Readability vs. Instapaper

March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Readability launched its iOS app on March 1 and since then has been in the center of quite a bit of sniping back and forth in the tech community. The background to all this snark is that Readability’s main competitor is Instapaper.

Instapaper was developed by Marco Arment in 2008. Before creating Instapaper Arment had been a lead developer at Tumblr. Once Instapaper started taking off however Arment left Tumblr to go to work for Instapaper full-time. Marco has also never taken any outside investment money to get Instapaper up and running which has allowed him to maintain full control over it. Between his work Tumblr and Instapaper he’s pretty much like a geek rockstar as far as creating things that have great function and form.

Readability on the other hand is the result of a technology firm looking for what some may consider a clone of the functionality of Instapaper just to make a buck. Readability originally seemed to support the walled garden approach to the internet wanting to offer $5 monthly subscriptions to its service. “70% of which will be distributed to content creators as compensation for having their work stripped down and repackaged”.

Until we see Marco and someone at Arc90 in a cage match we can compare what the apps look like and how functional they are in the long run.

That’s about as brief and vague as it gets. Now on to the good stuff. Looks and performance.

Readability
Instapaper

One thing Readability excels at is its use of some incredible looking fonts. Aesthetically it looks great but when seen side by side with Instapaper you can immediately see the difference. Instapaper is far better at utilizing the real estate and allowing you to quickly navigate to and choose what article you are looking to read.

Readability looks pretty and all, and I’m sure that will appeal to some people but for the time being, I think I’ll be sticking with Instapaper to handle my read later needs.

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Genesis Theme Black Friday Sale

November 26, 2010 By 1 Comment

One of the most common questions I am asked by people wanting to improve their site is, “is it worth it to buy a premium theme?” I always answer with an emphatic, “yes!” When someone visits your site for the first time it’s the same as if they were meeting you for the first time, and like meeting someone, you only get one chance at a first impression.

25% off everything at StudioPress now through Tuesday »

Just use the code BLACK when you checkout. If you decide to get the Pro Plus All-Theme Package, you’ll save $62 off the list price. Click here to visit the site.

If someone visits your blog and it’s painful to look at or looks “amateurish”, there’s a good chance you may have lost the opportunity to have a return visitor. As part of my services I offer a wide array of blog customizations and consultation, however I understand that some people may not be ready to dive right in to that sort of commitment. Fortunately there are some great solutions for people looking for a simple, powerful theme framework with outstanding SEO and a plethora of options to work with and Genesis is one of the best.

This site, along with virtually all other client sites I build, are built on the Genesis Framework. Just like building a home that you want to make sure lasts you a long time, you have to make sure you start with a solid foundation. Genesis is the solid foundation you need to get started if you’re ready to take that next step.

If you were ever on the fence about buying a premium theme, I can assure you that Genesis won’t disappoint. Plus, it’s win/win. If you get your site up and running on the Genesis Framework and then decide to really take it to the next level, you already have an awesome foundation from which to build from.

I offer a wide array of services that will allow you to take your blog from just another face in the crowd and transform it into a social media standout.

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Thesis 1.6 and Why You Should be Using It

October 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment

thesis-260x125When I began blogging back in 1999, I may not have had the tools at my disposal that I have today, but one thing I was as certain of then as I am today is the power of blogging. There has been no other tool in the history of mankind that has given voice to so many, for so little, in such a short period of time.

I believe that history will look back on this era, this dawn of social media, and pay homage to those who played a part in arming the masses during this wondrous time. It is my personal opinion, and I believe that history will bear this out, that Matt Mullenweg (Wikipedia) will be one of the people that will go down in history as having given voice to so many who may otherwise have felt marginalized and silenced their entire lives.

Of course there are many thousands of others who have played a part and I’m not saying Matt is the most important, nor the least, I am saying that for him to remain adamant about keeping WordPress Open Source even while it demolishes competitors in the market, is something very special.

Bet you weren’t thinking I was going to get so deep on why you should be using Thesis huh? Well, if you’re still reading this then I’ll assume you have a WordPress powered site, or are at least some marginal interest in starting one up. Once you’re up and running you’re going to want to customize the look and feel of your site. Depending on your level of experience and your budget this may be relatively easy or damn near impossible.
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Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: , , , ,

How To: Beef up your New WordPress Install in Five Easy Steps

February 24, 2009 By 1 Comment

bullhorn2It’s no secret that WordPress has pretty well established itself as a preeminent Open Source blogging/CMS platform. It’s a distant memory when WordPress could be described as just another blogging tool. I use WordPress on all of my sites and almost always recommend clients give a try. Some are reluctant but most of them are very pleased with the results and how easy WordPress makes it to maintain such a robust site.

For the most part, WordPress comes ready to use “out of the box” but there are five things I always do immediately after installing a fresh version of WP.

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6 Free and Easy Tips on Using Social Media to Market Yourself Through the Recession

January 24, 2009 By 1 Comment

social-media2009 will be the year that the scales tipped in favor of social media. We just watched as a man brilliantly used social media to launch himself to the Presidency of the United States.

Considering that, using some of these tools to help us get through the recession seem a little less daunting. It may seem overwhelming, but the fact is, if you haven’t started to brand yourself online, now is the time to get started.

Just a few years ago, many of my friends laughed at the idea of having a blog, even as I found myself building and writing a blog full-time to support myself. Many of those same friends now use a blog as an invaluable tool to building connections. A few are even using a blog as the primary face of their company. Think of your blog as your electronic business card that can hold a lot more information and has the ability to have infinitely more room for marketing yourself.

There are many people losing their jobs in this economy and you want to stay a step ahead of the pack. Here are some free, easy tips to help you create and maintain a significant online presence. Social networking is equivalent of pounding the pavement 20 years ago.

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