BLOG STATISTICS AND IMPROVING THE BLOG

Blog Statistics and Improving the Blog

Blogger has numerous analytics for tracking a blog’s performance which can then be used to increase page rankings and page views.  The first option I would pay close attention to would be looking at the views by particular post.  As more posts appear, trends will show the topics which most people find interesting.  That will give me a good idea about the topics I should write more posts regarding or related to.  It is common sense, but if you post what people want to read you should get more page views and increase the page ranking.  Next, I would view the Traffic Sources information to see if any particular site or other blog is responsible for traffic to my blog.  This may give me an opportunity to do a reciprocal linking between our blogs or the source site and my blog once again increasing page views and page ranking.  The third main statistic to monitor would be the Audience statistic which would help me to figure out who, in a large sense, is looking at my blog.  This would give me opportunities to link with sites which focus on the appropriate demographics and write blogs which would appeal more to that demographic (Google, Inc., 2013).  All of these are very common techniques used increase page views, page traffic, and page ranking (Miller, 2011).

Blogger is integrated with Google AdSense which will place relevant advertising on a blog based on audience, subject, and audience.  So, the larger a blog’s audience is and more relevant the subject matter the more money you can earn.  This means that effectively using the provided analytics and improving a blog’s content can allow the blogger to earn more money.  In addition, using Google AdSense with Blogger will automatically keep track of money earned by the advertising being placed on the blog.  Blogger has the analytic tools and advertising connections available to increase earnings by creating and maintaining a high-quality blog (Google, Inc., 2013).

References

Google, Inc. (2013). My blogs. Retrieved from Blogger: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5711189000141502292#overviewstats

Miller, M. (2011). The Ultimate Web Marketing Guide. Indianaplis: Pearson Education, Inc.

Home Automation Review of mControl v3

Home Automation Review

The mControl v3 by Embedded Automation

Today I am going to review the new mControl v3 by Embedded Automation (cost $170).  This is a new central control software system which will provide one command interface to control all your home automation enabled devices.  It’s a fantastic system that will run on virtually all current Windows operating systems (Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Home Server Classic,  Windows Home Server 2011) and has control software which is compatible with the majority of mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, and other mobile platforms).

                                 mControl v3 iOS sample control images on the iPhone

                                                 mControl v3 Android sample control image

Compatibility with major vendors

This is the central control system that is at the heart of home automation, but it would be worthless if it doesn’t work with the various control modules for lighting, HVAC, IP cameras, irrigation systems, home security, window shades, and home entertainment systems just to name a few.  The mControl v3 has that covered by working with all the industry leaders like mBee, Insteon, Z-Wave,  KNX, and X10.  Virtually any device around your home which can accept IP addressing, can be managed by the mContorl v3 platform.

The test

I downloaded and set up the free 30 day trial version on my Windows Home Server 2011 and was impressed by how easy it is to set up and use.  The interface is very intuitive and even setting up macros (combinations of activities set to happen by a single command  e.g. close the curtains, dim the lights, turn on the TV, turn on the DVD player, and set the stereo to 5.1 surround sound).  The home theater equipment, IP cameras, lighting, and thermostat I already have installed showed up instantly and functioned perfectly with no additional third party software required. 

Conclusions

Overall I give them high marks for ease of installation, ease of use, and features.  Where mControl fell a little short, is that technical support is only provided via email; there is no phone number to call in order to speak with a live technician.  That said, I had no need for technical support and don’t believe most users would.  If your home automation is so complicated that you are having issues with the mControl v3, then I would suggest that a professional should be involved.  I would highly recommend the mControl v3 system for anyone looking for an easy-to-use home automation control system.  It is a reasonably priced system that is scalable as your home automation installation grows.

Note:  The author does not accept payments from any manufacturer for product reviews nor is he employed by any manufacturer for which he does reviews.  The review is strictly the opinion of the individual author.