Anyone that has used Wordpress for any length of time is surely aware how much of a pain it is to keep your installation up to date. It seems that a new “required update” is released weekly and then comes the painful task of upgrading all your blogs. Heck the latest and greatest version of Wordpress is less than a month old and already a new update is out.

If you want to keep up with the various updates but hate going through the hassles of manually updating your blogs, the Wordpress Automatic upgrade is just what the doctor ordered. Here’s what you get:

Wordpress Automatic Upgrade allows a user to automatically upgrade the wordpress installation to the latest one provided by wordpress.org using the 5 steps provided in the wordpress upgrade instructions.

Wordpress automatic upgrade upgrades your wordpress installation by doing the following steps.

1. Backs up the files and makes available a link to download it.
2. Backs up the database and makes available a link to download it.
3. Downloads the latest files from http://wordpress.org/latest.zip and unzips it.
4. Puts the site in maintenance mode.
5. De-activates all active plugins and remembers it.
6. Upgrades wordpress files.
7. Gives you a link that will open in a new window to upgrade installation.
8. Re-activates the plugins.

I installed this plugin on 2 of my blogs both of which had already been upgraded to 2.5 and went through the procedure to upgrade then to the latest version (2.5.1) and within about 3 minutes, each blog had been updated and was running smoothly with the latest version. No more downloading the .zip file, unpacking it, and uploading the required files to the server. A few clicks and all was done.

Now I will admit, it wasn’t perfect. The documentation states that when finished it re-activates your plugins, but on both my blogs, all plugins had to be manually re-activated as they weren’t turned back on during the update process. With that minor problem aside, the addition of plugin updates right from the admin panel in version 2.5 and the ability to update Wordpress from there as well with this plugin, running a Wordpress site is getting a whole lot easier.

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In case you somehow missed all the announcements posted all over the web not to mention all the different feeds listed in your admin panel, Wordpress has just announced the release of version 2.5.

In what is considered a major release, the folks over at Wordpress, among many feature additions/improvements, have done a lot to improve the backend including upgrading to TinyMCE 3.0 for better compatibility and HTML editing plus the admin area is now widget aware which will open up your blog’s backend to widget developers.

The upgrade doesn’t include any major database changes so in theory the upgrade should be somewhat painless and any plugins that rely on the database shouldn’t be affected but as always, back everything up and turn off all your plugins before starting the upgrade.

Download version 2.5 here and feel free to post you upgrade thoughts and or issues in the comments section when you are done.

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I just wanted to post a quick drive by to again re-enforce my submission requirements even while I am looking through the latest email from a submitter questioning why their blog was rejected. This latest question, in between insults in regards to members of my family, was from someone who couldn’t believe that his/her pride and joy wasn’t up to the standards I set for free inclusion on my site, by the way did I say it was my site and that it was free?

The site in question might have been a decent site. It had a few months of continuous posting history, had almost 400 pages indexed in Google, and was a PR3. The submission included a decent, non-spammy title and an OK 3 or 4 sentence description and was even submitted to the most appropriate category. Everything sounds great so far right? Well one look at the site and every bit of good was wiped out. On the front page alone I counted 17 different and distinct ad blocks including 4 that appeared even before the first word of real content.

Now I will concede that a webmaster is free to put as much advertising as they want on their sites as long as these same webmasters also concede that a visitor is free to click away from a site if they find the advertising to be too much. Considering when I review a site I do so from a visitors standpoint, there is a point where the advertising gets in the way. The site in the example above I will admit is an extreme example of that but be advised there is a point where it is too much. With that said I am including what I consider to be obtrusive advertising which will automatically get your site rejected.

- Pop ups of any kind and in my continuing effort to be fair, pop unders are a no no as well.
- Large ad blocks placed before any content. I don’t have an issue with it placed within the content as long as it doesn’t interfere with the reading of said content but when the only thing that I see when opening a blog is a huge 336X280 or larger ad block, forget it.
- More space dedicated to ad blocks than to real content.
- A blog dedicated strictly to driving traffic through affiliate links.

Of course this isn’t an all inclusive list and the final decision will be based on my opinion of whether a particular site meets the submission requirements to be listed, but it should serve as a good starting point. Oh and did I say it was my site and that it was free?

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One problem with running free directories involves the number of submissions that often need to be reviewed. With the proliferation of automated and semi-automated submission tools currently available, that issue will only get worse. With that said though, what can you say as a submitter when you receive an email from a directory telling you that your submission has been rejected and you can’t even remember submitting to that directory?

I got one of those email messages today from the LostDirectory.com.

We are sorry. We could not approve your link in the LostDirectory. Your wesite is rejected for one or more of the following reasons.1. Submitted without completing the payment.
2. Submitted without providing recoprocal link.
3. Low Quality or PR0.

Please follow all submission guidelines and retry your submission.

Thank you,

Now putting aside the spelling errors in the rejection email, I just had to check out the directory that finally got around to rejecting my submission (for which of my sites I can only guess) that I can’t even remember doing.

On the surface the directory looks quite promising, a PR4 with inner pages that also have PR and it accepts free submissions. Then I came across the reason for my forgetting about submitting to this particular site. Browsing through the latest additions page you discover that some of the sites listed near the bottom were added in December, not last December which would be bad enough, but instead were added in December of 2006!

With that realization, I figured that it was about time to document a few things that you might want to look for when deciding whether or not a directory is worth submitting to and this directory provides a perfect opportunity.

The general belief is that submitting and being listed in a web directory will rarely harm you in regards to most search engines but when it comes to the benefits of being listed, the jury is still out. One thing is for sure, directories with questionable review/listing policies have very limited benefits if any at all. With that said, what should you look for before taking the time to submit your site?

The most obvious would be what is the directory’s Google PageRank? On the surface that question would normally be the first thing many would look at. But in my opinion, with the latest devaluing of directories within that formula for directories, that factor isn’t as important as it once was. Why? Well let’s go back to the Lost Directory again to find out.

As I mentioned it is a PR4 but when you query Google using the “site” command, you discover it only has one page indexed, and as of this writing, it isn’t even the home page. What good is a link that isn’t even being indexed? Then look at the editorial integrity of the site owner. To do that I normally use the site’s search engine and search for one or more keywords that if found show what type of sites are being accepted. For example, I searched for “viagra” on the Lost Directory and low and behold discovered 9 listings mostly for pharmacy sites. While not illegal or a deal breaker, do you want to be buried in between tons of Viagra and Cialis listings?

Lastly, browse though some of the sites listed especially in the shopping categories. Look at the quality. Are there a lot of MFA (made for adsense) listings or affiliate sites? If so don’t waste your time.

Quality directories are still worth submitting to, especially those that specialize in the particular niche that your site falls into, and can help you in the long run. The hardest part is figuring out which are quality and which are junk. If you do your homework before submitting you will be surprised on the benefits. Don’t and you might get the same type of email I got today.

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So you run a blog with the sole purpose of reviewing blog directories. If you think about it that is actually a fairly useful endeavor that when done properly would be a useful resource for bloggers and a welcome addition to any blog directory or resource site. As a reviewer, one of the functions of blog directories that you would probably want to check out is just how up to date the listings are and whether a particular directory follows their submission requirements.

With that in mind, when a directory actively removes dead or inactive blogs, follows their listed submission requirements and does their best to provide a valuable resource, you would think that directory would get a favorable recommendation. All of that would be true, until that is, a blog that gets removed for not being updated in almost 8 months is a blog review site that had previously recommended that directory. Amazingly afterwards said blogger comes out of hibernation at least long enough to rip you for having the audacity to remove their link.

They added my blog to their directory but a few months later I got an email saying that my blog was rejected… I wonder why… I emailed their admin to ask why they decided to remove the link to my blog from their directory, let’s see what he says.

Of course the few visitors that site could still be getting might think that I deleted his site for no reason and that I ignored his email asking for an explanation thus earning the change in recommendation. Also missing from his updated post is the emails I did send to him explaining why he was removed as is the comment on his blog that I submitted responding to his claims.

My response:

If you ever get 3 consecutive months of current posting history per my submission requirements feel free to re-submit, otherwise I don’t see what re-listing your site would contribute to visitors of the directory that come looking for regularly updated resources.

To summarize, we have a blog directory review blog that hasn’t reviewed a blog in over 7 months that criticizes blog directories for following their posted listing requirements and that states: Before I give a bad recommendation on a directory, I approach them via email a couple of times and post their response, if any… in their header but won’t post email or comment responses.

And finally what is required to get a recommendation? From what I can tell, all that is needed is to accept their blog and you’re well on your way to their “coveted” recommendation.

With all the above issues I would have to rate A Blog For Bloggers a 1 out of 5 stars

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If you’ve ever come across a web site that you wanted to write about you know how difficult it can be to keep referring back and forth between the site and the posting page of your blogging software of choice. If you use Firefox, blogging from a web browser is as easy as ever once you install the ScribeFire extension.

ScribeFire opens a publishing window from within your browser that allows you to blog while viewing a web page therefore not requiring you to go back and forth between browser windows while posting. Features include both WYSIWYG and HTML coding options, drag and dropping of formatted text from pages you are browsing, easy image uploading and insertion and it supports all major blogging platforms including Blogger and Wordpress.com. If you run multiple blogs, ScribeFire allows you to setup accounts for each and includes easy bookmarking to your del.icio.us account and Technorati tag insertion from within the posting window.

Once you use it you’ll wonder how you got by without it. You can download and install the extension here and if for some reason you have yet to join the Firefox revolution, you should try it now as well.

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I just had to drop another quick comment about a submission I received today. As you might imagine I get a lot of weird, funny, and often times ridiculous sites submitted that somehow expect to make the cut for inclusion in the directory. Each morning I weed through the obvious MFA (made for adsense) sites, the sites that somehow missed the fact that this is a blog only directory, and those that think keyword spamming will somehow endear them to me.

Then you have sites like I had this morning.

Now I am not going to discuss the merits of hiring an SEO firm to help you get better search engine placement, that is your personal choice. What I am going to comment on though is the SEO tactics used by this SEO blogger.

I have been running websites in one form or another since 2000. And while I am in no way an expert on search engine optimization, I do know enough to understand a few basic techniques that almost all reputable SEO firms agree on. If you choose to use directories as part of your SEO and marketing campaign, make sure your submissions use relevant titles and descriptions. Looking at the submission above, would you even consider going to this individual’s site for SEO tips?

This submission gives me another opportunity to harp on those that submit here and any other directory for that matter. Most directories worth submitting to give you space for a nice 2-3 keyword rich (but not spammy) title and several hundred characters to use to describe your site/blog. Use them!

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