Just thinking about how much of a different movie it would have been if it was called "Mr. T and the Women." If nothing else, it would make for a good link on this site.

Everything happens at once! I'm working fervently on the Cameo design (and rebranding) and am also being innundated by hits from MemePool and cherished readers of Harpers magazine (still haven't seen the issue yet. Time for me to scavenge from my neighbor's mail!).

Also working on the promised additions to AOLiza. I'm working on a redesign there too, but I won't let that delay putting up 5 or 10 new conversations this evening.

And of course there's school, grad school applications, and possible job interviews (covering all my bases. It must be Monday!

Okay, not an article, but Harper's did print AOLiza excerpts in the 'readings' section of the November issue. I can't wait 'till it hits the newsstands and I can read a copy for myself! Meanwhile, site traffic is taking a healthy upswing and I again feel compelled to put more into the site.

It stuns me that so many people develop and iterate web sites (not just personal sites, bt multimillion dollar marketing sites) in complete absence of server log data. They don't see the vitality in looking at the logs, relying instead on user testing (server logs are user testing!) or worse, personal intuition.

Your server logs are your map, and driving without them inhibits you from staying on the road. Aggregation log analysis tools like analog wusage and webtrends are great (and Personify really is great, if you can afford it), there isn't really a substitute for getting into your log files and actually watching a user's path through your site. If you do this now and then (using grep to isolate an IP and 'tail -f' to get a running realtime output stream ala the Matrix) you start to get a real feel for the audience on your site. You understand where they go, how long they think beforemaking a decision, what they like, what they don't, and what, in particular, makes them come back.

If you run a site but don't have access to your weblogs, get them. They're the holy grail of your readers, and they'll teach you things you'd never expect about how to make your site better, not just for you, but for the people who matter.

Examples forthcoming...

AmIHOTorNOT is one of the most shallow sites I've seen (both in purpose and in heirarchy). I just can't seem to leave it, though.

Dial 1-800-888-3999 and listen to all menu options.

I love innovative viral marketing concepts. Face it, if not for this feature, you'd probably never heard of National Discount Brokerage, but now you're going to tell your friends.

Ugh. Late last year Fox announced a commitment to wean itself from reality shows, admitting that they're "TV network heroin." Well, with the announcement of a new show, "Who Wants to Divorce a Millionaire," it's clear that battling heroin isn't an easy fight.

Big traffic spike on AOLiza this morning, but none of the people coming in have referrers. Where're you all coming from? Was there a mailing list? Drop me an email, and satisfy my curiosity!

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Added at 9:27: Ooh, weird. Are you coming because you read today's User Friendly and you're checking back to see if things have been updated? Wow... Anyhow, yes, there is an update coming... Check the AOLiza page for details...

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Added at 9:37: Yep. there was a post on UF's message board, but it wasn't an active link, so people were typing it in. That explains it. Thanks guys!

Sorry for being boring the past couple days, but I've had midterms and stress! Usually my stress makes me write to the weblog more often, but not this time. anyhow, as if to kick me in the pants (like Ammy did today), my horoscope for today reads:

"CANCER (June 21-July 22): What was started and then abandoned will again be brought to life. Focus on creativity, willingness to let go of losing proposition. Return to what you do best."

And so, apparently, I'm back. I dropped of Sol at the developer today, and am gearing up for Cameo again. I'll post the basic web galleries this week, and not wait until I get to finish the design. I'll iterate and fold the design in later. I know most of you just care about the pictures!

Thanks for hanging in there!

Tonight Ernie is announcing the winner of SURVIVORblog, the end of a 7 week saga. It's Nicci and me in the final week, though I've got a strong feeling that Nicci's got it all wrapped up, and I'm not just saying that because she's saying that I've got it wrapped up!