Buzz is a buzz word. Especially since Google adopted it. Of course, Yahoo might have adopted it first… awkward. This is not another post about Google Buzz, but the buzz about Google Buzz certainly illustrates what this article about buzz is buzzing all about…

According to Princeton’s online dictionary, “buzz” means…

• make a buzzing sound; “bees were buzzing around the hive”
• fly low; “Planes buzzed the crowds in the square”
• hum: be noisy with activity; “This office is buzzing with activity”
• sound of rapid vibration; “the buzz of a bumble bee”
• call with a buzzer; “he buzzed the servant”
• a confusion of activity and gossip; “the buzz of excitement was so great that a formal denial was issued”

It’s that last definition to which bloggers should pay special attention. Buzz can be “a confusion of activity and gossip.” For the sake of blogging’s delicate reputation, we’re going to assume that “gossip” is intended in the most positive of ways.

I recently stood in an airport check-in line for seven hours (because three inches of snow is apparently a lot in Atlanta) and I learned some things about the power of buzz that bloggers, at least those who have some message to promote, need to understand. There were over 1,000 people in line with me and it didn’t take long for opinions about the airline to spread.

Buzz Is Inevitable Among Human Beings

Our minds race too fast and our lips are far too loose for buzz not to happen. People, because they are people, are going to think. And when people think, people talk. Buzz can’t be stopped. It can rarely even be slowed down. When you write a post, you’re going to have to know in advance that buzz just happens. Complain about it or harness it – your choice.

Buzz Is Spontaneous In Nature

If you’ve ever tried to start a rumor… you should probably talk to someone… but you know how difficult it is to do. Try not to start a rumor and you’ll be far more successful. In other words, buzz can be generated, but there is no foolproof way to get it going because the same people who think and talk do so of their own prerogative.

Buzz Is Better Contained than Controlled

When I was stuck in the airport line, I genuinely felt sorry for the employees of the airline who were working so hard to manage the crowd that day. They couldn’t control what people were thinking or saying, but they did put up ropes to get us into a straight and orderly line. Bloggers have the power to do this, to some degree, with publishing and social media platforms. Do remember though, some people still get out of line and others “cut,” which usually heightens the buzz!

Buzz Can Be Very, Very Good

Yes, buzz can be very, very bad also, but smart people will squeeze all the good they can out of it. Even when buzz is negative, a pro-active response can avert disaster and perhaps win the loyalty of the formerly disgruntled. When positive, buzz is the optimum marketing tool. It was around before blogs, the internet, the television, and even those ancient things we called newspapers.

Why does all of this matter for bloggers? Because we depend on buzz. Therefore, we can instigate it, propogate it, and even capitalize upon it. It’s not easy, especially since the art of generating and guiding buzz is an ever-changing discipline. But we can at least learn from the conversations and interactions that take place around us.

What do you think? Can buzz be powerful in the hands of a skilled content producer?

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What Is Buzz? And Why Should a Blogger Care?

This Week’s Flames

30 Blogs With Killer Typography

30 Blog Designs with Killer Typography

Not only is readability a huge priority when it comes to great blogging, typography in and of itself is a close and complementary discipline for bloggers who care about great user interfaces. This post represents a sweet job by Mike Smith of collecting some awesome examples together.

How to Create a Successful Company Blog

How to Start a Successful Company Blog

Just this week we began a new column featuring great company and corporate blogs. On the day we launched that post, I discovered this nice and thorough guide by Mark Suster on company blogging over at Mashable.

35 Great Social Media Infographics

35 Great Social Media Infographics

Not only are many of these infographics inspiring from a design perspective, they represent a wealth of research and information that every blogger can benefit from. Nice job by Pam Dyer.

7 Tips to Keep Your Family On Board for Your Blogging Journey

7 Tips to Keep Your Family On Board for Your Blogging Journey

Darren Rowse has broken away just a bit from his typical subject matter to share some very personal insights that every blogger needs to hear – how to keep your family along for the blogging journey. If blogging costs you vital relationships, it was way too important to you!

How to Succeed by Being Completely Realistic

How to Succeed by Being Completely Unrealistic

This post may not pertain to the art or industry of blogging, but it represents the essence of great writing through blogging, and its lesson is important for bloggers to learn. Great job by Everett Bogue.

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The Weekly Hot List (2)

This week we’re leading off by showcasing the Sharpie Markers blog. For the record, I had already begun taking screenshots and researching this masterpiece even before Lisa’s post about Sharpie was featured at Fuel Your Branding. In other words – Sharpie is just that good that two Fuel Editors took notice simultaneously and unbeknownst to each other.

About the Sharpie Markers Blog

The Sharpie Markers blog could certainly be categorized as a “corporate blog,” but it stands apart as highly unique. In their own words, it is “a dedicated space where we can showcase some of the really fun, cool, creative stuff that gets made using Sharpie markers.” That’s right, it’s a blog about what people do with Sharpies!

The blog, now about a year and a half old, is built on Wordpress and actually uses a modified premium theme released by Elegant Themes. The Editor is Susan Wassel and the chief writer and creative thinker is Whitney Kelly, a public relations and social media maven on the rise. Whitney’s hard work shows through every post.

What Sharpie Markers Gets Right

Bloggers can take some pretty important cues from Sharpie, including…

A Bold Statement About the Sharpie Brand

Everything about this blog speaks of creativity. They feature Sharpie artwork anytime they find something cool to feature. And listen to their welcome statement…

In the beginning, man took paper and pen and put forth ideas and art. Then came Sharpie and the world exploded with a measure of color and vibrancy never seen before. Now, the Sharpie story continues here with inspirations and ideas and infinite possibilities.

A Close Connection With the Sharpie Community

Multiple Communities in fact. Sharpie has made every effort to infiltrate the content cloud where people live and breathe. They’ve covered all the bases to connect with people on Facebook, YouTube, and other channels. They sponsor giveaways, allow comments, and interact with their readers.

If you do cool stuff with Sharpies, join the Flickr group where your work can be featured along with some pretty stellar marker work.

A Person Behind the Blog

When I sent a note through the contact form, Whitney answered and was delighted to help anyway she could. I’ve noticed her personal touch throughout the blog posts under her name and this is one of the strengths of a great corporate blogging strategy. Let someone with a name, a face, and a sweet personality take the reins and really interact with the community. We love Sharpie, but we can’t connect with a company. We connect with people.

My One Suggestion for the Sharpie Blog Masterminds

It’s a little thing, really, but there’s no link back to the blog’s front (home) page. Either a “Home” link among the page navigation or turning the header graphic into a link to home would do wonders for the usability of the site. Aside from this little issue, Sharpie’s doing a lot of things right! Learn from them.

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Showcase: Sharpie Markers Blog and Random Creative Awesomeness

One of the perceptions of leadership in the blogosphere is that the “big blogs” are the leaders. These are the blogs listed in the Technorati Top 100. They are multi-author, celebrity driven, and corporately sponsored. I would contend, however, that a blog doesn’t have to be big to lead, but first let me define leadership. Leadership is influence, plain and simple. If you’re not influencing anyone, you’re not leading, you’re simply going for a walk!

Any blog can lead, and any blogger can influence others. We can shape thought and culture, motivate people to action, rally people to a cause, and provoke creativity. Here’s how…

Provoke Us to Challenge Conventional Thinking Like Seth Godin

Seth has a way of pointing out what we’re all thinking, then flipping it on its head. He’s provocative even when he’s not controversial and he leads by forcing us to think outside the bubble of what’s normally comfortable for us.

Inspire Us to Be Creative Like Vitaly Friedman

Vitaly is the genius heading up Smashing Magazine and Noupe. His blogs pretty much defined the “list post” before anyone else was doing it. Smashing Magazine is a creative industry “go to” resource and a common favorite of every kind of designer. He sets trends.

Share Your Wealth of Knowledge Like John Maxwell

John Maxwell has written dozens of books on leadership and has taught leaders and CEO’s in numerous Fortune 100 companies. He’s one of the most respected motivational speakers on the planet. His blog is the overflow of his writing and teaching career. He wrote a book, sharing a chapter at a time while allowing commenters to shape and edit his thoughts and consistently pours his words into leaders of industry every time he releases a post.

Teach and Model Great Principles Like John Jantsch

John Jantsch knows business and especially knows small business marketing. He understands that it all works a bit like duct tape – the universal problem-fixer. John consistently shares very practical and usable material on his Duct Tape Marketing blog. Many of his articles would be a part of premium content or seminar curriculum.

Do Everything Wrong Like Leo Babauta

Leo Babauta does it all wrong! He only displays one ad per page load. There’s no color, no gimmicks, no graphics… just consistently awesome content. Leo leads by simplicity. He’s a master of real minimalism and cuts away all the clutter that distracts from the one single idea he’s getting across. And this is highly effective.

Call Your Industry to Excellence Like John Saddington

John Saddington (with his awesome internet identity, human3rror) began a blogging journey a couple of years ago seeking to lead his own niche to step ahead of the crowd. If anyone seems to trail behind in innovation, it’s the church, and John is shaking all of that up. He recently led in the launch of the 8Bit Network, which seems to be the first and only network of its kind functioning well in its peculiar atmosphere.

The old adage is “if you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.” Maybe we should challenge that statement a bit. If you can’t run with the big blogs (if you can’t be the multi-author, corporately-sponsored mega-magazine-blog, create your own realm of influence. Lead those who will listen. Do something different and do it with both excellence and passion.

People are just waiting for you to lead!

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If You Can’t Run with the Big Blogs

This Week’s Flames
(Hot Resources)

7 Ways to Improve Your Blog in 2010

David Walker, guest posting for Bluggussion, writes an excellent and inspiring list of to do’s for the upcoming year. In particular, I’m delighted with his 7th piece of advice – “forget about the money to begin with.” In other words, just blog, write, and engage. Worry about the revenue later and focus on influence first.

Behind the Scenes of the Design Informer Redesign

Jad Limcao has proven his talent and zeal. In a crowded niche of design blogs that is ever-increasing in its saturation, Jad has set his blog apart as one of the best. Not only is he a part of the Smashing Network, his redesign has really established him as a serious blogger in his realm. This post shares the rationale behind his newest redesign and teaches some great lessons for bloggers along the way.

What Is the Future of Online News?

Bloggers have been making all kinds of predictions about what will happen to the news industry, especially print periodicals. Eli Penner chimes in with an interesting take and great insight into recent happenings such as the release of the iPad and trial runs of paid subscription programs. He closes by asking about how all of this relates to the niche blogger.

Seven Essential Elements of Blog Design

Angie Bowen’s great research skills show off well in this tremendous post about blog design. She points out the seven areas of the design of your blog you really can’t afford to ignore and provides stunning examples of each. It’s a great checklist as you evaluate the design of your own blog.

What Is A Blog?

Michael Martine is no stranger to blogging. He’s built a great career from it and has keen insight into effective blog communication. I love this post because it is profundity wrapped in simplicity. The question is simple enough – what’s blogging? But the answer is much deeper. I especially love his last two thoughts. It’s everything, and it’s nothing. Read it to find out what Michael meant.

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The Weekly Hot List (1)

Procrastination from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

Let me ask you a tough question… Why should I waste my time reading your blog? I don’t intend that question as any kind of harsh slam against your content. Rather, it’s a question we seriously need to think through. Is your blog worth my time? If not, then you’d have to admit it isn’t worth the time you put into it either.

I wouldn’t begin to suggest that blogging, in and of itself, is a waste of time. It’s the reason this online magazine exists to begin with. We believe that blogging is not only a beautiful artform, but also a powerful mechanism to shape thought and culture. What I would suggest is that the blogosphere is filled with fluff written by people who wasted their time producing the fluff.

No matter your niche, no matter your industry, your blog needs to matter and to justify its own existence. I want to issue some challenging statements to get you provoke you to think hard about whether you should waste time on your next blog post or not. I’m writing as your potential reader, so hear me out…

• I have a certain amount of time in my life to read blogs and I’m afraid of wasting time on content that doesn’t matter.
• I don’t want to waste my time reading another regurgitation of the content I just read in the last five articles I wasted time on.
• I want to read articles that make me think, that add something to my life, or that cause me to think about something I hadn’t thought about before.
• I want to read an article that you felt strongly about. Show me a little passion.
• I’m smart enough to know whether you wrote your article for me, or for a search engine, and if you wrote it for Google alone, I feel cheap.
• I like news, but I read news sites for news. I don’t mind a blogger re-hashing news, but I read blogs for perspective, so tell me why I should care.
• I like your articles even more if I discover that I like you… that is if I can find you underneath your blog somewhere.
• Entertainment isn’t always a waste of time. Don’t be afraid to make me laugh… or cry.

Think like a reader and your writing will change. Think like a content consumer and your blogging is forever affected. Is blogging a waste of time? It depends on how you’re going about the discipline to begin with. If your blog doesn’t waste my time, then you’re not wasting your time writing it.

So don’t waste your time on blogging. Make your minutes (and mine) matter.

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Don’t Waste Your Time on Blogging

As a guest speaker and trainer I have perfected my method of verbal delivery over the years, but the very first time I was asked to speak at a business training seminar I was a complete nervous wreck. My whole mind had gone in to panic, but not over my delivering subject, it was more over the actual delivery of my words and how I was going to engage with my audience in the most productive way.

So I had the training schedule which my client wanted me to work around, and in this schedule was a fifteen minute coffee break one hour in to the seminar. My thoughts and concerns were whether I could keep the audience with me, would they find me so boring that they would make a run for it during this break, leaving me with hardly any audience left.

My nerves were getting the better of me by this point and I would do anything to cling on to even the smallest amount of reassurance. So I purchased a new book called The Jelly Effect. This book was all about effective communication and learning the method of being able to communicate in a way in which the audience not only stays to listen to what you have to say, but they actually take more of it in and therefore your communication become effective in a much more productive way.

By the time I came to creating my own blog I thought back to this book because a lot of its values would help me to engage with my audience online. Before I discuss the methods of The Jelly effect and how I use them within my blog I just want to ask you something…Have you ever gone in to discussion with someone only to find half way through your conversation they are looking at you with a very blank and vague expression on their face?

Well this is the Jelly effect, it is all about how you can fall in to the trap of throwing far too much information at your audience and not getting to the point soon enough. I see bloggers doing this almost every day by bulking their blog posts with too much information and not enough relevancy of what I want to learn or what I thought I would be reading about when reading the post title. Bulking your blog posts with mind numbing content is a direct ticket the blog failure, so to save you from producing such content, I have created a list of what I have learnt from this book and from my own years of blogging, to help you and your blog become an online success.

1. Read & learn more – It is a fact that the more we read and learn about our subject and audience, the better writers we will become. Learn how to become a better writer by reading similar blogs to your own, and learn more about your audience by reading the comments to a particular blog post.
2. Don’t beat around the bush – If you have some interesting industry news to tell your readers…well tell them then and stop bulking your content with irrelevant content. A typical example of a writer beating around the bush is one who is writing for the search engines instead of their readers; do not fall in to this trap.
3. It’s not about you it’s about me – The last thing I want to read on a blog is a post all about you and your achievements, whether that is your turnover, awards nomination, new member of staff etc. I want to read and learn more about this industry and how I can improve myself, whether that be through a list of relevant tools & tutorials, industry news, and even inspiration.
4. Don’t lose your passion – This is something I have been told time and time again after delivering a training course or speech, I am very passionate about what I do and people are drawn in by that passion. If you lose your passion for what you are blogging about, this will come across in your posts.
5. Keep it real – When I read your blog I do not want to feel like the writer is talking at me, I want to feel like you are talking to me and therefore you are able to capture my imagination and I am able to engage in much more discussion from your blog post because I will feel like talking back to you. Asking questions & opinions is a clever technique to use when trying to bring your writing to life.

Only a short list but a relevant one, and each point can either make or break your blog depending on whether you choose to act upon them or simple ignore.

The methods above will enable you to engage with your audience and make your message stick, rather than your message being thrown at people and basically falling away because none of it has been taken in by your reader. Although I purchased The Jelly Effect to help me with my public speaking, its methods have helped me with how I communicate as a blogger and I would recommend it to anyone.

photo credit: horizontal.integration

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Stop Throwing Jelly at Your Readers

You may have heard that you can build your blog readership by guest posting on a prominent blog. But how do you get that prominent blog owner to accept your guest post? And what should you do to make the best possible use of this opportunity?

Never fear. Here’s everything you need to know about guest posting:

Go for the Big Guys

A lot of beginning bloggers are afraid to reach out to the big names for fear of being smacked down and perhaps mocked. I can see why, because if you tried to do this in the offline world, that’s probably just what would happen.

Imagine some stranger interested in marketing walking up and asking for a prominent place at the next Coca-Cola meeting to talk about his ideas? Yeah, not likely.

This isn’t the same world, though. In blogging, it’s a lot different. The big guys remember being little guys, and they want to help you out, especially if you have serious value to give to their readers.

These guys also have a more selfish reason for helping you: they’re really busy. They’re the big guys, after all. Taking the pressure off them to come up with a new post every day is a nice thing for you to do. Always remember that you’re doing them a favor in exchange for the favor of getting your writing in front of this big guy’s audience.

He gets something, you get something. Who wouldn’t say yes?

But Don’t Go Empty-Handed

That said, the big guys need to see that you have value to bring to their readership, which means you’re going to have to put some thought into what you’re pitching. Simply saying, “Hey, I blog about such-and-such, can I guest post for you?” isn’t going to cut it. You’re going to need to walk in with a proposal for a specific post.

Better yet, you’re going to need to walk in with that post already written and ready to go.

Consider the big blog’s readership. What do they want to know about? Why are they reading that blog in the first place? Whatever kind of advice they’re looking for, it’s best not to deviate from that general topic. You can bring a unique perspective to it, but you really shouldn’t guest post about fishing on a blog that’s all about vegetarianism.

That said, if you can figure out how your experience relates to the blog’s readership, that’s a unique post in the making. Maybe you’re a chef, but you’ve discovered a tactic from the kitchen that would be really brilliant for marketers to put to use.

Go knock on the door of a big marketing blog and hand them your post.

Do Your Best Work

You’re going to be posting in front of a much larger readership than your own. This is like the comedian who kills every night at the local comedy club finally getting his chance to go on The Late Night Show.

You only get one shot, so you better wow their socks off if you want them to seek you out after the show is over.

Work hard on the article, and make sure it’s your very best work. Think about organization, and triple-check for spelling and grammar errors. Make the benefits to your (borrowed) audience extremely clear.

Write your heart out.

Remember to Pitch Yourself

At the end of your post, you’ll get a link back to your own blog. You’ll also probably get one at the beginning if the blog owner introduced you to his audience beforehand. Some do, some don’t, but every single guest poster always gets a little one-to-two sentence paragraph at the end of the post to explain who they are and where they usually blog.

Don’t go for the obvious here. The impulse is to simply state what your blog is about, link to it, and run away.

What you want to do is intrigue the audience and bring them over to your blog to learn more about you. So craft a paragraph that talks about the most interesting thing you’ve done on your own blog. Try these:

• Johnny Cash writes about music, cocaine, and prison over at BluesJohnny, and you should check out his free ebook on how to get started in the music business with nothing but slicked-back hair and a dream.

• Karen Love is all about harmony, tweety birds, and never using curse words, but she also recently wrote a post about why you should sell your soul to the devil that’s well worth a read.

Remember to link to something interesting or free, and make sure to tell readers what you blog about so they know whether they should check you out. Which, if you landed that front-page position on that big-name blog, they should.

Happy guest posting.

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How to Guest Post Properly to Build Your Readership

There are plenty of ways to make money online, and blogging is one of them. The problem is, only a few people actually succeed at making money blogging, and many of those who do so are simply people who make money at blogging by blogging about how people can make money at blogging. Nevertheless, every day more people jump on the bandwagon.

Here’s a challenging thought. It’s simplicity wrapped in profundity… Influence is better than money.

Can influence make you rich? Certainly. But if you focus on being rich, you probably won’t have much influence at the end of the day. A principle we are very passionate about at Fuel Your Blogging is the idea that blogging is bigger and better than simply a tool for getting clicks and sales. It’s a communication mechanism that affords us an increased exposure and an ever-expanding influence with people.

Influence Takes Time to Build

You can make money overnight, but it takes time to build your influence. Whether you want to call it a following, a fan club, or a tribe, connecting with people and building a community is a long term goal that requires consistent investment in others.

Influence Takes Time to Show Its Reward

Influence usually produces income – it’s the blessed side effect of all the hard work. But the rewards are even more diverse than this. The connections you make as your blog touches more people are far more valuable than the immediate payoff. And the payoff sometimes takes time to show itself.

Influence Requires Hard Work

Most blogs that fail to become successful suffer the same shortages of patience and hard work. These are two of the elements of success people tend to mask over when selling a “make money blogging” program. Hard work can’t be done on autopilot. One of my favorite quotes is from John Maxwell…

Success is 1% inspiration and 99% persperation.

Growing your influence requires elbow grease and midnight oil.

Influence Multiplies

The ultimate reason influence is better than immediate income is that influence multiplies. Blogging in the digital age demands that we understand the viral nature of good content. My five fans will share my good post with each of their five fans. Soon your influence is multiplying. Getting rich is all about adding – more subscribers and more dollars. Influence is about multiplying – more self-appointed brand (or blog) evangelists spreading your message.

Influence Is Truly Earned

Influence depends on authority, which is built on trust, which is earned over time. Money can be made without any of these ingredients, but only in the short run. So why not go for the short term gain? Not to wax too philosophical, but influence is fueled by purpose and passion. There’s a point to possessing influence, which isn’t always true of money alone.

There isn’t anything wrong with making money. Sell your stuff. Offer advertising options. Forge partnerships. But never forget that influence matters more. In short, never compromise what you can have in the long term for what you can grab today.

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Blogging Is All About Money… Right?

There are some concerned about its privacy flaws and a lot of talk about what Buzz doesn’t offer… yet. Lifehacker offers up one of the best explanations of how Buzz works and how to use it, but the question I would raise is, can you afford to ignore it?

I was in a meeting yesterday with some editors of print magazines and we were discussing how social networking relates to the future of print publications. One of the statements made (which didn’t surprise me) was “we may not like these tools [i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.] but we can’t ignore them.” I must agree.

Can you be a successful blogger and ignore Buzz (and all of the other similar tools being released daily on the net)? The answer depends on your approach to blogging. If you blog to share with family and friends news about your life – Buzz doesn’t even have to exist for you. But if you’re looking to expand your blog’s influence in the business or entrepreneurial world, then you really can’t afford to ignore one of the biggest releases from one of the biggest tech players on the planet.

Will it aid your blog by driving more traffic? I think we’ll know more in a matter of days, but sometimes that doesn’t matter. You just can’t afford to ignore the elephant in the room for very long.

We’d like to know your thoughts. Where is Buzz going? Will it help? Does it matter? What do you think of the tool, and feel free to leave your buzz link at the bottom of your content. It’s formatted as: http://www.google.com/buzz/yourgooglename.

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Do You Dare Ignore Google Buzz?

Could my Christian blog really make it?

I’m sure SEO experts all around will surely sneer and turn their noses up at this one. Let them, it will only make those nose crumbs more visible. (Will someone please hand that guy a tissue already?)

When I started my Christian Blog eleven months ago, I did all the research I could and learned all I could learn about blogging and how to get readers and what not. I downloaded and read every ebook I could get my mouse to click on, and when I finally got to a point where the information became repetitive, I realized that I had a firm enough grasp to dive in, set up my blog and start writing.

I knew the rules, use your keywords, keywords, blah blah blah… but when I started writing I found the rules too constricting; too creativity sapping; too paralyzing. I didn’t feel like writing a post about the least competitve keywords with the highest search volume – so I didn’t. I tried, but it was so uninspiring. It made writing feel like a drag. Oh well, I guess the search engines wouldn’t be stopping by my spot.

Call it naivete, ignorance or flatout stupidity – whichever you like best (it won’t hurt my feelings, I promise), but this time last year, I couldn’t tell blogging from a whole in the ozone layer – but as I began to navigate through the blogosphere, I learned some very valuable lessons about blogging (and life).

Truthfully, what I’ve learned from blogging has far out weighed my feeble earnings. I’ve learned that persistence and perseverence pays off in the long run and I’ve learned a valuable life lesson – to make real connections with people, you’ve got to be willing to help and offer something of value. I learned that part the hard way – it really didn’t make any sense, that’s how things work in the offline world – why did I think it would be any different online?

That part of what I learned didn’t come from any of the hundreds of ebooks and reports I had read about blogging – it came from actual experience. It came from two very kind and loving people who decided to reach out to me and help me for no apparent reason. I didn’t have anything to give them in return, yet they went out of their way to Tweet my posts, to comment, to follow me on Twitter and become great inspirations to me.

Blogging also taught me to believe in my writing gift and utilize all the other talents God has given me to the fullest.

Blogging taught me that, while it does take a deep passion to undertake, the reward possiblities are infinite.

So I just decided to write the best content I could, in spite of the search engines – and somehow (Divine intervention, I believe), people from all corners of the world began to trickle on to my site. Even if Google wasn’t going to cooperate, there were infinite ways to get traffic.

This is what I did:

I started following and posting authentic comments on some high traffic/high ranking blogs.
I increased my following and began engaging others on Twitter.
I wrote guest posts.
I helped others by retweeting and promoting their blog posts.
I set some goals for everyday, and I don’t quit until I at least get close.
I wrote and wrote some more…every day, even if only a little.

But the greatest thing I did for my blog, was this: I began to allow others to see me in my writing. I often reluctantly reveal my flaws and share my unpleasant experiences with others so that they might benefit from what I’ve gone through.

Blogging has taught me to take what I learn and share it with others. I’ve come to realize that is my responsbility to do so. Just like you – I have countless of unique experiences that have taught me things that would benefit others to know as well. It makes those hard-learned lessons really mean something – I didn’t go through those trials for nothing – I went through them so that someone else might have an opportunity to change their life for the better. Use your unique experiences to your advantage to create valuable content.

That’s what valuable content is – content that makes life better for others in some way. It’s the kind that uplifts and encourages; that teaches and inspires; that provokes thoughts and shapes thinking. It’s the kind that can break through search engine barriers.

To wrap this up and to clarify things – I do take steps to optimize my site for search engines – I use the All-in-Seo plug-in for Wordpress – but optimization is what I do last – after I’ve already written my content. I use Google’s keyword tool, enter my title or potential tags, and then I search to find a keyword phrase that best fits with what I’ve already written. I look for keywords that have at least 500 Global Monthly Search Volume. If I find something that won’t ruin what I’m going for – I use it, if I don’t find anything, then I go with what I had originally. The point is, I write quality content first, then I go back and optimize whenever possible. SEO shouldn’t rule what I write – benefiting people should.

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I Threw SEO to the Wind

Fuel Brand, Inc. has just launched its newest magazine in a growing and increasingly awesome collection of magazines – Fuel Your Venture. It’s a place where you can explore the entrepreneurial you and flex your start-up muscles. It’s classy with some great content already coming out. Run on over and check it out!

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Explore the Entrepreneurial You at Fuel Your Venture

I still very strongly believe that comments and conversation are absolutely best practices for blogging (with good moderation), but it does raise an interesting point about blogging / writing / marketing on the internet… everything is always changing.

A few years ago, Spencer Johnson wrote a great little book simply entitled Who Moved My Cheese?. An excerpt of the description summarizes the story well…

Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place in a maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice–nonanalytical and nonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are “littlepeople,” mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It’s not just sustenance to them; it’s their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they’ve found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods–our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in–although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running off in search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out.

It’s a wonderful illustration of all of life, but I think it applies to the world of the internet and blogging. Our industry changes with the wind. New software platforms rise and fall. Blogging services come and go. The rules of search engine optimization are always in flux. And the web culture is an ocean with unpredictable currents beneath the surface, always ready to move us in some new direction.

Here’s the question… are you adaptable? Can your blog handle the future?

Google gets it, like it or not. They may make a mistake someday, but to this point, they’ve had enough of a handle on the web to see that people want to compute in a cloud, so with email, apps, collaboration, calendars and everything in between, they’re fulfilling those demands. Yahoo doesn’t get it, in my estimation. They’re still hoping someone will turn down a dead end street to arrive at Yahoo and stay there.

You’ve heard of “survival of the fittest.” It applies online too and your blog can become a momento rather quickly if you aren’t on guard and aware. This raises some important challenges for how we blog down the road:

• Be aware of web culture – become a student of the direction things are going.
• Decide if you’re going to go with the flow of technology or hold on to yesterday’s techniques in your cold dead hands. It was nice knowing you.
• Critique everything about your blog at all times: the design, the structure and layout, the conversational systems, the community management, and the voice of your writing.
• Adapt. Or go extinct.

The rate of change in our industry is accelerating and we’re either going to keep pace or perish. How do you see things shaping up? What are the trends we need to be aware of for this year and the next? Who are the people, companies, or apps to watch? And how do you adjust on the fly without losing your soul?

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Oh the Interwebs! Adapt or Go Extinct

Blogging is coming to maturity as an industry, but it’s going through some growing pains. In fact, it may be in an awkward growth stage and seeking its own identity amid the plethora of promotional tactics.

In the beginning, blogging was about journaling. Now blogging is about marketing and news (but there’s still room for the personal journal too). Many bloggers, especially those who value blogging as a powerful social media platform, see blogging as a conversational tool. Traditional media seeks to feed news to the masses, while new media seeks to create conversations about news among the smaller tribes. But that’s still up for debate.

Yesterday, it was announced that Engadget was turning off comments. This might seem like a simple move made for a simple reason – to ward off inflammatory comments – but it’s certainly sparked a lot of discussion about the nature of the “blog” as we know it.

My headline might have caught your attention because of your vehement disagreement with the idea that listening is optional, and I would have to agree with your disagreement. The rise of conversation marketing, especially as it is carried out through the vehicle of blogging, is extremely important to our industry. The question is, should we be alarmed at any sign of reversal? Should we care at all what Engadget does with their own blog?

The better question is probably this: do we understand just how important listening is to the entire spectrum of social media today (at which blogging is still the center)? If blogging is not only a reporting method, but also a tool for generating conversation, then listening must be extremely important as it’s really the chief cornerstone of what conversation is all about.

My own approach to decision-making, communication, and leadership tends to be marked by listening, then responding, then listening some more. Only when we understand our readers, clients, consumers, or fans can we rightfully expect to garner their full attention when we speak.

I don’t know what you’ll decide in the future about comments on your blog, I just know that we absolutely must keep listening. And in the spirit of this, what are your thoughts?

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Conversation Is Essential. Listening is Optional.

We had the opportunity to interview Evan Britton. Evan is a longtime internet veteran who founded Sency in 2009. The goal of Sency is to bring real time content, links, and tools to internet users in an organized and simple fashion. I’ve been fascinated by how Sency’s tools can be put to use by bloggers and we wanted Evan to share some thoughts with you as well.

FYB:

Evan, tell us a little bit about your own background. How did things develop in your life to the point of launching Sency?

Evan:

I went to the first ever Twitter conference in Los Angeles – seeing the functionality that was offered through their API motivated me to build Sency.

FYB:

And why is the real-time web such a big deal? In other words, why should bloggers be taking notice?

Evan:

For years, many companies have tried to launch a search engine offering a new way to search. These new engines picked up steam because they didn’t offer the user something new. The real time web is different, it gives you a window into people’s minds at any time in regards to any subject matter. Bloggers have the ability to utilize this real time data to add in functionality to their site and learn more about what is being said right now in their respective niches.

FYB:

How do you see real-time search results shaping the future of how people browse the internet and utilize services?

Evan:

Many searches will always be best performed via Google. If you want to shop, or learn information about something, Google is the way to go. However, if you want to see what is being said right now about any person, event, sports team, or anything else – a real time search is the way to go. This new way to search is unique in that today the results will be different from what they were yesterday. Its instant, you are seeing what is happening right now in regards to a given keyword.

FYB:

What tools are available to help bloggers get a handle on the real-time web, and tell us in particular what Sency offers?

Evan:

There are a wealth of tools out there. I wrote about several real time web tools here. Sency offers bloggers the ability to have automatically updating, real time information, scrolling on their blog for any keyword. This information can add value to a blog instantly.

FYB:

If you can, give one example of how a blogger might utilize a real-time tool like Sency for research and blogging?

Evan:

Visit RealTimeBball.com. Click on your favorite pro basketball team, and you’ll see content scrolling for that respective team. So, a blog about the Knicks, can have scrolling automatically updating content for anytime someone mentions the knicks on the real time web. The second half of this youtube video gives a great tutorial for how to use the Sency widget.

FYB:

What other insights can you share about the power of the real-time web? What haven’t we covered?

Evan:

I think that bloggers should make a point to perform real time web searches in regards to the keywords of their industry weekly. Doing this can show you what people are saying and this can lead to ideas for future blog posts. Also, implementing real time web tools into a blog can have several benefits and over time, these tools are going to improve with time so it will be beneficial to get involved in the early going.

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Blogging and the Real-time Web