19 tips from (almost) 10 years of blogging

I’ve been blogging for almost 10 years now (not always here, though, in case you’re wondering). I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I know a thing or two. I’ve also picked up what I like to think of as a few best practices and good ideas along the way. Here’s some: Use WordPress. It’s [...]

How bloggers are handling the new FTC affiliate disclosure rules

It’s been almost two months since the U.S. Federal Trade Commission implemented new rules about how affiliate links can be used (or not) in blogs and social media. The rules went into effect Dec. 1, and since then I’ve been seeing bloggers and online marketers use a variety of strategies for complying. At the same [...]

The secrets of finding and sharing great content online

One of the primary activities on social media sites is content sharing. Through Facebook, Twitter and other sites, people pass around content they find interesting, entertaining and useful. Content sharing is the fuel for a lot of social media activity. A shared video or blog post can often become the basis for a conversation about [...]

Review of Beyond Blogging

Beyond Blogging: The Secrets to Blogging Success is an ebook (actually two) that sells for $47. It was written by Nathan Hangen and Mike Cliffe Jones, and has been receiving quite a bit of attention in the blogosphere, in large part because it contains profiles of successful, well-known bloggers and online personalities. Their goal is [...]

Most useful online marketing posts of 2009

I wish I could say I’d written a bunch of these, but I didn’t. Nonetheless, Who’s Blogging What, a newsletter that rounds up the best in online marketing, has a great list of online marketing posts. There are 25 posts in each of five categories – social media, search marketing, user experience, email marketing and [...]

Links Worth Reading – Sept. 27, 2009, edition

Here are some of the best links, blog posts and resources I’ve come across in the last week. Note: Many, but not all, of these I first published via Twitter. Please follow me there if you’re not already. Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2009 How to Create Reader Profiles/Personas to Inspire and Inform Your Blogging [...]

Three tips for better live tweeting

In the last two weeks, I’ve live tweeted at two different events. One was a public relations seminar, where I was one of several people in the audience live tweeting. The other was a charity event where I was the only one tweeting, and I was doing it under the auspices of the organization that [...]

Rethinking the press release and media relations

The press release as a public relations tool is in transition. Before the World Wide Web, before everyone was online, press releases (or news releases) had a straightforward function: persuade a reporter, editor or producer to cover your story in some fashion. Sometimes that coverage was in the form of a fully reported story that [...]

Eight tips for writing shorter tweets

Twitter, the microblogging sensation that is all the rage – at least among marketers and social media aficionados – requires a considerable economy of phrasing. Fitting a useful thought into 140 characters, including a URL, can be tough sometimes. And if you want your tweet to be retweeted – spread by your followers – than [...]

Review of "Seven Content Strategies to Build Trust with Today's Savvy Consumers"

Seven Content Strategies to Build Trust with Today’s Savvy Consumers is a short e-book about how brands can use content to establish trust with customers. The e-book is free, but unlike many free information products I’ve seen, this one is worth reading and worth printing out and sticking on your bookshelf. The author, JoePulizzi, is [...]