I care a lot about both the “dictionary definition” of words and their implications. I believe the implied meanings of words, or what we mean when we “read between the lines” is the more important of these, because consciously or unconsciously, that’s where meaning is transmitted between the writer and the reader. That’s where the…
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Link Journeys for February 26, 2011 – Writing, Recipes, Social Media and Mike Tyson
A motley collection this week. Eliminate 21 Reputation-Crushing Writing Mistakes from Your Blog – #22: “reputation-crushing” is dumb in a headline. Know your target audience – priceless Don’t forget your meta description – oh wait, your blog theme doesn’t let you do that? Headway does. Social media is more than Facebook & Twitter – wait……
7 Mythological Character Types to Help Your Blog Marketing
Did you know that one of the reasons for the success of Star Wars is that it follows the ultimate mythological story template? That’s why it connected so easily with people, because deep down, we all know this story. It’s called the hero’s journey, and it was first given popular appeal by the totally bat-shit…
Do You See Yourself as Victim or Hero?
You have a million emails. Several client projects to work on at once. Unanswered social media messages. Your own information products to somehow find time to create & market. And maybe you’ve been contemplating a site redesign to boot. Shit happens. The question I have for you is this: when said shit happens, how do…
Why Business Blogging Will Never Die (or, Blog like Gandalf the White)
Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger. ~J.R.R. Tolkien From time to time, you’ll see articles like this one recently in the New York Times and feel a little pang of doubt in your heart. You feel concerned because you bought into the whole “blogging thing”…
5 Ways to Get More Business from your Business Blog (Without Needing More Traffic)
Funny thing about business blogs… They’re supposed to bring in business. They’re supposed to attract clients. They’re supposed to convert readers into buyers. No matter how well your blog does at getting business, you want more. There’s no magical barrier standing in the way of more business from the same amount of traffic you’re already…
Link Journeys for Feb. 19, 2011 – WordPress, Plugins, Image Effects, and Puke
Buncha WordPress and blog design related links this week, plus one silly & gross link just for fun! 7 Deadly Sins of Business Storytelling – Stories sell and influence, no doubt about it. Especially on business blogs. Here’s what NOT to do. Top 11 WordPress plugins – New blog or revamping an old blog? What…
The 10 Laws for Writing a Blog Post Everybody Loves (on an iPad)
I’m just chillin’ on my yacht after making it with a supermodel. I’m about to set out for a mastermind with top gurus, but before I do, I just wanted to dash off this quick, but penetratingly insightful blog post. The mind is like a parachute: it only functions when open. Have you ever wanted…
Open Discussion: Can You Weave Idealism into Your Business WITHOUT Losing Money or Looking like a Phony?
Profitable Idealism (affiliate link) is open for pre-registration. This is a program that many business owners are hungry for, perhaps without even realizing it: If you weren’t sure how to go about choosing, starting or creating a charitable or altruistic project, exactly… If you weren’t sure how to make it fit naturally with your business……
8 Monster Lessons Lady Gaga can Teach you about Blogging
Love her or hate her, you gotta give the Gaga props for shaking things up and getting noticed. Personally, I loves me some Lady Gaga (link warning: auto-start music). But can she teach us anything about blogging? Oh, hell yeah. Not only does she have lessons for us, she has what I call “monster” lessons….
How Process Stories Beat the Blog Content Monster
This is a guest post by Chris Johnson. If you’re like 98% of the world, your not in the media business. You might be an attorney, or a physician, or something else–for this article, we’ll say “widget maker.” But you’re primary function is serving people, not making content. We know that media is important. We must…
Link Journeys for Feb. 12, 2011: Social media, marketing, SEO and other awesometastic links for your clicking pleasure
A plethora of powerhouse posts for your perusal this week: Timing your tweets – Great article on when is the best time of day or week to tweet. A better way to talk about your work – There is WAY more to this post than the headline suggests. A must-read. 7 small tweaks that boost…
3 ways to solve the reader-customer split problem
See if this sounds like you: Your blog has readers, but they are not buying anything from you. You do have customers, but their number is so small that even if they read your blog and commented on every post, they may not have much of an effect on traffic, comments, or social proof. It’s…
Improve Blog SEO with Social Media by being Bloggable
Can social media improve blog SEO? I say yes, it can. Recently on Copyblogger, Sonia wrote about some very intriguing words from Matt Cutts, head of Google’s anti-spam team. In The Straight Dope on Facebook, Twitter, and SEO, she quotes Cutts revealing that Google is beginning to factor social media links into search results: We…
Link Journeys for Feb. 5, 2011: blog marketing, social media marketing, geo-social marketing links
A lot of great blogging and marketing stuff for you I ran across this week. Enjoy! And please let me know if you find these helpful, it helps me find better ones for you. Mark Schaefer on Aligning Business Goals with Your Blog, Embracing Experimentation, and Powerfully Presenting Opposing Viewpoints – Super awesome podcast! Not…
Can Online Services and Affiliate Products Go Together Like Ham and Eggs?
Offering your online services is your number one priority whether your service is freelancing, consulting or coaching, right? You’ve got skills that are valuable to clients and it’s how you earn your living. But have you given thought to how you can supplement that income? Income that’s passive and hits your PayPal account, even when…
Open Discussion: Should You mention religion or politics on a business blog?
The headline says it all for this one. Should you (do you) mention religion or politics on your blog? I’m not talking about religious or political pundit blogs (durr…), but rather a business blog selling products and services. Personally, I see no need to mention religion or politics on my blog. Sure, it would be…
Five Ways Blogging Changes You
Blogging changes you. You cannot begin the endeavor of blogging and remain unaffected by it. Blogging will change you, but is that change for the better? I cannot think of a single way blogging could make you a worse person, so when I say blogging changes you, I believe it is inevitable that it changes…
