Flock vs Firefox : Round 1

Once upon a time…. Forget that this is not that kind of fairy tale so lets get right to it.

I would like to start this off with a bit of a disclaimer: “I, tigg76, am in no way (by affiliation, association or any other form of real or superficial relationship) to be referred to as a trendwhore .” I’ve seen the term floating around about cyberspace for a while now and it commonly refers to maybe a good 99% of those who use the web (not including those who produce things for the web). The reason I am proclaiming my exemption from the ranks of “trendwhoredom” is that I refuse to do something just because it is popular. Sure there are your “web givens” (and even blog givens) like Delicious, WordPress, Blogger, Google, Yahoo, Technorati and others that if you aren’t part of the trend then you better have something better going or prepare to sit in a dark little corner of the internet all by yourself [insert cheesy Eric Carmen “All by myself” verse]. But I’m not one to just jump off the bridge with the rest of the lemmings and sheople because I like for things to be tested and tried before I even lay hands on it. Except in this case.

For years Internet Explorer was the definitive defacto web browser of choice. The only real competition you had at the time was Netscape Navigator and its obvious flaws and shortcomings (which in the end sealed its fate). Internet Explorer was the “future” and Microsoft sat mightily on its throne as king of all things computer. That is until not to long ago. People, I guess, began to get tired of being told what the future was going to look like and decided that they would rather design the future themselves. The people wanted change but not the mandated variety that Microsoft and the “Legion of Nerds” handed down from upon high but the kind that was designed by the creative 16 year old in his disheveled bedroom between after school rounds of doom and internet porn. People wanted the hard edged creative force that the once young “Microsoft of olde” had promised them. So eventually Internet Explorer began to lose its luster. People grew tired of their tyranny and talk of mutiny was on the horizon…

Then came along the new class. The web was still a place of freedom and creativity but it was restricted by what your local browser (and of course bandwidth) could provide. The People wanted a new experience and that’s what they were delivered. I remembered the time where there were so many browsers to choose from that it almost felt as though browsing for “browsers” was going to be the new thing. But most were simple remakes of the two original juggernauts (IE and Navigator). It was depressingly more of the same old same old. That is until in snuck the fox. FireFox, in the beginning, was almost an urban legend. You heard people talk about it, but it was the same as those people that talk about Linux and Unix and you really don’t understand what they mean until you experience it yourself. It seemed like a product built specifically for the nerd elite and anyone that doesn’t know how to bake up some C+ or Java will be left with an empty stomach and empty pockets. Firefox was everything to the contrary. It was one of the most accessible browsers I had ever used. It did anything you wanted to and the best part about was that you could teach it tricks. If you wanted Firefox to fetch your email then you could download a plug-in for that. If you wanted Firefox to do your taxes then there was a plugin for that. If you wanted Firefox to go to bed with you then you needed psychological help. Firefox gained momentum and seemingly became an overnight celebrity. Alternative internet browser were no longer the play toys of “nerdom” but now they were the power tools of the layman and the average man. Slowly the kingdom of Gates began to fall.

Firefox was at the head of the pack. You were considered lame and out of the loop if you even mention anything about IE. Firefox was the in thing. Notice how I said “was”. Although it may seem like the sly fox may be immortal and untouchable we should know from the lessons of history itself that nothing stays at the top forever. Rome, Egypt, Michael Jackson (sorry about that last one), over time everything must pass its baton down to the ones on the come up. So what’s on the way up now? Well, in case you didn’t notice the web is now almost an adult and as a functional adult you must learn proper communication. Now you can make phone calls, send emails, watch movies, buy groceries, look at porn (I don’t do that) all on the web. An entire world of adult activity to make adult life that much more simple. The web is now more social. There are blogs and things like Myspace, Twitter, Delicious, Facebook, etc. All these ways of doing one simple thing, communicate. So with the web becoming more social Firefox has a task of catching up, right? Well, just like IE clawed its way to the so did the fox but the issue is that anyone who wears the crown becomes vulnerable. Fire Fox is now a target but who would take a shot at the “untouchable”.

Ladies and gentlemen feast your eyes on the future of “social” web browsing! All the way from the furthest reaches of the Internet right here before your very eyes! I present to you the one, the only, FLOCK.

What is flock you ask?

Well Flock is probably everything you do right now bundled into one place without the use (or need) of plug-ins and extensions [*remove sexual innuendo from the preceding statement]. Flock has potential. The idea behind it is simple; give those that use the web all the things that they want to do and all the things that they do already a home on the web and let them decide how they want to access those services all from just one place. Flock integrates a long list of social networking and blog sites into the browser interface itself for easy access and quick posting to any of your frequented URL’s. Whether you are a MySpace addict or a Celebrity Blog God, Flock has it built right in to the magic window you use to watch your OK GO videos and check your email.

Sure Flock is not perfect and it is almost a Firefox clone down to the button design but Flock takes the best of Firefox and adds its own flair. Flock, I believe, is what the people want with the same ability that Firefox has with the ability to add even more usability with plug-ins of all sorts (mostly Firefox plug-ins themselves as most are already compatible with Flock already). Flock, if it plays its cards right, has the steam and drive needed to be the next trendwhores’ object of desire. Some of the services built in to the browser itself are Myspace, Flickr, Twitter, You Tube, Facebook, Blogger and of course everybody’s favorite Word Press. It’s built so you can be in the midst of your standard web travels and see an item of interest that you would love to share with the world and just like that (with the simple right click of a mouse) you can shoot it on over to your blog and keep on surfin’ without skipping a beat. Flock has the right spirit but can it become the “best”?

So far Flock is at the same point that Firefox was at the same age where only “nerds” and “know it alls” have anything to do with it but under the surface there is an epic struggle a’brewin’. I myself would love to have front row seats to that battle.

[*Insert Michael Buffer impression]

“In this corner, weighing in at 5.73MB is the ‘Sly Slithering’ ‘Sexy is even the half of it’; ‘Browser champ of the decade’; ‘Quicker than the thought of the speed of light’; FIREFOX!”

“And in this corner weighing in at a hefty 10.2MB of ‘Pure time waisting fun and fulfillment’; ‘The surprise from the skies so you better open your eyes’; Ladies and gentleman, FLOCK!”

Flock versus Firefox sounds like a battle to see. Its too early to tell but I think FLOCK has enough of the goods to bring the pain. Check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me. Oh yeah…

…And they lived happily ever after (but we’ll see). Flock

NeverblueAds was very generous in sponsoring our contest and now have decided to sponsor fellow blogger Tyler Cruz’s Contest.

In this contest they will be awarding 6 people each 50$. Yes, it’s another 300$ giveaway!

To enter simply subscribe to Tyler Cruz’s RSS feed by email. He will select 6 winners from his subscribers. It ends in 4-7 days, apparently no deadline was set.

I am not an expert affiliate marketer, however NeverblueAds is my favorite by far. They have some great offers, including a wide variety of free stuff. If you haven’t done so yet, don’t forget to sign up to NeverblueAds.

Usually bloggers set up monthly goals and cross them off as they go. However, I haven’t been too goal oriented, I’ve just always had an idea where I want to go. As well as how far this blog should be along. So far I am very pleased with the blog, our authors, the community, and of course our wonderful readers. There is definite room for improvement, especially with increasing revenue.

For the last several months we have sat at around 10,000 unique visitors per month, we haven’t seen an increase, or decrease. I’d like to double that number, but realistically I’d like to get about 5,000 more visitors per month. To do this I want to further utilize social networks, improve our content, and further promote our stumbleupon network.

Another focus of this blog is to expand and reward our RSS feed readers. Our current RSS subscriber total is flashing an impressive 527. At the rate of 50-100 new subscribers per month, I expect us to grow to over 1,000 in 2008. I’d love to get even closer to 2,000 by the end. I know this is very realistic. Make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed so you don’t miss promotions yet to come.

Our ranking is another thing that I have definite plans for. Even though they are just rankings, for some reason they are very important to me. I like to be the best, if I can’t, I want to be one of the best. Due to our “infancy” we aren’t regarded as highly as we should. This is mostly because of lower rankings. For 2008…

• Our Google rank will hopefully be restored (to 4) and raised to a 5 or 6.
• Alexa should go back down to under 40,000
• I’d really like to break into the top 2,000 in technorati. Right now we are siting just outside the top 4k, at 4552

What are your blogging goals for 2008? Make sure to post your blogging goals and enter in Daily Blog Tips writing project.

I’ve been working on getting the winners picked, to make sure we can get them their money before before Christmas. I want to thank NeverblueAds for being so generous and sponsoring this contest for us and our readers. It’s not too late to Join NeverblueAds and start your affiliate account. There are tons of offers up, including several Christmas ones to promote on your blog. I have lots of their freebie offers on It’s All Free Online.

I did the method of picking the winners a bit different. For the most part it’s still random, but I did hand picked one winner. The contest entry was very touching, so I had to make sure they got selected. After you read their contest post, you’ll see why. Here is an excerpt from HomeSchoolZoo contest entry:

This would be great to use for my Acts of Kindness project. $100 would go a long way toward making it a very special Christmas for two people I work with. There are some other great prizes, too, such as special reviews and a $25 cash prize. However, with three $100 cash prizes up for grabs, I’m shooting for that.

One person I’d like to help this Christmas has two small children. I’d love to be able to get some toys and coats for them! Another person I have in mind to help could use some ordinary things like new socks, tee-shirts, and such things as that. Both individuals have hit it pretty hard the past few months and I’d like to try to make their Christmas just a little merrier if I can.

In the spirit of Christmas we want to help them too, so HomeSchoolZoo is our first 100$ winner. Not everyone can be as fortunate as some of us, so I too hope it can be made a special Christmas for them. The rest of the winners are as follows:

2nd Blog Contest Central – 100$ from NeverblueAds
3rd An Anonymous Journal – 100$ from NeverblueAds
4th DatMoney – Website review from us
5th International Freebies – 25$ from Blogging4everyone
6th Contest Blogging – Website review from Nspeaks
7th It’s Write Now – Website review from SelectIndex
8th My Musings and Stuff – Featured blog at A Links Blog

Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you to everyone who participated! For the cash winners please use the contact form and give me your paypal address, or leave a comment. Thanks! Make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed for other chances to win upcoming prizes. I will be giving away entrecard points in the feed in the next days.

I haven’t really promoted much with AuctionAds, because it didn’t do well on sites like this one. However after posting about AuctionAds Giving Out 25$ for New Members I received several referrals that earned us some money. You can still get 25$ for joining AuctionAds.

New Keyword Feature

For those blogs who have a hard time using programs like AuctionAds and Chitika that promote products, it is hard to determine which keywords to use.

AuctionAds has made it a little easier for us, where you can now automatically display popular keywords. I will definitely be giving AuctionAds another shot on our sidebar to see if we can convert a little better with the “popular keyword” auctions displaying.

Heres a few of the auctions that are being displayed for the popular keywords. Feel free to make a few big bids, maybe on a new PS3 perhaps?

I’m having one of those days where I just can’t come up with anything of value about blogging. Instead, I decided to share a domain and site value tool with you. It’s called DnScoop and it’s owned by my new AIM buddy, Badi Jones.

What’s The Scoop?

DnScoop gives you different values for domain names. After running blogaboutyourblog.com I can see how old it is (10 months 23 days), the PR, value, and how many links we have.

You can find and browse all the inbound links to the domain. For BAYB 17,200 might be a little much to browse!

A small Alexa graph is also available, I was surprised to see how many dips and jumps that we’ve had over the past 6 months.

Site Value

This is where the make money online bloggers should be interested. DnScoop gives you the estimated value of your link on Text-Link-Ads. BAYB is marked at 19$. Not really worth running the risk of a google slap.

There is also a Site Value Report, which gives you the total value the domain should be worth. BAYB is worth 5,150, however with the demand of a blog like this being high and selling well, I wouldn’t take that.

For those looking to buy and sell domains there is also the Marketplace which I am currently browsing.

Blogsweluv has picked up on the entrecard craze and are giving 100 credits for a contest. We thought that wasn’t enough so Blog about your Blog has added another 100 credits to their giveaway.

To entry you can subscribe to Blogsweluv RSS feed, submit a 10 questions survey, or subscribe to Blog about your Blog. There will be a total of 3 winners, first will win 100 credits while second and third will each get 50.

Blogsweluv writes different blog reviews about blogs they love. There are several contributors over there reviewing about a blog a day.

Don’t forget to give BAYB a recommendation and earn 10 entrecard credits for doing so. If you’re looking to start up a contest make sure to contact us and see if we can throw something in the mix.