Successful Blog

Here is a good place for a call to action.

How to Know if You Are Blog Begging

by

Worth Saying Again

relationships button

As soon as I turned on my computer, an IM popped up. This is the conversation that occurred. I’ve changed the name and location of the other party because . . . um . . . I’m the nice one. Truth is, I suspect that the sender doesn’t read my blog and won’t know about that post. I hope I’m wrong about that. If I am, I hope that we might try the conversation over.

Here’s what was said.

sender: hi liz please give me some trik for my blog

ME: Hi What is that?

sender: 🙂 for some make good my blog

ME: Do I know you?
sender: :-oooh sorry. I’m from [name of country]

ME: again . . . do I know you?
sender: ok sorry

ME: You might tell me who you are.

[I’m pretty sure he was gone before I typed these words.
Did he want links or money?]

How to Know If You Are Blog Begging

Ask yourself these two questions. Then fill in the blanks in the sentence that replaces [what is asked for] with the phrase lots of money.

  • What’s your relationship with the potential linker?
  • What benefit comes from the request?
  • Hi _______, would you give me [what is asked for] so that _______ .

Using the answers from the IM Saturday morning the sentence now reads.

Hi complete stranger, would you give me lots of money so that my blog will be good?

Doesn’t sound as if it has anything to do with me.

It’s worth saying something I said once before.

I want a relationship, not a one-link stand.

Links might stay and stick for a few months. Over time, they die out and break. Links to people I don’t know have the protential to harm me. Relationships with like-minded folks are good things and have the potential to grow.

This is a an unusual blog request story. Not everyone gets a IM at “dark o’clock” in the morning. What’s the most interesting blog request that has come your way? Would you say it was blog begging?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

The Mic is On: Guest Host Timothy Johnson

by

It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

The Mic Is On

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Naughty or Nice?

Timothy Johnson of Carpe Factum has been moonlighting as Santa’s spy this year. We’re going to be talking about good deeds and ornery pranks. Klondike Bars and Nachos available on request. Open bar will be flowing: egg nog, spiced cider, and hot chocolate all evening (well, at least until the Fat Tire runs out).

Timothy Johnson

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring links about pranks and good deeds to share!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

The Mic is On: We're Talking about Gifts

by

It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

The Mic Is On

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

We’re Already Thinking about Them…

We might talk about:

  • Gifts we gave
  • Gifts we got
  • Gifts we had to take back
  • Gifts we wish we never got
  • Gifts we re-gifted
Gift

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring links about gifts to share!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

3 Easy Steps to Persuade a Quality Blogger to Link to You

by

Linking Relationships

relationships button

The blogosphere is a web of connections made by links from blog to blog. The strongest relationships and the links that last longest are those that are made between bloggers.

If you want a link from a blogger you’ve not yet met, you’re really asking for a vote of trust. The link I give to your blog or your blog post means that I’ve tied my name to yours. Naturally any blogger would be more inclined to give your link a home, if you show it will be in the blogger’s best interest.

Who wouldn’t want to link to you if your link improved their readers’ experience in some meaningful way?

3 Easy Steps to Persuade a Quality Blogger to Link to You

Choose carefully when finding home for your links. Hopefully, you’re starting a long-term relationship. You want to be part of a network of quality people. Let’s imagine that the blogger you want to link to is me.

Here’s how you might persuade me in three easy steps.

  1. Do Your Homework

    2. Get to know me and my blog. Make a a project of finding out who I am and what I write about. Study my blog and my readers’ comments. In other words, do a little homework.

    So many people peddle their blog posts from blog to blog without even bothering to read the front page. You’ll stand out if when you say, “I’ve been reading your blog . . .” and what follows that shows that you really have. Chances are, if you show a real interest in my blog and your idea is off, I might suggest a new idea for you to try.

  2. Plan a Link that Adds Value

    3. No one needs a link on their blogroll. No one needs a random blog post that’s unrelated to a blog’s readership. Find a reason that your post that ties well to one I wrote. Show how your post expands on a topic that my readers have an interest in. Explain how the subject your content compliments mine or offers a point of view my readers might enjoy.

  3. Persuade an Individual (not sir or madam)

    4. When you send that email, be personal and gently persuasive. Don’t talk about yourself; talk about what you are offering.

    Please be simple and brief. Realize that I wasn’t waiting with nothing to do until your email came and that I probably still have plenty to get done. Doesn’t everyone these days? I want to see a compelling reason for your using your link. I can’t say “yes” to everyone, but it’s not fun to say “no” either. It’s real luck when a clear thinker comes along — someone who knew exactly what to offer that really does add value for my readers.

You lose nothing if I refuse. Make a good case, and a friendship could be starting. If you researched the blog you want to link, you’ve probably learned a few new things.

If your post goes up, you’ve made a connection to a quality blog. Hopefully that blog will grow into old age with yours, sharing many links along the way. We’ll all meet to discuss how the bloggers who come asking for links never seem to do their homework, don’t show how they’ll add value or personally offer a compelling reason why we might want to link.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Internal Links: What Have You Done for Yourself Lately?

by

Stronger Foundations

I was over at Dosh, Dosh last night, reading his post about building a popular blog. A point he made got me thinkng of a post of my own about successful and outstanding blogs. Linking the two together is a service to Maki, me, and our readers because it connects like information for like-minded folks. It’s also a way to show spiders how related we are.

When we add a link as a trusted author, it’s like saying to a reader, “If you like this, you’re bound to like this too.”

It’s the same when we’re writing a post, and we realize what we’re saying ties neatly with something we’ve written before. Readers deserve a link that will take them to the previous work. Those internal links are of value in almost every direction we look.

The Value of Intra-Links

Internal links have three key values.

  • They offer readers more content on a subject they’re interested in.
  • They increase your page views when readers follow them.
  • When you use well-thought descriptive anchor text, they help search engines interpret the content of our blogs.

Internal links are like ladders through the scaffolding structure. They can draw readers further into a blog the same way they draw in search engine spiders through the content. Readers become more involved and more a part with each link they follow. That involvement leads to a comfort-zone, a sense of belonging. Readers become intimate with the content on our blogs.

Use internal links to make the structure of your blog stronger and to invite readers to get to know you better too.

Do you use internal links to say to reader, “If you like this, you have to see this too?”

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

The Mic Is On: It's About Halloween, of Course!

by

It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

The Mic Is On

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Boo!

Here’s a few ideas to get us started:

  • Your favorite costume
  • Treats you give out
  • Traditions in your family and community

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring links about Halloween to share!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?