Digging Ditches – How I Got Freshly Pressed.

So last week one of my posts got Freshly Pressed.

What this means is that my post was featured on WordPress.com’s homepage, where each weekday, ten posts are selected from around 450,000 new blog posts!

What it also means is a lot of traffic to my blog… like 85 000-hits-in-10-days-kind-of-traffic!

So, needless to say it has been quite a buzz! Especially for someone whose previous record for a post was 350 hits, and who didn’t even know what Freshly Pressed meant.

So, how do you get featured? Well, according to WordPress, it’s all about the content. In a very helpful post Five Ways to Get Freshly Pressed they offer great tips for blogging that I think any blogger should follow, to get featured or not.

But let’s be honest, while I agree that content is king, there are a lot of great blogs out there with great content who still haven’t featured. Of course, there is always an element of “right time, right place” that factors in.

But here’s the bottom line – if you want to get featured, it’s all about “digging ditches”.

Steven Furtick sheds light on a story in the Bible where a guy named Elisha asks God for rain (read asks God to feature his blog on Freshly Pressed), and God responds by saying, “Dig some ditches first, and I’ll make it rain.” In fact he says, “Make this valley full of ditches.”

The truth is none of us can make it rain.

None of us can orchestrate “right time, right place”. No one can control the circumstances that ensures the editor reads our post. But what we can do is dig some ditches in the meantime – follow all the advice we can get, spit out quality content consistently – and prepare for the day when the rains will come and fill those ditches!

Keep plugging away. Writing your best. Checking your spelling. Using great images. Adding tags. Thinking of compelling headlines.

All of us can decide to write no matter what, even when it hurts.

And I think this principle is true for much of life. Some people just arrive. They write one post and “BOOM!” – instant traffic and fame. But for the most part, behind the scenes of great bloggers like Seth Godin and Michael Hyatt lies hours and hours of faithfully plugging away and the digging of many ditches. Malcolm Gladwell says that if you want to really shine in any field or skill, you’ve got to put in the hours… 10,000 hours in fact.

So… to all you aspiring bloggers out there (I include myself in this), keep on digging! Eventually the rain will come.

Thanks to WordPress for giving me the opportunity to get Freshly Pressed. Right now I am singing in the rain!

The Complete iPhone 5 Rumour Roundup

Thanks to Nowhere Else for putting together this helpful roundup of everything we know, or don’t know, about the much anticipated iPhone 5. Take note of the “probability” scales under each icon…

I was due an upgrade a few months ago, but I’m crossing fingers this won’t take too long to make it’s way to SA shores…

Which iPad Should You Buy?

So you’re in the market for an iPad? Good on you. You deserve it.

Well, I’ve had a few of people asking me recently which model they should buy… iPad 1 or 2? What size? 3G of Wifi? So here’s the deal…

When choosing an iPad there are basically three variables you want to consider: Storage capacity (16GB or 32GB), model no (iPad 1 or 2), and connectivity (3G & Wifi or Wifi only).

Lets address these one at a time.

1) Storage capacity (16GB or 32GB?)

Personally for me the size of the hard drive is not a critical factor. The things that take up the most space are videos, photos and music. I like to store a lot of video and photos on my iPad, but find that I rarely if ever use it for music (I use my iPhone for that).  And so, even with loads of photos and movies, I find 16GB is more than enough space if your’e trying to save some bucks.

2) Model (iPad 1 or 2?)

To be honest there is not a massive difference between the original iPad and the iPad 2. Mainly processor speed (only really critical if you play games), two cameras (again, I prefer to use my iPhone as my camera), and the iPad 2 is significantly slimmer.

Having said that, I would still suggest forking out a bit more for the Pad 2.

For me, it is always worth getting the latest model if it is available because at the rate things are moving these days very soon the iPad 3 will be out, making the iPad 1 look like an Ark, and I’ve noticed more and more apps in the App Store are only compatible with the iPad 2+ (It’s also Apple’s sneaky way of making you buy new hardware every few years!)

If you do decide to go for the iPad 2, I would highly recommend getting a Smart Cover (see picture). It is an ingenious little accessory to the iPad 2 that is well worth it.

3) Connectivity (3G & Wifi or Wifi only?)

This is the most important and determining factor in choosing an iPad model. In my mind, if you live in South Africa, you must get a Wifi and 3G model!

The iPad is at it’s best when you are connected to the internet, and in South Africa, Wifi is still not that common everywhere, and if it is, it’s expensive. 3G will allow you to connect anywhere and everywhere and the 3G data packages are reasonably priced and getting cheaper. Sure Wifi is getting more and more common, but the last thing you want is to rock up at a coffee shop ready to do some work on your iPad and you can’t check your email!

Spend the extra and go 3G!

Well, I hope that helps you make the right decision. I’m sure you’re gonna love your new toy!

3 Reasons Why I Love My iPad 2

Now I know Apple fans (or should I say Apple disciples) can come across as arrogant and superior. All PCs are seen as inferior and Steve Jobs is referred to as the 4th person in the Trinity!

This post is not intended to be like that.

I simply have experienced the iPad as a revolutionary device that is changing the way I work and would like to share why I think it is so fantastic. I could give many more, but here are 3 reasons that stand out…

1) It just works.
Firstly, Apple products come fully charged out the box. So all I had to do was plug it in and within 30 minutes it had already synced with my MacBook and iPhone and everything was set up. All my contacts, my calendars, my email accounts, browser bookmarks, password settings, photos, music, apps – literally everything! – even my high scores on the games I play. Voila!

2) It just feels right.
The iPad 2 is small and thin. Very thin. It easily fits into a handbag (I’m obviously referring to my wife’s handbag) or can be carried in your hand. I was a bit apprehensive about the typing experience on the tablet, but I have been so surprised by how natural it feels. I can type equally as fast as on my laptop, and the hand gestures and motion controls feel so intuitive a child could pick it up. The screen is bright and beautiful, and the entire form of the device is elegant and simple – an absolute pleasure to use.

3) It’s very convenient.
Last week I attended lectures and needed to do some heavy word processing, intense web browsing, draw diagrams, modify office docs, check mail, and even edit a film. Previously I would have needed my laptop, books, bible, a power chord, my laptop bag etc etc, but this week I have simply taken my iPad in hand and it’s easily handled the whole lot! And even better, even with all this heavy use, the battery life is incredible – over 10 hours and still going strong! And no need to lug cables and chargers around with you!

Of course I could talk about many more advantages of the iPad – like the gift it is for those of us who regularly communicate, preach or present. I could talk about the thousands of applications that enhance the device and personalize it for every user. I could talk about the dream it is to read books on. But let me instead pay homage to the wise and all-powerful creator of it all.

Thank you Steve Jobs, we love you. Amen.