So What DO You Blog About?

I ask myself that question a lot.

Using a tool from www.wordle.net here’s the answer to what I’ve been blogging about lately:

My latest blog topics 

Looks kind of like a brain, doesn’t it? And that list is pretty accurate, considering it’s only cataloging what you’re blogging about now. And lately we’ve been talking about the new Microsoft certifications.

And this is my Delicious feed – i.e. stuff I bookmark but don’t necessarily blog:

My Delicious bookmarks

So how does this stack up against other SBS / SMB space bloggers?

Wordle is a pretty interesting tool. I was a little surprised that the SBS content on my blog lately wasn’t higher. And for me that’s a bit of a wakeup call because I’ve been ‘talking’ (face-to-face and over the phone) about SBS a lot with co-workers, partners, customers, user group members. I just haven’t been blogging it. So that’s a good opportunity for me to refocus my writing a bit.

As for the other blog pictures listed; take the images with a grain of salt. This sampling isn’t meant to pigeon hole any blog or blogger into a certain category, or to attempt to define that person. It’s just a visual representation of a mathematical word count of the RSS feeds on their main page.  I also think that items being closer to the top of the page seem to rank higher. Run your blog (or your personal favorite) through Wordle – you might be surprised too. 🙂

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Pardon the Dust

I hope this doesn't happen to my blog.Tonight we’re upgrading NGLB to the newest version of WordPress (2.6.2). Please excuse any duplicate posts or small explosions. 🙂

So far WordPress has been rock-solid and has kept the comment spammers at bay, and I don’t anticipate any blood on the floor with this upgrade. But hey, it could happen. 

See you on the other side. 🙂

UPDATE:

Well, the update failed and I completely destroyed the website. Fortunately I had a backup, but it was touch and go there for a bit. I’ll do some research and see where it failed. But, for the time being, we’re back in action using the old tech.

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Pardon the Dust

I hope this doesn't happen to my blog.Tonight we’re upgrading NGLB to the newest version of WordPress (2.6.2). Please excuse any duplicate posts or small explosions. 🙂

So far WordPress has been rock-solid and has kept the comment spammers at bay, and I don’t anticipate any blood on the floor with this upgrade. But hey, it could happen. 

See you on the other side. 🙂

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My Favorite New Blog of 2007 Award

imageI read a LOT of blogs. And by a lot, I confess that it sometimes creeps up to triple digits (in feeds, not just posts). So, since this is the first Saturday of the year, I’m doing the annual pruning the dead wood from the RSS reader.

Who gets the axe? The stale, the blog parrots, the rant-fests, (Scobble got nixed a long time ago). 

And this year, instead of just blowing away the stuff that isn’t applicable and moving on, I’d like to take a minute to share appreciation for a new blog I started reading last year that I’ve particularly enjoyed.

This blogger is a Microsoft Small Business Specialist (SBSC).
He’s located in St. Albert, Alberta Canada.
He blogs about Macs, PCs, and SBS.
And he’s the owner of MPECS, Inc.

PhilipElder (BTW - I have that same shirt :-) If you read his blog, you already know who I’m talking about:

Philip Elder
http://blog.mpecsinc.ca/

If memory serves, I found Philip’s blog via an incoming link on FeedBurner. What a great find! (Both Philip and FeedBurner).

For those who haven’t read Philip yet, his blog is very ‘nuts & bolts’ oriented, with a nice amount of business & Mac mixed in. And the honesty and openness of the posts are refreshing.

So thanks to all the folks still on the blog roll who fight the good fight. And a special thanks to Philip Elder for writing My Favorite New Blog of 2007!

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You Can Blog with Microsoft Word 2007

Did you know that you can blog with Microsoft Word 2007? I’m sure I heard this at a launch event or something, but it must have slipped my mind.

I ‘discovered’ this feature today when I right-clicked a tab in Microsoft OneNote and saw the phrase “Blog this”.

I clicked it, and here I am – voila!

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Oops, Cisco Did it Again

So far, 2007 has not been a very good year for Cisco.  Yesterday they announced two more vulnerabilites in their Internetwork Operating System (IOS) – that’s 5 this year if my count is correct.  And today they announced vulnerabilites in some PIX and ASA appliances:

This month:

Last month:

The point is, just because you know about Patch Tuesday that’s not enough.  Ron Popeil doesn’t make IT security – you can’t just ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ after the Microsoft patches are rolled out.  If you’re a good SBSer you should (and probably already do) read Susan Bradley, Dana Epp and the SANS blog.  Security is a constant battle, and here are some more weapons to add to your utility belt.

Best Practices: 

  • If you ARE sporting Cisco gear on your networks, check out the Cisco Security Advisories website or subscribe to the RSS feed.
  • If you AREN’T running Cisco gear, be aware that everybody else on the internet is, and you may get support calls on internet connectivity issues if gear out in the cloud is affected.
  • Also, check out the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) Technical Cyber Security Alerts website or their RSS feed to stay on ahead of the security curve.
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SBS Show 2.0

Unless you’ve been living on planet Marklar, you’ve no doubt heard of the SBS Show.  And if you’re smart, you’ve listened to some, if not all of the over 2 dozen episodes of SMB goodness!

Well, the beat goes on and the SBS Show is now in 2.0 mode.   For unbeatable price of exactly ‘zero dollars’ you can get your SMB learn on at the new www.sbsshow.com website, sign up for the newsletter, download current and past episodes, and subscribe to the RSS feed to get it while it’s hot!

So be sure and join Vlad, Susanne and their guests as the SBS Show jaugernaught rolls into 2007!

P.S. Also, be sure to check out the Vladfire video podcasts and our good buddy Chris Rue!

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Windows Live Search Beta for Mobile

Looking for a killer Windows Mobile app that can make your Smartphone both fun and useful? Check out the Windows Live Search for mobile downloadable application.  (Windows Live Search works on J2ME-capable phones, Smartphones and Pocket PCs.)

  • Mobile rich client – Download the app to your phone for local search, maps, driving directions, and live traffic information in a faster, richer and more interactive user interface.
  • Mobile Browsing – Access maps and directions directly from your phone’s browser. Just enter http://mobile.live.com/search into your phone’s address bar and select Map. Choose from Local, Web, Map, News and Spaces and get Live Search on your mobile device.
  • Text Messages (SMS) – If you don’t have a data plan, you can just send a text message to 95483 (WLIVE) with a query like “Toys Chicago, IL” or “Coffee 90210” and you’ll receive a text message reply with the nearest business listings with address and phone numbers.  Normal SMS text fees will apply from your mobile carrier, so check that out before you run up your SMS bill.

Source:  Windows Live services for mobile devices blog

Note:  That blog also has a good article on doing a Windows Live SMS Search.  Nice if you have unlimited SMS messaging on your plan.

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Move Over BlogJet

BlogJet I purchased BlogJet ($39.95) a while back on the recommendation of Chris and Vlad.  I’ve been pretty happy with BlogJet as a blogging tool, but today I downloaded a new (and FREE) blogging tool that I like even better.

Introducing:

Windows Live Writer (Beta)
Download: Writer.msi (4.75MB)

Windows Live Writer (Beta)Windows Live Writer is actually easier to configure for use with my WordPress site than BlogJet.  Unfortunately, it wanted to install the Windows Live Toolbar (I hate toolbars) but it was easy to opt out of that. And cool features like the ‘Insert Windows Live Map’ option are things BlogJet just doesn’t have. 

For a tour of Windows Live Writer, check out their blog with screenshots or download the podcast interview (15 minutes / 14MB) with J.J. Allaire, the architect of Windows Live Writer.

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