Thanks for the link by the way. I read the mention of my name but I hadn’t realised you’d linked to my blog. Sorry.

Cath Lawsons last blog post..Dirty Little Secrets 3 - The Rule

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I don’t outsource my blog but I’m definitely up to guest posts - which reminds me I need to contact a guy who wants to swap like you and Catherine did. I think this can be a great idea not only because of networking, but because it also gives my readers new content from another’s thought process and experiences.

I think the only circumstance I can see where you might outsource your blog writing and then stamp your name on the “posted by” note would be if you’re posting statistics or some feature about a product or service. In other words, a blog post that isn’t real personable.

John Hoffs last blog post..Fear Can Ruin Your Business From Within

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I hired someone to create a banner for me, but I couldn’t outsource the writing. If I subscribe to a blog, it’s because of the blogger, not so much the topic. So when I see a guest post, there’s a good chance I’ll just skip past it. I guess I can’t say I’ll never run a guest post, but I hope I’ll never have to.

Hunter Nuttalls last blog post..More Bang For The Buck: High ROI Opportunities

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I do outsource the mechanics of the blog - design, behind the scenes etc. I like the writing and comment editing bits. And driving clients and prospects to the site.

Not the SEO, plug-ins, and structural design.

I’d consider guest posts, but like others would have to make it clear. I may even have the odd article written on a paid basis on a topic that was of use to our clients, but I wasn’t the expert or it was inappropriate for me to write it (if that makes sense).

I feel outsourcing is perfectly fine. But you have to be careful not to lose any personality that you have developed. If the blog and audience has been built on “YOU” then you can’t outsource it overnight - you’d have to gradually phase it in - probably over many months.

And even then, you’d still have to have a presence.

I think it’s different with a business-to-business blog with an audience of mainly clients. Particularly if the visit it for the intellectual content of the information and how it can help their business.

If I introduced a guest writer or guest post on a topic that could save them money or increase their income using IT, then I don’t they’d care if I wrote it or not. As long as the information was facutally correct.

Ian Dennys last blog post..Turn Your Paper Electronic - Creating PDFs From Word, Excel Or Anything Really

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Hi John,

With all of the great subjects you touch on in your blog, guest posts would be a goof fit. It’s always nice to hear another person’s view point on a subject. I think it helps readers to be more informed.

BTW: I like you avatar.

Hi Mark,

I know you’ve done interviews with other artists, so it would be interesting to read a post from one as well.

Hi Hunter,

Isn’t it amazing how we do get attached to the author? Some days they could write “a not so good post”, and we still follow them because they gained our loyalty.

Hi Natural,

There are some aspects of blogging that get confusing, especially if you’re technologically challenged, like me, so asking for help is a great way to get past the hurdle.

Grab yourself another “A”

Hi Ian,

I agree, a (personal) blog does develop a personality all it’s own, and if that gets lost, a decline in readership is inevitable.

Business blogs like yours are a little different. You have posts that are great lessons, and like you said, they could be written by others without sacrificing your “fans”.

Hi J2R,

Funny, I was waiting to see if anyone would bring up the subject of what outsourcing really is. I’m finding the term is being used quite loosely.

I appreciate your applause, however, I don’t feel I’ve mastered all aspects of blogging. For me, it’s like “continuing education”.

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Hi David,

Blogging is a “gift economy”, isn’t it? As a community grows, we all learn new and intersting things.

Changing the theme to match you and the personality of your blog is always an exciting endeavor. I’ll be watching for it.

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Ah ha, I have another student like Natural, who answers all of the questions. Grab yourself an “A” Jennifer.

How fortunate you are to have a husband who can not only help you with the back end stuff, but will also become a guest writer. That’s exciting. I’m looking forward to reading his posts. You’ll be the first husband and wife team (bloggers) that I’m aware of.

Some blogs do use tons of guest writers, and seem to do fairly well. It gives their readers a variety, and often that’s what visitors are looking for.

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@Barbara - thanks for the compliment on my avatar. I’m still having a problem getting them to work on my site. I think maybe I have another plugin mess’n with it or my template simply doesn’t like them.

As far as I understand, you just simply activate the plugin and in the settings tell it to show gravatars, right?

@Hunter - Copyblogger is a perfect example of guest bloggers. Anymore I think there are more guest bloggers than Brain’s articles. Does this make you not visit Copyblogger or do you never go there anyway?

Just curious

John Hoffs last blog post..Fear Can Ruin Your Business From Within

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Hi John,

If you use WordPress, just go “options”. I set the size of the avatar to 80 and the rating to “G”. Then hit update. Email me if you’re still having a problem.

Hi Debbie,

Yes, reading and commenting does take a lot of time, especially if you want to read a lot of blog posts and leave meaningful comments. Sometimes I do leave short comments just to let others know I read their post. Other times, I get interrupted with work or life, and don’t have time to leave a comment…but then I will go back a day or two later and have my say.

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Hi Catherine!

I just want to give you some information about Outsourcing and SEO.

Outsourcing is so efficient that you don’t even have to do a thing but advertise and market your product. Even product development and research can be outsourced. If you understand how to take advantage of outsourcing and where to pinpoint creditable, quality individuals or services that offer cheap outsourcing you can grow quite a business model through outsourcing.

While, Search engine optimization is the course of creating a Web site for the search engine rankings that the traffic to your site. SEO is a continuous process, starting with the first optimization of the website, monthly maintenance of the site, the regular evaluation of the search results and the adjustments to the site.

I hope this can help you.

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