Jack of All Blogs

Mega: Piracy or Privacy?

Gracielou — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:19:05 +0000

A growing number of people and organizations are recognizing the value of cloud storage in keeping their most important files. With cloud technology, the burden to store and manage large volumes of files in their computers and in their servers is greatly reduced. This then enables consumers to focus more on their priorities such as in running their business. Mega is new file hosting service in the data recovery industry. As a cloud storage provider, it offers both free and paid plans but regardless of the package chosen, the company ensures subscribers of safe storage of their files round the clock, every day of the week. A 2012 survey on storage purchasing intentions by companies, data showed that 20 percent have already implemented private cloud products, 18 percent have it and will implement hybrid cloud storage while 34 percent plan to use it on a limited basis. In addition, 20 percent of the respondents claimed that cloud storage is already a major part of their storage infrastructures while 25 percent are strongly considering it in their future plans. In terms of volume, the average data stored in the cloud was 17 TB. Late in 2012, 29 percent of respondents reported having more than 20 TB in the cloud.

Mega: Piracy or Privacy – An infographic by the team at Who Is Hosting This.com

Blogs Edge Out Social Networks

Gracielou — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:16:31 +0000

The media, in general, greatly impacts a consumer’s decision to purchase products and services. These days, however, the social media plays a vital role. But if you think that the popular social media sites such as Facebook is a major influence, you’re not quite right. Blogs are currently the winner when it comes to influencing consumers. A new report by Technorati entitled 2013 Digital Influence confirmed that consumers now rely on blogs when deciding on their purchases. Specifically, blogs ranked third as the most influential digital resource when making purchases after retail sites and brand sites. Compared with social media, blogs occupied a higher spot than Facebook, YouTube and even Twitter. Those that provide valuable and compelling content were found to be the most trusted source of people when they decide on what to buy and where to buy them. For this reason, the experts suggest that companies start a blog if they want to be a major influencer to their regular and prospective customers. The key, they stressed, is to gain the trust of people by providing useful and compelling content on a regular basis. The report also found that the size of an online community matters. More than half of the people surveyed said a smaller community have a major influence on a particular topic. This means that popularity does not always translate to positive results. When it comes to promoting an important topic, trust and influence counts. As for social media, there’s no doubt that Facebook is the top choice of brands in their marketing campaigns. Research has shown that most people hang out on Facebook and companies have recognized its significance in their promotional efforts. Photo via zachbussey

Resources Businesses Can Utilize in their Blogging Efforts

Gracielou — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:10:10 +0000

Blogging, in order to be successful, takes commitment, creativity, excellent writing and research skills as well as updated knowledge of the industry a company belongs to. Many business organizations have attained their goals through this marketing initiative while the others are still to start on this route. There are various reasons why blogging should be part of any company’s marketing strategy. It attracts more website visitors, it gains more inbound links and it results in more indexed web pages. A HubSpot report revealed that updating a business blog with at least 20 posts per month can gain five times more website traffic and four times more leads than companies without blogs.

Your own expertise and knowledge on the products and services you offer.

If you have created content earlier, they can still be repurposed. For example, you can create a 3-part series from a long article or old posts can be compiled to create an ebook.

Various resources are already available for businesses to tap for their blogs. Companies with more than 10 employees may have staff who are in the know about industry topics and are able to write well.

Industry contacts are a good source of information as well and can be interviewed.

Information and advice from keynote speakers at conferences are another resource.

Comments and questions from clients can also serve as sources of ebooks, blog pots and whitepapers.

If you do webinars and podcasts, you can always transcribe the audio file and then share the content on your blog.

Keep these in mind and you’ll never run out of blog posts moving forward. Photo via serverplus

Easy Blogging Tips to Help You Gain More Readers in 2013

Gracielou — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 03:05:56 +0000

Blogging provides so many benefits to private individuals, companies and other organizations. It’s a great way to share valuable information and to reach out to people.

But in order to have a regular stream of readers, there are vital tools you need to include in your blog. Some of these are the basics which many, unfortunately, overlook.

Start with the anti-spam plugin called Akismet. This is free to use for personal blogs and costs $5 a month for business blogs. This tool keeps track of spam comments and trackbacks and stops them to ensure you have a clean blog that drives traffic.

Allowing comments is a good way to build relationships with your readers and to get feedback. When you know what people are saying about your blog, you can find ways to improve your content. Ideally, asking a question at the end of a post is a very effective method of encouraging readers to post comments and engage with them.

Your blog’s design is as important. The simple, the better. Ensure a clean layout and get rid of clutter in your sidebar. Use text fonts that are eye-friendly and create an attractive header to customize your blog.

Create attention grabbing headlines all the time if you want to attract readers. If possible, use numbers and adjectives to spark the interest of people visiting your blog. An example would be 5 Simple Steps to Write a Blog Post.

Don’t forget to include images in your posts. They can be photos or screenshots particularly if you’re posting how-to articles. Images help improve your post and keep them interesting.

Keywords and links should also be included. They help in having your blog and blog posts easily searched.

For links, you can link to authority sites and request other bloggers in your niche to link to your blog.

Finally, ensure that your blog is mobile-friendly. With more people now having smartphones which they use for a lot of tasks, it’s a must to make your web display properly on mobile gadgets.

These are all for now but stay tuned as there will still be part two of these blogging tips.

Photos via 1stdesigner.com and devilprince.com

How to Share Your Music on Your Blog

Gracielou — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:07:48 +0000

Music is a great way to capture attention on the internet and you can share it in many avenues free of charge. We all know that YouTube is the top social media site where internet users turn to for music and videos. But there’s also another way to stream your favorite songs online and this is through your blog. Streaming music on your blog or blog post is not as complicated as some of you think. It’s an effective way to set the mood when people visit your blog and read your posts. A popular method in doing this is to embed a video music from YouTube. All you need is get the embed HTML code and then insert it in your blog or blog post. Remember that when you create or edit a post in your blog, it needs to be in HTML so you can easily add the embed code in there. Make sure as well that you preview your post before publishing it so you’ll know that your player is working fine. Once you’ve published it, try the player again to ensure that it is working properly. If you want to stream a playlist, however, you will need to use music stream services. These online services allow users to download MP3 music and videos in the thousands or even in the millions at no cost at all and without legal impediments. The popular ones are Spotify, Rdio, Last.fm. Grooovetube and BearShare. It should be noted that these services differ in what they allow users. Some allow a limited number of songs or limit your tracks to a few artists only. There are also others that require a fee before you can access their playlist. To use the sites, you will have to create an account and download the streaming music player. The others require downloading of an app before you can download songs from the site. So make your blog more interesting by adding music to it. Just make sure that it does not get in the way of visitors who want to read your content. Give them the option to adjust the volume level and pause the music when they want to. Photo via smallbusiness.chron.com

Easy Ways to Promote Your Blog

Gracielou — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 05:47:51 +0000

Whether you’re doing something personal or related to business on the internet, it is very important to spread the word all the time to make people aware of your blog and what you do. Constant promotion is the key to success. There are lots of ways you can promote your blog and using as many as you can will ensure increased traffic moving onwards.

Links

Building links can be done on various platforms. This means displaying the URL of your website or using an anchor text link. An anchor text link refers to a word or several words that link to the website or blog. It’s also a good disguise when you’re on sites that don’t allow users to display their blog URL. On your email, for instance, you can use an anchor text link by including the URL of your blog in your signature or hide it in your name. If you’re submitting to article directories, you can also do it in your resource box. Avoid including a link in the body of your article as most sites don’t allow this.

Social Media

On your social media accounts, you can freely include your blog URL in your profile. Normally, users are allowed to post the URL link of their various websites. Facebook and LinkedIn allow the inclusion of two or more URLs. Apart from the profile section, you can also include links in your status updates specifically on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. You can include it in your message or you directly share the link of your blog. On Pinterest, you may include a URL in the photos you upload and share on the site. You can edit them anytime as well.

Bookmarking Sites

Bookmarking sites are another way to share your articles and blogs. They have millions of users who are constantly on the lookout for interesting and useful posts. Popular sites you can use are StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, Delicious and Tecnorati.

Other Blogs

Did you know that you can also promote on other blogs? It’s possible and you can do it in a number of ways. Comment on blog posts and include a link to your blog or submit a guest blog post on another site closely related to your niche. You may also request for a link exchange or join a blogging community and share information with other members. Photo via aimzo.com

Tips to Write Better Blog Posts

Gracielou — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 03:20:25 +0000

Serious bloggers should know how to manage their blogs well to ensure they drive traffic. Those running a business should also learn the ropes of maintaining a blog that provides quality content and attracts the right audience. You can find numerous tips and guides about this particular topic online but it won’t hurt if you learn more with what we’re sharing here. These are simple and practical tips for the aspiring entrepreneurs and those starting out in business. They are easy to follow and can surely help you maintain an engaging blog worth visiting by internet users who can become potential customers.

Target Audience

Knowing your target audience is vital. It’s similar to planning a business in that when you are able to determine your specific audience, you’d know how to tailor your content to keep them informed.

Quality Content

With regards to quality of the information you’re writing, you’ll have to ask yourself if it’s worth sharing by readers with their friends. Keep in mind that an engaging content is one that’s well researched, provides examples and offers solutions to every day problems.

Structure

The structure of your blog post is also essential. Make sure to write an introduction about your topic then proceed with expounding on it and end with at least three useful tips that will solve an issue or can help carry out changes. Remember as well to use short sentences for easy understanding by readers and subheads to break your sections. Subheads should also be catchy to grab attention and highlight some text for emphasis.

Image

Finally, don’t forget to include an image in every post that you make. They make a big difference in attracting readers and encouraging them to read through the entire article. Photo via problogger.net

How to Blog Right to Grab Attention

Gracielou — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 03:32:18 +0000

Blogging today is no longer limited to the hobbyists or those who simply blog to share their personal experiences. Even business owners and companies now utilize this tool to reach out to their target market. And they’re definitely on the right track. What matters in blogging is you continue to learn about the latest in utilizing this tool and not stop at what you now know. Here, we share some tips from the experts that you can practice moving forward. Leo Widrich, co-founder of the BufferApp pointed out the importance of treating articles as the product. This means that if you’re writing posts, think about its usefulness to people and if it worth’s paying for. Make sure that you write on topics that people are interested in and provides tips that can help solve their issues. It has to be well researched with statistics if possible to spark the interest of your visitors when dropping by your blog. Widrich also added that business owners should never forget to reply to comments on their blogs. This will make visitors know that you’re listening and that you value their opinions. For his part, Jim Belosic who is CEO and co-founder of Shortstack said there’s nothing more valuable than creating original content and sharing your own images and videos. This, he added, improves a blog’s SEO as there’s a big chance other bloggers will link to your post and images. But again, make sure that your photo is relevant to the topic you’re discussing in your article. Search engines are very particular about relevancy so keep that in mind. Meanwhile, Emeric Ernoult shares that he only shares his best ever content. Quality blog posts, he said, means sharing content based on your expertise without asking for a fee. When people read and learn from your posts, they often see you as an expert and when you continue with what you do, it’s not impossible that you’ll get more clients in the end. Finally, don’t forget to engage your audience by asking questions at the end of your post or encouraging them to comment on what you’ve written. Make sure to reply to their comments as well. Photo via blogwritingcourse.com

Essential Photo Tips for Your Blog

Gracielou — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:41:53 +0000

Blogs are in the millions on the web today. There’s stiff competition the reason why every publisher or blogger needs to find creative ways to stand out from the crowd. One effective method in driving traffic to your blog on a consistent manner is by using images on every post. Keep in mind it has to be in every post as much as possible. Isn’t it that a picture says a thousand words? That is always true and come to think of it, people love to see photos whether on newspapers, magazines and on the internet. Putting all text in a post can be straining to the eyes and boring. Some people find it lifeless. But try putting a beautiful photo in your post and you can be sure to attract visitors. Do this on a regular basis and you’ll also gain regular followers. In short, an image adds color to a post and is normally the first attraction on your blog post or your blog in general. People view it first rather than read the text right away. Do remember, however, that it’s not just about putting any photo you like there. It has to be something closely related to your writeup so readers will be encouraged to continue reading. It can serve as an introduction to your post or you can also include it within the body of your article. Photos in a blog post are also essential in search engine optimization and establishing your credibility. You can attract search engines to your blog by putting meta tags. These refer to the title, description and alt text ofo your image. Images are also indexed by search engines which means you can expect your blog to be included in the search results. This is not limited only to Google but as well as other search engines such as Yahoo and Bing. Photo via curbybet.net

Why Retailers Need to Consider Starting a Blog

Gracielou — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 03:00:31 +0000

It’s true that having a web presence is very important these days for any business organization. This is one way of reaching out to a global market and providing existing and prospective clients with comprehensive information about your products and services.

But apart from the website, many companies including retailers are not fully aware of the significance of a blog. Often, they do not know the difference between a website and a blog.

There are several factors why retailers today need to seriously consider this tool.

Firstly, for search engine optimization or SEO purposes. Search engines index blogs more than websites particularly when their content is updated on a regular basis. This then is your opportunity to show on the top search results when internet users search for products and services. Make sure you utilize relevant keywords in your blog that you think people will use when looking for your business offerings.

A second factor is building your credibility as an expert. As a blog needs to be updated regularly, this is your opportunity to share valuable information on your business niche and gain the trust of internet users. When they see and feel that you know what you’re sharing, they will eventually turn to you for expert advice.

Thirdly, this online tool is free to use. There are different blog platforms available today and they’re fairly easy to use that a background on HTML is not even necessary.

Finally, you can use a blog to update clients and other internet users about your company’s current activities such as mergers and events, new products and other offerings. This is what Apple has been doing to get the word out about their latest happenings.

About the guest author:

Jenine is a business writer knowledgeable about the technologies businesses utilize today to achieve their goals. She agrees that sage retail is vital for retailers committed to succeed in what they do.

Taxes Required from Home-based Bloggers and Business Owners

Gracielou — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:11:15 +0000

Bloggers are some of the most in demand workers today. With the internet as a top source of information today, there’s a great need for writers who are able to write articles, blog posts, tutorials and reviews on a wide variety of topic. Some blogging positions are in an office setting but for people who want to avoid dressing up each morning and commuting or driving to work, a home-based set up is the best option. The freelance bloggers are often the ones who enjoy this kind of work setup. They can work at home or wherever they want at their own time and for any company or person they want. Income from this job can also be limitless. As one can work for various people and companies at the same time or set up his own company, a blogger or web content writer can earn as much income as he or she wants per month. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that freelance content producers earned from $32,140 to $166,400 per year as of 2010. This is equivalent to an hourly rate of $15.45 to $80. But if you think that being in a home-based position frees you from paying taxes, that is not totally true. Even if you don’t have a permanent employer and work on your own or you run your own business, you will still have to pay the appropriate taxes to the IRS normally on a quarterly basis. Basically, the primary taxes you will have to file depends on the type of business you have. The rates are different for sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC) and for an S corporation. The so-called self-employment tax refers to the amount of tax one pays for Medicare and Social Security. But instead of paying only half which is the case when you’re employed, you need to pay the full tax rate as a business owner. The good news is that you can deduct the total amount on your personal taxes. You should also know that as a home-based business owner, you can actually deduct your purchases from your taxable income. These include office supplies, furniture and even a car as long as they’re used in running your business. If you have a home office where you do business, you can avail of the home office deduction. You can deduct part of your rent or mortgage as well as your utility bills but this will be dependent on the ratio of your office space to the entire size of your home. Photo via globallifebalance.com

The Essence of a Blog Description

Gracielou — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 23:38:47 +0000

Many people ignore the importance of providing a description for their blogs. They miss out on getting on the top search results and being found by people looking for relevant information because of this. If you’re serious about sharing your knowledge and expertise on the internet and getting more web traffic, it’s time you take into account the so-called blog SEO strategy. This is about your blog being searched easily and getting a high ranking in search results. An ideal blog description uses keywords relevant to your passion or business. These are terms often used by people when searching for a specific topic or business. They may not necessarily be the popular keywords. There’s also a rule on the number of characters for a blog description. If you’re using the WordPress platform, for instance, the SEO description box recommends at least 160 characters. This is because most search engines normally just show 160 characters in the search results. For this purpose, your description can include keywords of your blog. If you’re posting articles, however, you may include the first sentences that are closely related to your title. Avoid using your article title because it won’t give you benefits at all. Keywords play a significant role in gaining a higher rank in search results. They should go hand in hand with your blog description. A tip here is to use the post categories in your blog as keywords. Remember that they have to be relevant to your blog’s main topic or your particular business industry. Don’t even use your country or state as a keyword if you’re not writing about it in your posts. To determine the keywords your readers frequently use when searching for your blog or posts, you can use Google Analytics. This tool is most useful in giving you information about posts that rank high on search results as well as the keywords visitors often use. So keep in mind that for every new post you create on your blog, always provide a relevant blog description to be indexed by search engines. Photo via szsolutions.com

How to Encourage Comments on Your Blog

Gracielou — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 06:40:56 +0000

Not many people who visit websites and blogs leave a comment all the time. Unless they can strongly relate to the topic being shared on the site, they won’t write any comment there. A research done by Jakob Nielsen found that 90 percent of blog readers will never comment on a post, nine percent will comment once in a while and one percent will leave a thoughtful response that adds value to the post. The majority are called consumers while those who comment from time to time are the contributors. So how then can you encourage people to post a comment on your blog? Apart from providing valuable and interesting information, what are other ways that you can do to invite people to share their views on what you’ve written? First of all, do make it easy for your readers to post their comments. Avoid the format that requires them to register because they won’t often do that. Asking a question at the end of your post is also an effective way. Compared to just stating your thoughts and making a conclusion, a question at the end normally prompts people to comment. Some effective questions are “What do you think?,” “Have you experienced the same?” or “Have any of these worked for you?” Do make it a point to reply to your readers’ comments. This encourages them to share their views more or provide useful tips as well. Just make sure that you’ve enabled your spam filter so you are able to moderate the messages and avoid unrelated or annoying comments. Finally, make everybody feel welcome. Avoid replying only to one or two people because this will make some of your readers feel unwelcome. Find the time to reply to all if you can.

Widgets to Add to Your Blog

Gracielou — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:17:40 +0000

Widgets are a nice addition to a blog. It makes sharing content easier and faster. It’s also an effective way to bring visitors to your other sites including your social media profiles to allow them to get to know you better.

Some of these widgets can link to social media sites and your personal websites while the others allow you to show the number of your followers or fans as well as page ranking. So what are some of the popular widgets that you can use on your blog?

Twitter badge – With most people tweeting about what they do today, it would help to put this on your blog if you’re the type who wants to share your tweets with a lot of people.

Facebook badge – This lets you share your status updates on Facebook. You can add the Like button as well if you like.

LinkedInABox – This one shares your profile on LinkedIn.

WikiSeek – If you want to make it easy for your visitors to search Wikipedia, this is the widget to use.

MyPageRank – This displays your Google PageRank and is a good way to attract advertisers as well as potential customers.

CheckPageRank – If you want to display your Alexa ranking apart from your Google page rank, this is perfect to use.

PollDaddy – Are you fond of doing polls to get the opinion of your visitors? Then this widget is ideal as it lets you easily create polls fast.

Google Map — This one lets you display as searchable map on your website.

3Jam — For those who like to be reached through their mobile via text messages without you letting people know about your number, this is the one to use.

Popular Blog Platforms

Gracielou — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:05:10 +0000

Some of the best things on the internet you can still get for free these days. Isn’t that great? The blogging platform is just one of them. WordPress, released in 2003, is one of the most popular free and open source platforms available and has received various awards since 2007. Recent surveys of the top blogging platforms still list WordPress as the number one choice. This is also frequently used as a content management system (CMS) for websites. A March 2012 report shows more than 5 million websites and more than 72 million blogs are using WordPress. For those who still don’t know yet, it’s WordPress.com that offers the free service while WordPress.org is the paid platform. Coming in close is Blogger. This is an easy to use platform as well that has some features not available in WordPress. Latest statistics shows more than 300,000 sites are using Blogger. Another free and popular blogging platform is Tumblr. To date, nearly 50 million blogs are using this. Compared to WordPress, it took Tumblr only less than a year to double the number of blogs it powers. LiveJournal has also been a favorite of many bloggers. Also known as LJ, this one is ideal for those who like to create a diary or journal that they want to share with the world. Included in the Top 5 list of free blogging platforms is the Movable Type. Some of its great features are its standalone pages, trackback links, tags and templates. Whether you’re building a website or a blog, these platforms are worth a try. In fact, some of the best sites on the internet today were built using them.

The Rebirth of Jack of All Blogs

Franky Branckaute — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:31:00 +0000

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ack of All Blogs (JOAB) was one of the first blogs to put Splashpress Media, back then still named the Mr. Bloggy Network, in the spotlights. JOAB was a popular insidery gossip blog about all things blogging, a member of Emeritus Paul Scrivens‘ Fine Fools network, edited and written by David Krug, with Chris Pearson as the outsider contributing his snark.

JOAB was feared – feared because both authors knew what went on in the blogging gossip kitchen and had no remorse, hiding behind their pseudonyms which were only known by other insiders. Let’s be honest, Jack of All Blogs was over-rated and our network owner, Mark Saunders, probably paid way too much for this site – an error this admirable and honest man would repeat over the next five years with a sense of stubbornness worthy of everyone’s respect, until he diagnosed himself and admitted that blog shopping his guilty Sunday afternoon pleasure was. Jack of All Blogs was also the first site I made a paid appearance on and ever since then times were bound to change. I personally – and the landscape as well – would soon undergo a major transition, both for Mr. Bloggy and the blogging scene in general. Things were about to explode.

In 2005 and 2006 a worldwide change was taking place, and more and more people realised that blogging the gateway to a possible new career online was. The days of JOAB were counted but we didn’t know yet. While Mr. Bloggy its own transition underwent and was rebranded as Splashpress Media, WordPress had opened the floodgates and soon everyone and their three nephews had at least one blog. Or were still stuck on Myspace. Twitter was still in private Beta, Facebook was still exclusively for students – let alone had it applications yet – and Digg was important and actually drove traffic to the unknown sites. Michael Arrington interested us and Robert Scoble had already become our Scoble-goat. Those were the days when people knew who Mike Rundle and Matt Craven were.

Much has changed since then, and many a popular and respected writer has said goodbye to blogging or to the scene. Only few are still going strong. Some reformed journalists have made fortunes, others turned to spam/scraping, and several have put the world of the independent keyboard aside. When Jeremy Wright left the b5media network, the good old JOAB scene had totally died and although still going strong under the helm of Andrew G. Rosen, JOAB wasn’t JOAB anymore. I was not a snark writer anymore either, although I would not resist the odd dig at Michael Arrington.

Here at Splashpress Media, we now maintain a select network of well-known and respected publications, led by a team of prolific editors. At some point I was put in charge of everything. I, the person who got hired after publicly hitting out at the network owner on my personal blog. Since then several months have passed, our team has found itself, and everyone has grown in their role – ready to tackle Fall 2010 and the next decade. Many things at Splashpress Media will change over the next months, and many sites will be relaunched.

One thing is important though: here at Splashpress Media we do things differently. We are not your Gawker, About.com, or any other network of online publications, and we don’t exclusively focus on traffic or growth. While both are important for most networks and also for us, our main focus is to create valuable content. Content you want to read and not just content we know will generate traffic. ((Although we should maybe craft more bait entries ;))).

To kick things off, we now officially reboot Jack of All Blogs. Over the next months you will find articles written by all our authors and get an insight at how we run our show here. Don’t expect any gossip or snark anymore ((Although a little bird told me that our CEO still struggles and often fails to shut up)); instead get ready to gather more knowledge about the ins and outs of running a network of online publications.