weekend roundup, odd sign edition
It’s hard to believe that there’s no football this weekend, but it’s all for the best – cries of “We stomp you out” are still ringing in my ears. The presidential race should provide enough sports-like excitement for a while. I got to vote and I am still somewhat conflicted about my vote. And my candidate is still a leading contender (or has it sewn up) to become his (or her) party’s nominee, so you can continue to guess who it was! But that ought to narrow it down to three (let’s face it, Huckabee and Paul are spoilers at this point).
30 Things to Do to Keep From Getting Bored Out of Your Skull at Work | Zen Habits
- Another “Zen” titled blog you may be familiar with (!) has some good tips on how to avoid boredom at work. I need these tips every single day.
The Pursuit of Perfection and What Happens Next | I’ve Paid For This Twice Already…
- OK, I had mixed feelings on this post from one of my favorite bloggers. I am not a Patriots fan, to put it mildly, and I was ecstatic when they lost. No surprise. But this is a very well-written thought on how setbacks in a quest for perfection have to be approached. I like the idea that anyone searching for improvement and aiming for a goal has to take even dreadful setbacks and move on.
The secret underbelly of blogging; why I’m done with linkbait » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk
- Penelope has some interesting takes on blogging and trying to write for audience, similar to Seth’s thoughts below. Her thinking is similar to mine – I get bored with the business of writing linkbait (25 tips to…). She writes great stuff and her blog is much more interesting than most I read (including mine) even when I don’t agree with it – so it’s worth thinking about.
How to Choose a Domain Name – Brandable Domains vs Keyword Rich Domains
- This article is only interesting if you are yourself a blogger. I chose brip blap and then thought “maybe I should have chosen lifesimple or dollarmaster or something like that.” Look at the list of the Top 25 blogs on Technorati and you’ll see Boing Boing, Gizmodo and Dooce. The biggest blogs are brands, not SEO-optimized titles. Just something to think about.
Seth’s Blog: Who are these people?
- Seth has a great point here – it’s very tough to write something that will be a huge hit. I always think of Tim Ferris and his Four Hour Workweek. He writes a very interesting blog, the book’s a bestseller, and I wonder if he had called it “Learning How to Reduce Your Workload” or something like that whether it would have taken off the same way. Seth’s point is that it’s hard to aim for mass phenomena and so it’s better to aim for niche interest. It’s a good point that any blog writer probably agonizes over.
Zen Problog » Blog Archive » 22 Benefits of Owning a Business (and Why You Should Do It)
- Interesting piece from a blog I just came across – some good ideas about why you should consider owning a business. I think I may start a business soon, although judging by the success of my blog to date it’s going to be the very defion of a small business.
Get Paid to Interview for Jobs!??
- OK, I haven’t done this yet, but I will – get paid to interview for jobs. Why not? I ran the little calculator and it said I should demand $700+ for the sake of an interview. I figure two interviews a day and I’m making $336,000 per year! Granted, interviewing twice a day for a year may start to look like a fishy resume, but I could squeeze SOME mileage out of it…
The Frugal Duchess: Congrats to NY Giants! Super Bowl Lessons in Finance
- Sharon has a football themed finance post here and I just had to highlight at least one Giants-related post. I had to. She also points out the repellent news that the Pats were already planning their post-game party and invited a Giants team member to it. Hubris!
Success Rocks!: How much does experience and authenticity count for these days?
- Lea’s got a good point here about bloggers who blog about things they know nothing about. I blog about personal finance and career and weight loss and family because I know those things. As I mentioned recently, I don’t blog about real estate because I know very little about it. You won’t catch me talking too much about debt management – because I’ve had two debts in my life (a mortgage and one ill-advised car loan, but otherwise never). It’s a tough distinction but one that should be drawn – the difference between experience and opinion.
Odds and ends
Two things – first, prompted by a very sensible comment from Mike of Quest for Four Pillars and a followup from Emily of Remodeling This Life I decided I was being irrational about ads, and I really need to stop penalizing myself for the sake of an imagined “integrity.” I don’t have a second of doubt that if you’re a regular reader that you’re going to be suckered by an ad that’s not for a reasonable or helpful product. Please tell me if they get annoying, but I’m putting up a few more.
Second, if you are a commentator and you got a whole bunch of emails from me, I apologize! I was experimenting with some blogging software that (obviously) had a glitch and fired out hundreds of emails by accident. Won’t happen again!
photo by Zach Klein
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Thanks for the link – and a great list of posts. I’ve got some readin’ to do.
Mike
Steve, I think you got paid once when you went for an interview. They paid for your commute and gave you a check, can’t remember for what. Wish there were more companies like that. The point is, companies think that you need them more than they need you.
Re: Seth’s Blog – niche interest is my apparent aim. I try to chime in with the Gen-Y, as well as work/life mix crowd every so often, but I must stick with my niche. It’s best for my practice, and more true to my mission statement – though it doesn’t quite draw crowds.
I like to think I’m just ahead of the game!
@Bubelah: I did, you’re right – but this service is paying serious big money. I think the one I went for was a trivial amount (but you’re right, I completely forgot which company/how much/etc.)
@t h rive: Your strategy isn’t bad although I think you don’t always make it explicit enough that that’s your aim – and unfortunately Gen Y is still pretty unfocused on long term financial goals (just as Gen X took forever and the Boomers never got it! But as Gen Yers get more focused on finances you’ll be in a good position to capitalize on it – you’re a lot more focused on topic than I am.
Bernancke: nuova era dell'impero economico-finanziario trainate globale
Bernancke: nuova era dell'impero economico-finanziario trainate globale