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Where It Came From
2007-10-08 04:47:00
  So, do you guys remember the post I made a couple of weeks ago about Google ending PageRank? Well, we have been seeing a lot of traffic coming to that one post.   It's been linked to and discussed by several bloggers, some with large audiences. It's been scraped by at least one blog and partially reprinted by at least one other. Now it has been linked to and discussed on a few forums such as SEO Chat, Blogger Love, High Rankings, Digital Point and even a foreign language forum. It also seems to be making the rounds at Google.   What has been the funniest part by far is the people who only skim through and jump to the conclusion it's real. You really should take the time to read through the forum reactions and even the comments on the post itself. People are so silly.   But Where Did It Come From?   One of the most flattering questions I received was, "Did you get this from somewhere?"   God's honest truth. I spent less than 30 minutes on...

When It Rains It Pours
2007-10-02 05:08:00
  I sat down at the computer this morning still basking in the warm feeling of disbelief about my recent contest wins around the blogospere when I checked on the blog, checked stats, checked Technorati...   ...Why was John Cow dot com linking to me?   I had forgotten they were running a couple of contests that ended last night.   That's right, I won again! I won a Nintendo Wii and a $50 game voucher.   I've got to be honest here. I'm stunned. I don't know what to say. What is there to say? Is there a record for how many blog contests someone has won in 1 week?   I've never played a Wii. I'm not really a gamer. What game or games (How much do they cost?) should I get?   I've got to go reply to some comments. This is a weird feeling I'm having.   I wish I wasn't so tired.Thank you for subscribing to my feed. If you are not reading this in a feed reader it has been stolen from AdSense Tracker Blog.

You Are Not Going To Believe This!
2007-10-01 05:12:00
  As I sat here at the computer before daylight this morning, I was seriously considering shutting this blog down because of my involvement in a project that is consuming all my waking hours and will be for the next few weeks. As I wrote the post listing all the great things that had happened here recently, I changed my mind and decided to stick it out and beg for your patience.   So this evening, I sit down at the computer and check the blog only to find I won a sponsor link in Nate's contest at Average Joe Blogger. Considering all the other stuff I won recently, that was pretty darn cool and I was feeling fairly impressed with my superior contest skills.   Then I checked my email.   I had a nice note from David Airey telling me I had won a prize in his blog birthday contest. He wanted to know what to call me when he posted the winners list tomorrow. Well, naturally, I was blown away. I was thinking to myself, "How can this be?" and "I wonder what I won." becau...
More About: Going , Goin

Im Overwhelmed
2007-09-30 14:32:00
First things first. I'm sorry for the inactivity.  My time is virtually nonexistent right now, but I'll go into that more later. I haven't been ignoring you, I'm doing the best that I can.   Now, why am I over whelmed? I'm overwhelmed in a good way and a bad way.   First The Good   It has been an awesome past 7-10 days (I can't remember) around this little blog.   We broke into the Top 18,000 on Technorati with an authority of 250 with 550 blog reactions. We broke 100 subscribers! (For some reason I can't make that stupid widget show up on here.) We were honored to be listed on Enkay's Top 50 100 Female Bloggers List. By the way, we came in at #22! What?!?! (This is a cute project but, honestly, there are a number of big bloggers not on the list.) We won $100 in the Top Secret Blogger writing contest. I owe this entirely to you guys. The traffic and stumbles that came from this crowd made the difference. Thanks Patric for giving me the opportunit...
More About: Overwhelmed , Helm

Size Does Matter
2007-09-28 04:53:00
I forget sometimes that you guys don't get to see this blog from this side of the screen. I forget that, as long as things are going smoothly, you don't have any idea that people are flooding in and brushing past you on the way to another post. All you see is what you click on. For all you know everything is the same as any other day.   The last couple of days have been a little weird. A couple of bloggers that live a little higher up the food chain than me, decided to have some fun with one of my posts from last week and tried to make it go viral. It was great fun and while you regular readers were sipping your coffee and pondering the supremacy of WordPress or Blogger, a couple of hundred people were pushing past you to find out what Google was up to now.   It was very cool to have the rush of traffic but I learned something that shocked me.   I didn't like it.   As most of you guys know, I'm a stats hound. (I prefer my name for it, GnomeyNewt.) ...
More About: Matter , Size

Blogging Schizophrenia
2007-09-27 04:53:00
Before we begin   I have been away from the computer all day. I came back only to find you guys having a party without me! I would like to stop and say "Welcome" to all of the first time visitors coming through from the links to the Google 2.0 post listed by Bobby, Gary and Costa. Thanks guys! Today is a record traffic day for this little blog.   Back to our regularly scheduled post   I know some of you are asking, "How many personalities does Tracker have?" or "Off your meds again, Tracker?"   My response is simple, "It's none of your business"..."Sure it is"..."Shut up!"..."They deserve to know"..."No they don't, go away!"...I'm sorry, where were we?   Oh yes, what's going on around here?   How does a sane person write two articles back to back that seem to be so opposite?   To make a point, that's why.   If you read both articles closely, you'll notice they are almost exactly the same.   I decided to try an experiment. I took a g...
More About: Blogging , Schizo , Schizophrenia

Why WordPress Is Superior To Blogger
2007-09-26 05:29:00
If you are serious about blogging and expect the world to take you serious, self hosted WordPress is the only blogging format to use.   Yes, you can run a perfectly decent blog on the free Blogger platform but, as long as your blog has a blogspot address, it will always be treated as a stepchild in the internet mainstream and if it does become successful, it will be known as an anomaly.   Why is WordPress superior to Blogger for a serious blog? Well, let's see.     Superior Content Management System - The difference between WordPress and Blogger in the realm of content management is like comparing grad school to high school. They are both institutions of education with class rooms but that's about it. Blogger will provide the tools necessary to put your posts online but WordPress gives you the ability to have a professional publication.   Superior User Interface - Let's face it, the Blogger user interface is desined for the complete novice and, as such, ...
More About: Wordpress

3 Reasons Blogger is Better Than WordPress
2007-09-24 05:25:00
While the entire blogosphere is waiting impatiently to jump in and discuss the virtues of WordPress 2.3, I'll give you something else to discuss.   Yes, WordPress is a "must have" for a serious blogger, especially if their topic is "making money" or "blogging" but, in many circumstances, Blogger is a superior platform and here are 3 reasons why.     Totally Free - No hosting, no domain, no expense whatsoever. How much explanation does this one need?   Super Simple User Interface - No complicated set up or installation. No downloading themes or plug-ins needed. Simply enter your username, password and email address, choose one of thirty-something templates, answer some simple questions and start posting.   No SEO Needed - The fact is Google loves Blogger. A frequently updated Blogger blog will be indexed quickly and rank pretty well for almost anything that is posted with virtually no Search Engine Optimization.     While a Blogspot addre...
More About: Wordpress , Reasons

Heads Are Rolling Around Here
2007-09-24 04:22:00
  Time has come to make a command decision to lop off the dead wood, trim the fat, shed the extra weight, or whatever.   I've decided to concentrate on you guys and not on the peripheral garbage that has been cluttering up the place. So, in an effort to improve your experience, I have decided to implement the following changes.   Google Be Gone - I have decided that AdSense ads on this blog look crappy, take up space and don't make any money. When I see the miniscule amount AdSense brings in, it just makes me angry. I would much rather do this for free than be assessed a value of pennies a day. Google, in all it's forms, is gone.   BlogRush Got BlogFlushed - 7 days - 3 clicks, pretty much a no-brainer. All that widget did was slow down my load time and bleed off visitors. Chris Bloczynski wrote a compelling article about why he doesn't think the BlogRush model will work and I agree with him, I also believe people have already become blind to the widget. ...
More About: Rolling , Heads

Google Buys BlogRush!
2007-09-23 07:50:00
Not really!   I just wanted to see if I could write a headline that would get any hits from BlogRush. If you came here from BlogRush looking for a story about Googl e buying blogrush, dream on. As long as you're here thought, go ahead and have a look around, read a little and grab my feed before you leave!   Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Blog Post   It's Saturday and that means contest entries. There are a lot of great contests going on out there. One of the more popular prizes these days is banner advertising in all of those cool new ad optimized themes. Be sure to check these contests out and enter if the spirit moves you but if you win, you could at least remember to link back here for referring you.   Advertising   GadgetTastic - GadgetTastic is running a contest to give away a 125x125 banner to run for 3 months. They value that ad at $1800 and all you have to do is link to the contest like I just did.   Make Money Online - Make Money Onlin...

Daily Blog Tips Choices
2007-09-22 06:37:00
OK, I give! I can't read any more. My bookmarks overfloweth. I think I can stop blogging now. I believe it's entirely possible everything that can be said, has been said.    My top five choices are listed in no particular order.   Is Your Blog Easy To Read? was submitted by Pat Doyle from PatDoyle.com. It offers timeless tips for writing online content that is visually appealing.   3 Surefire Ways To Run A Totally Radical Blog Contest was submitted by Phil from ContestBlogger. Keep these simple rules in mind when you set up your contest and Phil will help you make it a success.   Tips On Gaining Page Views and Returning Visitors Using Post Series was submitted by Sarah from BlueJar.com and is a great list of dos and don'ts for writing series posts.   Are Your Blog Posts Actually Useful? was submitted by Matt from BloggingFingers. This is one I would have rather not read because it stepped on my toes by reminding me posts need to actually have useful ...
More About: Daily , Choices

My Blue Jar Winners
2007-09-21 06:35:00
My goodness! This was the toughest thing I've had to do in a while.   GnomeyNewt from Blue Jar.com just finished up her writing project/contest. Since I was a participant, I had to read all of the entries and choose what I considered to be the three best.   I have to say, there were really some very good articles submitted for the contest and choosing only three was tough. The three I selected were articles that I actually found to be useful and were also well written. They are presented in no particular order.   How To Deal With Angry Customers was submitted by John from Business Opportunities And Ideas and is a must read for anyone who deals with the public. There are a lot of businesses that would be considerably more profitable if they were to take a page from John's book.   How to Write, Send, Reply, and Forward E-Mail was submitted by Lillie from LillieAmmann.com. While this topic may seem rather simple, you will be amazed at the depth and compl...
More About: Winners

165 How-To / Tips and Tricks Articles
2007-09-20 04:23:00
My article tonight is posted over at TopSecretBlogger, it's titled Are You An  Ostrich Blogger?  Check it out and let me know.   This is what I'm doing right now. I entered two writing projects/contests that ended on the same day. Now I have to read the articles and vote for my favorites in each contest. I thought you might want to read along with me this evening. There really are some excellent articles here. Be sure to check them out.   This list is from the Blue Jar contest. 44 entrants here and I'm about half way through this one so far.   Final Entries List Top 5 ways to romance your blog by Phil Van TreurenPublic Speaking Made Easy by CedricEnter a How-To Contest for Cash by Matt GibbsHow To Promote Yourself (When You Don’t Want To.) by DeeHow to create a post in Wordpress by Roberta FergusonHow to Successfully Switch Your WordPress Theme Without Throwing Your Computer Through the Window by Steven SnellHow To Nail That Job Interview In The First T...
More About: Articles , Tips , Tricks , Tips and Tricks , Artic

5 Tips To Increase Comments
2007-09-18 22:13:00
  Comments are one of the things that make blogging worth while but, in the age of feed readers, how do you convince people to click over and leave one?   That's what we're going to discuss and, no, I'm not going to tell you to end every post with a question.   If you follow these five steps, within two weeks you will be well on your way to developing a community around your blog.     Show Some Link Love - This is one of my personal weaknesses. Take the time to acknowledge other bloggers. Make a special folder in your bookmarks for those posts you read and find interesting then, once a week, put together a post featuring the best articles you read that week.   Offering a little praise and linking to a post will almost always bring a positive response from the author and put you on their radar.     Comment On Other Blogs - I know you've heard this before but it really does matter. Why would you expect someone to go to the effort of rewardi...
More About: Tips

My Little Dust Pile
2007-09-18 05:29:00
Every once in a while it's necessary to sweep up the small trimmings that didn't quite find their way into a post but need to be mentioned before they get forgotten and just fade away.   This is my little dust pile of content for today.     Black Sheep Blogger   That's me. Rhys put together his list of Black Sheep Bloggers and I'm on it. What's a black sheep blogger, you ask? Rhys defines it as a blogger who bucks the status quo trend.   This is the second list this blog has made recently and once again I find myself in extraordinary company. Thank You.     Drowning In Hype   If everyone is selling something, who is going to buy it?   Doesn't it just give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside when you surf around the internet reading all of the cool headlines about dealdotcom in all of the BlogRush widgets? No I didn't link to them in this post, there's just no need.   Anybody want a Pownce invitation?     Reviews and Men...
More About: Litt

Google Announces End of Page Rank
2007-09-17 02:09:00
Google 2.0   In a nod to Web 2.0 and in an effort to make the Google experience more user-centric, Google will end the system of assigning each web page a Page Rank based on an algorithm of links, quality and popularity. Instead, each page will have a Page Rate assigned by the readers.   Page Rate will be established by the installation of an attractive voting widget on each page allowing readers to click either an up or down arrow to show approval or disapproval of the page's content. After clicking the arrow of choice, the reader will be prompted to leave a comment about the page they just voted for. While all users are allowed to vote, only those logged into their Google account will actually have their votes counted or be allowed to comment.   Float It   Google users will also be able to go to the new "Float It" site where they may rate sites already rated by other Googlers. Once on Float It, readers are encouraged to examine pages other Floaters have...
More About: Google , Googl

romandock dot com
2007-09-17 00:17:00
  Today we're going to be discussing the positives and negatives of that world famous Mediterranean port, Roman Dock.   OK, not really.   The truth is romandock dot com is a blog run by a guy named Nick who, when trying to come up with a domain name, decided to combine the names of his two dogs, Rocky and Mandy. (Aren't they cute?) Drop some letters, add some letters and there you go, romandock.   You see, Nick and I agreed to exchange blog reviews. His review of this blog can be read here. Nick took the time to write one of the most in depth and complete reviews I have ever read. In it he made several good suggestions, some of which have already been implemented.   On To The Review   If you think picking your domain by combining your dogs' names is original, how about having one of your categories be Ham Radio?   It's quite obvious the author is passionate about blogging but he may be even more passionate about Ham Radio. This dual passion h...

Average Joe Blogger - A Contest Review
2007-09-16 02:06:00
  If you still surf around the interweb on your 300 Mhz Packard Bell with the 28K modem, you may not have heard about the contest over at Average Joe Blogger . Nate (aka - Average Joe) is giving away ad spots on his blog as prizes and considering the going rate and the traffic he gets, it's a heck of a deal.   As with most blog contests lately, there is a tiered system of entries to the drawing. The more effort you put in, the more opportunities you receive. Having already been a subscriber and having already mentioned the contest and linked to it in a post, the only thing left to do to improve my chances at one of those ad spots is to write a review of Average Joe Blogger.   The Background   Average Joe Blogger was born 2 months ago today and is posting some impressive numbers for its short existence. Nate explains his reason for starting the blog as, and I paraphrase, an average Joe blog fan (me or you) decides to give the problogger thing a whirl and invites ...
More About: Contest , Review

Whats The Deal Dot Com?
2007-09-15 05:33:00
  Deal dotcom is a new site for finding awesome deals on cool products online. The site is so new, in fact, it hasn't even opened it's doors yet. It is set to go live next Tuesday the 18th.   What's It Going To Be?   Basically dealdotcom is a "Deal A Day" site specifically for internet marketers. It will feature products and services for web development, blogging, site monetization and anything else related to online marketing. Each day dealdotcom will offer one product at a  super discount for 1 day or until the inventory is gone with a new and different item featured each day.   If you want an opportunity to purchase internet marketing products or services at a substantially reduced price, this is your ticket. If you have a product or service that needs a kick start, perhaps a deep discount on a limited quantity offered to a targeted audience is just your ticket.    Whats In It For Me?   How about two-ti...
More About: The D

Fechr Update and I've Been Honored!
2007-09-15 04:17:00
  Fechr Update   I received an email response from Bobby Griffin this morning. The point of the response is as follows:   Basically, I recently got a new job that is consuming a lot of my time and I had the choice to half-ass focus on some of the things I've been working on...or give full attention to some and put on pause the others.  Well, Fechr is on pause right now.  My goal is to start it up again October 1st!   This is a perfectly good reason for the site being on autopilot, however, I still feel there should be some kind of notice on the same page that sells you on the idea of writing a review in order to get featured.   *Note - After re-reading last night's post, I can see that I may have been a bit short in tone. Web sites come and go, that's understood. I just feel the bloggers, trying to improve their bogs any way they can by jumping at every opportunity to boost traffic, should be aware of the deal before going to the trouble of wr...
More About: Been

Fechr Schmeecher
2007-09-14 03:29:00
Does anyone remember Fechr? You know, the site set up by Bobby Griffin from Bestest Blog that we all wrote reviews about so we could get featured for free?   If you recall, everyone was sold the deal that if you wrote a review of Fechr (Pronounced Feature) your blog would be put into a random selection and eventually be featured on Fechr and get hundreds of visits for free.   This was supposed to be a great idea because the features would only be free in the beginning to bloggers who wrote a review. After Fechr became popular they would charge to feature a site.   There's just one problem, it seems the site is on auto pilot and has been for almost a month, with Bloggrrl as the "featured" site for over three weeks.   A Little History   Fechr hit the scene on or around July 28th. At least that is when the 1st review, written by Colleen from Geeky Speak, was submitted. My review was also written on the 28th and was the eleventh post submitted.  ...

How I Busted A Scraper
2007-09-13 05:03:00
How You Can Too!   Regular readers know I have been fighting a controlling addiction to statistics. What you may not know is, though I spent a little time "on the wagon" only checking my stats once a day, I have recently fallen back into my old habit of checking my stats constantly.   Yes, as I've seen written around the blogosphere, I meet all of the qualifications of a "stats addict". This obsession, however, led me to discover one of the most hated things on the internet, a scraper blog. A scraper blog with my content on it!   How?   I used to wonder how someone would catch a scraper using their content. I always thought it would be through Technorati or finding a search return with your content on it, not in my case. I found my thief with my FeedBurner stats.   Where Is Your Feed Going?   FeedBurner gives you the ability to find out any time your feed is being used for something other than being read by a feed reader or delivered in email...
More About: Busted

Flisstered No More
2007-09-12 04:45:00
That's right, I'm better now.   Not only did the thief take down the site, it happened within one hour of my post. You see folks, when I scream people listen and jump.   I Won!   Shutting that site down is only one of the reasons I'm in a better mood. I won a contest!   I won Daily Moola's give away of The SEO Book by Aaron Hall. Man this sucker has over 300 pages and almost no pictures. Now  can learn what all that stuff is you guys are always talking about.   Thanks Again Dev!   Since we're on the topic of SEO, I dare you to go Google "Flisstered". (Be sure to spell it right.)   Another Contest   This one was announced after the last contest post I made. Bloggrrl is having a contest and giving away a very nice crystal checker set that it looks like some people might abuse and use for a drinking game. I guess if you win it you can do whatever you want with it. Get over there and check out the rules and get yourse...
More About: Stere

I'm Flisstered!
2007-09-11 05:50:00
  "What's flisstered", you ask?   Flisstered is part flattered, part PISSED!   You're probably wondering what could possibly have the mild mannered Tracker flisstered. Well, I'm gonna tell you.   I think I've been scraped!   Check this Tumblr blog and tell me if I'm wrong. I don't seem to be the only one. If you look through the blog you'll also find articles by Pro Blogger, Blogging Tips, Daily Blog Tips, Marketing Pilgrim, Blog About Your Blog, John Chow, John Cow and Vandelay Website Design. There's even a post about how to ad a copyright to the bottom of your feed.   I guess I should feel proud to be included in such company. I'm a little flattered that someone thought my work was valuable enough to steal, but I'm still pissed.   Does this mean I've made the big time?     Top Secret Blogger   Take a couple of seconds and click over to read my newest post on Top Secret Blogger.     Blog About Yo...
More About: Stere

How To Review A Blog
2007-09-10 04:15:00
Blog reviews are a very popular method of getting and  exchanging publicity or even supplementing one's income. Unfortunately, many bloggers find the idea of reviewing other blogs intimidating because they don't know where to start or they are afraid they will do it wrong.   This guide will help you write a review by providing some basic guidelines and hints to get you started.   Before You Begin   Before you begin your actual review it is a good idea to explain why you are writing it (Is this a reciprocal review? Is this a contest entry?) and, if it is a paid review, that should always be declared up front.   Try to keep the reviewed blog's target audience in mind and remember that what you might not find appealing may be just the ticket to them. Always try to look at the site from their perspective.   Remember, your readers trust your opinion or they wouldn't be reading. Assume they have never  seen the site you are reviewing. If you bl...
More About: Review , Blog

Did Someone Say Contest?
2007-09-09 04:10:00
It's that time of year when everyone spruces up around the blog and runs contests to keep it interesting.   Most contests follow pretty much the same, predictable model but from time to time a blogger comes up with something new. Such is the case with the contests being run by the following bloggers.   Blue Jar   GnomeyNewt (Is the G silent?) from Blue Jar dot com has come up with a blog carnival / contest. Basically it is a carnival where the participants vote for the winners. The top 3 places will pay a total of $225. Now that's incentive to write! Check out her contest at this post.   Wall of Blogs   Enkay from Enkay Blog has a new contest project that, while inspired by other contests, has enough new twists to call it original.   He has estblished the Wall of Blogs and is selling 125x125 squares for $5. The cool part is, not only do you get a nice 125 square ad for $5, when he sells 640 of the spaces he will give away $1000. So, warm up your Photo...
More About: Contest , Some

Itll Make You Say Wii!
2007-09-09 00:05:00
  You know, weeee! As in big fun!   Those incorrigible cows over at John Cow dot com have convinced another sucker, I mean sponsor, to pony up the funds for another cool contest.     This time Cell For Cash dot com is providing a Nintendo Wii and a $50 game voucher to boot. Now who can't appreciate that?   Cell For Cash is a company that buys old cell phones. (Who knew they were worth any thing!) I mean they will actually give you cash for the phone you just upgraded and threw in the drawer. I saw a few models they will pay up to $48 dollars for. They also have an affiliate program that looks worthwhile. Check them out.   To get yourself a chance at this great weight loss program, go to this post and follow the directions.   I wish you all the worst of luck in this contest because I really want to win this thing.
More About: Make

Grab the Moolah!
2007-09-08 23:24:00
    Dev from Daily Moolah is giving away a copy of The SEO Book by Aaron Wall in a contest. You can read about the several ways to enter on this post. The most valuable method is to write a review so here we go.   I've been a subscriber to Daily Moolah for a little over a month now and have to tell you it is a great resource for ways to improve your blog's SEO, both white hat and gray. In fact the hardest part of being a subscriber is keeping up with the projects he comes up with.   If you want to improve your traffic and make money online, make Daily Moolah a daily read.   When you stop in, tell Dev the Tracker sent you and congratulate him for reaching 100 subscribers.
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4 Grand In Prizes!?!
2007-09-08 21:20:00
I have always heard there is nothing like an Irish birthday party and judging by the contest David Airey is throwing to celebrate his blog's 1st anniversary,  I would say that is true.   David Airey, a graphic designer specializing in logo design work, is giving away over $4,000 in prizes during his celebration contest.   Folks we're talking about some serious prizes here! He's giving away everything from forum membership, design help or watercolor art to a complete pro blog package.     He has arranged participation from some of the biggest names out there. Check out the list of sponsor sites.   custom WordPress theme blog advertising I Love Typography Lorelle on WordPress Graphic Design Blog improve your website design search engine optimisation professional blogger Smart Wealthy Rich Daily Blog Tips WordPress designer critique your blog Fraser’s Affiliate Marketing Blog Mom Gadget Terinea Weblog blog review WordPress themes ...
More About: Prizes , Grand

Whats In Your Bag?
2007-09-07 22:24:00
I don't want to know what's in your wallet (Unless you're sharing). I want to know what's in your bag.   I can hear you saying, "What are we talking about now"?   What are your current projects?   Almost all of us here have at least one blog, but I'm asking what other projects you have going on. (Blogs, Affiliate Sites, Information Sites, etc.)   Have you bought any domain names in the past few months? How many?   You don't have to be any more specific than you want to be (There's probably not someone waiting to hear your idea and steal it.). Don't be ashamed, either, if your current blog consumes all of your available time.   The reason I ask is I realized today that I have accumulated a half dozen domain names over the past few months (Damn you, BustAName!) and consequently have a few development ideas in the works.   One project in the planning stage is a site focused directly at brand new blogger wannabes with little to no experience. I...