A few blogging guidelines from my experience

It's a good idea to read the terms and conditions of your blog host. Can you imagine getting ready to set up your next post and finding that your blog has been trashed? If you put your blog on your own website you will avoid a potential problem like that.






My recommendations:

Use pictures. People enjoy the reference point that pictures can provide.

Break up your text with shorter paragraphs, bullet points and other points of demacation.

You can end your post with a variation of "What do you think?" This may encourage people to comment. Be warned though, getting comments are like pulling hen's teeth. Maybe one in a hundred will comment.

Get to your point. Avoid inserting a lot of fluff to impress your readers or make your post look more substantial.

Post as often as time permits but be careful to make your posts worthwhile to your readers. Remember, your readers are golden. The reader is usually right. Keep saying that. ;)

Stay original. Don't copy ideas directly from other blogs. People will notice. Imitation is not flattery nor is it good for your blog health.

Make sure your post is correct. I've seen gurus post nonsense. Reread your post. Do more research if you are unsure of your statements.

Have fun because the chances of getting rich blogging are small to none.

Greg Cryns
The Mighty Mo Website Design and Promotion
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SEO - blogging tips

Here are some tips for you on Blogging:

For most Blogs, daily updates are probably best, but weekly or even monthly updates might work just as well, depending on your topic and subject matter.

In either case, stick to a schedule. If you usually post daily but sometimes let weeks go by without posting any new content, you'll lose many of your readers.

Remember SEO principles apply to Blogging too plus you have the added advantage of regular robot visits if you stick to your schedule consistently.

~John Alexander Search Engine Workshops

Greg Cryns
Free Freelance Profits report

Blog what you know about and be an expert

Picture: Riverview Bobs roller coaster in Chicago. Riverview no longer exists but I know a lot about The Bobs - I rode it scores of times and I still have the bruises to prove it.






I made a Twitter post (tweet, damn, I hate that word!) this morning and I regret doing so a bit but I approve the message.

"Observation: The number of Twitter Tippers are gaining on Life Coaches. Will there be PhD's offered for both soon?"

Twitter is an easy way to become an expert at something. Not because it is so easy to learn or to explain. Talking about something that you know well and love makes it much easier to explain and makes you a real expert if you spend enough time on the Twitter site.

Not only that, if you show people the benefit of your experience you are doing more than reporting. That is what most bloggers do, report. There are not enough expert bloggers out there, in my opinion. (I am not exempting myself from that crowd either).


Sometimes I will blog about things I don't really know about as well as I could or should. ("should" is another word I try to avoid entirely). I try to stay focused but I admit that I do stray. It's not that I am trying desperately to fill space on my blog. Lately I've learned to bring in guest posts to handle those times when I don't have the motivation or energy to make a blog post.

What I am trying to get across here is this: sometimes it is better not to post at all if you are not an expert on the topic.

For example, I know a lot about article marketing. I've done research. I've written a lot of articles. I feel I can blog about that and make a connection with my readers.

But I don't know all that much about teleseminars. I think it would not be a good idea to spend time researching that broad topic and passing a short article along to you here, or anywhere. I have little experience with teleseminars except to observe that you better be ready to hear a huge sales pitch at most of them.

I know quite a bit about my home town. I know a lot about raising kids (I have seven of those that I admit to). I know a lot about selling services (I was an insurance agent for many years in the business market). I know a lot about Little Debbie snack cakes (I was a distributor for that company). I know a lot about insurances and mortgages. (I've bought and sold a few of my own houses).

I also know a lot about internet marketing in general but, frankly, there are many areas of that subject I don't know enough about.

If you don't really know much about making money on the Internet, please keep it between you and the wall.

Picture: Bubble Gum Alley in San Luis Obispo CA - home of Cal Poly and avery cool place to visit.


Greg Cryns
All About Paso Robles (I know some about this town too)

Interview with Kimberly Palmer - money editor at US News & World Report

20 Ways To Make $100 A Day Online

Introduction

Kimberly Palmer is a senior editor in Money & Business at US News & World Report. Kimberly writes the AlphaConsumer blog and personal finance stories Kimberly said, "My goal is to help people make smart money decisions. I especially love writing and learning about how money can affect key life decisions, such as when (and whether) to get married, to have kids, to buy a house, or to switch careers. I hope to provide tools to help people with those decisions."


Q & A

Q: How important to U.S. News & World Report is online social media networking?

A: Definitely a high priority. Our blogs are all connected to Facebook - friend me and Twitter -follow me. I love that social networking lets me find other people with similar interests -- there are so many great blogs and websites out there.

Q: Certainly not everyone is sold on social networking for your company. What are the concerns of those who are not on board with it?

A: The main concerns are how much time they can take up! Sometimes it feels hard to be a full-time reporter when you also want to blog, twitter, and log onto Facebook. Our priority still has to be reporting and uncovering interesting stories; that's the service we provide to people. My problem is that since twittering and blogging offer more instant gratification, it can be difficult to pull myself away. So I try to set aside chunks of time each day for reporting-only.

Q: Which social network sites do you have a presence in? Which of those are more important to you?

A: I'm most addicted to Twitter, and then Facebook. I think Twitter is so great because it's so simple -- you have a thought, and you share it. And you can keep track of what others are doing and thinking, too. With blogs, you have to put a bit more thought into it -- at least I try to.


Q: Please explain the US News situation. Will the company be sending out a print newsletter? Will it take paid subscriptions for the web magazine?

A: Our magazine will be coming out monthly starting in 2009, so subscribers will continue to get the magazine, just a bit less frequently. Our website has always been free, so no change there. So come visit us at www.usnews.com


Q: What are the demographics of your readers?

A: My readers are pretty diverse -- I hear from grad students as well as retirees -- but the people who visit most often seem just like me: Interesting in saving money, avoiding debt, and being a smart consumer, which isn't always easy. Marketing and company outreach has gotten so complicated -- even retailers twitter, so it can take some effort to understand what's going on. There's a big push right now among retailers to customize products for example, which can end up costing more, but sometimes it's worth it. That's just not aomething our parents' generation was faced with. All of the enticing offerings can make it easier to spend money and go into debt.


Q: Have you found any case studies that show how social networking improved the bottom line for a large company?

A: I think Starbucks is a great example of this. They are really plugged in and respond individually to consumers via their twitter feed. So if I had a complaint I could tweet the company directly and would probably get a response -- I don't know how that's affected their bottom line, but I am pretty impressed by it.


Q: If you had to sell your boss to lay out some money for social networking, what would say?

A: Luckily, I wouldn't need to, because my boss is all for social networking. He writes one of our most popular blogs But if I had a different kind of boss, I would make the point that social networking is really part of the future of journalism -- it helps us stay connected to our audience, which is essential for survival.


Q: How do you use videos in your networking? Do you like the results of videos?

A: I definitely need to do more of this. I have taken a flip camera with me on some assignments, including when I interviewed Sen. Wyden earlier this year; you can see the results here It adds a fun dimension to the reporting experience but I obviously need to improve my filming skills.

Thank you, Kimberly, for taking the time to help us understand how social networking can work for large companies.


Greg Cryns
http://www.workathomeprofiles.com
Scentsy: http://www.scentsy.com/16684
http://www.wahmsearchengine.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/calgreg

List Building Tips - 4 Best Places to Advertise Your Squeeze Page

Guest post by By David J Ogden

There is an old saying that goes something like, "What if you threw a party and nobody came?" The same thing could be true when it comes to building a list. We can ask you, what if you design the most beautiful squeeze page in the world and nobody ever saw?

The people that build the largest lists are the ones that know how to promote their squeeze page in ways that attract visitors to it.

There are many different ways you can promote your squeeze page and none of them are wrong if they get you subscribers. However, let's zero in on what could be the 4 best places to advertise your squeeze page right now.

1. Blog like crazy and put your squeeze page on every blog post. You could even post a banner at the top in your header that it goes to your squeeze page. Another thing you can do is have any sign up form on your sidebar that either leads to the squeeze page or directly to your mailing list autoresponder.

Blogging is very popular with search engines and readers alike. So you may as well benefit from it by getting more subscribers and figuring out ways to lead them to your squeeze page.

2. Put it at the bottom of your web pages. One mistake that seems to be very common is people build large websites with content and yet never have a sign up form on it. One technique that works extremely well is to actually put your squeeze page at the bottom of every web page you have. This works extremely well if you have a website that is big on content built around articles.

3. Use pay per click advertising and drive the visitors to your squeeze page. This may or may not be for you depending on your budget right now. It definitely is an actual way to build a large list quickly because you will only be paying for traffic that actually clicks on the link leading to your squeeze page.

4. Create a resource box and do article marketing in a big way. When we say a big way we are talking about writing and submitting 10 to 20 articles per day. If you have a resource box include a link to your squeeze page and you are bound to build a large list.

These are four of the best places to advertise your squeeze page. Do not limit yourself just to these 4 and do whatever it takes to get your squeeze page out in front of people.

Want to make money online now? Sign up for our FREE Internet Business Training Program and start receiving all the home business training, resources, tools and advice you need to become a successful work at home professional!

Greg Cryns
247 WEBSITE TRAFFIC TIPS: http://www.wahmsearchengine.com/traffic-tips-report/
Join a new community of Wahm folks. http://www.workathomeprofiles.com
Sentsy - Go Wickless! http://www.dad6.com/gowickless/

Social marketing - I am starting to get it

I resisted. I fought it. I wanted to make Google Adwords work for me. I wanted to take the easy route to fame and riches.

Social networking seemed to be such a long, drawn out process with little received in return. I just did not see it to be worth while.

I am not exactly an Evangelist for social networking yet, like Chris Brogan whom I highly regard, or like Problogger Darren Rowse who I need to get to know better by reading more of his stuff, too.

No, I'm not entirely convinced enough to throw my whole self into the Web 2.0 arena, but I am getting close to doing just that. Frankly, it just feels right.

I have a running "discussion" with a good friend. We are at opposite political poles. He is the "clear thinker" and I am the blurry "from the heart" responder. I guess you can easily figure out which side of the aisle we walk on. But we are still good friends even though there are occasional flareups and temper tantrums.

Social marketing agrees with my heart if not my brain. I think that is because I've been brainwashed for so many years. I used to be an insurance guy. Woody Allen had a great line in one of his movies. It went, "I sentence you to three days and three nights with an insurance salesman."

Last year I listened to a wise marketer, Kim Klaver, try to tell us that the direct sales market and its techniques had it all wrong. At least that is how I heard it. They were pounding "build a team" into the people who signed up with companies that sell candles, diet plans, vitamins, you-name-it.

In the last 5 years I was placing ads for regular folks who were persuaded to sell mortgages to anyone and everyone. No real training needed. Nope. Just put it out there. Get in their faces. Tell them whatever you think they would agree with to close the sale. You can even do it online!

We are now feeling the consequences of that product pushing technique. My heart says it time to change.

Something inside me says "get on social train ride and see where it takes you."

This morning I watched Chris Brogan talk about "Don't be that guy" in a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kX4oUmm3GA&feature=related It hit home run for me.

I don't want to be the guy Chris is talking about. I don't want to be that guy who only knows how to talk about what he sells. Sure, I want people to pay me for services I can provide, but, darn it, I don't want to clear out a room in 5 minutes talking about me and what I do and what I bring to the table.

If you know some teen agers take a listen to their conversations. How often do they talk about themselves? How many times does the word "I" pop up in their talk? The average teen I knew and know talk about themselves a lot. A very wise man once told us to "put away the things of a child" when the time came to be an adult.

Social marketing is an adult activity, folks. You need to be mature, in my opinion, to make it work. You can't be a fooler. My grandfather, God loves him, used to say, "You can't fool a fooler." That makes sense when you realize that foolers are playing games. Their mantra is often "he who has the most toys, wins."

If that is your mantra, please don't try to initiate a conversation with me. I am beyond that thinking. I am an adult now.

greg cryns

Audio interview of Problogger's Darren Rowes

Nothing good happens fast. That applies to everyone.

Listen to an hour long interview with Darren Rowes. You will learn a ton about what a big time blogger did to become successful. It did not happen overnight. Darren's journey was full time from the get-go. He committed himself and is rewarded handsomely.

Problogger Secrets (audio interview by Wayne Hurlbert on BlogTalk Radio)
http://tinyurl.com/6o72yq

Darren's actual blog http://www.problogger.net/
Darren has a video posted this week: How to Make Your Blog More Personal

I am learning that in order to build up a following your web copy needs an emphasis on what helps solve a challenge. You need to speak TO the reader, not AT the reader. Your copy needs to address the USER not yourself.

You also need to speak from your personal experience. Your readers can tell the difference no matter how much you try to bluff it. Don't bluff it. Give a piece of yourself. Good web copy takes big effort and often some pain. If you write something fast and it looks good, save it and come back to it for a second look an hour later.

Be unique and fresh.

see you next time!

greg cryns
http://www.wahmsearchengine.com
http://www.workathomeprofiles.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/calgreg