Blogs and Feeds - SES London, 2011

Why you should get feeds right...... and some insight on blogging too!

Agenda

1. Making Money – Personal Blogs2. Making Money – Corporate Blogs3. Best of Blogging – 5 Tips4. Legal considerations – The ASA and Office of Fair Trading5. Feeds – The Key to Success

Making Money – Personal Blogs

1. SEO is a commodity on personal blogs. Use WordPress and you’re off to a great start.

1. Pick a short and quick URL structure2. Add plugins like: All in One SEO Pack, Broken Link Checker,

Google XML Sitemaps and you’re flying.

2. Find something you like to write about and find a way to write about it often.

Making Money – Personal Blogs

1. Go with 300x250 banners rather than 125x125. Tenancy deals are too rare.

2. Don’t add any affiliate banners to your site directly; go via OpenX or alternative.

3. Sign up to the likes of eBuzzing, Unruly Media and GoViral4. Sign up to Skimlinks (Europe) or Viglinks (US)

Making Money – Corporate Blogs

1. Avoid starting a new domain2. Link to your product pages appropriately

3. Take part in the community1. Allow comments2. Comment on other blogs but say who you represent!

Making Money – Corporate Blogs

1. Speed is a reason to have a corporate blog. Make sure you can blog quickly.

2. Buying content or copywriter time is not the same as blogging; blogging is more closely tied to community.

3. Think carefully about comments and moderation – always go with post-moderation.1. Disqus or Intense Debate or Echo2. Facebook

Best of Blogging – Tip #1: Schedule Posts

Best of Blogging – Tip #2: Small Communities

http://bit.ly/empireses

Best of Blogging – Tip #3: Maybe Twitter IS Broadcast

Best of Blogging – Tip #4: Go Mobile

1. Native to blogger.com (just add ?m=1 to URL to preview)

2. WordPress can use WPTouch (https://www.bravenewcode.com/store/plugins/wptouch-pro/ )

Best of Blogging – Tip #5: Names

Legal Stuff: ASA & OFT

1. In March the Advertising Standards Authority expands its remit to regulate websites.

2. The Office of Fair Trading already takes action3. What’s likely to happen in March? A host more complaints.

Social Media: ASA & OFT

Key to Success: Feeds

Key to Success: Feeds

Key to Success: Feeds

$315,000,000

Use Google Reader

Use Yahoo Pipes

Twitter for SMS Alerts

Feeding Facebook

Flickr Credits

1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/haundreis/2698910702/2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27369469@N08/2661018158/3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tojosan/3003496311/ 4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoyvinmayvin/4658670973/

Thank You!

1. My blog: http://blog.arhg.net2. My Twitter: @AndrewGirdwood