E is for Elements of a Good Blog

Our class members spend a good deal of time adding elements to their blogs for reader convenience and to make the blog more "sticky" with search engines. Arrange your sidebar elements in an order that's most useful to the viewer. I promised yesterday I would bump this post up, so here's the information I use over and over.

Let's take a look at the sidebar on this blog.

1. We start with a short description of what this blog is about - it's a quick profile.

2. Because the blog is the public newsletter for our blog book tour classes, many of the posts are useful to others interested in our topic, and so we have a share/bookmark button right beneath the profile. This is so readers can click and easily send the information on this blog to their friends on Facebook or any of a number of other online communities they might participate in. Click on the button, and you'll see the drop-down menu. This is an AddThis button which happens to be the neatest and most effective. There's a reason it's rated #1.  A later addition is via Blogger at the bottom of each post.

3. Next we make sure it's easy for our readers to engage with us on Facebook and Twitter. Those are basic links to our sites there, but you can also find pretty third-party widgets which add sparkle to the blog. I just haven't decided which one I like best yet. Always have your assorted links and sites cross-referenced on all your sites. Everyone is trying to connect at many levels these days.

4. Then make sure you have a few "subscribe" links for readers who use aggregators to keep track of their favorite blog updates. See the ugly RSS feed buttons in the sidebar? I'm looking for a nicer one like this. This symbol is almost as recognizable as the golden arches.

5. Google Friend Connect essentially works in a similar albeit limited way (and also has a certain psychological pull when many people follow the blog). Networked Blogs is another way to get a notice when someone updates a blog - it feeds through to Facebook and Twitter automatically. 

Start with a few of these basics up high in the sidebar of your blog, and then add more as you see features you like on other blogs you visit.  Why up high? Sometimes your readers are in a hurry and will only read the first post, so make it easy for them to share or stay connected by putting the handiest tools at their disposal. Don't make them search all over your blog. They'll appreciate you for it, and come back for a visit.

Even if you're not really sure what all these widgets, gadgets, and buttons are about, place them on your blog anyway. Many of your readers know how to use them, and what we're talking about is service and convenience to them.

The rest of the way down the sidebar? Lots of blogrolls - clickable links to sites that you like and that support your blog focus.

You might have an archive link which you'll want to collapse into a neat and tidy button. Intersperse other information and links as you wish lower down the sidebar.

You can also add a gadget on Blogger that magically makes all your most popular blog posts appear. See it at right? I also have links to related information like the Quickest Blog Book Tour Guide Ever.

The last item on your list should be a hit counter and I prefer being able to see the visitor count. There can be any number of other items, but these are the very essential ones in that order.

And don't forget a contact link - if you don't want your email address on the front page, then consider adding a contact page under your header that readers must open for additional  information about how to reach you. It can be most frustrating for a reader seeking more information about you and your books (or services or other products), to not find a way to reach you.

And remember that you have lots of options for additional information categorized under Pages underneath your header. I've even included the A-Z Challenger participants under their own tab!

This post was last published on July 17, 2010. I'm now going to change the date so it appears on April 6, 2011. Because I can, and so can you.

D is for Dates

 I'm not talking about the ones we all wanted on Saturday nights when we were young.

What I mean is the date you might find on a letter... or on a blog post like this one. Do you notice anything? I have a day of the week above right and a time at the bottom of this post. But no actual date. Why? Because many of the posts are timeless, and apply to many situations or from one blog book tours class to the next. There is no need for me to rewrite the post. Often I bump a post up by going into Post Options and changing the date so the blog post reappears at the top of the blog. Clever, no?

You can do the same thing. An added advantage is that the blog never looks stale to a newcomer, who might wonder why I haven't posted anything since last month, if the month stamp could be seen.

Tomorrow, I'll bump a prior post I use often that explains the Elements of a good blog. Stay tuned.

C is for Copyright

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobsters

It really gripes me when people copy my blog posts, even when they give credit to me. Whether I have a copyright notice or not, it's my intellectual property, and there are definite copyright laws that define "fair use". Stealing my words to make your blog look smart isn't fair use by any stretch of the imagination. Some of my blogs like the Blood-Red Pencil, because they include more than one author, carry this copyright notice:

© 2008-2011 Blood-Red Pencil Authors

The contents of these pages, including text and images, are the sole property of the authors and may not be used, reproduced, or reposted in any manner without written consent. All rights reserved.

What I'd really like to say is more akin to this:

You steal my text or pictures, I'll have my attorney send you a bill. I don't run cheap. If you don't pay up, I'll send Guido to take care of the problem. Get my drift?

But that brings up another C-word. Civility. Be glad I have manners.

Blogging for Books at the BBT Cafe

I never really learned to blog. I jumped in feet first about five years ago when my friend, Ann Parker, and I attended a Women Writing the West Conference and they needed someone to photograph and report about the doings each day. So we tried it, rather successsfully I might add, and I was hooked practically overnight.

Today, I still think blogs and all the social networking sites available to us, are the best and certainly most affordable ways to promote books. My passion is also environmental. It takes a whole lot less petroleum to go on a blog book tour than drive or fly around the country using up petroleum.  I became so vested in this idea, I learned everything I could about the process until I ended up teaching classes to other authors and hosting blog book tour stops on my own blogs. I now even chaperone tours for others for a fee, although I limit that service to only books I love and read. Children's literature and cozy mysteries are my favorites.

When you're thinking about promoting an up-and-coming title, be sure to sign up for a blog book tours class and really prepare yourself to market this way. Many of the people in the A-Z Challenge can tell you what a difference it makes. I'll hope to see you at the classroom sometime soon! Oh, and feel free to join the BBT Cafe anytime, for ongoing chats about blog book tours, writing, publishing, and anything else we feel like discussing. It's a great group of supportive writing friends, and we always welcome newcomers.

A-A-A-pril Fools!

I need another drink quick!

Anyone who has taken a Blog Book Tours class with me knows there is usually a Blog-a-Day Challenge involved. It's a great way to make your blog sizzle in a hurry, and it is especially beneficial when a group of people are linking to each other, leaving comments, and just generally adding to the support and fun. I've seen blogs go from Absolutely Awful to Ztellar. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, at least in the spelling department.

Special thanks to the pals from the BBT Cafe (our blog book tours alum and social spot) for organizing the A-Z Challenge. Alex J. Cavanaugh and Stephen Tremp, you guys are nuts! I have no idea how I'm going to interact with almost more than 1,000 bloggers over the next month, but as Steve points, at least they are allowing us to take Sundays off, unlike yours truly who had  no such mercy in any class. Paybacks are tomorrow's letter, huh?

Please click on the A-Z Challenge tab above to see all the great bloggers playing the game this month. My goal? To make this blog a little stickier with the search engines, possibly set the stage for a Google 5 ranking, and be poised to start hosting authors I like when they have their blog book tours, something I haven't done much up to know. Leave me a message if you have a new book coming out this year. And be sure to follow the blog by clicking at right, friend me on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter. The more fools, the merrier!

If These Walls Could Talk

When it comes to Facebook, your walls actually can talk, and that's why it's important to visit them on a regular basis. Here's a good example why:

The Heartless Contessa Refuses Make-a-Wish Request

I have no idea if this story is true, but when it comes to social networking, it doesn't matter. The Barefoot Contessa, a popular cooking icon, has a fan page that is littered with comment after comment condemning the woman for being the ogre in this story. She has over 50,000 fans and the story is going viral on Facebook. This is not a good thing.

Clearly, nobody is monitoring her Facebook wall, which brings me to the point of this post: go to your profile page daily and clean up house. I even remove posts that are no longer relevant within a week of posting and which have no comments.  Also, thank yous from people for friending them. This makes it easier for new friends to scroll through your first few pages to get a sense of what you're about reading posts of relevance.

I felt compelled to leave a positive comment for the Contessa, and left this message on her FB wall:

This is all over FB. You should perhaps do some damage control and start with an explanation, then monitor your FB comments. Social networking tools require daily upkeep.

The same advice applies to us all.

Hot Tip of the Day

If you are marketing a book on your blog, and expect comments or questions, turn off your comment moderation and Captcha codes - these only create a hurdle for your customers. They won't jump them, I promise you. One presumes if you are actively marketing a product that you will be monitoring your blog live and in person throughout the day.

Also, if you have requirements for the reader like following your blog to get some benefit, make sure the follow link is clear and up high next to your post where the viewer can easily see it. Don't make them work for the benefit you are offering. It will only drive them away, and worse, it could irritate them to the point they never come back to your blog.

You have seconds, seconds, to make your case. Make friends and customers the first chance you get. It will often be the only chance.