Category Archives: blogging

Giving blogging via an iPad a shot

OK, so here is a post I’m writing on the iPad. I’m not sure how the non-tactile typing is going to work. I’m definitely not sure how the auto correct is going to work. I may find myself posting some screenshots on http://damnyouautocorrect.com/ if I’m not careful (and especially if I don’t remember to go back and edit).

I was actually inspired to give this a try by a tweet from @alxconn who said he switched his blog to WordPress because of the iPad. The WordPress app for the iPad made it too easy not to use WP. Bases on that thought, I thought I’d give it a go, too.

So far, resting the iPad on something is the best way to type. I found leaning on my elbows a good way to keep my hands over the keyboard, but it was soon tiring. Sitting in bed with the iPad on my lap doesn’t offer the same control as laying it in front of me. I think the best bet is putting the iPad on the table and typing away.

The biggest hurdle is the non-tactile nature of typing on a screen. It essentially forces you to be a hunt and peck typist. I can’t accurately type otherwise. It seems to also force typing with just two fingers too, although I may be able to use a few more on occasion.

Slingshot SEO – Search Engine Reputation Management (SERP)

At Blog Indiana I attended a presentation by Jeremy Dearringer of Slingshot SEO entitled “Defending Your Brand with SEO, Social Media and WMD”. I took sketchnotes during the session:

Defending Your Brand - Jeremy Dearringer

Takeaways:

  • Many people confuse Google’s Search box with the address bar.
  • Watch out for what Google suggests when people search for your company
  • 70% of people read negative reviews first.
  • Build your reputation on websites you control (stake your claim)
  • SERM is a long-term strategy.
  • Handle small problems before they become large problems.
  • Be careful about reacting to criticism.
  • Monitor, monitor, monitor.

Jeremy’s presentation slide deck: Search Engine Reputation Management

Technical Review

I wanted to take a moment and provide Jeremy with some feedback on his presentation as a whole. I think he did a great job. Clearly he knows the SEO business and the ways to build a good reputation. His slide deck had good screen shots of examples relating to what he was discussing. Unfortunately, there were other slides that were a wall of text. The slides should have been short bullet points, and he could have read the pertinent parts of the text to make things flow better. Overall, I got a lot out of the presentation. Thanks, Jeremy!

Indianapolis Top Blogger List

Kyle Lacy and Lorraine Ball have compiled their lists of the Top 50 Indianapolis bloggers. Unfortunately, since I’m a pretty lax blogger I didn’t make either of their lists; at least, not this year. So, for 2009, I’m going to make it my goal to get on their lists of bloggers. Lorraine’s list will be a bit trickier, as I’m not just competing with her Indianapolis blog picks, but those around the world.

Lorraine’s list can be found at her website Roundpeg: My Top 50 Blogs

Kyle’s list can be found on KyleLacy.com: Top 50+ Bloggers in Indianapolis

Blog Indiana – One month away!

It’s only a month until the Blog Indiana Conference, a blogging and social media conference. This conference is being held here in Indianapolis on August 16th and 17th. With a two day event covering three tracks, I think it will be a great conference at a low price ($49). I have heard some of the local blogger speak previously, and their sessions should be great.

I guess I should start blogging again ;-)