Stay in Touch with Your Blog Community with E-Mail Options

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Offering e-mail delivery of some or all of your</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">blog</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">content to your readership can attract users who aren't comfortable with some of the fancier technologies, such as RSS. </span><br> </h1><p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Try these three tactics with e-mail options for your blogs:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Allow your readers send a blogpost to a friend that might also be interested.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Let your users sign up for e-mail notifications when you post something new to your blog.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Invite your readers sign up for an e-mail newsletter that supplements your blog or recaps recent blog posts of interest.</p> </li></ul><p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Many blog software programs have a built in "Tell a Friend" or "Email a Friend" functionality. If you turn on this feature, every blog post is accompanied by a small icon or linkthat, when clicked, lets your reader fill out the name and e-mail address of a friend and send an e-mail notification about your blog post to them. It's like free marketing.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Setting up your blog to enable users to sign up for e-mail notifications when a new blog entry is posted is an easy way to reach users who aren't up on newsreaders and RSS. Allowing them to sign up and also to remove themselves from your e-mail system puts them in control of the situation, too, which means you won't be contributing to the spamproblem. The <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">FeedBurner</a> site gives you the tools to set up an e-mail notification/subscription tool.</p>

Stay in Touch with Your Blog Community with E-Mail Options

Offering e-mail delivery of some or all of your   blog   content to your readership can attract users who aren't comfortable with some o...

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Stay in Touch with Your Blog Community with E-Mail Options

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Offering e-mail delivery of some or all of your</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">blog</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">content to your readership can attract users who aren't comfortable with some of the fancier technologies, such as RSS. </span><br> </h1><p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Try these three tactics with e-mail options for your blogs:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Allow your readers send a blogpost to a friend that might also be interested.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Let your users sign up for e-mail notifications when you post something new to your blog.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Invite your readers sign up for an e-mail newsletter that supplements your blog or recaps recent blog posts of interest.</p> </li></ul><p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Many blog software programs have a built in "Tell a Friend" or "Email a Friend" functionality. If you turn on this feature, every blog post is accompanied by a small icon or linkthat, when clicked, lets your reader fill out the name and e-mail address of a friend and send an e-mail notification about your blog post to them. It's like free marketing.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Setting up your blog to enable users to sign up for e-mail notifications when a new blog entry is posted is an easy way to reach users who aren't up on newsreaders and RSS. Allowing them to sign up and also to remove themselves from your e-mail system puts them in control of the situation, too, which means you won't be contributing to the spamproblem. The <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">FeedBurner</a> site gives you the tools to set up an e-mail notification/subscription tool.</p>

Stay in Touch with Your Blog Community with E-Mail Options

Offering e-mail delivery of some or all of your   blog   content to your readership can attract users who aren't comfortable with some o...

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How to Find and Use Templates in Your Blog

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Blog</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">design comes down to one thing: the templates you use to run your blog. In these blog templates, you find all the code — and snazzy bells and whistles — that make a blog look great. </span><br> </h1><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">A good template makes you look more professional, framing and setting off your blog content to its best advantage.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">With any design, consider your content and readership: What do your visuals say about you, and what you have to say? The theme should answer some subtle questions about you as the bloggerand who it is you're trying to attract.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">A lot of the free template designs have been around for some time, and the code definitely has a track record. Some blogging sites review common blog designs, let you know what kinds of problems you might run into, and give you advice about how to avoid those problems.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Here are some online sources for quality free blog templates:</p><ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><a href="http://www.oswd.org/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>Open Source Web Design</b></a><b>: </b>This Web site is great and has a lot of different designers contributing to the site. The designs are fairly basic, but they cover a decent number of themes. You might find a few duds here and there that don't really look bloggy, but most are great.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><a href="http://www.opendesigns.org/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>The Open Design Community</b></a><b>:</b>On this site, the goal of the design community is to "make the Internet a prettier place." It has a decent number of blog templates, and all of them are of a high quality.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><a href="http://www.openwebdesign.org/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>Open Web Design</b></a><b>:</b> Open Web Design has much the same goal as the Open Design Community (almost the same name, too), but this design group has a much larger collection. It can take a while to look through all the options, but you can find a series of good designs that any blogger can use.</p> </li></ul><p class="Warning" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">If you aren't that comfortable with either HTML or the blog softwaredesign elements that each blog package has, using free templates might be a big problem for you. Just because the templates are available on the Internet doesn't mean they'll work for your blog. All blog software has special code that needs to be inserted into any template you choose.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Aside from needing to do a lot of the code work yourself if you choose a free template, watch out for a few common problems as you browse free templates:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Duplication: </b>Because the templates are freely available, other blogs might use the same design you have. Using a design also found on other blogs puts the pressure on your content to be fresh and meaningful to your blogging public.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Incompatibility: </b>Some blog software is unforgiving when it comes to the design of your blog. One of the better indicators of the quality of your blog software is in how the design elements are able to work with the rest of the package.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Bad code: </b>Another reality about templates is that even if the design looks great, it might not be using code that works well in your blog. With blogs, having your content accessible is always the first priority, and some poorly written code might prevent your blog from being the best it can be.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>(In)Flexibility: </b>Free templates are designed for everyone and for no one. The template designer does his or her best to create an attractive and appealing design, but in the end, that template wasn't designed with you specifically in mind. The template needs to be flexible enough to handle all kinds of Web sites and blogs — and ultimately, that means it might not suit any of them perfectly.</p> </li></ul><p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Even with all of the potential pitfalls, don't immediately dismiss using pre-made templates. Check the layout and review the code behind the layout before you choose a free template to make sure you have your bases covered.</p>

How to Find and Use Templates in Your Blog

Blog   design comes down to one thing: the templates you use to run your blog. In these blog templates, you find all the code — and snazzy b...

Read more »

How to Find and Use Templates in Your Blog

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Blog</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">design comes down to one thing: the templates you use to run your blog. In these blog templates, you find all the code — and snazzy bells and whistles — that make a blog look great. </span><br> </h1><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">A good template makes you look more professional, framing and setting off your blog content to its best advantage.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">With any design, consider your content and readership: What do your visuals say about you, and what you have to say? The theme should answer some subtle questions about you as the bloggerand who it is you're trying to attract.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">A lot of the free template designs have been around for some time, and the code definitely has a track record. Some blogging sites review common blog designs, let you know what kinds of problems you might run into, and give you advice about how to avoid those problems.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Here are some online sources for quality free blog templates:</p><ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><a href="http://www.oswd.org/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>Open Source Web Design</b></a><b>: </b>This Web site is great and has a lot of different designers contributing to the site. The designs are fairly basic, but they cover a decent number of themes. You might find a few duds here and there that don't really look bloggy, but most are great.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><a href="http://www.opendesigns.org/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>The Open Design Community</b></a><b>:</b>On this site, the goal of the design community is to "make the Internet a prettier place." It has a decent number of blog templates, and all of them are of a high quality.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><a href="http://www.openwebdesign.org/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>Open Web Design</b></a><b>:</b> Open Web Design has much the same goal as the Open Design Community (almost the same name, too), but this design group has a much larger collection. It can take a while to look through all the options, but you can find a series of good designs that any blogger can use.</p> </li></ul><p class="Warning" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">If you aren't that comfortable with either HTML or the blog softwaredesign elements that each blog package has, using free templates might be a big problem for you. Just because the templates are available on the Internet doesn't mean they'll work for your blog. All blog software has special code that needs to be inserted into any template you choose.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Aside from needing to do a lot of the code work yourself if you choose a free template, watch out for a few common problems as you browse free templates:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Duplication: </b>Because the templates are freely available, other blogs might use the same design you have. Using a design also found on other blogs puts the pressure on your content to be fresh and meaningful to your blogging public.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Incompatibility: </b>Some blog software is unforgiving when it comes to the design of your blog. One of the better indicators of the quality of your blog software is in how the design elements are able to work with the rest of the package.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Bad code: </b>Another reality about templates is that even if the design looks great, it might not be using code that works well in your blog. With blogs, having your content accessible is always the first priority, and some poorly written code might prevent your blog from being the best it can be.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>(In)Flexibility: </b>Free templates are designed for everyone and for no one. The template designer does his or her best to create an attractive and appealing design, but in the end, that template wasn't designed with you specifically in mind. The template needs to be flexible enough to handle all kinds of Web sites and blogs — and ultimately, that means it might not suit any of them perfectly.</p> </li></ul><p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Even with all of the potential pitfalls, don't immediately dismiss using pre-made templates. Check the layout and review the code behind the layout before you choose a free template to make sure you have your bases covered.</p>

How to Find and Use Templates in Your Blog

Blog   design comes down to one thing: the templates you use to run your blog. In these blog templates, you find all the code — and snazzy b...

Read more »

Public Relations Tips for Promoting Your Blog

<div class="CheatSheet" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px 1rem;padding:0.3rem 0px 0.4rem 2.7rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);background-image:url(http://media.wiley.com/spa_assets/R16B060/site/dummiesmobile/include/images/icon-cheat-sheet.png);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat"> <br></h1></div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Blogs provide news and commentary one to two days ahead of major media. Those two days can make a big difference in the world of public relations. Blogs build buzz, so after you've launched your blog, use these tips to promote and monitor it:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Submit to blog search engines.</b> Beyond the traditional search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, there are search engines and directories that track blogs exclusively and which thousands of people search every day. Submit your blog's URL to these sites for free:<span class="code"><a href="http://blogsearchengine.com">http://blogsearchengine.com</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com">http://technorati.com</a>, <a href="http://www.daypop.com">http://www.daypop.com</a>, <a href="http://blogdex.net">http://blogdex.net</a>, <a href="http://w.moreover.com">http://w.moreover.com</a>, <a href="http://www.yahoo.com">http://www.yahoo.com</a></span>, and<span class="code"><a href="http://popdex.com">http://popdex.com</a></span>.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Ping each time a new post is published.</b> The blog search engines offer a system whereby you notify (or "ping") them, either manually or automatically, each time a new post appears on your blog.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Use trackbacks and tags.</b>Look for the "trackback" linkat the bottom of a post, next to the permalink andcomments link. Trackbacking notifies ablogger that one of their posts has been featured on another blog. It's a non-intrusive way of letting a blogger know you are interested in what they have to say. "Tags" are categories and keywords for blog posts. You will often see keywords on the navigation bar of a blog. If you click on one of the keywords, it will show you all of the blogs that are categorized under one of those "tags." If someone finds your blog and wants to read all of the articles on a particular topic or keyword, tags make this very easy.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Include a growing "blogroll."</b>You'll see this on the navigation bar of many blogs. It is essentially a list of favorite blogs or related Web sites. This is one of the ways people hop from one blog to the next and help promote each other's blogs.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Participate on other people's blogs.</b> Devote a certain amount of your time actively commenting on and linking to blogs that are related to your industry and topic. Focus especially on blogs that get high traffic. And be sure to include your blog address in your email signature so that your blog will reach many new readers who see your post.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Make it easy for readers to subscribe to your blog via RSS.</b> Give lots of options so people can choose the one they prefer.</p> </li></ul>

Public Relations Tips for Promoting Your Blog

Blogs provide news and commentary one to two days ahead of major media. Those two days can make a big difference in the world of public re...

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Public Relations Tips for Promoting Your Blog

<div class="CheatSheet" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px 1rem;padding:0.3rem 0px 0.4rem 2.7rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);background-image:url(http://media.wiley.com/spa_assets/R16B060/site/dummiesmobile/include/images/icon-cheat-sheet.png);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat"> <br></h1></div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Blogs provide news and commentary one to two days ahead of major media. Those two days can make a big difference in the world of public relations. Blogs build buzz, so after you've launched your blog, use these tips to promote and monitor it:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Submit to blog search engines.</b> Beyond the traditional search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, there are search engines and directories that track blogs exclusively and which thousands of people search every day. Submit your blog's URL to these sites for free:<span class="code"><a href="http://blogsearchengine.com">http://blogsearchengine.com</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com">http://technorati.com</a>, <a href="http://www.daypop.com">http://www.daypop.com</a>, <a href="http://blogdex.net">http://blogdex.net</a>, <a href="http://w.moreover.com">http://w.moreover.com</a>, <a href="http://www.yahoo.com">http://www.yahoo.com</a></span>, and<span class="code"><a href="http://popdex.com">http://popdex.com</a></span>.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Ping each time a new post is published.</b> The blog search engines offer a system whereby you notify (or "ping") them, either manually or automatically, each time a new post appears on your blog.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Use trackbacks and tags.</b>Look for the "trackback" linkat the bottom of a post, next to the permalink andcomments link. Trackbacking notifies ablogger that one of their posts has been featured on another blog. It's a non-intrusive way of letting a blogger know you are interested in what they have to say. "Tags" are categories and keywords for blog posts. You will often see keywords on the navigation bar of a blog. If you click on one of the keywords, it will show you all of the blogs that are categorized under one of those "tags." If someone finds your blog and wants to read all of the articles on a particular topic or keyword, tags make this very easy.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Include a growing "blogroll."</b>You'll see this on the navigation bar of many blogs. It is essentially a list of favorite blogs or related Web sites. This is one of the ways people hop from one blog to the next and help promote each other's blogs.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Participate on other people's blogs.</b> Devote a certain amount of your time actively commenting on and linking to blogs that are related to your industry and topic. Focus especially on blogs that get high traffic. And be sure to include your blog address in your email signature so that your blog will reach many new readers who see your post.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Make it easy for readers to subscribe to your blog via RSS.</b> Give lots of options so people can choose the one they prefer.</p> </li></ul>

Public Relations Tips for Promoting Your Blog

Blogs provide news and commentary one to two days ahead of major media. Those two days can make a big difference in the world of public re...

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How to Write Popular, Successful Blogs

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Blogging is one of fastest growing forms of communication. It's easy, cheap and is a great way to develop your writing skills and get your voice heard. Blogs can take a number of forms – commentaries, diaries and fiction.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">The first thing to think about is the title of your blog. This is crucial: Most viewers will decide to visit your blog based on its title. The blog title should be clear and inform the reader about the nature of its content.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Similarly, you should make your headlines interesting and informative – aim to grab the reader's attention as soon as possible. Titles should include plenty of keywords to aid search engine optimization, and should be no longer than 10-12 words.</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Theme:</b> Be clear about the type of blog you're writing, and what the key themes of your blog are. Most readers will be interested in a specific topic, so don't digress into areas which aren't relevant.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Frequency:</b> Having stale or outdated content on your website reflects badly on your blog. The most popular blogs are updated a couple of times a day. Make sure that you postregularly and cover topics which are up-to-date and relevant.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Style:</b> Take time to develop your own voice and write in a way that feels natural to you. This is your blog, and should reflect your personality, so don't try to imitate someone else. Make your posts easy to understand. Remember that some idioms and acronyms won't be understood outside the UK.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Comment:</b> Allow people to comment on your posts, and aim to respond to them. Blogs should be a dialogue, not a one-way conversation. Having comments will make your blog look popular, and will help to build up a community of readers.</p> </li></ul><p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><b>Be savvy:</b> Avoid posting work-related items that are confidential, rude, or in any way unprofessional. It's also risky to publicise personal information about other people - this could cause embarrassment and offence.</p>

How to Write Popular, Successful Blogs

Blogging is one of fastest growing forms of communication. It's easy, cheap and is a great way to develop your writing skills and get ...

Read more »

How to Write Popular, Successful Blogs

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Blogging is one of fastest growing forms of communication. It's easy, cheap and is a great way to develop your writing skills and get your voice heard. Blogs can take a number of forms – commentaries, diaries and fiction.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">The first thing to think about is the title of your blog. This is crucial: Most viewers will decide to visit your blog based on its title. The blog title should be clear and inform the reader about the nature of its content.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Similarly, you should make your headlines interesting and informative – aim to grab the reader's attention as soon as possible. Titles should include plenty of keywords to aid search engine optimization, and should be no longer than 10-12 words.</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Theme:</b> Be clear about the type of blog you're writing, and what the key themes of your blog are. Most readers will be interested in a specific topic, so don't digress into areas which aren't relevant.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Frequency:</b> Having stale or outdated content on your website reflects badly on your blog. The most popular blogs are updated a couple of times a day. Make sure that you postregularly and cover topics which are up-to-date and relevant.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Style:</b> Take time to develop your own voice and write in a way that feels natural to you. This is your blog, and should reflect your personality, so don't try to imitate someone else. Make your posts easy to understand. Remember that some idioms and acronyms won't be understood outside the UK.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Comment:</b> Allow people to comment on your posts, and aim to respond to them. Blogs should be a dialogue, not a one-way conversation. Having comments will make your blog look popular, and will help to build up a community of readers.</p> </li></ul><p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><b>Be savvy:</b> Avoid posting work-related items that are confidential, rude, or in any way unprofessional. It's also risky to publicise personal information about other people - this could cause embarrassment and offence.</p>

How to Write Popular, Successful Blogs

Blogging is one of fastest growing forms of communication. It's easy, cheap and is a great way to develop your writing skills and get ...

Read more »

Blogging Topics for Mom Bloggers

<div class="CheatSheet" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px 1rem;padding:0.3rem 0px 0.4rem 2.7rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);background-image:url(http://media.wiley.com/spa_assets/R16B060/site/dummiesmobile/include/images/icon-cheat-sheet.png);background-repeat:no-repeat no-repeat"> <br></h1></div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">When you're first thinking about starting a blog, it can be hard to think of all the possible directions you can go and to choose a strong niche for your blog topic. This list of over 300 blog topic ideas can help you brainstorm ideas on a niche that's right for you.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">You don't have to choose just one of these topics for your blog. Most bloggers write about a few related topics to give their readers (and themselves!) a little variety.</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Academics and education:</b>Adult education, campus life, classroom resources, colleges and universities, curriculum, education reform and political action, elementary education, history, home schooling, homework help, librarians, literature, mathematics, multicultural, reference, research, special education, vocational</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Animals:</b> Animal rights, breeding, animal videos and photos, pets, species, research</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Arts and entertainment:</b>Acting, anime and comics, architecture, artists, art culture, books, creative writing, dance, gaming, kids' entertainment, movies, photography, poetry, reviews, television, trends, visual arts</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Business:</b> Advertising industry, careers and jobs, CEOs, coaching, copywriting, design, entrepreneurship, home business, human resources, marketing, outsourcing, business product reviews, project management, public relations, reference, research, sales, small business, training, unemployment</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Communications/personality:</b>Advice, debate, humor, multimedia, photo blog, podcasting, video blogging</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Computers:</b> Online child safety, hardware and software, privacy, security, tutorials</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Crafts:</b> Crochet, beading, ethnic crafts, fabric arts, glass arts, home decorating, jewelry making, kids' crafts, knitting, leather work, mosaic, needlework, craft patterns and downloads, paper crafts, pottery, quilting, scrapbooking, sewing, soap making, spinning, stamping, weaving, woodworking</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Environment:</b> Activism, eco products, environmental education, global warming, green living, industry, nature, natural baby resources</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Events:</b> Conferences, event planning, local, party planning, recreational events, seminars, web events, weddings</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Food and drink:</b> Alcoholic beverages, baking, cake decorating, cookbook reviews, dining, entertaining, food critic, healthy eating, international food, organic cooking, recipes</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Health/well being:</b>Addictions and recovery, allergies, alternative health, breastfeeding, dieting, disabilities, diseases, fitness, gluten-free living, healing, infertility, life coaching, medicine, meditation, men's health, mental health, personal care, pregnancy, psychiatry, psychology, public health, stress, suicide prevention, women's health</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Home and garden:</b> Antiques, construction, entertaining, gardening, holidays, home decor, home repair, homemaking, landscaping, kitchen and bath, organizing</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Industries:</b> Advertising, agricultural, architecture, automotive, broadcasting/media, finance, government, health care, industrial, investing, law and legal, packaging/paper, property management, publishing, real estate, textiles</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Internet:</b> Blogging, Internet marketing, programming,social networking and social media, search engine optimization, web design, web development</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Music:</b> Artists/bands, awards, composition, genres, history, instruments, lessons, lyrics, notation/chords/tabs, regional, reviews, news/gossip</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Personal:</b> Advice column, children/teens, family, journal, life transitions, parenting, personal development, relationships</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Politics/government:</b> Civil rights, commentary, international, legislation, lobbying, local politics, military, peace, presidential studies, terrorism, war</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Pop culture:</b> Beauty, celebrity, entertainment, fashion, gossip, popular brands and products, television shows, trends</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Religion/philosophy:</b>Denominations, ethics, history, metaphysics, schools of thought, spirituality</p></li> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Science:</b> Anatomy, anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, biology, geology, oceanography, physics, research, zoology</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Shopping:</b> Books, cameras, clothing, coupons and discounts, children's products, fashion, fine living, gadgets/tech, gifts, home decor, office, reviews</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Society/culture:</b> Adoption, charity, civilization, community development, controversy, criminal justice, death, ethnic issues, family issues, feminism, genealogy, LGBT, men, mythology, rural living, seniors, social security, suburban living, violence, volunteering, urban living</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Sports/recreation:</b>Competitions, gaming, hobbies, individual sports, leisure, martial arts, memorabilia, motorcycles, Olympics, outdoor recreation, physical education, pro sports, racing, sporting activities, sporting events, sporting goods, sports role models, team sports</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Technology:</b> Cameras, companies, computers and tablets, electronics/gadgets, engineering, innovations, mobile, networking, news, tech companies, technology entrepreneurs and thought leaders, tools</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Travel/places/local:</b> Budget travel, camping/RV living, destinations, family travel, international, local guides, travel photography, vacation planning</p> </li></ul>

Blogging Topics for Mom Bloggers

When you're first thinking about starting a blog, it can be hard to think of all the possible directions you can go and to choose a st...

Read more »