For the benefit of Blog Club members (or any other bloggers), here are a couple of blog tools I've found useful for squeezing a little more fun out of my weblogs. First, Technorati is a free site that allows you to quickly identify the sites that have posted links (either within a blog post or a permanent link) to your site. It's great for identifying new sites linking to your weblog--just type or copy in your URL and hit "Search." For example, Technorati tells me that three days ago this site linked to me (he appears to be an ASU student as well as a gentleman and a scholar). It's nice my site appeals to a broad spectrum of readers.
The other tool I actually use is Sitemeter, a traffic meter that provides a running count of visitors, as well as partial information on the URL addresses, domains, and referral sources of those who visit your site. You can make your site info open for public viewing or keep it for your eyes only. Just for fun I'll open my site info up to public viewing for a few days--go click on the Sitemeter logo at the bottom of the left sidebar and you can view my site statistics. I know a few Blog Club sites have this or another sitemeter installed already.
What other blogging tools have your found useful (tools you actually use)?
Some might find this useful too:
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/05/24/1927242&mode=nested&tid=126&tid=185&tid=95
Posted by: Clark Goble | May 24, 2004 at 08:53 PM
I like having the list of referrers from the last 24 hours displayed on my blog with a link. Some of them don't show up in technorati or on site meter. You can get it at truefresco.org. Plus, I like that it gives publicity to people who sent me traffic. I also like the Truth Laid Bear ecosystem. You are ranked on an evolutionary scale by the number of incoming links to your site. But it only counts other sites that are registered at truthlaidbear.com.
If all the club members register than we will all have at least 9 links, so your blogs would start out as fish or higher. You'd be vertebrae!
I just added a guestmap this weekend but so far no one has signed.
Can you tell how much I've been procrastinating my work in the last few weeks? ;)
Posted by: JL | May 24, 2004 at 09:51 PM
I've got sitemeter set up on my site already (as you've probably noticed), and refer to Technorati often enough. I also refer to the TTLB ecosystem -- perhaps because I'm amused at being called a slimey mollusc, but also because it's interesting to see where I rate in comparison to the rest of the blogosphere.
I've got a question for you though, Dave. Is the "Reading now" section on the left panel there something you've set up through Typepad or just an additon of your own? I'm debating moving away from Blogspot, and that's a feature that I like a lot here.
Posted by: Arwyn | May 24, 2004 at 09:53 PM
I tried to sign it, JL, but couldn't for the lif of me figure out how...
Posted by: Arwyn | May 24, 2004 at 10:19 PM
Oh, wait. Scratch that. I blame the hour.
Posted by: Arwyn | May 24, 2004 at 10:21 PM
Arwyn, the booklist feature is built into Typepad. In addition to the normal list of links, you can make "book lists" in which you can simply type in the 10-digit ISBN code and it automatically pulls up the author/title line plus the small cover shot from Amazon. I like the feature because I can add a book in 10 seconds, as opposed to 4 or 5 minutes just finding the right link to use.
There's a similar feature for "music lists" (listing your favorite CDs) but I haven't used it yet.
Posted by: Dave | May 24, 2004 at 10:30 PM
Yesterday I added a kind of goofy blog "service" if you can call it that, to my site. It merges the Homeland Security Warning Advisory System with the images of Sesame Street characters. Elmo is red, Ernie is orange, Bert is yellow, etc. You can find the code for adding this to your site at:
http://www.geekandproud.net/terror/
A bunch of us folks who use Wordpress have been drooling over the possibility that some code will be released for the Guestblock program (a guest map program), currently featured prominently at:
http://www.differentsky.com/guestblock/
Site Meter is really useful. I also like the Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem and have it incorporated into my blog.
I'm glad you asked this question. I'll be interested to see what else comes up.
Posted by: danithew | May 25, 2004 at 08:36 AM
By the way, if you do go to the Guestblock site at:
http://www.differentsky.com/guestblock/
Look for a red block and put your cursor on it. I left a little message for all you Bloggernaclers.
Posted by: danithew | May 25, 2004 at 08:40 AM
danithew,
The correct term is *Bloggernackers*, coined by Dave Himself. *grin*
Posted by: Grasshopper | May 25, 2004 at 08:55 AM
Yes, perhaps if it sticks the Choir members will start referring to themselves as "Tabbernackers."
Posted by: Dave | May 25, 2004 at 09:04 AM
The guestblocks are seriously cool. Didn't the blog owner write the code for that one? He/she could set up a download site with ads and make money on it.
Posted by: JL | May 25, 2004 at 01:34 PM
Arwyn,
You wouldn't be a slimy mollusc anymore if all the club members would register at TTLB *hint, hint*. For those of you who don't want to be called a slimy mollusc publicly on your blogs, you don't have to display your status.
Posted by: JL | May 25, 2004 at 01:39 PM
Alright, I am now an Insignificant Microbe in the TTLB Ecosystem:
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/showdetails.php?host=http://mormoninquiry.typepad.com
I hope this helps the rest of you move up the weblog evolutionary ladder.
Posted by: Dave | May 25, 2004 at 02:22 PM
Insignificant microbe won't last long.
Be proud to display your slimy mollusc status or your flippery fish status, I say.
Posted by: danithew | May 25, 2004 at 02:47 PM
By the way, I just figured out that you can configure sitemeter so that it will ignore your visits to your own site. This isn't hard to do... just explore the options in your sitemeter account a little. By setting it to ignore your own visits, you assure you'll be measuring the traffic of other users instead of padding the numbers with your own visits. I wish I had realized this earlier.
Posted by: danithew | May 25, 2004 at 04:07 PM
Oh, thanks danithew. Since half the visits to my site are me trying to make sure the page shows up the way I want it to after making corrections, that's a great help.
Posted by: Arwyn | May 25, 2004 at 09:13 PM
Good news--TTLB has picked up my inbound links. I have now been promoted to a Slithering Reptile in the TTLB Ecosystem.
Posted by: Dave | May 26, 2004 at 01:33 PM
I just found another odd blog service (right now I"m enjoying these kind of things). It allows you to keep track (with an image) of the phases of the moon. HEre's the link where you can pick up the code:
http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/moon_phases.phtml?calculator=10342
If that link doesn't work, feel free to go to my site and just hit on the moon image (you'll have to scroll down a bit) and it will take you straight to the site.
I am not sure how well it actually works but I'll be observing any changes in the image and trying to compare them to what I see in the sky on the odd evening.
Posted by: danithew | May 26, 2004 at 03:37 PM
Dave,
I don't know why I'm not listed as having a link to your site. There must be something wrong with the way TTLB scans my blog or something because it doesn't count the T&S links to me either. Weird. Oh well. Congratulations on slithering. :)
Posted by: JL | May 26, 2004 at 10:30 PM
I've just added Let Us Reason to the Ecosystem. They say it may take a day or so to get everything updated.
Posted by: Grasshopper | May 27, 2004 at 07:55 AM
I use Site Meter, technorati, and TTLB as well. And Bloglines and Blogrolling, for the T & S blogroll (both of which have some problems).
It's not a tool per so, but I also use PHP rather than html, because it allows more flexibility. (Or at least, I can get things to work in PHP that I can't get to work in html).
Posted by: Kaimi | May 27, 2004 at 02:23 PM