Jeffzilla

Over on pagetable.com, they managed to pull the original Apple I Basic off of its uber-old school cassette tape, and re-compile a working version of the code. And… it works! I managed to run it on my own computer, and re-write my first program. I actually remember writing this program, and many other similar programs back in 4th and 5th grade, in the elementary school computer lab filled with Apple IIe’s. Those Apple IIe’s managed to follow me up until about 8th grade, at which point they started being replaced by Apple Quadras etc.

My blog runs on the Wordpress platform, which works great. Lately, I’ve been trying to open up as many avenues for posting as possible. I want to make is as easy as I possibly can to publish - including what I’m reading, viewing, notes from my office, from home, from out and about in the city, all the way to remote regions I hope to explore soon. Being able to post from anywhere also ties into this story I read today about a kid who used Twitter via SMS to alert his friends of his arrest.  

Here’s a list of my current and future posting methods:

• Direct wordpress post - done
  • Easy - its the core of the basic wordpress interface.

• Writing/formatting posts offline, for posting when online - done
  • I’m using Qumana for Mac OS X, which offers great integration with my blog categories, posts, formatting etc. I can compose a post offline (such as while flying, etc), format it up, and then just hit the “post now” button when I get an internet connection. It even handles pinging for me.
     
• Posting Photos - Done
  • Another otherwise complex task, made simply by Flickr. I can use the “post to blog” button in flickr to post a selected photo direct to the blog. I went through a few setup steps, and that was it
  • Additionally, I can email Flickr photos using a specially formatted email address, and have Flickr add the photo to my Flickr photostream, and also have it post the photo directly to my blog. Great great for getting a photo up asap, and even better for posting photos “from the field” - IE quick snaps taken with my cameraphone. Action as it happens, baby.

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It’s finally out, and I’m running on it - Wordpress 2.5. This is first major overhaul to the Wordpress blog software in recent memory, and so far it looks great. I’m liking the more simplified interface, and it seems snappier too. For the complete rundown, take a look at the official Wordpress blog post.

Some first impressions:

• The new write tab is good - cleaner visual style, and the “add media” links are nifty for quickly getting stuff up, novices, etc.
• Editable permalink right at the top of the Write Post tab is great for tuning - both for SEO and usability.
• Timed publish option welcomed.
• I’m not as enthusiastic about having the categories list under the post. My categories list is somewhat long, and scrolling vertically in a horizontally oriented box is a pain. Put the long list back in its vertical box on the sidebar.
• Tagger is good, but I wish the input box was longer.
• Media Library browser is good and much more accessible - although iIm a little confused why they put a post count for individual media items.
• Theme chooser is still missing a theme preview function.
• One-click upgrades for plugins - finally! With plugins being updated so frequently, this is a huge help. Even nicer would be a “check and update all plugins” button.
• Post via Email support is still flimsy. Yes, it works if you set it up correctly. However to invoke Wordpress to check the designated email account, the user still has to manually visit the special mail page in a browser, set up a more techy cron job, or install a cron plugin. If Wordpress is going to offer a post via email feature, I think they should do it right and build in a lightweight cron functionality. It could be as simple as a “check this email account every hour/week/month for new email posts” checkbox next to the settings.
• New pre-made URL structure option is great.
• I’d like to see selectable “skins” for the admin interface. Ideally, in the write tab, to make the write box highlighted, with perhaps a toggle-able grey mask over the rest, to allow for easier focus on writing.

So far, I’m happy with Wordpress 2.5. It’s updated look is pleasing, and the new functionality is welcomed.

Quick update.. I just learned via Tech Crunch that facebook has opened up a brand new client library, that makes it possible to embed ajax-nifty facebook applications on any website! Plus, there’s no local server-side code needed, so users can simply paste embed code into their site - much like embedding a simple YouTube Video. No other setup required.
So, will this hamper the adoption of Google’s OpenSocial? Why would I want to use an Open Social app with (currently) limited reach, when I can simply embed on my myspace profile an app from facebook that all of my friends already use?

Finally, as Adam pointed out last week, social networking on mobile devices is just heating up. In lieu of full-on facebook on my phone, what if I could custom create one-off widgets for my mobile phone (eyeing the iPhone here) out of Facebook applications? (Read on Tech Crunch)

The Jeffzilla blog is new. Yes, I’ve had this domain for a number of years, and yes, its been used for other projects, etc (and it still is), but this is the first real time there’s been a blog on it. Designing and implementing a new blog can either be quick and simple, or a fairly involved process. For this one, I started off simple, using just the wordpress default template, but have (and still am) modified it quite a bit.

So, here’s a few of the elements/resources that have gone into the Jeffzilla blog, so far….

Initial Setup: Since I use Dreamhost for both my web hosting and domain registration (is that too much info to put out on the web? security?), the installation of wordpress was easy.. it’s one of Dreamhost’s “one click installs”. Additionally, keeping upgraded to the latest version of wordpress should be easy enough in the future, as dreamhost simply has an “upgrade WP version” button next to my installation info in my Dreamhost account. My only concern is upgrades breaking my template in the future.
After the very easy initial setup was complete, Toby helped me set up the template and related files for editing in Dreamweaver (I’m on CS3). I’ve tinkered around with Dreamweaver before, but never really seriously…. This is my first real run at it, and I’m learning new things every day.

Figuring out the design: This is the phase I’m in now. Getting my look is taking a good amount of research and tinkering around. I surfed a whole bunch of blogs, looking at their template, what colors they use, etc etc, getting little ideas here and there. I’m going for a simple, usable, clear design. Some of the blogs I’m taking design cue and just think look cool are:

• Robjn.co.uk - Robjn is a graphic designer and mixtape genius. Her blog/site is minimal and nice, packing a ton of content into a simple, easy design. Light on your bandwidth, too. By the way, Robjn recently put out an amazing ambient mixtape, available for download here.
• Other blogs yadda yadda try to act cool.

Now I’m in the phase of figuring out how to make all my design changes/optimizations etc. I’m fairly new to php/css programming, so there’s a lot of learning involved.

Optimizing it: “SEO’ing” the site has been a big concern of mine as well. Since I work as and SEO specialist, I think it would be good for my personal site to reflect all the advice and “best practices” I usually preach. So, I’m going through, making sure I have good title tags, accessable RSS, etc etc etc. One final element of code optimization that I hope to incorporate into the site is compatability with a wide range or browsers/readers. The blog must look good on normal web browsers (Firefox, Opera, Safari etc), however I also want it to be optimized for viewing on cell phones, mobile platforms, bandwidth restricted platforms, etc etc etc.

I’m going to try to track hits on the site using both Google Analytics and Quantcast. I’m experienced using analytics, and know that it delivers good, in depth information. Of note, when I signed up this blog on my analytics account, I was prompted to install a “new” analytics tag.. no more urchin. Apparently it enables some more advanced features… we’ll see how that goes. Quantcast is just taking hold, but hopefully it will catch on.

Posting to it: The most important part! What’s a blog without content?!?! So, to keep myself posting, I have to make it easy. I’m using three methods to post, which will hopefully give me ultimate flexibility and accessibility. First is directly in the wordpress interface, online. This is my preferred method, since I have the most control over the formatting, and can directly upload graphics etc etc. Second is Qumana, which is a blog editor program for Mac. It allows me to compose blog entries “offline”, and post them later. Good for plane flights, etc. Finally, I’ve set up a “post via email” system, whereby I can send an email to a special address, and whatever I send will get automatically posted up on my blog. This is the last ditch effort, but is great for accessibility. If I’m at a locked-down internet terminal and can’t get to the wordpress admin, but have email, I can still post. I can compose messages on my cell phone, so can post from there. And in bandwidth-restricted places/computers, sending a simple text-only email is often the most efficient way to get information out.

So, there you have it, my blog progerss as it stands. Check back soon, as you’ll likely see little changes happeneing as I get stuff setup.