Tag Archives: Blogging

Blogging

What’s the ROI on Blog Comments, Anyway?

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‘If a tree falls in the woods, and no one hears, is there a sound?”

How can I get more comments on my blog?

Wow, what a great question — especially for a couple of million people now writing blog articles!

It’s an even better question for all the bloggers who’ve been writing long enough to publish articles responding to that  “challenge” like Charlie Gilkie, who Guest Posted on Problogger.net:  “8 Reasons You Might Not Be Getting Blog Comments.”

However, after enjoying reading Charlie’s post, 77 comments, and inserting my own comment [Number 74].

I started to wonder:

What’s the ROI on Blog Comments, Anyway?

Why do we bloggers want comments?

How much do other people’s comments really matter?

Here are my thoughts — as well as some “crowd-sourced” [from asking the question on Twitter and my Facebook page]:

You’ve got to start with your objectives: Why are you writing a blog?

Like any strategy where measurement can be done, you must know what you are measuring.

From Twitter:

@frostoloa “The question is why you want to measure that – what’s the end goal?”

@A_Aviles “It would depend on what you’re measuring, wouldn’t it?”

from Steve Rubel’s FB Fan Page:

“Shari, think it depends on your goals – interaction, quality of content/ideas,
etc.”

So WHEN do comments matter?

When . . .

  • you are writing to see how many comments you can get 🙂
  • you really want to know what other people have to say — whether you are the blogger or the blog reader
  • your comment on someone’s blog leads to a real, mutually beneficial relationship.

When do comments — or number of comments — NOT matter?

When . . .

  • your blog is just about you — and putting your views out there
  • you understand that many readers don’t have anything of extra value to add
  • you have your readers RT your URL and/or send you emails to applaud your efforts
  • you are just starting out and haven’t built enough Google Juice and content to draw huge numbers of readers

Here’s Leora’s 2 cents:

Leora Wenger

Leora Wenger

Lessee – you get some SEO juice if it’s dofollow, a little less if it’s not no follow, and you get connection to another human being – priceless. And maybe the person will then comment on your blog or click your lick. How does one measure these things?

How about yours?

Blogging

Should You Set Up Your Own Blog?

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My most recent blogging workshop gathered together a dozen participants with a wide range of experience and understanding of social media — from some attendees who weren’t quite sure what a blog was to a few people with active, sophisticated websites.

What they all shared, however, was the question about whether or not they should set up their own blog. To help them determine that answer, we discussed five other questions:

1. Will a blog help me build my business?

2. How do I set up a blog?

3. How frequently do I need to post an article?

4. How do I get people to read my blog?

5. How do I monetize a blog?

Here are some “simple” answers:

Will a blog help me build my business: YES, it can. Further Reading is all over the Internet [social media marketing articles], but basically a blog can put a human face on a company, and people do business with people not organizations.

How do I set  up a blog? You can read my article with wordpress.com directions

How frequently do I need to post an article? NO . . . you do not “need” to publish every day. . . unless you want to. The main thing is to be consistent — and at least once a week when you begin. You may love blogging so much that you will want to write every day.

How do I get people to read my blog? The answer here is not difficult, but it is BIG, i.e., there are lots and lots of ways including the following:

  • Most important: Write interesting content relevant to your audience.
  • Comment on other people’s blogs and form relationships with them, so perhaps — they will visit yours; you can guest post on theirs; you can attract some of their readers.
  • Promote each blog post on social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Stumbleupon and whatever is hot — and whatever you have a profile on.
  • Do not forget about LinkedIn where you have a host of ways to build connections, relationships, and readers. Here’s a recent article with 10 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog Using LinkedIn.
  • Most Important: Did I say write great content?

How do I monetize my blog? My suggestion here is easy: The Common Wisdom is that you do not even think about monetizing until you (a) know you are going to continue blogging, (b) build a sizable readership, and (c) have something valuable to sell — either your content or your own products offered on the blog.

However, if you really want to get into monetizing “early,’ then check out Darren Rowse’s hugely popular Problogger; this blog really does offer all the answers you could ever require — and don’t forget to read the reader comments after each post.

But if you are still looking for more to read, try some of my past articles:

Beginner Blogger Workshop: What do I blog about?

Avoid These 9 Blogging Blunders: Guest post by Suzanne Vara

Use Your Blog to Become the Go-To Source for Information

To Blog — or Not to Blog — That is a good first question

Grab a Cool, Fancy & Free Design for Your Blog

Now let’s get blogging.

And if you have Questions — or more Tips — please leave your comments below.



Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Sharisax Is Out There, Twitter

How Many of These Social Media Questions Can You Answer?

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My Laney College students are participating in social media to build writing and reading skills. For many of them, however, this is a significantly new experience, i.e., creating blogs and signing up for Twitter.

What is Social Media and why is it important?

and . . . here are many of their other questions:

Where can and will SM take me?

How did Social Media get so big?

Is it possible to become famous on SM?

What percentage of SM is business?

How much time do/should people spend on SM?

Who started SM?

What makes SM important?

Why are people addicted to SM?

Can SM help better the world?

Is SM safe?

What are the most popular blogs?

Who can read my blog?

Are all SM sites free?

Why has SM become popular?

What is the average age of a person using SM?

What is the main reason for using SM?

How can you detect if someone is insincere?

Today I am conducting an introductory Social Media workshop for a Mass Media & Society course at Laney. I will begin asking them to tell me which of those questions they would most like answered.

Then I will chat and show the slideshow below.

And, finally, I will ask THEM to answer any of those questions . . . and I’ll be posting their responses.

Here is the slideshow on

Making Sense of Social Media

Making Sense Of Social Media 2010

View more presentations from sharisax.

NOW . . . FOR THOSE ANSWERS: from the students AND from any of you readers. Please do add your thoughts.

photo credit Howard Blum

Blogging

What I Learned About Blogging and Life From Julie & Julia

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It took me awhile to see the Meryl Streep/Amy Adams film “Julie & Julia” — kind of like it took me awhile to get into blogging.

Here’s a movie story about A Blogger Who Made It.

What could be a more wonderful story for any blogger who dreams of Fame and Fortune?

So here’s how the movie can help us

1. Plan your work, and work your plan:

29-year-old Julie Powell was looking for a way to add value to her life, so she combined her creative passions for writing AND cooking into a blog with this goal: to work her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking by preparing 524 recipes in 365 days. And she did it . . . and got a movie deal in the process.

2. Passion helps you persevere through adversity:

Plans and projects rarely progress on a straight, smooth road. Blogging is a great example. When we start writing and publishing, we’re often very excited. But keeping it going is not easy; in fact, it’s work. And when people aren’t knocking down the doors to subscribe and comment, it is easy to get discouraged.

In the movie, both Julia Childs and Julie Powell faced roadblocks and naysayers. It was their deep emotional drive that kept them going.

I love blogging, even when I don’t have a positive response to the question: “Are you making any money yet?”

3. If you create something of value, you will gain an audience — and your dream:

Julia Childs brought French cooking to mainstream America, and 40 years later Julie Powell proved that Childs’ techniques still worked.

When companies produce rich, relevant content on blogs, webcasts, white papers, etc., this is marketing material that can both spread and last a long time.

My dream is to write articles that will help people understand the value of social media . . . and how to do it.

4. When you do gain followers, do not let them down:

In the movie, we saw how Julie Powell’s readership grew so large that mainstream media acknowledged her accomplishments. I can’t remember how much she interacted with her fans, but I do know that the power of blogging and all of social media marketing is in the power of the conversation.

I recently read a post by my friend Suzanne Vara about 9 Blogging Blunders in which she wrote:

“Thank them of course but also include how you liked a certain post as it relates back to yours.”

Blogging — and marketing and business — are all about building of relationships.

5. When people offer help, accept it when it’s appropriate:

Both cooks in the film found that they needed the support of friends and family. As bloggers we can derive great benefits from collaboration with other bloggers, both with external linking and Guest Posts. Remember, we call this SOCIAL media for a reason.

6. There’s a whole lot we can learn from history — and the experience of others:

Daaah, of course 🙂

Many movie viewers enjoyed the interplay of the 1950’s Julia Childs-in-Paris scenes with Julie Powell in 2002 New York.

Lessons are everywhere; sometimes, like with this blog article: it  maybe just being reminded.

NOTE: One “lesson” I learned many years ago seems appropriate here. Back in college I read Margaret Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa. Her greatest finding from studying these unsophisticated natives was that for them

Work was Play and Play was Work

I’m certain that Julie and Julie felt that way about cooking. And I certainly feel that way about blogging and the whole social media phenomenon.

FURTHER READING

The back story of Julie &  Julia

Blogging Basics

Blogging

Beginner Blogger’s Workshop: What do I blog about?

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Q: Why do you want to blog?

A: Because it’s new and I want to do it.

Q: What do you want to blog about?

A: I don’t know. You tell me.

Blogging is a power strategy for Content Marketing, i.e., communicating about yourself and/or your company to win friends, followers, clients, and customers.

Six Q’s and A’s for Beginning Bloggers

1. What is blogging all about & why are so many people doing it?

Blogging is all about putting your unique voice, opinions, insights, and understandings “out there” to (a) build an online presence, (b) establish yourself as a Thought Leader, and (c) begin conversations and relationships.

Lots of people are blogging — maybe over 200 million worldwide — for a host of different reasons. Most are undoubtedly personal bloggers writing diaries for the world to see. More and more, however, companies, institutions, and nonprofit organizations are understanding that there is a Communication Revolution going on and that the way day-to-day business IS and WILL BE conducted is turning to more authentic, transparent, supportive 2-way conversations, rather than the traditional blasting out of messages.

FURTHER READING:

Answer these nine questions before you decide to become a blogger

2. What do I blog about?

Like most marketing campaigns — as well as personal planning — you should decide on an objective:

What you will blog about has everything to do with why you want to start, build and maintain your online diary/report/journal/lecture.

If you are starting a blog for commercial reasons, then you naturally want to focus your communication towards a “target” audience. Noted social media authority David Meerman Scott suggests that all message-makers should have a clear idea of their consumer profile, i.e., specific data about your prospective readers.

Once you know whom you are writing for and why, you want to make certain that you offer content that is as relevant, informative, creative, and interesting as you can make it.

What’s the very best way to write the best blog articles? Write what you are passionate about.

The best way to improve your blog is to listen to your readers and think about them before — and as — you write.

FURTHER READING:

My story of  Peter and “what to blog”

Any and all of Problogger – the hands-down online authority on How To Blog

3. How much effort will it take?

This answer, again, begins with your objective, but I suspect the real question might be: “Do I have to be writing every day to have a successful blog?”

If that is the case, then a simple answer is that Writing Consistently is more important/effective than Writing Daily.

Also, you are the one who decides whether you want short pithy blog posts like Seth Godin and Zahid Lilani or more detailed research reports like Brian Solis or something in between like Adam Singer or Suzanne Vara.

One key is to enjoy what you are doing – or it will show. Start slowly, maybe set a goal of one article a week. When you find that you want to publish more often, then find time to write twice a week . . . and so on. If you are particularly inspired on any day, then try to write an extra post or two that you can publish on a day when you have other commitments.

Another key is to realize that every time you publish new content, you are adding to your site and giving readers [some new] more and more of you. With that in mind, you want to make certain that Everything you publish is something you are proud of.

FURTHER READING:

Spend some time with the bloggers suggested above. Zahid just wrote an article on whether or not Bloggers were Writers

4. If I am not a great writer, how do I get over the fear of writing?

A Great Question! especially if you were never an English major [and what percentage of the world was?].

Here are three things to think about:

  • Writing is compulsory thought. When you put fingers on the keyboard and start typing, you “force” yourself to think.
  • To over come “writer’s block,” I tell my English composition students to have a reader in mind, e.g. your mother, your best friend, your least favorite uncle, etc. You may see how much easier it is to “talk” when you can envision who is listening.
  • Like with any skill, “practice makes perfect” — or at least better.

FURTHER READING:

Conquer the fear of writing

5. How do you get to blogs? How will people get to my blog?

Two questions here: the first is easy; the second is not so.

Finding blogs to read is as easy as going to Google or some other search engine and putting in some key words. I, personally, have not yet written about the “Fear of Writing” so I simply Googled it and came up with the link listed above.

A better way to find blogs, though, is to follow someone’s recommendation. I gave you five suggestions above, BUT all of those marvelous people write about subjects of interest to me, i.e., social media marketing.

If you want to read and or write about dogs, jewelry, moms, or fashion, you will need to find experts in those fields and (a) see if they have blogs or (b) email them and ask for blog suggestions.

SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION: How will people get to your blog, i.e., how will you get readers?

The basic reason why this is not so easy to answer is because it is not easy to get readers, but here are a few “streamlined” suggestions:

  • Write a lot. The more you write, the more Google has to index.
  • Comment on other peoples’ blogs enough and they may come to read yours.
  • Publicize your blog content on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, etc.
  • Invite people to Guest Post on your blog.
  • Starting out, though, I’d suggest emailing all your friends and letting them know what you are up to.

FURTHER READING:

Go online and search for articles “How to Get Readers”: you’ll find countless titles, but Problogger is best.

6. What are the biggest blogging mistakes?

This is really easy. Check the Guest Post by Suzanne Vara: Avoid These 9 Blogging Blunders

And you might want to check out my own 10 Biggest Mistakes Made by Social Media Newbies

MORE QUESTIONS?

Great! Ask away in the comment section OR, better yet, add your own answers.

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Use this Checklist for Managing Online Presence

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CHART YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROGRESS:

Want to manage your social media sites? Yesterday’s post reviewed Chris Brogan‘s 19 tips: Resolve to Manage your Online Presence.

Today you’ll find a handy spreadsheet to use for weekly check-offs. And there’s space to add other tasks . . .  like writing your blog post 🙂

Now you can Check-off when you Do-It

Click HERE for a JPG of the chart

Guest Post

ABC’S of PR: One Student’s Wide Angle View

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Magan JenkinsI met Magan online last week when she wrote this fabulous blog post on PROpenMic, a social network for PR students, faculty and professionals. I loved her creative approach to the practice and wanted to share it with my audience.

Magan is a senior at University of Georgia. As a PR major, she is in love with all things New Media and is working for a special certificate in that area of study. Her favorite color is lime green and her favorite foods are salads and French Fries [of course lots of salad so she can eat the fries, I imagine 🙂 ]

ABC’s of PR

by Magan Jenkin

Since I am a senior this year I thought it would be fun to go back to the basics and remind myself of my ABC’s, only this time within the world of PR.

A- Audience, Always make sure any all plans, press kits, news releases, etc are aimed at your target audiences.

B-Business etiquette, the best way to learn is to OBSERVE- Guest speaker Joan Collins

C-Create social networking accounts i.e. Twitter, Facebook, PROpenmic, Blogging, etc.

D- Develop plans and strategies that will be most effective

E-Elements of a Crisis- Surprise, Lack of information, Loss of control, Outside scrutiny, Time pressure

F-Focus Groups, a great way to gather information on your audience

G- Google yourself to make sure your Web presence is a positive one.

H- Hear, Keep your eyes and ears open for any internship opportunities that may present themselves.

I- Interview a working PR practitioner, an assignment I was able to do in in my 5920 class. I learned so much from Melissa Libby from Melissa Libby and Associates

J-Join PRSSA, UGA’S Public Relations Student Society of America

K- Key Message, always make sure your key message is clear and directed to their right audience

L- Look for AP mistakes in any print material you are sending out

M- MBO, Management by Objectives, process of agreeing upon objectives within an organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and understand what they are in the organization.

N-Networking, an important skill to develop to help build strong relationships.

O-Opinions, get to know the opinions of your target audience and the local media. By investing time with the media the more likely they are to run your releases.

P- Press kits, puts forth key information about its business or product in a convenient, cohesive marketing package with the goal of attracting further attention.

Q- Questionnaires are a great way to conduct research on your target audiences.

R-Relationships with Journalists- very imporant to develop and maintain healthy relationships with journalists

S- Southwest Airlines, a truly unique airline who has mastered Public Relations

T- TQM, Total Quality Management, business management strategy aimed at embedding awareness of quality

U-University of Georgia’s Grady College, Public Relations is the hardest major to get into. Remember how all your hard work and be proud of your accomplishments.

V- Vs, Public Relations Vs. Journalism, an on going battle between the two majors, and jobs. Either way both professions need one another and its a good idea to develop healthy relationships.

W- Willingness, always have the willingness to participate and be effective.

X- X-Factor, when applying for internships or jobs show your potential boss that you are of value and will bring something different to the table

Y-You can do anything. Stay positive and be confident in all your work.

Z- Catch some zzz’s, sleep is very important in any profession it provides a practitioner with energy!

Blogging

Use your Blog to become the GO-TO Source for Information

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hills and treesLots of people considering social media strategies for business and personal reasons [like job seeking] may not fully appreciate the value of blogging.

  • the TIME
  • the SKILLS
  • the COMMITMENT

Is Blogging Worth all That?

Absolutely, according to Dean Guadagni, Social Media Marketing/Director at Inner Architect and source for two of my previous articles — Networking Tips and LinkedIn Profiles.

Dean recently conducted a workshop on the value of blogging for a Group of Marin Professionals. He began with his own experience:

“My own career really took off after I started to blog. It created a platform for me to position myself.”

“All consultants should have a blog,” Dean advised.

“Blogs are the Hub or Centerpiece of your online presence.”

He listed TEN BASIC REASON YOU SHOULD BLOG:

  1. Publishing Platform
  2. Control your Message
  3. Delivery system for your Messages
  4. 24/7 Online Network
  5. New Skill Development
  6. Increased Perception through Web 2.0 Sources
  7. Visibility
  8. Reputation Management [your silence allows your critics to win]
  9. Build Google Presence
  10. Research required increases your Expertise

Here is my representation of a diagram Dean offered to represent the BLOG ECOSYSTEM:

Blog ecosystem

Dean also described six common myths that hold people back from blogging:

  • Length: Some people think you have to write a lot. But the truth is that blog articles can me any size that a writer wants or needs to share the message.
  • Daily consistency: Mistaken impression that bloggers all write every day. Some may, but most don’t. [See previous article with report on how often people blog.]
  • Fear: Natural human feeling: “You’ll get over it,” Dean said.
  • Resistance to new technology: Much easier than people think.
  • What to say?: “People wonder what’s new that they can say. Probably not much, but it’s how you say it. What is your differentiating factor?”
  • Who will read my blog?: Good question — No One unless you promote it.

For help in starting your own blog . . . from scratch, check out my two earlier articles:

How to start a blog – step by step

Choose a design for your blog

BONUS: Here are six of the most popular type articles:

  1. How-to’s
  2. Top Ten Lists
  3. Case Studies
  4. “Best of” Lists
  5. Interviews
  6. Breaking News

JUST DO IT — and when you have, please send me a link!

FURTHER READING:

Blogging Basics

Blogging, Facebook

Let’s get the blogging story “straight” — a glimpse of the Technorati report

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A colorful futureJust over six months ago [in April 2009], I wrote my first blog post with the announced intention to aim for “A-List status.”

Four months later I wrote an article about the “day I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven” — it was actually a report of a panel discussion headlining Steve Rubel among other social media thought leaders discussing a Roadmap for the future.

How very exciting it had been to introduce myself to Steve, who’s been a role model.

I told Steve of the lofty goal I was working towards, and he said,

“You might want to reconsider, Shari. Blogs are losing their status, and you might aim, instead, to be an A-List Thought Leader,” he advised me.

During the panel discussion Steve elaborated on this view:

I do subscribe to Steve’s Posterous stream, but that’s in addition to more than a dozen other blogs I keep up with pretty regularly. [Check my blogroll on the right hand sidebar.]

So . . . every time I read a headline like Brian Solis’ “Rumors of the Death of the Blog are Greatly Exaggerated,” I am encouraged to keep on “keepin’ on,” i.e., BLOGGING towards the A List.

Commentary on the PR 2.0 summary of Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere report

Technorati is a search engine for blogs, and it catalogs more than 112 million blogs. Every year the site comes out with a State of the Blogosphere Report and this year’s findings include information about these topics: professional blogging activities, brands in the blogosphere, monetization, twitter & micro-blogging and bloggers’ impact on US and World events.

The report also includes interviews with more than a dozen well-known, well-respected, and well-read bloggers including Steve Rubel.

Brian Solis’ blog PR 2.0 featured an indepth view of the report

This article will pick out and share pieces of the report that I found interesting and helpful to me as a fairly new blogger.

Brian’s post included color-coded charts recording responses from four categories of bloggers: (a) hobbiests; (b) part-timers; (c) corporate; and (d) self-employed.

1) About 70% of all bloggers felt that “Blogs are getting taken more seriously as sources of information” while 60% agreed that “More people will be getting their news and entertainment from blogs than from traditional media in the next three years.”

HOWEVER

2) Fewer than 40% agreed with the following two statements:

a) “Newspapers will not be able to survive in the next ten years.”

b) “Blogs are often better written than traditional media.”

Re: “Prolificness”

Brian wrote that “those bloggers who rank among the highest according to Technorati Authority post nearly 300 times more than the lower ranked bloggers.”

One Technorati survey question asked “How frequently do you update your blog?

  • 20% post once or twice a day
  • 27% post 2-3 times per week
  • 33% post at least once a week
  • Interestingly, 3% of self-employed bloggers post 10 times a day or more! AND 7% post 5-9 times a day.

Why do bloggers blog?

“Self expression and sharing expertise are among the primary motivations for bloggers,” Brian wrote.

To measure the “success” of their blogs, survey respondents chose from the following ten factors, ranked from the most popularly selected to the least:

1) Personal satisfaction

2) Number of unique visitors

3) Number of posts or comments on the blog

4) Number of links to my blog from other blogs

5) Number of RSS subscribers

6) Accolades from other media

7) Number of people favoriting you

8) Blogger’s Technorati authority number

9) Number and quality of new business leads

10) and, finally, in last place for hobbiests/corporate bloggers was revenue; HOWEVER, 39% of part-timers admitted that revenue was an important measure of their success.

What activities do bloggers participate in to attract visitors?

The four most popular activities included (a) Listing the blog on Technorati; (b) Tagging blog posts; (c) Commenting on other blogs; (d) Listing the blog on Google.

Other activities were the following [from more popular to least popular]: (e) Getting listed on a blog directory; (f) Produce content for other blogs or websites; (g) Create a blog on a broader blog network; (h) Attend conferences for bloggers; (i) Pay for online advertising.

The future of Blogging

Here are the eleven blog ideas and tactics proposed for the coming year [from most popular to least]:

1) Blog more frequently

2) Expand some of the topics already blogged about

3) Publish a book

4) Begin using the blog to get speaking engagements

5) Add advertising

6) Begin guest blogging

7) Add video

8) Blog through mobile device

9) Start a new, independent blog

10) Start a new blog on a blog network

11) Blog less frequently.

According to Brian:

“Technorati believes that the next generation of blogs will be more action oriented, not just documenting real time happenings, but driving actual events.”

If you’re a blogger, how would you have answered any of the Technorati questions?

If you don’t blog yet, has any of this information convinced you to “dive in” and start expressing yourself?

FURTHER READING:

Blogging Basics

Blogging, Facebook, Sharisax Is Out There, Twitter

Managing MY Online Presence: A Road Map

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If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there
If you don

Where do I WANT to go?

NOT

Where am I going?

I’m remembering the quote I often tell students: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

Back on July 1, I started to think about “managing” my online presence, i.e., putting some routine in place primarily to help me select where I wanted to make my Web contributions. So I wrote “How do you manage your Online Social Media presence?”

In essence, I was thinking aloud. What I accomplished — and, unfortunately, all I accomplished with that post — was to ask myself to set aside time in the morning to Go Online.

But I didn’t give myself a road map. Hence, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

Road Map — by the numbers.

1) Step one on the road must be taking time to clarify Objectives. So I thought I’d imagine the possibilities:

a) Casual: Whenever . . . of course that’s not me. It’s really OK if that label describes you, someone who spends as little or as much time as happens to be there: checking out your Facebook page, email, Twitter account, etc. I.E., WHENEVER . . . [been there, done that]

b) Experimenter: We’re ALL experimenting here, and that is a good thing. But there’s a danger — lost opportunity and value when you never really “move off the dime.” Get out there and BUILD, don’t just keep trying new things. [been there, done that]

c) Reader: One of the greatest benefits of Twitter for me personally are all of the website references with Great Stuff. I could read and read and read. How many of us bookmark and bookmark and bookmark . . . and don’t even get to read? [been there, done that]

d) Novice Participant: Read some blogs that strike a chord and add your voice once or twice a week. Join some groups and occasionally check to see what group members are asking and answering. [been there, done that]

e) Active Contributor & Engager: This is who I WANT to be. And we all know that Today is the First Day of the Rest of Our Lives.

So what does an ACE [Active Contributor & Engager] do?

Here’s my new plan . . . and a new Number One since the Objective has been taken care of:

1) Make a list of WEEKLY goals {I believe I can hold to that) and check off my accomplishments EVERY Sunday night.

2) Prioritize those goals to make certain that the ones on the top of the list are done for sure.

3) Because my original intention, way back when I first posted on April 23, was To Become an A-List Blogger — and that continues to be my Long Term Goal — Blogging will be my top priority. One of my students got around to reading my blog last week — and liked it. He asked how often I write. My immediate answer to myself was NOT ENOUGH. So Priority Number One for me is to make certain FROM NOW ON to have 3-4 posts (or more) Every Week!

4) Next, because I really believe that Twitter will become all that its creators are envisioning, my goal will be 3-5 Tweets Every Single Day! I will continue to follow my own advice on What to Tweet.

5) Facebook is a HUGE priority, especially since my partner Les Ross and I are building our Social Media/Internet Marketing consulting business Performance Social Media, which recently set up a Fan Page. We’ll be including the opportunity for small and large companies to find social media interns through us, so I’ll be monitoring and updating both my Facebook Profile and my Facebook Page EVERY Day. That means NEW content on the Facebook page at least four days a week.

6) I may be running out of time for Daily Tasks, but I thinking checking in and updating LinkedIn is essential. So besides that commitment, I plan to contribute to at least two LinkedIn Group Discussions every week.

7) Finally, my new Road Map will highly suggest that I check out at least one New social media tool, strategy or app every week; by checking out, I do mean more than reading about it.

Good luck . . . to me . . . and everyone else out there who may want to follow my Road Map.

Let me know what you think?

Do these suggestions help you?

Do you have any others to suggest?

In the meantime, I’ll see you all “Out There.”

And, Jay [my student who asked about my blog], how’s this for a new post?

Next post: What I read Saturday instead of watching cartoons

Blogging

Blogging is New World Pathway

5 Comments

“Write your own blog post everyday, but spend twice as much time reading other people’s blogs — and comment”

We're Listening

We had Sleepy Blogger, aka Robyn Tippins, come to PR class at San Francisco State, Tuesday, May 12, on the second last day of our exciting adventure into the World of All Things Social Media.

In addition to being a very popular and influential blogger and mother of four children, Robyn is Community Manager for Yahoo Developer Network. I read about her in a chapter of What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging by Ted Demopoulos.

Since she lives in the Bay Area AND a student group planned to tell the class about blogging, Sara Peterson (student in the group) and I Tweeted and Emailed. It worked for Jack Dorsey — and it worked for Robyn Tippins.

WOW, did it work!

The students loved her “down home” story — at 21, Robyn started a cloth diaper business from her home in Georgia, and the rest is history for another post. But what impressed Sara and so many of the students is how Robyn decided to make things happen, and she made them happen!

Here are some of the comments students wrote after her presentation:

“It was cool to learn how Robyn created a business on the Internet at such a young age, and now she works for Yahoo.” — Stephanie Mereau

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“Once you get out there, people start to refer to you and this is how you become influential.” — Mita Mahida

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“No job is Too Small!” — Alice Ng

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“It’s important for your blog to create a niche so that the right people can read the right blogs and leave the right comments for the benefit of the overall conversation.” — Stephen Giusti

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“Word of mouth has a lot to do with success in the blogging world as it is for business in general.” — Rafael Silla

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“Paid advertising on your blog can hurt you rather than help you because of all the clutter and distraction.” — Ann Marie Pawlicki

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“Research is essential — it makes you credible and relevant.” — Marie Belhomme

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“Key words and meta tags make it easier to find your blog.” — Gabriela Acevedo

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“Spend more time visiting other blog than writing your own.” — Theresa Rix

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“Moderate comments: know what your strategy will be.” — Brian McGuinn

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“Get your ideas out there and personalize some of your posts to keep yourself real.” — Orly Macabi

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“All in all: One of those classes that makes it all worthwhile.” — Shari Weiss

What works for your blog?

Next post: Personal Branding using Social Media

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Archive, Blogging, Sharisax Is Out There

Commenting on other blogs will build traffic on yours

21 Comments

Popularity has a price: You’ve got to do some Work

Yosemite is popular for a reason


Some of my students have started blogging, and one student asked me today [actually in a comment on my first post]:

“How can I get my blog noticed?”

Interestingly enough, that question was answered in a blog posting today, April 25, from Problogger.net, one of the most popular blogs around. Blogging expert Darren Rowse said that adding comments on other blogs, especially the most popular ones, is a great way to build traffic.

Darren’s article referred me to a 2007 post listing 11 tips for getting your comments noticed on a popular blog. Would you believe there were 136 comments on that one article?

No, I couldn’t read all of them . . . had to stop myself somewhere around comment 93. But I learned a lot and wanted to share some of Darren’s tips, some from his readers, and just a few I’ve picked up along the Revolutionary Road we’re traveling.

Tips to get your blog noticed

  • First off, social media is really all about conversation, so the comments are every bit as important as the post. IMPLICATION: Be sure your comment adds value and doesn’t just say “I agree” or “You suck” or “Read my blog.”
  • When you read a blog, you ought to consider leaving your comment. Lots of people have set goals for themselves to comment on every blog post they read. Of course, if you read someone’s opinion every single day and you comment every single day, you could be getting a bad rep as a stalker.
  • Commenting gives you a chance to show what you know. And that’s always fun; plus you really can contribute, especially if you stay on topic. Very important. Stay on topic; don’t talk just to be heard.
  • If you want to connect with people, then your comments should show some of your personality and/or sense of humor. A comment has been called a mini-resume. You can be establishing your personal brand in your comments.
  • Actually, I’d read advice early on that commenting was the best way to find your voice before you started to actually blog.
  • In the business world, lots of comments are complaints — and this isn’t always a totally negative situation. Actually it is an opportunity for a company to handle a problem that they might never have known about otherwise. Handling disagreeable comments in a polite and respectful manner goes a long way to building better relationships and the community that companies are now trying to establish.
  • One last tip: Ask relevant and thoughtful questions in your comment, so . . .

What kind of comment can you add here?

PS I did want to add a link to the Air Force’s “Blog Assessment” flow chart which offers suggestions on how to deal with comments on their blogs. Good for business people, particularly, to Think before Replying.

Next post: Listening Tips