Archive for » June, 2010 «

Jun

I’ve been experimenting with related posts plugins.

The related posts plugin I have been using is “Contextual Related Posts“.

However, having seen the related posts on other blogs which include thumbnails, I decided to experiment with two of those.

Today’s Lesson

The two plugins I’ve been testing automatically add related posts in a horizontal strip at the end of each post.

LinkWithin is the one I have installed on this blog (see bottom of post), as well as on my green blog, “From Waste To Resource”.

LinkWithin did not produce the same results on The Blog Boutique, so on there I installed the Related Posts Thumbnails plugin.

The Contextual Related Posts plugin also offers the thumbnail option, however the posts are listed vertically with the adjustable size thumbnail being to the left of the title.

So, why use one or more of these plugins?

Advantages of using thumbnails with related posts plugins:

Can increase page views by enticing readers to click on additional related and/or relevant posts
More choices give readers the opportunity to choose other articles to comment on
Adds more pizazz to our blogs via the use of a few more photos which break up the verbiage
Might increase subscriptions to our blogs
We can personalize the output, including the number of related posts we want to display.
Easy to install
Could increase advertising revenue if a visitor reads more than one post and is exposed to more of our ads
LinkWithin is also compatible with WordPress (self-hosted), Blogger, Typepad and “Other” (not sure what “other” means)
Support on all of these plugins appears to be strong.

Disadvantages

May decrease the load time of our pages, as do most plugins and/or widgets
Can be difficult to install for those who are not familiar with the process
If no images are found in a blog post, only an empty square will show
One or more of the plugins may not work properly if our theme does not support thumbnails

Interestingly, the posts linked to by Contextual Related Posts plugin are sometimes different than the posts linked to by LinkWithin. Although the posts may be similar, I feel the Contextual Related Posts plugin does a better job of linking to the most relevant related posts, plus it offers the greatest range of options for customization.

For now, I’ll leave both plugins activated on this blog, however, so as not to reduce my page loads times any further, I will not be using the thumbnails for the Contextual Related Posts at this time.

Today’s Assignment

If a blog displays related posts, do you click on the links?

Do you use a related posts plugin? If so, which one?

Care to share?

P.S. Although there are other related posts plugins with thumbnails, these are ones which have worked the best for me.

Category: Archives, Blogging Lessons, Increase Traffic, Plugins and Widgets 68 Comments

Jun

Who Am I To Tell You How To Blog?

Barbara Swafford

blog coaching is it worth the money A couple of years ago, I had a fellow blogger say to me, “You should be a blog coach.”

Not really knowing what a blogging coach does, I let it go.

Then again recently, another blogger told me the same.

This time I questioned it further.

Today’s Lesson

Not only is real life, but online too, we see coaches, consultants, trainers and paid “helpers” for nearly everything imaginable.

You see them. I see them.

Life coaches. Career coaches. Money coaches. Writing coaches. Business consultants. SEO and Social Media Consultants. Personal trainers. And the list goes on, and on.

Some will say their life changed due to their experience with a coach or consultant, whereas others think it’s a complete waste of time and money.

Anyway, back to blog coaching….

Because I’m not sure what a blog coach does, I question if there’s even a need for one.

Let’s face it. Anyone who has blogged for any length of time will tell you, “Blogs are individual”. “Blog from your heart”. “Make your blog a reflection of YOU.”.

And that’s what we do. We individualize our blogs.

We find a theme that suits us. We add plugins and widgets that meet our needs. Then we write from the heart and may even show pictures which reflect our thoughts at that moment.

We visit other blogs. Connect with like minded people and progress at our own pace dependent on how much time we have to blog.

We experiment with that which we read and toss out that which doesn’t work.

We blog with no obligation. Answering to no one.

So I ask, what would a blog coach even do?

Regenerate the information other bloggers are telling us?

Maybe help out with a little bit of SEO (search engine optimization)?

Hold our hand?

Give us a pat on the back for a job well done?

Be the fall guy if our blog doesn’t take off the way we expected?

Personally, even though some think I would be a good blog coach, that which I know can be found on this blog.

As I learn more, I add it.

Ask me a question, and I’ll give you my opinion. For free.

And if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, there are plenty of other blogging bloggers willingly sharing what they know.

On that note…

Today’s Assignment

Would you ever consider hiring a blogging coach?

If so, how do you think they could help you?

Out of curiosity, are you a coach or consultant or have you ever used one?

Care to share?

Category: Blogging, Blogging Lessons 69 Comments

Jun

Hey, You!

Barbara Swafford

With our business, the first contact we have with potential clients is usually over the telephone.

Most times this does not create a problem, however, when I can’t differentiate a voice being male and female, it can.

And…that has happened to me.

I ended up addressing a person “Mr. ….”, when in fact, it was a “Mrs.”.

I was embarrassed.

Today’s Lesson

Online, all we have to go on is a person’s name, and sometimes a photo.

When a blog is absent a photo of the blog author, it comes down to a name.

Add to that how some bloggers use a pseudonym, a nickname or keywords and the confusion can escalate.

The first time I encountered gender confusion was when a blogger named “Nez” (who is currently on hiatus) showed up in the comment section. I had read the blog Nez linked to and “assumed” Nez was a guy, however, Cath Lawson stated she thought Nez was a gal and I began to doubt my first “guess”. When the topic was brought up in the “Blogger Exposes Herself – Traffic Sours” post, Nez commented and admitted to being a male.

When I’m answering comments or leaving comments on other blogs, I like to know what gender the blog author is. Not that it REALLY matters, but I envision if I’m talking to a gal or guy and often construct my comments accordingly.

If I reference or link to fellow blogger, I like to be able to say, “He said..” or “She said…”.

Saying something like “Search Engine Marketing Guru From Timbuktu Two Who Can Teach You How To Make Money Online Overnight said…” sounds pretty impersonal.

Maybe it’s just me, but I have to throw this out there.

Today’s Assignment

Do you like knowing if you’re communicating with a male or female online?

Is your gender obvious?

If not, why?