Ever wonder if the YouTube videos and blog articles you stumble upon during the day are old news? ‘Is It Old?‘ can help you find out, and (hopefully) save you from embarrassingly sharing a link that’s past its prime.

All you have to do is copy and paste the link into ‘Is It Old?’ It then uses open API to analyze how many times it has been posted to Twitter and how many days ago it was first shared. Depending on these factors, you’ll get a response on a scale of “Dead” to “You’re the first!”

Although it can help you figure out how long the link has been around, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the link is or isn’t worth your time. It will tell you how many people have shared the link before you, and how long ago it was published. It’s ultimately up to you to decide if it’s still worth sharing.

Do you see yourself using this tool before sending out any content you find online?

When building a new website, you want it to be eye catching and helpful to visitors. But something that can get lost while minding your new page’s aesthetics is how the website looks to Google.

A Sitemap, in simple terms, is a list of the pages on your website. Why is it important? We’ll let Google explain:

“Creating and submitting a Sitemap helps make sure that Google knows about all the pages on your site, including URLs that may not be discoverable by Google’s normal crawling process.”

Your page’s Sitemap gives it a clearer navigation and outline, which Google is happy to reward by boosting the search rank of your page. Google’s search algorithm is as secret as the KFC recipe, but here’s the truth: If you take two identical web pages and give one a Sitemap, that page will have a better Google rank than the page without the Sitemap.

If you have dynamic content on your page within a content management system, a Sitemap is absolutely essential.

Learn more about Sitemaps here.

A recent post on Social Media Examiner goes into depth on what prevents a blog from succeeding.  I just started my first music marketing blog this summer. Check it out!

1.) Selfishness- The first trap I have fallen into as a blogger is that there is too much focus on me. HYPEorBOLE is meant to help independent artists find creative ways to get their band’s name out there, so naturally almost every article has talked about my own band. The truth is, we’re still local with a small draw most of the time, so the twenty or so people that have glanced at my blog were probably a little turned off. Posts should instead offer solutions to readers’ problems. To connect with a reader through a blog is to write about them and share common problems!

2.) Overselling- This point is pretty straightforward, and doesn’t just apply to blogs. Filling your page with gaudy ads with no relevance to the blog will send the readers back-clicking all the way back to Google. If there must be ads, keep them on the subtle side. Nothing should distract a reader from the actual text.  The closest my blog gets to advertising is providing a “Like” widget for the band’s Facebook page.

3.) No Outside Expertise- Credibility is one of the most important attributes to have when creating content for strangers. Bringing in an outside expert can prove to be extremely valuable, as it shows a blogger’s willingness to provide the best information as well as a display of his/her access to expertise. I plan on interviewing a member of a local band on the rise who can share how his Facebook page has grown to 3,000 fans in under a year.

4.) Useless Content- While it may seem like a no-brainer, posts should be valuable and offer as much exclusive information as possible. In my article about having a CD release show, it focuses on both the direct and indirect benefits of actually having a CD release show rather than just listing how to sell more CDs. Someone who believes that the CD is dead will not care about how to sell them; they will first need convincing that it’s still a worthwhile venture.

5.) Lack of Sharing Options- We’re halfway through 2011. People visiting your blog should not be copying the URL and pasting the link in an e-mail every time. Chances are, if someone is looking at your blog, they have a social networking account that goes beyond e-mail. Try using AddThis to embed Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Google +1 icon buttons to your posts. This is a win-win. The reader has an easier way of sharing the post with their network and your post appears even more credible when it is shared more. Most blog creation platforms provide the option to display sharing buttons (some with share counts). Take advantage of this as often as possible.

6.) Disengagement- If you’re lucky enough to receive comments on a blog post, answer them back promptly. The readers will love the recognition and feel glad that they chose to interact with your blog. Check the spam comments as well, because even spam filters mess up now and again and mark genuine user comments as spam. Go one step further and visit the commenter’s blog to leave input of your own. This will establish an online rapport that can bring the reader back regularly.

7.) No Reason to Return- The 80-20 rule of sales applies to your blog, too. Only 20% of readers are returning to read new posts. You have to literally remind readers to return and keep them updated on the latest relevant information. It can’t hurt to include new blog post links on your Twitter and Facebook statuses. Consistency is key. The biggest weakness of my blog right now is the fact I haven’t been posting on it regularly. Consistent information and weekly articles will show readers that the blog is important to you and that it is a constant source of new information. Do not become discouraged by low readership; continue to post!

I hope that these tips can help your blog receive more recognition in the future. At the end of the day, a great blog has useful content, engages readers, and brings return visits because of high quality. If you can pretend your blog is a brand new boutique and the internet is the Mall of America, focus on what is being sold in the boutique first and foremost. If these tips are followed, success in Web 2.0 is not far from reach.

Like a vast majority of my fellow Earthicans, I am a Photoshop newbie. Launching PS on my computer starts a 30-second countdown, at the end of which I’m shaking in the corner, paralyzed by my image-altering inadequacies.

No, it’s not really that bad. But I truly am a Photoshop noob. Thankfully, I have Smashing Magazine to help. Writer Dirk Metzmacher recently penned an article called “Useful Photoshop Tips and Tricks for Photo Retouching”, which gives 17 such tips that can change your images, whether they’re personal or professional, for the better.

Some of the tips flew well over my head, as they could very well do for you. I wholeheartedly encourage you to read the Smashing article in its entirety, but here are three of the simplest tips that can really make a difference.

1. Sunsets

Have you ever snapped a photo on an exotic beach, amazed by the beauty of the setting sun and how it seemed to set the surrounding sky and water on fire? The picture you took doesn’t seem to capture what you had in your mind, does it?

From Smashing Magazine:

Click on the “New Fill/Adjustment Layer” button in the Layer palette and select “Gradient Map” from the list. Click on the gradient to open the “Gradient Editor.”

Click on the first color patch below the gradient, and change the color to red. Set the color patch on the opposite side to yellow, and click “OK.” Set the blending mode to “Soft Light” and reduce the opacity to about 50%. This will create a warm, almost golden sunset.

2. Skin Color

Some hues that photos yield can pull vivid colors out and replace them with bland ones, making the subject lose some eyecatching vitality. Here’s a workaround for that.

From Smashing:

Go to New Adjustment Layer → Hue/Saturation. Click on the miniature mask, and press Control/Command + I to invert the mask.

Using white color and a soft brush, paint over the skin areas so that only they get treated. For the adjustment, switch from Standard to “Reds” (found in the Hue drop-down menu of the Adjustment layer), and use the Hue, Saturation and Lightness sliders to adjust the skin color. Switch to “Yellows” and optimize the skin tone. Getting the colors exactly right depends very much on the image material. Rely on your common sense.

3. Classy Sepia

As Metzmacher says, the sepia look is an absolute classic. But it’s also easy to overdo in the wrong hands. To make sure you stay on the classy side, here’s Smashing’s sepia advice:

Click on Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Photo Filter, and select the Sepia filter, with a density of 100%. Double-click the layer (not the layer name) to open up the Layer Style window. This will show the Blending options.

At the bottom of the dialog box for the first gradient, move the white slider to the left while holding the Alt/Option key. This creates a smooth transition between adjusted and unadjusted areas. The sepia will now look elegant.

Again, visit Smashing Magazine to read the 14 other Photoshop tips. If you can wrap your head around all 17, I applaud your PS versatility.

Setting up a free blog on WordPress is an issue for some professionals, as the lack of both a domain name and best-fitting web hosting seems beneath them. After all, going with WP-hosted blogs nets just 100 or so themes to choose from, most of which are a terrible fit for your vision. Right?

On the contrary. Free themes on WordPress have levels of customization to them that can really make your blog stand out. And if the content is great, visitors won’t care in the slightest about whether you have your own domain. If you need an example, take a look at one of our clients, Sherman Health.

Already the proud owners of the domain ShermanHealth.com, they made the wise decision to reach a more localized audience through a WordPress-hosted blog. In a snap, the Sherman Heart Blog was born. Below is a PDF of one of the most popular articles from it.

When 2011 hit, it was agreed the great content on the Heart Blog needed to be matched by a great new design. After a brainstorming session, a plan was hatched, and the look went live on February 1 to coincide with Heart Month. Below is the brand new banner image on the blog. Depicted in animated form is Dr. Maciej Malinski, a cardiologist on staff at Sherman and the author of the popular Ask the Cardiologist blog series.

We created the image in-house, and also uploaded a customized sky blue background to complete the new look. With the right team of artists, designers, and writers, it’s entirely possible to have an eye-catching blog with fantastic content, all of which can be reached through simple and free WordPress hosting.

Visit the Sherman Heart Blog

If your blog is getting plenty of comments, Thank Me Later could be of use to you. The following scenario likely plays out frequently: A visitor stumbles upon your content, likes what she sees, and leaves a comment on your article. She then continues her journey across the vast landscape of the Internet, forgetting about your blog and her comment on it.

This is where Thank Me Later can help. It sends an automatic email to the commenter (whose email was captured when the comment was submitted), and thanks her for her visit to your blog.

“Thank Me Later is great for your blog because it reminds visitors of their comment a few days later, and prompts them to engage in further discussion and reading on your blog. It gives you the opportunity to keep alive a connection with the visitor after they have left your blog.” – Thank Me Later FAQ section

Used correctly, this can be a useful tool that gives gentle reminders to those who were captivated by your blog content. Used incorrectly, it can come off as a spammy nuisance that leaves the nasty taste of a Twitter auto DM in the mouth of the recipient.

So how are the thank yous perceived as helpful rather than annoying? Send commenters one email and one email only, provide other helpful links in the thank you (such as e-list or RSS links, or a link to related articles-even ones on other blogs), and be genuinely gracious in the email.

It may not be right for your blog, but you can’t argue with the price of free Wordpress plugins. We’ve linked to Thank Me Later’s page above, but we’ll provide the link below, as well. If it’s able to retain just one additional visitor, the benefits could be exponential.

Thank Me Later – Wordpress plugin

Harris Interactive just released the results from research they conducted for Buddy Media that studied the most effective tactics for reaching local market customers.  Are you surprised that having Fans on Facebook is low on the list?  I’m not.  Fans of a business either work at the company, or are looking for sales and coupons.  In general, advertising to Fans is like advertising to those who are already in your “store”.  Yes, you need to do it — they are part of your social network and play an important role as Brand Ambassadors.  But the point is that you shouldn’t expect to get too many fresh new customers via your Facebook wall unless you’re allowing your fans to forward coupons and promotions.

The study concluded that the most influential tactic used to reach the local market was putting local content on your website or blog.  In fact, 69% of Brand Managers thought this tactic was effective, 62% believed print advertising was effective, and 59% believed that hosting an event was effective.  What’s important to note here is that the only tactic that does not cost much money at all is posting local content.

So what does posting local content have to do with selling your product to a local market?  Well, not much, directly.  Writing about an upcoming charity race is not going to lead people into your business.  What it does do, however, is give your business (your brand) a local personality.  It tells readers you’re an active part of their community.  It gives them confidence in your reputation, and that you treat people well.  And it provides readers with a virtual introduction to what you do and how you can help them, either now or in the future.

So when it comes to promoting yourself via social media and on the web, don’t just think in terms of pushing your products or services.  Think about your market’s desire to see you as one of them, serving their needs and their neighbor’s needs in any way you can help.

Recently the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago ran a front page story exposing “the tactics” of one local candidate who used interns to post positive comments online.  I’m surprised that anyone is surprised.

While I think it is wrong for volunteers to post multiple comments as if they came from more than one person, or to lie in their comments, I don’t have any problem with supporters going online in droves to support their candidate.  The forums exist because the online sites created them.  So why complain when they’re used legitimately? Plus, I’d rather have them posting things than filling my mailbox.

I also think there are plenty of other things wrong with campaigning that makes complaining about this “tactic” seem silly.  Recorded calls come to mind first, but that’s only because if I take the time to get the phone, there better be someone real on the other end.  I don’t even like getting recorded notices that my photos are ready.  Send me an email!  Campaign advertising in general is extremely suspect, simply because they cannot cover all the issues.  Rather than try to clear the murky waters by telling us why the candidate is good, they instead use fear to try to convince us that the other candidate is bad.  They say it works, but I think that’s because no candidate has the guts to stick to a 100% positive campaign (if you’re out there, give us a call because we’d love to represent you!)

Basically, I’m always looking for a good, honest person who will stand by his/her convictions, especially in the face of some hard attacks.  But in today’s world fear seems to be the only clear catalyst for voters.

These online comments mean nothing to me, regardless of their quality or quantity.  Both sides have their supporters, and both sides can put their messages everywhere.  I’m not buying any of it.  After all, how do we know those supporters know anything about any of the issues? Indeed, nearly all of them demonstrate that they’re not like me (hopelessly adrift in the gray middle ground) simply by being such an ardent supporter of one side.  Their passion is a bit disturbing.

But when it comes to promoting businesses, online comments are very powerful.  Readers of those comments are not so jaded, likely because other than a few companies who’ve been caught paying people to promote them online, the comment section is somewhat innocent and often helpful.  Sure, some people are overly supportive while others are overly negative.  As reported in another post, those on the extremes tend to wipe themselves out, lending more credibility to the less passionate reviewers who tend to be specific in their reviews about what they liked or didn’t like.  In fact, if a comment seems helpful (whether positive or negative), the reader might soak it in, accept it, and maybe even spread it.  Plus, business reviews aren’t so complex.  You either like it or you don’t.  The less selling readers see, the more likely they are to accept it.  Maybe our trust of these straight-forward reviewers is based on the idea that they are like us — they were unsure of the product or service as well, took a chance and tried it, and are now telling us about their experience.

So go ahead and ask those satisfied customers to post their opinions online and tell them to be totally honest.  You can even recommend the sites that could help you the most.  I wouldn’t publish a list for all to see (no sense giving disgruntled customers a forum), but I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for help from those who like me.  Heck, I often ask clients to talk with potential clients about my work.  Why not ask them to do it online?  After all, it’s 2010.  Technology and information rule.

More important than having online reviews, however, is adding links back to your site in posts related to what you do.  If there’s a story about prostate cancer screening, why shouldn’t a hospital post a comment promoting their screening facility?  It’s helpful information, right there at the readers’ fingertips.  Don’t forget to track the link and send people to the right page, preferably one with an appointment scheduler.  If you’re writing these comments, be yourself.  There’s no need to be anonymous, nor is there any need to paint yourself as a happy patient — even if you are.  Instead, tell them you work there (it’s the ethical thing to do) and would like to invite them to your facility.  Simple as that.

I can assure you that this works — and it costs nothing compared to buying an ad on the same site or in the print version.  We do this all the time, with much success.  I think the value here is that our posts are directly associated with an unbiased report.  It’s a lot like having an ad for a mosquito repellent on the same page as a story about the upcoming attack of the little blood suckers — except you didn’t pay for the space.  What’s more, although you’re promoting your product or service, you also look helpful to the reader, so long as you’re honest about your intentions and don’t oversell.

So don’t hesitate to comment online to promote your business.  It’s not the bad thing political campaigns are making it out to be, and it is extremely cost effective.

I love Wordpress plugins. When I come across a great one I haven’t used before, I can get pretty insufferable. I’m not married and don’t have any children, but I imagine the way I talk about my beloved plugins is how I’d talk about my son’s T-Ball prowess. My coworkers probably won’t care about either. Oh, but I’ll tell them anyway. Again and again and again!

In case you aren’t sure where I’m going with this, I’m here to talk to you about a great plugin for Wordpress: Fluency Admin. On the surface, it might appear to simply be a difference in aesthetic, but there’s much more to it. Navigating your Admin area on Wordpress has a flow to it that wouldn’t be there if it weren’t installed.

Here’s how an Admin dashboard typically looks before installing Fluency. If you’re used to Wordpress, you’re used to this screenshot. Click it to enlarge.

And after installing Fluency, here’s what you’ll see when it loads up:

Ok, so it has a different look to it. But what really makes it stand out? Navigation. Normally, the Admin sidebar is organized as a series of categories whose subcategories drop down and you may have to click to access. These drop downs take up space on your page, meaning you may have to scroll up or down the page depending on what you need to access.

Fluency Admin has hover menus that load to the right of each category. Because the menus hover, you save mouse clicks; because they load to the right and not as drop downs, you save page scrolling time. It’s a small change, but it’s far more intuitive. Also, the seconds that you save add up over time.

If you’re constantly blogging, you should always be looking for ways to increase your efficiency. Fluency Admin gives you this efficiency boost right when you log in. Highly recommended.

I wanted to find a graphic or image for this post, but none are applicable. This is because WP Super Cache, an essential plugin for Wordpress users, does its work completely behind the scenes. How exactly does it make your blog faster? I’ll let the designers explain:

WP Super Cache is a static caching plugin for WordPress. It generates html files that are served directly by Apache without processing comparatively heavy PHP scripts. By using this plugin you will speed up your WordPress blog significantly.

This plugin is a fork of the excellent WP-Cache 2 by Ricardo Galli Granada. WP-Cache 2 caches the pages of your WordPress blog and delivers them without accessing the database. Unfortunately it still means loading the PHP engine to serve the cached files.

WP Super Cache gets around that. When it is installed, html files are generated and they are served without ever invoking a single line of PHP. How fast can your site serve graphic files? That’s (almost) as fast it will be able to serve these cached files. If your site is struggling to cope with the daily number of visitors, or if your site appears on Digg.com, Slashdot or any other popular site then this plugin is for you.

A vast majority of visitors to your blog will be anonymous surfers who don’t log in and don’t leave comments. These are the people who will benefit form WP Super Cache, and in all likelihood, they won’t even know it. But given the choice between a lightning-fast page and a slower page, most visitors will be far more willing to return to the more efficient site.

On top of that, if your site pulls in so much traffic that it’s affecting page load times, WP Super Cache will ease that stress. To download this useful plugin or donate to its creators, visit the WP Super Cache home page.