Blog hopping, alive and unscathed!

I’m back, sort of. Blog hopping, replying to emails and catching up on a lot of readings. I dozed off right after I arrived home yesterday and after an almost 72 hours of grueling, un-amazing trip.

Lots of interesting news and updates going around (some coming from the emails), let me share some of them with you.

• Fixya.com – Rony Farkash emailed me about their new social tech support website. The site provides tons of support information about consumer products via post messages or live chat. This is one web 2.0 site I regret I didn’t thought of before.
• Hans Koch of Syndeo Media sent me a link to their Manila OpenCoffee Club. This is a networking night of coffee, exchanging ideas with entrepreneurs, developers and investors.
• Google finally confirms buyout of Feedburner and yet another computer server startup, PeakStream. Methinks Google bought Feedburner for more AdWords/AdSense space and to get that much needed feed subscriber count for better Blog Search ranking.
• While we’re on the topic of acquisitions, CBS also bought Last.fm for a reported $280PHP 16,432INR 23,730EUR 267CNY 2,038 Million.
• The 11th Webby Award winners have been announced. Winners include Ask A Ninja (Webby Film & Video Awards Best Actor), Jessica Lee Rose a.k.a. Lonelygirl15 (Webby Film & Video Awards Best Actress), and Steve Chen & Chad Hurley, Co-Founders, YouTube (as Webby Person of The Year). See full list of winners here.
• Since Google AdWords is also doing radio campaigns nowadays, you can get a $400PHP 23,474INR 33,900EUR 381CNY 2,911 promotional credit if you decide to run one. Yup, that’s $400PHP 23,474INR 33,900EUR 381CNY 2,911 big bucks towards your first ad campaign if you sign up with AdWords and run a radio ad. See more details here.
• Google AdSense updates policy and increases the use of Link Ad units from one to 3. Do we really need more Ad Link units? They do look like navigations and if you run all 3, that makes 4 navigation look-alike in your page. There goes site usability down the drain.
• Migs asked a question: “How do you build an about me page?” I say build it in such a way that you start with the most important vocation that you do. Write it in such a way that it will be (or you want it to be) more or less the same in the next 3 to 5 years.
• Marc fights the FUD and have gone to the dark side as well. He shares 4 more tips on how to maximize your TLA inventory. Also read my previous “5 Tips to get more TLA Ad Placements” if you missed it.
• Jayvee wonders where the car bloggers are? Simple answer — there aren’t any many. Name 5 popular car blogs you know in the entire blogosphere? Heck, I can only even name two — Autoblog of AOL (formerly Weblogs Inc.) and Paul Tan (of Malaysia). How much more in the Philippines?
• A regular reader (who still wants to remain anonymous) shares a link of stunning pictures of Grand Prismatic Springs at Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, State of Wyoming.

Btw, Blogger (or the domain Blogspot.com) has been unblocked in Pakistan already (I read as earlier as 2 or 3 months ago). I guess pressure from different sectors and various pressure groups convinced their Supreme Court to lift the ban. I still used WordPress.com in all my workshops there though.

Still tired. Back to sleep.