Bring IT! How Do You Stay Motivated to Blog?

February 23rd, 2011 116 Comments

motivation Bring IT! How Do You Stay Motivated to Blog?Hello My Lovelies,

Welcome to the 4th round of Bring IT!

This right here, is also my 200th blog post on nittyGriddy ;)! Pretty wild eh?

So, Hooray to me for making it this far and probably writing as many words as Shakespeare and Cheers to my next 200 posts!

And no, I did NOT just compare myself to one of the greatest writers in history, I simply implied that I may have written as many pages as he has. For those of you who know me, this is where you’d nod your head in agreement.

Now I’m sure you’re getting tired of hearing me express my excitement about this series, and you’re probably right. But you have to give me credit for finding new and original ways of telling you how awesome the conversation was the week before.

Seriously folks, I’m not kidding. A lot of people had A LOT to say about comments and RT’s. I guarantee that you’ll learn a thing or two about some of your favorite bloggers. I did!

Seeing that this post is a milestone in my blogging journey, I think this week’s question is rather complementary.

Are you ready to Bring IT!?

Great! Now tell me…

How Do You Stay Motivated to Blog?

What keeps you coming back to write on your blog day after day, month after month?

As for Me…

Is it the revenue?

I don’t make any money from this blog yet, and I don’t have other mouths to feed.

There are times when I get sidetracked. I become so overwhelmed with what I should or could be writing that I get annoyed. So I procrastinate and tell myself the world won’t come to an end if I don’t publish something today. I try to ignore the lump of guilt that sits in my throat until I post my next piece.

Blogging isn’t easy. It’s tough to keep the focus and momentum going week after week. I’m sure you know what I mean.

But then I realize that I’m still sitting in front of the computer – annoyed and all, but still sitting with an itch to write. I believe they call it persistence.

Except for my 2 weekly series which obviously keep me motivated, I don’t have a set posting schedule.

So how do I muster the motivation I need?

  • I think of the community I’ve built and my readers who expect to see something new and interesting when they stop by.
  • I think how my next blog post could attract new visitors.
  • I re-read the many emails and comments with feedback that I’ve received.
  • I try and stick to topics that interest me.
  • I think of myself helping others or how my words could entertain them.
  • I remember the goals that I set for myself publicly. They encourage me to keep at it so that I don’t disappoint myself and my readers.
  • I look at my Twitter stream and realize that my work is being shared. Retweets are always an added incentive.
  • I compete with ME. I tell myself what I want my Alexa ranking or my traffic numbers to be next week.
  • I think of the credibility and respect that I’m slowly earning from my peers.
  • I re-read older posts and see how I’ve improved with time.
  • I read success stories written by bloggers I trust and realize that I could eventually turn a  profit.
  • I take advantage of my energy peaks. If I’m on a roll, I keep writing. Even if I’ve just published a post, I start on the next one.
  • I carry a little notebook with me where I jot down ideas for new posts.

There’s a few more that I can think of, but enough about me!

What About You?

How do you motivate yourself?

When you’re tired or not in the mood, what do you do that helps?

[image credit: via askGeorgie.com]

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SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #18

February 20th, 2011 44 Comments

paperboy SuperPost Sunday Weekly Roundup #18Hello My Lovelies,

I hope you’re all enjoying your Sunday.

I want to apologize for publishing today’s SuperPost a little later than usual :(. I was actually stuck driving in the fog at 2 miles an hour under a small snow storm and didn’t make it back home until a little while ago. Then I had to whip up this nice little intro for ya ;).

That’s it! That’s my no bullshit excuse.

Live Your Love Doesn’t Love THIS!

So, I don’t know if you guys heard or not, but my very cool bloggapal Brankica Underwood, who I’ve dubbed the “BloggingTip Meister” (amongst other nicknames), has created quite the stir with her review of MarketMeSuite.

Now, I’ve never used the product and therefore do NOT have a personal opinion on it. I’ve heard some great things from some top notch bloggers who use it. But like all things – we can never know what we like and works for us, until we try it for ourselves.

Unfortunately, Brankica had a shitty experience with her purchase and was honest enough to share her personal views (which she is entitled to) about MMS and how it fell awfully short of her expectations.

If you use this product, make sure to let Brankica know whether you like it or not. Either way, don’t miss out on the plethora of controversial comments.

The CEO of MMS had quite a few things to say about the poor review but alas…diplomacy was not her preferred style of speech.

The Tao of Twitter

The brilliant thought leader and distinguished gentleman, Mark Schaefer, has just published his latest book, “The Tao of Twitter“. Now I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, (although I will very soon) but if you know Mark and his work – both as a blogger and Marketing professional – then you know that this book will be nothing short of excellent.

Oh, and if you don’t know Mark, then you’ve seriously been missing out. But it’s never too late ;).

If you’re struggling with how to use Twitter properly or simply looking to up your game, then I strongly suggest you buy this very useful, practical and affordable book. As Mark himself says, “The Tao of Twitter” is “a unified system to approach Twitter for optimal personal and business benefits.”

By the looks of it, just about any one can benefit from this book; businesses, marketing pros, consultants, professors, agency leaders, college students and Social Media aficionados.

Please support my friend Mark with his latest achievement by stopping by to congratulate him and purchasing a copy of his book. You’d be doing yourself a favor.

I can’t wait till my copy arrives :D!

Alright, I’ve kept you waiting long enough!

Time for Some Goodies…

“Without further ado and blah blah”, here are this Sunday’s rockin’ SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

Social Media

A few days ago I was at work crafting a high level social strategy that will go beyond the Flightster blog and really enable us to take advantage of social media in a way that really allows us to understand our customers…

Facebook, my Facebook, wherefore art thou, Facebook? With Facebook having introduced quite a few changes to business pages, most of us are scratching our heads as to how to make the best use of them…

Many bloggers have started to veer away from the ad-based monetization model. Good choice, unless you’re looking for a very steep uphill battle for enough eyeballs to even just pay your cell phone bill…

Blogging Tips

Two years ago I sat on this exact black, office chair. I was doing something I no longer liked, and I dreaded every hour of it. I was playing online poker, and I craved to do something else. I had the desire to write, but I didn’t believe…

I’ve been writing, on and off, since my early teens – but it’s only in the last three years that I’ve really taken my writing seriously. It’s made a dramatic difference. I write far, far more. I write better. I finish things – something which…

Headlines are the most important attribute any article can have. I don’t care how well optimized that post is, or how long tail the targeted keywords are – if your title sucks, then you are doomed from the offset…

WordPress in itself is a decent system but it can be made into a rock solid blogging beast. Adding plugins can make WordPress into the Swiss Army Knife of blogging: just pull out whatever functionality you need for your specific…

I love ebooks. I love reading them. I love writing them. I love collecting them. Heck, I even lovethinking about writing them. But I think some bloggers are a little bit afraid of writing ebooks, and most bloggers don’t bother…

Let me tell you a little secret about blogging: It’s very formulaic. It’s more craft than art. If you can internalize what’s required to write a solid blog post, you’ll beat out the competition in the same way someone with a black belt…

For me, punctuation and its accompanying list of rules always stood out as the frontrunner for boring grammatical topics when I was in high school. That was until a college professor introduced me to Lynne Truss and her little book…

Internet Marketing

I have been in discussions with several people about Niche Market websites. In the past I have always regarded a Niche site as someone’s Primary Authority site, probably because back in the olden days we all spent a lot of time…

Personal Branding

I have many role models – awesome people who use their creativity to impact the world awesomely. They come from the most diverse backgrounds: fashion designers, bloggers, filmmakers and comic book artists…

The weekend is upon us folks and I wanted to discuss a topic we can all relate to and one that has been receiving more and more attention recently: Avatars.  Always up for a good conversationand debate, I can’t wait to hear…

These days we live and die online. I have been thinking about my social presence and what it is like for a person who works overseas to manage their social presence.  Every person goes about it differently, you can have…

Online Money Making Tools

Working a 9-5 job may be the dream of some people. Maybe you can handle having a boss that tells you what to do, when to do it, and how it has to be done. If that doesn’t bother you just a little bit, then go ahead and click the red…

The biggest question that people have when reading any blog or article that talks about making money in any way, shape, or form is, “does it work?” And that’s a great question, one you should ask at regular intervals both of the sites…

MishMash

I’ve been online long enough to observe 2 groups of people who are doing some form of business online. 1. those who are struggling and 2. those who are going from success to success. What’s the difference between the two…

You know those scam emails that you get? The kind that “offer you a million dollars if you send some money to this African prince” or “Your account has been breached. Please access through information below” or “Click…

Tell me if this sounds familiar: In the bottom right drawer of your desk, you have the beginnings of your novel. Maybe it’s in a box in your closet. Or tucked away somewhere on your hard drive. Yeah. Novels are like old bones a dog…

Call it The Egyptian Revolution,  The eRovolution, iRevolution or Revolution 2.0. In any case, I believe we are watching a revolution that was not only written in Egyptian history, but world history. It will be a case study…

One of the biggest questions most businesses have about social media is what you should do when someone posts something negative about you. This could be a tweet, a Facebook status update, a mention in a LinkedIn group…

Now that I’ve lured you over here thinking this post is going to be another romantic saga  – it is Valentine’s Day after all- about how I’ve toiled in my endeavors to find true, passionate, everlasting LOVE, I’m sorry to disappoint…

When you have major changes going on in your life, or you’re just frustrated about where you are, it’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of depression, bad moods and frustration.  I know, I’ve been there…

Times have changed. You can’t just send traffic to a sales page and expect people to buy if they’ve never heard of you before; relationships are critical now-a-days. Oh, and let’s not forget about the customer experience…

I can’t believe it’s really been an entire year since I first took over this blog. At the same time it seems so long ago and yet it also feels like it was just yesterday.  I don’t exactly understand how that’s possible and yet it is…

One of the hardest things we do is to make the choice not to work with everyone who wants to hire us. That’s easier read than done. In some cases, we say no to protect ourselves. Those of us building our young reputations…


[image credit: via Blog For Profit]

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Bring IT! Do You Want More Comments or Retweets on Your Blog Posts?

February 16th, 2011 130 Comments

thinking cap Bring IT! Do You Want More Comments or Retweets on Your Blog Posts?Hello My Lovelies,

Are the weeks flying by, or is it just me? Because I could’ve sworn I just finished writing last week’s Bring IT! 10 minutes ago. But then again, I could’ve sworn I was 21 only yesterday. Sigh :(.

I hate to sound repetitive, but I’m just so damn happy about the success of this series so far. Seriously folks – thank you for being such wonderful conversationalists and contributors and for making me look forward to Wednesday’s :D.

Alright, enough small talk…

I’ve been scratching my head for some time now about the answer to this week’s Bring IT! question.

Do You Prefer To Get More Comments or RTs on Your Posts?

Would you be happier with 10 comments and 100 retweets or 100 comments and 10 retweets?

I know most of you do a bit of both and if you’ve got nothing to say or simply lack the time or patience to comment, then retweeting is the quicker way to help out and spread the word.

But I’m interested in what you’d rather have more people do on YOUR blog. RT or comment? And I’m not talking about the ever so popular drive-by’s either.

As For Me…

Granted…I want to see a sh** load of both. I want Godin’s RT’s and Higbee’s comments lol! But I’m sure you do too.

On the one hand – the more RT’s a post gets, the more it helps the growth of the blog. It means new and recurring visitors and more traffic – which inevitably leads to higher rankings and maybe even a larger Twitter following.

With some stroke of luck, your post could even go viral if the right “influencer’s” get a hold of it.

But on the other hand, a lot of comments means a healthy and engaging community. And it’s one of the things we strive to achieve as bloggers.

  • It means I get a chance to reply in kind – something you know I enjoy doing.
  • It means my post made some kind of an impact and that my readers appreciated (or even disliked) it enough to take the time to do more than RT.
  • It means getting to know your audience a bit more and even learning from them.
  • It means generating ideas for future posts and exchanging ideas, tips or techniques.
  • It means attracting more folks to join the conversation because let’s face it, a post becomes more appealing to readers when they see others discussing it.

I’ve noticed a lot of my posts have been getting more comments than RT’s lately – or else an equal amount. I’m not sure what that ratio indicates but I know it means that people are enjoying the topics enough to want to participate. And that’s fantastic!

Damn! When I first set out to answer this, I thought I’d never be able to decide. But it seems that my choice has become more and more evident as I write.

So, although I absolutely LOVE to have my posts retweeted (hint, HINT) and watch my blog grow, I’m going with comments.

Oh, and in case my hint wasn’t clear…

“Please share the love and RT this post if you like it. And of course, a comment from you, would surely make my day :D.”

After all, your input is kinda what this series is about.

Now it’s your turn to Bring IT!

What About You?

What do you prefer to see more of on your blog posts – RT’s or comments? And why…

Again, I know getting a lot of both would rock. But pretend it’s a life and death situation for a minute, and you just had to choose.

[image credit: by Mark A. Hicks – Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com]

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Valentine’s Day – the Love Industry

February 14th, 2011 21 Comments

Note to Readers: This article was originally published February 14th of last year. I’ve polished it and re-published it today, cause, well…it’s kinda relevant to the day – don’t you think ;)?

It’s Here Again…

Well, V-Day is finally here – and so is all the lovin’ pressure that comes with it!

What to get her, what to get him, what restaurant to book, what meal to cook, what kind of flowers to buy, what to write in the card, what romantic words to say, blah blah blah…

A lot of people say they don’t care about Valentine’s Day or they just don’t get what the big deal is – at least that’s what a lot of women pretend to think and what many men really do. I said many, not all! Jeez!

Deep down, I think most women (and some men too) expect something; some grand move that will reassure them that they’re loved and appreciated. Because on this day, all the other days of love, passion and romance are conveniently forgotten. On this day, she (meaning us ladies lol) expects an affirmation, an effort, a gesture, a thought, a night in shining armor, a “anything” from her man.

But then again, she also expects that on Mother’s Day, her birthday, her delivery day, Labor Day, International Women’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Wednesday’s… pretty much every other day of the year lol!

So whether today is a big deal to you or not, kind of matters – because it sure as hell is a big deal to the florists who jack up their prices x 3, the greeting card companies, the chocolate factories, the balloon makers, the restaurant owners, the jewelers, the heart-shaped candy manufacturers… basically, all the places your precious money will be going to.

So when you think of Valentine’s Day from this other point of view, then YES, it is a big deal – it’s frickin’ New Year’s!

Stan Reybern from Bill Shrink designed this infographic showcasing the costs and stats of love in America.

Although it seems a bit outdated – seeing that the latest year mentioned is 2004 –  it’s definitely worth taking a look at as it is an interesting representation of the industry that is love.

Wise Words of Advice

Men – do yourself a favor and avoid another senseless argument. Even if she says she doesn’t care or doesn’t want anything special, ignore her – unless you know for a fact that she really means it! And even then, she probably doesn’t.

Run to the flower shop, the mall, the jewelers, the toy store, wherever, whatever… and get something, then write something, then say something!

And ladies – for Pete’s sake, do something nice as well. But most of all…enjoy the TLC ;)!

Oh, I almost forgot….Happy Valentine’s Day!

Now I’d love to hear your thoughts or rants about Valentine’s day and all that comes with it. Do you care? Do you make it a point to celebrate with your significant other? Do you work in any of these industries and have something to add?

PS – Please feel free to send me virtual gifts via any Social Media channel ;).

valentines day infographic Valentines Day the Love Industry

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SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #17

February 13th, 2011 27 Comments

Hello My Lovelies,

And welcome to SuperPost Sunday XVII!

Every Sunday for the past 17 weeks, I’ve tried my best to come up with humorous or witty intros to this series in an effort to entertain you…or bewitch you with my mystical words – whichever lol. And in all honesty, I think I’ve been doing a decent ass job so far – don’t you think?

Wow, how very uncool of me to have worded my question so that it answers itself, huh? Dammit, I did it again ;).

Well, I gotta’ be honest with you – I don’t have much of a punch for ya this week, so I hope you’ll forgive me for getting straight to the goodies. Either that or you’ll probably thank me for the shortER post lol.

I do want to say however, that I’m super pleased with how my Bring IT! series has taken off. I know there’s only been 2 of them so far but the conversations have been fantastic. So once again, a jumbo-sized thank you to all of you who have been so supportive and generous with your takes.

I also have a pretty interesting Valentine’s Day post and infographic for you tomorrow, so make sure to check back then. No worries, there will be no lovey-dovey talk of any kind.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Griddy’s SuperPost!

the griddy plane SuperPost Sunday Weekly Roundup #17

Cheesy heading – I know. But convenient nonetheless.

So how ’bout that Griddy plane? Ain’t it the bomb?!

Oh, and there was no photoshoping of any kind my friends. It’s real, it’s not huge, but it flies :D!

Alright, enough said…

“Without further ado and blah blah,” here are this Sunday’s kick-ass SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

Social Media

Now and then I’ll have an idea which I just know is going to be a success. Sometimes though, I’m just plain wrong. Like the time I decided to email every single Technorati Top 100 blogger asking for their ’secrets to success’…

In the new economy there is one major truth that stands above the rest. Trust equals revenue. If you are a small to mid-sized business or organization it is the amount of trust you can build between people that…

Twitter is a powerful marketing tool.  Buthave you considered using the power of Twitter to enhance marketing efforts—social media or not?  This article will show you how. Most people talk about Twitter…

I recently wrote about how Beni Hana Kuwait was attacking Mark Mahou, a great expat blogger from Kuwait. The above is a screen grab of their now defunct Facebook Fan page. The page got flooded by negative comments…

Getting a job is tough. Especially when you are fresh out of university and faced with a recession. And that’s why I’m here today. I’m here to tell you the story of what a job hunt is like right now and how a blog post changed my life…

Imagine it is 1881, three years since the printing of the first phone book and the founding of the first telephone exchange company. You’re one of the fortunate few with access to a telephone. Some have been…

Blogging Tips

In the current blogging landscape of lowest-common-denominator marketing and recycled “top 10? lists, there’s something incredibly simple you can do to dominate your topic and stand above your competitors as a leader…

It’s no secret that I used to be homeless when I was a kid (and later as an adult), but that childhood experience resulted in a lesson on business. The lesson learned was to avoid the same issues that took a strong…

Blogging is an exciting thing. Even more exciting is being a newbie blogger. Every matured living being passes few stages before becoming so. For instance, there is a single cell stage, an embryo, new born, child, teen…

What’s wrong with my blog? That’s a very frustrating question that many bloggers ask. You’re passionate about your topic and you provide great advice to solve reader’s problems. You wrap up your posts…

I read a crazy statistic today. Most bloggers quit blogging in the first 2-3 months. That one smacked me in the face. There are 31 million blogs in the U.S. and there will be 34 million blogs by the end of the year. But the Pew…

Let’s get it straight. Blogging is not a standalone job. You cannot blog in a space that doesn’t exist and to a group of virtual people. You need people—yes, living human beings, not just pairs of eyeballs—to read your blog…

Strong title, huh? Well, to be honest, it was meant to be. In fact, take a second and have hard look around here at Blogging Bookshelf. How many different blogs/authors do you see between all the comments, mentions, shares…

I have talked about this before, but alas, I will say it again. Converting traffic is not just a sale. A conversion is whatever action you want your readers to complete. That can range anywhere from buying…

Since we’re not spending money on ink or the printing-press, and we certainly don’t have Editors, we the bloggers tend to go on and on and on…sometimes it’s a challenge to be able to present an idea in a span…

SEO

Today I wanted to give you all a heads up to something that happened to my blog this past week, since the new Google change took effect. If you don’t know yet.. Google has made a direct effort to now remove all sites/blogs…

Traffic Building

Chris Brogan says the more you post, the more traffic you get. Julien Smith sees it differently. He says writing fewer posts can drive more traffic. Considering they co-authored the book Trust Agents together, some people…

Sometimes it seems extremely hard to get those first 100 visitors to your articles and it can be frustrating when this happens; especially when you are new to the world of Internet Marketing and you just don’t know…

Internet Marketing

You know, with all this talk about making money online, it had me thinking – what happened to the good ol’ bartering system? There’s something about being able to trade and item or service for another; the thrill of the haggle…

Attraction Marketing is the most powerful concept that you can use in your business to attract laser-targeted and endless prospects to you like honey attracts bees. Most network marketers are still wasting their time…

MishMash

It must be a hugely stressful and exciting opportunity to find your startup with a slot for a commercial at the Super Bowl. Who wouldn’t want to make a fabulous debut? Can you imagine the meetings that must…

Today I wanted to do a review, at least that was the intention — but then things kinda got out of hand icon smile SuperPost Sunday Weekly Roundup #17 As you know I make money from niche sites and affiliate marketing, mainly through the Amazon Associates program…

Someday I will go back to Iran. It will be summertime so the roses will be in full bloom, the air will be full of optimism, tinged with a trace of nostalgia, and the warm Tehran sun can quickly dry my tears…

Last Tuesday, I attended a women’s lunch hosted by a local business networking group I belong to here in Tucson. It was a great experience, and so different from networking online. To me, there is nothing like the feeling…

What does your brand represent? Do I have to agree with you? Or can I form my own opinion? A brand is a funny thing – it communicates your core and tells your story. It’s something we work hard at building equity…

It’s inconceivable to me that anyone continues to read your drudge. Vulgar language is confused for wit, a little-girl-lost routine mistaken for relevancy and a column named after a violent gesture that I can only guess…

For me, Valentine’s Day is just one of those strange holidays that are totally unnecessary. But for business, it’s a completely different story. In my opinion, it’s mostly there to help bridge the gap between Christmas…

Happy Birthday Gini Gin!!!! I wish that we were together celebrating, I miss you tons! I want to take the occasion of the celebration of your birth to apologize for two things.  I digress, apologizing means that you are truly sorry…

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Bring IT! What’s Your Biggest Challenge as a Blogger?

February 9th, 2011 82 Comments

pulling hair out Bring IT! Whats Your Biggest Challenge as a Blogger?Hello My Lovelies,

Are you as excited as I am for round 2 of Bring IT!? Yes…No?

Okay, so maybe this series isn’t what you’ve been impatiently waiting for all week, but you can’t blame a girl for showing a little enthusiasm, right ;)?

I was overjoyed (as in jumping up and down in my head) by the turnout on last week’s Bring IT! It was certainly brought, and then some!

The comments were so thorough (Griddy-length) and I learned quite a bit; both from and about you. I hope you feel the same way, cause after all – that was kinda the point.

So, thanks again for taking the time to share how much of your self you’re willing to reveal to your readers and for adding to the community as a whole. I truly enjoyed and appreciated the engagement that went on.

If you didn’t get a chance to leave your pennies, make sure to head over there and tell us how naked you get on the net.

It’s a metaphor people! Sheesh!

Unless you’re (insert cool hot dude’s name here lol), I have no interest whatsoever in you stripping down to the nitty-gritty. Ha!

Alright, moving on to this week’s Bring IT! question…

What is Your Biggest Challenge as a Blogger?

What do you struggle with most?

Or in other words – what is the hardest thing you face as a blogger?

I think it’s safe to say that every blogger aims to create value for their readers somehow. We always want more traffic, comments & engagement, shares, likes…Even if we know that it’s really quality over quantity that matters.

But what about these factors:

I’m not gonna’ spell them all out for you, cause you know what YOU struggle with. These are just a few of the popular ones.

As For Me…

I probably struggle with most of this list, but I’m only allowing myself to share 2. Damn you word count and attention spans lol ;)!

1. Motivating to learn and implement SEO strategies – that’s a big one for me.

I’m the writing kind of blogger. I’m ATTAC – “all things techie with abbreviations challenged”.

I don’t do the whole keyword search thing.

Besides filling in tags and part of the “All in One SEO pack”, I don’t do much else. No Market Samurai or any other ninja like tools for me.

I don’t have PayPal and therefore am limited to what I can purchase online. But that’s another story.

Everyday, I say I’m gonna’ work on my SEO. I have all the necessary pages bookmarked, all the free plugins and add ons installed and yet…

I suck at this and I wish I could hand over my WP password to someone like Alex, Ana, or Tristan (and a few others) to do it all for me, but that would defy the purpose.

2. Not taking so long to write each post – Long, as in time and not length ;).

I always want the post I’m working on to be better; to have a catchy image, to be void of any typos, to be more entertaining, useful and easier to read…and therefore will go back and forth 100 times before I hit publish.

You see, I’m kind stuck in the anal stage when it comes to writing. It has to look and sound perfect to me.

A teacher once told me that there was no such thing as an A+ paper. He was right.

There’s no perfect blog post either – no matter how hard you try to make it one. Accept it and move on (if you can).

I’m also easily distracted (damn you Twitter & co.) and tend to multi-task.

Instead of focusing on one post at a time, I tackle 8. If I don’t get into a zone or “focus mode”, it could take me hours to complete a 1000 word post.

I know some people use a stop watch. I don’t.

I’ve never written a post here that took less than 45 minutes to complete – regardless of the length.

Alright, enough about me. I’m much more interested to read about you.

What About You?

Don’t be shy…Bring IT!

PS – Don’t forget to lend helping hand (in the comments) if you know how to make someone else’s blogging challenges a little easier.

[image credit: selldomainnameguide.com]

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SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #16

February 6th, 2011 43 Comments

paper girl SuperPost Sunday Weekly Roundup #16Hello My Lovelies,

Well it seems my SuperPost has a little bit of competition today with the Super Bowl XLV, so I will bow out gracefully and pretend that the 200 million people that usually read this series are otherwise occupied watching the Steelers and Packers (as well as their cheerleaders) fight for the trophy of trophies.

May the best team win.

Moving on…

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.

As for me…I’ve had better weeks. But hey, such is life.

Violins won’t be necessary. I’m still as giddy and sarcastic as any teenage school girl. Well, maybe like the older sister of a teen age school girl, cause let’s face it – I’d be pretty balsy to try and convince you all that I’m 16 ;).

But on the bright side, my week in the blogosphere has been just as pleasant as always.

Well, Looky Here…It Seems that I’m a Badass!

Yup, that’s what it looks like.

This here is a great big shout out to Diana Adams from the Rebels Network and Adams Consulting Group as well as Amy D. Howell from Howell Marketing Strategies for labeling me as one of Twitter’s Top 75 Badass Women :D.

Okay, so that smiley is a bit on the geekish side but it kinda shows off my teeth. Plus, who cares? I’m a badass so I can be a little nerdy if I want to – so Ha!

In all seriousness though, some fabulous ladies are on that list, including Christina Kingston, Shelly Kramer, Erika Napoletano, Anne Deeter Gallaher, Marjorie Clayman, Kat Jaibur and 68 other badass gals, so make sure to get to know a few of them if you don’t already.

Oh, It Was Broughten!

I wanted to say a quick but HUGE thank you to all of you who shared your valuable pennies on my new series Bring IT! this week. I learned a lot about many of you.

I was pleased as hell with the level of engagement, which makes me even more excited for round 2 this coming Wednesday :).

If you didn’t get a chance to tell us what you reveal of yourself online and how much you tell your readers about you, then by all means – hit the comments and spill your guts!

Publicity at it’s Finest or Worst?

In other news, well actually – in all the news – it’s been about Egypt this week. Oh, plus a little Kenneth Cole.

Now I’m sure you’ve all heard by now of that infamous Tweet that’s made it’s way into every other PR blog and post.

If you ask me, it was in poor taste. But I’m not gonna’ get into the nitty-gritty details here but feel free to share your thoughts on that.

If you haven’t been following up, then I suggest you read any one of these good articles – including the comments.

In Other Blog News…

Once you’re all done here make sure to stop by Danny Brown’s house (not the one where he actually lives please) today for his inaugural episode of Sunday Brunch. Seriously guys, you don’t want to miss Danny’s insight on Social Media Policy, especially with that lady-killer accent of his ;).

On another note, my good friend Gini Dietrich needs your help finding a new name for her Top 5 Stories of the Week series. Gini was actually the one who helped me decide on SuperPost Sunday and I have every intention of going over there and sharing a few of my witty and wacky pennies with her.

Okay, phew…that’s it!

So…

“Without further ado and blah blah,” here are this Sunday’s SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

Social Media

In this video I interview Mari Smith, author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day. Mari talks about the Brand of You and how to monetize your personality on social media. You’ll discover the steps needed to build…

It’s no secret that I love social media. I am very active on many platforms such as onTwitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr and Youtube to name just a few. And although I am not afraid of sharing parts of my life on these platforms…

Welcome back to our Symposium on Sucking at Social Media. So far you’ve learned how to create a crappy Twitter profile and the basics of how to suck at Facebook. This week, we will be tackling the most professional…

Early in my blogging days I spent a lot of time seeking out networks to belong to where I could engage other bloggers and promote my articles.  After sorting through dozens of networks, I eventually settled on a handful…

Your phone rings, and a voice loudly tells you: “Hello, this is your Social Media wakeup call.  Get up, and don’t ever sleep through that alarm again. Do you hear me?!” An almost unbelievable situation unfolded on the…

For the last few years I’ve been delivering and refining my Science of Social Media presentation. A few weeks ago, I gave it at Harvard and recorded it. This is the first time a full length video of this presentation has been…

Blogging Tips

This week, I’ve been reading The King of Madison Avenue—an interesting biography of ad man David Ogilvy (aff). I’ve always been fascinated with Ogilvy and see a lot in what he’s done as relevant to bloggers. So here’s…

With nearly a couple of million blogs online and so many covering the same topics it can be a daunting task to gain a level of recognition and establish a brand. There are so many “me too” sites that you must find some way…

I want to make this post as quick and painless as possible. I know…shocking for me huh?! Today I want to show you how to increase your brand recognition through your RSS feed. In my opinion this is severely under…

I hate blogging. It stinks. No, better stated, it really, really stinks. Whether it’s your personal blog or the blog for your small business, the whole idea of content production ain’t no fun. In fact, in my quest to make sure you…

Have you ever wondered why people like Oprah are so powerful?  All she has to do is give her word of approval – blink an eye and a book will become a best-seller… blink an eye and a whole farm will no longer go mad over cows…

Today we’re going to talk about something gross. If you’re not up for it, I suggest you leave now, but if you think you can make it through the muck and mire and make it out on the other side okay, we’ll go together…

How many of you have great content and 0 traffic? Could it be that we’ve all be misled? Could it be that “Content Is King” phrase is a thought-cutting technique designed to over simplify the way you approach building…

Your website must load fairly quickly to satisfy Google and your visitors. Part of your Google ranking depends on the speed in which your website loads. And of course, if your site takes forever, most of your visitors will lose…

Web analytics is more than a bunch of numbers and graphs. Take a chance, step outside the box and turn your analytics program into a high-powered tool for writing dynamic, engaging content! Once you realize…

SEO

Newly published websites require lots of tasks to be done on their first month to be able to see how feasible they will be. Tasks generally include generating traffic, building links, getting pages indexed by major search…

Traffic Building

Getting traffic to a blog is the major challenge a blogger faces. Many have read about various traffic generation strategies, but they find it difficult to get traffic to their blogs because these tips are no longer as effective…

Online Money Making Tools

If you browse around the web you’ll mostly find people talking about selling websites, and about how profitable it can be. While that is true, the opposite is also true. That is, buying websites can be quite profitable too…

Alex Whalley is  another awesome blogger who started blogging at the same time when i did. I’ve learned so many things from Alex! It’s really cool to get awesome tips from those who has been blogging for a while…

Internet Marketing

My brand is getting stronger every month – I deepen my community, get more clients and improve my business. But hey – this ain’t happening on autopilot or because Lady Luck is sprinkling her magic powder on me – no…

Every time you publish a blog post or send a message to your email marketing list, your readers learn from you. But they may be learning something entirely different from what you think. Your headline might say “10 Tips…

The internet has been around for a long time now.  It’s hard to believe what we ever did before it.  The ability to get information on virtually any subject has drastically changed in the last 20 years…

MishMash

Does your business have a blog? Are you looking to generate engaging comments and new daily visitors? If so, look no further. This article showcases 10 top blogs in multiple markets. Follow their lead to take your blog…

Anybody who knows me well knows that I hate the word nice. Ironically I very rarely use the word hate, but when it comes to nice it’s the perfect adjective. There’s a deeper point to my dislike for this word – it comes down…

I saw Jack Scrib deliver a keynote once. I was in San Francisco for my first conference as a blogger. This was before I knew who Jack Scrib was, or most of the “A-listers” for that matter. So there I was, sitting in a gigantic…

When my friend Sarah asked if I’d contribute to a series called “28 Days to Get Your Shit Together”, two things occurred to me: (1) Gee, thanks Sarah, now I’m going to be forever google-paired with an article that has the word ‘shit’…

As I was trying to decide what to write about for this blog post, I Googled “get your shit together” to see if anything came up that inspired me. What I found, instead, was, well, a bunch of shit. So then I thought, “How do I write…

Let’s get something straight: passion is not a requirement for business success, and the seemingly 24/7 ‘passion-in-business’ industry is selling you a pup. Despite the ever-multiplying “find-your-passion” gurus…

Our society has become enveloped with open source communication. For the most part, who you are, what you’re doing and what you’re thinking is being shared across the world (of course it’s our choice)…

[image credit: via Cronicas do Frank]

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Bring IT! How Much Should You Tell Your Readers About You?

February 2nd, 2011 92 Comments

reveal yourself Bring IT! How Much Should You Tell Your Readers About You?Hello My Lovelies,

And welcome to the first post of my new series – Bring IT! 😀

I’ve been looking forward to starting this, as I’ve got about 10 weeks worth of questions sitting in storage – also known as my little big book lol.

As you know, the point of this series is to create an engaging community; one where bloggers (and non-bloggers) can meet, share, support and learn from one another.

I know I have a ton to learn from you and I’m hoping that Bring IT! will allow us to listen to our respective experiences as well as exchange views, tips and ideas.

So bring whatever you got, cause I’m all ears – plus a little bit of mouth ;).

Alright. Enough with the blah, blah…Time to Bring IT!

Over the course of my blogging journey, I’ve asked myself this question a few times and now I’m asking you:

How Much Should You Reveal About Yourself to Become (or be Labeled as) a Successful Blogger?

It should go without saying that every blog needs an About page. Yes, we’ve heard it a thousand times. But what’s in your About page, posts or comments?

How much of your actual self are you putting out there and why?

Do you need to portray your personality in your “online voice” (or writing) for your business to succeed?

What is your comfort zone?

Obviously your first answer is, “it depends”.

It depends on your job, your brand, your personal life…

It also depends on your niche or theme; your “real life” personality and privacy concerns; whether you use a pseudonym like James from Men With Pens and so forth.

There are a multitude of reasons for this but I’m interested in your particular ones and how or why they apply to you.

As For Me…

I believe people can identify with what they feel is a real human being. One that has similar (or even different) thoughts, problems, reasonings, character…One that will listen and reply to you.

We are drawn – at least I am – to the unique personality of an author. To their tone and writing style. To the humor they bring, the value they offer, the thoughts they challenge, the passion they show, the knowledge they exuberate, the liveliness they portray, the interest they demonstrate…

There is no doubt that some of my personality is visible through my nittyGriddy voice. I think it’s a big part of what attracts my readers.

My focus is to provide you with useful information that relates to Social Media, but to do so in an entertaining manner; with a little wit, smarts (not farts, Gini) and sarcasm.

But I also realize that I don’t get too up close and personal either. I don’t talk about private issues regarding my family and friends or use their names.

I share what I think is appropriate or relevant to the topic at hand – whether through my posts or in my comments.

I often use a story-telling format to give an example but I make sure no personal names are involved.

This blog is not about self development (although it helps me develop more everyday), nor is it a reflection of my personal everyday life.

But I do think it’s important that you get a feel for me as well. How I think. How I express myself. What I like or dislike. What qualifies me and what doesn’t.  What kind of articles interest me…

Thus, one of my reasons for publishing 17 Things About Me, if You’re curious to Know on my birthday a couple months ago.

What About You?

What are you willing to share with strangers and virtual friends?

How much of your clothes are you taking off (metaphorically of course lol)?

Is it helping you achieve your blogging goals or online success?

Bring IT!

[image credit: The Sydney Morning Herald]

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SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #15

January 31st, 2011 47 Comments

paperboy SuperPost Sunday Weekly Roundup #15It is with great pleasure that I present you with the incredibly smart and funny, Gini Dietrich from Spin Sucks who was kind and fabulous enough to step in and write this week’s introduction to my SuperPost Sunday :).

If you ask me, I think she kicked ass. And I know I’d love to see her do these more often – if she’ll oblige, that is ;).

Thank you Gini. I’m  honored to have your wise words of wit and wisdom on nittyGriddy.

Hello my lovelies!

Do I get to say that even though I’m not Griddy? (Editor’s note: Absolutely you do!)

This crazy woman doesn’t sleep. I swear! I don’t know how she does it. She must sleep all day, but what I do know is I’m always at work until 4 a.m. her time and she’s still Skype-ing me. And speaking of Skype – she can make me laugh really hard via a few instant messages.

This week? Damn You Auto Correct. Definitely check it out, but only when you have about an hour of your life to waste. It is some funny, funny stuff, especially if you have an iPhone. Go ahead. Check it out. We’ll wait an hour for you to come back.

Back? Funny, right?

As I type this, Griddy is saying adieu to some friends so she asked me to step in and write the intro. While I’m not as, um, verbose nor as clever as she, it’s a great honor to give you this Sunday’s SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

But before I go, be sure to ask Griddy about four ways (and don’t you dare delete this, Ingrid!). It’s fun to watch her get all flustered.

(Editor’s note: So strange – I have no clue what she’s talking about here lol)

May your week be full of wine, cheese, shoes, and happy reading!

Social Media

I saw a video from @chrispirillo on Youtube where a viewer asked Chris whether Facebook or Twitter will die first? His respond to that question was that Facebook will die first. The reason to that was…

Memo To: Social media gurus Re: Stop making up language. It’s hurting my brain From: PR pros and internal communicators. We love you. You know we do. You have done so much for the industry. You write research reports that change how we look…

I haven’t been useful in a while so I’m thinking, it’s about time to throw some tips and tricks your way. As many of you know, I started to work for  Paratus Communications in London. The lovely  Adam Vincenzini and I do all the digital stuff…

You should know by now how much of a facebook fanatic I am.  Since last year, I have not been blogging much about other social media apps except facebook. Well this week, I decided to do them justice by introducing you…

Blogging Tips

Everyone knows how important branding is and we recognize Coca Cola, Mercedes or Apple in a split second. Brand is basically an identity that can take different forms like logos, names, colors or slogans. But not only that…

I’m a little freaked about this post.  I’m afraid people will read only the blog headline and get out their pitchforks and torches.  So please glance at least a few more sentences before hitting the comment section, OK…

We see them come and we see them go, bloggers and internet marketers. It’s an international dream isn’t it? Start a website, stick some ads on it, sit back and cash in! Eh, wrong answer! I have built several businesses over the last 3 years…

Since I started this blog in April 2009, there have been a number of resources that have played an integral role in the growth of my blog and all of my social media efforts at my day job running Flightster. Every product below…

I’m not your average “status update” (linkless) type of tweeter. Most of my tweets are retweets of awesome content that I’ve run across. I still take time to engage and interact with others by joining conversations and responding…

If there’s two things I’ve learned since first starting my online business journey, it’s this: 1. Your About page will be one of your most viewed pages on your site. 2. Your About page is not about you, it’s about those looking to find out more about you…

You’re supposed to have a stiff upper lip…right? Remember, you blog for you and no one else.  The thrill of writing is the reward.  Only self-centered, fame-hungry, glory hounds care about comments and retweets.  Right? Well, not quite…

Internet Marketing

This blog post might make some people mad. And that’s okay. This is my blog, and I have the right to express my opinion, right? icon razz SuperPost Sunday Weekly Roundup #15 I wanted to take the time to talk about a few of those really popular internet marketing/blogging fads…

I haven’t posted for a little while, because I have been really busy doing important things. But I’m presented with a problem. When I don’t post, my traffic tends to drop. I get traffic from Google, of course, which is New Traffic…

Design blogs are a shining example of masterful ways to generate viral buzz and traffic; there’s a lot that we, as bloggers and business owners, can learn from them. This post is about some of the amazing ideas you can take…

Online Money Making Tools

My readers know that I tell it like it is. And, I’m about to do it again. … Because I get asked questions fairly often, and sometimes those questions make me want to bash my head up against the wall. The typical template of that question goes something like this….

MishMash

This past weekend, I went to a movie theatre in Santa Monica to take in a viewing of True Grit with my friend Tim. Upon arrival, I had to hit the ladies’ room. I walked in and began the push door open glance WTF – next stall routine until I found…

Jamey breaks right, spins back left, cross over dribble, pushes inside… the clock is ticking… 5 seconds to go…. down 2… dribbles back out to the three-point line, fakes left, back right… pulls up, releases the shot…

There’s a lot of talk about relationships in business, and how to make business more human. There’s also a lot of talk about how businesses need to be more like friends, and treat people the way you would your friends…

I had the great opportunity to get a sneak peek of Chain of Life 2.0 a few weeks ago and several weeks to ponder the impact of it in the San Ramon Valley Community (and beyond for that matter). I was attending some of the afternoon…

Your fired! What would you feel/think if you heard this? Afraid or relieved? Angry or excited? There have been many people in the last few years that have taken a ride on this roller coaster and are now back in the game,  while some are still struggling…

Uh oh. Edelman is in trouble again…this time over a media request from Ragan about Best Buy On. Mark Ragan, who most of you know if you’re in the PR industry, asked one of his reporters to contact Best Buy to interview them about their new…

I’m changing the way I record my daily blogging diary. Go check out the last entry or two to see the new format. Tomorrow’s my birthday (I’m 25!) and I’ll be getting ready for a trip to Seattle, so I don’t really…

[image credit: via Escuela de comunicación política]


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Announcement: New “Ask the Readers” Series Revealed

January 26th, 2011 27 Comments

Bring It Announcement: New Ask the Readers Series Revealed

Alright my lovely bloggapals and gals…

First, I wanna’ thank all of you who took the time to suggest some kick-ass names for my new “Ask the Readers” type series in my call for help last week. There’s more about the way it’ll play out in that post.

There were so many witty suggestions that it made me want to start 4 series instead of one – just so that I can use them all lol.

I had originally planned to have a nice looking poll for you today so you could vote on one of 4 names. Seriously…I did! Ask the “Female Thinking” brain lady on PollDaddy lol.

You see, I’ve often mentioned how indecisive I am and that when given a large choice of great looking things, I want them all!

Ha! You should see me shop for shoes and shit lol!

But then, something happened…something that rarely ever happens. I was able to make a decision and pick one by myself :D. [Applause is in order here please.]

So, without further ado and blah blah…

Bring IT!

Will be the name of my new weekly series.

Why?

Cause it’s a call to action and it’s short. Plus the more I thought about it, the more it grew on me.

Oh, and it has nothing to do with that frickin’ cheerleading movie! But feel free to bring your cheer sticks and pom poms if you want to.

When should YOU Bring IT!?

Every Wednesday!

Unless if I run out of ideas, which hopefully I won’t, because I’ve got a few lined up already for the next month or so.

I’ll also be counting on YOU to throw out some questions you’d like to see answered by me, my readers and our blogosphere of friends.

But Ingrid, why didn’t you pick “The Nitty-Gritty” (with T’s)?

Although I LOVE this idea (many of you did too) and it further reinforces my brand, I am Griddy with D’s and not Gritty with T’s – and didn’t want those to start being mixed up. Plus it’s a bit long, since I’ll probably be including the question of the week in the title as well.

But don’t be surprised to hear me (cause I actually talk/mumble when I type) welcome you with a “let’s get down to the nitty-gritty” – or to see it  included inside the post somewhere.

Thank you Many of You.

“Grid-Iron” was good Griddy, plus people call you “Grid” – so why not that one?

Well folks…I loved that one too – the sound of it and it’s meanings. But alas…it wasn’t a call to action.

No worries though. I’ll find a way to occasionally plug it in somewhere – somehow.

Thank you Jamey and Alex.

But what about the “Grid XChange”?

Again…I like that one a lot too. It rings great, has a part of my name in it and implies an exchange of views and ideas.

It also sounds like I’m a currency converter or Forex trader and I’d love to be both and throw money at you for your 2 cents – but alas…I won’t be. My last name is Abboud and not Onassis.

I’ll figure out a way to use that one though.

Thank you Angie.

Well, It looks like I’ve found a way to potentially use all of them after all hehe.

So that’s that…

Thanks again for all your inputs – you know I would use them all if I could ;).

Have a great week and see you here next Wednesday for the first round of Bring IT!

Cheers

My Digital Signature1 Announcement: New Ask the Readers Series Revealed

PS – I’ll have a nice little illustration especially for this series drawn up at some point soon.

[image credit: Wikipedia]

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SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #14

January 23rd, 2011 32 Comments

paperboy SuperPost Sunday Weekly Roundup #14Hello My Lovelies,

And welcome back to another kick-ass SuperPost Sunday over at the Grid house!

Yeah, okay, I don’t know where that came from…sorry, forget I said it like that.

I made it sound like I should be hangin’ your coats and makin’ you popcorn or somethin’ LOL.

Alright, let me get straight to the tooting – I mean the point.

I was very honored this week to have 2 of my pieces published elsewhere and I’d love for you to check them out if you haven’t already.

I promise you that the rambling is useful and entertaining ;).

The Great Debate: Long vs. Short

I’ll say it again, damn it. Get your mind out of the gutter please! I’m talking about word count for crying out loud! Sheesh!

As many of you know, I’ve somehow been labeled as “the girl who writes a lot” (cough – I’m  being kind to myself). I’m also talking about posts and comments of course – and not about my personal diary of hopes and dreams.

So to write a guest post called “How Long is Too Long” for the fabulous Gini Dietrich from Spin Sucks was somewhat in order.

And guess what?

It seems that for the most part, people enjoyed it and had quite a few things to say. Seriously – check out the debate it stirred up and all the wonderful views that were shared.

Oh, and did I mention that many of the comments on there are “Griddy length”? Either I’m contagious (as in viral) or people do indeed leave longer comments when they have something valuable to share that they need more words for.

I wanted to thank all those who took the time to read it and leave their 2 (more like 4) cents for being so supportive and engaging.

I would tell you more about how grateful I am to Gini and what a SuperWoman she is, but instead, I suggest you read this short post to see what I really think of her.

Marketing Your Facebook Page

A couple weeks ago, Alex Whalley from AlexWhalley.com asked whether he could interview “the Tzarina of SEO”, Ana Hoffman from Traffic Generation Cafe, “the King of Podcasts”, Hector Cuevas from HectorJCuevas.com and I about our respective Facebook Group tactics.

My answer to that email was: “Hell Yeah!” (and another paragraph or so – of course lol)

So please check out “Facebook Marketing Unmasked. 3 Top Bloggers Reveal All!” and see what each of us had to say. I guarantee that there’s a ton of insightful information from Ana and Hector (and me too, but I’ve tooted myself enough lol) that you can learn from. They’re both excellent bloggers with different styles.

Oh, and if you’re not familiar with The Whiz of all things SEO, Link Building, Affiliate Marketing and Niche Sites, then I highly recommend you rush over to Alex’s blog and see the myriad of valuable information and random outbursts that he has for ya.

Thanks again Alex for asking me to do this. You’ve done a hell of a job writing up this fantastic piece.

Me Reminding You

Last week, I asked my amazing readers for their help in giving a name to my new series.

I was actually overwhelmed with the amount of fantastic suggestions which in turn left me even more dazed and confused then when I first started LOL.

So, what I’m thinking of doing this coming Wednesday is putting my favorites (including 2 of my own suggestions) to a final vote – and I would love for you guys to take the time to stop by and tick that little box.

Thanks again to all of you participated and threw ideas my way :). Much appreciated!

Oh, and Danny Brown needs your help too in naming his series. So head over there once you’re done here and share your bright pennies with him.

Alright, enough of all that. I said my peace. Now let’s move on to what you’re actually here for ;)!

This Week’s Goodies

And so…

“Without further ado and blah blah,” here are this Sunday’s SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

Social Media

The onslaught of new social media sites has fundamentally changed the role of any marketing or communications professional. Every day millions of users are spendingsignificant periods of time on social networks. In 2010, social media…

Welcome to the 2011 list of bloggers to watch. A few caveats before we launch into the list: This is my own list of the people I’m watching. I was approached to do this list because of my work as a professional connector. These are the people that have stood out…

Last week, I was given the opportunity to do a live question and answer session on Social Media Examiner’s Facebook page. I would have to say that it was the fastest and hardest I’ve typed within one hour, but it was a great experience…

I am fascinated with uber-blogger Chris Brogan as a cultural icon of the social media revolution.  Whether it’s trying new business models or pioneering sponsored posts, he is our canary in the coal mine, exploring the leading edges…

Although as business professionals we all understand that putting an implementation horse ahead of a plan and strategy cart is a recipe for disappointment, the reality is that in many organizations this is still what happens…

Blogging Tips

There is really no (reachable) limit to the number of different blog post topics that someone can write about. I write about four subjects currently, each for a different blog. Still, many people find that they are unable to think of…

Want to maximize sharing of your content on Facebook? Here are seven tips that are sure to help. 1. Publish on the weekend. Many companies block Facebook access from the office, so sharing of stories on Facebook tends to increase over the weekend…

Your blog is a business. I’m not saying that your blog should make money. If you’re a Copyblogger reader, that’s probably already something you’re focusing on. I’m saying that your blog (independent of the other parts of your business) itself has…

When a post moves off your blog’s home page, fewer readers will see it. If it’s a piece you were particularly proud of, well, that can hurt. Maybe you wrote it just one month after you started blogging, so only three people read it. And one of them was…

He is an American icon, having over 12 Number 1 singles (more than any other male artist) and won 13 Grammy Awards and 26 American Music Awards.  As a musician he is a legend, but just what can the King of Pop teach us about great blogging…

On December 20 I announced I was taking a holiday break from blogging here at ProductiveWriters.com. I explained that I was house-sitting in Santa Cruz and Soquel, that I had a lot of freelance projects for textbook publishers, and that I wanted…

Last week, I spoke with Joe Hackmanabout blogger ethics and transparency (you can listen to the podcast here), and one of the things we chatted about was the topic of disclosure. My belief – and something we instill into any clients…

Here’s the truth. Most bloggers are being controlled. Their articles, content, styles and brands are being dictated by the “rules” of traditional blogging. Here’s the truth about traditional blogging – it doesn’t exist…

Since you liked last week’s post on 5 ways to spice up your WordPress blog, I thought I’d share a few more plugins I’ve been playing with, and stuff I’ve been doing. Why not give them to you all at once, you ask, a little miffed…

Get your mind out of the gutter people! I’m talking about posts and comments. Jeez! When the fabulous Aunt Gini (editor’s note: She calls me this because of the Christmas video with my nieces and nephew) asked me to guest post…

Internet Marketing

For a Social Network that gets something like 7 quadrillion hits every 34 seconds it has done a good job of remaining a mystery to me. I know I used to connect with old friends there, plant an occasional crop, maybe kill a few Mafia Bosses…

Traffic Building

A reader asked me on Twitter the other day if I would start writing more traffic-building tips here. The implication was that I haven’t been publishing content that will directly help you build a bigger online audience…

SEO

Last night I had the privilege of being the guest on #seochat – a fairly new but very active Twitter Chat that happens on Thursday nights at 8pm CT.  Twitter chats are familiar territory and can be very engaging, especially when they’re as well run as #seochat…

Using Google to direct traffic to your blogcan quite literally translate into gold. Or at least money with which you could buy gold. This article will show you how to easilyoptimize your blog for search engines. Let’s be clear on few points before we begin…

MishMash

Are you ready for this?  Because I’m totally going to tell a mom story. I’m going to tell a mom story in a post with the word “sex” in the title.  But it’s okay, because you’re going to love the story.  And then you’re going to go off into the world…

It’s the time of year where I need to start thinking about the home garden. Yes, it’s only January, and it’s very cold in much of my country right now. But if I don’t begin planning in Winter, I won’t be enjoying all those yummies come Autumn…

[image credit: ClipArtHeaven.com]

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New Guest Post – The Great Debate: Long vs. Short Blog Posts

January 21st, 2011 14 Comments

SpinSucks Guest Post 661x1024 New Guest Post The Great Debate: Long vs. Short Blog Posts

Well it’s here and it’s well worth the read – if I may say so myself!

My latest Guest Post is out at SpinSucks :). You may want to check it out as it touches on one of the most debated topics around the blogosphere – How Long is Too Long?

Oh, and it’s obviously more exciting but less kinky than the title sounds – trust me ;).

When Gini Came Knockin’

The fabulously witty and delightful – not to mention smart as hell – Gini Dietrich was kind enough to ask me to GP for her.

I’m not sure why, but I’m guessing she likes me and my sarcasm or my writing. Or maybe it’s both those things ;). I don’t know but either way, I’m just thrilled she gave me the opportunity to appear on her incredibly interesting and popular blog – which by the way, always has some of the best comments around!

If you’re not familiar with Gini and SpinSucks (highly unlikely) or their barking second in command, Jack Bauer, you really need to GASP at yourself! Really, I mean it…just Gasp out loud and slap yourself silly cause you’re missing out on some highly insightful posts on all things Communication, Social Media, Advertising, SEO, Marketing and more.

Are you still debating whether to go over there or not?

Cause I’m kinda hoping you’re long gone already and debating my topic over there.

But if you’re still here you should know (if you don’t already) that SpinSucks was just named as one of the Top 10 Social Media Blogs for 2011 by the highly ranked and regarded, Social Media Examiner. YaY and WOW and Way to go “Aunt Gin Gin” ;).

Griddy – over and out!

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