No longer a link miser
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Feeling brave and being inspired by Coffeeswirls’ nifty new side RSS feed, I decided to go for broke and learn how to install a plugin. Learning to install a plugin taught me a few things:
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1. Read the directions very carefully.
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2. Don’t skip any steps.
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3. Only download plugins where the designer doesn’t speak in code and assume that you know stuff.
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4. Read the “read me” file.
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5. When it doesn’t work, see #1.
I did successfully install two plugins, but a few bugs prevented them from working properly. As it happened, I came across a new-to-me feature at del.icio.us which is a lot easier than installing a plugin. Anyone can do this. Linkrolls are a way for you to have your latest del.icio.us bookmarks displayed as part of your website. I’m tired of being a link miser. If you look under the recent comments in my sidebar, you’ll see “Also Worth Reading,” which are links that I really enjoyed.
With Linkrolls, you can add any link with one click. You don’t have to login to your blog or mess with any HTML. One click of a button, and it’s done. The small black text underneath the link is my two-cents. This is the Dummy Rip Off version of the Challies A La Carte. I’m such a wannabe.
The weird thing about this is that Linkrolls is RSS powered, but if you read this blog by RSS, then you can’t see the updated links unless you pull up the site. I’m sure there’s a way around that, but I don’t know it. Doesn’t matter, a girl can only handle so much change at one time anyway.
As a side note, if you don’t yet use an RSS reader (such as Bloglines or Feedburner) to read blogs, you really should consider it. I finally set up an account several months ago, and I can’t believe I waited so long. Even if you read only three blogs regularly, it is a huge time saver. I thought you’d have to know .php stuff, how to unzip files, and other html-super-code language, but in fact, it’s really easy. Try it out. Your computer won’t self-destruct if you push a wrong button. That’s just in the movies.
7 Comments
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Ok, now since I didn’t even understand half of what this post said, I am feeling veeeerrrrryyyy computer-illiterate. I remember reading something about RSS and Feedreaders when I set up my (completely template) blog site, but I didn’t really get how it all works.
But, you have inspired me. I am gonna go check out Bloglines or Feedburner. I make no promises, though!
Comment by Amanda (May 22, 2006 @ 3:14 am )
Thanks Amanda!! I felt completely out of touch when I read this–I’ll just keep reading the way I always do. I don’t even know how to get the smileys to work!!
Comment by Heather (May 22, 2006 @ 10:45 am )
I recently read that in order to write well, the writer should not assume that the reader knows what you’re talking about. It’s the same problem I was complaining these programmers have when writing plugins.
In my defense, I noticed this before I wrote the post. The problem is, I didn’t think I could adequately explain RSS. I only know what it does–not what it is or how exactly it works. Your confusion is understandable, as I didn’t explain it.
Amanda, if you’ll just follow the directions and set up an account at Bloglines, you’ll see what it does and it’ll all make sense. Then you’ll thank me profusely. I know it.
Heather, Hit the “Smileys” quicktag above the box where you type your comments. Choose a smiley by clicking on it. That’s it. WordPress will put in the code in the comment box for you. Feel free to test it out.
(Another way is to type a colon and a parenthesis, and it will automatically do the one I just typed for you.)
Comment by Amy Scott (May 22, 2006 @ 3:40 pm )
Hello!
My mother is an avid reader of your blog, and she will frequently refer us (my family and I) to your blog or read it to us.
She really enjoys reading it, and loves to share it with us. So…
Yesterday she referred me to your post on RSS feeds and linkrolls (being her computer geek and technical adviser
), wondering if I had heard of it before and hoping I would learn something. Of course, she did not have a clue on what the post was about.
Thanks for the post!! I knew of RSS feed and thought it a very interesting invention. (For those who would like to be informed, RSS feed is a simple application that will automatically let the computer user know if there are new posts and/or comments on the website that supports it, without having to manually read the blog). I am familiar with it in an internet browser, Firefox, and so if I sound strange, it is because that is where I came from. After explaining the RSS feed to Mom, she sounded quite interested in dowloading the Firefox browser.
(Also, Firefox supports tabbed browsing).
I had not heard of del.ico.us (is that supposed to spell delicious?) and its bookmarks and linkrolls, but I had heard of some similar things (like those associated with Google and Ask.com). Nevertheless, it sounded quite interesting.
Again, thanks for the post. It wasn’t lost on everybody!!
Comment by David (May 22, 2006 @ 6:03 pm )
I also had no clue what half this post was about, but thanks for explaining smilies! I didn’t know how to use them either!
I did go to Bloglines and you are now on my feeds (?) list. Is the point of it to be able to go to one place and see if there’s anything new so you aren’t going back to favorites every couple minutes?
Anyway, I just started my own blog a little while back; is it bad manners or in poor taste to put a link here? Amy, you think you’re a wannabe…
Jen
http://tobysthoughts-jtc.blogspot.com/
Comment by joythruchrist (May 23, 2006 @ 3:04 am )
Can you hear me applauding? Good job.
Comment by Tim (May 23, 2006 @ 5:33 pm )
You can use bloglines as a way to do link lists as well. You could really say that these are the blogs you read :-). Bloglines will generate the code that you put in your template.
Comment by Michele (May 23, 2006 @ 8:10 pm )