You can learn a lot from both the success and failures of the competition.

[This post is part of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog series.]

Analyze a top blog in your niche

The task for day four was to observe a successful blog in the same niche to identify ways to improve my own blogging strategy.

Why bloggers read other blogs

A blogger can learn a lot by spending time on other blogs—particularly those that are doing well.  You can pick up all manner of ideas, strategies, and tips.

Analysis

I found this particular task challenging (not the analysis, but deciding which site to review), but in the end I decided to do an analysis of Lifehacker.

Content

Lifehacker covers technologies commonly used by its reader base (Windows, Mac & Linux) as well as time-saving tips and tricks.  Posts range in length depending on the origin of the content.  Posts sharing content found elsewhere on the internet typically provide a brief synopsis along with a click-through link for readers, while original content tends to be lengthy and fully detailed.  Lifehacker also employes multiple authors, allowing them to post multiple posts each day.

Reader Engagement

Based off of the pageviews (Lifehacker displays this statistic) for a sampling of posts, Lifehacker appears to connect best with readers on broader topics (independent of any specific platform/device).  Examples of this:

• How a Regularly Scheduled Phone Call and a Little Research Can Reduce Your Monthly Bills Twice a Year
• Get Up to 4.5GB of Extra Space on Dropbox for Uploading Photos and Videos
• Top 10 Ways to Travel Smarter, Safer, and Cheaper

A common theme when readers ask questions in posts is to troubleshoot why the goal of the post isn’t working for them.  These questions appear to be quickly answered by the reader community.

Design

Lifehacker utilizes a webapp-like design, one which I personally am not a fan of.  The updated site design is a radical departure from what you would normally expect for blogs, and can be challenging to navigate with point & click devices (otherwise known as computers).

Monetization

As part of Gawker Media network, Lifehacker appears to utilize a variety of monitization methods, including advertising, sponsored posts, social media, and newsletters (to name just a few).

Traffic

According to Alexa, Lifehacker has a global traffic rank of 664, which makes it one of the top visited websites in the world.  By comparison, TheAccordance.com has a global rank of 4,385,020.

SEO

In terms of search engine optimization, the first thing that I always noticed with Lifehacker is its use of post titles in the post URL.  Example:

• How Paranoid Should I Be About Trusting Companies with My Data (URL: http://lifehacker.com/5882865/how-paranoid-should-i-be-about-trusting-companies-with-my-data)

Feedback

What are your own impressions with Lifehacker?  Do you concur with my analysis?  I’d like to hear your perspectives!  (Also, if you haven’t checked out Lifehacker before, I suggest you do!)

[Image via Creative Commons, vancouverfilmschool. ]

A Life on Facebook is the (fictional) story of Alex Droner, with his life events being depicted by the content that is posted to his profile on Facebook.

What I like about this video is the perspective.  Normally when we look at a social profile, we really are only looking at the current moment.  The time-warp that progresses Droner’s life in the video helps show his growth as a person; something that we overlook when viewing social profiles.

Given that this video came out before Facebook introduced Timeline, I wonder if this provided any digital inspiration to our social overlords in California?

Whether it be for personal or professional use, a challenge that we face is merging the individual social presences together to form a single on-line identity.  Many of you (like myself) exist on more than one social network.  You probably have at the least, a Facebook, and possibly a Twitter & LinkedIn profiles.  If you’re looking to reference those networks to build credibility with your expertise/profession, having your online identities displayed in one place makes is critical.

That’s where about.me comes in.  About.me makes it easy to build a dynamic splash page that points your visitors to your content from around the web.  Think of it like a digital business card you can give out to others, and with it they now have directions to your many locations throughout the web.

Getting started with about.me

1. Sign up for about.me

Visit about.me to get started setting up your splash page.

2. Set up your profile

To set up your profile you only need to enter your name, but you can give more detail such as a biography and tags (keywords) to make it easier for people to find you with particular topics.  For my topics, I chose technology keywords related to my expertise.

3.  Get creative!

From here, it’s about how you want your splash page to look!  About.me has a visual editor to simplify creating your splash page.  With the visual editor, you can:

• Customize your background.  Select from one of the stock background images or upload your own!
• Upload a photo and customize the text displayed.
• Adjust colors and fonts.
• Add your social services and links to your locations throughout the web!

From start to finish, it took me about 5 minutes to make my simple, yet elegant about.me page:

So if you haven’t already, get started with about.me!  You can use it next time you’re at a networking event and want to easily share your online information.

Maybe your already on about.me?  Share your profile in the comments below to give others inspiration with what they can do to their own splash page!

A catalyst for musical innovation, RE:GENERATION MUSIC PROJECT is a new documentary that examines music’s past, present and future, while yielding five revolutionary collaborations in the process. Directed by award-winning documentarian, Amir Bar-Lev, the documentary follows five electronic DJs/producers as they re-imagine music by collaborating with influential artists from each genre. In the film, The Crystal Method, DJ Premier, Pretty Lights, Mark Ronson, and Skrillex use technology to mix musical styles and generations for the creation of five original tracks that are nothing short of magical. RE:GENERATION MUSIC PROJECT will enjoy a unique nationwide, one-night only theatrical release in select cities and venues on Feb. 16, 2012.  Encore screenings will be scheduled for Feb 23.

In the film, current GRAMMY-nominated artist Skrillex heads into a Los Angeles studio with members of the iconic rock band The Doors to collaborate on a new song, “Breakn’ A Sweat.” Meanwhile, The Crystal Method touched down in Detroit to work with Martha Reeves of The Vandellas and The Funk Brothers on the R&B number, “I’m Not Leaving.” Mark Ronson created a southern brew of New Orleans jazz in “A La Modeliste” that boasts a veritable all-star cast of Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, Mos Def, Zigaboo Modeliste, and members of The Dap Kings. DJ Premier tapped NAS and Boston’s very own Berklee Symphony Orchestra for his “Regeneration,” and the documentary culminates in Nashville on the dusty intergalactic twang of Pretty Lights’ “Wayfaring Stranger” featuring vocals from LeAnn Rimes and Dr. Ralph Stanley.

This documentary is already making an impact with music fans, having garnered more than two million views of the aggregated clips from the film, as well as more than one million streams of the tracks in the first six weeks since they launched.

For more information, please visit: www.regenerationmusicproject.com

Today, the internet has collectively banded together to voice their opposition the Stop Online Piracy Act, a Senate bill that many fear will cripple digital innovation.  Instead of blacking out my site, I opted today to share information related to SOPA instead to promote awareness.

While many sites are talking about the potential negative impact of SOPA, I instead wanted to showcase how individuals are showing their opposition using their avatar (profile picture) on Twitter and Facebook.

Eight Avatars Opposing SOPA

1.  Len Kendall – #BlackOutSOPA

#BlackOutSOPA is a site that will do the work for you in showing your opposition, adding the black STOP SOPA banner to the bottom of your Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ avatars.

2. Noe Gonzalez – Paint it Black

3.  Chad Bennett – Removal Legal Notice

4. Mary Green – NO SOPA

5. Patrick McCarron – STOP SOPA & PIPA

6. Sara Rokicki – Censored Speech

7. Jon VanTuyl – Redacted

8. Neal Daringer – Stop Sign

Further Reading

Looking to become more familiar with the impact of SOPA?  I’ve put together several great sources of information below:

• PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks the Internet via Vimeo (Watch this first if you haven’t already!)
• Here’s our SOPA/PIPA post via 9to5Mac (Video of a TED Talk, very informative!)
• End Piracy, Not Liberty via Google (Infographic showing the opposition by the numbers)
• Mark Zuckerberg speaks out via Facebook
• SOPA Blackout: Wikipedia, Google, Wired protest ‘Internet Censorshiop’ via ABC News
• SOPA and PIPA So Far via Slashdot
• Why SOPA Is Dangerous via Mashable
• SOPA blackout: Bills lose three co-sponsors amid protests via Los Angeles Times
• SOPA Infographic via Stop American Censorship
• 6 Creative Anti-SOPA Facebook Timeline Covers via Aaron Coney

Where do you stand?

Have you taken a stance for/against SOPA?  What are you doing personally to promote awareness?  Share your thoughts, motives, and experiences!

[Image Credit: JVantuyl.]

Mikayla being held by her father Garrett

In family related news, my sister gave birth to her first born daughter Mikayla Grace Vermaat at 1:17 am this morning!

That’s right folks: Yours truly is now an Uncle!  I guess I should probably brush up on the Uncle’s Handbook to spoiling your niece shouldn’t I?

Take a look at this infographic below and ask yourself, are you already living a digital lifestyle?

A Digital Lifestyle Infographic

Facebook recently made the Timeline profile available to the general public, here’s how you can opt-in and take advantage of improved layout today!

How to enable Timeline

1. Log into your Facebook account if you haven’t already and visit the Timeline introduction page.
2. Take a moment and review what Timeline has to offer you.  When you’re ready, click the Get Timeline button fixed to the bottom of your screen.

From here, Facebook will enable a 7-day preview of your profile in the Timeline layout (visitors to your profile will still see the old layout).  Take this time to go through your content (status updates, pictures, milestones), and arrange/hide as you see fit.After the 7 day preview ends, your Timeline will automatically become viewable to your Facebook friends and subscribers.

Ready for your Timeline to go public now?  Click the Publish Now button at the top of your profile and Timeline will go live on your profile.

Further Reading

Looking to make the most of the change to your Facebook profile?  Check out some of these articles for inspiration, and tips:

1. Facebook Timeline: The Complete Guide
2. 14 Tips And Tricks To Make Your New Facebook Timeline Awesome
3. What Facebook Timeline could mean for Brands
4. 1o Creative Facebook Timeline Covers
5. Facebook Timeline Customization: 5 Tools for Killer Cover Photos

[Image via Creative Commons, netzkobold.]

After posting the Help Desk poster online, it’s obvious that you guys really like free downloads.  So, I’ve decided to offer yet another download for you to enjoy!

A Digital Lifestyle Cover

Like many of you, my presence on the internet extends beyond Facebook, so why not use your cover photo to communicate that to your subscribers?  With this cover photo, you can leverage some of Apple’s most popular products to put your own digital presence on display!  Use screenshots of your favorite social profile, website, custom-built app, or whatever you can dream up to show off your own digital lifestyle!

Instructions

1. Download the file here. (zip, 864kb)
2. Extract the zip file contents.
3. Using Adobe Photoshop, open ta-timeline-cover.psd.
4. Make the changes you want to the file and export it as an image file
5. Enable Timeline on your Facebook profile (If you haven’t done so already)
6. Upload your new cover photo to Facebook.

This download is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, feel free to share or modify this at your leisure.  Looking to attribute?  You are welcome to link back directly to this post or display a badge from Creative Commons.  Attribution outside of the internet is not necessary, but word of mouth is always encouraged!

Looking for some inspiration for your own cover photo?  Check out Aaron Coney’s post 10 Creative Facebook Timeline Covers for some ideas!

Show off your cover

If you’ve downloaded my cover photo, share what you’ve done with it!  Leave a comment below with a link to your Facebook profile or a screenshot of it in action and help inspire others!

To my readers, may I offer a word of advice as you set your new years resolutions:

1. Do your homework!  If you wanted to lose weight you wouldn’t just go work out, you’d want to research your diet too.  Make sure you know everything involved to succeed with your resolution.
2. Plan out your resolution.  Most times you can’t wing success.
3. You should expect your resolution to be a year-long commitment.  Break down your resolution into manageable steps & set these as goals throughout the year.  Keep yourself accountable by striving to meet or even exceed these goals (or better yet, re-adjust if you do exceed your goal to keep the resolution challenging!)

Remember, today is the first day, of the first month, of your year.  You’re in a race against time, and the clock is ticking.  How are your New Year Resolutions going thus far?

[Image via Creative Commons, Ace_NoOne.]