March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
A blog is a type of website. It allows the website owner to easily write messages that get posted to the site automatically, often in a journal or diary-like style. A particularly appealing thing about blogs is that your readers can comment back to your posts fairly easily, and a continuous stream of fresh conversations result. (This is a good thing.)
Here are three reasons to consider getting a blog:
1.To Replace Your Ezine
If you currently publish an ezine, you may wish to consider replacing it with a regularly published blog. This means using your blog to publish journal entries, and then when it comes time to communicate with your subscriber list, you excerpt some items from your blog, and send those out as your ezine.
This saves you from creating special articles only for your ezine. In many cases it becomes easier for you to write in blog format (short and sweet) so you save time. Readers enjoy the practical, reporter-like nature of blogs instead of ezines, and gradually come to feel that they are in conversation with you on a daily basis. You become part of their everyday circle of friends and associates, which leads to you becoming their natural resource on the topic of your expertise.
2. To Create a Quick and Dirty Learning Environment or e-Campus
For those of you who offer TeleClasses or other programs that want to have a web page of learning resources, links, class notes and audio, etc., a blog can be a great way to bring together an e-Campus.
If you offer a workshop, coaching/consulting, or even a software solution, and you want to instantly add value to your clients, create a client/student resource page using a blog. This becomes an environment that the students can play in, study more, and soak up your materials. Your clients continue to benefit from your expertise even though you’re not physically there; they do it at their pace, and at little cost to you.
Once again, because blogging makes it easy for you to continually update your website without mucking around with FrontPage or DreamWeaver, you will save time and energy publishing to the Internet.
3.) Just For Fun, And To Be Cool
Let’s face it, a large part of the reason you’re wondering about blogs is because it sounds cool, right? And new stuff is fun. So why not try it just because? Sometimes it’s enough to try something because it stretches you, keeps you limber and awake to possibilities. There’s nothing wrong with playing, UNLESS you fool yourself into thinking your business is improving, or you’re somehow paying the mortgage while you play.
Rest easy, there’s no pressure to get a blog. Not getting one won’t negatively impact your bottom line. So although the technology can be entrancing, stay focused… what are you selling to who? How is it going? That said, do stay curious about new technology. Part of your chosen profession as an online biz owner means modeling for others by staying abreast of new things.
With that in mind, see some fun blogs at the blog search engine: http://www.blogsearchengine.com/
Andrea J. Lee coaches entrepreneurs and online business owners. As Thomas J.Leonard’s General Manager, she helped build and manage the largest network and trainer of personal and business coaches in the world. Now the CEO of Andrea J. Lee Group of Companies, she writes, speaks and consults on Marketing, Internet and Business systems. For more helpful tips, visit www.39lessons.com
Author: Andrea J. Lee
Keywords: web design, marketing technology, thomas j leonard, coaches, business coach
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
ads,
age,
amazon,
ar,
Art,
article,
articles,
auto,
b,
biz,
bl,
blog,
blog for,
blog search,
bloggi,
bloggin,
Blogging,
blogs,
build,
bus,
business,
business coach,
CEO,
client,
clients,
coach,
coaches,
coaching,
computer,
consulting,
creating,
design,
diary,
Earn,
eat,
engine,
entrepreneur,
entrepreneurs,
expert,
ezine,
ezines,
fresh,
from,
general,
help,
history,
how,
hr,
instant,
internet,
journal,
keyword,
keywords,
leads,
learn,
learning,
link,
links,
list,
log,
make,
market,
marketing,
marketing technology,
message,
model,
mortgage,
new,
onli,
online,
online business,
owner,
post,
Posts,
PR,
programs,
publish,
publishing,
read,
readers,
resource,
resources,
RS,
RSS,
save,
search,
search engine,
selling,
sho,
Short,
site,
software,
story,
style,
tag,
tc,
technology,
thomas j leonard,
tip,
tips,
together,
topic,
up,
update,
web,
web design,
website,
what,
words,
work,
write
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
WritingBlogsBlogs are on-line journals where people express themselves through writing. WritingWriting is the process where one puts down words of a language on a format that others can read. This process has not been around very long, to use one of my writing teachers favorite sayings, Writing has only existed for one day in the one year that humanity has existed. Speaking and thinking come much easier than writing. These processes just flow out naturally like a river of consciousness; sometimes we hardly have to think about doing them. Anyone and everyone can write words down on paper but that doesnt mean its good writing, myself included. Like most things in life, our society already takes writing for granted which is proving to expose more of our ignorance. Writing is a new form of expression, and if we want to do it in a way that the masses can connect with our ideas, we have to think much more simply and clearly about this art. Now that was quite a big paragraph, youve got to wonder if I really needed to say as much as I just did to introduce this article on the best way to write your blogs on the Web. I didnt even mention this main idea, and thats what an introduction paragraph is meant to be for. This is a common mistake in many blogs out there. We try to get too many ideas across in one paragraph, sometimes even in one sentence! The key, as in all things in life-is to keep it simple. Simplicity means that readers wont get confused about what your journal entry is actually about. Introduce your main general topic at the start, and use the subsequent paragraphs to discuss separate ideas that relate to this topic. Try to tie everything up in the concluding paragraph, your main argument and the reason why youve written in the first place. Grammar and sentence construction are not easy systems to master, especially if you come from a school system that spent more time telling you about historical battles and quadratic equations than on how to read and write. This is a real problem. When we speak we can get messages across to others easily, but if we put these words down on paper, the writing just isnt interesting and doesnt connect with peoples curiosities and fascination. When you write you are not talking to a close friend. You cant use slang and colloquialisms that only your local community can understand. The aim is to connect with all the people in the world, so lets make it crystal clear and enjoyable to read. Your computer has spelling and grammar checks, as well as access to a thesaurus. Use them, but remember that the machine cant decipher all the intricacies of language. Language is a world in itself, and much of its territories are undiscovered by the masses. So, again keep it simple. Short, precise sentences with single ideas are great. Many words in the English language have the same meanings (synonyms). Use the thesaurus so you dont repeat the same word over and over throughout the text. It keeps the story fresh and doesnt turn the reader off. Theres nothing more boring than repetition. Using different words can be a lot of fun and a learning experience, just make sure you use a dictionary (also on the computer/Internet) to make absolute sure of the words definition. ReadabilitySimplicityMake your blog accessible by all people. You can even take into consideration that many readers will have learned English as a second language. As Ive said in previous articles, keep to the point-dont go on tangents. Stick with the articles topic, and definitely stay within the realms of your blogs main area. If your blog is entitled Jazz music, people who go there dont want to hear about how your football team won on the weekend! Please be consistent. How irritating is it to visit a blog that hasnt been written on in months or years? I hope these little tips will help you on your quest to producing good writing that brings new friends and acquaintances of similar outlooks into your world. If you want people to read, the aim is to produce an emotional reaction in your reader. Pretend you are writing to another form of yourself, if it were not readable, interesting and funwould you stick around?
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a grasshopper writer attempting to inform other beginner writers on how they might one day become masters or senseis.
Author: Jesse S. Somer
Keywords: writing,online,blog,internet,quality,construct,readability,english,spelling,grammar,style
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
accessible,
action,
age,
aim,
amazon,
ar,
Art,
article,
articles,
b,
bl,
blog,
blogs,
computer,
construct,
definition,
Earn,
eat,
english,
experience,
fresh,
from,
general,
grammar,
help,
history,
how,
how to,
hr,
ideas,
inform,
internet,
journal,
journals,
keyword,
keywords,
learn,
learning,
log,
make,
message,
new,
onli,
online,
PR,
Produce,
Quality,
read,
readability,
readers,
real,
RS,
RSS,
sho,
Short,
spelling,
story,
style,
tag,
tip,
tips,
topic,
tories,
up,
web,
what,
words,
write,
writers,
writing
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
Theres a lot of blogs out there on the Web, most of which dont entice one to go back regularly to read updates. What is missing from these on-line journals that would essentially make them good blogs? Well, the answers in life usually come down to simplicities. So lets look at the problem like we were children. Children dont complicate life with miscellaneous information, and when they speak they tell you straight to the point exactly how they feel and think about a subject. First of all, we should ask the questions, Why do blogs exist? And what are they here for? Well, in an ideal world good blogs would help people connect, sharing knowledge and feelings about issues in life. As they are journals written by individuals we would hope that theyd be readable and open to comment by all other people, not just a select group of friends. The key is speaking in a way that is understandable by the masses, get rid of acronyms and local slang that only few will comprehend. Keep the sentences grammatically simple and generally short and concise. Try to write in your blog as often as possible because if people enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas theyll want to communicate or at least be filled in regularly on your world. Ask questions, comment on other blogs of similar content, start communities with others youve never met, based on your interests. Keep focused; if your blog is about thoughts on war and peace, keep your thoughts on the latest movie and how hungry you are for somewhere else. The idea is to incite intelligent communication so that in time our collective stockpile of knowledge and wisdom will gradually grow like a tree in fertile soil. I think of most importance is the fact that you want this journal to be good reading. Of course we all have ideas about what genres and styles we like, but writing from your heart and soul is imperative for the connection with others that youre looking for. Share yourself; dont hide behind walls of fear of ridicule and judgment. In real life relationships trust, respect, intimacy, and unity are all necessary for a bond to form. Its the same in the virtual world; people want to hear from real people-not just one-sided, highly opinionated arguments from egos that dont want to hear the other side of the coin. Now, in my last article I really tore apart most writers out there, and here Im giving some pretty complex ideas on how to fix the problem of bad writing. In my next article Ill attempt to go back to the simple basics of how to write for beginners. I hope I havent come across as too judgmental, I just truly believe the blog world could become a real asset to humanity, and at the moment its missing the mark. Ideas about sentence structure, grammar, paragraphing, using a thesaurus (varying terms used so as not to sound repetitive), whether or not your blog is suitable for a personal or professional approach, are all important to creating a simple and enjoyable read for the blogging visitor. If you are a beginner, please check out my next article on the basics.
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a writer hoping to help potential bloggers to write interesting and informative on-line journals.
Author: Jesse S. Somer
Keywords: blog,web,internet,journal,write,writing,creative,grammar,inform
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
amazon,
ar,
Art,
article,
b,
bl,
blog,
blogs,
communicatio,
communication,
computer,
content,
creating,
creative,
eat,
from,
general,
gm,
good blog,
grammar,
help,
history,
how,
how to,
hr,
ideas,
inform,
internet,
issues,
journal,
keyword,
keywords,
log,
make,
new,
ping,
PR,
professional,
read,
real,
relationships,
RS,
RSS,
share,
sho,
Short,
story,
style,
tag,
tip,
tips,
trust,
up,
update,
web,
what,
what is,
words,
write,
writing
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
What in the world is up with the world of blogs? Blogs are meant to be this great new technology where people can share their ideas and interests with others around the globe. As far as Im concerned the state of blogs is one of chaos, confusion, and anti-interactivity. The other day I decided to do some research on the Web and try to connect to some blog writers out there that interested me. Let me tell you it was not an enjoyable task as I had envisioned. I spent four painful hours surfing through around a thousand on-line journals, and I found only a few that interested me. What are we doing out there people? First of all, just getting to a blog can be a pain in the arse. For example, you type in the words Philosophy blogs and a whole bunch of sites come up. Some are conglomerate sites with thousands of journals, but the area youre searching for may have only one blog in it! This is because they separate the blogs into a million different categories, like love, lovers, lovable etc. Why not have just a few main categories to choose from? The next problem is the content. People with philosophical blogs are having personal chats with their mates about the local dance competition on Tuesday! Why not go to a chat room if you just want to talk to your friends? Blogs are supposed to be a personal viewpoint expressed to the whole Web community. Wouldnt you actually like to meet more people like yourself? How is this going to happen if you talk in strange uncommon slang and acronyms that you and your friends can only understand? Please stick to the subject at hand, and take it at least half seriously. Another major problem is the fact that you can find a really cool blog that sparks an interest, but then find that the writer hasnt added an entry in over a year! Whats it doing on the Net? Have these people passed away? I seriously doubt it, as there are so many blogs in this lost state. Having a blog is a responsibility; its a shared diary for the whole community. How can someone form a relationship if you only write in your blog once a millennium? Back to the subject of content: These on-line journals are a real chance to communicate regularly with others with similar views to yourself. We can learn a lot from each other, as each human is an individual with special traits and skills that only they have. So why do we see so many blogs just talking about trivial nonsense like Who the coolest movie actor is. Humanity is an intelligent species evolving everyday towards a higher consciousness. So where are all the thinkers out there, the people who have taken us to the next levels of spirituality and scientific exploration? Id really like to hear what youve got to say, but all I can find are philosophical beliefs on why died pink jeans express ones true inner self. The issue of making comments on someones blog is also a controversial one. Why have comments sections if youre not going to reply to people who have expressed an interest in what youve had to say? How is this community going to function if all the conversation is one-way! Come on people, wake up and smell the onions! Lets change the blogging community into the awesome structure of shared knowledge that it was intended for. Please dont let it turn into the small-talk world of chat rooms.
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a concerned human attempting to inform his fellow people of the real possibilities hidden in the Internet.
Author: Jesse S. Somer
Keywords: msn,messenger,yahoo,aim,icq,web,instant,internet,gaim,internet
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
aim,
amazon,
ar,
b,
bl,
blog,
blog pr,
blog writer,
bloggi,
bloggin,
Blogging,
BLOGGING COMMUNITY,
blogs,
comments,
computer,
content,
diary,
Earn,
eat,
from,
history,
how,
hr,
icq,
ideas,
inform,
instant,
internet,
journal,
journals,
keyword,
keywords,
learn,
log,
making,
messenger,
MSN,
new,
philosophy,
PR,
real,
research,
responsibility,
RS,
RSS,
search,
share,
site,
sites,
skill,
skills,
small,
story,
tag,
tc,
technology,
tip,
tips,
up,
web,
what,
words,
write,
writers,
Yahoo
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
I still consider myself to be a blog writing novice but as Ive got a few entries under my belt I can tell you about an unexpected bonus of this journaling process. A lot of people think that blog writers are just people who are tooting their own horns blabbering on self-righteously about what they believe to be true in life. On the contrary, for me writing a blog has helped me to reflect on my experiences that I may have otherwise have forgotten if I hadnt written them down. It has become a process of self-actualization, whether others have read my thoughts has become less of a priority for me. When I read over my past entries I am surprised to hear about thoughts, ideas, and wisdom that is quite relevant to my present experiences. Its like I already knew some of the solutions to my problems in the present, but I still had to go through the experiences to actually have this knowledge become truly learnt. I also find it rewarding in both the respects that I get to relive certain moments in my life, and I get to analyze my previous thoughts. This analysis often leads me to new ideas that I couldnt see clearly when I was in the original moment. Reliving past experiences by reading old journal entries can be a powerful experience indeed. You can be transported to the moment in time you were writing about, as well as the moment and feelings you had when writing the blog entry. Experiencing these events and feelings again can be a really enlightening process, especially if the emotions you had were strong ones. An example of this from my blog www.thepowerofeverythingthatis.com is a recent upheaval of emotions I wrote about when a young lady Id been dating and really started to like a lot told me she didnt want to kiss me anymore. Now when I read this entry I can feel those same painful feelings, but in a new light as the time has passed and Ive moved on. It gives me hope in understanding that all feelings pass, and also in the knowledge that all things happen for a reason. This knowledge I couldnt see at the time as I was totally enveloped by my agony. These insights into past feelings and thoughts have been an eye opener for my self-introspection process. I think the blog can give you the chance to get to know yourself better, something all humans could find beneficial. All of us are on quests to find out who we are and why we are here on Earth. The blogging process might just be another avenue for people to find out who they truly are. Keep on writing my friends!
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer isa novice blogger learning about the secrets of this new and popular medium of communication.
Author: Jesse S. Somer
Keywords: blog,writing,reflection,learning,internet,web,journal,diary,creation,reliving,experience
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
ads,
amazon,
ar,
Art,
b,
bl,
blog,
communicatio,
communication,
computer,
creation,
diary,
Earn,
eat,
experience,
from,
help,
history,
hr,
ideas,
internet,
journal,
keyword,
keywords,
leads,
learn,
learning,
log,
new,
PR,
read,
real,
reflection,
reliving,
RS,
RSS,
secret,
secrets,
story,
tag,
tip,
tips,
up,
web,
what,
words,
write,
writers,
writing
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
Lemmings are cute, but dumb. If you tell them to jump off a cliff, they will. Just like the people who start blogs because everyone is doing it. Guess what happens after a little while? The blogs die.
In managing a list of many Web sites, most of which are blogs, I deleted countless sites from the list because the sites and blogs no longer existed. The people ran out of steam or had no reason to start them in the first place.
How do you know when a blog is right for your business? Learn why people start blogs, how they find their niche and how blogging tools can be used for more than blogs.
Some people like to read blogs, others like to read newsletters, still others like to rely on feeds and some read a few or all of them. No matter the method the information is distributed, each medium has one thing in common: content. Having a blog connects your newsletter and your business with all of these readers and delivers important content in a particular style.
I’ve been blogging since June 2000. If you review my early blog entries in meryl’s notes, you’ll notice they’re more personal. When blogs first hit the scene in the late ’90s, they were personal diaries and journals. Like the blog business, my blog has transformed from personal to business speak, although I still add personal notes here and there.
A few bloggers tend to talk about their work, their products and their little world. That might work for celebrities where fans want to know everything about them, but it doesn’t work for the average business person. Other business people want information on how to succeed and when a blog spends time hawking products offering information of no value, few people will return. The people whose products sell well are the ones who provide valuable information. Readers already know what kind of information they’re getting, so they trust that when they buy something, it will be of the same or better quality. This value must be reflected in their blog. It’s much like people who only sign up for a newsletter after first seeing an example.
No one wants to be a lemming (I would hope). How do you decide whether or not to set up a blog? The answer isn’t black or white (what did you expect?). Ask these questions:
- Can you regularly update it at least five times a week?
- Do you have something to say other than just linking to others?
- Do you read other blogs or feeds?
- Can you provide information of value to others not just to yourself?
- How large is your newsletter subscriber list?
- How many unique visitors do you get on an average day, week or month?
The big decider is whether or not you can write in the blog almost daily. The people behind the high traffic blogs post multiple times a day. Though resourceful, merely linking to other sites doesnt give visitors much reason to make the effort to come to yours. Reading other blogs or feeds is a great way to learn how to carry a discussion. Find other blogs covering topics similar to yours and check them out. Disagree with their opinions? Write about it and explain your reasons. Cross-blog discussions are common, and that’s where trackback comes in handy.
Trackback is a blog feature. If you decide to comment on another blog posting in your blog instead of in that blog’s comments page, then you link to the conversation through the trackback link. Trackback is similar to the permalink, the permanent URL for the blog entry, but it has a different URL for copying and pasting in your blog’s trackback box.
Aside from the technical aspects of operating a blog on a daily basis, subscriber list size and Web site traffic are good indicators of what kind of reaction you’ll get when opening a blog. Starting from scratch with little traffic means you have a long road ahead and lots of work to do. There is no magic formula anyone can sell you for $97 to make your blog an overnight success. But with some perseverance and ingenuity, your blog can engage many prospects and clients.
Considering there are numerous blogs out there, pick a niche topic when starting a blog for a better shot at attracting and keeping an audience. meryl’s notes focuses on three areas: webby, geeky and wordy. In reality, this is too much. What I need to do for my readers is create three separate blog entry points, so those interested in writing, newsletters and Internet marketing get nothing but the wordy entries. Those interested in Web design get the webby stuff and the technophiles receive the geeky content.
I also manage a personal blog separate from meryl’s notes. It’s about cochlear implants and deafness. This could fall under the geeky category, but it’s a personal blog and doesn’t belong in meryl’s notes. This blog is written for a different audience.
The blogging tools for both of my blogs come with syndication capabilities so those using feed readers or aggregators can read the content through the software. When sending a new issue of a newsletter, comment on it or link to it in the blog, that way the blog and feed readers will get the goods, so all three bases are covered.
Blogging tools aren’t just for, well, blogging. Such tools are an excellent way to help you update your Web site more often than you otherwise would. I use it to manage the list of tableless Web sites. Using blogging tools is much easier than the way I managed it before, updating the HTML files by hand. Though using a blog tool, it isn’t a blog. In this case, the blog tool has become a content management system (CMS).
Small business owners don’t have a need for the fancy and pricey CMSes out there. They find it easier to use blogging software to manage their sites or hire someone to adapt the tool for their site.
Blogs have found a place in businesses and people are finding creative ways to use them. Some companies have a blog on the intranet for communicating project status, jeopardies and metrics. Theyre used for knowledge management. With information pouring in, blog tools provide a way to share, organize and process the information.
Being a follower can be good or bad. No one wants to walk off a cliff with the lemmings, but everyone wants to succeed. Best practices won’t help, since the decision to blog is based on the organization’s mission, needs and goals along with its target market’s desires and needs. A blog about lemmings? There is one, sort of. Or maybe youd like to start your own and talk about dumb business moves.
Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl.net who increases conversion rates by writing and editing content so organization can focus on their core business. She is the editor-in-chief of the eNewsletter Journal and Shavlik’s The Remediator Security Digest. Visit her Web site at http://www.meryl.net/blog/.
Author: Meryl K. Evans
Keywords: blog,weblog,blogging,weblogging,trackbacks,newsletters,
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
action,
age,
amazon,
ar,
Art,
audience,
b,
best practices,
bl,
blog,
bloggi,
bloggin,
Blogging,
blogging tool,
blogging tools,
blogs,
bus,
business,
businesses,
category,
client,
clients,
comments,
computer,
content,
content management,
creative,
design,
Earn,
eat,
edit,
editing,
Feature,
feed,
feeds,
from,
goal,
help,
history,
how,
how to,
hr,
increase,
inform,
information,
internet,
internet market,
internet marketin,
internet marketing,
journal,
journals,
keyword,
keywords,
learn,
link,
linking,
list,
log,
make,
management,
market,
marketing,
media,
new,
news,
newsletter,
newsletters,
niche,
owner,
ping,
post,
posting,
PR,
Quality,
read,
readers,
real,
resource,
review,
RS,
RSS,
security,
share,
sho,
site,
sites,
small,
small business,
software,
story,
style,
success,
tag,
target market,
tc,
tip,
tips,
topic,
trackbacks,
traffic,
trust,
up,
update,
updating,
visitors,
ways,
web,
web design,
web site,
web sites,
what,
words,
work,
write,
writing
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
With spam filters on high alert, delivering a newsletter by email is not as easy as it was even one year ago. Should it reach your subscriber’s inbox (without getting siphoned into a junk folder), it still has to vie for attention amongst dozens or even hundreds of new messages.
1. A blog is not email
A Weblog or blog, on the other hand, is a page on your site that can be updated several times a week with fresh content. If a reader has subscribed to your blog, he or she gets an alert (consisting of the headline and brief summary) every time you post new information.
I.e., much the same way you can include a teaser paragraph in your e-newsletter with a link back to the full article on your site.
If you’re thinking that subscribers have to proactively visit your blog (a pull tactic) vs. having an ezine or e-newsletter delivered to them (a push approach) there’s good news.
You can subscribe to a blog using downloadable software called a newsreader. NewsGator www.newsgator.com is a popular one as it integrates seamlessly with Outlook. There are lots of newsreaders to choose from, many of them free. Once installed on your desktop, the newsreader (also called a news aggregator) grabs the latest updates to your blog via an RSS feed.
No need to worry what RSS is (it stands for Really Simple Syndication). Just have faith that RSS is a new way to publish and distribute content on the Web without using email. And thats the point. No email. So, no worries about spam filters or delivery problems.
2. A blog is an instant publishing tool
A blog is an easy-to-use content management tool. When you blog, you are instantly adding new content to your site via a Web interface. No technical or programming skills are necessary. Anyone can update the copy and content on your site. In fact, think of a blog as just another page on your Web site.
Key point: a blog doesn’t have to be cool. A steady stream of short tips with links to other sites or articles can be extremely useful. (See my article 5 tips for a useful resource blog.) In fact, this is the same kind of useful information you may be cramming into each issue of your newsletter. With a blog, you can parcel it out in digestible bits - with more impact.
3. A blog makes your site search engine friendly
Search engines love blogs and will index individual entries (no matter how short) if you’ve got your blogging software configured to create a separate page for each new post. In other words, think of each blog post or entry as a Web page with its own title.
By incorporating a blog into your site you are creating multiple new mini pages. Search engines crawl sites which are updated regularly with fresh content. So blogging raises your sites rankings in search results.
OK, but are blogs a fad or a trend?
I love this question. Here’s my answer:
Newsletters or ezines are still the e-vehicle of choice for most marketers. Two things are slowing the adoption of blogs as a channel for business communication:
1. The term blogging is associated with online journals; personal, unedited writing; and, er, needless bloviating.
2. Most folks don’t know what a news reader is and why you need one to subscribe to a blog or any other RSS feed. (Again, dont fret over RSS. Visit www.newsgator.com for a good explanation and to see how easy it is to download a newsreader.)
Use a blog to extend the reach of your e-newsletter
My advice for now is to continue publishing an e-newsletter. If you’re sending it in HTML, trim your design down to the bare minimum and make the file size as small as possible. This will give you a better chance of getting past the spam filters and other blocking tools being used by major ISPs like AOL.
Of course, don’t forget to link back to your blog through each issue of your e-newsletter. You’ll probably need to explain to your newsletter readers what your blog is, where to find it and how to subscribe to it.
If you think your email subscribers are not ready to embrace newsreaders, then dont mention this downloadable software - or RSS for that matter. Simply include a prominent link to your blog in the layout of your newsletter and remind readers to visit often for updates between issues.
Bottom line, consider adding a blog to your site for two reasons: as an instant publishing tool and as an adjunct to your email marketing efforts. You may find you can use a blog to trim down the extraneous information that’s clogging the regular issues of your newsletter and making it less effective.
Useful Resources
Good explanation of RSS
Using RSS Feeds to Promote Your Website by Ralph Wilson
Quick explanation of RSS (from my article 5 key questions about business blogs)
Popular Blogging Tools
Blogger (free tool; now owned by Google)
Movable Type (software you install; it powers many professional-looking blogs)
TypePad (hosted version of Movable Type; easier to set up)
Debbie Weil is the publisher of award-winning WordBiz Report, read by close to 15,000 subscribers in over 80 countries. She is also an Internet marketing & communications consultant.She sells special reports & award-winning starter kits, and produces audio conferenceson topics related tomarketing with e-newsletters or ezines… as well as blogs. Download your free copy of her mini guide to online copywriting (value $10) instantly when you subscribe to WordBiz Report.
Author: Debbie Weil
Keywords: email marketing, e-newsletters, ezines, e-newsletter tips, ezine tips, blogs, blogging, blogging for
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
adv,
advice,
age,
amazon,
aol,
ar,
Art,
article,
articles,
b,
biz,
bl,
blog,
blogger,
bloggi,
bloggin,
Blogging,
blogging tool,
blogging tools,
blogs,
bus,
business,
communicatio,
communication,
computer,
content,
content management,
copywriting,
creating,
Debbie Weil,
design,
e-newsletter tips,
e-newsletters,
eat,
edit,
effective,
email,
email marketing,
engine,
ezine,
ezine tips,
ezines,
feed,
feeds,
free,
fresh,
fresh content,
from,
google,
history,
how,
how to,
hr,
inform,
information,
instant,
instant publishing,
internet,
internet market,
internet marketin,
internet marketing,
issues,
journal,
journals,
junk,
keyword,
keywords,
link,
links,
log,
make,
making,
management,
market,
marketing,
message,
movable type,
new,
news,
newsletter,
newsletters,
onli,
online,
online journal,
online journals,
post,
PR,
Produce,
professional,
promote,
publish,
publishing,
read,
readers,
real,
resource,
resources,
RS,
RSS,
rss feed,
rss feeds,
search,
search engine,
search engines,
sho,
Short,
site,
sites,
skill,
skills,
small,
software,
spam,
story,
subscribers,
tag,
tip,
tips,
topic,
trend,
Typepad,
up,
update,
web,
web site,
weblog,
website,
what,
words,
writing
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
It seems like Blogs are everywhere these days. You can’t seem to surf the Internet without seeing the word Blog somewhere. The intent of this article is to explain the basics what a Blog is and how you can use them to help promote your business and gain valuable information quicker that surfing the Internet.
The word Blog is short for web log. Basically a Blog is just an area set aside you to write articles that can easily be accessed with a special program called a RSS reader. In case you’re wondering RSS stands for real simple syndication.
When you set up a Blog you select a template that will house your information. Once you have the Blog set up you can post whatever information you like. It’s really a fast way to get your articles and information up on the web and the templates look great! You don’t have to mess with all the technical end of getting something up on a web page (HMTL layout, FTP, ect…). The real cool thing about Blogs is that you can get the software to read them for free. Also, you can set up an account and create your own Blog for free!
One thing I should note is, you can read Blogs with your standard browser and post comments on the content of the Blog. An optional way to read Blogs is by using a RSS reader program. You simply subscribe to whichever Blogs that you want to and they are available immediately in the reader. Personally I like to use the reader because you have all of the Blogs that your interested in one place and you don’t have surf all over the Internet to read them.
The free reader that I use can be downloaded here: http://www.rsspublisher.com/.
To get your very own free Blog, which you can post to go to: http://www.blogger.com/start.
I think you will find that they are very easy to set up and post to.
The are many advantages that Blogs offer over a web site or ezine.
1. You don’t have to mess with an HTML layout. You just post your info and the info looks wonderful because the Blog uses the template that you set up.
2. You can post as often as you like. I can’t imagine that I would send an email to my ezine every day but with a Blog you can post as much as you would like.
3. Email spam filters do not block Blogs because they are not an email communication.
4. You can make as many Blogs as you like on any subject.
I hope this will help you start your own Blog and officially start you down the road to being a Blogger!
***************************************
Steve Veloudos owns and operates Zebra Music LLC. It’s a one stop shop for jingles, radio production, custom music, library music, and sound design. Visit Steve’s web site and get free monthly music that you can use for your productions.
http://www.zebramusic.com
zebra24@msn.com
480-540-7768
***************************************
Author: Steve Veloudos
Keywords: blogs, small business, internet marketing, promotions, free blogs, email alternative, marketing, sho
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
adv,
age,
amazon,
ar,
Art,
article,
articles,
b,
bl,
blog,
blog for,
blogger,
Blogger.com,
blogs,
bus,
business,
comments,
communicatio,
communication,
computer,
content,
design,
eat,
email,
email alternative,
ezine,
free,
free blog,
help,
history,
house,
how,
hr,
inform,
information,
internet,
keyword,
keywords,
log,
make,
market,
marketing,
media,
MSN,
new,
post,
PR,
promote,
promotion,
promotions,
publish,
read,
real,
RS,
RSS,
sho,
site,
small,
small business,
software,
spam,
story,
tag,
tip,
tips,
up,
web,
web log,
web site,
what,
words,
write
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
Blogging for dollars might sound like the latest game show or some new drinking game, but it’s the latest craze to hit the Internet. Bloggers began blogging for a number of reasons, but as the blog movement has increased in popularity, they have found ways to monetize their blogs and are seeing their commitment pay off.
Whether a blogger’s focus is to communicate with customers or just to have fun, they have begun looking at ways to earn revenue from their blogs. The most popular ways for bloggers to earn some added cash for their pet projects are:
1. ) Google Adsense in Blogs Google AdSense allows webmasters to dynamically serve content-relevant advertisements in blogs. If the visitor clicks one of the AdSense ads served to the blog, the website owner is credited for the referral. Webmasters need only to insert a Google-generated java script into the blog or blog template. Google’s spider parses the AdServing blog and serves ads that relate to the blog’s content. Google uses a combination of keyword matching and context analysis to determine what ads should be served.
2. ) Affiliate Programs (Product Endorsements) Affiliate Programs work when an affiliate web site receives income for generating sales, leads, or traffic to a merchant website. Generally, bloggers will mention or endorse specific products and if site visitors purchase the product, bloggers will receive a portion of the sale.
3. ) Product Promotion Businesses use blogs to detail how specific features or product add-ons can increase functionality and save time. Content-rich product promotion will help with search engine placement.
4.) Banner Ads While less popular than in the past, websites with high traffic levels can still earn decent revenue by selling banner space.
As the Internet evolves bloggers will continue to seek out ways to monetize their opinions and thoughts. Daily journals and online blogs have become more than just a communication means to many.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for the NotePage http://www.notepage.net and FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com product lines. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.small-business-software.net
Author: S. Housley
Keywords: blog, blogging, blogger, blogs, weblog, web log,
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
ads,
adsens,
adsense,
adv,
advertise,
affili,
affiliate,
affiliate programs,
age,
amazon,
ar,
b,
bl,
blog,
blogger,
bloggers,
bloggi,
bloggin,
Blogging,
blogging for,
blogs,
bus,
business,
businesses,
communicatio,
communication,
computer,
content,
customer,
customers,
Earn,
eat,
edit,
emarketing,
engine,
Feature,
feed,
from,
general,
google,
google adsense,
help,
history,
how,
hr,
income,
increase,
internet,
journal,
journals,
keyword,
keywords,
leads,
log,
market,
marketing,
new,
onli,
online,
owner,
PR,
programs,
promotion,
resource,
revenue,
RS,
RSS,
Sales,
save,
search,
search engine,
selling,
sho,
site,
sites,
small,
software,
spider,
story,
tag,
tc,
tip,
tips,
traffic,
visitors,
ways,
web,
web log,
web site,
website,
websites,
what,
words,
work
Related posts
By admin
March 8th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Blogging
The recent spurt of interest in blogging has begun to ignite the hope that people can make a full-time income from blogging.
Although there are a few people actually doing this, there aren’t too many business models yet that can support someone making a full-time income from their blogs.
I believe that blogs should be an important part of any traffic-generation plan for a website, but don’t depend on the blog itself to do much selling.
Blogs are best viewed as an addition to site content, in reality, a very simple content management system that helps you update your site more frequently, so your search engine listings and traffic increase.
Email campaigns are still the best way to produce sales on demand and to announce specials and time-limited offers, because blogs do not yet have the immediacy and reach of email.
Blogs are not about selling anyway. As an internet marketer and publisher, I find that blogs can be an excellent tool to support your main business, to provide value, build relationships with prospective customers and to build your personal brand and image.
For corporates and small businesses, blogs can help put a human face on an otherwise bland business site. In the corporate world, blogs are being for internal communication and knowledge management, and for brand building and public relations campaigns.
Nike’s Art of Speed blog is an excellent example of subtle brand building using blogs. http://www.gawker.com/artofspeed
As an internet marketer and publisher, here are some ways you can use blogs to support your business.
1. Write reviews of products in your field
Writing reviews not only allows you to benefit from improved search engine listings for the product you are reviewing, but allows you to provide your subscribers with information that contributes to their purchase decisions. That makes it an ideal way to earn affiliate income.
2. Direct traffic to your articles
If you’ve written an article and published it online, use your blog to post a teaser, perhaps describing what made you write that particular article, and then link to it so you get your readers to also visit your website and check out your other offerings.
3. Direct traffic to your ezine archives
Post a few paragraphs or the editorial of your ezine or newsletter issues on your blog and link to the archived issue on your website so that your readers can read the rest of the issue there.
4. Talk about what’s going on in your life
People buy from those they like and trust. As an online journal or diary, a blog is the ideal medium to share details of your holiday, the things that made you laugh (or not), your own humorous take on life, anything to let your prospective customers get to know the person behind the website better.
5. Comment on developments in your industry
A blog is an ideal place to post your personal opinions, favourable or not, about the developments in your industry. If you are not happy with someone’s customer service, or have been defrauded, they are also a good way of warning other potential victims. Becoming a source of industry information is part of the process of branding yourself as an expert.
There are many more ways that you can promote yourself, your products and services using a blog, but the ones above should get you started for now.
Just remember to use your blog for the purpose it was meant to be used. To brand, to communicate, to connect.
Leave the selling to your sales letter.
Priya Shah is a partner in the search engine marketing firm, SEO & More and writes an online marketing blog. Request the detailed version of this whitepaper Boost Your Search Engine Visibility With Blogs And RSS here.
This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.
Author: Priya Shah
Keywords: blog, blogs, blogging, branding, sales letter, Priya Shah
Power by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Tags:
affili,
affiliate,
age,
amazon,
announce,
ar,
Art,
article,
articles,
b,
bl,
blog,
blogs,
boost,
branding,
build,
building,
bus,
business,
businesses,
campaign,
communicatio,
communication,
computer,
content,
content management,
corporate,
customer,
Customer Service,
customers,
diary,
Earn,
edit,
email,
engine,
expert,
ezine,
fraud,
from,
help,
history,
hr,
humor,
image,
improve,
income,
increase,
inform,
information,
internet,
internet market,
issues,
journal,
keyword,
keywords,
link,
linked,
links,
list,
log,
make,
making,
management,
market,
marketing,
media,
model,
new,
news,
newsletter,
onli,
online,
online journal,
online marketing,
post,
PR,
Priya Sha,
Priya Shah,
Produce,
promote,
public relations,
publish,
read,
readers,
real,
relationships,
reprint,
resource,
review,
reviews,
RS,
RSS,
Sales,
sales letter,
search,
search engine,
search engine marketing,
search engine visibility,
selling,
seo,
services,
share,
sho,
site,
small,
small business,
story,
subscribers,
support,
tag,
tip,
tips,
traffic,
trust,
up,
update,
ways,
web,
website,
what,
words,
write,
writing
Related posts
By admin
Previous Posts