Blog publicity requires some imaginative and innovative new ideas.
One such idea is courtesy of blog idea machine Darren Rowse, of Living Room.
In a brilliant variation on the popular television series American Idol, Darren has created Blogger Idol
By providing a theme, and in this case it's The 80s, Darren lets bloggers of all types and descriptions enter posts on the topic. Political bloggers can discuss politics, music blogs will offer music entries, personal journals will provide entries on their lives in the 1980s.
The possiblilities are endless.
The project is not designed as a competition, but as a co-operative effort. All bloggers are able to enter. No one gets voted off the island.
I entered.
My Blogger Idol entry is from my comedy and humour blog Codswallop and Flapdoodle. I wrote a brief comedic adventure of the two friends, Mr. Codswallop and Mr. Flapdoodle being "lost in the 80s".
The concept of having many blogs enter posts, on a single topic, introduces other bloggers to some very good blogs. As a publicity tool for a blog, in order to gain a wider and more diversified reader base, it's great.
More innovative ideas for gaining much needed blog exposure, like Darren Rowse's Blogger Idol, will appear over time.
This one is a great start in that direction.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Blog topics: Finding ideas
I was taking a linking tour of blogs today.
I used my favourite system of randomly selecting a blog name from other bloggers' lists of favourites. When I reach a new blog, I emply the same method again, and again. I never know where I'll wind up after awhile.
The technique finds some very interesting and often surprisingly great blogs.
The method also provides topic ideas for your daily blog posts.
Today, as I was cruising blogs, I discovered a few bloggers were posting that they had no topics, about which to post.
Of course, it could be argued persuasively, that the lack of a formal topic is indeed a topic in and of itself. At least I believe that to be the case, but then, I'm rather lenient in that regard.
I looked over the blogs, and thought to myself that those bloggers had many great ideas, sitting right under their noses. They had hobbies, jobs, and even businesses to operate.
Some bloggers appeared to be struggling, about whether to make the switch to a full scale business blog. Such a move would leavie the current personal journal to itself. Some bloggers were examining other issues in their personal and occupational lives.
There seemed to be no shortages, of really great entry ideas, on any of the blogs I read today.
I have been writing for the past couple of days about creativity.
All creativity is to me, is a new way of looking at things, in order to find solutions to problems. In this case, the problem is finding appropriate blogging subjects (and predicates too, for that matter).
As a cure for blogging block, I would suggest stepping back, and reading your own blog. You will be surprised at what you may uncover in the way of ideas.
Read your blog as a visitor would look at it. There are two types of readers for your blog. You have your regulars who return over and over. You also have first time visitors, who have stumbled across your little corner of the internet, in any of countless ways.
Regular readers will have certain tastes and preferences in post topics. You can always mix in a few old favourites, especially for them.
For newcomers, your topics are all fresh to them. You can recycle older ideas and posting materials in new ways. New angles on older entries is also great for your daily visitors as well.
In journalism, the editors are constantly seeking new angles and twists on older stories.
You can do that too.
Think about the impressions of your readers. Think about their needs, requirements, and desires. They are your first order of business. If you write only for yourself, it doesn't matter if anyone looks at your words of wisdom.
On the other hand, if you want to increase your readership, and gain higher totals in your visitor logs, it is imperative that you consider the interests of your readership.
The topics will just pop right into your head, as if they were already there, just waiting for you.
Think about your readers, and you will never go wrong.
I used my favourite system of randomly selecting a blog name from other bloggers' lists of favourites. When I reach a new blog, I emply the same method again, and again. I never know where I'll wind up after awhile.
The technique finds some very interesting and often surprisingly great blogs.
The method also provides topic ideas for your daily blog posts.
Today, as I was cruising blogs, I discovered a few bloggers were posting that they had no topics, about which to post.
Of course, it could be argued persuasively, that the lack of a formal topic is indeed a topic in and of itself. At least I believe that to be the case, but then, I'm rather lenient in that regard.
I looked over the blogs, and thought to myself that those bloggers had many great ideas, sitting right under their noses. They had hobbies, jobs, and even businesses to operate.
Some bloggers appeared to be struggling, about whether to make the switch to a full scale business blog. Such a move would leavie the current personal journal to itself. Some bloggers were examining other issues in their personal and occupational lives.
There seemed to be no shortages, of really great entry ideas, on any of the blogs I read today.
I have been writing for the past couple of days about creativity.
All creativity is to me, is a new way of looking at things, in order to find solutions to problems. In this case, the problem is finding appropriate blogging subjects (and predicates too, for that matter).
As a cure for blogging block, I would suggest stepping back, and reading your own blog. You will be surprised at what you may uncover in the way of ideas.
Read your blog as a visitor would look at it. There are two types of readers for your blog. You have your regulars who return over and over. You also have first time visitors, who have stumbled across your little corner of the internet, in any of countless ways.
Regular readers will have certain tastes and preferences in post topics. You can always mix in a few old favourites, especially for them.
For newcomers, your topics are all fresh to them. You can recycle older ideas and posting materials in new ways. New angles on older entries is also great for your daily visitors as well.
In journalism, the editors are constantly seeking new angles and twists on older stories.
You can do that too.
Think about the impressions of your readers. Think about their needs, requirements, and desires. They are your first order of business. If you write only for yourself, it doesn't matter if anyone looks at your words of wisdom.
On the other hand, if you want to increase your readership, and gain higher totals in your visitor logs, it is imperative that you consider the interests of your readership.
The topics will just pop right into your head, as if they were already there, just waiting for you.
Think about your readers, and you will never go wrong.
Friday, January 16, 2004
Creative Thinking as a Way of Life
Creativity.
What is it?
When you think of creativity, you may be drawn to the idea it involves writers, painters, and other artists. Perhaps, you think creativity is for architects and website designers.
In fact, everyone is creative. Creativity comes in many forms, and is essential for any business.
Creativity involves the ability to find solutions to problems. The process involves changing your point of view from the regular way of looking at things.
The more innovative the solutions to your business problems, the more competitive your company will be positioned. Anyone can can find the routine and obvious solutions. Creativity will mark you off, as one of the best in the business, and in the entire industry.
Everyone is creative.
Have you ever used a tool in a different way it was intended? Did you ever simply devise a different route home, because a traffic jam had blocked your regular way? Did you ever find a new way to communicate with a difficult person, when other ways never seemed to get your point across?
If so, you were being creative. It's that simple.
And that hard.
It's always difficult to break long held habits of thinking.
Most people get comfortable in the way they currently do things. In businesses, it's usually termed "That's the way it's always been down around here."
People often avoid creative solutions, because they fear the possibility, that things might go wrong. Better the tried and true methods, they think, than take any chances.
In fact, creativity reduces risk by looking at solutions to problems. Rather than living with problems of personnel, sales, management, inventory, and so on, the creative person looks for opportunities for improvement.
The glitches, problems, and failures represent challenges, not roadblocks.
The non-creative solutions in business often result from acceptance of failure. They can include office and plant closures, layoffs, selloffs, etc. Problems are seen as not having any workable solutions, and therefore failure is accepted as the only possible outcome.
Creative people view the problem, as an opportunity to try a different path, in the evolution of the business.
As you attempt to look at problems through different lenses, you begin to see potential everywhere. You view problems as a starting line, not as a dead end.
Ideas that are viewed as problems can be turned around, flipped upside down, and turned inside out. Something new can be made from them, simply by seeing them in a different way.
Creativity takes those possible losses, and turns them into profitable opportunities for everyone in the organization.
Creativity is far less risky than run of the mill thinking.
it is far less risky than accepting certain failure.
In that sense, creative thinking is tremendous insurance for you company.
What is it?
When you think of creativity, you may be drawn to the idea it involves writers, painters, and other artists. Perhaps, you think creativity is for architects and website designers.
In fact, everyone is creative. Creativity comes in many forms, and is essential for any business.
Creativity involves the ability to find solutions to problems. The process involves changing your point of view from the regular way of looking at things.
The more innovative the solutions to your business problems, the more competitive your company will be positioned. Anyone can can find the routine and obvious solutions. Creativity will mark you off, as one of the best in the business, and in the entire industry.
Everyone is creative.
Have you ever used a tool in a different way it was intended? Did you ever simply devise a different route home, because a traffic jam had blocked your regular way? Did you ever find a new way to communicate with a difficult person, when other ways never seemed to get your point across?
If so, you were being creative. It's that simple.
And that hard.
It's always difficult to break long held habits of thinking.
Most people get comfortable in the way they currently do things. In businesses, it's usually termed "That's the way it's always been down around here."
People often avoid creative solutions, because they fear the possibility, that things might go wrong. Better the tried and true methods, they think, than take any chances.
In fact, creativity reduces risk by looking at solutions to problems. Rather than living with problems of personnel, sales, management, inventory, and so on, the creative person looks for opportunities for improvement.
The glitches, problems, and failures represent challenges, not roadblocks.
The non-creative solutions in business often result from acceptance of failure. They can include office and plant closures, layoffs, selloffs, etc. Problems are seen as not having any workable solutions, and therefore failure is accepted as the only possible outcome.
Creative people view the problem, as an opportunity to try a different path, in the evolution of the business.
As you attempt to look at problems through different lenses, you begin to see potential everywhere. You view problems as a starting line, not as a dead end.
Ideas that are viewed as problems can be turned around, flipped upside down, and turned inside out. Something new can be made from them, simply by seeing them in a different way.
Creativity takes those possible losses, and turns them into profitable opportunities for everyone in the organization.
Creativity is far less risky than run of the mill thinking.
it is far less risky than accepting certain failure.
In that sense, creative thinking is tremendous insurance for you company.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Creativity Adds Profitability
Creativity is a must for any company.
If a business fails to generate new ideas, and new ways of doing things, it will stagnate.
There are some businesses, that are able to grow and prosper, by using a rigid nd never changing formula. Most companies, however, need some level of innovation to succeed.
I believe that creativity lowers a company's risk.
Risk is lessened because creativity is employed to solve an existing problem. If nothing is done to resolve the current difficulty, it will only get worse. Usually, it's better to brainstorm ideas and find solutions, than let the problem get worse through neglect.
When a good idea is found, the problem can be attacked.
That opinion is quite the opposite of what you will hear from many business executive suites. The holders of executive washroom keys, will view innovation and creativity as risky, and its supporters and preactioners a little on the flaky side.
I spent seven years in a company that had a set way of selling its advertising contracts. That specific system had been devised by the company owners well over a decade earlier. It was not to change. It's adherents would blindly praise the genius of the system.
I disagreed.
The company sales ideas were a disaster, in the Winnipeg office, when I was hired. They didn't get any better as the sales staff, of which I was a member, were required to use such absurd sales methods. Deviation was not permitted.
When the Manager was fired, I was promoted to take over the sinking ship.
I enjoyed the challenge. I also had some new ideas to put into place.
My office, when I was a Regional Sales and Marketing Manager, was the most profitable in the company. I was Corporate Manager of the Year in 1998. Out of my office rolled every useful new idea in the company. None were ever generated by the other Regional Managers. None were ever mentioned as being my creations.
They were often adopted, somewhat reluctantly, by the other offices around North America. They were accepted as innovations from the company President, who claimed them as his own. My contribution was not acknowledged.
The Manager of the Year Award was a result of my office sales numbers, that even my most vicious opponents couldn't deny. It was difficult for them to argue against the account balances. Believe me, in the internal company politics arena, my name was rarely mentioned in a positive light.
Some other managers, usually part of the Old Boys Network, even tried to get me fired. I always considered that to be a compliment.
Some of the funniest, if not the most frustrating events, would be to have my office phone ring from head office with some marvelous new idea. The idea would always be one that I had devised myself, usually a year earlier.
In fact, by the time one of my new methods worked its way through the company, I had already refined that concept several times. Sometimes I had replaced it entirely, with an even better technique.
I devised strategies to increase the marketing and sales reach of my region. We moved sales levels higher than those enjoyed by offices based in larger centres.
Based in the small city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, my region from the Great Lakes to the Rockies, was technically the smallest population. I made it into the largest ,by opening up additional new untapped sales areas, throughout North America.
I altered the performance incentives to sales staff. The changes resulted in much higher morale among the personnel, and far stronger sales results.
New marketing strategies and improved human resource management were unheard of in the company. My staff was easily the best, and the most loyal in the entire company. I had visited other offices and in Canada and the United States. I was rarely impressed with what I saw.
As with all of my innovations, I simply implemented a small pilot project first. If it was successful, I would make it a full scale operation. If it didn't work out as planned, the amount of money spent was minimal, and almost always covered by the limited sales generated.
In that case, creativity helped the company and its profits. Without my new ideas, the office sales would have returned to the moribund levels it endured, before I took it over.
I used creativity and new ideas to build the region's sales to the most profitable in the company.
If a business fails to generate new ideas, and new ways of doing things, it will stagnate.
There are some businesses, that are able to grow and prosper, by using a rigid nd never changing formula. Most companies, however, need some level of innovation to succeed.
I believe that creativity lowers a company's risk.
Risk is lessened because creativity is employed to solve an existing problem. If nothing is done to resolve the current difficulty, it will only get worse. Usually, it's better to brainstorm ideas and find solutions, than let the problem get worse through neglect.
When a good idea is found, the problem can be attacked.
That opinion is quite the opposite of what you will hear from many business executive suites. The holders of executive washroom keys, will view innovation and creativity as risky, and its supporters and preactioners a little on the flaky side.
I spent seven years in a company that had a set way of selling its advertising contracts. That specific system had been devised by the company owners well over a decade earlier. It was not to change. It's adherents would blindly praise the genius of the system.
I disagreed.
The company sales ideas were a disaster, in the Winnipeg office, when I was hired. They didn't get any better as the sales staff, of which I was a member, were required to use such absurd sales methods. Deviation was not permitted.
When the Manager was fired, I was promoted to take over the sinking ship.
I enjoyed the challenge. I also had some new ideas to put into place.
My office, when I was a Regional Sales and Marketing Manager, was the most profitable in the company. I was Corporate Manager of the Year in 1998. Out of my office rolled every useful new idea in the company. None were ever generated by the other Regional Managers. None were ever mentioned as being my creations.
They were often adopted, somewhat reluctantly, by the other offices around North America. They were accepted as innovations from the company President, who claimed them as his own. My contribution was not acknowledged.
The Manager of the Year Award was a result of my office sales numbers, that even my most vicious opponents couldn't deny. It was difficult for them to argue against the account balances. Believe me, in the internal company politics arena, my name was rarely mentioned in a positive light.
Some other managers, usually part of the Old Boys Network, even tried to get me fired. I always considered that to be a compliment.
Some of the funniest, if not the most frustrating events, would be to have my office phone ring from head office with some marvelous new idea. The idea would always be one that I had devised myself, usually a year earlier.
In fact, by the time one of my new methods worked its way through the company, I had already refined that concept several times. Sometimes I had replaced it entirely, with an even better technique.
I devised strategies to increase the marketing and sales reach of my region. We moved sales levels higher than those enjoyed by offices based in larger centres.
Based in the small city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, my region from the Great Lakes to the Rockies, was technically the smallest population. I made it into the largest ,by opening up additional new untapped sales areas, throughout North America.
I altered the performance incentives to sales staff. The changes resulted in much higher morale among the personnel, and far stronger sales results.
New marketing strategies and improved human resource management were unheard of in the company. My staff was easily the best, and the most loyal in the entire company. I had visited other offices and in Canada and the United States. I was rarely impressed with what I saw.
As with all of my innovations, I simply implemented a small pilot project first. If it was successful, I would make it a full scale operation. If it didn't work out as planned, the amount of money spent was minimal, and almost always covered by the limited sales generated.
In that case, creativity helped the company and its profits. Without my new ideas, the office sales would have returned to the moribund levels it endured, before I took it over.
I used creativity and new ideas to build the region's sales to the most profitable in the company.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Perception and reality
A person's reputation within an organization, and even outside of it, might not be backed up by the facts.
In a series at Management By Baseball, it's decided that former New York Yankees, and now Houston Astros left handed pitcher Andy Pettitte, doesn't live up to his reputation as a "big game pitcher."
The numbers presented as evidence, simply do not support that image and perception. In the words of the writer, "the reputation is not the guy".
Have you ever worked in an organization, with a so-called "legend".
I have.
The numbers certainly didn't back up his reputation either.
Within the company, he was referred to as "Kahuna". He had the most incomprehensibly ridiculous legends surrounding him. His supposed ability, to sell out advertising contracts in record time, was accepted as gospel by everyone in the organization.
Unfortunately for my opinion of his talents, I got to see the legend in action.
First hand.
I had started to work, in the early 1990s, for a company that sold advertising, in various types of publications ranging from handbooks to directories, to name a couple. (I was later Regional Sales and Marketing Manager in the same company).
The Winnipeg, Manitoba office where I was hired, was in desperate need of sales. I needed the job. Along with another sales rep named David, we sold enough advertising through cold calling, to save a major yet floundering contract. A certain loss, already accepted by the head office, turned into a profit.
The office had problems. The manager was not competent, and very negligent of her duties. She was later fired. There was terrible staff turnover, and sales totals were very low. Morale was poor. Sales reps openly poached one anothers accounts.
Enter the legend Kahuna.
In a weird twist of logic, it was thought one good contract could turn the office around. The mathematics certainly didn't support that at all, but numbers were rarely used by the company thinking anyway. Instead of simply letting the existing sales staff sell the new contract, Kahuna was flown in, put up at the Holiday Inn for a month, with all of his meals supplied.
Word came down from head office, that we would all see how sales was supposed to be done. Kahuna would sell the entire contract himself, they guaranteed, in less than a month. We could learn from the legend, they said.
We were told he had done it before, and the example of his brilliance was given to us, from on high. I stored that myth away in my memory. It would be helpful later.
He sold the easy accounts. Of course, they were already pre-existing in the computer, developed by the existing sales staff, including David and me. He just took them as his own. Kahuna merely sold the easy accounts, that anyone with no experience at all, could have closed in their sleep.
His month ended. The contract was less than half filled. The commissions were paid to the great legend too.
Suddenly, orders arrived from head office, to turn the contract into a profitable one. When asked why Kahuna had done so poorly, "personal problems" were cited.
In any case, the ball was dropped into our court. We were back into the status of sell the ads, or be closed down. We needed the jobs.
The manager, too lazy to do her own calculations, asked David and me to work out the numbers. We needed to know how far in the red, the contract had fallen, and how much selling was needed to salvage it.
I calculated Kahuna's commission, based on the paid sales. He was paid, by head office, an astounding 75%. David added in the hotel and meal amounts, and the cash outlay worked out to over 200% of paid sales.
Clearly, the more we looked at the numbers, the worse the legend's performance had been. And the harder our job would be, to make the contract numbers look respectable.
We scrambled, with less than a month to go before the contract deadline, to fill it. You might be interested to know, that an account messed up is a lot harder to close, than if it was left alone. David's and my people were not happy, but they liked the publication, as it was aimed at their target market.
It seemed Kahuna had simply sent them an invoice, and expected payment. No wonder no one bought, and were very upset.
They bought from us, but they certainly did not ever want anything to do with the living legend.
In the end, along with David and another sales rep, we sold the contract completely. The contract even turned a small profit. That was a victory, considering it was a drowning in a quagmire of epic proportions.
The office remained open.
Four years later, at a company Christmas party in Toronto, I had the opportunity to ask Kahuna about the contract, that had made his legend. He proudly told me how much he sold on that program. I was shocked. The number he gave me, was less than half of the amount required, to fulfil the obligations of any company contract.
Thinking that the numbers were lower, due to inflation, I asked what the advertising rates were on that contract. They were identical to the contract he messed up in our office.
His legend as a saviour was based on nothing. It was founded on what amounted to a disaster.
The only legend I could see, was how he could survive in a sales organization, as long as he did.
He sure had a talent for that!
The person certainly did not match the reputation.
In a series at Management By Baseball, it's decided that former New York Yankees, and now Houston Astros left handed pitcher Andy Pettitte, doesn't live up to his reputation as a "big game pitcher."
The numbers presented as evidence, simply do not support that image and perception. In the words of the writer, "the reputation is not the guy".
Have you ever worked in an organization, with a so-called "legend".
I have.
The numbers certainly didn't back up his reputation either.
Within the company, he was referred to as "Kahuna". He had the most incomprehensibly ridiculous legends surrounding him. His supposed ability, to sell out advertising contracts in record time, was accepted as gospel by everyone in the organization.
Unfortunately for my opinion of his talents, I got to see the legend in action.
First hand.
I had started to work, in the early 1990s, for a company that sold advertising, in various types of publications ranging from handbooks to directories, to name a couple. (I was later Regional Sales and Marketing Manager in the same company).
The Winnipeg, Manitoba office where I was hired, was in desperate need of sales. I needed the job. Along with another sales rep named David, we sold enough advertising through cold calling, to save a major yet floundering contract. A certain loss, already accepted by the head office, turned into a profit.
The office had problems. The manager was not competent, and very negligent of her duties. She was later fired. There was terrible staff turnover, and sales totals were very low. Morale was poor. Sales reps openly poached one anothers accounts.
Enter the legend Kahuna.
In a weird twist of logic, it was thought one good contract could turn the office around. The mathematics certainly didn't support that at all, but numbers were rarely used by the company thinking anyway. Instead of simply letting the existing sales staff sell the new contract, Kahuna was flown in, put up at the Holiday Inn for a month, with all of his meals supplied.
Word came down from head office, that we would all see how sales was supposed to be done. Kahuna would sell the entire contract himself, they guaranteed, in less than a month. We could learn from the legend, they said.
We were told he had done it before, and the example of his brilliance was given to us, from on high. I stored that myth away in my memory. It would be helpful later.
He sold the easy accounts. Of course, they were already pre-existing in the computer, developed by the existing sales staff, including David and me. He just took them as his own. Kahuna merely sold the easy accounts, that anyone with no experience at all, could have closed in their sleep.
His month ended. The contract was less than half filled. The commissions were paid to the great legend too.
Suddenly, orders arrived from head office, to turn the contract into a profitable one. When asked why Kahuna had done so poorly, "personal problems" were cited.
In any case, the ball was dropped into our court. We were back into the status of sell the ads, or be closed down. We needed the jobs.
The manager, too lazy to do her own calculations, asked David and me to work out the numbers. We needed to know how far in the red, the contract had fallen, and how much selling was needed to salvage it.
I calculated Kahuna's commission, based on the paid sales. He was paid, by head office, an astounding 75%. David added in the hotel and meal amounts, and the cash outlay worked out to over 200% of paid sales.
Clearly, the more we looked at the numbers, the worse the legend's performance had been. And the harder our job would be, to make the contract numbers look respectable.
We scrambled, with less than a month to go before the contract deadline, to fill it. You might be interested to know, that an account messed up is a lot harder to close, than if it was left alone. David's and my people were not happy, but they liked the publication, as it was aimed at their target market.
It seemed Kahuna had simply sent them an invoice, and expected payment. No wonder no one bought, and were very upset.
They bought from us, but they certainly did not ever want anything to do with the living legend.
In the end, along with David and another sales rep, we sold the contract completely. The contract even turned a small profit. That was a victory, considering it was a drowning in a quagmire of epic proportions.
The office remained open.
Four years later, at a company Christmas party in Toronto, I had the opportunity to ask Kahuna about the contract, that had made his legend. He proudly told me how much he sold on that program. I was shocked. The number he gave me, was less than half of the amount required, to fulfil the obligations of any company contract.
Thinking that the numbers were lower, due to inflation, I asked what the advertising rates were on that contract. They were identical to the contract he messed up in our office.
His legend as a saviour was based on nothing. It was founded on what amounted to a disaster.
The only legend I could see, was how he could survive in a sales organization, as long as he did.
He sure had a talent for that!
The person certainly did not match the reputation.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Keywords and visitor interests
Keywords are the terms, that people enter into the search box, when searching for information on the internet.
If you are looking for cookie recipes, that's what you enter into the little box on your favourite search engine.
You enter either "cookie recipes" (with quotes) or cookie recipes (without quotes) into the slot. (By the way, the two entry methods may return entirely different results.)
Sites about the topic appear on your screen, and you have your search results. You visit the various sites, and then bake your cookies.
I have discussed how the various keywords used to find you, will have your blog or website positioned differently, on the various search engines.
That is because the different search engines use a different algorithm (mathematical calculation used to decide the most relevant sites for a web query) to find their results.
Talk about a yawner!
You may be on the first page of Inktomi or MSN Search for your keywords, but on the third page for Google.
Different math gives different results.
While that is not a concern of many bloggers, most people want to see at least a few more visitors. Just your family and some arm twisted friends are fine, but it's nice to have watchers in the wider web world, once in awhile.
Check your visitor logs, for keywords that have found your blog, in all of the search engines. Your most popular terms will be the keywords that found your blog. You say you don't care much about search engine optimization, or getting high rankings in Google.
That's fine. Don't worry about it.
What should interest you are the many interests of your visitor traffic. What they enter into the search box, and use to find your blog, is what interests them.
Bloggers are often accused of being only concerned with themselves. The accusation is often termed as "navel gazing". Once in awhile though, even the most self absorbed blogger will look out at the rest of humanity; even if only for a peek.
From your readers' point of view, it's all about them. It's about what they want to read. If you don't fulfil their requirements, they will surf elsewhere.
When you check what interests your readers, you can then help them out, by writing more posts on those topics.
The concept has double value.
Your blog rises even higher in the search engine rankings. That's good for the old ego, and your visitor counter. Your readers are happy as well, because you are writing more posts of interest to them.
The search term idea generator method will also help you find topics, on those days when writers block occurs. You know the days. No matter how hard you concentrate, no blogging ideas will materialize. The blank mind syndrome can strike at any time.
Keyword search to the rescue!
As you check your logs, those search terms will often trigger fresh ideas for your blog entries.
Words gush forth from your keyboard.
Visitors flock to your blog.
They smile.
So do you.
If you are looking for cookie recipes, that's what you enter into the little box on your favourite search engine.
You enter either "cookie recipes" (with quotes) or cookie recipes (without quotes) into the slot. (By the way, the two entry methods may return entirely different results.)
Sites about the topic appear on your screen, and you have your search results. You visit the various sites, and then bake your cookies.
I have discussed how the various keywords used to find you, will have your blog or website positioned differently, on the various search engines.
That is because the different search engines use a different algorithm (mathematical calculation used to decide the most relevant sites for a web query) to find their results.
Talk about a yawner!
You may be on the first page of Inktomi or MSN Search for your keywords, but on the third page for Google.
Different math gives different results.
While that is not a concern of many bloggers, most people want to see at least a few more visitors. Just your family and some arm twisted friends are fine, but it's nice to have watchers in the wider web world, once in awhile.
Check your visitor logs, for keywords that have found your blog, in all of the search engines. Your most popular terms will be the keywords that found your blog. You say you don't care much about search engine optimization, or getting high rankings in Google.
That's fine. Don't worry about it.
What should interest you are the many interests of your visitor traffic. What they enter into the search box, and use to find your blog, is what interests them.
Bloggers are often accused of being only concerned with themselves. The accusation is often termed as "navel gazing". Once in awhile though, even the most self absorbed blogger will look out at the rest of humanity; even if only for a peek.
From your readers' point of view, it's all about them. It's about what they want to read. If you don't fulfil their requirements, they will surf elsewhere.
When you check what interests your readers, you can then help them out, by writing more posts on those topics.
The concept has double value.
Your blog rises even higher in the search engine rankings. That's good for the old ego, and your visitor counter. Your readers are happy as well, because you are writing more posts of interest to them.
The search term idea generator method will also help you find topics, on those days when writers block occurs. You know the days. No matter how hard you concentrate, no blogging ideas will materialize. The blank mind syndrome can strike at any time.
Keyword search to the rescue!
As you check your logs, those search terms will often trigger fresh ideas for your blog entries.
Words gush forth from your keyboard.
Visitors flock to your blog.
They smile.
So do you.
Jeremy Wright's Ensight Blog Goes Big Time
Readers of the prestigious American newspaper The Washington Post, were treated to the words and opinions, of fellow blogger Jeremy Wright of Ensight.
In an article about the leading search engine Google's Initial Public Offering (IPO) of its shares.
In the article, Jeremy is quoted as forecasting another internet and technology stock market bubble, where stock prices far exceed the true company value.
He warns that the Google IPO may result in a market disaster, similar to the one that was ignited following search browser Netscape's IPO in 1995.
Be sure to read the entire article about Google's Initial Public Offering (IPO).
You will find Jeremy Wright's quotes on page four of the Google IPO article.
It's great to see Jeremy get the recognition, for his well thought out ideas, that he so richly deserves.
In an article about the leading search engine Google's Initial Public Offering (IPO) of its shares.
In the article, Jeremy is quoted as forecasting another internet and technology stock market bubble, where stock prices far exceed the true company value.
He warns that the Google IPO may result in a market disaster, similar to the one that was ignited following search browser Netscape's IPO in 1995.
Be sure to read the entire article about Google's Initial Public Offering (IPO).
You will find Jeremy Wright's quotes on page four of the Google IPO article.
It's great to see Jeremy get the recognition, for his well thought out ideas, that he so richly deserves.
Monday, January 12, 2004
My Google PageRank article at SEO Chat
For those of you who are interested in the concept of Google PageRank, what it means, and approximately how it's calculated, I have written a Google PageRank article.
My essay called Google PageRank Primer appears on the well known search engine optimization website SEO Chat.
In the article, I describe the concept and importance of PageRank. I describe the numbers, and what they mean to you, and your blog or website.
I talk about the differences in importance of the numbers and their relative values. I discuss the way the PageRank values are calculated, including a plain English explanation of how the formula works.
No need to have any math anxiety!
I also conclude the article, with the importance of adding more incoming links, to your blog or website. As you already know, links add to your visitor traffic through referrals from other site. Links also add to your position, in the search engine placements, for your targeted keywords.
Links are good. Exchange early and often.
This is the second article, I have had appear at SEO Chat.
My first article was titled The DMOZ Directory: Get Your Site Listed.
The purpose of that article, which has received solid reviews from experts in the search engine optimization field, is to help you get your blog or website listed in the important Open Directory Project (DMOZ) directory.
While you are visiting SEO Chat, be sure to read the great article called Search Engine Myths Debunked.
That fine essay was written by the very knowledgeable David Clain of Swagu.
You won't want to miss what he has to say, about the urban legends, that have grown up around the various internet search engines; industry leader Google, in particular.
Be sure to vote (Hint: Vote 5!) for the articles' help, or lack thereof, as well.
Hey! What's wrong with a little shameless self promotion once in awhile. I know it's not at the level of certain one day marriage, or steamy video producing celebrities, but it will have to suffice.
On behalf of David, (I'm sure he doesn't mind), thanks for reading our articles.
They are written, and published at SEO Chat, to help you and your sites.
My essay called Google PageRank Primer appears on the well known search engine optimization website SEO Chat.
In the article, I describe the concept and importance of PageRank. I describe the numbers, and what they mean to you, and your blog or website.
I talk about the differences in importance of the numbers and their relative values. I discuss the way the PageRank values are calculated, including a plain English explanation of how the formula works.
No need to have any math anxiety!
I also conclude the article, with the importance of adding more incoming links, to your blog or website. As you already know, links add to your visitor traffic through referrals from other site. Links also add to your position, in the search engine placements, for your targeted keywords.
Links are good. Exchange early and often.
This is the second article, I have had appear at SEO Chat.
My first article was titled The DMOZ Directory: Get Your Site Listed.
The purpose of that article, which has received solid reviews from experts in the search engine optimization field, is to help you get your blog or website listed in the important Open Directory Project (DMOZ) directory.
While you are visiting SEO Chat, be sure to read the great article called Search Engine Myths Debunked.
That fine essay was written by the very knowledgeable David Clain of Swagu.
You won't want to miss what he has to say, about the urban legends, that have grown up around the various internet search engines; industry leader Google, in particular.
Be sure to vote (Hint: Vote 5!) for the articles' help, or lack thereof, as well.
Hey! What's wrong with a little shameless self promotion once in awhile. I know it's not at the level of certain one day marriage, or steamy video producing celebrities, but it will have to suffice.
On behalf of David, (I'm sure he doesn't mind), thanks for reading our articles.
They are written, and published at SEO Chat, to help you and your sites.
Carnival of the Capitalists
Don't forget to drop by Jeremy Wright's first rate Ensight blog.
Jeremy is hosting this week's Carnival of the Capitalists at Ensight.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Carnival of the Capitalists, it's a rotating weekly series of bloggers, who select the best of business and other posts for the week.
A host blogger has the posts linked from his or her home blog.
The host then selects which posts will appear on the blog, from a group of post submissions.
It's a great series, and certainly always required reading.
Even if you don't agree with the posts!
You may find a few blogs you will want to read constantly as well.
Jeremy is hosting this week's Carnival of the Capitalists at Ensight.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Carnival of the Capitalists, it's a rotating weekly series of bloggers, who select the best of business and other posts for the week.
A host blogger has the posts linked from his or her home blog.
The host then selects which posts will appear on the blog, from a group of post submissions.
It's a great series, and certainly always required reading.
Even if you don't agree with the posts!
You may find a few blogs you will want to read constantly as well.
Sunday, January 11, 2004
Google Backlink Update
It has happened again.
And only about two weeks since the last one too.
A Google backlink update!
For those of you who don't know, or perhaps don't even care, I'll explain.
A Google backlink update is a big (and we are talking Pyramids huge here) event in the search engine optimization (SEO) community.
At an update, Google displays the incoming links to your blog or website, that have PageRank 4 or higher. PageRank is Google's calculation, of the relative importance of your site, based on the quantity and quality of your incoming links.
If you have the Google Toolbar as discussed here and here, you will already know your Google PageRank.
In this most recent backlink update, I saw an increase in my incoming link count, on this business blog and on my other roller derby blog. The increases were about 100 incoming links per blog.
They are by no means all of them either.
Google is always behind the times on reporting both backlinks and PageRank.
Many other blogs did very well during this backlink and PageRank update as well. Most blogs are showing PR4, PR5, and PR6. The odd blog is even sporting a PR7.
Those of you who have been actively swapping links, will be pleased to know that Google is showing a lot of those reciprocal links in the update. They are paying off for both sides of the trade.
A word of advice, however.
Google has been actively stomping out "links" farms, and even "links" pages. That term is to be avoided on your blog or website.
On your blog, if your column says "links", I would suggest changing it to some other word of description.
A few alternative names I've seen around the internet include: directory, friends, portal, resources, menu, orbit, buddies, good guys, places to visit, etc. Your imagination should be able to outperform that group of terms.
The important thing is to change the way your outgoing links are named.
As I have been saying all along, blogs do well in Google.
Blogs score very highly in the PageRank department.
If you don't care about PageRank, perhaps you prefer that blogs have very strong results in the search enginesh for your keyword search terms. That means more people see your blog, when they search.
That means more readers for your words of wisdom.
Incoming links add to the power of your blog to rank higher in the search engine results.
Be sure to let me know, if you had an increase or decrease, in your Google PageRank and backlink counts.
And only about two weeks since the last one too.
A Google backlink update!
For those of you who don't know, or perhaps don't even care, I'll explain.
A Google backlink update is a big (and we are talking Pyramids huge here) event in the search engine optimization (SEO) community.
At an update, Google displays the incoming links to your blog or website, that have PageRank 4 or higher. PageRank is Google's calculation, of the relative importance of your site, based on the quantity and quality of your incoming links.
If you have the Google Toolbar as discussed here and here, you will already know your Google PageRank.
In this most recent backlink update, I saw an increase in my incoming link count, on this business blog and on my other roller derby blog. The increases were about 100 incoming links per blog.
They are by no means all of them either.
Google is always behind the times on reporting both backlinks and PageRank.
Many other blogs did very well during this backlink and PageRank update as well. Most blogs are showing PR4, PR5, and PR6. The odd blog is even sporting a PR7.
Those of you who have been actively swapping links, will be pleased to know that Google is showing a lot of those reciprocal links in the update. They are paying off for both sides of the trade.
A word of advice, however.
Google has been actively stomping out "links" farms, and even "links" pages. That term is to be avoided on your blog or website.
On your blog, if your column says "links", I would suggest changing it to some other word of description.
A few alternative names I've seen around the internet include: directory, friends, portal, resources, menu, orbit, buddies, good guys, places to visit, etc. Your imagination should be able to outperform that group of terms.
The important thing is to change the way your outgoing links are named.
As I have been saying all along, blogs do well in Google.
Blogs score very highly in the PageRank department.
If you don't care about PageRank, perhaps you prefer that blogs have very strong results in the search enginesh for your keyword search terms. That means more people see your blog, when they search.
That means more readers for your words of wisdom.
Incoming links add to the power of your blog to rank higher in the search engine results.
Be sure to let me know, if you had an increase or decrease, in your Google PageRank and backlink counts.
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