All Posts By

Jon Gatrell

WordPress Upgrade

So I originally wrote a very short upgrade post on my upgrading to WordPress 2.3 and declared it a CRAZY success, the good news it went well, except it wasn’t install and go. I did how ever prove that nothing is un-doable with a little patience. So my recommendations:

1. Actually backup your database: I spent 30 minutes worried, that I was essentially in a do over mode. I had the exported the XML file, but that’s not all that’s necessary. So for piece of mind, do it.

2. Follow the instructions: I deactivated all the plugins, but reactivated them all at once. It took me a while to realize that my google site map doesn’t work. So I’ll find a new one.

3. Not all tagging systems are importable, but you do get a tag cloud.

4. You may need to edit your template to show associated tags and remove whitespace from some random include file I have already forgot – sry. Bring your logic and php skills team.

So I have two minor questions:

1. Anyone know of a conversion tool for SimpleTags, a plugin for Technorati tags?

2. So should I display my tags in a post or just in the cloud?

I’m still a very please wordpress user, since their instructions were correct and they have created a true productized upgrade. I was able to clean up some of my categories as well.

October 24, 2007 by Jon Gatrell

Thesis Fodder: A Geographic Content analysis

In a reasonably unscientific manner I’ve noticed what I think might be an interesting/plausible relationship in how regionalization may impact blog content. Content development, presentation and geospatial references appear to vary based on where a blogger hails from:

1. If not in the california, boston or NYC – geographic references are limited. If in these locations, location dropping is all the rage. Of course there are exceptions, that’s why I referred to it as a [tag]content analysis[/tag] and unscientific, mainly just a casual observation.

2. There may be an east coast west coast blogging style.

I’m curious if there are other styles base on geography, but due to the first casual observation in item #1 and the limited content survey (<30 blogs and <100 posts), I just haven’t seen a pattern outside of east and west. Have you?

So assuming observation #1 is a reasonable observation, then what are the east and west coast attributes which define the pattern/mode/style? While overly simplistic, the gaps appear to be in frequency and length of post. West coast bloggers appear to have fewer words in in any single post (initial data indicates potentially up to 20%), are more “linky” and more posts in a given week, while east coast bloggers appear to be more verbose and posting at a slightly lower weekly post velocity.

That being said, it appears that weekly words are really close, thats right “spitting distance”. This might be a thesis topic for some creative writing wonk on the average writing capacity of any given person. PLEASE NOTE: I’ve done none of the math to validate correlation of any of these assertions.

This is a great opportunity for some budding social geographer out there who is bored with house types, the impact of infrastructure or capitalism on the the landscape and [tag]land tenure[/tag] analysis. A virtual understanding of site, situation and place as expressed by blogged content. C’mon – it’s just math.

As a southern blogger, I’m almost afraid to slice the states to a more regional level, at least I’m too lazy to do the work, after all east coast/west coast worked for rappers, it will work for bloggers.

[tag]twitter[/tag] is a [tag]social geography[/tag] [tag]thesis[/tag] waiting to happen!

October 23, 2007 by Jon Gatrell

Twittered – Now what?

So I’ve setup my twitter account and am getting used to this whole thing. At this point I think it’s about weather, but I suspect that will change over time as I get more comfortable.

I also think twitter is one of those words and potentially [tag]brand[/tag]s which can be a verb, a noun and an adjective – great opportunity for them.

So as part of this ongoing experiment of blogging I’ve added Twitter to the mix, I’m meeting randoms and getting feedback, which ultimately will make me better at the whole thing. I think by the end of the week [tag]twitter[/tag] may be the most interesting tool yet for getting submersed in this whole [tag]social media[/tag] thing.

So how does one effectively use twitter? Ideas or recommendations? I think I need an iPhone and a new Mac to get the WHOLE experience. Don’t get me wrong, at least I’ve already put stickers on my laptop.

So a friend sent me the Dilbet below:

Dilbert - Social Media Addition

So what do you do?

October 23, 2007 by Jon Gatrell

#50 Friends I Can’t Wait to Meet

After bumping into Guy Kawasaki’s use of #80 How Twitter Improved My Blog, this might be one of those things gifts that just keep giving in this whole crazy social media world. So I will now steal what I think is my household’s 3 use of a topic, but one that I think will be fun. To that end, I embark on friends I can’t wait to meet!

I’ve taken this multiple ways – people I know and yet I haven’t met and people I don’t know whom I would like to meet. I’m also adding people who I would like see again soon/don’t see enough of…

Chris Brogan – This guy is someone I haven’t met, but he just he just get me to use that twitter thing. I may randomly call at some point, but I doubt I will every put my cell number on the public web. So this is in the haven’t met and don’t know bucket. I also have another 97 things to blog on because of him.

Chris Lyman – I’ve emailed on and off with this guy for almost 10 years, he sits in my address book, just waiting for the next reasonably interesting mass address book note I have. His open letter was fun to watch as well. I just don’t make it to culver city-ish that much and when I get in the region its normally San Diego basically and I don’t have like 6 extra hours.

Michael Wilson – I’ve been chatting and emailing with this guy for nearly 3 months, good news is I hope/look to meet him soon in person. Plus Small World Labs is good stuff. I should have gone to ACL, but too close to the due date and not worth the risk.

Ross Mayfield – I’ve only chatted with this guy a couple of times, but one of the biggest brains I’ve ever interacted with and passionate! The guy is just crazy quick on the uptake, I will ping him the next time I’m in the bay.

Allison – So I have this random phone number in my phone that for the life of me I can’t remember who it is. I accidentally dialed it like a month ago, she called back and left a really lengthy vm – even knew both my wife and my name. I have to think we met last new years, but just weird that she left a voicemail like we went WAY back. Just to give credit, I got the New years context from her vm. I guess i’ll see in 90 days at panic.

The people I don’t see enough of…

The Atlanta Crew – This is the whole group of folks, who while I live within 18 miles of all of them, I still don’t see them enough. (Jay, Karin, Warshaw, Scott, Alicia, Jake, Ingrid, Gianna, Jason, Doug, Katie, Naylor, David, Claire, Chicken, Stacy and Jason, et. al). I guess the “baby shower” is the next opportunity for this.

Dan, Della and David – I’ll see y’all at new years.

October 21, 2007 by Jon Gatrell

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