The 4 Keys to Reader Comments and Conversation

Filed Under Basics, Content, Successful Blog | 27 Comments

The People Connection

relationships button

The living web is built on relationships that grow through conversation. A certain magic happens when blog comments turn into conversation. When a blogging conversation happens, ideas, thoughts, and information gets passed from person to person. In the process, we find a human connection.

The Four Keys to Reader Comments and Conversation

These won’t surprise or stun you. You already know them. They’re what we all do when we talk to any person we value.

  1. Come down from the podium. Talk to me like a person who can listen. Let me be as smart as you are, even when I don’t know what you do.

  2. Leave what you say a little unfinished. Then I can add a word in. When a talking person fills in every idea and detail before anyone else talks, that’s called a speech. The response becomes applause or that awful noise.

  3. Blog your experience. I’ll respond to what you tell me. I don’t have to agree with you for what you say to resonate.

  4. Hold up your end of the bargain. Respond to my comments as you would my conversation. It’s only polite.

They say “no blog is an island.” But a blog can be one, and blogging is not the same in isolation. The ideas, thoughts, and information that we share in blogging conversation make us stronger and expand us, as people, not just as bloggers.

Therein lies the magic — we meet and make each other better.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to help you make a plan to meet your goals, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Related
10 Essential Needs of a Thriving Community
Writing for That One Most Important Reader: That Curious, Clever, Intelligent Individual
7 Great Ways to Connect with Other Bloggers While You’re Out Reading Blogs

Bloggers Toolkit: Passing on Help with Gratitude

Filed Under Basics, Successful Blog, Survival Kit | 12 Comments

We Are Experienced

Blogtool box with mouse hanging out

Who knows the real figures? Not every blog is indexed. Thousands of bloggers start blogging all over the world every minute. I’m sure that many could be like I was — thinking this stuff has got to be easy and finding it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

Drew McLellan has a project to help new bloggers who are feeling like that. He’s compiling a toolkit — a list of blogs that new bloggers can turn to when they start out — a bloggy version of the SOB NEW BLOGGER PAGE. He’s asking for our help. He said.

Anyone who is interested, create a post listing a few blog sites (and maybe give a word or two as to how you’d categorize them) that:
New Bloggers Toolbox

  1. Are chock full of practical tips
  2. Act as a living lab on how to write compelling blog posts
  3. Demonstrate how to build a community
  4. Teach marketing tools
  5. Are welcome wagons - bloggers who spotlight newbies

Drew’s Bloggers Toolkit
Converstations (chock full of practical tips)
CK’s blog (compelling blog post examples)
Viral Garden  (demonstrate how to build a community)
Lonely Marketer (teach marketing tools)
Successful & Outstanding Blogs (bloggers who spotlight newbies)

Additions to The Bloggers Toolkit

    DailyBlog Tips (chock full of practical tips)
    The Copywriting Maven (compelling blog post examples)
    Come Gather Round (demonstrate how to build a community)
    Blogopreneur (teach marketing tools
    The Good Blogs (bloggers who spotlight newbies)

There are so many more blogs that could be here. I know. I know. If you can, write a post like this one and link back to Drew, so he can find it when he needs to compile them.

Drew’s doing a generous thing with this project. He’s offered us a chance to participate. We can “give back with gratitude,” through the links we choose to pass on. Let’s build a list that will help new bloggers and serve our readers at the same time.

We were all new bloggers once, and someone helped us. It’s nice to have this chance to do the same.

Thank you, Drew, for this idea and for including my blog on your list.
–ME “Lis” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to help you make a plan to meet your goals, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Great Find: Five Things I Learned from Blog Comics

Filed Under Basics, Successful Blog, ZZZ-FUN | Leave a Comment

It’s More than Reading the Funnies

Doing research for another post, I came across this one.

Great Find: 5 Things I learned From These Hilarious Blog Comics by Siziopedia

Permalink: http://www.sizlopedia.com/2007/06/24/5-things-i-learned-from-these-hilarious-blog-comics/#more-453

Target Audience: anyone who knows a blogs

Content: This article describes blogging made using blog comics as the talking points. The commentary is right on the experience of blogging. Click the comic below to read the article.

Blog Comic from article at Siziopedia


It’s short, sweet, and funny.

What more could you want for a Sunday afternoon?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Link Anchor Text: SEO and Relationships

Filed Under Basics, Links | 45 Comments

Reach Out with Respect

relationships button

When we code a link, anchor text is that part people click to get where the link goes. Well-written anchor text is one more way that people and spiders know why you made the link — the relevance between your post and where you are sending them. Link anchor text is another way to reach out with respect to bloggers who offer information we value.

Here’s an example of anchor text in link as code and as the reader sees.

This code:

<a href=“http://[URL goes here]“>Link Anchor Text</a >

would look like this to readers:

Link Anchor Text

Sometimes you’ll see the name of the blog or a post as anchor text. Sometimes you’ll words such as here or click here instead. The first is relevant and SEO friendly. It builds connections and relationships. The second does not. Who wants to be referred to as “click here”?

Relationships and SEO

Strong, descriptive anchor text is a sign that we know how spiders travel links and that we care about people read and write blogs.

Search engines pay attention to what you write in your anchor text. They notice all of the text around a link — key words and descriptions. Spiders use anchor text to determine relevance and authority as they follow links from post to post. Linking with keyword-rich anchor text forms strong links to posts both within your blog and with blogs you respect.

Think about relationships. Links connect blogs and connect the bloggers who write them. Great anchor text, descriptive of what the link is leading to, offers an opportunity to feature those relationships. Spiders read and match up relevant key words in the linking posts. Search engines highlight your anchor text when they index the reference. The blogger you link to sees your descriptive text as how you named his or her blog or blog post.

It only takes a few seconds — a few words inside a link . . . to make a difference in relevance and SEO, to let readers know where you suggest they go next, and to offer the blogger at the other end a few words of respect. That’s a great way to use links to reach out.

Go for the relationship at the same time that you’re following great SEO practices.

Anchor me.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz’s help with your business, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Related posts
How to Code Links for Sidebars and Posts
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 1
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 2
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 3

Great Find: Laws You Should Know

Filed Under Basics, Successful Blog | 8 Comments

Andrew’s Been Researching

Our friend and SOB, Andrew Flusche has recently published an article that brings to light legal basics about work.

Great Find: Lunch, Break, and Hour Laws You Should Know

Permalink:
http://www.legalandrew.com/2007/06/07/lunch-break-and-hour-laws-you-should-know/

Target Audience: All employees

Content: Besides stating the basics of what the law requires be offered for lunches, breaks, and hours worked. Andrew also links to the specifics for every states. Click the title to check this out.

Lunch, Break, and Hour Laws You Should Know

Whether you are starting a business, running one, or working for one, knowing the law is important. If you also value this resource that Andrew has built do digg it.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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