Toluu updated again this morning releasing another great feature. The latest feature is Feed preview functionality throughout the site. When you mouseover a Feed title a window is revealed listing the last 5 blog posts contained in that feed.
I spoke to Caleb Elston the Toluu founder about this feature. He said,
“We actually decided to build in this functionality when we found ourselves passing by feeds because we didn’t want to wait for the page to load or have to hit the back button. Since we weren’t always willing to take a risk on a feed to see if it might be interesting we knew other users wouldn’t either.”
This should save users time and give you a better idea of the content of a feed. Caleb had discovered first hand that feed titles may be bad but the content worth taking a look at. He mentioned that while testing this feature he had “already found a few more blogs I had no idea existed.”
I previously made a long Toluu enhancement list I titled “My Toluu Wishlist” based upon the great potential I see in the young application. Toluu’s development in the last month has seen dramatic speed increases throughout the site and many UI enhancements. Toluu continues to roll out features.
If you tried Toluu early on I urge you to give it another try. It is faster, much more responsive, and the UI is more intuitive. If you need an invite I have some. Leave a comment if you want one.
I read an article this morning titled “The Evolution Of Wordpress.” Wordpress is the fabulous CMS software that powers this blog. Hack wordpress a great blog that I read was commenting on the changes and improvements the Wordpress software has seen.
In the same way the advances in Social media are dramatic. Systems, methods, and technologies that many rely on were not around or were in infant stages just 5 years ago. 5 years in technology terms is a enormous amount of time but in the real world 5 years is a blink of an eye. The web as we know it has changed dramatically in the last 5 years. Its modern inception is only a mere 15 years or so old.
Web applications have given this ‘have it now crowd’ nearly instant gratification. I have commented before that I am amazed at the feature development of some of the current Web apps. Just bursting into prominence in the last 6 months or so FriendFeed and Toluu continually wow me with enhancements.
Social Media Addiction
Do you remember life before a cell phone? Perhaps the cell phone era is difficult to remember we have come to rely on them so heavily. Now when I leave my cell phone at home despite $4 a gallon gas prices I turn the car around and go back for the phone.
I think many of us have the same thoughts about social media. We have become so attached to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, and any other social media application that application failure is devastating.
The twitter addicts have been hunting all over for a place to get their fix. They have stirred the blogosphere into a buzz over start-ups like Plurk and identi.ca.
The twitter addicts seem to have become attached to Twitter in the same way they are attached to power, water, and other necessities of life. They seem to be the most rabid. But I venture to say that Gmail, FriendFeed, or Google Reader went down in the way twitter has I would be equally as frantic. Social media addiction is prominent.
Declare Your Independence
I challenge you to declare your independence from Social media at least for some period of time. Declaring your independence will assist you in breaking your cycle of addiction. This should assist in the event that your favorite application goes down or becomes unreliable. So take a break from social media.
Perhaps we should stop for a minute and smell the fresh air. It is summertime. We should take a break and get outdoors. We could take our families on vacation. I recently saw a user friendfeeding on vacation from the beach. This flickr image appeared in the friendfeed stream posted from the beach. Could the addiction be anymore evident? No friendfeeding or twittering during family time. Take a break so you can appreciate and enjoy social media later.
Forget the blogging formulas. Blogging is not an exact science. That is why we are all different. As human beings there are no 2 bloggers who write exactly the same. Writing / Blogging is an expression of one’s thoughts and ideas. Some bloggers are good at it and some are not.
I read a post today from CopyBlogger titled “3 Things to Consider When Deciding How Long Your Blog Posts Should Be.” There are no three things to consider when determining the length of your blog post. The CopyBlogger post listed “TONE, POSTING FREQUENCY, and POSTING SCHEDULE” as the three things to consider.
I could not disagree more with the Copyblogger post.
Formulaic Consistency
The three things suggested seem to center around creating a consistency for your blog. Consistency in posting, in style and topic, and in posting schedule.
If I read 100 feeds in my feed reader I do not expect consistency from all posts of the blogs I read. I like the fact that when I open Google Reader I will get a new post with a different take. I do not expect consistency and really do not desire it. I like variety, new, and different content from the same sources.
Consistency is one of the formulaic things that can limit content. I want fresh content. I want fresh ideas. I want bloggers that I read to write when and what they want to.
Blogging Motivation
Another problem I have with the CopyBlogger post is there are not 3 things to consider when determining post length. Blogging with a blogging formula seems to me to be a misplacement of motivation for writing.
Why do you blog? Who is your blogging for? Do you blog only for SEO?
I do not think content should be geared solely around SEO. What will my readers like? What will be popular? What is relevant for post success? Those are questions that are not valid to me.
Forget the blogging formulas. Are you blogging because you like to write or is there some other purpose?
The only thing I consider when writing a blog post is did I get my point across. Do I need more words to express the point of the post? If the answer is “Yes” then I continue to write and if the answer is “No” I am finished.
Mythical Blogging Rules
The CopyBlogger post stated:
“Many bloggers are afraid of breaking the “rules” because they want to succeed so bad. Conformism is a social more many are afraid to break across many spectrums; not just in business. But, sometimes success comes when you break all the rules.”
I agree in part. You will be successful when you come to the realization that there are no rules. The “rules” are a myth.
Forget the Blogging Formulas. Write what you want when you want because the rest is just bologna.
The Evolution of Social Media
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