Here I am, a small-time blogger on a relatively small-time blog.  I support the little guy rising up and offering good information to the world via internet, and I believe that the little guy is underrated.  Even through all that, nobody does sports blogging better than ESPN.com.

Look at this pic of the front page of ESPN and notice all the clearly laid-out options:

As a sports fan, I look everywhere on line for the hottest beat in most every sport.  ESPN has all the latest scoops on all sports.  As we are building sports websites, realize that ESPN has done it right and there is a reason they are the number Google link to sports.

For each major social networking site, I like to go through the login process as if I am totally computer illiterate.  I look for computer lingo that I would not understand, suspicious or unnecessary question, too long of info forms, etc.  Basically, I register for sites as if I was my 55 year old father.

While Kiva and Twitter left a good bit to be desired in the explanation of the sites and the registration page, DIGG WAS ON IT!

A registration form that only took 70 seconds total, easy to read font, explanations of why each necessary piece of info was actually necessary = simple.  The registration actually led me to TRUST Digg as opposed to the usual experience of being annoyed or frustrated.

Digg has separated itself somehow from either sites of its kind, and the unique user-friendly nature of the registration might be an integral piece of their success.

I received an email today that I have been selected as a sample for Grove City College’s contribution to the US Census.  Perhaps it is indeed the Grove City College in me, but that email made my stomach turn.  Perhaps I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist, but I do not like the government finding me, asking personal questions other than “Do you exist?” or “How many of you are there?”.  I do not mind answering those questions, but that’s all the farther I want to go.

Here is a video which was passed to me about our Constitutional rights against some of the personal questions the Census is asking now.  If it was not for YouTube, I would never have known some of these truths, and I could be passing out information that I never needed to!

As an entrepreneurship major, I had heard about Kiva prior to my recent investigation, but I thought the best way to understand the site would be to sign up.  So I did!  I have some friends who actually invest and are on Kiva looking for investments, so I basically understand what the site does and its purpose.

Here’s my issue, even amongst my awareness of the site, I do not really understand how the concept works.  There are multiple “about us” pages on Kiva, but none of them gave me confidence.  There was one complicated page that explained everything — and I could understand that in front of my eyes was an explanation –  but I did not have hours to sift through all the details.  I want Kiva to explain itself simply and efficiently.

I know that a couple hundred dollars is all Kiva is asking for, even less at times.  Regardless, before I invest in anything, significant amount or not, I want to understand what I am doing.  I know a simple and clear about us would be difficult, but that should help Kiva close the deal on potential investors like me!

Sometimes I sheepishly Google my name to see if something cool comes up.  The few times which I have been noted in an article or for sports, they sometimes come up on Google.. and I feel special.

YouTube is a place to belong, and the silly videos or happenings of my life can be posted via Google and YouTube for all the world to see.  Here is a video which features yours truly making a fool of himself:

YouTube is a spot for me online.  In the vast world of all the important people, YouTube, one of the most successful websites ever, has a reserved place for me.  Through the thousands of clips placed on YouTube, I do not feel overwhelmed or intimidated.  They have found a way to be a big corporation while maintaining a personal tact.