WordPress Ping List 2008

July 31, 2008 by 14 Comments

Top 24 Word Press Blog Ping List- Current to August 2008 (Sorry- English Only At This Time)

2008 WordPress Ping ListThe Top 24 list below I have compiled from various sources, and is designed for English based blogs. I put together this list out of selfishness and frustration that there seem to be no current scrubbed Word Press Ping Lists available. Specifically, the list that Elliot Back did in 2004 is sorely outdated. I have verified each site manually as of July 31/2008, but make no guarantees. If you feel I have missed an essential English based site to ping, please post a comment and I will update the list.

For those new to blogging  a blog ping is : A notification to a web site that a blog has been created or updated. That’s a good thing and should bring your blog more visitors, as long as you don’t over do it. You can read up more on it here: Blog Ping

http://www.a2b.cc/setloc/bp.a2b

http://api.feedster.com/ping

http://api.moreover.com/ping

http://api.my.yahoo.com/RPC2

http://www.blogdigger.com/RPC2

http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2

http://www.blogshares.com/rpc.php

http://www.blogstreet.com/xrbin/xmlrpc.cgi

http://coreblog.org/ping/

http://mod-pubsub.org/kn_apps/blogchatt

http://www.newsisfree.com/xmlrpctest.php

http://ping.blo.gs/

http://ping.exblog.jp/xmlrpc

http://ping.feedburner.com

http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php

http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php

http://rpc.blogbuzzmachine.com/RPC2

http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/

http://rpc.icerocket.com:10080/

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

http://rpc.twingly.com

http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2

http://www.snipsnap.org/RPC2

http://rpc.pingomatic.com/

Just copy and paste the above list in your WordPress admin, Go to Options->Writing -> and on the bottom of the page is Update Services, paste the list there, and ping away!!!

Important: Here is a free WordPress Plugin (MaxBlogPress Ping Optimizer) which helps optimize your pings to ensure sites don’t ban you! Yes, if you ping too much they will toast your blog. http://www.maxblogpress.com/go.php?offer=leeraito&pid=6

Filed Under: Blogging, PC, Wordpress

Wheres George and Angelina Jolie

July 30, 2008 by 7 Comments

angelina joliePlease read to the end for the surprise Angelina Jolie twist…

So there I was, hanging with the family on short vacation, paying for those insidious Happy Meals at an undisclosed location in Grand Forks, ND. Then it happened… the counter girl handed me my change, with a smile. As I was about to stuff the bills in my wallet and go stuff my face, the red ink stamped next to George Washington jumped out at me. I was intrigued, curious and wondered what mysterious message awaited my discovery.

www.wheresgeorge.com

wheres georgeFor a brief moment, I felt had just won a mini lottery until I read the following message: See where I’ve been Track where I go next www.wheresgeorge.com   A little deflated, I cursed my decision to not bring my laptop on the family vacation, but having to wait a few days to check this out probably added to the excitement. Honestly, I thought I was seeing a knew viral marketing tactic with America’s best viral medium… money! Who was behind this? The movie industry, an ingenious charity, the US Government… I was wrong, wrong, way wrong!

After getting home and pulling up www.wheresgeorge.com  I discovered the United States Currency Tracking Experiment has been going on for more than 10 years (where have I been!!!), and exactly as the message suggests it is designed for the curious at heart to track where a bill has been and after you release it back into the world, where it will go next.

where is georgeSo today, wanting to know the history of this particular George Washington, I signed up at the site and entered in the serial number, current location of the dollar bill I had found and short little story. In hopes, that I would discover a vast history that I have so vividly imagined. Of course, this bill must have traveled thousands of miles, and touched the hands of Angelina Jolie in Hollywood, passed though the casinos of Las Vegas, and worked its was north by some hitch hiker who was trying to get home to see the love her life, and kept this last dollar to have a cheese burger at McDonalds while she waited for her long lost love to come pick her up where they first met .

Not quite…

wheres george bill tracking report

So it turns out, this bill has travelled a measly 337 Miles, from Minnesota, USA to Manitoba, Canada in a little over a year. A big, big Yawn! But that doesn’t mean the story ends here. Here is the Angelina Jolie twist. Let’s give this George Washington fellow a real trip. If anyone reading this on the other side of the world, or at least not in North America, has a great cause to support… I’m buying!!!! Your cause will get the Wheres George 1$ bill and I will throw in an additional $100. Just reply to this post, and we can work out the details via email. I will continue to update this story as it unfolds!

un goodwill ambassador angelina jolieMaybe we can eventually get this bill to Angelina Jolie or to someone who will help change the world with it, or at least give this George Washington guy a little sexier ending than 337 measly miles and a McDonalds Happy Meal. According to their site WheresGeorge.com hasn’t made the news in 6 years, and their blog hasn’t seen a fresh post in 2 years. Maybe its time the owners and the estimated 50,000+ registered users of  www.wheresgeorge.com  start using those dollars to help out those who are less fortunate, and see just how viral money can be when it has some good karma attached to it.

Update # 001- Thursday, July 31/2008 -  Wheres George user Amy stopped by and straightened me out on a few things, namely not exposing the serial number of a bill. That was confirmed when a few minutes later came from none other than Hank Eskin, the creator of WheresGeorge.com (pasted in a comment below)!  So NO, requests for a charity on the other side of the world yet, but as per Amy I will be heading over to the Wheres George forum to see the users section devoted to Charity. Kudos to Amy for helping raise money for Breast Cancer.

 This post will continue to be updated as it develops.

Filed Under: Life, Social Media, Social Networking, Weird

Authority Black Book

July 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I have  just read one of the best guides on social marketing ever. It’s called the Authority Black Book by Jack Humphrey.

Authority Black Book

Authority Black BookJack is the go to guy who consults gurus and experts the world over on link building and social marketing strategies.

I’ve watched my blog and other website traffic and rankings improve drastically by applying what Jack has in the Black Book.

What’s strange to me is that Jack is just giving it away. Its jam-packed with resources and tactics to immediately start driving more website traffic and I know he could charge for it and make a bundle.

But its really a no strings attached download you can grab right now and start benefiting from immediately.

Authority Black Book

These tactics yield immediate results after reading and applying the first few ideas!

It wasn’t rated the #1 ebook for bloggers by Mashable.com for nothing. People can be found praising the Black Book all over the web in Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

You should grab it tonight and eat it up.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking

Stumbling On Happiness – Don’t Read This Unless…

July 27, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Don’t Read Stumbling on Happiness unless you are prepared to accept when remembering past events that our brains make stuff up, and we have selective memory that is bias towards doing everything in its power to convince ourselves and the world we are better than most. Ultimately, that when we think we know what will make us happy in the future we really don’t have a freaking clue.

Stumbling On HappinessSo again, don’t read Stumbling on Happiness unless you are open minded enough to accept your brain is some times in control… not you. What percentage of your brain did you really think you control?

There are days that I wish I hadn’t read Stumbling on Happiness, by Daniel Gilbert. Most days though I feel empowered to have learned so much about the human mind, and its inefficiencies, in such a short read.  Maybe, just maybe, I have Stumbled on Happiness and have forever gained a little more control over that three pounds of grey matter housed in my skull. I highly recommend this book for open minded people!

Filed Under: Life

Bread

July 26, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Next best thing since  __________ ! 

If you came here looking for bread recipes, bread history or world famous bread then your in the wrong place. Try Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread  This is about marketing in today’s messed up world of information overload, where people are now immune to good advertising.  

Next best thing since SLICED BREAD.  

Seth Godin is one of the world’s most premier experts on permission based marketing, and in a speech he did about a year ago he drives home the reality for people and companies trying to market in today’s world of information overload.  People ignore advertising and marketing today, even if it’s darn good. Unless it’s truly remarkable…you will be largely be ignored by potential customers. 

Bread was once not sliced….quite shocking!

But one man in 1917, Otto Frederick Rohwedder had an idea and a vision that the world would eat sliced bread. Due to a fire he lost his first prototype, and didn`t’ have a working slicing machine until the 1920′s. By the late 1920`s he again had a working model, and several bread companies started using it.

Wonder BreadThe world disagreed and didn`t jump all over the `Best Thing Since Sliced Bread` for  several years, until the 1930′s,  when a company called Wonder Bread came along, launched a massive marketing campaign and made sliced bread remarkable. What Otto and the initial bread companies that adopted the technology couldn’t do to spread the word, took Wonder bread only a very short time. Wonder Bread, at the time, was remarkable. People took the time to ‘remark’ to friends, family and co-workers the Wonders of Wonder Bread, pun intended.  

Here is the video of Seth Godin’s Bread speech, and it is well worth the 18 minutes of your time. Whether you are a consumer interested in how businesses are vying for your dollars, or in sales and marketing and need inspiration for your own marketing… this is a must see and covers a lot more than just bread!

  [youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435Zg[/youtube]

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Life, Sales

National Do Not Call List – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

July 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Bell Do Not Call

If you are looking to register your phone number for the Canadian National Do Not Call List please click here: https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/insnum-regnum-eng

Bell Canada was awarded the 5 year contract from the CRTC in December 2007. It is official; The National Do Not Call list will be in effect in Canada by September 2008 at the latest.

I have been involved in sales in one fashion or another for almost two decades in Canada, and I have mixed feelings (Good, Bad & Ugly) about the CRTC’s National Do Not Call List. On one hand the reduction of telemarketing calls for useless products and services that most people don’t want to hear about does sound appealing, if you choose to add yourself to the list. On the other hand, there are some bad effects and seriously ugly flaws with the program that people just don’t realize how draconian the CRTC has made the rules surrounding this list, and it will have a negative impact on some very important industries in Canada.

Let first quickly recap what the National Do Not Call list actually is and isn’t. The National Call list is a choice.  Consumers with a phone in Canada can choose for free to add their phone number to a list of people who do not want to be called by telemarketers trying to sell their products and services (anyone soliciting with a phone is defined as a telemarketer…period). Does it guarantee you won’t get calls? NO, but for the first time in Canada you will be able to complain to BELL and actually have recourse in the event someone calls you when they shouldn’t. The company or person who breaks the rules can face heavy fines, to the tune of $15,000 per offence. In theory, the fear of punishment should make the National Do Not Call List work like a charm.

There are certain organizations that are exempt. Even if you are on the list the continuous calls from charities and surveys will not cease. So the do not call list isn’t a magical black box service that will stop your phone ringing. Also, any company that has an existing business relationship with you is permitted to continue to call you regarding the products and services of that company, this has primarily exempted your bank or insurance company from the list, but also will keep you on the list of many companies with whom you do business.

THE GOOD – it will reduce unwanted calls.

THE BAD – if you’re in sales life just changed.

THE UGLY – word of mouth referral based businesses are being forced to adapt and pay money to Bell to comply, regardless of whether your business is a one person shop or hundreds of people.

The term referral in Canada may no longer be safe for many businesses. Let’s say I am talking with Mike my life insurance agent, and I think it would be a good idea for him to give my friend Sam a call as they just had a baby, and I know he doesn’t have an agent. According to the CRTC, if Mike calls Sam, and Sam is on the Do Not Call List, he is in contradiction of the rules and his company could be fined up to $15,000. Now, Sam may not complain and it may go unnoticed even if Mike did call, but that’s not the point. Mike is taking a risk, and is at the mercy for paying for cross referencing Bell’s No Not Call List, adding an extra layer of administration and cost to his business. Not to mention who knows what Bell will be charging for these lists?

There are many industries in Canada that have been built on word of mouth, and the CRTC has now made it even harder for one person to recommend a service to another. When the Do Not Call list officially launches later this year, many businesses are going to have to rethink their telemarketing strategy.

The one immediate and safe solution is for businesses and direct sales forces to focus on introductions, instead of referrals. Asking for an introduction lunch or coffee with a ‘referral’ can be very effective. Of course, referrals are still the life blood of many businesses, and that’s why it will become very important to become familiar with the rules and ensure you or your company follows them.

Looking for more detailed information you can get it from the horse’s mouth here: Bell.ca/DoNotCall

Want to read the 500+ page CRTC Ruling: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2007/dt2007-48.htm

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Life, Sales Tagged With: , ,

Vent – Idea Give Away #2

July 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment

It’s a curse.

I’m an idea guy with very little time who as a result has to be very picky on what I implement. So rather than let an idea die and whither away, I set it free and give it to you( if its not for you then you should FEEL OBLIGATED to pass this on to the person YOU KNOW this is for.. EVERY BODY KNOWS SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING FOR AN INDEA THEY CAN RUN WITH). As I mentioned in my Give Your Best Ideas Away post all I ask is that if you or anyone implements any of my ideas, just pay me in what ever manner you want one year after you have implemented the idea. Whether that’s a thank you email, or whatever you feel that idea was truly worth. Karma!

10PageBooks.com How many people just don’t have time to read a 300+ page book on the topic they would love to read about, even if it is for only 20 minutes. Since we already know the answer to that question, I will tell you this concept is nothing new! Ever heard of Coles Notes?

So here is the free idea of the day that can go one of two ways. 10PageBooks.com could work with authors to write on every topic under the sun, but to a maximum of 10 pages. Still have to be extremely high quality work, captivating, and inexpensive for the buyer at lets say $1.99 a book, but nonetheless a very valuable service for time pressed readers. Ensure you don’t put out crap and you will get repeat business guaranteed.

The second way is for one author to take this idea and run with it. The web domain could still be used but not necessary. Any author could use www.lulu.com to immediately start cranking out high quality 10 page books in their niche. Whether you write how to books, romance, business or anything else, snappy titles will grab your reader’s attention.

Hear are a few titles that just popped into my head:

Raising Kids – Ten Most Important Pages on Raising Children You Will Ever Read

Buying a Car Today? Learn In 20 Minutes or Less How to Save Yourself Thousands from the Sleaziest Car Salesman in the World

Anyway, think you get the idea.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Life, Sales

Web com Discount Coupon Code TWC287

July 21, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Don’t Buy From Web.com Until You Read This or You Will Pay Too Much

First thing… go grab a pen! Write this code down… TWC287 using this link www.LeeRaito.com/Web.com-Discount  

Web.com Discount Coupon CodeThere you just saved your self 20% on any small business website or hosting you decide to set up with Web.com.

If you have any problems please let me know, but as of August 2008 this discount code is still working. Also if you a get a site set up with Web.com please let me know, I’d love to check it out!

Cheers,

Lee

PS. Love the psycho Web.com TV ad…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzSc-6lNSo[/youtube]

Filed Under: Blogging, Domain Names, Internet Marketing, PC, Sales, Web Hosting, Wordpress