[Hidden-tech] blogging advice

[Shel Horowitz]

At 12:46 PM -0500 11/10/08, Izzy Gesell wrote:
>    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
>
>
>I'm ready to enter the blogosphere and could use any guidance about
>pros/cons on different formats, approaches etc. For example, I understand
>I can have Wordpress as part of my site but Blogger is a stand alone. Is
>one approach better than the other? Goal is expanded name as expert/topic
>recognition, increased connections and traffic to my website.
>
>What am I unconsciously incompetent about in this area.
>
>Much appreciated,
>Izzy

There are a number of advantages of WordPress on your own site vs. 
Blogger. First of all, if either company ever changes its business 
model, you won't lose all your existing content. Second, if they get 
bought out and all the URLs change, you won't be stuck. And third, 
and this is of particular concern with the work that you do, you 
won't ever run the risk that someone at the blogging company won't 
like the politics of some post and shuts you down. (Yes, it has 
happened). WordPress is also easier to use and much more powerful.

Make sure your blog is set up to automatically ping the major blog 
search engines and especially Technorati, and to feed into your 
social networking profiles, especially Facebook. And in the do as I 
say, not as I do department, you'll get much better traction with 
Google and appeal to advertisers  if you keep your focus narrow and 
most of your posts on-topic. I am completely incapable of this; I 
blog on whatever the hell I feel like, and describe my blog 
<http://www.principledprofit.com/good-business-blog/> as "the 
intersection of ethics, politics, media, marketing, and 
sustainability" But I have a great time with it.

BTW, I've just released an e-book on social media, covering marketing 
via blogs as well as Facebook, Twitter, and the rest of it. It's 
included with all new direct orders of either Grassroots Marketing: 
Getting Noticed in a Noisy World or Grassroots Marketing for Authors 
and Publishers, or available separately at a nominal price.
-- 

_________________________________________________
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