HEY, NEW BLOGGERS, YOU WANT THESE APPS

Webwordslinger:

keepin' it fresh.

7 Must-Have Apps for New Bloggers

Welcome to the blog band. We’ve been waiting for you. And you. And you. Every day, thousands of new bloggers launch using third-party blogging platforms like WordPress or blogspot, or free-standing blogger clients like Flock and Bleezer.

So, you have some competition. Here are seven must-have apps that’ll get you some readers and start the creation of a blog-based community. Your own.

1. Ping.fm
If you don’t already use it, you will.

Ping.fm enables you to write an SM (short message – 140 characters) once and post to dozens of sites – Facebook, LinkedIn, BrightKite, Plurk and other social media.

You can also notify subscribers by e-mail and Ping.fm is totally mobi so you can ping your followers through their cells or PDAs.

Post once and you tag hundreds of readers when you post.

2. Zimbio.com
First, Zimbio is a pretty cool on-line magazine, focusing mostly on tabloid-type gossip. That’s part one.

The site also enables you to create your OWN magazine. Zimbio scours your blog for new content, offers suggestions for keyword-based categories and posts with a click. You can keep the content up for as long as you want, delete it – it’s your on-line magazine and the tabloid content ropes in visitors. Also great for building a presence on SERPs.

3. technorati
No brainer. technorati is a search engine for blogs so you want your blog in the mix. Open an account and get indexed on technorati.

4. Seesmic
Seesmic is a Twitter client that’s much more user friendly than Tweetdeck.

Track all your social media from this one interface. Add your Facebook column. Your RTs. Direct messages. Add and delete columns at will. If you’re starting a blog, use Ping.fm (see #1) to post to Twitter (and other social sites).

5. Ning.com
Ning is a kinda cool tool but read the TOS carefully.

With Ning, you build your own social network – everything from your office staff to the bowling team to people who raise iguanas (what’s wrong with lizard lovers, any way).

Build a social network of people who are connected to the topicality of the blog. Knitting blog? Knitting social site to swap stitches.

6. Feedburner
Feedburner is owned by Google so you know it’s organically search engine friendly.

Feedburner optimizes your blog for pick up by RSS feeds, pings and flaring sites. You can design some cool scrolling banners and even monetize the blog with Google AdWords. Hey, it’s better than a sharp stick in the eye.

Be sure to burn a new feed each time you post to let ping servers and RSS aggregators that there’s something new on your blog.

7. Feedping.com
Get the word out about your blog on a global scale. Feedping automates the process.

A ping is, in essence, a push for your blog. Feedping submits your blog to dozens of ping services and RSS feeds including Yahoo and AOL. Simply enter the name of your blog, its address, click on the Check All box.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, Click agree to terms of service and click the Ping button. Then watch your computer screen.

You’ll see a growing list of ping servers and RSS aggregators that connected to your blog and sent your address on to other interested readers. Now, you’ll see a lot of “Connection Failed” notices. Could be anything – different protocol, the server is down, the server hasn’t been used in 10 years – you just don’t know.

But you’ll also see a lot of “Done” notifications which means you and your blog address got through. You’ll start seeing visitors from countries you never heard of via Feedping. Use it each time you post.

These tools will save time and get you some notice in seconds. It’s up to you, new blogger, to keep your blog fresh and to build your readership.

And that’s another whole matter altogether.

Talk soon,

Webwordslinger.com

WRITERS: WHAT'S ON MY BOOKSHELF?

Web Writers:

What’s On My
Bookshelf?

Yeah, sure you can find anything on the web but sometimes
grabbing a tool from the bookshelf is faster and comes with a little authority.
It’s a reference book, for crissake.

So, what’s on my bookshelf besides an old cup of coffee that

looks like a science experiment? Here are the tools to keep close at hand.

A Dictionary. Duh.

But a dictionary is more valuable than you think. Yes, it

gives proper spellings but it also provides a definition, part of speech and,
in better resources, connotations – of special interest to ESL authors. Often,
ESL writers select the correct word but don’t recognize the connotations
associated with the word. A dictionary – and a good one – is a must-have tool
for any serious web writer.

Never, ever, ever rely on spell checker alone. This is one

tool you’ll use over and over.

A Manual of Style

These resources provide uniformity in writing. The most
widely-used is The Chicago Manual of Style. Having more than
one style manual provides options
and assurances that the sentence structure or word usage is correct.

Two manuals that I also rely on are The New York Times Style Manual and Strunk and (E.B.)White’s The Elements of Style.

This last resource provides more generalized information on construction of
content architecture and is an absolute must-read for any newb.

A Thesaurus

The thesaurus included with MS Word is okay and quick but
the difference between the right word and the exact right word is the
difference between “a lightning bolt and a match,” according to Mark Twain. He ought to know, yes?

Roget’s Thesaurus: the industry standard.

Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations

This is just a time-saver, especially when you know the
quote, you just want it to be exact in your text. Also a good tool for finding
appropriate quotes by subject, i.e. taxes, children, etc.

I keep a couple of editions of this tool. The quotes change
often so, if you find an old edition at a used book store, consider it “the
find” du jour.

A Desktop Encyclopedia

The fast way to fact check. Napoleon’s birthday? Right
there. Planets in the solar system? Hey, there’s even a diagram! Easy research and actually much faster than sifting through 150,000 search results on Google to verify one simple fact.

Topical Encyclopedias

I do a lot of science writing so I have several science
encyclopedias on the book shelf. I also have an encyclopedia of history since
historical references seem to be a part of my writing more than I realize.

If you specialize in a particular content area, pick up a

couple of specialized encyclopedias or other desk references for fast-fact
research.

An Almanac

Again, fast facts at your fingertips. Don’t assume that web
research is the most efficient in every case. Many times, it isn’t and when
you’re on deadline or working by the hour, minutes add up into hours and the
next thing you know, you’re pulling an all-nighter.

Grab a few tools the next time you’re at the book
store. Consider them an investment and, in some cases, a tax deduction! (Check
with your accountant, first, and don’t blame me if you get audited by the IRS.)

New to web writing? Drop me a line. There's lots of ways to earn money generating content for that giant maw called the world wide web.

Later, authors,

Webwordslinger.com

WELCOME TO MY LITTLE CORNER OF THE WEB.

Yep, that's me. Handsome little devil, eh?

Welcome to my little chunk of digital turf.

Is it time for you to stake a claim to some pixels?

Then you need a blog. Hey, something like this one.

Webwordslinger.com

Is It Time To Jump onto The Blog Bandwagon?

10 Reasons to Build a Blog

Getting noticed on the W3 is difficult what with keyword selection, site architecture, search engine bots (dumb) and all the other aspects of getting a little recognition and respect from Google and the web-o-sphere in general.

One thing anyone can do is add an off-site blog to their marketing strategy. In fact, the blog band is growing by leaps and bounds. Here’s why.

1. Blogs are free.

When you’re marketing your site using the loose change you discover in the couch, finding free outlets to express yourself and demonstrate your expertise is critical to long-term site success.

There are a lot of free blog platforms. Blogger, from Google, is popular. So is Word Press. And Typepad only costs $5.00 a month for a robust blog-building package. Give up one latte vente a month and you’ve covered the cost of a Typepad blog. Cheap is always good. Not as good as FREE, but still good.

2. Blogs are easy to build.

Blogs are template-based. Once you’ve created your account, you’re ready to choose the template that suits your taste and your industry.

Adding widgets – blog features like a site search box – is also easy. Just click on Add Widget, choose the appropriate box (HTML, text, picture, etc.) and cut and paste the HTML code snippet or upload a product picture and bingo – it’s there on your blog’s first page.

3. Blogs are easy to update.

Write your post in a word processor. DON’T use the blog platform’s WYSIWYG text editor. These text editors aren’t super powerful like a full-blown wp.

Once the blog post has been written, rewritten, spell-checked and proofed, simply copy and paste your expertise into the blog’s text editor. Here you can format the text, add keyword tags (you make them up), add pictures and links.

One key point: keep your blog current. Post new content at least twice weekly. Three or four short posts a week is even better. Keep posts between 500 and 1200 words. If you can’t say it in that amount of text, break the content into PART I, PART II and so on.

4. Blogs provide the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise.

If you’re an optician, write about vision problems and provide solutions to those problems. If you’re a plumber, talk about the importance of fixing that dripping faucet.

It’s your blog so sell your services, products or message within the context of an expert. After all, you have a blog on the subject. You have creds.

5. Blogs create search results.

Each time you post, you’ll discover another link on SERPs. The more often you post the more SE results. This creates a bigger target to hit as site visitors search for your services, products and the latest advice.

Make sure that each blog post includes a link back to your web site. If you keep more than one blog (I have three), link all of these customer contact points to create an even bigger target for web surfers.

6. Blogs create linkage.

Link to other blogs that relate to the topicality of your blog(s). If you’re an attorney, for example, you can link to home-buying blogs, mortgage blogs, tax-information blogs and a host of other blogs.

Notify the blog owner that you’ve added a link to your blog and ask for a link back to your blog. (A link swap) In no time, you’ll be part of a web ring of lots of blogs. Yep, you’re getting bigger – at least as far as search engines are concerned.

7. Generate passive revenue.

There’s only so much “you” to go around; only so many hours in a day that you can work (we all need sleep sometime), only so many places you can be at one time (one).

Monetize your blog by opening a Google AdWords account. Create a “channel” for your blog, post AdWords on each blog page and collect passive income. You may be getting a little shut-eye but your blogs are still working for you.

You won’t get rich (that’s a fact) but you can easily pick up some “walking-around money” each month, and again, it’s passive income, meaning you don’t have to put in more hours to generate that revenue.

8. Editorial freedom.

No cranky editors or clients, no limits or restrictions on content (be sure to read the blog platform’s TOS), you’re in total control of the look and feel of your blog. You’re also in control of the blog’s content.

It’s all yours. So, post your poetry, post your art, post your diary – you have editorial freedom to post whatever you want – even if it’s some crackpot theory on alien space craft resting on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. If you believe it, write it and post it.

9. Learn more about your market.

What do your clients want? What’s on their minds? What are their opinions on the topics posted on your blog? When readers start adding their comments to your posts, you learn more about what prospects want and need. You also identify emotional hot buttons useful in creating calls to action on your site or blog.

Free market research. I always like free stuff.

10. Blogs are fun.

Even if you aren’t real good at stringing words together, who cares? It’s your blog.

Post family pix to share with distant relatives and friends. Create an event blog for the upcoming college reunion and get your RSVPs all in one place. Hook up with old chums and make a name for yourself. Even if it’s just a little name for yourself.

And, because you’re blogging about topics that interest you, you’ll learn more about relevant subjects as you research new posts. That’s always fun.

So, what are you waiting for? Free marketing, credibility-building, market research, a larger web presence, more on-line friends around the globe, no editorial limitations (within reason, of course), and fun.

Join the millions of bloggers out there posting in the blog band. Yep, jump on the blog band wagon.

You’ll love it, and it’s all yours.

Don't have time to build a blog? I do.

Drop me line and let's get you more pixels and more web friends. This ain't rocket science.

Webwordslinger.com