September 2008 ~ Advertising For Success

Chris Brohan : Blogging at the Next Level

8:40 PM

A recent article by Chris Brogan discussed How To Take Your Blog to the Next Level. Since most of my readers do not read, LOL, I thought i would summarize it. If you wish to read the entire article, please visit http://www.marketingprofs.com.

Define Your Market and Target Audience. If your blog is to be your business, build every bit of knowledge base abount visiters, commenterst into stats. Know your audience. Start delivering something unique.

Think in terms of form and function. Here, Brogan's advice ranges from choosing graphics with visual appeal to configuring your layout for search engine optimization.

Make your content top notch. Among other points, he gives tips for writing quality posts, and stresses the importance of periodically reviewing your archive to avoid redundancy.

Promote your blog. Adding your URL to an email signature or at your social network profiles is just one of Brogan's suggestions for drumming up interest.

Build business from your blog. According to Brogan, it's perfectly okay to ask for a sale. "Be direct and honest about this," he says. He then shows you how it's done.

Make your blog an authoritative online destination, Bring them and they shall stay.

Personal Note: I have been very ill for the last 6 weeks and I seem to be on doing better now. If you stop by and my blogs have not been updated, it is because I am ill. So, leave me a note, send me an ecard, leave a prayer, draw an amulet, whatever. I need help shaking this disease.

Marketing to Men 18-34

6:37 PM

I do not know why you might be in New York City the third week of October, but if you are, make plans to attend this session:

EVOLUTION OF THE MALE CONSUMER: LEAVE STEREOTYPES AT THE DOOR
Edison Ballroom - New York City
October 21- 22, 2008

Marketing To Men 18-34, hosted by Nielsen publications Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, Billboard, and The Hollywood Reporter, defines the evolution of today's male consumer – and is your best opportunity to discover how to best engage and connect with men who are already the target of many brands.

• Walk away with exclusive research on the state of men in 2008, and get on top of trends for 2009.

• Make the best, cost-effective media choices in a wildly segmented market.

• Invigorate your brand through entertainment and sports marketing partnerships.

• Get men to listen and respond to your multiplatform message.

• Network with leading brand and agency experts in a relaxed and fun environment.

For more information or to register, use code WOMMA499 and save $400 .

melissa.trosterman@nielsen.com
or (646)654-5873

Take Down the Digital Divide

11:05 PM

What if I told you we could use empty TV channels to connect millions of people in Texas to the Internet?

The technology exists to do just that. But a powerful corporate lobby is standing in the way with a multimillion-dollar misinformation campaign aimed at Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Washington faces a critical choice: Use new technology to open the Internet for everyone, or side with the lobbyists and prevent millions from getting connected. Help Senator Hutchison make the right decision:

Tell Senator Hutchison : Open the Internet for Everyone

The latest front in the battle over the future of the Internet is about "white spaces" -- empty frequencies between TV channels on the public airwaves. New technology can open this unused spectrum to powerful high-speed Internet services, bringing ubiquitous and affordable broadband to millions of Americans now left off the grid.

Here's the problem: The National Association of Broadcasters and cell phone companies want to hoard this publicly owned resource. Their lobbyists have been blitzing Washington with misinformation to prevent white spaces from being used to benefit millions of people.

Too many Americans have been left on the wrong side of the digital divide -- sidelined in a nation that increasingly demands high-speed Internet access to get things done, keep up in school and find out what's happening in the world. The answer to this problem is right in front of us.

Take Action: Open White Spaces for Everyone

If you sign the letter, we promise to hand deliver it next week to Senator Hutchison. A second copy will go to the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees spectrum policy.

Unless we urge Congress and the FCC to open up white spaces, Senator Hutchison could side with the lobbyists and deny us one of our last, best opportunities to build a better Internet.

It's a familiar story. Big media companies use any means possible to squash new ideas that threaten their control over information.

With your help today, we can stop them and open up the Internet for everyone.

Thank you,

Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
Free Press
http://www.freepress.net/
http://www.savetheinternet.com/

1. Learn more about white spaces at www.freepress.net/whitespaces

2. Read Free Press Campaign Coordinator Megan Tady's recent article about this tremendous opportunity.

3. Read the New America Foundation's report on white spaces and the "Battle over Innovation."

Blog Your Blessing : Rain

5:20 PM

May the blessing of the rain be on you—
the soft sweet rain.
May it fall upon your spirit
so that all the little flowers may spring up,
and shed their sweetness on the air.
May the blessing of the great rains be on you,
may they beat upon your spirit
and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there many a shining pool
where the blue of heaven shines,
and sometimes a star.

When the rain is washing our homes out to sea or down the river, it is hard to remember the muted sound of the rain on a metal roof, or the the plinking the rain drops make as they fall into the rain barrel. For every rain drop that falls to harm us, a million more fall to make this planet Earth the green orb that it is.

My prayers go out to the thousands who lost their homes on Galveston and Boliver Pennisula during Hurricane Ike. I would like to bless the people who lost their jobs as well as their homes on Galveston. If you lost a loved one, you have my deepest sympathies. Angels all around Galveston Island tonight.

The Blue Panther Experience is host for Blog Your Blessings Sunday. Visit the blog, grab the blogroll code, add it to your blog, and leave a comment on Blue Panther Experience. Next Sunday, post your blessing. We are of all faiths, creeds and races, so everyone is welcome. Join us on Sunday as we blog our blessings.

Gone But Not Forgotten

4:40 PM

Remember POWs and MIAs. Bring their bodies home.

Quick Answer to a Question

9:41 PM

In response to my post yesterday about comment spam, Mizé asked...

. . . I didn´t know some of the tricks you shared, useful to spot them. I wish I had a spam blocker, do you know any we can use in blogger blogs?

Right click on graphic above to open larger copy in a bigger window

Blogger does not have a very robust spam blocking function. The tools you have are on the Settings Tab under Comments. Please see graphic above for specifics.

3rd Party Commenting Products

HaloScan is a 3rd party product that is fairly simple to set up and to use. I do nog use it, but I see

Easy, two-step installation on any weblog or webpage
Supports all major blogging platforms
Comment moderation
Ban offensive commenters by single IP or an IP range
Fully customizable comment window
Hundreds of user-submitted templates to pick from
Worldwide time-zone and language support
RSS-XML feed/syndication
Manage comments and trackbacks
Comments dashboard
Comment backup / export feature
In-line / embedded comment support
Recent comments widget
Gravatar support
Email notification of new comments
Comment spam filters
Email support
Solid performance
On-site backups

Out! Damned Comment Spam!

3:03 PM

I did not blog on Advertising for Success for two days due to illness. I came back to 152 comments needing moderation. My first thought was, "Wow, maybe Graham at Entrecard dropped a comment bomb on me." Nope.

During that time, some black-hearted homegrown SEO guru decided s/he was going show everyone how to get free links. The guru pulled out a "do follow" blog roll and passed it out to his or her friends. The guru, who may or may not be charging for this list, which has always been free, says, "Now take this list and get 100 links before you check back in for some more great SEO tips tomorrow."

Unfortunately, my blog, Advertising for Success, is first on most lists. So I get the first barrage. Incoming! I just want to show you how to spot these bogus comments with just a glance.

Right Click the Image Above to Open a Larger Version in Another Window
If you Do Not View the Larger Version, None of This Will Make Much Sense

You can spot bogus comments by several different tells (tracks, spoors) they leave behind.

Multiple comments by same person, sometimes on same post.
Comments on older blog posts.
Comments are basic throwaway comments: Good Job! Great Blog! Love the Blog!
Time post shows that most of these comments were made between 8:37 AM and 9:10 AM. What are the odds?

Well, Mr. seo guru, so sorry to delete all these comments. Leave my blog alone. I was one of the original do follow bloggers and I can smell a bogus comment at 100 paces. LOL

I will be back with more comment spam busters as soon as I feel a little better.

The Breaking of a Nation

12:20 PM

September 11, 2001

May Their Souls and Their Families Find Peace

Your Dream Home?

4:29 PM

Have you ever dreamed of building your own home? Looking through Home Plans to find that perfect one and then selecting a builder. You will need to select the floor coverings, shingles, siding, carpet, counters and counter tops, appliances and all those extra touches like walk-in closets and Jacuzzi tubs.

There is a website where you may search hundreds of plans, by architectural style, like French Country House Plans, or your may put your budget in the search engine and only view the homes you can afford.

I found the plans for this home in Contemporary house plans on the houseplansandmore.com website. The home above is a home designed For hillside views and has two stories. The lower level is 742 square feet and the first floor is 1064 square feet, for a total of 1806 square feet. This home has 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths and an open floor plan. I like it because there is a bonus room that could become an office or a play room. The floor plan does not have a large footprint, so the home could sited on a smaller lot, such as you find around lakes.

Blog Your Blessing : Homecoming

2:49 AM

The Homecoming

May the spirits of peace
and tranquility call
To reside in your home
Every room, every wall.

May four Angels protect eaves
North South East and West.
May God's spirit of love
Reassure you are blessed.

May each guest you receive feel
They've answered your call
May you dwell in their presence
To welcome them all.

Contributed by Veronica O'Neill Cresse

Bloggers Unite November 10, 2008

1:33 AM

The next Bloggers Unite event is happening November 10th, 2008. Bloggers Unite has teamed up with Refugees United to address the global problem of refugees becoming separated from their families. Grab a badge below to show your support and get the word out about Bloggers Unite.

Experimental Blogging Contest

10:02 AM

Experimental Bloggingis new to the world of blogging and to the Entrecard community. He is holding a contest with two prizes of 500 ECs each to two lucky contestants who have subscribed to his feed and left a comment. If you write a post about the contest, you will also be in the running for a 125x125 pixel advertisement for the month.

How about stopping by and saying "Welcome to EC and Good Luck on your contest." Remember when your blog was new and somone commented? It was a very welcome experience and probably put a big smile on your face. Make someone happy today. Visit Experimental Blogging.

Own a Piece of History or Rip Off?

2:19 AM

This came by mail today from Nubian Heritage. There is absolutely nothing on the site about the DNC nominee for President, so I wonder if this is a legitimate offer? I hope the proceeds are going to charity or to the DNC fund raising account or something. I would hate to think that some company just grabbed an image of a candidate, designed a package of miscelanneous items that I do not see Mr. Obama using, and are taking advantage of the unwary buyer. Always ask questions and look betond the top layer of advertisements. I will be reporting on this one when I found out more.

Adspace Contest

8:12 AM

I can't wait to tell you about The AdSpace Contest I found!

The idea is simple and easy: Get as many entries as you can (very easy to do) over the next 30 days. The more entries you get, the better chance you have of winning! At the end of the 30 days, they announce the winner.

The prize?

A 125x125 pixel ad spot (above the fold) on at least TEN DIFFERENT BLOGS that will run for one month. That's at least a $100 value!

Who is co-hosting?

Geek Mom Mashup

Vrtualme

Jamaipanese

Best of Stupid

AxioBlog

The Big Bald Blog

Jason Boom

Unconventional Marketing Blog

Offended Blogger

GorillaSushi

How do you enter to win?

1 Entry - Subscribe to any one of the blogs above via email.

10 Entries - Write a post about the contest (must include links to all 10 hosts OR use the suggested text)

25 Entries - Offer up an ad spot on your own blog for one month as part of the prize package

Simply put, you could subscribe to all 10 blogs, write a post and offer up your own ad spot for a grand total of 45 entries!

Decide what you wish to do and do it. Then leave a comment on this post about your entries. Good luck.

Update on Blog Author

8:02 AM

I have been a consistent blogger and reader of other blogs for years now. Lately, my health has not allowed me to be as active as I would wish in this aspect.

Please know that I read and cherish each genuine comment and will be back in action soon. In the meantime, please continue to leave your comments. It pleases me to know that someone is reading my blogs.

If you wish to know about my health problem, please read Telling it Like it Is and Treatment Worked, Patient Died and other health updates on my blog, Losing Proposition.

God bless and thanks for your understanding.

Eileen aka CyberCelt

Note: Entrecard droppers. I may not be reciprocating daily, but I will be back in the swing of things soon.

Advertising For Success