Recently I came across an article called “Share Well with Others: How to Get Social Content to Go Viral” on Search Engine Land. The article talks about the 7 motives why people share online content via social media.  The 7 motives are: self-expression, affinity, validation, prurience, status achievement, altruism, and self-serving interest.  It makes me think the reasons why I use social media and the examples how I am using my own blog to share information.  Here I listed the top 4 reasons why I chose to become a blogger.

1. Share how-to articles

How-to materials are what tends to go viral fast on the Internet because of its educational connotation. How-to articles on WebStudio13 include the following:

How to Grow Your Twitter Followers – 5 Ways That Work for Me

How To Create The Tipping Point With Social Media

6 Tips On How Small Business Owners Can Use Social Media

2. Help others by providing motivational content

Self-development is a crucial element for everybody’s success. It’s important to identify what motivates us in our daily activities so we can achieve our highest productivity by adding those crucial elements. Here are a few posts I’ve written to motivate my readers:

13 Most Inspiring YouTube Videos of All-Time

5 Ways You Can Motivate Others Via Social Media

3 Great Motivatonal Videos You Must See!

3. Filter useful information so my readers won’t feel overwhelmed

According to Clay Shirky, “it’s not information overload, it’s filter failure.” Information is easy to find nowadays. It means if you don’t filter out the irrelevant noises, you will get overwhelmed and frustrated.   Part of my job as a blogger is to sort through the cluster and find relevant and organized information for our readers.  Examples include the following:

Top 30 LinkedIn Groups for Media & Marketing Professionals

40 Best Social Media Bloggers to Add to Your Twitter List

13 Greatest Twitter Apps You Should Be Using

4. Provide first hand reviews for trendy products, services, etc…

I am a staunch fan of Amazon.com. I think most reviews written on Amazon.com are relevant and accurate.  The same applies to IMDB.com.  I never went to theater to watch a movie without having checked them out first on IMDB.com.  The user-generated content on these sites particularly help me make a decision on whether or not to buy a book, or go rent a DVD.  I apply the same concepts to my blog, meaning I usually write up reviews for any popular products and services I’ve used or even movies I’ve seen. Examples include:

Avatar: Raising the Bar for the Film Industry

7 Reasons Why I Switched to Google Chrome from Firefox

7 Reasons Why Google Wave Is Going To Be Awesome

If you are a blogger but haven’t found your passion, hope this post helps you identify what’s important in your life so you can take your blogging career to the next level.

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Being a blogger has helped me shape many skills in the past. One skill I learned is the ability to come up with innovative and creative post ideas while I am physically or mentally residing at different “places.”  Such places range from bricks and mortar Apple stores to virtual places, such as Mashable.com.  The idea behind this post is to help bloggers generate ideas about what is meaningful to write, and, most importantly, how you can generate those ideas spontaneously while you are engaging yourselves with a variety of daily chores.  Without further ado, let’s get started with these 5 things on my list.

 

1. “While you’re reading articles on other blogs in the same niche…”

When I visit other blogs, I always pay attention to the good points made in their articles.  For instance, I would explore the possibilities of whether the same idea would survive or thrive on my own blog. Sometimes, a little inspiration can help you go a long way.  Last year, I read an article on Twitip which discusses how to increase Twitter followers. Then I implemented the same concept but installed a completely different set of approaches in my own article about the same topic. You can read my article here.

2. “While you’re reading a book…”

I usually consume one or two books in a month.  I don’t know about you.  But reading books conveys a different kind of experience than reading a blog or online article.  For one, a book requires a longer time for readers to finish.  From a writer’s perspective, apparently they put more thoughts into writing a book than if they just write a blog post.  So, while I am reading a book, I try to observe how the author draw the dots together.  In other words, how they piece together different chapters is important because it represents their thought process.  Then I will see if it’s possible to implement the concept in a blog post.

As an example, here is what I have done with different types of books I’ve read:

“Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust – Chris Brogan & Julien Smith” – “How to Become A Trust Agent in A Digital Market? (Post on WebStudio13)”

“Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? – Seth Godin” – “5 Ways You Can Make Your Brand Indispensable Via Social Media (Post on WebStudio13)”

3. “While you’re having a conversation with a friend…”

This approach seems to be against the rule of communications, because most communications books would tend to teach you to focus on the conversation itself while having it, not wondering your mind to elsewhere.  But hey, if it’s a good conversation, why not document it later on on your blog in a different format?  After I talked to a friend about Google’s potential enemies in 2010, I  created these posts:

“Google’s Ten Biggest Enemies in 2010 (Part I)”

“Google’s Ten Biggest Enemies in 2010 (Part II)”

4. “While you’re drafting ideas for a seminar…”

At NY Entrepreneurs Business Network, a business community that I created back in 2009, we give seminars regularly for our attendees to learn.  One of the seminars we did at the beginning of March was called “Business Talk (Panel): Debunking The Myths Of Twitter, LinkedIn, And Facebook.”  The idea then prompted me to write this post – “Debunking Ten Social Media Myths.”

5. “While you’re actively thinking of solutions to solve a real world problem…”

Take the Haiti earthquake that has happened recently for example.  I’ve written a post titled “10 Ways You Can Use Social Media to Help Haiti” to help raise the awareness and relieve the actual problems in Haiti.

 
As Albert Einstein said, “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.“  Young people usually create great companies because they are naive enough to imagine, dream and take action! As a blogger, we should not be limited either.  Whatever you can imagine, you can write!

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At about 8:45 AM on Tuesday I was waiting for the bus to take me from Philly to NYC. It was approximately 24 degrees with a wind-chill of um….. 0.

Over the past 7 months I had managed to build a website reaching levels of success that had shocked many of the seasoned experts in the marketing field. Now I was responding to a request for a meeting for a speaking opportunity with the NY Entrepreneurs Business Network. Yet the rare opportunity I might have allowed myself to feel proud or even a little bit smug, was sufficiently suppressed by one tiny little idiotic fact: I hadn’t even had the common sense to wear a hat or gloves and I was bitterly cold. My dear mother would have flipped out if she knew this fact.

Looking for anything to take my mind off of my current predicament, I opened up the February issue of INC Magazine. Because my fingers were pretty much frostbitten, even turning the page was a task I wasn’t really up for. I was stuck pondering page 24.

On the bottom of that page was a quote by a guy I had never heard of named Jeffrey Zeldman.

“Promote the hell out of your product—not yourself…” He further went on: “There is a difference between being arrogant about yourself as a person and being confident that your work has some value. The first is unattractive, the second is healthy and natural. Some people respond to one as if it were the other. Don’t confuse them. Marketing is not bragging, and touting one’s wares is not evil. The baker in the medieval town square must holler ‘fresh rolls’ if he hopes to feed the townfolk.”

Of course I was able to find a lot to think about based on this simple quote. The experienced entrepreneur or marketing executive might have the experiences to understand what Jeffrey Zeldman is talking about, but this lesson does not just apply to them, it applies to all of us. Because no matter what we THINK our profession is, we ALL are in sales and marketing and most of us have NOT had the experiences to truly understand the quote.

I may not fit your definition of “experienced” because I don’t have years, I have months. But when I initially started marketing my own website, I learned some valuable lessons by making the mistakes one can only make by being the “arrogant marketer” to which Jeffrey Zeldman was referring. It took failing by being egotistical to learn the tremendous value of “being confident that (my) work (had) some value.” There is no reason that you should make the same mistakes though. I would love to share some of the lessons I learned:

1. Advertising Your Popularity Hurts You: I once had an article read by eight thousand people in one day. But advertising that fact did NOTHING to make more people want to read that article. When you throw out numbers like this and people don’t know who you are, then you sound like you are trying too hard, and you turn people off or lose credibility. If people DO know who you are and you talk about how popular you are, then you look like a pretentious asshole. There are much more creative ways to go about it.

2. Your friends are good for nothing! Your friends are your friends because they love you. They don’t love your business. In fact, your friends don’t want anything to do with your marketing efforts. If they did, they would work for you, and then they would be subordinates, and not friends. Don’t expect your friends to help you hustle. They really won’t like you if you do. I promise.

3. The Only Way To Get is to Give: It pains me to say it, but there is nothing free, especially in the marketing relationship. If you are thinking you can push a business relationship to spread your message for free think again. Curry favors and you will get them in return. If you do get lucky enough to have someone help you without bringing something to the table, be ready to return the favor. Take a favor for granted, and you can kill a relationship. Additionally, asking for free favors from someone will usually put a thorn in someone’s side as well. I did this too much in the beginning and managed to piss off a few would-be connections.

4. The Most Effective Marketing For Your Product Is Done By Outsiders: This is a very true look at the value of social proof. Anything you say about your own product is simply discounted by the masses. If you can get just one publicly positive review from someone non-affiliated with your product then you are golden. However, the opposite is true as well – negative publicity is detrimental. Think about this: if you read a bad Yelp review, aren’t you going to think twice about going to that restaurant, doctor, or pet store? Now that we have social media, anyone can reinforce your marketing message, and your marketing power is revved up proportionally to that person’s sphere of influence. Previously – we had to rely on a telephone-like spread of ideas. This leads to my next point.

5. Networking Is Extremely Important As a New Age Marketer: This is something that I have understood since the beginning. In the traditional medium, a marketer can create an amazing advertisement and those they target with a billboard or advertisement are going to see it. Online, those with the most influence control a dramatic piece of what people see. Enlisting the help of these influential people is usually a function of networking and building relationships. In fact, if you are good enough at networking, you can have a huge impact without ever spending a penny. Of course, if you are an arrogant marketer, you could easily forget the point I made previously “The Only Way To Get Is To Give.”

6. You MUST Sell Yourself Or Your Company To Sell Your Product: I am going to establish some quick semantics here. Please understand that selling yourself is not the same as promoting yourself. From his quote above, I think Mr. Zeldman would agree that “promoting” yourself is meant to have an arrogant connotation. I would say that self-promotion borders on bragging and is certainly not the same as selling yourself. The actual process of selling one’s self is beyond the scope of this article. Some do it well, and others don’t. This is a large topic in itself, and I will address it in a future article.

There is certainly a point when a product or service reaches an ability to sell itself. Usually this is the result of an excellent marketing message, or an exceptional product. But in order to reach that “tipping-point,” a company or individual usually must sell itself well through effective marketing. But all of those who are successful understand that no-one likes an arrogant marketer.

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As entrepreneurs, we are all boldly experimenting with new things constantly. Some people have failed on an epic scale; some others are making small mistakes on a daily basis.  What does failure mean to us? Well, I am sure we can all look at it differently, either positively or negatively.  As a blogger, I learned to summarize my lessons frequently, which lets me produce high-value content and attract more loyal readers.  I’ve even written a blog post about these lessons.

I stumbled across this following video the other day.  J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series, delivers her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination” (Harvard Magazine) at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association.  Watch this 21 minute long video below:

Having watched this video twice so far, here are the 6 biggest lessons I have learned from JK’s speech.  As a blogger and entrepreneur, here is what I have to say:

1. Failure is inevitable for anybody who is willing to take risks or take a chance.

2. Learning to enjoy failure is not easy. But once we have mastered that skill, life starts to become more interesting.

3. Aim high.  Always stretch your imagination and match it with the reality.

4. Have a positive mental attitude on matter what happens.

5. Don’t let your dreams fly away in front of fears.

6. Always summarize lessons after you fail, so you won’t fall down at the same place again.

Finally, let me close this post with a quote from rocky balboa: “life ain’t about how hard you hit… It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.”  Let us know your point of view about failure in the comment.

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Social Media Tools for Writers

People have different communication styles.  There are several types.  Some like speaking more than writing, which is why they do a podcast show.  Some others prefer writing than speaking in public, which is why they blog.  For me personally, I have a tendency of equally enjoying both.  For example, there are tons of public speaking opportunities with the group (NY Entrepreneurs Business Network) I’m organizing.  But how about writing skills?  Two words: Social Media.

Let’s go through 4 simple techniques here with regard to how social media can make you a better writer.

1. Tweeting

Twitter is a microblogging tool.  It goes without saying that in order to get your point across, you must be able to communicate well with others via writing.  So how exactly does Twitter cultivate your writing skills? Well, let’s look at the 3 following pointers.

I. Twitter helps you brainstorm for topics

Before you tweet out a message, you’d better think it twice.  Mundane, boring or negative tweets reflect badly on you.  On the other hand, your tweets need to be educational and informative.  If we draw a parallel, brainstorming for topics is a crucial component for article writings.  It definitely helps your brain exercise better and define a good writer if you can think on your feet and come up with interesting topics.

II. It helps you to write concisely and to the point

The 140-character restriction prevents redundant content from appearing in your tweets. This is a good thing since nobody’s time is going to be wasted reading irrelevant content given that we are so occupied nowadays with 1 million things to do every single day.  Most importantly, brevity makes you a really good writer.  The 140-character restriction  is, indeed, very helpful.

III. It improves your editing skills

Whenever I am finished composing a tweet, I usually proof read my message and edit it so there are no amateurish grammar mistakes or typos.  With 140 characters only, most people would think deep in terms of what vocabulary to choose.  Over time, we will all find dramatic improvement in our editing skills.

You can also check out this great article by Copyblogger about “How Twitter Can Make You A Better Writer“.

2. Blogging

Bloggers & Authors

There are posts written on WebStudio13 that teach you how to blog.  There is no doubt that blogging is a wonderful way to improve your writing skills if you can do it consistently.  As a matter of fact, writing blogs can be a launch pad for lots of authors.  There is no lack of examples where bloggers turned into New York Times Best Selling Authors.  If you doubt it, just check out Gary Vee’s most recent book “Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion” .

3. Following The Right People on Twitter

Do you have a Twitter List of authors/writers that you follow?  If not, hope you can get some writing inspirations from the following list:

Darren Rowse (@ProBlogger) – Founder of Problogger.net and a couple of other blogs

Brian Clark (@Copyblogger) – Founder of Copyblogger. Cofounder of DIY Themes

Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki) – Famous blogger, managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, and columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine

Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan) – Founder of chrisbrogan.com, which explores the use of social media and social networking tools, as well as helping individuals work smarter

Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) – An American blogger, technical evangelist, and author

Seth Godin (@thisissethsblog) – Founder of Squidoo.com, author, blogger.

Tim O’Reilly (@TimOReilly) – Founder of O’Reilly Media, supporter of Web 2.0 and free software, blog at radar.oreilly.com

Dan Schawbel (@danschawbel) – The leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y. Author of Me 2.0, blogger, speaker, publisher and social media specialist at EMC

Jeff Jarvis (@JeffJarvis) – Author of What Would Google Do, blogger and j-school prof

Gina Trapani (@GinaTrapani) – Founding editor of Lifehacker

In addition, you can refer to these lists from oDesk, Online Colleges, and Editor Unleashed.

4. Finding Good Books to Read on Different Blogs

Reading books is a great way to practice your writing skills.  Mashable has some great lists of top-notch social media books.  Here are a handful:

• Top 5 Must-Read Social Media Books
• 10 Must-Read eBooks for Social Media Lovers
• Top 10 Free E-books For Bloggers
• BOOKS TOOLBOX: 50+ Sites for Book Lovers

Moreover, you can check out a list of recommended Web 2.0 books on WebStudio13.

This is, so far, our simple guide on how to improve your writing skills via social media.  Let us know if it’s helpful.  Feel free to comment and share your tips.

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Best of WebStudio13 2009

Today is January 1st, 2010.  Let’s start the New Year by reviewing what we have accomplished in 2009, some of the best blog posts that I want to share with you. This is a post that contains the most popular and informative WebStudio13 content based on your reactions via comments, links, retweets, etc.

How-to Articles:

How to Sharpen Your Communication Skills via Social Media – No one could deny the importance of communication skills.  To acquire these skills, we go to school, and attend classes.  Have you realized, by doing what you are already doing, which is socializing with people on social networks, you can drastically improve your communication skills?  If that sounds interesting, this post is a must read!

How To: 5 Techniques to Cash in on your Passion with Social Media – This post is written based on a simple philosophy, which is live for your passion.  Read it to learn how to integrate your passion into your social networks.

How to Grow Your Twitter Followers (5 Ways That Work for Me) – This post will teach you how to become more influential on Twitter.  The 5 techniques introduced here are hard to obtain anywhere else on the web.

How to Run a Successful Business/Entrepreneur Meetup Group? – I am sharing my own experience regarding how to build a community with the Meetup platform.  If you’d like to have a “tribe,” this post is a must read.

How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Next Event – Looking for marketing techniques that allow you to promote your next event cost-effectively?  Look no further. This post has some of the most juicy information that you need.

How to: 5 Ways You Can Motivate Others Via Social Media – Do you feel motivated?  Especially at this time of the year, you need to feel pumped up so you can implement all your New Year’s resolutions, right?  Read this post to absorb its motivational factor.

How to: 10 Lessons I’ve Learned By Writing 100+ Blog Posts – Are you a blogger?  This post is a summary of my best blogging tips that I learned the hard way.  A must read if you want to improve your blogging skills.

How To: 10 Ways to Manage Your Online Reputation – Reputation is a critically important component for our success.  It’s the prerequisite for building trust and establishing relationships.  This post brings you to take a closer look at how you can manage your reputation on the Internet with the best tools available for you.

How to: 15 Tips to Help You Build Relationships on Twitter – Another Twitter post.  As the title indicates, this post is about how to build rapport with your Twitter followers.

7 Pieces of Advice on Growing Your Business on Facebook – Facebook is now the biggest social network in the world.  Would you like to carve a piece out of it and establish a global brand with Facebook?  This post offers 7 insighter tips.

Best of The Best:

30 Top LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs, eMarketers, and Social Media Enthusiasts – Best LinkedIn groups

The Top 10 Best Social Bookmarking Websites – Most popular social bookmarking sites

40 Best Social Media Bloggers to Add to Your Twitter List – See who made it to my “best blogger” list

13 Greatest Twitter Apps You Should Be Using – Twitter apps you can’t live without

7 Reasons Why I Switched to Google Chrome from Firefox – Why Google’s Chrome browser rocks

Top 20 Meetup Groups for Entrepreneurs, Marketers, and Technology Enthusiasts – Find out some of the greatest Meetup groups ever

The 7 Great Lies of Internet Marketing – Lessons for Internet marketers

The Best 4 Twitter Photo Sharing Sites – How do you share photos on Twitter?  Find out my favorite tools.

50 Things to Avoid When You Tweet – Check this list daily to avoid these mistakes

10 Blogs That Help Me Become a Better Entrepreneur – What you need to read to become a great business person

I promise we will produce even better content in 2010.  Happy New Year to everybody!

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Blogging Tips: 10 Lessons I Learned

In retrospect, I’ve been blogging at WebStudio13 for the past 5 months. The overall experience is somewhat satisfying as I have been constantly improving my blogging skills by writing 102 blog posts.  In presence, WebStudio13 has attracted a fair amount of fans.  With the momentum, we will continually grow in 2010, which is for sure.

So what have I learned personally?  Here allow me to share the 10 biggest lessons that I learned the hard way by writing 100+ blog posts. Hope this article will help you avoid these mistakes as a professional blogger.

Lesson #1 – Never Give Up

There is no such thing as getting rich (or famous) overnight.  We are living on the earth, not on another planet.  So get real.  Building a reputable blog is just like growing a business.  Taking steps is crucial.  In other words, bloggers must blog consistently.  I’ve written 100+ posts in the past 5 months.  Not writing 1 post per day, but pretty close, given that I had to work on my blog design from time to time, which, by the way, is a time consuming process.  So rule #1: never give up, because consistency matters.

Lesson #2 – Enjoy The Game

To live a meaningful life, the #1 thing we need to keep in mind is do something we enjoy.  The 9-5 grind is not for you or me.  If you are reading this article, I assume you are an entrepreneur.  So, before you start out with your blogging career, think twice about what’s your passion.  If you like social media, start a blog like WebStudio13.  If you like gadgets, then something like Gizmodo or Engadget may be suit your need.  If it’s celebrity gossip, then go with TMZ.  And so on and so forth.  You get the idea here.  Rule #2: never waste your time doing something you have no interest in.  If you do so, you are already defeated from day 1.

Lesson #3 – Relationship Is The Key

Relationship is probably one of the most overused words in today’s marketplace.  However, it still can not be emphasized enough in our context, especially for bloggers.  We must take this concept deep to our soul and heart.  Treat it seriously.  Because at the end of the day, relationship is what sells.  As bloggers, we must become the trust agents for our readers.  We must gain their trusts.  Rule #3: never underestimate the importance of relationships.  Take time to build it and it will come back on you tenfold.

Lesson #4 – Develop A Routine

Full-time bloggers are totally committed in making the magic happen.  In other words, blogging daily is not a must, but preferred.  It may be counterintuitive if you are not used to writing daily articles.  But hey, if you choose a career in blogging, you should have foreseen this challenge.  Of course, it’s another story if your intent is to blog for fun.

I assume there are a large portion of people who like to build a viable income-generating business out of blogging.   If that’s the case, ensure you have the will to win.  Everyday, I take out 2-3 hours to brainstorm for ideas and write my blog posts.  Rule #4: be patient with the process and prepare certain time each day just to work on your blog.

Lesson #5 – Blog Design Is A Work In Progress

There are many components for an excellent blog, proper site design being one of them.  Don’t expect to complete 100% of your blog’s look & feel in the 1st day, because that’s not possible.  I had to work on my site design all the time.  For example, as I wrote more and more content, I started to realize how important it is to have a “Popular Post Widget.”  As the site attracted more and more fans, I had to put the Facebook fan widget in the sidebar.  Rule #5: take baby steps with the site design.  Reader feedback is also helpful.

Lesson #6 – Integrate Social Media In Your Marketing Mix

Social media has shifted the entire paradigm to promote one’s blog.  Bloggers don’t hire any PR agency to get the word out about their blogs.  Instead, it’s a DIY project from start to finish.  Do it on Twitter, on your Facebook fan page; email it with Posterous; post it on LinkedIn groups; etc…  When you start to use your imagination, the sky is the limit, because social networking sites are a dime a dozen in 21st century.  Rule #6: do not sell yourself short by ignoring social media tools, which, when used properly, can set great blogs apart from the mediocre ones.

Lesson #7 – Focus On Building Traffic First

Too many of us, myself included, were  preoccupied on the wrong things when we first started out blogging.  Monetization is important but you can’t monetize without traffic.  Therefore, focusing on developing content and pulling readers to the site should be the right things to do for any beginners.   The logic is very simple: no traffic equals no clicks, which, in turn, equal no $$$ coming in. Rule #7: never aim on making money too early.  Traffic is the key for a good income-generating blog.

Lesson #8 – Give Valuable Content

No one wants to waste their time reading junks.  If you have no knowledge whatsoever about the topic you are tapping into, maybe it’s not a bad idea spending some time researching the subject first.  Never write a blog post just for writing-a-blog-post’s sake.  Useless/irrelevant information hurts your credibility and scares away your readers.  Rule #8: it’s not the amount of posts that counts.  It’s about the quality of your posts.

Lesson #9 – Get More Inbound Links

The more sites that point to your blog, the easier it can get discovered on the Internet.  There are quite a few ways you can gather useful links pointing to your blog.  Here are the most frequently used methods:

• Writing guest posts
• Leaving comments on blogs focusing on similar topics as yours
• Commenting frequently on forums in your niche area

Rule #9: start building links from day 1. Great content alone doesn’t make your blog sparky if it can’t get found.

Lesson #10 – Leave Your Comment Below

The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the past 5 months can be summed up like this: interaction with my readers is the key to success.  I respond to 99.9% of the questions asked in the comment area.  The same applies to what I do on Twitter.  After all, we wouldn’t call it a viable relationship if there is only one-way communication.  Rule #10: be responsive to your readers’ concerns and suggestions.  Interactivity opens the door of success for all bloggers. Rule #10: make every comment count by paying attention to what your readers say.

Let us know if you have any additional tips we did not cover in this post.  Happy blogging!

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Best Bloggers to Watch in 2010

As a social media blogger, I am constantly learning about new startup companies and freshing features of different social networking sites. Twitter is one of the major news sources for me.  Because it is such a great news aggregator, I try to add the most brilliant folks to my Social Media List on Twitter.

This is an article that summarizes the best 40 social media bloggers you can find on Twitter in 2009.  These blogs are the ones you should keep an eye on if you are a fan of social media.

1. @socialmedia2day (Blog: socialmediatoday.com/)

2. @JasonFall (Blog: socialmediaexplorer.com/)

3. @GrayWolf (Blog: wolf-howl.com/)

4. @louisgray (Blog: blog.louisgray.com/)

5. @IncomeDiary (Blog: incomediary.com/)

6. @TheNextWeb (Blog: thenextweb.com/)

7. @cshirky (Blog: shirky.com/weblog/)

8. @bitrebels (Blog: bitrebels.com/)

9. @SocialGuide (Blog: thesocialmediaguide.com.au/)

10. @dmscott (Blog: davidmeermanscott.com/)

11. @marshallk (Blog: readwriteweb.com/)

12. @arrington (Blog: techcrunch.com/)

13. @andybeal (Blog: andybeal.com/)

14. @alleyinsider (Blog: businessinsider.com/alleyinsider/)

15. @Lifehacker (Blog: lifehacker.com/)

16. @yarostarak (Blog: entrepreneurs-journey.com/)

17. @Stammy (Blog: paulstamatiou.com/)

18. @anildash (Blog: dashes.com/)

19. @photomatt (Blog: ma.tt/)

20. @chrisgarrett (Blog: chrisg.com/)

21. @jeffjarvis (Blog: buzzmachine.com/)

22. @ginatrapani (Blog: smarterware.org/)

23. @copyblogger (Blog: copyblogger.com/)

24. @mattcutts (Blog: mattcutts.com/blog/)

25. @danschawbel (Blog: personalbrandingblog.com/)

26. @MariSmith (Blog: marismith.com/blog/)

27. @jowyang (Blog: web-strategist.com/blog/)

28. @tferriss (Blog: fourhourworkweek.com/blog/)

29. @JohnChow (Blog: johnchow.com/)

30. @problogger (Blog: problogger.net/)

31. @Scobleizer (Blog: scobleizer.com/)

32. @smashingmag (Blog: smashingmagazine.com/)

33. @chrisbrogan (Blog: chrisbrogan.com/)

34. @shoemoney (Blog: shoemoney.com/)

35. @mashable (Blog: mashable.com/)

36. @TechCrunch (Blog: techcrunch.com/)

37. @garyvee (Blog: garyvaynerchuk.com/)

38. @timoreilly (Blog: radar.oreilly.com/)

39. @GuyKawasaki (Blog: blog.guykawasaki.com/)

40. @DoshDosh (Blog: doshdosh.com/)

If you think your blog can help our readers, feel free to add your own blog and Twitter name in the comment area.

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What Makes A Blogger Likeable?

Have you ever wondered what unique characteristics truly separate the rockstar bloggers from the just so-so ones? What types of blog posts tend to get most people’s attention? And what makes your readers want to come back to your blog repeatedly? These questions may shed some new light for you if you haven’t thought about it before. However, they are the three most fundamental questions I ask myself with daily. So the final question we should ask is this: What makes a blogger likeable? Is it their informative posts, (like problogger Daren Rowse), or their excellent writing skills (like copyblogger Brian Clark)? Let’s examine this final question by going through 50 items in the following. Here they are.

10 things to listen to

Being a good listener is critically important. It shows that you know that you don’t know everything.  Most importantly, it indicates your willingness to adapt your blogging styles to your readers’ needs.

1. Look for cues in the comment area, because your readers tend to leave you their sincere feedback or opinions in that section

2. Do a Google search periodically about you or your blog, and see what results come up. If you are a blogger, other people will talk about you either on their blogs or different forums.  Make sure you watch out for your own reputation (I use Google Alert for this reason)

3. Do a search on Twitter about you or your blog for the same purpose mentioned above

4. Look for the trackback links you received and follow those links to read the articles that mentioned you

5.  Ask your friends and family members to check out your blog and have them offer you sincere feedback

6. Read the trending topics on Twitter, which should give you an idea about the popular topics to blog about

7. Be aware of mistakes other bloggers have made and don’t reinvent the wheel. Bloggers usually write posts about lessons they’ve learned

8. Read news, and constantly be in the know of what’s happening both domestically and internationally. This may lead to the next big idea on your blog

9. Sign up for the bloggers’ Meetup groups and learn from other bloggers

10. Listen to yourself and follow your gut instincts

10 things to tweet about

If you haven’t integrated Twitter with your own blog, you are making a big mistake. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to promote your blog posts on Twitter.  After all, it’s free advertising.  So why not? Pay attention to these 10 ideas that help you become a marketing-savvy blogger everybody likes.

1. Retweet other people’s blog links that are educational and informative. This increases your own credibility over time because it shows that you are in the know zone

2. Tweet about local events such as Web 2.0 Expo or Blogging Expo. Again it shows that you care

3. Try to answer all the “@” questions that are addressed to you. It is important to be responsive as a quality blogger

4. Before you RT an article, make sure you check whether the links work. Broken links hurt your credibility

5. Tweet every blog post you published, which increases people’s brand recognition about your blog

6. Ask your followers questions about possible topics they prefer to see on your blog. Make sure your next blog post is in demand

7. Tweet about your thoughts about your future posts, which should lead to some feedback before you start the writing process. A smart move

8. Offer free prizes on Twitter to ask your followers to subscribe to your blog. For example, you can give out ten Google Wave invites for free

9. Create a professional blogger list on Twitter.  And encourage people to follow this list

10. Encourage people to send you feedback on your blog posts because you are a good listener

10 things to think about

Good bloggers are usually good thinkers. In my opinion, creative bloggers tend to overshadow the not-so-creative ones. Therefore, here are 10 skills to help you become a better thinker.

1. Think about your own blogging style. Does it work for your target audience?

2. Think about the categories you have on your blog. Do you need to create more categories or just stay within the current ones already created?

3. Think about your own creativity. Give it a score from 1-10, 10 being the best. Where are you at and how can you improve your own score?

4. Think about the most commented blog post you’ve written before. Is there any way you can expand on that topic and write a new blog post about it?

5. Think about the good skills you’ve learn in the past several days? Can you implement at least three of them in your next blog post?

6. Think about your current promotional mix for your blog.  Does it make people feel you are spammy?

7. Think about the last most retweeted blog post. What were the characteristics of that post that made it so popular?

8. Think about your current time commitment with your blog? Do you need to spend more time with it because your audience needs more materials?

9. Think about the 10 biggest lessons you’ve learned in your past blogging experience. Can you make a post out of that to educate people?

10. Think about the above 9 questions. Always try to come up with more thoughts that make you more productive.

10 things to blog about

These are 10 possible topics you can blog about which further connect you with your readers. Here they are, with examples.

1. Tricks and tips on how to use a particular social network (How to Grow Your Twitter Followers – 5 Ways That Work for Me)

2. Lessons you’ve learned in the past that could help other people succeed without reinventing the wheel (The 7 Great Lies of Internet Marketing)

3. A list of your favorite tools that help others be more productive (15 Essential Google Tools for Successful Business People)

4. Your own success stories that you want to share with others (How to Run a Successful Business/Entrepreneur Meetup Group?)

5. Ranking of popular items in a particular category that is in demand (30 Top LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs, eMarketers, and Social Media Enthusiasts)

6. A collection of inspiring videos or audios (13 Most Inspiring YouTube Videos of All-Time)

7. Creative ideas that work with contemporary timing and situations (HOW TO: Use Social Media to Its Fullest During The Holiday Season)

8. Offering tips and suggestions on the good products you are using yourself (Thesis Wordpress Theme for Professional Bloggers)

9. Your opinions on controversial issues (Why Email Still Rules?)

10. Promotion of a meaningful and valuable event (AdTech Content Revenue Strategies Conference)

10 things to leave yourself with

Here are the ultimate 10 questions you should frequently ask yourself to improve your popularity perceived by the general public

1. Have I done my best to tailor to the needs of my target market?

2. Is my blog updated often enough to keep my subscribers coming back repeatedly?

3. What are some criticisms I’ve been getting lately?

4. Do I have a list of topics for my next blog post that my audiences prefer?

5. Have I maximized the design potential of my blog to make it look more attractive?

6. Have I put out enough valuable content for my readers?

7. Are there any needs from my readers left unaddressed?

8. What have I done today to improve the relationship between me and my audiences?

9. How can I do better with my blog?

10. Have I gone through this 50-item list today so I know what weak spots I need to work on to become a likeable blogger?

What is your take on this topic? How do you perceive whether a blogger is likeable or not?  Your comments are always welcome.

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Pic Originated by Ann Sieg

As an Internet marketer, I could almost sustain my own growth without working 9-5. I know this is the dream for many, many people. Quitting the 9-5 job and firing your own boss sounds like something most Americans would like to do. However, I have to warn you that your expectations shouldn’t be too high if you just start out with your own Internet business. Success takes time. If you want to succeed at something, what it means is hard work and discipline.

When it comes to blogging, there are 7 major misconceptions about this industry. I call them “7 Great Lies.” Let’s walk through each one of them.

1. Lie: Content is the King. Just build it and everything else will follow!

Truth: Is content important? Yes, indeed. However, a website can hardly take off without good design and proper promotions. Imagine you have a great blog and you put out decent content everyday, but people can barely find the subscribe button on your blog, nor can they bookmark it or tweet it. Your readers just come and go everyday, and the retention rate is very low. If you have a site like this, it may be time to pause and rethink. Think of proper channels with which you can deliver your content to your audience quickly and conveniently.

2. Lie: You are your own boss. Hence, you can work whenever you want.

Truth: Success happens for a reason. Discipline is a must-have characteristic for all successful entrepreneurs. In my case, I tell myself to get up early every morning, read news from my favorite tech blogs, write my first blog post for the day, and hit the “publish” button no later than noon. This has become my daily routine. Over times, I do enjoy it. But my point is there is no absolute freedom no matter what you do. If you are not self-disciplined, you might as well not start your own business.

3. Lie: I make ______ (Fill in the blank) amount of money. You can do the same.

Truth: I’ve heard the claims people make about the amount of money they make monthly from their blogs. Some even show you their Adsense check. But the truth is there is no guarantee, because we are entrepreneurs. Owning your own business is risky. It requires hard work. The day you stop innovating and putting out new content is when you will die. For bloggers, you could have an accidental traffic spike in a particular month due to several possible reasons

1. You put out a contest

2. You published an E-book

3. Many guest bloggers write articles on your blog

4. There is a blog post which gets picked up by both Google and different social bookmarking sites

Moreover, your site could be hacked next month, and you get nothing.

4. Lie: I retired when I was _______ (Fill in the blank).

Truth: Personally, I don’t really the word “Retire.” In my opinion, if we are doing what you are passionate about, does it really matter? Saying you want to retire equates indicating you are doing something dull and tedious. Especially for Internet marketers, “Retirement” is an illusion. As a blogger, my mission is to help enough people develop their own sustainable business model via social media and technology. And this is a life-long mission.

5. Lie: Have you read the book “The 4-Hour Workweek?” If you have an Internet business, you can do the same.

Truth: This claim is even more exaggerated. It is misleading and distorts the meaning of a “business.” In my opinion, if you want to start your own business, you’d better roll up your sleeves and get ready for some challenging work. “The 4-Hour Workweek” is a great inspiration for me. And that’s the reason why I quit my full-time job.  However, I have to admit this model is hard to implement in my blogging business. Instead, I want to recommend the book “Crush It” here by Gary Vaynerchuk.

6. Lie: You should monetize your blogs as early as possible.

Truth: For some people, making money from their blogs may be the biggest reason why they started their business in the first place. However, let’s face it. A site without any traffic will produce no results, with or without the ads. Therefore, for every serious blogger, the critical task should be to figure out how to increase your site traffic, instead of how to monetize it, especially in the beginning stages.

7. Lie: Bookmark your blog on as many social networks as possible. Then sit back and watch your traffic grow.

Truth: Actually, I used to bookmark my blog posts on as many as 50 social bookmarking sites before (an example), but failed to see any significant traffic spike on my blog. I have concluded these two critical rules when it comes to bookmarking your blog posts:

1. Having someone else bookmark the site for you is much more powerful than you doing it yourself;

2. If you try to promote your website yourself, make sure you have a good number of followers/friends within that network, such as Digg, Delicious, or Twitter. The more friends you have, the faster your message will spread.

3. Don’t waste your time submitting your articles to hundreds of social bookmarking sites using some software

In conclusion, I hope you have gained more insight by reading this article. If you find this article helpful, please subscribe to our feed to ensure you get our future posts delivered. If you have questions or comments, feel free to share with us in the comment area.

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