Blogging 101

I've been blogging now for just over a year, and I know I'm not the most popular blog in the blogosphere.................yet:), as I rank around 21,000 at Technorati. Blogging is gaining steam and mass popularity, so I have decided to write about some do's and don'ts and other observations that could improve your blog.
First off, why blog? I can only speak for myself here. I work from home, and I don't have any kids running around. I'm not a party person anymore and I am very opinionated, and funny (at least I think so). That being said, I'm a ham, I am seeking attention, I want people to see my opinion because I feel I can entertain and perhaps make people think at the same time. I actually believe I can make a subtle change to the way some people look at things. I didn't start out this way with my blog, I just started it for the heck of it. I went from 20 hits a day, to around 300 a day at this time. This weekend by the way was unreal thanks to the link to the Penn and Teller video on my site, by the popular blog Pharyngula(which has a mostly Lefty Pinko following unfortunately). I received over 2500 hits on Saturday, and another 2000 yesterday. Most people just watched the video, and didn't leave comments. Some did view more of my blog though, and I was added to a few more blogrolls.
Another thing is that I'm not into putting up unfriendly banner ads, so I'm not receiving any compensation at this time for my blog.

Here is a list of do's and don'ts, and a key to all this is that a blogger has to keep in mind that there are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, and people don't have unlimited surfing time:

1) Specialize. There is no gun to your head when you begin a blog, but a specialty should evolve. Stick with it. My specialty has evolved. I am an entertaining foot soldier in the "War Against Reality," or how I like to put it: WAR. I know I'm taking a step away from my specialty with this post, but you only live once.

2) Keep the blog viewer friendly. I can't believe how many (thinking) Atheists for instance, have a dark background on their blog. Sure, it looks cool. Sure, it reflective of the blogger's darkside personality. But many bloggers are over 40 these days and can't read a thing without highlighting the blog posts with a mouse. It is very frustrating, and although I have many blogs I go to regularly that have a black background, I sometimes think twice about going there just because of the view.

3) Get a blogroll, sitemeter and join any organizations that overlap with your viewpoints. A blogroll is important because many bloggers will check their sitemeter statistics and see the sites that the hits came from. They will usually visit that site. Personally, if someone blogrolls me, I blogroll them. I also blogroll any site that I feel stands out regardless of whether they know of me or not. However, by blogrolling a major site, there is a possibility they will check your site out because they looked at where the hit came from. Joining other blog groups also increases your exposure.

4) Visit other blogs and leave comments when appropriate. Don't be scared to speak your mind at another site. I love having comments on my site, plus I check out the commenters blog site if they include it when signing in to post.

5) Stick to making 0-3 posts a day. If you are posting more than that, you aren't being original, you might as well just be a news blog (if that is your niche, that is fine I guess). If you post more than that, you will turn off many viewers. Something can be said for attracting regular commenters, and most people tend to comment on just the last two entries. I like my regulars a lot. When I visit my favorite blogs, I usually just check the last 3 posts only. Too msny things to read and too much information makes my head explode.
There are many stories I can report each day, I try to focus on just one. I'm not worried, someone else will cover the ones I don't choose.

6) Nothing is wrong with some shameless self promotion. I sometimes spam my blog on Yahoo message boards. Shoot me. I want people to read me, and I'll whore my blog if I have to. Try not to beg for viewers though.

7) Try your hardest to respect your commenters. Sometimes it is hard when someone comes here for propoganda purposes and spreads lies, rhetoric and half truths (like a current Paliphile poster I have attracted, who is spouting garbage on a few of my threads. Sometimes I snap. I'm only human. Delete spam of course, but I don't delete people who disagree with me as long as they stay sort of on topic, like the lying Paliphile poster for example. I don't mind controversy.

8) Always link your sources, and give credit where credit is due. I said some good things about God is For Suckers, and they were actually the first site to pick up my Penn and Teller post causing a lot more exposure of my blog. Exposure sometimes can be a domino effect.

9) Try to be as honest as possible. This is your blog. Speak your mind, and remember that no two people agree about everything.

10) Try to be as brief as possible. Believe me, I tried to be brief with this post too:), but I had to include any point here I thought was valid. Thanks to Atheist Mama, for letting me know my original 9 points were lacking this specific point. And thanks to everyone who supported my blog from the start, especially Elder of Ziyon.

Penn and Teller Creationism

Scary and sad. It is amazing how absolutely ignorant ID supporters are when it comes to science.

Thanks to 386sx who posted the link to this video on Pharyngula.

And thanks again to God is for Suckers, who originally linked me and to Pharyngula for adding me later, as well as everyone else who linked my site. I set a record (for me) of over 2500 hits here yesterday.

And yes, some people who discovered my site yesterday were very upset by my views on Islam. If you are one of them: educate yourself. You are just as much out to lunch about Radical Islam, as Fundies are when it comes to evolution.

The far Left really pisses me off. There is no excuse for strapping on suicide bombs and murdering civilians. Not only is Islam famous for the suicide bomb, they celebrate it. The far Left makes excuses for these actions. Check out some of the videos on my sidebar, you need to wake up. I suggest watching the Wafa Sultan video and the "3 Palestinian former terrorists" video for starters. Take it as a dare. Or don't watch it and keep your head in the sand.

KEN MILLER'S LECTURE ON THE DEATH OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN

I wish every high school class in the world made this video mandatory viewing. Home school teachers should be FORCED to show their kids this. The Fundy parents, or whatever they call themselves, can explain it to their kids how ever they want to. Let them say that this an alternative theory to Godidit, but at least let the kids see it.

I have serious doubts that Fundies even make an attempt to understand what Professor Miller is stating in this video.

Ken Miller, by the way, is a Professor of biology at Brown University. He is a Catholic, and believes in Theistic Evolution. He believes in God, but doesn't deny science like the Christian Right does.

I would love to see a live debate between Miller and that freak Preacher Haggard. Miller for sure would show up, but it is very clear that Haggard never would. Fundies are slippier than greased pigs.

Richard Dawkins: The Root of All Evil

Ted Haggard is a scary puke. Dawkins made him look like a retard in this clip. It makes it worth watching. Dawkins gets the point across about the Christian Right. They don't even understand science and evolution, but they lie and pretend they do.
Haggard,President of the National Association of Evangelicals, was on Barbara Walters Christmas special about Heaven. He said that the only way to get to heaven for sure is to believe in Jesus. He believes that anyone who doesn't accept Jesus will go to hell. Oh yeah, he talks to George Bush once a week supposedly.
Since I know everyone becomes worm food when we die, it is hard for me to imagine what I would think of certain people in my presence, if I felt they were going to hell and I was going to heaven. But I'm sure I would be looking down at that person. This is what most of these dudes feel about anyone who doesn't accept Jesus, I think.
The Christian Right is using Israel, and the return of Jews to Israel, as a fulfilled bible prophecy that needed to occur for the Rapture to happen. Again, I will say exactly why I think Israel needs to exist: Anti-semitism can show up any place, any time. Now Jews, and yes even Atheist Jews like me, have a place to go in case it gets out of hand anywhere in the world. Take France for example, recently. When Hitler murdered Jews, he didn't care if they believed in God or not. I'm still on the hit list of any violent anti-semite.
Israel is using the Christian Right for support. Oh yeah, I'm not supposed to say this, but it is true. If these crazy basturds turn on the Jews for any reason down the road, they are capable of another Holocaust. But first they'd love to put a stake in the heart of all Atheists first. We scare the crap out of them, because deep down they know we know, and we're fine with what we know.
Right now, the Christian Right, with all their intolerance, serves a purpose for me. They are good for the War on Terror. All said, the Christian Right is the lesser of two evils. Islam must be reformed first for mankind to survie. While this is happening, hopefully, the children of the fanatical Christian Fundies here will question the crap their parents and preachers are feeding them, and embrace real science and discovery.



New York born,Joseph Cohen is featured halfway through this piece. Oh yeah, he is now Yousef al Khattab. He found Islam in 1998, as a Gaza settler, because he didn't like the idea that teachers wore short dresses. He hates Atheists too, because we condone short dresses for women. At least he admits that he believes Muslims will take over the world, that it is inevitable. But Israel must be destroyed first. He moved to Morocco in 2006, the sick basturd.

Bacon and God: Illegal Immigration In Heaven

I think we have the LEFT to thank for changing the definition of "illegal" to mean "not really legal, but it's OK, don't worry about it." Don't get me wrong, now that this is finally out in the open, I have to also add that everyone knows there are many jobs that legal Americans don't do, or won't do, and illegal aliens take these jobs without a problem. Obviously there is room to let more immigrants "legally" into the USA. To at least take the jobs nobody else wants. A realistic quota needs to be set.

I'm a firm believer that a country has to take care of it's own needs first, and unless there in genocide involve, immigration needs to be controlled. Something is either legal or illegal. It is that simple. Dr. Marco has a well thought out plan. Check it out.