:00:00 PDT

I have been using forums since 2000 (on ezboard) and I started blogging in 2002 (on LiveJournal). So I've done a bit of both for quite a few years now.

When I joined ezboard, forums were extremely popular. There were a lot of big boards where anyone could just come along and post. Blogging seemed to be a bit more intimate.

It seems to have gone the other way for some people, with blogs taking over. I've noticed people who think they sit squarely in one camp or the other, some being diehard forum users, others being 100% bloggers.

Are you sure about that? Let's break it down...

Content is king.

A blog is focused on the content, right? But don't forums have a focus on content too? Can you go off-topic on both? Do you?

Perhaps blogs are a place to store the content, and forums are a place to discuss it. However...

Comments are the new forum.

If you post a blog entry and people comment on it, how is that different from writing something in a forum and having people comment on it?

Would you post the same stuff in a forum that you'd post on a blog? Surely it depends on the forum!

The author of the content.

If you have your own blog, it's expected that you write the content for it. But wait a minute, what about guest posts or company blogs?

On a forum, everyone starts topics... and on a blog, only one person starts the topics. Hold on though, can't you configure the security settings to do the exact opposite? Allow forum users to reply but not start topics, and allow blog commenters to post new entries instead of just commenting?

Blog, CMS, Wiki, Forum...

Now let's go beyond blogs and forums. Why do some people look at a blog and say "who wants to read about what someone has for lunch"? Why do others look at a CMS and say "that's so Web 1.0, give me a blog"? And why do some bloggers scoff at forums as if blogs are a completely different thing? Equally, why do some message board users think that blogs are written by people who have nothing better to do with their time?

I could live without the labelling - both the Web 1.0 / 2.0 nonsense, and whether you have a blog, website or whatever.

There is one thing in common.

Whether you're using a CMS, blogging software, forum software, a wiki or whatever else you can think of, the software you're using ultimately creates a website, either in whole or in part. Regardless of the system you choose, if you're on the web, you're using a website. A blog is just one component of a website. So is a forum. So is a photo gallery. If you only choose to do one or two of these things on your site, then that's fine. Don't do it all if you don't have the content for it.

So where does that leave Twitter?

I'll leave you to decide that!

Join Facebook, and you can be a fan of "Not being on fire"

Ben — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:50:24 PDT

Image by Caesar Sebastian.

Yes folks, you too can be a fan of "Not being on fire" today.

View the "Not being on fire" page

Be the envy of all your friends - tell the world you don't like being on fire!

What other strange things can you be a fan of on Facebook? Leave a comment so we have a nice long list of the weirdest "fan" pages out there...

Are companies really hearing your views?

Ben — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:45:18 PDT

When a company says "we heard your feedback", I always wonder how much feedback they didn't hear. What if 50% of your customers say "I want you to start selling furniture" and the other 50% says "I don't want you to start selling furniture"? Wouldn't it be misleading to say "we listened" in that case?

I'll come back to that in a moment. First, here are a couple of examples - I'll leave you to decide if the company really did listen to the feedback they received.

Internet Explorer

After Internet Explorer 6 was released, it looked like Microsoft had won the "browser wars". As a result, only security updates were released for the browser. But then Mozilla Firefox was released, and people started hearing about this great new browser. Suddenly, Microsoft started developing Internet Explorer 7.

There's nothing wrong with Microsoft developing a new browser version, but their advertising campaign seemed like they wanted to rewrite history. I remember visiting the Microsoft website and seeing an ad that mentioned the new version of Internet Explorer. It said something like "we listened".

Did they really listen? Or were they just responding to the emergence of a new browser?

Entrecard

Just over a week back, Entrecard closed their forums except to members who had purchased 400 ads. From the replies it's quite clear that the members weren't happy with this decision.

Today, it seems they have decided to reopen the forums. The exact comment was this:

Back by public demand, Entrecard is reopening forums!

This is good news for the members. However, it raises a question: why were they closed in the first place? Why didn't they ask for feedback before closing the forums, instead of just closing them anyway, and only reopening them because people asked them to?

You can't suit everyone.

This is worth remembering. If you take every suggestion and use it to change your business, you're either very lucky for getting 100% useful feedback, or your business will end up in a mess. In some cases you will find there are issues where one camp wants you to make a change and another camp wants things to stay the same. Finding a middle ground that suits the majority of customers, including the business as a whole, is the key.

As a customer, you can't expect everyone to act on every suggestion you make. And there are a lot of companies who don't even give you a way to suggest things. But common courtesy should be the order of the day, whether your comments are used to further the business or whether it's a case of "thanks, but no thanks" (in a nicer way, obviously).

What do you think? Are your views being heard?

Using Google Reader to organise your feeds

Ben — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:06:19 PDT

It seems there's an increasing number of people who are leaving their feed readers behind and using Twitter instead. However, I've found this isn't a good way of keeping up with your favourite blogs, because Twitter moves so quickly.

Instead, I strongly recommend subscribing in Google Reader, and using folders to organise them. Here's how to do that.

Once you've subscribed to a feed, click on the Feed Settings menu. If you haven't added any folders yet, click the "New folder..." option and type a name for the folder you wish to use. To add to an existing folder, just click the folder name in the list.

It's so much easier to keep on top of your feeds when you're using folders! I make a point to subscribe to my own blogs so I can keep an eye out for any problems with the feeds, and proof-read the posts one more time. But I can go through these posts very quickly, and I don't want them to be mixed up with all the other feeds. So I created a folder - "My Blogs".

I've also created a folder called "CMF Bloggers", which I use to keep track of new blog posts from some of the members at CMF Ads. "Friends" is for the bloggers who I know offline or who I talk to regularly. There's a "Make Money Online" folder, but there are only two blogs in it. That one is for research purposes...

I may add more folders as I subscribe to more blogs, but I've already found it's far easier to stay on top of the blogs I enjoy reading when they're organised in folders.

When a new post appears in one of the folders, the folder will expand automatically. The folder will also display the total number of unread posts from blogs that are stored in it.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no better way to keep up with multiple blogs. I'd like to start reading blogs again - it feels like I haven't read most blogs in a long time.

Still not convinced? Here are 10 more reasons to use Google Reader.

What do you think? How many blogs do you subscribe to? Do you try to use Twitter as your feed reader? Doesn't it mean you miss a lot of posts?

Top Ten Weekly Guides to Blogging

Ben — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:19:48 PDT

Late in 2008 I set out to publish an online newsletter called "Weekly Blogging". In the end, it didn't get beyond its fifth week, mostly because there was too much crossover with benbarden.com and Top Ten Blog Tips.

In March 2009, I decided to take a break from Top Ten Blog Tips, having written three posts a week since the start of November 2008. When I returned, I changed my posting frequency to one post a week.

It just occurred to me that Top Ten Blog Tips has morphed into the original idea I had for Weekly Blogging, but in a "tips" format, rather than an online newsletter. Meanwhile, I have been slowly updating my old blogging tips and tutorials and republishing them over at The Guide to Blogging.

Sometimes it can take a few tries to get everything in the right place, but I think I'm getting there now.

Do you have multiple blogs? Is there any crossover between them? How do you determine which posts end up where?

Forums aren't dead yet

Ben — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:57:24 PDT

Today on Twitter, PaulDuxbury asked:

Are you visiting forums less as a result of being on Twitter?

My reply:

I read forums + blogs much more than Twitter. Twitter is faster, blogs and forums are richer.

While this is a good summary of my views, it isn't a complete picture.

Twitter: the good and the bad

Twitter's strength is its immediacy. Ask a question, and if anyone knows the answer, you often get a reply within a matter of seconds, or maybe a few minutes.

Twitter is not well suited to things that take quite a bit of explaining. On the other hand, some might argue that there's an art in making your point in as few characters as possible. I agree with this - it's just not true in all cases. Sure, you can summarise, but sometimes we want more detail than we can fit into 140 characters.

Too many tweets?

One issue with Twitter is that if you're not there when a comment is posted, you'll likely miss it unless you follow a small number of people. While the same can be said of a blog that's updated several times a day, or a forum that has a lot of participants, it's not usually as much of a problem.

Another issue with Twitter is that it only takes a few very chatty people to scroll everything else off the screen. On the other hand, I'm following several hundred people and I feel I can keep on top of the conversation.

What you can do

If you're feeling overwhelmed with the sheer volume of tweets that come in at once, there are two things you could try.

Look at the profiles of the people whose names you see the most. Are their comments adding value to your Twitter stream? Are they dominating so much that you can't see anyone else's comments? Some of the people I follow are very talkative, and that's fine with me, because nobody goes overboard. I usually remove people who post a lot of tweets at a time (I've seen people posting 6 separate tweets all at the same time, which seems excessive).
Don't sit on Twitter all day long. Even if it's just running in the background. I believe that Twitter is best used in short, sharp bursts. If you use it for hours and hours at a time, of course you're going to feel overwhelmed! Take breaks. Stop trying to take in everything. Stop worrying that you'll miss something. Most of the good stuff gets retweeted anyway.

Where forums come in

There are people who claim that forums are dead or dying, and who scoff at those of us who still use them. Then again, there are people who think the only website platform they'll ever need is WordPress.

The same argument applies to both these philosophies. One tool does not suit every possible use. By all means, bend it, break it, change it, adapt it - but don't moan because Twitter doesn't do something that is better suited to a forum, or a blog.

Forums are great for organising information into certain sections. (TweetDeck is great for organising Twitter-related information, but there's only so much you can fit on the screen.) Instead of everything flying by on Twitter, forums allow you to find topics that interest you and talk a lot about those topics.

There are ways to organise things on Twitter, but they just don't feel very elegant. Maybe someone mis-spelt or duplicated a hashtag (these are used for finding related tweets) - and bam, that tweet won't be found in the search. There's no way to edit the tweet or "move" it to the correct hashtag. Plus, even if you use hashtags to keep up with related information, there doesn't seem to be a way to exclude hashtags from the All Friends view in TweetDeck. (Now, if I could exclude all mentions of Follow Friday except in replies, that would be awesome.)

With a forum, topics can easily be moved to the correct section if they're posted in the wrong place. Many online communities have multiple forums, and if you don't like some of the forums, you can still post in the rest. It's a lot easier to cut out any unwanted noise.

In summary

Twitter is a great tool, but it is not the be all and end all. Don't be blinded by its popularity and assume that it will kill all other forms of communication. There may be a shift from one medium to another, but people will continue to use multiple ways to communicate.

Not everyone jumps to the "next big thing" and sits there until the subsequent "big thing" appears. Some people stay on the "previous big thing".

For the record, I still use blogs, forums, instant messengers, and email - and I also use Twitter. It's a case of which tool is best for the job. No system is perfect.

What do you think?

Follow me on Twitter.

8 out of 10 people dislike Follow Friday

Ben — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:45:24 PDT

I mean that literally. 10 people voted in a poll, and 8 of them said they didn't like Follow Friday.

The discussion is worth reading. So, what's the problem?

What is Follow Friday?

Follow Friday is an event where Twitter users recommend other people they think you should follow. As the name suggests, it is usually done on a Friday - although I've occasionally recommended people on other days, because they're worth it!

Why Follow Friday is a good thing

Finding friends through your existing friends is a great way to meet people. A well-put recommendation is like your own free advertisement. If you want to put in a good word for one of your Twitter friends, writing a short explanation of who they are will help a lot. People who share some of the same interests will be more likely to follow them, and those who aren't interested will immediately know there's no need to follow that person - without having to go to their profile first.

Why Follow Friday needs a rethink

If one person on your list writes this (assume these are real usernames):

@followme1 @followme2 @followme3 @followme4 @followme5 #FollowFriday

Why should I follow any of those people? Sure, I can go and check out a few of their profiles... but when dozens of people are posting much the same thing, it seems very unlikely that most of the names being mentioned will get many new followers from this.

In the past, I have written tweets like this, but I don't think I'll be doing them again. While I do appreciate the mention when people recommend my name to their friends, wouldn't it be better to write a bit about why to follow someone, rather than just posting a list of names?

Hitting milestones is not a good reason to follow someone.

I'm all for people recommending people to their Twitter friends, especially if they're new to Twitter or their comments are insightful. However, the following is not a good reason for getting followers:

@followme6 needs just 30 more people to hit 1000 followers! Help them out!

What is this, a popularity contest? I believe in quality, not quantity. I am much more interested in who follows me, rather than how many follow me.

What do you think?

Do you participate in Follow Friday?
How do you recommend people - individually, or in a long list?
What do you think about following people just to hit milestones?

Running a successful online community

Ben — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:00:00 PDT

Image by carf.

I've had a website since July 1999. I tried a few very basic message boards in 2000, before joining ezboard in November 2000 and setting up my own community in January 2001.

As the technical side doesn't phase me, I was able to focus on building the community right away and start getting members to check in. I also helped others with the technical aspect of their communities.

Even though the forum was just for fun, I quickly learned a lot about how to run a community.

Characteristics of a strong community leader

A successful online community requires a strong leader. The leader should be responsible, committed, authoritative and trustworthy. They should be able to take a neutral stance when things get rough. They should not make snap decisions without looking at all of the facts. They need to be reliable - the kind of person that a community will be able to depend on.

Setting the boundaries

Most communities need basic rules. Some community leaders don't feel the need to spell out the rules that are a simple matter of respect. For instance, if a member joins with the intention of disrupting the community, the other members are unlikely to appreciate this.

You shouldn't have too many rules, as this can be very off-putting to new members. The more rules there are, the less likely it is that people will read them. Also, you shouldn't add rules because one member did something you didn't agree with. In that case, it is usually best to contact the member directly.

Keeping things organised

A well-organised forum usually has a few different areas for members to use. You might have forums for off-topic chat, debates, entertainment, and advertising. Don't add too many forums at once, as this could result in a lot of empty forums.

If topics are posted in one forum when they should be in another, it's best to move the topics. Otherwise, it looks like anything can be posted anywhere, and most members will gather in one of the forums. It also makes it difficult for members to find the threads they're interested in. Some members will have a preference for one forum over another - make sure they know what to expect in each forum.

Some people won't get along

Everyone has their own wants and needs. Everyone has their own opinions. There will be disagreements, there will be threads that go off-topic, and some subjects that dominate more than others. Sometimes the community leader needs to step in, but don't step in too soon - you may find the members sort it out on their own.

If arguments start, take a neutral position - ensure things don't get out of control, but don't take sides.

Adapting to the community's needs

I've learned a few lessons from the CMF Forums that I didn't learn from the other communities I've managed.

We hadn't anticipated that members would ask for advertisers in the forums. Shortly after we launched CMF Ads, it was clear that the members wanted to do this, so we added an area to allow it. This seems to be working well.

When a member suggested we should add a Games forum, I was initially apprehensive. I've never liked seeing the Games forum at other communities, as it just looks like a waste of time. But I didn't just say no. I had a think about it, and decided there was no reason why we couldn't give it a try. It turns out this is a good ice-breaker for new members. It allows members to have fun when perhaps they don't want to talk about blogging.

We've also kept an eye on emerging trends within the community. Earlier this week, a lot of new members joined in quick succession, and the main forum was filled with introductions. I'm all for allowing members to post an introduction thread, but it was clear we needed an Introductions forum so the new members didn't get lost in the mix of other topics. This forum is also working well.

The community leader needs to remember that while they are the one who makes the decisions, they should not put their own needs before the needs of the community. Everyone's needs should be taken into account, but if the community leader only does what's right for them, it can lead the members to believe that they are not as important as they should be.

Remember, a community is nothing without members.

What a good community is like

A good community is not something that is set up and left for the members to use as they please. It starts with a solid base, and evolves over time. It's about giving the members a place to share their views, to vent if they want to, and to be heard. Much like blogging, if nobody is listening, why speak up?

What do you think?

What else would you say is important in running a successful online community?

Is Twitter making a mockery of blogging?

Ben — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:12:31 PDT

Blogging in 2009: Sit on Twitter, wait for something to happen, post about it with a screenshot of a tweet.

Is this what blogging has become? Are we so lacking in our attention spans that everything must be distilled in 140 characters? Will blogs die?

Twitter vs. Blogs

I don't really think so. Twitter is the news ticker that just keeps on delivering an endless stream of information. The blogs are the reporters. Start at Twitter to find out what's going on, then go and read some blogs for greater detail.

There is still a place for blogging. Twitter is not ideal for every possible piece of information. Have you ever seen a tweet that is actually too long for Twitter so has to be split up? Have you ever tried to explain something that simply cannot be shortened to 140 characters?

You get out what you put in

Twitter is a tool that can be used and abused in many different ways. Take another look at my quote from the start of this post:

Sit on Twitter, wait for something to happen, post about it with a screenshot of a tweet.

Now, this doesn't have to be a bad thing. Let's break it down.

Sitting on Twitter all day is not a good idea, but using it in small bursts can be highly effective.

Waiting for something to happen might mean you are always reporting other people's news rather than creating buzz for your own projects. But it can also mean you're not blogging when there's nothing to say.

And while a screenshot of a tweet isn't particularly exciting, isn't it worse if you publish a post with no images whatsoever?

An idea for bloggers

Here's an idea. Why not use Twitter to get ideas for your blog posts, then write those posts between tweets, before finally sharing the link with the people you were just chatting with?

They'll be interested if they cared enough to reply to your tweet or re-tweet it for you. So I'd say you've got a pretty good chance of getting people to pass around your blog post.

It certainly seems more likely if you go this way than if you go in cold. If you want to share the post you just wrote, but you haven't talked with anyone on Twitter today, why should they read it?

What do you think?

Are you a blogger? How do you use Twitter?

Follow me on Twitter.

Did the 1 million follower contest flood Twitter with spam?

Ben — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:24:42 PDT

I just heard that Ashton Kutcher beat CNN Breaking News to become the first person with 1 million Twitter followers.

Interesting idea, although I'm more interested in quality than quantity.

Then I received an email saying that someone had followed me on Twitter. Screenshot below in case the account is banned.

OK, so it's only ONE account, but it's also an account with only ONE update. So it was clearly set up for a single purpose.

How many more of the 1 million followers were throwaway accounts created just for the contest? Did this contest flood Twitter with spam accounts?

Well, what do you think?

Follow me on Twitter.

Building a strong community with vbulletin

Ben — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:04:00 PDT

Some sites use OpenID to remove the need for a login ID for every site on the web. I'm a bit unsure of this approach, mainly because so many people use weak passwords (i.e. easy to guess) - and linking one ID to so many sites would be a big problem if someone gained access to that login ID.

But that's not really the point of this post. I've noticed a few sites that try to add functionality by installing third-party products - which means you then have an extra login ID to manage, just for that site! As if we didn't have enough already.

When I started rebuilding CMF Ads, my goal was to build an easy to use ad network without requiring multiple login IDs. As the network is primarily used by bloggers, many of whom have multiple blogs, the system had to support multiple blogs right from the start. To do this, each blog needs to be linked to a single user ID. So, user number 1 owns blog number 1, 2 and 3. User number 2 owns blog number 4 and 5. This seemed like the best possible approach.

Before I built the new site, CMF Ads consisted of a group blog, a link directory, a forum, and an ad server. The ads had to be placed manually by an admin. Each system required a separate login ID. While it appeared to work fine, it clearly wasn't the most user-friendly approach. You don't have to be a coder to install a few different systems that have no integration whatsoever. Unfortunately, that doesn't make a good site.

What I did was to take the most solid of the applications, and indeed the most central of them - which was the forum software - vbulletin. I initially attempted to work with vbAdvanced Links Directory, which integrated well with vbulletin, but just wasn't going to meet our needs. At one point we had a few options in one control panel, and a few more options in the Links Directory. This didn't make sense.

So, I took the vbulletin login ID and used this to provide access to a custom-made control panel. I spent roughly 2 weeks building the basic site, and spent 2 weeks in beta testing. The end result was a strong community with vbulletin at its core, along with a directory of blogs, built-in advertising, credit purchasing, comprehensive ad statistics, a widget to display the ads, transactions, and a wealth of information in the Admin Panel.

While I've heard people saying that social networks are the future, most of them fall short when it comes to the community aspect. They try to build their own forums, and they just don't come anywhere close to vbulletin. In fact, despite the fact I'm a fan of free, open source software, nothing comes close to vbulletin. It's complex at first, but it's simply the best forum software on the planet. So why not use it as the hub for a larger site?

Since building CMF Ads, I've approached another site that I think could benefit from a fully-integrated solution much like CMF Ads. It's a slightly different kind of site, so would not be a direct competitor (it's not an ad network). Both sites have something in common: vbulletin is at their core. I think this is a much better way to build a social network - use vbulletin. It's a proven system that's been around for a long time and members love it.

If you'd like to request a custom-made control panel for your vbulletin community, please contact me and I'll be happy to discuss it with you.

The Internet is not as international as you think

Ben — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:41:11 PDT

I've noticed a growing trend for websites to limit or completely cut out certain countries from their services.

For instance, Pandora, an Internet Radio station, only works in the US.

Elsewhere, last.fm will start charging users outside the UK, US and Germany if they want to listen to last.fm Radio.

Meanwhile on Facebook, Bejeweled Blitz allows everyone to play, but only US residents can win prizes.

And I've seen numerous music videos on YouTube that I can't play in Australia.

There must be dozens of other examples, maybe hundreds or even thousands.

I understand the restrictions, but the Internet is international. If only certain people can access a site, it would be nice if there was some kind of warning - maybe even a restriction.

I've heard negative criticism relating to the concept of Internet filtering - some suggest it's too much of a "Big Brother" approach. Maybe so, but perhaps it has a use after all. Is there any point in having access to a site that just tells us to go away because we're in the wrong country? What if it didn't come up in search results?

Should a domain name give us a clue as to whether it'll be available in our country, or even in our language? A site ending in .de suggests the content is in German, while .fr will be French - or so you'd expect. The problem is when this isn't applied consistently, and also when you have "catch-all" domains that are use for region-specific content. Pandora.com is a good example, although they didn't start out as a US-only service - should sites change their URLs if they have to enforce restrictions? What if the domain name is already taken?

I like the freedom of being able to set up my own sites quickly and easily, but equally, I don't like how easy it is for spam and scams to appear on the net. I like being able to choose a suitable domain suffix, whether it's .com, .net or .info, but it's these domains that seem to cause the most confusion. Would you expect a .com domain to be US-only? How about a UK business that uses a .com domain, isn't that just as bad?

There's a reason why TV channels have regional variations with different advertisements. Why isn't the same possible for the Internet?

Weekly round-up, March 23rd 2009

Ben — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:50:21 PDT

Here's the latest news from my blogs and other projects...

Development work

These links will take you to other sites.

Last week saw the release of Injader 2.2.0, with a simple control panel and several other improvements.
Also, CMF Ads released a new screen that allows advertisers to easily locate the sites they haven't advertised on before.

New blog posts

These posts are from all of my blogs. Some of the links will take you away from benbarden.com.

On Monday, I listed 10 reasons to keep writing during quiet periods.
On Tuesday, I explained why MySpace should not be the only site you use to promote your music.
Also on Tuesday, I wrote about CMF Ads smashing the 1,000 ad barrier. A great result!
On Wednesday, I shared 10 blogging tools I can't live without.
On Friday, I published a bumper crop of 10 quick tips for your blog, compiled from several old posts at benbarden.com.
Also on Friday, I shared some browser usage statistics over at CMF Ads, and invited bloggers to share their own percentages.
On Saturday, I wrote about how hex colour codes work. This was also a good experiment to see how Injader handles a complex table, background colours, and example code both on the site itself and in the feed. The result: Success! And no plugins required.

Musicians: MySpace should not be your ONLY web presence

Ben — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:44:53 PDT

Although this blog is to promote myself as a web developer, it isn't the only thing I do. I used to have my music online at benbarden.com, but recently moved it to a new site called BBM. The site gives a bit of background on my music, along with sleeve notes and a track list for each album. The actual tracks are on my last.fm page.

Using a social network such as last.fm or MySpace gives potential listeners another way to find you. Most people find me via last.fm, Twitter, or my blog.

I'm not a huge fan of MySpace. A lot of the profiles require to scroll across as well as down - it's like a billboard with a variety of different ads. I much prefer a conventional website as I find it far, far easier to navigate. But if MySpace gets you listeners, that's great.

The problem is with musicians who ONLY have a MySpace page. I believe you should have a proper website, too.

To see how others feel about this, I asked my Twitter followers. Here's what they said.

benbarden: In my opinion, musicians who ONLY have a MySpace page need a proper website too. Thoughts?

rebeccamezzino: if they're serious, yep!

DaivRawks: It depends on their "size" whether a musician needs their own site. You can do tons of stuff from myspace, all that site would do

Celtophilia: Yes, absolutely. A band who only has a myspace page just looks like they're not very committed.

frankschultelad: I find that the website can offer a richer experience than MySpace alone; as long as they consider site architecture/user exp.

erin_ts: i totally agree! there is so much more that musicians can and should put on a proper website. it's also more professional.

squeakymouse: If they want to be taken seriously, I would have an official web site and not just a MySpace site.

Thanks to everyone who replied to the question!

So, that's what I think, and what they think - now, what do you think?

Weekly round-up, March 16th 2009

Ben — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:41:34 PDT

Today sees the long-awaited (ok, not really) return of my weekly round-up post. This seems like a great way to promote the new content from all of my sites along with a few other bits and pieces.

While this is a "weekly" round-up, I might not publish it every single week. It depends how much I have to share. But if every week is like this week, you'll get a round-up every week.

So without further ado, here goes...

Development work

These links will take you to other sites.

Friday saw the release of some much improved ad purchasing pages over at CMF Ads. Bargain Ads and Find Ads were redesigned, and a few of the stats were removed to simplify things as much as possible.
I've been working on Injader 2.2.0. Amongst other changes, this update will combine the UserCP and AdminCP into one easy to use control panel.
I updated bbarden.com a list of new posts from all of my sites, and some information on how you can get a splash page just like mine.

New blog posts

These posts are from all of my blogs, so some of the links will take you away from benbarden.com.

On Monday, I asked: Is retweeting the new StumbleUpon/Digg? This post included 10 viewpoints from some of my Twitter followers.
On Tuesday, I shared a fix for a problem where Apache doesn't display stylesheets correctly. This caused a lot of frustration for me, hopefully by sharing the solution I'm helping someone, somewhere!
On Wednesday, I shared 10 reasons for doing a weekly round-up. This is the post that sparked today's round-up post. It really is worth doing!
On Thursday, I asked: Which link should I use when posting a comment? Here's a problem I've been faced with since I started maintaining multiple blogs. The answer is quite simple and links back to an earlier post from the same blog.
On Friday, I gave 10 reasons why I love list posts. As the name suggests, I write a list in every post over at Top Ten Blog Tips. Does it get a bit repetitive? Not since I started a few other blogs. I can use my other blogs for the non-list stuff, or I can post the lists with less than 10 items.
Also on Friday, I republished my beginner's guide to search engine optimisation (SEO). This was originally posted at benbarden.com, but it's been offline since I cleared the contents of my blog and started again. Gradually, I'm rewriting my old posts and reviving them on the blog that they're most suited to.
On Saturday, I explained why I hate Facebook messaging, after some frustrating messages that I can't seem to get rid of. One size does not fit all, but does it really have to be set up the way it is?

Posts I enjoyed this week

These links will take you to other blogs.

Stephen Fry, blogging and musicians (mistrust music)
Playin' Games - London boardgame shop (A Singaporean in London)
The make friends and influence people cheat sheet (disassociated)
Create an online survey for free with Google Docs (Codswallop)
How to find the perfect blog for guest blogging (Blogging Zest)

What do you think?

Is this a feature you'd like to see every week?
Is there anything else you'd like me to include?

Why I hate Facebook messaging

Ben — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:42:05 PDT

Facebook provides various different ways of talking to your friends. The one that really frustrates me is the inbox. The idea is that it behaves very much like email - but you read the messages within Facebook itself. You can get notifications sent to your email address whenever a new Facebook message arrives.

If one person sends a message to one other person, the system works fine. The problem occurs when one person sends a message and they choose multiple recipients. Everyone gets the message - which is fine in itself - but all replies will go to all the recipients. If you want to send a private reply, you have to compose a brand new message to the sender.

This is similar to "reply to all" in conventional email. The sender sends an email to several people. It is possible to reply directly to the sender by clicking "reply". This email will not go to any of the other recipients. However, you can also click "reply to all", to send an email to everyone who received the email you're replying to. Sometimes it IS handy to reply to everyone, but not ALWAYS. Having said that, it seems a lot of people do not understand the difference, and a lot of people click "reply to all" without thinking. The results can be embarrassing sometimes.

I guess Facebook decided it's easier just to click reply instead of having to make a choice between reply, and reply to all. This logic is fine, but I believe the reply should ONLY go to the sender. If you want to discuss things using "reply to all", set up a group, or use conventional email.

I am sorry to say that I have removed some genuine friends from my list because of this horrendous "reply to all" mechanism. One person sends a message, and suddenly I get 20 replies from people who aren't on my friends list. This is also why I disabled email notifications from Facebook.

After so many years of hearing comments like "don't reply to all, just reply", I am surprised to see Facebook using "reply to all" like this. I bet most people don't even realise their reply goes to everyone if nobody else replies. In fact, I asked several of my friends about this and none of them realised this was the case. This was proved when a multiple recipient message went out and the first person to reply said some very personal things that were definitely not intended for the entire recipient list!!

I am seriously considering disabling the inbox altogether because while I am very happy to receive messages that are only sent to me, "reply to all" frustrates me greatly.

How about you? Did you know Facebook messaging worked like this? Does it bother you at all?

Which link should I use when posting a comment?

Ben — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:25:17 PDT

Commenting on blogs is a great way to get your name out there - providing, of course, that you have something to say.

This post isn't about what to write in a comment, though - it's about which link to include.

Building links to one site

If the only blog I owned was Top Ten Blog Tips, I would post comments with a link to that blog. Deciding what to put as my name is a bit more tricky, though - do I want to build backlinks with "Ben Barden" as the text?

In the early days of Top Ten Blog Tips, my comments would usually be posted from "Ben Barden - Blog Tips". This seemed like the best of both worlds, as it didn't remove the personal aspect (my name) but it didn't rely on my name as the only keyword.

Building links to many sites

This is where things got tricky for me. A while back, I launched two new blogs in an attempt to build a larger network of sites. In the end, I closed those blogs (Zen Working and Weekly Blogging), but they did give me some ideas for my existing sites.

I don't remember posting any comments that linked to Zen Working or Weekly Blogging. I'll admit that I don't leave a lot of comments on blogs, as I don't usually have a lot to say that hasn't already been said. If I wrote more comments, I'd have to remember which blog to link to. This presents a bit of a problem - how do you keep track?

The solution

Once again, I find myself coming back to the idea of a splash page to promote multiple sites. Why worry about which site to link to when you can just use the splash page?

The power of the splash page cannot be underestimated - I believe that anyone with more than one site needs one of these.

What do you think?

How many sites do you own? Which URL do you include when posting a comment?