You’ve most likely heard of RSS feeds, but you might still be wondering exactly what they are. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” RSS itself is just the format for delivering regularly updated web content. Blog feeds allow readers to keep up with the newest info posted on different sites, and people “subscribe” to the feeds of their choice.

Enter the “Feedreader”

For example, there are 25+ blogs out there that I enjoy reading on a regular basis. I want to keep up with them because they help keep me up date with all of the latest information in my niche. However, I don’t want to have to go out to the web and pull up each blog individually every day just to see whether they have been updated. The solution to this is to use a “feedreader” to see all of my favorite blogs’ latest content all in one place. Feedreaders allow you to access new content in two main ways: through the actual reader itself or via email updates. One of the most popular feedreaders and the one that I use is Google Reader.

The Business Use

Why is this important for marketing? Two reasons: 1—It’s a great way to stay current and educated on the things going on in your niche or market through ... read more >>

The strong interest in company blogs continues (e.g., Forrester Says Firms to Increase Marketing Investment in Blogs, Fortune 500 Blogging Study). The investment is largely one of time more than money but how do you best leverage this investment? Here is a useful list from Mack Collier”s post, Five reasons why your company blog sucks.

1 - You use your blog as a billboard.

2 - Your don't answer or encourage comments.

3 - You rarely have new posts up.

4 - Your blog has little or no pictures, and is visually boring.

5 - Your blog creates little to no value for your readers.

Mark provides commentary for each point and you should go to his post for the details. I certainly agree with this list. The last one is the most important and often results from too much of the first one. The company web site can serve as the promotional tool so there is no need to have the blog do the same thing.

One and five also apply to company Twitter feeds. You can use the blog and Twitter to occasionally promote something but if that is all you do, little interest will be generated. Like TV, you have to first provide good content before you can offer commercials.

Sometime... read more >>

This topic has been covered by others but recently, two comments that were left on one of my posts made me think it was time for a little primer. So if you're new to blogger relations, take a minute and read below.

1. Bloggers are people not reporters. We don't make money doing this (at least most of us). Instead, we do it because if fulfills a biological need to create, share and in some cases teach.
2. Because of the point above, we don't have any calendar to follow or editorial board to please. We post what we want, when we want and that is just fine with us and our readers.
3. Following this "I'm not being paid for this" theme, bloggers have real jobs at real companies and most if not all, are doing this in their free time. Thus, if you do want to reach out, be smart, simple and quick about it. Don't send a media kit or a War and Peace style email come on... chances are it goes into the "when I have time" file versus the "posts to write" folder.
4. Get to know a blogger. Read their blog, subscribe via RSS and comment from time to time on their posts. Challenge their thoughts, engage them -- don't just write "nice post" and move one. If you want to get noticed, even by small bloggers with sm...

I discussed writing good content and posting consistently for a decent amount of time in the first Every Dot Connects Blogging Basics post - How to start a blog, and whether you’ll ever make money from it.

The next obvious question is, “How do I get anyone to read my blog?”

It may surprise you to learn that marketing and publicizing a blog’s content (thereby increasing traffic if the content is good) doesn’t happen on the blog.

Sure, outbound links to other sites from your blog posts are seen by those sites as inbound links/backlinks, and their authors may click back through to see what you’re saying and what you’re all about. That’s why it is important to pay attention to who links to you, and respond.

In that sense, you are publicizing your writing directly from your own blog, but that is only part of the battle.

Blog publicity happens via a whole ecosystem of online and face-to-face interaction.

• It happens via Facebook, because a blog post link that you put on your Wall or in your status is seen on the Home pages of everyone in your network.
• It happens via LinkedIn the same way, through your network’s Home pages.
• It happens via your comments on other people’s blogs or in an online...

Thinking of starting a blog? Already started one and wondering when you’ll rake in the Big Bucks?

I’m going to lay it out for you….

Here’s some advice I gave to a journalist who wanted to start a parenting blog, but since people ask me the same questions all the time, I thought I’d back up from relative esoterica  –  like how business communicators should respond to negative blog reviews –  and give you my standard answer to two common questions:

1. How do I decide what to write about, and then get started?
2. Can you actually make money blogging?

My basic advice for beginning bloggers is this  –  go to Aussie Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger site, and read everything. That’s not meant to be a cop-out, but seriously, you can’t do any better than Darren for great starter advice. At the bottom of the front page of his site is a box, Best of Problogger, so click the tab For Beginners and just start reading. That’s exactly what I did when I started.

After that, read Liz Strauss’ Successful Blog and Chris Brogan’s blog for how to nurture your blog’s community and grow visibility and readership.

In between reading the three sites above….

• Write good content
• Post reasonably frequently (2-4 times a week)
• Keep at...