Are you ready to make blogging work for your business? If you already know the benefits associated with corporate blogging, then the next step is to put these concepts to work by creating your own corporate blog and sharing your company with the world. This is part 1 in a short series on tips for making blogging work for you.

1 – The first step is to find your domain name.

If you already have a website for your business, then the most advantageous option may be to attach your blog in some way to your normal business site. The next best thing would be to own the domain name that is most descriptive of your business when creating your blog. Either use your business name for your blog name, or your own name, so that you can help people link you and your blog with the company that you are intending to represent. Some of the most well known domain name registrars are GoDaddy, MyDomain, Register, PacNames and DotCalmDomains.

2 – Figure out which blogging tool or blogging platform is going to work best for you.

There are at least two different camps to consider when it comes to tools. The first is those who prefer self hosted blogs, and the second is those who prefer hosting tools. Where do you feel most comfortable? The decision is ultimately up to you but there are pros and cons associated with both options. Some of the options available to you are easily customizable hosted options like TypePad offered by SixApart, or Movable Type which offers more control than TypePad. If you want to host your own blog, WordPress may be more your style, as it offers a lot of customization and control and you can host it a lot more efficiently by yourself.

3 – Talk about yourself so your readers can get to know you.

Most blog templates have an “About” function. Use this wisely so that you may capture the true essence of who you are and what you are hoping to accomplish with your blog. You should aim to strike an excellent balance between human voice and “business speak” to show your readers that you mean business, but are just a passionate human being at the core.

4 – Register your blog and start spreading the word about your endeavor.

Get comfortable with your blog before you start speaking out about it. Once you have some content, and perhaps even a reader or two, you can start spreading the word about your blog. Register your blog at FeedBurner, available at http://www.feedburner.com so that you can provide RSS and e-mail feeds that people can use to gain access to your content. Technorati, at http://www.technorati.com is another excellent option as well as it will allow you to associate tags with your blog for better “findability”.

5 – Create a resource section or a blog roll to show your customers what you enjoy reading, or what resources you often visit.

Blog rolls are generous in two different ways, as not only do they allow people who you link to to find your blog, but they also help readers expand their knowledge by checking out the blogs that you recommend.

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Originally posted 2009-01-19 05:07:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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(Blogger, etc… focus on how posts may be deleted forever without warning, lack of professionalism, etc…)

In a lot of different instances when it comes to blogging, making use of a free blogging platform can really come in handy. If you are writing a personal blog or a blog that is only meant to be read by friends, family members and casual colleagues, then making use of a free blogging platform like Movable Type or Blogger is actually a good idea. These blogs allow you to blog as part of a giant network where you can gain exposure and readership just by posting, which makes them an excellent place for you to start out when you are just beginning to get the hang of blogging. Unfortunately, these are not a long term solution by any means because as a blogger with a free blogging network platform, you are actually subject not only to someone else’s rules relating to blogging, but also a loss of apparent professionalism by not having that individuality or uniqueness that you would have if blogging privately on your own website.

Because you are subject to the rules of the blogging platform that your blog is based off of, you may find your blog posts being deleted for no apparent reason and absolutely no warning, which can force you to deal with a difficult blow. How would you like to write a really nice, really detailed post that will attract readers, only to find out sometime later that it was deleted from the server because a moderator for the blogging platform did not agree with it? No warning is given, nor is any real chance to save your work before it is gone. While most moderators on blogging platform sites like Blogger and WordPress are working hard to be fair, this does not mean that you are protected.

In addition to the risk that your blog posts may be deleted without any real warning or rhyme or reason, another threat that you face is losing your look of professionalism because you are blogging on someone else’s website. This is similar to the difference between having your own domain name, or parking your website at http://www.geocities.com.

Which is more professional, in your eyes, http://www.mycorporateblog.com or http://www.geocities.com/~mycorporateblog?

The same thing goes when it comes to your blog. You want your blog to be a representation of your professionalism as an employee with the company and a blogger on the internet, and what this means is having your own unique blog website using an open source blogging software. WordPress may have a network where bloggers can create their own blogs on site, but their software is also downloadable, allowing you to create your own customized blog off site as well. This gives you an opportunity to create a professional blog that will do everything in its power to uphold your image of professionalism, which is a good part of why you are blogging in the first place.

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Originally posted 2008-11-20 05:18:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you are just getting started in the world of corporate blogging, you are probably already aware of the fact that there is a lot to take in, and plenty for you to learn. One of the concepts that you need to understand when turning your corporate blog into a popular destination online is trackbacks. If you want to get the most out of your blog, and to constantly know whether or not it is doing what you intend for it to do, then trackbacks may be the answer. Here is a guide to trackbacks for corporate blogs explained.

A trackback is one of three different types of linkbacks, which are methods for website owners to request a notification whenever one of their documents or web pages is linked to. This allows for website owners to keep track of who is linking to or referring to their articles or content. There are a number of different types of web log or blog software programs that automatically support pingbacks, meaning that all the links within a published article will be pinged as soon as it has been published. Some of the blog software programs that support these automatic pingbacks include Movable Type, WordPress, Typo and Community Server.

Trackbacks essentially operate as acknowledgments. This particular type of acknowledgment is sent via a ping or a network signal from the originating site to the receiving site. The receptor will often publish a link back to the originator, which indicates its worthiness. In order for a trackback to operate properly, both sides need to be trackback-enabled for this connection to be established properly. The trackback does not, however, require that the originating site be linked physically to the receiving site.

Trackbacks are most commonly used in order to facilitate communication between two or more different blogs. If a blogger writes an entry that comments on or refers to an entry that is found on another blog, and both of the blogging tools that are being used have support for the trackback protocol, then the commenting blogger can automatically notify the other blog of the comment or reference using a trackback ping. The receiving blog, then, will typically display a summary of all of the commenting entries below the original entry, including links to those entries. This allows the creation of conversations that span several different blogs, allowing those who are reading the blogs to easily follow along with the entire conversation.

When it comes to building up a powerful base of readers for your corporate blog, trackbacks can be absolutely vital. When you visit other blogs in your niche and comment regularly in them, the bloggers will become aware through the trackback protocol. When you refer to other blogs in your blog, the same thing will happen. By creating these powerful trackback links between your blog and other blogs in your niche, you can give readers of the other blogs a way to find yours, which is a powerful and simple way to attract an entirely new reader base to your corporate blog.

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Originally posted 2008-11-25 05:25:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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