Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

How to Use Mindmaps to Create High Quality Content at Breakneck Speed

This is a guest post by Sharyn Sheldon at Business Content PLR.

How to Use Mindmaps to Create High Quality Content at Breakneck Speed 

Do you ever dread the thought of sitting down to write an article or create some fresh, high quality content for your blog? Maybe you have an idea you want to write about, but you get stuck in the middle. In my case, there are times when I can't even get the first sentence out because there are too many ideas and I don’t know which one to choose first. Other times, the words flow smoothly and quickly.

The key to speeding up your web content writing pace is good planning. If you’re like me, you probably learned about creating outlines in grade school. You might even resist creating an outline for that very reason. After all, we're free of all those restrictions now, right? Wrong! An outline is your best friend in developing a piece of content that flows beautifully and speedily.

Using Mindmaps to Create Content Outlines

Blogging Without Dates - The pros, the cons and meeting in the middle

This is a guest post by Linda Dessau of ContentMasteryGuide.com

In his October 2011 post about why you no longer need a blog (in the traditional sense), John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing predicts that soon our content will "no longer be consumed in chronological fashion."

When Jim Connolly of Internet Marketing Jam explored the question of why people remove dates from their blog posts, in the end, he came to the conclusion that for his blog, the benefits far outweighed any risks.

What are the pros of blogging without dates?

What benefits did Jim Connolly see? People were spending more time on his site, and older posts were getting more views, comments and social media mentions.

His feeling was that people are sometimes turned off by seeing that a blog post is "past due," whether to them that means it's a week old, a month old or six months old. They simply won't click through to read it.

Removing the dates, he says, allows your blog post titles and topics to stand on their own merit without that filter. It puts all the focus on the content and makes it easier for your readers to find what they need.

Dateless blogging also gives you more freedom to update existing posts - simply treating them like any other page of your website.

What are the cons of blogging without dates?

Can Google+ Help You with Your Business Blogging?

I'm still working on an answer to the question about how blogging and Google+ can work together. 

The most obvious "yes" answer is that you can post a link to your blog posts and share with your contacts. I'm seeing reports that some bloggers' traffic has dramatically increased after sharing posts on G+. I'm not sure if there's a way to automatically syndicate your blog feed to your G+ account yet (if there is, please post the info in the comments), but no doubt there will be soon.

Another fairly obvious "yes" is in finding outstanding content by following thought leaders in your industry and by using the Sparks feature.

There's been a plethora of content written about Google+ (get 101 articles and tutorials here), and one I found today about managing Circles (how you organize your contacts) made a lot of sense to me.

Thinking about Circles, I created two Circles that will focus specifically on sharing info about business blogging and online marketing and visibility. You are welcome to be included in these circles. Essentially these will be outbound (I'll be "pushing" content to you) spaces that will get very specific content.

This is an experiment. My understanding is that when I add YOU to a Circle and then post info to the Circle, you will see it (if you're on G+). Only the people in that Circle will get the info. If you're online and checking in to G+ then it will show up in your stream. You can share, comment, question and +1 the content.

If you'd like to be in one or both of the Circles, please fill out this simple form. You will need a G+ account to participate. If you need an invitation to get into G+, post your request in the comments below.

OK, let's play and see what happens. Let me know what Circle(s) you want to be in!

Be sure to add me to one of your circles too...

4 Ways Images Enhance Your Business Blog [Free Report]

I'll be the first to admit that I was slow to start using images consistently on my blog. Mostly it's because I'm busy lazy and didn't want to spend the time finding just the right image to illustrate my point. However, images are a powerful addition and help tell your story...sometimes better than the words you write.

When you add images - a photo, illustration or screen shot - you enhance your message and keep your reader's attention just a bit longer...

4 Ways Images Enhance Your Blog...

Are you ready to get more mileage out of your content?

Finally! The Viral Blogging System is ready...

Repurposing content is a hot topic these days. For years, I've been talking about and teaching how to get more leverage out of your blog posts by repurposing them into multiple formats. It started in 2005 when I taught a program on how to turn your blog posts into a book! Your time is precious so why not get more mileage out of your content?

A few weeks ago I announced that "The Viral Blogging System" was available on Kindle. Quite a few people asked me for an audio version and now, the complete package is ready for you: audio, transcript, cheat sheet, links to resources and a bonus article on 13 ideas to inspire your blog content. You'll also get an extra report called "Repurposing: How to Take What You Know and Sell it in 19 Different Ways."

...I'm offering the program for only $27 - through Monday, March 28. After that, the price goes up to $47.

Save $20 now => http://viralbloggingsystem.com

You’ll learn four simple, easy to implement ways to amplify your message to the widest possible audience and get in front of your ideal client. After all, you've got to be in front of your ideal client in order to build a relationship, establish trust and attract them to your products and services.

It's a small investment: $27 and about 90 minutes to study the material will yield big results when you implement just one or two of the steps in this program.

If you're interested in being more efficient with your time and energy, getting more mileage out of your content, and reaching more people with your message, then I invite you to check it out and save 43% now => http://viralbloggingsystem.com

Blog on!

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How to Use Your Text Editor to Improve SEO on Your Blog

Today's guest post by MaAnna Stephenson has excellent tips about how to get more SEO juice from your blog. While this tutorial is specifically focused on Wordpress blogs, you can apply the tips to your TypePad or Blogger text editor as well...

How to Use Your Text Editor to Improve SEO on Your Blog

If you’ve been making blog posts for a while, you’ve probably developed habits with formatting your text and images. But, did you know that there are several features in your WordPress text editor that you may be over or under using that significantly impact your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and your Bounce Rate (how long folks stay on your site)? Following are tips on formatting options you can use to make your content candy for both search engines and readers. (Bonus video tutorials at the end!)

Should We Encourage Image and Text Copying From Our Blogs?

My recent guest post here on Denise's Build a Better Blog discussed and gave a short how-to for a javascript to disable copying of the images from your blog. As I noted there, trying to block copying is controversial (and the comments on the post bore that out!) and difficult to implement beyond stopping casual impluse filching.

Another strategy I ran across for impeding copying is to photograph the piece of art framed, such as this piece of mine, entitled "Chasing Pirates":


©2010-2011 Pati Springmeyer all rights reserved

The general idea is that the frame makes the image less fungible for copying purposes. I am not so sure I agree with that, for several reasons, but even if so, it's not really a comprehensive strategy because it is:

Disable Copying Of Images In Your Blog?

In this guest post by Pati Springmeyer, you'll learn how to protect your images from being copied by "filchers". NOTE: this tutorial is specific for the Blogger platform but similar steps can be done on Wordpress.

Disable Copying Of Images In Your Blog?
by Pati Springmeyer

For bloggers working in the visual arts especially, the images we post on our blogs are our main currency. Should you try to prevent or at least hinder easy copying of your images from your posts?

The value of doing so is controversial. For example, Kate Harper interviewed Art Biz Coach Alyson Stanfield for the post Protecting Your Art: Interview With Alyson Stanfield , and Alyson wrote on Are you protecting your images? She ends up in the camp of not fiddling with strategies to prevent copying.

I have a different view. I think of the casual "driveby copier" as being like an impulse shoplifter or someone who grabs a purse out of an open convertible. We can deter them, and I think we should.

I offer here a simple tip you can implement to disable copying or saving of the images from your blog. This technique isn't a cure all; a moderately knowledgeable and focused computer literate viewer can still work around it.

How to use Photo Dropper to Add Flickr Images to your Blog

Do you use images in your blog posts? I do, sometimes, when I'm not too lazy to hunt down the perfect image or grab a relevant screenshot. Lately I've been using Shutterstock because they were kind enough to give me a trial account so I would try them out.

I also use Flickr (this post shows you how to find photos on Flickr). Yesterday as I was going down rabbit trails, I discovered a tool - plug-in - for Wordpress called Photo Dropper. This tool makes it super simple to find and add photos from Flickr to your blog posts. Check out my 4:46 min video see how simple it is. (Click here if you can't see the video in your reader.)

If you're using a blog platform other than Wordpress, then you'll have to add photos manually, as far as I know.

What's your favorite source for images to illustrate your blog posts?

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TypePad Tip - Making Reblog Better

Last November we released a new feature called Reblog, which makes it easy for your readers to share your content others in their network.  When someone reblogs your content part, or all, of your post appears on the reblogger’s blog with attribution link back to your original post so you get the credit you deserve.

via beta.typepad.com

If your blog is hosted on TypePad, and millions are, you may be interested in this relatively new feature on your blog. Activating the Reblog feature gives your readers a new way to share your content with their own community of readers.

And that's what it's all about, right? You want to extend your reach, boost your visibility, and drive more traffic to your blog.

Your audience wants great content and they want to share it with their readers. It's a win all the way around.

Check out the details about TypePad's Reblog feature. And hey, even if you don't use TypePad, you can still use Reblog when you want to share great info you find on a TypePad powered blog (like this one!).

Blog on!

Related Post:

Two Blogger Resources for TypePad and Wordpress