 June 25, 2009 - Navigation: Articles - Readers Respond - Video - Small Biz Talk Hi Everyone! Just wanted to make a quick announcement that our small business forum turned 5 years old this week! A big thank you goes to our administrator Chris Logan, our moderators and of course all of the members and visitors. :-) We'd love it if you'd join in this discussion to let us know how the forum has helped you. Of course, if you aren't a forum member or regular visitor, then be sure to check it out. Robert Clough
 Matt Cutts on Directory/Paid Linksby Manoj JasraGoogle's Webmaster Central team has started an excellent YouTube channel and in this week's video Matt Cutts Answers: "Will Google consider Yahoo! Directory and BOTW as source of paid links? If no, why is this different from another site that sell links....  The 80-20 Rule Applies to Twitter ... So?by Karri FlatlaConvincing small business folk to get on board with social media is akin to asking a four-year-old to watch paint dry. It's nice to look at, for a few minutes, until boredom sets in and the child asks if he can go outside and play. Outside is where the action is. There's stuff to do. People to see. Places to go....  Just what constitutes a spam blog comment?by Mike MoranI post something on my Biznology blog each day I'm working, and we've got a lot of subscribers so we get a fair number of comments. And I check each and every comment before it is posted, so that I'm not littering the blog with spam comments. But I am finding myself challenged by deciding just what is and is not spam. If you run a blog, I wonder if this has ever happened to you, too....  What Gus Is Teaching Me About Marketingby Eric BrownWe have all heard about the Four P's of Marketing, but what about the new two E's, Emotion and Engagement, are you fully utilizing them?...  Go Blog Yourself Step 4: Reveal the Goodsby Stoney deGeyterThe best titled blog in the world is only going to get you so far. To get readers you have to prove that you've got the goods that go with it. Go Blog Yourself Step 5: Be Easy On The Eyesby Stoney deGeyterHaving a good looking blog starts with having a good looking website design. It's amazing how easy it is to throw up a blog. But putting one together that is visually appealing to your audience is often another matter all together. There's more to a website or a blog than a header, side navigation, and a few images.... Return to the Top of this Page 
Return to the Top of this Page  In response to... The 80-20 Rule Applies to Twitter ... So?Karri, You have a very valid point. It isn't just twitter - its everything. The small business owners are constantly wondering why they aren't making the big bucks, but essentially its because they have what I like to call "short attention spans." This is what I mean - they go out and they hear about some explosive marketing tactic - they stop everything and they lean on it really hard. But this is only for a short period of time then the just figure either 1) it doesn't work or 2) they don't know how to do it correctly - so they get discouraged. Discouraged just long enough to run over to the next major marketing tactic and do it again. Unfortunately, these people need to wise up and give things a chance. But, like you said, you "get out what you put in." And sometimes, you need to be willing to stick in for the long haul. However, please don't get me wrong. A savvy marketer needs to learn how to recognize early stages of failure so some special technique doesn't bleed them dry. But they still need to learn to give things a chance. Great post - I agree 110%... Christine In response to... Just what constitutes a spam blog comment?Wow, you should see all the great content at http://www.biznology.com check it out! ... was that too spammy? in some sites it would be. I err on the side of leniency for my blogs, but don't hesitate to be strict with a comment if it is too spammy. What we need is a little widget for our blogs which would post "comments for review" and let visitors vote on which ones are legit and which aren't. Crowdsource the spam control. That would be particularly useful if the voting mechanism was linked across sites so that a commenter db was kept which could be queried to block commenters who had a poor rating. (And "poor rating" would be a variable level defined by the subscriber to the service.) We have the technology. Just not the motivation, but the more that people/orgs adopt blogging the market will be there. ejly In response to... Just what constitutes a spam blog comment?I co-author our company blog which is in a very targeted niche, so we don't have a huge readership. Comment spam is definitely an issue even for me. I would say I approve around 25% of the comments that come our way. It is a fine line, but I err on the side of being too strict. If I think there is the possibility of spam I delete it. I may delete some people who are not spammers but if anyone says anything relevant that adds to the discourse and conversation I leave it in. I always check the URL to see if it is a legitimate blog or website. Being a company blog, I would rather be more strict than allow spammers to have their way. Peter Renton In response to... Go Blog Yourself Step 3: Have a Good Pick-Up LineAs someone who manages several websites with a combination of blogs and print magazine articles, I find it an ongoing battle to make sure the titles of our content are catchy and descriptive. This is especially true when porting articles from a print magazine (with titles that are meshed with graphics and can be insanely non-descript). To be useful in a SEO context and to real live viewers almost all titles need to be modified. Likewise, new bloggers in our field (history and current events) tend to start with titles that are more flowery and showy rather than interesting and descriptive to readers who might otherwise have no idea who we are, much less what the article is about. In a world where more and more people are viewing websites one RSS line at a time, titles are even more important. I'm going to send this to some of my writers. :) Brian King Return to the Top of this Page  Free SEO ToolsThinking of buying SEO software? Then try the best SEO tools free first! Skaffe.com Directory: Show off your website Express Submit today.Quality directories like Skaffe.com offer you strong search engine exposure. WoW DirectoryPowerful and affordable directory marketing services. Submit your website today! Return to the Top of this Page  FORUM ANNOUNCEMENTS 5 Years Ago Today ... Forum AnniversaryONLINE MARKETING Getting Hits But Not Sales Ages Using InternetWEB DEVELOPMENT Allowing Users To Edit Certain Files But Hide The RestSELLING AD SPACE Equivalent Alternative Of Google AdSenseWHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS SHOULD I START I Want To Start My Own Plastics Marketing CompanyPREVIOUS WEEK Small Business Forum Update For June 17, 2009 (If you like our search engine news, you'll love our small business news.) Return to the Top of this Page
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