May Is Done, But These 6 Articles Or Sites Have Caught My Attention
Yes it is the end of yet another month and to parrot a well worn cliche, “where did the time go?” Time, limited as it is, is also fleeting. So, without further adieu the following articles or sites have caught my attention during the merry month of May:
The Top 10 Underrated Web 2.0 Sites
What makes a site underrated? Why do some sites seem to sit below the radar while others seem to get all of the attention? This list of The Top 10 Underrated Web 2.0 Sites is, of course, centered on social networking communities. Some are well known, while a few I never heard of previously. Given my adversion to memes, I’ll avoid the Blogmemes.com site at all costs! 
Plagiarism vs. Copyright Infringement: Do You Know the Difference?
For those of us who do any type of “writing for hire” Kristen King’s, “Plagiarism 
vs. Copyright Infringement: Do You Know the Difference?” article is worth reading. Admittedly, I hadn’t considered that there was much of a difference between the two. Nevertheless, what Kristen shares about this topic can help you avoid trouble down the road as well as expect to find some of your work quoted elsewhere, perhaps without your knowledge or your approval.
Fear of Blogging, or What Bloggers Can Learn From Shakespeare
I’ve talked with wannabe bloggers who desire to enter the blogosphere, but hold back for one reason: fear of how others will interpret what they have to say. Granted, the “fear of man” is a problem that many people do battle with, but it is something we should learn to handle when blogging.
Chris Garrett in his, “Fear of Blogging, or What Bloggers Can Learn From Shakespeare” article simply reassures bloggers to write from their heart, not to worry about personal attacks, and to be honest. Yes, sounds like Common Sense 101, but I am saving his article to fire off to the next prospective blogger who has cold feet and as a reminder to myself in case my thinking changes.
Miss Snark, The Literary Agent
Speaking about developing a complex, if you ever needed to have the wind taken out of your sails, then a visit to Miss Snark is in order. Unfortunately, Miss Snark has called it quits, effective May 20, 2007, her blog has gone dark. Still, if you are an aspiring writer and think that your book will automatically appear on The New York Times Best Seller’s list, think again — Miss Snark has some words of advice for you, words that can mash deep down into your soul thanks to her pointy T.Rexual stilleto shoes.
Yes, her Crapometer has detected many a pointless novel, works fit for neither man nor for her beloved pooch Killer Yap. No, you cannot have your latest work put through the Crapometer, but you can vicariously do it by reading through the critiques still found on her site. Anytime that I think that I have even a hint of novel writing expertise dwelling within I head over to Miss Snark’s blog for a reality check. Soon enough I leave whimpering with my tail fixed firmly between hind legs returning to the void of my little world.
Speed Stumbling
I know that I beat this drum frequently, but stumbling via StumbleUpon is truly awesome.
Baron VC wrote an article back in March that I only found today which is already impacting the way that I use StumbleUpon. Titled, “Speed Stumbling,” Baron discusses ways you can hasten the stumbling process. One method mentioned that I just discovered thanks to Baron was the “stumble after rating” feature where you can rate a site and automatically move on to the next page. Without this box being checked you have to manually stumble the next page, a step that simply slows down the stumbling process. As most stumblers will tell you: the faster your stumbling the better.
Need A Laugh? Check Out Top 10 Worst Domain Names For A Chuckle
Once in awhile I come across a site that gives me a much needed laugh. After working on a tight deadline project, I want something that’ll help ease the tension of the day.
Some domain names are dreadfully awful, but they only turn out to be that way because the webmaster didn’t consider that a secondary, more sinister meaning could be implied. You’ll want to check out the Top 10 Worst Domain Names list to see if your site had the unfortunate experience of being included. Before you breath a sigh of relief, your domain could still be found on the follow up “20 More Unfortunate Domain Names” list. Interestingly, many of the featured domains on both lists have since expired or been forwarded to a more palatable domain.
Your Turn
How about you? Have you turned up something worthy of a “shout out” to the world?
Thank you for all these articles. I like the article on plagiarism. I read another article on this subject last year, however I can’t find it.
Anyway, this one is excellent.
Just a question: Why you don’t like blogmemes?
Hi Franck — Memes and I have some history with each other. I wrote a satirical piece in early May titled, “Death to the Meme Movement.” Since that time I have been pretty much meme-free.
I did notice that Blogmemes.com was one of the 10 Web 2.0 sites mentioned; it caused a shudder to run down my spine!