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<title>Sphinn / bwelford / Commented News</title>
<link>http://sphinn.com</link>
<description>Sphinn</description>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2008 11:08:31 -0700</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Twitter Beats Second Brain For  Brainstorming]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/49580</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/49580</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2008 11:08:31 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Networking</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/49580</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Twitter can give instant feedback from your followers.  Use it for brainstorming, like a human network version of your subconscious.<br/><br/>42 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[A Very Easy WordPress Tag Cloud Web Page]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/47773</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/47773</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 12:12:49 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Blogging</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/47773</guid>
<description><![CDATA[As social media occupy more of our time, it is important to make our interventions as visible as possible.  Tags keep classification in our hands and complement what search engine computer indexing may do with our blog contents.  With WordPress Version 2.5, using the wp_tag_cloud template tag, a Web Page with the complete tag cloud for any blog is easily created.<br/><br/>18 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[10 Ways to Improve Blog Traffic in 30 Minutes or Less]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/40218</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/40218</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:43:14 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Blogging</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/40218</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Every suggestion in this is well worth considering.  A must-read post on getting more traffic that should give you at least one new thought.<br/><br/>76 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Are Google SERP Ranking Formats Changing?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/39459</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/39459</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:47:27 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/39459</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google may be changing the format of its keyword query search engine report pages (SERPs). Separate items may appear where relevant rather than just a group of two from each domain.<br/><br/>13 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Remove NoFollow From Comment Links With DoFollow In WordPress Blogs]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/38975</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/38975</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 12:45:15 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Blogging</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/38975</guid>
<description><![CDATA[WordPress by default applies a NoFollow tag on all blog post comments.  A recent Cre8asite Forums discussion suggested using the Lucia's Linky Love plugin.  Using both DoFollow and Akismet plugins, it takes more work but valuable comments can get linkjuice.Are you a DoFollow-er or a NoFollow-er?<br/><br/>40 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Human Hardware: Dunbar's Number]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/38793</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/38793</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:05:38 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Networking</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/38793</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A most thought-provoking and well presented article.  This is your must-read piece of the week.  Remember the answer is 150, give or take a bit.<br/><br/>37 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google LinksTen Commandments]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/38713</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/38713</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:58:10 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/38713</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Recently LinkMoses seemed to have a problem listing Best Practices for Link Building that others found satisfying.  His new Q&amp;A blog may cure that.  However Best Practices may be too much of a challenge.  A less demanding task is to define what we should not do when working on links or backlinks.  These 10 Commandments for Google Links lists practices to avoid.  Perhaps with your input we can polish these so that they can be inscribed in tablets of stone that Moses would be proud to carry.<br/><br/>45 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google Blog Post Snippets Are Now Dated For Keyword Searches In The Searcher's Language]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/38169</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/38169</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:30:07 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/38169</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google blog post snippets may start with the date in the searcher's language, however many characters that might require. 138 characters of the Description are then often added to complete the snippet.<br/><br/>37 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Desphunn Comments should be Comments]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/38088</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/38088</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:10:26 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Sphinn Zone</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/38088</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I think there's nothing to lose and everything to gain by making Desphunn Comments just another way of making a regular Comment.  If they're in the normal flow and appear in Latest Comments, then they will encourage discussion, which presumably is the reason for their existence.<br/><br/>54 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google Snippet Rules Re Blogs Change]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/37623</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/37623</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:11:40 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/37623</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google snippets appear below each item in keyword search engine report pages (SERP). Good snippets increase clickthroughs to the Web page. It now appears that for blogs the Description should be less than 138 characters to be used as the snippet.<br/><br/>37 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google Snippets Or Twitter - which is more successful?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/36868</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/36868</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:51:34 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/36868</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Twitter limits its human writers to 140 characters and is a success. Google SERP snippets are 155 characters and are written by computers. The winner is?<br/><br/>23 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[SEO Those Descriptions For More Google Traffic]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/36707</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/36707</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:52:04 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/36707</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google adds short snippets to entries in a keyword query search engine report to help searchers find what they want.  If you apply SEO to the Web page Description, then you can increase the chances that the Description becomes the snippet that Google uses for your Web page entry.  This can bring more visitor traffic.<br/><br/>56 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Blog Tips to Help You Make Money Blogging]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/32830</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/32830</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:55:52 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Blogging</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/32830</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This is a superbly crafted blog post by Andy Beal, as guest author on Problogger.  Very well worth a read.<br/><br/>12 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[How Wordpress Blogs Are Hacked]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/29680</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/29680</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:00:14 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google Searching</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/29680</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hacking WordPress Blogs is lucrative to a hacker as they create hundreds of online pharmaceutical blog posts that rank well and fast in Google searches.<br/><br/>49 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Is De-Sphinn Inherently De-Structive?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/28618</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/28618</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:10:12 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Sphinn Zone</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/28618</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If I may be permitted, I would like for one final time to discuss a somewhat tangential idea.  It comes to mind after seeing the thread that Lyndon has started entitled, Saddle Up Boys and Girls, Sphinn Needs a Posse.  If you work your way down the comments you will see one by Bill Slawski that expresses his dislike of the De-Sphinn process.  I do not often disagree with Bill but on this occasion, I do.  He suggests that rather than having a De-Sphinn button, you should indicate your opposition to a topic by not Sphinning and commenting.  That was similar to Danny Sullivan's earlier advice to sit on your hands if you disagreed only slightly with a topic.  Let me explain why I disagree with that approach.First we should be clear on the nature of Sphinn.  This is not a Forum. This is one of those messy social media.  It's like a turbulent river.  Many people will only have time to see the New or Hot Topics that float along the surface of the river. Few will have the time to jump in and check out the comments that lurk below the surface.  Many will use the number of Sphinns to determine which topics they might explore a little in their frenzied day.  That is really the only quick measure you have to help you choose.In practice Sphinn is a series of bandwagons.  Some gain momentum for whatever reason and many jump on.  Others are lost in the crowd and soon disappear.  Given that there are SEO implications attached to Hot Topics, this bandwagon effect caused some to be concerned.  This eventually has culminated in the appearance of the De-Sphinn Button.  The mechanism is set up to help deflate the scores for bandwagons that do not deserve their visibility.My take on all this is that the process is intended to be an adversarial system.  The presumption is that most spins are well intentioned and we only need a posse because there are a few bad apples that should be stopped in their tracks. (Apologies for the mixed metaphors.)  De-Sphinns are now much more weighty than Sphinns.  Reasons must be given.  It is not easy however to determine how many De-Sphinns any given topic has received. If there are a great number, then they could even bury a Hot Topic.  However only the algorithm will know the number of negative votesIt did not need to be this way.  I personally was pushing for a Ho-Hum Button.  I am not hung up about the actual name.  It could even be called the De-Sphinn Button.  The differences with the present mechanism would be as follows.1. There would be clear visibility of both numbers for any topic: in other words the number of Sphinns and the number of De-Sphinns.2. The two numbers would never be differenced.  The number of Sphinns alone would determine whether topics go Hot.3. A single set of comments would include all those from the De-Sphinners as well.This avoids the adversarial approach.  It's no longer a question of choosing sides.  Honest differences of opinion can be expressedI should make it clear that I'm not expecting these changes to be accepted, since there was long debate before the present system was set up.  However given the Lyndon topic and discussion, I wanted to give it one last whirl.Using the De-Sphinn process as a friendly way of showing differences of opinions is much to be preferred, IMHO.  Does anyone else agree?<br/><br/>7 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[I Twitter Therefore I Am]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/25551</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/25551</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:57:18 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Networking</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/25551</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Twitter is seeing an enormous explosion.  With everyone twittering frequently will the tweat-world eventually drown under the ocean of tweats.  It seemed to happen at MacWorld last week.<br/><br/>37 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Where Do You Shop - MSN, Yahoo or Google?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/20854</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/20854</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:49:12 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google Other</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/20854</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Search engines are widely used by prospects as they shop. Search engines are now behaving more like stores, so suppliers may need to pay the search engine fees to get exposure on their &quot;shelves&quot;. Organic or natural SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is now an even greater challenge than it ever was.<br/><br/>11 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Watch Out! - A Worrying 'hallmark' Card Recieved]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/19948</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/19948</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:50:48 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Other</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/19948</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There may be a new and worrying malware incident via a Hallmark Card message with a spelling mistake.  Be warned!<br/><br/>30 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[URLs - Human-Friendly Or Robot-Friendly?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/18287</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/18287</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:19:04 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google Searching</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/18287</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Seth Godin is recommending human-friendly URLs today. That's the non-WWW version of the URL.  However if you want Google traffic, you may prefer to go with the WWW version.<br/><br/>43 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google BlogSearch Is Broken]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/16015</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/16015</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:26:39 -0800</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google Searching</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/16015</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I used to be one of the strongest proponents for Google Blogsearch. However for some time I have been despairing of its quality. As Lisa Barone said, it's chock full of spam. In addition whatever algorithm it is using does not produce relevant blog posts for the searches I do.<br/><br/>20 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Welcome To GOOGland]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/4421</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/4421</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Sep 2007 09:56:54 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google Other</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/4421</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google's mission is to catalog all information.  Now it will start hosting a large slice of that information that comes from four major news agencies.  How large will GOOGland become in the future?<br/><br/>3 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Should Top Ten Lists Count Up Or Down?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/3542</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/3542</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:22:18 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Water Cooler</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/3542</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If top ten lists offend you, please pass on to the next item.For the serious deca-listers, I have a serious question.  It seems to me that David Letterman created much greater interest  by always counting down with the best entries at the end. Isn't this an important factor to consider on this topic?<br/><br/>3 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[10 Reasons Why RSS Beats Email]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/2779</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/2779</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:16:47 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Other Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/2779</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When I read this, I just had to Sphinn it.  The cause is so important.  I don't like 10 Reasons lists but these are very powerful.  If it had to be condensed to one, it's that Email newsletters and messages now come buried in a mound of spam.  The RSS News Feed tells you that some website you rate highly has just (within the last hour) added something new.  What more could you want?  This is a theme that's certainly worth Sphinning.  Let's do it.<br/><br/>38 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[What is the best Social Media website level of activity?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/2563</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/2563</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:25:37 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Social Media</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/2563</guid>
<description><![CDATA[If a social media website becomes too popular then there's too much activity for anyone to become aware of what's going on.  Only the 'Buzz' items like Johnon's 100 Sphinns or more really get any traction.Of course if the SM website has few visitors, then no one wants to be seen there.  So how do you strike the right balance so that the website has a possibility of surviving for the long term.<br/><br/>5 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sphunn - Best of Three]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/2466</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/2466</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:28:24 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Sphinn Zone</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/2466</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In the current Sphinning contest, Johnon is coming on strong at 47 and Rand is at 75 as I write.  Great idea, Johnon, and I hope you make it to the 100 target you set.  However as someone commented, with only one item it clearly is a flash-in-the-pan.When the re-match takes place, I suggest it should be your top three Sphinns.  I'm currently sitting at a total of 70 with the following three.  Not shabby at all.Now if you haven't Sphunn any of the following, please go do it.  It's always good to be part of a winning team. :)Sphinn DoctorSphinn Buttons Don't Always WorkPronouncing Sphinn: Is It Spin or Sfin?<br/><br/>4 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Telecom CE0s Do Not Get Web 2.0]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/2391</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/2391</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:56:38 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Other Online Marketing</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/2391</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Powerful companies like Telecoms do not have an Internet mindset so they find problems with the new behaviors required with Web 2.0.<br/><br/>3 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Should Google Have Smarter Robots?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/2123</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/2123</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:22:04 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/2123</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Perhaps if the Googlebots segregated the news feed files and the regular web pages in separate databases, we would see less duplicated content issues that push web pages into the Supplemental Index.<br/><br/>5 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Google Supplemental Label Out, PageRank Next?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/1910</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/1910</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:38:07 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Google SEO</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/1910</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google announces it will cease publishing an item that is of questionable utility and causes unnecessary anguish among webmasters.  No not the Toolbar PageRank.  It's the Supplemental Result label.<br/><br/>5 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Sphinn Doctor]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/1742</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/1742</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:50:38 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Usability</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/1742</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sphinn is great for marketing associated with search engines, but it would be good to see more prominence given to other equally important factors such as Usability that determine a website's effectiveness.<br/><br/>19 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Live With Sphinn Live]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/1396</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/1396</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:52:28 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Sphinn Zone</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/1396</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I keep my most frequently visited web pages on my Bookmarks toolbar.  I decided to bookmark Sphinn Live rather than Sphinn.  You'll find it at:http://sphinn.com/liveIf you only have a few seconds to pop in, I can highly recommend this approach.  If anything is really hot, then you'll likely spot it this way.<br/><br/>1 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sphinn Buttons Don't Always Work]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/1083</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/1083</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jul 2007 05:13:25 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Sphinn Zone</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/1083</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I've now tried three times for each of two topics to Sphinn them without success. The Sphinn Button seems to show some action has been taken, yet nothing happens.  There is no trace anywhere else of my action.  I'm using Firefox Windows XP and a very normal set-up.  Am I the only one having this problem?<br/><br/>29 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Pronouncing Sphinn: Is It Spin or Sfin?]]></title>
<link>http://sphinn.com/story/449</link>
<comments>http://sphinn.com/story/449</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:07:43 -0700</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>Sphinn Zone</category>
<guid>http://sphinn.com/story/449</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I see from the About Sphinn that we are supposed to pronounce  it sp-hinn. I suggest it should be pronounced sfinn.<br/><br/>28 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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