Successful Blog

Fun Find: Instant Blog Post Generator

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And this from a site called Flooble:

You know how sometimes you feel like you haven’t posted anything to your blog for a while, and you should really get around to doing it, but there’s nothing to really write about? We’ve all been there. That’s why we at flooble have decided to give you an Instant Blog Post Generator.

Now you can have a ready-to-post entry for your blog with just one click of a button. Our system is random enough that there’s thousands of variations to the post that it can generate, so if you don’t like how it came out, you can simply keep clicking until the generator comes up with something you find acceptable.

Instant Blog Post Generator

Be careful, if you go playing around on this site, there are plenty of pop-ups and pop-unders for you to play with as well. Still there is fun to be had for a minute or two.

Remember quality is king, but fun is fun.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Are You Up for a Posting Marathon?

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It’s a Marathon

The blogger at It’s So Fantastic has decided to do Darren Rowse’s list of 20 Blogging Post Types one better and do a marathon, posting one of each type for 20 days running. She’s invited all comers to post with her and leave a link to their posts.

Are you fit and ready? It’s a great way to make contacts, hone new writing skills, and get some links. You can find the details and the list of types at her site link above.

Good luck. If you participate, let us know how it goes.

As Darren said, “Great idea! Wish I had thought of it.”

ME “Liz” Strauss

Successful Blog Community News

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Great Discussion

If you weren’t able to join us back stage after Brian Shih’s article on sidebars, you might check out the comments section that follows it. We had a great discussion on sidebar design with several people bringing in examples of a variety of design options to use while making a point about what works or doesn’t work.

It was hands-down the best example of community discussion in action I’ve ever seen. Way cool! We’ve got something really special happening here.

Thanks to everyone who participated. It really was fun as well as enlightening.

Can we do that again soon. Huh? Can we? Can we? 🙂

–ME “Liz” Strauss

7 1/2 Googlicious Steps to BAAAD SEO

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Not to be outdone by Successful Blog or by Lifehacker, our friend and colleague, liberal cowboy next door at jackofallblogs released his own list of 7 1/2 Steps to a Googilicious Website, and I have to give his post a 10.

I’ll translate his 7 1/2 steps for you here and you can read them in his own fine prose over at his blog. Please note that these are tips for websites, not necessarily for blogs.

  • 1. Get a domain name. Google doesn’t like subdomains names.
  • 2. Use a content management system to keep the code clean.
  • 3. Write original content and lots of it.
  • 4. Careful how you use the “more–>” feature if you have one. It doubles page your page views, but require you optimize your pages as two.
  • 5. Write titles that attract attention.
  • 6. Link to your own documents.
  • 7. Get other folks to link to your documents too.

and the last is one I never knew

  • 71/2. The cowboy says he’s not a genius.

Darn, why didn’t I think of that one?

ME “Liz” Strauss

A Side Note–

PS–To all my new friends who visit here from the one link to this page.

Though I’ve made my share of mistakes–they’re on the meta-tags page–this page always was a JOKE. It’s a take off on another post. I see now that it’s dangerous to joke about SEO. Sorry about that.

Meanwhile, the nachos, Jack Daniels, and refreshments are in the sidebar under the ads. Pull up a chair and stick around as long as you want. We like people here.

🙂 –Liz

Blogging Lite Checklist NEW/IMPROVED VERSION

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UPDATE:

In the article, 10+1 Qualities of Bloggers and Our Readers, the third bullet was

  • Bloggers love to disrupt the status quo.

    • Well, sometimes this blogger does, and sometimes she doesn’t. She sure doesn’t like to stir things up, when she doesn’t know she’s doing it.

    A new blog comes with a learning curve, and this one came with an audience. I just showed what happens when you try to make friends with your readers just a bit too fast. Even with experience, it’s an easy thing to do. In fact, it might be easier because you know once the hellos are over, the real conversations start.

    So if I might say one thing,

    I’ve read the checklist over again. I agree with Richard. It has problems with the tone. The beauty of blogging is that I can fix this immediately. So I’m going to edit the checklist, but let the comments on the original stay just as they were.

    Blogging Checklist For Emperor Penguins

    1. Turn on the printer and print out this checklist. If you don’t have a printer. Don’t try to turn it on. STOP HERE. I know that you’re an Emperor, but there’s some things that you can’t do. Bloggers are friendly folks. Ask a blogging penguin to print it out for you.

    2. Find your blog. If you cannot find your blog, get help from a blogger friend. If you do not have a blog, STOP HERE. This is a blogging checklist, you need a blog. But if I might speak freely, Emperor sir, getting started isn’t hard, and mistakes shouldn’t worry you. In fact, as a penguin you might find it familiar. Writing for a blog can be like etching things in ice . . . nothing on a blog is set entirely in stone. The rewrite of this list just for you is perfect proof of that. 🙂

    3. If you found your blog, I fear, Emperor, you must go back and start with number 1. If you’ve forgotten what you’re doing or why you’re doing this STOP HERE. You might be like me and don’t do well with printed documentation. Go ahead and try a little experimentation.

    4. Check off number 1, if you actually did it. If you did not, you ARE an EMPEROR penguin after all, STOP HERE. With all your penguin followers, you might consider another way to blog. Do what the mainstream media do–hire a ghostblogger.

    My apologies to the more-enlightened Emperor Penguins. The time alloted for this checklist has expired. We’ll have to continue another time with the rest of this checklist. . . . 🙂

    ALSO NEXT WEEK:

    An Interview with INDIE

    about his succesful blog from Germany,
    The Synchronicity of Indeterminacy     (Say that three times quickly.)

    Click the thumbnail. Go visit to see what makes it tick.

    See you then!

    –ME “Liz” Strauss