Posts Tagged ‘Blogging’

Honestly, I’m not the greatest networker. I’m pretty bad at it actually. So, when I find a tool that works small wonders, then I must share it. Several months ago, I joined NetworkedBlogs on Facebook just to do it. I’ve joined blog networks before and never gotten any significant result, so I didn’t think much about it.

I check my traffic once or twice per day. I’m not obsessed. I have a stat counter plug-in installed, and then I also use Google Analytics. When I write a new article, I check my stats shortly thereafter to see who’s coming to check it out. I’ve seen the incoming traffic from NetworkedBlogs, but it wasn’t astounding. Then I saw my numbers today on Google and decided to write to you about it.

A sidenote…I’ve already written about the differences between stats plug-ins and Google Analytics. There tends to be a stark contrast between the two simply because many people turn off the Javascript in their browser. Google Analytics uses a small piece of Javascript code to count visitors and gather information.

The Meat

I don’t do regular traffic updates to the public for this site because I don’t normally have a reason. I get just under 3000 hits per month. The Google data that I’m going to share only reports about half of that due to the information in the sidenote above. I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find that NetworkedBlogs is currently my biggest referring site. This is why YOU should be using it if your website includes a blog. If you are just starting out, start out with NetworkedBlogs.

The Stats

This screen shot shows the number of Absolute Unique Visitors I’ve had to my site per Google since March 4, 2011. The pie chart gives a simple visual representation where that traffic is coming from. 7.73% or 99 of my unique visitors came from referring sites. Referring sites are places where a link to my site has appeared and users clicked that link. Nearly ALL of this traffic is through NetworkedBlogs as shown in the screen shot below.

Here you see the top 10 sites that have referred traffic to my website. Out of 99 unique visitors, NetworkedBlogs referred 30 of those hits to my site.

How It Works

You must have a Facebook account. You can either search NetworkedBlogs on Facebook or go to their site linked in the first paragraph above. Follow the prompts to create your account. The essential part of this is to opt to send links to Facebook and Twitter each time you update your blog. If you don’t have Twitter, well, why not!?! Are you a writer, or what? I’ll talk about Twitter later. Anyway, that’s pretty much it. When you post, NetworkedBlogs does the rest.

Don’t forget to use the app on Facebook to find like blogs to follow. With Yahoo getting rid of MyBlogLog and sites like Entrecard just being junk traffic, this is a fine alternative to help you network. Give it a try. I would love to see your results! Best of luck, Writers!!!

So, you’ve created a web presence. Whether that presence refers to a profile on a social media site like Facebook or to your website/blog, there is always a spot to tell the world who you are and what you do. Many people, myself included, struggle with what to put in this space. You want to sound interesting and intelligent without being narcissistic. It’s a difficult balance.

I’ve developed an exercise to help. Follow these basic steps and you will have some information about yourself that you can work with and perfect for your site.

Step 1. Create the following lists in whatever way you’re comfortable either using your computer or a pen and paper.

• List 5 experiences that led you to creating your website. If you’re using this exercise for an online profile, list 5 experiences that stand out in your life. These can include educational, professional and life experiences.
• Answer these 5 questions regarding your website:
  1.  What is my main purpose for creating this website? Money? Representation? Keeping in touch?
  2.  Who am I trying to reach with this site?
  3.  How much experience do I have?
  4.  What is my experience with computers and the Internet?
  5.  Does this website represent my profession?
• List 5 things readers can get from your website. What kind of information do you provide? Who is your audience? What basic categories does your site fit into? Note anything of importance that your site provides to your readers.
• List 5 things you are seeking to accomplish with your website. What are some of your goals? Why are they important? What objectives does your site provide for the community? Answering these questions not only give you insight, but it provides your readers with a larger picture of your vision. If your goals parallel with others, you will earn a readership that looks up to what you have to say. There is no better way to network.
• List 5 facts about yourself. What are some of your accomplishments? What are some transitions in your life that have defined you? Have you made any major impacts using your website? List them here and how others can do the same.
• List 5 ways to contact you. If you don’t have five, that’s OK, but you should at the very least have one. Don’t be a stranger. You can remain anonymous, but still be a reachable entity to your readership. The more personal your approach, the more attractive you are to readers. It’s never a bad thing if you don’t mind providing personalized advice via e-mail or instant messenger.

Step 2. Develop each list into a 5 to 8 line paragraph. You should have 5 solid paragraphs.

If you want to create a shorter, more concise page, now is the time to weed out the information you don’t want included. Think about it in the context of keeping your reader interested and informed without boring them. I suggest a 500 word maximum limit…300 minimum.

Step 3. Put the paragraphs together in order and work on making sure all of the information flows and transitions smoothly.

Step 4. PROOFREAD!!! Very important. You don’t want typos or bad grammar on this page. This page needs to effectively convey what you’re about without distraction.

Step 5. Include an image. If you would prefer not to have a photo of yourself, that is fine, but at least put up some kind of image. You can either create an interesting graphic, if you’re the graphic type, or hire someone to do it for you. If you don’t want to spend money, select a nice stock image, resize it, and put it in on your page.

I’d nearly forgotten about Kindle…well, except when I visit Amazon.com and the first thing you see at the top of the homepage is Kindle. With all of the hype about smart phones and iPads, it had kind of gotten lost in the shuffle of my mind. When it was first released, I wrote a review about it at one of my earlier websites HERE. I’ve long since sold this website to a new owner, but luckily they have maintained it online for the last couple years. The first Kindle cost about $399 and it quickly sold out.

Amazon now touts the Kindle as the #1 best-selling, most asked for, and most wished for item on their website. When a little bird told me that I might be getting a Kindle for Christmas, I had to research the Kindle again. As you might expect, several positive changes have occurred since that article I wrote back in March of 2008. Let’s take a look:

• There are three different models to choose from ranging in price from $139 to $379 (as of this writing)
• New sleek design
• One month battery life with wifi turned off, 3 weeks with it on
• 3500-book capacity
• Built-in Facebook and Twitter integration
• 750,000 bestsellers, newspapers, blogs and more in the Kindle Store
• 1.8 million free pre-1923 books
• Text-to-speech technology; Kindle can read to you!
• Built-in dictionary
• Full QWERTY keyboard for easy annotation

And this isn’t all. Read more about Kindle at Amazon HERE.

Get to the Point! How Do I Get My Blog On Kindle?

What you’ll need:

• The URL to your blog’s RSS feed
• A screen shot or two of your blog
• A bank account
• Some keywords

Step 1. Grab the URL to your blog’s RSS feed. You can find this by clicking the RSS symbol on your blog. It looks like this:

RSS icon

Your feed URL should be in the following format: http://yourdomain.com/feed

Step 2. Visit Kindle Publishing for Blogs.

Step 3. Sign in or create a new account. Your Amazon.com details will not work with Kindle Publishing. You’ll need a new password.

Step 4. Fill out the one-page form about your blog. It helps if you have a screen shot of your blog to upload as well. I grabbed one with a simple free screen cap tool. Download one here.

Step 5. Click the Publish Blog to Amazon button, and you’re done.

Your blog will go into a pending mode to wait for approval from Amazon. It took them less than an hour to approve this site during the day on a weekday. You won’t have the option to set the price for subscriptions to your blog. Amazon does that and it will either be $.99 or $1.99. I have no idea what criteria they use to set the price.

A quick rundown of the math will tell you that you won’t get rich quick that way, but hey, it’s exposure, and it’s Amazon! Here’s the Kindle Edition of ProWebWriter.

I came across this blog at Digital Point and when I first loaded the page, I thought, “Wow, this is plain…especially for a webmaster.”  The title of the blog…”I Am Blogging”. Why, yes you are…you are blogging plainly.

Something about the plainness made me want to know more. It’s almost like reverse psychology. Some people think a blog can’t pull you in unless it has a fancy design and a lot of widgets, gadgets and whatnots. The longer I stayed, the more intrigued I became. “So you’re blogging, ” I thought, “but what the heck are you blogging about because I sure can’t tell by looking.” Even the About page is ambiguous.

So I started clicking around and the page exploded with screen shots. I LOVE SCREEN SHOTS! AnirbanRoy.info is a webmaster blog with long, informative articles on many aspects of webmastering including the likes of: hosting, blogging, advertising, WordPress, SEO and more! The first category I clicked was Advertising. Several articles about Adsense greeted me. Who can’t use more information about Adsense? I have had an Adsense account for YEARS, but I’m certainly no guru. To be honest, I barely know how to use it anymore. Mr. “I Am Blogging” has a handle on it and I found his posts on advertising very informative. I found a few new things to try. It was a nice surprise and made me forget the fact that the site was plain. In fact, it no longer seemed plain in the least. I was happy to not be distracted by a thousand ads dancing and glaring in my face as I tried to read. Content is King, my friends.

I had to visit the WordPress category next because it’s one of my favorite subjects respectfully. I wasn’t disappointed. This Anirban fellow knows what he’s talking about. He covers it all from plug-ins to pinging. If you don’t know what any of that is, read this blog! I would recommend this site to anyone just starting out with webmastering, blogging, WordPress or any online endeavor. It’s a great place to learn the basics and then some. Eye candy isn’t everything, in fact, it’s rather overrated. There are other ways to intrigue your readers and Anirban has it down pat. I love the unique approach he has to blogging and blog design. There are a lot of webmasters and bloggers who stand to learn from his outside-the-box methods.

There are a few misconceptions about blogging. I’ve read comments by people who say something like, “Bloggers, no one cares about your life or what you have to say about it.” For many people, usually the less web savvy, “blog” is synonymous with “diary”…or narcissism even. I think as with most stark opposing opinions, those people really deep down wish they had something to “blog” about. They don’t realize that a blog can be so much more than a running chronicle of life. Aren’t many of us a tad bit narcissistic? I think the millions of Facebook and Twitter users posting their life to public streams speaks to our narcissism, but more so to our innate need to be social beings.

Blogs have evolved to be so much more than a “diary”. Nowadays, blogs give us information, news, humor and comics. They tell us how to do things, give us advice, and provide us with ideas. Blogs take on the guise of websites, forums, and online magazines. Blogs can be personal, professional and business-oriented. Blogs are new, old, seasoned and intermediate.

Usually when an individual creates a blog, they have a plan, a theme, and a niche…a target audience, if you will. You might start out your blog with ideas for dozens of posts and that will sustain you for the beginning. Creating fresh content is an ongoing task if you want an ongoing blog. This will be one of your biggest challenges. It might take a week, a month, or a year…maybe even years, but you will hit a stumbling block. With the onset of so many social networks, you should never want for blog ideas. No matter who your target audience is, you can pull from everyone and everything around you. These are things I’ve learned over the years from others and some of my own resources.

Where to Find Ideas

• Forums – Join forums pertaining to your niche. What kind of questions are people asking? Answer them in a blog post. Choose common problems and write a post about the solutions.
• Social Networks – Twitter, Facebook, MySpace. These are all your friends…and where you friends post some of everything. Review their website. Write a post about trending topics.
• Brainstorms and lists – If you’re awake, you’re thinking. Ideas may even come to you in your sleep. Keep a pen and notepad close and jot down your ideas.
• Work – Your job funds your life. Your job means that you have a trade…an expertise in something whether it’s being a cashier or a doctor. Write about what you know. Never write derogatory or negative content about your job. Your boss may be reading.
• Hobbies – Your hobbies are things you enjoy in your free time and things that you are probably more passionate about than your job. Write tips and tricks pertaining to your hobbies.
• Television – TV is a huge resource. You can blog about your favorite show. You can blog about things you learned on the History Channel.
• Radio – Do you listen to a morning show? Morning show DJ’s are genius at covering topics that keep people listening day after day. Take lessons and keep people reading day after day.
• Your city – If you live in a large city or a well-known locale, write content pertaining to your region. Even if you live in a rural area, it can still make for interesting blogging. People have a natural curiosity about the lives of others.
• Social bookmarking – Social bookmarking sites like Delicious.com usually have a list of popular tags. Pick one, do a little research and write an informative post about what you learned.
• Music – Blog about writing music, popular songs, genres, and artists.
• Opinion – Blog about your opinions…on everything. Be cautious when you write about religion and politics. Opposition is inevitable.
• Reviews – Write reviews about everything: products you use, shows you watch, websites you frequent, movies you watch…anything and everything.
• Current events – Writing about current events is self-explanatory. I think everyone at some point in school, had to bring in a newspaper article and write about it.

I hope this list inspires you to look at your life, the things you care about, and be able to pull ideas from the resources all around you. Go back and look over your previous posts. There’s no rule that says you can’t write about the same thing twice. In fact, there aren’t really ANY rules in blogging. Throw in some twists and turns or new information and link to your old post. Search engines LOVE that. If all else fails, take a break and come back with fresh ideas and a new outlook.

This is an e-book that I wrote in 2007 as a free download for my first Internet Marketing blog. I eventually combined that blog with another one, moved it to self-hosted WordPress, and sold it.

Feel free to download this book and use it at will. Some of the information is old and some of it is not. It is written for use mainly with Blogger, but has some pertinent links and resources. It also demonstrates my e-book writing skills.

Let’s outline some things to consider when starting a new blog.

- Public or Private?
This is the decision that will define the purpose of your blog. A blog can be used
for thousands of things. A shortened term for the phrase “web log”, a blog is exactly that: a log that is maintained on the web. Blogs basically started out being something that was like a diary or journal where one could write personal thoughts, rants, and musings for others to read…or not.

Most, if not all, blogging platforms give bloggers the option to keep their blog private or share their writings with groups like family, friends, co-workers, up to a public place that anyone with an internet connection and the address can view.

So, the first thing you should determine when starting a new blog is whether you want it to be public or private.

- What do you want this blog to accomplish?
What is the goal you have in mind when starting your blog? Is it going to be your personal space to write about your life? Is it a poetry or photo blog where you catalog your poems and photos…or maybe collected poems and photos from across the internet? Is it written solely for the reader? Do you have an area of expertise and you are blogging to share your knowledge? There is no limit to what you can use your blog for. You should have a general goal in mind when you begin.

- Anonymous or Real Name?
A lot of people who blog assume a username or handle. This allows them to maintain anonymity and enables some people the freedom to post anything at all without fear of being known. For example, if you have a troublesome boss and you are using your blog as a forum to vent your frustration, you wouldn’t necessarily want to use your real name unless your blog was set to private. I kept my identity anonymous before I came out as a lesbian.

Deciding how you want to be known is really up to you. If your blog is private, then it doesn’t really matter either way. If your blog is public and you are blogging mainly to gain readership, you need to decide if you want the whole world to know to know who you are and be able to find your blog using your real name…or not.

- Where will you post?
Ah…the ever important question…what blogging platform or software will you use? There are hundreds of sites that host free blogs. If you’re not really trying to make money with your blog through advertising, you can choose any one of these like LiveJournal, Xanga, MySpace,
Yahoo! 360, etc. Any one of these will suit your needs well and they are all loaded with features for personalizing and customizing your experience. These sites will also allow you to network with friends, family, and other bloggers at your leisure.

If you are going for a more professional blog where you plan to generate revenue with advertising there are also several options. The most popular by far are Blogspot and WordPress.

- Will you allow comments?
Again, this question is based on whether or not your will make your blog public or private. If you blog is public, will it be a place where you will allow others to comment on your writing? Commenting is an excellent way to create a sense of community on your blog. It allows your readers to respond to you and allows you to speak directly to them as individuals.

You will need to prepare yourself for unwanted comments right along with the good ones though and this is why this decision has to be made. In my experience, comments have always been a part of my blog. When I maintained a personal blog, comments were always a forum where I received different insights and advice on life situations. I would never disable the comments on my blog. They are much to valuable to me.

- Will you promote?
This would depend upon who you want reading your blog. If your blog is for friends and family to keep up with your while you are away at college, then you would tell only your friends and family about your blog. If you are blogging for traffic and readership then you would promote your blog by submitting your URL to search engines and to blog directories so that it could be easily found by large numbers of people. In addition, there are ways that you can pay to promote your blog, but this would only be viable if you have something to advertise like a product you are trying to sell or an affiliate program you are promoting.

Once you have considered these factors, you will have the answers needed to create your new blog. Don’t waste anymore time…welcome to the world of blogging!!!

Article originally posted in February of 2008 on waxingpoetic75.com
Photo: Nicki-G from Flickr under Creative Commons

If you are serious about blogging then it’s time to set some serious goals. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the term goal as:

n. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective.

First things first…what is the purpose of your blog? Whether you are keeping a personal blog or blogging for the universe, setting some well-planned goals will help you focus on the purpose of your blog. My goal system is pretty complex. I use a spiral notebook and I track both weekly and daily goals for my blogs. My blogs are a borderline full-time job. I spend on average probably 5 hours a day working on my blogs in various ways…including reading other blogs, networking, writing, designing, etc.

Keeping both weekly and daily goals keeps me focused and on my toes. My system works well for me. It helps me to write things down by hand. On one page I will outline my weekly goals: What do I want to accomplish with my blogs this week? Some examples of recently accomplished weekly goals would be launching weekly posts and designing logos for those posts. I do a Wednesday and a Friday weekly post in addition to regular posting on both of my blogs. On the pages following my weekly goals, I outline my goals for each day. The daily goals consist of a list of several things that will help me accomplish the larger objectives on my weekly goal list. For example, I am in the process of learning Adobe Illustrator. I list this as a goal on my weekly goals…maybe something like “Complete 5 tutorials” for the week.

In my daily goals, I list “Complete 1 Illustrator tutorial” for each day.This system can be converted for use on a computer simply by using Word, Excel, or even notepad in the same way. Or…you can be totally Web 2.0 and track your goals online. One of the simplest free online goals trackers is http://www.joesgoals.com There’s nothing to download, it’s easy to share with friends if you want to, and it’s FREE.

Setting goals for your blog will help you keep your purpose in the forefront and
reach a level of accomplishment. If you are a beginning blogger or a seasoned veteran of the medium, goal-setting will make a big difference in your level of productivity.

Article originally posted in November of 2007 on waxingpoetic75.com
Photo: Eric Kilby from Flickr under Creative Commons