In managing a list of many Web sites, most of which are blogs, I deleted countless sites from the list because the sites and blogs no longer existed. The people ran out of steam or had no reason to start them in the first place.

How do you know when a blog is right for your business? Learn why people start blogs, how they find their niche and how blogging tools can be used for more than blogs.

Some people like to read blogs, others like to read newsletters, still others like to rely on feeds and some read a few or all of them. No matter the method the information is distributed, each medium has one thing in common: content. Having a blog connects your newsletter and your business with all of these readers and delivers important content in a particular style.

I’ve been blogging since June 2000. If you review my early blog entries in meryl’s notes, you’ll notice they’re more personal. When blogs first hit the scene in the late ’90s, they were personal diaries and journals. Like the blog business, my blog has transformed from personal to business speak, although I still add personal notes here and there.

A few bloggers tend to talk about their work, their products and their little world. That might work for celebrities where fans want to know everything about them, but it doesn’t work for the average business person. Other business people want information on how to succeed and when a blog spends time hawking products offering information of no value, few people will return. The people whose products sell well are the ones who provide valuable information. Readers already know what kind of information they’re getting, so they trust that when they buy something, it will be of the same or better quality. This value must be reflected in their blog. It’s much like people who only sign up for a newsletter after first seeing an example.

No one wants to be a lemming (I would hope). How do you decide whether or not to set up a blog? The answer isn’t black or white (what did you expect?). Ask these questions:

• Can you regularly update it — at least five times a week?
• Do you have something to say other than just linking to others?
• Do you read other blogs or feeds?
• Can you provide information of value to others not just to yourself?
• How large is your newsletter subscriber list?
• How many unique visitors do you get on an average day, week or month?

The big decider is whether or not you can write in the blog almost daily. The people behind the high traffic blogs post multiple times a day. Though resourceful, merely linking to other sites doesn’t give visitors much reason to make the effort to come to yours. Reading other blogs or feeds is a great way to learn how to carry a discussion. Find other blogs covering topics similar to yours and check them out. Disagree with their opinions? Write about it and explain your reasons. Cross-blog discussions are common, and that’s where trackback comes in handy.

Trackback is a blog feature. If you decide to comment on another blog posting in your blog instead of in that blog’s comments page, then you link to the conversation through the trackback link. Trackback is similar to the permalink, the permanent URL for the blog entry, but it has a different URL for copying and pasting in your blog’s trackback box.

Aside from the technical aspects of operating a blog on a daily basis, subscriber list size and Web site traffic are good indicators of what kind of reaction you’ll get when opening a blog. Starting from scratch with little traffic means you have a long road ahead and lots of work to do. There is no magic formula anyone can sell you for $97 to make your blog an overnight success. But with some perseverance and ingenuity, your blog can engage many prospects and clients.

Considering there are numerous blogs out there, pick a niche topic when starting a blog for a better shot at attracting and keeping an audience. meryl’s notes focuses on three areas: webby, geeky and wordy. In reality, this is too much. What I need to do for my readers is create three separate blog entry points, so those interested in writing, newsletters and Internet marketing get nothing but the wordy entries. Those interested in Web design get the webby stuff and the technophiles receive the geeky content.

I also manage a personal blog separate from meryl’s notes. It’s about cochlear implants and deafness. This could fall under the geeky category, but it’s a personal blog and doesn’t belong in meryl’s notes. This blog is written for a different audience.

The blogging tools for both of my blogs come with syndication capabilities so those using feed readers or aggregators can read the content through the software. When sending a new issue of a newsletter, comment on it or link to it in the blog, that way the blog and feed readers will get the goods, so all three bases are covered.

Blogging tools aren’t just for, well, blogging. Such tools are an excellent way to help you update your Web site more often than you otherwise would. I use it to manage the list of tableless Web sites. Using blogging tools is much easier than the way I managed it before, updating the HTML files by hand. Though using a blog tool, it isn’t a blog. In this case, the blog tool has become a content management system (CMS).

Small business owners don’t have a need for the fancy and pricey CMSes out there. They find it easier to use blogging software to manage their sites or hire someone to adapt the tool for their site.

Blogs have found a place in businesses and people are finding creative ways to use them. Some companies have a blog on the intranet for communicating project status, jeopardies and metrics. They’re used for knowledge management. With information pouring in, blog tools provide a way to share, organize and process the information.

Being a follower can be good or bad. No one wants to walk off a cliff with the lemmings, but everyone wants to succeed. Best practices won’t help, since the decision to blog is based on the organization’s mission, needs and goals along with its target market’s desires and needs. A blog about lemmings? There is one, sort of. Or maybe you’d like to start your own and talk about dumb business moves.

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl.net who increases conversion rates by writing and editing content so organization can focus on their core business. She is the editor-in-chief of the eNewsletter Journal and Shavlik’s The Remediator Security Digest. Visit her Web site at http://www.meryl.net/blog/.

Author: Meryl K. Evans
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The written content you post on your blog is referred to as a “blog post.” Your blog posts can show up in the search engine results of Google for specific keywords that are in your posts. For example, if you wrote a blog post about “the difference between top tier direct sales and MLM,” your blog could show up in Google’s results when someone searches for “top tier direct sales”. Blog post entries are generally displayed in reverse-chronological order.

Blogs provide commentary on a particular subject or can function as more personal online diary. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments is an important element of many blogs. Most blogs are generally text, although most will also include photographs and videos. Micro blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

The following list provides some incredible statistics and the significance of a blog for today’s internet marketer.

Blogosphere Stats
133,000,000 – Number of blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002
346,000,000 – number of people globally who read blogs (COM Score March 2008)
900,000 – Average number of blog posts in a 24 hour period
There are many different types of blogs, differing not only in the type of content, but also in the way that content is delivered or written. The following are only a few examples:

Personal Blogs
The personal, traditional blog is the most common form of blog. It is an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual. Few personal blogs rise to fame but some personal blogs quickly acquire a widespread following. Microblogging is form of a personal blog which is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook allow bloggers to share thoughts instantaneously with friends and family and are much faster than e-mailing or writing.

Corporate and Organizational Blogs
A blog can be private or it can be for utilized for business purposes. Blogs used for marketing, branding or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs. Similar blogs for clubs and societies are called club blogs, group blogs, etc.; typically used to inform members and interested parties of club and member activities.

By Interest
Some blogs focus on a specific subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs, house blogs, fashion blogs, education blogs, music blogs, legal blogs, etc. Two common types of genre blogs are art blogs and music blogs.

By Media Type
A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. Blogs with shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs.

A blog is primarily a website that allows you to quickly and easily add fresh content whenever you wish. Blogs are easy to publish (you only need to know how to type, easy to find (your audience can easily find your content), social (a great way to build a presence in the online community), viral (your blog posts can be virally distributed), and easy to link to and from. Blogs do require frequent and ongoing maintenance as the addition of fresh content – writing, photos, video, etc. – is necessary in order for a blog to remain effective. The content should be relevant, informative, thought provoking, etc…

There are many different blogging platforms. If you are new to blogging WordPress.com is a very simple platform for ease of setup. WordPress provides flexibility, tutorials and support and you can easily migrate your content from one blogging platform to another should you choose to switch platforms in the future. Do be aware WordPress.com can place ads on your website. However, this can be avoided if you choose to use WordPress.org By paying for you hosting, which is very minimal in cost, you gain total control of all your content without unsolicited advertisements. And most importantly you avoid the risk of never being suspended.

Now the following are a few basic action steps to start you blogging experience:

1. Sign up for a WordPress Account
2. Select a theme
3. Select a hosting account (this can be done at a late time)
4. Write Your First Blog Post

Easy Ways to Get Blog Post Ideas:
Write down 5 things you learned today, and post it on your blog.
When you learn something new, post it on your blog.
When you do something fun, post it on your blog.
When you make a video, post it on your blog.
When you take new pictures, post them on your blog along with a description of what you did.
When you have a strong opinion about something, post it on your blog.
When you submit a new article or press release, post the link with a brief summary on your blog.
If you have the solution to a common problem in the industry, make a blog post.

5. “Ping” It
When you “ping” your blog you are notifying the search engines that you have new content on your blog.
Step One: Go to Pingomatic.com
Step Two: Enter the name and the URL of your blog.
Step Three: Click all blog services to Ping.
Step Four: Make sure you ping every time you update your blog with new content.

6. Manage Comments
Comments are good; it means you have active readers. Make a point to respond to your readers who take the time to leave a comment. If someone makes a general comment you can always respond with “Thanks for your comments. They are valued.” If you disagree with a comment one of your readers let them know WHY you disagree. Don’t be defensive or confrontational. Be open to joining the conversation and supporting your opinion in a rational effective manner. Remember, you want to give your readers a reason to regularly return to your blog.

You are now on your way to becoming a professional blogger. Here are several basic tips and tricks.

Don’t ever plagiarize. If you are quoting content from another source be sure to cite your references and include any appropriate links.
Always be yourself and be original.
Share your opinions.
Avoid clichs.
Provide Fresh Content
Provide real content, not just sales’ pitches. Your blog posts should not sound like sales’ pitches. You should be sharing valuable thoughts, ideas, and opinions with your readers. As a general rule in blogging and in marketing in general, you want to provide 80% content for every 20% sales pitches.
Engage in meaningful dialogue with your readers through comments. Your audience will increase as your readers share your blog with their circle of influence and they’ll be more likely to do this if you take the time to acknowledge their interest in your blog.
When sharing your opinions, consider framing your thoughts in such a way where you acknowledge that you could be wrong. If you come across as being close-minded to new ideas or other viewpoints you run the risk of turning your readers off. However, if you pose your opinions from a “here’s what I’m thinking right now” perspective, you could encourage some healthy debate in your comments. With that said, some of the most successful blogs are highly controversial and unapologetically opinionated.
Check out other blogs. Examine other blogger’s styles and discover what you like and what you don’t like.

The following are several more advanced suggestions:

1. Blogging Etiquette
When you include a link to another site in your blog post WordPress will automatically “ping” that site letting them know you just linked to them. If both blogs are on the same platform you should see a reference to your trackback link in their comments section. When someone links to your blog you should always go check out their blog and then leave a thoughtful, intelligent comment on their blog. Include your blog’s URL with your name in the comment and this will not only foster two-way communication between you and the other blogger, but will also encourage their readers to also check out your blog.

2. Submit Your Blogs to Web 2.0 Sites
You can get ranks to specific keyword posts with the keyword by submitting your post to all the Web 2.0 sites with a service called Socialmarker.com. After you input your title, URL, descriptions and your username and password to each site, Socialmarker will submit your post to 20 to 30 Web 2.0 sites for you with one-button simplicity.

3. Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines
If you have a post that you want to push up in the search engine results you will want to have your keywords in the title of your post, in the first paragraph and in the closing or concluding paragraph.
A simple trick to include your keyword or keyword phrase in your title is to create a title such as “How to find/do (insert keyword)”.

As you become proficient with blogging you might want to consider advertising on your own blog. To accomplish this you will have to setup a self hosted blog i.e. WordPress.org. This will allow to place your own text or banner ads on your site or to take advantage of an advertising network such as Google AdSense. A self-hosted WordPress.org site will also provide you with much more flexibility with the layout, design and advertising options on your blog.

For additional information on blogging and internet marketing strategies to get your internet business opportunity off the ground please visit http://www.FinancialFreedomLeaders.com/?t=ezbl.

Get to know me at http://www.michaelefriedman.com.

Author: Michael E Friedman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Author: Hayi Mansoor
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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