Better Blog Tips and the New Media by Blog Bloke

10 Reasons Why Twitter Is So Popular

Blog Bloke — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:18 PDT

I was pondering today why the social networking site Twitter is so incredibly popular. So I thought I would Google it and read what others are saying about Twitter. Surprisingly I couldn’t find anything out there so I started to write down my own reasons and it wasn’t long before I came up with the following reasons for Twitter’s popularity.

Everyone seems to love lists so here are my 10 reasons why I think Twitter is so popular. Warning: While you’re reading please keep in mind my tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and don’t take everything I say too literally (*_*).

Here we go … Twitter is popular because:

Twitter is so easy to use - period. No further explanation is required.
It’s a lot easier to get Twitter followers than it is to get Blog newsfeed subscribers.
Twitter is a complete no-brainer. Absolutely no technical know-how is needed. Just open an account and start tweeting.
It’s an excuse for being a bad writer. Because of Twitter’s 140 character limitation you can be excused for bad ~~judgement~~ grammar and abusing abbreviations.
Twitter makes you feel like you are a part of something greater than yourself. You never have to feel alone again.
For the ‘always-connected’ generation Twitter keeps you in contact with all of your ‘friends’ no matter where you are. When you are mobile and on-the-go it’s like a free conference text-messaging service in your cell phone.
Having lots of so-called Twitter “friends” makes you feel you are popular. How else can you make a lot of friends as quickly? Where else can you find an audience interested in what you ate for dinner and threw up later?
Is there a better way to keep in touch with your favorite celebrities? Twitter is an instant social fan club. You can write to them and they (or their entourage) might respond. You can almost reach out and touch them. Do you feel the love?
Similarly, if you follow your favorite a-lister they will probably reciprocate and follow you back. Wow! Is Scoble really listening?
Twitter is a great way to pretend being someone’s friend so you can sell them something later. Backdoor marketing for the new media age.

Perhaps you have your own reasons for Twitter’s popularity. Did I miss anything?

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Twitter Celebrity Overkill

Blog Bloke — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:32:37 PDT

Watch this funny video for more Twitter madness, and while you’re at it don’t forget to follow the Bloke

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Should I or Shouldn’t I Turn Blog Comments Off? That is the Question

Blog Bloke — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:59:13 PDT

I’ve often said that a blog without comments isn’t really a blog at all. Some of my readers refer to me as their blogging guru, but to me blogging is about the conversation and interacting with my readers - not just a sermon from the mount.

Lately I’ve been reconsidering that notion.

Comments are down again and frankly I’m tired of beating myself up over it. I’ve been through this cycle before, and whenever there’s a lull like this I find myself feeling despondent and not wanting to blog at all.

Of course my blogging has been sporadic this year and I can’t say that I blame you. A lot of my ariticles are not endearing to commenting either because of the very nature of the post.

Ironically my readership and traffic stats are still good. It’s just the comments that are at an all-time low.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that I’ve had my share of personal tragedies, including recurring health and marriage problems.

So at this point it might come down to either turning comments off or not blogging at all because it is just one more negative distraction in my life.

I need to get the negativity out of my life, and if a lack of comments is bringing me down then I feel I have to do something about it.

Honestly, I’m not sure what to do because turning comments off goes against my personal belief system. So I’m writing today hoping that you will consider leaving me a comment and tell me if you think it’s Ok that I turn comments off.

If I don’t get many comments then I guess that will be my answer. Thanks for listening.

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The New Social Depositories - What’s the Big Deal?

Blog Bloke — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:32:35 PDT

“Ok, so I admit it. I’m stuck in a quandary and please indulge me with your words of wisdom. I’m still trying to figure out what’s all the fascination with Social Networks. Yes it’s true. I really am struggling with this new media thingy and I need your help. I mean REALLY” …

I wrote that two years ago and never got any further with it. The funny thing is a lot hasn’t changed and after mulling it over I’ve come to reach an epiphany. Warning: While you’re reading please keep in mind my tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and don’t take everything I say too literally (*_*).

Let me be clear and state emphatically that you don’t need to be on all of the Social Networks. I repeat .. you DON’T need to be on ALL of the Social Network sites – only just the major players like Twitter or Facebook. Even then it’s still optional if you really need to be on them at all. Now please indulge me and move on to #2..
It’s about being visible: This is probably more important for the marketers who want to become your guru and convince you they can make you rich. (No wonder they push social networking so much). The bottom line is it’s a numbers game and the more places you put your content the greater the possibility that someone might notice you. Or at least that’s the theory and that is really all there is to it … now please move on to #3..
Search: BUT whatever happened to good ole Google? Wasn’t searching for information what it was supposed to do? (Notice how I put it in the past tense). Before social networks came along didn’t Google find it all for for you? Wasn’t it good enough? It was for me, now please read #4..
But nowadays everyone seems to be on Twitter and it has quickly become the de facto search engine for finding things. No wonder the big “G” is rumoured to be buying it. Funny that Microsoft’s ‘Bing’ is making such a big deal about being better than Google. Obviously they still don’t get it, but then again MS has always been behind the 8-ball..
After Twitter fizzles in lieu of the next big thing — what then? DO we really need to spend the rest of our lives chasing our long tail and transferring our accounts to the latest and greatest fad? I for one sincerely hope not..
It’s about Perspective: Do you see where I’m going with this? Maybe now you understand why I call them Social “Depositories”. They are just big websites where you temporarily deposit your information until you move on the next bigger thing.
Whereas in contrast to blogs which are your very own site (and your permanent home). Now maybe you understand why I’m always ragging on you to stick with your blog and consider social networks as a passing fad..
I almost forgot … there is at least one HUGE benefit to social networking. It creates buzz and jobs in the industry. Like for example new blogs like Mashable that have carved out a niche for themselves. The funny thing is their arguments for the so-called New Social Media are the exact same thing that us old-timers said about blogging years ago. Hmm, could they really be one and the same?
The names and faces (and technologies) may change but there’s nothing really new under the sun. So much for web 2.0. History really does repeat itself..
The Bottom Line is: Think of your blog as your permanent residence on the web and the social depositories as your temporary vacation home (or your marketing signpost).

I love to stir up the pot. Agree/Disagree?

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15 Secret Tips for Building A Better Blog

Blog Bloke — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:01:00 PDT

Today I’m going to give you 15 tips that will show how you can build a better blog than your competition. I will give you the insider’s secrets for growing your blog exponentially and how to become an authority in your blog niche.

In no time at all you will be able to boast thousands of newsfeed subscribers and Twitter followers and kick sand in your competitor’s face. Sound too good to be true? Well trust me it’s not, and it’s so easy you will kick yourself for not trying sooner.

I have a confession to make. The idea for this post came from my good friend Darren Rowse who has mastered the art of clairvoyant remote viewing because I’ve been noticing I’m the inspiration for many of his money making enterprises.

Like most recently his ebook who’s title is strikingly similar to my blog title “Better Blog Tips“. Come to think of it he also liked my idea for using the word “Secrets” in the title of his last book, and my “blog tips” niche too, and…

Well, after it happening so often I’m beginning to wonder if he really can read my thoughts or if there is such a thing as Deja Vu.

Whatever the reason I’m glad to be of service mate, but I’m still waiting for my kick-back. Must be still in the mail. (I also accept PayPal. Crap, even a link now and then would be nice).

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention on behalf of Darren I would like to thank all of those kind bloggers who donated their time and posts to his blog so that he could focus on his new book. I heard through the grape vine you are all invited over for a barbecue at his new home that blogging built - BYOB.

But I digress ..

The Secret to Building a Better Blog:

So here is the secret to building a better blog — all you have to do is promise a rags to riches story or that you hold the zen secrets to happiness and can show them how to get it. Why? Because everybody is looking for their own personal guru who will lead them by the hand down the path of righteousness.

Promise to show us how we can take control over our out-of-control lives and believe me they will come in droves. Dust off those old personal development, marketing and self-help books that are sitting on your bookshelf. You know the ones I’m talking about .. the Tony Robbins, Robert Allen, or the late-night infomercial king Kevin Trudeau.

With a little copywriting spit and polish you can spin them into the electronic age.

Because that’s what Lists are For:

Take advantage of your magic genie Google and raid those old articles and faq files that are just begging to be plagiarized. Massage it a little, change the words around a bit and nobody will ever know the difference. (Well almost nobody).

Summarize it into a list, make sure you include those keywords they are looking for, give it a kick-ass headline and you will be an instant star. I kid you not. That’s all there is to it!

Who’s Your Guru?

Today there are no shortage of blogs that fit this description. They’re everywhere. The new media has become a mine field of online hustlers trying to convince you they have all the answers.

It’s like watching late night TV infomercials 24 hours a day, seven days a week — on all 562 channels. These self-proclaimed gurus are everywhere!

Leading the pack are the pro-splogger crowd who promise us we can have all that our heart desires if we will just subscribe to their newsfeed, buy their books and become their adoring fans.

But wait — there’s more!

(This is the part where I prick the balloon.) Because the simple fact is most (if any) are not making any meaningful or verifiable income directly from blogging. (“Verifiable” meaning subject to independant 3rd party scrutiny).

Huh (you say)!

Yes it’s true. It’s a classic case of human nature playing on our greed and the law of self-fulfilling prophesy. Say something often enough and eventually they will believe it. I’m also reminded of another maxim of the human condition - “there’s a sucker born every minute“.

A slightly modified version of the tried and true bait-and-switch scams run by the travelling snake oil hustlers.

Just wag the long tail in front of their nose and watch them come. Promise them they can duplicate the formula and it won’t be long before you too can boast thousands of minions who will happily follow you, click on your ads and buy your products.

(Oddly enough they can’t prove anybody has actually duplicated their success formula).

15 Tips for a Successful Blog

It’s easy peasy! To create a popular blog today all one has to do is:

Decide on a niche topic for your blog using Google’s Keyword Tool to find out what searches are popular.
Using keywords for your chosen niche, get a cheap domain name and hang your shingle.
Borrow a professional template.
Hire a geek to make you a pretty banner and customize your theme/template if necessary.
Spend $100 a year for Wordpress hosting services.
Go the library and/or search Google to find great content for your blog.
Apply CMP (copy, massage, paste) to make it your own (kinda).
Pretend you are an expert in your chosen niche applying the “fake it till you make it” principle.
Get a referral or two from your pro-splogger pals.
Learn a little SEO to game the search engines.
Apply the art of link baiting for making kick-ass titles.
Promise the moon and the stars to your readers.
Preach good things will come to those who believe with all the fervour of an evangelist.
Wallpaper your blog with ads. (Your guru will be happy to advise which pays best).
Convert your plagiarized content into a book and ouilla — you’re a success!

That’s it in a nutshell. Now aren’t you glad I summarized it for you and saved you the trouble of having to read their tired posts spinning the same old yarn over and over, and over … again?

But is it really that easy?

Because what they don’t tell you is it’s only the ones who created the ~~scheme~~ formula first who reap most of the rewards. But if a little chump-change is your thing then by all means go for it.

Seth Godin has his own take on it:

What’s being sold here? It’s not riches, because if the riches were automatic, the seller would just hire people, right? Why make 1,000 people into millionaires if you can just hire 1,000 people and be a billionaire?

No, it’s the belief in riches, the thrill of finding just the right deal, the challenge of getting a relative to loan you money one more time. It’s the frisson of excitement from sending in the money, the rush of impatience that follows as you wait for the package, and then the scary moment when you open the package and come face to face with your dreams.

Of course, your dreams are rarely what you hoped (how could they be?) but soon, you’ll be back for more. It seems that being an opportunity seeker is about seeking, not finding.

Well said Seth, and speaking of money how much do you think they really make? That is the 6 figure question. For example, Shoemoney loves to flaunt that big check on his blog, and yet he admits he only makes about 3% of his income from blogging.

Hmm. Then again, does anybody ever read the fine print (so where’s that zoom button)?

So why then does he flaunt it on his blog? I guess it must be that prophecy thing I mentioned earlier. Gullibility and greed can be a dangerous combination.

By the way has anybody ever bothered to verify the said check or are we expected to just take his word for it? After all, in this day and age anybody with the most rudimentary Photoshop skills can easily doctor a fake check.

But there I go being paranoid again. How could we not trust such a nice guy.

What’s The Bottom Line?

Give the impression you are successful and people will believe that you really are. So what if you’re not successful already? Who’s to know?

That’s what is so great about the internet. We can hide behind our computer persona’s and reinvent ourselves any way we want. The sky’s the limit.

Show a picture of yourself in your best suit with your arms folded across your chest like the CEO of General Motors on the cover of Forbes magazine. Put on your biggest smile and be sure to Photoshop your teeth gleaming white like a pepsodent commercial.

For all you guys - take a cue from your mentors and shave your head. Wear nerdy glasses (because that’s what geeks are supposed to look like), and tell them the money is rolling in like your very own bank machine.

Ca-Ching!

Like I said - it’s the impression you leave that makes all the difference. So go ahead and tell them how successful you are. That you know how to make lots of money blogging and have the secrets to success and happiness.

It’s a proven money maker and works like a charm every time. But whatever you do don’t tell them the Bloke told you so. It might ruin my reputation.

P.s: I originally drafted this post years ago before my illness. I just recently stumbled across it again so I thought it would be fun to update and publish it in honour of Darren’s ebook. Much success to Darren and Shoemoney for being good sports and thanks to all for playing.

(I’m still waiting for that check).

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The Twouble with Twitter

Blog Bloke — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:55:13 PDT

Watch this irreverent cartoon video about how some twits are using Twitter - for saying cool or clever phrases, OR for telling the world what we are doing right now … like about our pets and their poops, what we had for dinner and threw up later, and more interesting things like that.

Cause everybody wants to know. Right?

Umm, let me think about that. Better still, I think I’ll just tweet it…

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The Great Google Friend (dis)Connect

Blog Bloke — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:38:34 PDT

Widgets.

You gotta love them. They can tell your readers the local weather in your home town. Play tunes when we click on your blog and show-off members of your community. The trouble is when they blink your blog can go poof!

Since yesterday my blog has been down and I spent hours debugging (and bugging my ISP and blog host provider). I checked with Host Tracker, pinged myself and so forth. But nothing seemed to pin it down.

Then my host provider (Saran at HexaHost) said something that clicked (literally). He suggested checking scripts running on my blog and I remembered him complaining before about Google Friend Connect being a nuisance on the server-side.

So I thought “what the heck” and I got out my trusty pencil eraser, commented out the script … and lo and behold all is well again.

The funny thing is it mostly affected Internet Explorer. Way-to-go Microsoft (and shame on you Google).

Google Friend Connect has now been disconnected. Have you noticed the same problem? Care to share your story?

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Google Search Options Video

Blog Bloke — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:23:00 PDT

Take a look at this useful video from Google showing how to use options for filtering, refining and narrowing down your search results.

Go ahead and try it yourself, and explore. You might be surprised what you will find.

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Twit Tips: Twitter Levels the Playing Field (or should have)

Blog Bloke — Tue, 05 May 2009 01:37:20 PDT

In some ways Twitter and other social networking sites have leveled the playing field. No more gaming the SERPS, exclusive networks or padding the resume.Let’s hope the peeps don’t figure out a way to create another self-serving a-list (like they did to the blogosphere) and ruin it for the rest of us … again.Then again perhaps I’ve spoke too soon. There are so many 3rd party apps available now anyone can grow a huge community. Take TweetDeck for example. This is one app the marketers go ape over, mainly because of it’s “grouping” feature.Do you see where I’m going with this? Have you ever wondered how they can possibly follow thousands of Twits? It’s easy — they just filter 99% of their followers (i.e. you) into the “noise” group and track their real friends. Now don’t you feel honoured that certain a-lister has followed you? (Rhetorical question). Some things just never change.

I wrote that about a year ago but for some reason I couldn’t finish it. It was more of a stream of consciencousness meandering than a post. Twitter was still in it’s infancy and a morbid curiosity than anything else.

Now I know why I couldn’t finish. I was too depressed to continue grappling with the question — are we really that superficial?

Low and behold a year after peering into my crystal ball it has come to pass. If history teaches us anything — it’s that history always repeats itself.

Consider this other well known fact – that we humans can only socialize with a limited number of friends. Everything else is just a faceless crowd.

Today we are seeing an explosion of Twitter apps like we’ve never seen before, and most of them are designed to corral the sheep and lead them to slaughter.

I guess there’s no stopping it, but what really gets my knickers in a knot are those damn automated DMs wasting my time. Know what I mean?

Newer blogs like Mashable have made a lucrative business from the social networking phenomema. It seems like every day they have another list of Twitter apps for us. Ho hum.

So what will be tomorrow’s new killer application? Who cares. Because honestly, blogging will endure no matter what the gates of hell try to throw at it.

What’s the moral of this story? No matter what comes down the pipeline, if it’s popular someone will figure out a way to expoit it. So like the song says “just look at them and sigh”.

Of course you can always hit the “unfollow” button.

Here’s another one for you – ”have tweet will follow” (or was that “have gun will follow“) and the wheels keep going round and round…

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A Tragic Blogging Story

Blog Bloke — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:25:04 PDT

When Life Becomes Too Unbearable to Blog.

This is the first time that I’ve found the strength to write anything. They say that confession is good for the soul so I guess this time is as good as any to go public.

And so my friends it is time for me to confess why I haven’t been blogging. You see, my wife left me and abducted my 12 year old daughter last month. She disappeared into the night without saying a word.

POOF - and they were gone. Just like that.

My first inkling came when my daughter didn’t show up after school. After an hour of frantic calls to her school and friends, I finally succombed and called the Police.

Later in the evening they called to say my daughter was safe but could provide no further details.

Since then I have been in and out of court filing for a custody order, but it’s been useless to enforce because I still don’t know where they are staying. All I have is her lawyer’s information.

I briefly saw my wife in court last week and she confessed to having an affair. I broke down and wept in public. I couldn’t help myself. Then I saw her talk to her lawyer and she came back and said she was kidding.

Some joke. I don’t know what to believe.

During the day I try to keep busy but at night the walls feel like they’re closing in on me and all I do is cry and cry and cry.

I can’t sleep much and I don’t feel like writing which was part of the problem. My wife and daughter complained that I spent too much time blogging. I guess they weren’t kidding.

I spent Easter alone for the first time this year. In fact this marks the anniversary of when we moved out here to start a new life and the birth of my baby girl.

So many memories and I’m powerless to do anything. I’m so sad I can’t stop crying and I just want to die. What’s worse is my daughter doesn’t seem to care and I think I’m losing her too.

I don’t know how this will all end. All I know is I miss my wife and child terribly and my heart keeps breaking a little more every day that passes.

This is a nightmare.

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8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog

Blog Bloke — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:57:45 PDT

A few days ago I wrote an article ”Twittering Vs. Blogging: Is Twitter a Blog Replacement or an Enhancement for Blogs?“ I made the case that Twitter can be an effective marketing tool for leveraging your followers - NOT as a blog replacement.

So when I came across the title of a Twit Tip it immediately caught my eye. The title was “Using your Blog to Promote Twitter” and before I even read the post I knew right away that the writer had got it wrong.

Basically the author said that we should be adding a “Twitter Roll” to our blogs:

“The advantage of a twitter roll is not only to keep tabs on your preferred twitters; it’s to let readers know who they are as well, and promotes Twitter.

Granted, he also mentions that followers might accidentally stumble upon our blog, but he says this more as an afterthought and the main crux of his post is that we should be driving traffic over to Twitter.

Hmm, I really don’t see it that way and these are my reasons:

First of all, more blogs today are getting rid of blogrolls. They are considered old school and going the way of the dinosaur.
Twitter is designed for short, burst announcements to communicate with your followers, grab their attention and to build relationships. But it is NOT a replacement for blogs.
Your blog is your most important tool in your Web 2.0 arsenal. You should think of it as being concentric to your overall social media marketing strategy (Twitter or any other Social Networking site) for leveraging your followers over to your blog.
Heck, Twitter (like all social networking sites) doesn’t even offer you a top-level domain. Might as well just stay on Blogspot — right? (NOT).
Twitter is quickly becoming a search engine in its own right for finding more fodder to write on your BLOG.
If you are a marketer trying to make money you will want your Twitter followers to visit your blog and click on your ads.
Like I said before, as a communication tool Twitter is still rudimentary and needs a lot of work. It is more efficient to conduct a discussion on your blog comments section than it is to follow a conversation on Twitter. (Especially with all of the third party plugins and scripts that are now available).
Ultimately your blog is where you want the action to be. You want your readers to follow you over to your real blog on your own domain and a site that belongs to YOU.

We should be leveraging Twitter to drive traffic over to our blogs – not the other way around. The bottom line is I see this as a flow-chart with all of your social networking sites pointing back to your blog like the illustration below.

It’s a Blog Bloke Web 2.0 World after all isn’t it? ;-)

But seriously, there will always be some back-flow but it’s important that we understand the hierarchy and keep our perspective on this.

What do you think?

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Seth Godin Preaches what Blog Bloke Practices

Blog Bloke — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:18:29 PDT

I’m liking him even more now. Marketing guru Seth Godin says to practice what I have been doing throughout my blogging career. Forget about superficial things like how many Feedburner subscribers or Twitter followers you have. Who cares? Focus on helping other bloggers and they in turn will return the favour.

Right on Seth! I call it Instant Karma. How about you?

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Twittering Vs. Blogging: Is Twitter a Blog Replacement or an Enhancement for Blogs?

Blog Bloke — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:33 PDT

I decided to come out of hibernation from blogging today, partly because it’s St. Patrick’s Day (I’m part Irish) but also because like most of you I’m completely blown away with the popularity of Twitter.

I mean, it’s everywhere. It’s on the news. It’s in magazines. Talk Show hosts even mention it. It’s CRAZY!

Some call it Twittermania. If you don’t believe me then just look at all of the third party apps that are being made for it, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s much more coming down the pipe.

As a hardcore blogger since blogs first began, I was initially taken aback with Twitter. Some might even accuse me of being cynical (but what the heynonnynonny do they know).

Out of curiosity I was one of the early adopters of Twitter. I dabbled a little but I never really took it seriously. I didn’t try to build a following and the highlight of my Tweeting career was when I traded barbs with the great Darren Rowse (but that’s another story).

Scoble was probably the first notable proponent of it and I recall commenting sarcastically that he only liked it because he couldn’t write that well. (I don’t think he ever forgave me for that.)

Even recently I wrote that Twitter was for lazy bloggers, and that it isn’t really blogging. (I took a shellacking for that one too).

But now everybody is doing it. Celebs, a-listers, politicians and us regular folk are all tweeting our little hearts out. It has become such a phenomena there is a whole new vocabulary of twitterisms being created every day.

Holy crap! It’s simply amazing. Who would have ever thunk?

I’ve even read rumours of Google’s demise as the premier search engine in favour of Twitter. That’s not bad for a company claiming to not make any money.

Come to think of it, that sounds a lot like YouTube when Google took it over doesn’t it. Must be ripe for the picking. (Psssst! Be sure to call your broker in the morning .. I accept kick-backs).

Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus, and even curmudgeony Blog Bloke can change his mind.

Being the stubborn person that I am, I’m still holding to the view that Twitter is not “real” blogging, and I reject the notion that it can be considered as “micro-blogging”. Nevertheless, I have come to rethink my initial scorn and after careful consideration I realize now it’s importance and benefit to blogs.

I recently wrote (tweeted) in 140 characters or less:

1. The real advantage with using Twitter is because of the 140 character limitation we are able to cover more topics quicker than regular blogging…

2. Whereas regular blogs enable us to cover topics more in-depth than short burst announcements from Twitter. The two enhance each other rather nicely.

That’s not all. Many see Twitter as a marketing tool. Wait a minute, I could take that even further and say that it is an unbelievably effective tool.

Twitter is the ultimate opt-in marketing scheme.

Sure, I like to give the spam/marketers a little kick in the derriere once in awhile (only if they deserve it of course). But for legitimate marketers it is an amazing tool because of it’s inherent social nature.

Personally I still think of Twitter as more of a social “chat” tool than real blogging. But regardless of what definition you want to give it, it is indeed a boon to business and it will only get better.

If you are disabled or a shut-in, living in a sparsely populated area, or maybe you just prefer to socialise in the comfort of your home hiding behind a photo-shopped picture of yourself. No matter, because the really cool thing about Twitter is you can actually have a live conversation in real time with someone on the other side of the world, or with as many others within your Twitter community you like.

Everyone can jump in. It’s like a party in you ‘puter and you don’t have to pay premium prices for your drinks. Now that is way cool.

But this post isn’t about defining what Twitter is or isn’t. Rather, my purpose for writing is to declare what I have come to understand is the contribution (and importance) that Twitter has brought to the world of blogging.

I see Twitter more as an enhancement for bloggers - not a replacement for blogs.

For example:

Twitter is twitterrific for making short, burst announcements. Kinda like those 30 second infomercials you hear on the radio. Short and tweet, and to the point.
But when I say commercials I don’t necessarily mean for business. I see bloggers using Twitter for things like mentioning they’re working on a post for their (real) blog. It keeps your readers abreast of your activities, makes you more accessible and builds anticipation.
Fortunately I haven’t heard anyone say they are off to visit the toilet yet (but who knows). Like any medium it can be used for good purposes or bad, and like the TV remote you can always turn them off
I’ve had Twitter in my blog sidebar for several months now. I did that when I wasn’t blogging all that much for a very good reason. Not only does it add content to the blog, but the real benefit is it is being indexed by the search engines. So if I’m not feeling like writing a full blog post , my tweets continue to add content to the blog. Sweet.
Like I said earlier it’s a terrific marketing tool if you are so inclined. There’s a plethora of posts already out there explaining the benefits of Twitter for business. So I won’t add to the noise, except to say it is stupendous for getting out there and mingling with other people (tweeps) and promoting your product or services. If used effectively (and ethically) it can be a real boon for those who are trying to make money off the web. (But please remember - the soft sell approach is far better than a brick over the head. Nuff said.)
When I think of the term “marketing” I don’t just mean for business either. How about marketing yourself just to make new friends? There’s nothing wrong with that and we all have our reasons for spending time online. So long as we find balance, online friendships can be a terrific enhancement to our “real” world lives.

Still don’t believe me? Coincidentally I came across this video after writing this post. It’s by a Google employee attending the SXSW conference who says Twitter is dominating the buzz, and he confirms what I’ve been saying .. that Twitter is an extension of the blogging model. Take a look see for yourself:

So what’s the bottom line? Well for me I’m no longer a Twittercynic. I’m now a Twitterholic and I see it for what it really is. Twitter is not “real” blogging in its classic sense, but it most definitely is an asset to your blog arsenal.

Dare I say it? If you’re not Twittering, you’re just not cool. How about you?

…Oh yeah, I almost forgot – HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY Blokesters!

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Why Blogs Matter Video

Blog Bloke — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:07:16 PST

Here is a great video by my new friend and blogging partner Ted Mann who is a journalist, Digital Development Director and writer for the Courier Post Online.

Ted is a self-confessed “passionate” blogger and not your typical journalist/blogger. In fact Ted is a strong proponent of the cause for blogging which is indeed a rare breed in journalism today.

Watch Ted’s video as he makes his case why blogs matter for citizen journalists and professional journalists alike.

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7 Rules for Social Networking and Marketing Effectiveness Video

Blog Bloke — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:29:06 PST

Social networking has quickly become the standard Web 2.0 marketing tool. This video is for you if you are selling products or services online. Enjoy.

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Breaking Radio Silence

Blog Bloke — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:44:21 PST

Testing 1, 2 … um …

I thought I would try a short and sweet post to test the waters. Things are still not quite up to par at this end but we’re working on it.

In the mean time I’m doing my (allegedly) ‘blogging’ on Twitter for now. You should follow me there if you want to keep with the latest news developments, blog tips and delicious items that I come across.

Please let me know if there are any issues with the blog that need-a-fixin’. Some have noticed the blog’s response is sluggish.

Thanks for your loyal readership. I love you guys.

UPDATE Feb 28th: News Flash! I was approached by the Courier Post Online the other day and I’m happy to report that I will be a regular guest writer for them. Ted Mann (the Digital Development Director) will reciprocate and be a guest writer here at Blog Bloke Central as well. Cool!

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What Is Blogging Really?

Blog Bloke — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:05 PST

Today I want to talk about a subject I know best — blogging. Or at least I hope I do.

There are lots of articles out there that attempt to define what a blog is, but so much has changed recently I find myself asking what blogging really means to me.

Not long ago the term “blog” was really very simple to explain.

What Is a Blog?

The term “Blog” is short-form for the word ‘Weblog” (or web log). In it’s simplest sense I could describe a blog as a type of website with entries called ‘posts’ that are arranged by date in chronological order, usually starting from the most recent article at the top to the older entries at the bottom of the page.

Ethical bloggers link to their sources of information via hypertext markup. Blog software that is used to install and run a blog is also called a blog platform and the major blog platforms today are Wordpress and Blogger.

They also include XML newsfeeds (though not originally) and a comments section at the bottom of the “post” for readers to participate in the conversation.

* Given today’s ‘socialised’ web I would also add perhaps the most important aspect of true blogging is the ‘blogger‘ has total control over his or her’s content.

Types of Bloggers

Some entrepreneurial types saw blogging as an emerging market to exploit for making money (we might also call them a-listers or sploggers). After all, that’s why they prefix URL addresses with the subdomain W(wild) W(wild) W(west).

Others saw it as an enabling technology for promoting their personal agenda, like the extreme political blogs that are so prevalent out there.

Today we are seeing more brick and mortar corporations accepting blogging as a viable alternative (or an extension) to old school websites for promoting their products, services and engaging with their customers.

Of course the vast majority of bloggers out there are what I call “pure” bloggers who simply blog for the enjoyment of it. Often called “personal” bloggers they see blogging as an online diary or a digital journal to write their thoughts, hopes and aspirations.

When I started blogging back in the stone age I saw blogging in this purest sense — i.e. an empowering technology for the masses and citizen journalism.

Blogging Gets Social

Now blogging seems to include everything from social network sites like Facebook to the so-called micro-blogging services such as Twitter.

But are they really blogs? I wonder.

To be exact, in today’s online reality I believe it is no longer sufficient to just define what a blog is or isn’t anymore. But rather, a better question we should be asking might be to define what ‘blogging’ actually is.

What is Blogging?

Let’s take a look at Twitter for example. Many like to describe Twitter as a micro-blogging service. But is it really blogging?

We are only allowed 140 characters per ‘post’ (tweet). Sure, people can subscribe to our tweets and follow us but does that really make it blogging?

No matter what Robert Scoble or Darren Rowse may try to tell you - somehow I don’t think so.

Only lazy bloggers could call it blogging but in reality it’s more like a public chat service, or in web 2.0 terms you could also call it “social” chat. I think that is a more suitable description don’t you think.

I’ve often complained that Twitter sucks as a conversation tool because it is so inefficient to follow a conversation. Sure, there are third-party tools out there that can make it a little more convenient, but it’s still a stretch to call it blogging.

Regarding the social networking sites, I would compare them to a gussied-up version of the old 411 directories. The Facebooks out there aren’t really stand-alone blogs, but are instead large corporate websites offering accounts with pretty pictures and some “blogging” tools, like newseeds for example.

But is that really blogging?

Then again I suppose you could call them blog hybrids if you wish, but there is one huge difference separating them from the real blogs…

Users have no ownership over their accounts, and more especially - their own content. Users have absolutely no privacy and their content is owned by the corporation to use and sell at their own discretion.

(Believe me I know this from personal experience because Facebook cancelled my account and banned “Blog Bloke” just because I use a pseudonym . They’ve been so ignorant about it they refuse to even acknowledge my emails. Thankfully I never spent much time working on it.)

Therefore I wouldn’t call Facebook real blogging in it’s purest sense either, so I have a couple of questions that I’m hoping you can help me with.

HELP! This Stuff is Driving Me Nuts

Shouldn’t we just call the Twitters and the Facebooks for what they really are — like “social” chatting or “social” websites for example? NOT blogging.
Or could it be said that blogging is just evolving to the next level?
But even then couldn’t it also be argued social networks are morphing into something completely different than what blogging originally intended?
Am I just too old school for my own good?
Am I obsessing and should I spend more time watching late-night TV infomercials instead of blogging like this?
Or could you not care less?

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Finding the Forest for the Trees

Blog Bloke — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:05:32 PST

Perhaps I should rename this post to Bloke’s Bloopers. I love to write about my blogging experiences, especially the bloopers so my readers can learn from my dumb mistakes. Believe me when I say after more than a decade online I’ve made my fair share of goofups.

Today I want to talk about some of those mistakes and hopefully you will find something that you can relate to. Or perhaps you might be willing to share your own experiences with us so that we can all benefit as bloggers.

Tweaking Our Templates:

Lets start with our templates. Sometimes when we are busy tweaking our theme we can’t see the forest for the trees. What I mean by that is we can get so wrapped up in the little details that we might miss the bigger picture.

For example, I was playing around with the images and borders to get everything looking pixel perfect. Or so I thought. I was so intent on making it the way I wanted that I hadn’t noticed some of the elements no longer lined up.

It had thrown off the symmetry of the theme and I didn’t even notice it at the time. It wasn’t until days later that I saw the problem.

Why? Because I was so focused on fixing the finer details that I lost sight of the big picture. It was also looking real bad in IE because I had forgotten to test it on all of the browsers at the time.

How embarrassing. DOH!

Walk Away…

I’m sure you’ve done this yourself (at least I hope I’m not the only dope in the blogosphere). So the point I’m trying to make is when you are tweaking your blog theme .. walk away for awhile. Leave it alone and take a look at it again later with fresh eyes.

Instead of only just focusing on the minor details, don’t forget to look at your blog design as a whole (or should I say the sum of all its parts).

Hit the F-11 key and get rid of the browser’s top menus so there’s less clutter on your screen. Change the resolution size of your desktop to see how other readers who are using the bigger monitors see your blog. You will be amazed at how different your blog will look.

Sometimes our ideas which we initially thought were brilliant don’t work all that well in the real world. So while it’s good to sweat the small stuff, don’t forget the bigger picture either.

Because after all that’s what your viewers are going to notice at first glance.

Writing Good Blog Posts:

The same thing goes for writing your blog articles. It’s just as important for your posts to be visually appealing as well as the quality of the content.

Crikey! What am I saying? Well ok then, it’s almost as important as the content.

What I mean by that is visitors will only give you a few seconds of their time before deciding whether or not to stay awhile and read more. So while it’s important to check for bad grammar or spelling before publishing, there’s something else for you to consider.

If your posts have long paragraphs, no pictures, small unreadable print, no headings to break up the monotony of the document, or run-on sentences (like this one) then chances are they won’t be sticking around for very long.

In today’s multi-media world people want to be entertained as well as informed. Just look at the news today. If that’s not entertainment then I don’t know what is.

For example, although this isn’t about blogging it’s still a good comparison. When I was a litigator I always said I won my my case before I even entered the court room. (Considering that I won 97% of my cases I guess I was right).

Why? Well there’s a lot of reasons for that besides doing my homework. The document gave just enough information to be convincing to the judge while leaving out some information for the closing arguments. It’s also a good idea to save something for surprising the hostile witnesses if you know what I mean.

Most importantly, every word in the document was carefully chosen, my facts were well researched and accurate, my thoughts were reasoned and organized. I anticipated every obstacle or objection from the other side, so when I was in the courtroom everything went off like a rehearsed drill without a hitch.

The document was beautiful to behold as well. Showing a pride in workmanship gives a good impression and speaks volumes about the author.

Walking away from your Post is just as important.

I almost never sit down and write a post completely through from beginning to end. Each time I proofread the draft something else might come to mind.

It’s not until I can read the document all the way through without adding something more that I think it’s finished. Even then it’s still a good idea to let it simmer like a good pot-roast on the stove to make sure. It can only improve with time.

One More Thing. Before you publish don’t forget to hit the “Preview” button either because it can look totally different once it’s up on your blog.

Oh yeah, I just remembered the sub-title for this post is called “Bloke’s Bloopers”. Which reminds me I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve published a post and forgot to spell-check or preview first, or I didn’t think it through, or the grammar sucked, or…

Double DOH!

You see I still make mistakes too and I don’t always remember my own advice. For more information about how you can make your posts more interesting you can also read “10 Blog Tips for Writing a Better Post” or check out similar posts under the “Writing” category.

So the moral of this story is don’t forget to see the forest as well as the trees. Both are important.

Do you have any more blog tips you can share?

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The Suffering Blogger: 10 Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way

Blog Bloke — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:39:09 PST

Learn from someone else’s mistakes. Today guest writer Don Frazier from The Comedy Net.com shares 10 blogging lessons he’s learned that will help you to grow your blog. Edited by Blog Bloke.

Everyone has heard of the “Suffering Artist” but not many people have heard of the “Suffering Blogger” and that my friends is what this article is about.

How I Got Started in Blogging

Let’s go back to the past in my own experience which I’m sure mirrors the average bloke who stumbles into the blogging arena. I say arena because in the world of blogging it is not unlike the forums of old that the gladiators fought to the death in.

I use to flip through websites to find information about things, do a little shopping, catch up on some celebrity gossip and comedy sites. When I found a strange pimple on the back of my neck or had a pain in my chest I would frantically search medical sites for a diagnosis.

Then one day when I was running down my steps I broke my ankle and had to take off work for two months. I was given this enormous amount of free time (as I later discovered) to enter into the realm of webmastering and blogging.

Blogging Mistakes That I’ve Made

As I headed down this road there were many bumps along the way and each stop had a lesson for me to learn. For example, I first got involved using webpage making software. I created my first site and I was so proud of it (selling a diet e-book) .

I advertised (ppc) and lost money but I was glad to see visitors coming. I paid for traffic and lost money again, but I was happy that more visitors came. Finally I got tired of losing money and I was glad for even 1 or 2 visitors (no money lost).

I bought a website (a nice looking game site) and repeated the cycle. I bought another website (auto-updating content) … and yep - repeated the cycle again.

Then I stumbled upon Wordpress. Created a real site (a comedy site) and found a passion for making people laugh. I learned about Search Engines, Page Rank, Alexa, Traffic, HTML, Forums, Social Media, Domains,Hosting, Cpanels, etc. I also learned about the importance of backups after my site got wiped out when my hosting crashed.

After that happened I sat back and realized I was spending all of my time before and after my day job working on my site. I used to think “WOW, I have a website and I’m going to make millions … because after all billions of people search the web”. I didn’t realize that there were also billions of websites, and that means we could all get only 1 visitor.

I read and read, and one thing I read all the time was “Content is King“, and that my friends is true except in a way — “Content is the Prince” because “Original Content Is King”.

I applied this and have watched my sites grow and other bloggers naturally link to them. I still smile when I find visitors referring to my sites in the forums that I visit. I visit many forums and I feel for the “Suffering Bloggers”, and surprisingly not all of them are newbies either.

Well I really didn’t want this to become a book so I will wind this down and tell you the 10 important blogging lessons that I’ve learned along the way.

10 Blogging Lessons That I’ve Learned:

If you get in this business, realize that it is work.
Love what you do and the work will be fun!
Realize there are no short-cuts, easy ways OR sneaky ways to do well over the long term.
Ask questions, help others and learn, learn, learn.
Realize there will be bad days as well as good days.
Realize you will make tons of mistakes, and that’s okay. Just learn the lessons.
Don’t rely on others to do things for you. Experience is the best teacher.
When you have passion for your work visitors will feel it and come back. People love passion.
Treat your sites like babies. Nurture them and they will grow. It takes a family to raise a child and an internet to raise a website.
Try different things. Let nothing go stale.

If you focus on these things you will achieve what you desire in time. Do you have any lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?

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Best Blog Host OR Scam - Which is It?

Blog Bloke — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:15:01 PST

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall … Who’s The Best Blog Host Company Of All?

Sound familiar? How many of us have been faced with this very question? I know that I have as I’m struggling with this right now because my current blog host wants to jack the price up a thousand percent over last year.

Googling around I can see there is no shortage of blog host companies offering relatively inexpensive hosting services. But in every case they demand at least a year or two prepaid up-front to get the cheap rates.

Just when I think I’ve found a company I’m disappointed after reading customer reviews. In all cases I’m finding the same common complaints.

Apparently the blog host companies are on their best behaviour for the first month until their money-back guarantee is over. Then like magic things start going wrong.

The most common complaints I’m finding are speed and stability issues. Customer service is also poor, and after reading the same complaints over and over again I’ve come to the following observations. This is what I’ve noticed is going on.

Here are the top 10 complaints I’ve read about blog host companies:

Blog Host companies may initially put their new customer accounts on a fast server. At first everything seems rosy. Your site is looking good, it’s performance is fast and stable. Happy times!
But not long after the money-back guarantee is over they get greedy and move your account over to a server that’s already overcapacity with too many shared accounts.
Too many shared accounts on one server can be beset with problems. Soon you might notice a decrease in your site’s performance and your blog takes forever to load.
Then there are stability issues. Your blog seems to be down more often for so-called “maintenance”.
If you are lucky enough to get someone on the phone they don’t seem to care all that much. Customer service is not a strong point for technical support staff. They might even blow you off to useless faq files that don’t help much or tell you to email them. There’s nothing like discussing a problem electronically over the course of a few days while your blog sits in cyber-limbo.
Their support staff are incompetent or unsympathetic to your problem. You might even get someone with a thick foreign accent that you can’t understand because they out-source support to another country.
They might become arrogant or belligerent and tell you to stop being a nuisance. They scold you with a comment like “What do you expect for a cheap account?” Then they try to sell you an “upgrade” — “If you want fast then you should $$$ upgrade to…”.
You soon discover that their so-called “unlimited” or “unmetered” features are in fact capped. God forbid your blog should get popular because once they discover you using “too much” bandwidth or webspace they take your blog offline without notice until you promise to be a good little boy or girl. Or they hit you with another “upgrade” notice. Or they just might cancel your account with a refund that’s “pro-rated” in their favour, less charges for setup fees of course (that was supposed to be free). So much for being “unlimited”.
If you end up frustrated and leave their service after the refund period has lapsed, they couldn’t care less because they still have your money. (Please note that in some cases they will only refund credit-card payments at their discretion, so be sure to read their TOS agreement).
It’s a win/win for them because if you leave on your own accord they will happily delete your blog, install a new ~~sucker~~ customer over your old webspace (and keep your money of course).

Mmm, I don’t know about you but I’m smelling SCAM here. Am I right or am I wrong? You tell me.

What do I recommend?

My advice is to search Google for the “best blog host” companies.
Then shorten the list and search Google again for “customer reviews” of the blog host companies you are interested in.
It’s also a good idea to check the local Better Business Bureau for complaints.

Even with these precautions you still might be disappointed, and most of the “reviews” that I’ve read out there are not completely unbiased.

That’s why I’m writing this post. I want honest opinions from customers (or ex-customers) so that we can all benefit from your experience. Hopefully we will discover a few good (and affordable) blog hosts, and/or those companies that we need to avoid.

There’s nothing like word-of-mouth (especially in the blogosphere) so please share with us your experiences because this is your chance to speak up:

Have you experienced any of the above listed problems with a blog host company? If you have please name names and circumstances.
Have you experienced any other problems with your blog host company that I might have missed?
In your opinion is this a widespread problem throughout the industry or are they just isolated incidents?
Or is your blog host company great? But please be honest and don’t waste our time linking to blog hosts offering you affiliate kick-backs because I will weed those out. Be sure to tell us how long you have been with the company.