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First Impressions: 2 Gen iPod Touch

November 9th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in tech

The iPod Touch received a refresh just a few weeks ago and I was fortunate enough to buy one. My first generation iPod Touch is currently on its way out, the screens brightness flickers and the battery life last minutes instead of hours, so why not get a new one? I picked up a 16gb iPod Touch and the following is the impression I got from the device:

The Good:

  • Screen is brighter
  • Side volume buttons
  • Speaker
  • Slimmer look and feel (actually thicker than first generation, but feels thinner due to design)
  • Faster (the apps open and run much faster than the first gen)

The Bad:

  • Scratch magnet (everything on this device can be scratched)
  • Smudge magnet
  • Screen is warmer, not as sharp looking
  • Same device, new look, nothing revolutionary

The most important new feature of the new iPod Touch is the built in speaker. Although its sound quality is for lack of better words, crappy, it is slowly becoming more like it’s older, more functional brother, iPhone. I would like to have seen a camera on the new generation, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question on generation 3, right?

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5 Tips for One-Man Bloggers

October 29th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in tips and tricks

I have no time anymore! School takes up my days, homework takes up my evenings, and sleep takes the rest, but when do I get to write? I’ve tried setting aside time to write, which often is lost in the hurricane known as college. I know I’m not the only one though, so many blogs out there have great potential, but end up faltering due to lack of time they have. Here are some tips that will help those one-man bloggers out there, I definitely need to follow these too:

1. Write in advance: There always seems to be a boring Sunday morning every so often where there is absolutely nothing to do…so why not write? Not just for that day, but for the whole week or even month. WordPress has a very simple publish feature that allows for a change in publishing time. Spread out the posts throughout the week and even pick the time they are published. It may be considered a really simple feature, but don’t overlook it. My “Wallpaper of the Week” section is often written two weeks in advance.

2. Offer guest posts: I just recently posted that I’m looking for some guest writers to bring r3fresh some much needed content. I’ve yet to receive any serious emails (no, I don’t want to write about your product) and I’m still looking. When looking for a guest writer, try to offer them something in exchange. It could be money, a gift certificate, or even a post on their blog. Guest writers are often the easiest way to get more content on a blog, without having to hire a staff.

3. Shorter Posts: Instead of writing lengthy posts that many will just skip through, try writing shorter (few paragraph) posts. Shorter posts mean less work and more current content. Instead of writing a huge post (like this one) try posting a video or a short opinion on something. On the other hand, quality content is better than quantity content.

4. Pictures: Everyone at some point will be lazy, it’s a fact. The big review on the surround sound you just bought is taking longer than expected and you haven’t posted anything in a while, what do you do? To give yourself some more time, take pictures of the speakers and post them. The pictures don’t even need an explanation, readers are smart and will know what they are looking at. Engadget does this quite a lot, especially on just released products (cough…Apple…cough). The pictures also prepare the readers for a review and will bring them back when the review is finished.

5. Long lasting content: A blog doesn’t have a concrete definition and can be about anything. What a blog isn’t is a place to blog other blogs information, it’s just garbage. Write long lasting content that will still keep readers interested sixth months after it was published. Use comedy and stay away from current news, which only stays current for about a week.

Picture by: John Scone

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5 No-no’s When Growing Your Blog

September 28th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in media

I’ve been looking at my growth over the past six months and I now have consistent traffic visiting the site everyday. I’ve also gone from a rank in the 600,000s to a rank in the 400,000s in the past four months. I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I appreciate the (tiny) success r3fresh has seen. Now on the way down the blogging path I’ve encountered a couple blogging “no-no’s” I will gladly share with you.

1. Blogging Blogs: If you want to have a successful blog, don’t blog about news on other blogs. A visitor will think you’re just copy and pasting the info from another blog. You’re blog will instantaneously be considered junk. Instead, write original content that readers will be interested in understanding further. If you want o write about a new product, write it with you’re opinion in place. Be different, be original.

2. It’s a Blog, Not an Advertisement: I’ve said this before, don’t blog to make money, blog because you enjoy it. You WILL fail if you think you’re going to make millions.

3. Don’t Make it Difficult: If there is anything on your blog that may be difficult for a reader to understand, get rid of it. You’ll lose readers just because they didn’t understand something on your site. They’re finicky like that.

4. Don’t Spam: Unless you’re some large company with a large audience, there is no reason to send out a newsletter about you’re blog. People don’t really care how things are going and they’ll be upset that you’re spamming their inbox. Just leave email out of it.

5. Don’t Go Too Far with Web Services: You blog doesn’t need to have presence on every social network or service. Pick a couple and stick with them. Too many and your blog is considered a whore.

(6.) Create Timeless Posts: Leave breaking news to CNN and Engadget. Write original, high quality posts that will be popular forever.

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