This person has been very encouraging to me and always offered support with my blog. She recently started her own blog, Forgetting 2 Remember. She allowed me to be part of the blog set up process and putting a plan in place to get things going. This was a very rewarding experience and I am VERY impressed with how far she has come. She has been a dedicated, hardworking blogger submitting a blog post nearly every single day since its creation. We all know creating content is king when it comes to the web, and she does it extremely well. But this isn’t just content. These are deep thoughts that really cause you to pause and take a moment to think about life. They often serve as motivation to learn more about yourself as part of a self-discovery/improvement process. This is a unique niche that not many blogs can fill and hers does it extremely well. That is why my Blog Reader of the Week is Derinda Kempa. Take a moment to check out Derinda’s blog and Web site. Derinda is a very talented woman with alot of great stuff going on that you will want to check out.
Thank you Derinda for all of the blog comments and support!
So now I challenge those of you reading this. Who are your blog readers of the week?
Think about how you can improve upon this post. Ask yourself these questions:
Is my blog post title effective?
Do the first few lines of my post do a good job on setting the stage?
Did I rush through this post? Could I add a bit more content to really explain things?
Does the post look good? Sometimes the right image can make a big difference.
What is the call to action from this post?
Taking the time to bit just a bit of effort into an old post can really go a long way. Remember these posts are still alive and still drawing visitors – let’s show them a little love too!
Blogging without comments. It’s like peanut butter without jelly. Like salt without pepper. I am a firm believer that all blogs should allow comments. Whether or not you post them is up to you, but you MUST give your readers the opportunity to engage. Great blogs are a two way street. If you are going to share your opinions and thoughts with the world, you better be prepared to receive their thoughts and opinions back.
Leaving comments on other blogs is also a great way to get your blog off the ground, however, your participation must be authentic. Demonstrate that you have actually read the post and have something insightful to say. It really does go much further than the classic “great post” comment. This not only allows you to generate new content ideas, but you are also able to open many doors of communicaton with other bloggers. Many times this is the first step to a partnership in improving each other’s blog.
So the next time you read a great post, don’t forget to take a moment to leave a comment. It goes a long way.
I have mentioned Seth Godin and his blog on a number of occasions. It’s great. I read it daily and would highly recommend it.
Even being a daily reader, sometimes I am still amazed by the content. Today was one of those days. Today’s post was entitled You Matter. Talk about a great way to start off your day! This is a must read.
Below are just a few of my favorites from this particular post by Seth Godin:
When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
Social media tools have allowed NBA fans to follow the NBA Finals like never before. Twitter, Facebook and Blogging bring a new perspective to the games that is sure to make any NBA fan highly satisfied. Below are just a few examples on how social media tools have become a big part of the NBA Finals experience:
Dwight Howard’s Blog See Dwight connect with fans and read about his thoughts on missing critical free throws during the game. It’s all here.
Follow Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Twitter The NBA’s all-time leading scorer and Laker great was tweeting during the games with his perspective on the action. I bet he is happy the Lakers won!
Check Out the NBA’s Facebook Page Stay up to date with all of the action as the Lakers and Magic battle it out. Insider information, vote for player of the game, and create your own amazing NBA moments.
Twitter users were tweeting aplenty. Webcams were broadcasting live all over the world. But as for now, the Facebook username buildup excitement is over. The initial rush has passed. Many people predicted that Facebook would crash or some other type of complication would arise. They were wrong. It was a smooth, seemless process that took about 5 seconds once the countdown was complete.
Now let the interesting part begin…how will we use our new Facebook identity?
The Facebook Username Vanity URL coundown has begun. Many people around the world are logged into Facebook online right now waiting…watching the countdown to an opportunity to secure their very own Facebook username aka vanity url. Up until now, Facebook users have been assigned a long string of numbers in their profile URL and have not had an option to change this to something that is user friendly. As you can imagine, if you were to try to direct someone to your Facebook profile using this original URL it would be quite cumbersome. Now you get the option to create your own Facebook username. This is another chance to own your name online in Google search results.
It will be particularly important for businesses as more and more companies begin to embrace social media filling the spectrum of online competition. Some companies are moving completely away from the “traditional” Web site. Skittles’ Web site consists soley of links to social media profiles such as a YouTube page, Flickr account, and Facebook fan page. Boone Oakley’s Web site is a YouTube video. Opening up the username vanity url will encourage businesses to consider using Facebook as their main web presence, further continuing the movement away from the “traditional” Web site. To prevent users from creating profiles and squatting on business usernames, Facebook is only allowing those pages with more than 1,000 fans (as of May 31st) to get first rights to their username. As for those legitimate businesses with less than 1,000 fans, you will have to wait until June 28th.
So what is the big deal? Why all of the excitement now? Well, Facebook is offering up these usernames on a first come first serve basis. So if you want to “own” your Facebook name – you better act now. You can sign up for your Facebook username vanity url here.
As I write this post less than 30 minutes remain in the countdown.
Internet marketing strategies are evolving daily and I am always amazed to see some of the creative ideas that stick. I am particularly excited to share this one.
Here is the scoop: An advertising agency out of North Carolina has created its Web site using a YouTube video. That’s right Boone Oakley’s entire Web site is a YouTube Video. This is something I have never heard of or seen before. It is definitely creative and drawing quite a bit of attention. The video/Web site already has over 239,000 views. So while this is very cool right now, I have to wonder are they missing out on other benefits of a traditional Web site? Will it be easy to update and change? Is it an effective long-term strategy or are they just going for a short-term campaign? Either way this is definitely something that breaks through the traditional advertising clutter. What are your thoughts?
Do you use Facebook for personal use or business use? Is it okay to post “party” pictures on Facebook that your employer or future employer may see? What is your opinion?
When looking to diversify your blogging portfolio, consider the opinion post. Expressing your opinion helps keep things from getting boring. It is also a great way to encourge others to share their opinions on a particular subject. This goes a long way to build interaction with your readers. These are just a few of the reasons why ProBlogger suggests writing an opinion post in Day #19 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge.
So, now back to the Facebook question. I do not think you have to make a decision to use Facebook for personal or business. The beauty of Facebook is that it can be used for both. In fact, that is when Facebook is most valuable. How else would you know that your largest client’s daughter just won her softball tournament? And then be able to connect right away and send your congratulations comment. Creating a personal connection with business partners can be very difficult and Facebook helps make this easier by removing social barriers. You may not hang out with the same group of friends. You may not even live in the same state. But through Facebook you can still connect on a personal level.
And as for the party pictures. Everyone is a human and likes to have fun from time to time. Just use your common sense. If you have to second guess the photo, take it down.
Doctors using social media during Hurrican Ike? Twitter being used to obtain medical care instead of the phone? Blogging to raise money for the homeless?
Creating blog posts can take a lot of time. More often than not, we only receive a one time value from each of our blog posts. This is why ProBlogger suggests creating Sneeze pages for your blog posts in Day #18 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge. Sneeze pages use your archived posts to create a nice directory of posts all relating to a particular theme, series or time. Creating these posts will show off your archives and improve your Search Engine Optimization. A great way to repurpose your hard work and get the most value from it.
So, without further adue – here is my BlackBerry Storm themed Sneeze post:
While returning visitors and blog subscribers are great, most blog traffic comes from first time visitors. This is the reason an exercise like this is so important. Typically you have someone for 3-5 seconds before they are going to make a decision whether or not to stay on your site/blog. First impressions are crucial and you only get one chance.
Have a friend, relative or co-worker check out your blog for the first time. Take 5-10 minutes to watch their behavior. You are guaranteed to learn a few ways to improve.
Posted by derekmcclain 
Do you use 
Blogging Without Comments
June 22, 2009Blogging without comments. It’s like peanut butter without jelly. Like salt without pepper. I am a firm believer that all blogs should allow comments. Whether or not you post them is up to you, but you MUST give your readers the opportunity to engage. Great blogs are a two way street. If you are going to share your opinions and thoughts with the world, you better be prepared to receive their thoughts and opinions back.
Leaving comments on other blogs is also a great way to get your blog off the ground, however, your participation must be authentic. Demonstrate that you have actually read the post and have something insightful to say. It really does go much further than the classic “great post” comment. This not only allows you to generate new content ideas, but you are also able to open many doors of communicaton with other bloggers. Many times this is the first step to a partnership in improving each other’s blog.
So the next time you read a great post, don’t forget to take a moment to leave a comment. It goes a long way.
Check out Day #20 of ProBlogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge for more benefits on leaving comments.
Also check out my earlier blog post entitled Discovering New Customer Touch points with Comments.