(Reading time: 6 – 10 minutes)

You know those people who, once they succeed at something, turn right around and start succeeding at something else? Or that person who so elegantly spins a score of plates, never dropping one? Or those two people that can’t stand each other, until they finally meet each other? Let’s meet them all, right here, right now.

But first things first: Drivel Alert! The following has f***all to do with building a Website In A Weekend. If you have drivel issues, might want to pass on this one!

Bird’s custard powder

I was hanging out on twitter earlier, wondering what to write for this Week in Review, so I decided to just ask. Up pops Kelly Diels with a link to a story about appearance and connection from Bindu Wiles.

This story connected with me in two ways. First, I learned about Bird’s Custard Powder. I’m a guy, and food is important to me. Especially really cool food like custard what comes in a can. Visions of camping trips, Burning Man and the like swim through my imagination.

Second, Bindu’s connection is face to face with her neighbor… but the web allows so many more people to connect with her. How many of us carry around dumb little feuds? And who can we really talk to about them? Friends and family get tired of hearing about it (“Why don’t you just move if you don’t like your neighbors?”) But on the web, we find ways to connect and share such experiences.

On the web, we’re exposed to ourselves through other people’s experience.

Safely.

Yet immediately. Bindu is real. You can leave a comment on her web page. You can talk with Bindu on Twitter.

My point is this: Relationships on the web aren’t better or worse than relationships in meatspace. They’re just different. We’re free to use the web to cheapen our relationships, or to deepen them. The web is just a bunch of wires and waves, it doesn’t care. We define the meaning.

You have how many websites, again?

Then Ricky Buchanan issues a blanket invitation “pick on me any time you like.” Why, Ricky, I think I will!

Ricky is amazing. She runs a half dozen websites, and runs them well. I can barely run Website In A Weekend, and that’s after neglecting several other websites. I won’t list all of her sites here right now, but I’ll work my way through them over the next few weeks.

For now, take a look at Atmac.org: Assistive Technology for Apple and Mac Users. Ricky is a bona fide expert with assistive technology, and an extremely competent web designer.

Poke around a bit. Meet Ricky. I’ll pick on her more in a week or two, we’ll take a look at some of her other websites.

Carlos Velez throwing down

Recall Carlos wrote a couple of very well received articles (Pre-writing Part 1, Pre-writing Part 2) describing his method for making sure he has lots of articles ready to publish at a moments notice. He calls it “pre-writing.”

Now, I’ve written about “scheduling in advance,” which is the same damn thing, but that just doesn’t have the same ring as pre-writing.

In any case, Carlos smacked a couple of home runs, and like any true champion, he goes right back to work with this:

I suspect Carlos has an unfair advantage. He’s friends with this Aaron Pogue dude, who, evidently, knows a little bit about writing. Aaron’s on my radar screen now… we’ll expose this nefarious conspiracy once the sordid details emerge.

I sell stuff

It’s true. And it’s even worse: I like selling stuff.

I sell my stuff. Last week I sold 11 copies of my magnum opus
an ebook on publishing blog posts I’ve been working on for a few months. Now, I’ve sold a grand total of 20 copies, and that’s all I’m selling at this version (0.5). I’m getting great feedback from early buyers, which I’m using to improve the ebook for the next version (0.7).

For reason I’ll divulge later, I’m planning on selling no more than 30 of the 0.7 version a few weeks from now.

I suspect these will go pretty fast.

Why am I telling you this?

Because when I’m done selling those 30 copies of version 0.7, I won’t be selling any more of that version. “Doors” aren’t going to “reopen,” there won’t be a “waiting list,” I won’t subject you or anyone else to the mailing list browbeating experienced by Mike CJ.

Of course, I’d like to sell about a million ebooks once I’m finished with version 1.0, but that’s a ways off. And you’re perfectly welcome to wait.

In any case, if you think you might like to learn a systematic way to handle “publishing” chores, check out what people are saying, then either sign up for the newsletter (sidebar), or follow along here on the blog. I’ll announce it in both places, but in the newsletter first next time.

I sell other people’s stuff too. In fact, yesterday I sold a copy of Digging into WordPress, an excellent ebook published by Perishable Press. It’s hundreds of pages of hard core, technically accurate WordPress knowledge. I’d like to sell a bunch more of these. The authors, Jeff Starr and Alex Coyier, really know WordPress inside out, and they’re good writers too. I picked up my copy instantly, as soon as they released it.

If you spend any time at all rooting around in WordPress code, Digging into WordPress will save you time. Probably a lot of time.

I’m also a member of the Third Tribe group, and will be proud to offer my affiliate link once their system is set up. Third Tribe is doing something a little different: you can’t be an affiliate unless you are a member. I’m a member, and I recommend that if you’re serious about your internet-based business, you join as well. Stay tuned for a link.

By the way, if you’re a long time lurker here and wonder why I link to some of the same people over and over and over again… it’s because they don’t lurk. I can’t link to you if I don’t know who you are!

New articles

• How Julie Became Successful Without Even Trying. Our friends and loved ones support us. Out teachers inspire and challenge. Read Julie’s challenge & how she developed habits of success with love of learning.
• Wednesday Workshop – Speed Session I: WordPress Plugins. You need to understand how to make WordPress deliver your webpages as fast as possibly, and that’s exactly what we’re going to find out in this workshop.
• How Julie Became a Published Writer (You can, too). Your love of writing is a critical factor in being successfully published. Read how it happened for Julie. It can happen for you as well.
• World Class Copywriting: Are there Bird droppings on your catapult? You need to be known for something, and these 21 attributes given by Drayton Bird are a very good place to start. Which attributes apply to your business?

The Week In Review Series

Last WIAW Week in Review

Caressing Alien Species, and, a (late) Valentine… Take cover! It’s two Weeks in Review. We’re catching up after a botnet attack. Some good stuff in here: late Valentine, art, some guitar pr0n. Check it out!

Next WIAW Week in Review

Stay tuned…