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Do you have more than one website or blog that you’d like to cross promote? Or perhaps one of your colleagues has an absolutely fantastic blog, and you would like to put some of their content on your own site. There is now a truly fantastic (and easy) way to do just that - actually, there are a few ways, depending on what your blog is made of.

Feevy -

Tags: feevy, simple pie, rss feeds, wordpress, blog

This is one of the questions that I hear about a lot, and it’s really not a difficult question to answer… but you have to be willing to do the work in order to achieve results.

Here’s a basic outline of everything that I do for my business:

1. Website - design the website, add content, find appropriate affiliate programs to fill in some of the blanks. I also make sure that I add Meta Tags that are unique to each and every page. In the case of an ecommerse store front (like the one I’m building now - more info later), I use ZenCart which also allows me to add meta tags to each and every product in the store.

2. Blog - is it better, worse or does it matter if you have your blog hosted on the same domain as your business website? In my personal opinion, it doesn’t matter. The one benefit that can be had for hosting a blog on another domain is that you can create backlinks to content on your website. The one issue I’ve had to deal with regarding a separate domain for my blog is that I now have 2 url’s to promote instead of just one. But this is where a plan come’s into play for marketing my business.

Normally my blog will be updated far more often than the content on my website. For example, the main content on WahmsUnited.com is only added to once per month, though there is plenty of opportunity for me to add content in other area’s (such as the announcement blog that’s built into that site, through the forums, and even by posting comments on other user profiles).

So, during the month here on Wahm Cafe, I’ll post content that links back to different area’s on WahmsUnited.com. All roads lead back to my main site - or at least they will after I finish making a few changes on this blog lol (I’ll keep ya’ll posted on what plugins I’m using etc. soon - they are really very cool, but want to complete a test period before spilling the beans).

Getting back to the question at hand though .. it’s your personal preference as to whether or not you want your blog hosted on your own domain in a subdirectory (ie: http://www.yourdomain.com/blog), in a subdomain (ie: http://blog.yourdomain.com), on a separate website completely (ie: http://www.yourblog.com) or even on a hosted solution (ie: http://www.blogspot.com/yourblog - Blogger example).

The truly important thing is that you are publishing content on a regular basis. I’m sure I’ll probably hear from readers who’s opinions differ, and that’s quite all right - in fact I’d love to encourage you to share your thoughts on the matter.

3. Submit articles to article directories and other blogs or websites that accept article submissions. Ensure that you have an ‘Authors Resource Box’ that links back to related content on your website (you don’t always have to link to your main page!!). Make your content available to others who would like to use it on their blogs or websites which will earn you more backlinks.

4. Send out announcements via Social Networking Communities like Twitter and Facebook regarding your website (and/or blog) and any updates that you’ve made. Also submit your content to other social media sites such as StumbleUpon and Digg.

5. Network, network, network!! There is nothing else like making new friends online, especially if those friends are in your target market lol. I absolutely adore Twitter and I’ve gotten some terrific business through my Twitter friends. The same goes for Facebook (though admittedly I also use Facebook to keep in touch with old friends and family too!).

6. Post on forums. Make sure that your posts are informative and helpful and not just ‘Hey, look at me!’ type posts. Always read the rules for each forum you participate in to ensure that you don’t do something wrong and get yourself kicked out.

7. Use your friends and family. This isn’t quite as appropriate for the Internet Marketing industry, but for crafters and direct sales consultants this type of marketing can be the cat’s meow. For example, if you make children’s clothing, let your own kids wear your creations. Guaranteed other Mom’s will be asking you where you bought that adorable outfit.

8. Stay in touch with your customers & clients. If at all possible, get their mailing address and date of birth which will allow you the opportunity to send them birthday cards and other snail mail specials. At the very least, invest in a mailing list provider such as Aweber and send out an email to your list at least monthly.

For each of the above ideas, we’ll be discussing them in further detail in the coming weeks. I’m sure I’ve probably missed some great marketing idea’s too - feel free to share your favorites with us. What it all comes down to though is that there is no one perfect marketing method. Instead it’s a combination of things including a ‘kick butt’ website. Something that will draw your visitors in and encourage them to stay and, more importantly, buy!

What Is Mobile Blogging?

Mobile blogging is an exciting phenomenon that is sweeping the blogosphere. One of the reasons why many bloggers are attracted to the medium of blogging in the first place is that they enjoy being able to make frequent updates and posts that keep all of their visitors in touch with current news and events. Mobile blogs, or “moblogs,” take this to the extreme by allowing users to post things literally as they happen through their mobile web browser (ie internet ready cellular phone). This new wave of moblogs and mobloggers keep web surfers up to date with good and bad events of importance as they occur all over the world, helping to make international communication
faster and more accurate.

How Can I Create A Mobile WordPress Blog?

While moblogging is certainly on the rise, mobile users are also in desperate need of content that can be viewed on small display screens. Until recently it has been the ‘big boys’ that have been able to mobilize their websites into viewable content on these small displays, or we could choose to pay a not so small fortune to have our websites converted into a mobile version. Now however, with the ongoing development of XHTML-MP and an awesome plugin,it’s possible for everyone to transform their own WordPress blog into content that can be displayed on mobile browsers.

• Download the WordPress Mobile Plugin from http://www.andymoore.info/download-manager.php?id=10
• Upload the plugin to your wp-content/plugins folder
• Activate the plugin. Go to Plugins > Click Activate
• Customize your site. Go to Options > WordPress Mobile (note - if you are familiar with CSS, further customization can be done)
• Visit your site using your phone’s browser

Mobile blogging is still in its infancy because the technology that makes it possible has only recently hit the global market. The first moblog technology became available over a decade ago, but it is only the past two or three years that mobile web devices have become user-friendly enough to appeal to most consumers. As camera phones, iPhones and other mobile technology become more popular, more and more bloggers are getting away from their desks and are hitting the streets. Likewise, more and more business owners will discover the incredible opportunities open to them by having a mobile version of their website online. Moblogging is becoming much more widespread that it was even a few months ago, and mobloggers are quickly attracting a lot of attention with the blogging community.

Many people feel that the limitations of blogging have a lot to do with geography. After all, there is only so current that a blog can be when you need to run home and boot up in order to update it. However, mobile blogging marks the beginning of an thrilling new era when web-based communication can happen spontaneously from any location. Moblogging devices mean that there is almost nowhere on the planet that remains off-limits for bloggers.

Mobile devices make it possible to blog from the sites where current events are unfolding, which is one of the reasons why mobile blogging has so much thrilling potential to revolutionize the blogosphere. A moblogger with a camera phone can post blog entries from, say, the foot of the podium at a presidential speech, or from the stands during the final moments of the world series. This enables bloggers to experience the same real time thrills that live television coverage provides, but in a more democratic medium. The combination of mobility and individual control that moblogging provides certainly places mobloggers on the cutting edge of today’s communications technology, and it is hard to imagine that the number and prestige of moblogs will not continue to grow in the coming years.

You may have noticed the hot pink bar that appears at the top of this blog with a rotating advertising message in it. Kinda cool huh?! I’m not a fan of pop-ups, pop-unders or pop anything else unless I can pour it out of a can, so I was thrilled to find this nifty little plugin called Stripe Ads, courtesy of MaxBlogPress.

Most people have an aversion to the tactless, in-your-face advertising methods that make you feel like the webmaster doesn’t really care about you, or the content their website contains - just the fact that you see their advertisement before you can do anything else. I know I’m not fond of sites like that at all, and will make every attempt to leave even faster than I arrived.

The Stripe Ad is a different type of advertising. You can make it stand out enough so that it’s noticeable, but it’s still non-obtrusive. There are numerous settings within the Stripe Ads options panel:

• Create an unlimited amount of stripe ads
• Choose the frequency of display and give each ad it’s own weight
• Customize the look and feel of the ads to match your blog’s layout
• Choose to have it static, or to hover at the top of you blog while scrolling down
• Advertise an affiliate link, links to your own products, or special “timed” offers and promotions

Visit MaxBlogPress to get the full scoop, or to download your own copy of this cool Wordpress Plugin!