Fine Fools Community

I’m not one to miss crazes so when Derek Lakin came to me proposing that he write on Web 2.0 stuff I knew for sure I had to start a Web 2.0 site. Are you tired of seeing Web 2.0 in this entry well if so then go on over to the Web 2.0 blog and ignore everything Web 2.0.

Derek is a very smart guy and his entries over at Bill’s Baby have been making quite a splash in the developer community (more on that later) and I look forward to working with him on the Web 2.0 blog. Work with him you say? Yes indeed, Scrivs will be doing some writing on Web 2.0 and what it means for all of us because I like talking about stuff in which I really have no idea what I am talking about.

Should be fun.

Redd Omaha. Coolest name for an author is Fine Fools so far. Authors The Song Blog. Take a guess what the site is about? Anyways, the site like all the rest is in its beginning stages so we will give Redd sometime to get his feet wet and then we can start arguing who the best Hip-Hop artist of all-time is or the most influential.

Anyways, drop by and see what’s up because the site isn’t really just about music…

Haven’t done a case study on Fine Fools in a while so now is a good a time as any to see where things are going.

• Gardgy: 72,670/51/31
• Hollyshow: 123,067/23/20
• Work Boxers: 10,594/234/126
• Love Translated: 104,518/34/23
• Escape Blog: 46,377/91/44
• Bill’s Baby: 116,227/38/21
• Insert 25: 39,204/87/50
• Sports Four: 104,518/30/23
• Successful Blog: 7,124/392/169
• Damn I’m Cute: 64,064/54/34
• Proud White Trash: 130,346/19/19
• I Like Cameras: 25,566/175/69
• It’s Useless: 60,090/60/36
• Chef Vault: 69,738/41/32
• A Man’s View: 147,657/32/17
• Jack of All Blogs: 13,120/167/107

Two blogs have been put in detention (Songossip and Movable Phone) because they weren’t being updated enough and I don’t want to pollute this network with too many useless blogs. Having JOAB is more than I can handle anyways.

Obviously a lot of the sites need some work and what I am finding is that the sites that are the most successful are the ones that can combine original content with outside links. Without the outside links more promotion is needed in other ways. The outside links serve as their own form of promotion and seem to have people coming back. Also the sites where owners are run by just one writer seem to be doing better than the group blogs. I attribute this to the fact that a single writer can hold a single focus while group blogs have to do a better job of collaborating together, which means I have to do a better job of giving them the chances to do so.

Also Technorati ranking helps to give a small indication of traffic, but just because you are higher ranked doesn’t mean you are receiving more traffic. With the new designs popping up on sites over the coming weeks it will be interesting to see their effect on traffic.

So far I am still taking all of this as a learning experience. Liz and David have shown me more about properly running and promoting a blog than anybody else this year and the content that is coming out of some of the sites brings up some interesting options for those writers to make money in 2006.

I would like to wish all my writers and readers a Happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully the writers remember they aren’t supposed to write on holidays, but some will probably sneak something in anyways. Time for more fun tomorrow.

I am obsessed with the statistics of the blogosphere. I crawl Technorati and PubSub regularly and am always amazed to see the new sites creeping their way up the charts. One site that always sticks out though is Xiaxue’s site. Never heard of her? Well the site is run by Wendy Cheng and it isn’t about blogging, politics, business, Web 2.0 or anything else that you may think only top bloggers write about. The site is about her and that’s all her readers care about.

Now for a second (just for a second) let’s ignore how great looking she is and let’s focus on the pull this woman has on the web. As of this writing, according to Technorati, she has over 3,564 sites linking to her. Not links mind you, actual sites. That is unbelievable and places her at #31 on the Technorati 100 ahead of:

• Scoble
• Defamer
• Joel Spolsky
• Jeff Jarvis
• Joystiq
• Seth Godin
• Steve Rubel
• Signal vs. Noise

I know all these statistics, must be taken with a grain of salt, but they do provide a small glimpse of the web.

Things are definitely getting more and more interesting in Fine Fools land. Ridiculous.

Well you didn’t think that the Fine Fools writers or Mike Rundle would let me get away with keeping my bland template for all Fine Fools sites did you? Too see where we are going with the Network checkout Jack of All Blogs. A bit funky eh?

Now I can’t exactly tell you the reasoning behind the design, but let’s just say we wanted something different than the other networks that gave us a unique feel. We didn’t want any controversy like Creative Weblogging had with WIN. No sir, if you take our look (not the two colummns, the actual look) then there is simply no mistaking it. At least that’s what I asked for and what Rundle gave me is a design that is so different from his other stuff you can tell he was getting a bit anxious working under my iron grip.

For all Fine Fools writers, take notice, your sites will be sporting new designs as well. JOAB just got it first because we knew we could mess with that design because absolutely nobody likes to read his site . The templates will be the same, but new color schemes for each site will exist.

Just another chapter in trying to make us stand out from the rest of the crowd because we are a tad different. Can there be improvements? Of course and things will be ironed out over time, but when you have a Network with a personality such as Fine Fools it deserves to be dressed up in a design that share its personality.

Those wonderful f*ckers at Blogebrity have apparently learned how to use Technorati too well and are reporting our new sites before even we get a chance to. We don’t mind though since it’s not like we are keeping secrets or releasing something new. Just something different. Like sites with content you wouldn’t mind coming back to read.

Anyways, today is the official announcement of Hollyshow, written by Melody Ralls who describes the site as being done by “a semi-psychotic film fanatic who really needs to get out more.” Well good thing the Writing Standards strictly prohibits Fine Fools writers from writing on the weekends (although more and more are starting to break that rule, tsk tsk).

Currently the site is being loaded with a ton of movie reviews and over time I can see new content and subjects being added, but let Melody get her feet wet and go over to disagree with her ratings. I mean only giving Constantine 3 stars?! Come on. I guess you don’t have to agree with the writer to still like the site .

Well I was going to wait till Monday to announce this controversial site, but since it has blown up before I even got a chance to I figured I might as well do it now. Jack of All Blogs is the site that I always wanted to do on my own. I am a snarky, pain in the ass type of person who isn’t all that well-liked by many people on the web, but after reading what David Krug has to say I really won’t be liked by these people.

He doesn’t hold back and in all the insults in jokes you can also see a bit of the truth which to me makes this site special. The site has already broken 1,000 pageviews today because has been linked by:

• tech.memeorandum
• gothamist
• Joi Ito

Not bad for a site that wasn’t even supposed to be announced yet.

Every time I look at the network list on the left side of the Fine Fools sites I have to smile. Where else can you go from I Like Cameras to Successful Blog to A Man’s View to Proud White Trash? Hopefully no where else, otherwise we aren’t being too original.

Proud White Trash is being written by Rhys Alexander and is simply the category she wrote over at Damn I’m Cute. We decided that the content deserved it’s own site so it could stand on its own two feet and so here it is. Easily one of the best writers in the network Rhys is definitely one to watch.

As I mentioned in the A Man’s View announcement, I am introducing two sites that are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. While AMV focuses more on the bachelor aspects of life, Love Translated focuses solely on relationships and romance. To best understand what the site is about I asked Kristene Hekmi to offer her own description.

So who says housewives have to be boring? Who says that serious loving relationships, valid relationshps only have to be between a man and a woman? Love Translated hopes to examine the different stages of relationship, the different ways people express love, need love, and keep love.

The site is geared towards making the world love, commitment and relationship approachable again because the topics will be dealt with in a fun and playful way. From tips on how to remain sexy (including tips for the guys), picking on a man ’s brain as to their views on relationship, and lots of (protected) sex talk, the site aims to be the antithesis to Romantic Comedies that has guys running the other way.

Seems like Fireman and Starfisher would be wise to subscribe to this one.