In April, I changed the section name from 'Blog' to 'News.' Back then, I set it up so that all the new posts would be channeled through the news category. I had no intention of using anything more than that one category, then adding endless pages and subpages. That didn't last, just like the original title of this entry. Instead of me explaining a category, I've chosen to explain the site.

So what's with me changing it from it's original title, "Late night ruminations on what you're looking at?" Because I intended this to be a rumination, but it grew into something else. And because I started with explaining the title of 'ruminations' for the category, and it went elsewhere. I can chase rabbits with the best of them, and that's what happened with my explanation of 'ruminations.'

It was a throw-away category when I first put it in. There really wasn't a good reason to have a lot of categories in this WordPress install, since I wasn't going to bother with the tagging, nor making Technorati give me that sweet, sweet loving embrace of mad blog hits. Succinctly, I was grasping for a category title.

Ruminations is a good word for a category, though. I am thinking deeply about something when I write in this category. I guess I could've put 'cogitate,' but I'm really not that snobby.

No, really. Not like I go to USC or something.

What's sad - or neat, depending on how you look at it - is, the person for whom that joke is intended won't read it. She's actually too busy working on her grad degree at USC to read something on a simple website. When I was chatting with her tonight, it helped put some things in proper perspective for me. That, and working on a new church sound system, learning php 5 and MySQL, and trying not to blame God for putting me on the wrong end of the continent. Or, right end, depending on how you look at it.

Since the FeedBurner chicklets on the Syndication page tell me I've got some new subscribers, it's as good a time as any to explain what you're looking at, here at MacStansbury.com. I tried the blogging thing for a while, and found it to be too much work. I'll leave that up to the people who have books to sell, or boobies to blog, or, you know, talent. I'm none of those, but I am a ruthless linker.

As a linker, and an awesomely talentedlinker, I was on the lookout for tools to help me get my link on. I found a great system for anyone who wants to just put out links all day, in del.icio.us, as you can tell With a linkness. It's a page of links, but it doesn't stop there. As with everything I've done, it's all based on RSS. I can't do anything without RSS these days. Like I showed you on the Syndication page, there's an RSS feed you can get to follow all the links.

Usually tech-related, sometimes entertainment-related, rarely Paris Hilton-related (though not never), it's a steady stream of constantly updated entertainment. Simple links, sent to you by me. In fact, I'm growing a network of folks who added me to their network. I shouldn't say I'm growing it, since I have absolutely no control over who's in my network; it's amazing to me to see that there's anybody there at all.

It's this social web I've been weaving. Then again, it hasn't been me, for the most part, it's been other people reacting to what I've done. Since April, I've been rather passively creating a repository of knowledge. The tutorials section is full of simple ways, mostly devoted to web servers or WordPress, to do simple things. These are not the things you get the huge Digg Effect blog-busting, but the "long tail" style Google searches. The tutorials are mainly for my benefit, but there's other people who ask the same questions, and I can provide them an answer, Google-willing.

And while I'm thinking about it, I should point out that I've come up with a breakthrough idea for the MacStansbury Podcast: reading the stuff I've written! Yes, I know you just love hearing me ramble for an indefinite period of time, but why not listen to the stuff you've already heard? It's genius, I tell you! Look, I went through all the effort to put the podcast on here, might as well use it.

Don't worry, there will be other stuff, as well, including my crazy antics in the MacStansbury Labs, the legal battle to get the Safety Bear to fulfill his contract, and the mockery that is what I laughable refer to as "a script." Self-depreciating humor, thy name is MacStansbury. And yes, there will be tech...sweet, sweet tech. I know that's what you people want.

What I want are two things, a stark departure from the first few months, when I asked of nothing from the loyal MacStansbury.com faithful:
1. Add me to your network (don't just get a del.icio.us account just to add me, though you'll find it's endless fun and adventure)
2. Subscribe to my RSS feeds (again, if you have no idea what RSS is, it's okay, I can educate you, but don't worry if you don't)

What do you get for signing up with me? You'll get one of the great commodities of the Web 2.0 world: information. Sent to your computer, easily accessible. Non-stop fun at every turn.

And I'll promise to stop begging. Honest.

status: published
lastmod: '2006-10-01T00:41:21.000Z'
author: John Stansbury
cms: wordpress
custom:
  podPressPostSpecific: 'a:6:{s:15:"itunes:subtitle";s:15:"##PostExcerpt##";s:14:"itunes:summary";s:15:"##PostExcerpt##";s:15:"itunes:keywords";s:17:"##WordPressCats##";s:13:"itunes:author";s:10:"##Global##";s:15:"itunes:explicit";s:7:"Default";s:12:"itunes:block";s:7:"Default";}'
  _utw_tags_0: 'a:7:{i:0;O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:3:"tag";s:7:"archive";}i:1;O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:3:"tag";s:11:"del.icio.us";}i:2;O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:3:"tag";s:6:"design";}i:3;O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:3:"tag";s:12:"macstansbury";}i:4;O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:3:"tag";s:4:"rant";}i:5;O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:3:"tag";s:24:"shameless-self-promotion";}i:6;O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:3:"tag";s:6:"update";}}'
  similarterms: category macstansbury sweet title simple things network people links page good great stuff section thinking blog tutorials april found wordpress