Makeover for Livewyre.NET

I have been meaning to give Livewyre.NET a face-lift for some time, but designing can be quite arduous when there are so many factors to be taken into consideration. Now, buttons and banners I am fine with because there is a physical limitation EG. 125x125 pixels, and usually just a name and possibly a small strap-line. Complete website design is a bit of a headache because it has to work on so many more levels. I had settled on a design for Livewyre which I was reasonably happy with. However, it came in for a bit of criticism so I tried to patch it up, but was never really happy with the result... Now I am much happier with the new look of the site, it won't suit everyone I know, but then you can't ever hope to do that...
The current Web 2.0 design thinking is to use a clean template based around a white background with a dynamic graphic header. I used the same principle, but have gone for a black background to complement my black-based header design. I anticipate that some people might feel this is altogether too aggressive and masculine-looking, but at the end of the day you have to satisfy your own judgment first...

Page Rank definitely on the move...

Yes, this time PR all over the web has been rising and falling leaving in it's wake alternatively saddened or elated webmasters...
I am pleased to report that I am one of those who has been elated. I had many discussions about PR in May 2007 when I seemed to be one of the few who was singled out for particularly harsh treatment - I lost the PR2 on this blog entirely and was knocked down to zero.. My other blog dropped from PR2 to PR1, not that dramatic you might think, but I was honestly expecting to get a 3 at least... Most webmasters I spoke to had not experienced any change at all during May, so I did feel a bit miffed to lose rank on two sites where most people I know experienced no change at all. I maintain that it was probably due to the excessive linking that took place when I got involved in some viral linking - I am sure the sudden rise in link-backs flagged me up as a dodgy link-spammer... Anyhow I persevered, and am glad that I did now as my rankings have been not only restored, but boosted. This blog is now ranked 3, and my other blog is a 4 which has opened up some good opportunities for the future.
I started a thread over at mmmtalk when I first dropped rankings, and have followed it through to it's happy conclusion, take a peek if you're interested - if you want to know your own PR, check out this link...

Waterproof Memo Boards

Need to take notes out of doors or where you expect to get wet? – What you need is one of the new waterproof memo boards from waterproofmemoboards.com. They come as an A4 sized board in clear or bright yellow, with a waterproof pencil for taking notes. You can secure the board via holes drilled in the top, and you can write on both sides. Perfect for schools, sports clubs, swimming pools, construction sites or the home kitchen or bathroom.

Why not ‘splash’ out on a waterproof memo board as a birthday gift or Christmas present for the gardening enthusiast, sports trainer, bird-spotter or busy Mum?

If you have your own blog, maybe you'd also be interested in the blogging competition for prizes ranging from $5 up to $25

Some Blogging advice

I am going to try some ideas that other bloggers have revealed, namely creating a new niche blog for a subject that I am interested in, and has a newsworthiness which will mean that there will be new stuff to post almost continuously. The beauty of breaking news is that any significant keywords could be new and you have as good a chance as anyone of getting a search engine slot for a brand new keyword.
I will start this on a free host and then see whether I can pick up traffic for it - I will monetise with adsense though I am considering Auction Ads/Amazon as well. It's under wraps for now until the site is properly up and running, though it is quite refreshing starting a completely new blog (something I haven't done since January). It's a lot easier now that I am a bit more experienced at it, and the site should look a lot better than my previous unplanned efforts.