There is no shortage of conversation online. An internet that was once barren – completely devoid of conversation as little as five years ago – has become remarkably social, attracting people from different countries, social classes, and ethnicities to interact and share their opinions. With equal access to information, communications, and publicity for all, it seems as if the modern internet could be the greatest source of information available.

There is a problem, though. For all the praise heaped on the social internet for ‘connecting’ us, very little real connections have happened. We have built thin relationships, largely for the purpose of extending our virtual networks, and have often left out the truly important factor in online networking, publishing, and blogging: authority.

The most successful bloggers are not those with the highest reader counts or the most Facebook friends – they are the ones with the insightful audiences and influential guests. If you want to become a blogger that is not concerned solely with traffic graphs and other gimmicks, pay attention – these four tips, strategies, and tactics could help you transform your blog.

Write less.

For most bloggers, the idea of writing less feels like a step in the wrong direction. They spend months – occasionally even years – building their online reputation, only to be asked to limit the amount of output they produce instantly.

It is nothing to fear. Limited posts ensure that the little you do publish is polished and refined. Cut down your posting frequency by 50 percent and double the value of your work – your readership won’t regret it.

In every post, write more.

Two three-hundred word throwaway posts are often worth less than one detailed six-hundred word account. If your aims revolve around building a reputation – an authority aura, if you will – one of the best things you can do is improve the amount of content a single post contains. Cut out the idea that daily, weekly, or even bi-weekly updates are required, and focus on delivering lengthy, high-value posts when possible.

Don’t comment or speculate; meditate on past events.

The rise in blogging has given hundreds of undiscovered geniuses a voice. It is also given thousands of idiots an outlet for speculation. There is no shortage of unfounded accounts and inane predictions online – they litter most feeds like a sampling of low-quality entertainment. Rise above and over reflective content and you will see the favor returned in higher quality comments, coverage, and value.

Attract high quality guest posters.

There is an old saying – “you are the sum of the five most influential people in your life.” If your blog has a purpose – a goal you want to achieve from it – it is essential that you stock it with the right people. Spend time building relationships with online influencers, the type of people that almost everyone listens to, and you will be rewarded with a greater deal of respect and attention yourself. Most bloggers are not opposed to guest blogging – they just have not found the right platform for it yet.

This article is written by Roko Nastic, editor at Webmaster Format, website where you can learn how to create better, faster and more profitable websites. You can follow him on Twitter to get the updates form the ever changing web.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: online influencers, Roko Nastic
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Drupal 7, the cocoon and the butterfly by Dries Buytaert grabbed my attention immediately with the short tale of the man, the cocoon, and the butterfly. The little story was interesting. The “moral of the story” was educational. And the entire tale was the perfect lead-in to a topic that is technical in nature, and not generally one that would be all that engaging.

Sure, web geeks like to hear about upcoming versions of their favorite apps, but a quick scan is usually sufficient, and the blogger may not really connect with the reader in any significant way. Dries, however, does a great job of connecting with his readers by using the tale as a lead-in. The little story’s lesson was a great way to introduce the main topic Dries wanted to discuss.

If you’ve ever wanted to be better at engaging your blog readers, I recommend reading Dries’ post, whether you care about Drupal or not. Just as the story of the man and the cocoon had a lesson to be learned, Dries’ post also imparts a lesson in effective use of storytelling when blogging.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dries Buytaert, storytelling
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Nope, I don’t give a rat’s patooty about getting SEO value out of a comment. I do, however, care about learning more about the people who take the time to make interesting comments. And THAT’S the total awesomeness about the CommentLuv plugin, in my opinion. Being able to see the title of the latest post written by someone who made a comment on my blog (or any other blog), and then being able to easily click through to read that commenter’s post – well, that’s just genius.

Let’s take a specific example, shall we?

My contest entry is 5 Steps To Impressing A Longtime Jaded Blogger With Your Comments. The first 10 people who made a comment and who had their latest blog post listed via the CommentLuv plugin enabled me to check out their blog posts, and get to know those people a little better. These are the blog posts I read, and I would possibly have never known about these posts if I hadn’t seen them listed in the comments they wrote. How cool is that?

Deleting HTML tags in Dreamweaver CS4 — dwcourse.com

Social Influence- If No One is Listening, It’s Time to Expand Your Circle — Big Girl Branding

If Somebody, Anybody, Donates $5 to My Cause I Promise I Won’t Shave My Head « Tony’s Mill

Covering Your Local Search Assets | SearchRank Blog

You And Your Horse: Connections In Langley, BC | The Other Blokes Blog

Rat Roulette: Best Carnival Game EVER | Skitzzo.com

Broken links, how to find and fix them, and why it’s so important | Marketing Tips

ComLuv/Famous Bloggers Contest Summary | Information Central

BloggerLuv Link Roundup

An Interesting Guest Post Analysis on FamousBloggers

Look, the people who made the comments didn’t have to spam. They didn’t have to do any work at all in order to get their latest post listed within the comment. The CommentLuv plugin automatically grabbed it and listed it. As long as you’ve registered your blog’s URL sometime in the past, it’ll always get recognized when commenting on a blog that uses the plugin.

As far as I’m concerned, this is the ultimate CONNECTION between bloggers and users. Getting to know one another by reading each other’s posts and sharing thoughts about each. That’s priceless stuff, folks.

CommentLuv plugin makes these connections work better. I <3 it.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blogging, commenting, comments, connections, FBCLcontest, social networking
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Scribnia is an interesting directory concept that I haven’t seen before. That’s what caught my eye – something fresh in my blogging world. Ok, so it actually took me a few minutes to figure out what Scribnia is all about, so first I’d like to gently criticize them on the fact that they don’t do a very good job of making that information stand out. Sure, they describe what Scribnia is right there on the home page, but it’s located at the very bottom of the page in small print. Oh well, in any case, once I figured out what it was, I thought this might be useful. Here’s how they describe themselves:

Scribnia is the source for people’s opinions about bloggers, columnists, reporters, and other writers whose work is available online. We hope it can be a place for truly great writers to be discovered. We rank writers not on traffic or incoming links, but on the feedback and opinions of readers like you.

If you’re a writer, search your name to see if a user has added you already. If not, just go to the +Add Writer page and add yourself to the site.

This could be a great way of getting some additional exposure, so if this kind of specialty directory is relevant to you, you might want to get listed in it. It also has a social aspect to it, so you can discover new people who interest you, and in turn, others discover you. Besides discovery, this is a directory of reviews, where bloggers review each other. I guess it’s the review process that actually helps lead to more discovery because you can search for new bloggers to read using various sliders – adjusting your preferences to filter out those types that aren’t what you are looking for. So if you’re looking for an edgy marketing blogger, who takes risks on his blog, you can adjust the sliders to filter out the more conventional bloggers in the niche. And of course, when you review a blogger, you use the sliders to rate the bloggers. It’s pretty cool, actually, though it took me a while to really get the hang of what I should be doing next. I’ve done a few reviews and “liked” a few reviews that others have done. All in all, it’s a fairly enjoyable experience once you get into it. I’ll probably stick around for a while and see how it goes. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Ok, so my profile is here. Feel free to review me and also let me know where I can find your profile, so I can review you as well. Enjoy.

That’s all for today. There are, of course, other interesting blogs and resources amongst the contest sponsors, but I don’t want to inundate my readers with too many posts in one day. The three I’ve highlighted were the 3 that stood out for me and were completely off my radar until now. I thought perhaps you’d like to know about them too.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blogger reviews, directory, FBCLcontest
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I’ve been noticing all the hubbub lately for the FamousBloggers ComLuv contest, but I’ve been so busy that I hadn’t had a chance to really check it out until a week or so ago. Once I did, I realized that this was a great opportunity for me to share my thoughts on blog commenting in a contest that’s all about blog commenting! What’s great about blogging in this situation is that my thoughts will go out beyond my normal inner circle of readers, and expanding reach is the goal of every blogger. So I decided to enter this contest for several reasons: 1) The prizes rock! , 2) It’s time I start really participating in both the FamousBloggers network and the ComLuv network, and 3) I really wanted to share my thoughts on blog commenting.

Ok, so here’s a link to my entry in this contest. It’s called 5 Steps To Impressing A Longtime Jaded Blogger With Your Comments. I’d very much appreciate you reading the post and commenting on it. Don’t comment here; please comment on the actual post over there » .

In addition, if you could tweet about my post (making sure to link to the post itself, and not this one), I’d be ecstatic. You want me to be ecstatic, don’t you?

Here’s a sample tweet if you don’t want to get creative…

5 Steps To Impressing A Longtime Jaded Blogger With Your Comments http://bt.io/Fcx9 (Pls RT) #FBCLcontest

Of course, the contest is able to give out cash prizes because it is being sponsored, so here’s a list of all the sponsors who so generously participated.

Contest Sponsors

This is the FamousBloggers ComLuv Contest Sponsors, feel free to check them out, also check the Online Contest page for more information. Special thank to Gail our Social Media Marketing Strategist for the great work.

$300 SPONSORS

The ComLuv Network

Claims.com specialists in road traffic accidents Claims and Compensation

$150 SPONSORS

• FamousBloggers ~ Group blog about how to start a business, making money blogging and blogging for business.
• Brian Longest ~ GoDaddy Coupon UKTop10 30% Off
• Executive Gift Shoppe ~ Personalized gifts including Money Clip
• Social Implications – Exploring the impact of Social Media ~ Social Media
• Local Proud ~ Start Your Own Discount Card Business

$100 SPONSORS:

• FiddyP. Personal blog of Andy Bailey
• FiredWok Chinese Takeaway & Delivery ~ Chinese delivery in Lancaster
• GoodMillwork ~ Florida Based Architectural Moldings
• Andrew Rondeau Ltd ~ Blogging Guide
• Marc Duquette ~ Scribnia Blogging Directory
• The Happy Guy Marketing ~ Professional SEO services
• The Online Recruiters Directory ~ Search Firms
• Monster Auto ~ Car industry news
• Bill – ANS Gear ~ Paintball Guns & Gear
• Cori Padgett- Big Girl Branding ~ Business Marketing Strategy
• NowRelevant.com ~ Google alternative search
• The Internet Time Machine ~ Trends and new product ideas
• Joe & Colleen ~ Richland Wa Homes For Sale

$50 Sponsors

• DiTesco ~ Home based business resources
• DennisEdell ~ Direct Sales Marketing Coach
• Firas ~ WP Worx – WordPress Services
• Kiesha ~ Blogging Tips & Tricks
• Melinda ~ Simple Home Organization
• Dan Keller – TycoonBlogger ~ Promote Your Blog
• ProjectCenter ~ Club Flyers
• PPI Claims ~ PPI Claims
• Free Gifts ~ Free Gifts
• Zoomit Canada ~ Social Bookmarking just for Canada
• Fence Houston ~ Houston fence contractor
• Fence Philadelphia ~ Philadelphia fence company
• Location Villa Espagne ~ Location Villa Costa Brava
• Lube Oil Sales ~ Buy Amsoil Motor Oil
• Olympic EyeWear ~ Designer sunglasses
• Miss Wise Law ~ Law & Legal Information
• Michelle Mangen ~ The Social Media Virtual Assistant
• Chris Guthrie ~ Make Money on the Internet

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blog comments, blogging, commenting, contest, FBCLcontest
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First, you’ll need to go to your user page (mine is at http://www.twellow.com/user/dazzlindonna, so substitute your username for mine). Then, click the Claim Your Profile link and enter your Twitter password.

Now, you’re able to edit your profile and categories. Notice that the instructions say “To add yourself to additional categories simply browse through Twellow and click the Add to category buttons found throughout the site next to the category names. You are limited to 10 categories in addition to any automatically determined by the system.” So, while you can verify the original categories, or delete categories from this page, you’ll need to add new categories from the site itself.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll see that you’ve verified your profile and can login and edit your changes at any time in the future.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: categories, edit profile, Twellow, Twitter
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A new site has just emerged, called Twellow (Twitter Yellow Pages), and it’s a nice little directory of Twitter users. At the moment, it contains 332,261 Twitterers, with that number growing at all times, I assume. You can search for people in two ways: either a search across the entire directory, or just within a specific category.

The first thing I noticed was that I was included in the directory, but I wasn’t categorized, so I contacted them to ask how I could rectify that. Here’s an excerpt of the answer I received:

We are working to add a feature which will allow people to verify their identity and add/edit themselves within categories. This is one of the biggest requests we’ve had, so it will definitely be coming soon. In the meantime, a less-than-perfect alternative is to adjust your bio on Twitter to include “SEO” as a separate, distinct word and then load your Twellow profile page at http://www.twellow.com/user/DazzlinDonna. This will pull your updated bio and re-categorize you in the system.

So, I followed the instructions, and added the separate word “SEO” (without the quotes) to my Twitter bio, went to my Twellow profile page (and refreshed it as well), and like magic, I was now categorized. If you aren’t categorized, that tip should work for you as well (using whatever category designation fits your profile).

Twitter and services like it are extremely useful to you when developing your personal brand and when marketing your sites/blogs. To be able to find Twitterers within specific categories enables us all to follow people we might not have noticed before – and allows others to find and follow us as well. This can help us identify and more fully develop our social network friendship pockets.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2008. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Directories, social network, Twellow, Twitter
This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this in your news aggregator/reader or on DazzlinDonna, then the site you are looking at is probably infringing upon my copyright.

So here’s what I’m suggesting. Make use of the various superstitions and related “holidays” to serve interesting content to your users. You don’t want to make fun of your users beliefs or cause them to feel judged for having those beliefs, but you do want to present your content in an interesting or humorous way. Do your best to tie the superstition into the topic of your site, and give your readers something fun that helps them to visualize your site, topic, or product in a new and interesting light.

Writing fun, creative content can be difficult to do, so take advantage of those times each year when the day itself helps generate ideas for you. By combining holidays with superstitions, you have the chance to create compelling content that engage and entertain your readers. When you can hook into a reader’s deepest emotions like that, you stand a very good chance of being remembered, and creating that memory could mean the difference between having a drive-by reader, and a long-term user.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Content, Friday the 13th, hooks, superstitions
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Luckily, every now and then, the cheesy sales letter leads to worthwhile information, so I don’t have to feel like a total loser, because I occasionally stumble across the good ones. The Guru Catcher Report actually contains worthwhile information…not only in the ebook, but also in the hour-long interview (mp3 audio) that accompanies it. It explains (really, it actually explains) how a lot of the bigwigs are making money online. And then it shows you how to make that information work for you.

If you buy this one, don’t just read the ebook. The ebook is good, but I liked the mp3 even more. If this doesn’t make you slap your forehead, and the lightbulb of understanding come on, I don’t know what will. I could attempt to explain it to you, but I’m not sure I could do a better job of explaining it, and I couldn’t do it more quickly than just sending you off to grab this.

If you’ve ever wondered what those bigshots were doing to make all that money, and wondered why you weren’t achieving that same success, this ebook and audio will very likely answer the questions for you. If you’ve ever had faith in anything I’ve ever said over the years, I hope you have faith that I’m not sending you information on some stupid product. (Even if you think the sales letter page looks like the typical stupid product). Again, read the ebook, but then listen to the audio. There really is some forehead-slapping information there. The product comes with a guarantee, so if you think I’m wrong, you can always get your money back, but if you don’t slap your forehead, I’ll be surprised.

Here’s the link again. Guru Catcher Report

I really do think you’ll slap your forehead as the lightbulb goes on. And if I’m right, and your marketing strategy changes for the better because of it, I’d love to hear about it.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Guru Catcher, mp3, stupid product, typical stupid product
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Every day this week, I’ll be posting based upon a random Flickr image that inspires me. Here’s one now.

This photo exudes happiness, freedom, confidence, and joy. Each of us has experienced such boundless expression at some point in our lives, when we shed all inhibitions, danced simply for the joy of it, and really allowed our true colors to shine through. Infusing this colorful freedom of expression into not only our “play time” but also into our work time is critical to success, in my opinion.

You don’t have to be colorful, playful, joyous and creative in every blog post or every site article, but that side of you needs to shine through on occasion. Your joyful spirit can embody your ebusiness in many ways, some subtle, some vibrant. Humor, joy, flamboyance, and elation WILL affect your readers in a positive way.

Have you ever seen someone having an uncontrollable giggle attack? They laugh and laugh and laugh… and you don’t know why they are laughing, but for some reason, you start laughing as well. And the more they laugh, the more you laugh. Others see the two of you laughing, and they begin to laugh. Only the original giggler knows what caused the laughter to begin with, but his explosion of giggles affects everyone around him in the same way.

That’s powerful stuff. We all have beautiful colors within us that we can share with others on our blogs and our web sites, and the sharing of those colors will affect those we share them with. If you are looking for a way to connect with the visitors to your site, find a way to share your colors. As Cyndi Lauper said in her 1986 song, True Colors:

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And thats why I love you
So dont be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

And in deference to the always wonderful Ms. Lauper, sit back and enjoy a little YouTube video of her singing True Colors. Afterwards, think of ways you can share your joyful side on your site.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cyndi Lauper, e - business, Youtube
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