My first year of tweeting: the best microblogging
I started using Twitter on Feb. 4, 2009. As @WadeOnTweets, it’s been a great way to stay informed, connect with old friends and complete strangers and let people into my life.
Working with microblogging has given me a way to promote my services and network with others in the community. Check out this short video with my favorite tweets in the past year.
- Music: “Nostalgia” by Alexander Blu (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license)
- 30 Days of Twitter Tips
- How I’m Using Twitter Lists
- This post cross-posted at Wade Kwon.com and Wade on Birmingham.
- Follow @WadeOnTweets on Twitter.
The first WordCamp Atlanta: a shivery but successful weekend
What a WordCamp!
I had a great time Friday and Saturday at the very first WordCamp Atlanta. The event took place on the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design, a self-contained location convenient to Midtown.
WordCamps are grassroots conferences that provide lots of sessions and hands-on help with WordPress, the software that runs this site and many, many others.
The lineup may not have featured any “big names,” but I was impressed by the level of information shared by the speakers. One attendee remarked that the blogging/content track seemed underserved, although the tech content was abundant.
(Certainly, I was in over my head, as usual, in several of the programming and development sessions.)
I was fortunate to be part of the content track, running an open session on “Smash Your Barriers to Blogging.” I decided I wanted to give attendees the opportunity to ask any question on any facet of WordPress, content management and blogging. It’s a bit of a risk, but I think it paid off well.
Vodpod videos no longer available.Video: “Smash Your Barriers to Blogging,” an open forum led by Wade Kwon
Those who attended not only provided great questions on writing, planning, blogging, comment and community management, content and more — they also shared their own experiences and solutions. I just tried to stay out of the way!
In addition, I enjoyed meeting fellow speakers and attendees throughout the weekend. I love hearing about your ideas and goals for your sites. It’s my fave part of any conference I attend. I heard 400 people took part, which shows what a great community Atlanta has in place, along with the broad reach it has throughout the region.
My first conference of 2010 reminded me of posts I should write someday:
- Tips for infrequent presenters.
- Pace yourself: Make the most of your conference attendance.
- The most important job at any conference? Timekeeper.
Don’t worry: I’ll blog forth in the coming days and weeks.
If you missed out, or even if you attended, check out these free resources:
- most of the tweets from the weekend on one page, a good list of links, presentations and participants;
- presentations on SlideShare;
- videos of sessions on Ustream;
- “Perfection kills,” my rant on momentum in blogging over perfection
My thanks to conference organizers Tessa Horehled and Brandon Sheats on their outstanding effort first time out. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed.
Mark your calendar: WordCamp Atlanta 2011 has already picked dates, Feb. 11-12.
Atlanta, thanks for a rich and rewarding (and freezing cold) weekend.
• • •
More updates and info for free …
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Photo by Joe Hamm, @brohamm
Our social media resolutions for 2010
A new year, a new set of resolutions.
Social media in 2010 should continue to expand rapidly, giving people a chance to share professionally and personally across multiple channels. But what do you want to get out of it? What do I want to accomplish?
In December, I asked people via Twitter and Facebook on their social media resolutions for 2010. Many of you responded, and I’ve included your answers below. Thanks to everyone who responded.
For me, my top social media resolution is to innovate with clients on best practices for their engagement and marketing with customers. We’re going to be bold, measure carefully and make some money.
Also, I’m going to continue my daily blogging to see how fast I can grow my sites in terms of traffic. I’ll also continue to use them as testing areas for ideas, content and sponsorship.
It’s going to be a fun and fascinating year in social media!
These are your resolutions below. If you want to add your own, please leave a comment.
• • •
“I resolve to use social media to provide value to the community; to foster relationships with those in my community and to learn more about my niche and other areas of interest.”
Josh Andrews, attorney, The Outsourced Associate, @jaandrews, Birmingham
• • •
“Create social media profiles that communicate with visitors based on individual interests, not just corporate broadcasts.”
Jen Barnett, online managing editor, VisitSouth.com, @VisitSouth, Birmingham
• • •
“I canceled my Twitter account (which I was no good at updating) and MySpace account (which I never logged onto). I’m also resolving to defriend a few people who irritate me or who I’ve never seen in person. Life’s too short to be irritated by Facebook friends.”
Amy Bickers, magazine editor, Birmingham
• • •
“Get more books read for more reviews on my blog. Plus, see if I can connect people who might be able to help each other.”
Lori Salter Brown, Birmingham
• • •
“I will start paying attention to effective usage of social media by those who may use it to try to snag me as a consumer, customer, donor, patron, member, etc. Not seeing much of that being done well to this point in my personal experiences.”
Kellye Copas, direct mail project manager, Health Resources, Decatur
• • •
“To post more blog posts, use it to help others with computer issues, and at the same time, learn to use the English language better.”
Jason Esman, Zero / Love, @Zerolove, Birmingham
• • •
“Launching extensive social media strategies for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and its Resort Collection. The hotels, spas and restaurants have made great progress since Social South. The golf sites are next.
“We were all a bit apprehensive at first and sent 10 people to Social South. Now we have a great team working on this and have made presentations to the hotel and golf execs to much praise.
“Social media is not a fad, it is a way to stay connected with our current and potential customers. It is good business sense and is a priority for 2010. We are focusing initially on Facebook and Twitter.”
Bill Lang, director of public relations, Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Birmingham
• • •
“Personally: Have more fun with the medium(s), and try to extend my immature wit to a broader fan base.
“Professionally: Find more focused use of social media for my clients to achieve their ROI.”
Justice Mitchell, justicemitchell.com, @justicemitchell, Orlando
• • •
“To turn three online friendships into offline friendships.”
Tatiana Richards, magazine marketing coordinator, Birmingham
• • •
“More, more, more relevant tweets, updates and posts.”
Dave Sharp, news designer/TV blogger, AL.com TV news, @davesharpontv
• • •
Get started on your social media resolutions
with a course from the Birmingham Blogging Academy.
Getting started in search engine optimization (SEO)
Jen and I are working hard on her Jan. 30 class (1 month away!). At lunch today, we talked about search engine optimization in terms of scope, topics and putting it into practice.
Because “How to Reach Your Traffic Goals with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)” is an advanced course, we figured our readers may have some more basic questions starting out. Here’s your chance to pick our brains on SEO for your company site, blog or other online presence.
Just leave a comment below with your question, and if you like, your name, URL and any other relevant info. (If you’re shy, feel free to contact us privately.)
We’re looking forward to your challenging and basic questions to answer in a future blog post!
• • •
Register today for “How to Reach Your Traffic Goals
with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).”
Interview on blogging and community on Media Talking Media
My friend and former colleague Nick Patterson has a new podcast, Media Talking Media. I was lucky enough to be his guest on only his second episode.
Nick is a journalist, writer and instructor. We’ve worked together at Southern Living magazine and the Birmingham Post-Herald.
In this 31-minute discussion, we talk about my work in blogging, and the great community in Birmingham that I love.
Have a listen, and feel free to ask me some follow-up questions in the comments.
• • •
Want to learn more? Check out our class on
“Beginning Blogging for Business.”
Speaking gigs: WordCamp Atlanta, January 2010
I’m excited to announce that I’m a featured speaker at the first ever WordCamp Atlanta!
Talk about hitting 2010 at full speed.
The event takes place Jan. 8-9 on the Georgia Tech campus. My session on Jan. 9 will be “Smash Your Barriers to Blogging.” (I’m about 99 percent sure this is the final title, though I’ve been wrong before.)
Birmingham will be well represented, as my pals Sara Cannon and Tammy Hart are also featured speakers.
My session summary:
WordCamps can be a great way for beginners and veterans to learn more about WordPress, blogging and content management. But even the best sessions leave questions unanswered.
Wade Kwon, a veteran of social media conferences and a passionate teacher, will lead an open discussion on burning questions within the WordPress and blogging community. It’ll be fun, fast-paced and full of ideas for everyone to implement right away.
That’s because the answers won’t be coming just from him, but from everyone who attends.
- How do I keep blogging on a busy schedule?
- How do I monetize my blog?
- What are simple ways to increase traffic to my site?
- What is an easier way to do ____ with WordPress?
My session will run 45 minutes and is open to all attendees of any skill level.
A WordCamp is an excellent way to learn about blogging, content management and WordPress while networking with the best and brightest. Plus, it’s only $45 for the 2-day event.
- What: WordCamp Atlanta
- When: Jan. 8-9
- Where: Georgia Tech, Atlanta [map]
- Cost: $45
- To reserve your spot: Register online.
Bonus: WordCamp Atlanta co-organizer Brandon Sheats talks with Gravity Free Radio! about the event in this podcast (first segment).
Are you going to WordCamp Atlanta? I hope to see you there.
Perfection kills
I have a message for all you perfectionists out there: You’re destroying your mojo.
For those of you waiting for the perfect time to start blogging, that time will never get here. For those of you striving for the perfect design for your site, you’re tinkering around the edges.
I speak as a recovering perfectionist.
Stop making excuses: Jump in, start blogging, keep blogging.
Seeking perfection, while noble, is a momentum killer. Always work to be better, but don’t continue to use perfection as an excuse, a crutch.
Although I’m not a fan of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, the event has at least one great takeaway lesson: Your momentum matters.
Those who finish their 50,000-word novels in 30 days are rewarded with two things: a mass of sloppy, unedited writing, and the use of momentum to accomplish a once seemingly impossible accomplishment.
I believe perfection is a manifestation of fear. You’re afraid someone will catch you making a mistake, or pointing out a flaw on your site, or in your writing, or your thinking.
I get better with each blog post, whether that post succeeds or fails. I don’t get better when the words and the ideas remain trapped in my brain, unseen by anyone else.
In the weeks and months that go by while you chase perfection, think about what you’ve lost: opportunities to build your library of writing, to connect with readers, to build your site into a destination.
Jump in, start blogging, keep blogging.
What other things are potential blog killers?
• • •
Want to learn more? Check out our class on
“Beginning Blogging for Business.”
Next phase: a conversation between former print journalists
Journalists, like other professionals, face a tough road ahead. But they also have more options at their disposal than ever before.
I met Christopher Spencer at WordCamp Birmingham in September. Like me, he’s a newspaper refugee; both of us worked on the editorial side.
And like me, he started blogging about his community, Fayetteville, Ark., on his site, Ozarks Unbound.
Naturally, we had a lot to talk about when it comes to journalism, blogging, newspapers and technology, along with finding a way to still earn a living when your chosen career is going off the rails.
Christopher was kind enough to interview me about these topics. He wrote “Begin the begin: An open message to displaced journalists,” and included our 18-minute audio interview, which you can hear below:
In his post, Christopher wrote:
Turned loose upon the sea of fate by the recent newspaper merger a month ago are a number of writers, photographers, columnists and editors – news gathers and news sense-makers of every stripe. You are talented people who spent your professional career documenting life, too often without a sense of how to make it pay.
Even if you’re not a journalist, you’ll find something of interest in our conversation about how blogging can open up possibilities in work and life.
Have a listen, let me know what you think.
P.S. Christopher is organizing a WordCamp for Fayetteville for May.
• • •
Want to learn more? Check out our class on
“Beginning Blogging for Business.”
Learn app development on Saturday at iPhone + Mobile Camp
A new BarCamp-style event hits Birmingham this weekend. The iPhone + Mobile Camp Birmingham 2009 gives developers and other interested parties a chance to learn, teach and share information and techniques on one of the fastest growing platforms, the phone.
On the agenda:
- application development;
- iPhone 3.0;
- development tools;
- advertising and marketing;
- and everything about developing and selling applications.
The sessions will be along two tracks:
- iPhone and iPod Touch;
- all mobiles, especially Google Android, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre and Blackberry.
In this “unconference” setting, attendees can sign up to sit in on sessions, or lead them, too.
It takes place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at DAXCO, a Birmingham software company [map]. The cost is free, but donations are encouraged.
For more information and to register, visit the event site.
• • •
Also: Brian Cauble, camp organizer and founder of Appsolute Genius, will talk Thursday at the Internet Professionals Society of Alabama monthly meeting. His topic, “How Mobile is Changing Our Web Experience,” will be a good lead-in to Saturday’s camp. The IPSA lunch event is free, with optional lunch for $10. To register, visit the IPSA site.
Problems at BlogWorld 2009: part 2, attendee’s perspective
As a second-time attendee to BlogWorld back in October, I was surprised at the feedback I was hearing from paying customers. This is the event’s third year, and it was held in the same location, the Las Vegas Convention Center. Surely the growing pains had mostly been shed by this point.
And yet, one person after another would tell me — unsolicited, mind you — about the little quirks, the small problems that take a potentially great experience and downgrade it.
I have contacted BlogWorld, specifically CEO and co-founder Rick Calvert, repeatedly about these issues in the six-plus weeks since the conference ended. You can read more about it in Part 1.
I had the privilege of speaking at the conference this year, so my $1,195 pass was on the house. But if you’re planning to go, consider these issues, and whether they’ll continue to worsen if the BlogWorld staff ignores them.
Repeating what I said in Part 1: A social media conference should heed its own message about addressing consumer concerns early on.
In Part 1, I reviewed problems with BlogWorld 2009 from a speaker’s perspective.
• • •
This is the second half of the e-mail that went to Rick Calvert on Oct. 25, 2009:
Part 2 is about feedback about the 2009 conference itself.
Because BW [BlogWorld] doesn’t have a formal survey for overall conference feedback, I wanted to share my own observations and those of fellow attendees.
While the content and the networking were great as always, problems with logistics diminished that experience significantly. I don’t know if these figures are correct, but if the number of BW attendees doubled from 08 to 09, and the staffing remained at the same size, this is probably the first area that needs to be addressed.
Here is a laundry list of problems that occurred during the show:
- Registration computers not running from the start on Thursday.
- Lunch tickets not available from the start on Thursday.
- Signage not in place from the start on Thursday.
- Poor audio at the Thur lunchtime keynote. I’ve been told other Thur sessions also had audio problems.
- Signage, chairs and books not available at the book signing table on Fri morning.
- Confusion over who or where to turn in completed speaker evaluations.
- Many sessions had title only, with no description of what to expect, either on the Web site or in the program.
Also, before the show:
- Web site did not have simple PDF to download program sessions. Some attendees would like option to print compact version of full schedule and mark on paper (not the same as lengthy print option of full schedule.)
I believe one solution may be to hire a firm to handle the conference planning aspect. I met just such a vendor Saturday morning.
Another attendee said she would love to help with publicity and media relations. She said that breaking news from the conference should have higher visibility and coverage.
Again, this is not intended to be a bitch-and-moan list. These are problems that can and should be fixed for next year.
•
I would be happy to discuss any and all of these issues I’ve raised at your earliest convenience. My cell is 205-xxx-xxxx.
Thank you for your consideration.
Wade
• • •
• • •
You can see the first half of the e-mail to BlogWorld in Part 1.
• • •
Thinking about attending BlogWorld? Some questions to ponder:
- What should a BlogWorld conference attendee expect for $1,195?
- How should attendees bring up service problems to BlogWorld staff before, during and after the event? Evaluation form, call, e-mail, blog post, tweet, etc.?
- How important is it that sessions have full title, presenter and description in advance?
- For those who have attended BlogWorld, did you get your money’s worth?
- Should a social media conference be held to a higher standard when it comes to communication and customer service?
What was your BlogWorld experience? What went right, and what could’ve been better?
Problems at BlogWorld 2009: part 1, speaker’s perspective
I attended BlogWorld in Las Vegas for my second year in a row. It is one of the premier social media conferences in the world.
This year, I went not only as an attendee, but also as a speaker. It was quite an honor, and I’m grateful for the privilege.
However, I faced some challenges in succeeding as a speaker, thanks to communication problems with the BlogWorld staff. I have been in contact with staff members for 7 months, but often, the replies were delayed or nonexistent. This led to scheduling and logistical problems that could have easily been avoided.
‘I’m a fan of BlogWorld and want to see this event succeed
in the future. But I also want future speakers and
attendees to be aware of problems.’
I don’t have an ax to grind. I’m a fan of BlogWorld and want to see this event succeed in the future. But I also want future speakers and attendees to be aware of problems that should factor into their decision to attend.
For speakers, it’s time and money that could be used elsewhere. (And while I was given a complimentary pass, I still had to pay for airfare, hotel and meals out of pocket, running several hundred dollars, not to mention time away from my new business.) For attendees, the full access pass alone can cost up to $1,195.
I specifically contacted Rick Calvert, chief executive officer and co-founder of BlogWorld, with my concerns during and after the event. I contacted him several times, by phone and e-mail. He did leave a voicemail, but then never followed up again. It has been more than 6 weeks since the event ended.
Needless to say, I’m disappointed. He and I have traded e-mails since BlogWorld 2008; I want him and the rest of the BlogWorld team to be aware of the problems sooner rather than later so that they can fix them for 2010. A social media conference should heed its own message about addressing consumer concerns early on. Only reluctantly do I go public at this point, even if it costs me future speaking engagements at BlogWorld.
In Part 2, I review problems with BlogWorld 2009 from an attendee perspective.
• • •
This e-mail went to Rick Calvert on Oct. 25, 2009:
Rick,
Sorry we didn’t get a chance to connect by phone. Let me go into detail about what concerned me at BlogWorld.
It will be lengthy, and will take some time on your part to read and digest. I am not angry or upset, but I want you to be aware of these issues to fix for next year, because I am a big fan of your hard work and the conference.
•
Part 1 has to do with my role as speaker.
As a first-time speaker at BlogWorld, I found the communication between me and BW representatives to be challenging. This year, I sent in 3 proposals. According to the site, speakers would receive notifications in June 2009. I received my notice on July 2, which is not too far off the mark, but makes it more difficult in making travel arrangements.
The email notifying me of my speaking engagement failed to list which topic I would present. It took several emails and calls to Jim Turner [BlogWorld social media director and conference director] to find out.
BW set an Aug. 15 deadline for slides. I found out from Jim by phone on Aug. 1.
I sent my slides in late, and never heard from anyone about them.
Jim also sent an email on Sept. 15 at 11:30 p.m. asking for the following, all within 72 hours:
- Speaker Agreement (if not already turned in) http://www.blogworldexpo.com/speaker-guidelines-application-for-blogworld-new-media-expo-2009
- Presentation to project on screen (if applicable)
- Photo for Web
- Photo for Print
- Bio (75 words max)
- Final session description
It seems unreasonable to ask for these things on such short notice. But I worked on getting them in as soon as possible. Again, I sent it in after the deadline, and again, no acknowledgment of receipt was made.
Reference was made several times to a session moderator or track leader. I emailed Jim to ask him who it was and if that person needed additional info from me. I never received a response.
The final straw was during the presentation. Although the BW site listed my presentation as “Instant Startup: Your Very Own School for Blogging,” the printed guide listed that title but the WRONG program description. Apparently, whoever put together the guide used my description from my original speaking proposal for a completely different presentation, “Writing Killer Blog Posts.”
I wrote more about it on my site: http://bit.ly/speaking-tips.
Several people walked out before one attendee asked if I would be presenting on “Writing Killer Blog Posts.” Needless to say, the damage to my reputation had been done at that point.
To sum up:
- Poor communication from BW in the last 5 months led to hurried work on my part to meet BW deadlines and a lack of critical info.
- An error in the printed program confused attendees and caused damage to my reputation and BW’s reputation.
What can we do to make this right?
• • •
I share the rest of the e-mail to BlogWorld in Part 2.
• • •
If you’re a speaker considering applying to BlogWorld, or one who has been invited, consider the following questions:
- Will I be able to ask questions of BlogWorld staff that will be answered in a timely fashion?
- Will BlogWorld properly promote me and my topic? If not, what potential harm could come to your brand or reputation?
- Will the benefits of publicity and networking outweigh the costs of travel and preparation?
- Do I want my company associated with a social media conference that might treat its speakers as nothing more than a free resource?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Even newsletter experts fail sometimes
After my own newsletter crisis, I felt much much shame. Then I received this from my newsletter vendor, Vertical Response …
Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, don’t it? Happy Thanksgiving!
P.S. We’ll share your terrific tips for improving the newsletter after the holiday.
How to manage your career transition
Our friend Bettina Byrd-Giles, an intercultural consultant in Birmingham, has been giving workshops on career transition. She recently gave a presentation on “Re-Engineering Your Career” using the slides above.
She offers tips on how to evaluate your skills and what contacts to make first. Check it out.
You can read more from her on her blogs, which include the Intercultural Post and Lessons from an ’80s Alumna. Our thanks to Bettina for sharing these slides.
How are you managing your career transition? What fear is holding you back?
• • •
Want to learn more? Check out our class on
“Finding Your Dream Job Using Social Networking.”
Video: Social media and hospitality industry (and a shout out)
Video: Craig talks about his ideas for
social media and the hospitality industry.
Quickest way to get mentioned on a blog, or at least, this blog? Straight-up shout outs.
Some guy named Craig contacted me and a couple other Twitterers to pick our brains about social media for business. It didn’t hurt that he was:
- persistent (sometimes it takes more than one e-mail or tweet to get my attention);
- mentioning me by name (see video above at 3:55);
- offering a free breakfast (I can be bought).
He has ideas for his own social media education, his career path and his company.
And that breakfast discussion was a lot of fun. Naturally, I want to be in front of new faces as much as possible and hear what the needs are in the business community.
You can follow Craig on Twitter at @cjswine.
Folks, don’t be shy: Send your questions or talk with me on Twitter at @WadeOnTweets.
• • •
Learn more in our upcoming classes on
Twitter and social networking.
Help! People aren’t clicking on my newsletter
When it comes to e-mail marketing, we’ve done pretty well. Up until this month.
We’ll use ourselves as a test case this time. Because we’re obviously doing something wrong …
Take a look at a jpg of our e-mail newsletter sent Tuesday (Nov. 17). Really go over it top to bottom, though we realize many people will only glance at it in their Inbox.
It goes out to more than 300 subscribers. It has a good open rate, above 20 percent. But for the first time, it had zero clicks. Zero. People opened it, maybe read it, but had no reason to click through to the blog posts, sales offers and other links.
The content is good, solid. This edition, we didn’t include any exclusive content, but did summarize what was available on the site.
Here are some options we could try:
- 1. Shorten the darn thing. It’s at least three screens deep. Maybe break it into more newsletters and go weekly rather than once or twice a month.
- 2. Move the offers to the top. Put the other info below.
- 3. More information, less sales.
What do you think? Can this newsletter be saved? If you know your way around e-mail marketing, please leave a suggestion in the comments.
• • •
Sign up for our free newsletter. We promise it’ll get better!
How I’m using Twitter lists
Some of you (plus me) have access to Twitter lists, which Twitter is rolling out slowly to all users for free. (On your main Twitter page, it will show whether your account has been listed by others, and lists you’ve created down the side.)
It’s a new feature that allows you to group Twitterers by any category you want, whether you follow them or not. You can make the lists public or private.
I’ve been playing around with Twitter lists and have come up with a few worth noting:
- Birmingham-area nonprofit organizations: Because I believe in the good work that these groups do, I thought it would be nice to showcase all of them on one page. Users can easily keep track of fund-raisers, volunteer opportunities and favorite causes.
- Birmingham-area restaurants: Ya gotta eat, right? Rather than follow dozens (someday hundreds) of restaurants on Twitter, this page shows their current specials and menu items.
- Birmingham mayoral candidates: The saddest list of all. I’m covering the 2009 special mayoral election on Wade on Birmingham, but I also wanted to track the candidates’ tweets. So far, only Patrick Cooper (@patcoop) and Carole Smitherman (@Smitherman4Bham) have bothered with Twitter, and Cooper hasn’t updated since June. Maybe Twitter isn’t the right tool for reaching Birmingham voters, but with just 3 weeks till Election Day, could a smart candidate galvanize his/her followers quickly using tweets?
- People who listed Wade: I saw this idea on another Twitterer’s page. This meta-list is a quick way to acknowledge those who are listing me, @WadeOnTweets, even if your list is called “Worst People in the World.”
What are the potential payoffs?
- Showcase the best of any field in a fairly easy way.
- Make it easier for you and others to track groups that matter (for instance, setting up a private list with your high-value clients).
- Gain more followers, and enhance your credibility as a thought leader in specific topic area.
Also: Mashable has even more ways to use Twitter lists.
Tell us about your Twitter lists in the comments.
• • •
Follow @WadeOnTweets for more Twitter fun.
Learn even more in our Twitter class,
“Using Twitter for Dynamic Market Research” …
The difference between blogging and connecting
One benefit of blogging is community. And not in the buzzword sense of “We’re building a community around our brand.”
No, this goes back to the days of fan clubs and meeting birds of a feather.
Rachel started Alabama Bloggers earlier this year, an idea so simple, it’s surprising that it hasn’t been around longer. What’s not surprising is how fast it has grown. Rachel is, by appearance, an ordinary blogger. But by starting a site that asks bloggers around the state to join in, she found a way to connect so many of us who had never even heard of each other.
But she took it one more step. Some of us are pretty good at conversing with our visitors along the comment/reply/reply line. Rachel decided we should meet. And so, about once a month, she calls a blogger meetup, a lunch someplace in Birmingham requiring no more than a comment RSVP.
I just came back from this month’s lunch, and it was a lot of fun. Familiar faces and new faces had a chance to sit down and talk about life, and a little blogging.
That is true community.
If you’re blogging for your company, take that next step. Discover your readers, your customers, your fans face to face. Making that connection is the difference between being a great friend or merely another blogger.
• • •
Want to learn more? Check out our class on
“Beginning Blogging for Business.”
Why aren’t more people reading my blog?
I’m often asked by new bloggers why they aren’t seeing more people reading their blog.
Sometimes, it takes just a quick trip through their site to determine the cause.
Problem: One post a month (or less!).
Solution: Blog more frequently. If you don’t have the time, make the time or drop the blog. What’s our motto at Birmingham Blogging Academy? “Blog like you mean it.”
Problem: No link (or well-hidden link) to the blog on the site’s front page.
Solution: If you want first-time visitors to your company site to see your blog with all the latest news, perhaps you should make it very easy to spot. Incorporating an automated feed on the front page shows the headline from your latest post and invites people to explore your site more fully.
Problem: No linking to other sites and blogs.
Solution: Link to other sites and blogs. Why? Because it’s good karma, and it lets other sites know you exist. They come check you out, and you build your relationships online.
Problem: Lack of promotion.
Solution: If you’re going to blog, you need to let people know about it on a recurring basis. Use the tools you have: e-mail newsletters, Facebook fan pages, traditional advertising (“Read more about it on our blog at …”), blog directories.
Problem: You aren’t providing value.
Solution: Your posts need to be useful, or entertaining, or thought provoking. If not, why should they ever come back to your site? Compelling content makes a big difference.
What are other common problems that keep people from discovering or returning to your blog?
• • •
Want to learn more? Check out our class on
“Beginning Blogging for Business.”
Invisible e-mails
Mistakes are great teachers. I learned a lot in the last few days.
Last week, I fiddled (the technical term) with the domain settings for this site to tidy up the links. What I didn’t realize is that I managed to disconnect the mail[at]birminghamblogging.com address in the process.
Oops.
So from Friday, Nov. 6, through Tuesday, Nov. 10, I received no e-mail at that address. Bounced messages and other alerts would have made me aware of the problem sooner, but an absence of e-mail (and I check quite a few accounts) is hard for me to see.
I apologize if you tried to contact me via e-mail during that period.
(I even missed a meeting because of the e-mail glitch.)
That address is up and running now, along with a backup account. So if I have another failure, I should be able to figure it out sooner.
Feel free to re-send any e-mails from that period, just in case. I don’t mind duplicates.
And also feel free to contact me with a blog comment if for some reason you have trouble reaching me via e-mail.
(Later, I’ll tell you about how I screwed up my personal Facebook page for 4 days without me noticing.)
Birmingham Blogging Academy 