Posts Tagged ‘tips’
by Guest Author on March 22nd, 2010
This is a guest post written by Ann Smarty, founder of My Blog Guest, a community for guest bloggers.
Accepting guest posts on your blog is a great way to give your site fresh insight and to offer some variety. Most of popular blogs in any niche take advantage of guest contributions for a few reasons:
- Guest authors bring in new ideas and unique style. They also contribute some new information you were not aware of (and thus make your blog comprehensive). Here’s a simple example: as a search expert I am aware of quite a few search tricks few people know or use. Therefore my post on using Google creatively to save money on a popular personal finance blog seemed so fresh and interesting to the blog author and the readers.
- Guest contributions allow you to take a day off. No, seriously, blogging is a continuous commitment. It is so refreshing to take some rest and relax while keeping your blog updated. I do agree you shouldn’t overuse that because your blog might lose voice but keeping one day a week for guest contributions is a great idea!
- Guest contributions can be an awesome source of inspiration. You blog daily and a day comes when you realize you don’t know what to write about. You have no ideas and everything that comes to mind have already been covered. Now imagine that a new person enters your community and offers something completely different. Or maybe he even writes something that you have already mentioned – but he uses a unique style, a different perspective and a new format. And your readers find that awesome! Now you feel inspired! You feel you know how to re-use your previously published ideas to find new ones and how to re-think your previously published opinions to spur new discussion.
So I guess, the benefits of accepting guest posts are quite clear. Now, let see how to do that painlessly, almost effortlessly and to the maximum efficiency. Read More
Categories: Blogging Tips
Tags: Ann Smarty, guest post, guest posting, My Blog Guest, tips
by Franky Branckaute on January 13th, 2010
Not that long ago I declared 2010, The Year of The Return of Content but it seems that I didn’t make my message clear enough and some, albeit older, diseases have continued to dominate and takeover the blogosphere.
Spread like a wildfire, an unstoppable worm on his way to burn the burg.
Of course I mean the unstoppable Buttonitis and still immensely popular over-tagging hype, AKA social media design killers.
Buttonitis
Hold thou, O earth, now, since heroes may hold not
I like to think that I coined the term Buttonitis and if Urban Dictionary is any measure to go by, I have.
The term itself is that self-explanatory that there’s no need at all to define it as ‘When buttons take over the look over your site and hide the content’. We all know plenty of examples of this widespread disease and they come in different variations.
Being “It” Playing Hide and Go Seek The Content
Because we are that nice and wanted to highlight the scale of things, we faced the unthinkable and visited what is probably the prototype of modern buttonitis: The Mashable homepage. We highlighted the content for you. Read More
Categories: Blogging Tips
Tags: content, design, tips
by Regnard Raquedan on December 31st, 2009
One of the books I’ve read in 2009 that I think is very helpful to bloggers is “Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click” by Susan M. Weinschenk. Although the title suggests a focus on web design, there’s a chapter there that talks about three triggers that enables web folks to”speak” to the unconscious mind. It may sound like psychobabble, but the the thing is, it is grounded on psychological research.
The three triggers are danger, food, and sex. If you notice, these are the basic elements that fire-off red flags in our collective instincts. This is because the way our brains are configured due to millions of years of evolution. All three items relate or our self-preservation instincts.
The premise is that the brain is hard-wired to get immediately attracted to words, images, and videos that pertain to danger, food, and sex. And if people are aware of these content, there is a higher likelihood that interest will be developed and the desired action, which is clicking (if it’s a hyperlink), will follow.
Here’s a few suggestions in incorporating the triggers:
- Danger - Make the wordings of your links to be more active and, if appropriate, place “threatening” images or images that convey cautionary measures.
- Food – The author of the book says that people pay attention to food (and that’s why there are plenty of food bloggers out there). If possible, place food items or benefits people can derive from your blog and blog posts.
- Sex – I’ve mentioned this is in the past and that sex is always a powerful attention getter.
2010 is just around the corner and it may be a good new year’s resolution to make your content more interesting. Just rememebr the three key triggers: danger, food, and sex.
Happy New Year!
Categories: Blogging Tips, Opinion
Tags: blogging, clicking, content, Interesting, tips
by Regnard Raquedan on December 24th, 2009
In the spirit of the holidays, it’s a good time to focus on the warm, fuzzy feeling of giving.
But as a blogger, how do you get into the whole “spreading the wealth” business?
But let’s get some things straight first: for a lot of professional bloggers, the content being written is focused on a particular niche. So try putting yourself on your readers’ shoes and ask the question “What’s in it for me?”
This may sound too mercenary-like (and the last thing about the holidays), but think about it– why should your readers care about your blog? If your blog is one thing that leads to benefits, such as wealth, a better life, or more informed way of doing things, then there are reasons people will come back.
So, as a blogger, be generous in pointing the benefits and making sure your readers know that there is a benefit to reading your posts. Here are three ways to highlight the benefits:
- State the Obvious – If there’s a benefit your readers should find worth getting, say it! This may entail having an approach that’s more direct to the point and being clear with the benefits. Apple is very good in this because they are able to put the key benefits of their products very concisely.
- Reinforce with Images – Blog posts will always look a little shinier and spiffier with images (provided the image will provide the proper context.) The images can also reinforce the tangible benefit your readers can derive.
- Make the Benefit Scarce – Create a sense of scarcity with what you are offering because people respond to loss and scarcity in a more natural way than abundance. If you think the information contained in your blog post is only good for a season, then make it clear.
Remember, make the benefits clear, obvious, and worth getting. The benefit for you may be a better performing blog.
Happy Holidays!
Categories: Blogging Tips, Opinion
Tags: blogging, content, Interesting, tips, writing
by Regnard Raquedan on December 22nd, 2009
I won’t be surprised if 9 out of 10 people who came to this blog post spent around 10 seconds looking at the picture above. It’s just human nature to be attracted to content that convey sexual messages.
As a blogger, it would be good to consider that nature of people when writing blog posts. From the age old “Sex sells” mantra to sensational headlines, there is wisdom in putting a little spice to make thinks interesting in blogs. Sex is just one of this things that raise a flag in people’s brains.
But the picture above is really an extreme example of audience titillation– the image really has no place in a blog about blogging (or maybe not). But my point is that find the right amount of sexiness in the proper context. Here are a couple of ideas:
- Provocative images – Haven’t you ever wondered why a company like GoDaddy, a domain and web hosting seller, uses models like Danica Partick in its advertising and marketing campaigns? If you ask me, it’s really for audience titillation. Placing a provocative image in your blog post that related to your topic may provide that spark.
- Sensational Headlines – Following the “Man Bites Dog” adage, a crafty and clever headline with the proper innuendos may pique the interest of the most indifferent of readers. Instead of saying “Blogger Wins Award,” a sexy version could be “Female Teen Blogger Grabs Top Spot”.
Of course, sexifying your blog posts doesn’t mean that all ounces of decency are thrown out of the window. Just the right amount and right context, coupled with the ethical considerations will make your blog spicy and sexy.
Categories: Blogging Tips, Opinion
Tags: blogging, tips, writing
by Franky Branckaute on December 21st, 2009
Regularly backing up your database and files is one of the most important things to do when running a website. One never knows what could happen and the words have become infamous:
I was sure I had a backup.
Most database plugins for WordPress offer the option to weekly backup your database and even email it to you but if you have a popular site, you might want to prefer a more frequent backup routine. Imagine how many posts and comments Gawker would lose if they only kept weekly backups and suffered problems the 6th day after their last backup.
Another problem with all database plugins is that they will not backup your files. With server storage space being really cheap nowadays, you can easily have several backup procedures in place, even if you host many pictures on your blog.
Personally I have three different, totally automated backup routines, using cron jobs:
- Daily backup
- Weekly backup
- Monthly backup
The reason why I also use weekly and monthly backups is because if you have a corrupted database, probably your daily backups will be corrupted and unusable. This can happen on sites you do not use on a daily basis.
Daily backups are overwritten every 7 days, weekly and monthly backups are stored with attached timestamp.
Because most web hosting companies offer cPanel in their package, this tutorial is based on cPanel but the syntax is the same for Plesk and other backends.
What Are Cron Jobs
From Wikipedia:
Cron is driven by a crontab, a configuration file that specifies shell commands to run periodically on a given schedule.
Backing up your database.
In your cPanel (http://yoururl/cpanel) under the header Advanced Tools, you will find a link Cron Jobs. Click this link or click the icon on the right if your cPanel is setup with icons.
On the next page choose Advanced (Unix Style). There is no real difference between both options, the needed attention level is the same and in both simple and advanced you have to fill in the correct command.
Read More
Categories: Backups
Tags: Backups, Howto, tips, Tutorials
by Regnard Raquedan on December 15th, 2009
One of the most common tips top bloggers give to novice bloggers is to blog about something they are very passionate about. But as we all know, people’s interest level fluctuates and is rarely constant. Today, you may be so inspired you could write a new treatise on food blogging, tomorrow, you could barely even write a word about cupcake.
So how do you avoid that kind of inconsistency? The answer may be found outside your notebook computer.
It has been found that moods can affect work and an improvement in a person’s mood results in a positive outcome at work very often. There have been studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Ohio State University’s Fisher School of Business that strongly suggests that mood you bring to work sets the tone for the rest of day and affects productivity.
Mood improvement differs for person to person, but here are a few tips that may help bloggers:
- Blog in a comfortable place – Blogging on the go can be exciting but really stressful. In order to come up with a quality post, try to find a place where you can site comfortably and has good lighting.
- Take a little break – So you’re a blogging junkie, but that doesn’t mean you should be in front of your computer 24/7. Little breaks can be a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.
- Work in your own machine – Have you tried blogging in someone else’s notebook? It feels like you’re visiting a foreign country if you ask me. Try as much as possible to bring your own machine if you’re blogging actively and on the go.
- Avoid blogging right off the bat – Athletes always warms up before competition and there’s wisdom in that. Some bloggers may find it refreshing to watchthat funny viral YouTube video before opening WordPress or Blogger.
Like I’ve said, ways of improving one’s mood vary. But one thing is clear: a better mood will result in better, more enjoyable blogging.
Categories: Blogging Sense, Blogging Tips, Interesting
Tags: blogging, self-improvement, tips, work
by Regnard Raquedan on November 24th, 2009
Perhaps five years from now, the issue of typography would have been solved already– that is, web designers and blog template designers will be able to select any font of their liking and use it on the fly. (This is probably when the font-face property has received wide-spread support)
But that’s probably five years from now. Today, we have to be contented with a handful of fonts to use in blog and web designs.
There’s probably a dozen fonts out there and there are three that I think should be worth considering:
- Arial – A can’t miss font that has good readability and people are already quite used to this. This is the same font that Google uses, and majority of computers carry this font.
- Georgia – This seems to be the font of choice when it comes to serif typefaces. This is because the alternative is Times New Roman, which looks dated and has very little character
- Verdana – Very similar to Arial, but I think this has better character width. This works well with bigger line heights and a good match for templates that utilize larger screen resolutions.
Your blog’s font can help your readers scan and read the content better. Better take a little time to find out which ones look good and help your readers. :)
Categories: Blogger Tools
Tags: tips
by Regnard Raquedan on November 20th, 2009
Ask a marketer about social media and they will sing praises, especially with the attention blogs, micro-blogs, and user-generated content apps are getting in mainstream media. But ask a marketer what’s the one thing that they will make them pause about going forward with social media and they will probably say “There are no credible metrics readily available.”
Well, that type of reply is not unfounded. I’ve talked to a lot of marketing folks and they say that they would be more comfortable if there was a data source on the metrics of social media sites like blogs. This is perhaps borne from the orientation of the senior marketing executives’ reliance on Nielsen for media data on traditional media.
Why are these metrics important? These numbers are needed to justify the effectiveness of the campaign and determine the Return on Investment (ROI) of marketing activities. Of course, when it comes to ROI, the higher the better.
So, how do we answer the age old question of where to obtain readily available metrics for blogs?
These days, it’s not that hard because most blogs install analytics tools like Google Analytics to collect data on basic stats about the blog. If these analytics tools are not installed, it’s easy to install them. Things get iffy when it comes to industry-wide data because there’s still no universally accepted source of data. (Well, maybe Google will make something like this in the future.)
Just remember, metrics are important to measure performance with quantitative goals. But If you ask me, you can be a successful blogger without wrapping yourself around the numbers.
Categories: Blog Statistics
Tags: blogging, tips
by Regnard Raquedan on November 17th, 2009
I’m going out on a limb to say that if there’s a browser bloggers should be using, it should be Mozilla Firefox.
Apart from the inherent speed and good JavaScript handling for the AJAX-powered websites, Firefox simply has the available add-ons to make blogging an easier activity. Here are a few of my favorite blogger-friendly add-ons that are currently installed in my computer:
- Word Count Plus – Not blogging platforms have a word counter, nor all bloggers work with a word processor, so Word Count Plus makes sense. This add on counts the number of words from a selection, which is very useful for bloggers who need to meet a certain word count per post.
- Add This – This add-on makes it easier to share blog posts you’ve just finished writing on various Web 2.0 and social media sites. Add This can help in generating traffic to blog posts via these sites.
- SeoQuake - Very handy little tool for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), this may look daunting for newbies, but this tool may be a good stepping stone towards better SEO understanding and appreciation.
- Web Developer – Good way to test your blogger’s templates with the CSS editor and CSS disabling.
- Fotofox – A pretty spiffy add-on for managing your images and hosting your photos to web apps for images and multimedia.
There are more extensions out there (Mashable already made a feature) for Mozilla Firefox, and it could only pick up from here. And with these customizations that benefit bloggers in different platforms, Firefox stands tall as the bet browser for bloggers.
Categories: Blogging Tips
Tags: tips
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