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2.3.08 - Point of Difference (POD)

Point of Difference (POD): The reason why people should visit your site over every other.

Every successful site has a hook to it – something that differentiates them from the competition. Something that elicits the following reaction (quoting Rae Hoffman from her Performancing interview):

“Oh, yeah, widgetworld.com – you guys are the ones who have the [insert something others in that niche aren't doing here]“

A POD is different from the core basics any site should have – quality content, good usability, community value, etc. And here’s where many webmasters trip themselves up – they consider these basics (quality content, community value and personal opinion are the most common) as being a point of difference in themselves.

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Filed under: Business - 3 Comments

22.2.08 - YouTube Blocked In Pakistan

Update: The offending video has since been removed and Youtube has now been unblocked. Good work all around.

Youtube.com is inaccessible from several ISPs here in Pakistan and there are reports that all ISPs have been directed by the Pakistani government to block www.youtube.com for containing blasphemous web content.

This ban has reportedly been placed because of this video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3s8jtvvg00 – and no matter what you want to say about censorship and the freedom of speech, this video is downright abusive and hateful. I managed to load the video through Anonymizer, but stopped after the first few seconds – not out of any respect for Islam, but because the video goes far beyond what you would consider satire and is essentially hate speech.

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Filed under: Pakistan - 8 Comments

8.2.08 - The Real Cost Of A Blog Reboot

When I tell people how much it costs to have their blog rebooted, they often react as if I’ve grabbed their wallet and made a run for it.

The truth is, no one who really needs this advice has any idea of how much its worth – for most people, spending $500-$1k to get a 2000-3000 word document telling you what to do is ridiculous. And I agree – why should you pay even $300 if you can do this yourself, right?

So let’s look at what it really takes to do a blog reboot:

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Filed under: Blogging - No Comments

26.1.08 - Sheepwalking – an epidemic gone wild

An idea that I’ve been trying to drill into the minds of my friends and acquaintances is what Seth Godin calls ‘sheepwalking‘.

Sheepwalking:

“The outcome of hiring people who have been raised to be obedient and giving them a braindead job and enough fear to keep them in line.”

It’s not so much that this term and its meaning rings so true, it’s that sheepwalking is an evolutionary survival trait, and is so ingrained in our systems through social indoctrination and by our parents that it is a rare person who can break free from these bonds and actually think for themselves.

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26.1.08 - Why Your Best Ideas Come In The Shower

Have you ever wondered why your best ideas don’t come to you when you’re working, but when you’re out for a jog, talking a walk, in the shower or sitting on the loo? Some of my best ideas have come when I’ve been in bed, ready to go off to sleep.

There is a simple (non-technical) explanation for it – when you’re relaxed, your mind’s free association and creative thinking processes are enhanced. You’re not necessarily a ‘deeper’ thinker, but you’re able to generate new ideas much more easily. The key is to ‘NOT’ be concentrating – putting any sort of stress narrows your field of focus and while it helps build details, it doesn’t bring new ideas.

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