Archive for the ‘Useful Resources’ Category
Knowing how to write a blog involves understanding some basic do’s and don’ts. Below are listed some of the more grievous mistakes to avoid.
1. Boring Headlines
You could write the most useful and informative blog, but if your headline did not attract attention, it would never be read. It is far too easy to spend your time and effort on the content, but when it is all done, you must make the effort to find a headline that will “pop” and bring traffic to the site. Check out the blogs that are successful and model your own headlines after theirs.
2. Unbroken text
There is nothing more discouraging to a reader than to see a paragraph that never seems to end. Getting the reader to the site is most of the battle, and no one can afford to drive off their readership with an intimidating block of text.
Make use of small paragraphs, bullets, lists, and other methods that are appealing to the eye. The idea is to deliver the information quickly. If you cannot identify the purpose for a sentence, remove it. Your readers will appreciate your clarity.
3. Marketing laziness
Successful business blogging requires making use of the available marketing tools. Use social media sites to get your blog out there. The more you get involved in the blogosphere, the more attention your own blog will receive. Link your blog to other blogs. Comment on related blogs, linking your own blog in your helpful post. Friend successful bloggers on social media sites. Give others the opportunity to get involved with your blog with comments or even guest bloggers.
4. Advertisement Overkill
If your reader feels that you are more concerned with the advertisements on your page than the content of your blog, they will quickly be turned off of your site. Knowing how to blog effectively means knowing how to find the balance necessary between providing useful information and advertising (leaning toward the former). The relationship that must develop in order to get faithful readers will not develop if they feel that the blogger’s sole purpose is to make money.
5. Inconsistency
Your blog must posses a consistency. The trust that is built between author and reader is greatly strengthened when all aspects of your website are unified. From pictures uploaded, to content, to layout and design, let your message be clear and theme unified.
6. Missing Contact information
Help anyone who wants to get in touch with you. Create a tab on your website that lists your basic contact information. If a reader ever feels the need to reach out to you, you want them to be able to do so easily. Providing your contact information is also a simple way of vouching for what you write.
If you have come across any other blogging mistakes which I have not mentioned here in your blogging experience, please post it on your comments.
2010 was the year of the guest blogger. Sure, guest blogging is as old as blogging itself, but 2010 was the year that the concept of guest blogging for link building, branding, and authority building really began to explode in popularity. There was even a community like myblogguest that connected guest bloggers with blogs who need guest posters .
If you plan on taking advantage of the benefits guest blogging has to offer, you should know that there are some rules for doing it the right way. Here are 8 simple guidelines for proper guest blogging etiquette.
1. Be polite in your pitch — Remember, nobody owes you anything. You might think you’re a great blogger that has something to offer, but the other blogger might have no clue who you are. Keep your pitch short and to the point. Let the blogger know who you are and what you want to write about, and do so in a polite, professional manner.
2. Deliver the post by the date promised — If the blogger accepts your pitch, he or she will likely ask when you can have the post ready by. They have a schedule for their blog that they need to keep. So if you tell them you’ll have the post by a certain date, you need to make sure to deliver it to them by that date.
3. Follow all guest blogger guidelines — A lot of blogs have guidelines for guest bloggers. These guidelines typically dictate how many words the post needs to be, how many links it can include, and what topics you can write about. Follow these guidelines exactly so that your post gets accepted with no hassle.
4. Don’t litter your post with links — Yes, guest blogging is good for building links back to your website. No, that doesn’t mean you should bombard your post with a ton of links back to every page on your site. You shouldn’t guest blog just for the links. Think of that as a side benefit of guest blogging. Limit the amount of link to just 2-3 per guest post if the blogger doesn’t have any specific rules in place.
5. Make sure it’s the best post you’re capable of writing — Never just rush out a short, sloppy guest post for the sake of getting the links and getting your name out there. Remember, this will be your first introduction to many new readers. If your post isn’t great, you’ll do damage to your name.
6. Stay around to respond to all comments — Hopefully, your guest post gets some comments. If so, you need to be there to respond to them. Interact with the community, and be respectful if you get into any debates with the commentators.
7. Thank the blogger for the opportunity — Be grateful for every guest blogging opportunity you get. It’s a big deal for someone to hand you the keys to their blog for a day. Always thank the blogger for accepting your guest post.
8. Return the favor — I always like to return the favor by asking the blogger if they’d like to submit a guest post to my blog. They might not always take you up on the offer, but it’s good form to at least give them the opportunity.
What are some of your rules for guest blogging etiquette?
As bloggers, we’re always striving to get back links in any way we can. Back links act as an endorsement of your content, they drive traffic, and they help your website rank better in the search engines. But just blogging on a daily basis doesn’t guarantee you’ll get links from other websites. There’s a method to the madness.
Here are 7 tips for creating blog content that attracts more back links.
1. Create an infographic — Infographics have become one of the hottest ways to share information and statistics about a particular topic in a fun, exciting way. These graphical depictions of data allow you to add life to information that might come across as boring or overwhelming in a typical blog text format. Check out these 40 examples of killer infographics to see just how they work.
2. Shoot a creative viral videos — People love to share a good video with their friends and family. Creating a viral video requires a unique idea that makes people really stop and take a look. The concepts in the best viral videos tend to be so simple that you say “why didn’t I think of that?” or so extreme that you say “is this real?” Just remember, this isn’t the time to advertise yourself. No one wants to share an advertisement.
3. Make a big list — You already know that lists can be effective linkbait, but did you know the size of the list could play a role in determining how many links your post attracts? Which would you be likelier to share: a post with 10 good tips for making money or one with 101 good tips for making money? Really big lists that contain quality information serve as the definitive resource for a given subject, making them worthy of back links.
4. Interview an expert in the industry — Leverage someone else’s popularity to take your blog to new heights. Try to identify who the big influencers in your industry are, and see if you can land an interview with them. If you do your research and ask great questions, everyone will want to read and see what the industry leader has to say.
5. Capitalize on current events — Sure, writing about the tried and true subjects is important for building a good blog, but it’s also essential that you stay current with the latest news and current events in your industry. You don’t have to be the first to break a story, but if you can be the best and go into more detail on big stories, you’ll attract a lot of back links.
6. Tell an inspiring and motivational story — Blogging is about being yourself. It’s about opening up to your readers and creating relationships with them. If you have a good personal story to tell, consider sharing it on your blog. Everyone loves an inspiring story of triumph, and they make for great linkbait.
7. Link love posts — Can you really get back links by creating a post filled with links to other blogs? You bet! Why do you think so many bloggers end the year with “Top 100 posts from (insert industry” every year? By creating a huge resource with link love for other bloggers and websites, you gain the attention of everyone you link to.
What are some of your best tips for creating blog content that attracts back links?
Every day, tens of thousands of new users sign up for a Twitter account. If you’re new to Twitter, you want to make sure you don’t shoot yourself in the foot, looking like a complete Twitter Noob. That’s why you need to avoid these 7 mistakes.
1. You only update once a week—Building a successful Twitter presence requires consistently providing quality content to your followers. Remember, it’s called “social media.” It’s all about establishing solid relationships. You can’t expect to build relationships or credibility by Tweeting rarely.
2. Every Tweet is a pitch for your company—Just because you’re using Twitter to further your business doesn’t mean every Tweet should be an advertisement for your company. Self-promotional Tweets add no value to your followers and it’s completely the opposite of the concept of social networking.
3. You don’t have an avatar—Seriously, nothing screams “Noob!” like the default brown Twitter avatar.
4. Every Tweet says “Please RT”—Asking for a ReTweet on every post completely negates the purpose behind “Please RT.” Only ask for RTs when it’s for something truly important. Otherwise, people will begin to completely ignore your requests and eventually you.
5. You don’t interact with anybody—I’ve already said it a couple of times in this post, but I’ll say it again: It’s called “social networking.” Sending out a bunch of one way Tweets will get you nowhere fast. You need to spend time networking with others, interacting with your followers, and laying the groundwork for useful relationships.
6. Your bio is non-descriptive—Many times, the bio in someone’s profile is what convinces me if I should follow them or not. So, make sure your bio describes who you are and what you do. Include relevant keywords that your target audience would look for.
7. Auto responding to new followers—Sending out a canned auto reply every time someone new follows you is impersonal and a little spammy (especially if your auto response is a pitch for your products and services). If you don’t have the time to personally send a short DM or @ Tweet to your new followers, then instead focus on getting to know them over time.
What other mistakes to Twitter noobs make? Add your favorites in the comments.
Related Posts:-
How to Stop Wasting Time and Start Being Successful with Social Media
10 Reasons You Should Use Twitter
19 Handy Twitter Mashups and Tools
How to Build Strong Relationships on Twitter
Posted By Thomson Chemmanoor
Twitter mashups and tools put a unique spin on the way we use Twitter. By “mashing” information from Twitter with other applications, you get an unmatchable user experience that can be both fun and useful. Enjoy these top 19 Twitter mashups.
1) Twitter Burner – Tweetburner is a twitter mashup that allows you to create tiny URLs and also allow you to track how many times they where clicked on it. Ideal for someone who lets out a lot of links on twitter.
2) Twalala – Get ready to take control of your twitterstream. twalala is a client for Twitter that allows you to control what you see, and more importantly, what you don’t see in your twitterstream. Using twalala, you can filter tweets out of your stream by keywords and phrases or mute individuals who get a bit too chatty. Finally, Twitter with a mute button.
3) Twitspy lets you see what people are posting on Twitter in realtime by spying on the Twitter public timeline. Twitspy also tracks website links within tweets.
4) Twitter stats – In your Tweets, Graphin’ Your Stats! Weekly Stats. Graph your Twitter Stats including. Tweets per hour; Tweets per month; Tweet timeline;
5) Twittervision is a web mashup combining Twitter with Google Maps to create a real time display of tweets across a map.
6) mail2twitter is a free service that allows you to post tweets through e-mail, and the most important, from any email-enabled mobile device.
7) The TwitterCounter -Add a daily updating TwitterCounter to your blog so everybody can see how popular you are
Twit Pic, Share photos with your friends on twitter with twitpic. No signup required, just login using your twitter account.
9) Twittercal – It’s a free service that connects your Twitter account to your Google Calendar. Add events in a snap from your favorite Twitter client.
10) Geotwitter - This mashup uses the Google Maps API and Twitter API. The most recent updates are fetched from the public timeline and mapped once every minute. If you have any comments suggestions or ideas feel free to leave a note on our blog.
11) TwitterFox is a Firefox extension that notifies you of your friends’ tweets of Twitter. (previously known as TwitterNotifier)
12) TwittyTunes is a FoxyTunes companion Firefox extension – it allows you to post your currently playing songs to Twitter with a click.
13) Twitbin – Send and receive messages to all your fellow twitterholics, right from your firefox browser.
14) TwitterBar – allows you to post to Twitter from Firefox’s address bar. A small unobtrusive grey icon sits to the right of your address bar; clicking on it will post your tweet, and you can hover your mouse over it to see how many characters you have left.
15) StockTwits is an open, community-powered investment idea and information service for financial investors.
16) Twitterholic – Provides a list of the 100 best twitterers based on their followers, the people they follow and the number of their updates
17) TwitterFeed – Feed your blog to twitter, post RSS to twitter.
18) TwitterBuzz shows you what people using Twitter, a microblogging service, are linking to.
19) Twitter Map – Provides users with the ability to update their locations on a Google Map and send a tweet with it
These great Twitter mashups and tools represent some of the best ways twitter data can be used to create a great twittering experience. Please feel free to leave your thoughts on these mashups and tools in the comments on our Web Design and Marketing blog.
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