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SOB Business Cafe 03-17-2006

Filed Under Comments, Great Finds, Links, Marketing, SOB Business, Successful Blog | Leave a Comment

SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the screenshot to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Bloggers Blog takes on folksonomy and unravels the confusing world of tags.

The Confusing World of Tags

Shirley at Solo Business Marketing reminds us that if the Big Guys can market their loss leaders, solo business owners can too.

Marketing with Loss Leaders

Ed, the Technology Evangelist, talks about how to combat blog comment spam. I’m sure he won’t mind if you also read Sumeet Jain’s article the article on nofollow to consider whether this option works for you.

How to Combat Blog Comment Spam

Mike at Simplenomics demonstrates true outside of the box thinking by providing several objectives for sales contests that go beyond the usual incentive goal reasons.

Sales Contests--Other Objectives

Related ala carte selections include

Michael has tips for adding a few free links to your blog.

Free Link Tips

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and beverages–Guinness, or maybe a simple round of pints?–will be right over. Stay as long as you like.

No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article:
SOB Business Cafe 03-10-2006

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Great Find: Absolutely Del.icio.us Tool Collection

Filed Under Branding, Community, Productivity, Successful Blog, Tools | 8 Comments

Folksonomy and tag categories got your eyes crossed?
Has social bookmarking started controlling you rather than the other way around?

The Addiction

Hi. My name is Liz and I’m a social bookmarker.
At first I just did it on the weekends to keep track of a few sites and articles I liked. Then I started social bookmarking to get new ideas. Soon it became a daily habit–once, then twice, then many times a day. I got to recognize submitters names and tastes. I started submitting myself–things I saw that I liked.

Social bookmarking utilities were both a great boon and a great downfall to my productivity. I could go there to find a passel of spectacular ideas. But more and more I found myself lost in an enchanted forest, thinking I’d leave after the next look, or the next, or maybe the next. The disorganization of the folksonomy became an addiction–I kept thinking the next title I saw might be the fabulous prize I was looking for. It was intellectual gambling.

That’s when I knew I needed help, and I found it at Quick Online Tips.

The Prescription

Finally, someone has collected tools and tips from all over the Internet to help Social Bookmarking addicts.

Great Find: Absolutely Del.icio.us - Complete Tool Collection from Quick Online Tips
Type of article: List of posts on tools for using Del.icio.us
Permalink: http://pchere.blogspot.com/2005/02/absolutely-delicious-complete-tool.html
Audience: Anyone wants to make the most of social bookmarking
Content: This list offers well over 100 posts that discuss how to use del.icio.us to get the most out of it. You’ll find the Beelerspace Beginners Guide as well as the popular Slacker Manager post, the Several Habits of Wildly Successful del.icio.us users. Most of the hints and helps here will work with any social bookmarking utility you use.

Click the screenshot to begin a new life of tackling that taxonomy.

Absolutely Del.icio.us Tool Collection Screenshot

If you try this at home, don’t read the entire list at one sitting. Choose one or two to explore each morning. Then come back to tag my best work to share with your friends. :)

Benefits for the “Magic Middle Man”

Social bookmarking is a powerful tool for research, idea generation, and promoting your business. It’s a great way for those of us in the Magic Middle to exert our control as an audience. Learning how to use it efficiently and effectively can

  • boost personal productivity,
  • offer ideas to promote your brand and your business,
  • provide a venue to showcase your best work to a wide audience,
  • and has an immediate, if short-lived impact, that may gain a few new readers.

Of course, I exaggerated the downside of social bookmarking at the start of this article, but the temptation to spend too much time exploring is also very real. How do you keep social bookmarking from eating up your time? How do you use it to its best advantage?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles:
Great Find: Controlling Your Online Identity
Stand-Alone Trackback Tool from WhizbangTech
WhosWhoo?! at Yahoo?

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