Falling in love with blogging again

I feel like a relationship expert this weekend. It seems that we’ve reunited hundreds of people and their blogs in the last week since we launched TrackBoost and Utility Poster.

I had a feeling this might happen. Bloggers often have a love/hate relationship with blogging because of the demands a blog makes on us as writers and “filters” of information.

We love the traffic and having no restrictions to what can be achieved with a popular site. But we hate having to be responsible for putting up great posts day after day. Sometimes you’re into it and sometimes you’re not.

Problem is, people are searching right now to find you on new keywords and through buzz generated about your latest and future posts. Having a blog is like caring for a Great Dane. It must be fed, a lot, to really see growth and to establish authority.

Money for Something

The good part is, unlike a Great Dane, a blog will make you money the more you feed it.

As the web settles into a pure dynamic landscape, where information truly flows, changes, and syndicates itself, we are all collectively realizing that content development and publishing has to be done regularly and done well to compete with others who “seem” to have no trouble at all feeding the beast.

The new users of TrackBoost and Utility Poster are finding that they too can “seem” to be at their computers day and night producing great content. While actually not spending as much time at it as before.

And the beauty of these two tools is that they will only produce bad results if users are bad editors or filters of the information they collect to post. Because we left the human element in the process and didn’t try to make anything close to a spammy information scraper or outdated RSS poster to create great posts, your personal touch and style is left in the process.

A Boy and His Blog: Reunited

This post would normally have taken me at least an hour+ to put together by hand. Going back and forth to all those sites getting the title, URL, snippet, and trackback URL for each and every story is a nightmarish scenario we all know too well.

Of course the research to find all that content is a whole other matter, taking a considerable amount of time the old way. Add another 30 minutes to the task for a reasonable search and review, sifting through many poor or average posts to come up with the gems.

I made the post above in about 25 minutes last night.

One new TrackBoost and Utility Poster owner had this to say:

“Been playing with these tools for a couple of days. They are addictive. Nice work.”

Dean’s last blog post..Make Your Relationships Stronger In The Midst Of Conflict

Addictive? I thought about that for a moment and realized he’s right. I too play with both apps frequently and, consequently, post more often here and on remote blogs because I enjoy it so much.

Enjoy blog posting?

That’s new! But having the right tools makes the job easier as well as making research fun again because all the hurdles to finding and posting good content have been removed, leaving us to focus on the fun parts of blogging: posting great content fast and seeing immediate results as readers comment and submit your posts to social news and other social media sites.

A reader submitted the post above to StumbleUpon last night right after I posted it. I logged on this morning to a nice bump in traffic from that one source (above what I normally get on a Saturday night)!

So much fun, that I even enjoyed putting this post together, word for word, a little more than usual.

Buy TrackBoost and/or Utility Poster Here

Tags: content development, feeding the beast, trackboost, utility poster

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The Day After…

Launching a new product is always interesting. Seeing your baby hit the market and received with positive reviews and feedback is priceless.

Its funny. I never get used to launch days. There’s always a nervous energy and, though I’ve had a lot of these by now, always some apprehension wondering how all the work producing a product will be received.

Yesterday we launched two products in fact. Utility Poster and TrackBoost. Double apprehension!

Everything went more smoothly than most product releases we’ve done and the feedback so far has been awesome!

Here are some comments that are spread throughout recent posts I made for both apps:

Jack,

I bought TrackBoost and all I can say is Thank You! This tool will save me a boat load of time and will generate a much needed improvement in my blogs. I can see it helping me reach out to other bloggers and work together in niches and above all bring me a lot of traffic and money. I am sure I will recoup the cost in less than a few days with the right blogs and products.  -Daniel Beatty

—

Hey Jack,

I just want to tell you that both Utility Poster and Trackboost are great.

At first, I did not think I would have much use for them honestly — but I’ve used at least one of them on every post I’ve done since I started using them.

What I typically do is write my post, do all the magic we do from SPL — then come back in a few days and use either TB or UP on the post.

I do it this way as it gives me another opportunity to ping the post (with TB) as the content on it has changed. -Andrew Daum

—

“Utility Poster freakin’ rocks.”

Blogging so easy even a Caveman can do it.

Thanks for the tools Jack!

-Walt Goshert

—

Thanks Jack,

No more excuses not to make a post! The features of this software really explain the title. This should really help us out. Thanks again Jack! -Steven

—

This is Outa Site, works Wonderful !!!******

Simple and Fast to use !

Thank you Jack and Crew !!!******

-Greg Lunger

—

Sales have been robust and I imagine a lot of people are just playing with their new toys and haven’t gotten back here yet to give feedback.  This is the place to do it.  Would love to hear more of what you all think and would like to see some examples of the work you’re doing with either app on your blogs!

Thanks to all our customers for your undying support and enthusiasm!

Give me a shout below about TrackBoost or Utility Poster… 

Tags: trackboost, utility poster

The day that blogging changed forever…

Hey, drama is fun sometimes. I don’t know if we’re “changing blogging” today, but we’re making it a heck of a lot easier without sacrificing quality content development and link building.

In fact, we’re enhancing bloggers’ ability to post more regularly with relevant, keyword-tight utility posts while gaining all the links we’ve all missed for lack of time to search them out.

We’re doing this in 10 minutes when we open up Trackboost for sales at 12 p.m. EST.

The biggest problem every blogger I have ever talked with (and that would be thousands) is the amount of time it takes to get good quality content together on the days between the big, lengthier posts are scheduled.

Close behind that is the time it takes to get premium linkage. Those are links that come to your site with keywords in the anchor text and where actual human beings flock to click on them.

If you’re being honest about your daily life as a blogger, you know you’ve got a problem. I do. We all do.

One need only check out the latest stories in the blogosphere and you’ll inevitably find stories about overworked, out of shape, stressed out, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen bloggers who really could use a bit of their lives back.

So, we made software to help.

And now, it launches in 7 minutes. Gotta go. Enjoy your new found freedom from blogging and promoting every minute of the day!

Tags: blogging software, trackboost, utility poster

The largest blog network on Facebook?

I created a group on Facebook today and I am inviting every blogger on the web.

Bloggers of the World! All Your Blogs Are Belong to Group!

Inspired by the “6 Degrees of Separation” Facebook group, which blew up into a 4 million member group, I’d like to replicate this phenomenon just for bloggers.

This means anyone with a blog from weekend bloggers to authority bloggers. Yes, even Michael Arrington is invited!

So, join the group bloggers! Let’s see what we can do to wrangle up every blogger on the planet. Or at least the ones that matter!

IMPORTANT!

This experiment only works if you take the few minutes after joining to invite everyone on your friend list at Facebook PLUS everyone you know who isn’t on Facebook yet via email.

Why?

Well, to see what happens mostly. But also to see what such a group can do. Kind of like a bloggers union. Banding together can give us power. Maybe too much power. It can give us attention. Maybe too much attention.

No matter what, it should be exciting to see how it develops and if the “viral loop” takes hold for explosive growth to happen.

Join Up!

Tags: blog directory, blogger groups, blogging group, facebook groups

Twitter saves user arrested in Egypt

I bet this guy doesn’t think Twitter is a waste of time!

From Twitter headquarters:

“Last weekend CNN lead with a big story about James Buck, a
graduate student in journalism from the University of
California-Berkeley who was arrested last month in Mahalla, Egypt
while covering an anti-government protest. Thinking quickly, James
was able to send a one-word Twitter update: “Arrested.” His
followers in Egypt and back in the US reacted by contacting the
university and the consulate on his behalf. Before long, James was
updating Twitter with another one-word message, “Free.”

CNN Full Story

Tags: egypt, james buck, twitter

Social Marketing Today

Here are some great posts from the Sphere on social marketing and social media.

Social Blogging Using The Facebook Dashboard Widget For WordPress - If you like to keep up with what is going on with your friends on Facebook then you may like this handy little social blogging plugin. The plugin requires WordPress 2.5 and above. To quote from this social blogging plugin’s homepage: …

More Social Bookmarking Sites To Consider - When we consider social sites we automatically think of Facebook, MySpace or perhaps Bebo. Social media sites include YouTube and Flickr. There are many social bookmarking sites that can be used to deliver traffic to your sites. …

Social Media to-do list for Flickr and Facebook - Flickr Social Marketing list for Metropolitan Area Children’s Museums Facebook Social Marketing list for Metropolitan Area Children’s Museums The benefits of using social media marketing to market your business online are described …

Twitter; Social Marketing or Just Social? - In her post, Social Marketing Pitfalls & The Twitter Time Suck, Lynn Terry’s definition of “social” explains exactly how I’ve tried to conduct myself in business all along; by being personable and not so personal. Lynn wrote, …

Direct Marketing vs Social Media Marketing - Thanks to the response received (@gyutae @AlbertMaruggi @AnnBernard @briansolis @martinbowling) from a Twitter post (follow here) on the topic of social marketing vs direct marketing, this post invites your opinion. …

none

Absolutely Fascinating Interview with Dr. Ariely

His book, which is flying off the shelves worldwide, is called “Predictably Irrational.” His name is Dr. Dan Ariely. He’s a behavioral economist. And he provides a fascinating look at human behavior that completely debunks traditional economists assumptions about people and how they make decisions.

Dave Lakhani did an interview with Ariely recently (don’t ask me how he got someone who everyone wants to talk to right now to do an interview) and really got in depth with Ariely on the irrationality of people when making small to huge economic decisions in their lives.

To a marketer, this information is like pure, molten gold. I highly suggest you not only buy Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational, but that you also listen to this interview Dave Lakhani just posted with Ariely.

This is incredibly good stuff. Its ground-breaking. It will give you a metric ton of new insights into how people think, decide, and act when making decisions on purchases of all kinds. It will make you a better marketer.

Tags: dave lakhani, dr. dan areily, predictably irrational

FTR on Weekend Entrepreneur

An interview I did with none other than Michelle Anton and Michelle Price was just featured at Weekend Entrepreneur on Entrepreneur.com!

I’m name dropping today. Not only is it great exposure to make it on the Entrepreneur.com blog network, but to be in the company of these two Michelles is humbling for me.

Who is Michelle Anton?

Michelle is the co-author of “Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 great ways to earn extra cash — in your spare time” Foreword by Dr. Laura (Yes, THAT Dr. Laura!)

Michelle Anton has been a noted producer and media expert for over a decade. She served as executive producer for The Dr. Laura Radio Show as well as a producer on prestigious television shows such as The A&E Biography Series, Leeza, Danny Bonaduce, Famous Families and as a freelance associate producer working on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Anton was nominated for the NAACP Image Award 2000 for the A&E Biography Series, profiling the life and career of Dorothy Dandridge. In addition, she has won the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc’s PRISM Award in 1999, and is a distinguished member of the Writers Guild of America.

She’s kind of a big deal.

Who is Michelle Price?

Michelle Price’s very first client went from unknown author to popular cultural hero in less than 18 months - mega-entrepreneur John Assaraf is now a featured teacher in the wildly popular movies The Secret and Pass It On, has a major 3 book deal with Simon & Schuster, and has just launched what he intends to become the number one small business coaching franchise.

Now, as CEO of the new media consulting firm, A Third Mind Interactive, Michelle Price has been a leader in new technologies for 10 years and has always had a keen sense for the next big thing.

I might add that this woman’s rolodex is a who’s who of online marketing stars. I’ve yet to stump her for a name she doesn’t have on her list!

What Generated Such Attention?

In a word: Authority. This site, the books, the consulting, the membership sites my company runs, they all benefit from my tactics on Authority Building.

I teach this stuff, you know. If you want a taste of this kind of success, simply check out Authority Site Center and learn how Authority Building is done on the web from not only me but a large staff of trainers who know my methods inside and out along with advanced members who have gone on to huge success with their Authority Sites.

Our members have been on countless radio shows, newspapers and made connections with the biggest movers and shakers in their markets for links, joint ventures, and exposure. All by putting what we teach in ASC into action.

One click starts you on a path of success with online marketing and Authority Building no matter what or who has failed you in the past.

-Jack Humphrey

Tags: entrepreneur, entrepreneur blog network, interviews, michelle anton, michelle price, weekend entrepreneur

Marketing in a Bad Economy

Watched the news lately? It’s kind of depressing these days. More so than usual, I mean. Here are the hot buttons at this moment:

The economy, the war(s), housing mess, the stock market, the almost worthless dollar, the election, scandals.

Why taking note of what’s most on peoples’ minds and solving problems is good business.

The hot button issues above comprise an extremely wide range of topics. There’s barely a niche that is untouched by at least one of the issues above if you carry the effect of each umbrella topic to its logical conclusion.

Questions, Searches, and Solutions

Who in your market niche is affected by any of the above, and, what are you doing to capture attention and solve problems that current issues have created?

If you are in the jobs market, are you answering questions surfers are asking about alternatives to working low-wage jobs to make ends meet because of lost jobs? (The U.S. lost over 63,000 jobs in one month recently.)

If any part of your market involves families of troops overseas, are you addressing the myriad issues they face in their daily lives?

Are you in real estate? How can you help the massive number of people worried about losing their homes or, on the flip side, helping the large number of realtors struggling to stay afloat in a flat market?

Do you offer investing advice? How creative are you being in helping people navigate a volatile market to protect their investments?

Do you help people save money on products or services of any kind? How far have you gone to really help them beyond just saving “big” on your product or service? Can you think of videos or posts that can be done to address the issue of less money per family and a weak dollar?

Don’t Let The Economy Turn Into An Excuse For Lagging Sales

In times like this it is important to get beyond “My sales are down because of the economy” mentality and start thinking of creative ways to help people solve problems to attract more attention to your products.

Look, there’s less to go around right now and people have to carefully choose the things they are spending on. This, to me, is an opportunity rather than a problem. All you have to do is what others won’t. When everyone else in your market is bemoaning the economy and lagging sales, you should be out there creating content that steals their traffic away and bonds their buyers to you and your sites.

Marketing (online or off line) as if you have no idea what’s on your customers’ minds more than anything else these days is simply dumb. Address their problems straight up and acknowledge your customers now more than ever and you will be as close to recession-proof as anyone can be these days.

People have a lot of things on their minds these days. It’s likely that your product is not among their top concerns right now, whether is should be or not, and you must recognize opportunities to place solutions in their paths that will capture their attention and impress them despite the hysteria going on around them.

-Jack Humphrey

Tags: creative solutions, markeing in bad economy, marketing strategies, recession proof

Clive Thompson Stole My Phrase: Information Overlord

I can’t be 100% sure, but I think WIRED Magazine writer Clive Thompson is lurking around my blog. He’s never made a comment, but I believe its only because that would surely be used as evidence that he, in fact, reads Friday Traffic Report and steals my ideas.

Smart move Clive. Smart move.

In January 2007 I wrote what was, in my mind, a Pulitzer Prize winning piece on how to deal with the mass of information an authority site publisher must wrangle in order to keep up on their niche.

The the conclusion I included a sub head “Go From Information Overload to Information Overlord.” This is how I know that Thompson is not only a reader of the Friday Traffic Report, but that he’s been lurking here for quite some time.

In this month’s WIRED, Thompson has an article called…wait for it…”Information Overlord.” I could rest my case here in most circles and wait for the court’s decision.

But it gets even worser.

Thompson’s article is all about the problems associated with social media, multiple accounts on social sites, avalanches of emails, and general discord in managing the mass of information production on the web today. I know, I just got goosebumps too. Eerie! Its like he’s stalking me!

The saving grace for Thompson, idea stealing aside, is his mention of a neat tool called Twine. Twine is a semantic robot helper for information overlords. It can pour through all your data from emails to websites of any and all kinds and recommend things you might be interested in based on a semantic data crunching of all your, well, data.

What’s cool is that no matter how much you try to stay organized and on top of your market, there is just way too much information out there in most niches to keep up on. Plop social sites and all the websites you frequent regardless of the “category” they fall into, and you are definitely missing some cool stuff.

Twine seeks to help us Overlords by finding the nuggets we miss and presenting them to us like a loyal dog looking for a scratch behind the ear and an “atta boy!”

From Twine.com: “Powered by semantic understanding, Twine automatically organizes information, learns about interests and makes recommendations. The more you use Twine, the better it gets to know you and the more useful it becomes.”

Thompson cautions that Twine is “a rickety pioneer…its interface is pretty awful; if often cannot mine a badly designed Web page” (Thompson, WIRED, “Information Overlord,” 2008) but we have to allow machines time to learn. Otherwise who is going to take our kids to school for us or farm the human population for our precious electric power generation in 2025?

Twine is in Beta, invite only. When the machines are ready for you, they will allow you access.

-Jack Humphrey

Tags: clive thompson, information overlord, managing information, semantic web, twine

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