Including CashFiesta pay you from what has been done by them, the referral you. That is, how important this program refer to many people. Tell CashFiesta program to anyone who you meet, you referral address handed to them as I do the following:
click here to joint and download fiesta bar.
I suggest you to use the following ways in reference to your referral link:
1. Follow several open mailing lists without approval when you join or post news on the mailing list.
2. Write a few short paragraphs with sentences that attract and direct the reader to get to the sign-up through your referral link.
3. Spread as much as your referral link through blogwalking activities, visit the many blogs (both within and outside the country), leave your referral link and write a short message that invites the reader to come to a page that we refer.
4. Make a note of the sentence CashFiesta interesting on your Facebook page. Occasionally leave your referral link on the wall in Facebook, and write the message with a destination address collectively to attract them to visit through our referral link which include.
5. Insert your referral link when you are chatting with a friend on facebook chat, Yahoo Massager or the other.
6. Paste the message includes the status of your referral link masseger your yahoo account.
7. If you have a blog, write an interesting article about some CashFiesta and paste your referral link in the text.
8. If possible you can create a free blog (blogger.com or wordpress.com) specifically to discuss about this CashFiesta. Spread your specific blog links to many blogs that you visit.
9. Do not forget to write some interesting articles in the special blog like tips or special tricks to increase the point quickly, or other related articles.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Beautify VIEW BLOG
Blogger.com actually have given some of the views for your blog, but if you're not attractive, you can create another template, or if the difficulty to make a living downloaded at the following sites are:
Some websites / blogs that you can go to find templates, among others:
1. http://www.;jackbook.com/category/blogger-template-gallery http://www.; jackbook.com / category / blogger-templates-gallery
2. http://www.magznetwork.com http://www.magznetwork.com
3. http://eblogtemplates.com/blogger http://eblogtemplates.com/blogger
And many more websites / blogs that provide templates for bloggers. . Please search through google.com with the keyword "blogger templates". Will appear many search results and you can choose freely.
Blogger.com actually have given some of the views for your blog, but if you're not attractive, you can create another template, or if the difficulty to make a living downloaded at the following sites are:
Some websites / blogs that you can go to find templates, among others:
1. http://www.;jackbook.com/category/blogger-template-gallery http://www.; jackbook.com / category / blogger-templates-gallery
2. http://www.magznetwork.com http://www.magznetwork.com
3. http://eblogtemplates.com/blogger http://eblogtemplates.com/blogger
And many more websites / blogs that provide templates for bloggers. . Please search through google.com with the keyword "blogger templates". Will appear many search results and you can choose freely.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Technofile: Blogging for Business
"Blog" is shorthand for weblog, a sort of public online diary, updated regularly -- often daily or even every few hours -- with the owner's comments, announcements, and recommended links.
Blogging has been popular for years with teens, geeks, and flamboyant extroverts comfortable with blog style: informal, unedited, first-person entries, usually posted in reverse chronological order. While many bloggers apparently consider no detail too insignificant to chronicle for a worldwide audience ("went to the podiatrist today;" "had egglant parm at Gino's and forgot to tape ER"), the best stock their online journals with news and links they believe visitors might find useful.
More recently, the "blogosphere" has expanded to include professional web-based journals (See "Blogging for Dollars", Inc., May 2003) as well as the traditional highly personal ones. Now, with entrepreneurs developing lots of creative new uses for business blogs (or "b-blogs," as serious practitioners call them), the technology appears poised to become the "Next Big Thing" in business communication.
If you doubt blogging's move from an underground phenomenon to bona-fide trend, consider how personal blogs have already become powerful voices in two industries: politics and media. Last December, a couple of high-profile bloggers blasted Sen. Trent Lott for a speech that appeared to sanction racial segregation; the resulting publicity ultimately prompted Lott's resignation as Senate majority leader. Meanwhile, journalists from the Poynter Institute's Jim Romenesko to funnyman Dave Barry maintain high-traffic blogs.
Evangelists believe b-blogs offer similar potential to just about every other industry as well. "Two years out, you'll wonder how you lived without them," predicts author and consultant Jim Carroll, writing in Successful Meetings. At a recent business-blog conference, Jupiter Research vice president Michael Gartenberg said today's single word of advice to Dustin Hoffman's character in The Graduate wouldn't be "plastics" but "Weblogs." B-blog consultant John Lawlor summed it up this way: "Blogging equals opportunity."
Why all the fervor? Unlike corporate websites, b-blogs are cheap to launch and easy to maintain, thanks to powerful, easy-to-use tools. (For a sampling of blogging software and services, see Resources.) Unlike spam, or junk e-mail, b-blogs aren't intrusive; users must click to them. Done well, b-blogs provide a fast, informal way to share information -- project updates, research or test results, product-release news, industry headlines -- inside and outside your company.
But blogs are also deceptively tricky to manage. Do it wrong and you could embarrass yourself, bore or alienate customers or prospects, contribute to information overload, and potentially even wind up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.
Worse yet, you could run afoul of the blogging community itself.
Dr Pepper/Seven Up Inc. did just that in early 2003, when it enlisted several young volunteers in hopes that they'd plug a new milk beverage, Raging Cow, on their blogs. The effort backfired when other bloggers, upset over the orchestrated word-of-mouth campaign, called for a product boycott. (However, no one complained about the product's mascot, a cartoon cow, who kept its own blog, presumably because, in that case, the diarist clearly worked for the company.)
Like any other initiative, successful b-blogging requires a strategy, which consultant Lawlor sums up in five words: Who, what, when, where, why. More specifically:
• Who should blog? Who is our target reader?
• What are we blogging about? What benefits do we expect? What needs to be restricted?
• Where will blogging appear -- on individual blogs, an internal site, or a public website?
• When will bloggers do the work, and when will the company see results?
• Why are we doing this?
Answering the last question is key to determining exactly what you want your b-blog to accomplish. Do you want to demonstrate the company's expertise -- or perhaps your own? Promote products or services? Provide customers with news, announcements, updates? Build a community?
Answering the other questions is key to staying out of trouble, especially if -- as companies like Mobilocity Inc. and O'Reilly & Associates -- you encourage or allow your employees to blog as well. Setting ground rules seems antithetical to blogging's joyously spontaneous and personal nature. But you need make sure bloggers don't -- even accidentally -- libel anyone, insult customers, misrepresent or disparage your company, or reveal confidential or proprietary information. You may also need to establish guidelines about blogging on company time and equipment. (Lawyers point to Groove Networks blog policy as a good model.)
What makes a good b-blog? The best are lively, relevant, straightforward, and, though informal, relatively well-written. They showcase their owners' distinctive voices, interests, and expertise without crossing into mind-numbing narcissism. Some worthy examples: New York PR executive James Horton posts daily observations about PR news and trends. San Francisco attorney Denise Howell blogs about intellectual property law and, well, blogging. And Ray Cox of Northfield, Minn., maintains two professional blogs, one tracking contracting work done by his Northfield Construction Co, the other reporting on his work and observances as a Minnesota state representative. (For a sampling of other CEO Web sites, see Resources.)
Finally, great online journals never get stale. As Jupiter's Gartenberg notes, nobody will ever complain that you update your blog too often.
Blogging has been popular for years with teens, geeks, and flamboyant extroverts comfortable with blog style: informal, unedited, first-person entries, usually posted in reverse chronological order. While many bloggers apparently consider no detail too insignificant to chronicle for a worldwide audience ("went to the podiatrist today;" "had egglant parm at Gino's and forgot to tape ER"), the best stock their online journals with news and links they believe visitors might find useful.
More recently, the "blogosphere" has expanded to include professional web-based journals (See "Blogging for Dollars", Inc., May 2003) as well as the traditional highly personal ones. Now, with entrepreneurs developing lots of creative new uses for business blogs (or "b-blogs," as serious practitioners call them), the technology appears poised to become the "Next Big Thing" in business communication.
If you doubt blogging's move from an underground phenomenon to bona-fide trend, consider how personal blogs have already become powerful voices in two industries: politics and media. Last December, a couple of high-profile bloggers blasted Sen. Trent Lott for a speech that appeared to sanction racial segregation; the resulting publicity ultimately prompted Lott's resignation as Senate majority leader. Meanwhile, journalists from the Poynter Institute's Jim Romenesko to funnyman Dave Barry maintain high-traffic blogs.
Evangelists believe b-blogs offer similar potential to just about every other industry as well. "Two years out, you'll wonder how you lived without them," predicts author and consultant Jim Carroll, writing in Successful Meetings. At a recent business-blog conference, Jupiter Research vice president Michael Gartenberg said today's single word of advice to Dustin Hoffman's character in The Graduate wouldn't be "plastics" but "Weblogs." B-blog consultant John Lawlor summed it up this way: "Blogging equals opportunity."
Why all the fervor? Unlike corporate websites, b-blogs are cheap to launch and easy to maintain, thanks to powerful, easy-to-use tools. (For a sampling of blogging software and services, see Resources.) Unlike spam, or junk e-mail, b-blogs aren't intrusive; users must click to them. Done well, b-blogs provide a fast, informal way to share information -- project updates, research or test results, product-release news, industry headlines -- inside and outside your company.
But blogs are also deceptively tricky to manage. Do it wrong and you could embarrass yourself, bore or alienate customers or prospects, contribute to information overload, and potentially even wind up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.
Worse yet, you could run afoul of the blogging community itself.
Dr Pepper/Seven Up Inc. did just that in early 2003, when it enlisted several young volunteers in hopes that they'd plug a new milk beverage, Raging Cow, on their blogs. The effort backfired when other bloggers, upset over the orchestrated word-of-mouth campaign, called for a product boycott. (However, no one complained about the product's mascot, a cartoon cow, who kept its own blog, presumably because, in that case, the diarist clearly worked for the company.)
Like any other initiative, successful b-blogging requires a strategy, which consultant Lawlor sums up in five words: Who, what, when, where, why. More specifically:
• Who should blog? Who is our target reader?
• What are we blogging about? What benefits do we expect? What needs to be restricted?
• Where will blogging appear -- on individual blogs, an internal site, or a public website?
• When will bloggers do the work, and when will the company see results?
• Why are we doing this?
Answering the last question is key to determining exactly what you want your b-blog to accomplish. Do you want to demonstrate the company's expertise -- or perhaps your own? Promote products or services? Provide customers with news, announcements, updates? Build a community?
Answering the other questions is key to staying out of trouble, especially if -- as companies like Mobilocity Inc. and O'Reilly & Associates -- you encourage or allow your employees to blog as well. Setting ground rules seems antithetical to blogging's joyously spontaneous and personal nature. But you need make sure bloggers don't -- even accidentally -- libel anyone, insult customers, misrepresent or disparage your company, or reveal confidential or proprietary information. You may also need to establish guidelines about blogging on company time and equipment. (Lawyers point to Groove Networks blog policy as a good model.)
What makes a good b-blog? The best are lively, relevant, straightforward, and, though informal, relatively well-written. They showcase their owners' distinctive voices, interests, and expertise without crossing into mind-numbing narcissism. Some worthy examples: New York PR executive James Horton posts daily observations about PR news and trends. San Francisco attorney Denise Howell blogs about intellectual property law and, well, blogging. And Ray Cox of Northfield, Minn., maintains two professional blogs, one tracking contracting work done by his Northfield Construction Co, the other reporting on his work and observances as a Minnesota state representative. (For a sampling of other CEO Web sites, see Resources.)
Finally, great online journals never get stale. As Jupiter's Gartenberg notes, nobody will ever complain that you update your blog too often.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Banish Blog Spam
It’s great when your company blog gets noticed -- but not so great when the acclaim makes it a spam magnet. By taking a few simple steps, companies can stop spam from clogging the comments section of their blog.
And you thought spam was an e-mail problem.
Spam, those unwanted messages hyping miracle drugs, cheap knockoffs and cut-rate loans, has become the bane of blogs. In fact, some experts believe spam is a bigger problem for blogs than it ever was for e-mail.
That spells trouble for companies that have made blogs part of their customer service or marketing programs. Now, not only do small businesses have to work to keep their blogs in the public eye, they’ve also got to work to keep spam from giving them a public black eye.
But by following some simple steps, companies can block spam from creeping onto their blogs in the first place.
Spam in blogs is often called comment spam because that’s where it shows up, in the section of a blog set up for readers to post comments. Spammers use software programs to sniff out blogs and post advertisements or links directing traffic to the spammer’s website.
Anti-spam software to the rescue
Matt Mullenweg knows spam. Mullenweg co-founded Automattic, the company that makes the popular WordPress blogging software and created Akismet, an anti-spam program that’s built into WordPress.com blogs. Akismet is also available as a software add on to blogs hosted elsewhere, including other well-known free blogging sites such as Blogger and TypePad. Akismet is an adaptive filter. When comments are sent to a blog they pass through mathematical algorithms that determine if it’s a legitimate or spam. If a comment gets through that’s really spam and a blogger marks it as such, Akismet “learns” from its mistakes, Mullenweg says.
According to Mullenweg, 90 percent of comments that pass through Akismet are spam. He estimates the software has blocked 5.5 billion pieces of spam since WordPress and other blogs started using it in 2005. Though software programs like Akismet block spam, they haven’t stopped it. “Spam on blogs and the Web is where spam on e-mail was 10 years ago,” Mullenweg says.
Akismet isn’t the only anti-spam software out there. Companies can also use so-called CAPTCH programs, short for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. The popular programs, which can be seen on many websites and blogs, require someone to take a simple test to prove they’re not a machine before they can leave a comment. In programs such as reCAPTCHA, the test is typing in a sequence of squiggly letters or numbers.
Other software that blocks spam includes Bad Behavior, which analyzes the method and software being used to deliver a comment to a site to determine whether it’s spam, and, Spam Karma 2.3, which works on WordPress blogs.
Common sense solutions to block spam
Anti-spam software is a blog’s first line of defense, but there are other tactics. Blog experts and IT professionals also recommend that companies:
• Check comments before approving them. According to Mullenweg, some off-shore spammers pay programmers to post what look like genuine comments. The solution: use a blog’s comment moderation feature to check out comments before the go live. Or authenticate people before allowing them to leave a comment by requiring them to sign up for a user name and password.
• Turn off comments. Not all blogs need two-way communication. Digital Forest, a 14-year-old Seattle, Web hosting and server co-location business, uses a blog to keep customers apprised of the status of the company’s servers. When customers e-mail or call the tech support line they’re directed to check the blog for information on maintenance and system updates, says Chuck Goolsbee, a Digital Forest vice president. “We train our customers to look there, so if there’s a problem, people go there first,” Goolsbee says.
• Disable pings and trackbacks. Pings and trackbacks were originally intended to notify Blogger A that Blogger B had written something about them. But spammers use them to plant links to their own Websites in order to up their click-through rates. If trackbacks are a problem, don’t use them, Goolsbee says. “When you design a system you have to take into account how it can be abused,” and the creators of blog software didn’t, he says.
And you thought spam was an e-mail problem.
Spam, those unwanted messages hyping miracle drugs, cheap knockoffs and cut-rate loans, has become the bane of blogs. In fact, some experts believe spam is a bigger problem for blogs than it ever was for e-mail.
That spells trouble for companies that have made blogs part of their customer service or marketing programs. Now, not only do small businesses have to work to keep their blogs in the public eye, they’ve also got to work to keep spam from giving them a public black eye.
But by following some simple steps, companies can block spam from creeping onto their blogs in the first place.
Spam in blogs is often called comment spam because that’s where it shows up, in the section of a blog set up for readers to post comments. Spammers use software programs to sniff out blogs and post advertisements or links directing traffic to the spammer’s website.
Anti-spam software to the rescue
Matt Mullenweg knows spam. Mullenweg co-founded Automattic, the company that makes the popular WordPress blogging software and created Akismet, an anti-spam program that’s built into WordPress.com blogs. Akismet is also available as a software add on to blogs hosted elsewhere, including other well-known free blogging sites such as Blogger and TypePad. Akismet is an adaptive filter. When comments are sent to a blog they pass through mathematical algorithms that determine if it’s a legitimate or spam. If a comment gets through that’s really spam and a blogger marks it as such, Akismet “learns” from its mistakes, Mullenweg says.
According to Mullenweg, 90 percent of comments that pass through Akismet are spam. He estimates the software has blocked 5.5 billion pieces of spam since WordPress and other blogs started using it in 2005. Though software programs like Akismet block spam, they haven’t stopped it. “Spam on blogs and the Web is where spam on e-mail was 10 years ago,” Mullenweg says.
Akismet isn’t the only anti-spam software out there. Companies can also use so-called CAPTCH programs, short for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. The popular programs, which can be seen on many websites and blogs, require someone to take a simple test to prove they’re not a machine before they can leave a comment. In programs such as reCAPTCHA, the test is typing in a sequence of squiggly letters or numbers.
Other software that blocks spam includes Bad Behavior, which analyzes the method and software being used to deliver a comment to a site to determine whether it’s spam, and, Spam Karma 2.3, which works on WordPress blogs.
Common sense solutions to block spam
Anti-spam software is a blog’s first line of defense, but there are other tactics. Blog experts and IT professionals also recommend that companies:
• Check comments before approving them. According to Mullenweg, some off-shore spammers pay programmers to post what look like genuine comments. The solution: use a blog’s comment moderation feature to check out comments before the go live. Or authenticate people before allowing them to leave a comment by requiring them to sign up for a user name and password.
• Turn off comments. Not all blogs need two-way communication. Digital Forest, a 14-year-old Seattle, Web hosting and server co-location business, uses a blog to keep customers apprised of the status of the company’s servers. When customers e-mail or call the tech support line they’re directed to check the blog for information on maintenance and system updates, says Chuck Goolsbee, a Digital Forest vice president. “We train our customers to look there, so if there’s a problem, people go there first,” Goolsbee says.
• Disable pings and trackbacks. Pings and trackbacks were originally intended to notify Blogger A that Blogger B had written something about them. But spammers use them to plant links to their own Websites in order to up their click-through rates. If trackbacks are a problem, don’t use them, Goolsbee says. “When you design a system you have to take into account how it can be abused,” and the creators of blog software didn’t, he says.
Friday, January 15, 2010
When Blogs Go Bad
Blogs can be a great marketing tool. But when they bite back, it's all about damage control.
Donna Lynes-Miller was looking to create some buzz for GourmetStation, her Web-based retailer of high-end food, and jumping on the blog bandwagon seemed like the perfect way to do it. The medium, after all, thrives on voice and attitude. And GourmetStation--which ships fine food, including four-course meals made from recipes by the world's top chefs--has plenty of both.
The Atlanta-based company's unofficial mascot is a fictional character called T. Alexander, an oh-so-sophisticated epicurean and an expert on everything from the best Bordeaux to serve with rabbit pâté to how to cook for vegans. The character had proved so popular with GourmetStation's customers that Lynes-Miller and her marketing consultant Toby Bloomberg decided that the blog, Delicious Destinations, would be written in T. Alexander's voice. With a disclosure that Alexander was indeed a fictional character, the blog launched last March. But the response was not what the women had hoped for.
Robert French, a communications instructor at Auburn University who blogs about marketing on a site called Blogthenticity, was the first to notice. Delicious Destinations, he wrote, was a prime example of so-called character blogging, something that has become increasingly popular on business blogs. "What value do you find in this tactic?" he asked his readers. "Is it authentic?" The blogosphere responded. Hugh MacLeod, who runs Gapingvoid, a highly regarded and often scathingly critical site for marketing professionals, decided that GourmetStation's new blog merited special recognition--the Beyond Lame Award. Soon, GourmetStation was the talk of all the marketing blogs. "Horrible. Stupid. Insane. Worthless. Ineffective," wrote one person. "The ultimate in false advertising."
Welcome to the blogosphere. Sixteen percent of the U.S. population reads blogs, according to a May 2005 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The blog search engine Technorati estimates that the number of blogs doubles every five and a half months--with many of the new ones started by entrepreneurs. Blogs, after all, are inexpensive and easy to set up. They're heavily viral--one blogger links to another who links to another, and soon enough you've attracted a vast community to your company. A well-trafficked blog also can help generate better results on search engines.
But as Lynes-Miller learned, there's a dark side to the blogosphere. Bloggers, and those who frequent blogs, can be a prickly lot. They live by a code of their own, and you offend them at your peril. Come into the club wearing the wrong thing--something that screams "notice me" but offers little substance, or pretending to be someone you're not--and there's a good chance you'll find yourself, and your brand, publicly ridiculed.
Even those who know the rules can get burned. Bloomberg, who writes a blog called Diva Marketing, knows how sensitive people can be to false representations. That's why she insisted on disclosing the fictional nature of T. Alexander's identity from the get-go. In an attempt at full transparency, she even blogged herself about the development of the character. But it didn't help much. Indeed, things hit a nadir when the controversy caught the eye of marketing guru Steve Rubel, who blogs at Micro Persuasion, one of the top 250 most trafficked blogs on the Web, according to Technorati. "Here comes another fake blog," Rubel announced.
"I was taken aback," says Lynes-Miller. Her instincts told her to ignore the uproar and forge ahead. But Bloomberg had other ideas. As a marketing pro, she'd seen plenty of PR flare-ups on the Web. Do nothing, and the fire likely will continue to burn on its own. Respond with anger, she knew, and you risk fanning the flames even more. The best way to douse them, Bloomberg says, is to join the conversation.
So Bloomberg began writing to the commentators. She kept the tone cool and respectful, and explained what GourmetStation was trying to accomplish with its blog. That led even some of its most bitter critics to take a second look at the site and even change their minds, says Bloomberg. "I may have overreacted and not understood the entire idea of this particular fictional character," admitted one.
Lynes-Miller, meanwhile, posted a comment on the blog of her greatest detractor, Hugh MacLeod, and tried to explain the strategy behind T. Alexander and Delicious Destinations. "We are a small pioneering food company and we see the blog and its content as a way of adding value to our patron's experience," she wrote. "What T. Alexander has to say about food is not as important as what our patrons have to share about their culinary adventures." MacLeod was impressed with Lynes-Miller's note. "Thanks for stopping by and telling your side of the story," he responded on his blog. Of course, he still professed deep loathing for T. Alexander. "A great food brand or a great food blogger is no different than a great chef," he said. "She needs passion and authority. Methinks your T. Alexander has little of either." Some on the site rose to Lynes-Miller's defense, and, in any case, MacLeod soon directed his ire elsewhere.
Lynes-Miller has no regrets. For one thing, traffic at her site almost doubled as a result of the controversy. Besides, blogging is just one part of the company's marketing plan. In May, for example, GourmetStation was touted on Good Morning America as a great place to shop for Mother's Day gifts, which helped send second-quarter sales up 158%.
Meanwhile, T. Alexander's culinary adventures continue uninterrupted. "I didn't expect the negative feedback we initially received," Lynes-Miller says. "Though there was no negative feedback from customers--and that's the feedback I'm most concerned about."
Resources
Resources There is no end of blogs about business blogging. To get started, go to thenewpr.com and click on "Business Blogging 101." For case studies, best practices, and corporate blogging policies check out blogwrite.blogs.com and buzzmarketingwithblogs.com.
Donna Lynes-Miller was looking to create some buzz for GourmetStation, her Web-based retailer of high-end food, and jumping on the blog bandwagon seemed like the perfect way to do it. The medium, after all, thrives on voice and attitude. And GourmetStation--which ships fine food, including four-course meals made from recipes by the world's top chefs--has plenty of both.
The Atlanta-based company's unofficial mascot is a fictional character called T. Alexander, an oh-so-sophisticated epicurean and an expert on everything from the best Bordeaux to serve with rabbit pâté to how to cook for vegans. The character had proved so popular with GourmetStation's customers that Lynes-Miller and her marketing consultant Toby Bloomberg decided that the blog, Delicious Destinations, would be written in T. Alexander's voice. With a disclosure that Alexander was indeed a fictional character, the blog launched last March. But the response was not what the women had hoped for.
Robert French, a communications instructor at Auburn University who blogs about marketing on a site called Blogthenticity, was the first to notice. Delicious Destinations, he wrote, was a prime example of so-called character blogging, something that has become increasingly popular on business blogs. "What value do you find in this tactic?" he asked his readers. "Is it authentic?" The blogosphere responded. Hugh MacLeod, who runs Gapingvoid, a highly regarded and often scathingly critical site for marketing professionals, decided that GourmetStation's new blog merited special recognition--the Beyond Lame Award. Soon, GourmetStation was the talk of all the marketing blogs. "Horrible. Stupid. Insane. Worthless. Ineffective," wrote one person. "The ultimate in false advertising."
Welcome to the blogosphere. Sixteen percent of the U.S. population reads blogs, according to a May 2005 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The blog search engine Technorati estimates that the number of blogs doubles every five and a half months--with many of the new ones started by entrepreneurs. Blogs, after all, are inexpensive and easy to set up. They're heavily viral--one blogger links to another who links to another, and soon enough you've attracted a vast community to your company. A well-trafficked blog also can help generate better results on search engines.
But as Lynes-Miller learned, there's a dark side to the blogosphere. Bloggers, and those who frequent blogs, can be a prickly lot. They live by a code of their own, and you offend them at your peril. Come into the club wearing the wrong thing--something that screams "notice me" but offers little substance, or pretending to be someone you're not--and there's a good chance you'll find yourself, and your brand, publicly ridiculed.
Even those who know the rules can get burned. Bloomberg, who writes a blog called Diva Marketing, knows how sensitive people can be to false representations. That's why she insisted on disclosing the fictional nature of T. Alexander's identity from the get-go. In an attempt at full transparency, she even blogged herself about the development of the character. But it didn't help much. Indeed, things hit a nadir when the controversy caught the eye of marketing guru Steve Rubel, who blogs at Micro Persuasion, one of the top 250 most trafficked blogs on the Web, according to Technorati. "Here comes another fake blog," Rubel announced.
"I was taken aback," says Lynes-Miller. Her instincts told her to ignore the uproar and forge ahead. But Bloomberg had other ideas. As a marketing pro, she'd seen plenty of PR flare-ups on the Web. Do nothing, and the fire likely will continue to burn on its own. Respond with anger, she knew, and you risk fanning the flames even more. The best way to douse them, Bloomberg says, is to join the conversation.
So Bloomberg began writing to the commentators. She kept the tone cool and respectful, and explained what GourmetStation was trying to accomplish with its blog. That led even some of its most bitter critics to take a second look at the site and even change their minds, says Bloomberg. "I may have overreacted and not understood the entire idea of this particular fictional character," admitted one.
Lynes-Miller, meanwhile, posted a comment on the blog of her greatest detractor, Hugh MacLeod, and tried to explain the strategy behind T. Alexander and Delicious Destinations. "We are a small pioneering food company and we see the blog and its content as a way of adding value to our patron's experience," she wrote. "What T. Alexander has to say about food is not as important as what our patrons have to share about their culinary adventures." MacLeod was impressed with Lynes-Miller's note. "Thanks for stopping by and telling your side of the story," he responded on his blog. Of course, he still professed deep loathing for T. Alexander. "A great food brand or a great food blogger is no different than a great chef," he said. "She needs passion and authority. Methinks your T. Alexander has little of either." Some on the site rose to Lynes-Miller's defense, and, in any case, MacLeod soon directed his ire elsewhere.
Lynes-Miller has no regrets. For one thing, traffic at her site almost doubled as a result of the controversy. Besides, blogging is just one part of the company's marketing plan. In May, for example, GourmetStation was touted on Good Morning America as a great place to shop for Mother's Day gifts, which helped send second-quarter sales up 158%.
Meanwhile, T. Alexander's culinary adventures continue uninterrupted. "I didn't expect the negative feedback we initially received," Lynes-Miller says. "Though there was no negative feedback from customers--and that's the feedback I'm most concerned about."
Resources
Resources There is no end of blogs about business blogging. To get started, go to thenewpr.com and click on "Business Blogging 101." For case studies, best practices, and corporate blogging policies check out blogwrite.blogs.com and buzzmarketingwithblogs.com.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Writing Well on the Web
If there's one thing everybody knows about the Web by now, it's that people read differently online than they do on paper.
Why, then, do so many business websites (perhaps even yours) still read like books, brochures, or reports -- and often badly written ones at that?
In part, it's because digital documents usually get far less scrutiny than their hard-copy counterparts. Typically, overworked Web teams put them online quickly, probably with a manager's approval, but without serious editing or copyediting. After all, one of the Web's greatest strengths is its capacity for limitless corrections, revisions, and updates.
But good writing -- online or off --- involves much more than fixing typos or tweaking awkward phrases after the fact. It starts at the point of creation. And in larger part, that's the problem's source. Too many wordsmiths still write for the Web as if they're writing for paper, generating page after page of densely packed content that frustrates, confuses, or alienates readers.
See for yourself
Try two experiments. First, jump online and visit a handful of business websites. Sooner or later, you'll hit one with content so impenetrable that you get tired just looking at it. Then take a hard look at your own Web pages. Try seeing them as if for the first time. Would you want to read them? Or would you decide they're not worth the effort?
The good news: You can easily improve your Web writing, making the content enjoyable, maybe even desirable, to read. Even better news: Doing so won't cost a cent.
What do Web readers want?
To a certain extent, good writing is good writing in any medium.
But Web readers do have specific expectations. Think about how you use the Web yourself. If you're like most Web users, you don't read word for word. You scan. Even then, according to classic research by Web guru Jakob Nielsen and others, you read digital pages more slowly than paper ones, and ultimately you read less online than you do in print.
Also, you're probably in a hurry. You're looking for something specific, and you don't want to hunt through screen after screen of text to find it. Finally, you may want to do something with the content: print it out, request information, make a purchase, contact a human rep. But you won't bother if it's a struggle.
So to provide a high-quality experience for like-minded Web users visiting your site, offer content that's easy to locate, easy to read, and easy to use.
The best way to do that: Apply the "three S's."
1. Keep content scannable. Write in the "inverted pyramid" style, putting the most important information at the top of each document. Consider identifying documents with brief "executive summaries."
Also try:
• Headlines that identify documents; subheads that keep readers moving through them.
• Bullet points.
• Numbered lists.
• Questions and answers.
• Bold or colored highlights (but sparingly).
• Pulled quotes to emphasize major points.
• A few simple, easily recognizable icons.
Avoid: Extensive use of hard-to-read italics, mixing too many fonts, and using underlines for anything except links.
2. Keep content short. Do your readers a favor; don't contribute to information overload. Instead:
• Write short, direct sentences (general guideline: maximum of 20 to 25 words).
• Break up long paragraphs (general guideline: maximum of three to five sentences).
• Be succinct. Use only your best details and examples.
• Write less. Usability research indicates that the most effective Web documents are 50% shorter than their print counterparts. If you must include more information, see the third "S."
• Edit ruthlessly. Trim every unnecessary word.
3. Keep content segmented. Take advantage of what the Web does well by layering information. Split long material into smaller chunks of varying lengths, linking them to the original document and to each other. Consider presenting some information as:
• Checklists.
• Primers or glossaries.
• Fact sheets or "at a glance" boxes.
• Testimonials or short case histories.
• Formatted personal profiles.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents.
• Resource lists.
• Price lists.
• Quizzes (with informative answers and relevant scoring).
• Charts, tables, or graphs.
Bottom line: Write Web content you'd like to read yourself, and present it the way you'd like to read it. Chances are your Web readers will view it the same way.
SIDEBAR: Good Writing is Good Writing
These best practices haven't changed in generations:
• Write with a goal in mind: making a point, teaching or advising, answering a question, prompting an action.
• Write clearly, concisely, and consistently in the right tone for your audience.
• Write with carefully chosen details and examples.
• Write with zero tolerance for errors.
• Write engagingly. No one likes being bored.
Why, then, do so many business websites (perhaps even yours) still read like books, brochures, or reports -- and often badly written ones at that?
In part, it's because digital documents usually get far less scrutiny than their hard-copy counterparts. Typically, overworked Web teams put them online quickly, probably with a manager's approval, but without serious editing or copyediting. After all, one of the Web's greatest strengths is its capacity for limitless corrections, revisions, and updates.
But good writing -- online or off --- involves much more than fixing typos or tweaking awkward phrases after the fact. It starts at the point of creation. And in larger part, that's the problem's source. Too many wordsmiths still write for the Web as if they're writing for paper, generating page after page of densely packed content that frustrates, confuses, or alienates readers.
See for yourself
Try two experiments. First, jump online and visit a handful of business websites. Sooner or later, you'll hit one with content so impenetrable that you get tired just looking at it. Then take a hard look at your own Web pages. Try seeing them as if for the first time. Would you want to read them? Or would you decide they're not worth the effort?
The good news: You can easily improve your Web writing, making the content enjoyable, maybe even desirable, to read. Even better news: Doing so won't cost a cent.
What do Web readers want?
To a certain extent, good writing is good writing in any medium.
But Web readers do have specific expectations. Think about how you use the Web yourself. If you're like most Web users, you don't read word for word. You scan. Even then, according to classic research by Web guru Jakob Nielsen and others, you read digital pages more slowly than paper ones, and ultimately you read less online than you do in print.
Also, you're probably in a hurry. You're looking for something specific, and you don't want to hunt through screen after screen of text to find it. Finally, you may want to do something with the content: print it out, request information, make a purchase, contact a human rep. But you won't bother if it's a struggle.
So to provide a high-quality experience for like-minded Web users visiting your site, offer content that's easy to locate, easy to read, and easy to use.
The best way to do that: Apply the "three S's."
1. Keep content scannable. Write in the "inverted pyramid" style, putting the most important information at the top of each document. Consider identifying documents with brief "executive summaries."
Also try:
• Headlines that identify documents; subheads that keep readers moving through them.
• Bullet points.
• Numbered lists.
• Questions and answers.
• Bold or colored highlights (but sparingly).
• Pulled quotes to emphasize major points.
• A few simple, easily recognizable icons.
Avoid: Extensive use of hard-to-read italics, mixing too many fonts, and using underlines for anything except links.
2. Keep content short. Do your readers a favor; don't contribute to information overload. Instead:
• Write short, direct sentences (general guideline: maximum of 20 to 25 words).
• Break up long paragraphs (general guideline: maximum of three to five sentences).
• Be succinct. Use only your best details and examples.
• Write less. Usability research indicates that the most effective Web documents are 50% shorter than their print counterparts. If you must include more information, see the third "S."
• Edit ruthlessly. Trim every unnecessary word.
3. Keep content segmented. Take advantage of what the Web does well by layering information. Split long material into smaller chunks of varying lengths, linking them to the original document and to each other. Consider presenting some information as:
• Checklists.
• Primers or glossaries.
• Fact sheets or "at a glance" boxes.
• Testimonials or short case histories.
• Formatted personal profiles.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents.
• Resource lists.
• Price lists.
• Quizzes (with informative answers and relevant scoring).
• Charts, tables, or graphs.
Bottom line: Write Web content you'd like to read yourself, and present it the way you'd like to read it. Chances are your Web readers will view it the same way.
SIDEBAR: Good Writing is Good Writing
These best practices haven't changed in generations:
• Write with a goal in mind: making a point, teaching or advising, answering a question, prompting an action.
• Write clearly, concisely, and consistently in the right tone for your audience.
• Write with carefully chosen details and examples.
• Write with zero tolerance for errors.
• Write engagingly. No one likes being bored.
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