Green Flamingobecause I said so: a blog of blogging tips, reviews, making money online, technology, and new things and ideas

It has been over a week since I have posted anything, or maybe just over a week since my site has been down.

I am not sure it is so much readership that I have suffered, though it did take some people many days to comment on how my site is down.

I am disappointed in the loss, hopefully it can be won again, for I do not want to let Green Flamingo die.

I think some of you might want to know what happened, so I think I can relay that in a quick manner.

What Happened

I think it was on a Sunday, in the afternoon and I was working on Green Flamingo. I wrote two posts, one published immediately and the second of the University Kid to be published the following day.

I then thought I would touch up the site a little bit, as long as I have the time, and you rarely have time for blogs on vacation. I went into the footer file, remembering some of the weird links that were there. I had heard Jason say people will get really pissed if you remove footer links, but nothing superbad will happen.

So I took my chances removing an ugly beer link and a webhosting link. Why should I have those?

Then the trouble started.

I hit “update” and I either got the message straight away or when I opened my site to see the new look.

“This theme is released under creative common’s license and all footer links must be kept intact.”

I was willing to agree with them, maybe they just go a little extreme over it, who knows? So I went back and tryed to edit the file. I was sad that I did not have the exact format for them, so I opened greenflamingodesigns’s copy of the file and sure enough it was there. I copied/pasted the code in, but it still did not work.

Days later the site itself was fixed, but I had to use a different theme. Of course, I was stupid enough to try the other theme again, then again, and even a third time. The other day Ben tried to help via IM, he downloaded a copy and I emailed him a copy of my footer. He tried to find the problems, and I did too, and finally he decided to give me his footer text. I copied that in, deleting my other text and not saving it. The theme was still broken, and so I had to delete the theme and get a new copy.

Before I could do that, my Internet was down for a day and a half, and it was down today being the reason I was not finishing this at 1:00.

I copied and pasted the theme files I edited like the stylesheet and sidebar into a word file to switch them with the new theme copy, but when I got to the header I found my part gone.

That was another place where I truly messed up, all the editing of the RSS buttons and email forms were messed up, plus ads and entrecard. I will probably recover soon, I am not sure if I can get the same images, or remember who was advertising. (If you were please tell me).

Anyway, my site is alive and hopefully I can get itr back to its previous staus. I hope you did not die hearing my long talk of problems, though sometimes a blogger must reveal his failures. And a tip for you: you might not want to remve that footer link, not matter how ugly!

If you haven’t heard, Jason from the University Kid is offering a great opportunity, but sadly that comes at a price. It is the way people like him do things, mostly you work for something, once in a while there is an easy work or free thing, but I have always seen him reward only if you do something to help him, not things 100% free.

On August 12th, Jason is releasing a post with some great information in it, and you ask, “Where’s the catch?” The catch is, the post will be password protected, and you have to do one of three things to get the password.

You may not think what you have to do is hard, and really it is not, but the traffic he gains will probably be really big.

I don’t think I am supposed to talk about the post itself, I think I am just supposed to talk about TUK. So I will do so, with true opinion, whether good or bad.

Jason is nice, he is willing to help out fellow bloggers, and has some great ways to do this. Many have benefited off his work, myself included, and I think what he does is very helpful.

All his prizes have a catch, as some think, but you could also say that all things you do have a reward.

TUK is a pretty popular site, great to hang around on, and I have been a reader for a few months now. In May, I dropped away, and only read a few articles, but in June I started up again. July was a great month for TUK, and me, I was proud top commentator.

TUK has released killer posts, and regularly killer content, something that as a good blogger and reader you should not miss out on. I have really appreciated some of the posts, I have improved my blogging ways with them, though some concepts I turn down.

I advise you to run down to Jason’s part of the university, don’t want to miss out on anything!

I hope everyone has a good one!

I am in a sticky situation for blogging now, for I am in Dallas. I did warn a few days ago that I might go to Dallas, but I was not 100% sure.

I don’t really wan to go into how I am so sorry I am not blogging, though I am, but I think it is worse for me than my readers.

I do have computer access, but not 24/7 like usual! I could have brought my computer along, but I couldn’t find the “computer bag” to carry it, but that’s ok.

If you want the story, airport/and/or/Dallas experience I can relay it to you, I still have a “travel” category, though travel is not the niche of this blog.

Online I am doing well, at least I think, as long as readers do not completely disappear. I do have some updates for you, pretty exciting, things I am looking forward to and happenings.

-I won a free 125×125 ad on TUK, because I was in the first three comments, but I did not give the ad right away (I was flying) and so I may have lost it. That is a disappointment, and when I saw that he might have given them away again I was dismayed.

-Green Flamingo Designs has been hitting around 60 uniques a day, due to search on images. I am trying to take advantage of the traffic, hopefully I can fully set things up so that I will have great sales.

-Corey of Diligent Design is creating a custom wordpress theme for me, which will be used on Green Flamingo Designs. I am really loving how it is turning out, a really great job is being done! I could reveal some of the features, even the URL of the test site itself, but I have some other updates planned for it, and when you visit in maybe a week I want it to blow you away!

Those are the updates, and besides those, I am having a great time!

See you guys soon!

Well, as you have probably seen, heard, or experienced, the 2008 Beijing Olympics have begun!

I am very happy to see this years Olympic Games, and I hope they turn out a success.

The Olympics are a time where many countries meet, forgetting their troubles, and uniting to compete

War and disputes are forgotten.

Politics are forgotten.

Race is not a matter.

Nations unite to compete and enjoy!

I watched the opening ceremony tonight, China put on a spectacular show, displaying their creativity and the greatness of the nation, putting behind them their troubles and displaying who they really can be.

I was very proud to see all the countries walk in, very well done.

I hope that all of you will enjoy the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games!

As I have said a few times I love to review, and a while back I offered some free reviews, nobody took me up on the offer, Usually I do a review of some sort of product, technology, site, and it is all based on my opinion, and is not paid. Today’s review is not “paid” either, but it was won as a top commentator prize. I congratulate Rajaie, for being the top commentator on Green Flamingo in July and winning this review. I have gotten to know Rajaie well through Blog Premiere, his site, and his works.

More Traditional Review

Rajaie is a 14 year old entrepreneur, not much older than myself, owning a unique blog and by age is set apart from other bloggers. Though most sites belong to 16-20 year olds,  Rajaie displays his skills and professionalism through his blog Rajaie Talks, where he gives great blogging tips and very effective methods for improving your blog.

Rajaie Talks combines blogging tips with daily ramblings, having some fun experiments once in a while or a rant or two. I think it continually provides great blogging content that will really boost your blogging,  something that is common in the blogosphere but very important.

The stats of Rajaie Talks can be amazing, I have not looked deeply into them but I know he has 10,XXX inbound links according to Yahoo!. I am surprised how well Rajaie has raised his blog, he really seems to know a lot about blogging!

My Style Review

I think Rajaie Talks is a great site, is brings out the best of himself and the way of blogging. Rajaie’s blog is fun to hang around, maybe it does not have the most upbringing design but it has a very strong and supportive community, and I’m sure you will be able to find help there if you need it.

The site itself is clean cut, gentle, and has a cloudy but refreshing feel. When I first visited I was interested, because I have not seen a design quite like this one before.

When you first step in to talk to Rajaie and his friends, you are greeted by a nice logo, some flashy banner ads, subtle blue background, and best of all: useful and effective content. I like the content part, because to me there is not much special about the design, but with his writing you can really learn something.

I think Rajaie Talks is a site well worth visiting to learn and enjoy. Have fun!

I guess I am done with the review, I don’t know what else to add. If you have any tips for future reviews, let me know, when I do paid reviews I will consult with the client to see what they want in it.

See you tomorrow and good luck!

Well guys, I am away from home now as I warned, and sadly the rest of the blogosphere does not stop for me. I am having a good time, and I am hoping I won’t be abandoned by my readers. I will give the details later, I don’t really have time now.

I have tons of emails, most are subscriptions I guess, but if there are any inquiries or comments I will be able to answer them soon.

Wish me fun!

I have some sad truth for you all, and it is that you will never find the perfect wordpress theme. There are many reasons to this, hopefully I will be able to make my point and explain why it’s true. Also, I would like to acknowledge Chelle for indirectly giving me this idea.

There are so many out there!

One, on actually finding the perfect wordpress theme, there are so many available that it is difficult to sift through what you have. I am not sure of the number that have been made, but I know it is higher than you can search through in 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, or maybe even 2 years.

Problems Arise

I have seen thumbnails of what I think will be a great theme, and when I take a closer look it turns out to be pretty crappy. Sometimes you have your hopes up high from a demo, thinking that it may look great on your site. That is only 1 of 3 problems that can arise. The second problem is that when you upload and use the theme, you are tired of it and don’t like the look. This has happened to me many times, and I mostly download them because they look interesting and not always because I think they are perfect for my site. The third problem that might strike is that of having technical difficulties, saying something doesn’t display right, things aren’t aligned as they were in the demo, words overlap, things like that. I hate these things that happen, and wish I could get rid of them with a click of a button. So, unless you are a professional theme designer or it is your theme then trash that theme, it has no use to you if it’s “broken.”

Interests Change

Because your interests in theme can change, and will change, then you may have the perfect theme but it will never be perfect forever. Even if you have a high-quality custom job done you will not always love the theme the same way, though you may keep it for months, years, however long. I am just saying that your theme interests will change just as your love interests do.

Those are my reasons, I could add a few more, but they are the most obvious and the ones that standout the most. I have a few small updates for you, and a little notice, so don’t hop off to another water pool yet.

Updates

I think I am going to re-brand this blog, though I will continue to dish out blogging tips. Mostly I would like to add a little niche, and there is no word for it really, because it is a new niche. Since it is new, I might be able to dominate it easily, who knows. It is just “about blogging,” just little things that happen, tendencies, news, and just a general about blogging blog. This is not considered a category in most options, so I will continue to officially brand this as blogging tips or young entrepreneur. If I have to, I might say it is MMO, but I have learned to stay away from that path.

I may be changing the theme soon, I am on the lookout, and Rajaie is coming out with one that I might be able to use. I advised him in the making, and added some things that I like, and I am going to be happy to promote it and use it.

I have started to think or branding “flamingo” a bit more, and trying to go with a green flamingo feel. This is why I mentioned the water pool, and in contest I might play on words with “flamingo” and “flaming.” If you have any ideas as to how to make this have a more “Green Flamingo” feel, they will be highly appreciated.

Note

Tomorrow I assume I will be heading off to an amusement park, and I will most likely  staying the night in the region. I may not be back for a day or two, so just look out for me, I won’t be gone long.

Over the weekend, I may go on another trip to Dallas Forth Worth, flight training does allow you I think to bring family along, so I might tag along there a few days. If there are any bloggers I know in Dallas, I would love to meet, though I am not sure it is possible. I will open this option in a few years, as I get older it will seem more professional. Going to Dallas I hope to bring my computer with me, maybe write an article on the flight and publish it at the hotel. I will have Internet access, so I will probably be blogging.

Not that things in the blogosphere are always “predictably irrational,” but things are predictable, and often irrational. I am just walking over to list some of the things people do in the blogosphere that may be predictable and irrational.

1. Around the end of one month and beginning of another, blogger’s have fluff posts, telling their stats, giving awards, thank yous, reselling ads, and other things that don’t really help you much.

Predictable: yes       Irrational: this one can be an opinion, but yes

2. Bloggers all over trade links, big and small, and usually will profit from them. It is not a bad thing, just common.

Predictable: yes      Irrational: no

3. On every blog, there will be spammers. There are the sex, airplane ticket, free shit spammers, and there are also the “I need traffic” spammers. The first ones are taken to jail if you have Askimet, but the second just sit there looking bad, maybe a two word comment saying “great post.” We are looking at the two word comment spam, that is what is really annoying.

Predictable: yes     Irrational: yes

4. Bloggers go for wacky prices, whether high or low, whether the buyer or seller.

Predictable: yes     Irrational: I won’t die if I say yes (as long as Mike Westen is near my house)

5. Pretty much all bloggers are geeks, because they blog! Though, celeb bloggers are not geeks, they are airheads like the people that read them.

Predictable: yes           Irrational: no

I can think of a million more predictable and irrational things that bloggers do, but I have not the time to mention them. Instead, I want you to think of your own, and then we will have more of a collection.

See you tomorrow!

Well, I thought I would bring you the update, monthly I am assuming. I’ll also give a little link love to my top commentators, and maybe another little prize. I am not sure, but depends how many there are. I think I’ll have a few special prizes from top down, you should pray you are in the top 5.

Updates

Technorati

Authority - 27

Rank - 268,611

That was of today, though the other day my authority was 29 and rank was better too.

Alexa - 584,744

PR - 2 (dam it was higher before the PR update, but I think I have gained back my PR3, sadly this post is going to kill some of it)

With a new RSS feed, a totally different than I have had for months (that was the default one, green-flamingo.com/feed, the one I can’t access the back end of) to 22 subscribers. I don’t think that is amazing, but it is a start.

If you don’t mind, would someone show me how to get traffic views, like the total unique pageviews? Also does anyone know how to get the images for things like technorati, feedburner, and so on? I need them for my advertise page.

Top Commentators

Now it is time to kill some pagerank with my top 10 commentators.

1. Rajaie AlKorani - Rajaie Talks
2. Tom - StandOutBlogger
3. Melvin - MelvinBlog
4. Narendra - TechTreak
5. Germz - TheGermz
6. Karen - LightSpringTransformations
7. Ryan Mclean - SmarterWealth
8. Agent 001 - GreatestReviews
9. Chelle - It Might Be Love
10. Chiq Montes - WPThemeDesigner

Well, those are our top commentators for the month.

Be happy please, I spent half an hour going through my comments and tallying them, I hope you enjoy.

I have a special surprise planned for my top commentators, I will be contacting them shortly. I thought of this just as writing this post, but it pretty spectacular. Look out for this month, I might plan something else on the way.

I have been wondering and rambling lately, thinking about what has become of Green Flamingo. I have tried at blogging tips, and for some of the time I have done well. My good post hav always been about something similar, there is not much diversity in them.

I have been pondering whether I am the blogger I am supposed to be, and if what I write really reflects who I am.

Due to this, I think I may change my writing a little, to something I really know more about. I don’t really know what I will go after, maybe just brand this as a “young entrepreneur” blog. I thinking about starting a few new sites, some just to sell and around two that I will keep. What I am afraid of, why I am afraid to change my niche, is because I am afraid readers will not come, or enjoy what I have to say. Now I have to learn to accept that, and no matter how small it is and how small it stays, I think Green Flamingo will be around for a long time.

You have to learn that you cannot always be the next Darren Rowse or John Chow. Your tech blog most likely won’t be the next Tech Crunch, your celeb blog won’t become the next Perez Hilton. No matter what you blog becomes, you must accept that. You could have one blog that is a top dominator, while another has 10 uniques a day. You can improve on your small one, but sometimes it is just the destiny that keeps it the way it is.

There were your blogging tips for today, hopefully something you can keep going, something that will prevent you from killing your site. Now I’ll go  back to the antics of Green Flamingo.

I am sort of looking for a new niche, maybe not a niche but new inspiration. I am just looking for some new ideas, something to guide me through August. Though I can start with a blank room, nothing done, I prefer to add on or change. Also, whoever provides the best inspiration will get a free 125×125 banner ad for the rest of August.

I am hoping to have a successful month, and I hope you do well too. Later today I will announce my services of Green Flamingo Designs, and 5 free consultations will be available. The other services will lauch soon, I just need a little time to write up the page.