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Put Your Picture By Your Comment

May 20, 2009 By
empty-profile

empty-profileRemember that comments are marketing too?  Put your picture by your comments!

I can hear some of you saying that you hate your picture.  Well, get a nice one taken, crop one that is passable, or turn it black & white.  If you really can’t stand your picture put a logo there instead.  For me, as a mommy blogger, I am my brand.  My face is associated with my site.  You will benefit from a picture especially if you don’t have a unique name.  No one else looks just like you.

Get a gravatar set up linked to your main email address.  This will enable your picture to show on a lot of comment forms.  Once you have it set up you don’t have to do any extra work.  When you type your email address into the comment form your picture will appear.  If you have  a WordPress.com account you can use that to log in to Gravatar.  I’m all for less passwords to remember!

The gravatar doesn’t always work on Blogspot blogs.  You can set up a brief Blogger profile through your Google account. Then your picture will appear with your Blogspot comments.

Save the picture you use in a folder where you can easily find it.  Make it a habit to upload your profile picture in right away when you are joining a new group.  You’ll get friends quicker if they recognize your face from somewhere else.

I’m sure that you’ve heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  Companies know that, and you have become a small company.  Further your brand by including your picture.

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Can Disclosure Prevent Me From Being Sued?

May 20, 2009 By

Stonegate walk - honesty jarWe all know that celebrities endorse products, but we don’t really know if they use them.  Mom bloggers that post reviews use the product.  It does become an advertisement, but above all it is a review.

Are you aware that the FTC is trying to decide if review blogs are “violation of good business practices”?  In April 09 an article was posted on the ABC site titled Parenting Blogs May Be Held Liable for Product Reviews.

Until I find out what is going on I’m taking the following steps:

  1. have a disclosure on my blog using the template from DisclosurePolicy.org,
  2. make sure I disclose if I was given a free product to try or paid for the review,
  3. clearly state if I’m quoting someone else, and
  4. be honest about how the product worked or didn’t work.

There is some more great information at Mama Saga.

If you are a reviewer keep your ear to the ground to find out what happens with the FTC and review blogs.

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Let Your Life Shine

May 19, 2009 By

The sun through the treesAs I was browsing my reader I realized that the blogs I like best have lots of personality.  They are varied but they are full of life.

I quickly tire of review or frugal blogs that just don’t have much personality behind them.  The blog can have tons of giveaways, but I don’t visit often if I don’t get a sense of the author’s personality.

When I first started blogging I was hesitant about putting myself out there. I’d heard stories about mean commenters or bloggers that offended their family.  I tried to write in a way that would please everyone.  Since then I’ve abandoned that way of thinking and tried to write more like I would talk.

Often, I read my post out loud before publishing it to check for mistakes and readability.  That way I quickly see if it is how I would talk.  Sometimes it amazes me how anyone could be interested in my daily life. Then I realized that I have a whole folder of blogs about other’s daily life that I look forward to reading. [Read more...]

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My Feed Reader is Stuffed

May 16, 2009 By

To be profitable you need to know a bit about what is going on in the blogosphere.  You can keep track of what is going on by reading blogs in your niche.  A good way to keep track of blogs you like is by using a feed reader.

I first learned about blogs when a friend called me on the phone and told me about one she read.  I bookmarked it in my favorites and fell into the routine of checking it every day.  That blog linked to other blogs, and soon I had a folder full of blogs that I checked fairly often.  It soon got annoying when I would click through and there was no new content.

Then I discovered feed readers and life has been so much better. ;)  I could open one page and easily see which blogs had new content and which did not. [Read more...]

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I Have A Review Product. What Now?

May 15, 2009 By

So you’ve made some contacts, and now you have a product to review.  What’s next?

Don’t lose the product!

Make sure you use it.  Your review will sound false if you don’t.  If you flat ran out of time tell your readers that in a short concise way and add some ad copy.

Have your camera ready.

Take before and after shots if they would help.  I enjoy using video whenever possible.

Jot down some thoughts immediately.

I’ve found that packing slips are handy to write down how it worked for me.  The slip tells me exactly what product I was using.  Momnesia strikes at me frequently.

[Read more...]

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How To Get Products To Review

May 15, 2009 By

Seems like there are review blogs popping up everywhere.  How can you get in on the action?  Obviously you’re not going to be contacted by Frigidaire or another big company in the first month of blogging.  If you explode on to the scene with a unique angle and get a ton of readers in the first year you might get contacted then.  ”Might” being the key word.

Truthfully many of those big review bloggers have been blogging and building their readers for a while, OR they have gone to a bunch of conferences and actually met PR people.

If you have the finances to fly around and attend conferences you will see faster results for your goal of getting products to review.  You have to remember that blogging is one of the newest forms of marketing and a lot of the traditional PR people don’t know how or who they should contact.  They are happier if they can talk to you face to face.

I’m one of those who is not able to attend a lot of conferences.  Here’s some advice for any of you in the same boat as me. [Read more...]

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Comments Are Marketing Too

May 14, 2009 By
cafe_meeting

cafe_meetingA good percentage of my loyal readers have found me through comments I left on other blogs.  It only makes sense.  I comment on blogs I like that have something in common with me.  Other readers are there for the same reason.  We connect and become friends.  I’ve found great new blogs through comments also.

Keep this in the back of your mind when you are commenting.  You are marketing yourself and your writing in a comment.  How and what can you write to make your comment stand out?

I don’t know of a set page with a list of comment etiquette.  Here are some things I practice when leaving comments: [Read more...]

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Some Encouragement For Mommy Bloggers

May 13, 2009 By

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euO_m8VME8E

What little profits have you gained?  I’d love to read them in the comments.

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Are You A Twit Yet?

May 13, 2009 By

People who use Twitter can be called twits after they tweet.  What is Twitter?  It’s a social networking tool.  It’s blogging on steroids.  It’s marketing for your blog.  It’s free.  It’s addicting.  It’s plain fun!  It’s a way to make your blog/business more profitable.

When you first start Twitter it will probably be a bit confusing.  Just keep at it for a little bit each day and soon it will make sense to you.  You might not be able to explain it to anyone, but it will make sense to you.  It made a lot more sense to me when I started using Tweetdeck.  There are some videos at The Ultimate Video Guide to Twitter for Business that explain how to get started, how to find people, and more.

What can I do on Twitter?

[Read more...]

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Are You Pinging?

May 12, 2009 By
megaphone

megaphoneSearch engines look for new content and, hopefully, will find your content.  You can help them find your content by telling them when you have a new post.  How do you announce your post?  You send a ping.

Very simply stated a ping is an electronic message to a pinging service that says, “Hey, I have new content!”  The big search engines [like Google] and blog directories [like Technorati] have pinging services to keep their content fresh.

You can use a service like Ping-o-matic to promote a blog post or article.  WordPress has a great feature that will do the work for you.  I’m all about somebody doing the work for me.

[Read more...]

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My Vacuum is a Plug-in But It Doesn’t Fit On My Blog

May 11, 2009 By
plug-it

plug-itWhat is a plug-in? WordPress.org says that

Plugins are tools to extend the functionality of WordPress. … The core of WordPress is designed to be lean, to maximize flexibility and minimize code bloat. Plugins offer custom functions and features so that each user can tailor their site to their specific needs.

How do you use plug-ins?

There are plug-ins for just about anything from ad networks to comment love.  Most of the time you set them up and they do the work for you.  Can’t beat that, right?  You have to find the one you want, download it to your computer, and upload it through your FTP agent.

When do you need them?

The need is relevant to what you want to do with your blog.  First get your theme set.  Then import content if necessary.  Next start working on your plug-ins.  Akismet is one of 2 plug-ins that comes with WordPress.  Activate Akismet first.  It’s a spam killer that really helps.

Where do you find plug-ins?

There is a huge list and search function at WP Plug-in directory.  Most of the ones I use I’ve found from seeing them in someone’s sidebar and searching for them.  Other times I’ve found recommendations in great lists like these from Blogging Cents and Problogger.

How often do you change plug-ins?

They occasionally need to be updated with a couple clicks, but the changing part is totally up to the blog author.  You don’t have to redo plug-ins after a WordPress theme change.  They will come right through the change.

Overall, a plug-in is a good time investment to improve the look and function of your blog.

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Why I Use WordPress

May 10, 2009 By
WP logo

This post was originally published on my personal blog in Jan 09.  I want to share it with you in case some of you are asking, “Why should I use WordPress?”

When I decided to start my own blog I started researching what host I should use.

Here are some of the reasons I choose WordPress as my blogging platform then:

  1. WordPress.com was free. I didn’t want to pay anything to anybody until I was sure that I wanted to continue and be serious about blogging.
  2. It gave me as much control as possible over my site. Control was a big issue. I wanted to be able to have options and personalize my blog. Having a picture of my choice in the header is a matter of a couple clicks.
  3. Successful bloggers recommended it. Over and over I read that the options and growth ability are much better with WP.
  4. No additional education was required. I’m a SAHM and when I do get a chance to relax I usually reach for the fiction (after Google Reader, of course).
  5. What I learned with the free hosting could be transferred to my own domain name later. I’ve come in contact with many bloggers that would like to switch platforms, but they hold back because it feels like they have so much to re-learn. I figured that I might as well learn as I go.
Even though it might have taken a bit more learning at the start-up I still am glad for my decision.WP logo
Here are some of the reasons I chose to stay with WordPress now:
  1. Easy to import. When I switched to my own domain and self-hosted WordPress I had all of my old posts on my new site in minutes. When I asked a friend to join with me for a garden blog she quickly imported her old posts from Blogger.
  2. There are thousands of free themes if I want to change my design. I don’t think that thousands is an exaggeration.
  3. The tutorials, help, and forums at WordPress.org are great. I literally opened 2 windows and went through their First Steps page. I’ve found many answers in their forums and help pages without even submitting my own question.
  4. Just search and ye shall find. When I get stuck or want to try something I just ask the search bar and there is lots of information available relating to WordPress.
  5. There are hundreds of plug-ins that work with WP. While rambling through the blogosphere the neatest widgets I found are available with a WP plug-in. I’m still learning how much more can be done with a little ol’ plug-in.
  6. It’s always had the ability to post date posts. I was in awe when a blogger all of a sudden said, “We’ve been on vacation. I wrote these before we left.”
  7. Control.
P.S. There is one downside that I feel I should point out. I could not have ads or join an ad network on WordPress.com. From what I’ve read, that is in the process of changing.

What blogging platform do you like? Can you tell me a reason you like it?

If you need help getting started check out this WordPress Orientation.

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: ,

Switching to WordPress

May 7, 2009 By
laptop-user

laptop-user

I’ve heard a lot of bloggers mention that they would like to switch to WordPress, but don’t know how or are very nervous about it.  So they wait and add more and more content to their blog that just has to be switched later.  If you want to switch – do it!

The only valid reason to delay is not having the money to pay for a host – and honestly, hosting is not expensive!

Here are the simple steps: [Read more...]

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Blogher Ad Network and Me

May 6, 2009 By
blogher-logo

The first time that I applied to Blogher Ads I was pretty new to blogging and using WordPress.com.  Since WordPress.com does not allow the blog author to have ads on their blog Blogher politely said, “Come back later.”

After I switched to self-hosted WordPress I contacted them again and was accepted.  A year and a half later I removed their advertising from my sidebar.  Would I do it again?  Yes.  Am I glad I left?  Yes.  No matter if I use their ads or not I can still be a part of the Blogher community. [Read more...]

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Jendi: I Applied and Was Accepted

May 5, 2009 By
jendi-at-blissdom

Do you remember the Blogging Internship that Kelly was talking about?  I’m one of the lucky participants!  My name is Jendi and I’m a new intern for this blog.  I’ve blogged at Jendi’s Journal since June of 2007, but just recently gotten more serious about making some money.  [Haven't we all!]

jendi-at-blissdomSome of the subjects I plan to blog about are:

  • WordPress – only platform I’ve used and I love it;
  • Carnivals – great fun and good way to meet people;
  • Blogher and other advertising;
  • Twitter and Tweetdeck – these 2 put the fun in social networking;
  • Plug-ins  - they make your blog look nice and help manage things;
  • and more!

What would you like to learn about?  I’ll be your personal research assistant.  Anything you don’t want me to write about?

I’m so excited to have this opportunity to learn from Kelly!  Make sure you’re subscribed so that you can learn along with me.

Want to learn what I learned?

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