Inspired by this I’ve decided to finally get around to organising my RSS feeds! If your not using RSS then you really should, and if its not on your site, then your missing out on a massive market – hardly anyone has time to visit your site most of the time RSS lets them read your posts and click through to comment (if their so inclined) all from one page and without having to remember urls!. Heres the really simple guide to syndication. (RSS savvy – see what I did there!?)

I started off by exporting my RSS feed as am XML file by going to my account > import/export and clicking export as OPML file. The xml file was saved to my desktop.

I’m not going to stop using Google reader because its very useful being able to access your feeds anywhere in the world (and house), the only reason I’m exporting is that Googles organisation is a bit lacking, so I’m going to import it into a local RSS reader then import it back into Google reader nice and neat and organised! My local RSS reader of choice is Vienna. I’m very very anal about organising things, I organise like mad! (I’m also a clean freak. mmm disinfectant.) At least if I worked at Naples Plastic Surgery you’d come out looking perfect, and be very clean!

Once I’m organised I export the xml file from vienna and then import it back into Google Reader! Tada, nice neat and organised!

How many of you can use illustrator!? I’m sure I’m missing something here but the pen tool seems a bit…inept?! In Photoshop you make a line then you can transform that whole line, but on illustrator you can’t do that! I can only add anchors and make waves – I get my curve but then I cant get rid of the other half of the line! Ignore my gibberings, This is genius, Just click once then click and hold and move the mouse around to get your curve! As a result of my lack of pen tool ability (and my futile search for tutorials relating to it) it took me quite sometime to actually come up with something pretty in illustrator! (about an hour to be precise)

I’m aware it looks shockingly like an orange but I don’t care! Its my second accomplishment in illustrator and I plan to start using it more. I might try out a demo of fireworks too (shh Rhys!!) just to see what it can do.

I followed this tutorial but the screen mode didn’t work so its just a white circle instead of a gradient with the opacity reduced, and don’t even get me started on those bastard leaves!! Wheres the mask tool when you need it!?

And how the hell do you make your own gradient?! grr. Least I can use the blend tool! *result*

[tag]rss[/tag] [tag]feeds[/tag]

Keep joining my forum!

I have an insightful post lined up about the metro thing but I’m not going to post it yet, its not really my style! Speaking of my style I found this in my referrals.
“eruanna.net has fallen victim [to advertising on sites] as well. I never really expected her site to start in with it.”

I hate advertising, I really, really, really do. But I don’t think my ads affect my site, do you? (Please tell me if you think they do!!) I’ve tried to make them small and as unobtrusive as possible but without compromising their positions so that people do click on them. I’m very fussy about how good my site looks and if an ad ruins my layout – its gone!

I never said why I started advertising. Putting it simply, I need the money for this site! Every single text-link-ads referral has gone straight into this site, into the paypal and then a few days after the payments gone in, my hosting subscription takes it out. My hostings not that expensive (in case your wondering), but neither is my earnings so it balances.

Adsense, well…to be honest that serves no purpose but for me to look in my status bar and see how my ‘vast fortune’ (note the use of sarcasm) has grown by a cent.

This sort of advertising is fine in my opinion, as long as its not ‘click me click me’ or it tricks you into clicking it. I’ve been on sites where the adsense is positioned and I’ve thought it was the navigation!

Pay per Post, is a different matter. I admit, I tried it out, but it wasn’t for me. Its so…false and I hate it. PPP (to me) communicates a person who doesn’t care about what their putting on their site, of course there might be one or two posts that suit a particular site but I’m speaking generally here. You will never, ever see a PPP entry on eruanna.net because none of its very ‘me’. Blogtoprofit I’m unsure about, I like the creativity of coming up with sentences to go with the links.

A quick update on smudge, she had her stitches out on wednesday, but shes got to be in the cage for another 4 weeks! shes gonna hate it! She needs to run around and eat mice, its what she does, its so cruel keeping her in a cage, but it is for her own good.

My parents are also now considering moving back to Singapore for a few years and taking the cats with them! Can you imagine her in Singapore! She’d melt – shes so hairy!

We got a new TV today *evil grin* its bigger than me! 42″ plasma baby and its huge! I’ve played Project Gotham Racing on it all morning and its brilliant. Its a shame the controller I bought the other day doesn’t work! As my dad was rather enjoying it too! I’m looking forward to watching Great British Menu on it this afternoon. I’m also wondering how we can get BBC High Def because we can’t get the sky HD channels. I’m desperate for Discovery HD because of the amount of american chopper they show!

You may have noticed I’ve been blogging rather a lot over the past week – thats because of Blog to Profit. I’ve been (not quite so subtly) including their links in my posts, I rather enjoyed it actually as I like a challenge! Hopefully in two days time I’ll be $25 richer! I’ve nearly got enough in my paypal to pay for the entire years hosting! Its strange that if I’d done all this advertising a few years ago I wouldn’t have even sold my tax software link, of which I’m rather proud. Maybe because back then blogging wasn’t really popular, or perhaps I was just in the wrong circle.

So the Metro Brit Blog Awards 07 were announced today, and lo and behold, I’m shortlisted. (no height jokes please) Firstly *yay* my blogs first achievement! Secondly:

Winners

The winners will have to do the following:

1. Potential photocall when receiving prizes
2. Media interviews on winning the award
3. Quote on winning the award in the press release

There is a prize to be awarded for each of the 8 categories for these Blog Awards.

All winners will receive a winner’s plaque.

Youth Category Winner

If an individual blog wins, the winner will have the opportunity to write an article for metro.co.uk (such article to be published on metro.co.uk at the editor’s discretion).

If a group blog wins, the judges will choose a blogger from that group who will be given the opportunity to write an article for metro.co.uk (such article to be published on metro.co.uk at the editor’s discretion).

All Other Categories

If an individual blog is chosen as the winner of any category the winner will be awarded the prize of a Sony Vaio laptop VGN-FS415E or laptop of similar specifications.

If a group blog is chosen as the winner of any category that group will be awarded a cheque for the amount of