Archive for About Blogs – Page 48

Happy #1000th Post: Build a Better Blog Contest

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Win an Amazon book certificate being given away everyday to a random commenter over on BuildaBetterBlog.com.

Denise and I started this blog in February 2005 to support our work and ebook all about blogs, Build a Better Blog: the Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Business with a Professional Blog, and today we posted our 1000th post announcing the give away contest.

All you have to do is answer one question a day and be entered into the drawing.

Today’s question: How do you think blogging will evolve over the next few years?

There are already 5 comments entered.

So go over there now and submit your comment and enter the contest to win a gift book certificate.

www.buildabetterblog.com/2007/12/contest-celebra.html

Blogging with Photos, One Bite at a Time…

Hapy_elephantIf you get stuck on what to write on your blog, start with a photo. Any photo. I usually peruse IstockPhoto.com and download interesting photos whenever I have time.

First, it amuses me what you can find, especially searching for abstract terms like, "values" or "content" or "serendipity." Secondly, I know if I’m stuck and haven’t a clue, I can find a photo and build an entire philosophical discourse around it, and even tie it into a program we have going!

Case in point: this happy elephant. I post it, then write a headline and first paragraph to tell you "how to eat an elephant, one bite at a time."

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed when faced with copywriting assignments and Internet marketing for my business. Sort of like trying to eat an elephant – there’s just too much there for one tiny fork.

I’m actually taming the beast since I’ve learned how to break big projects down into prioritized pieces.

Denise and I have chunked Internet marketing steps down into a clear Pathway to Profits. Last year we opened up our program to teach others. You can be a part of our Blogging and Beyond Mentor Group for a mere $9.95 trial month.

You get access to monthly teleseminars, including the one on copywriting with Lorrie Morgan Ferrero this Monday Dec. 10.

Related Posts on using Photos:
Easy Blog Photos Make Your Blog Fabulous
Tips from the Experts About Using Photos on Your Blog

Related Post on Blogging and Beyond Teleseminars:
Spend Less Time Selling and More Time Making Money
Blogging Education Opportunities with the Blog Squad
Copywriting Made Easy: Faster, Better, & More Fun

Shocking: 68% of Bloggers Do This in Bed

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The results are in. I surveyed our blog clients and friends, and over 68% of them admit to thinking about their next blog post while in bed!

Next time your lover gets that starry-eyed look, better offer a penny for thoughts. You may be surprised that he/she is actually creating a killer headline.

For example, Brian Clark of Copyblogger uses Cosmo, that conservative women’s magazine and bastion of great journalism. He suggests stealing provocative headlines for the sole purpose of luring in unsuspecting blog readers.

He goes so far as to say, forget content: start with a sexy headline and see what that gets you. Here’s a few of the headlines he wants bloggers to use:

  • “Guys Spill: White Lies They Tell Women All the Time”
  • “The 22 Best Relationship Tips Ever”
  • “Get Ahead Faster: 12 Brilliant (and Slightly Badass) Ways to Do It”
  • “Your Sexual Health: Crucial New Facts Your Gyno Forgot to Mention”

Go ahead and try re-wording these attention grabbers and see if your traffic spikes. (Don’t forget to link to Brian for a little link Karma!)

What to Do When Someone Steals Your Content

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Today’s guest blogger is John T. Unger of TypepadHacks.org, a great resource for customizing Typepad blogs. John’s post is a great review of what to do about content theft, all the way from thanking them for the links, to reporting them. John also writes about RSS feeds and whether it’s best to use full feeds or partial. I agree with him, I like reading full feeds, what about you?

What To Do When People Steal Your Blog Content

This article reprinted from the TypePad Hacks Weblog. The original article can be found online here.
© 2007, John T Unger

In a recent comment, Sylvia Forester asked

   

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What can we do to stop Bitacle from stealing our posts and making money off of them?

Rather than responding in the comments, it seemed like a good topic for a full blog post. Copyright and IP law are much too large a topic to cover extensively here, but I can provide a few thoughts on where to start.

I haven’t looked at Bitacle previously, but with a quick scan of a couple pages it appears to me that they do include a link back to the original content when they repost material. This may in fact be a benefit to your blog, as people who use Bitacle for search may find you for the first time and become regular readers…

There are a number of sites that I allow to republish content from the TypePad Hacks blog in order to reach a wider audience. They send a fair bit of traffic and I don’t begrudge them a few advertising dollars in exchange. On the other hand, it is possible that your reputation could be harmed by spam blogs harvesting your posts and republishing them on sites that contain offensive or dangerous material.

Read More→

Doin’ the Biz Blog Boogie: Two steps to profits

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Do you know how to do the two step biz blog boogie? It goes like this: take Rich Brook’s blog post on 10 Tips for a Profitable Blog and do step 1 and step 10.

Guest Blogger —Rich Brooks
President, flyte new media

There’s no doubt that more businesses are realizing the power of blogging to establish their expertise, rank higher at the search engines, and improve their communication with prospects and customers.

But as more companies jump into the blogosphere it becomes more difficult for your blog to get noticed, and therefore to make you money. Here are ten quick tips to make your blog a profitable marketing tool.

1. Blog for your audience. As the blogosphere matures, the face of business blogging is changing as well. Although the discourse can still be freer than your Web site or email newsletter, people want content they can use. A few posts in a row about what you had for breakfast and you’re toast.

10. Leverage your blog traffic into real business. Don’t forget that this is your business blog, not your personal one; you’re looking for a return on investment. Create appropriate calls-to-action in the form of links that drive traffic from your blog to your Web site or online store.

Just don’t be too heavy handed; visitors won’t become subscribers or customers if you’re doing nothing but self-promotion. Use a deft hand to establish your expertise and build relationships with readers, but make it easy for them to buy from you when they’re ready.

Blog for your customers  because nothing else will have an impact if you don’t focus on their needs. Blog for your business  because the purpose of a business blog is to help your company grow and succeed.

To read steps 2 through 9, visit —Flyte New Media Blog

Blog World Videos: How blogging helps build businesses

We interviewed top professionals at Blog World about what benefits they got from writing on their blogs. Some of their responses may surprise you…most are positive that the 20 minutes a day spent writing on a blog brings great returns.

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Denise used her handy Flip Video camera to record, upload, and post the videos to Build a Better Blog with just a couple of clicks of the mouse…

Check out our videos from BlogWorld Expo: see interviews with Rich Brooks, John T. Unger, Dave Taylor and other blogging experts.

www.buildabetterblog.com/blogger_interviews/index.html

Blog World Photos from Las Vegas

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RichbrooksjohntungerdeniseblogworldSome of our favorite bloggers: Andy Wibbels, Andy Paradise, John T. Unger, Des Walsh, the Mystery MindTracks Bunny, Rich Brooks, John, and of course, Denise and Patsi…

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Blog World Expo: The Blog Squad in Las Vegas

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Can you believe all these people are in Las Vegas at the huge Convention Center just because a few of us started blogging 3 years ago? Who would have dreamed that it would blossom into all this? Blog World Expo is truly amazing!

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Denise is moderating a panel tomorrow on blog design, presenting a group of blog experts and talking about our CODA business blog system for getting results from a blog.

Here are some recent stats about blogs and people online:

• Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog
• More than 147 million Americans use the Internet
• Over 57 million Americans read blogs
• 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog

Read More→

Pathway to Profits: Blog First

Stairway_concept_ii_opening_doorThe first thing we recommend for any professional or business that wants to go online to grow business is to set up a business blog.

What about a website? Well, you can put up a website if you want, but if you want to get results (get published, get found, get clients) right away, then starting a blog is the best bang for your buck.

A blog is your first priority. Because a blog will get you found quickly on the Web by the people who need you, we recommend starting a business blog even before a website, if you don’t have one already.

Read More→

Blog Action Day: What are you doing for a healthy environment?

Bloggers Unite - Blog Action Day

How do you live in the space you occupy in this world? Today is Blog Action Day and I’ve got a different rant about environmental issues. It’s personal.

While there is much to be done by our governments, I believe each of us must act on an individual level. We’re not as conscientious as we could be. Let’s take some personal responsibility for our environments.

Clean up our homes, our streets and our habits. Our environment is a direct result of our attitudes and actions. Legislation must be pushed through by citizens who care, AND we could all act more responsibly in our own environments.

I believe that charity and health begins at home and each of us can contribute to a healthy world in our own ways. For myself, I choose not to drink alcohol, take drugs, smoke cigarettes or consume unhealthy foods manufactured in factories and fast food dives… I also believe in taking responsibility for physical health through plenty of exercise.

How are you taking care of your own environment? Do you pay attention to your personal environment? Do you act with care for your home, business and local area? Or are you counting on Al Gore and politicians to clean up after you? Laws are necessary, AND we don’t have to wait for them.

Act locally, think globally. Use today, Blog Action Day, to consider how you can improve your own environment.

As always, Brian Clark of Copyblogger wrote eloquently about this problem and what you can do about it; don’t mis his post The Butterfly Effect and the Environment.