Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

Blog Directory vs. Search Engine

Over the past few years we've discovered that there is often confusion about submitting one's blog to blog directories and what to expect from that tedious job. The question came up once again this week from someone who had purchased our blog directory submission service to over 200 blog directories.

I signed up for your offer to be put into 200+ blogs. How do I know if my blogs are showing up? I get google alerts for my blogs and receive them. I thought I'd get notice of my blogs from the blog sites you signed me up with.

First, by "blogs" we assume you mean "blog posts." Second, Google Alerts are based on keywords so you will get alerts that are relevant to those keywords you set up.

Now for the meat of the question, here's our answer:

Business Bloggers: What do you do with all that content you're creating?

There are two subjects converging for us this week: 1) creating and monetizing content and 2) protecting your creative assets a.k.a. your content.

First, as a blogger, you are constantly writing content based on your expertise.  Every time you post, you are publishing that  valuable information on the Web.  After a while, as you see your posts build up, you may begin to wonder what you can do with all that content, how can you make money from your content, how do you repurpose it to serve your clients even better?

Every so often a product is launched that I wish I had created. This week that happened to me. Brian Clark of Copyblogger fame, launched his Teaching Sells program. After reviewing the free report and the first module of his educational program, I wish I had developed this comprehensive program on how to leverage your expertise into  powerful multimedia teaching  systems that can create additional streams of income for you.

Jim Turner Interviews The Blog Squad for BlogWorld Expo

Yesterday, Patsi and I were interviewed by Jim Turner of One by One Media. Jim is interviewing as many of the BlogWorld Expo presenters as he can get to before the conference on November 7-9. I will be moderating a panel on Blog Design, which we discussed in the interview.

The interview is 35 minutes.

Jim has done an impressive series of interviews so if you want to get an excellent sense of who will be at the Expo and why you should go, download a few to your mp3 player and check it out.

And, if you're thinking about attending the BlogWorld and New Media Expo in Las Vegas, don't wait much longer. You can get a 15% Blog Squad VIP discount until October 31. Use promo code BSVIP.

Content Theft: Is Nothing Sacred?

Would you be mad if after you wrote and published your book you found entire sections of it copied and published on the Internet without your knowledge or permission?

That's what happened to fellow blogger and writing expert Jurgen Wolff of London. Here's what he emailed us the other day:

"Speaking of theft...I found two sites that had the entire contents of my new book, YOUR WRITING COACH! What was mysterious was that it originated from a Quark file, not a scan, which suggests that it may have come from the printing house or somewhere along the production line.

"I complained to the hosting site, which promptly removed the file, but of course other copies may well be sitting around somewhere on the Internet.

"I notified two other publishers whose books were on the same site. One said thanks, we'll investigate, but the other, to my surprise, didn't bother to reply.

"By the way, one of the other books on that site was published by Writers Digest Press and they said they'd look into it, and I'm hoping their legal department will take action.

Best regards, Jurgen

Jurgen's blog can be found at www.yourwritingcoach.com.

The stories we're hearing about web and blog content theft are pretty horrific. And people are hesitant to sue because of tying up valuable time, money and energy with legal issues.

Find out what you can do to prevent theft and protect your creative assets.

Blog Action Day Results

Curious to know the outcome of Blog Action Day? They've posted stats and links to media on the site.

20,603 Blogs Participated
23,327 Blog Posts
14,631,038 RSS Readers

Blogs and a community of bloggers can be a powerful force for creating awareness and change. Just think what a million bloggers could do when focused on one issue. Or two million.

Related Post
Blog Action Day Focus is on The Environment

How to Protect Your Creative Assets

In September Patsi and I interviewed attorney Jay Hollander about how to protect one's creative assets when doing business online. During the course of the interview we realized there was a whole lot more we need to know about this important subject for entrepreneurs and bloggers. So we did something about it...

On October 30, we are presenting a teleseminar with intellectual property rights attorney Jay Hollander. Every business professional who wants to do business online should know the basic facts about intellectual property on the Internet in order to protect their brands and creative works against legal liability.

While dispelling many common myths regarding intellectual property, Hollander will help professionals understand how to handle these five key issues critical to online businesses:

1.    How should one select and protect a trademark?

2.    How does one identify copyrightable creative works and use copyright law to protect their work?

3.    How do you identify and protect company trade secrets?

4.    How do you secure legal ownership and property rights to websites created for you by others?

5.    How do you reduce the threat of being sued for intellectual property infringement by you or those who contribute to your blog, website or information products?

To get more information, and to register, click here. Even if you cannot attend, when you register you will get a CD of the audio program and we pay for the shipping!

Teaching Sells - Free Report

Our colleague Brian Clark of Copyblogger.com has just released a free report about how to use content to make more money. Seems content marketing and selling is the topic du jour and certainly a natural extension for bloggers who want to leverage their knowledge and expertise.

Though we haven't called what we do "content marketing" that's clearly what a business blog does. You write about what you know about and teach people how to use and implement the information.  As Brian states:

Bloggers and freelance writers can and should be thriving with their own paid online training programs. Instead, many bloggers who are trying to make money online are spinning their wheels, and freelance writers are selling themselves cheaply to make other people rich.

However, I see and know so many professionals, experts in their niche, who are not leveraging their knowledge. They may be writing on blogs, but that content never goes any further to develop programs and premium content. Check out Clark's free report, Teaching Sells, and see if you don't agree that there is plenty of opportunity to profit from  your expertise and blogging.

Blog Action Day Focus is on The Environment

Today is Blog Action Day. Thousands of bloggers (15,000 blogs and over 12,000,000 readers) have committed to blog about one topic today...the environment.

Here are a few posts you may want to check out:

Blog Action Day...What Kind of Consumer Are You? (my post)

Blog Action Day: What are you doing for a healthier environment? (Patsi's post)

The Butterfly Effect and the Environment: How Tiny Actions Can Save the World - Brian Clark, Copyblogger

How Can Bloggers Be Environmentally Responsible? - Darren Rowse, Problogger

Easy Ways to Live Greener - Lifehacker

There are many, many more.  What's your favorite tip for living a greener life?

Robert Scoble Interviews Six Apart CEO

Through my Google alerts, I ran across a great interview Robert Scoble did with the CEO of Six Apart, Chris Alden, VP of Products, Michael Sippey, and Engineer David Recordon. Six Apart is the company that owns TypePad, Movable Type, LiveJournal and Vox. The video interview is about an hour.

As a long time TypePad user, I'm always curious to know what's up with the company that developed my favorite blogging platform. There are also some good comments and info about the future of TypePad.

BlogWorld and New Media Expo: Save 15% as a Blog Squad VIP

Last year at the Blog Business Summit, I started hearing whispers about a big blogging event, the biggest ever, that was going to be taking place in Las Vegas this year. Lo and behold, it's almost upon us...the BlogWorld and New Media Expo in Las Vegas November 8-9.

Patsi and I didn't give it much thought until a few months ago when I looked at the line up of speakers in the education sessions.  There are some major players who will be speaking about blogging and new media at all levels, from the beginner to the expert to the corporate to the sports and political bloggers.

Then I wanted in. I spoke with Dave Taylor who is organizing the education component and asked how we could participate. After discussion, I will be representing The Blog Squad moderating a panel on Blog Design with some heavy-weight colleagues who I am very eager to meet and share the stage with: Rich Brooks of Flyte New Media, John T. Unger, author of TypePad Hacks, and Nate Whitehill of Unique Blog Designs. This is going to be awesome and our "show" is part of the Beginning Bloggers track.

Yesterday I spoke with the Expo organizers and asked if we could get a discount for our blog readers and they said Yes!