Archive for 'Internet'

Blogging – a must today. Is it?

What is a blog?

The word “blog” has joined the vocabulary of our everyday usage, but not everybody knows what it really means. Blog is actually short for “web log.” A blog is any website or portion of a website that posts information in a format where updates are expected, and information is archived over time.

Why is a blog important today?

Blogs are important today because they keep people coming back to a website. A blog is not necessarily important for every type of website, but in many cases a blog can be extraordinarily helpful. If a website relies entirely on selling products or services, then a blog may not necessarily be helpful. If, on the other hand, a site is expected to make at least some of its income by providing information, a blog is likely a helpful tool. Blogs are also useful in order to have repeat traffic. If a site is not updated periodically, most of the people who visit the site will only visit it once. If the site is continually updated with information, however, it will keep visitors coming back to see what is new with the site. For this reason, blogs can be extraordinarily useful for self-promotion.

Blogs can be personal or for business

It is important to realize that blogs are not necessarily the low quality, diary-like archives that they are sometimes portrayed as. Not all blogs on the internet will necessarily be referred to as blogs by their repeat customers. They may consider them news sources or magazines, even if they use the same software as a blog. It is certainly true that an angst filled teenager can use a blogging software to vent to the world about their day to day problems. It is also true that an entrepreneur can provide updates about their product line or that a reporter can provide news using blogging
software.

How can you benefit from blogging?

Blogging increases your web presence. This is not something that occurs entirely on its own. You can””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””t start a blog and fill it with meaningless strings of data and expect this to increase your web presence. But if you provide interesting information that people find entertaining or useful, and you do so on a regular basis, then people will come to trust your site. This means that people who have visited your site will come back for more. It also means that people will link to your site, which increases your likelihood of being discovered in the search engines.

What are the available platforms today?

Blogging platforms are software that is used in order to set up and maintain a blog on your website. They automate the process so that it can be done easily. This is because the process of updating a website is normally very difficult and requires a keen understanding of programming language. Out of the top hundred blogs on the internet, the most commonly used blogging platforms are WordPress, Typepad, Blogsmith, Movable Type, and Gawker.

Which blogging platform should you use?

The most widely used blogging platform is WordPress. There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, of the five blogging platforms mentioned above, only two are available for self-hosting: WordPress and Movable Type. This means that if you want to run a site with your own personal web site address, you need to use WordPress or Movable Type. Typepad and Blogsmith are blogging services, meaning that your blog would be displayed on their site, not your own. Gawker is a private network, meaning that the platform is not available for use outside of their company. WordPress is used more often than Movable Type because more people have created customized versions of the WordPress software, giving its users more functionality. So hosting provider are now providing one click install wordpress hosting services.

What are some WordPress hosting providers?

There are a number of hosting services available which you can use to set up a website. Hosting providers which allow you to easily set up a WordPress blog are a great choice if you want to set up a website that can be easily updated at a moment”s notice with the latest news that you have to offer. Some of the options available are justhost.com, iPage, myhosting.com, inmotion, and DreamHost.

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Google Search Insights Tool

Google has done it again when it comes to free search analytics tools with Insights. You can perform keyword research tool by region, download reports by excel and best yet, it”s free and open. Your business can only grow if people can find you and Google is still the number one search engine, so make yourself found! After you've tried this service, please give us your review of Insights.

http://www.google.com/insights/search/

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The Web is Dead?

In the most recent edition of Wired Magazine, their headline reads, “The Web is Dead”. The tech magazine is implying that less people are clicking from page to page and more people are accessing the web from mobile devices. The “web” in this case is classified as the act of page surfing while the Internet is defined as the space the information lives. Instead of using a browser, now you use an App. Instead of reading online syndicated news, you are accessing the New York Times e-subscription. The web is dead and the net lives.

After reading this article, I wonder what will become the fate of websites? Is your website going to become one big disclaimer and privacy policy, while your app becomes the number one source of online traffic?

Read the full story
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/all/1

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Take Charge

Check out Cox”s Internet safety tips and tools. The site is geared toward getting children to take charge of their online usage. However Cox also created a special section to protect the privacy of seniors. Watch a special message from America”s Most Wanted”s John Walsh.

http://cox.com/takecharge/

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Mahalo Answers

Looking for a fun and easy way to share knowledge? Mahalo Answers allows for you to ask questions and allows for users to answer them. Search their database or drill down through their categories. If you are familiar with Yahoo Answers, then you will get a bang out of Mahalo Answers.

http://www.mahalo.com/answers

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Intillegence Group – Trends on Social Culture

The website says, “The Intelligence Group is a business investigations and intelligence firm serving corporations, technology companies and their counsel. We help protect the bottom line and reputations of our clients by providing them with the knowledge they need to make sound, informed decisions in today”s increasingly fast-paced, competitive business environment.” Not only can you hire this group for your corporate, they also produce many interesting articles on trends of social culture and cyber security.

http://www.intell-group.com/

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Top Gear

Car enthusiasts if you”ve never seen Top Gear, then put on the brakes and cruise over to this website. What is Top Gear? A TV Show dedicated to cars and those who love to drive cars. The website features videos and blogs from hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. It also features behind-the-scenes info from the show and car reviews for every new car on sale. I especially enjoy all the tech talk when it comes to on-board communications and dashboard improvements.

http://www.topgear.com

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Tom's Planner is Gantt Charts

Tom's Planner allows anyone to create, collaborate and share Gantt Charts online. It'”s extremely intuitive and easy-to-use and gives control back to the project manager. With drag and drop ability, the seamless online tool gives direction to any project. Right now Tom's Planner is still in its initial release so you can use it for free. I was able to create a few Gantt Chart's in a matter of minutes and they really helped communicate the status of a project. Try it today and tell us what you think!

http://www.tomsplanner.com/

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MTV TJ

MTV is just hired their first Twitter Jockey (TJ). Gabi Gregg is is 23-year-old founder of a fashion blog called Young, Fat and Fabulous; she was selected by viewers across the U.S. to Tweet on MTV's behalf.

In my opinion, this marks a huge step in the world of taking social media as a viable source of communication. Back in 2000, I became one of the first Internet Jocks (IJs) at ClevelandHits.com and it signified to me that the Internet was now a viable source of communication. Twitter has been slowly rising from the shadows of Facebook as the social media communication of choice because it's just more public.

What do you think of the recent MTV TJ revolution?

http://tj.mtv.com/

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Top 10 Social Media Blogs 2010

Recently, The Social Media Examiner debuted as a free online magazine dedicated solely to social media. As part of their first edition, the social media magazine broke down the top 10 social media blogs of 2010.

  1. Chris Brogan
  2. Social Media Explorer
  3. Mashable
  4. Convince & Convert
  5. Altitude
  6. CopyBlogger
  7. Brand Builder
  8. Diva Marketing
  9. Kikolani
  10. Future Buzz

Did your favorite make it?

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/top-10-social-media-blogs-of-2010/

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