Successful Blog

Adsense Blog Says How to Blogmitize!

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Gooogle adsense logo

This via Darren at Problogger, who shares my taste in graphics. 🙂

Google’s popular Adsense Blog,which covers it’s advertising program, has a post that gives the how-to of key points of action when monetizing your blog.

    1. Choose the right ad format.
    2. Place ads where readers will notice them.
    3. Improve targeting.
    4. Customize ad colors.

Google adsense Graphic

Then the adsense folks leave the door open for you to email questions.

If you’re using Adsense already, it’s worth a look to review the basics. If you’re not, take a peek to see what it’s all about.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Success in a Blink and a Blink Test

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In 2005, Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling book “Blink.” introduced the idea that we make make decisions about people and things almost instantaneously– long before we do the cognitive thinking about them.

Last week, Reuters reported that Canadian researchers have found that people make just such decisions about Internet sites, deciding in less than a blink whether they will stay or click away from them. Here’s a link to the article.

Reuters Screen Shot Article Link

I wonder what Reuters was thinking to write an article so short that you miss the whole thing if you blink?

A Blink Test

Before you blink away, you might try this the next time you bring up your blog or web page. Try to see your blog as if it were one you’d never seen it before.

  • 1. Close your eyes for a minute. Then open them once the page is up.
  • 2. Pay attention to where your eyes fall first. Is that where you want them to?
  • 3. Look at a blank wall or a blank piece of paper for a minute. Then look back again. What attracts or distracts you? Does anything make you want to stay or leave?

Use what you find out to make sure your blog gets a “yes” in that first blink.

THIS JUST IN:
Gary an SOB over at Blogoplex did a test on several blogs including this one . . . Click through to read his blink test results. See whether you agree.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Re;ated articles:
Blog Promotion: Checking Out Curb Appeal
Five Design Basics to Never Forget
Blog Design Checklist
Great Photo Resources to Support Readers

Quick Traffic from Newsweek

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This tip from SOB Cheryl at Mad Baggage, who suggests we take advantage of the partnering of Technorati and Newsweek to get your blog noticed by a whole new audience of Newsweek readers. Cheryl has used it with stunning success. Within a short time of posting against a Newsweek article in the morning, she had traffic beating down her doors. Here’s what she says to do.

Go to MSNBC Newsweek, read the top story, read a couple of the related front page stories, and do a post linking to them all. Newsweek has a Technorati link page showing what bloggers are saying on the subject and as long as you are among the earliest or most recent to post on the matter, people click through in tens and hundreds. They don’t stay, they don’t come back, but they click through.

I tried Cheryl’s techniques on yesterday as a test. Check out the two Newsweek posts I ran–one about Martha Stewart and one about their column Blog Watch. Both were worth posting in their own right, but I was also testing whether the new Technorati-Newsweek partnering would work on my broken Technorati account. It did not.

However, if you click through to either of the stories and look down the right sidebar you’ll see how it works. A small section will tell you how many blogs have posted on this story so far. Then you can click through to see what the posts are and where they came from.

It seems to work for any, not just the top stories–though the top stories are surely where the most traffic would be. Still, I think I would go for the sections with stories and traffic that fit my niche–less traffic, but more qualified leads.

As for post not working, well, I’m just lucky I guess.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Dear Niall Kennedy and David Sifry at Technorati

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Dear Niall and David,

You’re both great guys and have only been polite and kind to me. I appreciate the help you’ve given me in the past, and hope you’ll read with the good faith that’s wrapped around it.

I started writing Technorati in August of 2005. It is now almost the end of January of 2006. The original issue has never been resolved. It involved the fact that Technorati wasn’t accurately tracking links to my account and that the count kept getting stuck and links kept getting missed.

Support answered with the usual form emails. Did you know they never get back like they say they will?

Both of you answered with personal emails. They were nice. They also made some movement forward. Nice gestures. Partial fixes. Band-aids as they say.

When I said, “Hey wait! Don’t run away, are you . . .” You were already gone.

I was polite. I was patient. I only wrote every 2-3. It’s my nature to figure people are busy that they have other things to attend to. I know I often do.

Finally, I just asked for an email saying you weren’t going to do anything. I got no answer.

Here’s a screen shot. Please note I post everyday. I also hand ping you.

Technorati ping form

Here’s another screen shot. Please note that Successful Blog had over 180 links and Letting me be had over 175 twice in the past. Then they got put back for no apparent reason. New valid links came. They went up again.

Technorati Account

Would you please give Letting me be . . . the link from problogger from last September and the new one from skippy the bush kangaroo from two weeks ago? I know other bloggers have had this problem.

I blogged twice today about Newsweek in Successful Blog. That was hours ago–trackbacked Newsweek and pinged you. It doesn’t show.

Isn’t 5 Months Patience Enough?

There it is out in the open. Obviously, there must be something I don’t get. Somewhere, somehow, this little kid from the small town has broken some unstated rule. Just what is it that I’m doing wrong? How do I get the superglue off my account once and for all?

Sometimes to be successful, you have to stand up and say something out loud.

Sincerely,
ME “Liz” Strauss

PS. Everyone says I’m the nice one.

Related articles:
Janice Myint at Technorati Is in Customer Support
Janice Myint, It didn’t Work Right
Thanks Janice. Keep Going! We’re with You!

To Be Fair–Check Out if Martha Stewart Were a Geek . . .

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Newsweek logo

If Martha Stewart Were a Geek
Steven Levy

To be fair, Newsweek did offer something longer than four sentences with three links. Stephen Levy is clever, and he can write.

OK, you’ve all got DVD players now. But before pondering the next step��?Blu-ray? HD DVD? Downloaded movies?��?give a thought to that old VHS player in the garage. The flashing “12:00” still pops up when you plug it in, doesn’t it? Isn’t the machine good for something?

The prose is musical and the mood is light. I enjoyed it.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Newsweek Tells What’s Bloggy Hot–NOT!

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Newsweek logo

Today in Blog Watch at Newsweek

Do you know Blog Watch? The tagline is A mainstream-media snapshot of what’s hot (and what’s not) in the ever-widening world of weblogs.

Here’s January 30, 2006 selection.

Hot?
Making fun of celebrity fashion–gofugyourself.typepad.com
A war of words over the New York Knicks–deadspin.com
A Mel Gibson parody that Mel is threatening legal action–melgibsonsblog.blogspot.com

What’s Not Hot?
Blog Watch didn’t mention. Darn. It’s probably what I’m reading.

How many blogs are they watching ? . . . Makes me wonder about their criteria. Think a hat was involved?

I have an idea! Why not have a blogger write Blog Watch? What a concept!

Okay, so it was just an idea. . . . What would I know?
I’m just a blogger, not even a hot one at that.

–ME “Liz” Strauss