Other Blogs in Your Niche; Friend or Foe?

by Steve Remington

This post is inspired by the recently written post at problogger.net. Please head over and read the article. It is something we should all strive to understand, as the nature of blogging is about forming allies and ultimately being on the same side.

In an article I wrote last month called Blogs Are Roads; Intersections, I address the fact that other blogs in your niche are not necessarily competitors but sites you actually “want” to be associated with. The realities of blogging is that associating yourself with other blogs like your own will actually bring you more traffic.

I see too often where bloggers remove a blogroll from their sidebar in fear of linking out to competitors. I understand the fear but the blogger fails to understand and grasp the true nature of the beast… The beast is the overwhelming and not yet tamed blogosphere. What is it they need to understand? Other blogs can be competition when it comes to writing styles, voice, etc. But blogs allow you to be who you are and be the best at it. It comes down to what you are selling, and in a sense, it is YOU. Essentially linking to other bloggers is a good thing as it opens doors to your blog. But linking to off topic blogs can hurt. Linking to relevant blogs will help.

Most bloggers get it backwards. They link to off-topic blogs more frequently because there is no fear of competition. The trick is to link to other blogs that are doing the same things you are. But what else can be done besides linking out to other related blogs? Why not email them and get acquainted? It’s all about Networking isn’t it?

So you need to ask yourself whether or not other bloggers in your niche are Friend or Foe…? Ally or Competition?

If you can honestly see other bloggers in your niche as friends and allies you are one step ahead in your blogging career.

Be An Authority On Something

by Steve Remington

Blogging can be tricky. What I mean is you can probably do a lot of things right but you have to stop and ask yourself what it is that separates you from the rest of the bloggers in your niche. I think you can do the same stuff, write about the same topics, and be just as good as all the other blogs in your niche, but if you really want to excel you have to provide your readers with something that they just can’t find any where else. So how do you determine what that something is?

1) Strengths – In order to determine what you can provide your readers with that is unique, you must look inward at your own strengths. Are you good at writing? Maybe you aren’t so good at writing but you are an excellent researcher. You have this ability to dig up information quickly and effectively. Or maybe you have a strong personality. It only makes sense to offer up one of your strengths. To determine your strengths you have to be honest with yourself. It is crucial if you want to assess things properly. You don’t want to claim you know everything about a certain subject and really not.

Sometimes if you have a new love for something, passion can carry you a long way but you have to provide something to your readers that goes well beyond how you feel about a subject. An example would be… I love music but I can’t sing worth a darn. I might be able to tell you everything there is to know about music and provide daily news about the music industry but when it comes to singing in a podcast it would drive readers away all across the continent. So be honest with yourself, find your strengths, and blog it.

2) Opportunities – Another way to help determine what you can offer your readers that is different from all the other blogs in your niche is to constantly look for opportunities. If your niche is saturated, and you offer the exact same thing that other blogs offer, even if it is your #1 strength, you are not really offering a whole lot different. Not that you can’t stick to your #1 strength, but this is when you have to look for opportunities to help find that cutting edge.

Be first. An example of an opportunity is to be first at something. You have to constantly scan what’s happening out there in your niche and be on top of it. Be the first to post on late breaking news. Back in June was Father’s Day. Next year be the first to provide a top 10 best father’s day gift ideas list. Email other bloggers with your list. So being the first is a great way to take advantage of opportunities.

Be creative. Another example of taking advantage of opportunities is to create something. How about a contest with a prize? Keep your contest relevant to the subject of your blog and provide a small prize. People love getting prizes but most importantly people love getting recognition. This will keep your readers interested. And hopefully others will link to your contest. But don’t be shy. Got something going on and you have faith in it… why not email other bloggers and let them know.

Be personable. I email other bloggers all the time. Some never reply to me and think I’m nutso and others really warm up to me. You have to take some risks. If not, you will probably have the same 3 readers on your blog for the rest of your blogging career. But be personable. Try not to harass other bloggers with daily news tips. This can get irritating and may cause an adverse affect. But make friends in your niche, and spend time in your emails. Like I have mentioned before blogging is more than just writing. There are many other parts to it.

Be reliable. This is definitely an opportunity that is probably something that you should have a strength in. No matter what you blog about, and no matter what your strengths are, you have to come across to your readers as reliable. So what does that mean exactly? It probably comes in different forms. Posting every day for 2 weeks and then not posting for 2 weeks is not a good habit to get into if you want to build reliability with your readers. There are ways to get around this if you are on vacation, on the road, or lost on Mount Hood.

The issue at hand is you now have a personal relationship with your readers. If every day when your spouse or significant other walks through the door in the evenings after work and sees you there preparing dinner or if you expect your significant other to be home every evening after work because they have always been there and then one day find them not there. What then? 5 or 6 days go by and they have yet to show up. You can’t trust them in the future to be there. Once they come back for a while you begin to wonder each day when you come home if they will be there. Your significant other is not reliable.

That is a bit extreme, but I got my point across. Blogging is the same way but with not such a personal impact. It may take a week before readers begin to get bored and wonder. But the key is consistency. Consistency builds reliability. For instance if you consistently post to your blog once per week and have done that for 3 years then you are reliable. But if you blogged once per day for a year and then started posting once per week and then once per day when you feel good, and then when you get tired you take a 2 week break, your readers will begin to feel the unreliability. So, as an opportunity… be reliable.

Be partisan. I can’t stand reading blogs when it is obvious the author is not really being honest. Everyone has a bias, and everyone needs to not be afraid of it. I don’t mean you have to be rude and nasty, but let’s have a backbone. You can’t please everyone with your opinions but you need to actually appeal to a certain group. If you are to be an authority on something, and be different from all the other bloggers, you have to take a side somewhere. Too many bloggers sit in limbo and don’t want to offend people. I don’t want to offend people either but I still need to stick up for what I believe to be true. It is our right as citizens to stand up for what we believe in and by doing this on a blog we are exercising our freedoms. Don’t be afraid to say global warming is for the deceived, or eating meat is disgusting. Either side you are on, make that distinction. All successful blogs have a voice, have an opinion, and stand by it.

Be passionate. There are a lot of people who are passionate and it may not be your #1 strength, but it will be the passion that will get you through. When you write, readers should be able to see the passion you have for the subject.

3) Competition – Another important thing to look at when you have to separate yourself from other bloggers is your competition. Some niches are completely saturated and finding that cutting edge is nearly impossible. Other niches have a lot of room for growth. Look at the hunting blogosphere. The fishing niche still has room to grow but there are a lot more fishing blogs than hunting. Hunting seems to be real slow. I just talked to an old time buddy of mine who books hunts for other people who are looking for a reliable guide service. I told him he needs to really think about setting up a blog for his business. He came back at me and said he was embarrassed to ask but he wasn’t really sure he knew what a blog was. And I see a lot of this in the hunting industry. Blogging is good for the hunting industry and we are always telling others that they are misinformed about the sport. Blogging is a great and inexpensive way to get the word out about hunting. It is a new way to tap into the younger kids and show them how awesome the sport is by reaching them online through blogs.

So make sure you know your competition and try to find a way by using your strengths and your opportunities out there to become different than all the other blogs. You should ask yourself, “why would someone want to read my blog?” You want readers to say the reason why they read your blog is because, “There is no other blog out there like it.”

Simple as that. So you need to determine why and how your blog is the only one of its kind.

What Are Some Mistakes Blogs Make?

by Steve Remington

I like to provide blog tips from time to time but occasionally I think it is good to take a look at some of the things not to do. David Airey provides a list of the Top 7 blog mistakes to avoid.

I will quote them from his blog and then I will comment on them after each one.

Mistake #1 – not using a self-hosted blog
The problem with hosting a blog through WordPress.com is that you don’t have full control over customisation. WordPress owned and stored my content. I was also showing my blog’s web address as being www.wordpress.davidairey.com rather than www.davidairey.com.

On top of all that, I was using a blog template that thousands of others were using. That’s no way to stand out from the millions of blogs that are online. Since then I’ve launched a new blog design which I’m much happier with.

In Jakob Neilsen’s 2005 article on the top 10 blog mistakes, he had this as number 10:

Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service
Having a weblog address ending in blogspot.com, typepad.com, etc. will soon be the equivalent of having an @aol.com email address or a Geocities website: the mark of a naïve beginner who shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Ok I tend to agree on this one, but it depends on what is important to you. Though it isn’t completely crucial, at some point if I were on blogspot or wordpress, I would buy my own domain for $9.95 per year. I have never decided to stop visiting a blog just because they were on blogspot so I don’t think it is crucial when it comes to visitors. I think it would be best if you used your own domain for complete blog customization and functionality purposes. But if that isn’t important to you as a blogger then I am not sure moving to your own domain would be best. You have to know how to install wordpress, edit the style sheets, edit the html files, and learn how to operate software on your own.

Mistake #2 – expecting people to visit
The blog world is amazing because of the reader interaction. It’s why I continue to publish on a fairly consistent basis. When I first started out I had no idea how to attract new readers, commenters, interaction etc. I had the impression that if I published new content I’d automatically find readers in my niche.

How wrong I was.

Successful blogging involves time, effort, and reaching out to fellow bloggers / publishers / authors (whatever you prefer). In fact, there’s a whole psychology behind blog publishing and I had no idea how it would change my way of thinking. Now if I see or hear something of interest I wonder how it can be incorporated into a blog article.

I think the tip is a good one, though he kind of got off topic on the expecting people to visit thing. When you first start a blog, even if you are a fairly recognizable name and are somewhat popular in your niche, it takes time before people start to visit. It is just the nature of starting a blog. I will also throw in the concern of new bloggers here at the Network. We can deliver you a few new readers when you start, but it really takes several months of dedication and posting and networking in order to find loyal readers. Most get discouraged and give up. The best thing to do is keep publishing and working at it. So, new bloggers, don’t expect visitors overnight. You will get them if you hang in there long enough. Sometimes it can take a year. Sometimes it could be 4 or 5 months.

Mistake #3 – not writing as if I’m talking
You have to find your personal brand and deliver it through your blog. The way you write, the words you use, your tone of voice, how you respond to comments, the design of your blog, the topics you cover… it all shows who you are.

Blogs are less like a lecture and more conversational. Well it depends on the blog but I have found that most successful blogs mix it up real good. Some will tell the facts and then when stating opinions, they have a real strong conversational style voice. It insights debate, provokes discussion, and opens up their blog post for both sides to comment. So, don’t be afraid to have a voice and state your opinions. It isn’t the end of the world if readers disagree.

Mistake #4 – changing the location of my blog
When I moved my blog’s location, from davidairey.com/blog to davidairey.com, I knocked my Google Page Rank from 5 to 4. The mistake wasn’t moving, which I’m glad I did. The mistake was not doing it sooner, or not starting out with my blog in the root directory.

Personally I don’t think it really matters whether your blog is located in the root directory or at /blog for instance. I think what matters is once you have installed it somewhere just leave it alone. Google will find it. Moving your blog around is not only a headache but you will lose page ranking and all your links that are out there in cyberspace are now broken. Not a good thing when people are finding your old posts and can’t get to them. A blog is timeless and once you publish a blog post it is out there forever. Some think once that post falls off the home page you will never see it again. Wrong. I have people finding posts I wrote about 6 months ago. So decide before you launch your blog where you want it. Once you decide stop worrying about it. Look forward, leave your blog location alone, and move on.

Mistake #5 – neglecting my article headlines
Most people new to blog publishing will spend all their time writing the article, and not thinking too much about the headline. Here’s the thing, if your headline doesn’t catch my attention, the chances are I won’t read the article.

This is something I have stressed a lot in the past. Titles are very important, especially with catching people’s attention and SEO. Try not to lure readers in with suspense, but with facts. People want to know exactly what they are about to read. The first clue is in the Title of the blog. If they can’t determine what the article is about from the Title the chances of them moving on to read the first paragraph is slim.

Mistake # 6 – not linking to others as I’d like them to link to me
I still see it every day, people linking to others using the anchor text ‘here’ or ‘click here’. You wouldn’t be linking to people unless you thought they had something worth saying, so give them a link they’ll truly appreciate.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Did I say that right? Well you get my point. Some call it link love. (More on link love here and here) Link out to other sites that are pertinent to your post. There seems to be a fear out there that linking to other people will only send your readers away. This is “old school” thinking. I guess if you owned a store and you started sending people to other stores to get their merchandise you probably wouldn’t have much of a business left in a short time. But the blogging world is different. People can buy what they are looking for over and over again from many places. What they are buying is information and you are providing it for free. So people aren’t necessarily going to find that one spot to spend their money. It is free. People will come back for more and more and more as long as they are getting information. Whether you provide it yourself or tell your readers where to go to get it then you are a viable source of information for them.

Mistake #7 – underestimating the time commitment
When I first started out, I had no idea how much time blog publishing would take. I don’t spend all my time around here. Far from it. A work-life balance is essential and I find myself posting articles less and less at the weekend (and when I do they’re often time-stamped from a week-day).

Yes. This is something we all get caught up in. We all learn the hard way. Anybody can blog, but those who want to have readership, regurgitate useful information, and actually provide their readers with good information day in and day out then blogging can become a full time job. There is a lot of energy that needs to be spent in order to maintain a half decent blog.

Can you think of any common mistakes new bloggers make? I am sure there are more than 7. If so, let us know in the comments section.

Turn That Computer Off And Get Out Into Your Community

by Steve Remington

There are ways to promote your blog and who you are when that computer is turned off. Unplug that thing and head out into the community. Go to shows, events, and just talk to people. Hand them a business card with contact information and your website link.

Another idea, is to submit editorials to local newspapers and talk about something that concerns you in what you are doing. Make sure to leave your name and drop your blog title. For instance, if I felt there was a lot of negative light being shed on the sport of hunting and I had an opinion, I could submit an editorial to my local newspaper and educate readers on the facts about hunting. Then at the end make sure to have them say:

Steve Remington
President/CEO
Skinny Moose Media

Try not to over do this. Maybe submitting an editorial once every month or every 2 months will do.

But show up to events, submit articles to local newspapers who are dying to get a story, take pictures, meet new people, and have a good time doing it. There is so much more you can do than sitting down at your computer each day and typing in a hunting or fishing tip, or telling how you caught that big fish back in the 60’s.

What else can you do offline? Can you think of anything?

How about go do an interview with a local resident. Maybe interview someone who owns a local gun shop or someone who is a Game Warden. Talk about the issues that matter. Snap a picture of you and them shaking hands. Why not bring your friend along to film it? Upload that puppy to YouTube and then embed it into your blog?

Let’s see… what else?

Got ideas on how to further your blogging offline? Shoot me an email at steve@skinnymoose.com with your ideas. When I get a few emails I will post up all the ideas in the form of a blog post. So make sure to provide a link to your blog, your first name, and what city you are from.

Sometimes it is Just Good to Link

by Steve Remington

Sometimes if you can’t think of things to write about just start linking to people. The key is to keep it relevant and post to similar content. I see a lot of current outdoor bloggers who link quite frequently and that is a great thing to see. Even business blogs should take time and post something with several links in it.

So let’s give it a shot.

First and foremost I would like to announce Kevin’s new site at Hunting Life. You can find resources, a blog, and the beginnings of a great new site.

Kristine is writing up a series on The Three Be’s to perpetuate hunting, which are Be Supportive, Be Welcoming, and Be Together. Lots of good advice in there.

There is also a story of a couple of deer who comfort a sick cat. Cute little photo to go with it too, over at The Shed Antler. Apparently a 9 year old cat was diagnosed with kidney failure and was dying. The cat was sitting outside in the grass and two deer came up to it and one of them touched the cat’s nose. The deer then proceeded to lick the cat all over the head and neck area, and the cat just sat there and allowed it to happen. The cat died 2 days later.

Mike from the Bick Buck Zone tells people to exercise our constitutional rights and go buy guns now.

Fish Geek informs us on what is happening in Montana. Due to hot weather, fishing in Montana rivers is closed. What’s up with that? I didn’t know they could cancel fishing due to the weather.

It also looks like the schmoozin has hit the hunting and fishing blogosphere. Who got awarded? Looks like a whole slew of people such as Idaho Fishin’ Times, Alpha Trilogy, Bright Idea Outdoors, Deer Camp Blog, Dazd and Confuzed, and Back Woods Drifter.

• New Hampshire Man Receives “Hunter of the Year” Award
• Al Gore Goes Green?
• Hunters for The Hungry Reports Abundant Donations
• Where’s the Water in Arizona?
• Cabela’s Comes to East Hartford, Connecticut
• Didymo, a Nasty Algae, Discovered on the Upper Connecticut River
• World Record Carp

Oh and check out the cool pics of the New Born Moose Calf. Can you tell us where these pictures were taken?

How’s that for link love?

Blogging Is More Than Just Writing

by Steve Remington

In fact… writing is probably what you do the least. So what do you do most of the time when you are a blogger? Depending on the type of blogging you do, whether it be news or recording personal experiences and the knowledge you have acquired over the years, will determine what you spend more time doing. Those types of blogs that look for online resources and up to the minute news in the outdoor world spend more time researching and reading other news stories and content. But let’s break blogging down into all the different things we do besides the writing part.

Brainstorming
Sometimes coming up with ideas is a real challenge. Bloggers have to spend a lot of time brainstorming and developing ideas that will be interesting to write and interesting to read. Sometimes keeping a notebook and jotting down ideas can help you remember them. There are times that you might be in the middle of a walk, out with friends, or watching TV when an idea for a blog will hit you. Be prepared at any moment to record that thought for later use. You can also brainstorm with other bloggers or do it alone. I find sometimes on my way to sleep I will begin thinking of ideas on news stories and blog articles. Don’t laugh… it is my job!

Researching
Someone like J.R. Absher or Tom Remington probably spend more time collecting tidbits of news and facts, and weeding through what might be newsworthy. Sometimes we find out that things are not exactly true and so you have to research the information and find out the origin. From there you determine whether or not your readers will be interested. Tom says:

“I spend the vast majority of my time researching topics… really! Writing the actual article is the culmination of a lot of research. I spend at times hours gathering information and learning as much as I can about a topic before I make the final post. What I have learned through my research has made me a much better and informed writer.”

He told me one time that through his research he has developed a lot of contacts of people he can call on for help, whenever he needs it. This is also important when trying to dig up the facts. Also finding those sites to link to you have to constantly be researching.

Emailing
From time to time you get people who read your content and want to contact you. Maybe they have a news tip or even a question. Maybe they just want to drop you an email and say hi, and let you know they like your stuff. Make sure to email them back and engage them in dialog. A lot of bloggers don’t do this for whatever reason. Some probably have egos the size of Guam and think they are better because they write a blog. Who knows. Don’t be the one who won’t reply. Be personable and spend time as a blogger whether it is throughout the day or putting time aside at the beginning or at the end of the day to return emails. This should be part of your schedule.

Commenting
Whether you reply on your own blog to commenters or actually be a commenter on other blogs in your niche is an important part of blogging. This is something I have always found hard to do but is definitely important. Blogging is about community and sticking together with similar bloggers. When people comment on your blog try to make a note to reply to them. I have a hard time as a blogger to do this as I am real busy throughout the day but I think this is important. Readers want to know they are being acknowledged and that their opinions matter. If you let comments go for too long then your readers will get bored and probably not return.

Also, spend time on other people’s blogs and commenting. If you can’t get to it everyday pick 2 days each week where you can go through your bookmarks, do your rounds by visiting all kinds of blogs in your niche and read through some newer posts. Keep up to date on what others are talking about and comment. Again this is something I have a hard time doing because I have limited time and also I don’t always have an opinion on something. So trying to force myself to comment just to comment isn’t really a good thing.

Reading
Writers will tell you that to become better you must spend time reading. Pick up a book, a magazine, or just spend time reading material online. You need to fill the brain in order to conjure up something to write. Nothing worse than sitting down at the computer ready to blog and there is nothing in your mind to write about. Spend time reading content. It will help stimulate your creative side.

Exercise
Yep that’s right. Take an hour walk in the evenings or spend time doing some sort of activity. Exercise releases those endorphins which stimulates your creativity. There has been so many times I have come up with good ideas while exercising. Walking is a good source of exercise where you can think of ideas and not get hurt if your mind wanders a bit. I find if I do this by myself I also get some down time from reality. Not only is exercise good for creativity but it is just simply good for you. It will help you sleep better at night which will allow you to work better during the day. And of course eat right. Being healthy will help you perform better.

Can you think of any other things bloggers should spend time doing? I would like to hear them.

Take Time to Create a Good List of Categories

by Steve Remington

Creating and maintaining a good list of categories on your blog benefits both you and your readers. When people come to read your blog hopefully there will be a list of categories displayed somewhere in your sidebar. Most people search the Internet by topic and not by date, so place your category archive higher up on the sidebar than your monthly (dated) archive. It is important that people can navigate your blog with ease. By creating a well thought out list of categories it will help your readers find articles that they find most interesting.

If you have a general hunting blog you will probably want to break down your categories into different types of hunting; like deer hunting, bear hunting, turkey hunting, hog hunting, etc. That way when people search your blog they can click on whatever type of hunting they prefer to read about at the time. Let’s say our reader is an avid bear hunter and so he clicks on your Bear Hunting category. He can then get a list of all the blog posts you have done in chronological order that you listed under Bear Hunting.

It will be a little bit more of a challenge to set up categories when your blog is very specific to begin with. But as you write, try to think of what will be going through the minds of your readers and in a lot of cases you can think of a category you can add. For instance create categories like Products, Videos, Photos, News, Stories, etc.

Readers love choices to a certain extent. Too many choices can get a reader confused, but you don’t want to be a complete online blog dictator. Think of it as leading your readers.

Linking to your previous posts is a good way to get your readers deeper into your blog. Sometimes linking to a category on your blog will help direct people to an archive of related material. For instance, in your current post you are talking about your videos or you have posted a new video. Near the bottom of the post before you finish up and hit publish, just let your readers know that if they want to see some of your older videos you have posted then CLICK HERE and then link to your Videos category. Look at this blog here at Skinny Moose. I can tell you that once you are done reading this to head over and read ALL of my Blog Tips. Or check out all my previous Interviews I have done in the past.

This just makes it very simple and fun for the reader. Walk them through things and just make it easy. But as you can see, having categories was not only easy for your readers, it is easy for you to go back and find related articles to link to.

Search engine spiders such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN crawl categories too. Categories are set up to provide their own URL. So, I find in a lot of cases if somebody went to Google, for instance, and typed in “Bear Hunting Blogs” then one of the results to pop up could be a link straight to your Bear Hunting category. So make sure you keep your blog nice and neat and add as many categories as you think will benefit your readers. It is another door into your blog and it will make it that much more enjoyable for your readers and for you as a writer.

The Importance of Titles on Your Blog Articles

by Steve Remington

How important are your blog titles on each of your articles? This question is something we all need to look into as bloggers and I have learned quite a bit over the last couple years about placing well thought out titles. Sometimes I like to equate titles to fishing. If you don’t place that good title on your blog it could be that “Blog Post That Got Away”. Let me clarify…

People who search the internet for interesting articles first scan titles. Think about your own experience while browsing around. First off, you don’t have a lot of time, whether you have only an hour online or there is just a lot of territory you need to cover in the amount of time alloted to you. So you look for titles that grab your attention. You look for titles that are about things you are interested in. So for the average seeker titles are the first hook. Then it is the first paragraph.

So let’s provide 2 examples of the same article with the same content but different titles and first paragraphs.

Example 1:

Dick Cheney Shoots His Hunting Partner While Dove Hunting
Dick Cheney was out dove hunting yesterday when he accidentally peppered his hunting partner with bullets. They rushed him to the hospital where he was treated and is expected to recover… blah blah blah

Example 2:

Oh man… this is bad…
I can’t believe this happened. What a freakin’ moron! Who on earth would do this and consider themselves a hunter. I understand accidents happen but man oh man. What happened was Dick Cheney was out dove hunting and… blah blah blah

Ok, so which scenario above would you most likely click on? If you are in a hurry and you wanted to read something that caught your attention? In my past experience I have found that Example 1 will bring in a lot more readers than Example 2. Why?

The reasoning is simple. You have a split second to get the reader’s attention. You need to provide in the title a phrase or sentence that best describes your article. Yes, it is that simple. That is why most journalists will place a title, write the article, and then go back and edit the title to make sure it tells the reader what it is they are about to read. There is no question in Example 1 what the article is about. Look at Example 2. You may think it lures people into your article but most people will not read on to see what it is that is so bad… People want news and that title is not a news article title. It doesn’t tell people what it is they are about to read. You have to go investigate. With online writing you have a split second. The reader doesn’t want surprises… they want to know what they are going to read, so provide them with the facts.

Secondly, blogs are notorious for opinions. A blog’s survival is the commentary. But a word of caution… put your facts first and then follow up with commentary. People want to get the news first and then read what you have to say about it. If you reverse the order with opinion first and then the news, even though the same content is in the article, you may get different results. In my Example 2 article all the opinion is in the first paragraph… “What a freaking moron!”

Sometimes with a nice touch you can do something like this:

Dick Cheney Shoots His Hunting Partner While Dove Hunting
What a freakin moron! Dick Cheney was out dove hunting yesterday when he accidentally peppered his hunting partner with bullets. They rushed him to the hospital where he was treated and is expected to recover… blah blah blah

Your opinion is 4 words at the beginning to set your readers up for the facts. This helps gear the reader to your own bias of the story. It isn’t extensive and is only 4 words. Readers will glide over it and then hit the cold hard facts. But it is crucial that the facts remain in the title and the first paragraph.

Also, another important reason to get those good titles and first paragraphs are for search engines. They crawl those areas first on your blog. They pick up those key words. Putting “Dick Cheney” and “Dove Hunting” in your title is important when people start searching for his name. People don’t search for “Oh man” and “This is bad”. So do yourself and your readers a favor and work on those titles.

My last word of advice… don’t worry about having too long of a Title. I see people using 1 or 2 words. Take your title and make it a complete sentence. Make sure the reader knows exactly what it is they are going to read. The nature of the Internet is not to lure readers in with suspense, but lure them in with facts.

To Digg or Not to Digg, Now That is the Question

by Steve Remington

Most of us are familiar with the website Digg.com. For those less aware, it is a social bookmarking site where you can submit specific articles you write up. Then people can vote on your article. More votes ultimately means higher up the rankings your article goes and more people will see it and click on it. The site can help drive traffic to your article.

But does it really work? In my personal experience it has helped bring a rush of traffic momentarily. Usually within 12 hours the traffic returns to normal. Some people believe that if you can submit a new article each day then you can keep that traffic up all the time. But is Digg a good habit to get into? How much is too often? Can you abuse Digg and have it work against you?

The following are some articles I found helped when it comes to learning more about Digg and some of the things to be aware of while using the site. For those who use the site or are looking into it should spend some time learning more about it and these articles will be a great start.

• Updated to add: Feel the Power of The Digg
• Digg Traffic vs ReferralTraffic – Which is Best?
• Top 10 Actionable Tips (Rules) That Make Me Top Digg User
• Is Digg Traffic All Its Cracked up to Be?
• Top Ten Reasons Bloggers Should Avoid Social Bookmarking
• Top 10 things you should know about the Digg Effect

The following is a Video about Digg I also found to be a little helpful.

Enjoy!

The Difference Between Tradional Style Reporting and New Media

by Steve Remington

There are differences between a reporter and an online journalist. I have emphasized time and time again that reporters and online journalists can basically do the same work but when it is all said and done, the material gets posted online or in a newspaper. I still believe that much of the characteristics are the same and you can become a fine reporter and publish your stuff online. But there really are some differences.

One of the differences is what we can do once we get those facts. The typical reporter regurgitates the facts and compiles them into a nice sequence of events. The online journalist, also known to readers as “bloggers”, can actually take that factual information and talk about how he/she feels on the subject. Actually the commentary is the most important part of the article and can really measure the success or failure of the blogger. One of the reasons blogs are so popular is that not only are you getting the news but you can choose which blogs will give you the best commentary and which ones come the closest to your own beliefs.

Most of the commentary you find online would not hold up well in a well established local newspaper article. The newspaper would lose readers, sponsors, and probably some writer or editor would get chastised or even fired from their job. The beauty of blogs is you are your own boss and you can report the news and then either accept or reject it.

The Copy and Paste Syndrome
This brings me to my next point. How many times have you arrived at a blog and all they do is copy and paste the news? I think it is important for a blogger to quote their sources and put in direct quotes from articles, especially with a link back, but have you see those blogs where the author says, “hey check out this article… pretty cool stuff…” followed by a long copy and pasting from another website? Maybe it is a press release or an online magazine article.

This is what destroys a blogger. I like to call it the Copy and Paste Syndrome because after you do it once it becomes easier. It is like an addiction. Next thing you know 5 out of 6 articles become a copy and pasting. Even if it is done legally it is just not good for the blogger. What the blogger has to hold on to is his opinion which is rare with traditional style reporting. Of course there has always been the bias, but not the blatant in your face, “I agree or disagree” commentary.

So there is a difference in online media and traditional media in this sense. So what does this mean? Does this mean readers like bias material? You betcha! What is interesting is as a blogger you can remain professional and slam your opposition. Readers like it. But what is happening with new media, is that there is a larger focus on “niche”. There are higher levels of loyalty. The readers pick and choose what they want to read. With traditional newspapers I can either read the Bangor Daily News in the morning or read nothing at all. There is such a larger target which is regional and not based on such a specific value system. There are hunters, non-hunters, anti-hunters, Republicans, and Democrats who all read the Bangor Daily News.

New media cuts through all the geographical barriers and allows you to pick and choose who to market based on some other factor… which in most cases is stemmed from a value system. Those who like and believe in what you have to write will be your loyal readers. So in order to survive as a blogger, writing about a specific topic of interest, you need to reveal to others what your value system is. What is it you believe in so deeply?

This is new territory for a reporter but the atmosphere has changed since the dawning of the Internet. As a writer you have the ability to write and report about your passions. As a reader you can choose to read more specifically about the things that interest you.

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