April 2010

In this issue:

From the Editor:

Blogging is a great way to promote your business. It's easy to set up and get started with one too. Read on to learn how to get started with your own blog today.

As always, remember to Surf Safely - use your anti-virus and firewall's!

- Michelle

During a recent password audit, it was found that a blonde was using the following password:

"MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento"

When asked why she had such a long password, she said she was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one capital.

"Blogging ... More than just Blah-blah"
from Sitepoint.com

If we're going to have a series on business promotion activities, we must acknowledge the power of blogging. A company blog is a fantastic way to spread information about what you do, connect with your customer base, and share your thoughts with a wider audience.

There are millions of business blogs out there, from sole traders to multinational corporations, the likes of Microsoft and McDonald's.

So how do you start blogging? First, take a look at the software options; I use WordPress, but you can see a great list of blogging software options here. You can choose to either set it up on your own server, or have a hosted solution.

Then, you need to decide the tone and vision of the blog. Will it be a replacement for traditional news announcements, or provide a more personal look at your business? Consider your target market: are they existing clients, potential employees, others within your industry, or your existing employees (if your company's that large).

Consider mapping out some of the content before you start writing. If it's a mix of topics, decide how much you'll dedicate to each topic. For example, you may commit to a weekly frequency that comprises posting about your products one week, your views on industry best practice the next, then a profile on one of your staff members for week three, before repeating the sequence again.

Decide when a good time to post is, keeping in mind time zones for your target market. One of the features I like about WordPress is that I can schedule posts to appear in the future. So I can spend an evening writing and future-dating posts, knowing that my blog will automatically post these articles at the times I've selected. Often I post during business hours in my neck of the woods, as my target market tend to be more local than international.

Once you've addressed this, look at the blog design. You may want to incorporate your existing business branding, or take a different tangent with your blog. Take a look at some of the blogs already out there for inspiration (see the list below), or check out the multitude of free blog themes and templates available for you to use.

Learn as you go, read and respond to comments, and ask feedback from your readers. You'll soon know which topics most interest your readership, and which ones fail to go the distance. Website statistics monitoring can really help here too.

Feel free to continue tweaking the design and content. One of the great things about blogging is that you can change direction over time without losing too many readers.

Having a blog is an exciting journey and can be very rewarding with the right effort. Best of luck with blogging!

back to top

Tips and Tricks

Be Inspired

Need inspiration for blog content or design? Take a look at these six links:

• SitePoint blogs
• Technorati top 100
• Brandon Eley's blog
• Hongkiat.com 100 blogs list
• 47 must-see blog designs
• my blog

While only the tip of the iceberg, these sites might just provide the impetus you need to achieve the right look for your blog.

Just for Fun or Useful Links

Tungle.Me

Have you ever tried to set up an appointment or meeting with someone over email? I can be pretty frustrating...

You: Are you free on the 19th?

Them: No, how about the 20th?

You: Sure, how about 10AM?

Them: I've got a conference call at 10, how about 2PM?

You: Sorry, not available at 2PM, how about 3?

Them: 3PM works, see you then.

Ever thought, "There should be an easier way!"? The Tungle.me folks did too. They created a system that lets you display your available time (not your actual calendar, just blocks of time you're available for meetings) to people you would want to meet with. They select a few times that work for them, you confirm by selecting the time that works best for you and voila, an appointment is made!

I got a call from a vendor that used Tungle.me to schedule meetings and the process was quick and painless (oh, and free). I think it's a great tool for anyone who schedules a lot of meetings. Check it out at Tungle.me.

back to top