Final Thoughts On The PageRank Debacle

Many things have been said about the recent toolbar PageRank update. Most tend to agree that PageRank has lost relevance and that we shouldn’t place too much importance on it. Most of us feel it’s time to move on and stop talking about it. I’ll do that, but not until I’ve had a final say on the matter.
On A Positive Note
Firstly, some sites, mine included, have received a good PageRank. I am very happy that my site is PR4. I’ve worked hard and waited a long time for the update. I was expecting PR1 or PR2 at best, so I am thrilled with PR4.
However, it’s a little hollow, because so many sites have ranked lower than they should (then again maybe mine is ranked too high).
Sites That Should Be Higher
I’m only naming a few sites that I read regularly. There are many more that deserve to be higher, that I’m not aware of right now.
I’ll start with authority blogger Andy Beard, whose site should be PR 6 in my opinion. PR4 is just wrong. This is a definitive case showing that PageRank is not an accurate reflection of a site’s worth.
The following are other great sites that I read regularly, which are definitely worth more than the PR3 they’ve been given:

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More Than Scratch The Surface Receives Award

When I first started blogging, I wouldn’t have written a post about receiving an award from another blog. Back then, my plan was just to write original content. I saw memes, linkfests and awards as a distraction from that.
I still am a little biased against awards, but I’ve softened my stance now that I’ve won one!
I recently picked up the High Flying Eagle Award from Eaglehawk for the IFrameWidgets plugin helping improve the way his site loaded. Thank you Eaglehawk!

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Guest Post For Snoskred’s Out Of Your Niche Series

I recently took part in Snoskred’s Get Out Of Your Niche series. This has been an excellent series with guest posts on a variety of topics. My own guest post was added to the collection last Friday.
The premise of the series is that instead of writing about your normal topic, you write about life in your country. As it looks like we will be returning to Australia in about 6 months time, I wrote about what I am looking forward to about Life In Australia and what I’ll miss about Life In China.
If you’re interested in what I wrote, go and read it!
I have to hand it to Snoskred - this series is a fantastic idea. For me, I get the chance to write on topics I normally don’t get the chance to. I also get more exposure and the chance of picking up some new readers. For Snoskred, she gets a variety of rich stories which add value to her blog. It’s win - win for every one, including our respective readers. Thanks Snoskred!
I really enjoyed taking part. I have been thinking for some time that I’d like to write more about my experiences in China. I’ve even thought about starting a separate blog. Unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen any time soon, because I don’t have the time to do it justice.
If you feel like trying your hand at something different, get on over to Snoskred’s Get Out Of Your Niche post for instructions on how to […] Read more »

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Google PageRank From PR0 To PR4? Maybe…

I’ve been an interested reader in the current PageRank blogstorm, but not an active participant. I haven’t been affected personally as this blog was created after the last toolbar update, so my PageRank has been 0.
After reading Andy Beard’s Real or Fake PageRank Update In Progress, I decided to see what the PageRank checkers were saying about my site. The answer: It seems I’ve jumped from PR0 to PR4! See the screenshot below.

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WordPress Adds Atom:Link to RSS Feeds

WordPress support for the atom:link element in RSS feeds has gone live in both the standalone and multiuser versions of the software. The RSS Profile recommends that feeds include atom:link to identify the feed’s URL.<atom:link…

Link
- Comments
- Rogers Cadenhead - Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:39:33 GMT
- Feed (1 subs)

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Austin Rated Bloggingest City

We just got news (via Wired News) that a Scarborough Research study is naming our own Austin the bloggingest city in the nation, based on the percentage of residents who read or write blogs. (Photo: Flickr DanHerron)

Austin topped the stats with 15% of adults reading or writing blogs, edging out Portland, OR (14%), and the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose at 13%).
With that in mind, here’s a shout out to some of the great Austin blogs that are part of our network:

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Spock - The People Search Engine

I’ve just been having a look at Spock, the people search engine. I found it very interesting, but before I get into my findings, it’s important to note what Spock is not - it is not another a social network. On their about page, they state:

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Blogger Profile: Matt Loede of “NFL Gridiron Gab”

Recently, our BlogBurst editors interviewed BlogBurst member, Matt Loede.
You can find his blog here: http://www.nflgridirongab.com/

Q: We’re halfway through the NFL season, any advice for Fantasy Football fans?

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Roundup - Plugins, Milestones and Storms

This is the first update / roundup style post on More Than Scratch The Surface. I originally thought I’d stick to articles, but I can now see the need to write about things that aren’t worth a full post. Expect to see these occasionally.
Plugins
I spent most of last week on the IFrameWidgets plugin. There were quite a few issues, but now there’s only one left: the site who makes the widget won’t know which page the widget was called from. This is fully explained on the plugin’s home page. I’m waiting a little while to see what the fallout of this is (if any) before I start to actively push it. I learnt a few HTML / Javascript tricks while sorting out the issues, so expect some posts on these soon.
The new version of the DualFeeds plugin should have been released six weeks ago, but I just haven’t gotten around to finishing the documentation yet. I’ve been busy, but that’s terrible! I did fix an obscure bug (only present when switching feeds and for some versions of php) over the weekend. Thanks to Dmitry from www.sportreport.ru for helping me sort this out. Anyway, expect this to be released towards the end of next week.
Alexa Milestone
A couple of stumbles from K-IntheHouse and Andy Beard helped push this site through the 150K barrier at Alexa recently. I’ve been surprised how easily I’ve moved up the rankings, but I’m anticipating that it will be harder from now on, as I’m in the same […] Read more »

BlogBurst Enhances Coverage of California Wildfires

One of the big values of using blogs to help cover a story is that publishers offer readers a wide range of perspectives. The BlogBurst team has been promoting posts covering the wildfires in California - and the mix of posts in our network offers a wide range of perspectives: a scientific look at Santa Ana winds, environmental commentary, posts from California residents, and social commentary on how the wealth of the area is impacting the resources dedicated to the disaster.
Some blogs that have been adding to the coverage include:

Dr. Jeff Masters’ Wunderblog
San Diego: Dialed In
All Spin Zone
Smarter Home & Garden Blog

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