with my blog.

I spent a bit of time over the night upgrading to WordPress 2.2 (from 2.0.3). I’m already loving the upgrade. Why?

• The speed optimizations. This version is really quite faster than the previous one I was using – both on the browser side and admin.
• I love being able to scan back through all my comments (previous version only allowed me to see last 20 comments)
• I like the admin tab enhancements. It’s great that Comments now has its own tab.
• It’s great to be able to deactivate all plugins at once.
• Did I mention it’s faster?

I’m quite happy with the upgrade. I have a couple of small hiccups and found a plugin that I couldn’t get to work. Luckily it was a minor plugin. Otherwise, no problems with the upgrade.

And I know that with all computer upgrades there could be some hiccups. So, please, if you find anything that’s not functioning correctly on my site, would you let me know in the comment box?

Thanks, in advance.

And if you’re the do-it-yourselfer, there’s a number of tutorials on how to make the jump to 2.2, including in the WordPress Codex. And if you’re using version 2.1.x, this is considered a mandatory upgrade.

It looks like I’m having some hosting problems with my current web host. And not only are there problems, but they seem unwilling to help me solve them – even though the great majority of the problems point to their servers.

I’m not going to name their name them just yet – just in case they change their tune. I feel I owe them that after three and half years of petty good service.

But, if they can’t resolve the problems I’m having in a satisfactorily way, I will look for hosting elsewhere.

So, I need some web hosting recommendations. I can tell you that iPowerWeb and WestHost are out. Here are the few I’ve looked at. If you host with any of them, I’d love to know your thoughts. And if you’ve had a bad experience, I’d like to know that as well.

• MidPhase
• BlueHost
• HostGator
• LunarPages
• Host Nine
• Third Sphere

In case you’re wondering, I’m looking for shared hosting for unlimited domains and subdomains with lots of disk space and huge bandwidth. Phone support would be a bonus. Certainly Linux – no Windows. And all the other open source goodies.
So let’s talk about hosting…

Yesterday, March (oops) May 14th, was Ben Yoskovitz’s Birthday. I won’t tell you how old he is – I’ll leave that to him. But stop by and wish him a Happy Birthday.

And if you have a chance, ask him how the idea for InstigatorBlog got started.

By the way that’s Ben and I at SobCon in Chicago this past weekend.

I’m off to see my friends, my wonderful blogosphere friends (think the Wizard of Oz).

Really looking forward to SOBCon. I’m sure I’ll have much to report.

See you soon.

Dawud

Just a quick note to say that a few hours ago I got my 1500th comment. Wow! What’s more wow is that I just celebrated my 1000th comment a just under a month ago.

So who was the 1500th commenter…Brandon Wood. Thank you Brandon.

And a big THANK YOU to every single one of you who have commented on my blog. I only hope that the conversation continues to be engaging, interesting and lively. Moreover, I hope that our conversations lead to more and more friendships.

Thanks.

Oh, you might want to know that Wendy Piersall left comment number 1501 shortly after Brandon during a hot discussion about around whether we’re parts or a whole. You gotta check it out.

If you’re someone who doesn’t know some of the refined search techniques in Google this is for you. up.

Google Librarian Center has a number of really nice downloads available to help you learn how to use Google Search better. These are the basic search tips that can make a difference between getting lost in a slew of junk pages and finding what you’re really looking for.

There’s nothing that’s truly earth-shattering here. Yet I found value. And certainly as someone who wants to help people use the internet for effectively, I found some great resources.

I’m a pretty big fan of Logic + Emotion. It’s one of the blogs I read, enjoy and learn from daily. As David Armano puts it himself, Logic + Emotion exists at the intersection of Marketing, Brand Engagement + Experience Design—where passive consumers become active participants.

I’m for that. And I love his perspective on things.

While David’s content is always top-notch, what I’m often drawn to is his incredible graphics. Take a look (each one is a link to the post it came from).

Great stuff, isn’t it? That that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He’s got some great slideshows. You’ve got to see Designing Conversations in Beta and I Am The Media.

I don’t know where he gets all his great visuals. But I do plan to ask him when I meet him at SOBCon07.

SOBCon07 is only one week away. Who’s coming? Are you?

The Idea Dude started a neat little idea (I guess that’s why he’s called The Idea Dude). He asked, What’s you SOBCon oneliner? Liz followed up with hers. Now it’s our turn. Me first…

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

Yesterday I wrote about how being part of the Ultimate Technorati Favorites Exchange was a waste of my time. I saw it a few weeks back, tried it and found it to have little, if any, benefit for me. I may have gained a couple of readers, but nothing more. And certainly no massive wave of traffic.

Yesterday I also got a caring phone call from my dear friend (who I remain nameless only because I don’t have her permission to bring her into any debate around this topic). A prominent blogger herself, she asked me a very important question, “What if you would have gotten a huge wave of traffic from the meme?”

I thought for a moment…and answered her honestly, “For a week or so I would loved getting all this new traffic. I would have thought getting into Technorati’s Top 100 Favorites was a great thing and I like would have spent a whole bunch more time on it. But like with all traffic-driven memes, it wouldn’t take long until I saw that my concern with Technorati’s Top 100 Favorites was taking me away from writing for the people who read my blog. Then I would have stopped it.”
[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

This little exercise has gone around in many different forms. Four questions – simple, to the point – that attempt to tell you something about your life. Is it real? Don’t know. But here it is…

Tibetan Personality Test

Even if you’ve taken it before, do it again. I’d love to hear what you find out about yourself. So please, take the test then come back and let’s talk about the results. I’ll post my results after the conversation begins – doing so beforehand might ruin the test for you.