Archive for October, 2010
Is it time to abandon Disqus? Yup.
Posted by Daniel Snyder in Blogging, Tips & Advice on October 30, 2010
Well after serious thought I’ve abandoned the Disqus comment system in favor of the less glamorous but far more link friendly Comment Luv plugin. I’ve been using Disqus here for the past four months and was quite happy with it overall except for one major issue. All comments are nofollow. Since blogs are developing as a massive community the majority of bloggers are looking to network with other blogs that will help them grow their reach and increase their backlinks. Comment Luv is the obvious choice for me. The vast majority of my blogging friends use Comment Luv and have encouraged me to use it.
I had a brief conversation with some of my blogging friends over at Blogger Luv and Gail Gardner from growmap.com left me a pretty helpful response, “Personally, I prefer CommentLuv but I can see some benefits to using IntenseDebate or Disqus. I do have some comparison posts you may find helpful:
- Comment Luv, Disqus or Intense Debate
- Which Blog Comment System Do You Use
- Blog Commenting: Comment Luv, Disqus or Intense Debate
Ironically, I noticed that all three of those bloggers who wrote comparisons are now using CommentLuv. That might be a good indication that there is a reason many of us prefer it over the others.”
Indeed I did find those posts helpful and would encourage anyone else considering this move or wondering what comment system to use on their blog to read them. A word of advice, spend a little time and research the varying systems and make a decision early on in the life of your blog. Readers don’t like to see blogs that change everything all the time. There are few things more annoying than a blog that is constantly changing its theme or overhauling their look. Readers get comfortable with the way things are, disrupting your commenting system by changing it up for something better could have both pros and cons. But in the long run I think this change will be beneficial.
John Sullivan the brain behind Blogger Luv told me “Having your comments on any 3rd party besides your site makes no sense. Sure some have cool little features that make it enticing to have those features added, but the LINK between YOU and YOUR Visitors and related sites is the whole name of the game and where the strength of a site comes in.”
Comment Luv also features an entire network and some pretty neat options for you as a blog owner or as a commenter. Want to promote your blog with Comment Luv? Take a look at their network to find out more, here.
UPDATE (October 31, 2010)
After some further interaction with some fantastic bloggers (see the comment thread), I thought I’d update this post and let you know the various plugins that ended up being present on this blog to affect and improve the commenting system:
Comment Luv (this is the key, adds the link friendly option to include your latest blog post in your comment)
Do Follow (Since comment luv doesn’t inherently make comments do follow, this plugin takes care of that)
TwitterLink Comments (adds option to put your twitter username into the comment)
Subscribe to Comments (a great plugin that gives commenters the option to subscribe to comments by email)
After I removed Disqus I had a short lived panic attack when I discovered that for some reason my blogs theme didn’t allow for threaded comments and replies. This was a serious but shortlived concern, when I began cleaning up some old plugins, and removed a few that were no longer in use the REPLY option magically came back, and the threads all went into place. I wasn’t expecting that to happen so I’m not sure what caused the conflict, but it is fixed now.
Tell Me What You Think
So there you have it. As you can see Disqus is out and Comment Luv is in. So what do you think, was this a good move? Are there additional tips / advice you could offer to improve the aesthetic appearance of the comment section?
Are you a Human SpamBot?
Posted by Daniel Snyder in social media, Twitter on October 25, 2010
These days on social networks even humans can come across like bots, and be viewed as prolific spammers. Twitter is one network that has become famous for social interaction, and many businesses are successfully utilizing twitter to engage customers and build their brand. The vast majority of businesses however are failing, bad. If only for one key reason; they don’t come across as human beings but rather appear as bots with no purpose but to push their product down your throat. Businesses aren’t the only ones that come across as vociferous spammers.
You’ve likely experienced the influx of humans planting their spam on your facebook page, in your twitter stream, and even your email inbox. Sometimes it becomes hard to tell, is this a bot or a real person? It doesn’t matter. Spam is spam, unsolicited, and unwanted.
With so many people frustrated with spam, you sometimes have to tread carefully to ensure that you yourself don’t come across as a spammer. Are you a blogger promoting your posts? I wrote a series called “Twitter Etiquette for Bloggers” in which I discuss the concern many bloggers have about how many times to tweet about the same post, it’s a great debate and one that will likely carry on for ages to come.
Tips on coming across as a real live human…
- Actually engage your followers with questions, and compliments.
- Be careful how you use scheduled / automated tweeting, spread your auto-tweets out properly.
- Put yourself in your followers shoes and consider what they may want to hear.
- Make a point of connecting personally with someone every day.
- Watch your tweet ratio. That is how many promotional tweets you’re putting out. Make sure you retweet others as well!
- If you’re using services like Sponsored Tweets or MyLikes don’t go too heavy on the ads. My rule of thumb 1 in 15 (give or take!)
The Best Advice is “simply be aware of how you come across”. If you keep this in mind you are certain to think about what you’re saying. Be prepared however for those that will find you spammy! It happens, and it’s okay. But if you start to lose followers over it, maybe you should adjust the way you’re tweeting.
Do you have any advice for avoiding sounding like a spammer? Share them here with a comment! I’ll reply to your feedback for sure.
Blog Engage Contest Entry: Help me Win It!
Posted by Daniel Snyder in Blogging on October 24, 2010
As you may have read in one of my recent posts Blog Engage is holding a “Best of the Guest Bloggers” Blogging Competition. I submitted my entry last week and now I need your help to do well in the competition. Judging is done on several levels, the first and most important being the quality of the content. But the rest are areas that YOU can help with!
My post is titled “Succesful Blogging Requires a Plan! A Big Plan“. And is a piece on how bloggers absolutely must plan their blogs future and simply won’t be successful if they just wing it. I hope you’ll take a moment to read the post, and please help me out.
It’s Easy to Help Me Win…
There are a few simple things you can do.
1. Go to the post and leave a valuable comment. Give your thoughts, your opinion, some feedback, ask a question! I’ll reply to your comment for sure. Let’s have a conversation on this.
2. Vote at Blog Engage, Retweet, Share it on Facebook and stumble away… if you read the post and find it is good content, then please take a moment to help spread the word. The Blog Engage and Stumble buttons are right here to make it simple for you:
Thanks for your support!
Why I never retweet Mashable
Posted by Daniel Snyder in Twitter on October 21, 2010
Mashable currently sits at 2.1 million followers on twitter making them the 38th most popular twitter user in the world! Mashable’s founder and CEO Pete Cashmore is only 25 years old and the story of Mashable is one of those feel good internet success stories. They were founded in 2005, and quickly became one of the top 10 blogs in the world. Currently Mashable receives over 30 million monthly pageviews, and they are very active on Twitter. Besides having 2.1 million followers, Mashable is highly influential and considered a “Twitter Celebrity”, Klout says Mashable has over 50,000 unique retweets, and despite having only 2.1 million followers their true reach is as much as 5 million people (as a result of retweets). In 2009 Pete Cashmore was also crowned by INQ Mobile as the most influential Briton and most influential Twitter user in the world. Okay enough Mashable facts, let’s get to the point.
I Never Retweet Mashable
And maybe you shouldn’t either. Why? Since Mashable is so influential I have no reason to bombard my followers with their tweets. Odds are they follow Mashable anyway! I find it frustrating when a new story breaks and I suddenly see ten tweets all from different people, that all say the same thing. I personally am not going to be one who helps Mashable spread their influence. They’ve done a fantastic job at infiltrating the web, so much so that I suspect I could probably stop following @Mashable altogether and still end up seeing all their tweets.
Think Before You Retweet
If you’re going to retweet a Celebrity tweeter, consider first. How many of my followers already follow this person? Might I be adding to the noise with a retweet, or is this valuable content that people may not otherwise see? You’ll never fully know the answer to that, but you can make a good guess. In the instance of Mashable I already know, there’s no point in retweeting. What do you think?
Blog Engage Best of the Guest Bloggers Contest
Posted by Daniel Snyder in Blogging on October 19, 2010
Blog Engage my favorite social network (other than Twitter of course) is hosting a Best of the Guest Bloggers Contest! There are cash (real money) prizes for first, second and third place, as well as all runner ups will be rewarded with prizes as well! Runner up prizes include free wordpress themes from the contests sponsors along with free yearly hosting plans. The contest is already winding down and there is only just under two weeks left to submit a post. Many good posts have been submitted, but not that many that you should be discouraged from entering! As for myself I can’t believe I’ve put submitting a post off so long… The money prizes are what everyone wants to know about of course and they include $500 USD for first place, $300 USD for second place, and $200 USD for third place!
Read more about the contest directly and the rules for post submissions here.
My favorite part of this contest is the way winners will be judged. There are three keys that are highlighted. Number one is a given “quality of the article“. Obviously your content is going to be judged and that will have a lot to do with your chances of winning. We’ve been advised to make sure our submitted articles are top quality! Number two and what I think makes this contest quite unique is “social networking“. A large percentage of your chance of winning will be based on your ability to utilize social networks and promote your article. Use any networks you want, but get it out there! The final judging criteria is “comments and discussions“. The contest moderators are looking to see how you engage your readers. The total amount of comments will have an impact on the judging. How you respond to those comments will likely also come into play!
Take a look at the sponsors below.
Contest Prizes and Awards
2 year free hosting (3 GB space/15 GB bandwith) + 1 free domain
Leading Travel Directory for Travel Websites
Other prizes: Non-Cash Sponsors
One year membership at Elegant Themes From Nick
Free Blog Review at Bloggeries Blog Forum
One Year Free of HostGator’s Business Web Hosting Plan (a $179.40 value)
How I am monetizing Info Carnivore
Posted by Daniel Snyder in Blogging, Make Money Blogging on October 18, 2010
Info Carnivore has now been in existence for just over five months. I’ve been exploring different options to monetize the blog, so here are a few of the programs I’ve tried so far. Right now I’m looking forward to the day that I can change the image in this post from some coins to some bills! Some of the income sources are directly implemented on the blog and others are related indirectly. My most recent implementation is an Amazon Affiliate Store, which hasn’t earned me any money yet. I’m wondering if having an affiliate store on a blog is a good idea or not. I can’t think of a reason not to, but I’m wondering how to market it and make it successful.
In Site Advertising
Google Adsense – This was the first program I implemented. It has been largely inconsistent, some days resulting in a handful of clicks and many days resulting in none. I’ve tried various placements of ads within the blog and posts but haven’t been able to pin down a specific method that is more effective than another. To date I’ve earned $46.18 with adsense.
Kontera In Text Advertising – This program seems like it has potential, in-text ads are implemented into pages and posts. They are marked with the double underline and readers can click on them. Clicks earn money. I implemented Kontera at the end of July and to date it has earned me .90 cents! I can earn extra income by referring others to Kontera, so if you’d like to give it a try sign up with this link -> Kontera Referral… Thanks!
Off Site Advertising
Sponsored Tweets – This program allows me to tweet out ads and earn based on clicks. (PPC) You have full control over what is tweeted, and get ads which are targeted to your keyword selection. I don’t utilize Sponsored Tweets as much as I could – and for that reason I’ve only earned $5.22 with it in about 3 months. I can also earn for referring people to Sponsored Tweets so if you want to check this program out please sign up with this link -> Sponsored Tweets Referral…
My Likes – Is a program that allows you to like pretty much anything you want and share it with others. Clicks on targeted campaigns earn you money! You can share your likes on twitter, on your blog, on facebook or pretty much anywhere you want. I’ve not taken full advantage of the power of My Likes yet as it requires an investment of some time. To date I’ve earned $2.32 with My Likes. If you want to give this program a try sign up with this link here -> My Likes Referral…
Sponsored Posts
Social Spark – You register your blog and await approval. Once registered you can take a look at available offers which include paid posts and affiliate posts which will pay you per sale. I’ve only written two posts through Social Spark so far and have earned $18.50. Find out more about Social Spark.
Pay Per Post – Is another part of Izea’s network (Same company that runs Social Spark), and provides similar opportunities. Advertisers can target specific blog niches to get paid posts up. Once registered you will be notified of any potential opportunities. I don’t get a whole lot of opps through Pay Per Post, but the two I have got that fit with my blog have been good and easy to write for. So far I’ve earned $7.75 with Pay Per Post.
Affiliate Programs
As many bloggers know the real money is in affiliate programs. The key to success in an affiliate program is a strong reader base where you have gained their trust and are able to exercise your influence. I feel that infocarnivore is still young and as such has not built a wide reader base where I would have great success with affiliate programs. In addition Infocarnivore has gone through a niche change / expansion recently, causing perhaps some confusion in terms of what affiliate programs to target and what my reader are after. I have recently signed up for a few but other than simple 120×120 ads on the sidebar I’ve not really done anything to market these programs to my readers. The Amazon Affiliate Store which I set up is also brand new. Do you think having an affiliate store on a blog like this is a good idea? As a relatively new blogger, and especially new to affiliate programs I need your advice and tips. Now you know what I’ve been doing, what could I do better? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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Promote your blog by Promoting Others
Posted by Daniel Snyder in Blogging, Promoting Your Blog on October 31, 2010
Bloggers (especially newer bloggers) are always learning when it comes to promoting your blog, and on the lookout for the most effective methods. The vast majority of bloggers will never spend money advertising their blog – good, keep it in your pocket, don’t waste it. Today I’m going to let you in on some simple blog promotion tips for getting your blog out there, and all it requires is for you to be a little selfless and get your focus off of promoting your own blog and onto promoting others. There are plenty of ‘little guys’ in the blogging world, you may very likely be one of them – and that’s okay – we all have to start somewhere. If you want to get your name out there, the best trick in the world is to promote other blogs.
You’ve likely heard about how commenting on other blogs can build backlinks and is an effective way of getting your blog out there. (Good news, by the way! Info Carnivore is now also a Comment Luv, Do Follow blog – so leaving a comment here with your most recent post attached to your comment is one way of promoting yourself!)
How To Promote Your Blog
Comments are perhaps one of the most effective ways of promoting a new blog since it is virtually guaranteed to get noticed… at least by the blog owner! But having a blog owner on your side is a big deal as blog owners have influence and reach, and can help you get your name out there even more than you can on your own. And this is what makes blogging so great, is how bloggers stick together and support one another. Even though there is competition, it is friendly, and there’s enough space on the web for everyone. Yes, even you can offer something unique. There are literally thousands of articles that offer blog promotion tips, many of which say the same things. I’m not necessarily offering you an idea that’s never been mentioned before… what I am offering you that is unique is the idea that you must change your attitude when it comes to promoting your own blog. Too many blog owners are pre-occupied with themselves and end up getting frustrated over a lack of increased traffic from all the promotion methods they’re trying.
There are a lot of simple things you can do!
My point is this, if you are intentional about promoting others content, then those people will take notice! In turn they will begin promoting your content. When you go at it with the right attitude, and you find quality content and make a point of helping spread the word, people thank you by doing the same for you in return. It’s the simple axiom “give and you will receive”.
What Else Can Be Done?
The above list is far from complete. There is much more that you can do to help out a fellow blogger. What additional thoughts do you have? Here’s your chance to leave a comment.
blog, blog promotion tips, comment luv, dofollow, promotion
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