blogging

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The Matriarch of Blogging

Posted by george on June 18, 2009
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , . 17 comments

I hope you’ll understand publishing this off topic post so that we can take a moment and recognize the efforts of a great lady.  I call her the matriarch of blogging because every time I go to her site it feels like I just got home from school, tossing my book bag on the couch and sitting down at the kitchen table with a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.  I think a lot of other folks feel the same and I want everyone to know about:

Barbara Swafford – Blogging Without A Blog barbara

I’ve been blogging for a little under a year and during that time I’ve seen a lot of folks come and go.  I’ve seen them change their niche or topics, I’ve seen them flat out disappear, I’ve seen them turn unresponsive.  Barbara has consistently been a person who is not only generous in her responsiveness, she is generous with her giving to others.

In addition to great advice about how to blog, she scours the web for worthy sites and then showcases them for all to see.  It’s always a lot of fun because you never know what she’s going to come up with next.

A few months back she did a complete re-design of her blog site and the change is stunning.  It’s a pleasure to go and visit because I learn something new every time I show up and it’s super easy to find new things to learn there.

Anyway, Barbara for all that you do to support the blogging community I would just like to say, “Thank you”.

Let’s hear it for Barbara, folks!

Follow her on Twitter

Guest posts are like dating 2.0

Posted by george on March 12, 2009
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , , . 24 comments

Your eyes meet hers from across the room.  There is electricity there, oh yes.  It’s a crowded party yet you still manage to connect.  Smiling, you make your way across the crowded room and make a small and light introduction.  In the back of your mind you are keenly aware that she is sizing you up even as you are her.

You suggest a bit more privacy and she leads you out to the porch.  The soft breeze has a hint of the sea and magnolias.  The moon casts shadows from the palms and fades the starlight from above.  Over the muffled sounds of the indoor partygoers you gently converse, the questions and answers flowing easily and without effort.  You realize there IS something here and you don’t want the moment to pass and so you ask the question.  She responds warmly, with unexpected enthusiasm.

The night is lingering on, the party is dwindling from it’s second wind.  It’s time to go.

“I’m so glad we met. I can hardly wait until Friday.”

Looking down, she smiles then raises her eyes to meet yours.  “Me too.  It’s going to be great.”

She turns and is gone in a whisper.

Friday comes and you can barely hold still in anticipation of what she will offer this evening.  The mundane chores of the day put an anchor on time and the minutes crawl by.

Finally, the time is here.  The night is all that it should be and more than you ever could have dreamed.  You sense that maybe good things lay in wait for both of you.  And now you must wait yet again.  What will your friends think of your new-found?  The next few days will be key.

You call on her the next day.  Warm regards for a pleasant experience are exchanged.  But wait, there is something about the conversation.  A subtle undercurrent of turbulence, of things not quite right.  Maybe it’s just your imagination or maybe…

As the days go by, the words weaken.  Realization sets in with a gentle thud.

There really is no surprise.  No shock. No anger.  Just realization that this is how the game is played, this is how the world operates.  No judgement of good or evil, things just are the way they are.

And that’s ok.  Because you will always have that one night, and it’s there for all to see – forever.

Maybe the fires will kindle yet again.  It has happened in the past so you may see them burn again in the days or weeks ahead.

Until then, it is time to find another gathering of like minded souls.

So, that is my take on guest posting.  Questions?

A writer makes you a blogger not

Posted by george on February 14, 2009
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , , , , . 33 comments

I think that most of the posts here at Tumblemoose have an impact on bloggers who are looking for a little more in terms of being an inspired writer.  There are two sides to this coin.  There are a lot of writers out there who have blogging web sites and even if they are an excellent writer, they may not understand some of the intricacies of successful blogging.

The difference between writing and blogging

Writing is a sub-component of blogging.  Depending on your goals however, I would put forth that you can’t stink at one and be successful at both.  If you are the queen of killer content writing but have no idea how to drive traffic, then no one will ever see your killer content.  If you are a socializing, monetizing, trafficking, SEO guru who couldn’t write their way out of a paper bag, then your blog is heading south as well.  There is great quality out there, and you may be able to bring people to your site, but you’re going to have to live with a bounce rate of 100%.

It is critically important for you to understand the difference between writing and blogging.

I’m no expert, but:

I’m approaching the six month birthday of Tumblemoose.  A lot of blogs don’t make it this far.  I plan on being here for a long time so I work very hard at producing excellent content.  I also know what needs to be done in order for people to have access to my content.  I know how to manage my blog.  I’m a sensitive kind of guy and when I feel like people aren’t reading my stuff, I get unhappy.  I don’t LIKE being unhappy so I do my best to make my blog accessible.  I know if I make my blog accessible, people are able to read what I write and everyone’s happy.  Yee haw.

I know that you know that there are almost as many posts out there about how to blog as there are dollars in a spendulus stimulus package.  Don’t think for a moment that I’m going to give you anything mind blowing in the bullet list that follows.  I’ll address this to the writers that have either not taken the time to implement these strategies, or the ones who think for some reason the strategies do not apply to them.

Successful blogging

  • I’ll start with your web design.  Do your self a favor:  If you are serious about blogging, lose the Blogspot free page, pay the ten bucks or less per month for hosting and go get a WordPress theme.  Don’t argue, just do it.  You need a REAL domain name and an interface that makes it easy to blog.  Don’t choose a cute theme, pick a realistic, professional one.
  • Find appropriate products you like to promote on your blog through good affiliate programs.  Carefully strike a balance between advertising and content.
  • Post on a consistent schedule.  3 – 4 times a week is recommended.
  • Spend time each and every day, seeking out others in your niche and spend time reading, commenting and absorbing those posts.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to comment on other web sites.  It gets you out there, and it is one of the very best ways to
  • Build your community.  Develop a core group of like minded folks with whom you can interact and provide the support necessary to make it through any down times.
  • Learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Oh, and use it!  Use one of the many plug ins available for this purpose.
  • Register your blog with all of the appropriate services including Yahoo, MSN, Google, DMOZ, and Technorati.  Also, check out this great list of 50 free blog directories.
  • Guest post on other people’s blogs, and have them guest post at yours.
  • Link to sites in your niche, and don’t be afraid to ask them to link to you.
  • Use links within your content to enhance your reader’s experience.

This list is far from complete, but if you should follow these tips, you will be far ahead of any competition.

Cheap Shots

Posted by george on November 16, 2008
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , . 15 comments

I’ll just start this post by saying that my only tie to Darren Rowse is that I occasionally post a comment on ProBlogger and Twitip.  We’ve never conversed and he doesn’t know me from Adam.  He’s a big boy and he’s been around so I’m sure he doesn’t need Tumblemoose to be his knight in shining armor.

With that said, as I was reading and commenting on blogs over the weekend I came across two separate blogs that had posts telling bloggers that if they wanted to increase their stats, then one of the best ways to do it is by targeting a negative post at Darren.  Yes that’s right.  They didn’t say, “Go after the biggies.” or, “Choose a high profile blogger.”  No, they specifically encouraged folks to post something negative at Darren in order to rile him up and drive traffic to their blog.

That stinks.

I’m not going to point a link to those dregs because I don’t want to support or encourage that kind of behavior.

Now, understand I’m not saying that Darren or anyone else is above criticism.  If you feel you honestly have a beef with ProBlogger or any other blogging site then I say start a conversation, get feedback, see if others feel the same.   But, it needs to be in the spirit of resolution and it needs to be sincere and heartfelt.  If you  toss your barbed hook in the water just to see what you can “troll” in then I’ve not much use for you and I think it speaks to your character.

Without getting too new-agey here, I’ll say that when you participate in these kinds of antics you devalue yourself and it will come back to bite you.  Sure, maybe you’ll drive up your numbers a bit for a period of time but the long term outlook for you and your site will be bleak.  As it should be.  It’s the equivelent of taking the lazy shortcut instead of doing an honest days work.  Even if you “get away with it” how good could you possibly feel about yourself?

For me, the tortise wins the race.  I’ll take the high road, thank-you-very-much.  I’ll get to where I’m going and I’ll feel pretty good when I get there.

So, my question is:  How about you?  Have you done this type of thing before?  Do you feel this is a legitimate path to build your base?  Have you participated in these kind of antics and how did you feel afterwards?

Am I missing something?  Do I need to open an account at Backbones R Us?