Blog

I have been blogging about it for ages (well, a month) but today I launched the Alpha version of Blog to it.

I bet there are loads of bugs, since launch at 4pm GMT I have fixed three, but I want to get a real world view of how it is being used. I have loads of new features that I am developing for it which will come over time and be moulded to fit the usage.

If you have a blog, or have been thinking about setting one up go over to http://blog.to.it and sign up and get listed. If you have no interest in blogging still go and take a look, you may find something good to read, and if you do make sure you vote it up.

Blog to it development seems to be getting to a point where I know what I am doing. I like to work in a way that I develop something to a point where I know what I am doing, then finalise how it should be done, then develop a prototype / beta.

On the current development site (http://blogtoit.millwoodonline.co.uk) there is all the features and functionality the final site will have. It just needs to be finalised to aid usability, and all the little bits like, only showing comments for the current blog in the recent comments block, need to be added.

Since my last post about Blog to it, 1 week and 20 hours ago, I have been working solidly on the idea. So far the development site features the creation of your own blog using wmostrey's DrupalMU install profile, Twitter integration using walkah's Twitter module and rating of blog posts using Eaton's Fivestar module.

Last week I came up with what I think is a great idea, I have Twittered a little bit about it and this has started questions on Skribit about what "Blog to it" is?

Well, Blog to it will merge many Web 2.0 ideas and technologies together into a site where you can find new blogs, promote your blog and even start blogging. The idea is, when a user registers for Blog to it they will be able to add blog RSS feed URLs to the site. These blog posts will then be imported into Blog to it where users can read and rate the blogs and their posts. When adding the feed the user would of selected a category where the blog and all it's posts will be stored making interesting blogs and posts easy to find.

As you may or may not of noticed there is a new block on the right asking "What should I write about?". This is Skribit, Skribit is an idea by Paul Stamatiou, a blogger who I have been following for a while because of his great reviews and how to articles. In his blog he explains how he came up with the idea and what skribit is so I won't bother re-explaining it all.

As you may or may not notice there is a new block on the site (bottom left). It is a new little widget from BlogUpp! to help blog promotion.

Here's how it works, after ending your URL on their site and adding their widget to you site an advert for your blog will appear on other BlogUpp! user's sites. Simple.

It seems because I have had a week off work for Easter I haven't posted to my blog. I know it doesn't make sense. If I have a week off you would expect more posts than if I was at work, but whilst I am in work I find out about cool new stuff on the internet and when I am at home I end up sleeping and doing DIY.

Well it is now Easter day, so Happy Easter to all, and I hope to have some exciting posts soon.