Chiperoni ku Basel

Author: nchenga

  • #POSSE learnings – Things to add

    Testing in progress. I’m using my self-hosted WordPress to tweet. It works.

    WordPress offers Aside and Link formats for short entries.

    Some things I’ll need to add or general comments:

    • I often tweet external links I find interesting. Twitter is my Delicious substitute. I need some kind of URL shortener for links that will appear in the tweet space. Or I’ll need to use bit.ly manually – like we used to.
    • I’d like links in the WordPress Aside or Link to convert automatically to an URL. There’s a WordPress plugin that auto-converts web addresses into HTML links. But it’s fallen into disuse.
    • How do I pull my faves and retweets out of Twitter?
    • I typically tweet a lot of Flickr photos. My photos are hosted on Flickr and moving them into my own site would be way too large and cumbersome. Not POSSE-conform yet.

    Posting via WordPress, I’m adding an extra click. I assume this will negatively influence engagement with my tweet stream.

    On the other hand, stepping away and taking the trouble to tweet from another (very) personal site influences what I’ll write. Automatically I find myself saying: Is this tweet worth it?

    Twitter will change even more in the months leading to the IPO. We need to be media-savvy. And POSSE is a good experiment.

    Have a good day.

    Clicking is dead, scrolling is king.

  • How mobile technology is transforming Africa

    Rudy de Waele on mobile technology in Africa

  • Print candidate http://flic.kr/p/h2ooiq

    Print candidate http://flic.kr/p/h2ooiq

    I think this photo http://flic.kr/p/h2ooiq would make a nice poster…

  • Sunday walk

    P1030247

    P1030241

    P1030230

    P1030201

    red arrow

    looking up - leafy roof

    red leaves

  • Bicycles outselling cars in Europe

    Blog post

  • Listening to Gillmor Gang

    Link to the video

  • Learning to code

    Useful online resources:
    http://lifehacker.com/bento-showcases-the-best-resources-for-learning-to-code-1450016607

  • It’s beautiful today. Planning to hike up #Chrischona after lunch.

  • merci @ErikaStucky für’s Retweet. So flattered!

  • IndieAuth is part of the Indie Web movement to take back control of your online identity.

    IndieAuth

  • Changing chiperoni.ch/wordpress/ into a tweet machine

    I am quite excited about POSSE. I’ve added a plug-in called Hum to shorten URLs. And I activated the corresponding WordPress app for Twitter via Publicize. And that’s it. Voilà. My own personal tweet machine is up.

    Advantages compared to publishing an RSS feed on Twitter? I guess it has a very similar end-effect to distributing a RSS feed via IFTTT or Twitterfeed. The URLS are shorter and I can define a shorter domain name if I want.

    Next thing to explore is the Webmention plugin.

    A couple of weeks ago, I got this idea to build a local SEO network for private use. Now I have a good idea how I’ll build it and still keep my sanity. Back to the future. I could set up a local-hosted WordPress site and then blast away. Reaching out to Linkedin, Twitter, G+ and Facebook. In a way, it’s very similar to good old RSS.

  • @pfefferle how do I add Webmention to my WP blog?

    I am trying out the POSSE tools for WordPress.

  • POSSE and WordPress – trying the tools

    I’m trying the POSSE tools for WordPress listed on Indie Web Projects.

    POSSE stands for Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere.

  • Bicycle commute

    Yesterday morning, while waiting for green at the traffic light, a car pulled up next to me playing Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley very loudly.

    Reggae sounds early in the morning. Made my day.

  • Writing for the web – assessing my own writing style

    I love reading list articles. This one crossed my paths this week.

    Just for fun, I’ll run thru the list and assess my own writing for the web style on this blog.

    So let’s get started”¦

    Provide a Reader’s Digest or Executive Summary version.
    I don’t write a reader’s digest or summary for posts on this blog. But it’s definitely recommended/good practice.

    Many of my Chiperoni blog posts tend to be short.

    Next tip:

    Key words in every post titles.
    Good tip. Often the post title displays on its own. Key words that clear reflect what the blog post is about will help readers decide to click and read the article. And there’s the SEO aspect.

    Self-assessment: I don’t spend much time on developing post titles for this blog. I often opt for descriptive titles. Copyblogger lists helpful formulas and categories.

    Lead with the conclusion.
    Answer the question “what is my benefit if I commit to read this post?”
    Same applies for presentations. Straightforward advice. Often we tend to forget the reader’s perspective. Some posts may look confusing.

    Chiperoni.ch is a collection of notes. More reviewing would be better.

    Be sure and provide hyper links to your sources.
    This is something I do diligently. It is only fair to provide a backlink to your source of inspiration. And it’s a way to document good online resources and build my own knowledge database.

    Make your content scannable to the eye.
    I try to keep paragraphs short and use bullets and headings. A further improvement would be to define H2s. I like the improved typography in web design.

    Write in an Inverted Pyramid style.
    Yepp. I don’t use this approach on my private blog. Again, the goal is to convey my main message in the top part of my post.

    Use common language.
    My writing style is simple and I tend to use common vocabulary. There are a lot of good reasons to use plain language.

    Why use plain language?

    Plain Language:

    • Shows customer focus
    • Communicates effectively
    • Eliminates barriers
    • Reduces time spent explaining
    • Improves compliance

     

    Get to the point, quickly.
    We’re all busy. Impatient.
    Don’t meander.
    Get to the point, quickly.

    Looking at my own writing style at Chiperoni central, I don’t edit my posts enough. But, I don’t waffle on for pages and pages either

    Make your post visually pleasing.
    Again, very obvious advice. Add graphics. Add photos.

  • Basel to Blantyre and back

    My daily routine has engulfed me already. But I want to add some notes on my recent visit to Blantyre. And point you to some photos. And travel tips.

    Untitled

    Let’s start with the travel tips:
    A very favourable recent development for Blantyre-bound travellers is the fact that Ethiopian Airlines now flies to Malawi’s commercial centre from Addis. In fact, there are daily flights to and from Addis.

    And Kenya Airways flies to Blantyre from Nairobi 3 times a week.

    This is a great development. Some competition is good and I hope fare prices will fall.

    Untitled

    My second tip is:
    Visit Liwonde National Park if you’re into game viewing. We saw lots of animals. August is a good time to visit. It’s not too hot yet and very dry. The animals walk down to the river and graze in the plains of the Shire River. Liwonde and Machinga district are densely populated and it’s good to support national parks and conservation areas such as Liwonde.

    One lasting memory I will try to cherish is the beautiful sunlight I saw on the day when I arrived in Blantyre at around 4 pm. It is so beautiful to arrive in Chileka and see the familiar outline of Michiru mountain.

    While travelling from the airport on that first day, we encountered a funeral procession crossing the main road. As is the custom, all vehicles on the main road stopped. People got out and stood next to their vehicles. The first part of the procession was singing one song while the latter part sang another. There was loud crying. Quite a cultural difference to Europe.

    Later on the same day, at the shopping mall in Chichiri, a man was lying on the ground bleeding from his mouth. A crowd of people had gathered. Maybe he had been caught stealing? In which case, he can only hope that the police is nearby or the mob may beat him to death. Street justice is widespread.

    My stay in Blantyre was happily uneventful. No zigubu queues. Hardly any power cuts or water supply interruptions.

    I am fascinated by the mobile phone culture. People walk around with 2 or 3 cell phones in their hand. You can buy airtime, units for prepaid SIM cards, every 50 meters. TNM and Airtel have achieved distribution networks comparable to that of Coca-cola. Both mobile phone companies are advertising their mobile payment options on a wide scale.

  • Banana bread recipe

    For future reference:
    recipe

  • #wokongola #malawi – Liwonde National Park

    So close that i managed to get quite a good snapshot with my small digicam:

    #wokongola #malawi - liwonde national park

    More Malawi photos to follow…

  • Duck

    I found this paste-up yesterday:
    ente gut alles gut

  • How to rank in 2013

    I found a good summary of SEO. Good practical framework to guide you through the 200+ rank factors. Recommended.

  • Keep this link: “How to launch anything”

    I enjoyed reading this article by Nathan Barry:

    “How to launch anything”

    Recommended read.

    space invaders

    My summary in my own words:

    Start marketing early – even before the product is developed. This helps to identify your audience and to write a marketing plan.

    Write with a purpose. Set a goal and work towards the goal.

    Analyze your starting point. Who do you have in your network? Who and what can help you reach your goal?

    No marketing budget to buy ads? Start teaching. Teach everything you know. It’s a way to start building trust and building a relationship.

    Create a good landing page with an email opt-in form.

    Write educational blog posts. Focus on creating high quality blog entries that teach the reader. Re-write and edit your blog entries until you feel they could be part of a book.
    Mention your product. Include an email opt-in form in each blog post. But don’t write to sell, write to teach.

    Collect email addresses and send out a regular newsletter. Remember contacts go cold.

    Plan your launch sequence. Communicate all details well in advance. Send a pitch email one day before the launch. On the launch day, send a simple announcement email. Publish your sales page. Consider offering a discount on launch day.

    Say thank you to everyone who helped you on the launch.

  • A flower snapshot

    a chiperoni.ch snapshot by nchenga
    a chiperoni.ch snapshot, a photo by nchenga on Flickr.

    A poppy for the boring flower set.

    Poppies are associated with Remembrance Day.

  • Malawi on Twitter – Version June 2013

    Twitter lists are its most powerful and least-used feature.
    (Source)

    While I am fully aware, that Twitter lists have lost significance in the past years, I still maintain a list on Malawi.

    malawi-twitters

    Since the early days of Twitter, Malawian content has increased many fold.

    Social media content about Malawi during general election time, or about President Mutharika’s death, proved to be fairly accurate.

    Obviously, a tweet on its own is just raw material. It needs further analysing and fact-checking.

    Why Twitter? There is still lots of misunderstanding and one-sided reporting regarding African countries. Largely due to ignorance and the way mainstream media continue to report about the African continent.

    Best way to change this perception? Well, one way is to tweet and share your views and opinions. Some ideas:

    • Share your technical innovations and solutions.
    • Tweet about your business idea and find partners for business and trade opportunities.
    • Build networks and become a trusted citizen journalist.
    • Show the positive and beautiful aspects of the country.
    • Write about societal and linguistic changes.
    • Write about mobile technology and its daily usage and fast adoption in Malawi.
    • Provide a realistic view of the challenges a small country like Malawi faces in a globalized world.

    Tweet streams included in the list encompass:

    • Malawians living in Malawi 😉
    • Expats living in Malawi
    • Malawians living abroad
    • Organizations based in Malawi (e.g. business companies, media companies, governmental channels, charities and NGOs)
    • Organization outside of Malawi, but in some way connected to Malawi (usually charities or NGOs)
    • Journalists or academics writing about Malawi

    In my humble opinion, Paper.li is a great way to visualize articles. E.g. Malawi Tribune by Mabvuto Banda

    Other Twitter lists on Malawi:

    Malawi on Twitter
    Mining in Malawi

  • Because writing helps

    Sometimes I wish I had developed Chiperoni.ch into a confessional blog. You know the kind where you write about your worries and sorrow and challenges.

    Why? Because writing helps.

    I noticed yesterday that writing helped me to sort through a difficult web navigational problem that I am encountering. It helps me to reflect.

    The benefits of writing daily. Which i don’t manage to do. Yet. Weekly would be a first, reachable goal.

    My head is buzzing with lots of questions and ideas. This is where I can list them and then return at leisure. Still in line with my blog definition of 2004.

    riding a bicycle

    Some articles on web and social media content that I’d like to mention here:

    The first is not new for bloggers. We noticed this long ago. In addition to quality content, frequency matters.

    Here’s an interesting entry on link building and local SEO. In a nutshell: Focus on developing good content and engaging with your community on social media rather than spending $$$ on dubious SEO providers that add links from low-quality sites.

    Writing tip via Seth Godin: Say the opposite. This also works for ideas. Try and think of your worst idea ever. So
    stupid and dumb, nobody would ever use it. Often this helps you to find original ideas.

    I am hearing a lot about Kaizen and I have questions:

    1. Aren’t Kaizen and Scrum related? What are the differences?
    2. And a dumb question – If Kaizen is a way to improve continuously, and Kaizen originated in Japan, why is the Japanese economy stagnating for so many years? Is it not used as much in Japanese business?

    I found a great website that rates the Terms of Service of various web and mobile apps.

    IMG_7580

    This morning I remembered some ancient poetry that we used to sing at school assembly in Blantyre.

    Enjoy the warm weather.

  • Summer time

    Finally summer is here. With a big bang. At least that’s my perception. After weeks and weeks of rain. Today temperatures may cross the 30 degree mark in Basel.

    badi

    Camera update:
    In case you’re wondering about the EXIF data. I swapped my Canon Powershot S90 with my mom’s Ricoh CX 6. And I bought a Lumix.

    I love the wild flowers that are growing along the road curbs. This traffic refuge was full of buzzing bees.

    RIMG0041

    RIMG0049

    Have a good week.