BlogWorld & New Media Expo Blog» Brilliant Bloggers http://www.blogworld.com Official News Blog of the World's Largest Social Media Conference & Tradeshow Mon, 21 May 2012 11:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The Podcast Report is a podcast devoted to the Podcasting Track of BlogWorld & New Media Expo. Stay up to date with the latest information related to the podcasting community and the conference that brings the podcasting community together. Cliff Ravenscraft no Cliff Ravenscraft Cliff@Ravenscraft.org Cliff@Ravenscraft.org (Cliff Ravenscraft) BlogWorld & New Media Expo Devoted To The Podcasting Track of BlogWorld & New Media Expo BlogWorld, New Media, Expo, Conference, Podcast, Podcasting, Cliff, Ravenscraft BlogWorld & New Media Expo Blog» Brilliant Bloggers http://www.blogworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/PodcastReport150.jpg http://www.blogworld.com/category/exclusives/brilliant-bloggers/ Weekend Reading: 21 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Starting a Podcast http://www.blogworld.com/2012/05/11/weekend-reading-21-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-starting-a-podcast/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/05/11/weekend-reading-21-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-starting-a-podcast/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=13561 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Starting a Podcast

Every week, BlogWorld’s fantastic podcast track leader, Cliff Ravenscraft, presents The Podcast Report right here on the BlogWorld blog. He covers tons of different podcasting topics, but today I wanted to do something a little different and give everyone a comprehensive list of links where you can find information about starting a podcast, even if you’ve never done this before. Lots of bloggers can benefit from having a podcast, but it can be daunting to get started. These brilliant bloggers (most of them podcasters themselves) have some great advice to help you join the podcasting ranks.

(I recommend you start with this podcasting beginner’s guide right here on the BlogWorld blog from Daniel Clark!)

Brilliant Blogger of the Week:

Learn How to Podcast by Cliff Ravenscraft

Cliff is a no-brainer as our brilliant blogger of the week. He might be a podcaster first and foremost, but he’s a force to be reckoned with in all forms of content creation, from podcasting to video creation to blogging. On his “learn how to podcast” page, you’ll find an AMAZING seven-part video series, wrapped up with an 8th Q&A video. This series teaches you absolutely everything you need to know about gettings started as a podcaster, even if you have no experience. His videos cover equipment, setting up and RSS feed, and more. You seriously can’t find a better all-in-one guide to getting started than Cliff’s resource, and his entire Podcast Answer Man site is something you’ll want to check out to learn more about podcasting. You can also follow Cliff on Twitter at @GSPN.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

Ewan Spence has also written some wonderful podcasting tips right here on the BlogWorld blog!

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about starting a podcast? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link.

Next Week’s Topic: Storytelling

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/05/11/weekend-reading-21-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-starting-a-podcast/feed/ 2 Weekend Reading: 22 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Facebook Likes http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/27/weekend-reading-22-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-facebook-likes/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/27/weekend-reading-22-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-facebook-likes/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:02:00 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=13260 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a bi-weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Facebook Likes

Whether you’re a small business owner or a blogger/podcaster, you probably already have a Facebook page. Maybe you’re highly interactive on that page and have a huge community there. Maybe you try to ignore it because you don’t know what to do with it. Most of us fall somewhere in between (though I think our community director Deb Ng does a FANTASTIC job on the BlogWorld Facebook page!)

On Facebook, it’s all about the likes. You want people to like your page so you appear in their stream, and you also want people to like individual pieces of content so you show up in their friends’ ticker. Today, our Brilliant Bloggers are talking about how to get more likes – and by making a few of the simple changes they talk about, you can skyrocket the success of your page.

Brilliant Blogger of the Week:

Buying Facebook Fans…Is There No GOOD Way? by Kirsten Wright

Buying likes on Facebook seems to go against my gut feelings of how to build a community, but in this post, Kirsten talks about an ethical and effective way to buy REAL fans through Facebook advertising. This isn’t the right move for everyone, but for many businesses, and even some bloggers and podcasters, “buying likes” is a great choice. From Kirsten’s post:

Facebook advertising, while it has a much catchier name, is technically still buying fans. But in this case, you’re buying extremely targeted, likely interested in your product/industry and often willing to engage fans. Which is where the key difference, and success, lies.

After checking out her entire post, you can follow Kirsten on Twitter at @kirstenwright.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

  1. 10 ways to get more Likes on your Facebook Timeline page! by SocialAppsHQ
  2. 13 Simple Ways of Increasing Your Facebook Likes by Niall Harbison (@niallharbison)
  3. 20 Ways to Promote Your Facebook Fan Page by Justin Wise (@justinwise)
  4. 21 Creative Ways To Increase Your Facebook Fanbase by Mari Smith (@marismith)
  5. 50 Ways to Get More People to Like Your Facebook Page by Garin Kilpatrick (@garin)
  6. Billy No Mates? 10 Tips to Get More Likes on Facebook by Nicky Price (@NickyVitality)
  7. Facebook Explains How To Get More “Likes” and Clicks by Pamela Vaughan (@pamelump)
  8. Five Tips for Getting More Likes On Facebook Fanpage by Kushal Biswas (@kushalthedude)
  9. How I Built A 6-Figure Facebook Fan Page by Adam Singer (@adamsinger)
  10. How I Get 87% More Facebook Page “Likes” Every Day by Tory McBroom (@torymcbroom)
  11. How I Got 18 Times More ‘Likes’ on a Facebook Update by Darren Rowse (@problogger)
  12. How to Get More Facebook Likes for Your Website and Fan Page by Kristi Hines (@kikolani)
  13. How to Get More Facebook Likes: Write More Good Content by Jon Loomer (@jonloomer)
  14. How to Get More Likes For Your Facebook Page (The Easy Way!) by Dave Charest (@davecharest)
  15. How to Get More Likes on Facebook by Amanda Webb (@spiderworking)
  16. How to Get More People To Share Your Content by Natalie Davis (@NatalieIMPACT)
  17. Positive Facebook Updates Get More Likes, Negative Get More Comments [INFOGRAPHIC] by Zoe Fox (@zoebfox)
  18. The Real Reason Your Customers Don’t Like You on Facebook by Jay Baer (@jaybaer)
  19. Study Reveals Why Consumers Fan Facebook Pages by Amy Porterfield  (@amyporterfield)
  20. Tips to Get More Fans to Share Your Facebook Content by Patricia Odell
  21. Use your website to get more Likes for your Facebook page [guide] by Erno Hannink (@ernohannink)

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about Facebook likes? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link.

Next Brilliant Blogger Topic: Starting a Podcast

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/27/weekend-reading-22-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-facebook-likes/feed/ 1 29 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Retweets http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/12/29-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-retweets/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/12/29-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-retweets/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:10:00 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=13045 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Retweeting

Retweets are a great way to spread your content well beyond your initial audience, so this is the topic I wanted to feature as today’s Brilliant Bloggers. How do you get more retweets? How can you track your retweets? How can you best retweet others?

These are all questions answered by the bloggers below!

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

The Science of Retweets by Dan Zarrella

This post from Dan Zarrella at Mashable isn’t light reading, but it is well worth your time. Well worth your time. In this post, he covers the four factors most likely to make a tweet go viral with retweets. Writes Dans,

ReTweeting is a rich source of data for this type of analysis: a larger number of ReTweets are posted every day, pertaining to nearly every imaginable topic and Twitter’s API gives us the ability to quantify and map viral behavior in a way that has never been possible before.

When I set out to answer the question of what makes certain Tweets more viral than others I found four factors that I believe have strong impacts on how far content spreads on Twitter.

After checking out this post on Mashable, you can read more from Dan on his blog, as well as follow him on Twitter @DanZarrella.

Twitter 101: 55 Tips to Get Retweeted on Twitter by Pam Moore

If you want quick tips, rather than the complete analysis that Dan has provided, Pam Moore’s post is for you. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another, depending on your Twitter audience, but Pam provides tons of tips in this post, so you can pick and choose those that work for you. From the post:

Retweets are good in that they help spread your message, can increase brand awareness, visits to your blog, and help you meet business and marketing objectives if you have properly integrated social media into your business.

Whatever your motivation may be to increase the retweet love, below are a few tips (55 of them) to increase those retweets. No promises. No guarantees. But heck, what do you have to lose?

You can find more from Pam on her blog and follow her on Twitter @pammktgnut.

How to Increase Your Retweets, Twitter Followers & Klout by Kristi Hines

Kristi’s advice is always pretty spot on, but I love this post about retweets (which also covers getting more followers and building your Klout score). It’s not a list of tips or an analysis like you’ll find with the above two posts, but rather a tutorial and other information about adding social media sharing buttons to your site. Writes Kristi,

It STILL amazes me every time I come across a blog that has no social sharing buttons. At the bare, bare minimum, you need a retweet button on your blog post pages. Why? Because if you don’t have one, you are missing out on a lot of retweets of your posts by your readers to their followers and as a result, a lot of traffic as well.

Kristi’s home blog is Kikolani, but you can also find her work on Social Media Examiner, KISSmetrics, and a number of other blogs. Follower her on Twitter @kikolani.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about retweets? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link.

Next Week’s Topic: Facebook Shares

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/12/29-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-retweets/feed/ 1 SPECIAL EDITION: 16 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Zombies http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/01/special-edition-16-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-zombies/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/01/special-edition-16-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-zombies/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=12768 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Zombies

Here are BlogWorld, we want you to be totally prepared for the zombie apocalypse, so today’s Brilliant Bloggers is all about being preparing for the horde of undead threatening to break down your doors and eat you alive as you sit at your computer…

…just kidding. It is April Fool’s Day after all.

Yet, zombies are so hot that lots of bloggers are using them as metaphors to explain their own points. It’s a fun way to keep people interested in whatever you’re saying. I should know – I have an entire site about blogging and social media called Blog Zombies.

Since it is April Fool’s Day, I thought it would be fun to collect all the new media-related posts I could find that use zombies to help explain their topic of the day. Hope you guys have fun today – and don’t get pranked too much!

Okay, today was about having a little fun, but a take-away message from all of this is that you can cash in on a trend you enjoy (like zombies) by finding a tie-in with you blog’s niche. It’s a way to make your blog more interesting for readers…and to have a few laughs yourself as you’re writing posts.

We’ll be back next week with a new Brilliant Bloggers edition that has nothing to do with the undead. I promise!

 

 

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/04/01/special-edition-16-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-zombies/feed/ 2 23 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Blog to Book http://www.blogworld.com/2012/03/01/23-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-blog-to-book/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/03/01/23-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-blog-to-book/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:53:32 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=12633 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Blog to Book

If you combine all your blog posts after a year or so of blogging, they’d probably be the length of a book…so why not write a book? At least, that’s the mindset some bloggers have. When you’re niche blogging, you learn an incredible amount of information about a topic and are always on top of news stories in your industry, which definitely qualifies you to write in book (at least, in most cases). Combine that with your already-built-in audience of buyers – i.e., your blog readers – and you’re any publisher’s dream!

Right?

Well, maybe. Finding an agent/editor to take you on might still be a challenge. And you also have the option of self-publishing, a topic we’ve definitely covered before here at BlogWorld. But having a blog is without a doubt one of the routes you can take to becoming a published book author. The below brilliant bloggers can help you out with even more great advice!

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

From Blog to Book Deal: How 6 Authors Did It by Brenna Ehrlich

If they did it so can you! Well, at least, that’s the hope. In this post, Brenna talks to six different authors about the varied ways they landed book deals, how they drove traffic to their blogs, and more. The biggest take-away message from this post? Not everyone goes about the blog-to-book thing the same way! In this post, you can find out how popular bloggs like Ben Huh and Pam Slim landed book deals, but keep in mind that your own path might be a little different. From the post:

Ever since roughly 2005, publishers have been looking toward the Internet in order to find new fodder for the printed page, and this year, those literary folk found themselves flush with talent. Everything from Tweets to Twinkies served as inspiration for books, bridging the digital divide to bring your computer screen to your coffee table. So how did they do it? How did these weekend website warriors snag book deals?

After checking out the complete post at Mashable, you can find more from Brenna on her own site,  Stuff Hipsters Hate, or by following her on Twitter @brenna_e.

From Blogger to Book Author: The Four-Step Guide by Jeff Goins

As we’ve seen with the last post, bloggers can take make different routes to becoming published book authors. However, there are four main steps to getting published (for most people at least, and while following these steps doesn’t guarantee you J.K Rowling-like success, it does make it easier for you to get a book deal. In this guest post for Problogger, Jeff Goins talks about his publishing experiences and how you can replicate his success. Writes Jeff,

Recently, I signed a contract with a book publisher. I had always hoped to one day publish a book, but I never thought it would happen in a few months.

What made this possible? In a word: blogging.

After checking out the complete post, you can find more from Jeff at his blog Goins, Writer and on Twitter @jeffgoins.

Please Don’t Blog Your Book: 4 Reasons Why by Jane Friedman

With the success of so many bloggers becoming print authors, those with a dream of getting published are turning to blogs as a why to get a foot in the door. And that’s a great idea…but blogging pieces from your not-yet-published manuscript really isn’t the way to go about doing it. You can get a book deal if you start a blog, but in this post, Jane talks about why it is so important not to “blog your book” – writing a blog and writing a book are two very different animals. Almost all successful book authors who started as bloggers wrote nearly completely new material. Rehashing blog posts into a book just doesn’t work. From the post:

It seems almost silly to have to state it, but blogging (as a form of writing) holds tremendous merit on its own. Writers who ask, “Can I blog to get a book deal?” probably think of the blog as a lesser form of writing, merely a vehicle to something “better.” No. A blog has its own reasons for being, and blogs do not aspire to become books if they are truly written as blogs.

You can find more from Jane on Twitter @janefriedman.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about blog to book? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link.

Next Week’s Topic: TBD

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/03/01/23-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-blog-to-book/feed/ 14 15 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Managing Forums http://www.blogworld.com/2012/02/16/15-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-managing-forums/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/02/16/15-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-managing-forums/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=12508 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Managing Forums

Back in the day, before social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, I lived on forums. I loved the ability to connect with other people who had similar interests, and some of the people I met on these forums are still people I’m friends with today, several years later. Although they receive less attention than social media platforms, forums are far from dead. In fact, if you have a thriving community, you could benefit from the addition of forums on your blog.

Before you jump into this world, though, take the advice of the below-linked brilliant bloggers. These are people who know a thing or two about managing a forum, and they have some great tips and opinions that could help you on your forum ventures.

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

How to Start a Busy Forum in ONE Day by Gary Mccaffrey

In my experience, the biggest challenge of any forum admin is keeping people interested. It’s especially difficult at the beginning, because people are always hesitant to get involved with anything if no one else is involved. In my opinion, it’s why some popular blogs continue to stay popular, even if there is better content at other blogs. People love to be part of something. In this post, Gary talks about how to create an environment where people are encouraged to participate, even from day one. This creates that momentum you need to keep the forum active. Writes Gary,

I developed this method after failing badly when I first attempted to start an online discussion forum.  It’s a pretty much fail proof method for getting a forum started.

If you’ve ever tried or even thought about starting an internet forum before, you will know that it is not easy.

After reading the entire post about starting a new forum, you can find Gary on Twitter @garymccaffrey.

5 Things Not to Do When Starting a Forum by Josh

Sometimes it’s not what you should do, but rather what you should avoid doing. In this post, Josh talks about some of the most common mistakes forum admins make when starting a new forum and managing members for the first time. Whether you’re starting a forum for your own blog or taking a new position with someone else as their new forum mod, these are great tips you can use to avoid killing traffic and participation. From the post:

Creating a successful forum can be a difficult task for any Admin, even though there’s loads of information out there about forum management. But while there is a lot of information about how to build a successful forum, there isn’t much information about some of the causes of failure.

Josh is also a moderator at Chaterrific. You can find him on Twitter @originaljlogan.

Top Ten Lessons I’ve Learned About Managing an Online Forum by pops

I think this post shares some really important experiences about managing an online forum from someone who’s been an admin at two very different kinds of forums. Not every “rule” out there is going to work for every forum, just like not every “rule” out there is going to work for every blog. However, despite differences, a forum is a forum is a forum. So, take a look at the lessons you can learn from this blogger’s experiences to better your own forums. From the post:

Starting a forum is a lot of work and the financial rewards come slowly and irregularly if at all. During the lean times, your passion is what will sustain you. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be YOUR passion. Both of my forums were someone else’s idea. Initially I was just along for the ride. It was their commitment that dragged me (and the forums) through the tough times.

This blog also has a really great post called Tips on Promoting Your Forum that I recommend checking out.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about managing forums? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link.

Next Week’s Topic: Paper.li

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/02/16/15-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-managing-forums/feed/ 6 30 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Bounce Rate http://www.blogworld.com/2012/02/10/30-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-bounce-rate/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/02/10/30-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-bounce-rate/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=12386 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is that pesky statistic that tells you how many people click through to other pages on your blog after reading whatever page they landed on in the first place. Earlier this month, I wrote a bit about why bounce rate is important. Today, I wanted to take a moment to link to tons of other bloggers talking about the same topic, including many with tips on how to improve your bounce rate.

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

How to Reduce Your Website’s Bounce Rate by Matt Quinn

If you’ve interested in keeping people on your site longer, this post by Matt at Inc.com is a great place to start. Matt gives quite a few tips in this post, from Caleb Whitmore, CEO of Analytics Pros, but the best part of this post is that each tip ends with a “dig deeper” link – another post on the site where you can find more about making the specific tip work for you, whether you’re changing your design or improving load times.

From the post:

A site’s bounce rate is easy to track with tools like Google Analytics. Such tools can show you the bounce rates on different pages of your website, how the user came to your site (organic search, paid search, banner ad, etc.), how the bounce rate has changed over time, and other data so you can really dig into where you might have a leak.

As a rule of thumb, a 50 percent bounce rate is average. If you surpass 60 percent, you should be concerned. If you’re in excess of 80 percent, you’ve got a major problem.

After checking out the entire post, you can find Matt on Twitter @mattquinn16, and he also is a contributor to Wall Street Journal’s corporate finance blog.

The Bounce Rate Myth by Rick Allen

Most bloggers I’ve linked to in this post agree that bounce rate is important, but I think that Rick makes from really good points in this post. When it comes to metrics, nothing is truly black and white, so it’s important to understand your bounce rate and why it might be high (or low). In this post, Rick talks about how you can examine your stats more closely to really understand what’s happening on your site. This is a must-read post – don’t just blindly start to make changes on your site because another blogger says it’s a good idea! Writes Rick,

Analysts typically use bounce rate as a measure of poor quality content — or as an expression of dissatisfaction with your site. But bounce rate has a lot more to say than simply “your website stinks.” In fact, it might even say something good!

As with all web metrics, we need context to provide meaningful insights. Maybe one bounce means a visitor left because she immediately found what she was looking for or bookmarked the page to view it later. Every web metric has more than one angle.

After checking out Rick’s entire post, you can find him on Twitter @epublishmedia.

Bounce Rate: Sexiest Web Metric Ever? by Avinash Kaushik

This post is great because it gives you a really in-depth explanation of how you can track and understand your bounce rate. More importantly, with each step you take to examine your bounce rate, Avinash gives you an “action” – basically, what you can do to make your bounce rate better after looking at your stats. You can examine your site’s numbers as much as you want, but until you actually take action, nothing will change! Writes Avinash,

Start by measuring the bounce rate for your entire website. Any decent web analytics tool will give you this as soon as you log into it. You’ll understand better why your conversion rate is so low, if you have made changes over the last x amount of time then watching a trend of bounce rate is a sure way to know if the changes you are making are for the better.

Now you are ready to dive deeper.

After reading Avinash’s entire post (and hopefully taking some of the steps he recommends to improve your bounce rate), you can find him on Twitter @avinash. He is also the author of Web Analytics: An Hour A Day and blogs at Occam’s Razor.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about Bounce Rate? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link

Next Week’s Topic: Managing Forums

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/02/10/30-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-bounce-rate/feed/ 3 27 Brilliant Bloggers Talk About Public Speaking http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/26/27-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-public-speaking/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/26/27-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-public-speaking/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:36:00 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=12365 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Public Speaking

One of the ways you make money with a blog or podcast is to use this content as a jumping off point for public speaking. Serving as a speaker had two benefits:

  • Making money directly through paid speaking gigs
  • Raising your brand awareness so people visit your blog, buy your products, etc.

People general don’t just come out of the woodwork to offer you speaking gigs, though. So this edition of Brilliant Bloggers includes links to help you find speaking opportunities, as well as what to do if you are hired or accepted to speak. You can also check out this guest post from Barry Moltz – “How to Monetize the Content of Your Blog in Speaking Engagements” – right here on the BlogWorld blog.

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

Be A Better Speaker: Go Commando by Jonathan Fields

If you’ve ever been to a presentation by Jonathan Fields, you probably would never guess that he still gets nervous before a speaking! His talk at BlogWorld is one of the best I’ve ever attended, and in this post, he talks about why that’s the case – he pays close attention to the audience and is able to quickly change things up on the fly to better connect. I think the mark of a true professional is being able to improvise, rather than relying on a script. Learning how to “go commando” can definitely help you improve as a speaker. Writes Jonathan,

So, what if your observation tells you you’re missing the mark? Here’s something to explore…Abandon the script.

Just the sound of that phrase terrifies most people. Off script?! Away from the planned, standard, tested, vetted bullet points, answers and slides I’ve prepared? No way! If the script is working and people are vibing with it, go ahead and roll with it.

But, if you’re bombing sticking to the script, why not at least give yourself the chance to recover, get back on track and give your audience what they need, rather than what you planned to deliver?

After checking out the post, make sure to follow Jonathan on Twitter @jonathanfields and check out his latest book, Uncertainty.

How to Get More Speaking Gigs: Write a One-Sheet by Jorgen Sundberg

No matter how poplar you become, there are always people out there who aren’t going to know your name (as was illustrated so clearly earlier this month when Leo Laporte was denied access to a tech event). When that happens, especially if your name doesn’t carry quite as much clout as Leo’s, it is super helpful to have a one-sheet ready to go. This tells people who you are, what you have done in the past, and why they should want you to speak at their event. In this post, Jorgen writes,

How do you pitch yourself and your speaking prowess to meetups, seminars and conferences? You obviously have to find out who does the bookings of speakers. The best way to convince this person to book you is by sending over a speaker one-sheet, basically a one pager outlining what you talk about and why they should book you.

Just like a resume is screened by an employer, the speaker sheet will be reviewed by the event planner and it needs to provide this person with enough compelling information to get you booked in.

In addition to blogging at Undercover Recruiter, Jorgen can also be found on Twitter @JorgenSundberg and is the founder and director of Link Humans.

3 Presentation Skills You Can Practice Any Time by Alex Cequea

You can find tons of awesome content for speakers at The Speaker Point, but this is one of my favorite posts. In my opinion, the best way to become a better speaker is to practice, especially if it’s a talk you’ve never given before. In this post, Alex goes over three great tips to help you write better speeches and present them in a better manner, so it’s definitely worth checking out, even if you’re an experienced public speaker. Best of all, you don’t need to be standing in front of an audience to practice these skills. From the post:

According to a recent study from the book Resonate, 86% of business executives agreed that improved presentation skills would directly impact their career and income level. The trouble is that only 25% of executives practice more than two hours for high-stakes presentations. The business world tends to downplay the importance of public speaking practice, and most think that natural talent is the only factor that separates the good presenters from the mediocre. Since you probably don’t have a willing public audience ready to watch you practice every day, here are some skills you can practice as you go about your day.

Like I said, the entire site is great for improving your speaking skills. After visiting this post and peaking around the rest of the site, you can follow Alex on Twitter @AlexCequea.

BONUS: Want to speak at BlogWorld someday? Then a podcast you definitely need to check out is this interview our community manager, Deb Ng, did with BlogcastFM’s Srinivas Rao (@skooloflife).

Even More Brilliant Advice:

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about Public Speaking? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link

Next Week’s Topic: Bounce Rates

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/26/27-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-public-speaking/feed/ 5 35 Brilliant Bloggers Talk about Pinterest http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/21/35-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-pinterest/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/21/35-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-pinterest/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:00:23 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=12146 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Pinterest

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been blogging and tweeting a lot about Pinterest. It’s my latest obsession, and one that I believe has unlimited potential for content creators and business owners. Check out Seven Cool Ways to Use Pinterest and my Pinterest Beginner’s Guide if you haven’t already; then, take some time to read the below Pinterest posts by some of the most brilliant bloggers online.

*Note* Usually, I link everyone’s Twitter handles, but this week, given the topic, I thought it would be an even better idea to link to Pinterest profiles too, when I could find them.

Also, you can find my Pinterest boards here. I pin mostly funny stuff, good blog posts, and craft ideas (plus a mish mosh of other stuff). Leave your Pinterest profile link in a comment below and tell us what you most often pin so we can all connect!

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

5 Pinterest Tips for Beginners by Kelby Carr at Type-A Parent

Kelby’s a power user in the world of Pinterest, and she’s currently working a new Dummies book about this network, so her post is a great place to start! If you’re new to Pinterest, this post will help you get going. Upon first glance, Pinterest can look really confusing and hard to learn, but with a little time – and Kelby’s tips – you’ll be addicted in no time!

Pinterest is great to find cool stuff and inspiration, and it’s also great for content creators hoping to drive traffic. Writes Kelby,

If you’re a blogger jumping in, it is probably because you would like to get exposure and traffic as a result. Just like other social networks, you should primarily pin content from other sources or you will look spammy. Still, you can pin your own content on occasion. What is even better, however, is to encourage others to pin your content.

Read the entire post, and then check out Kelby on Twitter (@typeamom) and on Pinterest (kelby).

Pinterest: Behind the Design of an Addictive Visual Network by Lauren Drell on Mashable

One of the best ways to learn about any network or platform is to hear information straight from the horse’s mouth. That’s what you have in this post from Lauren Drell at Mashable – a great interview with one of the co-founders of Pinterest, Evan Sharp. Along with Paul Sciarra and Ben Silbermann, Evan created this social discovery platform as a way for people to visually share things they find interesting, and today, it’s one of the fastest-growing start-ups out there. Check out this complete interview with Evan to learn more. Here’s a snippet:

I was always collecting images on the web in folders on the desktop of my computer, but it wasn’t a very good system for remembering where things came from or who made them. We wanted to create a place where you can go to upload or collect things on the web and simply organize it the way you want to [each with its associated metadata].

You can find Lauren on Twitter @drelly and on Pinterest (drelly).

18 Real-World Examples of How Brands Are Using Pinterest by Sakita Holley at SakitaHolley.com

Pinterest isn’t just for bloggers. This is also an absolutely great platform for brands who want to connect with their audience. Companies like Nordstrom and Whole Foods have been cited often for using Pinterest well, but these aren’t the only companies making awesome use of Pinterest. In this post, Sakita takes a look at 18 brands that really understand how to use Pinterest – and as you can guess, they’re doing more than just promoting their own products. From her post:

I’m always curious to see how brands use various platforms to engage with their customers and fans. So naturally I’ve been scouting for early brand adoption examples on Pinterest, a new website still in its infancy that puts a digital spin on pin boards.

After checking out Sakita’s post, you can find her on Twitter (@MissSuccess) and on Pinterest (misssuccess).

BONUS: I usually only highly three brilliant bloggers and list the rest as links below, but this week, I wanted to also highlight a fourth post, from Dave Copeland (copewrites/@copewrites) at Read Write Web – “A Guy’s Guide To Pinterest.” Most of the posts this week are written by women and the platform itself tips in favor of female users…but that doesn’t mean guy’s can’t use it too! In fact, there are a lot of really cool things guys are pinning on Pinterest, so fellas, don’t be afraid to sign up.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about Pinterest? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link

Next Week’s Topic: Public Speaking

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

]]> http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/21/35-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-pinterest/feed/ 28 25 Brilliant Bloggers Talk about SOPA http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/06/25-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-sopa/ http://www.blogworld.com/2012/01/06/25-brilliant-bloggers-talk-about-sopa/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:30:46 +0000 Allison http://www.blogworld.com/?p=12144 [Read more]]]> Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: SOPA

SOPA has been causing a stir in the new media industry since the day it was introduced. I’ve written about why SOPA scares me (and should scare you too), and thanks to domain name owners boycotting GoDaddy, we’ve already made a difference! The bill is still likely to pass, though, so we have more work to do. A group of major players online including Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, and Google have said they’re considering a black out – that’s how big of a deal this is.

For today’s Brilliant Bloggers, I wanted to highlight posts from other bloggers who are also talking about SOPA. This is a super important issue, so if you aren’t familiar with what SOPA is and what it means to you (and to anyone who uses the Internet), take some time to check out these posts.

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

How SOPA/PIPA Can Affect You by Jamal Jackson from 1stwebdesigner

First things things first; before you can start reading all the brilliant opinions out there about SOPA, it’s important to understand exactly what SOPA and PIPA are and what they mean for you as a blogger, a social media profession, and even a consumer. This post by Jamal Jackson from 1stwebdesigner is a great place to start, since he breaks down the proposed laws into very easy-to-understand terms. It’s a long post, but trust me: it’s worth reading and understanding this. Everyone online, from those who use it for work every day to those who just log in to check their Facebook occasionally, is affected by SOPA and PIPA. It’s even important if you’re not from the United States. Writes Jamal,

The U.S. government officials and private corporations aren’t only concerned about how these bills will work out in America, they are hoping that they will have the influence to get other nations to follow suit with these acts passing. That means if these acts pass, then the next country this could be coming toward may be yours.

You can find more from Jamal at Five Alarm Interactive and follow him on Twitter @5alarmint.

SOPA, GoDaddy and the Bottom-Up Democracy (or Mob Rule) of the Web by John Paul Titlow at Read Write Web

Once you understand what SOPA is and how it can affect you, check out this post by John Paul Titlow on Read Write Web. He talks about the recent “mob” mentality that helped convince GoDaddy and other companies to stop supporting SOPA – and he takes a closer look as to whether or not this was a good thing. Undoubtedly, GoDaddy’s change of heart was good for those opposing SOPA, but is mob mentality on the Internet potentially harmful? He writes,

To be sure, some of what goes on amongst the Reddit is questionable and not every member of that particular community has their facts straight at all times. But they’re far from the only player in these scenarios, even if they do often provide a solid launch pad for digital protest campaigns. What’s more remarkable is what the architecture of the Web generally, as well as its social tools, are beginning – yes, only beginning – to enable.

Check out the full post on Read Write Web, and then follow John Paul on Twitter @johnpaul. You can also find out more about him at JohnPaulTitlow.com.

Preparedness In a Post-SOPA World by Chris Richardson at WebProNews

One of the most infuriating things about SOPA is that it isn’t going to actually cut down on piracy, which is the whole goal of the bill, according to those supporting it. People are already finding ways to work around the censorship, should the bill pass. In this post, which is one of many great SOPA posts on WebProNews, Chris Richardson posts an entire list of IP addresses that you can use to access some of your favorite sites in case the top-level domains aren’t working anymore. The list isn’t in and of itself as important as actually understanding why this kind of thing pretty much negates the entire point of SOPA and just makes things more difficult to everyone online, whether you’re a pirate or a legitimate business owner. Writes Chris,

Hopefully, the Louis Pasteur quote subtitling this article [ "Fortune favors a prepared mind"] motivates you enough to prepare yourself for a post-SOPA world, one where the Internet, as we know it, is rendered into a smoldering ruin that’s overtly governed by the copyright gatekeepers. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but then again, being prepared for a potentially real future could make the transition to a SOPA-controlled Internet much easier to navigate.

You can find more from Chris by adding him to your circles on Google+.

BONUS BRILLIANT BLOGGER: It’s a very long and in-depth post, but if you have time to read it, Don’t Break the Internet at the Stanford Law Review is one of the best explanations of SOPA out there, in my opinion. Check it out!

Even More Brilliant Advice:

  1. 25 Things You Need To Know About SOPA by David Pegg (@iamdpegg)
  2. Boycotting SOPA Supporters is All or Nothing by Kelly Clay (@kellyhclay)
  3. Coders are Already Finding Ways Around SOPA Censorship by Adam Clark Estes (@adamclarkestes)
  4. Google’s SOPA press stunt: Can we truly hold them liable? by Charlie Osborne (@ZDNetCharlie)
  5. Net Artists Warned Us About SOPA 15 Years Ago by Will Brand (@wrbrand)
  6. No SOPA for You: This Chrome Extension Shows You Who Is Pro-SOPA as You Browse by Adrianne Jeffries (@adrjeffries)
  7. Online Piracy and SOPA: Beware of Unintended Consequences by James Gattuso
  8. Piracy is not a problem; SOPA is not a solution by Terry Hancock (@TerryHancock1)
  9. Public Service Announcement: Writers, Censorship, and SOPA by Melissa Donovan (@melissadonovan)
  10. SOPA: All Your Internets Belong to US by Michael Geist (@mgeist)
  11. SOPA: An Unfair Advantage for GoDaddy, but Reddit and Facebook are Safe by Brad McCarty (@BradMcCarty)
  12. SOPA, Freedom, and the Invisible War by John Biggs (@johnbiggs)
  13. SOPA is the end of us, say bloggers by Tim Mak (@timkmak)
  14. SOPA isn’t the Answer to Our Problems byDaniel Herzig (@techblitznews)
  15. SOPA, Middlemen and Freedom of Art by Mark Birch (@marksbirch)
  16. SOPA’s most frightening flaw is the future it predicts by Omar El Akkad
  17. URGENT: SOPA will Kill Your Mom Blog and WAHM Business by Linsey Knerl (@lknerl)
  18. What Journalists Need to Know about SOPA by Tracie Powell (@tmpowell)
  19. Why is SOPA a big problem for everyone? Just ask DaJaz1.com by Ken Priore (@priorelaw)
  20. Why We Must Stop SOPA by End of the American Dream
  21. “Wow, I had no clue SOPA was such a bad idea…” by Rosie Siman (@rosiesiman)

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about SOPA? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link!

Next Week’s Topic: Pinterest

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.

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