Archive for the ‘Blogging Resources’ Category
by James Dunaway on July 29th, 2011
As a blog owner it’s very important to know who your visitors are, what they like, what they don’t like and what they’re looking for. It’s even more important to have what they’re looking for on your site so that you can keep them there as long as possible. This is why a good analytics tracking tool is so important for your blog. You need to be able to see and keep up with what’s happening on your website. The information that you get from your analytics tool of choice is invaluable and can really help you take your blog to the next level, it indeed helped us at 123neonsigns to boost our blog readership.
Many blog owners rely solely on Google Analytics for tracking traffic, referrals, keywords, etc, but Google Analytics is far from the best tool out there; when it comes to the important statistics you need to keep up with, it doesn’t even scratch the surface. So here are 5 analytics tools that are sure to aid in your success and give you what you need as a blog owner. Read More
Categories: Blogging Resources
Tags: blog analytics, blog stats, free analytic tools
by James Dunaway on February 11th, 2011
The last time that we saw Google update its pagerank tool was back in April of 2010 and leading up to Christmas and New Year most of the blogging community thought that Google would update it on December 31st as this is what they did last year. (Note that already I am referring to bloggers and not the SEO community.) When the date came and passed and people frantically punched in their site to find the pagerank was unchanged and then the worries really started to show. However whilst there are people running around panicking over this let me explain why it is likely that Google might never update the pagerank bar ever again and why you don’t need to worry about it.
The SEO View
As an SEO obviously my views on this side of things are a bit opinionated, however I am a blogger and internet loving junkie too so I guess you could say I can look at all of this from the other side of the fence as well. My suspicion since October(6 months after the update in April) was that Google were not intending to update their tool again and sure enough now looking a further 3 months on there has still been no sign of any update. My personal view is that Google will never update the tool again but that isn’t to say I wouldn’t say no to an update!
The Google View
Google know for a fact that SEOs use the PR tool to decide if a site is powerful or not and make judgements on whether or not to place their links on a site. Of course removing the PR bar is going to discourage some SEOs from Black Hat methods but is it really going to stop anyone? Don’t forget there are hundreds of ranking factors that a half decent SEO is aware of. Sure it might take slightly longer  to assess the power of a site but it won’t stop it from happening. Don’t forget there are other tools out there to replace it such as MozRank that do pretty much the same thing.
Who is to say that because you are judging a site for its PR that you are planning on putting a “dirty†link on the site? Would it be wrong for me to target a PR 9 blog for a post that took me hours to research and write or would it benefit both me and the blogger and start a relationship that would perhaps carry on for years?
It can easily be seen from both sides. Read More
Categories: Blogging Resources, Blogging Tips
Tags: bloggers, google pr, page rank, pagerank
by Jonathan Bailey on December 8th, 2010
It wasn’t that long ago that starting up a website required a great deal of expertise, time and commitment. There was a reason that those who created sites in the early days of the Web were stereotyped as “dorks” and “nerds”, it was because you had to know HTML, the ins and outs of site construction and at least a decent amount about how the Web worked just to get a basic site off the ground.
However, for Web development, the march of technology has been toward simplicity and ease of use. Blogging and Web publishing in general are both more approachable than ever. Not only can one set up a Facebook account in minutes but they can do the same with a WordPress.com account or a Tumblr blog as well.
In short, anyone who wants to publish a blog can easily do so and almost no experience is required, just the ability to fill in a short form and write some new content.
But this doesn’t mean we’ve gotten away from HTML and CSS being a requirement for creating a successful site. Not knowing these languages can be very detrimental to your site and not only keeps great content from finding the audience it deserves, but can actually cripple your site in ways you can’t predict.
Simply put, if you don’t know HTML and CSS, at least to a minimal extent, you are holding your blog back and gambling with its future.
Read More
Categories: Blog Design, Blogging Resources, Blogging Tips, WordPress Themes
Tags: Code, CSS, design, html, templates, Themes, widgets, wordpress
by Cassie Emelia on November 24th, 2010
is a copyright and plagiarism consulting firm that specializes in helping small, independent content creators get the most from their work. We provide content tracking, copyright enforcement, licensing and other advisement services.
At CopyByte, our focus is not merely on removing every unlicensed copy of a work but finding ways to use the realities of the Web to work for content creators, including encouraging legitimate reuse and harnessing the power of their Web for good, rather than fighting against it blindly.
In addition to the above services, CopyByte provides plagiarism analysis, content analysis, expert witness testimony and other services to help with litigation and legal matters.
However, CopyByte is not a law firm and should not be taken as legal advice. Instead, we work with a variety of technology and legal partners to provide a our services and help develop practical strategies that can work on the Web.
New clients receive one free hour of consultation simply by scheduling an appointment and times are usually available within a few days.
So, if you’re interested in seeing how how you can get the most out of your work and your effort, schedule an appointment with CopyByte today. We will be happy to see how we can help.
Check out our services.
Categories: Blogging Resources, Directory
Tags: CopyByte, Jonathan Bailey, Plagiarism
by Jonathan Bailey on October 27th, 2010
If you blog long enough, it is bound to happen to you, even if you aren’t aware. Someone will take your content and republish it on their site, sometimes with a link, sometimes without, sometimes the full work, sometimes just a snippet. There are a million ways your content can appear on other sites, some ways legitimately and other ways less so, but they are all interesting lessons in how your readers interact with your work and, in some cases, problems you have to address.
Because, while most content reuse is fairly harmless. Some uses, especially by plagiarists and spammers, can have a negative impact on your site. This makes it important to know both how to track your content, what your rights are regarding your work, when is a good idea to step in and, most importantly, what you can do if you find that you need to.
Unfortunately, the issues are far more complex than what we can discuss in a single column, but we can definitely give a good overview of the situation and what you can expect.
Read More
Categories: Blogging Resources, Blogging Sense, Blogging Tips, Blogging: How To, WordPress Tips
Tags: Blogging Pitfalls
by Andrew G. Rosen on October 25th, 2010
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s the value of a video? As much as bloggers love to write, the best of the breed are willing to admit that certain situations call for more than sentences and paragraphs.
That’s where screencasting comes in, and a useful program like TechSmith’s Camtasia can make a technophobe look like the next Spielberg. OK, that might be a stretch, but if you’re looking to get the most out of your screencasts, here’s why I dig Camtasia. Read More
Categories: Blogging Resources
Tags: camtasia, screencast, techsmith
by Andrew G. Rosen on September 24th, 2010
MediaPass is service that allows bloggers to choose price points and subscription terms for their content. Taking only mere minutes to implement and helpful support staff available to assist, I decided I needed to get more information from MediaPass CEO Matt Mitchell.
Q: Many bloggers discover that selling banners and links is not the best way to generate revenue. What type of blogger is the best fit to cash in on the MediaPass business model?
A: This may sound odd but the answer is most. Yes, some blogs (e.g. finance, parenting, cooking, medical, science, health, fitness etc…) convert better than others but even the lower converting blog’s subscription pages still far out monetize purely ad-based sites. Take for instance a blog that converts 0.5% of their users that arrive on one of their subscription pages. Our average subscriber spends about $60 with renewals. That means that the effective CPM on those pages is $300, many fold over the ad rates any blog is getting. Read More
Categories: Blogging Resources, Interview
Tags: blog subscription, make money blog, mediapass, monetize blog
by Andrew G. Rosen on September 14th, 2010
Blogging has a million moving parts. As if coming up with interesting story angles and writing compelling content weren’t enough, bloggers are also forced to be designers, marketers, public relations pros, metric analysts and more. That’s a lot of hats.
The one item that often gets lost in the shuffle is SEO. Many bloggers add in a few strong keywords and move on to the next post. Guilty as charged. That’s why when I came across ScribeSEO, an automated writing assistant service designed to help you flag down search engine love, I was intrigued. When I read that Brian Clark of CopyBlogger fame was behind it, I was sold. Read More
Categories: Blogging Resources, Reviews
Tags: copyblogger, review, ScribeSEO, seo
by Susan Gunelius on September 2nd, 2010
It’s been about a month since I posted free social media icon sources (last time I offered some fun niche blog social media icon options), and with a new school year starting, I though it might be a good time to search for some creative social media icon sets that can give your blog some back to school flair. Check out the options below!
1. Puzzle Social Network Icon Set
What grade school student doesn’t love puzzles?
2. Sewn Badge Icon Set
This set reminds me of badges on Cub Scouts uniforms!
3. Moleskin Icon Set
For the discerning student, only a moleskin notebook will do. Are moleskin icons right for your blog?
4. Color-stroked Free Hand Icon Set
This is one of my favorite hand-drawn icon sets. I wish my doodles looked this good, and I love the crumpled paper.
5. Hand Drawn Social Media Icon Set
Here is another option if you like the hand drawn style. This one offers consistent square shapes with simpler designs drawn on grid paper.
What do you think? Will any of these social media icon sets give your blog the bling it needs?
Follow the link to read more about back to school and blogging basics on Performancing.
Categories: Blog Design, Blogger Tools, Blogging Resources, Blogging Tools
Tags: free social media buttons, free social media icon sets, social media badges, social media graphics
by Susan Gunelius on August 5th, 2010
Do you write a niche blog about food, spirits, Asia, clothes or science? If so, you’ll be interested in the social media icons highlighted in this post. Even if you don’t write a blog about one of those niche topics, you might like the social media icons featured below. They could add some color, visual appeal, and interest to any blog!
Check them out and see if the right social media icons to give your blog some zing are included in the list!
These food-related social media icons are available in six sizes and include cakes and popsicles!
This set of social media icons includes martini glasses, wine glasses, margarita glasses, beer mugs, and more! Read More
Categories: Blog Design, Blogger Tools, Blogging Resources, Blogging Tools
Tags: free blog icons, free social media buttons, free social media graphics, free social media icons, free twitter buttons
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