Postcards from the Funny Farm

Ok, so you want your blog to have more value … scratch that, you want it to have mega-millions of value … you’ve come to the right place. We’ve been outlining value on a blog through the acronym: “v.a.l.u.e.”. Let’s do a quick review:

1. “V” stands for visceral
2. “A” stands for aphoristic
3. “L” stands for linkage

Now, as promised, we probe the mysterious area known as “U.” It stands for “Ubiquitousness.” If you don’t know the meaning of the word, check this out:

ubiq·ui·tous
Pronunciation:
\yü-?bi-kw?-t?s\
Function:
adjective
Date:
1830

: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread <a ubiquitous fashion>
— ubiq·ui·tous·ly adverb
— ubiq·ui·tous·ness noun

In theory, if you could post a link to your post everywhere on the interweb at one time, then you would have “U” down pat. Obviously you can’t. The more I think about the hundreds of millions of blogs out there the more fatigued this letter can become. So you can’t do it all? What CAN you do? Here are a few suggestions to increase the ubiquitousness of your post (all of which I do on a pretty regular basis).

1. Make a Google Alert for 2 things: 1) your blog’s url through the Google Blogsearch feature ie: link:http://www.postcardsfromthefunnyfarm.com and 2) the title of your blog. This will send you an email whenever someone links to you and whenever your title shows up on a page on the web.
2. Create a Tumblr.com tumblelog and use the Tumblr bookmarklet feature to post the link with a description. In the description of the permalink, include a standard linkback to your blog’s main url. This will help your backlink count and with some online measures, your rank and authority.
3. Create other blogs on various “subtopics.” Link to your post there, sometimes through a related short article using the text: “More info on this topic at: (your blog url)”
4. Use social bookmarking. DIGG and Stumbleupon only work if other people submit. You can ask friends to on the posts you really want to get out there. But most all the rest it is “kosher” to bookmark your own posts.
5. Guestblog and link back to your article.
6. Post to AC or Blogcritics and include a relevant linkback to your article.
7. Get the free info on backlinks and blog promotion at socialmediadaily.com
8. Other ideas out there?

Getting your posts link out there so many people have access to it is key to producing value for your blog. Being “ubiquitous” is a full time job. Get ready!

Ok, now for the last frontier of this series. We’ll be looking at the letter “E” in the next couple of days. While you wait, why not pick one thing at a time and work on it. These are all equally important to gaining value for your blog.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe via -or-

Okay, so I covered the first two letters of value: “V” for visceral and “A” for aphoristic. Now the third: “L” for linkage! Link love is the #1 way to make friends and influence people (namely bloggers you link to on the web. After you’ve written your visceral post of around 200 words and given it a catchy and creative title, it is important before you press the “publish” button to add 3 deeplinks (links to other posts on your blog) and 3 linkloves (links to other blogs). This can become a standard practice and you will find it easy then. IT IS VERY CUMBERSOME AT FIRST. You need to try and automate the process however you can. It should be like brushing your teeth every morning. Just to give you some of my tips:

1. For backlinks I have a shortcut to my most popular posts page. I open it in a new tab and getting relevant backlinks that are my most popular is as easy as copy/paste. This helps with rank and authrity. It also links your best stuff for people who are interested in it. REMEMBER: The best way to include links is within the context of your writing. Just inserting them random looks like spam and worse than that, it turns off your readers. You can automatically insert links in your blog (I recommend for a 200 word post 3 backlinks and 3 linkloves) and have it enhance your content.
2. For linklove: I use WordPress. As I add new faves to my blogroll, I can go to Manage / links in the admin section an choose the “blank” window feature. Then when I want to get a link open to check out or copy, all I need to do is click. I try to consistently link to my favorite blogs and I notice they really appreciate it. ONE NOTE: Chelle reminded me that the anchor text that the url is assigned to is important to rank, so choose appropriate words. For example: I really like this guy, if guy is the anchor text, then they only get juice for the word guy. If I says: “This guy knows music!” Then you link more effectively to his site about pop culture, music, and being a D.J..

Linkage of external sites along with the 2 types listed above is the third letter in blog value. Coming up tomorrow: The mysterious “U.” Keep following these guidelines and who knows, maybe you’ll be lookin’ into those las vegas hotels

Google PR is a joke. Bad blogs get high PR all the time. Let’s discuss value and how you can get it on your blog.

It seems the trend these days to get “quick fixes” to long term issues. For example, today I saw a popup ad that said colon cleanser could solve your weight loss woes. Is it possible? Maybe. As far as blogs go, the same amazing claims are out there for traffic and PR. I even asked my wife for a $25 program for my birthday Monday that claimed to improve backlinks. Thank God she said no. It was a momentary lapse of reason.

I’ve been at the task of improving Google PR for over a year now and not much has helped. The stuff that has been worth my time doing however has been stuff that increases the VALUE of my posts and blog. This stuff increases my traffic and decreases the bounce rate: SO … having said all that, I am starting a series to discuss the things that I have found useful in bringing more value to my blog. In the end, after Google PR is a distant memory (which it will become if it doesn’t reflect value) blogs of value will remain standing. I will examine a letter from the word VALUE in each post in this series. I’d encourage you to subscribe so you don’t miss anything. Let’s start with what you can do to create more value for your blog: V.A.L.U.E. V=visceral

1. Be visceral with a target of 200 words

If you are like me, you have to look up visceral to know what it truly means. I knew it meant to be “of feeling” but check out the other definitions:
Visceral \Vis”cer*al\, a. [Cf. F. visc['e]ral, LL. visceralis.]
1. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or affecting the viscera;
splanchnic.
[1913 Webster]

2. Fig.: Having deep sensibility. [R.] –Bp. Reynolds.
[1913 Webster]

3. proceeding from emotion or instinct rather than from
intellect; deeply emotional; — as, a visceral reaction.
[PJC]

4. dealing with coarse or base emotions; — as, a visceral
literary style. –[RHUD]
[PJC] (source)

Doesn’t that say it all for a valuable blog post? Write from a place of inspiration. That will vary from writer to writer, but many things never change. There is a new site out there dedicated to talking about writing and blogging called “Wriging.” Check that one out for sure. I chose 200 words as my target because shorter that that is often considered spam by the search engines and more than that often makes me click away. Let’s face it, who has time in their bloghop to read more than 200 words. Oh and guess what else? IT’S EASY TO WRITE 200 words! Everybody likes stuff that’s easy. Sometimes longer posts are okay when they contain excellent research. Andy Beard’s Niche Marketing is an excellent example of how long posts can be okay. USUALLY however, less is more folks. This one is, many apologies, 402 words (eek I am such a hypocrite). I hope you see my point.

Write 200 visceral words is the first part of adding value to a post/blog. Next time: “I”. If you can’t wait, send me an email, I will reveal it to you privately for $25 (LOL. j/k … maybe). Derek’s price will be slightly higher.

I started webbing in about 1996 or so. I loved it then as much as I do now. I had a Geocities homepage and I joined a bunch of webrings I never really took full advantage of. Possibly that was because I had no concept of the value of backlinks. It is a lot like play if you do it right. Once you get beyond the rhetoric, it’s really about 70% game in this business anyway. I do remember back then though people would trade links and I had quite a few sites linking to my pathetic HTML mistake-ridden website.

Well, many years have passed now and I find myself seeking those precious backlinks more than I ever did then (though then I think I probably effortlessly had more). I wanted to just remind my blogging readers that there is a lot of value in including your blogroll favorites within the body of your posts. For example, I have a set of my 9 top backlink bloggers on my blogroll embedded in this post. While it is probably more ethical for the readers of the world to link them in a context that makes better sense, I put them here to make a point and show how simple it can be to do it. I save my top readers and linkers in a text file and when I sit down to blog, I make sure to link out to them. I think it’s an exciting way to get the old networking magic of 1999 back. What do you think?

I’ve read through a mountain of books and posts on how to blog and get more backlinks. A backlink is your url on another blog or website that takes a clicker back to you. These help in generating traffic and in establishing your rank on many platforms like Google or Technorati.

Some pages have hundreds of suggestions, others just a few. I’ve found that most only have a handful that are worth their salt. That brings up the first one: the WORTH of your link.

1. Make sure your blog is worth something. If I am driving down a hot freeway dying of thirst with a bunch of BAIL BONDS signs and shops, am I going to stop? Hell no. Now … BE THE A&W SIGN and watch hpw many people start linking to you. If you have further questions on this, contact me through the form at the foot of this post.
2. Post as much as you possibly can with dexterity. Post 2 or 3 times a day if you can. If the content is good and you write them well, you can never do this too much. Don’t listen to people who say you can post too much or that you should only post once a day. It’s hogwash. I’ve had some of my hugest months traffic and earnings-wise when I posted this frequently and more. I’d be happy to discuss this further with you if anyone sees it differently. Leave a comment and let’s start a dialogue.
3. Create list-posts. These cater to the short attention span yet high intelligence of the blogger who is bouncing through the web. These draw attention and more often than not get read. The post you are readintg now is a list-style post. The bread and butter of Web 2.0.
4. Comment on the blogs on your blogroll. Every day. Not always easy, but it is like taking your vitamins … you gain through this exercise.
5. Respond to comments.
6. Offer to be a guest blogger. In the future I plan to do a list-post on the ten things I have learned through being a guest blogger. This is worth tons more than just the guaranteed backlink. NOTE: I am available to guest blog on your site for free. Leave me a comment by using the contact form in this post. :)
7. Do a Q&A recurring series.
8. Do a weekly link-love post (ie; Blog Safari).
9. Mentor aspiring bloggers and be patient in answering questions.
10. Use forums and discussion boards to link to your site.

Best Sources I have Run Across:
courtneytuttle.com/2007/04/09/102-ways-to-make-you...
socialmediadaily.com
Contact me:

Your Name:

(required)

Your Email:

(required)

Subject:

(required)

Your Message:

Security Image: