There were, at last count, over 9 million Google search results for “blog directory.” This speaks not only to the popularity of blogs themselves, but the mainstream, money-making possibilities associated with blogs. We’re talking “making money by NOT writing a blog” here – directories, listings, paid blogging, blog ads, etc. So what does it take to stand out from this crowd?

Unique selling points have always been the key to success in business, but that’s certainly not the only way; look at the millions of dot com copycats out there hawking the same or similar products (Wikipedia and eBay’s competitors come to mind, although we also freely acknowledge these guys were not necessarily “firsts” in their respective fields). But uniqueness DOES count for something too, as does connecting with an audience, and rssHugger – a blog directory and rss reader – accomplishes both. Read the rest of this entry »

Every four years, much is made about fringe presidential candidates who are perceived as having no real chance of winning. Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich, Wesley Clark, John McCain – the list includes some high-profile names and, if you actually ask around, some pretty popular choices. Yet, when it comes down to voting, the candidates with the most exposure and the most cash ultimately get the prize.

With that in mind, consider Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, who famously tried to end the draft during the Vietnam War. Some have described him as too progressive to lead the United States; others simply think he’s crazy. But he has a growing, loyal fanbase of followers who love his no-nonsense, straight-talking approach to politics. He’s a politician who is far enough removed from the political machine, they say, that he can see the forest for the carbon-cutting trees.

But, as tends to be the case in American politics, Gravel isn’t polling well. Is he truly unpopular, or just unheard? Read the rest of this entry »

The Life and Times of Forrester blog has done some digging and come up with the 100 oldest registered domains on the Internet, dating back to March 1985. The list is a good mix of obscure personal sites and forward-thinking corporate giants.

Who are you expecting to be in the Top 10? Microsoft? Maybe Steve Jobs and his early Apple brand? The answers may surprise you. Read the rest of this entry »

The Internet is a veritable smorgasbord of information, leading many small businesses to wonder how they can protect their image online.

The statistics are startling: only 1 in 10 disgruntled customers actually takes the time to complain about their experience to management. But what that doesn’t tell you is that the other 90% are telling all of their friends, family and blogroll about their less-than-perfect experience. These results show up in search engines, sometimes prominently, and can tarnish a small business’s image. Right? Not quite. Read the rest of this entry »

Individuals? Media? Or something else? A government agency finally recognises bloggers as media entities – almost.

The Federal Election Commission ruled on Tuesday that political blogs are considered media entities by law and thus cannot be regulated as a political committee, which would make them subject to campaign finance laws. The case centred on the DailyKos – a popular, ad-supported blog that receives over three million page views every weekday – and whether or not their liberal-slanted blogging amounted to “a gift of free advertising and candidate media services” to their favoured candidates. Read the rest of this entry »