Blogs

Why Blogging is Social Media’s VIP

By Mark Evans in Blogs, Social Media 3 Comments Tags: , , ,

BlogAs an enthusiastic blogger, it is somewhat discouraging to see blogs lose some of their lustre amid the fascination (obsession?) with Facebook and Twitter.

As someone who has been consistently blogging here and other places for the past seven years, I have always argued that blogs are the most powerful social media medium because they offer a way for people to provide insight, perspective and information. In a fast-paced, multi-tasking world, it takes time to create and read blog posts but they offer tremendous value for bloggers and readers.

That said, I’m probably biased because I’m a writer by profession, having spent more than 10 years as a newspaper reporter. As a result, writing a blog seems natural and the posts tend to flow. For many people, however, writing can be time-consuming and laborious, making it challenging to consistently write blog posts.

Nevertheless, I believe the ROI of blogs makes them compelling. They provide an opportunity to build a personal or corporate brand, establish domain expertise, showcase insight and thoughts, participate in the conversations of the day, and boost your SEO.

In the wake of my blog bullishness, it was heartening to see Hugh MacLeod declare in a recent blog post that he was giving up Facebook and Twitter to “reclaim” blogging. Here’s how Hugh explained his decision:

“Because Facebook and Twitter are too easy. Keeping up a decent blog that people actually want to take the time to read, that’s much harder. And it’s the hard stuff that pays off in the end. Besides, even if they’re very good at hiding the fact, over on Twitter and Facebook, it’s not your content, it’s their content.”

MacLeod is making a fairly radical move given how Facebook and Twitter have become integral parts of our digital activity, particularly for an entrepreneur such as MacLeod who could benefit by having a presence in the biggest social markets. But I think MacLeod’s motivations have much to do with the fact that blogs are an opportunity to stand out from the crowd given it’s so easy for post an update or tweet. Sure, blogs take more work but for anyone willing to commit themselves to blogging, there are a variety of benefits.

My belief in the value and power of blogging makes writing posts a joy – at least most of the time. It’s an investment and it takes time but it is also tremendously rewarding. Unlike MacLeod, I’m not going to give up Twitter or Facebook, although blogging is where most of my social energy goes. At the end of the day, it’s the most satisfying and fun, and it’s the perfect vehicle to show potential clients what and how I think.

Looking for Blog Post Inspiration?

By Mark Evans in Blogs, Social Media 1 Comment Tags: , ,

IdeasIn writing two blogs and an online column, I create more than 40 items a month. It may not be the volume generated by writers working for big-time blogs such as TechCrunch or GigaOm but it’s, nevertheless, a lot of content.

The challenge is coming up with ideas for blog posts that provide some kind of value and insight. At times, it can be a struggle when the creative juices aren’t flowing. At other times, it can be easy when the ideas just come rumbling down the pipe.

There are a variety of techniques I use to trawl for and generate ideas for blog posts. What I’m seeking is sparks, tidbits or food for thought.

1. Twitter: I don’t follow a lot of people (about 350) but I try to focus on people who tweet about things I find interesting and relevant to my professional world. I try not to spend too much time on Twitter because it’s a productivity-killer but I scan my stream on a fairly regular basis looking for ideas. I often “favorite” tweets that have the potential to become blog posts.

2. Newspapers: Yes, it’s old school but newspapers are an efficient way to scan through a lot of information. I’m mostly focused on the business section but often find good material in the news, life or entertainment sections. I use the “rip and read” technique by ripping out interesting stories to look at later.

3. Conversations: In talking with other people, you’re tapping into a new world of potential ideas, even if they aren’t involved in the Web and social media. When I’m having lunch with someone, for example, I’m often taking mental notes about potential blog posts. In an ideal world, I’d attend more conferences because that’s when the ideas for blogs can come in waves.

4. Reading: I consume a lot of content – both off-line and online – with different goals. Sometimes, it’s for information, sometimes it’s search related to a client, and sometimes, it’s just for ideas. Sometimes, I’ll read a good blog post, and then provide my own take (while, of course, providing credit and a link to the original blog).

5. Clients: When I’m working with clients, it pretty common for blog post ideas to pop up that have to do with different issues being tackled. The trick is writing a blog post without referring to what a client is doing so they tend to be about high-level issues or trends that are relevant to many companies.

What techniques or approaches do you use to come up with blog post ideas?

How to Compete With Big-Time Tech Blogs

By Mark Evans in Blogs 4 Comments Tags: , ,

In a word: don’t.

Going head to head with major tech blogs such as Mashable, TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb and GigaOm is a fools’ game. They have too many people at their beck and call, they pump out way to much content, and they’re far more connected.

In other words, trying to compete against them as a go-to resource is madness.

So how can us regular bloggers be topical, timely and relevant to people looking for insight and information? Here’s a few tips:

1. Don’t jump on the bandwagon. When news breaks (e.g. the launch of Google+), you know there’s going to be a tsunami of blog and traditional media coverage as everyone decides to provide some kind of opinion. Rather than joining the fray, stay away.

2. Take a deep breath, wait a few hours or perhaps a few days, and then write a post that benefits from having time to think. This lets you provide new or different perspective that has a better chance of standing out from the crowd.

A good example is a post I did on HootSuite’s surpassing two million users. Rather than writing about this benchmark, I took a different approach with a post suggesting HootSuite was Canada’s biggest online success story. Even though the post appeared a day after the news broke, it attracted a lot of attention.

3. Write against the grain. When everyone is blogging about Google+, it might more sense to focus on another topic that is getting less attention.

4. Be true to the things that interest you as opposed to chasing the news. If you’re focused on a particular topic, stay focused rather than shifting gears. This lets you do what you do best and, as important, meet the needs of your readers.

5. Be happy, don’t worry. Don’t worry if you’re not blogging about the new, shiny thing capturing all the attention. There’s so much happening that it’s okay to say “pass” until a story that really interests you comes along.

Don’t Abandon Your Blog for Tumblr

By Mark Evans in Blogs, Social Media 2 Comments Tags: , ,

TumblrThere’s an awful lot of excitement these days about Tumblr, which is now attracting 400 million pageviews/day and 8.4 billion pageviews/month. The buzz around Tumblr has been cranked up by people such as Steve Rubel, who recently decided to abandon his blogs to embrace Tumblr, calling it the “next great social network”.

But here’s the thing: Tumblr may be described as a micro-blog or a quasi-blog but it’s not a blog and, as a result, it shouldn’t been seen as a replacement for a blog.

Instead, Tumblr is a wonderful and valuable complement to a blog because it offers another way to publish and share content using a platform that is user-friendly and, of course, increasingly popular.

In my case, I’m using Tumblr to share content that isn’t quite right or not a good fit for my blog but, nevertheless, has some value or strikes me as interesting. As a result, it’s a place where I publish photos (a recent one featured a new Krispy Kreme Doughut Cafe), info-graphics about social media and the Web, and stuff on the Web I find interesting such as cool sign-up forms. I guess in a sense it’s a personal/professional life-stream platform.

Unlike Rubel, there is no way I would abandon my blog to exclusively use Tumblr. Here’s why:

1. When you use Tumblr, the content is posted on their platform so you don’t have complete control. On the other hand, a blog is personal or corporate asset that you can control, move, etc.

2. While Tumblr does provide a fair degree of flexibility, it doesn’t have the developer or design ecosystem that WordPress offers.

3. A blog can be tightly integrated into a Web site, providing a lot of SEO goodness that a standalone platform such as Tumblr.com can’t offer.

For thoughts on Tumblr vs. a blog, check out this post from Spin Sucks.

What Are You Thinking, Steve Rubel?

By Mark Evans in Blogs, Social Media 1 Comment Tags: , ,

So Steve Rubel, one of the thought leaders within social media, has decided blogs are no longer a viable platform for anyone looking to have a strong online presence.

As a result, he’s making the leap to Tumblr, driven by the belief Google is paying more attention to social signals. For whatever reason, Rubel thinks blogs are passe while Tumblr is a more attractive and logical digital option. In the process, he’s deleting hundreds of posts from two blogs.

To be honest, I think it’s dumb. It’s like chasing the hot, new girl (or guy) at school because they have six fingers rather than five. It doesn’t make the new girl/boy better, just different.

Keep in mind Rubel proclaimed two years ago that he was jumping away from blogging to embrace Posterous because life-streaming was the new way to go. Either Rubel has a commitment problem or he’s searching for digital nirvana.

Don’t get me wrong, change is good. But chasing the digital dream by jumping from service to service strikes me as a Don Quixote-like exercise.

I see a few things wrong with Rubel’s thesis. First, trying to play to Google’s search focus is like trying to hit a moving target. As much as Google is the dominant player, it changes the rules and tweaks its algorithm on a regular basis. In embracing Tumblr, Rubel is playing a game of digital whack-a-mole.

Second, Rubel doesn’t control Tumblr, Tumblr does. If Tumblr decides to update or change its service, Rubel has no control. In contrast, Rubel controls his blogs. It’s a personal digital asset as opposed to an online service. Rather than own a digital home, Rubel has decided to rent an apartment.

Again, it’s a decision he thinks makes sense but strikes me as way too idealistic.

I wish Rubel luck but I’d bet you a dollar he’ll be jumping on something new in a year or two.

GigaOm’s Mathew Ingram has more thoughts on Rubel’s “scorched earth” approach.

The Canadian Blog Directory Goes Live!

By Mark Evans in Blog Services, Blogs No Comments Tags: , ,

CBD Logo copyEarlier this week at the mesh conference, my partner, Seth Singer, and I finally unveiled The Canadian Blog Directory. It’s a project we’ve been working on for the past few months to help people discover and explore the Canadian blogosphere.

In many respects, it’s a labour of love driven by the fact there really wasn’t a comprehensive and high-quality place to find Canadian blogs. As a result, you had to peck and search around as opposed to having a one-stop destination that met all your needs.

The CBD was launched with about 800 blogs, and since it went live a couple of days ago, we’ve had more than 150 blogs submitted. You can submit your own blog or recommend a blog you like. Either way, it’s free.

Consider the CBD a first step in what we’re looking to do. Our goal was to plant a stake in the ground and establish a foundation upon which we could build. There are lots of things on our to-do list, including new features and a refreshed design.

We’re looking to the community to help us make the CBD better and bigger. Submit or recommend a blog, or send us some thoughts at feedback@thecanadianblogdirectory.com.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 »