Archive for March, 2009
Challenge-Response Anti-Spam Tech for Queries? I Don’t Think So
I hate spam as much as the next guy, and of all the anti-spam solutions out there, the ones I like the most (although I don’t use them) and undoubtedly the most effective are the ones that employ “challenge-response” technology. Like Spam Arrest.
Blog Spring Cleaning Tips and Tools – Part 2
This next batch of “spring cleaning” tasks will take a bit more thought, study and consideration. These’ll likely be more work and time than the pretty straightforward ones mentioned in part 1, but well worth the effort, I think.
Reorganize Your Categories and Tags
With categories and tags being pretty easy to generate on the fly, if you’ve got a busy blog, there’s a good chance you’ve got a bunch of categories and tags you no longer need. From those that contain only single (or very few) posts to redundant categories and tags to misspelled ones, etc., they sure can pile up. It’s also very likely that you have two or more categories that you could combine into one, or have categories that would make more sense as subcategories of others.
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The goal is to simplify and make it easier for your visitors to find what they’re looking for. A huge mish-mash of categories and tags does not meet that objective… not with the typical rush-rush-rush visitor anyway. When there are too many options, they just leave.
So, take some time now to clean up and simplify your categories and tags.
I’ve been using a WordPress plugin called Tag Managing Thing to help out with tag reorg’s (it works with categories too). If you do decide to use this, be very, very careful. Backing up your data files first is critical. This is a very powerful tool, and it does not help that the interface is a bit buggy (due to it not being upgraded, I think, for a couple of years now). Workable, but not for the nervous. (Leave a comment, please, if you know of and can recommend a functionally similar but less technically intimidating alternative).
Review Your Blogroll and Linkroll
You’ll want to check your blogroll and linkroll for…
- dead links (of course) or radical changes (new domain owners; completely different content, etc.)
- relevancy; is the blog or site still worth linking to?
- reciprocal links (if you participate in reciprocal link schemes); make sure they’re linking back to you.
While you’re at it, add some new blogs and links. Can’t hurt to tell them you’ve added them too.
Review Your Advertising
You should be doing this constantly, not just once a year. If you haven’t yet, now’s a good time to start.
If you run AdSense, check to see if you can improve on the current ads you’re running. Can you place the ads in better locations? Are there new ad formats you can try? Is Google still feeding you ads that match your content?
The same kind of “optimization” goes for any ads you run and promote as an affiliate. If things are already going great, I say don’t mess with them. But if there’s room for improvement, again, check location, for fresh marketing material, or even for new/better affiliate programs to promote.
If folks pay you to run their ads, check for new “ad space” locations you can sell off or new advertising schemes you can implement (such as text links within your posts). You may even want to review your ad rates.
…to be continued…
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Plant That Tree
I just got reminded of an old favorite Chinese proverb. Maybe you’ll find it helpful to get you moving and doing what you know you really want to do:
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is right now.”
Poetic License to Profit
Unedited Guest Article by Serena Lewis
Saying it in rhyme can be a good way to make money writing if you have the knack. Knowing where to sell your verse can put you on the right track.
CommentLuv Plugin for WordPress
Although briefly mentioned in a blogging advice piece I reprinted not very long ago, I got reminded of this plugin by Mike Haydon’s comment on my recent Blog Spring Cleaning Tips and Tools – Part 1 post. Thanks for the reminder, Mike!
News to Use 03.27.2009
8 Hours a Day Spent on Screens, Study Finds [NYTimes]
“The average American adult spends eight hours a day in front of screens, and computer use has replaced radio as the second most common media activity.” READ »
Read the rest of this entry »
Freelance Jobs 2009 03.27
Assessment Writers/Editors — Compensation was not specified. New York editorial company that services major educational publishers seeks freelance writers and editors with math/science/reading assessment experience. Work remotely. Only wants applicants with educational publishing experience.
4 Thinking Barriers That Keep You From Being a Successful Novelist
Unedited Guest Articles by Holly Lisle
Most successful novelists don’t become successes overnight. They have to overcome obstacles to create the masterpieces we enjoy today. Each one has to deal with the four thinking barriers: Safe, Perfect, Victim and Feel.
Writing for Profit – Greeting Cards Can Put a Smile in Your Wallet
Unedited Guest Article by Serena Lewis
Writing greeting cards for profit is can be a great way to make money if you are the type of person who loves to write poetry.
Blog Spring Cleaning Tips and Tools – Part 1
Finally, spring is here! I think it’s here, anyway… really hard to tell in the DC area (you sneeze in these parts, and the weather changes). My calendar says the timing’s right, though, so yay!
If you publish a blog, it’s a good time to do some basic blog spring cleaning. Good thing is that it should be a lot easier (and a whole lot less filthier) than that annual top-to-bottom house cleaning thing that many of us winter climate survivors have ritualized.
The “Easy” Solution to eBay’s Problems
Thinking out loud time, and on a subject that really isn’t covered by Wordpreneur’s scope, but what the hey… I’m betting this’ll be of interest to some of you at least.
Design Your Blog for Business
Unedited Guest Article by Carma Spence-Pothitt
A blog for business is a bit different from a personal blog, as you probably already guessed. When you plan your blog for success, you should also give some thought to what your business blog will look like.
News to Use 03.23.2009
Bloggers Say They’re Open to Paying for Online Content [Folio]
“According to a report conducted by J.D. Power and Associates… 40 percent of bloggers — on their own blogs or on message board postings — said they would, or already do, pay for news content online.” READ »
Read the rest of this entry »
The 2.5 Types of Blog Names
Unedited Guest Article by Ted Demopolous
There are two basic types of names, whether it’s a blog name, book name, a name for a new breakfast cereal, or anything else.
1) Descriptive names.
A descriptive name is one that makes it obvious what the name applies to, at least to the target audience/market.
I see a sign for “The Bagelry” across the street from me. You can be pretty sure it sells bagels. It probably has a place to sit and may serve coffee and drinks as well, but certainly it has bagels. “The Bagelry” is a descriptive name.
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Ask the Atheist and CorporatePR are other examples of blogs with descriptive names.
Schneier on Security is another descriptive name. It’s about security and written by well known security author and thought leader Bruce Schneier
2) Clever names, called “cute names” by some.
As I write this I’m at “Breaking New Grounds.” Breaking New Grounds? Is that a spiritual growth center, a construction company, or what?
Actually it’s a coffee shop. Get it? Coffee — coffee grounds, and the expression “breaking new ground” as in making progress? How clever.
Boing Boing is a clever name. Whether you or I personally think it’s clever isn’t the issue. From the name you can’t tell what it’s about, but it’s currently the 5th most popular blog on the planet so obviously that doesn’t matter much.
icanhascheeseburger is another extremely popular blog with a clever name (personally I think it’s stupid, but that’s not important). You can’t tell from the name that it’s about cats and other fluffy animal pictures with amusing captions.
Not all blogs with “clever” names are irreverent, primarily for amusement, or silly.
For example, a shel of my former self, by Shel Holtz is a serious business blog on technology and communications. I have no idea what the name means, although it’s clever and catchy. Maybe Shel used to be really fat and lost 200 pounds? I’ll have to ask him someday.
2.5) Viral Names
A third type of name is one you choose because it will get talked about.
This is typically a clever name that you hopes catches on and enters the vocabulary.
Examples include Seth Godin’s book Purple Cow; most people now know this means something that is remarkable and unique, whether it’s a product, service, company, or maybe their marketing.
Another example is “Google”; it now means to look something up on the Internet.
Note that both “Purple Cow” and “Google” are basically “clever” names, but ones that have really taken off and are now used to mean much more than the book and company they originally named.
It IS tough to choose a “clever” name like these that spreads virally as they have, but if you do you can have massive results! Imagine perhaps millions of people using your blog name in daily conversation.
Examples of viral blog names are rare, but one example is “dooce”. Heather Armstrong was fired in 2002 for things she wrote online about work in her blog dooce.com. “Dooce” is now widely understood to mean “to be fired from your job because of things you write online.” Dooce is also a very popular blog — a Technorati Top 100 Blog.
Another example, perhaps not as big as dooce yet but with enormous potential, is Pamela Slim’s blog Escape From Cubicle Nation. “Cubicle Nation” invokes such vivid and to many of us unpleasant Dilbertesque images that I can see it really taking off – that is, taking off even more it already has.
So, you’ve really got two choices for a blog name, “descriptive” or “clever.”
If you’re amazingly lucky your blog name, whether clever or not, may skyrocket along with its/your popularity, and enter or perhaps change the vernacular. Hey, maybe it’ll be bigger than Google!
Ted Demopoulos is the author of Blogging for Business and What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting. For 100 more tips on successful blogging, grab your free copy of his ebook Secerts of Successful Blogging.
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Top 7 Words to Increase Sales and Beat a Down Economy
Hmm. Copywriting food for thought. — EES
Unedited Guest Article by Leanne Hoagland-Smith
The words that you think and speak have a direct connection to your sales skills and subsequent sales results. This revelation has been revealed through many sources including emotional intelligence to the book buy*ology by Lindstrom. Consider using these words as a sales professional in your ongoing efforts to expand your business network and increase sales.
Business Blog Strategy for Resellers
If you write and/or develop blogs for clients (or want to), you may want to bookmark this article for your marketing toolbox. The second to last paragraph is the most important in the piece, btw. — EES
Unedited Guest Article by Justin Hitt
A well maintained, regularly posting business blog is a great way to keep customers informed, and to attract prospective buyers to your website. Business blogging can bring you quality traffic while lowering customer service costs.
One Size Does Not Fit All When it Comes to Writing Copy
Unedited Guest Article by Karon Thackston
I shake my head every time I read one of these blanket statements. I’m amazed at how so many people still think that one size of copy still fits everyone. It’s just not true.
Here’s an example. A while back, I read, “Prospects hate being bombarded by text-heavy pages, especially on a home/landing page.” This is coming from Internet Marketing Report in relation to business-to-business (B2B) websites. I’m sorry, but I completely disagree.
Freelance Jobs 2009 03.20
Blogger — Cyclope Series (IT tools for employee surveillance, monitoring, etc.) is looking for a blogger to write about productivity tips and news, employee motivation etc., for their internal team blog. 1-2 posts/week, 400-500 words each.
Different Ways eBooks Can Make You Money
You all know the basic ebook publishing business formula — write and publish an ebook, put it up online for sale and instant download. That isn’t the only way that ebooks can be used, however, to help you generate income. Here are a few other ways that quickly come to mind:
Writing for Profit – Game Guides Can Guide You to Good Money
Unedited Guest Article by Serena Lewis
If you are one those who spends hours playing games on the Internet, then you can make a profit writing guides to teach others how to play the game.