The Internet is a great source of information, but everybody is also broadcasting their own information on the Internet.
Before you know it you have created user accounts with a lot of very handy, interesting, useful, funny websites or services. And if you get involved in the articles of those websites or are starting to use the services you have to maintain your user profiles.
What I have learned over the years is that it is crucial to tidy up your user accounts and make them as similar as possible.
More and more the data on the Internet is getting connected. Google is even starting to connect the person who wrote text on the Internet to a personal information bullet, so you can easily find out more about the writer.

Most user profiles let you upload an avatar or photo, a description of who you are, some personal information and all the links to your websites and social media. This way we make sure we connect ourselves to everything we do on the Internet.
Most people are more picture orientated than word orientated. They remember pictures better than words. This means that if you want people to remember you, think about the picture that is connected to your profile.
Your user profile avatar or photo is your prime picture to let people remember you. If they scroll through all there social media messages, emails, web pages and forum messages; the first part they recognise is the avatar or photo. Like the logo of a brand. You don't have to know the name of the brand, but you will always remember their logo.

When building websites, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a big issue. You want to be found by everyone and there are rules to apply. There is much debate on the precise rules and there are even companies who try to convince you that they will get you always at the top of the search list. (no way) 
Anyway, you know the rules and you build your website around the rules.

a new website

After a while you decide to make some drastic changes to your website. This could start with a new template and adding new features. But sometimes you decide to rearrange everything or even restart from scratch.
Rebuilding a website is fun, you have learned new tricks over the years and although most of the content will be the same, you change the menu structure, rename pages, e.g.
When creating a website using a CMS your website will be running in no time.

broken links - the 404 error

Because over the years when your first website was SEO proof, all search engines tracked all the pages of your website. Probably many people started to link to pages on your website and a whole network of connections to the pages of your website started to unfold.
But now your new website is live and this network of links is broken because you changed the menu structure, you renamed pages or articles, article- and category id's in the CMS back end changed. All these changes will break existing links to your website.
You know: "What gets on the Internet, stays on the Internet." Also those links to your website.
You have to make sure that all those old links are still working. If anybody is using a link from a website that will not work they will get the 404 error page and that is something you want to avoid.

Writing a blog every week is some kind of a challenge, but I keep faith that I will manage somehow.

A hack of a life

This time I want to share one of the life hacks that changed my life the most.
For the readers that are not familiair with lifehacking this quote from Wikipedia will tell a lot:

... The term became popularized in the blogosphere and is primarily used by computer experts who suffer from information overload or those with a playful curiosity in the ways they can accelerate their workflow, in ways other than programming. "Life" refers to an individual's productivity, personal organization, work processes or any area the hacker ethic can be applied to solve a problem...

And for the best lifehacks you have to visit the Lifehackers website.

The LiveScribe "echo"

Lifehacks keep my chaotic life more organized. By using hacks I am able to remember things better (I have a poor memory of my own unfortunately), use my time to an optimum, have more spare time left and enjoy the creative minds of others.
Last year I heard of a gadget that turned my world upside down. In a consumer magazine in the Netherlands (de Consumentengids) I read a short story about a pen that records the voices of the people in your meeting while you were taking notes. They made a nice Youtube movie (NL) to explain this wonder pen. 
When I saw the movie I understood the impact this pen would have on my live and went to the website of LiveScribe. I studied all the videos on the site and decided that this pen, the "echo", could help me a lot in life.
I orderd my pen and extras at the Dutch website SchrijfOpShop.nl. I ordered not only the pen but the Pro Package as well. Because those extras (notebook, special earplugs, extra ink and the software package MyScript) where interesting for that price.

The year 2012 has just started. Just listening to the new album of Peter Katz, a Canadian singer-songwriter who creates very nice songs and music.
The album, with the title "Still Mind Still" sounds so beautiful. The lyrics are sometimes very poetic. His guitar accompanying him in almost every song. But also the arrangement of the other instruments are a real treat to the ears.
My favorite number on this new album is "It's Just The Night", but to be honest, I like the whole album a lot. And again the artwork of the album is very peaceful and modest.
Lucky Peter is also touring this year in the Netherlands and we will meet again in Utrecht this year.
If you ever get to change to watch this man perform, be there, you will not be disappointed.

More about Peter Katz:

• website
• youtube channel
• twitter page
• facebook page
• myspace page

I promised myself to start the year with a new website. Not only a site to promote my music but also a site to promote all other things I like.
Via my blog I will keep you up to date about things passing my path of life. Of course my music will be a big part of it. And it starts with the promise of a new album that I hope to release at the end of this year.

If you have any comments, advise or questions, please let me know.

Happy 2012 everybody.

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