“The Blog” Is Not A Blog
November 17, 2008
The term “blog” has become considerably over used and now has such broad meaning that it tells you very little about a site. When blogging first became popular, everyone pretty much knew what a blog was, a series of posts that were relatively short and reasonably informal. The concept of blogging took off and now encompasses everything from the very formal and professional to the completely amateur and informal. Blogs may be updated several times a day or a couple times a month. Long form writing is common as is the more traditional short form which characterized blogs to begin with.
Now we’re starting to hear buzz about how “blogging” will die off and give way to something else but I don’t agree. I do agree that new media forms will become more prevalent, but the fundamental error in predicting that blogging will die off is in the assumption of what blogging is to begin with. I’ve never looked at a blog as limited to the informal short form writing that blogging was in the beginning. Rather blogging in its early days was a precursor to quick and easy publishing platforms. So blogging, in the traditional sense will continue if only for informal sites (think of those meant to be shared with friends and family) but will perhaps decline somewhat in for people trying to formalize and build businesses on them. The platforms however, particularly those aimed at publishing (like WordPress) more than just traditional blogging (blogger) will continue to grow in their usage.
The moral of the story is if you are starting a site, consider the nature of what you want to do and don’t be scared off by using a “blogging” platform like WordPress which can be effectively used as a CMS. Your blog doesn’t necessairly have to look, feel or act like what you probably think of when you hear the word “blog”. Blogs may be focused on writing, pictures (photoblogging), video or even very short messages like twitter, which is often referred to as micro-blogging. Outside of pidgeon-holing a site by using the word “blog”, it’s really just content publishing which may be what you are after to begin with.
As examples, all of the following run on WordPress:
Traditional Blogs:
Full Sites Running WordPress:
Indiana University School of Journalism
BlackBox Technologies New WordPress Theme
October 30, 2008
We just completed a new theme at BlackBox Technologies for our own website. We’ll be offering the theme up for others to use soon but are still working out the details of how the “theme” part of our business will be working so keep your eyes open. We will also have a couple of add on’s which will be available with the theme. In the mean time, stop by, check it out and let us know what you think. If find any bugs or tweaks let us know on the contact page.
In addition to the theme and it’s related add on’s we’ll be providing a technical support forum and web knowledge base to go along with our service.
BlackBox Technologies is a web presence company specializing in content management, design, social media, SEO and online marketing. With services and product lines of business, BlackBox is there, with their strategic alliances, to provide end to end website and online marketing needs for companies of all sizes.
Community Crush
August 19, 2008
Community Crush is an online platform which gives small and medium sized communities a place to share information and discuss what is happening in around town. Operated by BlackBox Technologies, [Read more]
Community Crush
August 19, 2008
Community Crush is a site which provides a platform for small to medium sized communities to discuss what is happening within their communities, share information and keep up to date with what is happening around town. Content is driven by users so each community can determine how their community site shapes up and what they talk about.
Community Crush is currently in Beta with six active communities and more coming online shortly. Individuals interested in opening their community can request their community on the home page.
Community Crush is owned and Operated by BlackBox Technologies.
Visit Community Crush at http://www.communitycrush.com
Open Source Software for the Enterprise
July 23, 2008
There is no shortage of great ideas floating around right now. Unfortunately, as much value as we like to put on our good ideas, failure to execute on them means they turn out to be little more than dreams with practical application but no realization.
However, over the past few years, the open source movement has gained tremendous ground in it’s battle for broad acceptance and reliability. I would dare say, open source is coming of age. The broad use of LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) to build still more open source applications is eclipsed only by the applications built on that framework. Of course WordPress and Firefox immediately come to mind but the number of open source projects abounds.
The open source platform enablers such as Apache and Linux have enjoyed wide use in the enterprise for some time but the applications built on them have struggled to gain acceptance in those same businesses though for good reason. Most of them simply weren’t ready for prime time. But that’s changing and quickly so. With applications such as MySQL driving more and more databases, and WordPress running some large and complex websites, businesses are starting to realize the benefits of using free, open source applications and are finding out how reliable they can be. More importantly, the age and durability of those applications means there is also a growing talent pool of professionals capable of supporting them.
The idea is, that out of this movement a few things will happen.
- Incumbent, non-open source giants will begin to be displaced for basic service offerings (think Apache instead of IIS).
- New businesses will grow on the backs of open source applications, and not just new products, but services companies as well
- Open source technologies could eventually rival complex enterprise applications.
Number 2 is exactly why I started BlackBox Technologies. A lot of businesses are using open source applications and need expertise to support them and help them get up and running or to maintain those applications. Also, a lot of small businesses and individuals can now afford powerful, scalable, flexible websites because they can be built by professionals at a relatively low cost without incurring software licensing fees, now or ever.
But, number 3 is what intrigues me the most and is where I hope BlackBox will go, eventually, even if only in part. The open source movement has proven that it is capable of building applications that can operate effectively at the enterprise level. When coupled with a subject matter expert in a particular discipline such as law, real estate, corporate governance, etc… the technical minds that contribute en masse to open source projects will have an opportunity to compete or displace incumbent software providers.
There will be concerns about security, reliability, support … all of which are quite valid to the enterprise, and all of which can be addressed and mitigated. Early adoption would likely begin at a snails pace, but there is a very viable opportunity with a fortune waiting to be made from the services associated with those applications (see #2). At the same time the cost savings to large companies would be quite literally billions per year.
There are some applications which don’t lend themself to a services oriented revenue stream and will always cost money, and quite frankly, that is ok. People deserve to make money for their hard work and some apps will demand a premium, but the opportunity abounds for those willing to start the ball rolling now on the open source revolution for the enterprise.
PS: Just as I was finishing writing this I caught wind of a website that is at the grassroots level of just such a project. Slipfire is a start-up, open source project aimed at developing a CRM (Customer Relationship Mangement) application on the WordPress platform. If you are inclined to help an open source application out this might be a good one to get involved with. I don’t know much more about it but I’ll be keeping a close eye on where this goes.
Conversion to WordPress
May 27, 2008
As you can see, over the Memorial Day weekend, I finally managed to get my website converted to WordPress. Other than the content (all the old stuff is still here) everything has changed and I welcome your feedback.
Despite the fact that it took a while the process was really relatively easy, thanks largely to careful planning. If you have ever pondered the transition to WordPress for your own blog or website I highly recommend it. The platform is incredibly extensible and customizable. The available support is phenominal, even the documentation on the website is surprisingly good. Anyone who knows developers knows how much they despise documentation.
I also had the privilage of working on a couple of other client sites over the weekend via my company BlackBox Technologies. Wendistry was the first conversion and came out beautifully. My personal blog, scottismy.name also got converted (actually migrated, it had been on WP for a while) and two other client sites which have not gone live so I can’t disclose their names but be looking for reviews in the near futue (I’ll be sure to plug BlackBox again so you’ll know who they are).
It was a long and tough weekend of heads down coding and implementing but sometimes it feels good to get your hands that dirty, and all of the planning and preparation are done so that when the time comes, as it did this weekend, we can simply execute our plan.
Hattip to: Jon at 3nhanced for how to create the cool WP logo.
Enjoy the new site and let me know what you think.
BlackBox Technologies
May 25, 2008
BlackBox Technologies (BlackBox) is a web-presence service provider and trusted IT advisor to individuals and small-to-medium businesses.
By leveraging a common framework and suite of tools, BlackBox is able to customize its services for each client while maintaining scalability, flexibility and reliability. [Read more]
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