Remember those upgrades I said my host would be doing waaaaay back in March? They finally got around to doing it today. My server is now running PHP5 and MySQL5, and so far the only hiccup was a useless module I was using for Commission Junction that caused a fatal error and prevented my blog from loading. But since I don’t use their affiliate network anymore I got rid of it and my site immediately came back online again. I haven’t noticed any other errors, so I think it’s safe for me to breathe again. Yay!

I have another post lined up too, just need to finish polishing it before uploading it. Too tired to do it now though, but I promise I’ll post it first thing tomorrow… errr today. Whatever.

The question for the ages.

Actually I’ve been working behind the scenes trying to boost my traffic levels (with less than stellar success I might add), and also working to get another ad network going to fill my ad spaces. I’m actually amazed by the income ratio I’m seeing so far. If it continues to hold, my eCPM would be around $10, meaning for every 1000 pageviews this blog gets I would earn $10. It’s not earth shattering by any means, but considering the typical eCPM for those who use Google Adsense is around $1 to $2, it’s not bad either. My goal is to eventually net around $40 a day (or $1250 a month), so I’ll have to continue my efforts to boost my eCPM and bring more traffic in.

Speaking of which, there is one more thing I can try, sort of like a last ditch effort to bring in the level of traffic I want, but it’s EXPENSIVE, and it still requires a lot of work. The good news is I can use my previous blog earnings to pay for the first month (it’s done on a subscription basis), and if the results are effective, the higher ad revenues that result should be enough to front the costs and still net me a profit.

Maybe. If it fails, I’ll pretty much will have lost all the money I’ve ever made via blogging up to this point. Ah well, I’ll just have to believe that fortune will continue to favor the brave.

And the reckless.

Whoever thought tags was a wonderful idea for blogging and everything else on the internet should be shot, strung up, skinned, then burned alive.

It’s getting to that I can’t even talk on the phone anymore without thinking up tags to describe the conversation I’m having.

You know, back in the days before dweebie sites like Technorati existed, I used to actually have fun blogging. And then I discovered a few tagging plugins and thought, “Neato, now I can add tags to my blog and give myself a much needed SEO boost! After all, that’s what all the blogging experts are saying!”

Memo to self: Blogging experts are evil bastards who work for Satan and give us bad ass tips on purpose so they can maintain their status as a-list bloggers, while the rest of us continue to trudge around in internet obscurity. Of this I am now utterly convinced.

Because now, instead of being able to just fire off a quick post while I’m in the moment, I have to think up appropriate tags for it as well. Now I absolutely dread to blog because I know sooner or later, I’m gonna have to tag what I wrote.

“Is this tag too generic, or too specific? Did I use too many tags for this post, or not enough? How many synonyms should I use? Was this tag descriptive enough? Is Google gonna hurt me bad because I’m tag bloating my blog?”

I’m ready to reach into my backend here and rip out the plugins powering my tags with my bare hands, but ironically enough a good portion of my traffic comes via my tags archives, so I’m stuck with them for the time being.

Oh man, I’m finished with this post now, so you know what’s coming next. Mommy hold me please.

Ok, ok… deep breath here… deeeeep breath… here we go…

My server is having a temper tantrum here, so if you’re subscribing to my feed you may have seen a few duplicate and wonky posts lately. Sorry about that. Stupid stupid stupid WordPress. It’s like my own blog is conspiring to keep me from blogging here.

Until recently I never really understood the concept of how a wiki based site worked, but after playing around with Wetpaint today I’m finally beginning to understand its appeal. Wetpaint allows you to build a free website based on a wiki platform, (similar to Wikipedia), only the difference here is that it’s more socially oriented, and you can build your own personal community around any niche you’re particularly passionate about.

Creating a new wiki on Wetpaint is absurdly easy, and if I wanted to, I could create a new wiki for dating and promptly declare myself the supreme lovemaster who holds all the inner secrets to having a successful relationship. Of course, if I allow my page to be edited by other wiki members, they’ll probably do their best to keep me on the straight and narrow (such as correcting the somewhat misleading claim that Jessica Alba never was pregnant and in fact left her skanky male ho of a boyfriend to move in with me instead.)

On second thought, maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.

The good news though is that I can modify my settings to prevent any wiki page I make from being mass edited, leaving my claims unchallenged and untouched by those wiki weenies who aspire to keep Wetpaint created pages “accurate” and “truthful.” Pffttttt.

In any event, Wetpaint does seem good for a few hours of fun, especially if you want to get a good feel for how wiki based communities operate, so go check it out.

Well maybe.

It all depends on how the upgrades go tomorrow. My hosting provider (Hostgator) is upgrading all their servers to PHP5 and MySQL5, meaning one of two things could happen: either I’m fretting over nothing and the upgrades will go smoothly, leaving my precious blog relatively unscathed. Or…

There’s no telling how all the components of my site is going to react, but needless to say I’m a little nervous. I’ve backed up all my files, but if some major part of my blog is not compatible with the new server, then I am totally up poo-poo creek without a paddle.

Honestly, I just don’t have the strength or patience anymore to deal with a major meltdown. I’ve exhausted all my energy trying to keep my blog running as smoothly as possible, and if it all goes to crap because of this upgrade, that might just be the end of this site as we know it.

So, should the worst happen, I bid you all farewell. Goodbye, you cruel, cruel Internet! You’ve taken a once young promising lad and reduced him to a shriveled up ball of insanity, bitterness and despair. Damn you!!!! Damn you all to the fiery flames of LOLcats hell!