Happy New Year
Monday January 1, 2007
As is the custom at the New Year I have assessed the previous year and made plans for the next. In 2006 I tried a few things that were different on the blog. Some worked better than others. The various placement of Adsense ad blocks yielded some interesting results. The F pattern heat map is holding to be true in that my ads in the right side bar are getting the most clicks.
Plans for 2007 include some more visually appealing layouts on the blog. I hope to do some more things with graphics and images to spruce things up. People like eye candy and when it is combined with relative content, repeat visitors will follow. Look for more eye candy here in 2007.
Content is King. Content is what makes people return to sites over and over again. The Florida tag on Fark is a classic example. People want to know what idiotic things are going on in Florida. It is always good for a laugh. Steve Hall at Adrants always has good stuff and Jenny is really doing well at Wiregirl. Razor sharp focus on content brings visitors and page rank. Both are good things.
My year end assessment yields my topics of greatest interest. Diet and fitness is probably number one. I lost 40 lbs in 2006 and hope to do the same in 2007. From a high of 265, I am now at 225 and plan to go on to 185. It can be done. Diet and exercise work together to make it happen. Web design ranks high on my list of enjoyable past times. Some day I hope to attend South by South West in Austin. My day job gets in the way right now. In 2007 I want to step up my web design skills. Like working out, the main thing is to get in there and do it.
The year ended and started on a down note for me. I woke up Saturday morning with a scratchy throat that developed into a cold. I had hoped to get in the gym for the final day of 2006 and the first day of 2007. I missed both. Tomorrow is another day with another opportunity. Best wishes for the New Year.