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| Blogging Forum Discuss general blogging issues here - design, integration, posting, trackbacks, ETC. Also discuss blogs you like. |
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04-27-2007, 01:42 PM
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V7N Administrator
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Join Date: 10-13-03
Location: Texas
Posts: 40,411
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Excellent Blog vs. Just a Blog
Think about those blogs that you most enjoy reading and tend to visit over and over again...
What do you feel sets them apart from those that you never return to again? What makes a blog excellent? What makes it just a blog?
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04-27-2007, 01:52 PM
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Contributing Member
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Join Date: 04-27-07
Location: Isle of Man
Posts: 188
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Three words: content, Content and CONTENT
This is the main reason I keep going to the same blogs for more. Nothing beats compelling content especially when it's well presented and offering valuable advice.
Some of the blogs I'd consider most excellent at the moment that are right at the front of my mind are:
Seth Godin's Blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
Legal Andrew: http://www.legalandrew.com/
North x East: http://northxeast.com/
Computer Zen: http://www.hanselman.com/blog/
Andy Beal Unplugged: http://www.andybeal.com/
And the main reason I keep going back for more i because of the quality, variety and richness of their content.
__________________
I'm a Maltese bloke living in the Isle of Man. Read more about my professional life on my Tech & Business Blog or my new MBA Geek blog
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04-28-2007, 05:16 AM
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Contributing Member
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Join Date: 10-26-06
Location: Las Vegas NV
Posts: 869
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Honestly, I won't notice the content if the design doesn't catch my attention.
There is nothing I hate more than loading a page, and the author has done nothing more than put a title up, and some text.
If someone takes the time and attention to personalize their blog, at least change the colors around a little, I am more apt to read it and see what they have to say.
Just a plain template, with some adsense in the corner, and I will not give it 2 seconds.
Also, I hate when adsense is displayed first, so it is the only thing you see when the page loads, where you would normally expect to see content, and you have to scroll past the ads to get to the content. That turns me off and I back out immediately.
JMO
Last edited by EBORG9; 04-28-2007 at 05:20 AM.
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04-28-2007, 03:38 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: 03-11-07
Location: ON my computer
Posts: 127
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My current blogs are pretty simple in design - but any how - I can't help but notice that having a "great" blog and having a blog that can be monetized are orthogonal goals - The moment you start writing paid-for-posts and put ads and referrals, the crowd leaves.
The only case where this is not true is for blogs that teach others how to make money by blogging.
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04-28-2007, 03:54 PM
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V7N Administrator
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Join Date: 10-13-03
Location: Texas
Posts: 40,411
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guyfox
My current blogs are pretty simple in design - but any how - I can't help but notice that having a "great" blog and having a blog that can be monetized are orthogonal goals - The moment you start writing paid-for-posts and put ads and referrals, the crowd leaves.
The only case where this is not true is for blogs that teach others how to make money by blogging.
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You realize there are many more ways that a blog can benefit you financially than those you mentioned, right?
However that is not the topic at the moment, but rather what YOU feel sets an excellent blog apart from others. What makes YOU keep coming back to a specific blog?
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04-28-2007, 08:13 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: 03-11-07
Location: ON my computer
Posts: 127
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What makes me keep coming back to the same blogs is the person behind the blog - what I like about them personally - over a period of time, just by reading their views, I have an image, an opinion of how intelligent, kind, or good some bloggers are, and I go back to check how they are doing.
Of course it helps if they write about things I like/love.
For example, I have engadget and gizmodo and haven't visited either in a long long time - they stopped being blogs a while ago - they are more like a echo chamber - just writing a post each time some need gadget or thing comes out - more like a specialized news site - and one of them is terribly sexist, I forget which one.
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04-30-2007, 11:36 AM
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Member
Latest Blog: None
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Join Date: 04-27-07
Location: Oak Lawn, IL
Posts: 77
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I have to agree with Owen. It is all about the content.
Next, layout. If your font is tiny and I have to squint to read it, bye bye.
I actually have more visitors now that I get paid to blog.
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04-30-2007, 07:01 PM
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Member
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Join Date: 04-28-07
Location: USA
Posts: 101
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I need decent well written content. After that I am a packaging junkie - I need a good template and layout that has a personal flair.
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04-30-2007, 07:43 PM
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Senior Member
Latest Blog: None
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Join Date: 04-03-07
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 303
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I am in a very niche market. I just started a blog a few weeks ago. I don't want to be like every other financial blog in my market.
I have come up with two ways of stepping apart from the normal everyday blog.
1) Controversy- There is tension between my market and a related market. I am hoping by causing a little controversy, it will create some back links.
2) Tips and tricks for the consumer.
As you can probably tell I am not the editor of blog due to my poor grammar skills. LOL.
These are just some suggestions, but my ears are open to yours as well.
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05-02-2007, 06:57 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: 01-20-07
Location: Calgary
Posts: 213
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More to do with writing style for me. Ya know, you could have the best info but if you write like Shakespeare, I probably won't read it (or will actually for the humor part). I like blogs with a unique voice
Now of course the content has to be useful as well...
So voice + content =
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05-03-2007, 09:10 AM
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Member
Latest Blog: None
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Join Date: 05-03-07
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 66
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In my opinion, it's about nice layout, good content and beautiful writing style.
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05-03-2007, 09:18 AM
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V7N Administrator
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Join Date: 10-13-03
Location: Texas
Posts: 40,411
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Quote:
Originally Posted by factoring
I am in a very niche market. I just started a blog a few weeks ago. I don't want to be like every other financial blog in my market.
I have come up with two ways of stepping apart from the normal everyday blog.
1) Controversy- There is tension between my market and a related market. I am hoping by causing a little controversy, it will create some back links.
2) Tips and tricks for the consumer.
As you can probably tell I am not the editor of blog due to my poor grammar skills. LOL.
These are just some suggestions, but my ears are open to yours as well.
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These are EXCELLENT suggestions and exactly the type of things I am looking for our members to share with each other. Those things that set a blog apart from so many others.
For me it is passion. I can tell when someone is writing about something they truly have interest in vs. just writing for the sake of writing something, or making money.
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05-03-2007, 04:24 PM
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Member
Latest Blog: None
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Join Date: 09-04-06
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 62
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Internet Marketing Blogs
I agree that content is very important in a blog, but it is more than content...a good blog will be well written and discuss a wide range of topics.
You need to capture the reader in to wanting to come back and see what you wrote the next day, and the next day and tell a few friends and so on...
Our blog is new but please review and give your opinion: [link removed]
Thanks...
Christopher Noonan
Last edited by Cricket; 05-03-2007 at 05:09 PM.
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05-03-2007, 05:09 PM
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V7N Administrator
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Join Date: 10-13-03
Location: Texas
Posts: 40,411
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Noon, if you want to link to your blog, please just add your feed to your profile in the user control panel. That will make your most recent post show under your name on the left, like you see mine.
If you are looking for a review, there is a separate review section for that here. Make sure you read the review rules there before requesting one.
Thank you for understanding!
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05-06-2007, 02:57 AM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: 05-05-07
Posts: 18
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Keep it looking clean and keep the content flowing. Having a theme which your readers can depend on is good and builds an audience.
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05-06-2007, 12:40 PM
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v7n Mentor
Latest Blog: None
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Join Date: 02-23-04
Location: Ohio
Posts: 11,128
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I look at these factors:
1. Does it have a unique design?
2. Content
3. Voice & perspective of writer
4. Knowledge of topic
4. Consistency in posting
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05-06-2007, 01:00 PM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: 05-06-07
Location: nyc
Posts: 11
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Here are the elements that I look at or notice:
1. layout - it has to be readable, neat and organized. A bad layout discourages visitors to go on and read through the content.
2. content - informative and helpful and encourages participation from its visitors.
3. focus - I may be different from others, but I like blogs that have a more specific focus, a niche blog if you prefer.
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05-06-2007, 01:10 PM
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v7n Mental
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Join Date: 06-30-06
Location: Not where I want to be.
Posts: 999
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Regularly updated (as in at least once a week), good content, and responding to comments. I could care less about looks, I don't go to sites because they're pretty.
__________________
Juggle Chainsaws - My attempt to play every NES game released in the United States
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05-07-2007, 11:50 AM
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v7n Mentor
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Join Date: 02-16-06
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,292
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Squirrels.
If a blog doesn't contain pictures of cute squirrels I immediately throw my monitor out the window.
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05-07-2007, 01:03 PM
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v7n Mental
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Join Date: 06-30-06
Location: Not where I want to be.
Posts: 999
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What about dogs?
__________________
Juggle Chainsaws - My attempt to play every NES game released in the United States
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