Blogussion » Community Creation

The Power of Commenting

NathanBelynah — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:43:51 +0000

By Nathan Belynah

Congratulations you’ve got your blog up and running and you’re writing good content that isn’t sloppy. Now, you have a connection with your readers through Twitter and other forms of social media, yet you just aren’t getting enough traffic or want more?

Commenting is a sure fire method to attract readers and to prove that your quality content is worth reading. This is essentially a marketing technique that I’ve personally found helpful in promoting myself without spamming and harassing people.

Finding your Readers: What’s your niche?

Google some blogs that are in your niche because your potential readers are those that read blogs in your same field. For example, there’s no reason going to a blog about ‘sports’ when you’re looking for readers that are interested in ‘how to blog’. You will find very little success this way (though not saying it’s impossible). Google ‘how to blog’ (our example) and you will find a plethora of blogs dedicated or associated with blogging.

Writing quality comments

From there, make worthwhile comments that attracts the readers and bloggers attention when skimming through. What I mean is that, the majority of your readers will be people skimming the comments section because of a lack of time or especially when there’s a lot of comments Remember to be polite and courteous; comment and praise the writers work and try to engage in conversations (threads) that are already happening (if any). Saying, “Nice article”, “good work”, “thanks, good read” or the like won’t get you anywhere. Those things are said to-much, and are far too common and will be passed over for more interesting and worthwhile comments What I’m saying is to be unique, fresh and different. Try to make the fellow viewers and the blogger think.

Don’t be sly

I know that after reading through this, some will try to be sly and write comments that ‘secretly’ attempt to attract readers to your blog, but seriously please don’t. People aren’t dumb and will notice that you are being cheesy by putting links in your comments. You want them to click on your name, not whatever link that’s in the comment.

Don’t put your site’s name as your name

I see this a number of times, and quite frankly, that puts me off. When you use your website name instead of your own name, it seems very impersonal, and it becomes difficult to make a connection, much less earn yourself respect or credibility. So use your own name, keep it personal or you may even use a nickname as, that would be perfectly acceptable too.

The round-up

Following these four key areas ensures greater success in the marketing of your blog People will notice and respect you for it.

How have these tips helped you? Let me know in the comments and contact me here: www.yourthirdspace.com

Nathan Belynah

Hi. I’m Nathan – Co-Founder and blogger of Yourthirdspace. I blog about Quotes, Life, Photoshop Tutorials, Health, Web, and Tech. This is my passion. I love to share what I know and benefit others whilst at it – As that’s the purpose of this article. I’m a designer with coding knowledge and enjoy the fine arts (music to theatrical). Would be glad to hear from you.

Behind the Snowball Effect for Success

Derek Jensen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 07:53:31 +0000

The infamous snowball effect should be rolling behind you to ensure success right now and in the future. In order for this snowball to be successful for you it should have a well built foundation and key people along for the ride.

I certainly wish I was told this sooner! Special thanks to Corbett Barr for inspiring me to do this post for all of us.

Why the heck do I wish I was told this sooner?! Now, I’ve been trying out the online world ever since 2008. Now, since then I certainly have not been just focusing or trying a few things out. I started out on the Blogger platform. Yeah it was crazy. Haha.

I want and need to tell you a short personal story. Think about your own while reading mine.

I was inspired by Mashable to cover multiple topics all relating to a desired mission or focus. People would come to the site and be satisfied because really everything was there. Then, a connected community would be established and hopefully active. I’ve always wanted to help as many people as possible because I feel I do have that special gift. So, I tried a site that where I would try to provide as much information as possible.

This lasted one summer. Then after reading a few posts by Darren Rowse from ProBlogger, I realized it would be better to start out in a niche and then grow either horizontal or vertical from there. During this time I was majoring in Community Planning for cities so I started a blog related to that. The community was really building but I then personally lost my interest in the field so I had to say goodbye. Then I thought, since I’m in college why not start a college tips blog where I strive to attract current and aspiring college students. This worked and was in operation for a good time.

Then, I met a few guys that are good friends of mine today. They told me how crazy my mind was at coming up with ideas with good constructive criticism for them. This got me thinking and so I dropped the college tips blog. Many other things were started between then and now where I was trying to find my “groove or angle”.

At last I finally figured out where my spot would be in the online world. But 2 years later, I went through many different types of communities. What helped me though? Staying connected with the same people through these adventures and just becoming their friend. I could continue but the point is is I wished I knew more about the importance of always creating a snowball.

Build the Foundation

Everything great and long-lasting has a well-built foundation.

Yes, I could have just picked the one thing that I truly wanted to do online, but I honestly didn’t know what my passion was nor did I know how it would relate to the online world. But, I do wish I would have at least started a personal blog and build my personal brand. Why?

I would be able to attract people by listening and keeping up with my current and ongoing story. They would be on the journey with me. Hmm I just thought of another idea. This is why a personal brand is so important for me and I do most of that building via Twitter and Facebook.

But, we need to build a foundation whatever that may be. If you plan on being successful you need to have something that people can build on to you. This could be your very passionate blog or a personal blog to showcase your journey, etc. Just build something for people to connect with you.

Connect with the General Key People

Think of these general key people as those who would rally the troops for you and be in support of whatever you do as long as you kept in a good relationship with them. Also think of these people as your “weak ties“.

Like with everything you have to decide and in this case you have to decide whether forming a network of “weak ties” is what you want. Believe it or not I know many bloggers or people on the web that continue to do great things because they have formed this kind of network. You might notice whenever someone endorses or promotes a product on their blog, more than likely that person is apart of that person’s “inner circle“.

Everything, if you want it to be done right in your personal way, takes time and effort but many people still don’t get this.

Think about your true friendships. They just didn’t happen overnight and there is no such thing as an overnight success. It’s about time and using the time to your personal fullest with as much effort as possible.

The importance is to have some key people (this number is really up to you) that will at least be along for your journey, especially if you decide to go into and strive to create so many distinct communities.

Have Another Idea?

Heck I just had another one while writing this post! Why do I ask this question?

Many of us will build something but think of another idea and just leave what we had behind. Why not bring those people that where in that community with you? Bring them to your personal brand or ask to see if some of them will join this next idea of yours.

The key is to not just toss everything away when you go another direction. If you decide to, the time you spent building will go to waste and your success will be delayed. Trust me, because mine was.

Photo by arcticbear.

Obtain A Beneficial & Continual Focus with Your Competition

Derek Jensen — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:00:24 +0000

During the creation and expansion process of our blog we tend to focus on what our competition is doing or not doing. When it comes to creating a blog you have a set mission or vision that fits your inner thoughts and voice. Instead of solely focusing on your competition, focus on and compare with their talents, skills, and perspectives.

When you think of the content that is present on Blogussion what other blogs do you think of? This is what Alex and I have been thinking about when working on the redesign for all of you.

When looking at the competition of blogs about topics related to the practice of what bloggers do the obvious few competitors are ProBlogger, CopyBlogger, Daily Blog Tips, How to Make My Blog, and Blogging Tips.

I’ll be focusing on what we truly need to look at when it comes to our competition. We can compete with or against them by doing something better or just making slight changes. Instead, let’s just look at the overall feel and movement our competition is going or has been going. As I said before, “focus on and compare with their [competitors] talents, skills, and perspectives.

To do this we will analyze our own blog, then the competitors, and bring it back to our blog for improvement and a better overall continued focus.

I’ll be using Blogussion as a case study, but please think about your blog of course.

Find the True Differences

When looking at your competition begin to find the true differences. These true differences are not just your voice and unique community but deeper. Why is your voice (content) and community unique?

Asking and Reading What Others Think

Surfing the web I found the following words on Blogussion:

Blogussion is run by 16 year old Alex Fraiser and his blog serves differently to most “make money online blogs”. He offers great how to advise to customise and improve your blog as well as offering a great insight into how other blogs make it big. -Michael Dunlop
I’ve always been a huge fan of blogs, namely up and coming stars. Blogussion caught my eye a few months ago, and I’ve been following their articles ever since. Jam-packed with blogging and internet traffic-related SEO articles, Blogussion is one of the top blogging resources on the web today.- Jake Rocheleau
For a beginning blogger trying to figure out where to start, there is probably no better blog to read than Blogussion. -Blake Waddill
I strongly suggest that you go and have a look because it really is great and gives loads of fantastic tips on blogging.-Genevieve

Additionally, you should ask your readers via Twitter or Facebook what they think of your blog’s content and overall feel.

Taking a Quick Glance at Your Competition

Now that we know what others think about us and why we stand out we can look more into why our competitors are standing out.

The following thoughts are of Michael Dunlop and will be used to get a general sense of the difference Blogussion has from competitors mentioned at the beginning of this article.

Problogger: Problogger offers all the advice new bloggers will need to improve their newly created blog. With subjects covering almost everything anyone would ever need to know about, there is little reason to use Google to find it.
CopyBlogger: Copyblogger offers some great tips, tricks and advise on how to write better blog posts, create better blog copy and all in all, a better blog. A definite recommendation for the more advanced blogger taking it up a notch.
How to Make My Blog: They teach everything you need to know about starting your own blog (if my eCourse wasn’t enough) – a great resource for anyone wanting to set up, customize and launch there blog.
Daily Blog Tips: Daily blog tips to creating a better blog, covering all the new blogging guidelines, updates and tricks as they come out.

Doing a Compare, Not to Just Contrast Yourself

What does that mean? Compare your blog with the competing blogs with the intent on not just being different or better than them.

Reflecting on Your About Page

Know that we know what readers and other views think about our blog and our competitors’ blogs we can see if that matches up with the about pages when looking at the story and/or overall mission. This is usually when we have to make improvements to our blog to either make it more known to the readers what your blog is truly about or to improve your content, design, and community interaction.

First look at the chunk of your about page that would strive to sell you blog over your competition.

This is what is currently written in our about page:

We are a blog about blogging that provides outstanding tips for excelling your blog in a variety of topics. Whether or not you are someone who earns an income from blogging, or someone who wishes they were – we will teach you how to create a blog that truly stands out from the crowd.

Established on the turn of the New Year of 2009, Blogussion has proven to be one of the top blogs in the whole “blogging tips” niche. With a consistently updated blog, a rapidly expanding community and much will to continue on and expand – Blogussion is a blog that should be in any bloggers feed reader.

After looking at your about page and what people say about your blog you can start to compare with your competition. Remember we are not comparing to just contrast ourselves. We are trying to establish the better thought of what to focus on when it comes to our blogs and our competition.

Also think about visiting your competitors’ about pages and see how their message is either working or suffering. Also consider looking at these about pages.

Adjust & Improve to Compete Better

Yes we can all have different stories, prove to be better than our competitors, or establish different overall missions. What we need to do on a constant basis and will be more beneficial to our blogs in both the short and long run.

Focus on continually matching with your reader’s thoughts and growing those same thoughts.
If your reader’s thoughts are missing your true importance or distinction this is your fault. You cannot benefit from your community helping you out against your competition if they are misguided.
Don’t just make changes to be different. Make the changes that you want to make that go in favor of your strengths and your passion.

The Beneficial & Continual Focus

Don’t compare and contrast with your competition to be better

Building our blogs is put on our own time schedule. This usually correlates with the purpose of your blog and how bad you really want it.

I’m focusing on the bloggers that want it really bad and want to really stand out from the crowd in their niche and their competition. To do this you need to obtain that beneficial and continual focus with your competition.

In this article we looked at the importance of the relationship between your readers and the mission you are actively pursuing which is shown through your community interaction, content, and design. This relationship is the focus we need to have and observe how our own personal talents and skills will strengthen our blog’s mission and community to compete.

Our competition did not just create their blog to compete or be different. They created because they knew what they were good at and just strived to only get better. If I were you I would give this focus a shot otherwise you could be running into a passive failure. But, you are not alone we all make mistakes. Having a better focus always helps though.

Photo by Adrian Boliston

Internet Broadcasting is the Next Big Wave

Derek Jensen — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:00:13 +0000

Also known as podcasting, internet broadcasting is much bigger than the term “podcasting”. Certainly, many of the blogs are adding their very own show. People are becoming more willing to listen or watch what you have to say than just reading. We all want to be entertained more and have a stronger connection. Why am I saying it’s the next big wave?

When I say “internet broadcasting” I’m referring to broadcasting a message out into the interwebs and many other platforms such as iTunes and on mobile devices. It will also been in either audio or video form or both.

An Internet Broadcasting Network

People who know me and what I listen to for podcasts and such will say that I’m obsessed with 5by5.tv. In a recent post by Pat Flynn where he identified 4 podcasts that we should be listening to, I pointed out the quality content coming from the 5by5 Studios. I truly did stumble upon this internet broadcasting network founded by Dan Benjamin and have not been disappointed yet.

The Impact Received

Within just a year the network has gained a strong reputation and many proud sponsors. The numbers kept growing but there were around 300,000 downloads during a given week. Just to show it takes good reputation, quality content, and the right people to contact his most recent show called “Back to Work” with Merlin Mann was downloaded more than 50,000 times in less than 24 hours.

Makes Sense Right Now

Surely, 5by5 Studios are not the only internet broadcasting networks out there. Leo Laporte and the Twit Network have always been popular along with BlogCast FM for their astounding interviews. Even Nathan Hangen has seen success with his Bluerize network.

It’s just that more and more people are exploring the podcasting realm and wanting to add to the internet broadcasting being done. It’s good competition and so many blogs are adding their versions of internet broadcasting, internet radio, or podcast show. Blogussion even has something in the works.

Why are we and so many others looking in this direction?

It’s not really new but it’s being adapted better.
Our society is more mobile than ever and listening to something of great content is better absorbed than actually trying to find the time to read it. Or if it is a video being done we will actually want to watch it because their is something weird that attracts humans to screens of entertainment.

Not everyone will start a broadcast or podcast show. Heck don’t start one just to start one. Do one because you want to and either can do it or want to better some skills.

Emotional Connection

Whether you are listening or watching the broadcast you take in a stronger emotional connection than if what was being said was just written down.

That’s not to say that written posts cannot be compelling and full of voice and character. For instance a prime example of a well-written post that offers emotional connection is from Mars Dorian.

But being honest, internet broadcasting is much more powerful in truly telling the emotion of what is being said. Also the emotional connection seems more personal as if you were sitting down with them in the same room. People live off being entertained and having an emotional connection with something or someone.

Community Expansion

We all want to build a strong community. We know that a community helps you as a content creator, makes you feel good, and can turn into your customers.

By doing internet broadcasting you can expand your existing to new levels through the power of iTunes, live broadcasts, and YouTube. In particular, iTunes and YouTube have strong communities that organically will find your broadcast. In the case of 5by5.tv there was no initial community.

So all of it was expansion but it comes down to just doing an episode or show, getting it out there, and continuously doing just that. If it’s good the community response and attendance will work in your favor.

The Format Potential

The potential in internet broadcasting lies in the format itself. As I said before, the communities in iTunes and YouTube are huge! And whether you decide to offer a live stream for people, live streaming has been another thing many more people have been trying.

Sure it is more difficult to setup and run than writing and submitting a post and there is really no SEO enabled. But, what is enabled is a much higher potential for a healthier and true community.

Then when thinking about making money, sponsorships can be put into the broadcast, people can subscribe to view the entire episode, or they can just be produced and formed into actual products for people to buy.

To start podcasting (using audio only) I highly recommend what Pat Flynn has to say. You’ll have to scroll and find “Step by Step – How Do I Podcast”.

Support the Blog OR Dedicated Broadcast Network

Now do you have the internet broadcasting support your existing or any new blog? Or do you start a dedicated broadcast network?

5by5.tv and BlogcastFM would be dedicated broadcast networks and the podcasts featured on the Smart Passive Income blog and CopyBlogger would be broadcasts supporting the blog.

Support the Blog

You are adding internet broadcasting or podcasting to your blog to expand your community but this form of content surely won’t be the only kind of content found. Thinking about this? Support the blog but remember to have the podcast just be another format to the content you’re already providing (not something totally different unless your community will know).

Dedicated Broadcast Network

You really want to better your skills in internet broadcasting, giving it a try, or have always wanted to do internet broadcasting covering many different topics. This is certainly when you want to create a dedicated broadcast network. Like everything you need to establish a feel and mission to your listeners and/or viewers of why they should visit your network but the content could be anything really.

For the Sake of Testing

Internet broadcasting or podcasting is certainly on the increase in use because of the power of the web and social media but its not for everyone to adapt to. I know this, but if you’ve ever thought about wanting to do it give it a try!

For me, ever since watching and listening to Dan Benjamin and others on 5by5 I wanted to put my voice in front of a mic and entertain people. Just like with so many other things today, anyone can do it.

While writing this post I ran into a video about a tour of a podcast studio by Justin Lukasavige. Thought you would enjoy it.

Whether you call it internet broadcasting or podcasting do you see it “booming” or have you given thought to trying it out?

Photo by zteamie

Go Big Like a Successful Entrepreneur by Rocking Out with An Initial Community

Derek Jensen — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 04:00:35 +0000

To have a successful blog, grow it in an effective manner, and see profits or great attention we have to rock out in the small parts. Success is very subjective but the true success relies in on how others see you and what you are doing. We see some of the top 50 most influential bloggers having continued success. They certainly haven’t reached this big and influential stage overnight. They have rocked out in all the small areas to get their rocking initial community.

Today we focus on everything small in order to truly go big.

Excellence is in the details. Give attention to the details and excellence will come. -Perry Paxton

I’ve truly struggled with this thought because I just want to go big!

Well, you are not going to get anywhere unless you focus on everything small (more than just simply looking at things like your content and your community). I always ask myself this one question: why do I want to rock out at this particular thing? The answer is typically because I see myself making a true impact on something that is not being done right, correctly, or just not happening.

These reasons are usually the ones that we have in wanting to start something new. But, we need to focus!

Start with Your Overall USP

Your USP or Unique Selling Proposition is what makes you truly stand out from the crowd and have people coming to you rather than anyone else.

Listen to your own voice and look at it from an outside perspective
Why should people come to you for help, advice, or entertainment?
Relate back to your initial mission. Let them be aware of your mission in many ways

Rob Rammuny from Robswebtips believes strongly in having a strong USP and from my many failures on the web since 2008 I truly failed because I never really created or focused on my USP. I just wanted to go big. Your USP is just one of many details that you need to have established in order to go big.

Just read what many of these top entrepreneurs wished that would have done here.

Build One Dream

I have a dream. No I’m not Martin Luther King Jr. but I am a geek and blogger that has a dream for creating a network of sites. You’ve got to start somewhere with your USP so I’ve put 110% of my voice and passion into UniqueBlog.net.

Yes, its just one blog and it’s not even my personal blog, where I just tend to write random ideas or thoughts on things. What’s important is that you focus on one dream. As of right now I have three major dreams:

Be in a relationship with someone special and grow that each and everyday we are together
Help people understand the aspects of web to embrace for the next culture
Consult and help people truly brand themselves

The Decision

I’ve decided to focus on dream number two. Now, that I’ve made my decision I can start rocking out in everything that is small because I’m focused. I know my USP. I know my dream. Now, I just need to do everything small until its “done” and have an initial community behind me.

Build Your Initial Community

Hustling at everything small is to truly build your initial community. In a couple of posts, here at Blogussion, there was a debate on whether to run one blog or run multiple blogs.

I would defiantly say to create and run multiple blogs if you have initial community. For instance, the company of Envato didn’t just make 10 successful sites at once. They were developed overtime and all were established because of one site that they truly focused on.

We need to build our initial community if we truly want to stand out from any crowd or to just rock out in anything currently or in the future.

I’m Not Big Yet. My Day is Coming Though

I’ve decided on my one dream. I’ve decided and continue to work on my unique selling proposition. Now, it’s all a matter of time to continue and create my initial community by interacting with others on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin and putting out quality content.

Yes, everything is truly a matter of time but it can be a rocking time that will push you to be big if you focus on:

Creating and selling your USP
Picking and building your one dream
Building your initial community before you proceed with anything else

Everyone has the opportunity to go big. Begin the right way and expect many failures along the way.

I really want to rock out on the web. I’m making the promise that you’ll be hearing about me next year! Your day is almost here too!

Photo by Andrew Kuznetsov

The Crucial Need for Power & Voice Through Taglines

Derek Jensen — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:57:03 +0000

Taglines have been around ever since we were creating something for others to view or buy with competition present. Then, people and businesses turned more to their marketing plan and brand personality when designing or redesigning their taglines. How does your tagline match up in this huge blogosphere? It’s crucial to let your voice be heard and “stand out from the crowd“.

“Stand out from the crowd” is a five word tagline, but says more than just those five words. Yes, not all of those words really help the mission and focus of the message to people, but they all work together to deliver one powerful voice.

Many of us treat a tagline as a way to describe our blog. We either say what our content is going to deliver or we simply just explain the name of our blog.

You want to be boring, unoriginal, and just clutter the blogosphere?

Center every aspect of your blog around your tagline

I hope not. I push for bloggers and people in general online to truly be who they are and replicate that through all of their online actions and the ultimate beginning it having a tagline that’s powerful and speaks your voice. My tagline describes my energy, desire, and push for people to be happy and be noticed online. I push myself to do the same and it shows I do just that inside my content.

Surely, there’s a secret to creating the ultimate tagline for your blog. It’s you, your message, and ultimately how you want you are your blog to be memorable.

Delivering Your Message with Power

Taglines are important. Without them we would have to write a very long blog name or there would be many blogs named, “Read My Content and Hear My Voice”. Yes, that might be extreme but the point is is that if your tagline is weak it’s almost like you have no tagline at all.

We want to make our message clear, but not too clear (obvious). Does your blog have a tagline such as:

An Entrepreneur Blog
Making Money Online
Blogging About Technology

If so, consider changing it. You’re not delivering your message with power. You are delivering the message that simply would say, “received your message” in a text message or email inbox.

Be creative and James Chartrand, in her post on CopyBlogger says to think about the benefits that anyone coming to your blog will gain. Along with being creative, clear, and powerful at the same time you need to think about your voice.

Listening to Your Own Voice

Your voice is ultimately the number one thing that makes a blogger truly and always stick out and be known. Their style of writing. Their focus. Their relationship with the content.

But, so many bloggers feel that by just them putting their name on a post or blog shows their voice. Well, this might be true if you have a community that talks about you and their chatter is essentially your voice.

Problem is that while you still might have this, there is still new community members. How are they going to truly know your mission and voice. Everyone first goes to the tagline to get a general sense and that is when they determine whether to stay or not. Surely an active and high quality community does help to attract them, but no tagline and your community then has every right and power to redefine you and your blog. Be careful!

It’s about you helping them and being yourself. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What do you truly believe in?
What is a problem you currently see and how can you make a difference?
You have hidden talents, now how are you going to make people notice them?
What’s your true devotion and desire at the end of the day?

These are just some. The point is that your tagline has to be original and you have to stand by it 101% in your content and community engagement in order for it to be powerful.

Make and Leave Your Mark

It could also be, building your true influence with people. Just look at the 30 most influential people online. Each of them have a distinct place on the web. When digging through the origin of how they got this far it would come down to their very own personal mission statement. That mission statement is a tagline.

Stick to It or Rebrand

Once you’ve taken another look at your tagline and find your content and voice to not match up, rebranding is a must. Why?

You’ve gotten people to read and join something you don’t have a strong voice in anymore
Your true supporters and community will thank you later
You will be happier and more successful!

There is never a good time to really rebrand, except the sooner the better. If this is you, get to work, and hustle!

Your tagline is your engine

If not, stick to your tagline and center all aspects of your blog around that tagline.

Want more? I offer my voice at my very own blog called UniqueBlog and since it’s launch two weeks ago its been getting nothing short of a positive response.

Please know its NOT a blog teaching you how to blog or any blogging tips. It’s merely a place, community, and resource for you to discover your hidden talent and stand out from the crowd online.

I only promote UniqueBlog, because I strongly believe it to be the next blog you should all be apart of. You can even see how I got started and why I’m writing how I write today in my personal story.

How are you transforming or practicing your current tagline today?

Photo by atomicshark

Blogussion Back in Action: Alex Returns & Other Exciting News

Alex — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:33:53 +0000

It’s been a little over a month and a half since I last sat down and wrote a blog post here, or anywhere else. It’s actually been a while since I have really been that involved in anything that has to do with blogging, as you all may have noticed.

I think the obvious answer to where I’ve been is: summer. I turned 17 years old in July, and was away for about a month and a half visiting family and friends in Florida. I was working with very limited Internet, and really just wanted to take a bit of time off to enjoy myself before school started. And of course, enjoy my summer vacation.

Not to say blogging isn’t enjoyable, I actually missed it a lot and really tried my best to get around to at least getting some work done.

But, it’s safe to say I’m back in the game 100% and ready to start getting the same content you love and have been missing lately out again. I have received emails and even some tweets asking when I’m going to start writing again, and the answer is now. Glad you guys missed me.

I also want to thank my good friend Derek Jensen from the newly owned UniqueBlog.net who has written some highly informative articles for the blog while I was away. He did an awesome job, didn’t he?

I also have a message for you guys, the readers of Blogussion:I don’t know what I did so right to build a community that still supports me even though I’ve been gone for all this time. So thanks guys, I promise to make it up to you all this year.

Some Quick News

There are just a few points I want to make before I talk about the most important stuff I have been planning. Yes, I have been brainstorming quite a bit this summer in my downtime. So, I’m not out of ideas by any means!

Modified Content Schedule

I have decided to cut down on the frequency articles published from 5 a week to 3. That’s one every other day: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I feel it makes sense considering that most of the articles published here are very heavy on information, and 5 of these type of articles seem too overwhelming.

If 3 articles a week isn’t enough, check out the From Planning to Earning newsletter, where you will receive an email every Sunday filled with great information on how to make money blogging (which is starting back up again permanently that I’m back).
Partnership with RobsWebTips

This is something new I am trying, and I have very high hopes that you will absolutely love how it turns out. I won’t get into too much detail, but Blogussion and Rob Rammuny’s RobsWebTips will be partnering up and rolling out some pretty exciting things in the upcoming weeks and months. So keep an eye out for what we pull out of sleeves.
Get Ready for Another Contest

After the crazy success of the last contest ran here, Design Versus Week, I decided I’d like to do it again. It is still in the development stages, but it will be just as entertaining and the prizes will just be mind-blowing. Stay tuned for that one.

More (Exciting) News

I really only have about 3 major expectations for this year in terms of what I want to have built onto Blogussion. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I guarantee their impacts will be great.

1. The Launch of Kolakube

I mentioned this venture of mine in a post a few months back, and things are still coming along with it. It isn’t completed, and I don’t expect this one to be out until sometime around October.

Essentially, Kolakube will be a site where I and other authors will sell their skins built exclusively on the amazing Thesis framework. There will be free and premium skins released on the site, and I promise you’ll like something you see. So much, it may even make those of you not on Thesis want to switch over.

Once this site launches, I will go into more detail on how this site launch effects you, as a reader of Blogussion. For now, I recommend you signup for infrequent email updates on the status of Kolakube.

2. A Full Blogging Forum

This is something I put a lot of thought into, and I have decided that I want to turn the Blogussion Talk Forums into a full-fledged blogging community. Right now, its only real purpose is to support the customers of the Blogussion Theme for Thesis.

I’d like it to be so much more, and I will be working hard this year to convert it into something that will be useful for everyone. As in, more than just regular discussion forum. Because, let’s face it: forums these days are kind of boring.

So I will keep you posted on this project throughout the year, and if you would like to help out with this forum feel free to contact me and I will let you in on some of the things I may need help with.

3. Periodic Design Refreshes

If you have stuck around the blog for a while, you will have learned at least two things about me:

I love to design
I love to design new things for Blogussion

So, throughout this year as new things happen, design refreshes will also be popping up. Some major, and most minor. I believe that when you start expanding your blog in the content and services you offer, you must also follow up with a design that supports these things.

I know this excites some people, as there are quite a few fans of the Blogussion design. It certainly excites me, and I can’t wait to roll out new features.

None of which I will go into quite yet, of course!

So, Did You Miss Blogussion?

I’m very happy to say that everything will be back to normal. Starting Sunday, expect the weekly newsletter to be in your inbox, and Monday: get ready for the great blog posts you missed so much.

See you guys soon.

Photo by Steve Jurvetson

3 Types of Communities All into One. Creating Your Personal Community.

Derek Jensen — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 07:02:21 +0000

How does your community resemble you and your ability? This is all about us effectivily creating a community that knows who we are and what we are about. It’s not just about creating a general community or supporters. It’s about creating your community.

Why create new communities when you change?

We can create communities centered around us, our voice, our vision, our purpose, and not necessarily just our blog. When doing something different we should not have to worry about building a completely brand new community.

If you created a community that’s centered around your presence the whole table turns.

Remember a community is when we have one person behind us. I’m going to go through the types of communities we create and why creating your personal community is beneficial.

Looking Over the Types of Communities

A Community Behind You All the Way

This is your personal community. Some may be your friends and family that always have your support in what you do, but many will be people you have personally connected with on and/or offline. These people could be apart of an alliance you have created overtime. All that matters is that these people know your core values, what you want, and your big picture of things. So, here it does not really matter what you want or build, it matters who you are.

What are ways you have created your community? For me and many others networking and helping people along the way has built me a small but very special community.

The Customer Community

Making money online is talked about all the time. One of the reasons you make money online is because you have customers. Without a customer community we would not be able to support ourselves and the other communities.

A Community from Another Community

Here is a community that supports you because you support someone else and they in return support you. If that does not make sense to you, think about it this way. Say you’ve connected with other people that already have their established community and they see that. More than likely they are going to be willing to tell you to their community. Their community then also comes to you. This is a community from another community.

We ultimately have the control over all of these communities and how they form to create our one community.

Having All These Communities

We need all of these communities to really function and can’t just have a community behind you all the way. But, what if your personal community were your customers too? Its very possible and doable. One great way is to instill some urge in your community. That urge along with you striving to stand out and be unique will be the driving force for all three communities to be one.

You define yourself. You define your community.

No urge, then you have 3 distinct communities. No uniqueness, then you have 3 distinct communities. No you, well the pattern continues. It might seem harder to form these 3 types of communities into one, but really its up to you and your community your creating.

Making Sure You Have Your Community

Now, what if you don’t have your own community.

Your own community being ones that just don’t visit your blog from other sites, more than one time customers, and people that will be with you because they believe in your vision and purpose.

If you don’t have your own community you will experience short-term rewards in all areas I’ve just mentioned. And what if you decide to do another thing or slowly go away from what you’ve been doing? Well, you’ll want a community that supports and follows YOU for if you decide to change things up or make a smart expansion most of them will join you there too.

WARNING: Don’t misuse this ability to do anything at anytime and think they will go along with you. A community only follows you because they know you.

Benefits of Having Your Personal Community

They will back you up if anyone not currently apart of your community says something wrong about you
They’ll provide you excellent and beneficial advice
You come out with something, more than likely they will support it
They’ll tell people about you in good name

No need to create new communities anymore if you be yourself

You should feel proud to have your very own community. You can even give them a very special name to show your appreciation for them.

Sure there are many types of communities that we can create, but if we create one solid community that believes in us and our purpose that’s just one step to greatness. The other steps are up to you, your passion, and you over-delivering all the time.

Do you feel you have your own community or are you in the process still? Be truthful.

Corner The Market: Become A Big Fish In A Small Pond

Andrew Henderson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:00:38 +0000

Are you drowning in a sea of bloggers who are blogging about the very same topic you are? Is your voice getting lost in the crowd? Are you tired of being non-existent among search engine results pages? If so, it's time to get with the program and start "Cornering the Market!"

Like many others out there, I thought I should blog about my passion. Which I certainly would encourage everyone to do. However, what do you do if your passion is a popular one? Are you up for the challenge of competing in a saturated market? In this post, I will explain why you may want to consider blogging about a topic somewhat "off the beaten path" in an effort to run a successful blog and perhaps even start making money.

See The Beaten Path and Avoid It

People tend to think alike

In my experience, I have found that most people tend to think alike. As a website developer, I’m often being presented with proposals for starting blogs, usually fashion, celebrity gossip, or finance. I think starting a blog is a great idea for many reasons, but my advice to these people is, "you had better be one heck of a salesman, writer, and personality." Otherwise, be ready to hustle.

Me, I’m into the development of internet culture, application websites in particular, and how people are using them. A little over a year ago, I decided I was going to start my own blog about web culture. Nearly every day I myself read several popular blogs on the subject. Clearly there is a demand! How could I go wrong?

Then it occurred to me, the internet is flooded with bloggers and teams of bloggers like TechCrunch practically shoveling first-rate content at us on a daily basis! How was I supposed to compete with that level of content flow? So much for being the Web culture guru!

Recognize The Opportunity & Do Your Research

Eight months later, a friend approached me about developing a craft beer blog. He was an avid fan of craft beer, very knowledgeable, and seemed enthusiastic about starting the venture, so I told him I would consider it. Craft beer wasn't exactly my passion, nor did I have what I felt was the required knowledge to be an authority on the subject. Nonetheless, I did some research on the beer industry and took a look around the Blogosphere to see what sites were covering craft beer.

I was pleased to discover that few beer bloggers appeared to possess the skills or resources I have as a website developer and video editor. Furthermore, it didn't seem as though they fully understood many of the aspects of blogging that we discuss here at Blogussion, things like proper internet marketing strategies.

After doing my research, I felt the niche was ripe for the taking.

As I worked on the design of our blog, I continued to study other successful bloggers and learn the tricks of the trade. I decided our site would approach craft beer from a different angle. It would be more about entertainment than information, since many blogs were already covering that area of the industry. This turned out to be a good decision.

Enjoy The Success & Build On It

In what felt like no time (half a year to be exact), our traffic is doubling from month to month, our brand is becoming widely recognized within the beer community, and we are now in the process of developing advertising relationships. Not to mention, nearly half of our traffic is Google organic!

Of course building the blog and community has been and continues to be a lot of hard work. There is still lots to do if we are to be as big as I hope we can be, but in a relatively short amount of time we were able to start building what I see as a promising community of dedicated viewers, and I believe that’s because I (along with my partner) recognized a need and sought to fill it.

Look beyond the obvious

There are so many needs out there not being met. Unfortunately, most bloggers are supplying ones that already are. My advice is to look beyond the obvious. Why attempt to grow your blog on land that is already being tilled? I’m finding running a promising blog with an active and growing community to be exciting and a lot of fun. Who wants to run a blog where no one comments? Perhaps providing a useful resource for like-minded individuals was my passion!

If you see an opportunity, but don’t possess the knowledge on a subject, find someone who does and team up. Let your job be managing the blog and promoting it. That’s plenty. Take it from me.

What do you think?

Is "Cornering the Market" a valid approach to running a blog or should we stick to our passions no matter how popular or competitive they may be?

Instill the Urge for Community Response

Derek Jensen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:53:36 +0000

What makes your established community, committed readers, or frequent visitors leave some sort of response to your blog? It’s because of our quality content, our inviting community, or that we interact with our readers. It’s not because we simply ask for their comments or thoughts. Why not? This gets our community to respond, but it’s not really an urge. Here’s how we can change this.

Please know and understand that I’m trying to allow for you (as a blogger) not to always worry about getting responses on your blog.

What “Urge” I’m Talking About

Surely we bloggers or site owners can tell people to leave a comment, their input, or participate in some discussion. We can still do this by all means, but what if we could do more by asking less?

A community response does not just have to be a comment left on the blog. Remember that

This is what I’m calling the “urge” .

If we can create some sort or type of urge within our frequent, new, or dedicated visitors/readers we’ll get this response naturally. So, I’ve thought about how I could instill some urge in my future community for my blog, instead of just always asking, “what do you think?”

Content Transparency

On our blogs we all talk about a certain topic or niche. Many if not all posts we write and publish for our readers/visitors are to help them to do what will benefit them. Well, many of these posts originate from what we have personally found out or personally believe.

Stand by your content at all times

What if we aren’t doing what we tell others? Questions arise.

Whatever we are telling or talking about in our blogs to our community we all need to be transparent within our own blog (in and out). Now, I know many things we say on our blogs are to help others and since the blogosphere is so huge and diverse they might not actually be for us as the blogger. What we do need to do as the blogger is stand by what we have said, offer reason, and insure the content we produce is of great quality to you and the community.

Remember content is king, but its not pristine with any transparency by us.

Gaining Knowledge or Thought

While having a conversation with a few different people who rarely visit blogs, I gained some useful information on why they would even leave a response on a blog.

The reasons centered around them wanting to leave a response were:

Adding their own twist because they are passionate about that certain subject
Providing a case study or story
Pointing out why they could be missing something again because they are passionate about the subject

These reasons are people that rarely visit a blog and might rarely know who the blogger actually is. Think about it. They probably did a Google Search and found your blog/article.

Building that Influence

Influence is defined as “the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others”.

We know that many bloggers are talking about the importance to have this influence for you and your community. They are right. Specifically, this importance comes down to your community having the urge to leave their response.

Think about the blogs we visit and seem to always offer our response. We might personally know them. Chances are though that we know of them. And we leave our response because we look up to them, take their content to heart, and want to show our continued support or gratitude.

If we all strive to build this influence that urges us to leave our response, this could just all have a trickle down effect. You being influential, other seeing that, your community urges to respond. The cycle goes on.

What’s Your Attraction / Drive?

I’ve highlighted how we can all instill this “urge” for community response by being:

Being transparent with our own content
Offering the purpose to gain knowledge or thought
Building your own personal influence

With all of this taken into consideration we must all know what our attraction and drive is for each of our communities.

If we don’t know this then we can’t effectively instill this urge I’ve been talking about. Yes, this will be you trying to really figure out your passion. It will also be you striving to really stand out in your niche, area of interest, and the blogosphere.

I still want you to know that none and I mean none of this can be done if your content or even design for your blog is not of great quality in your own eyes.