Okay, you have a blog and consider yourself a blogger. The next step is how to build your prestige, your readership, and your reputation. This class will demystify the process of taking your personal blog and developing it into a popular resource. Being brilliant, funny, insightful, and inspired is just the beginning; learn how to help your hungry audience find you. 1 session (see available and upcoming classes)

Advanced Blogging Syllabus

Writer’s Center Workshop

Description

Okay, you have a blog and consider yourself a blogger. The next step is how to build your prestige, your readership, and your reputation. This class will demystify the process of taking your personal blog and developing it into a popular resource. Being brilliant, funny, insightful, and inspired is just the beginning; learn how to help your hungry audience find you.

Instructor

• Chris Abraham, Founding Partner, Abraham Harrison LLC
  
  • www.abrahaharrison.com
  • cabraham@abrahamharrison.com
  • +1 202-657-403
• Blogging since 1999 www.chrisabraham.com

Short Review of Blogs and Blogging

• Ease of publishing.
• Discoverability (Pings weblogs.com or technorati or another ping server)
• Conversationality (Trackbacks or as-they-happen referer logs, or now being part of Technorati and other blog search engines)
• Linkability (All posts should have permalinks)
• Syndicatability (All content should be available in RSS feeds)
• Commentability (All posts should welcome comments)
• Okay to be subjective and opinionated (encouraged!)
• Blogs can influence culture and mainstream media
• CGM, citizen journalism, citizen marketing, new PR

Blogging Best Practices

• Short, pithy, entries
• Constantly updated
• Only one long work a week
• Shameless, assertive, opinionated, unapologetic
• Shows respect, dignity, reciprocity
• Give more than you take
• Join the conversation and community
• Assumes good intent

Reputation as a blogger

• Techniques for building prestige and influence
  
  • Reciprocal links and linking
  • Blogroll and blogrolling
  • Citations
  • Comments
  • Pinging ping-servers
  • Press releases
  • Email requests
  • IM and email relationships
  • Drinks, dinner, lunch, or coffee

Introduction to Viral Marketing

• Word-of-mouth, buzz, viral, and grassroots
• Authentic, transparent, conversational, honest
• Ask for what you need, give what others need
• Tell people who you are and why you are there
• “Astroturfing” is not worth the short term benefit
• The blogosphere is conversational
• Message, client message, messaging
• Network of weak blogs generally win over a powerful media

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization

• Google loves blogs (because Google loves text because it can “see” text)
• Google favors sites that are constantly updated (one a week at minimum)
• Make sure your blog pings: www.pingomatic.com/
• Make sure Google knows you: www.google.com/addurl
• Social bookmarking on Newsvine, Netscape, Digg, and Reddit
• Categories, tags, and tagging: del.icio.us, furl.net, spurl.net, reddit.com
• Be careful how you use pronouns (he, she, and it says nothing)
• Learn about Google Sitemap: www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps
• We aware of how you use keywords in your blog (density and diversity)
• Optimize your blog like a website (meta tags, alt tags, keywords)

Introduction to Online Brand Promotion

• Blogger advocacy and outreach – top-down,
  
  • Develop a list of blogs appropriate to your campaign
    
    • Mommy blogs, A-Lists blogs, marketing blogs, sports blogs
  • Keep a spreadsheet of all the blogs you might want to contact
  • Dig into each blog looking for their contact info (not easy at all)
  • Develop general message (called a message model)
  • Send an bespoke email of introduction and message
    
    • Always give more than you take: gift is key
  • Keep record of all blogs and bloggers who respond well
    
    • Delete (remove) bloggers who request it
    • Make explicit opt-in request from friendly bloggers
      
      • Don’t assume they want your message
  • Reputation is based on trust and fairness – never trifle or lie

• Blog messaging and engagement – bottom-up, grassroots, organic
  
  • Go to a blog search engine (Technorati, Ask.com, Blogsearch, etc)
  • Type in a topical keyword, phrase, or topic
  • Visit the blogs that are talking about your market, topic, or interest
  • Where appropriate, leave a short note
  • Come back tomorrow (or as often as you can) and do the same thing
  • Make sure to message only where people might be interested
  • Inform, don't spam

Introduction to Online Brand Protection

• User Google Alerts and other keyword email alerts to track online conversation
  
  • Other tools exist, such as TruCast, TruView, Buzzlogic, and other tools
• Reputation management should start long before any crisis needs management
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is always an essential consideration online
• The last word counts most (especially on blog search engines like Technorati)
• Recent posts get indexed (the current conversation counts the most)
• Everything lasts forever on Google (make sure your side of the story is on record)
• Request – never demand – bloggers and blogs remove defamatory content

Important reading

• Naked Conversations by by Shel Israel & Robert Scoble www.redcouch.typepad.com
• Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542
• Applied Blogging Workshop www.appliedblogging.org
• Abraham Harrison LLC Marketing Conversation www.abrahamharrison.com/our-insights