Feral Jundi

Finally I can get back to the business of blogging.  First off, let me tell the story here about what exactly happened.  Google Adsense shut down my publisher’s account last week because I had a link somewhere on the blog that they did not agree with.  News to me, and yet the owner of that link decided to file a DMCA which Google takes seriously, and they shut down my subscription.  Hence why I do not have Google Adsense on the blog right now.

So the process here is that you send Google a letter explaining that you have removed the link with the hopes that somewhere in the Google machine, someone with some commonsense will actually reinstate my account. I have brought Google a lot of business for their advertisers to say the least, and it is Google’s loss.

In the ad spaces now are Chitika, which is a competitor of Google.  Although they are not on the same scale as Google, and the quality of ads and type of ads are not the same.  I intend to get back my account with Google Adsense, but until then, I will use Chitika or whatever else comes my way.

Now for the ‘Ad Center’ to the right. This is a cool new feature of the blog that I would like to promote.  It rotates all of those affiliates and ads, has plenty of space, and it looks sharp.  If you want to advertise on the blog here that is where I will put your graphic and link to your product/service (for $60 dollars a month of course).

If you want to do some affiliate marketing, that is where I will stick you as well (which does not cost $60 dollars a month, but is purely a profit sharing/promotional mechanism between the two parties). Jake Allen’s Security Contracting eBook and Bill Beaver’s Dangerzone and Oil Jobs ads are both affiliates, and both work through Plimus.  I highly recommend using Plimus as a way to set up an affiliate marketing plan for your product or service because it works. It benefits the author and the the folks willing to promote it (like good ol’ Feral Jundi).

Now on to the new features of the blog that I am pretty excited about.  First of all the blog is much more SEO friendly than the older blog, and I hope to get higher search ranking because of it. It is a Thesis based theme called ‘Arclite’ (I think that is a great theme for a military themed blog like mine-lol) and it is totally modified using modern WordPress plugins.  That means I can insert functionality at the press of button, as opposed to inserting code all the time.

The comments section is powered by Intense Debate. I like this set up because it allows folks to use their Facebook account to login here and make comments.  Or you can still comment the older way by entering your name and email–whichever works for you. I was also able to convert all the older comments into this new comments system.

You can also click on the ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ rating system for posts just to the right of the comment. So if you like what someone has said, definitely voice your opinion by clicking that. Although I still maintain total control of all posts–meaning everything stays civil and profanity free. Also, Akismet is still my primary safety system watching my back when it comes to filtering out spam.

The other features I am excited about is the Facebook like buttons and Twitter/Linkedin buttons.  Please…. pretty please, if you ‘like’ a post here, click that button.  It is such a simple thing to do to show your appreciation for a post and it takes a fraction of a second to do.  If you do not have Facebook, Twitter, or a Linkedin account, disregard. (although I still recommend opening accounts so you can participate in that realm of social media–FJ is very active on Facebook)

The other features are self explanatory.  I still have all the same categories and links, and nothing has changed there. You can still translate the page via Google Translate. You can still donate to the cause.  The Close Protection PSD Jobs and Secure Aspects Job Board widgets are in the ‘Jobs For Security Contractors’ block.  The social media block at the top right hand corner still has my RSS feed/email subscription, Facebook, Twitter, Scribd accounts, etc.

One cool detail that I have added to the blog is a print and PDF file creation button.  When you bring up the full post, and you see that button on the bottom of the post, just hit that and you can have formatted print screen or you can download the item as a PDF file. Hell, you can even send it as an email to someone.  In other words, it is a really handy feature to record and keep in your records, any information that you liked on FJ.

Now onto the artistic side of the blog.  That header image and logo is extremely easy to change out.  Meaning, I am all about changing that stuff from time to time to keep the blog visually interesting.  I like the flames and the big bold white ‘Feral Jundi’, but all of that can change with the click of a button. In the future you might see some interesting custom logo and background imagery that will compliment the blog’s theme.

In true Kaizen fashion, the blog will continue to be improved upon and I am always open to feedback. I think Miyamoto Musashi, Col. John Boyd, Sun Tzu, Buffalo Bill Cody, Frederick Russell Burnham and General George Washington* would all approve. –Matt

*My new Facebook Profile avatar is General George Washington in a Marine uniform. lol