Compendium

I stumbled across a list of sites in which you can submit your blog to a directory in order to build traffic. I didn't like how they looked in the sidebar, so I decided to create a blog post listing them all. Many of these sites have been around for a long time, but as of now, the following sites still operate for free and, at best, only ask for reciprocal linking. (Even better if you warn them ahead of time of the stunt I've just pulled, right?)

Here you go.
A1 Web Links
Blogged
Blog Listings
Blog Scholar
Blogoriffic
Blogville
Boing Boing
Directory Best
Feedmap
Flookie
Globe of Blogs
Sphere

Contextual

Hey, I found an interesting widget while updating the list of blog directories on the right sidebar. Sphere features a Javascript widget that enables users to figure out who else on the Internet is talking about that same topic. The site provides simple instructions on how to add the Javascript code to your blogging platform.

I changed up the appearance of Sphere's widget a little bit. How? It took some time, but it involves an HTML tag called post-footer. Click on Edit Layout to get your blog's layout, then click Edit HTML. Check the box to expand widget templates. Do a CTRL-F search for post-footer and click "next" until you get to a long tag called post-footer-line. Each numbered line hereafter represents a line taken up in your footer. The code here basically puts "posted by [you]" in the first line, tags and comments in the second line, and so forth.

I followed Sphere's directions for the Javascript into the [head] section. Now, before typing in this next part, do that post-footer search again. Your first hit in the expanded template should say post-footer, then some CSS code beneath, the first of which is a 3-digit HTML color code. This #XXX is the background color of your footer. Now that I know the code, I added an empty line below comments and tags by simply manually entering a string called post-footer-line post-footer-line-3 with a [p] tag. Right after that post-footer tag, I put [font color] such-and-such, some characters, closed the font tag, and then closed the [p class] tag. Whew! Now you've got a neat blank space.

Finally, create your fourth footer line (just like you did the third) and add the second part of the Sphere code. The default says, "Sphere: Related Content," but I changed it to "Who else is talking about this?"

I tested Sphere earlier. It works relatively well on popular topics featuring a rather generalized keyword, like my post the other day asking for stories about healthcare. The only downside is that if your entry includes embedded video, Sphere will get stuck behind it.

Either way, enjoy your new plaything, readers!
Love it or loathe it? Just let me know.

Whose Side Are You On?

MoveOn.org begins releasing television ads targeting Senators receiving significant backing from the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries while standing adamant against the public option in health care reform.

Check out the one targeting Senator Landrieu of Louisiana.

Less Than One Term

Jonathan Martin at Politico follows up on CNN's breaking story about Sarah Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska. She is set to resign at the end of the month and not to run for governor in a second term. She announced the surprise news from her house over this Independence Day weekend, but left considerable ambiguity about her future political plans. In the meantime, political commentators and media outlets continue to speculate the rationale and the plan for the young governor.

Since setting foot on the national stage last year during the 2008 presidential election, Palin has had a history of fending off several ethics investigations and weathered the accusation of a blissfully ignorant vetting procedure. Martin reports that the legal defense fund set to recompense the investigations must reach nearly $300,000 in order to settle the account. In addition, Palin has served a considerable amount of time as governor in absentia, and while being gone, chooses to take late night talk show hosts toe-to-toe rather than focus more attention to state business. I have a simple word for it: "starstruck."

Let's look at how this might unfold. The folksy Fargo accent is bad enough, but even her most staunch conservative supporters have had to face that uphill defensive posture when stating her qualifications for office. Reporters have done double duty in asking her direct questions about experience and her preparation for the stage and also for throwing her a few hints here and there about policies to which she is ignorant. Credited for energizing the base, CNN released a poll showing that 80% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Palin, dwindling 47% for Independents, and 23% of Democrats. To be fair, "favorable" could mean everything from "ready to serve office" to "you make me laugh, you silly, silly moose-eating pitbull-lipstick hockey Mom, you!" If David Letterman could get her that unhinged after one ill-placed joke, then imagine how well she would stand up against real threats to American security or the complex intricacies in navigating public policy and procedure? Appropriately, Republican strategists asked to comment on the news at this time are not in a big hurry to rush a swift defense or offer reassurance. Even her stronger supporters are confused by this sudden move. And needless to say, she would have to construct a reasonable explanation for increasingly unexplainable behavior.

To be fair, I don't think she's being crazy or off-kilter. Pawning herself as a faith-loving, family mom, I'm actually surprised it has taken her this long to return roost. Maybe she just needed to drop out, and it seemed only appropriate to let the press know.

A brilliant move?
No, I doubt it. Mary Matalin commented on air that her swan song seems appropriate because her rebellious image makes the resignation acceptable, and that now she is freed up to build political capital for 2012. Perhaps. I just don't think that the behavior will hold up to the substantive criticism. Competent politicians, especially those with presidential aspirations, have to juggle the day-to-day responsibilities and the speculation and the study and the campaigning. You have to interview, study, read, read, and read more, and communicate with staff, and show up to Congress. You can't quit the country midway through, and pledge loyalty and love for the home as a substitute. It's not like Obama flies back to Chicago to check up on the local machinery. Palin waxing romantically about it now cannot soothe the sting of a premature reaction.

In the meantime, can you seriously imagine how well she would fare juggling a massive economic crisis, rising unemployment, health care, and energy reforms? For that matter, can you imagine the fervent rush of her staff to defend a whimsical anecdote or an injection of prayer into political discussion? Last I checked, you can only pray to win the Powerball. God can't fix a country, no matter how much tongue-speech takes place.

What do you think of all this?