I’m thrilled to announce that the Tino Talks Tech AI blog is making a grand comeback after a brief hiatus! It’s been an exciting period of tweaking behind the scenes, and I couldn’t be more excited to unveil what’s next.
What’s New?
First things first: we’ve leveled up! Say hello to the upgraded AI companion, GPT-4o. Yes, you heard that right—we’ve moved beyond GPT-4 Turbo to capture the enhanced capabilities of GPT-4o. Get ready for even more insightful, creative, and thought-provoking content generated by this cutting-edge AI language model.
Why the Upgrade?
Switching to GPT-4o was inevitable. GPT-4o is dubbed as OpenAI’s smartest and fastest model yet, so why not?. Whether it’s writing detailed articles, insightful thought pieces, or playful tech humor, this upgrade ensures that this AI-generated content remains at the forefront of innovation.
What to Expect?
The AI blog continues to be a playground of experimentation. From analyzing the latest tech trends to envisioning the future of artificial intelligence, each article is crafted to provoke thought and spark curiosity. Plus, we still have the visual storytelling with enhanced capabilities from models like Dall-E 3 for stunning visuals that complement the AI-generated prose.
Join the Journey
I invite each of you to join us (me and my model friends) on this renewed adventure. Explore the AI blog, engage with the content, and share your thoughts. Your feedback fuels our exploration into what’s possible with AI and technology blogging.
Stay Tuned
Buckle up as we embark on this exciting ride once again! The AI writers are back on stage, armed with GPT-4o and a whole lot of creativity. Get ready to be inspired, challenged, and entertained.
Check out the revived AI blog here and let’s continue pushing the boundaries of tech and AI together.
Get ready for a wild ride, Tino Talks Tech readers! I’m embarking on an incredibly exciting project – a brand new blog section dedicated entirely to content generated by artificial intelligence, you heard that right! This is my personal laboratory, a place to explore and experiment with the mind-blowing capabilities of the latest AI language models.
The AI Fascination: Why Now?
If you’re even slightly into tech, you know AI is changing the world at breakneck speed. Tools like GPT-4 Turbo, Claude 3 Sonnet, Gemini Advanced, and Meta Llama 3 are doing unbelievable things with language; they’re generating prose, crafting poems, and even writing code. But can they produce compelling, insightful tech articles that make us think? That’s the million-dollar question, and I’m determined to find the answer.
Don’t worry, this isn’t some kind of AI takeover of Tino Talks Tech! My usual content will still be front and center, filled with my hands-on experiences, reviews, the occasional rant and yes, I won’t be replaced by AI, don’t let the title fool you. Think of this AI blog as a fascinating side project – a space to push boundaries and see what happens when machine learning meets the world of technology blogging.
How It All Works
Here’s the exciting part:
The Universal Prompt: To ensure a level playing field, I’ll start each AI-generated article with the same simple prompt: “Write an article for a tech blog.” This lets us see how different AI models uniquely interpret and tackle this broad topic.
I’ll be dedicating each article on this AI blog to a specific AI model. That means an article generated by GPT-4 Turbo will also have its thumbnail created by Dall-E. I want to see how each model handles both writing and visualizing a tech topic.
The Claude Exception: Claude 3 Sonnet is a text-focused model, so for its articles, I’ll turn to Dall-E 3 for image generation.
Ready for Surprises
The biggest thrill for me is the unknown. Will these AI models deliver mind-blowing tutorials? Maybe they’ll write thought pieces that challenge our assumptions about where technology is headed. Perhaps they’ll surprise us with humor, or introduce entirely new ways of thinking about familiar tech concepts.
This is an open-ended experiment, and that’s the whole point! I want you to join me on this journey of discovery. Read the AI-generated articles, share your honest feedback, and let’s see together just how far these language models can go.
Buckle up – the AI writers are about to take the stage! You can access the new AI blog here😉
As I promised that I would write detailed articles for how to create each website type I mentioned in a previous article, well here I am and let’s begin with blogs. Creating a blog can be an exciting journey into the world of online expression and communication. Whether you’re looking to share your thoughts, showcase your expertise, or build a community around a topic you’re passionate about, Blogger is a user-friendly platform that can help you achieve your goals. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your blog on Blogger and I’m going to take you through the whole process.
Step 1: Purchasing Your Domain Name
Before you dive into the blogosphere, you’ll need a domain name – this is the web address where people will find your blog. A great place to start is Namecheap, a reputable domain registrar known for its affordability and customer service and it’s massive discounts too. Here’s how to purchase a domain with Namecheap:
Visit the Namecheap website and use the search bar to find your desired domain name.
Once you’ve found an available domain, add it to your cart and proceed to checkout.
Complete the purchase process by creating an account and making the payment.
Step 2: Considering File and Email Hosting
While Blogger hosts your website, you might want additional services like file and email hosting, Truehost Nigeria offers these services, providing a secure and reliable option for businesses and individuals in Nigeria. However, it’s not necessary to have separate hosting since Blogger takes care of your website hosting needs. For file storage and sharing, Google Drive is an excellent alternative that seamlessly integrates with Blogger.
Step 3: Setting Up Your Blog with Blogspot Subdomain
If you’re not ready to use a custom domain, you can start with a free Blogspot subdomain provided by Blogger. Here’s how to set it up:
Sign in to Blogger with your Google account.
Click on ‘New Blog’ and enter a name for your blog.
Choose a blog address with the Blogspot subdomain (e.g., yourblogname.blogspot.com).
Select a theme and click ‘Create Blog’.
Step 4: Adding a New Template
To give your blog a unique look and feel, you can add a new template, Templatify offers a range of premium and free Blogger templates that are SEO optimized and responsive. To install a new template from Templatify:
Download a template from Templatify and unzip the file to find the .XML template file.
Go to the ‘Theme’ section in your Blogger dashboard.
Click on ‘Backup/Restore’ and upload the .XML file from your computer.
Once uploaded, the new template will be applied to your blog.
How to Add a Custom Domain
Adding a custom domain to your Blogger blog not only enhances its professional appearance but also makes it easier for your audience to remember and access your site. Here’s how you can set up a custom domain, and activate redirection from non-www to www and HTTP to HTTPS.
Adding Your Custom Domain
Purchase a Domain: If you haven’t already, purchase a domain from a registrar like Namecheap.
Sign in to Blogger: Go to your Blogger dashboard.
Access Settings: In the left menu, click on ‘Settings’.
Update Publishing: Under ‘Publishing’, select ‘Custom domain’.
Enter Domain Details: Type in your purchased domain URL and save the changes.
Verify Domain: Blogger will provide you with CNAME records to add to your domain’s DNS settings. This verifies ownership and links your domain to Blogger.
Redirecting non-www to www
To ensure that visitors typing your domain without the ‘www’ prefix still reach your site, you’ll need to set up a redirect:
Access DNS Settings: Log into your domain registrar’s control panel and locate the DNS settings.
Modify A-Records: Add A-records for your domain pointing to the following Google IPs:
216.239.32.21
216.239.34.21
216.239.36.21
216.239.38.21
Activate Redirect in Blogger: Back in Blogger’s settings, turn on the option to redirect the domain (mydomain.com to www.mydomain.com).
Activating HTTPS Redirection
For enhanced security, enabling HTTPS is crucial:
Turn on HTTPS: In Blogger’s settings under ‘Basic’, find the ‘HTTPS’ section and select ‘Yes’ for ‘HTTPS Availability’.
Enable HTTPS Redirect: Ensure ‘HTTPS Redirect’ is also turned on, so visitors are always directed to the secure version of your site.
By following these steps, your blog will not only have a custom domain but will also ensure that your visitors are always redirected to the correct and secure version of your site. Remember, DNS changes may take some time to propagate, so be patient after making these adjustments.
How to Link your Domain to Cloudflare
When setting up a custom domain for your blog, using Cloudflare for DNS management can provide several advantages over a typical domain registrar’s DNS service. Cloudflare is renowned for its robust set of features that go beyond basic DNS management, including email routing, a free SSL certificate, redirection rules, and additional layers of security.
Linking Your Domain to Cloudflare
To link your domain to Cloudflare, follow these steps:
Create a Cloudflare Account: Sign up for an account at Cloudflare’s website.
Add Your Site: Click on ‘Add Site’ and enter your domain name.
Select a Plan: Choose from the available plans; even the free plan offers a wealth of features.
Update DNS Records: Cloudflare will scan your DNS records and provide you with new nameservers.
Change Nameservers: Go to your domain registrar’s website and replace the existing nameservers with the ones provided by Cloudflare.
Why Choose Cloudflare?
Cloudflare stands out for several reasons:
Email Routing: Easily manage and route your domain’s email addresses.
Free SSL Certificate: Secure your blog with HTTPS encryption at no extra cost.
Redirection Rules: Implement forwarding rules to redirect traffic as needed.
Enhanced Security: Benefit from Cloudflare’s built-in DDoS mitigation and DNSSEC for added protection against online threats.
By using Cloudflare’s services, you can ensure that your blog is not only more secure but also benefits from improved performance and reliability.
As I conclude this guide on creating a blog with Blogger, I’ve taken you through the essential steps to make a blog using Blogger with. Blogger’s user-friendly interface and seamless integration with Google’s tools make it an ideal platform for both novice and experienced bloggers alike. As you begin this thrilling journey, remember that your blog is a canvas for your unique voice and vision—so let it shine!
Looking forward, the blogging world is filled with even more opportunities. For those eager to delve into other platforms, keep an eye out for my upcoming guide on creating a blog using WordPress. This platform offers a comprehensive framework for those who desire greater customization and control over their online presence. Whether you’re blogging as a hobby or aiming to carve out a professional online niche, WordPress is equipped to accommodate your aspirations.
So, keep your inspiration alive, and prepare to explore the depths of the blogging world with my forthcoming WordPress tutorial. Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments below, and also share this article to help others!
In our fast-paced online world, capturing a reader’s attention has become a form of art, one that often employs the use of ‘clickbait’. As someone who navigates the internet daily, I’ve come to recognize the patterns and purposes behind these intriguing headlines.
What is Clickbait?
Clickbait is a strategy used by content creators to lure readers into clicking on a link. It typically involves crafting a headline or a thumbnail that is provocative, sensational, or enticing enough to spark curiosity. The content behind these headlines, however, doesn’t always fulfill the expectations set by the clickbait, leading to a disconnect between the reader’s anticipation and the actual content.
Why Clickbait Exists
The primary motive behind clickbait is to increase web traffic, which translates to higher advertising revenue. In the digital content ecosystem, where countless articles vie for attention, a headline that stands out can be the difference between a hit and a miss. Clickbait plays on our innate curiosity and the ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO), compelling us to explore content we might otherwise overlook.
Examples of Clickbait
“This Man Ate a Plane Piece by Piece, and You Won’t Believe What Happened!” – Such headlines promise a bizarre and intriguing story, making it hard to resist clicking.
“The Secret Diet Pill Celebrities Don’t Want You to Know About” – This suggests exclusive knowledge that’s just on the cusp of being revealed, tapping into our love for secrets and revelations.
The Impact of Clickbait
While clickbait can effectively drive traffic, it can also lead to reader frustration and a loss of credibility for the content provider. Over time, audiences may become wary of such tactics, which can harm the reputation of the source.
Crafting Ethical Headlines
As a content creator, I believe in the importance of integrity. It’s possible to craft compelling headlines without resorting to clickbait. The key is to create intrigue while still providing an accurate representation of the content. This approach respects the reader’s time and intelligence, fostering trust and loyalty.
Final Thoughts
Clickbait will likely remain a fixture in the online landscape, but it’s up to us, as content creators and consumers, to navigate this space responsibly. By understanding what clickbait is and recognizing its characteristics, we can choose to engage with content that enriches our lives and supports ethical journalism.
WordPress and Blogger are two of the most popular blogging platforms on the internet. They both have their pros and cons, and choosing the best one for your needs can be a challenge. In this article, I will share my personal comparison of WordPress and Blogger based on several metrics, and as someone who has had the experience of both. I hope this will help you make an informed decision for your own blog.
Rankings in Google
One of the most important factors for any blogger is how well their blog ranks in Google and other search engines. This affects the visibility, traffic, and authority of your blog. According to a study by Ahrefs, WordPress blogs tend to rank higher than Blogger blogs on average. This is because WordPress has more SEO features and plugins that help optimize your blog for search engines. For example, you can use plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math to improve your site structure, meta tags, keywords, and more.
Blogger, on the other hand, has fewer SEO options and customization. You can edit some basic settings like title, description, and robots.txt, but you have less control over other aspects of your blog. For example, you cannot change your permalink structure, add schema markup, or use advanced SEO tools. This can limit your ranking potential and make your blog less competitive.
In my personal experience, I noticed a significant improvement in my rankings after I switched from Blogger to WordPress. My blog went from page 3 to page 1 for some of my target keywords, and I also got more organic traffic which I wouldn’t give much credit to the use of WordPress though but this is not to say that Blogger blogs cannot rank well, but it requires more effort and expertise to do so.
Traffic Sources
Another metric to compare WordPress and Blogger is the traffic sources of your blog. This refers to where your visitors come from and how they find your blog. There are different types of traffic sources, such as organic, direct, social, referral, email, and paid. Each of these sources has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you should aim for a balanced and diversified traffic mix.
Because of a vast SEO and optimization options, WordPress blogs get more traffic from organic and direct sources than Blogger blogs. This means that WordPress blogs are more likely to be found by people searching on Google. This is mostly because of the SEO plugins which give you full SEO options than in Blogger. With WordPress, search engine crawlers have more access to your site as there are multiple sitemaps for posts, pages, categories or even custom post types.
Blogger blogs, on the other hand, get more traffic from social and referral sources than WordPress blogs. This means that Blogger blogs are more likely to be shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, or linked from other websites. This also indicates that Blogger blogs have more viral potential and exposure than WordPress blogs. Blogger being a Google service, the chances of being featured on platforms like Google news are higher than those of WordPress blogs.
In my personal experience, I barely noticed a shift in my traffic sources after I switched from Blogger to WordPress. I currently have traffic from organic and direct sources, which is more consistent and stable than social and referral sources. However, I also have some traffic from social and referral sources, which is more unpredictable and volatile. Therefore, I still have to work hard to maintain and grow my social and referral traffic by creating engaging content, building relationships, and promoting my blog.
Speed
Speed is another important factor for any blogger, as it affects the user experience, SEO, and conversions of your blog. A fast-loading blog can improve your bounce rate, dwell time, and engagement, as well as your rankings and revenue. A slow-loading blog can have the opposite effect and drive away your visitors and potential customers.
According to a study by Pingdom, WordPress blogs are faster than Blogger blogs on average. This is because WordPress has more options and plugins to optimize your blog speed, such as caching, minifying, compressing, and lazy loading. For example, you can use plugins like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or Autoptimize to improve your blog performance and speed.
Blogger, on the other hand, has fewer options and plugins to optimize your blog speed. You can tweak some settings like image size, widget load, and HTTPS redirect, but you have less control over other factors that affect your blog speed. For example, you cannot use caching, minifying, compressing, or lazy loading on Blogger. This can make your blog slower and less efficient.
In my personal experience, my blog was actually faster when I was using Blogger. Of course it has a few tweaks and has no plugins but that’s it’s strong point. Blogger’s simplicity makes Blogger blogs extremely fast which means that you won’t need any of those caching plugins or optimization plugins. Another thing is that Blogger themes are lightweight, and with the theme I was using, I had an impressive Google Pagespeed Insights score but with WordPress, that score took a decline.
Earnings and Adsense Integration
Earnings and Adsense integration are another metric to compare WordPress and Blogger. This refers to how much money you can make from your blog and how easy it is to integrate Google Adsense, the most popular advertising network for bloggers. Adsense allows you to display ads on your blog and earn money when your visitors click on them.
According to a report by Blogging Basics 101, WordPress blogs can earn more money than Blogger blogs on average. This is because WordPress has more monetization options and plugins than Blogger. For example, they claimed that you can use plugins like Ad Inserter, Advanced Ads, or AdRotate to manage and optimize your ads on WordPress. You can also use other monetization methods like affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, or selling products or services on WordPress.
Blogger, on the other hand, has fewer monetization options and plugins than WordPress. You can use Google Adsense on Blogger, but you have less control and flexibility over your ads. For example, you cannot choose where to place your ads, how many ads to show, or what types of ads to display on Blogger. You can also use other monetization methods like affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, or selling products or services on Blogger just like on WordPress.
In my personal experience, I believe that it’s easier to monetize your Blogger blog rather than a WordPress blog. Blogger has a minimalistic interface which makes it easy to setup Google Adsense as compared to the clustered WordPress dashboard. I also think that Blogger blogs are more prioritized by Google as per the review period of your blog.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is another important factor for any blogger, as it affects the time, effort, and enjoyment of blogging. A user-friendly blog platform can make your blogging experience easier, faster, and more fun. A complicated blog platform can make your blogging experience harder, slower, and more frustrating.
According to a survey by WPBeginner, WordPress is easier to use than Blogger for most bloggers, which I don’t validate on a personal point of view. They say that this is because WordPress has more features and plugins that make blogging simpler and smoother. For example, you can use plugins like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi to create and customize your blog design with drag and drop. You can also use plugins like Jetpack, Akismet, or Yoast SEO to enhance and secure your blog functionality.
Blogger, on the other hand, is harder to use than WordPress for most bloggers. This is because Blogger has fewer features and plugins that make blogging simpler and smoother. For example, you cannot use drag and drop to create and customize your blog design on Blogger. You have to edit HTML and CSS code to change your blog appearance. You also have fewer options and plugins to enhance and secure your blog functionality on Blogger. All this is true about the creation and management process, the blogging experience is a whole lot different.
In my personal experience, I noticed a significant improvement in my ease of use after I switched from Blogger to WordPress. My blog creation and management became easier, faster, and more fun. I could use drag and drop to design my blog, and I could use plugins to improve my blog performance and security. On the other hand, the blogging experience of Blogger is more minimalistic and easy to use as compared to the blog editor you get with WordPress. However the Blogger editor has less functionalities and sometimes you have to use HTML to get the work done and not everyone can do this. This is not to say that Blogger is impossible to use, but it requires more learning and coding to do so.
Conclusion
WordPress and Blogger are two of the most popular blogging platforms on the internet. They both have their pros and cons, and choosing the best one for your needs can be a challenge. In this article, I shared my personal comparison of WordPress and Blogger based on several metrics, such as rankings, traffic, speed, earnings, and ease of use. I hope this helped you make an informed decision for your own blog.
Based on my personal experience, I prefer WordPress over Blogger for my blog. I think WordPress offers more advantages and opportunities than Blogger, and it suits my blogging goals and style better. However, this does not mean that WordPress is the best choice for everyone. Blogger may be a better option for some bloggers, depending on their preferences and purposes and I would recommend Blogger if you’re just getting started with your blog and don’t have much blogging experience.
Ultimately, the best blogging platform for you is the one that meets your needs and expectations. You should consider your blogging goals, budget, skills, and audience before choosing a platform. You should also test and compare different platforms to see which one works best for you. You can always switch platforms later if you change your mind or want to try something new.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and learned something new. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. I would love to hear your feedback and opinions.
Many people fancy blogging as a really hard task and also demotivate those with the potential of starting blogs. Sometimes this is because they see most people trying out blogging and then end up failing in a month or two. Failure to run a blog is mostly due to lack of information as beginners and also lack of commitment. Many bloggers give up after receiving a small amount of views or when their site is rejected by Google AdSense. This should not be a reason for one to stop running their site though. Personally when I came into this industry, that’s how it was for me. No views, AdSense denial and stuff but this never brought me down. So to those who want to start new blogs and also those who once failed and want to give it another try, I’ve got an article for ya’ll.
Steps to starting a successful blog:
Use a real domain name with a known TLD( e.g example.com or example.co.zw) instead of using a free subdomain (e.g example.wordpress.com or example.blogspot.com) and a free domain (e.g example.tk)
Optimise your site’s speed. For WordPress users you can do this by using cache plugins and optimisation plugins and also link your blog with CloudFlare CDN.
Create a social media handle for people to know you. I recommend Instagram as it is the fastest to grow on and also the most used locally.
Improve your google search appearance ( you can do this by adding your site to google search console)Share every new post on various social media platforms to market your content. I recommend having many WhatsApp and Facebook groups to have a large audience.
Avoid plagiarism when writing your articles. This is one of the biggest factors that’s stopping many bloggers in their way as most copy and paste other people’s articles on their sites and apart from copyright infringement this has many consequences including losing views.
Don’t rush to get your site on AdSense or Google News, you’ll only be rejected. For AdSense you need at least 60 articles of the same niche to get accepted. Avoid using pop-up ads and those annoying ads where some of them even have NSFW content.
Don’t use slang language when writing your articles, this makes the readers have no zeal when reading your articles and you end up losing audience.
Collaborate with other content creators on social media and produce something great.