Archive for the ‘blogging’ Category

Google Wave

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

There has been so much buzzzzz around Google Wave.  It’s like the launch of the iPhone except I can’t get one!  I’m not on the list!  Can some one help, please?

Luckily, there’s a lot of publishers online who DO have beta accounts, so you can get a look at Google Wave in advance even if you are among the unwashed. Of all the short treatments I’ve seen so far, the one I’ve liked best is from Mashable. This was first published in May and updated several times since — it’s still a hot topic on Mashable for good reason.

Now, if you want the long treatment, take a look at this free ‘Complete Guide to Google Wave‘ by Gina Trapani and Adam Pash.  Edited by Trapani with an assist from Pash, you can browse through chapters online at the site in the link.  You will also be able to purchase a PDF download any day now.  Maybe right now.  Thanks to these guys for putting this together.

My biggest problem in this post is that I don’t know how to categorize it.  The Wave is something new.

Tweets to LinkedIn

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Yet another deal for Twitter, this time to connect tweets to update feature in LinkedIn. This is more confirmation that Twitter is in for the long haul – who needs advertising when you can cut deals like this?

I think it also confirms Twitter’s status as a professional’s tool.  It’s a good place to follow and talk with people in your industry, or to search for conversions about your business. You can use it, like LinkedIn, to market yourself.

And, finally, one more time:  open networks beat walled gardens on the Internet.  People are starting to speculate whether Facebook is at its peak or even starting to decline, while Twitter continues to grow.  The very public nature of Twitter is what makes it go.

Is Ghostwriting a Good Idea?

Friday, September 11th, 2009

I know a lot of business owners who are interested in participating in social media like Facebook, Twitter or a blog.  But who’s got the time to keep all that content current?

So lots of people turn to an outside writer for help.  Is that a good idea?

Well, this turns out to have a lot of controversy in the Internet marketing community.  Some people think it’s unethical to publish content that others have written for you unless it’s clearly stated that way.  Others think it’s just like business as usual — when’s the last time the CEO actually wrote a press release?

Small Business Trends just published an article with some ‘ghostwriter’ guidelines for working with outside consultants for making content for your online promotion.  Here’s the issue in a nutshell:  the idea of blogs and other social media is that they are authentic expressions of opinion and experience by knowledgeable people.  But if someone outside your company ghosts the stuff for you, is it really authentic?  Remember that blogs, et al, are very personal expressions. The problem is really about that personal authority behind the statement which is posed in a different way online than it is in traditional corporate communications.

Personally, I think the ghostwriting is not only necessary but is fine to do as long as the information is valid/true and it is not published under an alias or someone else’s name.  You can easily publish blog posts as ‘Company X Staff’ and be truthful about it.

Here’s another attempt to deal with the ethics of the matter (link pulled from the article cited above).

My name is Glenn Silloway, owner of The Net Sells Internet Marketing firm, and these are my actual words.  I promise.

Writing Blog Posts that Build Traffic

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Darren Rowse over at ProBlogger has made a mark by writing blog posts that attract traffic and comments.  In this post, he gives you some guidelines on types of blog posts that work — Sugar, Spice and Vitamins.  Now all you need is the time to create that content!