Looking for Something?
Posts Tagged for

Darren Rowse

25 Posts About Blogging that Will Change Your Life

Author:

The title of this post might seem a bit dramatic, but I believe there are some truly life-altering posts out there about blogging. These aren’t how-to posts or resource lists, which are wonderful in their own right, but passionate posts from people who are big dreamers and incredible thinkers about the very art of blogging.

And yes, they have changed me. They have changed how I think about the world and how I run my own blogs and what I choose to say online. They’ve inspired me to do better. So today, I wanted to share these posts with you.

(Note: These posts are in alphabetical order by author’s last name, not in order of importance.)

1. The Insidious Perfidiousness of Doubts, Overcome by Leo Babauta (@zen_habits)

There isn’t a single one of us who has overcome the human condition of self doubt. Whether you’re a supremely confident person, a content Zen monk, a successful writer…it doesn’t matter. You have doubts about yourself.

The question is whether these doubts stop you from doing amazing things, from leading the life you want to lead.


2. Haven’t Had Time to Blog by Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan)

We pick our paths. We decide what we make time to do. We choose our own adventures every single day. Each and every day, we have the chance to make choices.

3. Bonus Post, Also from Chris Brogan: This Post Isn’t Worth Your Time


4. Confessions of a Narcissistic Blogger by Joe Bunting (@joebunting)

I first got into writing because I felt this explosion of feeling, like I could release everything I was on the page and fill it with beautiful and terrible truths. Sometimes I get so excited about writing, my eyes fill with tears. It’s a great experience.

This is life experienced to its fullest. But then I look at my pageviews and my game face goes on. All I care about is the numbers. Immediately, my joy fizzles out like soda gone flat.


5. Is F.E.A.R. Holding You Back? by Brian Clark (@copyblogger)

F.E.A.R. is an illusion. Something we fabricate in our own minds and pretend is real. It’s a fairy tale we tell ourselves that keeps us from doing what we really want.

False evidence appearing real.

The common label for F.E.A.R is anxiety, a less fundamental emotion that arises purely from our own thoughts, not external reality. And 50 years of cognitive psychology research demonstrates that while we can’t always control how we feel, we do have the power to choose how we think and act.

6. Bonus Post, Also from Brian Clark: Do You Recognize These 10 Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking?


7. Managing a Blog Is Great. Managing the Blogger is Even Better. by Brandon Cox (@brandonacox)

Your blogging success isn’t about your next post. It’s about all of your posts. It isn’t about a great headline, a huge list, or sweet graphics. It’s about the total package. Whether your blog is personal, corporate, or one of those that’s supposed to make you a millionaire tomorrow, your blog is really all about you.


8. Want People to Listen? Get a Life. by Jonathan Fields (@jonathanfields)

Fact is, every word you say, write, sing or film and release into the world is judged against a backdrop of who you are, what you’ve said, done and achieved in the past…and what you HAVEN’T said, done and achieved. That’s why one of the first things most people do when they read an interesting post on a new blog is jump over to the “about” page to see who the writer is. They’re looking to frame the message. Because…

Context is as important as content.


9. The Most Important Conversation I’ve Had About My Business Ever by Pat Flynn (@PatFlynn)

How many times during the day are you actually working when you’re supposed to? Probably not as much as you should.

I wasn’t.

In fact, after literally keeping track of everything I did during a normal day, I noticed some rather disturbing issues, especially when it came to checking my emails, checking website stats, opening my Facebook account (personal, not the fan page), and reading the news.

Basically, I did a lot of non-work related things when I was supposed to be working. On the flip side, I was working (or thinking about work), when I probably shouldn’t have been.


10. The Wealthy Gardener by Seth Godin

Sure, people make money growing orchids. Some people probably get rich growing orchids. Not many though. And my guess is that the people who do make money gardening probably didn’t set out to do so.

11. Bonus Post, Also from Seth Godin: Do It Wrong, Relentlessly


12. What’s Next? It’s You by Mitch Joel (@mitchjoel)

It was bound to happen. We were heading for a place where “top ten” and “how to”-types of blog posts may become redundant or rudimentary. We’ve come to a place where those who were never going to stick it out with blogging for the long haul are busy on Twitter and Facebook, where they can share without the burden of having a passion for writing. So, in the end, maybe what’s new for blogging is a place where the real bloggers step in and create a new type of copy for the world to consume. A place where more and more creative thinkers get to tinker with words in new and interesting ways. It’s a place where you (and everyone else who wants to write and have a voice) gets to be free to try it out and see what kind of audience their words, images and even video connects with.


13. Passion over Perfection. Love over politics. The Story of Mrs. Mulvey. by Danielle LaPorte (@DanielleLaPorte)

And that was a moment. One of those world-stops-for-a-nanosecond-so-you-can-glimpse-the-future kinds of moments. And I realized that I could do it. I didn’t know what “it” was, but I knew that somehow my passion was going to count.


14. Have Faith in Yourself and Your Writing by Ali Luke (@aliventures)

Faith doesn’t mean you never give up. Faith means that when you’ve fallen down – again and again – you get up and carry on.

I can’t tell you that the writing path is an easy one. I can tell you that it’s worth travelling. And if you want to be a writer, if your life doesn’t feel complete without writing, then you already have the faith that you need.


15. It’s OK to Give a Crap by Ian Lurie (@portentint)

It’s OK. Take this opportunity to feel good about it. You’re in a shrinking population of People Who Actually Give A Crap About What They Do.

I, for one, am sick of people telling me I should delegate everything, find someone offshore to do SEO for me for $10 a day, take my own work ‘less seriously’, blah blah blah blah. Screw that. And you, if you’re one of those people.


16. Important by Anissa Mayhew (@AnissaMayhew)

If the worst thing that happens in your day is that someone sends you an ugly email, try waiting for a call from the doctor to give you results you’re pretty sure you don’t want to hear.

If you’re going to argue about who makes money and if they’re doing it right, you’ve never sat in front of your checkbook and wondered what you weren’t going to pay so that you can afford to give your child the treatments they need AND keep a roof over their head.

If you can talk about your mafia, feel slighted because you weren’t the center of attention, or fret about your PR connections, you’ve never had to sit and contemplate the moment when they cut into your child’s brain to see what the tumors are doing.


17. How to be Unforgettable by Jon Morrow (@JonMorrow)

If we’re being honest, I think maybe that’s one of the reasons many of us start blogging. There’s something immensely comforting about knowing your thoughts are out there for the whole world to read. You could kick the bucket tomorrow, but your words will live on, teaching, inspiring, and taking root in the minds of readers for generations to come.

Or at least that’s the idea.

What really happens, of course, is that you pour your heart and soul into a post, and no one seems to care. No comments, no links, no nothing. Come on over, friends, and check out my blog. We’re watching my ideas die in real time. Yuk, yuk, yuk.

And it’s disturbing.


18. Let Them Love You by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein (@ElizabethPW)

You refuse to share your gifts with the world, just because you are not perfect? Because you are human? Because you don’t have ever answer to every question even invented, because you have flaws, because you are still growing and learning yourself?

Stop wasting yourself on all that crap.


19. When it Feels Like Nobody is Reading Your Blog by Darren Rowse (@problogger)

As I would preach to the empty pews and as my word echoed around the room I found that I learned so much about the topic I was exploring and how to deliver it. I also learned a lot about preaching. New ideas would come, I’d try different ways of expressing it and slowly the final version of the sermon would begin to form – to the point that when I got up in the same room on Sunday to deliver the final version it would flow.


20. See The Rats For The Fleas by Joey Strawn (@joey_strawn)

It’s so easy to look at a situation, see something we are already afraid of and place the blame there. How much more often could we investigate further and find the little things being ignored are the real issue?

You complain that your blog isn’t getting the audience you want or that not enough people are subscribing to your amazing feed, but are you looking at the right things?


21. 106 Excuses That Prevent You From Ever Becoming Great by Tommy Walker (@tommyismyname)

Be honest. How often do you sabotage yourself?

On any given day, you have tasks you’d like to finish because you know they’d positively impact your business, and tasks you actually do.

You trick yourself into thinking that keeping up with industry news, and reading the latest “10 tips to ______” post is “working.”

You know better, but some part of you believes that simply reading the article will help you move forward.

22. Bonus Post, Also from Tommy Walker: Blogging and the Definition of “Insanity.”


I’ll humbly add to this list, two posts I’m extremely proud to have written, one here on the NMX blog and the other on my blog, Blog Zombies. I hope they have really affected my readers and changed them for the better:

23. Does Your Blog Just Tell People What They Want to Hear? A Honest Look at Social Success
24. Don’t Be a Scumbag (And Other Advice I Can’t Believe I Have To Tell You)

Where’s post #25? Well, I leave that one up to you. I hope you take a moment to leave a comment with a link to the best post you’ve ever written, a post that you hope has changed the lives of your readers.

If you’re having trouble thinking of a post that fits into this category, maybe it’s time to write one. Give me your best!

Affiliate Marketing on Your Blog without Being a Slimey Salesman

Author:

When’s the last time you saw a blogger selling affiliate products…the right way?

If you can’t remember, you aren’t alone. Nearly every day, I see bloggers promoting affiliate products in a way that makes me feel I’m on a used car lot. It’s a turn off, and it makes me trust everything they write a little less.

In this video from past BlogWorld/NMX speaker Darren Rowse, he talks a little about how to promote products the right way. This is how you make sales, not lose readers!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCzPnVteH4U[/youtube]

To follow up Darren’s video, let me just end this post by talking about a few of the biggest mistakes people are making with affiliate marketing on their blogs:

  • Avoiding the “sell.” You’re writing about a product because you want to sell it. That’s okay! Your fans aren’t going to get mad and stop reading because you sell something, as long as it is something relevant and you aren’t putting affiliate marketing above actual helpful or interesting content.
  • Not following FTC rules. Make sure you are disclosing it whenever you use an affiliate link on your blog. If you don’t, readers may feel like you’re being misleading (and you’re probably breaking FTC rules, which you can read more about here).
  • Promoting products just because you can. Instead of promoting an affiliate product because your readers might want to purchase sometime, promote products that you love and really want readers to buy. Just because a product is related to your niche doesn’t mean you should promote it on your blog.

Affiliate promotions are just one way to make money on your blog. Want to learn more? Check out our monetization track at New Media Expo in Vegas!

 

The 12 New Media Days of Christmas 2011: 9 Vloggers Recording

Author:

During the 12 New Media Days of Christmas, we’re counting down the days until Santa comes by featuring some of the best blog posts of 2011 from awesome writers within the BlogWorld community! Skip to the end to read more posts in this holiday series and don’t forget to leave a comment if you’ve written a post about today’s topic!

I’ll admit it: video makes me nervous. I don’t think it’s a good tool for everyone. I’m a much better writer. But, I do think every blogger out there should at least try it. Videos can be a great tool to help you promote your blog and reach new audience members. Plus, it’s great practice for public speaking if you intend to someday do webinars or live presentations.

So, today’s topic is video creation. Some people refer to themselves as “vloggers” while others use the term “video marketer” and still others simply consider themselves bloggers who do video posts from time to time. However you put it, their advice on video creation is great!

Post too long? Head to the Quick Links section for just a list of the links included in this post without all the analysis and quotes!

1. The Benefits of Creating Talking Head Videos for Your Blog by Darren Rowse at Problogger

Your videos don’t need to be elaborate or have a a Hollywood budget to be effective. In this post, Darren talks about the advantages to just setting up a camera and speaking to your audience. The connect you can make with readers by being brave enough to post videos is awesome. Darren says in his video,

Really, for me, a lot of it comes down to the personal connection that you can build with your readers. I’ve lost count of the times at conferences particularly but even online through emails where I get emails and have conversations with people who say, “I feel like I know you.”

Darren is on Twitter @problogger and you can also like his page on Facebook. He’s the author of Problogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, and the Problogger book (along with co-author Chris Garrett). You can also find him online as the founder of the Problogger community, Digital Photography School, TwiTip Twitter Tips, and FeelGooder.


 

2. Video Marketing Tips for Driving More Traffic by Lewis Howes at LewisHowes.com (with James Wedmore from JamesWedmore.com)

I still personally believe that you should do what you’re good at and what makes you happy, and that isn’t video for everyone. However, in this video, Lewis Howes and James Wedmore give a really convincing argument for why you should be using video if you want to drive traffic, especially as a business owner. I think they make some great points about using screen capture, Power Point, and audio with pictures if you’re not comfortable in front of the camera – definitely an idea that I’m going to steal! From the video:

What you want to look for when you’re producing content is what are the things that an article an article couldn’t do that video can do for you.

You can find Lewis and James on Twitter at @lewishowes and @jameswedmore, respectively. Lewis has a number of products for sale, including Video Traffic Academy, and you can watch more of his videos on YouTube. You can find James on YouTube as well, and receive free updates about selling with videos by signing up for his mailing list.


 

3. Livestreaming Video Is A Powerful Tool, 10 Lessons To Help You Get It Right by James Andrews at Social Fresh

Videos make me nervous enough – the thought of livestreaming is enough to send me into a tizzy! However, in this post, James gives ten great tips to help you get started. If you’re well-prepared, the idea of doing video, whether it is livestreaming or recorded, is a lot easier to swallow.

Writes James,

Though the tools are relatively free, you need to invest in a live web video game plan before broadcasting your first event. A Here successful launch is much more than just having a webcam and pressing START, it is important to plan for success.

James is the founder of SocialPeople.tv (@socialpeopletv). You can check out his personal Twitter account @keyinfluencer.


 

4. 4 Buzzworthy Video Bloggers Worth Subscribing To by Adam Singer from The Future Buzz

Want to see how the professionals get it done? In this post, Adams reviews four bloggers who use video as their primary method of connecting with readers. You should definitely check out Hate By Numbers by Gladstone, Equals 3 by Ray William Johnson, Whiteboard Fridays by Rand Fishkin, and Angry Video Game Nerd by James Rolfe. I actually already knew about and LOVE Hate by Numbers and the Angry Video Game Nerd, but the other two Adam mentions are awesome too! From Adam’s post:

Video is not a one time event – you wouldn’t just create one blog post and be done with it. How does that build community?  It doesn’t – and that’s the point. Which is why it’s always a bit funny to me when companies try to make one video, push it to “go viral” and be done with it. That’s not how the web works for any content formats if you’re looking to build equity in the world and create an audience.

Adam is on Twitter @thefuturebuzz and you can also like his blog on Facebook.


 

5. How You Look Video Blogging by Jay Dolan at The Anti-Social Media

Jay’s blog always makes me laugh, even when I’m having a bad day. I’ll refrain from naming names in this instance, but the other day I was watching a video from a blogger who was looking so crazy that I actually forwarded it to non-blogging friends for a laugh. So, Jay’s post about looking presentable if you’re going to be on camera is a valid one! Jay writes,

Please, for the love of all that’s holy, look at yourself objectively on camera. If you look like a hobo in poorly lit room, I don’t care how good your content is. At that point, I’m worried that you have a body hidden somewhere in the shadows where you’re filming.

You can find Jay on Twitter @JayDolan, as well as like his blog on Facebook to connect with him. You can also check out his videos on YouTube.


 

6. Beginners Guide on How to Video Blog on a Budget by Robyn Bloch at Sound Idea Digital (guest post for JeffBullas.com)

Need to know the nuts and bolts of getting started as a vlogger? This is the post for you. In this guest post, Robyn covers all the best equipment choices you can make if you want to get into making videos. Then, in a second follow-up post, Robyn goes over some excellent tips for new video creators about lighting and audio. From Robyn’s post:

Video bloggers such as Gary Vaynerchuk have used online video as the media of choice to great effect.

But many bloggers are intimidated by the technical side of producing a good video. At the same time, many bloggers that do use video do a pretty bad job of it in terms of production value. This could be improved with a little knowledge and a little money.

You can also expect a third post in this series, about postproduction, soon. You can find Robyn on Twitter @soundidea.


 

7. Vlogging: Video Blogging Interview With Amy Schmittauer by Katherine Salt at Marketing My (with Amy Schmittauer from Savvy Sexy Social)

Katherine Salt and Amy Schmittauer are two lovely ladies who regularly make my life a little brighter. Katherine is my half-way-across-the-world BlogWorld bff who I look forward to seeing at conferences. Amy’s blog, especially her videos, crack me up on a regular basis. So, them teaming up for a video is golden! Writes Katherine,

Video marketing, video blogging or vlogging as it is also called was covered heavily at the Blogworld conference and I was lucky enough to get vlogger Amy Schmittauer from Savvy Sexy Social to put down her camera and come and tell me a little about what this vlogging malarkey is all about.

Watch the video and them follow Katherine (@marketmy) and Amy (@schmittastic) on Twitter! Katherine also has a number of ebooks specific to marketing different types of small business, and you can check out Amy’s latest ebook, Sexy Self-Promotion: The Art of Blogger Outreach on her blog.


 

8. Do You Have Your Own Video Commercial by Ricardo Bueno at RicardoBueno.com

I like the concept of having a video commercial. A lot of people put videos on their blogs, but I think we kind of fool ourselves sometimes – what we’re doing is promotional, and thinking about videos in a commercial mindset can help us think outside of the box a little. You have to be interesting, not just informational!

Writes Ricardo,

Online video has to be engaging before it can begin to be persuasive. Just think about in terms of writing a blog post. You have to get someone’s attention (and keep it) long enough to make them want to read the rest of the article. With video, the idea is to engage someone enough to get them to starting watching your video and keep watching it all the way to the end.

Ricardo is the author of Real Estate Blog Topics, a newsletter for real estate professionals. You can find him on Twitter @Ribeezie.


 

9. My iPhone Video Tools by Tom Martin at Positive Disruption

Yes, you really can get started video blogging with as little as a smartphone! In this post, Tom talks about all the tools he uses when recording with his iPhone, which he used to interview 52 digital thought leaders for Talking With Tom. He covers video editing applications, microphones, and more, so now there’s really no excuse not to get started with creating video content for your blog if it’s something you’ve been wanting to try. Writes Tom,

All of the [Talking With Tom] video is shot, edited and produced using the iPhone. And the blog posts themselves are authored and published via the iPhone. It’s truly a 100% mobile video blog. And judging by the number of emails, DMs on Twitter and conference hallway conversations I’ve had with others, lots of you are interested in the technology behind the blog as much as the blog content itself.

Tom can be found on Twitter @tommartin and is the founder of Converse Digital.


Quick Links

For those of you short on time, here’s a list of the links covered in this post:

  1. The Benefits of Creating Talking Head Videos for Your Blog by Darren Rowse (@problogger)
  2. Video Marketing Tips for Driving More Traffic by Lewis Howes (@lewishowes) with James Wedmore (@jameswedmore)
  3. Livestreaming Video Is A Powerful Tool, 10 Lessons To Help You Get It Right by James Andrews (@keyinfluencer)
  4. 4 Buzzworthy Video Bloggers Worth Subscribing To by Adam Singer (@thefuturebuzz)
  5. How You Look Video Blogging by Jay Dolan (@JayDolan)
  6. Beginners Guide on How to Video Blog on a Budget by Robyn Bloch (@soundidea)
  7. Vlogging: Video Blogging Interview With Amy Schmittauer by Katherine Salt (@marketmy) with Amy Schmittauer (@schmittastic)
  8. Do You Have Your Own Video Commercial by Ricardo Bueno (@Ribeezie)
  9. My iPhone Video Tools by Tom Martin (@tommartin)

Other posts in the 12 New Media Days of Christmas series will be linked here as they go live:

12 Bloggers Monetizing
11 Emailers List-Building
10 Google+ Users a-Sharing
9 Vloggers Recording (this post)
8 Links a-Baiting
7 Community Managers a-Managing
6 Publishers a-Publishing
5 Traffic Tips
4 New Media Case Studies
3 Must-Read New Media Interviews
2 Top New Media News Stories of 2011
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

You can also check out the all the posts from 2010 and 2011 here, and don’t forget: If you wrote a post in 2011 about today’s topic (Google+), PLEASE leave the link in a comment below to share with the community!

Scott Stratten Doesn’t Know Who You Are

Author:

Scott Stratten was the keynote speaker at BlogWorld 2010, and getting to meet him was definitely a cool moment for me, since I respect his work. Recently, I had a conversation with a friend of mine, and it led me to realize something important that I wanted to share with you:

Scott Stratten doesn’t know who you are.

Furthermore, Darren Rowse doesn’t know who you are. Chris Garrett doesn’t know who you are. Brian Clark doesn’t know who you are.

And I would even go a step farther and say that none of these guys even cares who you are.

Chris and Darren don't know who I am because I am a supporter of theirs. They know who I am because I marched up, introduced myself, and *told* them I am a supporter.

Why? Simple:

  • You lurk on their sites or as a Twitter follower.
  • You comment sporadically or never really say much in a comment other than “I agree.”
  • You RT them, but never actually comment on their tweets.
  • You’ve never introduced yourself.
  • You’ve never approached them in any way other than with the question, “Can you help me?”
  • You’ve never linked them on your blog, or even referenced them.

Do you know every single person online? Of course not. Even if you’ve been online longer than Peanut Butter and Jelly Time, you can’t possibly know everyone in your niche, even. Do you even know all of your Twitter followers? Unless you only have a handful, probably not.

So you sit there and fume that Scott Stratten (or whoever) doesn’t engage. “His entire stance on social media is that you have to engage with people. What a poser – he never once said anything to me, and I’ve been a fan of his for years. Waaaaaaah.”

Ok, I hope you aren’t actually being that melodramatic. Still, I think we all find ourselves thinking these thoughts. We feel ignored by people who, frankly, have no idea they are ignoring us.

If you do actively try to engage with any of these people (or the people you look up to within your niche) and they outright ignore you time and time again, ok. I stand correctly and they’re assholes. But I’ve never once met someone in the social networking/Internet marketing/blogging world who is like that. In fact, I never once met anyone considered to be “kinda a big deal” in their industry who is like that. You don’t get to be a “big name” if you refuse to acknowledge people.

Have you ever just tried being a friend? Have you ever walked up to Scott or Darren or Chris or Brian or (insert your favorite blogger here) and just said hello? I have.* And guess what? They know who I am now. Are they going to be my new bff in real life or even on Twitter? No. That’s just silly. Building a relationship is a slow endeavor. Meeting me once at a conference does not mean that they are now going to recognize every single thing I do or say. “Oh my god, I just tweeted that I’m going to bed. WHY HASN’T SCOTT SAID GOODNIGHT TO ME?!?!”

If you want someone to know who you are, 99 times out of 100 it is not their fault if they don’t. You want the relationship, so initiate it. These people all want to meet their fans…and more importantly, these people all consider you as a peer, not as someone on a lower level. They’re more than happy to get to know you if you actually take the time to get to know them, as a friend, not just as a follower. Say hello. Reply to their tweets. Comment on their blog posts in a way that adds to the conversation. Propose well-written, interesting guest posts for their blog, if they accept them. Write a blog post that names them in the title? I don’t know – do something to show them that you support whatever they’re doing. Y’all are creative people. Be creative.

I would like to make one other point before I leave you with your thoughts for the night, and to be honest, this point deserves a blog post to itself, which I’ll probably end up doing in the near future:

If your mindset is “What can he do for me?”, Scott Stratten may come to know who you are, but he will never care who you are.

And that’s true of anyone. Even me.

*Well, I almost. I never actually found Brian Clark at BlogWorld to say hello…hopefully next year!

The Seven Harsh Realities of Blogging for Bucks

Author:

The Saturday opening keynote at BlogWorld Expo 2010 featured Brian Clark, Sonia Simone, and Darren Rowse to talk about the seven harsh realities of blogging for bucks. Let’s take a look at them.

Harsh Reality #1: Free is not a a business model.

You do have to give away free content, but you need to sell something related to that content. You don’t have to know from the beginning what you want to sell, but you do have to know that people in your market are buying things. Consider you free content as advertising for your products. People will buy your information, even if you are attracting them with free content. The more information  you give away, the more people will buy your premium content.

“You can show most everything and it increases the desire to see the rest – and they will pay for it.” – Brian Clark

Harsh Reality #2: The push-button Internet cash machine is on the fritz.

There’s a lot of work go into blogging, so it isn’t a way to make money fast. Don’t believe the hype that you can make money fast – most times. There are things you can do to make money quickly, but only with a lot of dedication and work before you flip that switch. You have to think about it long-term.

“It makes money when you build something real and when you build something that matter to people.” – Darren Rowse

Harsh Reality #3: You are not scaleable.

You are going to get to a point where you have to set boundaries. You can’t make hundreds of thousands of connections every single day. Do what you can, but still have a life.

“You do not have to sacrifice yourself to social media.” – Sonia Simone

Harsh Reality #4: No One actually wants that much authenticity.

You can share the ways in which you make mistakes, but you have to maintain your authority. You don’t have to share everything. Don’t tell lies, but we don’t need to know every little detail of your life.You don’t want people to not do business with you business of things you post online. It’s not about you, it’s about your customer. You need to focus on them.

“Don’t be the real you, but the best possible you. Be who you want to be…that’s what authenticity is.” – Brian Clark

Harsh Reality #5: Social media hates selling.

People don’t like selling or being sold to, but you do have to sell. You can’t just go on Twitter and start pitching your product. You have to sell you first. You do that with your content, and great content should sell itself – eventually. You need to start building a network. Reach out to people who might be interested in your content. People love to share content on Twitter, so use it. Don’t think about it as a pitch, think of it as an offer instead – offer them something to buy instead of selling something. Observe your readers and make them products that they need.

“We don’t trust what people say about themselves…find a way to get other people to start talking about you.” -Brian Clark

Harsh Reality #6: A blog is not a business.

You can’t have the mindset that “maybe one day this will be a business.”  You need to think about your community and why they are there. Think about how to keep your readers there long-term.You don’t need to know how you’re going to get to that “business” level, but you do need to know where you’re going with your blog. Stay flexible, but at the same time, you need business goals.

“Think today about treating it as a business…you need to start thinking in that way to take it forward.” – Darren Rowse

Harsh Reality #7: No one is reading your blog.

You need to give your blog time to grow. This doesn’t happen overnight. If you still aren’t seeing traffic, the biggest reason that no one reads your blog is that no one cares about your content. It might be because no one is passionate about your topic, or it might be because you’re not writing about a topic in a fresh way. You don’t need to attract everyone, but you need healthy traffic. Find people who are focused on wanting to read what you want to write. Be either useful or entertaining – preferably both.

“You have to write about things in a way that people you want to reach give a damn about and found compelling.” – Sonia Simone

Monetization Super Panel: Jeremy Schoemaker Shares His Strategies

Author:

In this two hour super-session, monetization experts offered the secrets of their success! Led by Jim Kukral, the speakers included Anita Campbell, Darren Rowse, Jeremy Schoemaker, and John Chow.

Jeremy Schoemaker (ShoeMoney.com) provided us with details on how he began making money and grew his income to over a million dollars annually.

Getting Started:

  • Don’t Expect to Make Money!
  • What’s Your Passion?
  • Focus on Building Your Content!
  • You Don’t Need Google!
  • Don’t Kill Your Site Before it Starts!

John says that he thinks his success is due to his connection with his audience by being open about his personal life!

Ways to Monetize:

  • Contextual Ads: Use Adsense as a starting point
  • Donations: Many people ask for/accept donations for hosting, etc.
  • Subscriptions: He collects emails and provides premium content/videos
  • Physical Goods: Selling products, books, e-books, etc.
  • Affiliate Marketing: Jeremy uses Amazon for any book/video links and a variety of other affiliates depending on the topic or email.
  • Direct Ad Sales: How do you determine a price for your ads? Jeremy says to start off by just charging $1! Nobody wants to be the first advertiser. If a site already has advertising, others are more apt to join. If you know who your target advertiser should be – just grab their banner as an affiliate marketing link.
  • Text Links and Paid Posts

ShoeMoney.com Income:

  • 30% Direct Ad Sales
  • 50% Affiliate Commissions
  • 20% Misc

Jeremy’s blog income for 2010 (as of October 1st) 1,832,342.23!!

Recommendations:

  • Prepare a media kit
  • Make it easy for advertisers to contact you
  • Follow up with everyone who is interested in advertising
  • Provide as many sizes and pricing as you can handle!

BlogWorld Keynotes Announced: It’s Looking Good!

Author:

Penn Jillette will be participating in the closing talk show at Blogworld.

Who are the BlogWorld keynoters this year? When are they happening and what will everyone be talking about? How will we ever top the rousing success of last year’s closing keynote talk show?

Relax. The answers to these questions and more are about to be revealed.

  • As previously announced, our opening keynote is the unMarketer himself, Scott Stratten.  Scott’s opening the ‘Expo with his talk “Stand Up, Stand Out, Stand Together” where he’ll discusses blogging with passion and emotion, while not necessarily sticking to the rules regarding posting content. Scott’s keynote will take place on Thursday, October 14 at 8:30 a.m. I know it’s early and you’re in Vegas and all, but you’ll want to get out of bed for this one.
  • On Thursday afternoon at 2:45, drop by and spend time with “Engage” author, Brian Solis.
  • Our closing keynote for Thursday will feature founding member of the pioneering 360 Digital Influence team at Ogilvy and the bestselling author of “Personality Not Included,” Rohit Bhargava interviewiing LIVEstrong CEO, Doug Ulman. Stop by the keynote room on Thursday at 5:15 to sit in.
  • On 5:30 Friday, our keynote features a discussion of the future of web videos. In what promises to be a killer panel, CEO of Revision 3,  Jim Louderback and Funny or Die‘s Dick Glover, will chat with Moderator Susan Bratton of Personal Life Media.
  • You’re in for a treat Saturday as members of the Third Tribe open the day with “7 Harsh Realities of Blogging.” ProBlogger Darren Rowse, and CopBlogger‘s Brian Clark and Sonia Simone discuss the pitfalls of making money with your blog and  how to do it right. Join us Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. for your reality check.
  • We set the bar high last year with our closing keynote talk show, and this year we’re raising that bar. Our host for the event is Rob Barnett, Founder and CEO of MyDamnChannel. It will be a packed house as Rob interviews Adam Carolla, host of the Adam Carolla Show (among others!), the talkative half of the comedy/magic team of Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette, “The Mirror Test” author and former Kodak CMO, Jeff Hayzlett, and web TV host, Cali Lewis. The show begins at 5:00, but get here early, you’ll want to land a seat for this one. I can’t promise that we’ll be passing around a bottle of wine this year, but I can guarantee a good time will be had by all.

Tickets are still available for BlogWorld ’10. If our published schedule hasn’t already convinced you to attend, hopefully our keynotes will seal the deal!

New Speaker, Panel & Keynote Announcements!

Author:

Are you subscribed to our newsletter? If not, you’re missing out! Over the past two weeks we’ve been announcing some speaker, panel, and keynotes for BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2010.

Here’s a quick recap:

 

BlogWorld Keynote: The 7 Harsh Realities of Blogging for Bucks

Nearly all BlogWorld attendees are interested in monetizing their content, so we’re proud to announce this special keynote talk by Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, and Sonia Simone.

Every “make money online” guru wants to tell you how easy it is to find customers with blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. The reality is, though, business and social media aren’t always a smooth mix. Learn about the pitfalls of making money with your blog (and how to do it right). Presented by:

Brian Clark Darren Rowse Sonia Simone .

 

The ProBlogger Workshop

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A full day of programming from ProBlogger authors Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett and featuring Yaro Starak, attendees to this workshop will learn how to best grow blog traffic and community plus learn monetization tips and techniques. Presented by:

Darren Rowse Chris Garrett Yaro Starak

 

Real Time Revolution: 7 Rules for Business at the Speed of Now

We’ve adapted our businesses to accommodate many of the most recent upheavals in communication: the phone, email, digital marketing and advertising on the web. But we haven’t yet adapted our businesses, from the inside out, to what is potentially the single biggest shift in online communication: social media. The Real-Time Revolution has created new expectations from individuals and businesses alike. Speed and agility matter, response time is everything, and open communication is the hallmark of a business that thrives today. We’ll share seven blueprints for areas of your business that need to adapt as a result of real-time: culture, people, internal communication, listening, responding, crisis planning, and measurement. Presented by:

Amber Naslund Jay Baer

 

“From Blog to Book”

Features a look at what it takes to get a book published and why some bloggers are approached with book deals and others aren’t. Presented by:

Ellen Gerstein Simon Salt Brian Solis .

 

Monetization Speed Round: 60 Questions in 60 minutes

The speed round will feature questions about monetization from readers of the various monetization blog – the moderator will ask the question and each panelist has 30 seconds to answer and give a quick tip. Presented by:

David Klein John Chow Shoemoney Zac Johnson Jonathan Volk

For upcoming session details, continue to follow this blog and subscribe to the newsletter by clicking here and signing up in the box on the upper left hand side of the screen.

Learn About NMX

NEW TWITTER HASHTAG: #NMX

Recent Comments

Categories

Archives