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Getting Ready for Google's May 2021 Algorithm Update
Getting ready for the upcoming Google May 2021 algorithm update. See how I improved my Page Insights score by more than 225%. In May, Google will tweak its ranking algorithm again by including new experience metrics into the equation. Those changes were first announced back in May 2020. According to a recent post on Yoast’s blog: In May 2021, Google will add Core Web Vitals as ranking factors in its algorithm. Continue reading →
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The Value of Using Links and References
Let’s put aside « link posts » (like this one) for a minute or two, the time required to read this article. Recently, I noticed that links in published content vary a lot from one author to another. Some bloggers or writers use many links, while others barely include any. I thought that was fascinating, and I started thinking about my link usage. For example, M.G. Siegler, a well-known writer on Medium, uses links in his writing. Continue reading →
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Which App or Service is Best?
Recently, I had a chance to read and participate in two different discussions about which app, feature or service is better for a specific task or use case. In the first case, someone was asking about Ulysses handling of Markdown links. The question triggered a really enlightening discussion about how Ulysses, and many more writing apps for that matter, was good or not at certain things like Markdown handling in general1. Continue reading →
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Should I Try Write.As? I Came, I Saw, Then I Left
I saw someone on Micro.blog using Write.as a platform for publishing a blog. After spending a few minutes on the blog and Write.as website, I find it very tempting; it’s clean, super simple, well-thought-out, and cheap. Maybe I should try it? Or maybe not. I’m already spread too thin. I feel it would be another rabbit hole. If all my current platforms were fully satisfying, I wouldn’t be looking at other places. Continue reading →
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My Blogger Workflow as of 2021-03
This is the first post on Numeric Citizen I/O about my blogger workflow. This website’s mission is metablogging, which means writing about the tools and services that I use as a blogger and content creator. I hope you enjoy the ride here. This is the most comprehensive update yet. In this workflow release, as of 2021-03, there are many important changes. Here is a run-down, in no particular order. First, as stated earlier, I created a new website about meta-blogging. Continue reading →
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Showing Support for Real Mac Software
I bought Nova in support of real Mac software developers So, I decided to buy Nova, the best client for editing and publishing content to this Blot website using Git and Markdown. MacStories published a review of Nova just yesterday, emphasizing that Nova feels like a real MacOS application. I felt the need to show my support to Nova developers. We should celebrate great Mac apps. There are free alternatives like Atom or Visual Source Code, but they feel weird on the Mac. Continue reading →
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Ghost 4 is Out! So What?
Ghost 4 is out, but is lacking one major feature. Now, at version 4, Ghost, a self-hosting publishing platform, is buzzing again. To me, Ghost always looked like a modern version of WordPress. They share many similarities. The close integration of website and newsletter publishing is way better than it is on Substack. I’m thinking, what if I moved my main blog over there? I was tempted once to make a move. Continue reading →
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Tips and Tricks on Optimizing Articles Exposure on Medium
To make a dent on Medium, optimizing exposure is a must. I’ve been on Medium for many years, and I learned a few tips on maximizing article exposure along the way. These tips and tricks made a difference for me. If you plan to submit an article to a Medium publication, beware of busy publications: the exposure might not be what you expect. The turnover is too high, and your article won’t stay fresh for long. Continue reading →
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Cleaning up my WordPress Blog
Simpler is better. If you know about WordPress, you probably know how bloated your WordPress site can become with heavy visual themes and lots of more or less useful plugins installed. Those using WordPress.com for hosting their WordPress website know how pushy WordPress.com can be. They really want you to use WooCommerce or ExactMetrics. I decided to do some spring cleanup this week by removing WooCommerce. Why did I have it set up? Continue reading →
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A Really Useful Git Beginner’s Guide
I’m using Git to maintain this blog, which runs on Blot. Up until now, my Git knowledge has come from YouTube. Today, I came across this Git beginner’s guide that I wish I had on hand before starting this blog. The nice thing about this guide is that it covers the command line commands plus a GUI-based tool, Atom, in that case. I’m mostly a GUI type of guy, but it’s always interesting to see what happens behind the scenes when interacting with Git. Continue reading →
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Editing on the Go Is a Must
Editing and publishing on the go is a must, after all. This weekend, I’m away from home. I thought I could get away with it and skip editing Blot posts on the go on the iPad. I was wrong. As I wrote at length here, the jury is still out on the best way to achieve this. For now, on the iPad, Working Copy is the best GIT client, and Ulysses is my preferred text editor. Continue reading →
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Using the iPad for Editing Blot Posts With a Git Client
Editing new content from the iPad for this blog poses some challenges. I started writing this post using my iPad, Working Copy and Textastic1. The file was initially created within Working Copy’s sandbox, but I fetched content from the Blot Git repo to store the most recent changes locally on my iPad. As with every app on the iPad, Working Copy runs within its sandbox. When cloning the Blot repo locally, files were placed in the application’s sandbox, which is inaccessible outside the iPad2. Continue reading →
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Thinking Again About Text Editors
Thinking about text editor apps. Following a recent article from Jason Snell about finding the best markdown editor for the iPad, I started thinking about using Ulysses for all my text editing needs. Is it the best tool for all use cases? Probably not. But it is cross-platform, and for me, it’s a must. As I write this blog post, I’m using Nova text editor on my Mac to start editing, finishing in Ulysses. Continue reading →
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This Blog Uses Commento - Here is Why - Updated 2024-03-10
You can leave a comment on each blog post, thanks to Commento, you’re not being tracked. When I created the Numeric Citizen I/O blog, I thought it would need a way for visitors to be able to leave comments as they see fit. I decided to go the Commento route because of its tight integration with Blot, but also for a more profound reason: privacy protection. According to Commento’s website: Continue reading →
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Testing wall.blot.im
Testing a web-based blog post publishing tool for posting directly to Blot from a webpage. I’m currently testing a straightforward blog post publishing tool running on a webpage. The tool is accessible at https://wall.blot.im. I wrote a front matter; I guess Blot will process it as usual. The editor provides a character count, a word count, and a way to export the current blog post or publish it directly on my Blot website. Continue reading →
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Learning a Bit of Blot’s Internals
I made a few layout changes to my archives page. Someone on Micro.blog posted something from its Blot website and I noticed he was using an unknown meta tag in the post’s front matter: metadata.icon. He used a tag to add an icon to each of its blog post. I wanted to know how Blot actually used this tag to format the blog post, so I asked the guy. His answer made me look deeper into Blot processing of meta tags. Continue reading →
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Documenting Blog Changes
Using Git instead of Dropbox for Blot content syncing provides an unexpected benefit. As I recently wrote, Blot supports two mechanisms for synchronizing content from my Mac to the web: Dropbox or Git. I chose Git. As I write this, I’m still testing Nova as the Git front-end (I’m a GUI type of guy). One of the great benefits of using Git is the built-in history of commits that is at the core of any Git repo. Continue reading →
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Archiving my Content from Micro.blog to GitHub
Micro.blog allows for archiving all content to GitHub. Here is why I did it. This blog post is about explaining a Micro.blog allowing me to archive all my blog posts, including images and why I do it. First, you must know that Micro.blog already provides an archiving feature of all blog posts to the Internet web archive. You can find mine here. I think it is important because in our society, the durability of the numerical artifacts we create is far from guaranteed. Continue reading →
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The Initial Blot Setup
Setting up this blog with Blot was pretty straightforward. It all started as an experiment. But now, it’s not. It’s something permanent1. In less than a day, everything was set up and running. From the setup of the domain name (with GoDaddy) to having an actual site available for browsing. This is the very short story behind setting up the Numeric Citizen I/O website with Blot. My interest in Blot came from the desire to have better control over the visual appearance of my microblog, which is hosted on Micro. Continue reading →
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Selecting a GIT Client
Selecting a GIT client for the Mac is a bit harder than I thought. When I decided to create this blog using Blot.im, I had to select the synchronization mechanism between my Mac and the Blot.im service. Blot.im offers two choices: Dropbox (easy, seamless, but too invasive and bloated software) or GIT. I decided to use GIT, for a few reasons. First, GIT is geeky. I like geeky stuff. This blog is about being geeky, so why not! Continue reading →
