Joshua Porter has posted about how the blog is your resume (in reference to Adam Darowski’s post). This is completely true. While I don’t have my personal resume posted here, I do have ongoing work that illustrates my knowledge of the web industry. In his book “Never Eat Alone, ” Keith Ferrazzi discusses using a newsletter as a way of keeping people up to date on what’s going on in your life as well as offer free valuable information that may help them in any way. Writing a newsletter is still useful, but blogs can be even more effective for promotional purposes. Your blog helps forge relationships whereas newsletters, emails, and phone calls help maintain relationships. How can you use your blog to promote yourself more effectively? Well, here are 5 things that I think will help you:

1. Have a clean & unique design - Frequently, resumes and blogs are a dime a dozen. People you standard formatting that doesn’t really stand out from the cloud. Conversely, just like with resumes, if you make your blog too abstract, it typically won’t benefit you (unless of course you are an abstract artist).
2. Have a targeted about page - If you are looking to gain something from your blog (a job perhaps?), you want to tell your visitors what you are looking for. Whatever your occupation or passion may be, state it on your about page. This page is where you are marketing yourself to the world, so speak out and be clear about what you want.
3. Write about issues related to your industry - If you work for an organization supporting immigrant rights, and that is your passion, it probably isn’t best to talk about new technology. By discussing your industry, you are making yourself an expert and thus people will see you as one. Talk about issues related to your industry and you will eventually become an expert.
4. Provide valuable resources to your readers - This is more about sticking to your topic. When you provide links via your blog roll or del.icio.us links, it is always best that the links you provide are relevant to the topic you are discussing. Providing contrasting topics doesn’t benefit your reader.
5. Keep it professional - This is huge. If you are looking to get work from your blog, then you better keep it professional. I see many people that talk about relevant issues and then toss in something about the various extracurricular activities that they are participating in (parting, drinking, etc.). Unless your blog is specifically about your crazy personal experiences, I’d suggest keeping away from personal issues. In marketing (both personal and commercial) image is everything.

When you go out and meet people at professional events, make sure that your blog is on your business card and tell people to check it out. They will then see that you truly are knowledgeable in your field. Also, remember to post frequently. Blogging is just like working out. If you don’t do it on a regular basis, chances are you aren’t going to do it at all. Also, you won’t receive a lot of offers if you aren’t posting frequently. Blogging is a habit that pays off, but you have to be persistent.

With all the buzz surrounding social media and blogs, it is very easy to begin thinking that soon enough there will be nothing but media on the web. Soon enough there will be no more television or newspaper and everyone will spend their days consuming the web. Well, not exactly. As Victor Keegan writes, “to the average Joe, blogs aren’t cutting it”. While there is still growth in the blogosphere, it is limited primarily to those within a certain demographic (high education and higher income). Let’s face it, to the majority blogs are little more than a buzz word. I would be interested in seeing what percentage of consumers of blogs are also bloggers themselves. I would be willing to bet that the percentage is pretty high.

What inspires all of us that participate in social media, is it’s truly democratic nature. Your voice has practically the same weight as others. Post your thoughts on the web and someone will come read them. All of the intellectuals see this and realize that if they don’t participate then their voice isn’t being heard. If your voice isn’t being heard, then you don’t exist. So being that you are an intellectual (hey, you are reading this blog aren’t you?), get out there and start blogging. The people want to hear what you think, so give them what they’re asking for.

1. Thou shall provide good content for the readers.
2. Thou shall take responsibility for one’s own words.
3. Thou shall not poke fun at other people, because it is not nice.
4. Thou shall not commit libel against a fellow blogger.
5. Thou shall not harass or stalk other people.
6. Thou shall place a warning label at the top of your blog if there are curse words or abusive comments on your blog.
7. Thou shall ignore rude comments about one’s self.
8. Thou shall call the police when you are threatened.
9. Thou shall speak politely to others and inform them if they are acting naughty.
10. Thou shall not vent your anger online.

No, these are not real commandments that need to be followed. These are a few of the ones from Tim O’Reilly’s blogger code of conduct (and a couple of my own). Let’s be serious. Do we really need an industry leader to tell us how to be mature adults? I don’t think so. I am completely empathetic to Kathy Sierra who has been targeted by some “cyber-bullies”, but I don’t think bloggers need an exhaustive list about how to act. We all know how to act, and some people have simply broken the rules as they do in the real world. Simply put, anyone who is threatening another blogger is a criminal.

We all know how to behave. Why then did Tim O’Reilly post an exhaustive list explaining this to us? Well, perhaps he is just making it clear that this behavior should not be tolerated. I agree with his suggestions. We also should understand though that the internet was not always the most friendliest place. There have been and will continue to be plenty of immature statements online that should be ignored. Once the immaturity crosses the line into criminal, it should be handled as such and reported to the police. It is as simple as that. I don’t think we need a list though explaining to us how to act. Controversy creates buzz in media (both new and old). If you don’t like what someone says, than say so and let it be.

Although Annalee Newitz of Wired magazine spent a lot of time making a fake blog, it ended up making a pretty good story. Annalee tried gaming Digg by using the pay-per-digg service User/Submitter. In the whole scheme of things, I’m not quite sure what the benefit of doing this was except for the fact that she (he?) got a ton of temporary traffic. I’m sure if the traffic was targeted enough, it could have paid off in advertising click thrus. What I’ve heard though about the “Digg effect“ is the temporary traffic onslaught rarely provides any ongoing benefits, and the users tend to click the link and leave immediately. When I saw Kevin Rose speak at The Future of Web Apps conference last week, he showed an interesting graph that shows Digg articles getting buried soon after they hit the front page. This was the same thing that Analee experienced. All in all I’m not quite sure what the benefit of using User/Submitter really is. Ideas?

I have heard a lot around the blogosphere about how blogging is beginning to peak. I partially agree in that the masses have slowed their pace in creating one-time blogs in which they post only a few posts and quit. On the other hand I have spoken with a lot of people my age and have tried to persuade them to blog. Many of them have taken my advice and continue to blog on a regular basis. There will be an increasing number of blogs created as the MySpace and Facebook generations begin to enter the professional world. Blogs are one of the best ways to promote yourself (if not the best). Becoming a source of information in your industry is key in becoming an industry leader. While the few people that I interact with will have a limited effect on the entire blogosphere, I’m sure there are plenty of other people like me that heavily promote blogging. So while we will not see the massive growth in blogging that we have been experiencing in the past couple years, there will be an increase in blogging by young professionals.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal published an interesting article covering the growth in online advertising spending by political campaigns. According to the article, online advertising is expected to hit $80 million for the 2008 Presidential campaign, this is a whopping 275 percent increase over 2004. Many of the ads are displaying on blogs that don’t speak favorably of the candidates. The article states:

Generally speaking, buying ads on blogs doesn’t provide candidates with a guarantee of positive coverage. Many bloggers gleefully post scathing critiques of candidates that run alongside their ads. And accepting an ad by no means indicates a blogger supports a candidate.

I think that the candidates are slowly becoming more open to web based advertising, and it’s a good thing. Additionally, blogs are probably the best investment by the candidates because it gives people the opportunity to have direct interaction with the candidates. Well maybe not the candidates, but people that are hired by the candidates, and that’s what counts right? Imagine if a candidate actually wrote one of the blog entries them self, that would be pretty profound. Have any examples of candidates that do this?

First, quit your job. Not really, that’s probably the last thing that you’d want to do. Maintaining a blog requires a lot of effort. Since I started my new job just two days ago, I feel as though it has become more difficult to maintain a blog. Especially trying to maintain one that provides timely information has proven challenging. Either way, after spending the past few months blogging, I have come to realize what is most important to making your blog successful. Below are 5 steps to get you started. I will provide more in the future.

1. Pick a niche - This is the most important step in starting your blog. The more specific a niche, the better. This blog has a very broad niche (primarily, what’s new in internet technology). As a result I will have to post more frequently, for a longer duration before my blog catches on.
2. Pick a domain - You need to have a memorable domain for users to return. Pick a domain that is preferably related to the topic you are blogging about.
3. Create a design - In order to be considered a unique blog, you need a unique design. Try to design the site yourself to save some money. Otherwise, you might need to find a designer. In reality, this step can arguably be skipped depending on the content you are providing. There are plenty of highly successful blogs that are using common templates. I tend to think that having a unique design is good for branding so I like to include this step.
4. Start blogging - It’s time to get going. You need to make a habit out of blogging if you want any chance of success. Blogging is like working out. You won’t see any results unless you do it frequently and consistently.
5. Find new content - Finding things to write about can be challenging. Just like writer’s block, there is blogger’s block. The best way to find new content is from other blogs. That’s the best part about blogging. You can elaborate on other people’s content to make it your own. A few good places to start finding blogs is Technorati and Google Blogsearch. Additionally, bloggers link to other bloggers, so you can more often than not find great links on each blog. As you find new blogs, remember to subscribe to their RSS feeds so you don’t need to keep coming back to their site. This is critical. The best bloggers read the most blogs. Robert Scoble claims to read over 1,000 blog entries a day. I tend to read at least 400. The more content you have filling your mind, the more you have to write about.

This is obviously a starting point for bloggers. As I learn more about blogging I will share new lessons with my readers. If you have anything to share, please leave a comment so we can learn from each other. The most important thing to remember when blogging is that it takes time. There is a great quote from Paul Allen that I got from Darren Rowse’s article “Overnight Blogging Success”:

My brother Curt, founder of Folio Corp, former CEO of MyFamily.com, and current CEO of Agilix, a venture-backed company, is fond of saying telling how his company was going to be an overnight success…after 10 years of hard work.

I believe that the single most important key to success in an online venture is doing the little things day after day for years and years until you magically reach the tipping point and everyone seems to have heard of you. In other words, persistence is required for most successful ventures.’

Ok, maybe not yet, but they need to be. There has been a significant amount of discussion in the blogoshpere this past week about the end of the press release. Much of the discussion has lead to there being no reason to put out a press release in the new “Conversational Era” of PR. Both Shel Israel and Stowe Boyd touch on this point.

With the release of the Forrester report that I wrote about yesterday, the growing importance of blogging is pretty obvious. Shel has a great quote in his blog post about the impact of this new Conversational era on PR:

What is a great matter, if you are in the PR proffesion is that you will not succeed if you focus on smiling and dialing a media list of strangers, if you are intent in inject hubris into what you have to say or write. If you think you can succeed by being just cute or clever, you are living in the wrong Era.

Today, you need to join the conversation. You are part of the news distribution system, not just for your clients, but for the community where your clients would like to flourish.

So take heed all of you in the PR and communications industry. Your job is going to become more about being part of the conversation than guiding the conversation. By creating a blog, companies are going to be able to extend their voice in the conversation, and help consumers see that it’s not just a big company on the other end, but an organization of people with ideas and emotions.

Today Forrester released a new report covering the ROI of blogging for companies. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the content of the report except for the executive summary and a few things that I’ve read on other blogs. According to Steve Rubel, “the most frequently mentioned benefits of corporate blogging were: greater brand visibility in mainstream media on the Web, word of mouth, improved brand perception, instantaneous consumer feedback, increased sales efficiency and fewer ‘customer service-driven PR blowups.’” The executive summary of the report states:

Many large companies stand on the brink of blogging, yet they are unwilling to take the plunge. Others, having dove in early, now face the challenge of managing existing blogs without the ability to show that they effectively support business goals. While blogging’s value can’t be measured precisely, marketers will find that calculating the ROI is easier than it looks. Following a three-step process, marketers can create a concrete picture of the key benefits, costs, and risks that blogging presents and understand how they are likely to impact business goals. This, in turn, enables marketers to answer the key questions, such as whether to blog or not to blog, or to make smart choices about an existing blog.

Great job Forrester, you have successfully whetted my appetite. Now all I need to pay is a mere $379. Damn. Just from the executive summary, I can predict an increased demand for blogs in the corporate world (as if there isn’t already). Get ready Movable Type and Wordpress masters, you are going to be in high demand!

In the book Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi discusses the successful networking techniques that are valuable in creating a successful career. Since reading the book a year ago, I started using many of the techniques discussed in the book. One tool that wasn’t discussed was blogging. I believe that blogging can be a valuable tool in networking. It is a great way to keep those people that are interested in your life up to date on your happenings. Additionally, blogs can be extremely useful when introducing yourself to others. After you meet someone and give them your business card, you can send a follow-up email that also includes a link to your blog. Your blog ends up branding you. If you are involved in marketing, then you can discuss valuable marketing techniques. If you are involved in technology, write about new things happening in the technology world. Bottom line, no matter what industry you are in, you should be writing about it. I have found that the majority of successful authors and web executives all have blogs. Many of their blogs are among the most visited blogs on the web. As such, I have decided to publish a short list of the top 5 bloggers who I perceive as having highly successful careers. I attribute much of their success to great schmoozing and excellent self-branding. The list follows below and is in no specific order.

• Keith Ferrazzi - This one is a no brainer. Not only the author of “Never Eat Alone”, Keith is also the founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a marketing and sales consulting company. Keith utilized all of the key networking techniques outlined in his book to become the youngest Chief Marketing Officer ever of a Fortune 500 company. Go check out the Never Eat Alone blog.
• Seth Godin - Seth Godin is the author of seven international best sellers. He is also the founder and CEO of Squidoo. Check out Seth’s Blog.
• Michael Arrington - Mike is the only person on here who isn’t a published author. While I hold a high value on writing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the writing needs to be in the form of a book. After being called a power broker by Wall Street Journal, I think Mike deserves his recognition. Check out Mike’s blog or the blog that helped him become a “Power Broker”, Techcrunch.
• Guy Kawasaki - Guy is a highly successful technology evangelist who has written a number of bestseller books. I didn’t hear about Guy until I read his blog. You should go check his blog.
• Me! Not really, although I do like to think of myself as a good schmoozer. The fifth position was too difficult of a choice so I decided to skip this one. If you have any suggestions for the person that should show up here, please post them in the comments.

If you have been reading the news recently, you would have heard that Time magazine is laying off almost 300 magazine jobs. While this is not the end of Time Inc., it illustrates a shift in where readers are getting their content from. Although this shift didn’t begin yesterday, we haven’t even begun to see the major impact that this will have on the magazine industry.

Jeff Jarvis wrote a great post about how People magazine has always been incredibly inefficient. At one point, they expected writers to be producing one story a week. Compare that to the four or more stories that professional bloggers are writing on a daily basis.

Seth Godin realized how much work it is to be an elite blogger after sitting next to Cory Doctorow (the co-founder of Boingboing) at a conference. Seth describes what the experience was like:

I sat next to Cory at a conference today. It was like playing basketball next to Michael Jordan. Cory was looking at more than 30 screens a minute. He was bouncing from his mail to his calendar to a travel site and then back. His fingers were a blur as he processed inbound mail, visiting more than a dozen sites in the amount of time it took for my neck to cramp up. I’m very fast, but Cory is in a different league entirely.

While most writers don’t work at this pace, it is pretty obvious that the magazine industry is up against some pretty big challengers. In a world where mass media has a monopoly on the distribution of content, it is only expected that magazine and newspaper organizations are going to get bloated. Now, with the advent of blogs, mass media is going to need to straighten up. According to yesterday’s news that Web newspaper blog traffic tripled in December, it seems like the mass media isn’t completely ignorant of their competition. At the same time, there is no doubt that we are experiencing a major shift in the content distribution industry.

At some point during the past few days Google launched a new feature to the Google Reader, a feature that allows you to track your usage statistics. While I’m not sure how useful this is, it is a nice feature that tracks my feed addiction. I wonder what this graph would look like if I could chart it over the course of a year. Apparently Robert Scoble, the “king of blogging” has read 25,000 items in the past 30 days, whereas I have read 6,714 items. Not bad considering I have only subscribed to 76 feeds and Scoble has subscribed to 483 feeds.

While I don’t think this feature adds much value, it does provide some interesting statistics. I think an interesting blog meme would be to post your Google Reader feed statistics. I’m sure there is a strong correlation between number of read items and personal blog postings.