Genx Notes

Category: Site Creation

  • How to setup Name Your Price in Woocommerce

    Use this plugin: WPC Name Your Price for WooCommerce

    WPC Name Your Price for WooCommerce

  • Overcoming Social Media Fatigue: How to Break Free and Find New Inspiration

    Introduction

    Social media has become an integral part of our personal and professional lives. It’s where we connect with friends, promote our businesses, and stay informed about the world around us. Yet, for many, the constant pressure to post, engage, and maintain a presence has led to a phenomenon known as “social media fatigue.” If you’ve found yourself feeling overwhelmed, uninspired, or even dreading opening your favorite social platforms, you’re not alone. This article explores why social media fatigue happens and offers practical strategies to regain a healthier, more productive relationship with online engagement.

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  • Own your data

    “Own your data” refers to the idea of maintaining control and ownership over your personal or organizational data, ensuring it is primarily stored and accessible under conditions you dictate. Here’s what the two key aspects entail:

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  • Publish on your own site, syndicate elsewhere

    “Publish on your own site, syndicate elsewhere” is a content strategy approach that encourages creators to first publish their content (e.g., articles, blog posts, videos) on their own platform—typically their website—before sharing it on other platforms. Here’s how it works and why it’s effective:

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  • My RSS for a WordPress site is alive, but feedly is saying it is unreachable. Why?

    If your WordPress RSS feed is working but Feedly is showing it as unreachable, there are several potential causes and solutions:

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  • Should I suppress RSS Feed on WordPress or not?

    Whether or not you should suppress the RSS feed on your WordPress site depends on your specific goals and needs. Here are some factors to consider:

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  • The Return to Personal Websites: A Realistic Possibility?

    In recent years, there’s been increasing interest in the idea of returning to personal websites and blogs for digital expression and communication. This trend emerges in response to shifts and frustrations with large-scale social media platforms and reflects deeper desires for control, privacy, and authentic online experiences. Let’s explore why a return to personal websites might be more than just a nostalgic notion.

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  • Creative Commons in the AI Era: Adapting Open Licensing for Machine-Generated Creativity

    The concept of Creative Commons (CC), a licensing system that enables creators to freely share their work, is evolving as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how creative works are produced, shared, and consumed. Here’s a look at the implications and developments for Creative Commons in an AI-driven landscape:

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  • Should a blog have one purpose, or serve multiple purposes?

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    Should a blog have one purpose, or serve multiple purposes?

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  • Which is better, blocking AI crawling with robots.txt or not?

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    Which is better, blocking AI crawling with robots.txt or not?

    Deciding whether to block AI crawlers with robots.txt depends on several factors, particularly around your content goals, privacy considerations, and the type of content you host. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide which approach might suit your needs better.

    1. Blocking AI Crawling with robots.txt

    Pros:

    • Control Over Content Exposure: Blocking AI bots prevents them from scraping and analyzing your content, helping you retain more control over its use and visibility.
    • Privacy and Security: If your site contains sensitive or proprietary information, blocking AI bots can help mitigate unintended access.
    • Resource Management: If your server bandwidth is limited, reducing bot access can free up resources for actual user traffic rather than being consumed by bot crawls. Cons:
    • Reduced Visibility in AI-generated Answers: Blocking bots like Google Bard or ChatGPT’s web-crawling bots means your content won’t appear in AI-generated search results or answer summaries, potentially reducing organic discovery.
    • No Content Use in AI Products: By blocking AI crawlers, you’re opting out of any potential benefits that might come from AI referencing or using your site as a source in aggregated content.

    2. Allowing AI Crawling

    Pros:

    • Increased Reach and Brand Recognition: Allowing AI to crawl your site can boost its presence in AI-powered search results and question-answering systems. This could potentially drive traffic or recognition if users see or reference your content.
    • Potential for Traffic: Even if AI answers might reduce the need for users to visit your site directly, being included in these answers can still result in some users clicking through for more in-depth content.
    • Stay Competitive: As more platforms incorporate AI into search, sites that are available for crawling may maintain better relevance in these evolving search landscapes. Cons:
    • Loss of Content Control: Allowing AI bots to crawl means you lose control over how your content is used, repurposed, or summarized by AI platforms.
    • No Compensation: Currently, most AI platforms don’t compensate for content use, so you’re contributing to large language models without direct monetary benefits.

    General Considerations

    • Content Type: Sites with highly unique, proprietary, or subscription-based content might be better off blocking crawlers to protect intellectual property.
    • SEO Strategy: If your business relies on visibility and high traffic, allowing AI crawling can be advantageous, especially as search algorithms evolve toward AI-supported experiences.
    • Experimentation: Some sites choose to experiment by allowing crawling temporarily, then monitoring traffic and engagement changes.

    In Summary:
    If you prioritize control, privacy, and safeguarding content, blocking crawlers may be the better choice. However, if your goal is increased reach, visibility, and adaptation to AI-driven search experiences, allowing AI crawlers could be beneficial.