Showing posts with label bloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bloggers. Show all posts

Friday Speak Out!: 5 Reasons Why You Should Use Content Curation as Part of Your Blogging Strategy

Friday, July 17, 2015
by Karen Cioffi

Content curation has been around for a while, but many bloggers don’t realize the benefits it offers.

This type of marketing falls under the content marketing umbrella and it takes advantage of other writers’ content.

While linking to another site’s post, you simply add your spin on that article, or enhance it with personal experience or additional information on the topic.

As an example, I write on social media marketing. I would find a high-ranking site’s content on social media marketing and create a blog post out of it.

I’d add one or two on my own paragraphs, giving my viewpoint on the other site’s topic then I’d link to that article.

This strategy offers a broader view and understanding of a particular topic by providing your own input and that of the source content.

Now on to the five reasons you should use this blogging strategy.

5 Benefits to Content Curation that will Boost Your Blogging Efforts


1. Simply put and most importantly, it brings your readers more ‘bang’ for stopping at your site. Rather than offering a single view of a topic, or one site’s experience, you offer your reader different viewpoints - a broader information experience.

The reader will appreciate having more information to work with and this will motivate him to appreciate and trust you. That’s the beginning of a great relationship.

2. It’s a source of ideas. Find current trends, hot topics, and new information in your niche. The content is already there, you simply add your spin on it in a paragraph or two and voila, you have a new post.

3. It’s a time saver. Using tools like Google Alerts, you can quickly find relevant information to blog about. It’s ready made content you simply add to. This allows you to blog more often with less work.

4. It can support or enhance your own blog posts, adding more value. Even if you write effective and engaging articles, the reader will find it helpful if you supplement it with additional information.

5. Linking to quality sites is an effective search engine strategy. When you link to a site that ranks high with Google, you’re noticed. It can help bring more traffic to your site and help convert visitors into subscribers. And, that’s what online marketing is all about, the ‘golden’ list.

Content curation will boost your blogging efforts. Why not give it a try and add it to your existing content marketing strategies.

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Karen Cioffi is a former accountant who is now a multi-award-winning author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, editor, and author-writer online platform marketing instructor. She founded and manages Writers on the Move (a marketing group), and presents online writing and marketing workshops and webinars.

Karen has published 12 writing and marketing eBooks, the most recent, Article Marketing: Increase Website Traffic with Properly Formatted and Search Engine Optimized Content.

Join Karen Cioffi's upcoming online class, Become an SEO Writer in Just 4 Weeks, which starts on Monday, August 3, 2015.

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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The Benefits of Creating a Group Blog

Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Some of the Lit Ladies at a retreat
You are currently reading a group blog--did you know that? Basically, it's a blog that a group of writers post on, instead of just one blogger who might every once in a while have a guest blogger. Recently, my critique group started a group blog, and I am super excited about it. The six of us call ourselves "The Lit Ladies." Each of us has a pen name on the blog from Baby Boomer Lady to Busy Lady. Then there's me--Sandwich Lady.

Our names tell a little about what we'll blog about on our given day. I'm blogging about being a member of the sandwich generation. One of our members is Little Lady; she's blogging about being the youngest in our group, a senior in high school. If you want to check out our blog and see how we set it up, please do! We are currently having a contest to win Claire Cook's latest book, Time Flies.

In just the few short weeks since our blog has been live, I've realized the benefits of being a part of a group blog. Here are a few ah-ha moments I've had.

  • Other members can help you with tech problems. I had never used this version of Wordpress we are using, and I couldn't figure out how to get the cute photo with my headline on the home page. I put my problem out to the other members of my critique group (we also have a private Facebook group for discussions), and immediately they told me what I forgot to do. So, instead of spending hours on this, I had my problem solved in minutes with my fellow bloggers.
  • Your content is fresh, and it's not sucking up all your writing time. We have six bloggers! We are each blogging between two and four times a month. We are all working on finding guest bloggers or authors to interview or contests to hold. With your own blog, it's all you. If you don't blog for two weeks because your mom is in the hospital, your content is stale. With the group blog, everyone pitches in and helps keep the content fresh.
  • All bloggers have different contacts. Six bloggers means that many more people announcing posts on social media and even talking about the blog with their friends and family! We are getting new people on our blog that we might not have each known individually. This widens the audience for anything that we are trying to promote.
  • Blog costs can be split! So far, we don't have much cost. But if we do incur any, it can be split SIX WAYS instead of one person paying for everything. 
  • It creates a community. We were already close. Critique group members often are. But I feel like this blog and our Facebook group have brought us even closer. It's fun to read what each other posts and to keep track of what's going on in everyone's lives in-between critique group sessions! 
What do you think? Would you like to be a part of a group blog? Are you? If so, what's the benefit for you? 

Margo at a book signing
Margo L. Dill is the author of Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg and blogs as the Sandwich Lady on The Literary Ladies blog.  
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Is a Blogger a Journalist?

Thursday, December 15, 2011
Blogger vs Journalist.

What is the difference?

Plenty, according to the Oregon court system.

Self-identified investigative blogger Crystal Cox was sued by Obsidian Finance Group for defamation after writing multiple articles criticizing the firm's co-founder, Kevin Padrick. The blogger wove information from anonymous sources with her personal opinion and posted the articles on her Bankruptcy Corruption blog.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez concluded that the blogger is not entitled to protection under Oregon's media shield law because Cox is not "affiliated with any newspaper, magazine, periodical, book, pamphlet, news service, wire service, news or feature syndicate, broadcast station or network, or cable television system."

Judge Hernandez disagrees with Cox identifying herself as a member of the media. And, even if Cox were covered by a shield law, she would not be able to use the law as protection since the case is a civil case of defamation.

Media shield laws , which protect journalists from announcing sources or handing over documents, exist in 40 states. The federal government tried to enact a law in 2009, but the Senate and House of Reps could not come to agreement over who is covered under the term, 'media'.

While some state laws cover newer forms of media, including blogs and websites, other states have not focused on updated forms of news delivery.

This leaves online publications vulnerable.

Bottom line: even bloggers need to follow legal, solid journalism practices. Accurate reporting that represents all sides of an issue need to be presented to the reading public, not just a blog post that mentions an anonymous source and a laundry list of opinions.

Photo and post by LuAnn Schindler. Read more of LuAnn's work at her website.






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Quick Blog Post Ideas

Saturday, April 23, 2011
So, you started a blog, and at first, you took a lot of time and care to write each post. But as you soon found out, blogs can take up a huge chunk of your writing time each day or every other day, depending on how often you post. It is important to blog on a regular basis and update your material, but it's also important to work on your creative material or freelance articles.

Here are a few quick blog ideas when you don't have a lot of time, but you need a blog post for the day. (One note: blog posts should usually be between 250 to 500 words, but it's okay every once in a while to have a shorter or longer post.)

  • Start with a quote: If you are running out of inspiration, find a quote that fits the theme of your blog and post it. Then write a paragraph or two about what the quote means to you, and you are done! You can ask your readers to share a favorite quote of theirs or how they interpret the quote.  
  • Post a photo: Photos are always fun. You can use www.flickr.com to find some photos in the Creative Commons section that people allow you to use for free, if you give them the credit they deserve. You can also use your own photos. Post one, and write about it like you did the quote. OR for a fun contest to get reader comments and interaction, have a photo caption contest. Post the photo and invite your readers to leave a caption. If your blog has a theme, try to find a photo that fits the theme or ask the readers to leave theme-related captions. 
  • Ask a question: People love to share their opinions on hot topics. So, ask your readers a question, give them a little background on WHY you are asking this question, tie it to other posts on your blog, and you are done! For example, if you have a blog on elementary education, ask a question such as: "Do you believe children learn to read better if they are taught phonics?" You'll get a wide range of opinions and might even start a debate on your blog. You can't ask for a better quick post than that. 
Don't make your blog something you dread. If you are in a rut, try one of the ideas above and get yourself back on track. For tips like these and other help with your blog, consider taking my online class, Blogging 101 and More which starts Friday, April 29. To find out more information, click here or email margo@wow-womenonwriting (dot) com. Happy blogging!

post by Margo Dill (http://margodill.com/blog)
 
photo by TikTik  www.flickr.com
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A Writer's Thanksgiving List

Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thanksgiving brings thoughts of family, friends and all of the wonderful things in our lives. As writers, we make a list (and share one thing) of things that we're thankful for. We write about turkeys, the first Thanksgiving, our crazy families, etc.

But, I've never given thought to what I'm thankful for in regards to writing. So here's my list of what I'm thankful for. Feel free to add to the list and let's see how long our thanksgiving list can get.

I'm thankful for recognizing my ability to string words together so they make sense.
I'm thankful for seeing my potential as a writer.
I'm thankful for the courage to pursue my writing even when I doubted myself.
I'm thankful for my trusty pen and paper to put my thoughts in.
I'm thankful for my computer without which I wouldn't have found my online writing pals.
I'm thankful for the friendships I've made because of my writing.
I'm thankful for the creativity that I've been able to share with others through writing.
I'm thankful for the authors, bloggers, and magazine writers who've inspired and encouraged me to keep going.
I'm thankful for the communities I've found because of writing.

Next!
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Family Relationships Blog Day Prize Winners!

Friday, October 16, 2009
Thank you all for participating in Family Relationships Blog Day! I was so impressed with all of your heartfelt stories. Bloggers wrote about sisters and brothers, children and spouses, family members now departed, recipes passed down, and even pets as family. If you haven’t had a chance to read all the stories, check out this post.

We held a random drawing for all those who participated and are giving away 13 prizes in honor of the October 13th event. We printed out all the blog titles from the post, cut them into strips of paper, and shuffled them around in a bag. Congratulations to the 13 winners below!

13 Prize Winners

1 Year Subscription to Grammar Book Quizzes ($29.95 value):

Anthony – http://aspnovelist.blogspot.com/

LuAnn Schindler - http://the5thlineproject.wordpress.com

Cynthia D’Alba - http://www.cynthiadalba.blogspot.com/

Natalia Maldonado - http://www.nmaldonado.com/blog/

Gayle Trent - http://www.gayletrent.com/blog/

Note: You will receive a gift certificate via email.

1 Year Subscription to Premium-Green Writer’s Markets ($48 value):

LuAnn Morgan - http://lumorgan.blogspot.com/

Julie Bogart - http://juliebogart.com/blog/

Dianne Sagan - http://diannesagan.wordpress.com/

Kristine Meldrum Denholm - http://www.kristinemeldrumdenholm.blogspot.com/

Note: You will be invited to Premium-Green’s Google Group via email. Be sure to keep your eye on an email coming from Google Groups.

WOW! Tote Bag and Writer's T-Shirt:

Erika Robuck - http://erikarobuck.wordpress.com/

Joanne Tombrakos - http://onewomanseye.blogspot.com/

Mary Jo Campbell - http://writerinspired.wordpress.com/

Terri Molina - http://right2write.blogspot.com/

Note: Please email Angela at angela@wow-womenonwriting.com with your mailing address (no PO boxes, please). We are currently waiting on the t-shirts and tote bags to come back from the screenprinter, but you will receive them before the end of the month.

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Thank you all for participating and making this day a huge success! Although we can't give a prize to everyone, you are all winners in our book for sharing your story. Write on!
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