I hope everyone has their costume picked out because the stores are probably out of stock by now. I’m going as a ninja because its’ a “when all else fails” kind of costume. All I need is a black rag to wear around my face and some black clothing. I didn’t plan ahead.
Today I thought I would share with you some frightfully good treats and some devilish tricks.
If you haven’t yet carved your pumpkin, here is a post from Slashfilm that features Cinematic Pumpin Carvings.
When you’re out with your camera on Halloween, there aren’t always the best lighting conditions. To capture the best photos of your friends’ costume or Halloween decorations, have a look at Halloween Photography tips over at Digital Photography School.
If when Halloween is over you are still thirsty for more, you would be very happy to visit AlwaysHalloween, where its always Halloween.
Why do I need to write a post that will generate traffic? - You have a great blog with some great posts. The people who know about your blog absolutely love it. And any reader that crosses your path is drawn to surf your content, subscribe and comment as much as they can. But how do you get those readers to cross paths with you? The answer is simple. You need to write some posts that are guaranteed to bring new traffic to your blog.
Viral posts, traffic generators, and pillar posts are an important necessity to any blog worth its’ salt. But if you don’t know how to write blog posts that will bring traffic in, you will likely be disappointed with your early attempts.
How do I write for traffic? As Connor Wilson points out in How to write link bait for viral traffic, the best place to start is with the four essential parts of any article. The headline, which should bring the readers in, The opening paragraph, which should should serve as a description as it will likely get read by everyone, The Copy, where you need to cram in the keywords and write for the web, and the Conclusion, where you want to seal the deal. Connor also mentions that it is a good thing to research the site you want to get traffic from. What are the top clicks on either Digg, Stumble ect? Read Connor’s article for more.
What type of post will bring them in? Once you have your article format, the next thing to do is look at the different types of posts that are going to really bring in the traffic. In 5 types of blog posts that generate traffic, Nate Whitehill looks at each of these surefire blog traffic generators. The How-To post, The controversial post, the round-up post, the Hot-Topic post, and the Motivational post.
Writing lists for blog traffic - Lists may seem cliche to you. But when properly written and executed a good list can go a really long way. Especially when its a social media site that you are aiming to get traffic from. Shorter paragraphs and easy to digest sentences all in a related topic just flood the reader’s in for some reason.I guess it comes from lazy eye syndrome that readers simply gobble up lists. Including a number in your headline will let the user know immediately that this will be a nice and easy read and they are twice as likely to clickthrough.
Picture Posts - Picture posts are always great for viral traffic. Including (pic) or (pix) in your headline seems to really get the user’s interest when they come across your article on a social networking site like Digg or Thoof. Thoof users especially seem to love seeing (pic) in the headline for whatever reason.
I’ve got a format, a type of post and its’ written… now what? - Don’t just post your work and go eat a sandwich. It may generate a little, but you didn’t just do all that work to get a few hits did you? Now its’ time to sell your post. The first thing you should always do after a good post or two is ping. I prefer to use blogflux because they simultaneously ping several services for you at once. After a couple good posts (or even one really good one) it can also be very useful to go out and start posting on other blogs. The best time to go on a comment spree is just after your best work has been published. You also need to submit to the social media and networking giants, some people Stumble themselves but it would be best to wait on this one. Get a friend to Digg, Stumble or save to delicious for you. Thoof is one that I would recommend submitting or yourself as you need to write the description.
There is no right way to write a post to bring traffic to your blog and posting certainly isn’t the only way to get traffic either. Nor should it be. These rules are simply here to serve as a guideline for you when you are looking to write for traffic.
This is a very good way to become aware of the mistakes you’re making and train yourself to change them. I used to write some of the mistakes I was making into my posts to tell people I was making them. Then I realized it would be better to write them down telling people not to do those things. The outcome is great. You learn from your mistakes and you dish out some valuable advice to your readers.
Set daily goals
A lot of other blogs will tell you to do this. It just makes good sense. Theres is always a reason for you wanting to blog, so you have a goal that your blog is trying to accomplish. In order to get there you must set daily goals.
Set amounts of blogs to read and comment on per day, dedicate time to writing good content, respond to a certain number of emails, they are all pretty simple. But what you may not have considered is that you should also be applying these techniques to your outside life. You have to manage ALL of your time, which brings us to our next tip.
Apply some of that discipline to your other tasks
Get things organized. If your life isn’t on track, your blog wont be on track. In order to train yourself to be a better blogger you must also train yourself to take care of your other responsibilities. I’m not going to list them here, because they depend on your priorities. Showering regularly should be up there on the list, though . Building a better blog takes a long time, but organize your daily tasks well and they will begin to adapt to your blogging schedule.
Reward the commenter, not the writer
I have seen a few blogs with an entire sidebar widget dedicated to the authors of the blog. It is almost like a Top Commenter’s lis for the writers. The writer shouldn’t need any extra incentive for writing. Its the writer’s job to write.
Blogs that don’t allow people to post a URL wont get as many comments. Thats a fact. Its’ snaky, but many people wont take the time to think of a comment if they don’t see a backlink coming out of it.
And the number five training tip for a better blog is…. (I just wanted to feel like Dave Letterman)
Get off of your computer!
In order to have something decent to talk about you have to interact with people. Go out and experience and you’ll probably find new topics that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. There is also the chance that somebody else will inadvertantly give you an idea for a better spin on something you were already working on. Be it a crazy analogy or metaphor, a new trend or idea that you can compare your idea to, or even just a silly saying that you might want to use. Now go outside and see what I’m talking about.
The funny thing about blogging is its’ such hard work, requires discipline and focus, but you have to use one of the most distracting machines known to man to do it. If you really have to crack down there are some things you can do.
Turn of MSN/AIM/Google Talk; Don’t go to busy or away or invisible. Just turn it the heck off.
Turn off your feed readers. This stuff is an essential part of the blogging routine, but it can wait for now.
Give yourself chores. I’m being serious. No TV or going out with friends till you finish your post, young man! That sort of thing.
The old saying “Less is more” applies to blogging in many ways. You will hear a lot of copy and design bloggers telling you this for many different reasons. The words ring true with so many of the standards of blogging out there today. Here are 5 more reasons that less is more when it comes to blogging.
#1: Less is more in the way you plug your site
A link in the sig and on the profile will go a long way. Theres no need to pitch your posts or your feeds on other sites. Focus on being a good citizen in each of the communities that you are a part of and the traffic will come. Once someone gets to your site, then start the pitch.
#2: Less is more when it comes to your theme
Ad serving is fine. I don’t have any problems with any of the major ad servers that don’t cause pop-ups or anything to annoying. But a cluttered theme drags down loading, takes attention away from the reading and in the leading cause of ugly on the internet.
#2.5: Less is more with advertising and monetizing
This obviously stems a bit from #2. Like I said, ad serving is perfectly fine and legitimate. But too much has many negative effects.
It annoys your readers
It murders your credibility
It slows the heck out of your site
And above all Clutter your theme. (see number #2)
If nothing else, think of it this way: Your visitor is more likely to respond to and click a single and noticeable ad rather than one of dozens of distractions.
#3: Less is more when it comes to the time you spend at your site
You can’t spend all day at your blog approving or replying to comments, touching up your theme or even writing posts. Sometimes it is necessary but it is better to do things in one big spurt and then come back later on. You could be sucking up resources if you are signed in working or linked in your ftp client. If you suddenly get the inspiration to post an article but you’ve been at your blog all day, consider these options.
Write the post in a text editor and post it later -This is good to do anyways because it allows you to think more about your content
Use Google Docs and Spreadsheets to write the post and post it straight from Google with your XMLRPC (Wordpress rules)
Write a heap of articles in WP’s editor and set them to auto-post at different times.
Another thing to remember is you have to get out and experience things, interact with people and stimulate your mind in order to have something interesting to talk about. You can’t do that from behind your WYSIWYG editor.
#4: Less is more when using your own resources for rich media
Youtube and Vimeo along with other similar sites are not just there for people without hosting.
Just because you can host your own podcasts, music videos and mp3 players, it doesn’t mean you have to. Even if you have the space and bandwidth required to do it, you are still using server load that you don’t have to. Increasing the amount of bytes gobbled up by each and every visit and, thereby, increasing the chances that the next viewer gets the dreaded Connection Was Reset or NO CONNECTION error. Outside hosting is fine and often necessary.
#5: Less is more when you are explaining things
It is a very good skill to be able to break things down for people. But you don’t always have to do it. It can actually make people feel dumb if you overdo it. The last thing you want to do is insult the person who is taking the time to read your thoughts. It is perfectly fine to assume your readers are already familiar with some things. If all else fails, you can always link to another post that explains the basics of your idea and move on with your analysis.
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Ladies and Skeletons, Boys and Ghouls..
I hope everyone has their costume picked out because the stores are probably out of stock by now. I’m going as a ninja because its’ a “when all else fails” kind of costume. All I need is a black rag to wear around my face and some black clothing. I didn’t plan ahead.
Today I thought I would share with you some frightfully good treats and some devilish tricks.
If you’re in a similar predicament, you should check out 9 fun last minute halloween costumes on Inventor Spot.
If you haven’t yet carved your pumpkin, here is a post from Slashfilm that features Cinematic Pumpin Carvings.
When you’re out with your camera on Halloween, there aren’t always the best lighting conditions. To capture the best photos of your friends’ costume or Halloween decorations, have a look at Halloween Photography tips over at Digital Photography School.
If when Halloween is over you are still thirsty for more, you would be very happy to visit AlwaysHalloween, where its always Halloween.
Why do I need to write a post that will generate traffic? - You have a great blog with some great posts. The people who know about your blog absolutely love it. And any reader that crosses your path is drawn to surf your content, subscribe and comment as much as they can. But how do you get those readers to cross paths with you? The answer is simple. You need to write some posts that are guaranteed to bring new traffic to your blog.
Viral posts, traffic generators, and pillar posts are an important necessity to any blog worth its’ salt. But if you don’t know how to write blog posts that will bring traffic in, you will likely be disappointed with your early attempts.
There is no right way to write a post to bring traffic to your blog and posting certainly isn’t the only way to get traffic either. Nor should it be. These rules are simply here to serve as a guideline for you when you are looking to write for traffic.
Name your flaws
This is a very good way to become aware of the mistakes you’re making and train yourself to change them. I used to write some of the mistakes I was making into my posts to tell people I was making them. Then I realized it would be better to write them down telling people not to do those things. The outcome is great. You learn from your mistakes and you dish out some valuable advice to your readers.
Set daily goals
A lot of other blogs will tell you to do this. It just makes good sense. Theres is always a reason for you wanting to blog, so you have a goal that your blog is trying to accomplish. In order to get there you must set daily goals.
Set amounts of blogs to read and comment on per day, dedicate time to writing good content, respond to a certain number of emails, they are all pretty simple. But what you may not have considered is that you should also be applying these techniques to your outside life. You have to manage ALL of your time, which brings us to our next tip.
Apply some of that discipline to your other tasks
Get things organized. If your life isn’t on track, your blog wont be on track. In order to train yourself to be a better blogger you must also train yourself to take care of your other responsibilities. I’m not going to list them here, because they depend on your priorities. Showering regularly should be up there on the list, though
. Building a better blog takes a long time, but organize your daily tasks well and they will begin to adapt to your blogging schedule.
Reward the commenter, not the writer
I have seen a few blogs with an entire sidebar widget dedicated to the authors of the blog. It is almost like a Top Commenter’s lis for the writers. The writer shouldn’t need any extra incentive for writing. Its the writer’s job to write.
Blogs that don’t allow people to post a URL wont get as many comments. Thats a fact. Its’ snaky, but many people wont take the time to think of a comment if they don’t see a backlink coming out of it.
And the number five training tip for a better blog is…. (I just wanted to feel like Dave Letterman)
Get off of your computer!
In order to have something decent to talk about you have to interact with people. Go out and experience and you’ll probably find new topics that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. There is also the chance that somebody else will inadvertantly give you an idea for a better spin on something you were already working on. Be it a crazy analogy or metaphor, a new trend or idea that you can compare your idea to, or even just a silly saying that you might want to use. Now go outside and see what I’m talking about.
The funny thing about blogging is its’ such hard work, requires discipline and focus, but you have to use one of the most distracting machines known to man to do it. If you really have to crack down there are some things you can do.
The old saying “Less is more” applies to blogging in many ways. You will hear a lot of copy and design bloggers telling you this for many different reasons. The words ring true with so many of the standards of blogging out there today. Here are 5 more reasons that less is more when it comes to blogging.
#1: Less is more in the way you plug your site
A link in the sig and on the profile will go a long way. Theres no need to pitch your posts or your feeds on other sites. Focus on being a good citizen in each of the communities that you are a part of and the traffic will come. Once someone gets to your site, then start the pitch.
#2: Less is more when it comes to your theme
Ad serving is fine. I don’t have any problems with any of the major ad servers that don’t cause pop-ups or anything to annoying. But a cluttered theme drags down loading, takes attention away from the reading and in the leading cause of ugly on the internet.
#2.5: Less is more with advertising and monetizing
This obviously stems a bit from #2. Like I said, ad serving is perfectly fine and legitimate. But too much has many negative effects.
If nothing else, think of it this way: Your visitor is more likely to respond to and click a single and noticeable ad rather than one of dozens of distractions.
#3: Less is more when it comes to the time you spend at your site
You can’t spend all day at your blog approving or replying to comments, touching up your theme or even writing posts. Sometimes it is necessary but it is better to do things in one big spurt and then come back later on. You could be sucking up resources if you are signed in working or linked in your ftp client. If you suddenly get the inspiration to post an article but you’ve been at your blog all day, consider these options.
Another thing to remember is you have to get out and experience things, interact with people and stimulate your mind in order to have something interesting to talk about. You can’t do that from behind your WYSIWYG editor.
#4: Less is more when using your own resources for rich media
Just because you can host your own podcasts, music videos and mp3 players, it doesn’t mean you have to. Even if you have the space and bandwidth required to do it, you are still using server load that you don’t have to. Increasing the amount of bytes gobbled up by each and every visit and, thereby, increasing the chances that the next viewer gets the dreaded Connection Was Reset or NO CONNECTION error. Outside hosting is fine and often necessary.
#5: Less is more when you are explaining things
It is a very good skill to be able to break things down for people. But you don’t always have to do it. It can actually make people feel dumb if you overdo it. The last thing you want to do is insult the person who is taking the time to read your thoughts. It is perfectly fine to assume your readers are already familiar with some things. If all else fails, you can always link to another post that explains the basics of your idea and move on with your analysis.