Here’s the e-mail I got.

Hello,

Thank you for participating in the AdSense Referrals program.
We’re writing to let you know that we will be retiring the AdSense
Referrals program during the last week of August. We appreciate
your patience during this transition and here are some alternative
options to consider:

* Google Affiliate Network: As part of the integration of
DoubleClick, the DoubleClick Performics Affiliate Network will now
operate as the Google Affiliate Network for advertisers targeting
users located in the United States. Similar to the AdSense
Referrals program, the Google Affiliate Network enables publishers
to apply for advertiser programs and get paid based on
advertiser-defined actions instead of clicks or impressions. For
further details, please visit:
www.google.com/ads/affiliatenetwork.
* AdSense for content ads: If you have less than three AdSense
for content ad units on a page, you may wish to replace the
referral ad units with standard AFC ad units.

If you currently use referral ads, either to promote Google
products or offerings from AdWords advertisers, AdSense Referrals
code will no longer display ads beginning the last week of August.
We encourage you to take the following steps before the product is
retired:

* Remove the referral code from your site(s): Please take a
moment to remove all referral code from your sites before the last
week of August, so you can continue to effectively monetize your
ad space.
* Run and save all referrals reports on your desktop: Create
and save all reports related to the referrals program on your
desktop, so you continue to have access to your valuable campaign
information

Why is this happening?
We’re constantly looking for ways to improve AdSense by developing
and supporting features which drive the best monetization results
for our publishers. Sometimes, this requires retiring existing
features so we can focus our efforts on the ones that will be most
effective in the long term. For this reason, we will be retiring
the AdSense Referrals program. If you have any additional
questions, please visit our Help Center:
http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=14882

Sincerely.

The Google AdSense Team

www.guidestar.org
OR
apps.irs.gov/app/pub78

The last one is the database maintained by the US Internal Revenue Service, so the web address may change. If the link doesn’t work, use the main IRS link, www.irs.gov , and look for page titles like charities, non-profits, search for nonprofits.

Here’s a head-scratcher with a deceptively obvious answer: When a person comments on a blog or website, who owns, or owns the rights to, that comment? Is it the commenter or the blog/website publisher? It’s a trickier question than you might think

“An interesting question might be whether, by posting the submission to begin with, the blogger has ‘agreed’ to distribute it, such that the blogger has a continuing obligation to continue to display it,” said Ochoa. Ochoa doubts this is the case, however, without some kind of written contract.

It’s a complicated issue, for sure, and one that probably won’t be solved in the immediate future. Read article …

Here is a list to choose from:

• Dreamhost.com
• NonProfitWebhosting.org/
• IntuitSolutions.net
• 12WonderWebServices.com
• AmbitiousLemon.com
• ThinkHost.com
• Grassroots.org
  

Please comment if you know of any others.

I thought it did a very good job explaining Social Bookmarking.

Enjoy!

Well those days are over. I just updated both of my blogs with my handy dandy Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin. Really!

Heres what it does:

1. Backs up the files and makes available a link to download it.
2. Backs up the database and makes available a link to download it.
3. Downloads the latest files from http://wordpress.org/latest.zip and unzips it.
4. Puts the site in maintenance mode.
5. De-activates all active plugins and remembers it.
6. Upgrades WordPress files.
7. Gives you a link that will open in a new window to upgrade installation.
8. Re-activates the plugins.

Not too shabby eh?

This is because different browsers display Web pages differently.  Hopefully your Web site is being tested across many browsers to account for as many users as possible.

Before publishing I submit my page to BrowserShots.org which shows you what your site looks like in different browsers on three different operating systems. You have the option to select any combination of operating system, browser, version, and screen size.

I focus my testing on the most used browsers which are usually (in order) Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 6, and FireFox 2 on the Windows XP operating system.  If my Web page looks good on those browsers then it usually looks good on other browsers too.

The service is free so sometimes the wait can be long but you can just bookmark the results page and return to it later to see your results.  There is a paid version those who want to speed the process up.

A really great tool that no Web designer should be with out!

So I bet your wondering how to get this wonderous piece of HTML to work for you. Read on!

Just make the appropriate changes, in the HTML, to make the listing yours and then go to your listing and go to the edit page. Once there check the ‘The Descriptions below are in HTML” checkbox. After that all you have to do is paste the HTML into the ‘Long Desription’ box. Click save and take a look at your new listing

Here is the HTML. Please feel free to modify and distribute at will!

1. Get your opinion out there
2. Link like there is no tomorrow!
3. Writing less is more
4. 250 Words is the limit
5. Eye catching Headlines
6. Use bulleted lists
7. Make your posts scanable
8. Stick with your style
9. Pepper your post with keywords
10. Revise, revise, revise…

1. Get your opinion out there
People like blogs because they are written by people and not big corporations. People want to know what people think; they want see some personality. Tell them exactly what you think using the least amount of words possible.

2. Link like there is no tomorrow!
Support your post with links to other web pages that are contextual to your post.

3. Writing less is more
Give the greatest amount of information with the least amount of words. Time is limited and people are very busy. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound.

4. 250 words is the limit
A lengthy post is easier to forget and takes longer to digest. A succinct post is the opposite.

5. Eye catching Headlines
Contain your whole subject in your headline. Check out National newspapers to see how they do it. “Blogger begs National Enquirer for headline advise”

6. Use bulleted  lists
We all adore lists, it structures the info in an easily digestible format.

7. Make your posts scanable
Every few paragraphs insert a sub heading. Make sentences and headlines short and to the point.

8. Stick with your style
People like to know what to expect, once you have developed a style for your audience stick to it.  Got to have something to look forward to right?

9. Pepper your post with Keywords
Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and incorporate them in the body text and headers. Make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.

10. Revise, revise, revise…
We’ve all heard this in English class… good writing is in the editing. Before you slap the submit button, re-read your post and remove the stuff that you don’t need.

I hope you enjoyed my tips for writing a blog post - feel free to share your own blog writing tips below.

Basecamp is an excellent online software package that makes project management and collaboration easy. Created by 37signals, the entire Basecamp system is accessed and managed online, so none of the software or data is actually stored on your computer. You can share the project management with your fellow co-workers, clients, or an entire company.

Basecamp helps you manage multiple projects at a time with to-do lists, file sharing, chatting, messages, calendars and time tracking. 37signals offers a trimmed-down free version, which is great for starting out, as well as monthly plans with all of the features discussed below.

Message Boards

With the Basecamp message board, you can easily post messages and notify any or all members of a pre-determined group, who can then comment. Just type your message, choose from a list of people to get an email, categorize by topic, attach files (if necessary) and submit. With a great built in search function (throughout Basecamp), it’s nice to have your conversations documented and easy to find.

• Video on Message Boards

To-Do Lists

You’ll never want to write a to-do list on paper again! In Basecamp, you can create many to-do lists per project. Once a list is created (such as “Layout Revisions”), you add specific items and can assign people in your group (or yourself) to be responsible for each one. When complete, you just check off the item and it moves to the completed list. There is even an option to have the to-do e-mailed to the person upon delegation.

• Video on To-Do lists

File Sharing

With built in file sharing, it’s easy to share documents with co-workers and even clients for a project. Upload designs, invoices, notes, photos…anything you want available online to share. It’s great to avoid using FTP and emailing large files. You can easily upload files, categorize them, and download at any time from anywhere.

• Video on File Sharing

Milestones & Time Tracking

Basecamp uses Milestones to keep track of important project deadlines, such as due dates for each round of designs. You can assign a milestone to a person, relate one to to-do lists and subscribe to them in iCal (on the Mac). Your Dashboard (the Basecamp home page with an overview of your projects) will show you upcoming and late milestones so it’s a great way to keep track, and not miss, deadlines.

Time tracking in Basecamp allows all of the members of your group (or just you) to record hours spent on specific tasks and entire projects. You can create reports from the “time sheets” and even relate to to-do lists. Having this, along with all of the other Basecamp functions, in one place is what makes the software such a powerful tool.

• Video on Milestones

A side note…

Recently, I’ve started to use Basecamp in a non-conventional way. A project is so easy to set-up, personalize and customize that I’ve begun to create Basecamp pages for prospective clients as a way to create an intranet feel with my branding and their branding together. Then I upload relevant reading materials, pre-meeting files and other marketing and education related materials and grant the prospect permission to collaborate on the project.

It’s a great tool for this type of communication in the first place but I’ve also found that prospective clients are very impressed with the technology and all that it offers. This type of personalized use of technology is a great competitive advantage for any industry - particularly ones that don’t normally employ it.

A side benefit of using the technology in the lead conversion process is that I end up with clients already trained and ready to continuing using the service to collaborate and communicate throughout a project.

Visit Their Web Site

Suggested Reading

• Basecamp Home Page
• Basecamp Pricing and Signup