The need to blog: should we worry?

Is the pressure to write new and exciting blog entries causing you stress?



Do you feel obligated to post daily, or even hourly, to your blog?



That concern for our readers is a commonly held, yet not often addressed issue for all bloggers. There are days when every blogging person would just as soon not post a thing.



Nothing. Nada. Zilch.



It's okay folks. You can take days off from your blog. Sometimes stepping back, and not posting will help to keep your thoughts and ideas fresh and interesting. It may be better for you and your readers to have no post, than a worthless one.



My friend David at his fine Swagu blog has addressed the issue of "blog pressure" very eloquently. He discusses openly the sense of being stressed.



Like many bloggers before him (and certainly afterwards too!), David has felt the obligation to provide content for his readers. Because of that sense of duty to his regulars, he has found himself feeling stressed to write new posts.



Blogs become entwined with their writers, whether we realize it or not. Many of the most popular blogs (of which neither of mine are included) are simply the name of the blogger. Some blogs have other formal titles, but they are associated with the writer's name regardless.



Sometimes you may sense you have become a blog entry too!



We do feel the need, and often that means pressure, to fulfil an unwritten yet very binding contract with our readers. We know that when people surf over to read our latest posts, they are looking forward to something new. I hesitate to say exciting, but at least we hope to be interesting or informative.



That requirement we feel, to say something...anything... is a real responsibility.



Since I rarely miss a day of blogging on my two blogs, I succumbed long ago to the blogging pressure. On the other hand, I blog because I like to write. I hope in some small way to make a tiny contribution to the world. Sometimes, it's a great stress reliever to simply sit down at the keyboard and pound away your thoughts, ideas, and personal challenges.



I'm sure David, and other bloggers, feel the same way.



The question arises, however, of when the stress reliever becomes the stress creator.



My suggestion for anyone who feels pressured to blog, is to not blog. Take a day or three off from blogging entirely. Don't update. Don't post. Don't even think about blogging.



Enjoy a few days of relaxation. You will make the novel discovery there is a big world out there, that won't spontaneously self destruct, without your blog entries. You can then return to the keyboard, feeling refreshed and invigourated, and write again.



We hope for blogging without pressure.



Now, I just have to blog....I need a topic...what can I write about today...where are there some ideas...

2003 Weblog Awards

For those of you who either love awards shows, or if you feel nauseous each time the Oscars or Grammy Awards are mentioned, there are weblog awards too.



They are the 2003 Weblog Awards.



At least with the blog awards, you get to vote. The Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards people don't let you do that.



There are a couple of blogs, that are listed on this blog's links section who have been nominated for awards.



In the wildly named Best Large Mammals Ecosystem Level Blog category (I don't make these names up!), Professor Bainbridge's great blog is among the nominees.



You can vote for Professor Bainbridge here:



Best Large Mammals Ecosystem Level Blog



In the equally improbably titled category Best Crawly Amphibians Ecosystem Level Blog (hey, don't blame me for these names!), Jeremy Wright's tremendous Ensight blog (where I occasionally post guest columns) is also nominated.



You can vote for Ensight here:



Best Crawly Amphibians Ecosystem Level Blog



You can vote in the other categories as well, but I have no real preferences in any of them. They are all great blogs, I'm sure. I am certainly not familiar with most of them, however.



The usual cast of the big name A-List type blogs are on the nomination list.



The rules permit stuffing the ballot boxes by voting every 12 hours.



As they say in "election speak": Vote early. Vote often.

Blogshares game resurrection possible?

Many bloggers, including yours truly, were enjoying the Blogshares fantasy stock market game.



Blogshares was a fantasy stock market game, where the stocks were the various blogs found around the internet. Their share values were determined by the number of incoming blog links they possessed.



Suddenly, without warning, Blogshares closed down, apparently as a result of technical problems and too great a time commitment of the site owner.



Instead of being able to log onto the game, players were met with this message of ceased operations.



Many dedicated players, who had paid to be "Premium Players" were dismayed by the shutdown, as some felt cheated out of their pre-paid fees.



Since that time, however, rumours of the game's return from oblivion have surfaced.



The game is for sale to whomever wishes to purchase it.



According to the report on the website, there are possibly some interested buyers.



We'll see if the Blogshares game returns.



Stay tuned.

Blogs and the new Google rankings

Blogs rank well in the Google search results.



When people enter your most important keywords, into the Google search box, your blog is likely to rate very highly in the results.



Why should that be?



With Google's new, and rather controversial new algorithm (the mathematical calculation Google uses to decide which results are most relevant), non-commercial sites are listing very well in the returned results. That newly favoured area includes blogs.



Smaller commercial sites, dependent upon highly competitive keywords, did very badly in the recent Google update.



Why did blogs weather the storm so well?



Blogs contain what Google wants to see.



Google likes fresh content added to websites. Do blogs offer that? Check!



Google likes keyword rich articles that provide information to the web searcher. Do blog offer that? Check!



Google, despite some concerns over link trading practices, likes to see a lot of incoming links. Bloggers are natural and almost obsessive linkers. Check!



Blogs are just what Dr. Google ordered!



Lots of fresh content and relevant links, might just be the prescription for success, following the latest Google update.



For those of you who haven't been watching the search engine optimization community tear out their hair, the latest Google update was a shocker. The Google reworking of their algorithm, to allegedly penalize heavily optimized sites, has acquired the hurricane style moniker of "Florida". Many formerly high ranking sites have been lost from the search returns.



The new Google calculation has certainly hit real estate, and other popular keywords hard. Formerly high ranking sites are often no longer found anywhere within 50 pages of results.



Speculation about the occurrance has run everywhere from the conspiratorial (Google wants to sell more adwords); to Google problems (the Google system has broken down); to the avant garde (Google is experimenting and testing).



In any case, blogs came through the Florida storm, with little damage to their search positions.



Companies might be advised to add a business blog to their agenda for the future. You never know when the next Google induced hurricane might be brewing.



Since we can't do anything about Google's methods of calculation, the next best thing is to provide ourselves with some good storm insurance.



That insurance can be found in the form of a business blog.

Blog Survey results prove interesting

Blog Search Engine just released the results of its internet blog survey.



While some of the results were surprising.



Example:



22% of all respondents maintained two blogs, and a further 22% had more than three blogs. There are certainly some busy bloggers out there. If you're counting, I'm part of the 22% of bloggers with two blogs.



Some other results were less of a shock.



Example:



The responding bloggers are a dedicated lot. Over half of the reporting bloggers update their blogs at least daily, and fewer than 10% fail to do so at least twice a week.



A few other tidbits from the survey:



47% blog from home only. 48.2% blog at both home and work. Perhaps a time will come when bloggers will be monitored in the workplace.



13.4% of bloggers run paid advertising on their blog. Another 15.7% of bloggers would like to run paid advertising. On the other hand, 58.5% of bloggers opposed the idea of hosting any advertising on their blogs.



52.3% of those surveyed use Google’s Blogger platform to run their blog. Whether Blogger is the most popular blogger, or simply the most commonly used platform among respondents is unknown. I use Blogger for both of my blogs.



It's comforting to know that 73.6% of bloggers do so for fun. I am part of the 66.6% who blog as an opportunity to write. Of course, I'm also part of that tiny 7% who blog as a way to earn income.



There are a few things to remember, however, when we look at these results. First of all, the heavy number of multiple blog respondents would indicate that the survey probably represents the most avid bloggers. I suspect the very casual blogger, who updates on a more sporadic basis, was less likely to fill in the survey.



This survey is a great first step toward getting a handle on who blogs, where, and why. I was interested in the advertising aspect of the blogging activity. I think blogging has enormous potential financially.



I await the next major blogging survey, and whether or not the results of this internet blog survey, continue into the future.

Industry specific business blogs

An article about real estate research and purchases online by John Mudd at Blogcritics provided some interesting reading. There is clearly a wide open field for business blogging, not only in the real estate industry, but in almost every other business sector.



Thanks to Anita Campbell at her Small Business Trends blog for the link.



Because so many people are using the internet, to not only purchase goods and services but also to research them, it makes sense for a website to include a blog. As a marketing tool, the daily blog entries can certainly help to establish a relationship with potential clients and customers.



Since the Blogcritics article was about the real estate industry, we'll use that for our case study. The principles can be applied to any type of business.



In real estate, the time of first interest in buying property to actual investment, may be a longer term decision. During that time period, many real estate agents may be considered, along with countless properties in numerous locations. How is the home buyer to choose?



If you are a realtor, with a regularly updated blog, you may have the inside track on the business. In your blog posts, you could include articles on choosing homes, getting mortgages, remodelling, taxes, and other items involving real property. Articles can adress real estate issues for both buyers and sellers.



While none of your blog articles should be directly sales oriented, you are building a base of potential home and commercial real estate buyers and sellers. By being seen as an expert in your real estate specialty, you become the first choice, when the sale or purchase decision arises.



Clients prefer to do business with knowledgeable people, who are helping to solve their individual problems. Your business blog establishes you as just that person.



The addition of fresh content, in the form of your regular blog articles, will help your website to rise higher in the search engine results for your keywords. Because of the diversity of your columns, your site will suddenly appear on searches for terms you never expected. If your articles include those secondary keywords, your website has new sources of search engine traffic.



The additional blog articles will add many new pages of real estate related content to your website. That increase in overall site size will gain your business a lot more exposure to potential clients via the search engines. As we know from the Blogcritics article, real estate buyers and sellers conduct a lot of internet searches.



A business blog will help your website get found by those seekers of information.



The same principle applies to any other field of business as well.



A business blog can certainly help your business grow.

[grid::brand] Branding your blog: three ideas

Your blog can become a recognized brand name website.



You simply have to treat your blog the way any company would consider handling their major name brands. To most company's their brand reputations are one of their most important properties.



Your blog should be considered as your personal brand, on the internet as a whole, and on the blogoshere in particular.



Your blog is your product. How can you turn it into a name brand?



Use your blog title as often as possible.



Your blog's title is what most people see on the various links lists and blogrolls around the internet. You want people to recognize your blog title, as a heading a quality website, packed full of interesting and informative reading.



The title of your blog may be all a first time reader has, to use as a judgement call, on whether or not to click on your link. You have to create reasons for that click to happen. A good informative title is one way to do that. If your main topic is part of your blog's title, people will have an idea about what to expect.



Should your title have little relationship to the blog's subject matter, make it an interesting one. A compelling and memorable title, will go a long way, toward enhancing your readership.



When you post on various internet forums, be sure that your blog title (rather than your blog URL) appears on your signature line. People are more likely to click on a title, than on a long URL.



A title is much more inviting and friendly than a URL, especially one from from a free blogging hosting service.



Write top quality posts all of the time



Every time you post to your blog, do your best to create interesting and informative posts. Make certain that you link to interesting sites and articles. Always try to provide a bit of insight into your linked articles. Your readers will appreciate seeing your ideas on the subject.



Remember that consistent quality is a hallmark of a good brand. Note that McDonalds, for example, strives to have its food products taste the same, no matter where in the world you order them. Your blog requires the same level of quality control.



A series of bad posts can ruin your blog's reputation as a worthwhile brand. On the other hand, writing top quality articles will help to establish your blog as a solid brand name. The word of your blog, and its brand name, will spread as a result.



Be a regular poster to your blog



Nothing says a blog quality quite like regular posts. If you maintain a blog, try to add new articles on a very frequent basis. Daily blogging might be too much for many people's busy schedules. Should that be the case, you should try to at least update a minimum of three to four times per week.



Frequent posting, creates a brand reliability, that is important for your blog's reputation. Should you habitually update infrequently, your blog's brand image may suffer a setback.



As a branded product, your blog can become a household word among your readership.



Don't jeopardize that trust your readers have in you and your blog.



Note to my readers:



Today's blog on brands is my contribution to a [grid::brand] internet wide blogging effort.

Business blogs as helpful marketing

You have decided to take the plunge and set up a business blog.



Your only thought, as you click the button that makes the blog an official one, is what could possibly your blog's purpose.



There are many good reasons for establishing a business blog. Today, we are looking at the blog as a helpful marketing medium.



You want to sell more of your products and services, yet you lack the number of clients and customers you would really like. What can you do?



A business blog can help you.



As you post your regular articles on your blog, you are building a customer relationship for the longer term. You and they are just not aware of it yet. Your posts add to your credibility as an expert in your field. They also reveal a lot about yourself as a person.



People like to buy things from people they know. People also prefer to do business with those who they feel have a good idea what they're doing. Your blog has done its work if it establishes you and your business under both qualifications.



As you post good useful information, that is freely available to all of your readers, you show your potential customers that you want to help them with their problems. In essence, that is what all businesses do. They solve people's problems.



As a business blogger, you are not only solving their problems in the standard sales way, but also as a friend. Potential clients read your thoughts and ideas and apply them to their own businesses and personal lives.



You have successfully marketed your goods and services, in the best possible manner.



Without employing a lot of pushy sales hype and intrusive advertising, you have chosen to assist people instead. Rather than constantly selling to everyone, you have selected a better and far more pleasant method.



You have become a helpful friend.



For that, you can thank your business blog.



That is truly superior marketing!

Link trading benefits

One of the most difficult areas to improve your site is getting more incoming links.



You need to make link exchanges, with other blogs and traditional websites, to help yourself. Trades are good for everyone!



Those incoming links, or backlinks as they are often called, are important for several reasons.



First of all, links to your blog will get you more traffic. The more visitors to your site, the better. As with anything else, unless people know your great blog exists, they can't read it. Incoming links enable you to share readers with another blogger. They in turn enjoy visits from your readers who benefit from enjoying another great blog experience.



Google's PageRank is based on the number and the quality of your incoming links. For those unaware of their blog's PageRank, it can be seen as a green line on the Google Toolbar. Download one and check your blog's PageRank.



Google considers a link to your site to be a vote in its favour. The more votes the better, is one way to look at it. Another aspect of Google PageRank is it weights the links by importance of the linking page. For example, Google will give your blog much more PageRank credit, from a link from a PageRank 7 site, than from a PageRank 2 site.



More high PageRank incoming links raise your blog's PageRank considerably. Even if your current PageRank is fairly low, it will still assist your link trading partner to some degree, regardless of their ranking.



Besides, your PageRank and theirs, can also go up over time. If your link exchange partner has a low PageRank, you and they can help raise one another. That is real cooperation.



Incoming links are also important, in the placing of your blog in the search returns, for your chosen keywords. The more high ranking incoming links you have, the higher your blog will appear in the search returns. Along with those important backlinks, be sure to keep adding lots of keyword rich content to your blog. Google counts fresh content heavily too.



As you find link trading partners, who share your common interests, you will see your visitor traffic improve.



Your Google PageRank will get ever higher.



You will also rank higher in the search results.



All of these results are a result of cooperation with other blogs. They are the end product of mutually beneficial link exchanges.



Make some link trades today.



Assisting other bloggers helps you as well!

Analyzing your visitor counter logs

Your visitor counter logs provide valuable insights, into how well your blog is doing, in attracting and retaining traffic.



Whether you use a free counter like OneStat, Extreme Tracking, Sitemeter, or a paid version, their numbers and charts are important.



By closely examining the results, provided by your visitor counter, you can find out how your promotional efforts are working; or not.



On the first page of your counter results are found the raw numbers. One set of numbers is the total number of visitors for that day. That total is split into two component parts. One is the returning visitors. The other number represents the first time traffic to your blog.



The returning total (often labelled reloads) is important to track over the month; and then each month against another. By maintaining a steadily growing number of returning visitors, you can be assured you are providing top quality content, that keeps them coming back for more. If your numbers are falling, you need to start adding more fresh and interesting content, or face losing your traffic entirely.



The new visitor numbers, are the fresh traffic, your publicity and promotional activities have attracted to your blog. You must check how they arrived at your site, in the all important Referral logs.



If they arrived from a search engine page, click on that page, and check the keywords they entered to find you. You will want to use those chosen keywords even more in future articles. Heavy use of well searched keywords, will keep your blog high in the search engine results, for those terms.



The most popular keywords for your blog may even be ones you least expected.



If they arrived from another website, check the link to that site. Find out why that website or blog is read by your new visitors. Perhaps some of your content can enhance or complement what is offered by others. if you are not getting any referrals from other sites, you need to step up your link exchange program.



You won't know any of those things without reading your Referrals.



Another section of the visitor logs to examine is Geography. Are your visitors local, national, or international? You want all three types of visitors. If you are not getting any one of the three, you need to add some content that will appeal to that audience. Place that new content on your blog along with your regular content. You will also need to find sites to link with, that enjoy the targeted traffic you are lacking.



An often overlooked section of the visitor logs is Technology. If you receive the bulk of your traffic from visitors using one type of browser, check to see if your blog loads cleanly in all other browsers. Often Internet Explorer is the most popular browser, but check Netscape, Opera, and Mozilla to see if they load your blog well too. If not, you need to make some adjustments.



If you run a photo and grahics heavy blog, check the screen size of your visitors. If they need a large screen resolution to see your photos, without that annoying side to side scrolling, it's time to reconsider the sizing of your photos. You don't want to lose potential visitors to that easily remedied inconvenience.



There is a gold mine of valuable information in your visitor logs.



Use it to help provide your visitors with the best possible blog you can create.