So I Decided To Check Out WordPress.com

My blog is currently at http://crushingthemicrostakes.blogspot.com.  However, I decided to check out wordpress.com because people talk so favorably of it.  There are some very cool features, such as being able to importand export your blog, and it appears some of the management features are cleaner.  One problem – no Google Adsense.  So, I’m not sure if I’m going to bother to keep it.  From what I understand, there’s a pay-for-play option, but I’m not sure how much it costs, so I don’t know what to do at this point.  I’m holding my breath for now.  I don’t think I want to maintain two separate blogs.  I’ve purchased some hosting, so I may use the wordpress.com software from my new hosting company – http://www.1and1.com, but I haven’t decided yet.

Google Analytics

I’m testing out Google Analytics, a way to track who is coming to my blog. I want to see if I’m getting any non-friend hits. I’m not even sure how it works, but the code is now being tacked on to the end of each post. This is the first one.

_uacct = “UA-2736361-1″;
urchinTracker();

Adsense

I reread the Adsense terms of service, because I don’t want to break it. Here’s an exceprt:

Encouraging clicks
In order to ensure a good experience for users and advertisers, publishers may not request that users click the ads on their sites or rely on deceptive implementation methods to obtain clicks. Publishers participating in the AdSense program:

May not encourage users to click the Google ads by using phrases such as “click the ads,” “support us,” “visit these links,” or other similar language
May not direct user attention to the ads via arrows or other graphical gimmicks
May not place misleading images alongside individual ads
May not promote sites displaying ads through unsolicited mass emails or unwanted advertisements on third-party websites
May not compensate users for viewing ads or performing searches, or promise compensation to a third party for such behavior
May not place misleading labels above Google ad units – for instance, ads may be labeled “Sponsored Links” but not “Favorite Sites”

Sites displaying Google ads may not include:

Violent content, racial intolerance, or advocacy against any individual, group, or organization
Pornography, adult, or mature content
Hacking/cracking content
Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia
Excessive profanity
Gambling or casino-related content
Content regarding programs which compensate users for clicking on ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites, or reading emails
Excessive, repetitive, or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of web pages
Deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site’s search engine ranking, e.g., your site’s PageRank
Sales or promotion of weapons or ammunition (e.g., firearms, fighting knives, stun guns)
Sales or promotion of beer or hard alcohol
Sales or promotion of tobacco or tobacco-related products
Sales or promotion of prescription drugs
Sales or promotion of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods
Sales or distribution of term papers or student essays
Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity, or infringes on the legal rights of others

So, for the record, I won’t be encouraging anyone to click any ads. This one makes me curious: “Gambling or casino-related content ” – I don’t believe poker to be gambling, it’s gaming, like chess or a sporting event, because there is clearly skill involved. So, I’ll continue to provide my poker updates. While I think the rule is silly and pseudo-morally hypocritical, I won’t be discussing any gambling pursuits such as lottery, slots machines, bingo, blackjack, or any gambling activity.

I’m such small potatoes that it doesn’t matter, but if, for some reason, my site takes off, I figure I should get it out of the way.

Blog Updates

So I made new changes to the blog. I created an Amazon affiliate account. So, you’ll probably see some additional changes as I work out the kinks. Trying not to violate my terms of service.

Tweaking The Blog

Made some layout adjustments. Hopefully it’s not too busy or distracting. Don’t be surprised if I change it around some more.

Thinking About Adding Other Content

So, no one really reads this but me. I’m thinking I might want to change that. How? By adding content about other topics. I had started a non-poker blog because I figured people wouldn’t really care about my poker exploits except for a few select friends, and that appears to be true. However, I don’t like maintaining two separate blogs, and I’d like to increase my AdSense hits and my readership, so I’m thinking about adding my thoughts about other stuff that I’m interested in – technology, entertainment, whatever. If any of you that read this thing care either way, let me know via the poll at the right, and I’ll take that into consideration before I change what I’m doing.

Dimes

Decided to change my picture from a penny to a dime since I’ve been playing .05/.10 pretty much exclusively for the last few weeks. I guess I’ll change it as I move up and down in stakes as my ‘indicator’. Silly, I know, but it gives me something to look forward to.

Another Test

It looks like it doesn’t like spaces. If not, that’s disappointing. I thought it would be a convenient tool. This is a direct edit of HTML. If this doesn’t work, they have one more mode I’m going to try.

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Trying A New Blogging Tool

I’m messing around with a new blogging tool.  I use Firefox for my browser at home, but not at work.  I’m trying Scribefire - a Firefox plugin to post blogs.  This is my first test with it.

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Messing Around With The Layout Yet Again

Got bored with the layout.