Cameron Olthuis

For all you skiers: Simon Dumont set a new world record for the biggest quarter-pipe air EVAR!!

Chalk one up for the skiers….

Aw, the joys of running a content site. I’d almost forgotten how bad it gets with people ripping off your content and reposting it on their own sites word-for-word. This last weekend I’ve spent countless hours chasing down these villains and trying to get them to remove our original work. It gets time consuming and because we have a relatively new site that doesn’t have a ton of authority with Google, I actually do worry about it quite a bit. I’ve already noticed a few that show up above us in the SERPs and that is no-bueno.

This is something I’ve never really worried about too much with this blog. Mostly because it’s my personal blog and I don’t monetize it, nor do I have plans to ever do so. So now I have another hat to wear at my company, content police. Although I have to admit, I do slightly enjoy it when I find their phone numbers and I can actually call these people. It’s pretty funny.

I haven’t logged into my Feedburner account for at least a good 6 months, probably more like 12. I just happened to log in and I’m pleasantly surprised to discover I have over 800 people reading my blog, 830 to be exact. I seriously thought the number was going to be around 8, not 800. That number’s high enough that I can be proud of it, so I displayed the little chicklet there on my sidebar. Now I’m kind of fired up to get that number over 1000.

I’m curious, how did you all find my blog? I’d also love to hear your feedback on what you think I should be blogging about. What kind of stuff are you guys/gals into and what would you like to hear from me?

PS - I’m expecting about 826 more comments… ummkay

So I’ve been using Twitter now for a couple weeks and to be honest with you, I can’t say that it has provided any real value. Actually, that’s not totally true. I did get an intro to someone that ended up interviewing me about 5ones for a blog. Other than that though it’s been a pretty big time waste so far. Maybe I just need to stop checking it so much. I’m going to give it a couple more weeks before I make a decision to stick with it or drop it. If you’re on Twitter you can follow me, my name is @Factive. I also have one setup for 5ones.

I can see how it would provide tremendous value if you have 10,000+ followers, like Mr. Calacanis. But lets face it, I’m just not quite as popular as Jason which is evident by my 50 followers compared to his 10k+.

If you’re a Twitter user I’d love to hear why you use it and what value you find in it? Also, drop me your name and I can add you to my follow list if I’m not already.

Dead Paper - While the rest of us - and I’m guilty too - are chanting death to old media, Copyblogger is giving us lessons from it. Great post called Five Lessons You Can Learn From Newspapers. I recommend this to any blogger, writer, etc. Very helpful as I’ve recently found myself in the position of Editor in Chief - and who would’ve guessed based on the grades I got in English class? I’m reading this twice and then sending it to all my writers.

Slow morning, which is good because it’s Friday and it’s a beautiful day! I’ve been feeling really positive lately and happy with my progress. It’s important to be positive; I notice a big difference in both the amount I accomplish and the quality of work. Plus it’s just a lot more pleasant to the people around you when you’re positive. Hope you all have a good day and weekend!