Wow you read my mind. I was going to ask a very similar question.
Pam can you suggest some more sites to promote a blog at?
I am working on a list for one of my new blogs and would like to include it. With a link back ofcourse :).
One other question what are your thoughts on the free blog platforms such as blogger.com versus the pay for blogs? Do you think a person can still be an A lister with a free service?
Steve
Here is my response:
When I first started my blog, I used a service provided by the great women of The Blog Squad. For a modest fee, they submitted my blog to a large number of blog directories. Many people search for blogs on a particular topic. This will ensure that your blog is included.
The other key strategy that smart people I respect tell me that works (including Robert Middleton and Ali Brown )is to submit articles to article directories. In your bio box (the few sentences at the end of the article that talk about your background) include a link back to your blog. I also use an automated service to submit articles to a variety of directories – www.submityourarticle.com. They recommend submitting at least 3 articles a month. Not more, since too many will trigger s*pam alerts.
I also include links to my favorite 5 blog posts of the month in my monthly ezine.
As I mentioned in my post, one of the best ways to build a presence is to visit and comment on other people’s blogs. Choose those that you really relate to, and that have sizable traffic. I have been surprised at how many visits I get from a simple comment I posted on someone else’s blog.
As for free vs. pay blogging platforms, I am no expert. I use Typepad myself, per recommendations from Suzanne Falter-Barnes, The Blog Squad, and many successful bloggers I admire such as Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Garr Reynolds , Kathy Sierra and Scott Adams. Basically, I don’t think the platform you use is what matters – it is what you write. If you have compelling, relevant, provocative, useful and entertaining posts, people won’t care what software you are using.
Sorry about the link. Here are both links I mentioned before:
The Feature http://itsafeature.com/ is a blog about implementing and using Oracle eBusiness Applications with workplace and user related topics.
AppsZone http://appszone.com/ is a news aggregator pulling posts from business applications related blogs and media sources. Basically, I created a public reader (blog) for my blogroll and let the news come to me and whoever decides to use the site.
Thank you for letting me do little promoting here.
Marian
Hi Marian!
Thanks for your great comment. The link you provided for your blog brings up a “file not found” page – perhaps you can update the link here in another comment for use to view it?
I appreciate being included in your news aggregator.
Keep up the good work and the best of luck with your consulting business!
That’s a great summary of the emotional roller coaster that blogging is. I love your blog and your theme. I included you in my news aggregator for business applications called AppsZone.com under category Workplace.
I started my first blog It’a Feature! (http://itsafeature.com/) about 10 weeks ago to promote my consulting business, and simply keep track of things I do. It is a great way to document ideas, tips, tricks, opinions, etc. My blog is what Web 2.0 means to me. Forget poems and blarticles; blogs are a great platform for demostrating your expertise and share your knowledge and ideas with other people.
I was actually inspired by my friend Dustin’s real estate blog http://www.raincityguide.com/ where he managed to create a nice community of authors. My hope is to do the same with my peer consultants.
As for free blog vs. paid blog, it depends on your expectations. Free blogs are definitely hassle-free, however paid blogs may provide you with more flexibility to create additional bells and whistles like tag clouds, RSS feeds, polls, and many other plugins. With paid blogs you need to know a thing or two about blog editors (like WordPress) and PHP coding to be able to customize and administer your blog.
Keep blogging!
Marian