Blogging

Welcome to the Blogging category page. We love blogging. Blogging is wonderful. And if you're here, you're probably interested in blogging, too. That makes us best friends. Best, best blogging friends! Huzzah!

Below you'll find all our posts dedicated to the subject of blogging. In this section, we'll be talking about how to blog, how to create an SEO-friendly blog, how to build a community around your blog, and the types of content your customers want to read about in your blog. Blog, blog, blog. It's all blogging, all the time. And maybe, just maybe,  Lisa will finally learn something about writing an engaging headline and help us out there, too. [Don't count on it. Headlines are my kryptonite - Lisa]

But before we can tell you all there is to know about blogging, we have to get to work building up our own blog baby.  So while we do that, you can check out some of our absolute favorite resources on blogging.  We think you'll like them.

We love talking to people about the power of blogs, so when you're ready to start a blog or take your existing one to the next level, give us a call about our blog consulting services.  Or, if you have something you want to see in our blog, let us know that, too.

How To Land The Perfect Guest Blogging Spot

March 12, 2010

Heh.
So I’ve been doing a bit of guest blogging lately and I think some people may have started to notice. ;) I’m a really big fan of using guest blogging as a marketing tactic for your business and I think it’s one that is entirely underutilized by bloggers. A good post on the right [...]

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The 7 Blog Posts You Write But Shouldn’t Publish

February 18, 2010

Just because you wrote it doesn’t mean you should publish it. Not everything that flows through your fingertips is going to be gold-plated genius. I mean, sometimes it is. Sometimes you will finish a post and consider it a piece of art. It will be worthy of being framed next to the [...]

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You Can’t Take The Personal Out Of Blogging

February 8, 2010

While many of us were watching Michael Arrington throw a 17-year-old under the bus this weekend, another story spread through the blogosphere worthy of some attention and discussion.  The SageCircle Blog reported that Forrester management had put a ban on personally-branded research blogs, stating that anyone with a personally-branded blog ( think Web Strategy [...]

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Terror In the Blogosphere: I Haz No Blog Topic!

January 5, 2010

While we all promise that we’re going to adopt editorial calendars to keep us on a healthy schedule of blogging, sometimes we fail. I mean, if coming up with blog topics to schedule were so easy, we wouldn’t really need the editorial calendar in the first place, right? We’d always just naturally have THE [...]

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Social Web Moment: Twitter As My Kevin Bacon

December 27, 2009

Hey. This post dips a bit more into the personal side of things, so if that offends you perhaps revisit our How To Learn SEO post from last week or go have some spiked egg nog and come back tomorrow. I promise we’ll be back to nitty gritty SEO/marketing stuff by then. Hugs!
My [...]

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How to Woo a Blogger (and get coverage)

December 15, 2009

Not unlike many others in my line of work, I get a lot of pitches. Lots of emails from people who think it would be AWESOME if I covered their new product release, their new tool, the birth of their first child, or maybe even mention their stagnant blog. Trouble is that most of the [...]

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20 Searches I’m Thankful For

November 25, 2009

It’s almost Thanksgiving, the one day all year where we make a strong effort to stop the bitching and reflect on the blessings that were bestowed upon up this year. Though it hasn’t quite wrapped, 2009 has been one hell of a year for me personally. It’s the year Outspoken was born, the year [...]

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Don’t Watch Your Language. Use it.

November 6, 2009

I had a different post all written and scheduled for today. But then my girl Virginia Nussey had to go getting all “controversial” over at the Bruce Clay blog. So plans changed. Blame her. Also blame the brownies I had for breakfast. And the ones I had for dinner.
I’m so ashamed.
Over at Bruce Clay, Inc, [...]

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You Haz No Blog Comments? Here’s the Fix!

October 23, 2009

Blog comments are one of life’s greatest simple pleasures. Nothing beats the rush I get watching my inbox fill up after I published a new post. I’m sure nonbloggers find satisfaction from other things like “human contact” and “socializing” and “beer”, but we don’t need any of that! Just engaged readers. Blog comments aren’t [...]

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Why Blog Titles Are Like Your In-laws

October 1, 2009

Blog titles are like in-laws – you have to act like you give a shit. Even if you don’t.
There’s a skill to writing blog titles and headline because Titles Change Everything. Your headline determines whether people make it to the first line of content. It determines how many links you’ll get. It determines whether [...]

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Quick & Painless Content Ideas For Your Site

September 29, 2009

Writing content sucks. There, I said it.
And as someone who spends her entire day writing content, I feel your pain. Content creation isn’t always fun. In fact, it’s hard even if you are the type of person who enjoys showing off via words and sentences (holla!). But its important. It’s what breeds rankings, links, [...]

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Why Outspoken Blogs & You Maybe Should

September 18, 2009

Blogging has become a favorite marketing strategy for many over the past few years. It’s given companies a voice, it breeds authority and before Twitter came, it even delivered a whole lot of links. No one can deny that the social media boom and birth of Twitter have changed the way people blog. But [...]

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Call Me A Geek, I Want RSSCloud

September 8, 2009

So I’m going to go ahead and say it. I don’t care how bad Michael and Andy want me to feel for being excited about RSSCloud, I like it. I’m stoked about real-time blog updates and the effect it may have on bloggers, their communities and the overall conversation. And they’re not going to shame [...]

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You Are Not Seth Godin. Your Corporate Blog Needs Comments

July 21, 2009

I thought this issue had been settled years ago, but apparently debating it is back in fashion (old skool Twitter poll). So, let’s have at it. You are not Seth Godin. Your corporate blog needs to allow comments for you to get the most out of it. Sit down and grab a sandwich. [...]

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How to Steal Readers and Traffic Through Guest Blogging

July 15, 2009

Guest blogging is awesome. It’s the perfect karmic act that combines helping someone out and giving yourself props all at the same time. As a guest blogger, you get to add great content to a fellow blogger’s blog, establish yourself as an expert, and spend time building long lasting relationships with new readers. And then, [...]

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Blogging Truth: No One Likes Your CEO

July 8, 2009

Hey there. I want to talk about your company blog. Okay, more accurately, I want to talk about your company blog and why you’re letting your CEO ruin it. Make sure the boss is out of the room and then grab a pencil. Hide their keyboard while you’re at it.
Corporate blogging has been all [...]

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Would I Recognize Your Blog In A Dark Alley?

July 1, 2009

[Caution: This post comes with a slight aftertaste of unicorns and rainbows. And babies.]
Matt McGee had a post that really hit home with me earlier this week. The post was on his HyperlocalBlogger blog which deals with blogging and real town communities. He asked his audience if their blogs accurately represented the towns that [...]

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How to Write Killer Blog Titles & Why Mine Suck

June 16, 2009
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I hate blog titles. I hate blog titles more than I hate blog images. And I really hate blog images. I’m just not good at coming up with pithy headlines. In fact, I suck at it. Horribly. So I’m calling on you to help me become better.
Yes, this post really is more for [...]

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Why I Hate Bloggers

June 8, 2009
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Here’s something you may not know about me: I hate bloggers and I hate blogging. And if you want to know why, the New York Times did a pretty good job illustrating the point yesterday. The medium is thankless and the people who do it…oh my goodness are they some of the most whiny, annoying [...]

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4 Reasons Your Blog is Broken (and How To Fix It)

May 11, 2009
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We need to talk. You have a problem. No one is commenting on your blog. Page views have flat lined. You’re not seeing any links. People are tweeting that your blog sucks. Or even worse, they’re looking at you funny when you mention you even have a blog. Because they forgot. When they unsubscribed [...]

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Why You Need An Editorial Calendar For Your Blog

April 23, 2009
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I have a confession to make.
My name is Lisa and I used to be a really bad blogger. I used to wake up every morning in a panic about what I was going to write about. I had nightmares of going three days without a fresh post. There were anxiety tears, writers block [...]

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Defining the Role of a Blogger

April 20, 2009
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Okay, let’s all take a breath. It’s a new week and I have something I want you to read. It’s a tweet I Favorited last month from Michael Gray.
Michael’s really good at tweeting sound bytes that stop you in your tracks. And that was one of them for me. Because that’s how I view my [...]

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Writing Tips for the Reluctant Writer

March 9, 2009
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It’s Monday morning. Okay, it’s actually more like Monday afternoon now. And that simple fact means that I spent a big chunk of today reading and commenting on different blogs (and re-breaking my foot…). It’s part of my Monday morning Getting Caught Up process, the one that prepares me for the week ahead. Impressive considering [...]

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Protect Your Blog From Jerks, Asshats & Yourself

February 20, 2009
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So, funny thing.
I was in the middle of an interesting post yesterday.  I had just been to WebmasterWorld and stumbled across a thread about an article from Portfolio.com called Slimed Online. The article dealt with two Yale law students who had their reputations dragged through the mud thanks to some unsavory message board conversations.  One [...]

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