Have you got the correct linkage?

I'm reading The Weblog Handbook by Rebecca Blood. Among the things worth noting is using your linkage on a website. It's not enough to display links to other sites. What you need to do is click on your own links. That way the webmasters will see you and know you are linking to them. Otherwise they won't know you have links to them unless they stumble across you eventually.

So, if you have a blog and have links down your sidebar or in the blog itself, click them. Go to the sites and get yourself noticed. You'll show up as a referrer site in their web stats.

Not a long newsletter tonight. I'm behind and just didn't want anyone thinking I stopped sending the newsletter all together. Send me a note sometime. Does the newsletter help you, encourage you to keep writing? Let me know what works and what's just filling up space.

Originally posted to Adult BackWash: Monday June 23, 2003

Sex blogs are getting popular, or at least with people who have an interest in reading or writing about sex. This is sort of a sex blog. Not entirely since, for one thing, I'm not having any to write about. For another thing I don't update as often as the blog purists would say is necessary. Anyway, I still don't see myself being a sex blogger. It would be strange to write about my body parts and what I did with them for mass public consumption. It sounds almost pornographic!

For me, wallflower that I am, this is more than enough. It's not easy pulling out some idea worthy of Adult BackWash once a week. Who really feels that absorbed with sex? Not me.

I do think someone who would write a sex blog and keep it updated must have quite a huge preoccupation with sex and sex stuff. Maybe you think it would be easy to write a sex blog cause you think about sex all the time. But, try it.

Anyway, it's interesting to see who writes them. I like to read about the people behind the blogs. What led them to writing a sex blog, what do they get out of it and mostly, what keeps them going.

At least it is a step up from being a phone sex 'actress', at least as I see it. Sex bloggers can set their own hours, be less available physically and emotionally to their customers/ readers. That is an important difference. Pretty much the main reason I can't see myself becoming a phone sex person even though the money would be pretty great if not highly tempting. But, I don't want to have to listen to some guy jerking off and then hanging up on me when he's done. I want to be an important part of the whole process not just some handy tool.

So, the diva in me rises again. No wonder the part of sex blogging that most appeals to me is the fame. Maybe not the fame I always saw for myself when I was growing up, but fame none the less.

Anyway, if I ever do get a sex life again, I'll slip in a few details, a few interesting tidbits, just enough to whet your whistle and keep you wondering if I really did any of that or am I just another wallflower making it all up as I go along. You'll never really know will you. Hopefully I will.

• Oh Canada
• Canada. Eh?

I'm thinking of titles and taglines for a Canadian newsletter at BackWash. It's going to be monthly. There are two reasons for making it monthly. One being a lack of Canadian content to add to the newsletter. Once a month should work out just right. The other reason is that this will be my fifth newsletter at BackWash. I couldn't do it more than monthly and find something new to write and the time to type it out.

Anyway, I like the idea of a Canadian newsletter. I don't think I've really seen something like that online before. There are some "proud to be Canadian" personal sites but I don't of any newsletters.

We'll see how it goes.

Try this: Consider your website (or your computer if you don't have a site) and put together a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page all about your site. Don't forget a guide to how to use the site as well as the purpose for it being there. Study a few other FAQs to get ideas.

This is what I wrote as the new writing exercise for HerCorner. What do you think? Could you write a FAQ for your website? You should be able to. In theory at least, your site should have a theme, one main idea or purpose, right? So, it seems reasonable to expect a FAQ could be forthcoming.

Anyway, I like the idea. So tonight I am putting my fingers where my mouth is and I am creating a FAQ of my own for HerCorner. I might even do one for my personal site. But, I freely admit my personal site is not a great example of sticking with one idea.

So, getting down to the FAQ of it. What do you need to include in a FAQ? Likely you've read a few or skimmed them as I tend to do. Which is a good point, actually. Your FAQ should be skimmable when you get it into HTML. Do you know how to set up targets? Targets are those clickable points in the middle of a page. You can read a table of contents and find a clickable link to that exact section of the large body of content. If I sound like I'm gabbling send me an email and I will hunt out a link to demonstrate this target idea for you. Most FAQ's will use this, if you check for examples on your own.

Now, the meat of the matter. What does a FAQ need to include? I think the first thing is a statement of purpose. Someone reading this sentence (or short paragraph) should be able to understand what your site is about. But, this is a time to keep it simple. Just the basics. If it appeals to them they can dig into your FAQ for the details and specifics.

Next, explain the parts. Think basic and plan out what you really need people to know. Put it all into logical order, sort of a learn as you go thing. Read it back, try to think like someone who doesn't already know the answers. Did you miss anything?

Do your best, ask for feedback at the end and don't try to be some computer melded brain. It's almost certain you will leave something out that someone else will pick up on later. You are not the world's most perfect writer, you're just someone trying to be creative and share their FAQ with the world.

Now go get FAQ'ed!

Someone told me that the front page of my personal site is just a webring page. I was really peeved! I've worked hard to make that a nice entrance way. It still seems kind of unprofessional and "needs improvement" but it's so much better than my first few versions. I'm getting the hang of tables. Sometimes I even understand why they suddenly warp and flop around like fish out of water. Only sometimes.

Anyway, I took a few dozen second looks at my site and I realized that she may have ignored all my graphics and the bit of introduction and just decided that my front page was for webrings and an index to the rest of the site. I guess graphics aren't enough. They are pretty pictures but they are also discounted as far as meaty content.

So, I am trying to think of something more to do with some of that front page real estate. You are welcome to take a look and offer suggestions. http://www.thatgrrl.com/

I don't want to do any of the standard home page things like an introduction or a biography. Why put site visitors to sleep before they have even begun to look around? Once you read a few biographies they all start sounding the same.

I need something unique and startlingly new. Something that will have people talking about my amazing feats of front page technique for as long as the Internet still clicks. The problem is, I have no ideas, so far.

Isn't it interesting how much time we put into catching people's attention? Is it entertainment or information? That is the first thing I need to decide. I'm leaning away from entertainment. But, once I get that figured out all the other decisions will be much easier.

I'll let you know how it goes. Keep in mind, all my website tampering takes place over months, not weeks. In other words, don't hold your breath, it could be hazardous to your health.

PS - It's amazing. My typing must be getting much much better. In all of this blabberation I had just one typo when I ran it through spellcheck. Damn I'm good!