A Blog Not Limited

I've been publishing this Useful Tweets series for a few months now, and I've decided it's time for some changes.

After looking at my Google Analytics, I noticed these posts get comparatively fewer pages views and have higher bounce rates. Rather than scrapping the series entirely (at least not yet), I decided I should try a new approach in presenting the links.

In previous posts, I simply re-published the original tweet, along with date and time, and a link to the original tweet on Twitter. This seemed like the quickest way to recycle my twitter "micro-blogging." However, now, I think it may not be the best approach.

Why?

Re-publishing the original tweet can, oftentimes, be out of context due to how I use Twitter. For example, I may simply tweet "This is awesome: LINK HERE."

This, arguably, doesn't give my four beloved blog readers any sense of what the link is about. Also, some of my tweets contain @ references to Twitter users that may not be useful to my blog readers.

Additionally, I'm rather convinced that providing the date and time is not only time consuming on my end, but irrelevant to the reader.

Finally, I haven't been tagging my Useful Tweets posts, primarily because I was listing every single link I posted to Twitter, and I am lazy I didn't want the added work of creating a bunch of tags that may only be referenced once on my blog.

So What's Changing?

I've decided to be a bit more selective in the links from Twitter that I re-publish here. Perhaps I don't need to list everything. Links to events that have passed, for example, may not be useful. Also, links that are in context of a Twitter conversation may, too, be irrelevant to blog readers.

Also, I plan to put the links in context with a new description, not just the original tweet. This means that I'll be dropping the @ references and have more than Twitter's 140 character limit to explain the link. I'm also going to stop providing the date and time information.

Lastly, I'll be tagging the posts. True, a bit more work on my part, but may help with searching. And I may not create tags for every link, but the ones that I can foresee using regularly.

One thing that won't change: I'll still be providing a link to the original tweet.

So here goes …

February 1–8, 2009

Readernaut is a social networking-type site for keeping track of what you are reading and find out what other people are reading. And it is now in public beta.

Original tweet

Mark Boulton's self-published A Practical Guide to Designing for the Web is now available for purchase. I already downloaded my copy and plan to do a short review once I've had a chance to read it.

Original tweet

The only thing I regret to have missed from the Super Bowl broadcast is Comcast's blunder. Their Tuscon branch (inadvertently?) broadcast 30 seconds of hardcore porn during the game. Definitely NSFW but hysterical.

Original tweet

Great book review from Accessify gives Universal Design for Web Applications an eight (8). Definitely plan on buying a copy for myself

Original tweet

I've watched this video of a kid still loopy after dental surgery at least 20 times, and it still cracks me up. From the mouths of (high) babes: "Is this real life?" "Is this going to be forever?" "You have four eyes!"

Original tweet

I can haz religun? This commemorative plate depicts a feline version of Jesus' crucifixion. I would seriously be scared to meet the person who designed this, as well as anyone who buys it.

Original tweet

Sierra Nevada brewery is producing ethanol for car fuel from beer leftovers (water, sugar and yeast). Further, proof beer is magic.

Original tweet

I'm one of those strange people who doesn't like cake and, by extension, cupcakes. But these Irish car bomb cupcakes could change my tune.

Original tweet

Passing out after a one-night stand may not be a good idea: man wakes to find lover has carved her name into his arm. I'm astounded that he remained unconscious, Valium or no.

Original tweet

There's a new Jesus brigade pushing the expected "don't sin" agenda with some, I have to admit, clever t-shirts. I want the Ex-Masturbator shirt just for the hypocrisy.

Original tweet