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What Makes A Good Blog?

Since I'm writing a series on "Creating A Successful Blog" I've been looking (not very diligently) for other opinions on what makes for a successful blog.

One thing I've discovered is that there is no magic answer to this question. First of all, every blog speaks to a different audience in a different tone of voice. So what one group likes another group will find boring or maybe even overtly aggravating.

I stumbled on an instance of this today when I followed a link from Lisa Barone's post called "Six Kickass Writing Resources for Bloggers".

First on her list was "What Makes a Good Blog?" by Merlin Mann.

Now I must admit there are several things in Merlin's list which I agree with, but I find the overall tone fairly aggravating. For instance, he says, "People start real blogs because they think about something a lot...They make and consume smart forebrain porn. So: where do this person's obsessions take them."

Frankly I don't see why "obsession" is a necessary part of blogging. Is it because in order to do real blogging we must express our personality; and expressing our personality necessarily involves creativity; and because creativity is so relatively scarce and difficult that it will not happen without an obsessive focus on something?

Or is this just the way an obsessive person looks at it?

Of course it takes all types. But there is a certain arrogance and air of superiority about talk of obsession and creativity that I can do without.

Squidoo New Look

Squidoo seems to have a new edit and publish interface. I've always found it a bit clunky in the past, but now it seems quite a bit easier to add modules. The process makes more sense to me.

I just created a lense about Car Repair for a client.

Upgrading to Wordpress 2.7

Just finished upgrading one of my many Wordpress blogs to v 2.7 - the newest upgrade which was released on Dec. 10 makes several attractive improvements to the interface. This upgrade is not so concerned with functionality as it is with improving the user interface.

I was able to upgrade my Article Marketing blog in about 15 minutes when all was said and done. There were no suprises and no hitches along the way. I'm sure subsequent upgrades on other sites will go faster.

EasyTrainerOnline.com is about online training - basic training courses, articles and demos of online technology that is used for training.  Sources for corporate and institutional training programs.Online learning, online education resources.

Dial Around Long Distance Plans Compared to Phone Cards

Dial Around Long Distance Plans Compared to Phone Cards

by Rick Hendershot, Linknet Articles

If you have done any research into the confusing world of long distance telephone rates, you have discovered that conventional long distance is expensive compared to almost any of the alternatives. This is especially true when you factor in the extra fees and taxes added on by governments.

Conventional phone companies rely on people being either uninformed or unmotivated to check out the alternatives. Usually they bundle long distance with local services so you are never quite sure how much your long distance service is costing.

For instance, many consumers sign up for a local plan that includes unlimited long distance calling. They usually pay between $50 and $70 for this package. But they could get the same level of service for much less money by staying with a $20-$30/month local package and using a dial around plan that charges only 1.9 cents/minute for calls to the USA and Canada.

Phone Cards - a solution with serious limitations

One alternative to conventional long distance service is to purchase a prepaid phone card. These cards are often purchased online. After signing up you are sent an account number and PIN which allow you to access the long distance system.

Having a phone card lets you place long distance calls by calling a toll free access number, entering your account information, and then dialing the number you want to call.

Some of the features and shortcomings of phone cards are as follows:

  • Phone cards are often country or region specific. It is difficult to find one card that gives you good rates to multiple countries or regions.
  • They are good for short term situations like traveling, or for occasional use
  • Calling can be cumbersome unless you can find a "PIN-less" phone card.
  • Charges can be higher than expected because of hidden fees and taxes.
  • Calls can be more expensive because of longer call duration rounding intervals. A 6.5 minute call will be billed as 7 minutes if a 1 minute rounding interval is used. But it will be billed as 9 minutes if they use a 3 minute interval.
  • Phone cards often have a higher minimum call duration. Some cards charge a minimum of one rounding interval for every call, even it is not completed.

Dial Around Plans - a much better alternative

A much better alternative is what is called a dial around plan. They are called "dial around plans" because you use a local number or toll free number to bypass or "dial around" the conventional phone company. You call the special access number, and once you get a dial tone you dial the area code and number of the party you are calling.

Here are some of the features you can get with a quality dial around plan

  • With good plans you only pay for minutes used. There are no fees, taxes, or hidden charges.
  • No monthly minimum charge or account fee.
  • Very low long distance rates, including low domestic rates to the USA and Canada.
  • Savings are substantial - from 50% to 90% less than conventional long distance.
  • Quality plans do not require a caller to enter an account number or PIN when calling from registered numbers. You can register as many as 10 phone numbers with your account.
  • Connection quality is comparable to conventional long distance.
  • Some plans (higher quality ones) give you free online account management including real time call history. This lets you see the details of every call -- the number called, time and date of the call, duration, and cost.
  • Dial around plans can be used at home, with a cell phone, or while traveling in the USA.

Summary - Dial Around Plans are much more versatile

While it is true that phone cards provide a convenience when traveling, dial around plans offer a better and cheaper long distance alternative for anyone who uses long distance service on a regular basis.

For more information about convenient dial around plans visit  Smartglobalcall.com , they specialize in low cost international calling options.

Rick Hendershot is a writer and online publisher. Visit Linknet Articles for online article writing and distribution.


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