Blogging and Marketing Resources for the Average Blogger and Business
Posts tagged Blog Review
Better Blog Badge Bonanza
Dec 13th
A Badge... Finally!
OK, I admit this post’s name is a bit cute, but the topic is a result of taking some time off. Getting back into the blogging saddle has reminded me of some long overdue details. One is the lack of a real blog badge.
You see them in nearly every blog you visit. That 125 X 125 pixel calling card that lets readers know about your blog. Some blogs share their own with a “Grab my Badge” offer along with some HTML that allows you to load it into your own blog or web site.
In blog sharing and network advertising services like Entrecard, Adgitize, CMF Ads, and many others, it is the badge that provides the visibility into what you have to offer. I’d be the first to admit that while mine is pretty basic with its pleasing colors and basic white text, there is an art to the creation of badges. The result is what calls out for attention on all these networks. A call that says, “click on me!” Mine is basic, but it also has a great story about its very unique identity.
I recently found a site called Random Art. Its author, Andrej Bauer, is a mathematician from Slovenia. On his site, he uses programming languages called OCAML and CDuce from which he wrote a 2000 line program. This program allows a visitor to enter names, terms, initials, etc. to create a totally unique image. (Are you seeing where this is going?)
The program first chooses a random name from which a mathematical formula is generated that describes the color of each pixel in the picture. What you enter is input to the program when it creates the image. The same name always determines the same picture. However, it is nearly mathematically impossible for two different terms which are entered to create the same image. Bauer indicates on his web site that, “It is hard to determine their precise number, but we may safely claim that there are more random pictures than there are atoms in the universe.” I’m thinking that’s a pretty strong endorsement for “unique.”
You can read more about Andrej Bauer on his personal site.
So why am I sharing this? A couple of reasons, actually.
In Yes, It’s Been a While, I stated that some of the time away had been used to identify some new blogging ideas and projects. This is just one of them. I used Random Art to create my new badge! What you see is the letters UBT entered into Random Art, rotated 180 degrees for aesthetics, then Photoshopped with some sizing and text. (Yes, my first real Photoshop project. Another result of my time away!) I have updated my profiles in Entrecard, Adgitize, CMF Ads as a first step. My hope is that this small step toward visible “legitimacy” may help my cause. Time will tell.
But there is another reason for the Badge discussion. I have been very focused on getting my badge displayed. It has been important to get the right look, make it unique, and tell my story in 125 by 125 pixels. Consistent with the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit’s mission to provide blogging resources to the average blogger, I thought it would be fun to extend that to the creativity invested in the millions of blog badges across the Internet.
In a few days, I’ll post a much shorter entry and create its own page about adding the Blog Badge Bonanza to the Free Blog Review. Yes, I still have many reviews to conduct, but there’s no reason why I can’t fill the pipeline even further. UPDATE: HERE’S THE NEW PAGE!
My offer: send me your badge along with how and why you created it the way you did. Include what you’ve learned and if it is a revision from an earlier design. Did you create it, or did you have it done professionally? Are you happy with it, or just tolerating it and why? I’ll use it to tell your story in a blog post and link back to your blog.
Similar to the Free Blog Review, all I ask is that in your blog, write a post that refers to the Blog Badge Bonanza and that you were featured. Include a link to your specific post on The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit, or to my home page.
Who’s in?
Thanks,
Dave
Blog Review: Jody Burdette’s Birdtracks
Dec 11th
Jody Burdette Birdtracks
My first mission in this Ultimate Blogging Toolkit Free Blog Review post is to offer Jody Burdette at jodyburdette.blogspot.com a sincere thank you for her patience. In Yes, It’s Been a While, I claimed mea culpa for being gone for a number of months planning new projects. Now, I’m carving out time to fulfill my Blog Review obligations.
First of all, I’m not going to cast stones about a blog that hasn’t posted anything since October 5, since I just came clean about not engaging for much longer than that. Enough said, since I have posted in the past about Frequency.
Let’s start with the blog’s general outward appearance. In this Minima Series, the sea of green doesn’t provide any “lines of demarcation.” As a result, I’m not sure this selection in Blogger (actually it seems to be custom) is the best. If a simple look is desired, I would try Denim or Rounders. It provides for more structure and boundaries, which leads into my next topic: content.
Blogger Examples
With these template examples, it is easy to see how clearly various types of content can be organized when a simple template is used. If the intent is to have readers return again and again to engage in discourse, it makes sense to create a consistent and familiar environment. Templates such as these “trains” the eye into knowing where to find specific information. For example, the main post is front and center, the profile is upper right, archives are right center, etc. The easier a blogger can make it for readers, the more likely they will return.
More about content (but I’m saving my favorite topic of opportunity for last!)
In the title, Jody indicates this blog is about “Handmade Gifts and Cards.” For any of you who have read the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit for any length of time, you know I’m a big fan of Molly Lee’s Popup Cards, so I was happy to see a handmade cards site. Unfortunately, the first topics I see involves her middle daughter being married September 12, her husband Lane, their fondness for martial arts, and their love of travel. Oh, there it is: Jody has a “passion for making things.”
Please excuse what may appear to be sarcasm. I’m not intending to be mean. My only purpose is to make a point about focusing on a specific topic. Family is important – please don’t misread my sentiment. Many people maintain incredible blogs about family, keeping far away members up to date on what’s going on. It’s rewarding, it’s heart-warming, and it’s down right efficient.
But for getting the most out of her blogging experience, my opinion is for Jody to separate the topics and focus on them separately. For example, create a family-oriented blog that keeps family and friends posted on what’s going on. Sort of an ongoing, living, breathing, Christmas Card Letter all year long. Then create a separate site devoted to cards, creative handmade items, new products, fun craft stores, etc.
Halfway down the front page, the photos in the post, “Cards for a Lifetime,” imply there is an Etsy site based on their links, but I can’t seem to find where there may be a link to Jody’s Etsy story (if she has one.)
In her Christmas Cards in July post, I see wonderful creations – cards that anyone would be proud to give and emotionally affected if received. It’s just a shame I can’t figure out how to order them. Etsy?
I’m coming back to add this paragraph after my original post. A frustration for me was when I commented on Birdtracks was the inability to provide my URL back to the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit. She had her Blogger settings configured in such a way that I was forced to use a Google Account, which does not accurately reflect my Toolkit activity. A courtesy to people who may comment is to allow them to enter their web address of their blog.
Now, for my favorite topic. This is what I consider Jody’s best opportunity to capitalize on the unique nature of her name and the name she has given to her blog: Burdette and Birdtracks. Burd… Bird… Get it?
Burd... er... ah... Bird Tracks
Doing a quick Google Images search for “Bird Tracks” I get this image. Now, I’m a big believer in giving credit where credit is due, so if you click on this image, you will be taken to someone named “MRUPP” and the gallery of that person’s Australia pictures. Any use of photography gathered over the Internet would of course need to be done appropriately, but my point is this: Burdette and Bird Tracks is a great “hook” combination.
Judy’s last name cries out for a bird reference. Tracks, feathers, nests – anything with which she feels comfortable. That visual connection to her content provides her with an identity tool that no one else has. Exploit it!
From what I’ve seen, Jody has beautiful cards, pillows made from T-shirts (how clever) and a wonderful family. With just a bit of work on her blogs, every component of this paragraph will benefit. Go get ‘em, Jody!
Dave
Blog Review: Lavender Greetings
Aug 23rd
Lavender Greetings Blog
Each blog review I’ve performed has of course been unique, consistent with the unique qualities of the individual blogs and their authors. Lavender Greetings is no exception. What is particularly noteworthy in this case is the relationship between the Lavender Greetings blog, an ecommerce site selling custom, handmade greeting cards, and an Etsy site selling the same cards. For this review, I will provide a perspective on each and hopefully some advice on pulling them together.
First, the blog. (After all this is a blog review!)
With Blogger as the hosting platform, the layout is organized and the graphics well done and VERY lavender! I’m not making light of the lavender theme. This creates an instant connection for the reader and is a strength I would like to see exploited in the eCommerce site, but more on that later. I am also very pleased to see not one animated gadget or widget on the site. As you’ve read in other reviews, too much animation is distracting and at times, annoying. But Karen has done an excellent job of providing straighforward information and an already extensive and useful Category/Tag collection for such a new blog property (first post Tuesday, June 9, 2009.)
While the lavender banner is quite pleasing, it takes up valuable “above the fold” space. The graphic shown here is what I see when I first access the blog. Note that only a little more than a paragraph from the top post is shown and so little of the embedded graphic, that without scrolling, it is impossible to see what it is. If the header were half the height (cropped carefully), all of the important elements could be retained, but the important content on the remainder of the page would move up into a more visible location.
One more comment about the banner: “Welcome to Lavender Greetings” is a pleasant message for new arrivals, but it still isn’t absolutely clear to me what the site is about. A tag line something like, “A place to explore handmade greeting cards” or “We’re talking custom, handmade greeting cards!” would further describe the site, confirming the visitor is in the right place.
I have an ongoing debate with a valued friend about the merits of Google Ads when trying to sell your own wares. My friend’s perspective fits this situation to a tee. In the top position when I captured the screen is Wedding Supply Superstore. Based on the Seahorse and Celebration of Love wedding invitations on the eCommerce site (again, more on that in a minute), Karen already has a good start on a beautiful collection of wedding “supplies.” Why earn a few cents for the click, only to have the potential customer leave the site? My recommendation is to look hard at the Adsense earnings. Unless it is a significant revenue source, I might suggest an alternative.
Traffic – quality traffic – is always the initial driver of success. Without quality traffic, nothing else is possible. For my blogs (Ultimate Blogging Toolkit, and a more casual, The New Blogged Word) I have been quite pleased with my combination of Entrecard and Adgitize as free networks that allow members to explore (and be explored!) in any number of categories. At Entrecard, there are currently 850 members in Women’s Interests, 2462 in Art, 305 in Romance, and 903 in Hobbies. What better environment to develop relationships and be exposed to others who appreciate crafting? With Entrecard, members earn credits for visiting other blogs and “dropping” your card on the site. Both the “dropper” and the “dropee” get a credit. Use credits to advertise on other blogs, gaining yet more exposure.
Adgitize Badge
With Adgitize, visiting sites is still the name of the game, but based on blogs visited, page views, ads displayed and posts made on your blog, actual money is earned. It’s not a lot, but I might argue that depending on the traffic currently received on Lavender, it may be comparable, or even better than Adsense results.
(Karen, if you click through here or on my Adgitize badge to the right, and join, I gain some ancillary benefits. Many thanks!)
Next, the eCommerce Site: Make it Lavender!
I am so impressed with the lavender “ambiance” when visiting the blog, I recommend capitalizing on that positive feeling. I know, easier said than done, because with many things, there are options. My job is to lay a few of them out for you.
Lavender Greetings on Etsy
“Recommended” Option A
Use Etsy as the primary eCommerce activity. It has a built-in shopping cart, ability to search the site, a unique presence, and easy “categories” to find merchandise. (See red boxes on graphic.) Use www.lavendergreetings.com for the Blogger site (choose Custom Domain in Blogger’s Settings > Publishing.) Make the blog the primary landing identity, blog about interesting new cards, creative uses by customers, or exotic locales where the cards have been shipped, then promote the Etsy store as the way to purchase. Yes, this means your eCommerce site goes away.
Regarding the Etsy identity, when planning the new banner for the blog, size it appropriately to be used as the custom graphic on Etsy. (Note: I’m assuming this is possible.) That way, when someone goes from the blog to Etsy, the same, familiar lavender “ambiance” that I really like is retained. It would make it appear that it is all one environment, unlike the very dissimilar treatments in play today.
Option B
Revamp the eCommerce site to make it look like the blog (lavender, graphics, fonts, etc.) This still maintains three separate environments (blog, eCommerce, Etsy) which confuses me. I’m really not in favor of this unless a serious change could be done. Navigation, fonts, colors – everything needs to be rethought if it is to be elevated to the simple elegance of the blog and solid functionality of Etsy.
Option C
This may be a longer term strategy, but Karen, you may want to consider WordPress as a content management system. It is a great blog environment (The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit uses it) and it is easily customizable. If you don’t want to learn to customize it, there are many, many people who do that sort of thing. Since it is quite common, customization services are usually not very expensive. That way, you could eventually incorporate blogging, the eCommerce site, and the Etsy store functions all into one web property.
This of course would require you to purchase your own hosting. Just like I’ve shamelessly plugged Adgitize, BlueHost is what I use and I’m quite pleased. Joining through this link gives me some benefits here as well. Thanks.
Karen, the URL you own, LavenderGreetings.com is perfect; hold onto it. Regardless which way you decide to take this activity, you will benefit from it.
For everyone else, Lavender Greetings has wonderful products made by someone who seems to be very passionate about her craft. Blogs, URLs, WordPress, hosting – all are very necessary “evils,” but they are secondary and will evolve over time. Karen has the right product, the right color and the right attitude to be successful. My hope is that this review will help in a small way with the necessary evils.
Dave
Blog Review: Owning a Cafe
Aug 14th
Owning a Cafe - The Ins and Outs of the Philipine Internet Cafe Industry
One of the many interesting aspects of blogging, is learning about other points of view, other interests, and even aspects of living in another part of the world. One thing I’ve noticed in recent months is the extensive blogging that takes place in the Philippines. More to the point, and with a connection to the Ultimate Blog Review, is the Philippine Internet Cafe industry. Today, I am reviewing Owning a Cafe.
Owning a Cafe is actually similar in philosophy to the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit. I have used my blog to share what I continue to learn about blogging with fellow bloggers. From the Owning a Cafe “About” page, it appears the same motivation exists: to share the author’s insights about the Philippine Internet Cafe industry, presumably with other cafe owners.
I have enjoyed my exploration and education. For example, it has provided interesting perspectives on the state of broadband in the country. A quote from one post, ”The number of Internet broadband subscribers in the country will reach two million (2M) by the end of 2009″ is a very telling statistic about the potential for growth that still exists in the Philippines.
On to the review.
My first observation when I received the request for a review was a disconnect between the site’s identity and web address. ”Owning a Cafe” is an excellent name with a very descriptive tag line of “The Ins and Outs of the Philippine Internet Cafe Industry.” Unfortunately, the web address, or URL of xicowner.jefmart.com misses an opportunity to promote the site. With a PageRank of 2, the site is doing very well for itself. Exploiting some promotional opportunities with a descriptive URL may help that further.
Don’t let this cast a negative light on the site. There is an enormous amount of information provided. From accounting and insurance to regulations and technical, Owning a Cafe clearly contains a wealth of information from someone who appears to be quite experienced. One recommendation I would have would be to separate the non-cafe related topics. Content related to blogging in general, business opportunities for young mothers and information on products such as organic mosquito repellent are all quite important, but seem to take the focus away from the depth of “cafe” information that exists.
The site layout is clean with not an excessive number of widgets and gadgets that would cause distraction, as is too often the case. The animation in the page peel ad in the upper right corner a somewhat “busy” but tolerable. There is one aspect though that really should be reviewed: the use of pop-up ads when hovering over keywords. Even the “Ins and Outs” tag line contains one. From many things I’ve read on this technique to serve up advertising, many people share my opinion that the accidental hover that causes the ad to display is distracting, frustrating and for some people, actually annoying. Many, including myself, usually leave a site when they see those in line links. Personally, I hate to see it here because of the quality and quantity of very valuable Internet Cafe resources that are contained on the site.
Owning a Cafe is a valuable resource for anyone, in any country, who needs information about the industry and practical advise on setting up or running an Internet cafe.
Dave
PageRank as a Measurement Tool
Aug 9th
Posted by Dave in Uncategorized
1 comment
PR Checker Badges
Recently, I offered to provide free blog reviews. I am very pleased to say that the response has been great. I have several in the works and will be posting the next one soon. Thank you again. Where appropriate, I’ve been showing that blog’s Google PageRank (TM) as a way to further define their success. Since this is a great tool for getting a quick read on how Google sees your blog (or anyone else’s in which you are interested), I decided to place the tool here for your convenience.
What is PageRank, you say? Let me explain.
Many of you already have a badge on your blogs showing your PageRank, but you may not know what drives the number. First, there are many sites that measure and provide statistics. The one I use, PR Checker, is simple and has the best looking selection of badges.
Let’s start with how Google describes it. After all, it’s their trademarked and patented tool. (In the spirit of full disclosure, notice the TM above for every reference on my site.) Google says,
“PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page’s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and help to make other pages ‘important’.”
Of course, it is much more complex that this, but in essence, “the higher the ranked sites that link to your site, the higher your PageRank.”
As I often do, I turn to our friends at Wikipedia to dig deeper. This entry is about all the detail I care to consider – or serve up. If you have trouble sleeping at night, I’m sure you can find even more detailed descriptions on the web.
A while back, I posted about the value of relationships in a post comparing online and offline businesses. This is probably the number one piece of advice I could give. Visit blogs, engage in the topics, provide clear perspectives, make your visit there valuable, and they will reciprocate. A relationship is built, a link back may ensue and you’ve just added some PageRank juice to your site.
Dave