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PostHeaderIcon If you can make other people interested in what you’re writing about,

Eric T.
Internet Duct Tape

“If you can make other people interested in what you’re writing about,
then search engines will follow.”


As described by Eric T, the semi-anonymous Canadian engineer who runs it, Internet Duct Tape is a blog about making technology work for you instead of making you work for technology. Eric also enjoys making things work that were never intended to work. Internet Duct Tape (sometimes referred to as IDT) is part philisophy, part how-to, and all about sharing knowledge and helping other people. It has www.internetducttape.com made the Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited list more than once, and has been linked to every major blog and technical website—including Download Squad, Digg, Slashdot, Fark, del.icio.us, and so on. At its peak in February 2007, Internet Duct Tape was getting more than 120,000 page views per month. Things have slacked off since Eric T. demoted blogging from his primary activity to the status of a secondary hobby. But it’s still visited by thousands daily.

If People Are Interested, Search Engines Will Follow In addition to blogging, Eric T. connects with other Internet users through a variety of free software tools for bloggers, presented under the aegis of IDT Labs. His applications (many of them designed for Firefox) include tools to use with Flickr, del.icio.us, Digg, Facebook, Google Reader, Technorati, and WordPress (his blog’s platform). All are available for download.

Much of Internet Duct Tape’s success seems rooted in simplicity. In Eric T.’s approach to blogging, there are no complex rules to follow, no mantras to chant, and no search engines to optimize. Instead, he emphasizes helping people, learning, and staying focused. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Know what you want from blogging when you start, and focus on that aspect.
  • Pick one thing you know how to do well, and do it.
  • The best way to learn about a subject is to share what you learn as you learn it.
  • If you have a problem, consider making it a blog post.
  • If your readers have the opportunity to get to know you, they will comment more.
  • If what you write interests other people, search engines will naturally follow, leading more people to you.
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