WebRev Blog

As a local business, your readers are most likely to find your website when they Google you to get directions, find out more about the products and services you offer, and see if you have any "specials," that would apply to what they're needing that day.

If they manage to do this (preferably on their mobile devices), you're doing a good job with "SEO," which is "search engine optimization." Now, what you want to work on is reader retention - getting those readers to keep coming back.

They will keep coming back if you give them a reason to add you to their feeds, either in a feed reader or on one of the social networks like Facebook or Twitter (note that if you post your entire articles to the feeds, it is likely your readers will seldom actually click through to your blog, so you'll want to pay attention to the stats for those feeds and include them in your reader retention numbers).

With all of the other websites out there, what makes people want to include YOUR blog or website in their daily reads? Simply put, you need to pack your website with something of value to that reader.  Here are some common features that will make readers think, "Oh, I want to make sure I get the updates on this site!"

1) Humor.  Think of the site "ICanHasCheezburger."  According to conventional means, this isn't even a "good" website.  It has a stupid, hard to type name and URL. The design is...it actually doesn't even have a design.  The content is a mess - mostly user generated.  But they're one of the most popular websites out there.  I visit the site a couple of times a day. Why? There's always something there that makes me laugh.  It's good clean fun (safe for work, in case you get caught surfing at the office), and there's something for everyone.

2) Shareable content. If you provide content that is "quote worthy," relevant to your industry, in a timely fashion, it's likely you'll attract the attention of other bloggers who are blogging about your topic.  They'll add you to their feeds just to keep "tabs" on what you're wriitng about.

3) Freebies. This doesn't mean that you have to provide the products or services that you normally sell of profit for free. That's usually not a good idea.  But you might be able to provide inustry-related information, links to great deals online, or some other product or service of interest to your target demographic.  For example, a day spa might provide daily bits of wisdom on stress relief or maintaining healthy skin and hair.

4) Dicounts.  If you normally offer discount specials in your other advertising efforts (such as the phone book, newspaper, radio advertisements, etc.) be sure to include them on your website as posts that will show up in your feeds.  This will give people a good reason to click through to your site to check out and hopefully use the product or service you're advertising.

5) Event Calendar.  A community event calendar can be a great way to establish yourself in your local market niche, and network with other professionals in your industry (they won't want to be left off of your calendar).  Performing artists often include calendars of their own performance dates on their websites for easy access, as well.  If you use a calendar, be sure to put the updates in the form of a blog post or article that will show up in your feeds.

What other ideas do you have for packing your website with value for your readers?

For those of you who have been wondering what blogs I read for the inspiration to keep writing these posts five times a week...OK, well, technically, no one has actually asked me about this, but I sort of felt the inquiring vibes, so...the long wait is over.  Here are my current five favorite tech blogs (note: this list is subject to change without notice).

Facebook Blog:  How else would I know what Facebook is up to, so I can complain about it (or occasionally sing its praise)?  Like it or not, Facebook is the Google of social networking, and not at least knowing what it is up to is to be ignorant of what is happening on the web. 

 

TechDirt: While I don't always agree with the political views of the writers of this blog, their research is great, and their insights are very helpful in understanding what is going on in the world of technology, especially as current events and pending legislation is likely to affect it. 

 

TechCrunch: All of the updates in technology gadges is pretty overwhelming.  This blog does a great job of sorting through what's important, and posting on what everyone who is considering the purchase of a phone or computer or wireless device (and who isn't?) needs to know.

 

Mashable: This site is really awesome for keeping up with what is going on in social networking (top networks, start-ups, industry news).  The articles are written so that anyone (even a complete newbie) can understand them (I know this, because it was one of the first blogs I subscribed to - long before I understood the treasure I had found). 

 

Neowin: A lot of the stuff on this blog is a a little over my head, but it's a great resource for an alternative viewpoint on just about anything tech-related.  It covers gadgets, social networking, and industry news. 

So those are my favs.  What are yours?

Also see our "You might want to add these to your RSS Feed" from last year (five-part series).

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

Today, we're wrapping up a series on sites you might want to add to your RSS Feed, including educational resources, and job and career resources, as well as Web 2.0 resources, and networking site blogs.  Finally, because bloggers are often also writers, I'd like to share some of my favorite daily reads for writing tips.

Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

 

Part of the "Quick and Dirty Tips," network, Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) is a great resource for refreshing our memories on those common spelling and grammar errors that we see (and perhaps make) so frequently.  The article feed is HERE, and the podcast feed is HERE.

 

Business Writing

 

Lynn Gaertner-Johnston's Business Writing blog is a great resource.  Her tips go beyond basic grammar and spelling to effective business communication.  Check it out, and subscribe to her feed, HERE.

 

 Daily Writing Tips

 

DailyWritingTips.com, aptly named, is a great daily read for anyone who writes as part of their business (which is most of us).  The tips are usually focused on basic vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, or grammar, and take about a minute to read - a minute well spent. HERE is the feed link.

 

The English Web

 

Another great business writing resource is theEnglishWeb.com ("Writing help and samples to help you write better personal and business letters & emails").  Updates to this blog are less frequent, but high quality.  The feed is HERE.

 

Wordful

 

Wordful is a blog for publishers (or aspiring publishers), including those hoping to turn their blogs into books, and copywriters.  This blog has great tips for how to not only write, but get read.  Click HERE to subscribe to the feed.

 

Wordnik Word of the Day

 

You can expand your vocabulary by learning a new word daily, on Wordnik's Word of the Day. Amaze (or confuse your friends by correctly using words like "gloomth" and "snarge" in a sentence (not necessarily the same sentence, though). This is great for Scrabble players. To join the fun, subscribe to the feed, HERE.

 

Daily Grammar

 

The Daily Grammar blog is a good resource for those wanting to enhance and advance their wriitng skills. It's also a great refresher for anyone who teaches English or business wriitng, and may not remember exactly what an adjective clause or an adverb infinitive is.  ;-)   The feed subscription link is HERE.

Writers - also be sure to check out Where to Find Writing Inspiration, on WebRev. Have a great weekend! 

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This week, we're talking about RSS Feeds, and recommending sites which you may want to consider adding to your feed-reader lists.  During the last couple of days, we talked about educational resources, as well as job and career resources, Earlier in the week, we talked about great Web 2.0 resources, and now we're going to list the blogs of specific social networks that we can use to keep up with social networking news.Fac

Facebook

 

We've talked a lot about how to network effectively on Facebook.  Facebook is a great place for locating and communicating with business and personal contacts.  It is one of the most popular social networks, and ranks very highly on the SERPs (search engine results pages).  Some Facebook users are even using their Facebook Fan Pages in lieu of a blog.  Yeah, so Facebook is kind of a big deal.  To keep up with what is going on with Facebook, from the perspective of the folks who run the site, you can subscribe to the blog, HERE.

 

Twitter

 

We have also talked a lot here on WebRev about using Twitter as part of an online profile management, or social marketing strategy.  Twitter's search and #hashtags are an excellent way to locate people with similar interests and grow a network.  Twitter is far less personal that Facebook, and is more about information sharing.  It's also a bit of an anomaly in the world of Web 2.0, in that it was developed as a totally new concept - for use with mobile phones, and has become an indispensable real-time news source. Twitter ranks very highly in the SERPs by topic and keyword.  For an "insiders" view of what is happening on Twitter, subscribe to the blog, HERE.

 

LinkedIn

 

LinkedIn is a fantastic network for soon-to-be college graduates, career professionals and job seekers.  LinkedIn also ranks very high on the social networks, and a LinkedIn profile helps greatly with online profile management. Click HERE to subscribe to the blog feed.

 

Ning

 

Ning.com has taken the "discussion forum" of the 20th century, and brought it into the world of Web 2.0, by allowing users to collaborate around a hobby, interest, or project.  A Ning profile is excellent for digital profile management, and a Ning "Network" (discussion forum) is fantastic for SEO.  Ning is growing and is becoming increasingly interactive with the other social networks.  To keep up with all fo the changes, subscribe to the feed, HERE.

Tomorrow, we finish this series with a list of great writing resources online.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This week, we're talking about RSS Feeds, and recommending top sites in their blogging niche's which you may want to consider adding to your feed-reader lists.  With the state of the economy today, many people are out of work, or looking to supplement their current income with part-time work.  Yesterday, we listed some great online education resources for career adults. Here are some great online resources. for helping those career seekers with a more effective job search.

Careerealism

 

Careerealism's motto is "because EVERY Job is Temporary."  This is a great resource for career tips for anyone in any stage of a job search - from looking for an entry-level job, to changing careers, to seeking promotion within a current career.  There are inteview tips, tips for marketing yourself, and tips for getting along with co-workers and superiors.  To subscribe to the feed, click HERE.

 

JobMob

 

 JobMob is a microblog, which does a fantastic job of using Facebook, Twitter and Stumbleupon* for keeping its readers updated, as well as podcasting, for those who need to get their career-advice on-the-go. There is also a lot of humor, to make what is often the dread-task of looking for a job easier to bear.  Click HERE to subscribe to the feed.

 

Personal Branding Blog

 

Dan Schawbel's Personal Branding Blog is a must for anyone considering moving into freelance or consulting work, and also for those seeking executive-level positions.  Selling yourself can initially be a very uncomfortable process, but Dan's daily updates show readers how to do it in a way that is natural.  For the feed, click HERE.

 

WebWorkerDaily

 

Part of the GigOM Network, WebWorkerDaily is a great resource for anyone in the IT business, but especially for freelancers who are in consulting, programming, web design, or related work.  This site gives great updates on industry news, and tips for working from home.  The feed is HERE.

A note of caution when posting your resume or applying for a job online - do not use your social security number or date of birth.  If there is a chance that you could get fired from your current job by applying for a new job online - do not use the name of your current employer (you can replace this with the type of business it is, i.e. "small life insurance company," etc.

*Tomorrow, we'll discuss the best places to network.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This week, we're talking about RSS Feeds, and recommending top sites in their blogging niche's which you may want to consider adding to your feed-reader lists.  With the state of the economy today, many people are out of work, or looking to supplement their current income with part-time work.  Job searchers often find that getting a new or better job involves taking some classes.  Over the next couple of days, we're going to list (today) some great online education resources for career adults, and (tomorrow) some great online job resources. for helping those career seekers with a more effective job search.

Business Week

 

Business Week's Higher Education,  Business of Higher Education, Education Technology, and Distance Education topics are excellent resources for up-to-date news and analysis on what is going on in the education industry.  To subscribe to the Higher Education topic click HERE, and to subscribe to the Business of Higher Education topic, click HERE. For the Education Technology feed, click HERE, and for the Distance Education feed, click HERE. (Be sure to check out the related topics in the right sidebar of each topic - there is some overlap.)

 

National Association of Scholars

 

The NAS is, according to a statement on the website, "an independent membership association of academics working to foster intellectual freedom and to sustain the tradition of reasoned scholarship and civil debate in America’s colleges and universities."  It's a fantastic "insider's look," at what is happening in higher education, especially for adults returning to school after an extended absence.  It's also a great resource for peer-reviewed papers on the hot-topics in university life.

 

The New York Times

 

The New York Times' Education category is also an excellent resource for news stories and op-eds on all things education-related in the U.S..  To subscribe to the feed, click HERE.

 

Military.com

 

Military.com's Education category is a an excellent resource for military personnel and their families.  Today's U.S. military is increasingly using online education to help its member earn their education while serving, and after serving in the military. Click HERE to subscribe to the feed.

 

Inside Higher Ed

 

Aptly named, Inside Higher Ed is a comprehensive resource for information about what is happening today on college and university campuses and universities.  This is also a great resource for higher ed career-seekers, and higher ed job listings (Feed for job listings).  For the Feed fo the main site, click HERE.

 Tomorrow, we will discuss more on searching for jobs online.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.