Stuff

the best website on the internet

by Eric Hegwer on 26 May, 2009

I’m running a little experiment here.  The other day I was reading some Madcox archives, and then noticed that he titles his site:  thebestpageintheuniverse.  Which got me to thinking – who has the  ”The Best Website on the Internet“.  So I googled it, and guess what, he does. Be aware if you click on his link – some of his stuff is NSFW (Not Safe For Work), and most of it is pretty offensive.  If you are thin skinned, easily offended, or super serious about life, don’t read his blog.  You will just become upset, and then get upset with me for suggesting his link.  None of us want that.  You’ve been warned.

So what’s the experiment, you wonder?  Well the next 572 websites listed below his for that particular search phrase are sites that review websites: places like Time Magazine’s top 50 websites of all time, the blogger choice awards (for which I have a grand total of 2 votes as I write this (one of them is mine)) – Did you see the nice use of double parenthesis BTW, and other link gathering brainstorms.  

I don’t have a Pagerank of 10 (who does have a PR10 anyway), or a fancy SEO campaign.  All I do is write a post almost everyday, in plain english, about stuff  that I think would be interesting, helpful, or funny to at least one person.  Just like the Google Webmaster guidelines suggest.

I’m just curious to see if I even appear in the top 100 or 1000 if I write a post and title it with the search phrase.  Check back in a few days, and let’s see,

{ 0 comments }

How I handle Comments on MY blog

by Eric Hegwer on 17 April, 2009

This is my blog.  I own the domain www.EricHegwer.com, I pay for and manage my own server space, and I write and create all the content.  My website is a combination of my life, job, travels, hobbies, and whatever else I decide to write about.

How often should you leave a comment on a blog?  I encourage you to leave a comment on every single page, or at least every time you visit.  It’s OK to post comments frequently.  I know I do.  It shows me that you are visiting my site, and find it at least sort of interesting.  A comment is like an internet pat on the back.

If you see a photo you like, you can say something simple like: “neat shot”, or “great color”.  If you feel so inclined you can ask a question like “what lens did you use”, and I guarantee I’ll get back to you with an answer.

If you want to know more about a technique I use for home repair, or photography, just ask, and I’ll be more descriptive.

Statements like “great site” will cause me to think twice  - those two words are almost equivalent to Free Cialis, or Mexican Viagra.  It’s a common trick spammers think they can use to get their foot in the door and begin to take over.  

What is not cool is to use the comments in a bad or malicious way.  I know a TON about the internet, and when you decide to write something that isn’t on the up and up, I get your IP address.  You can put in a fake e-mail and website, but behind the scenes, your computer is automatically sending me your computer’s unique code that identifies it from all the other machines on the web.  With your IP, I know exactly who you are – and I have friends all over the world, so be careful, you don’t want to wake up to hot coffee spilled all over your keyboard, or worse.

I also moderate all comments.  So if you think you can publicly humiliate me into getting you your wedding photos or albums faster, forget it.  Everybody gets incredible customer service.  That’s just how I do things.  But sometimes I make the creative process sound easier than it really is.  Just be patient, you don’t want me to rush and do a crappy job on your wedding photos, right? (Even if you did, I wouldn’t do that anyway.)

I won’t discard authentic negative comments.  If you know of a better way to do things, I’d love to hear about it.  If you find a particular photo not to your liking, and want to say so, do it!  I want to hear what you have to say, it helps me become better.

Finally – Sometimes I close comments, If you want to post a something about an entry that doesn’t allow comments DON’T add it to another post.  Please stay on topic.

Whew I feel better.

{ 1 comment }

Last night was one of those times when being popular is not as cool as it sounds. You see, the more friends you have, the more social obligations you are forced to attend. Of course, I didn’t want to say no to any of these things, because I fear that when I say no even once to someone, they might not ever ask me to do anything again. Sadly, I’m learning this isn’t the case in Texas. Everyone here is so nice and hospitable. “Don’t worry about it Eric, we will have you over for our BBQ next time – are you free the last sunday in April?”

Just to give you a little preview of what I was up against:
Paint Living Room Ceiling  Next wednesday the flooring guy is coming.  He is the 2nd to last person I want to piss off because it took almost a month to get on his calendar and schedule him to come in to lay down our Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors.

Go hear Vincent Laforet Talk at ACC - Have you seen this guys work?  He has a blog, too.

Work on client’s wedding pictures and Albums – OK guys, I know you are getting antsy.  I’m working on it.  Really!  And your wedding photos and albums are going to look fabulous.

Attend a Networking event at UT – Every year, the Texas Belles have a nice little get-together for selected local vendors.  

Celebrate the first night of Passover  For 5769 years the Jews have been celebrating Passover.  To put it in terms people from Chicago can understand, that’s 57.69 times longer than the Cubs have won the Series.

Loose $20 to my good friend Ray in his monthly Poker game - This is what I’m talking about when I say Texas Hospitality, Ray is a fellow wedding photographer in Austin.  Some would call us direct competitors since his  company, Everafter Images, is also all about wedding photography.  But I don’t see things that way.  Instead he is a good guy, a great photographer, and a decent poker player.

Watch Lost with my wife – Will Locke kill Ben? Will Sun and Jin (her husband) ever be reunited?  Where is Sayeed?  Who is going to get the girl, Jack or Sawyer.  Jeez, I’m watching a soap opera.

Hear Dooce Speak at Bookepople

Can you guess which one I actually did?

{ Comments on this entry are closed }