Nic’s blog
I write about building businesses, failing and building a life, not a legacy.
Amatomu is taking a smoke break
Some people have noticed that Amatomu is down and has been for a few days. This is true, Vincent twittered this fact and asked that we all be patient. As a dedicated Amatomu user I must admit I am having withdrawal symptoms.The simple, short and sweet reason for this is that we have relocated Amatomu to Afrihost as our host of choice. Gian was quick to jump at the chance to host the site and saw it as a challenge. He's probably right. His team have been helpful with the move but it has taken slightly longer than expected.Some sites may be experiencing slow loading of their templates. Removing the tracking code might or might not be a quick fix for the problem but issues from our side will be resolved soon and then you'll simply have to place the code back in to your template.
Amatomu adds 6 month stats graph
With the recent announcement of Afrigator's changes, updates, movements and developments it seems that Amatomu has upped their game and their focus on stats.Have a look at the new graph from Amatomu stats page:
Have blog titles started talking to one another?
I though this was great. I doubt many will agree. But I think that somehow the world of text has begun talking amongst itself and placing itself in relevant positions for the reader.Hmmm...interesting:
Amatomu drops unique counter on graph
It seems as though Amatomu has changed their stats counter/graph somewhat. Strange that no one else has picked this up:
Note that there is no BLUE line as there has been in the past. That blue line was, if memory serves me correctly, for unique users visiting your site.That line is no more. Maybe this has something to do with the massive growth that the site is experiencing. I'm sure we'll be hearing from Vincent soon on the issue as there is nothing on the developments blog.
Amagama Gets A Redesign
I wonder what sort of backlash Vincent and the MG team will receive for this little change?
OK, so it isn't really a little change. There are some significant differences featured on the new Amagama homepage. For one thing, there are no recent comments appearing on the homepage and no recent blog posts. In the place of the recent blog posts there is a tag cloud that seems to be displaying all of the hot topics in the realm of Amagama.Previous complaints from old Blogmark users about the previous version of the Amagama homepage were that the community aspect had left the platform. This is definitely apparent now with the new updates.Amatomu, the other MG blog resource is now also featured on the site. While there are links to recent comments and the homepage does show who is online and a list of new blogs, I feel like there is a wave of Amabadmouthing coming the way of the Vincent. Sorry buddy, lets hope it pans out differently.It seems as though Vincent has attempted to make conversion from Blogmark blog to Amagama a lot easier on the new homepage and registration seems to be simpler.
AmaZeitgeist - Vaginas, Sunday Times And Laughter
I couldn't help myself with this one. There isn't really a proper sentence made, but the combination of words are just incredible:
Amatomu Graphs All Over The Place
Can someone explain to me how this happens:
The blue graph (unique's) is where it should be as far as I can see, while the red graph (page views) has dropped to an absolute zero. Both graph indicators are showing the same date (24th) yet the readings are completely off. Is this possibly some sort of time transition between today and tomorrow?I think I am just missing something here, someone please help me with possible explanations.
Controversy = Visits. So Proves Bullard
Legitimate controversy will always bring hits, pageviews, visits and unique visits to your blog. This is a certainty in my opinion much like death (I am Greek, taxes don't apply). I might have been bugged on Sunday when I broke the Bullard incident, and I think I still am, but who the hell am I to complain when looking at the Amatomu graphs?
The Graphs above clearly illustrate that I am laughing all the way to the pageview bank thanks to Mr Bullard and the Sunday Times!! So, WOOHOO to that.With that said I need to ask a few questions here with recent events in mind; Is it actually better to go straight for the controversy and maintain it much like 1000Mnms and Peas, or is it better to quietly sneak in controversy like Bullard has done? Should I now become a blogger who rants and raves and calls people names 'cause I can?I think that the answer is somewhat of a mixture of approaches. Blogs can quickly become boring and events from Sunday and yesterday clearly illustrate that bloggers are trying so hard to find interesting things to blog about. This is the crux of blogging is it not? Maintaining a level of interest for your readers and keeping them coming back.As far as I have read, every successful blog maintains that to create a successful blog one needs to find or create a niche in the blogosphere and stick with it. For the first time in a long time I understand why. Blogs can be boring, niche markets are often not boring and rake in the unique users interested in the niche.I am happy to be controversial, I really am but I think that there are better ways in the long term to create pageviews. For now, I'll take the Bullard business!
Amatomu Releases Technorati Ranking On Homepage
It seems as though Amatomu are going straight for the jugular in the aggregation market and Technorati is on the hitlist. The creators of Amatomu are clearly not worried about competition in the form of their biggest competitor internationally and this new feature is a testament to their confidence.Vincent Maher said that this feature is not even available as a Technorati service, which I find astounding and somewhat ironic. You can now see where your blog is placed in terms of Technorati ranking in relation to other SA Blogs... on Amatomu.
I think that Vincent has done another sterling job in providing users of Amatomu with another reason to stay on the site and use the statistics that are provided. I am sticking with Amatomu until I have a reason to leave, which seems very far away for now.
Zeitgeist - Conglomerates and event planners
Unfortunately if you are an event planner for a conglomerate, today Amatomu wants to defeat you because you are bombarded:
Nic On Amatomu's Zeitgeist
I just had to post this. I am featured on the Zeitgeist!! Nice to know people are looking for me.
Amatomu Becomes #1 Referrer on SA Rocks
Amatomu.com, as well as a string of other paths from Amatomu, has officially become the #1 referrer on the SA Rocks blog. Afrigator is extremely close behind and is creepy up to top 5. What is it like for other blogs? Let me know.
I Shmaak Amatomu's New Features
I just logged on to Amatomu and notices that "Schaak it" and "Add to favourites" are options now available to logged in users.This is a very much needed feature that drifts towards Technorati-ish style. It also does step in to Muti and Afrigator territory a bit in my mind. Nevertheless, I think it is a feature that is necessary and only adds weight to the Amatomu hype thus far.It is possible to view your favourited and Shmaaked items by logging in and clicking on the relevant menu tabs. Once there all of your favourites and Shmaaks are available to peruse. I expect next will be the ability to add friends to your account and view and share their Shmaaks and Friends, but that's just my thoughts on the subject!The "On Fire" tab on the menu displays blogs in order of their "Shmaaks" as far as I can see. This is a great way to gauge who is digging what blogs (no "digg" pun intended). All in all it seems to be a simple to use and effective system of people approach to their blogging habits. Again, a great addition by the MG team.
Steve Rubel Links to Amatomu
I subscribe to Steve Rubel's RSS feed and just noticed that he has linked to Amatomu in his del.icio.us links. That is super cool. Maybe I am missing something and a bit slow on this post, but maybe the dudes at Amatomu haven't noticed it yet!I think it's pretty cool.
Amatomu Zeitgeist sentence
I love checking out tag clouds. I try to decipher obscure sentences out of them. I do this extremely often and find some hilarious stuff. Occasionally sentences are glaringly obvious and occasional they are somewhat obscure. I've been waiting for the right time to start this thread of posts. Recently my tag cloud perusing has been focused on Amatomu so I am sticking with that. The perfect time and sentence didn't really show itself so I have chosen the first semi sort of sentence to kick off this thread!
I threw in a comma in this sentence to make it slightly more clear.If you stumble across any tag cloud sentences from Amatomu please send them through to me (nharalambous@gmail.com)! Thanks!
Amatomu - Rate, rank and share
Amatomu is being heralded by many as the South African Technorati. This is not a bad description as far as I can see it. You get to post your blog in the list, it gets ranked, your feed gets posted, you get exposure, there is a tag cloud, there is a widget (a must have!) and a cool stat counter that show's you your blogs influence on the market!These are all great but for me the simplicity of the site is what sets it apart. Vincent Maher (online strategist from MG Online) has done a sterling job of making a complicated process and concept look and feel incredibly simple to the average blogger. The process is almost and just about idiot proof and this is an important and necessary feature. Not all bloggers are coding experts or IT freaks. Many, if not most, are simply trying to blog their thought.Amatomu is an incredible tool to get your thoughts out there. Join today, lets crash the MG server and show our support for innovation in the South African market.Some may argue that MG being behind the site is a problem. I say hell no to that. I think that media organisations taking the leap in to the burgeoning online market is refreshing and needed. Congratulations to the team for their efforts and result!P.S: What is that name about, Amatomu? Sounds cool but possibly a bit hard to remember.Tyler, screw you for beating me to this post!! For a detailed look at the features, read Tyler's post!