52 Handy Tools and Sites for Students
Even though I’m almost done being a student, many of you have some time left. So I’ll still be on the lookout for handy things for you guys.
The Online Education Database has a couple great pages that every student should check out. Combining them, they list 52 awesome tools and sites that you need. Some are pretty obvious, but others will be new to you. Without further ado, here we go…
The College Student’s Productivity Guide lists 27 great apps and tools for students. There are definitely some interesting nuggets in there.
Top 25 Web 2.0 Apps to Improve a Student’s or Professor’s Productivity is a great list of websites you should know about. A neat one is TeamCowboy, which enables you to easily manage your intra-mural sports team online. Students need to have fun, right?
Do you have a handy site for student productivity? I’ve shown you mine; it’s your turn.
[tags]online education, distance learning, productivity, web 2.0[/tags]
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I’m Asking You – Are Threaded Comments Useful?
In the early days of Legal Andrew (over a year ago!), I was lucky to get one comment per week. Thanks to you guys, comments now abound. I love it, and I hope you guys do too.
Now I’m wondering if the standard list of comments is inadequate for our conversations. I try to respond to most comments, and sometimes we end up with a multiple-comment interchange. As you’ve seen, it’s not abnormal to get 10 or more comments on a post.
You’re probably thinking that really popular blogs gets dozens, if not hundreds, of comments per post. That’s absolutely true. And some of them use threaded comments (like John and Matt).
Threaded comments
I’m thinking of trying out the Yet Another Threaded Comments plugin. You can see it in action at Perfume Posse (yes, it’s an odd site).
The reviews of this plugin seem pretty positive, and I think I can get it to look similar to the current comment layout. Also, it doesn’t use JavaScript, like the more popular plugin, Brian’s Threaded Comments.
What do you think?
Before I make a change like this, I need your input. After all, I write for you guys. I’d appreciate your vote through this poll. (RSS readers will probably need to click through to see it.)
The poll should show up here, or you can see it in the sidebar, right under my face. 🙂
If you have any additional thoughts, please leave a comment. I look forward to more great conversations with you guys!
[tags]threaded comments, conversations[/tags]
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How Many Hours Do You Work?
Only two days after I officially received my J.D. (whoopee!), I started studying for the bar exam (boo!). I’m doing the standard study course, BAR/BRI. But the reason I’m posting right now is to ask you a question.
How much time do you put into your job?
I’m curious what your daily number of hours are (on average), as well as your average weekly hours. Especially if you are a paralegal or a lawyer, I’d love it if you would share in the comments.
And now to explain this crazy series of thoughts… My bar review course consists of video lectures we attend daily, for about 3 hours each morning. The common question is how much time we should be reading and studying on our own. According to the study course company, we should “treat it like a job.” They suggest we do an extra 7-9 hours per day plus 10 hours on the weekend. I’m no math genius, but doing their recommended minimum would be 60 hours of preparation per week. What job requires that?!
The easy answer is, of course, being a lawyer. It’s perfectly normal for associates in big firms to work 60-70 hour weeks, month after month. For those guys, go ahead and put in your 60 hours of studying every week.
For me, I’m going to a public interest organization with normal people hours. I’ll be there from 8 to 5 with an hour for lunch. Using my spiffy math skills, that means I’ll be doing 40 hour weeks. There will definitely be exceptions, but that will be the general rule.
So if I treat bar exam prep like my future job, I should spend an extra 25 hours per week studying, outside of the 15 hours of lectures. That’s about 3.5 hours per day. I’m liking my job already!!
But back to the real question – what are your working hours like? Are you an 8 to 5’er? Or do you pull closer to 60 hour weeks? Or maybe you’ve nailed down Tim’s 4-hour week. Let’s chat!
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3 Ways to Make MORE Money with Text Link Ads
You’ve probably heard of Text Link Ads (TLA). It’s one of many programs to make money online. But do you know how to truly leverage TLA to make the most money possible? This article will give you 3 easy tips.
Sell post level ads in WordPress
The main TLA unit is limited. It displays on your entire site and maxes out at 10 links. Post level ads are different.
These links allow advertisers to target a specific post within your WordPress blog. This gives you more inventory to sell. It also gives you different inventory, better targeted to more advertisers.
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A great example is an ad bought recently here at Legal Andrew. I have a post about using Google Base to search for real estate. As you can see, there is now a post level ad for a real estate site.
Without post level ads, my blog would never have sold an ad like this. Overall, Legal Andrew is not in a real estate niche. But that particular post fits the niche well. That’s why the ad sold!
Install a translation plugin
As you can see in the sidebar, I provide automated translations of Legal Andrew, courtesy of Global Translator. This provides increased usability for the blog and gets some search traffic for keywords in other languages. But the point of this article is a newer ad in my TLA unit:
I get a fair amount of traffic for legal topics in Spanish, so this ad is pretty well targeted. I might have sold it without the translator plugin, but I doubt it. At the very least, translation options don’t hurt.
Pass out your affiliate link
Every TLA publisher gets a handy little affiliate link. If publishers or advertisers sign up through the link, the original publisher earns a commission. Do you promote this?
An easy way to do it is via a small link or banner on your blog. It seems natural to put that near your TLA unit (like my link in the sidebar – “Put your link here”).
But another option might have eluded you. Increasingly, people are asking me for tips on optimizing or monetizing their blogs. I’m flattered and glad to help out. While I do paid consulting, I’m also happy to answer a few questions and give my thoughts for free. But I do use my affiliate links when recommending an advertiser, most notably TLA.
I haven’t encountered anyone who was offended by this. Of course, nobody has sign up through my link yet either. 🙂 But more links floating around means there’s a better chance that someone will.
One caveat here – do this tactfully. It’s probably best to include a note if you’re putting an affiliate link in an email or IM. The bottom line is not to mislead people.
Go make money!
Hopefully at least one of these ideas will be new to you. If not, maybe you can forward this post to somebody else who needs a primer on TLA ideas. For now, go make yourself some money!
If you have any TLA tips or tricks, let’s share them in the comments. And if you think this post sucked, I’d love to hear that too.
[tags]text link ads, make money online, advertising, affiliate[/tags]
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The Best Interview of My Law School Career
Law school is full of interviews. Just hunting for a summer internship will require dozens of them. I’ve definitely done my fair share.
But I recently had the privilege of doing the best interview yet. Brett of The Frugal Law Student interviewed me for a series he’s starting on his blog. He asked about debt, saving money, personal finance goals, and other great topics.
Check it out: Interview With Legal Andrew About Managing Law School Debt
While you’re over there, read up on some of Brett’s other great work:
- 180 Money Saving Tips to Turn Your Financial Life Around 180 Degrees
- How to Give an Impressive Handshake
- Is Life Hacking Just Another Dumb Fad?
- 10 Ways to Get More For Your Grocery Dollar
Don’t forget to subscribe to his feed. You’ll be happy that you did!
PS: Brett posted the interview several days ago. I’m sorry that I just posted a link to it now. I got a bit behind.
[tags]frugal law student, interview[/tags]
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25 Best Sleep Hacks
If there’s one thing we can all use more of (besides money), it’s sleep. We’re happier, more productive, and more enjoyable to be around when we’re well-rested. Without further ado, here are the best sleep hacks.
- Get a comfy bed. Nobody looks forward to sleeping on a rock.
- Make the bedroom only for sleeping (and other bed activities). If you work and eat in the bedroom, it just doesn’t feel like you’re supposed to sleep there too.
- Wear cozy pajamas. Experiment a bit to find what you like: flannel, silk, none, etc.
- Blackout the lights. Total darkness helps you fall asleep quicker. Dim the digital clock and make some homemade blackout curtains.
- Cut the noise. If closing the bedroom door won’t work, try a white noise machine or a fountain.
- Dim the lights before bedtime. This tells your body to begin preparing for sleep. Bright lights until bedtime just confuses the bio-clock.
- Limit caffeine. If you can’t give it up completely, don’t have any 6 hours before trying to sleep.
- Read a boring book. Exciting books make me want to keep reading. But lots of books will put me to sleep in the middle of the day.
- Listen to music. Try an ambient piano CD or a rain forest sounds CD.
- Listen to a book. Even a good book will get you tired at night. I fell asleep many nights listening to Cell.
- Use earplugs. You can get the cheap ones, or invest in a better set. Or just pop in your noise-isolating ear buds.
- Shower at night. A warm shower really helps me wind down, especially when I’m stressed. If you always shower in the morning, try an evening shower now and then.
- Exercise. Tiring your muscles is important, especially if your job isn’t very physical.
- Eat a little. It’s hard to go to sleep when you’re stuffed full, but equally hard when you’re starving. Find the midpoint.
- Get a cat. Warm fur and a soft purr can put anyone to sleep.
- Try a teddy bear. This one’s for you anti-cat people.
- Keep a schedule. The body really does have an internal clock. Train it to go to sleep at the same time every night. It will learn.
- Warm a washcloth. Put it over your forehead and eyes to help relax tension and de-stress.
- Use a dim lamp. If you read a night, don’t use a bright bulb. Find the dimmest setting where you can still read comfortably.
- Aromatherapy works. Even a simple candle or air freshener can help lull you to sleep.
- Turn the bed down. Make your bed in the morning, then turn it down early in the evening. The physical act tells your body to start thinking about sleep.
- Get off the computer. Staring at the bright screen keeps you awake. Do something less intense right before you head for bed.
- Stretch. A little bit of stretching or yoga can help your muscles relax.
- Meditate. Along the same lines, do some meditation to be mindful and center yourself.
- Pray. Your Higher Power is surely a good source of comfort and relaxation.
What are your sleep hacks? Can you add #26 to the list?
If you enjoyed this post, help me out by giving it a digg, a reddit, or bookmarking it on del.icio.us.
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I’m Asking You – Web Hosting Recommendation?
I’ve been using the same hosting company for years. But it might be time to move.
The current plan
We’re running two separate sites with our host, and it costs $4/month for each one. Plus we pay about $20/year for each .com domain – that includes a $9 fee for private whois info. Adding another site adds $4/month. I can host unlimited sites for $24/month, but that just seems steep to me.
For one year of hosting and domain registration, we’re paying about $136. Now that I’m thinking about adding a site or two, there must be a better option.
My requirements
Here’s what I’m looking for in a host:
- WordPress
- PHP & MySQL (kind-of a given, if WordPress is supported)
- Multiple domains on one account (at least 5, but preferably unlimited)
- Cheap rates (less than $8/month, if possible)
- No longer than 12-month prepayment (our current hosting is monthly payment with no setup fee, but that seems pretty rare)
- Kick-butt customer service
- Impressive uptime
- Decent bandwidth and storage space
What do you suggest?
I’ve done a bit of browsing around the net, but the options are just mind-boggling. I figured this would be a good time to tap your brains.
What host do you use, and why? What host(s) did you wrong? Let’s talk in the comments!
If you have an affiliate link, please include it in your comment. If I go with your host, I’ll be sure to use that link. If multiple people post links to the same host, I’ll likely use the link from the most helpful commenter.
[tags]web hosting, hosting[/tags]
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11 Reasons Why Nobody Reads Your Blog
You’ve been blogging for weeks or even months. But you’re still lacking real traffic. Why is that?
1. You don’t read. Why should other people read your blog, if you don’t read blogs? Get a feed reader and start subscribing!
2. You don’t comment. This is the bread and butter of blogging. Give feedback and thoughts to other bloggers. If you’re not leaving at least one comment per day, step it up a notch.
3. It’s ugly. Content is king, but aesthetics is queen. People don’t like reading ugly blogs, so spruce yours up a bit.
4. It’s cluttered. You could have the best design, but clutter it up with ads, widgets, gadgets. People like bells and whistles, but your blog still has to be usable.
5. Comments aren’t allowed. Just like people enjoy receiving blog comments, they like to comment themselves. Enable comments and disable moderation.
6. You don’t trackback. When you read a good article on another blog, “trackback” to your own blog. This means that you write your own take on the article and link back to the original post. Spread the link love.
7. Typos abound. Blogs aren’t formal writing, but your posts have to be readable. Do a quick spell check and re-read each post before publishing.
8. Posts are long and unbroken. Screens of plain text are boring. Break your posts up into lists, bullets, and short paragraphs. Add an image or two to provide visual focus.
9. Readers don’t know you. If you don’t provide info about yourself on the blog, it feels impersonal. Be sure to write a good “about” page and give details about yourself. Your name isn’t required, but you can give basics about your interests, likes, dislikes, etc.
10. You don’t network. It’s a big internet out there. You need a big network! Make friends with other bloggers, post to social bookmarking sites, participate in carnivals, and jump in on group writing projects.
Those are my 10 thoughts on getting blog readers. They’re nothing new, but I’ve been getting more and more emails from people asking for basic info. So there you have it. 🙂
What do you think? I’m counting on you to add number 11.
[tags]blogging, promotion, marketing[/tags]
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Paris Hilton Gets Off Easy – Justice?
This is definitely not a blog about celebrities. But there are deeper implications surrounding the latest news about little Hilton.
You’ve probably heard that Paris Hilton is only going to serve 23 days of her 45 day jail sentence for violating her probation. And she’s going to do her time in a “special needs housing unit” reserved for high-profile inmates.
Why was her sentenced reduced? Because she showed up for court. She’s such a great model citizen that she doesn’t need to serve all her time. WHAT?!
Backwards thinking
Sadly, people look up to celebrities, especially young people. They are role models for many of our youth. Shouldn’t we be teaching young people that actions have consequences? Shouldn’t we teach them that law-breakers get in trouble?
What are we teaching them instead? That famous people get a free ride in life. Be rich, have expensive lawyers, use the press effectively, and you can get anything you want. Hmmm… that’s a great way to raise children.
Set a good example
Here’s my idea – punish celebrities even more harshly than ordinary people. If you’re “high profile,” you get to go to a special housing unit, but one that is not as nice as general population. You definitely wouldn’t get your sentenced reduced just for showing up for court.
This would present a stronger image of our criminal justice system. People would see that crime doesn’t pay. Breaking the law has consequences.
We could let ordinary people off a bit easier, since they aren’t as highly in the public view. These people aren’t usually role models for large numbers of citizens, so it’s not as damaging if they get treated a bit lighter. Let’s set some examples here!
What do you think?
As I step off my sarcastic soapbox, I’m curious what you think about this? Does the criminal justice system treat people equally? Should it?
By the way, I’m running for President in 2008. Can I have your vote? 😉
[tags]paris hilton, paris, prison, probation[/tags]
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Schedule a Day Away From Blogs, Twitter, and IM
Have you noticed that people drop their blogs, Twitter updates, and similar things when they’re really busy? Crunch time forces us to focus on the most important tasks and let the others lie fallow. But why wait until crunch time?
Make it standard
What if you actually scheduled a day where you’d get away from your blog, Twitter, email, and the like? Make you could have “offline day” every Wednesday.
I know, you’re gasping right now. “What is Andrew saying?!”
Think about it. You could write a blog post ahead of time, and schedule your platform to make it live on your “offline day.” Your readers wouldn’t even know that you’re offline.
As for Twitter, do you really need to update your follows every 15 minutes? You’re not Calacanis, right?
IM and email might be the tough ones for all of us. I’m addicted to email, like I’ll bet many of you are. But what better way to curb that addiction than to prove you can go an entire day without checking it? And you’ll feel important the next day when you have lots of messages waiting for you. 🙂
The benefits
I can imagine several benefits to gain from this plan. Here are just a few:
- Less addiction to the internet. Deprivation helps, right?
- Increased confidence when you can’t be online. You won’t be as scared that something is blowing up when you’re away from email or the power goes out.
- Heightened productivity during your offline day. Fewer distractions = more work.
- More focused attention when you’re back online. Aren’t you better able to focus on work after a vacation? Think of this as your internet vacation.
What do you think?
I’m done spouting my thougths. What are yours?
Would you benefit from a weekly “offline day”? Do you already do something similar? Let’s fill up the comments!
[tags]productivity, offline[/tags]
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About Andrew Flusche
Lawyer, bicyclist, husband.
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