Graffiti CMS was once a great up and coming blog software running on ASP.net.  Unfortunately, the company that was programming this free software gave up on it for a good reason, they focused their resources on software that actually made money.  Graffiti then went open source and can still be downloaded here. Download Graffiti Link

WordPress exists as another free option but is written in PHP.  A lot of people out there want something in .Net (don’t worry PHPers, I’m not trying to talk you out of loving L.A.M.P.)

Thant’s when I found BlogEngine.net.  The only problem was how do I export my posts from Graffiti to BlogEngine.  BlogEngine uses BlogML as their import/export format, Graffiti does not.

I ran off to Google and found only complex ways of getting my blog exported to BlogML.  Who wants  to copy DLLs all over the place, use wrongly coded stuff, etc…

Since I needed those posts for my own reasons I decided to pass on my code to you too.

Simply extract from THIS ZIP FILE (Export.aspx and Export.aspx.cs)  into your Graffiti install then browse to www.yourblog.com/export.aspx and you will get the BlogML.  Save it to a file and you can import it right into your BlogEngine blog.

Good luck!

If you haven’t read part 1 and part 2 yet, please do so first!
How to Rank for Keywords Part 1
How to Rank for Keywords Part 2

A case study on how I will improve my rank for the keyword Geiger.

As we detailed before, the first step to ranking for a keyword is to find out where you rank first.  For that we used FreeSEOReport.  Today we look at the results of that.

(Click here to check your ranking using FreeSEOReport)

You basically can get started with the report by clicking on Keyword/URL or Keywords Found or the Full Report.  Each take you to a different report.

For us we will click on “Full Report”.  You can download the PDF and follow along as well (here)

At the bottom of the first page of the PDF (at the top of the screen if you are viewing your own report in your internet browswer) you will see “Report overview- analyzed web pages”.

We can see that we are #9 and on the first page of most Google results.  This is good news.  Moving up a couple of positions should not be too hard.  We will explore some link building steps in the next steps and go through other ways that will allow us to become more trusted for the “Geiger” keyword.

Some methods will be free and others will be paid.  We will be experimenting with various “legal” ways to get Google Love.  Stay tuned.

Rank for Keywords Part 1

By now you should have received a confirmation email from FreeSEOReport that looked something like this.

Click on the confirmation and you will be prompted with a password screen.

Enter your new password and click “Proceed”, you will then get a message saying that you can login.

After confirmation I got the following message while the report was being generated.

The above message mentions “Conversion Doubler”, if you look back at PART 1 it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to CONVERT your visitors.  This is the #1 reason why people fail online.  50% of the work is getting people to your site that want to buy/test/demo/sign-up.  The other 50% of your time is spent trying to find out what converts.  Changing the background or a sign-up button can double the amount sales you receive.  That’s why when you get the above email, make sure you look at the special Conversion Doubler link in the email.  This will give you 1 month free.  We can’t give you the same deal here so make sure you use the link in the email.

Sorry for the tangent, I just feel that the best nation in the world it the kind of place where everybody knows how to succeed.

After a few more moments you should get another email with something like this.

At this point you have done everything you need to start reviewing where you stand.  That is A LOT of work.  Some other sites out there promise a PR or SERPS checker.  All of the ones that I have ever tried were broke or simply put just wrong.  FreeSEOReport was started by Jeremy Schoemaker who has a lot of success with websites.  So he had his team package up the tools he uses and built FreeSEOReport (think FreeCreditReport but without the SPAM or krappy theme music)

If you haven’t signed up for your report yet, here’s the link again.
FreeSEOReport

There are 2 VERY VERY VERY important things you have to do when you want to rank for a keyword.

1. Rank for the Keyword
2. Convert that visitor

Usually #2 “Convert that visitor” means “Get Money out of the Visitor”.  For example, if I had a site that reviewed keyboards, I might want to sell keyboards or get a commission from sending the person to a site that sells keyboards.

In my case, I want this site to rank for my last name.  Sounds kind of lame?  Perhaps.  Vain?  Absolutely.  I want to be the worlds number 1 GEIGER.  There’s a couple other Geigers out there more famous (HR the artist, Teddy Geiger the singer/actor) and there’s even a company named Geiger at Geiger.com.

So my conversion will simply be to get a visitor to this site.  Normally you would want to guide that person into a sale or something, but for us just having him or her visit will be enough.

Follow these lessons for each of your sites and you will rank better guaranteed and also you will be 100% legal and loved by the search engines.

STEP 1: FIND OUT WHERE YOU RANK

The first step most people do is rush off to Google.com and type in their keyword.  Google’s awesome but this is the wrong way to check.  The reason is that Google tracks a lot of the sites that you frequently visit.  The results are custom for YOU.  What you need is to find out where the average person sees your site.

It’s a Cluster of Nonsense, Spam, Phishing, Hacking and tools that just don’t work.  That’s why I will use FreeSEOReport. Click this link to open a new window and step through the process with me.

Go to FreeSEOReport, type your website name and click “Next Step”.

Next, enter your keyword and and click “Next Step” again.

Then just enter your email address and click “Get my FREE report”.  This email address will also be used to log you into the reporting interface so make sure it’s a real email address.  I prefer to use GMail because of the awesome SPAM blocking ability.

Double Check everything, check the “I accept the terms:” box then click “Get my Free report!” 1 last time.

Then…. you wait.  Depending on how many people are using the system at the moment, the amount of time it takes to generate the first email varies.

VERY IMPORTANT: IT SHOULD BE QUICK!

Your report doesn’t start getting made until you confirm your email address.
Be sure to check your spam filter if you don’t get this email in 5-10 minutes.

We will post part 2 on how to rank for keywords after we get our confirmation email.

Check your Search Engine Results HERE.

I logged into my LinkShare account in order to try to promote iTunes apps and such.

I like that they gave me a quick answer but the answer is pretty lame.

Dear Jason Geiger:
We regret to inform you that your application for the iTunes & App Store Affiliate Program has been temporarily rejected at this time for one or more of the reasons below.
Three common reasons for temporary rejection are:
1. Your site name contains Apple trademarks.
Site names and domains with terms including iTunes, iPhone, Apple, etc. are not accepted into the Affiliate Program. You are welcome to change your site title and domain name and reapply to the program.
2. The URL on your application is incorrect or your site is temporarily down.
Pages that do not load cannot be approved. The URL in the application must be for your website, not for a page on Facebook, YouTube, or iTunes (but you can still put affiliate links on these sites). If you are an app developer, please provide the link to your website or support page. If you are in the process of building your site, you can still apply for the program but need at least a descriptive splash page for your site.
3. You are applying for the U.S. program but reside outside the country.
This LinkShare program for which you are applying only commissions on sales made in the U.S. iTunes and App Store. Though we permit international affiliates to participate in the program, you need to be manually approved. Please send an email to itunesaffiliates@apple.comwith a brief explanation of who you are, why you wish to apply for the U.S. program specifically, and either your LinkShare Site ID number (found in the upper-right corner of the dashboard) or your LinkShare login name. Also, note that there are many other iTunes & App Store Affiliate Programs worldwide that you are welcome to apply for and that may be a better fit. The affiliate programs for Europe are administered by TradeDoubler, the Australia and New Zealand programs are administered by DGM Pro, and the program for Japan is administered by LinkShare Japan.
Your application can also be temporarily rejected because:
– The content is unrelated to iTunes or the App Store.
– Your site promotes tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or excessive drinking/drug use.
– Your site contains sexually explicit materials.
– Your site contains hate/violent/offensive content.
– Your site promotes illegal activities or otherwise violates applicable laws.
– Your site violates intellectual property rights, possibly including scraping text or images from Apple’s websites or the iTunes or App Store.
– Your site contains extreme religious content.
– Your site has been considered offensive or inappropriate at our discretion.
If any of the above problematic criteria can be resolved, we look forward to your reapplication.
More information about the iTunes & App Store Affiliate Program can be found at the Affiliate Resource site (http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/) including the Affiliate Terms and Conditions (http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/us-affiliate-terms-and-conditions.html) that govern this program.
If you encounter any problems or have questions or concerns, please contact LinkShare by phone at 888-880-8430 or by email using this form: http://helpcenter.linkshare.com/publisher/contact.php.
To appeal your application’s denial, you can email itunesaffiliates@apple.com with your LinkShare Site ID or login name.
Thank you for your interest in the iTunes & App Store Affiliate Program.
Best Regards,
iTunes & App Store Affiliate Program Team
http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/
Sent to [EMAIL.ADDRESS]

Looking to get your own custom built chair?  If you have a $1,000 you can get your own custom chair built however you want AND you can support a new way of furniture design.

continue reading "Draw Your Own Chair"

Follow me on Twitter or else this dog GETS IT!

Google has come up with an algorithm and software to turn your computer’s camera into a Kinect.  Imagine the things you can do with a motion activated controller!

See the video below.  As a proof of concept Google has integrated this technology into their most popular product GMail.

Try GMail Motion Here

It has been a while since I last signed onto MySpace.  Boy has it really gone to hell!

Back in the day MySpace was KING and Facebook just a little peon.

Now, MySpace has nearly completely folded and even integrated Facebook’s logon page.  I guess that’s why the move “Social Network” was about Mark Zuckerberg and not that “Tom” guy.  What ever happened to that Tom guy any way?

MySpace really should have modeled itself after Facebook instead of allowing all these hackable and craptastic themes and “Auto-Play” music that crashed even the sturdiest internet browser.  It is like MySpace gave up a long time ago and is hoping that it can somehow find a happy social home somewhere between OkCupid and Adult Friend Finder.

Even worse than that.  Just signing into MySpace did not go unnoticed.  Logging in to look up a past friend immediately sent my inbox ablaze by spam bots that constantly search for “Active” users and send you automated emails pretending to be a hot chick waiting to meet me!

Do yourself a favor and boycott MySpace.  That is of course you are the type of person that likes to make your profile picture a photo of you posing topless in the mirror.  For that, MySpace is the only place you should feel at home.

If you are a band, DJ, Remixer, comedian etc… you should be selling your own MP3s.  iTunes, Android’s new music store and Amazon MP3 Store are all great and fantastic and you NEED TO USE THEM!

However, your website, Facebook page or even MySpace page (does anybody use MySpace any more?) needs to sell MP3s directly!

Don’t stop using iTunes and the other sites, but you are preventing yourself from selling straight to your listener and keeping 100% of the profit.

That’s why you should use E-JUNKIE to sell MP3s.  It cost something like $5 a month and they handle all the payments and such.  You just upload your MP3 and they give you a link.  You then you paste that link onto your website or Facebook and E-Junkie does everything for you.  You don’t have to worry about credit cards, payments or sending your MP3.  You could even upload a zip file of all your MP3s and sell an entire album or anthology.

This is super cool for “Self Help” programs, indie musicians, comedians and for people selling their own books on tape.  It’s also great if you want to sell photos or home movies.

Some people that don’t have a website are even selling their stuff right on Craigslist

I use it and love it!  If you sell your voice or words,