The world of blogging moves really fast. As fast as millions of
people can write code, plug-ins and content. About 75,000 new blogs are
added everyday. Bear in mind that most of them are of the ilk “My
Cat’s Philosophy” and really aren’t readable and provide no value to
anyone but the indifferent cat blogging community.
Alright,
we all know that our daily routine should include a shower, a shave and
maybe even brushing our teeth before we do our daily blog posting. In
the world of blogs, content is king, regardless of whether you brush
your teeth or not. Hopefully you’ve optimized your blog, the content is
valuable and every post is pinging out the RSS world. People are now
taking notice.
Here’s 5 more ways you can improve your blog and create value for your company or cause and better the user experience.
Get People to Participate
Help out your content building strategy and your traffic strategy by encouraging people to participate. Here’s some tips:
Keep People Participating
Keep the Spam off your Blog
Once
your blog is off and running, pinging out of control and people are
participating, it’s important to keep the spam off your blog. Nothing
is more annoying to the user than having to sift through non-appropriate
content. Dealing with articles and postings “Awaiting Moderation” can
become cumbersome, so try to “nip it in the bud” when it comes to every
Romanian or Indonesian blog spammer that comes along. If you’re using
WordPress the Askimet plug-in works great, it comes with the free 2.0
download, but you’ll need a WordPress API code (free).
Make Sure Your Bloggers Can Contact You
Don’t
expect everyone of your readers or group to want to post their
“personal” comment on your blog. Some people actually still do value
their privacy! Make sure there is an easy way for them to contact you
directly, especially if you’re answering questions or hoping that
someone will ask you for a custom proposal. One more time Dagon Design
has a great plug-in for a Contact Form (Formmailer) and it has a visual
security code that keeps the spammers away. It’s easy to configure,
free and comes ready for WordPress and in a standalone PHP format if you
use another blog program.
Incorporate Your Existing Site
Regardless
of whether you’re running a standalone blog or running one connected to
your main site. Make sure that you include hard static links back to
your order form, about us, product white papers, contact information,
etc. in your blog. It’s not hard to do, put it in the Links section, or
add direct links in your header and/or footer. Most blogging software
isn’t really ready for shopping carts (although there are some plugins
out there in Beta that look promising) but that doesn’t mean you can’t
have one. With a little creativity in your header, footer and sidebar
you can utilize all of the functionality you currently have on your
website, or anyone else’s website.
Well, that’s it for these 5, 5
more just popped into my head! The blogosphere moves fast, make sure
you’re moving smart! As always, make sure you have a clear picture in
your mind, or better yet on paper of what your goals are for your blog
in terms of Return on Investment, then find the right plug-ins, partners
or programmers to help you achieve those goals.
Happy Blogging!