..............
The Best Blog Platforms and How to Use Them Successfully
By Adam Bauthues in Blogs & Podcasts
Blog marketing is a wonderful way to connect with your audience, to provide valuable and useful information to prospects and customers, to sell your products and services, and to drive traffic to your website. However, before you begin to blog or even start to set one up, you
have one very important decision to make. Which blogging platform will you use? Here are a few tips on how to use blog platforms successfully.
The Big Three and Beyond
A blog platform is essentially a product which a blog or website is based on. In many cases they’re the service you use to host and publish your blog. In the blogging world, there are three big players with a host of smaller platforms. The big three are:
* Blogger, now owned by Google
* Typepad
* WordPress
There is also MoveableType.org, which is an open source publishing platform. Another is Joomla, which offers blogging capabilities but is considered more of a website platform than a blogging platform. There are many other website hosts which offer blogging functions; however, they’re not traditional platforms.
When you choose a blogging platform, you’re looking for a few key ingredients. You’re looking for:
* Ease of use - If you have to jump through hoops and read a 1000 page manual to get a blog up and running, you’re not going to want to do it. Intuitive interfaces and easy to find information are essential.
* Functionality - It needs to be user friendly for your customers and prospects, and that means easy to navigate and easy to use.
* Features - You want your blog to be able to do what you want and need it to do, including sell products and services, host contests, take feedback and so on.
* Price – Always a consideration.
* Customization - You want to be able to make your blog look and feel exactly like you want it to without a ton of work, time and money.
* Reputation - You want a platform that’s going to be around for years and years to come so you don’t have to switch your blog to a different platform.
Before you choose a blogging platform you’ll want to spend some time determining what you want your blog to accomplish. If for example you want to optimize your blog for the first page of the search engines, you’re going to want a blog that is easy to optimize and maybe has search engine optimization plug-ins. This means making a list of your requirements before you even begin comparing blogging platforms.
Another important thing to consider is where your blog is going to be hosted. TypePad and Blogger are both hosted blogs, meaning your URL will be http://www.yournamehere.typepad.com/.
The same is true for Blogger. WordPress gives you the option. You can host your blog on WordPress or redirect it to another host so your URL is whatever you want it to be.
Read everything about your blogging platform before you go through the work to customize it and set it up. Some hosted blogging platforms do not allow advertising, for example, and if that’s something you want to do, then you’ll need to consider those restrictions before you
sign on.
The good news is that blogging is free and unless you hire a professional designer to customize it then your start-up expenses are nominal. (There’s a $10 fee to redirect a WordPress blog to another host.) Choosing your blogging platform just takes a little time and research.
Happy blogging!
Article by Adam Bauthues. And now I would like to give you free instant access to a secret blogging video, that shows where I do all of my blogging and why. Visit: http://projectmarketer.com/empower.php today, or come by my Blog to see it in action at: http://www.EmpowerNetwork.com/kadmon.Just How Far Does the CDA Go in Protecting Blog Site Operators from Defamatory Posts?
By Chip Cooper in Blogs & Podcasts
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) shields operators of “interactive computer services” from liability for defamatory posts by visitors. The big question is how far does this protection go – what are its limits?
A recent ruling by a divided New York Court of Appeals provides insight into the answer. If you operate a blog site, take heed.
Section 230 And Blog Site Liability For Defamatory Posts
Defamation is an intentional false communication, made either orally or in writing, published to a third party, which injures another person or company’s good name or reputation.
Prior to the enactment of the CDA in 1996, courts routinely held online providers liable for defamatory statements posted by their visitors. Liability was based on a theory that viewed the online provider which provided the medium for the defamatory statements to be essentially the same as a publisher or speaker of the defamatory statement.
Congress came to the rescue in the form of Section 230 of the CDA which provides: “No provider or user of any interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” 47 USCA Sec. 230(c). This means 2 things for blog site operators:
* a blog site operator will be shielded from liability for defamatory posts by others (i.e. “another information content provider”); however,
* if the blog site operator makes the defamatory post himself or herself, then the blog site operator will be not be shielded from liability.
New York Court of Appeals Decision
The New York Court of Appeals case generally followed the typical fact pattern of a CDA Section 230 case. The defendant hosts an online forum, and an anonymous user posts statements that are presumably defamatory. Specifically, the post alleged that the plaintiff was a racist, was anti-Semitic, and that he abused his employees. If these were the only facts, Section 230 would clearly shield the forum host from liability.
However, additional facts caused the case to be a close one; specifically:
* the plaintiff is an executive of a real estate company, and the online forum defendant is a direct competitor of the plaintiff, and
* the defendant forum administrator re-posted the statements as a stand-alone post together with a new heading and some additional comments.
The plaintiff argued that the Section 230 shield from liability should not apply because the defendant forum administrator should be liable as if he had made the alleged defamatory statements himself. In support of this allegation, the plaintiff argued that the defendant’s website encouraged visitors to post derogatory comments. In addition, the plaintiff argued that the re-posting by the forum administrator amounted to unprotected statements by the forum administrator himself.
The court ruled in favor of the defendant forum administrator, finding that Section 230 provided the liability shield, despite the additional facts. However, a strong dissent authored by the Chief Judge indicated just how close this case was.
Conclusion
Blog site operators should take comfort that CDA Section 230 provides a shield from liability for defamatory statements made by visitors.
The New York Court of Appeals case was a very close one that easily could have gone the other way in another jurisdiction, given the additional facts. For this reason, to avoid liability blog site operators should refrain from any activity that could be argued as indicating they made the statements themselves, including encouraging derogatory comments and reposting comments by visitors.
This article is provided for educational and informative purposes only. This information does not constitute legal advice, and should not be construed as such.
eading SaaS Attorney Chip Cooper has automated the process of drafting Website Legal Documents with his intelligent Essential Website Compliance Generator. Discover how quick, easy, and cost-effective it is to draft your website legal documents at http://www.digicontracts.com/whichdocs/.Ten Steps to Building a Loyal Readership – A SPN Exclusive Article
By Dan Stokes in Blogs & Podcasts
Starting a blog from scratch can be intimidating. There are a countless number of established blogs on the web, and you must differentiate yourself to compete. These ten steps can help guide you on your way to penetrating the elite fraternity of professional bloggers, and building a loyal readership.
1. Have a Plan
One of my favorite quotes comes from Lewis Carrol and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by way of the Cheshire Cat – “If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you expect to get there?”
Decide early on what the specific goals of your blog might be. If you don’t outline your goals, you will risk writing meandering content that will lack focus. Write a detailed business plan and content schedule to avoid getting too far off track. Compiling a list of article topics early on can help you avoid the dilemma of writers block every blogger experiences.
2. Be Yourself
Whatever you do, don’t try to be something you’re not. This can be one of the most difficult obstacles for newbies to overcome when launching a blog. After all, you probably decided to go out on your own after reading other blogs and websites. Everyone is influenced to some degree, but to truly be successful, you must find a way to stand out from the pack. Take a break from reading your competitors’ material for a few days before launching to avoid the temptation to imitate and to crystallize your blog concept.
3. Be Unique
Quite often, aspiring bloggers make the decision to begin publishing content because they have a unique opinion and a voice that is unheard. This is the way it’s supposed to be, and Google rewards the concept through high search rankings. Bloggers whose only goal is to make money often write uninspiring content, and find themselves banging their collective heads against the wall to improve their SERPs. Research other blogs in your niche to see what is being talked about, and more importantly, what is not.
4. Show Your Personality
I know many bloggers who are funny, entertaining, and interesting, but don’t let their true colors show in their posts. Think about your audience only so far as determining your voice. Speak from the heart and don’t worry about what people think.
5. Write With a Purpose
Another mistake many bloggers make is to get trapped into the idea that they must post content every single day. If you don’t have anything to say, don’t say it. You never know when a potentially loyal reader will stumble across your content. It is always beneficial to have your best content front and center when new users visit your site. Furthermore, if you post entries that are hollow, or appear to be forced, you risk turning off the users who followed you for your unique perspective.
6. Interact With Your Audience
User generated content is the best kind of content. It’s easy, free, and hands-off. However, it’s not always easy to sit back and let readers write your content for you. In the early stages of blogging, it’s important to respond to every single comment, even if it’s simply to agree with the commenter’s sentiments. Users are more likely to join an existing conversation than to kick one off by logging the first comment.
7. Link to Quality Content
Don’t be afraid to share interesting content from other blogs. A common mistake bloggers make is to be overly stingy with external linking. It’s easy to read a Page Rank 101 guide that admonishes sharing link juice, but you may find that linking to interesting content improves your ranking. Linking to great content adds value to your users and should add value to your blog. Additionally, webmasters might notice incoming links to their sites and decide to link back to you.
8. Write Conversationally
Your written word should sound as if it were flowing from your tongue. Avoid the temptation to break out a thesaurus to use flowery language. Readers can spot unnatural language from a mile away, and if they feel it isn’t genuine, you may lose credibility. Rather, you should use your unique voice and perspective to your advantage.
9. Detail Your Credibility
Chances are you have chosen to blog about something you know a thing or two about. Be sure your readers know this. Tell them why you are writing about your subject matter and don’t be shy when it comes to your qualifications. Readers want to read blogs written by experts, so let them know why they should listen to you. Create an “about” page that serves as a virtual resume listing your relative experience and accomplishments.
10. Utilize Social Media
Add social media links to your site to show new readers that they’re not alone. Facebook likes, fans, and Twitter followers serve as testimonials from like-minded readers on the web. If you are just starting out, ask your friends and existing social network to share and endorse your content. Users are more likely to share content that has already been shared.
Dan is a search engine optimization expert and marketing consultant. In his free time he blogs about baseball and various other topics.10 Tactics for Being a Powerful Guest Blogger
By Terri Seymour in Blogs & Podcasts
We’ve all heard the phrase “content is king” but this isn’t always true. First of all, the content has to be quality, well-written content and you also have to know what to do with the content to make it king. Years ago writing articles and submitting them to article directories and ezines was the best way to promote with content but things have changed.
Today, with blogs being so popular and powerful, the best way to use content is to provide guest posts for bloggers. Below are ten tips to help you become a successful guest poster.
1. Quality Content – Be sure to write an effective guest post. The content has to benefit the visitors of the blog where you will be posted. Don’t try to pass off a badly written, self-promoting sales letter as quality content. All this will do is ruin your reputation. Write something to make people think or provide really helpful information. That type of content will really help the readers and give them a reason to check out you and your site/blog. So, you, the readers and the blog owner will all benefit.
2. Form Partnerships – Work with the blog owner. Let him know that if he uses your guest post you will work very hard to promote your post so as to bring the blog more traffic helping you both. Take time to discuss with the blog owner what his readers are looking for and what interests them.
3. SEO – Take the time to do some search engine optimization on your post. Don’t just leave it to the blog owner. Optimize your post with relevant keywords in the title and body. If your post does well with Google you could continue to receive traffic, and sales for a long time to come.
4. Use Images – Enhance your post with images such as graphs, tables, or any image that will bring depth and more strength to your content. This will grab more attention from the reader thus increasing the chances for your post to be read and your links to be visited.
5. Original Content – Most blog owners will probably request original content that has not been submitted or published anywhere else on the net. Be sure to follow the owner’s guidelines. Don’t try to sneak in an article you have posted elsewhere because the owner will probably check.
6. Proper Format – Discuss with the blog owner which format they would like your post to be. Some blog owners will prefer the post to be written in specific font, size, etc. If you can provide the specifications they need, it will save them a lot of time and work.
7. Respond to Comments - Watch for comments on your post and when they do come in be sure to respond to them properly. Encourage interaction on your post to increase popularity and bring the blog owner more traffic which, in turn brings you more traffic.
8. Don’t Just Be a Poster – Be sure to read and research the blog for which you will be posting. Know what type of posts the owner looks for and what type get the most reaction from the readers. You want your post to get a lot of attention and interaction as well. Link to other posts in the blog that might be pertinent to your post. This will help with SEO as well as show the blog owner that you have taken the time to read his blog.
9. Look for Something Unique – When you take the time to read the blog you can find topics that might not yet have been tackled on that blog and you can offer a wider scope of information for the blog owner’s readers. This will show the blog owner that you can fill a void in his blog that has yet to be filled.
10. Show Some Personality – Don’t make your content just a bunch of facts and statistics. Put thought into it and add depth and meaning. Use your experience and knowledge to add layers of interest. By adding a little of your personality to your content, you are providing something that no one else has on the blog.
Becoming a successful guest blogger might take some time and work, but it will be worth it for the blog owners and for you and your business. Blogs are the now of marketing and being able to get your content on a good number of quality blogs should increase your traffic and sales dramatically!
Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.comPress Preferences – Blogging Software Explained
By Enzo F. Cesario in Blogs & Podcasts
One of the biggest advantages that the web offers is the relative ease of developing tools catering to the needs of a particular user set. For every ten people who want to perform a specific task, there will be ten ways for them to do it because each will have ten different needs to address. Blogging software is an excellent example of this phenomenon as there have been numerous blogging programs that have arisen since the advent of Livejournal in the late 1990s.
Understanding a few of the more common blog software programs can help any blogger make an informed choice about their particular needs and get their message out in the most efficient way.
Livejournal
Livejournal is the earliest, albeit not the simplest, of the blog creation programs introduced. It began as an early form of social media networking software; the emphasis was on friends sharing their journals online with one another. As such, it has a multitude of features aimed at creating a mutually-supporting network of watchers and friends.
There are groups that can be joined and monitored for content relating to the blog’s interest, which is a key tool in generating involved commentary. Similarly, it is easy to subscribe to specific blogs and monitor them on the “friends” list for the same kind of content. The Livejournal software also is used by a number of blogs, such as Deadjournal and Insanejournal, and was used by Greatestjournal before GJ went under. Thus, a great many people already are familiar with its functionality and there is a large user base to tap into.
On the other hand, it isn’t the simplest system to figure out, with some friends functionality buried under several layers of interface. Additionally, it suffers from a certain juvenile reputation, being firmly associated with high school students in many minds. The audience is still big, but it has its limits.
Blogger
Blogger is one of the most commonly used blogging programs out there. It has the advantage of being very simple and more or less omnipresent. It’s become so common to use that the .blogspot portion of a url has become inextricably associated with blogs of all types, be they serious or more casual in nature.
The simplicity of Blogger is its strongest advantage. It doesn’t bury the user in options, making the process of setting up and getting a blog moving very easy. Blogs can be tagged and disseminated on short notice, and there are a number of templates available to customize a blog’s appearance.
On the other hand, the simplicity of the interface is a slightly shallow concept. Blogs can be tagged, but they can’t be categorized within the blog itself. This makes organizing a Blogger blog a bit difficult. Going further, templates cannot be edited easily — doing so requires CSS and HTML knowledge. Any business hiring a blog writer to use the Blogger software will need to stipulate that CSS and HTML editing knowledge are a must as well.
WordPress
WordPress is growing in popularity as a blog platform because it offers a compromise between simple but limited options like Blogger and the more robust yet incredibly complicated options such as Movable Type. WordPress is essentially a word processor built into a publishing package.
A whole slate of editing options are available for writing the blog itself, such as font and formatting adjustments, and the option to edit in visual style or to go right to the HTML if the blog writer is comfortable with that. There are options to make a quick post with very little adjustment as well as options to make a more complex offering with jumpcuts, embedded video and elaborate pictures. Also, the templates can be adjusted without knowledge of HTML, allowing for much more customization.
Moveable Type
This is an unusual entry into the software. It is very well known and incredibly powerful for people who know what they’re doing. However, it is also notoriously difficult to install properly and even harder to use to its full effect. MT offers many options for customization, but then so does being able to program in computer languages such as HTML and C++. This is an option not for the beginner, but for someone already experienced with blogging and computer language in general who wants full control of every aspect of his or her blogging experience.
Self Made
This is a bit of a trick in that it isn’t explicitly a blogging software program. Instead, some users do elect to simply make posts directly onto their front page using the basic text software of their site. This has a certain simplicity to it, minimizing the need for complicated installs. However, it also has an unfinished look about it, and severely limits the options of what can be accomplished, and as such is an option more to be avoided than embraced.
As a final note, it is fairly easy to get a hold of these blogging programs. Before committing to any one of them, a user should create a “dummy” account for each and try a few sample posts to see how they like working with the software. This will make the entire process a bit more complicated up front, but will ensure that the company gets the tool it most needs.
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the “voice” of our client’s brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/.Four Types of Blogs and How To Use Them
By Enzo F. Cesario in Blogs & Podcasts
Blogging clearly has arrived and is here to stay, according to the buzzword-slinging set. It’s the “next big thing” or the “wave of the future” – even a “revolution.” Still, most of the people commenting on the blogging trend aren’t sure exactly what it is, how it works or even what the different kinds of blogs are. Blogging already has taken a myriad of forms. Born when dial-up was still the standard, it came of age during the rise of broadband and now its text-based roots are giving way to podcasts and video blogging. To that end, here are a handful of blogging types and what sets them apart from the others.
Type 1 – Classic/Personal
This most basic blog type harkens back to the earliest days of Livejournal. These blogs serve as simple, personal accounts of thoughts and experiences. They’re records of the user’s life, things that interest him or appeal to her. They can record personal journeys both physical and mental, as in the case of blogging an exciting road trip or a reader’s attempt to get through the entire canon of a particular author.
Brand It: The real value of personal blogs is twofold. In our increasingly online culture, people have expressed feelings of isolation and disconnect from society. Thus, the thirst for personal information and details is growing. People want to hear personal stories from folks they are interested in, and these blogs give them a window into the humanity of others. Secondly, personal blogs that persist more than a year or two grow over time, maturing with the author. They change focus and grow more refined as time goes on, allowing the readers to have a sense of growing along with the subject of their reading. Thus, personal blogs can serve to help an established or even a growing brand make a personal connection right with its audience.
Type 2 – The Watchblog
It has been mentioned before, but blogging has some of the greatest potential to undermine corruption and totalitarianism ever seen. During the recent elections in Iran, bloggers brought out stories of abuse and corruption. Bloggers and their quick dissemination of information have exposed stories of police brutality, corporate misconduct and government gaffes overnight. There are entire blogs dedicated to exactly this kind of effort, carrying nothing but stories that expose the indefensible actions of those who cannot abide in a lawful society.
Brand It: The real power of this kind of blog in brand building is in the building up of public trust. Trust is fundamental to all business and branding. If there’s no trust in a brand, people simply won’t buy. Thus, people who expose breaches of this trust gain a certain level of credibility themselves. Similarly, this kind of blog can promote good conduct as well as expose bad conduct, creating a web of trusted providers that becomes mutually validating and prosperous.
Type 3 – Satire and Snark
Laughter is all-powerful. If a man argues with his opponent, he grants that opponent a certain level of respect; obviously the two viewpoints must be equal, or at least commensurate, or there would be no argument. However, if a man can get people to laugh at his opponent, then there need be no argument… ridicule does the work for him. Such is the power of a satirical blog. Whether done through biting and clever writing, simple sarcastic commentary or just posting ridiculous videos of politicians who betray their own ignorance, this kind of blog allows people to laugh at the matters presented and bring out a message by implication rather than overt pounding.
Brand It: One of the most powerful tools available in the world of blogging is the ability to laugh at oneself. People who have a sense of humor about their own failings are often conversely taken quite seriously. Point out a foible or two that popped up in recent meetings. Discuss hilarious absurdities in your industry. Take a famous mistake your advertising department made and have a laugh at it. Harness peoples’ desire to laugh, and you will genuinely have an audience worth keeping.
Type 4 – Interviewing
This is where blogging best shows its roots in classic journalism. An interview with an authority on some subject lends credibility to an article, and builds trust in the publication. As said above, people want to hear what others are thinking; they want that connection with the world around them. Having a more human element, interviews can provide this connection if handled well.
Brand it: The trick with interview-oriented blogs is to keep the material interesting for your audience. If a blog focusing on fashionable apparel were to interview an engineer on the scientific stresses that go into clothing fibers and manufacturing, most of the audience would probably fall asleep. On the other hand, if that same engineer were to explain in simple terms that the use of one fiber allows for thinner thread and thus smaller seams, and show the difference in two fashion photo spreads, that might interest the target audience more.
A Last Thought – It was touched on only briefly, but always remember that the blog is driven by audience expectations as much as by the focus of the brand itself. The brand exists in the mind of the audience or it doesn’t exist, so the blog must reflect that in tone and content. It’s also advisable to pick a type or even mix among the types in order to best capture these expectations, rather than choosing a type based solely on the projections of the brand.
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the “voice” of our client’s brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/Blog Management – Go Blog Wild
By Enzo F. Cesario in Blogs & Podcasts
Maintaining a blog is about much more than simply presenting the latest news in the life of a person or a brand. A good blog is about conveying the writer’s personality and interests to his audience. To that end, the comments section should be one of the liveliest parts of a blog. In addition, there should be an array of links available to promote similar or interesting sites for the readers, and the content should be on-topic and creative.
One of the most interesting things about the web is the ease with which people can organize events. Flash mobs are a great example of this: A quick handful of tweets or SMS messages, and kids show up at a public school to perform an elaborate dance routine in protest against bullying. Blogging can take advantage of this same phenomenon, using the web to advocate causes or interests that appeal to their readers, increasing readership by making waves in the online pool.
Blog-a-Thon
The original signature blogging event, and likely the one that did the most work in bringing blogging to the mainstream that it now enjoys, Blog-a-Thon is an annual, 24-hour event. Bloggers sign up, then write posts continuously for 24 hours in order to raise money for charity. Rules vary, such as writing a post per hour, or having to write a guest post on another blog every third hour. Donation schemes also vary, with some readers contributing set amounts and others paying per post.
Above all, this is a charity event. But at the heart of it, Blog-a-Thon is also a significant publicity tool. People used to coming by a blog just a few times a week can check in constantly with their favorite blogger. It’s a creative challenge for the writer, as well, both physically and mentally. It can do wonderful things for a blogger’s career, allowing them to exercise their mind in unique ways and open up a kind of pressure valve that overwhelms writer’s block in a wave of pure content.
Blog-a-Thon took a hiatus in 2010, but is slated to return this summer.
Blogging Circles
A blogging circle is very similar to a writing circle. A handful of bloggers, typically at least 5 but potentially many more, get together and agree to write on a particular topic. One begins the chain, putting together the initial post on the topic, and “tags” the next blogger at the end of the post. They pick up the chain and run with it, and it goes on and on as the thought evolves.
This is a great way to develop some cross-audience interest between blogs, encouraging the readers of various blogs to look into new places and grow the audiences of each. That’s one of the interesting things about blog audiences — they aren’t like political party members, only able to help one entity. If the same 500 people read 4 blogs, each of those blogs has an audience of 500. So share those readers, and try out a blogging circle.
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month is an interesting event. For 30 days in November, participants are expected to write continuously, about 1,700 words a day, until 50,000 words are reached. Depending on the focus of your blog, taking advantage of NaNo can be an interesting change of pace for your audience. It is particularly popular among creatively minded blogs, though brands focusing on activism of some stripe may also find it enlightening to participate as the blogger crafts a story about the topic the readers are interested in.
The idea here is to post either excerpts from or the entire contents of the day’s writing output. This brings the audience along in the formation of the story, very similar to the serial format of novels Charles Dickens was so famous for.
Again, this isn’t for everyone. Nuts and bolts blogs about home repair or market analysis will probably find little overlap with NaNo’s mission.
Inside the Box, Outside the Box — Whatever You Do, Think!
The idea isn’t that all or any of these events is necessarily appropriate to any given blog. Each one has its merits, but our aforementioned market analysis blog may not find any of them particularly useful. However, most blogs will, and even those that don’t can find some manner of event to participate in that can gather the attention and promote new interest from its readers.
The key is to be willing to innovate and try new things. Blogging isn’t a hard-and-fast science; as said above, it’s largely personality-driven. Talk to other bloggers and gain their insights about such events. Consider organizing a miniature blog-off of your own, or try out the writing circle idea every Friday for a month. If someone suggests a different type of event you haven’t heard of, give it a try.
The audiences on the web have a reputation for being unforgiving, but that’s only half the picture. People like routine and will stick around for their favorite sources of information even if they try a few experiments that don’t quite work out. The key is to be honest about things, and to always try to engage your audience with any particular experiment.
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the “voice” of our client’s brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/Blog Writing Tips: Keeping Content Fresh
By Enzo F. Cesario in Blogs & Podcasts
Content may be king, but to torture a metaphor somewhat, even the most brilliant crown can grow tarnished. Generating good content isn’t always an easy thing, and it requires a great deal of effort to avoid getting into rote postings and halfhearted content that isn’t of the quality a blog and its audience deserve.
A lot already has been written about the common mistakes bloggers can make. Text walls, keyword cipher content, bland posts on stuff that’s been covered before — these things are not good. But simply pointing out what not to do isn’t very helpful. After all, anyone can “not do” certain things. But as any fiction writer worth the name will say, listing and focusing on all the things one isn’t going to do results in one not doing anything at all. There has to be a positive focus and some manner of a goal. To that end, what are some of the things bloggers can do to keep their content fresh and interesting?
Step 1 — Alternate Angles
Keeping content interesting doesn’t necessarily always involve doing something completely and utterly unrelated. It can, instead, involve taking a new approach to the tried-and-true material at hand, and coming at it from a new direction that brings together previous posts in a different way.
For example, consider a blog focused on consumer advocacy and customers’ rights. The main focus of the blog could be on specific instances of consumer abuse, such as dangerous products or other examples of corporate irresponsibility. This is an example of a highly-specialized blog with a narrow intent.
However, posting all the time about corporate abuses might get disheartening — both to the writer and the reader — so the blogger should try introducing a post series on corporate hijinks that are more hilarious than harmful. A practical example of this is the Cake Wrecks blog; while the main content is specifically focused on truly terrible cake designs, the blog also features a “Sunday Sweets” post series focusing on cakes done particularly well.
Step 2 — Fresh Faces
There is a lot of debate in the blogging community about the value of guest posters. Without going into all the assorted arguments, the fact is that if a blogger trusts someone enough to let them submit a post for publication, it can be a valuable tool for a number of reasons.
Guest posters offer several opportunities for the experienced blogger. They can establish networking options between the audiences of the respective writers, particularly if drawn between blogs. If drawn from the comments section, they can give the blog audience something to aspire to and more reason to become active with the blog. In the special event that a blogger can get a big name in the field to write a post, the credibility and prestige of the blog generally benefits as well.
Step 3 — Cause Crusades
Many of the more successful blogs touch on some manner of major social issues. Consumer advocacy, personal rights, political freedoms — each of these topics is the subject of major discourse in the world at large. Many people in a blogger’s audience probably want to do something to help out with a cause, but they aren’t sure how. They might not know how to check out a nonprofit’s credentials the way a savvy fundraising blogger might, or might not know specific organizations related to their personal cause of choice.
Blogs are a great force in the field of micro-transaction fundraising. If a blog has even 5,000 followers and can convince them to donate 50 cents apiece on average, that translates to $2,500 in real dollars raised. That money can pay for quite a few things, be it advertising space, medical procedures or even a research grant for a small lab doing vital inquiry. As an example, consider the success of Penny Arcade, which leveraged its extensive comic and blog audience’s goodwill to create a charity dedicated to giving sick children as many games and reading materials as they could. It’s one of the fastest growing charities in history, and started as “just an idea.”
Step 4 — Evading Ennui
Sometimes there isn’t any way to get around the fact that a specific topic is played out. Be it the activities of a certain politician, a specific corporate scandal or even a general topic such as free speech, people eventually get tired of writing and reading the same material. Sometimes no new news stories come up, or there isn’t any fresh information to cover.
In such cases, it’s perfectly acceptable to switch topics. Perhaps the topic change need not be exceptionally drastic. Consider the earlier example of a consumer advocacy blog. Perhaps there simply are no new or funny stories to cover that won’t seem boring or rehashed. This might be the time to discuss the theory of the blog, the “why” angle behind the matter. Our blogger could write a post explaining his or her personal experiences with corporate indifference, or discuss the good that consumer advocacy has done for people in the past.
Other times, the change could be as drastic as can be. Maybe a blogger just enjoys a particular band or bit of music, and writes an entirely personal post sharing the music and how they came to love it. The readers get a personal connection, and the blogger can let his mind work on the big problems again.
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the “voice” of our client’s brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/Blog Writing Tips – Where to Find Great Guest Posters
By Enzo F. Cesario in Blogs & Podcasts
One of the best ways to keep a fresh angle in blogging is the guest blogger. They can provide good content, take some of the work load off the primary blogger and can bring new perspectives and ideas that the parent blogger can follow up on in later posts as he or she sees fit. Guest blogging also promotes inter-community relations, resulting in shared links and audiences, and can bring together previously unrelated audiences who find they share interests. It may not be for everyone, but those who embrace guest posting have a lot going for them.
So where, exactly, does one find these mysterious guest posters?
Guest #1 — The Ascended Commenter
An active and successful blog should have an equally active comments section. Comments are a great way to gauge the level of interest a group has in the message of a blog. Sometimes a blog post will spawn a series of comments that end up being as or even more enriching than the blog itself, including links to other sites and videos that further expand on the message.
Some commenters are active, regular members of the community and consistently provide very good and insightful material on a number of topics. Those who participate in all the best discussions and are always there to provide discussion on the topics raised are a prime source for good guest-posting material.
If you have such a gem of a commenter, contact them and ask them if they’d be interested in writing up a guest post. Give them all the guidelines and style rules your publication uses, and of course draft-check their work to make sure it fits the needs of the site, but definitely recruit your commenters into your service. This will have the two-fold effect of creating guest posts and improving the quality of commentary in the blog as a whole. As guests see they can be invited to post, they will be encouraged to become more active if they want to do the same.
Guest # 2 — Fellow Bloggers
Many blogs provide cross-links to other blogs who discuss the same or similar issues. Blogs on cooking provide links to other blogs on cooking, or to blogs on cookware and appliances, and so on. Bloggers exercising good blogging judgment also go to their colleagues’ blogs and participate in the comments sections as well.
Just like inviting in a member of the commentary team, calling in a fellow blogger is a great idea. As mentioned, it encourages cross-promotion of both blogs. Even though the audiences of the publications may not overlap 100 percent, each will at least see some benefit as visitors from the other blog come by to have a look. At least some will subscribe, and that’s a big overall goal.
One of the best ways to arrange this is to propose a swap. Both bloggers trade posts for a day, so that both can get the benefit of the exchange. Additionally, try to focus on bloggers with a similar but slightly different focus. The idea is to get new information out there, after all.
Guest #3 — The Celebrity
People like big names; there’s really no getting around it and no shame in it. Experts are good at what they do, and good at it for a reason. If our aforementioned cooking blog is able to get an authority figure with a big name in the community to post, they really should take advantage of the opportunity.
Celebrities are often hard to get a hold of, but not impossible. They are people, too, and they often have interests that they like to follow. Sometimes it requires contacting their agent or handler, but it can be rewarding to a blog to have a star pop on and offer some advice on the topic at hand.
On the other hand, such a post should stick firmly to the message at hand. Making it a chance for the celeb to simply promote his new cause or book might distract from the goal of the blog, and nobody wants that.
Guest #4 — A Polite Opponent
There is a benefit in bringing aboard someone whose views differ from those of the core audience for the blog. The most important mode of discussion for the web today is dialog. People want to talk, they want to learn and be heard. Unfortunately, the largest mode of dialog is argument and flaming, and very little gets accomplished in this circumstance.
On the other hand, if a blog has taken a principled and reasonable stand on a topic, chances are they have an open-minded yet critical commenter or “rival” whose views differ from their own. This is common in philosophy-and politics-oriented publications.
In these cases, consider contacting a rival and asking for an exchange of views. This may seem a bit odd, but it really can make all the difference. It will show both parties that the other side is willing to talk and reason about things. It will give both audiences a sense of pride in their chosen blogger. It will create a greater dialog and benefit the web as a whole and, if handled properly, it will almost always be a hit and generate a great deal of discussion. Take the risk and see if a civil exchange of conflicting ideas is right for your blog.
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the “voice” of our client’s brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at www.iBrandCasting.com/Blog Writing – The Biggest Mistake
By Brian Stephens in Blogs & Podcasts
Good blog writing is an art. It requires attention to detail, good grammar, good punctuation, correct spelling and great content. So what is the single biggest mistake a blogger can make when writing a blog post that is supposed to be optimized for search engines?
Basically, it is to sacrifice any of these requirements in order to use what they think are high paying, low competition and high inquiry keywords or keyword phrases that simply do not fit into the content of their post under the misconception that they believe this is a good website search optimization strategy.
Examples are deliberate misspellings, phrases that are questions and cannot be contextualized as answers, abbreviated phrases and so on.
The flaw in focusing on keywords of this type rather than content is that the search engine operators actually look for and value good content i.e. the content that flows nicely, has correct spelling, good punctuation etc. etc.
They do not value nonsensical paragraphs that are clearly written to attract search engine attention rather than to meet the requirements of visitors to the website that have arrived there for a specific purpose and that is to find great content and information on their topic of choice.
You only have to think about what happens when someone arrives on your website and either cannot make sense of what you have written or, equally as important, cannot find the information they are looking for. They simply leave again and go and look for a different website or blog that does provide the information they want in a format they enjoy and in a place they can find it.
The technical term for what I am discussing is the bounce rate, the time a visitor spends on your website and how many pages they visit. If they only look at the first page or leave almost as soon as they arrive then you will register a high bounce rate. 100% basically says that they have not found what they came for and left immediately. A more acceptable level is 50%, but should be lower if possible, and that should be the minimum target any webmaster or blogger aspires to achieve.
Writing your blogs or websites with the objective of providing useful information that is well written and with appropriate keywords that describe the actual content of your site will result in far better search engine optimization than selecting keywords that are inappropriate or cannot be converted into sensible paragraphs of written text that can be understood and enjoyed by your visitors.
If you do your keyword research thoroughly and with this view in mind, there is a high probability that you will find keywords that are high paying, low competition, with sufficient numbers of inquiries and that do fit with your content in a sensible and coherent fashion. The extra effort required to do this will ultimately reward you with the associated benefit of attracting more people who in turn will become loyal visitors that come back to revisit your site and who are likely to recommend it to others.
Remember it can take a very long time to build a loyal fan base for a blog but all the work put into achieving that can be lost in moments by placing rubbish in your blog posts. You need to consider both the human elements and the search engine algorithm elements.
0 comments:
Post a Comment