Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies
WEDHESDAV, SEPTEMBER 15, 2004
O This is my first post.
This post to Btogger wiill help me decide whether ttiis service is the right one for me,
I'd like to make a link to the Google Web site from: here.
posted by Susannah @ 1:17 PM P o comments
Posta Comment
Rates for contract Web designers vary regionally, but be sure to get quotes from at least three different designers. Go with the one that's the best fit for your needs, and don't equate a high price tag with high quality.
^ Bells and whistles: Blogs are a hot technology area on the Web right now, and that means a lot of innovation is in the field. Audio, video, mobile, and photo blogs are only some of the interesting ways people are choosing to blog. If you want to use all the latest tools on your blog, and perhaps increase your traffic while doing so, independent blog software often keeps pace with developments better than a hosted solution.
Independent blog software developers are catering to a technically savvy, cutting-edge audience that knows and demands current technology. And even if they don't extend their software regularly, many independent blog software companies encourage third-party developers to create plug-ins that can be used with their software. You can take advantage of newer technology or even contribute your own code to handle your specific need. A hosted blog solution simply can't match the nim-bleness of independent blog software — at least as long as innovation continues in blogging.
At the same time, all this additional functionality can come at the sacrifice of stability or compatibility. Nothing's certain, but hosted solutions tend to be less buggy in regular use.
i Reputation: The blogosphere is a relatively small world and a tightly knit community to boot. Chances are that visitors who are also bloggers will take note of the software you create your blog with, and you'll get just a little bit more blog credibility if you're using independent blog software rather than a hosted solution. While this isn't completely fair to the many excellent bloggers on hosted blog solutions, it is nonetheless a blogosphere reality.
If you want to test this theory, start looking at the blogs you read regularly. Many blogs indicate which software they're using, even when they don't need to. This is a bit of technical showmanship, or perhaps one-upmanship — one blogger saying to another that he's got the smarts and skills to go with the difficult solution. Waxy (www.waxy.org) is one popular blog that displays a "Powered by Movable Type" graphic; it is shown in Figure 4-2.
Because one of the best ways you can build buzz around your blog is to attract other bloggers, you may want to play this game yourself — if you go with an independent blog, add the logo to the final design of your blog.
i Existing Web sites: Perhaps you're creating a blog that will actually live on your company's Web site, as part of a larger package of information your company is providing to the public. You need a blog solution that permits you to publish your blog on your company server. Some hosted blog solutions permit you do to this, but an independent blog solution is likely the way you need to go.
Figure 4-2:
Tech-savvy blogger Andrew Baio uses Movable Type to run his blog.
■p] Waxy .org: Andy Baio lives here - Microsoft Internet Explorer
File Edit View Favorites Tools Help
exclusive NFL deal, A
April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002
CONTACT
E-mail: log AT waxy.a AIM; waxpancake tri&ft F-OUCPCD G V
Tecfinorati Profile entries, my complete posting history by month, and spam comment denials from MT-Blacklist.
(J PERM LINK
DECEMBER 28, 2004
In addition to the extensive first-person coverage of the tsunami disaster on blogs, there have been several amateur recordings of the tsunami from camcorders. Unfortunately., the network websites aren't making them easy to find and view. The videos are usually only available as poor-quality, streaming video like RealPlayer, and buried in popup windows and poor navigation.
Ben pointed me to downloadable versions of three dips, I'm hosting them here. (Unfortunately, I don't have much information about the source of these videos.)
• phuketwmv (11MB) - shot from inside a restaurant, waves engulf older couple clinging to railing before flooding entire room
• patong_beach.wmv (10MB) - rooftop view of two huge waves battering buildings along shore, then flooding of city streets
• sri_lanka.wmv (7ME) ■ upper balcony view of hotel swimming pool area getting flooded as observers run away; woman asks this clinches their monopoly on sports gaming)
January IS, 2005
Image; Katarnari Damacy cosplay (damn, I was hoping they'd dress up like the King of All Cosmos) [via]
Technorati Tags (turn MovableType extensions to Teciinorati tags)
January 14, 200S
Overriding site-wide CSS styles at the page level with PHP (a nice hack)
Dream World, Thailand's cheap Disneyland knockoff (complete with fake Space Mountain, Fantasy I and, and bootleg Disney gift shop) [via J MP3: Nina Gordon's v Internet
Before you get too carried away: The server software in use with your current site may dictate what blog software you can use. Several different kinds of server platforms are in common use, and most independent blog software is only available for one or two of those platforms. When in doubt, look up the technical requirements of the blog software you want to use, and consult with your IT staff about whether the technologies are compatible.
Never underestimate the value of having someone close at hand who can help you figure out a new technology. Having someone who can help you who already knows and uses a blog technology is better than the best customer support out there. If the technology your friend or colleague uses suits your needs, stop agonizing over choosing the right solution — you've already found it. Buy him or her lunch, and bring your notebook.
Continue reading here: Webbased tools
Was this article helpful?
