I have just finished the course outline for tonight’s Writer’s Center blogging course, A Blog of Your Own, from 7:30-10PM at Glen Echo Park. Please steal from me.
Writer’s Center Workshop
Glen Echo Park
June 27th, 2006
Description
Okay, you have a blog and consider yourself a blogger. The next step is how to build your prestige, your readership, and your reputation. This class will demystify the process of taking your personal blog and developing it into a popular resource. Being brilliant, funny, insightful, and inspired is just the beginning; learn how to help your hungry audience find you.
Instructor
- Chris Abraham
- cja@well.com
- +1 202-352-5051
- Online Advocacy at Edelman
- Blogging since 1999 www.chrisabraham.com
Short Review of Blogs and Blogging
- Ease of publishing.
- Discoverability. (Pings weblogs.com or technorati or another ping server).
- Conversationality. (Trackbacks or as-they-happen referer logs, or now being part of Technorati and other blog search engines).
- Linkability. (All posts should have permalinks).
- Syndicatability. (All content should be available in RSS feeds).
- Commentability (All posts should welcome comments).
- Okay to be subjective and opinionated
- Blogs can influence culture and mainstream media
- CGM, citizen journalism, citizen marketing, new PR
Blogging Best Practices
- Short, pithy, entries
- Constantly updated
- Only one long work a week
- Shameless, assertive, opinionated, unapologetic
- Shows respect, dignity, reciprocity
- Give more than you take
- Join the conversation and community
- Assumes good intent
Reputation as a blogger
- Techniques for building prestige and influence
- Reciprocal links and linking
- Blogroll and blogrolling
- Citations
- Comments
- Pinging ping-servers
- Press releases
- Email requests
- IM and email relationships
- Drinks, dinner, lunch, or coffee
Introduction to Viral Marketing
- What is viral marketing?
- Word-of-mouth, buzz, viral, and grassroots
- Authentic, transparent, conversational, honest
- Ask for what you need, give what others need
- Tell people who you are and why you are there
- “Astroturfing” is not worth the short term benefit
- The blogosphere is conversational
- Message, client message, messaging
- Network of weak blogs generally win over a powerful media
Introduction to Search Engine Optimization
- Google loves blogs (because Google loves text because it can “see” text)
- Google favors sites that are constantly updated (one a week at minimum)
- Make sure your blog pings: http://www.pingomatic.com/
- Make sure Google knows you: www.google.com/addurl
- Categories, tags, and tagging: del.icio.us, http://www.furl.net/, http://www.spurl.net/
- Be careful how you use pronouns (he, she, and it says nothing)
- Learn about Google Sitemap: www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps
- We aware of how you use keywords in your blog (density and diversity)
- Optimize your blog like a website (meta tags, alt tags, keywords)
Introduction to Blogger PR
- The last word counts most (especially on blog search engines like Technorati)
- Recent posts get indexed (the current conversation counts the most)
- Everything lasts forever on Google (make sure your side of the story is on record)
(from WOM Tactics: Blogs are Upside Down)
Important reading
- Naked Conversations by by Shel Israel & Robert Scoble
- We the Media by Dan Gillmor
- Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents by Reporters without Borders
- Applied Blogging Workshop is a collaborative blog for all of us
http://www.appliedblogging.org/
