I'm struck by how big the subject of blogs has become. A blog itself is one thing, but the world of products, tools and services that accompany blogs is very nearly overwhelming. Subscribing to a tag on flickr with RSS is not something that tanslates easily to people new to blogging.
There has been a great mix of cool tools and practical points today. Here are some highlights in list form...
Darren Barefoot and Susie Gardner related these points about blog writing...
- It's not about the most traffic, but the best traffic.
- Blogging is all about telling stories.
- Personality must be revealed for a blog to be successful- give of yourself and be honest
- People will (or should) feel that they know you through your blog
- Show real knowledge- about what? it doesn't matter as long as there is passion and real information.
- It helps to be a good writer who can write quickly.
- Humor is helpful if well-placed
- Be conversational, warm, truthful, honest
- Darren criticizes only people in the public domain
- Linking is good for your blog, your readers. Remember to link appropriately.
- Write often and be consistent in your frequency
- Use good, clear, titles. Clever is good, but not for search engines.
Along with myself and Will Pate, Kris Krug did a rapid-fire review of sites like:
Will finished up our section with a review of how he's turned his site into a "digital lifestyle aggregator" or "DLA" if you want to be Web 2.0 buzzword/acronym compliant. Basically, this means that his site is now made up of posts from on a number of other sites.
6 Trends in eMarketing from Robert Scales
- Blogs will continue and gain more momentum
- Web 2.0 tools will proliferate
- Accessiblility thanks to US section 5.8 www.webaim.org
- Open Culture - increased access to open platforms
- Meta Data - folksonomies and tags
- Podcasting - Media powered by individuals
Susie Gardner - Marketing and PR in the Blogosphere
- Consumers don't trust traditional advertising methods
- Consumers don't believe that all businesses are run by liars
- The idea that a consumer can actually talk to people within a business is refreshing
- Blogs open new opportunties to communicate with the market
10 Strategic Benefits of Blogging
- Search Engine Optimization
- Direct Communication
- Brand Building
- Competitive Differentiation
- Relational Marketing
- Exploit Niches
- Public Relations
- Reputation Management
- Position as Expert Status
- Build Trust
Good stuff. The first day is just about over and I'm venturing out into the weather right now. It's supposed to get to -13(f) tonight. Surely the coldest weather I've felt...