Successful Blog

FUN Finds: How to Be a Blogging Idol

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FUN Find: How To Be A Blogging Idol Instead of An Idle Blogger by Cube Management
URL: How To Be A Blogging Idol Instead of An Idle Blogger
Type of Article: How-To, First-Person Narrative
Target Audience: Anyone interested in blogging and reader behavior; Fans of Bo Bice and the TV show American Idol

cubemanagement_com

Content: To be successful at Search Engine Optimization, it’s important that you continually test out new theories and ideas. begins this how-to article. It goes on to describe how the “first person” behind this first-person narrative started a blog for each contestant on American Idol to test SEO Theory. The goal of the project was to have 1-2 sustainable blogs in place with massive traffic by the final show.

The writer divides information into Beginner Lessons:

  • Have a narrow focus.
  • Build a content base.
  • Post several times a week.
  • Use ads if appropriate.

and Advanced Techniques:

  • Blog and Ping.
  • Use conventional link building.
  • Use press release.
  • Actively solicit posts.

Two techniques this test used–building blogs that would die and using link trading markets–are not strategies that I’d sign my name to. However, this article presents an interesting story to support the writer’s claim that One doesn’t need to be a SEO ace to be able to create a blog that can generate a large number of visitors. It’s an interesting test to follow.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Collaboration Link 5 Begs the Questions

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Link 5 Begs the Questions

So I’ll ask them.

If you could meet anyone in the blogosphere world–living or dead–and ask one question . . .

Who’s the person?

and

What’s the question?

Oh and . . .

Do you suppose you’d get a complete and totally truthful answer?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Collaboration Link 1: Image and Text
Collaboration Link 2: Topical
Collaboration Link 3: An Event
Collaboration Link 4: Movable Posts
Collaboration Link 5: An Interview
Collaboration Link 6: Media Events

Collaboration Link 5: An Interview

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Collaboration Link 5: An Interview
A Question and Answer format posting

You have probably seen the typical Q&A collaboration done in various formats. We’ve done multi-day interview and single-day interviews at Successful Blog. Here are a few examples.

Collaboration Link–1. 5 Indie’s Advice–the fifth of a six part interview with the owner of The Synchronicity of Indeterminacy.

Collaboration Link–2.3 The Audience is Royalty–The third of a six part interview with the owner of The Reign of Ellen.

I’ve also seen the Five-Question Interview and the Ten-Question Interview. But you know me, I like to change things up a bit.

I’m working with Koray of Koray.ws to show us around his new design in a walking-tour interview fashion. So look for that in the next few weeks.

In a more creative collaboration, a fiction-based interview can a be fresh and entertaining way to pass on solid information. Okay so, this might not work on the most business of business blogs. But don’t give it up without thinking about it. You’d be surprised who might enjoy hearing you have a conversation with a paperclip. Look around. My point is not every interview has to be boring. I only make them that way to torture you. Here’s what we did.

In a collaboration with Teh Blogfather, Eric Mutta, we agreed that the interviewer should be The 65th Crayon, a character on my blog who has among his credits an interview with such the legendary toy, Mr. Potato Head. We thought it might be fun to have The 65th interview Eric’s character, the Blog Father. The resulting interview allowed for questions that were a little less ordinary and still led to answers about the man behind the blog. You’ll find that interview here.

Collaboration Link–Scribbles: Interview with Teh Blog Father

Who knows? Maybe I’ll send my colorful friend to interview Mark Wade next–now that his new design proves that he’s over his fear of crayons I’ve been wondering what his favorite color is. He should have one or two. After all, his company is called R Web Designs. I’m betting it’s red.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Collaboration Link 1: Image and Text
Collaboration Link 2: Topical
Collaboration Link 3: An Event
Collaboration Link 4: Movable Posts
Collaboration Link 5: Begs the Question
Collaboration Link 6: Media Events

Blogging Hypothetical Question 5

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muddy teal strip A

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week, I offer this Blogging Hypothetical Question.

Here you go. . . .

A brand new blogger comes to you for advice. He’s convinced he’s going to be the next six-figure problogger.

He asks:

I put Adsense and Chitika on my blog. I’m posting quality, original content daily with a vengeance. I know it takes a few months for the money to start rolling in. How long before I can quit my job?

What’s your response?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Quick Hits for Your Leisure Time

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As if you don’t have enough to do, here’s some stuff for your leisure time. 🙂

Computer Stuff

Black Hat SEO’s list of Free Blog Hosting Services [via The Blog Herald]

gHack’s List of Free File Hosting Sites

Puzzles and Brain Stuff

John Rausch.com highlights include

The Sliding Block Puzzle Page

Modern Sliding Block Puzzles

ScientificPsychic.com highlights include

Word Puzzles and Brain Teasers

Optical Illusions

Personality Tests

[via digg, unless otherwise noted]

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Fun Find: Design Personality Indicators

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FUN Find: Web Design and Development Personality Indicators by Molly of Molly.com
Type of Article: Psychological Analysis, based loosely on the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicators
Permalink: Web Design and Development Personality Indicators
Target Audience: Anyone who is a designer, works with designers, or plans to do either

Content: Molly, a self-professed geek, typed up this article on a ship in the Eastern Caribbean where she was teaching CSS on a Geek Cruise. (Now doesn’t that sounds like something we should be putting into our own business plans?) She loosely applied the Myers-Briggs personality type indicators to Web Designers and Developers to describe who you might find the next time you meet a designer to work on your blog. These are the six types Molly identifies.

  • OFAD–Old Fart Anti-Design Designer
  • OSVD–Old Skool Visual Designer
  • TTLM–Trying to Learn More Designer
  • SAVD–Standards-Aware Visual Designer
  • SASS–Standards-Aware Structural Semanticist Designer
  • SACE–Standards-Aware Cutting-Edge Designer

Molly describes each personality type in detail and places herself on the scale as well. It’s a fun read that rings true to this writer who’s spent some time with designers and their idiosyncracies.

Still, since I’m not in the market for a new design yet, I’m going to file the document–right after I check into that number for Geek cruises. I could use a vacation that’s a tax write off. I wonder how it would feel to be the only nerd on a shipload of geeks? I guess I’d have to bring my son along–he’s multi-lingual.

–ME “Liz” Strauss