Recently some people have been asking about advertising more then before, but I don’t think its for me. There are some very good companies approaching blogs and there are some that don’t have a clue what they want. It’s been on my mind for some time, and even Jacqui wrote a very good article about Ridiculous Ratings & Rankings. Sometimes this is what these companies ask for and the numbers are there target.

For myself I don’t have any idea of what my ranking is realistically. I just think there are a few people who tolerate what I write and I mostly write about the topics I enjoy and what some others might relate too. There are some blogs that have turned into freaking billboards, they are more like those Ad papers in newspapers, almost nothing worth reading and gives you a headache.

I don’t mind blogs with Ads, honestly I think its a very good thing. I think that companies have realized the worth of the blogs and people behind the blogs and I hope social advertising becomes more and more important to companies. A lot of these blogs are very deserving of it and it gives companies a real platform to get instant feedback from their customers and bloggers.

I don’t think I would be advertising anytime soon for one main reason. I don’t want to feel that I have to blog instead that I just want to blog. Then the other aspect of is that I don’t want to be limited on the topics that I talk about. Some times I am rude and at times I attack companies who act the wrong way, be it a company or a government entity. I want to be able to write the truth and voice my opinion without having to worry about offending my advertisers. So I think I’m going to stick to that for now. Some times I do wish I had alternate income from the blog then I would be able to make Amazon purchases more often then once every 3 to 6 months.

Over the last year and half a lot of companies and specifically telecom companies have gotten heavily into all types of social media. They are active on blogs, in events, facebook, and twitter and other platforms that they can expand on. I’m honestly proud that these companies see the value of social media in Kuwait and its strength, we are ahead in the region on this aspect and we keep moving forward which is a good thing.

It feels like more companies are taking social responsibility and they are giving people more direct access to them and it helps resolve issues. Also it does expose them to more criticism which most companies don’t like, and there are those who don’t care at all. Now a lot of companies, especially the Telecom companies have been sponsoring blogs which is a good step, it supports the community and it gives them an air of legitimacy. But then also brought another creature to evolve which are the Blogs For Cash movement, they make blogs just to sell off ad space and make money, and usually they don’t last too long or their content is crap but still they keep popping up.

Now Telcos are getting more and more involved with lots of events, I keep seeing people post about them and I do get invited but 99% of the time I don’t have time to go and other 1% I would rather do other things. They are handing out iPhones like they are candy and pretty much the next hot item, which is great and good for people to review and experience their service. But recently a lot of these gifts and sponsorship come with strings, string that I for one would never accept. At this point they tell you can talk about their competitor, you can’t attend their events, and you can’t really bad mouth their products. When the money comes with strings such as those I wouldn’t want it no matter how much they are offering. Whats funny is that recently I have noticed blogs which are Team Zain, or Team Wataniya, or Team Viva some keep trying to buy out the other. In reality it isn’t a bad thing but when they interfere with the content to this degree its unacceptable and its a very bad path they are choosing, some still don’t apply it but some companies are. At the end it is the choice of the blog to make the decision of which sponsor they would like on board.

What Happened To Me:
The last few days my site was acting weird and then the second day it tried to redirect me to some Russian site which then got flagged by my Google Chrome browser as malicious code. I tried to figure out what was going on but didn’t know where to look, and my WordPress was just update so I wasn’t sure what was wrong with it. After a good hour of Googling and checking forums I would a few things to look for in the index page and several other pages but still I was getting redirected. After looking at a few forums I found Sucuri which is a company that does exactly what I was looking for it identifies and monitors websites using any time of platform, and in my case WordPress, and they help you remove the malicious code.

What is Sucuri and What Do They Do:
The Sucuri Web Integrity Monitor detects unauthorized changes to your websites, DNS, Whois and SSL Certificates. They Scan your web site for malware, virus, spam and many other security issues. Even if your using WordPress, Joomla or Mediawiki. With the support

What I Did:
I found some scripts here and there, and deleted them but they were still all over the place. After a good amount of Googling I found that Sucuri is one the good Malware monitors and removal services for a very reasonable price, for $90 a year they monitor and update your site after 3 hours and if something is wrong you just submit a ticket and they get right to it. After giving them my login information and my ftp information I sent my trouble ticket for Malware removal since I couldn’t find it all myself and Chrome was still flagging my website and trying to install malicious software from a Russian website. AFter submitting the ticket and a set of questions I got an email back about 4 to 5 hours later with an update on all the areas that were cleared and that we are good to go and I have not been blacklisted by any website yet which is fantastic. Honestly I recommend anyone who faces a malware issue to get Sucuri right away and let them handle, they did a fantastic and smooth job with me.

Next Steps After Clean Up:

• Update All Your Website Software – Which They Were Thanks To Jacqui
• Change Your Website Login Passwords – Making Them Even More Complex To The Point I Might Forget Them

Link: Sucuri

Just as I was getting back to writing a few posts today since I found a minute to take a break I realized that something strange but didn’t think much about it. At around 7 pm when I was about to write a post everything on the backend of WordPress went berserk, the posts looked fine and the search and all the buttons were working but the backend was all jumbled up. There was a short moment of panic since I didn’t know what the hell was going on and I really didn’t like that feeling. For those who don’t know it says on the bottom my blog was put together by to awesome techies, Ananyah and Jacqui, and in this case I emailed Jacqui with the subject line “MAYDAY MAYDAY” and as usual she replied instantly! I sent her a screen shot of my messed up WordPress and basically said help, she replied that she will get to it in 30 mins which she did. After a little while she told me to check the backend and was totally different, she updated it to WordPress 3.31 with everything up to date and working smoothly, 3.31 is so cool and smooth. I have spent a few hours tinkering on the backend and I’m loving it, seriously Jacqui is a savior as usual and between the two of them they always come up with some cool stuff for me. Click on the images to see the old WordPress and the new, some people might not even know what the old one looked like but the picture is above and the new one below.

There are ideas which bring light into people’s lives and this one brings happiness into children affected by cancer. Q8Rain has been working with NBK Hospital and KACCH to help children who are going through cancer and chemotherapy. The idea is simple to bring them toys in a party once a month, they are looking for a combination of 70 Gifts for them. The idea is simple how to make their lives easier and happier, and that is a fantastic idea. This is getting a lot of support from the blogger community and friends and family, and I for one hope to participate in it.

For more details check out Q8Rain’s Blog

Link: Q8Rain

For all things to do with Eb6ainiya is the place to check out, they take the time to really check out every new food place be it in Kuwait or any other location. And they also like to cook too, and this time they are having a recipe competition for Ramadan, check out the details at the link below to submit your recipe.

eB6ainiya blog is proudly presents: Ramadan’s recipe contest. Do you have a special recipe that is a hit between your friends and family and suitable for Ramadan? We are looking for all types of recipes, from main course to desserts. All you need is a WINNING recipe worth competing in our contest.

Link: eb6ainiya

Halfway through 2011 already, time really flies by and this summer just keeps getting hotter. Lots of things to do outdoors as well as indoors, and during that time I’m always browsing the blogs. Recently there have been some very cool blogs popping up as well as the ones who just cover so much in Kuwait. This is the list that I keep checking every few days, always something exciting to read and enjoy. I’m sure there are ALOT of blogs out there that I have missed but right now these are the ones I’m checking.

p0ach – On top of everything like usual
7adjiDude – Two guys One Girl! A variety of interests and fun to check out!
360Dewan – Love what these guys do!
His&Hers – Husband and Wife Duo! Posting Fun things!
Qurtoba – Always on top of things! And love the interviews!
Kuwaitiful – Gadgets! Coverage! Openings and More!
Kal01 – The Japanese Addict – Otaku – Anime, Models, and Any Aspect of Japan!
Tid Bit Dujour – Design and Tips of all Kinds! Enjoy what they do!
Jacqui – The Apple Gadget Freak!
Frankom – Old is Gold! Always something interesting to read
Ansam518 – Interviews, Food and more!
Mark – On top of things

As many know Ansam518 doesn’t need any introduction, she has been around for a long time and featured in many places, magazines, even on tv. At last she has moved to her own domain after 5 years. I really like the new design much more then the older one, it cleans and the pictures are big. Her food posts always make me hungry and there are a lot of them. Check out her new place at the link below.

Link: Ansam518

A new blog centering about food and recipies and I am a man that enjoys his food. A simple design with a few recipes, I was enjoy blogs such as Ansams518 which try out all these places and different recipes, I honestly enjoy looking at the pictures when I’m alittle hungry. Now eb6ainiya has come along and seems like an interesting blog to follow.

Check it out: Eb6ainiya

You hear a lot of good things about big companies, especially tech companies but there is a lot of dirt to go around but very few talk about it. Well not as much as Valleywag, they are the TMZ of tech companies, they bother everyone, talk about their dirty theories and spread bad news like wildfire. It’s always good to know that Google and Apple aren’t the saints they try to portray, every company has its dirt and what every Steve Jobs has they bring it to light. They seem to love to talk about Mark Zuckerberg, the guy behind Facebook and all his dirty tricks and skeletons in the closet and how they have the new movie about them. They talk about HP and Oracle like it’s a big boys club, and the sex listings on Craigslist that has just shut down. Anything dirty on tech companies can be found at Valleywag and its always entertaining.

Gawker Media Sites, Gawker

Google, Craigslist, Mark Zuckerberg, Apple, Steve Jobs, Oracle, HP

Link: ValleyWag