![]() |
|
...all things related to blogging
My 50 favorite blogging resources
Written by Neil Patel on November 13, 2006 | No comments yet
There are thousands of blogging related resources on the Internet which can create an overwhelming experience for anyone looking to get into blogging. Because of this I created a list of blogging resources that I use on a regular basis. Here is a list of 50 blogging resources that can be helpful to any individual and corporation looking to get into blogging or wanting to learn more about it.
7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work
Since people truly seemed to find my 10 Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work useful for coming up with headlines and post titles that don’t follow the typical “how to” and “list” conventions, I thought I’d share a few more.
So here are 7 more sure-fire headline templates that will work when you’re aiming to score more readers:
Join the Leading Blog and RSS to Email Service
RSS, Blogs, XML, readers and aggregators can be confusing. Adding email services to your blog isn't. Email RSS feed and blog subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz can:
| |
Got TypePad?
Quickly and easily turn your TypePad blogs into automatic email newsletters with our widget.
Get the widget now »
|
| |
- Boost your readership to reach the largest possible market
- Give you valuable insights into your readership
- All using the familiar, most pervasive Internet application - Email.
It's easy too! No gurus required. The basic service is free to all - no restrictions, no ads, no limits on your subscriber base. Plus, you can subscribe to any blog or RSS feed by email with FeedBlitz, even if that blog does not use FeedBlitz itself.
What is Site Meter ?
Site Meter is a free, fast, and easy way to add a web counter to your
web page. Not only does it display the number of visitors to your web site, it also keeps
statistics on the number of visits each hour and each day.
I’d like to take a few minutes just to talk about leaving comments on ProBlogger as the past week or so I’ve had a number of interactions with readers that have left me wondering if we’re all on the same page.
I’m beginning to see that there is a real spectrum of ways in which blog readers view and use the comments sections of blogs.
These range from ignoring them completely through to abusing them completely by automatically posting thousands of self serving and irrelevant comments with links to often pretty crude sites.
Along the spectrum between ignoring comments and spam are many many different approaches to comments by readers. Each blogger has their own standards of what is and isn’t acceptable on their blog - some allow virtually any comment - others have language standards, others don’t allow signature links etc.
I’m totally fine with the variety of approaches to comments - however I want to communicate to readers of this blog where I stand:
1. I love comments on this blog - they are as important as anything I write myself. They add to the knowledge and community that we have here. If you want to comment then you’re more than welcome - whether you feel you are a beginner or an expert - feel free to have you say.
2. I delete spam - I have spam filters in place which automatically catch the majority of automated spam comments. I don’t put up with it and if any slip through the filters I delete it immediately.
3. Relevant links in comments are encouraged - if you’re leaving a comment on my blogs and want to point to a link on your own or someone else’s site that is relevant to the topic then please feel free to do so. This adds to the conversation and improves the blog.
4. Irrelevant links are not encouraged - if you leave a comment with a link in it that has no relevance to the post you’re commenting on it will be deleted. This is a trend that I see happening increasingly on this blog. If you really want to annoy me then the way to do it is to do this on multiple posts. If you engage in this practice I would encourage you to think about the impact that such an approach has upon your reputation. Build your blog’s profile through genuine interactions and participation in the community here by all means - but spammy linking in comments could do more damage to your reputation than it is worth.
5. I allow signatures in comments - we had a debate over this a few months ago. My gut reaction to signatures in comments is that I don’t really see the need for them and see them as verging on the spammy end of comments. However after seeing the debate that came out of expressing this opinion I decided not to delete comments with signatures as long as the comments were relevant and added something to the conversation. ie if you write a comment that says ‘nice’ or ‘good post’ or ‘great blog’ or ‘try viagra’ and then leave a signature on your comment then it could well be deleted.
I don’t want to be a grump and come down on readers of this blog - but I also don’t want to be taken for a ride and have my blog (which I put hours of work into each day) used in ways that don’t add value to it or the community around it. There is a fine line in moderating comments - and I want to be transparent as to my stance. I wish I didn’t have to have a comments policy - but unfortunately it’s come to this.
My advice to those commenting on blogs (not just mine) is that in a sense you’re visiting someone else’s home when you leave a comment. Comments have the ability to build up our tear down your reputation. They are a permanent record of who you are and what you stand for - so take care - be gracious - make sure they add value (not only to the blog you’re visiting but also to your own online profile).
|
We encourage your comments and look forward to hearing from
you. We request that you stay on topic, be courteous and productive and avoid
comments that are off topic, obscene, offensive, sexually
explicit, inappropriate, inflammatory or otherwise objectionable.
Verizon will review all comments before they are posted to the
Website and we reserve the right to reject or remove comments for any reason,
including but not limited to our belief that the comments violate this Comment
Policy, or our Terms Of Use
or
Acceptable Use Policy (http://www2.verizon.net/policies/acceptable_use.asp) .
All decisions on content posting, rejection and removal are entirely at
the discretion of Verizon, and Verizon has no obligation to remove content. Any
failure to remove content that violates this Comment Policy shall not be
considered a waiver of Verizon’s rights under the policy.
Because we review comments, they do not appear immediately. Please do
not resubmit comments.
We reserve the right to ban future posts from commenters who
repeatedly violate our Comment Policy, Terms of Use, or Acceptable Use Policy.
We may effect such bans by refusing posts from specific email addresses
or IP addresses, or through other means as necessary.
We may remove HTML from, or otherwise edit, your comment, to
preserve formatting consistency and readability for other users of the Website.
We require -- but will not publish -- your valid e-mail
address. Your name and entire comment will be public. Do not post private
information or any information you do not want to be publicly available.
One final note:
If you have an issue with a Verizon service that requires support from Customer
Care, please visit
Verizon Customer Support. Verizon will be happy to help
you, but support issues are beyond the scope and purpose of this Website. |
So, to answer their questions, I offer 5 Tips for generating a successful conversations in comments.
- Moderate comments. This saves a lot of headaches with spam and unwanted profanity, but you must be timely in approving them (two-to three times a day or more)
- Have a written comment policy to manage expectations, but drop the legalese. I like Verizon’s policy, it is two sentances and lays out what you can expect from the bloggers and what they expect from you. Bravo to whoever wrote this concise statement. (Update: They do have a full policy, I missed it the first time)
- Be in it for the long haul, don’t launch a blog and expect to get immediate positive results. It takes time to build relationship with friends, it takes time to build a relationship with constituents
- Ban grossly abusive comments, but let most negative comments ride. If they are truly unfounded have some faith that you readers will look at them in context. If they have a point, learn from them and react/respond, it will improve your standing with the community if you have a thick skin
- Turn comments off if necessary, preferably temporarily. Sometimes, if under spam attack or severely abusive campaigns, you might have to turn comments off for awhile. Make a plan to turn them back on, using steps 1 to 4 above.
What are the tips you use for building community through comments and mitigating the risk from Internet trolls?
Living Room Comment Policy
Right there along with ROI is the negative and nasty comments issue. People just hate the spammers and drive-by commenters that feel like they have put they use comments the same way graffiti writers use spray can. Kami has just posted 5 useful tips worth considering.
At this site, I use what I call the Living Room Policy. I've written about this before, but I think it is worth repeating. It goes like this:
1. If I am throwing a dinner party in my home and you show up at my doorstep and I don't know who you are, I won't let you in. In short, with few exceptions, I don't allow anonymous comments.
2. If you do come in and you become rude to me or my guests, I will ask you to be nicer--once. If you continue to be rude, you will be thrown out and you will not be allowed back in.
I started imposing this rule well over a year ago. In fact, I am convinced that it has reduced the number of hateful and inappropriate people trying to deface this blog. I think it is a policy that would work for a great number of corporate bloggers.
“Verizon, through its blog, seeks to encourage intelligent discussion of public policy issues affecting the telecommunications industry and Verizon in particular. We will do this by posting our own points of view regularly, engaging in conversation with other posters who offer fact-based comments and reacting to the relevant ongoing blogosphere conversation. While no telecommunications subject is considered off-limits, we will focus on policy issues that have implications for the greatest number of companies and consumers.”
Witnessing the launch of a blog as successful as Performancing’s first two weeks might lead you to think that launching a successful blog is easy… well, it’s NOT. Thousands of new blogs are launched every day, but only a handful ever get read by more than a few hundred people, and even fewer ever make a dollar’s profit. While a site can survive a terrible launch (see Instablogs’ surprising turnaround) the cost is high, and the truth is, most never recover. With no money coming in, and a readership which can be counted in the dozens, it’s no wonder that the vast majority of bloggers give up and shut down their site within a year.
The 21 points included in this checklist will cover the basics of what you need to do during those all-important first two weeks of your blog’s life. While there are no guarantees in the blogosphere, if you follow these launching tips closely, your chances of success are greatly improved.
The First Impression
There are many reasons why I think comments on a blog are good. Here’s three that I responded to the question with last week:
- Feedback - I find that the comments readers leave help me to improve my blogging
- Group Learning - the comments on posts often add to the knowledge base and learning that goes on as a result of the post. My ‘expertise’ on any given topic will only ever be partial at best - but between us we know a lot more
- It Feels Good - OK - I’ll admit it. Looking at a post and seeing that a few people have wanted to take the time out to respond is a nice feeling.
I’m sure there are a lot more reasons that we could come up with (feel free to share yours) but another one that hit me earlier today was the impact that comments can have upon Search Engine Optimization.
Comments Present Search Engines with Fresh Content
One of the more recent additions to my RSS feed is more minimal - a blog about… minimalism.
One of the latest posts on it relates to blogging - five ways to make your blog more readable.
- focus your content
- reduce the amount of text on your page
- stick with simple fonts
- dump the blogger bling
- be smart about color
Making Money with Your Blog from A to Z
|
