MappingTheWeb //

Today, MappingTheWeb added a new feature which should help spread the word about the blog. At first, it may not seem apparent, but upon further scrutiny you will notice that at the end of each post there are three little icons. To some, these are industry standard. To blog newbies, you may need a bit more of an explanation.

The first icon (let’s call it four squares in a box) allows you to add an online social bookmark at del.icio.us. The second icon (man with shovel) allows you to Digg a post quickly and easily. Finally, the third box (cute alien being) allows you to vote ‘up’ the post on Reddit, which was recently bought by Conde-Nast and is similar to Digg.

Hopefully readers and users will click on these icons on a regular basis to help spread the word about the blog :). At least, that is my hope.

Many bloggers uses this strategy and some quite successfully. It is a very simple way to market a blog with little effort. In the blogosphere, other popular marketing tools include RSS and blog search engines. If you can find a way to diversify your traffic stream, you don’t have to rely on one stream or another.

Anyways, I just really want more people to learn about and read MappingTheWeb. I put a lot of time and effort into the blog, but I love it. So next time you read a post you like, be sure to Digg it!

Not likely. In fact, I am even more sickened by their recent move than I was when I heard they raised a round of VC financing. Talk about drinking the company Kool-Aid. These non-sensical juveniles at PayPerPost (PPP) have been brainwashed to the point of being unable to distinguish right from wrong. I do not believe that they have any morals or ethics left. Sure, there are sketchy behind-the-scenes business deals and corporate scandals occurring every second of every day - but this company has made it their underlying business model. Sad. Distasteful. Nauseating. I hope these clowns go bankrupt.

Today, they announced the launch of a new site called DisclosurePolicy.org. The purpose of the site is to take attention away from their underlying, evil business model and attempt to generate some positive PR. Unlikely chumps.

What does the site claim to do?

“This site is designed to provide you with the tools you need to provide transparency to your readers about the content on your blog. By including a disclosure policy you are protecting the integrity of your blog and providing a service to the advertisers, sponsors and organizations that you support you. Disclosure encourages trust amongst your readers and promotes an ethical blogosphere.”

I call bullshit. This is just another slap in the face to the blogging community. All I can say is this: If you’re going to get compensation for a post, disclosure is 100% necessary. No questions asked. And get this, they even pay if you post a PPP disclosure policy on your blog. Ridiculous.

Excuse me while I grab some Pepto-Bismal to settle my stomach. And no, I wasn’t paid to say that.

There once lived a blogging software project called b2. Then along came a developer named Matt Mullenweg. He takes the project to the next level, renames it, and benefits from some good timing. The successor has experienced phenomenal growth and thrived among the blogging community. What is it? None other than WordPress.

In fact, the Internet’s best blog, Mapping The Web, uses WordPress as a back-end ;). But all jokes aside, the blogging software is extremely powerful and user-friendly.

When Movable Type moved to a licensing structure in 2004, this provided a huge opportunity for the free blogging platform to prosper - and it did indeed. This still remains one of its strongest features against other blogging platforms. Add to that other outstanding features such as trackbacks, plugin support, and search engine friendly link structure, and you have a top-level piece of software in a hot market. No wonder it caught on so fast.

The thing I like most about WordPress is its ease-of-use. In the past, I’ve come across daunting CMS systems and hard-to-implement back end platforms. WordPress is relatively easy to set-up and extremely intuitive to use. After using the platform for a mere few days, I understood the gist of the system with relatively no effort involved. I think that’s a true testament to the developers.

A hosted version of WordPress is available with the domain being http://USERNAME.wordpress.com. Robert Scoble of Scobleizer fame uses this free, hosted system. Although functionality is limited, it is a great stepping stone for novice bloggers - not to say Scoble is a novice though.

I highly suggest everyone check it out. And if you are thinking of starting a blog, this is definitely the system to use.

NOTE: Snippets of info for this article were pulled from this Wikipedia article. Please read it for added info about WordPress.

In an attempt to gain added exposure and recognition within the web 2.0 world, MappingTheWeb applied to the 9Rules network on Wednesday. Results of the submissions should be posted within the next week or two. Other notable blogs in the 9Rules web 2.0 category include Mashable, SolutionWatch, and Postbubble. Because very few blogs are accepted into the prestigious network, it will be a real honour indeed if MappingTheWeb does get approved.

For more information about the network itself, visit 9Rules.

For more information about Round 5 of submissions, visit the 9Rules blog.

Congrats to the team at b5media.

They recently completed a $2 millions US round of financing headed by Brightspark Ventures and JLA Ventures. The company, headed by Jeremy Wright, Darren Rowse, Duncan Riley, and Shai Coggins have added Rick Segal to the team as chairman.

Both Darren and Duncan are Aussies, while Jeremy is a small town Canadian boy. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with these three guys and they are top-notch fellows. Shai is also from Australia, but I haven’t had the pleasure of chatting with her yet. Maybe one day. Nonetheless, I wish this Aussie-Canadian quartet all the best.

Hopefully the money can help the company expand their top quality network and allow more bloggers to express their thoughts, insight, and opinions to the world - well, and make some cash while they’re at it. I just think that a blog network such as this is a win-win situation for both sides and you’d be foolish to think otherwise.

b5 media is a blog network by bloggers from around the world, who cover a variety of topics. I strongly suggest everyone check them out. Plus, they’re cool guys. Really.