Archive for November, 2007

RETOX BAR Gets Its First Review

Well. The first unbiased, to-the-point review. Despite having heard primarily positive comments from friends, family, and strangers alike, Hector Saldaña of the San Antonio Express News gives a very objective point of view.

Hector Saldaña/Express-News

My only gripe with the review is the fact that RETOX is spelled “ReTox”. Clearly unimportant. I’m definitely happy with the review. I found Hector’s description of the bar interesting: “back-to-the-future, casual 70’s vibe”. Cool. It’s definitely different for San Antonio. The rock face bar and the lighting are certainly focal points. But you can’t ignore the 120″ wide screen, which is in HD. The cool thing is that the screen doubles as a curtain for the live music acts. When the game buzzer sounds, up goes the screen…and voila…a band. He also hit the nail on the head with regard to the overall feel. RETOX BAR is “…not trying to be fancy or pretentious…”. Ain’t that the truth. We definitely believe we’ve created a happy medium: not an ultra lounge, but not a dive either. In case you missed it, I posted a few photos at RETOX last week.

To read the rest of the RETOX review, click here. Thank you, Hector, for an excellent review.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Google Slap Heard ‘Round The World

The Google Bitch Slap lives! Last week while thumbing through Text-Link-Ads, I discovered that my “link popularity” (i.e. Google PageRank) had gone down from 5 to 3. I decided to check this against my SmartPageRank meter at the bottom of my page. Much to my chagrin, it read “2″. Hopped over to PayPerPost. Zero…which is where I currently sit.

Completely unaware of what was happening, I emailed Google to get to the bottom of this. That was a few days ago, and I haven’t received a response yet. But after digging around, I discovered that I’m not the only one.

My good friend, Michael Kwan, was recently bitch slapped by Google as well. Like Michael, I wonder why some of us were singled out, and others have retained their coveted PR.

It appears that Google has targeted blogs with paid links and sponsored posts. While Michael doesn’t fit this profile, most of the others effected do. Yaro Starak over at the Entrepreneur’s Journey was penlized by Google. And Yaro does sell text links on his PR6 blog. Because advertisers refer to PR to gauge pricing, this creates problems. Luckily (and so far I can only speak for myself), the PR of Derrich.com has been reinstated to a 5 on those services I do use until this is resolved.

Robert Clough at the Search Engine Guide decided it would be best to surrender to Google. A little hasty in my opinion. But probably the smart thing to do. This move by Google will definitely effect the smaller bloggers before it effects those with greater traffic (versus higher PR).

John Chow has quite the track record with Google…having been bullied before. While the bitch slap might effect Derrich.com, it probably won’t effect JohnChow.com. John has done an excellent job of monetizing his blog through readership and by selling his own sponsorships and advertising. John talks about this very topic and how some bloggers mentioned here surrender to Google. Since this isn’t his first rodeo so to speak, he has a more confident stance on this whole issue.

For me, surrendering to Google would cost way too much money. Sure, it will be nice to be ranked properly in their index but the traffic they would send wouldn’t come close to making up for the money lost. This is a business decision that each site will have to make on their own.

He’s right. Each blog will react differently after considering a number of variables. I’ll just sit back, and wait to hear from Google. Surely there’s a way for us bloggers to continue to monetize our blogs without being penalized by Google. I value the traffic I get from Google, but I don’t believe they are right to chastise me and the others. Derrich.com offers value to readers, and advertisements and paid reviews are pertinent to the rest of my content and to my blog’s purpose. C’mon, Google. Stop slapping me.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Thanksgiving Greetings & Holiday Cards

Although the holidays are my favorite time of the year…beginning with Thanksgiving, of course…it is also a busy time of year for me. I try to make time to visit a handful of customers in person and deliver some sort of gift or greeting. Since I cannot make it face-to-face with many of them, I opt for greeting cards with handwritten notes and wishes.

CardDirect.com offers a large selection of Holiday Cards and a variety verses to appropriately express your thankful holiday wishes. They’ll even add your business name, company logo, custom imprint and envelope imprint in a variety of ink colors or foil stamps.

There are also helpful tips on Holiday Etiquette on their blog. For example, if you’re trying to determine whether or not to send Thanksgiving cards, here are three reasons to do so.

I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Popularity: 6% [?]

New BCS Poll Released. We’re In Kansas Anymore!

Mangino celebrates with a quick pick. COURTESY, KermitTheBlog

Finally! Kansas breaks into the top tier of “the list”. Ok, well I’m not really that excited about it. But in support of the Big 12, I’m pretty happy with the new BCS poll…including Missouri’s #4 ranking. Rodney Dangerfield would definitely be proud of the Jayhawks and their current ranking in the latest standings.

While I’m not completely convinced that Kansas is the real #2 team, they have an opportunity to quiet us naysayers when they meet #4 Missouri (10-1) this week. However if they lose, who’s to say that Missouri shouldn’t grab that #2 spot? Either team has to get through #10 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship. If Kansas accomplishes that feat, I’d quickly change my attitude.

So easy, a Bradford can do it.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, who suffered a concussion in the Sooners’ loss to Texas Tech. Backup QB, Joey Hal…Joey Hal…Favrezle…replaced Bradford, but couldn’t match the intensity of the Red Raiders’ offense. Graham Harrell turned in a “Graham Harrell” performance completing 47-of-72 passes for 420 yards and three scores, one of which he ran in, to become the sixth NCAA Division I-A signal caller to pass for more than 5,000 yards (5,298) in a single season. And Michael Crabtree was an animal. He, too, turned in a record season.

The West Virginia Mountaineers are 9-1 and ranked #3. Their last and only loss came six weeks ago against South Florida, which means they’re on par with Kansas as far as winning streaks are concerned. The only way it seems they would contend for the title is if Oklahoma wins the Big 12 Championship…or if #1 LSU (aka. Houdini) loses to Arkansas, who hasn’t done much against ranked opponents. But with LSU’s uncertain dominance, I wouldn’t touch a guaranteed LSU win with a 10-foot pole.

I’ve got my popcorn ready.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

The Mystery That Is Google AdSense

For awhile, blogging took a backseat to my family and my bar, RETOX. So what does that have to do with Google AdSense? Well, as I’ve started posting more frequently, I’ve also noticed a resurgence in traffic.

Although I wasn’t posting for days on end, I was still receiving some respectable clickage on my AdSense ads. With yesterday’s scramble to find Kyla Ebbert Playboy photos, I pulled in gobs of additional traffic. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure this won’t be the last time…but how on Google Earth does AdSense record so few clicks while MyBlogLog records so many more.

I’m aware of all the nuances of the two services. There are countless blog posts that explain why. There are even those that show you how to capatilize on one by using the stats of the other. Great. I still think I’m getting shorted. See for yourself.

Over 28,000 page views. 2 clicks. Are you kidding me? I suppose MBL pulled “139″ out of its @$$. Some may argue that content might play a role in what ads are showing. Fair enough. But most of my ads have been the same for weeks…including the time I was on my hiatus. None of it makes sense regardless of how many posts I read about codes and fraudulent clicks…etc. By the way, as I write this post, I’m sitting at about 10,000 page views with 1 click. If anyone else wants to join my “boohoo” party, the invite is open.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Ducks Get Plucked, ‘Cats Get Whacked

I blame Ryan Leaf. When Dennis Dixon went down in the 1st half of last night’s game between Oregon and Arizona, I think my heart stopped beating. Obviously, so did the collective heart of the Oregon sideline. So what does Ryan Leaf have to do with it? Nothing…other than the fact that hs younger brother, Brown…er, I mean Brady Leaf is the Ducks’ #2 QB.

Wily Low, AP. Dennis Dixon runs for an early score against Arizona

Obviously the Ducks struggled without Dixon. It was a heart-wrenching game for me to watch, especially since I chose them early in the season to do big things.

Rather than throw the BCS into an even worse tailspin, the Ducks have now helped by reducing the number of “if, then” algorithms. Will it be LSU, OU, Kansas, or Missouri (sorry, Hawaii)?

Eat Em Up, ‘Cats…And Then Throw It All Away
My alma mater, the Texas State Bobcats blew an 18-point lead against Sam Houston State on National television last night. Sam scored 19 unanswered points in the 4th QTR to win 29-28. And that was without former OU quarterback and car salesman, Rhett Bomar. But that’s the story of our season — just down on our luck. And, no, we don’t want Coach Fran back.

College Football Tickets

Popularity: 3% [?]

Kyla Ebbert Poses For Playboy

Playboy Store: 2008 Playboy Calendars

Kyla Ebbert & crew

As one of my friends put it this morning…”Good for her!”. Months after getting booted from a Southwest Airlines flight flight from San Diego to Tucson, Kyla Ebbert decided to toss the skimpy outfit for a more revealing opportunity in Playboy. Apparently she didn’t fetch more than six figures for the shoot. But after parlaying her overnight success from one opportunity into the multiple opportunities, I’m sure she has nothing to worry about for awhile.

Kyla was employed at Hooters, but aspires to be an attorney. She refuses to believe that her nude photos will have a negative impact on her professional career. Heck. It may play to her advantage. Perhaps she can wait for Lauren Caitlin Upton to finish college and go into business together. It could be a lucrative partnership. The Law Offices of Ebbert & Upton: The U.S. American Law Firm. We Stick Our Chest Out For You!.

Apparently Kyla isn’t the first aspiring attorney to pose nude. Best of luck, Kyla.

Popularity: 14% [?]

BlogRoll

• Milk Was A Bad Choice
• CrackBerry.com
• Stock Trading 101
• For The Love Of Sports
• Project Spurs
• Busted Coverage
• WallStreetFighter

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