Posting Comments On Other Blogs

Build A Better Blog Day 6

Building a better blog requires more than just a good looking interface and great links. You also want to build a following. I hear a lot of new blogger's and even people who have been blogging for some time asking how they can get more readers. Well a good answer to that questions is to read and comment on other blogs.

If you don't already use an RSS reader I suggest you try using one on a regular basis. Google Reader is a great free application. This will allow you to scan a lot of new blog posts in a short amount of time. But while you are reading scanning through the headlines click through and leave comments. Here is what you can expect to get:

1. Typically you get to leave a link back to your blog.
2. You get an opportunity to connect with others who are interested in the same things as you.
3. You'll probably come away with ideas for future posts.

Being an active blogger is also being an active blog reader. Get out there and read more, comment more and you should get more visitors to your blog.

ProBlogger's day six post: Email an Old Timer Reader

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Linking Is The Name Of The Game

Build A Better Blog Day 5

A simple yet affective way to drive traffic to your blog is to use links in your posts. If you are referencing someone else's blog post, link back to it. If you are reviewing a product or service, link to it.

Several things happen when you link to other posts:

1. Commentors get a direct link back to your blog
2. You start to connect with other blogger's
3. Search engines love links in blog posts and rank you higher

Another must are link backs to your archives when ever possible. You should also consider a plug-in that shows similar posts in your archives somewhere on your individual posts giving your readers more to choose from, creating a sticky site.

Here is a great blog post from the famed Seth Godin on how to drive traffic to your blog. With 56 ideas on the list, I know there's one in there for you.

ProBlogger's day five post: Conduct an 'About Page Audit'

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Use An Easy To Navigate Blog Theme

Build A Better Blog Day 4

Today I want to talk about blog themes. This is probably the one aspect of a blog people take the most creative liberty with. I believe every blog should be unique and communicate the likes of the owner. But if you look at your blog from the perspective of the reader you will quickly note things that turn visitors off faster than poorly written posts.

There are hundreds of free themes out there for pretty much every blogging system, like WordPress, MovableType and Blogger. There are some near professional templates and then there are some pretty crappy ones. Please take the time to look at several. Most theme viewers give you the ability to look at the theme in live mode so you have an idea of what it will look like. Most themes are completely customizable and I encourage you to make it your own. Just type in your blogging tools name and the word template, "wordpress template", and start researching.

I will caution you when choosing a free theme. There is a common practice these days to embed some type of link back to a sponsor site. There are also some themes who embed spyware type code and this can cause other problems with your website. Take the time to review the comments on a theme and look at other sites that may be using it. You will also want to look at the terms of use for a theme. Some may require you to keep all links, others say they are optional. Most are in the foot but you just need to research the theme.

The 90's were a long time ago. Please get rid of all your flashing graphics, spinning bullets and 72 point fonts. Those things make reading your blog hard. Here are some simple things to think about when looking at your blogs theme or layout:

1. Pleasing colors. Make sure your blog uses colors that are easy on the eye.


2. Use standard web fonts like Times Roman, Verdana or Arial, and stay with a consistent size like 11 or 12 point. You also want the color of the text to be dark enough to read, like black.


3. Make sure each of your posts have an easily readable header. It's also a good thing to keep the date and category the post is in near the header.


4. There are several schools of thought on how much of you posts text should be readable on the front page. Some say only show the first 200 character others say use the whole post. I'm of the opinion you should use the whole post. Why make a visitor click through to another page just to finish reading. If you choose this path you better be writing content that catches their attention in the first few sentences or you will loose them.


5. Blogs were designed to be interactive, meaning you say something and hope someone responds back. Give your visitors the ability to comment on your posts. There are so many plug-ins out there to combat spammers that you hardly have to worry about it. You want dialog, that's how you build a good following.


6. Post frequently. Now frequently to you may be everyday, and yeah, if you can, post everyday. At the very least post once a week. Readers will forget about your blog if your don't post consistently.

The final thing about a blog themes is try several out.

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Helping To Find A Cure For Multiple Sclerosis

I have a vested interest in finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. There are so many lives affected by MS, and most people you see who have MS you wouldn't be able to tell. It's a debilitating disease that eventually robs a person of all their motor skills. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society describes it this way:

MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves. Surrounding and protecting the nerve fibers of the CNS is a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses.

Several of my close Family members have MS. I would love to see a cure happen in my life time. It's important to continue researching what causes this disease. Who gets MS?

Approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. Worldwide, MS may affect 2.5 million individuals.

There are many ways you can get involved in helping the fight MS. The MS Society has a great list here.

ProBlogger.net, as part of their Birthday Bash, and a sponsor FreeMoneyFinanace.Com are giving away $1000 to the winners favorite charity. Mine would be the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I would encourage you to donate as well.

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De-cluttering Your Blogs Sidebar

Build A Better Blog Day 3

Today's tip is short and sweet. If your blog has a sidebar (and most do), now is the time to do some trimming. As people build their blog they acquire links, badges, scripts and many other items that over time slow down the rendering of your blog. Remember graphics and scripts take time to send from your web server to a visitors browser.

A good way to see how your blog is performing would be to view it in several different browsers. Since most people only have one, maybe two browsers installed on their computer, asking for help from your readers is a great way to accomplish this. You could also use speed services such as iWebTool's Website Speed Test. Putting my domain in the box, digitalthom.com, shows the site loads in 2.7 seconds. Now that may sound fast, but in my opinion, its really not. I'd love to have something in under a second.

The moral of the story here is thin is in. If your site loads quickly you will keep your visitors longer. If there are significant delays they will move on. You only have a few seconds. Evaluate all of your blog "bling". If it's necessary, fine, if not, see if there are other ways of displaying the information or remove it all together. Good luck.

ProBlogger's day three post: Search for and Join a Forum

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