PageRank explained?

Each time I do about about Google and/or PageRank, I feel as though I have not gone into enough depth. I cannot gauge how much or how little a reader might already know, and it seems to me, with the confusion surrounding these two mystical entities, that some background might be helpful...
Pagerank was originally developed at Stanford University by Larry Page later aided by Sergey Brin. Most people think (myself included) on first hearing the term, that the 'page' part of it refers to a web page whereas in fact this refers to it's originator.
The concept behind pagerank is to predict the likelihood of a random click on an internet link finding a specific URL. This is determined by the amount of links pointing to the specific URL, and also the perceived 'quality' of that link. The point of the exercise was to develop a search engine, and Google emerged from this project in 1998.
Pagerank 'compares' pages on the worldwide web, so ranking is always relative, rather than absolute, ranking is dynamic changing each time new pages are added to the web or new links are added to pages.
Via search 'bots' (small programs 'sent' out to crawl the web), a link can be examined and the originator page of that link is also assessed. If the originator page is weighted under the Pagerank system, the page it points to benefits from that weighting. All links are taken into account and a value is eventually assigned between 0 and 10. The hysteresis used for this weighting is always a closely guarded secret, and the precise calculation is always subject to 'tweaking' as new trends come and go.
In order for a page to receive a ranking, it must at least be linked to another page that is already visited by the 'bots' otherwise they will never 'find' it...Hence the quickest way to get a rank is not to submit your site to Google, but simply get a link from another page (preferably one that is visted frequently). The most popular and frequently updated sites are re-visited by these web crawlers several times a day, more static sites may not get a visit for weeks...
The last point I want to address is that YES Google uses PageRank to ascertain a SERP (Search engine results position) for given search keywords, but this is only one of a number of factors taken into account. This means that it is still possible for low Pageranked sites to get high search positions for their niche keywords.
I hope I have turned some fresh ground here, I am aiming NOT to be too repetitive, but feel free to leave a comment if you think I bang on too much about Google...

More Memory

Wouldn't it be great if we could upgrade our brain memory and processor speed the same way that we can with a PC or laptop? Some time ago I went through the process of upgrading my PC with the proceeds of my internet earnings. I am currently looking to buy a new power supply now as the old one doesn't appear to be able to cope with all my upgrades(!!).
There is no doubt that you can seriously enhance your computer by adding in some upgrades here and there, though admittedly there is more you can do with a PC, you can also get laptop memory or a larger hard-disk to help your laptop to keep up with newer models.
The desktop offers better opportunities for upgrading, I even had to have a new motherboard at one point, in fact I don't suppose there's much of the original PC left at all now!

Firefox 3

Well I have been using this for about a week or so now and can happily report that Firefox 3 appears to live up to it's hype. I am sure that there are thousands of tweeks and tricks that I could use, but I am not one to spend hours customising a browser...
The hype was that it would be faster than the previous version, which from experience I would say is probably right. Certainly some sites now seem to load up far quicker than previously. It is also supposed to be more secure, but seeing as I have very few problems with Firefox 2 security, I am not the best user to make a judgment.
What I have noticed is that there is a nice fresh modern look to the new browser, there are new icons and I have noticed some enhanced features when it comes to displaying favicons - I notice that sites like 'Paypal' have added their name to the favicon which I think looks quite good.
I am a big fan of Firefox and the new version does not have me hankering after the previous version which is always a plus..

Short-term borrowing

Short-term borrowing can be expensive, but payday loans say that if borrowers pay off their debt before payday, they won’t have to pay any interest.
This sort of borrowing should be thoroughly costed before taking the plunge and should not be considered if you won’t have the means to pay it off quickly. Ensure that you are aware of all the fixed and variable costs.
Most of us would turn to savings or credit cards for emergency cash, but if these are not options open to you and ease of access and speed of processing are your priority, and cost is not so significant then this type of borrowing could be the answer.
All types of borrowing have their advantages and disadvantages, and all can be beneficial, but please also be aware that any kind of debt can become a significant burden.

Audio Racks

I am a self-confessed audio-phile I just love all things audio from Hi-Fi systems, cd players, tape decks, DAT and DAB. I even had a go at building speakers until I realised that they cost more to make than to buy - still satisfaction cannot be purchased...
Audio is still important to me as I run a sideline in turning cassettes into CD's. I am planning (always planning, never doing) to gut my home office and install some nice shelving, some decent office furniture and some audio racks so that I can listen while I work. I have already transferred my entire CD collection to hard disk, so once I link my PC up to my Hi-Fi I won't even have to go and find that elusive CD that I know is around the house somewhere.

Promoting your blog

Always on the lookout for ways to publicise my blog and raise interest in my posts, I discovered Zimbio last week and feel that it could be an interesting way to promote a blog especially in a niche category.
Firstly your register your URL or feed (I used my feed) and all your recent posts are uploaded into your profile. Each posts is listed and you can add your posts to existing 'wikizines' that might exist, or create your own niche wikizines in the hope that others might add content to them. I think the new wikizines do not go 'live' unless others add their content.
All your posts appear in a 'queue' and you can go through ewach one adding them to different exisiting content to publicise them, or deleting ones (paid posts maybe?) that you don't have categories for....
This seems like a great idea to draw readers to your content and also to do networking and easily find blogs within your niche. I think that this is a really well-thought out scheme that offers something useful to every blogger and qualifies as a 'no-brainer' in my book!
Not merely a good idea, but well-presented too in a professional looking site that appears to work really well. It was easy to add content and to attribute it to the right wikizines, and even starting your own wikizines was simplicity itself. I only hope that others pick up on my themes...

Property Market Report

With the property market in a state of flux, it is difficult to know whether there is any profit in domestic property acquisition or commercial real estate. The commercial and domestic property markets seem to move as one, with no real distinction. The buy-to-let market in the UK is a dead duck at the moment, and from what I can tell, the ‘buy-to-renovate’ enthusiasts are having a really hard time producing a profit for all their efforts.
I am convinced however, that property remains a good investment for the long-term, short-term is a very different matter.

Diet pills? me??

I for one am the last person to talk to about diet pills as I seem to be unable to put weight on whatever I eat. I have been the same weight for as long as I can remember and never have to hit the scales, if I do, I am delighted if I happen to be heavier than the last time I looked. I guess not many people can say that…
I eat plenty and all the wrong things, but recently I have tried to make the effort to eat less chocolate (as I can’t really afford to eat as much as I would like to!) and more fruit. I am always looking for something to do and relaxation does not come easily – that’s the down-side of burning off all those calories naturally.

I have been bad...

I have taken my eye off the ball completely through my own fault... I know that I have to try and rationalise my on-line activities to make them more manageable, but what did I do? I had an idea...
I set out with the intention of writing a post about credit cards and the credit crunch. This quickly turned into a 1500 word article which has taken on a life of it's own and miraculously turned into a website called The Credit Cruncher ... Just when I thought I should be pruning back some internet activity, I now have another project to take up my limited time.
The good thing is that I want to make the new site more of a static thing than a conventional blog so there shouldn't be the need for daily posts. In the meantime, I have written little for my other sites so I must make up for it now....
I am behind on all of my other projects to the extent that I haven't even posted about earnings for May 2008 yet...Suffice to say that earnings were reasonable at about $130, Payu2blog being the most profitable paid to blog system, for me at the moment. I am earning with a couple of survey schemes and hope to be able to take some cash earnings out of Dneero surveys soon (payout $20) I will be more diligent at the end of June!

Summer is here

It's time for suncream and ice cream, swimsuits and sunshine, I have already spent three glorious days on the beach this month and am looking forward to more... We have to take the sun whenever we find it in the UK as our Summers can be a little elusive.
I am fortunate in that I am only about fifteen minutes away from the sea, and only about half an hour from the nearest sandy beach, so when the weather beckons I can head on down to the sand dunes... the wonderful thing about the beach is that you aren't supposed to do very much other than lie there and occasionally paddle in the sea or build a sand-castle. Other places that you visit require you to do stuff and walk round looking at things - the seaside offers true relaxation as long as you don't mind real sand in your sandwiches.

Brand Loyalty

The latest dNeero survey is all about brand loyalty. What makes you buy the same brand every time? How loyal are you to the brands that you habitually buy? Are you more loyal to some things than others - take part in the survey and earn a little cash...

The Credit Crunch

Don't panic... the biggest impact of the credit crunch will probably be limited to the select unlucky 'few'. These few will be those that not only slip into negative equity, but also lose the ability to make their mortgage payments. If you think there's a chance of this happening to you then you should talk to a financial advisor or your mortgage lenders.
The knock-on effects however may be more widespread in terms of available credit - more people are being turned down for credit cards, and if possible, I would urge everyone to start to manage any credit card debt that you might have more effectively. If things get really tricky, you may find this debt becoming more of a burden especially in the current climate of rising prices and static wages.

Holiday Season

As the holiday season starts to get into swing, the trend to design and plan your own holiday is growing each year. Of course this is possible simply through the magic of the internet which opens up a world previously dominated by travel agents.
What you can miss when you 'do your own thing' is the expertise and local knowledge that is provided as a matter of course through local agents of the travel company. The internet once again can bridge this gap through the prominence of on-line travel guide and advice. It is important to gather as much information about your destination to make sure that you are not missing out on hidden treasures. Both online and hard-copy travel guides are an invaluable source for intrepid holiday makers forging their own way around the world.

Holiday madness

I have been away for a week and have just found it so hard to get back into the swing of things... My first day back at work and I was ready to go home at 2pm, I couldn't believe there was another three and half hours of the working day left!
We had a very relaxing week in an apartment - we prefer to go to holiday apartments rather than cheap hotels if possible, although hotels do have the edge when it comes to housekeeping! Out of the seven days away, we managed three days on the beach where we were able to really relax - unfortunately, the holiday is over and I now have a mass of 'catching-up' to do.
I have come home to a pile of work both of my own and from my 'real' job, plus I have a load of posts to make on three of my more active blogs to cover the holiday gap - not least of which is my 'May earnings' post which is going to be late....

A good fit

Merrell shoes are reputed to fit right out of the box... and few people appreciate how crucial a good fit is when it comes to footwear. I have had personal experience of shoe-fitting for some years, and I can't stress enough how important it is that children's shoes especially are fitted correctly.

You can do an immense amount of harm to children's feet since their bones are so malleable and will mold to whatever footwear you provide. You can disfigure young feet simply by allowing them to wear their left shoe on their right foot and their right on their left for too long. - Please DON'T try this at home!

Personally, even though I am not flush with spare cash, I will always have my child's shoes fitted properly, some things are worth skimping on...

Attaining the goal

Sports awards, Sales performance or Pop-quizzes - all of these traditionally have rewarded their winners with engraved plaques and trophies - I have a stack of sports awards from when I was at school - pity there were no academic awards to go alongside them...
Nowadays, the awards are that much smarter with better graphics, holograms and moving parts. With the encroachment of the computer into all things graphical, the latest trophies are somewhat different to their predecessors.
Why not set your own goals in whatever area you want to achieve - when you reach those goals, reward yourself... Your reward may be something you can enjoy here and now (chocolate, bottle of wine...), something you have yearned for (iPod, HDTV...) or you could even buy yourself a trophy to place on a shelf to remind you of your achievement...

New Blogger features

Every so often it's worth lingering on the blogger dashboard page to read about the new developments - this can be a rich source of things you didn't know your blogger blog could do. Over time, the blogger coders work hard to bring us the kind of features that are available on other platforms.
The last important announcement was the future posts feature, this week I noticed that there is a new optional feature on it's way - Star Ratings... At the moment a glitch has accidentally enabled this feature on some unsuspecting blogs and an explanation has been posted here...
Seems like there is star rating feature on the way that will allow your blog to carry a rating... yet another thing to display, but seems like it could be useful if only for making you feel better about losing your PageRank.... this has currently been disabled whilst they sort the glitch out.
I am interested to see how this will pan out, presumably we will be able to rate the blogs that we visit as good bad or mediocre.

Posting gifts

Father's Day is coming up and I usually just send a card (when I remember..) as I live about 120 miles away from my parents. On this occasion, having just been on holiday, I will be sending some gift chocolate because it is easy to package up and post.
This got me thinking about the development of slim, lightweight feature-packed goods that now dominate our culture. There are a whole army of electronic goods such as mobile phones, ipods, pen-drives and the like which would make great gifts and are cheap to post around the country and even around the world.
In this case, I am sure the chocolate will be appreciated anyhow....