Mar
17
What’s Your Blog IQ?
ByIf you have a blog, this is your chance to share your blog URL with others. Just add a comment to this blog post. You can tell us about your blog – or ask a question. And naturally you’ll want to link back to your blog.
What does the IQ have to do with it? That’s your “Incoming Quotient” – and you’ll up it by one by posting your comment. Do that right now!
34 Comments
March 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Hi there Jeanette,
Love your idea on how to get folks to comment on your blog. Its one of the big problems I have with my blog id getting folks to leave a message and not just an ad.
I like the layout of your blog, and you have a great newsletter keeps me updated on what is going on.
Thanks
Eric Burgoyne
Making a living on the internet
March 17th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Hello Jeanette,
Sadly, my blog I.Q. is quite low. It’s only a couple months old and the first month saw around 1000 visitors, but as my attention swayed to other things, my traffic dropped proportionally.
As it is a blog for internet marketing newbies written BY an internet marketing newbie, I can only share the info as I learn. Guess I’d better learn it a bit quicker huh?
Go have a look and see what you think. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks
Mike Murphy
March 17th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
My blog is building new brain cells and getting smarter. I am trying new stuff like audio responses to questions I ask. For example, “What are your 3 Blogging lessons? Bloggers call in on a phone number that records their responses. I post that on my blog as part of the post.
Today I tried something new and put up an audio comment!!! This was in response to comments made about a post.
This is an exciting venture learning, looking at other blogs and learning from you.
Thanks so much for the great online success series
Ray and I took with you. Helped to pull so many pieces together. You are a great educator!
March 17th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Interesting reading the other comments. I’m very new at this blogging business. So the experience of others is valuable.
I’m surprised how hard it is to convert a business planning idea or principle – that I can talk about with ease, into clear readable text.
I guess with practice I’ll get better.
And thanks for the link opportunity.
Best regards
Andrew Smith – The Business Plan Guy
Auckland, New Zealand
March 17th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Well, I’ve been at this a little longer and very intensely!
I’ve figured out a few things along the way.
One of the things I did was to create a ‘discussion’ on blogcatalog specifically set up to get blog comments FOR a blog comment.
I wrote ‘Need a Comment On YOUR Blog?’ << see the question? See the offer – most folks are DYING to get someone to comment on their blog.
I offer to do that.
It’s what I wrote AFTER the subject line that gets folks to comment back.
I actually stole the idea from another BC (blogcatalog) member – his ‘discussion’ made the offer THEN CUT IT OFF!
I tweaked what he did a little bit and I STILL GET comments and give comments thru that single discussion.
In fact, I’ve made some incredible blog-friends. Mary even sent me a post card from Italy or somewhere for my BIRTHDAY! She’s a beautiful woman who does a blog about cooking! We still comment back and forth for each other.
Then there’s Entrecard.
Whew. You will probably find WAY more stuff online about Entrecard – and more eloquently put – by doing a search.
Of course, you only get the benefit by signing up.
I’m not sure why this blog doesn’t sport the EC (entrecard) widget.
Dr. Cates would certainly benefit from it.
Then too, duplicate your effort here. Find another blog to comment upon and leave your URL. You will see that people are very likely to come back to visit, probably to comment, if you do.
This is certainly something well within your control.
I’m on a giant push to ‘makeover’ my blog and do a better job of attracting advertisers right now.
When I’m not doing that, I spend x hours a day on the activities to bring back links AND comments AND traffic by these means – the best I’ve found so far.
Do try them for yourself though. Everyone is different. That’s why there are so many solutions out there for any given issue.
Pam Hoffman
http://seminarlist.blogspot.com
^^ speaking of solutions ^^
my blog offers another way to get
things going online – come see for yourself!
March 17th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Dear Jeanette,
I am a brand new baby blogger whose blog is designed to build buzz for my soon forthcoming book entitled A Ballad for Baghdad. I lived in Iraq for three years and collected some amazing stories that you’ll never hear on the news.
These days authors (like everyone else) are learning about guerilla marketing, and I am looking forward to learning more, if my stretched brain can handle it. My plan is definitely to be on Wednesday’s call.
Thank you for being willing to help us fledglings!
ali elizabeth turner
March 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Eric – thanks for sharing. Glad my newsletter is helpful to you. It’s obvious you’ve put some work into your blog – not many people can claim posts back to 2004! Congratulations.
One thing I found hard to read was your previous posts. The blue on the dark background made me feel like I was grasping in the dark – kinda like “post roulette” LOL.
Keep up the great work.
Jeanette
March 17th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Mike – it appears you’ve been posting more regularly lately. Good for you! One of the secrets to less guilt is to take the dates off your posts. Then even you can’t tell when you last posted.
I’m also looking for some offline software that will make posting even easier. Live Writer is one recommendation – and I’m investigating a couple others. Easier than logging in each time.
I think any time you can remove a barrier to action, it’s a good idea!
Jeanette
March 17th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Rosie – thanks as always for your great comments on the Online Success Basics course. I have been soooo proud of all that you and Ray have achieved in the few short months since we finished the course. Your sites look good and really provide value for others! Your three blogging lessons was a stroke of genius, as I told you last month on the Online Success Incubator call.
Keep up the great work!
Jeanette
March 17th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Andrew – good looking site! I like your clean design and your tagline and header are excellent.
If you’re having a hard time writing, why not “talk it onto paper?” Just record your idea, transcribe it, then edit. For many people it’s a lot faster than trying to get their thoughts onto paper.
Likewise, you may want to do audio posts to your blog. I like to provide the audio AND the written entry. The search engines pick up the written entry and many people prefer reading to listening. Still others prefer listening. So you reach more people by providing both.
Jeanette
March 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Pam
Thanks for some excellent ideas on getting traffic to your blog. I think a lot of us tend to leave it to chance and you’ve obviously taken the bull by the horns and just gone out and done it. I admire that Action!
One thing I find difficult in posting comments is when blogs ask you to create an account before you comment. I don’t need one more account anywhere, so I always leave and don’t comment.
What do others think about having to log in before you can comment? Does it put you off or do you go ahead and persevere?
Jeanette
March 17th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Ali
Talk about a timely topic! You definitely have a message to deliver.
I agree – authors are really having to stretch in order to get the message out about their books. But the virtual book tours, the webinars, and the websites are way easier than the book tours of the older days. You can now reach a lot more people faster.
I look forward to “seeing” you on Wednesday’s webinar.
Jeanette
March 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Hi Jeannette,
I actually have 22 blogs now. They’re all Blogger blogs and so easy to do. They fall into one of three categories: music and healing, babyboomers, or travel. I try to post to 2 each day and my main reason is to educate people and also to earn Adsense money!! I’m making about $200 per month finally. MY first blog was started in December of 05 and is http://www.HealingMusicEnterprises.blogspot.com. Everyone has been telling me to get a Wordpress blog so I now have http://www.HealingMusicEnterprises.com/blog but I don’t know much about what to do with it. Don’t even know how to get my adsense in there! Maybe tomorrow I’ll figure it out! If you go to my profile in the first-mentioned blog you’ll see all of my blogs. Let me know if I can help you!
Alice
March 17th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Alice
That is way cool! Not only am I impressed with the number of blogs you have, but that you are actually able to maintain them all! And Wow! That’s excellent Adsense revenue.
If you want to add Adsense to your wordpress blog, use Mighty adsense plugin. Others recommend Adsense Deluxe. In fact, there is a great post on how to monetize your blog.
Welcome to the Wordpress world! It gives you so many choices, compared to Blogger, that at first it may be overwhelming.
Regardless, keep up the great work you’re doing.
Jeanette
March 17th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Hi Jeanette,
I appreciate your newsletter and all of the information you share.
I believe that for me, it will be necessary to have two, or maybe even three different blogs. Simply because of my interests. I am a writer, therefore, I have always kept a journal. Now, I journal online, and that is my blog. My blog touches and cover every aspect of me, but I think that I may need to consider establishing different blogs because everything about me may not be of interest to everybody.
In addition to writing, I am also a ministry leader and my faith is very important. I write a lot of devotionals and inspirational information, simply to help people. Not for profit.
Next, I am a trainer/teacher/workshop leader/speaker and a life coach. As such, I do desire to make a profit. This includes the books and e-books that I write for that endeavor. So, this would be the blog that I desire for traffic to come by who are potential customers and clients.
Overall, I would still desire traffic on all of the blogs, as my purpose is to be a blessing to others.
Any fine tuning tips and advise would be helpful and appreciated. Should I develop multiple blogs? How would I go about doing that and maintaining it all?
Blessings!
Carla
March 17th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
I finally put my blog together and I’m playing around with some things. I’m feeling out a few things and then I’ll move on from there.
Then along comes Twitter. Darn!
I have a few things going on but very well know how important a blog can be for someone’s business. I follow a bunch of bloggers and I learn something new everyday.
Great idea Doc.
Thanks.
Jimmy A.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Carla – sounds like you’re multi-faceted, like many of my readers. We just don’t know what we want to be when we grow up! (smiling)
I agree – it would be good to have multiple blogs. I’d recommend you have different URLs for each, then send traffic from one to the other in a round robin (not just linking back and forth, it’s not as effective).
When buying domain names try to get your keywords up front. So keywordblog.com or thekeywordblog.com That helps with search engine ranking. I’ll be sharing more SEO tips for blogs on the webinar Wednesday.
Jeanette
(Webinar is at http://OnlineSuccessSeminar.com)
March 17th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Jimmy – thanks for sharing. Are you twittering yet?
Feel free to share tips on blogging and getting traffic to your blog. This is a great community and a good group to share with. Like you, we all learn a little more each day, from one another.
BTW – Jimmy has some good articles on Affiliate marketing on his blog.
Jeanette
March 18th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Wow, this was such a great idea, and we are really interested in everyones suggestions and questions.
We (at fabulousafter40.com) have been blogging for 2 years now, and have been seeing alot of traffic. Now, we are looking to get a few sponsors on our site. Any ideas on how to approach some major corporations?
We will be checking back for any tips or suggestions!
Thanks,
JoJami and Deborah
The Glam Gals
http://www.fabulousafter40.com
March 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Glam Gals – good to hear from you! I enjoy your newsletter – lots of great content.
Two things I noticed on your blog – the blogging carnival – and the fact that when I went there I lost your blog! I’d highly recommend you open all links leaving your blog in a new window so your readers don’t “lose you” along the way.
As for sponsors – do you really want sponsors? Why not set up ads from affiliate programs or pay per lead programs – they pay a lot more than sponsors. Now if you want a big chunk ‘o change from the corporate sponsors – I *have* seen one or two information programs on how to get sponsors – especially for professional speakers. So check speakernetnews.com to see if they have a recording of a program. That’s a start.
Keep up the great work! Definitely what you were called to do -
Jeanette
March 18th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Well, I love blogging – just don’t do nearly enough of it. Mostly it’s a systems issue. I advocate it for all of my clients. OK – will make a declaration here and now to blog at least once a week on one of the three active blogs I have!
Thanks for inviting the commentary and helping us boost our visibility, Jeanette. As always, you are awesome!
March 18th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Laura – great to see you here. One of the things I enjoy about your blog is that it’s so intelligent. You are a native-born writer and it shows!
Thanks for committing to blog more often. The world appreciates it!
Jeanette
March 19th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Great discussion and ideas!
Jeanette, your Online Success Basics is such a great blogging launching pad. Thanks for the great content as well as inspiration! Pam
March 20th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Thanks for the good words, Pam. Your blog is such an inspiration to others. You chose a topic you were passionate about, applied everything you learned in OnlineSuccessBasics – then went on to “fame and fortune.” I was particularly impressed by your media interview – as a result of having a blog.
Happy blogging!
Jeanette
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Hello Jeanette, it’s been a while but birthday wishes awoke memories last week-how we had fun in June 06 when you spoke at my marketing event in NYC and we trapsed(is that a real word?) around the city.
So happy to land on your awesome informative blog. And I have a surprise for you on my right sidebar of myrnaslist.com on Twitter-an interview with someone you know who I found right on your comment page.
And I’ve been twitting, tweeting, twittering with Jimmy Adames as well.
By the way, are you on twitter? It takes up alot of time if you don’t guard against distracting yourself but you can learn SO MUCH from the people you follow, of course depending on your choice of people to follow(smile). I would follow you anyday. So are you on twitter?
Myrna
PS-If you want to keep updated with ’staying healthy’ news- http://healthybodynyc.com
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
oops here is the link for that surprise on the right sidebar at http://myrnaslist.com
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Jeanette,
Thanks to your First Blog teleseminar the other night, we’re up and running with the Atrial Fibrillation Blog (http://AtrialFibrillationBlog.com). It’s an adjunct to http://www.StopAfib.org, our non-profit web site for atrial fibrillation patients and caregivers.
Amazingly, within hours of our first post, we’re showing up on Google with almost as high a ranking as it took the web site a while to get. Google does indeed LOVE blogs!
Thanks to your First Blog program and your step-by-step instructions for making it so quick and easy. Love it!
Mellanie True Hills
http://AtrialFibrillationBlog.com
http://www.StopAfib.org – For patients, by patients
March 29th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
[...] Your Blog IQ? [...]
March 30th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Hi, Jeanette! I have two blogs and maintenance is a problem, due to my having to work full-time at a distressing job in a collapsing industry. Original blog is at: http://www.shirleyscornerdesk.shirleyannparker.com and the other is at http://www.authorsden.com/shirleyannparker
All comments to my Corner Desk blog are monitored out of necessity, so few comments survive the process. I have a serious problem with “comment-spam”. How are you handling it, outside of manually deleting every single piece of junk (and worse)that tries to bully its way in to get posted? I know the mailers are targeting the SEOs but it infuriates me that my host says I can’t have them block an entire domain, such as mail.com. Their software isn’t up to it! Gaaaa!
March 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Correction on my first blog:
http://shirleyscornerdesk.shirleyannparker.com
March 30th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Shirley – I use Akismet (built into wordpress) to filter the comments and it’s about 99% effective. I rarely get bad stuff here.
I don’t currently monitor comments before they’re visible. I travel a lot and people would never have a chance to “discuss” anything if they had to wait for me to get back to a computer. So it’s open. It’s worked for me. But every situation is different.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Myra – glad you added your blog! You are always a source of great information yourself.
No, I don’t twitter – it’s just too time-consuming, so so far I’ve avoided most of the “groups.” If I can keep up with the questions and comments in a couple of coaching groups I monitor, then I feel like I’m doing well! LOL
March 30th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Melanie
What a wonderful testimonial to the power of blogging! I’m so glad you were able to follow through so quickly and get up and running. Obviously it’s already working for you! Thanks for sharing the good news.
Jeanette
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Hi Jeanette,
I’ll reiterate what many others have said, that this is a great idea. I have a blog where I discuss ways to communicate better (public speaking, interpersonal skills, etc…) – http://blog.jvf.com.
I’ve been experimenting with a lot of different ways to get traffic. I’ve tried to take popular news stories and relate them to my topic, but have had mixed results(it seems like celebrities dominate searches). I’ve also done some blog carnivals which I’ve found to be helpful.
I’ve also tried some SEO techniques and the jury is still out on them.
I enjoy your newsletter and wish you all the other bloggers on here continued success.
James