I started the New Blog of the Week (NBOTW) series as a way of paying it forward.
Just as others had helped me and my blog to get found, I wanted to do the same for other bloggers; especially new bloggers who where struggling to get traffic to their blogs. Each week I showcase new and not so new bloggers, write a post about them and add their name(s) to my left sidebar.
January 22nd marked it’s one year anniversary.
In celebration, I’m doing something a little different. I’m showcasing a website and a free ebook – not a blog.
This is a website that was linked to on Twitter by Mary Anne Fisher.
Not having heard of this author, I was uncertain of the value of the ebook. However, after downloading and reading it, I have found it to be exceptional. In fact, I’m very surprised it’s being offered for free.
The name of the ebook is “PZ’s Money Makeover 2.0 – 5 Steps to Financial Well-Being in Today’s Economy”.
The author, Paul Zelizer, shares what he has learned based on over two years of research on money and his relationship with it.
In Money Makeover 2.0 he makes three assumptions. They are:
1) That there is a gap between where you are financially right now and where you would like to be.
2) That you are not sure what to do about this gap
3) That financial change is possible as long as you are moderately sane and persistent. Having a bit of courage is helpful too.
He then goes on to provide assignments (which are imperative to complete), insights and also includes a brief lesson in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).
One of my favorite quotes from the book is:
Perfectionism kills inspiration
Paul explains how reducing the idea of needing to be perfect, before we proceed with an idea, can lead us to success.
This book is Paul’s way of paying it forward. His desire is for those who read the book to pass it on to their friends and family and help reverse fear based thinking and help “people shift into a more service oriented way of being”.
Credentials: Paul Zelizer is a money coach who has been both broke and done well financially. It was through his experiences he learned the misconceptions regarding money and how to change them. The book is his contribution to help others.
To download the free book, go to PZ’s Money Makeover 2.0
Knowing many bloggers have hopes of using their blogs and/or writing talents as a stepping stone to gain financial freedom, I feel the link to this book is a great “gift” to pass onto my readers as we pursue those life long dreams.
Speaking of dreams, where do you hope your blog takes you?
Care to share?
.
P.S. Next Wednesday I’ll resume showcasing new and not so new bloggers.
Photo Credit: Theresa Thompson
Hi. I'm Barbara Swafford and I'd like to welcome you to Blogging Without A Blog. Grab a seat, share your thoughts and join in the conversation. 
Good day Class,
Today we have the honor of having Alex Fayle from Someday Syndrome as our substitute teacher (guest writer).
Alex has been analyzing the comment sections of blogs and made an amazing discovery. He’s here to share his findings.
Please take your seats.
Welcome Alex
The floor is yours.
Hello all.
Let’s start the class with a change in perceptions. Everyone trade seats with the person beside you.
Ready? Let’s begin.
You want visitors, you must comment on other blogs, right?
But what about your own blog? Do you respond to comments?
Today’s Lesson
My research finds how you respond to comments creates different types of community. If you’re not aware of your comment-response habits, then you’re not in control of the community you’re creating.
1) No Comments
This is a lecture style blog. This works for IttyBiz, but only because Naomi had already developed a following and had shown that she knew hers stuff, so people have stuck around.
This isn’t recommended for most blogs, especially new ones.
2) No Response
Readers of blogs with hundreds of post comments, like Zen Habits, aren’t looking for a conversation. The comments exist as an exit poll with people giving their impressions of each post.
Most of us, however, don’t have 50,000 subscribers or more. With smaller blogs, not responding to comments tells your readers that you’re not really interested in their thoughts.
I used to rarely respond, totally unaware of the consequences. Few people ever commented and of those who did, few commented more than a couple of times.
3) Selected Responses
With selected responses, you play a popularity game. That’s fine if you want to create a clique with exclusive readership. But if you want to grow your blog and create an inclusive environment, this is probably the worst tactic you can take.
Unfortunately many bloggers do this without thinking, which is why it’s important to pay attention to how you respond to comments.
4) Batch Responses
This is probably the most popular tactic. The blogger responds to comments with one or more comments of their own using @name to indicate who the response is directed to. It’s not true conversation but it does encourage readers to continue commenting.
I’m in Europe with most of my readers in North America, meaning that most people comment while I’m working or asleep. So, I respond to comments once a day, making sure I don’t miss anyone.
5) Ongoing Individual Responses
Responding to each comment as it comes in often creates wildly off-topic conversations, but they are usually a whole lot of fun. Maximum Customer Experience is a good example of this type of conversation.
Although I will sometimes respond in this manner, I try to avoid doing so. I’m just not good at multitasking.
6) Mixing It Up
Of course you can mix and match any of the above tactics. Be aware of your choices, however and watch what happens with the responses. Try not to alternate tactics too much. After all, people are creatures of habit and if you bounce about you’ll just end up confusing people.
Today’s Assignment:
Do you have a comment response policy? If so, which one do you use?
When you visit other blogs, do you see how the handling of comments creates a different type of community?
As a blogger, which comment response policy do you prefer?
Raise your hand and share your thoughts.
Photo Credit: “The Last Conversation” by cliff1066