The Original Old Fashion Paczki Recipe This is the original recipe for making punczki that was brought from Europe by my wife's grandmother when she ...
A weblog, or "blog" started out as a personal journal on the Web. They have evolved far beyond that initial concept. Now, weblogs cover as many different topics as there are people writing them. Some blogs are highly influential and have readership which exceeds most traditional newspapers, while others are mainly intended as personal journals to be shared with only family and friends. So, should you consider blogging?
The power of weblogs is that they allow millions of people to easily publish their ideas, and millions more to comment on them. Increasingly people write, read and comment on blogs. Many people mistakenly believe that blogs are only personal diaries. More and more, blogs are being used by businesses to attract customers. Since blogs now come in all flavors, let's look at the basics of blogging.
A blogger is someone who writes a blog. The "Blogosphere" is a word used to describe the online community of bloggers and their writings. A blog differs from a website only because it is a website that is updated frequently, most often displaying its material in journal-like entries. An entry, a post, or a posting, are the terms often used to refer to a specific article or commentary written by the blogger on his or her blog. Many weblogs allow readers to write a reaction to what was written in the blog entry. These comments can often be found directly following the blog entry.
For millions of people, blogging is a hobby. For some, like journalists, writers, business leaders and political leaders, writing blogs enhances their professional careers. A blog gives the voice a broader audience and allows more direct and interactive contact with the readers. Some bloggers have readership numbers approaching that of big media and are able to earn income from their blogs. But potential profit should not be the primary motivation for blogging.
Why should a blog be part of your business' marketing strategy? The blogging movement is picking up speed, particularly for businesses. Blogging is one arena where the size of your company won't matter. A blog is NOT the place to promote your product or company. It is a place to promote your ideas, provide tips, and express yourself in the hopes of building an audience. That audience may , in turn, become customers.
There are two key concepts to keep in mind when deciding whether you will launch a blog or not; providing quality content and blogging regularly. These are critical to creating an audience for your blog.
A successful blog is written with a distinct audience in mind. In this way, you can provide content that is unique to your audience's issues, needs, or desires. If you create content they like and wish to return to read, you will produce quality content. Successful bloggers have a focused topic and a unique personality.
Both your topic and unique style will cause your audience to return to your blog. When they return, it is critical to stay true to your audience and tone of your blog. If people are reading your blog, it's because they like your topic and tone. Try not to stray from your typical topics and style too much. This will give your readers a reason to link back to your blog on an ongoing basis. But your content and tone are just one element to consider. Also critical to your ongoing blogging success is how frequently you update your blog.
If you don't update your blog often enough, blog readers will move on to other blogs. There are too many blogs out there competing for your reader's attention. Blog readers will go where the content is.
Successful blogging takes a commitment of your time. When you begin blogging and wish to capture an audience, you should be prepared to blog every day. In this way, you can develop an audience who counts on you to help them begin or end their day. This means you should also try to post at the same time each day. Your readers will get accustomed to your schedule and check your blog at the appropriate time. The time of day is not as crucial as the consistency in your posting.
So, is a blog right for you? You tell me. Do you have a distinct topic in mind? Do you have a strong opinion or passion for the topic? Do you know what audience you are writing for? Do you have the time to commit to regular postings on your blog? If so, see you in the blogosphere!
Michele Schermerhorn calls herself a "Corporate Freedom Fighter" dedicated to freeing cubicle prisoners to experience their own successful online business. She has over 30 years experience in the business world and over 12 years running her own successful online businesses. She is President of Online Business Institute Inc. (http://www.obinstitute.com), authors a sassy marketing blog (http://www.imarketblog.com), and regularly conducts free online seminars. Online Business Institute Inc. exists to "Create Successful Online Business Owners One Person At A Time".
Pregnancy Symptoms and Signs How can you tell if you are pregnant? There are a number of signs and symptoms to watch for. Chances are you will only experience a portion of the symptoms. Eac...
Zoloft Side Effects: Akathisia and Violent Behavior Zoloft has been shown to cause a condition known as akathisia: an overwhelming physical and mental restlessness and it leads people to destructive behavior. Pfi...
CPanel Fantastico - Features and Benefits With cPanel Fantastico, you can quickly install a variety of open source scripts on your website. So make sure your hosting company offers cPanel Fantastico.
Build Brand Value BIG Time If you are planning to maintain your brand as far as you can from the dark world of commodities, why not innovate by reconsider the category in which you compet...
Your Unique Point of View Are your public speaking skills holding you back? Speaking well is more than making eye contact and using gestures effectively. It is about communicatino in a...
5 Affiliate Marketing Mistakes To Avoid Affiliate marketers, new or experienced, beware! Failing to avoid these 5 mistakes of affiliate marketing can result in dire consequences for your commissions!
Gas Prices and the Impact of Inflation Inflation has an impact on our plans for the future. When saving for retirement, college, a house, or simply budgeting for the next 12 months, the cost of goods...
Search Engine Friendly Ways to Build Link Popularity Acquiring relevant backlinks to your website is one of the most important parts of any Search Engine Optimization campaign. The search engine's and especially G...
What Is Obesity and How Can You Beat It? Obesity is more than just an excess in body fat. Being overweight can cause problems, but if your doctor has told you that you are obese, that is a cause for a...
Work Is A Four-Letter Word I can hear the jokes already and most of them are not politically correct. Let me throw out a word that we often don't attach to work and yet I think it is a wo...
Fruit Basket Delivery Probably the single most important component responsible for making the fruit basket the most popular gift in history is the modern technology applied to the de...
Wedding Reception in San Diego Organize for a wedding reception on board a yacht, a romantic escapade in a resort spa, or in a classical French pavilion. It is totally your choice when it com...
Tired Of Struggling To Lose Weight? There are many factors that cause us to increase body weight, yet three stand out from the rest. Our genetic make: Every cell in our body has a central control...
Print this page