EGO TEMPLATE LAYOUT

I will update the layout of the EGO blog template over time. I have started with adding an about me page. You find the link to the about page in the right column.

   by  Brett L. 

BLOG COMMENTS

EGO blog has received 300+ comments by readers since the comment feature powered by Blogger was implemented in 2007 with the new layout of the EGO template.

I am sorry that I missed to change the option to allow reader comments in some of the latest published posts. It is now fixed! Please keep 'em coming!

I have now enabled the threaded commenting feature on the blog.

Here are two great posts on comments on blogs:

• How to get more comments by Scott Berkun of WordPress.com (Automattic, Inc.).
• Are Blog Comments Worth It? by Georgina Laidlaw - GigaOM.

What is your take on the following comment platforms: Disqus, IntenseDebate and Livefyre?

  by  miss miah 

EGO BLOGGER PROFILE ON GOOGLE PLUS

I have now migrated my EGO blogger user profile to Google+. Read A Googler's post, Socialize and grow your blog with Google+.

Related: My posts, "ABOUT ME" / BLOGGER USER PROFILE PAGE and GOOGLE PLUS ONE FEATURES.

TRANSLATE EGO BLOG

I have added Google's Translate gadget to the blog. You could now translate EGO blog into 60+ languages. Interlingua is not included yet...

[Editor's note: Roland Horvath: What's your take on the Hungarian translation?]

GOOGLE PLUS ONE FEATURES

I have added two Google+ gadgets to the blog. Scroll down to the About section and you will see a gadget saying: "I'm on g+ - Add to circles". You could recommend my blog on Google if you scroll down to the bottom of the page and look under PayPayl's Tip Jar button and then click on the "g +1" button.

Are you on Google+? At the moment, I am reading Chris Brogan's book, Google+ for Business: How Google's Social Network Changes Everything, and I will download Guy Kawasaki's e-book, What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us.

Google+ Lean Startup Business Model Books

EGO AWESOME INC. TEMPLATE

I decided to change from the Revolution Lifestyle template to Awesome Inc. template by Tina Chen at Google.

Revolution Lifestyle template

Awesome Inc. template

I added the Wall Street image by DNY59 (iStockphoto) to the template. After I had updated the blog with the new template, I used the Soundtracking iPhone application and shared a music moment with a "track" from the soundtracks for the movie, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

I am thinking of adding the Wibiya toolbar and Feedjit traffic feed widget later on.

You could now read EGO blog on your smartphone.


EGO Blog Mobile Template

I look forward to the new design of the Blogger dashboard!


Have you looked at Blogger lately?

WIBIYA SOCIAL CONNECT APPLICATION

I have added tbe social connect application to the Wibiya toolbar. Read the post, Heralding the Ultimate Social Connectivity Web Application, for more information.

FORMSPRING ME

Take the opportunity and ask me a question by filling out the form in the right column (under the section "Recent Comments"), or by clicking the link to Formspring.me. For information on Formspring, listen to Amber MacArthur's and Sarah Lane's interview with Ade Olonoh, CEO and founder of Formspring.me.

Maybe you have a question on my new site, EGO Sole Trader, or want to know some similar curio stuff that I described in my post, SEVEN THINGS ABOUT ME.

WIBIYA TOOLBAR

I have updated the Wibiya toolbar. Please spread the good word by sharing the posts via Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Buzz, BizSugar or by email. This feature is powered by AddThis. If you want to support my blogging, please click on the red heart and you will be transferred to PayPal's site in order to make a donation. If you like a post, click on the Facebook "like" icon. You could also go to EGO fan page, Twitter dashboard and Google Buzz if you want to continue the conversation.

From the post, I Wish Facebook Was MORE Open!!! by Robert Scoble:

Now excuse me, I’m off to click “like” on some more things and, even, have added a new bar from Wibiya where you can see other people who have clicked like on my blog. (BusinessInsider.com, May 9, 2010.)

Related: My post,  NEW FEATURES ON EGO BLOG.

UPDATE 05/31/10:

Check out Robert Scoble's interview with Dror Cede, CEO and Co-Founder of Wibiya.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Wibiya Toolbar [First Impression Review] (problogger.net)

SUPPORT BLOGGERS WITH FLATTR

I have decided to remove some of the ads for the time being.

From my post, ADS POPPING UP:

I will test a mix of different advertising options and evaluate them during some time. My goal is to continue to build up the traffic to my EGO blog, publish interesting, enjoyable and valuable content and continue the conversation and exchange of ideas with my fellow bloggers, readers, and friends through this blog, Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, LinkdedIn, etc.

I am especially interested in fostering my relation with BlogAds ("Blog advertising makes opinion.") and see if I could attract some new advertisers. I will place an ad on a blog sometime in the future. I will see if some of my future guests on my podcast show on SolidVox could be interested in advertising on EGO.

I am thinking of adding a "featured item" section on my blog, with books that I have discussed on my blog.

It will be interesting to see how it works out with the new premium ad feature by Chitika. (EGO, 02/14/09.)

I am searching for affiliate programs that could become a good fit. Read Chris Brogan's post, My Worry Reduction Buttons- Affiliate Marketing. Found via Chris Garrett's post, Why I Switched to the Headway Premium Theme for WordPress.

If you want to join the next generation of communication platforms, you should check out GreenWin Network. [Editor's note & full disclosure: Affiliate link.] As a member you could call other members free of charge.



Do you have any comments on the layout of the blog? Blogger has introduced a new template designer.

Photo taken at an exhibition (Innovesign 2010 - Lindholmen Design & Product Development) at Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg, Sweden.



Morris is a cool cat as always and says that EGO should join Friday Ark #295 and then check out Flattr...[Editor's note: Thank you Navid Modiri & David Stiernholm for the invite code.]

From Miikka Kukkosuo's post, Flattr Enables Social Micropayments For All Content On The Web:

Flattr is a new Swedish service enabling easy microtransactions, or social donations, for the whole web. Flattr wants to make it easy for people to share money in addition to content on the web, and thus allow content producers to get income on their work. The service is currently in closed beta, but I got an account to take a closer look.

In practice, every Flattr member needs to pay at least 2 euros per month (you can up to 5/10/20 as well). Then, during each month, you discover content on the web that you really like, be it text, audio, video, or something else, and you want to “flatter” the creator. You then click a small button the content creator has placed on her site. After each month is over, your monthly allowance (e.g., 2 euros) is divided evenly to all of the content creators whose work you have “flattred” during the month. Flattr itself takes 10% cut initially. (ArcticStartup, 05/05/10.)

[Editor's note: Please click the button if you want test the Flattr service and support my blogging.]

AUDIO AND COPY

I have to chew Stephen Smith's post, Personal Kanban:

These Open Loops (unfinished actions or commitments, in GTD lingo) are a stressor, causing mental distress and reducing your motivation to actually get things done. (January 13, 2010, www.StephenPSmith.com)

For my new site (www.EgoSoleTrader.com), I will use a new WordPress theme framework. I will reread the following posts before I start with the site.

• 10 Web Site Musts: Building Business Class Web Sites by Ramon Ray.
• How to Make Your Homepage Copy 'Pop' by Lisa Barone.

I plan to start recording short audio clips and add them to my blog. I will use a service called Cinch cast. I learned about this service via a tweet message by Jill Foster. Please participate in the new poll and give me input on what kind of audio clips you are interested in listening to. (Scroll down the right column and go to the section, Pick Your Audio Topics.)

• Reading from books.
• FAQ
• Good things in life.
• Rant of the week.
• Open thread discussion.
• Other stuff...

Kirkwood #39 (Watch Me)

DONATIONS

I will follow the example of a good friend and send an extra donation to The Ayn Rand Institute on September 11, 2009. Read Elan Journo's op-ed, America fights self-crippled war on terror.

Talking about donations, I have removed TipJoy's micro-donation service from the template due to the fact that they had to shut down. From the post, So long, and thanks for all the fish:

When we evaluate why there's been so much hype about payments on Twitter, and yet so little traction for us (and even far less for our competitors) it is clear to us that the reason is that a 3rd party payment service doesn't add enough value. We strongly believe that social payments will work on a social network, provided that they're done within the platform and not as a 3rd party. "Simple, social payments" is *the* philosophy needed to do digital payments right, but once a service groks that, they need only to implement it on their own. We've been the thought leaders in this space, we see the hype and excitement, and yet we know very intimately the difficulties in gaining actual traction. The only way to get around this is for the platforms themselves to control payments - then all people wanting to operate on that platform would have to play along. We believe that a payments system directly and officially integrated into social networks such as Twitter and Facebook will be a huge success.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and helped us along the way. (tipjoy.com :: our 2 ¢, August 20, 2009.)

If you value reading EGO and want to support my blogging, here are some ways you could do it:

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Donate" button. You will be directed to a secure page [ https://www.paypal.com ] PayPal. You don't have to have a PayPal account in order to send a donation. You could use your credit card if you want.

If you want to show your gratuity in a more public way, you could use ScratchBack. If you send a donation of $10, you will get listed on the top list. You add a link URL and a describing text of the site you want to promote on my blog. [Editor's note: If you are curios about position #3, "x", read Damon Hougland's post, The Story Behind PayPal X. In this instance, someone tipped me, but didn't complete the payment. I went in and approved it anyway in order to test the system. I think I will get a response from someone at "PayPal X", sooner or later... I want to send a thank-you note to BizSugar and Small Business CEO for their donations.]

If you want to give me stuff instead of money, please check out my wish list on Amazon. You are welcome to give me suggestions on things you think I need in my worklife as a blogger and a social media enthusiast.

Here is an excerpt from my post, SPONSOR AND SUPPORT EGO BLOG:

If you want to become an EGO "ambassador" and walking "billboard," feel free to purchase stuff from my online stores. If you want to spread the good word, buy an EGO stamp and send a snail mail to a friend. (EGO, 02/01/09.)

You are welcome to come up with more ways to support my blogging. I look forward to hear your feedback and read your comments. Please spread the good word! Thank you! John Cox's post, AUCTION!: How Would You Like To Have....., could give you some ideas...




Blogger's Cycle

NEW FEATURES ON EGO BLOG

Image by luc legay via Flickr

I have added a couple of new features in order to "kick it up a notch" and to align the two right columns a bit. I look forward to your comments and feedback. I have seen that the Firefox browser doesn't always load all the elements of the template in the correct way. I don't use Internet Explorer so much at the moment, but it seems to work fine. The Chrome browser doesn't have all the bells and whistles, so I don't count on getting all the stuff displayed in the right way. I haven't tested how it looks in Opera. As I said before, if you want a simple and basic version of the content, please subscribe to EGO RSS feed (posts and comments) or read the blog on your mobile phone.

Spread The Good Word! - I have added a badge by Uprinting.com. Look out for giveaways, discounts on business card, brochures, posters and other printing material.

About - See my vCard powered by Card.ly for contact details.

Amazon - I have added a favorite section on Amazon. I am thinking of recommending books, videos and other stuff on a regular basis. If you are interested in my suggestions and want to support my blogging, please consider to check out my recommendations on Amazon. Please feel free to give me tips on books and other things that belong to the good life category.

Featured Video - The new video is titled, Why Businessmen Love Atlas Shrugged.

Video Bar - Four videos by The Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights.

TwitPic - My photos.

Search EGO - Use Google search engine on EGO blog. Find stuff on "This Blog", "Linked From Here", "SUPPORT EGO! SHOP @:", "My Blog List", "Blogroll", "Top Tabs" and "From the archives". The search results will appear on the top of the page.

Labels - Same thing as Categories. This section is listed as a "cloud". For example, "template" is placed on the list according to how many times (47) I have tagged a blog post with the "template" label.

What Do You Read? - A new poll. I want to get a sense of what you like to read during the week. You are welcome to come up with new daily items. I am thinking of starting with the "book of the moment" series again.

• Monday: Open thread post.
• Tuesday: Tuesday Tech.
• Wednesday: Midweek wrap blogrolling.
• Thursday: Venting with Thor’s hammer.
• Friday: T.G.I.F. good life post.
• Saturday: Carnival blogging.
• Sunday: Future podcasts. Workflow review.

I want to keep a weekly schedule of some sort in order to have a rough guideline and structure for my blogging.

Support EGO By: - I am conducting this poll one more time.

• Checking out ads?
• Placing your ads?
• Sending donations?
• Sponsorship?
• Shopping @ EGO stores?

More about donations and how you could support my blogging in my next post.

Wibiya toolbar - I have added an interactive toolbar at the bottom of the page. You could search the site, translate the page, read a random blog post, share a post in different ways (Delicious, Stumbleupon, Digg, etc.), connect with Facebook and become a member of EGO community. [Editor's note: I had to remove ShareThis due to layout problems in the post. Maybe I will add it later on again. I will create an EGO fan page on Facebook at some point in time. I have a network on Facebook called NetworkedBlogs.] You could also join the conversation and jump on the Twitter dashboard.

UPRINTING BLOG SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

I have joined a blog sponsorship program by Uprinting.

A Brochures Printing Company

I am ready to join BNI (Business Network International) in the near future, so I need to get more business cards. Have you bought stuff from Uprinting?

EGO IS NOW MOBILE FRIENDLY

You should now be able to read EGO blog on your mobile phone. EGO is mobilized and powered by MoFuse. [Found via TJMcue's post, 19 Mobile Apps to Put You in Front of More Customers on Small Business Trends.]



What kind of mobile phone are you using in order to browse the net? Here is a an iPhone preview of EGO.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

My post on the evolution of my workspace will be published tomorrow, Friday, September 4. It has taken a long time to get it ready. I had to spend plenty of time to "chew" stuff and to upload several photos of my workspace. I am thinking of upgrading my Flickr account to a pro version.

EGO BLOGLIST AND BLOGROLL UPDATE

[Editor's note: I am still on blog "vacation"... I will write a new post on workflow later on this week and then I will be "quiet" during the rest of the week. I will do some microblogging that you could follow via my FriendFeed on the blog.]

I want to give a shout-out to my guest bloggers. Keep up with your great work! :)

• Cindy King - Blogger profile.
• Richard McLaughlin - Blogger profile.
• Michael Gold - Blogger profile.
• Roland Horvath - Blogger profile.
• Gus Van Horn - Blogger profile.
• Elizabeth A. - Blogger profile. [Editor's note: Your profile is not available.]
• Mary Grace Ignacio - Blogger profile.
• Exalted Moments & The Charlotte Capitalist - Blogger profile. [Editor's note: Your profile is not available.]

• Sarah Beth - Blogger profile. [Editor's note: I look forward to your post!]

"Hall of fame":

Anita Campbell - Blogger profile. [Editor's note: Anita, Thanks for all your support during these years! Please read Anita Campbell's post, BLOGGING TRENDS -- GOOD AND BAD.]

Allen Forkum - Blogger profile. [Editor's note: Allen, Thanks for all your cartoons during these years! Please listen to my interview with Allen Forkum on Solid Vox.

New guest blogger?

I have sent an invitation to John Cox...


T-Shirt Idea - Capitalism Rocks.

Time for some additional blogrolling...

I have added the following new blogs to my blog list:

• The Charlotte Capitalist
• Exalted Moments
• Scott Holleran's blog
• Ron Pisaturo's Blog
• The Undercurrent

I have also added Kendall J's RSS feed of Objectivist Bloggers.

I have added the following sites to my blogroll:

Breitbart blogs. [Editor's note: Breitbart has started to pick up EGO blog posts. Example: Andy Clarkson's post, Are Conservatives Going To Save Socialism Again?]

Forbes Business & Finance Blog Network. [Editor's note: Forbes has started to pick up EGO blog posts. Example: Cindy King's post, Where Is The Best Country To Have A Small Business? I have to check with Adify regarding the Forbes badge link that is not working at the moment.]

My Alltop - Lyceum. [Editor's note: This is my selection of sites. Please come with your tips and suggestions.]

Image by minifig via Flickr

I am thinking of adding new page elements to the template in the future, so the right column (width 120 px) could appear on the same level as other column (width 160 px). How about a search box, poll, newsreel, video bar or some other gadget?

EGO BLOGRANK BY INVESP CONSULTING

[Editor's note: I want to clarify that I am not going away on a vacation trip. I will be close to the computer, so I could write a post if I want to... I wanted to book time for getting ready with my workflow procedure and at the same time take a break from the regular blogging schedule. I think it is a great element in the summer period to blend your blog with featured guest bloggers. The following individuals have said that they are planning to write a guest post:

• Elizabeth of Hence the Elizabethan
• Exalted Moments of The Charlotte Capitalist
• Michael Gold of MGTutoring.com
• Roland Horvath
• Grace Ignacio of GirlOpinion
• Cindy King of CindyKing.biz

Please welcome my guest bloggers! Check out their profiles and write a comment...]

After I read Anita Campbell's post, Top 100 Small Business Blogs Per BlogRank, I went to Invesp Consulting's site and registered my blog under the philosophy category (click first on "History & Religion" and then "Philosophy"). For more on blogRank, read Khalid's post, How does blog Rank calculates the ultimate rank?

BIZSUGAR TOP STORIES

I have added bizSugar widget to the Resources category. Read the press release of May 22: Small Business Trends Acquires Social Media Site BizSugar.com.

I will do some changes with the template in the near future, e.g., remove some of the ads. I open for tips and suggestions on good affiliate links with products and services that are related to the content of this blog.

DISQUS AND SHARE THIS BLOG POST

I have added the ShareThis feature to the blog, so you could now share my blog posts on different social media networking and bookmarking tools. I have to check out the sharebox and contact manager in the near future.

I am thinking of adding Disqus to my new Ego Sole Trader site sometime in the future. I like how Travis Campbell of MarketingProfessor.com has added a Disqus interface to his site.

GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT

Google has now changed the widget under the section "EGO followers" to their own Friend Connect. Talking about Google, check out their new blog, Google Social Web Blog. [Via ReadWriteWeb.]

Related: My post, BLOGS I FOLLOW.