Multibloggery: How many blogs do I need?

Is it better to have one blog that talks about everything, or to float a new blog every time you have a major topic to cover?

Professionally–when I’m advising corporations and non-profits on blog strategy–I often suggest that they split blogs by topic/function, but give everything the same look and feel, heavily cross-linked. Bunch of advantages in doing it that way, primarily from the back end: You can keep contributors out of areas where their permission levels could possibly damage things, you can add/subtract critical functions and plugins to make the site as usable and powerful as needed, which both speeds performance and again, providers contributors with just the tools they need to do their jobs. You can also turn one section off pretty easily, and that method can sometimes be very helpful from a search engine optimization perspective.

To visitors, a bunch of strung-together blogs still looks like one site; they can’t tell the difference as they move from blog to blog. Properly designed, a series of blogs becomes the website and is a heckuva lot easier (and cheaper) to maintain, upgrade and scale. And with plugins, today’s blog software can provide everything from an online catalog/store to photo galleries to contact forms to collaboration centers to discussion forums in maybe a tenth the time of conventional web development.

Somewhat hypocritically, my own blog is a single, monolithic grab-bag (you’ve probably noticed). While I really only discuss five things–glass/art, web/tech, restaurants, people studies and current events–they are kinda crammed into the same small space.

So…I’m wondering if it would make sense to pull the blogs apart, establish a blog just for art and glass, another that’s only restaurant reviews, another on tech, still another on photography or maybe and then my put personal observations on a fifth. Cross-link them, feed them all into a central blog home page. And then link in a new blog everytime my interests change…?

And yeah, I’m thinking about redesigning the site and moving to a new host. Again. Apparently I’m a technomasochist.

BooneOakley

There’s no such thing as a perfect website.

Websites are SUPPOSED to evolve as people’s requirements (and ideas) change. Therefore, while you might get a website that’s perfect for exactly one nanosecond in time where site design, content, product and people work perfectly together, what you mostly get is the need to improve the site.

HOWEVER…some sites come pretty bloody close to perfect, and BooneOakley is one of them. [Read more]

Love her. Hate them.

So if you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know that I love, er, hate, er, very much like my iPhone, so much that I’ve named her Gigi and she goes everywhere with me. She’s my mobile email, ebook, emovie, emusic, egame, ephoto, eWeb, etext, ewhatever machine, and I have to thank Apple for that.

She’s also a royal pain in the fundament, and I have to thank AT&T for that. And from the sounds of it, the new iPhone 3GS gives me even more to thank them for.

I gotta admit, I like Verizon much better as a mobile phone company; they’re far more willing to help you out with problems, they’re in more locations when you need to stop in for something but most of all, more calls go through.

[Read more]

Blender defender

Ever had a problem with your cat getting up on the counter?

http://www.plasma2002.com/blenderdefender/

‘Nuf said.*

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*Although if you’ve got time, also check out the emergency party button, perfect for the friendless geek with a few extra electronics lying around.

200 years that changed the world…and other things

There are few things better than a good data visualization.* “Lies, damn lies, and statistics” aside, it’s one of the best ways I know to debunk dogma and put the universe into a bit more perspective. And, in the bargain, many are absolutely gorgeous works of art.

[Read more]

The lookup game

When I was a kid I used to grab the nearest reference work–dictionary, encyclopedia, my dad’s medical texts, my mom’s artbooks–then close my eyes and turn to a page. I’d read whatever came up, follow all the “See alsos” I came across, look up terms I didn’t understand and just generally take that page to its logical conclusion.

I called it the “lookup game.” It taught me all sorts of totally useless things (for a kid), including the realization that I never met a fact I didn’t like. It also turned me on to doing my own research and discovering things, people, issues, etc., that probably wouldn’t have appeared in the typical suburban whitekid’s daily routine.

[Read more]

Catting around on the Web

Got allergies to cats? Got five thousand bucks and a lot of patience?

You, too, could own a hypoallergenic cat…not. And thereby hangs one of the nicest examples I’ve seen in awhile of how the Web can make things tougher for con men. The Web is most certainly rife with fraud, but if you take the time to do a little online research, it’s also one of the best ways to spread the word on crooks.

[Read more]

Design by the Book

Just a quickie: Cool project with the New York Public Library, called Design by the Book. It’s a collaboration between the library, a group called Design Sponge and five New York artists:

• Mike Perry, an illustrator and author specializing in hand-drawn fonts
• John Pomp, a glassblower
• Julia Rothman, a fabric/wallpaper pattern designer
• Rebecca Kutys, who runs a small printing press
• Lorena Barrezueta, who makes table and body ware in porcelain

The idea is pretty simple: Turn these artists loose in the stacks of New York Public and see what inspires them…and how it changes their work. The results aren’t really revolutionary, but it is interesting. Design Sponge videotaped the process, and incidentally reminded us that libraries are a precious resource and more than just a collection of words that can be put online. 

If you’re into Apple iTunes, it’s available as a podcast there, or you can pick up episodes directly from the site. And the librarian in the series, Jessica Pigza, has a blog called the Handmade Librarian that’s well worth a visit even if you’re not interested in the project.

And go visit your library!

Silk mermaids and great big sculptures

Not a whole lot I can add to this lady’s blog, SilkMermaid.com, except WOW….and that it’s worth a visit if you’re interested in large-format sculpture, robotic-assist costuming and related topics. Sculptor Kim Graham includes some excellent supplies lists and tutorials on creating sculpture and molds. (and notice the resemblance in the two folk on the left)

This blog is the how. If you want to see Ms. Graham’s sculpture gallery, visit her studio website.

Be sure to check out her digitigrade leg extensions. And, thanks to Patrick Gracewood for pointing me to her stuff.

iPhone as bookphone

Morning chores: Shower, dress, feed and jab the cat,* do the litter and breakfast (with a handwash in between), make the bed, get at least a quarter of yesterdays’ email answered and download a book to read on the train.

I am, apparently, drinking the Kindle koolaid, albeit with an iPhone, not a Kindle.** This is probably the dozenth book I’ve downloaded onto Gigi-the-iPhone in the last couple of months. eBooks, which didn’t appear to me to be of much real use, have suddenly become a significant new way to acquire new reading material. There are several reasons for this:

• [Read more]

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