This is my son Kulay with our pet dog Pepper. I was able to turn Pepper into a singing pug through the PQ talking photo software I received this Christmas. This almost $60 worth software was given to me free because I blogged about the software in my personal blog.Many thanks to Dicky and to all who are behind the PQ talking photo software blogging promo.A talking photo software will make converting your personal photo into a talking or singing character a breeze. :-)
I have mentioned in my previous post that there is a scarcity of free beautiful templates for blogger. I can say this because I have been scouring online for the best blogger xml templates that I can use for my blogspot blogs. I actually want to download blogger templates for my new blogs. I no longer want to modify the existing custom blogger templates in my older blogs because those blogger beta templates seem to blend well with my google ads.
I am particularly looking for a new blogger template that has been converted from a wordpress theme. Those wordpress templates for blogger will be best for my custom domain blogger blogs. Anyway, I am posting here some sites where you will find beautiful free blogger templates online:
Suckmylolly.com. The blogspot templates from this site are made by someone who want to "ditch generic Blogger templates" so you will know what to expect from the site's blogspot templates. I intend on using this moon and the stars for my insomniac diaries blog.
Freshbloggertemplates.blogspot.com.This site has some wordpress blogger templates. Some of the wordpress themes that have been converted into blogger template including Mr. Techie and Leia are available for downloading from this site.
B-themes.blogspot.com. I am actually using one of B-themes' blogger com templates in one of my blogs, the minyx template for blogger. Here is how the 3 column blogger template looks like:
Pyzam.com.This site is a good source of holiday specific blogger xml templates. It has christmas and new year blogger templates like this one:
Jackbook.com. I have landed on this site while searching for blogger converted wordpress themes such as this dftheme, a 3 column blogger template converted from wordpress template to blogger:
Blogger-templates.blogspot.com is the site to go if you are an avid movie fan. Check out their Shrek xml blogger template:
Geekoo Blog. Make sure to visit this site next Christmas for their beautiful Christmas blogger template:
One of the reasons why I love wordpress better than blogger is because of the large selection of free wordpress themes that are available online. As technojavi says it, "Wordpress offers the most beautiful templates that Blogger users can only dream of having". I can also attest that search engines love my wordpress blogs better than my blogspot blogs. Most of my wordpress blogs have PR 4. I find it difficult to score a PR 4 with my blogger blogs. Unfortunately, I do not use self hosted wordpress all the time. I still have a number of free hosted blogger blogs. Here are some of the reasons why choosing blogger is sometimes better than using wordpress as your blogging platform:
Blogger vs Wordpress.com
You can’t monetize your free hosted wordpress. Blogger is free for anyone to use. You can use wordpress.com as your blogging platform for free but you will not be able to earn money from your blog. Free hosted wordpress does not allow any form of advertisement including google ads and paid posts. Blogger is therefore best for blog entrepreneur wannabes who do not want to spend an investment to start a money earning blog. For a comparison between free hosted blogger and wordpress, check out The Ultimate Blogger Wordpress Comparison Guide. You can also visit Pulsed.blogspot for the updated version of Blogger vs Wordpress Comparison Chart.
Blogger vs Self Hosted Wordpress
No bandwidth limit. I always check my bandwith usage with my self hosted blogs. I already experienced my personal site being down for a few days because I exceeded the monthly bandwidth limit. With blogger, sky is the bandwith limit (lol). You can upload videos and photos regularly and expect millions of visitors a day without you worrying that you will exceed your monthly usage allotment.
No technical brouhahas. A wordpress site is nice to look at but it is difficult to set up. I spent almost half of the day setting up my first self hosted wordpress. I have to go through every hassle including deleting an entire folder in my cpanel because my hosting provider does not give support for wordpress installation. With blogger, setting up your site may even take you only 5 minutes.
Showing latest posts from other blogs in your site is now much easier. Thanks to RSS widgets but what if you want to display the latest videos from your favorite youtube user?
Non-working Youtube RSS Feeds
Unlike most websites and blogs that show RSS icons, youtube does not readily show RSS links. Worse, the youtube instruction on How to Access RSS Feeds does not seem to work. I tried to follow the suggested url format (feed://www.youtube.com/rss/user/youtube/videos.rss) under Youtube’s RSS Feeds for Tags and Users section but my site did not recognize the youtube feed.
RSS URL Format
Fortunately, I was able to find a post that gave a working instruction on how to display youtube feeds in your blog. Too bad I no longer remember the site. I should have cited it for reference. Anyway, if you want to show youtube video feeds in your blog, simply follow this url and change the username.
http://www.youtube.com/rss/user/Username/videos.rss
You can now use your new Youtube RSS link to display latest youtube video links in your blog.
Thanks to a post I have read from imbloggingthat.com, I have learned that blog oh! blog has published a Wordpress SEO ebook that can be downloaded for free.
The Wordpress SEO guide for beginners ebook provides helpful guides on how to configure a wordpress blog to achieve maximum SEO benefits. I already downloaded the free wordpress SEO ebook and found it very useful. I intend on making some changes with cantalktech using the SEO techniques I have learned particularly on using different pinging services for my blog.
If you are using a free hosted blogspot account for your blog and you want search engines, specifically google to index your blog faster, it is important that you submit a sitemap of your blogger blog to Google. Unlike using self hosted blogs like wordpress where you have to upload your sitemap to your web root directory, you merely have to use your blogger site feed url to create and submit a sitemap for blogger. Here is how you can submit your blogger sitemap to google’s webmaster’s tool:
I was surfing the internet today for some blogger converted wordpress templates that I intend to use in my blogspot blogs when I happened to see a a post on Bill Gates' Secret Blog. The latest entry on billgates.blogspot.com posted on October 20. 2007 reads:
ah, life is grand. i have my own island and billions of dollars. all i need now to complete my life are tickets to hannah montana. yes, my secret passion is revealed here, to you my plebian subjects.
you may now bow three times, say my name in praise, and log off your screens. my words are your privelege. now scurry off ye unworthy heathens.
i shall write more at my leisure (perhaps more frequently than 2 1/2 years as with my last post).
his lordship,
bill
Who says Wii is just for the video game loving young people? Seniors and people who suffered from stroke are now recommended to play Nintendo’s fifth home video game console, Wii. Some occupational therapists believe that playing Wii will allow patients to “build balance, coordination, endurance and upper and lower body strength”. Playing Wii can also reportedly improve brain function when patients take advantage of the video game console’s internet channel.
Playing Wii is also believed to be good for people who have suffered from spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. The Ohio State University Medical Center's Dodd Hall Rehabilitation Hospital in Columbus, Ohio has already been using the Nintendo Wii for four months now to rehabilitate their patients who suffered from stroke, spinal cord and brain injuries. Too bad, there is now a Wii shortage especially in US and UK.
I was submitting a story at digg today and noticed that digg has adopted a new look and set-up. Aside from the title and description, diggers can now opt to include a thumbnail for the story that they are submitting. After submitting the link, here is what appears on the screen:
Submitting stories now takes much longer because it takes much time to load the submit link page. This is the reason why I want to bury digg's new look.
So it is Christmas and who wants to go to reunions and parties without a reliable digital camera? I have been scouring online to know where it is best to buy a new digital camera. I intend on buying a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 Digital Camera (although I am still considering the Sony Cybershot DSC-T20). Check out how the price of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 digicam differs:
Sony Ph $ 525.914 (SRP)
Davao Sale $ 473.344
Ebay.ph $ 272.5317 (not inclusive of shipment fee)
I can save up to $253.383 or PhP 10, 599 if I buy from ebay.ph. Conversion rate is as of today, December 7, 2007. 1 USD = 41.8300 PHP
The Nokia 5070 phone that I am now using is actually given free by Globe telecom as part of their globe loyalty program. The globe loyalty promo is usually unannounced. Globe does not advertise that they are giving away rewards to their postpaid subscribers. I have learned about this from a friend who knows someone who works for Globe Telecom. Every year since 2005, we call Globe’s customer service before September so we can avail of the rebates or phone units that Globe gives away to their postpaid subscribers.
My parents in law maintain two globe postpaid plans: a 100 plan (yes, you read it right. This 100 peso per month globe plan has been subscribed to by my parents in law since hubby was still in high school. SMS services back then were free); and a 500 plan. We received two Nokia 6610i in 2005 and two Nokia 5070 this year. We received the units through Globe's courier September this year.
Anyway, I am a globe prepaid subscriber. The reason why I use this free phone from Globe is that my parents in law are more comfortable using their Nokia 3315 units.
We had lunch with my parents in law yesterday and since most of the Western Union payout agencies are just a walk away from my in laws’ place, I decided to check out the few remaining western union payout branches that I have not yet inquired about quick cash. I brought along with me a printed copy of my adsense payment details in the hope that I might just be able to get my adsense funds.
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Determined not to ask something like “Do you offer Western Union Quick cash service?” (because so far, most of the agents that I have gone to have staffs that do not know what quick cash is), I just asked the staff of a WU payout agency about the difference between Western Union quick cash and Western Union quick pay and because the staff cannot tell the difference, I decided to “verify” if they have quick cash service.
I told the staff that I do not have a government issued ID with me. All I have with me were my employment ID and the agency card that they have given me the first time I claimed money from their agency. I asked if I can get the money without a government ID and they agreed. I just presented to them my employment ID and the agency card. One of the staffs checked my IDs and verified that I have indeed transacted with them before. I was told to submit a photocopy of my ID, asked if my sender is indeed Google Inc. (oh, expect that) and the money was released to me.
Government Issued ID as a Requirement
The reason why Google adsense publishers were advised to bring with them a government issued ID is because Western Union is strict with the ID requirements when releasing funds. Some Western Union branches will require you to present not only 1 but up to 2 to 3 valid IDs when claiming your money. Markku of Rebelpixel.com, for example, was asked to present 2 valid IDs when he withdrew his adsense earnings through Western Union Quick Cash. Presenting a government ID is a security measure to help avoid frauds.
Requirement Waived
Presenting a government issued ID can (at times) be waived provided that staffs of a Western Union agency know the person who claims the money. In my case, it helped that I have already claimed money from the western union payout agency. I also have the agency card that was issued to me earlier for “faster and reliable” future services. (Maybe) it will be quite ironic for the agency not to release me the money this time if I have already transacted with them before and was already issued an agency card.
Conditions Apply
Despite that I was successful in getting my payment without a government issued ID, I intend on using a valid government ID the next time I get my adsense earnings. (I intend on presenting a passport or a postal ID because they are easier and much faster to apply for). Western Union branches (and even Google) can become stricter if there will be reported frauds in the Western Union payouts. Besides, not all Western Union branches offer dollar payouts. Branches that offer dollar payouts are stricter. I want to receive my funds in dollars because WU exchange rate is low. Last but not least, it is still best to do what is right and it is always right to follow instructions. In this case, it is to present a valid government ID when claiming your adsense payment via Western Union.
The Western Union agent locator doesn’t seem to work. This is the reason why I decided to visit several Western Union branches here in Davao to know which branch offers quick cash. To my dismay, all the branches that I have visited do not offer quick cash. Errr.. it will be more accurate to say that the staffs of majority of the WU branches that I have visited do not know what quick cash is.
I have therefore decided to go to a Western Union payout branch without asking first whether they have quick cash. I just checked out the “to receive money” form and seeing that there are blocks for the money transfer control number (MTCN), I asked the staff what is the difference between a western union quick cash and western union quick pay and since she cant give me the difference, I filled up the “to receive money form” with the details given by google adsense. The funds were released to me about 15 minutes later.
So, do all western union branches offer quick cash? This is my personal answer: Most Western Union branches offer quick cash. I did not actually deal with a Western Union branch. I got my quick cash funds from a money changer/loan agency that also offers Western Union payout. If said agency can release quick cash, why cant Western Union branches do?
