3. Three basic steps can get you started with
social technologies and documentation:
Listen
Join
Provide a platform
4. Google's methodologies incorporate the following criteria:
Popularity: The more links from relevant, authoritative
domains back to your page and domain the more your
pages and domains gain in ranking for the relevant
keywords and phrases.
Relevance: The more relevant your content is to the
keywords or phrases searched, the better the chances of
your site being found for those keywords or phrases.
Recency: The more recent your content is to the keywords
or phrases searched, the better the chances of your site
being found for those keywords or phrases.
Frequency: The more frequently your content mentions the
keywords and phrases, the better the chances of your site
being found for those keywords or phrases.
5.
Keyword density is the ratio of keywords to
other words within your content.
Keyword stuffing is a method by which page
authors overpopulate a page with keywords
to artificially get it indexed for those terms. If
a search engine determines that the page is
"stuffed," that page can be buried in the
bottom of search results.
6.
Meta keywords: Meta keywords have largely been
abandoned by search engines as a resource for indexing
page content. Using keywords in your keyword meta tag
won't do your page any harm.
Post slugs: Post slugs are the text associated with your
blog post within the Web address or Uniform Resource
Locator (URL). Most blogging platforms generate this
automatically based on your post title.
Post titles: Post titles formatted
as h1 and h2 subheadings with keywords are an
effective element. Review the code within your theme
and in the location of the post title, verify that they are
wrapped in an h1 or h2 tag. Many designers
use span or div tags without realizing that the heading
tags are an important page element for search engines.
7.
Subheadings: Subheadings within your content should
incorporate the use of h3 tags. Avoid using h1, h2,
and h3 tags in your sidebar elements.
Boldface terms: Using the <strong> html tag around
keywords within your content is very effective. Underlined or
italic words may have an impact.
Image alt and description tags: Many bloggers upload
fantastic images but neglect to take the opportunity to
include keyword phrases that are specific to the image and
the post. Leaving the alt or description tags empty when you
insert an image is a lost opportunity.
Internal links: Internal links provide readers with
opportunities to dig deeper into your blog. They also provide
an opportunity to insert keywords in the title tags of the
anchor tag, like this one: <a
href="http://mylinks.com/mypost.com" title="great
keywords">more keywords</a> . Too many people use
8.
First words of your content. Using keywords and synonymous
terms within your content is important. Placing keywords in the
first couple sentences can improve how your page is indexed,
especially if your pages don't have meta descriptions.
Content placement in HTML: If you view the source of your
HTML, is your content at the top of the page? Many theme
designers mistakenly insert the HTML for sidebars above the
HTML for the content. Using CSS, a designer can place content
first. Be sure this is how your theme is developed; otherwise, the
search engine may believe your sidebar content is more
important than your actual blog posts and page content.
Repetition: Repetition is key with keywords. Don't use a keyword
only once. Instead, find out where you can naturally add the
keywords throughout your content in different combinations. Be
sure to incorporate synonymous terms if it doesn't make sense
to use the exact phrase.
9.
Write three or four paragraphs of two to three
sentences, each on a topic associated with your
product or service.
Write a compelling post title.
Research keywords that people are searching for.
Rewrite the post title with the keywords, trying to
place them first.
Rewrite the first and second sentence of the opening
paragraph and use a keyword naturally in the
paragraph.
Review each subsequent paragraph and look for
opportunities to insert a keyword.
Read your post title and blog post and ensure that it
sounds natural, without too many keywords repeated.
10.
Who Else Wants [blank]? Starting a headline with "Who Else
Wants …" is a classic social-proof strategy that implies an
already existing consensus desire. Although this approach
is overused in the Internet marketing arena, it still works
like gangbusters for other subject matter. Example: Who
Else Wants a Great Blog Template Design?
The Secret of [blank] This formula is used quite a bit —
because it works. Share insider knowledge and translate it
into a benefit for the reader. Example: The Secret of
Successful Podcasting
Here Is a Method That Is Helping [blank] to [blank] Simply
identify your target audience and the benefit you can
provide them, and fill in the blanks. Example: Here Is a
Method That Is Helping Bloggers Write Better Post Titles
11.
Little Known Ways to [blank]: Use a more intriguing
(and less common) way of accomplishing the same
thing as The Secret of [blank] headline.
Example: Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating
Bill
Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All: This classic
formula identifies either a painful problem or an
unfulfilled desire that the reader wants to remedy.
Example: Get Rid of That Carpet Stain Once and For
All
Here's a Quick Way to [solve a problem]: People love
quick and easy when it comes to solving a nagging
problem. Example: Here's a Quick Way to Back Up
Your Hard Drive
12.
Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]:
This is the classic "have your cake and eat it, too" headline —
and who doesn't like that? Example: Now You Can Quit Your Job
and Make Even More Money
[Do something] like [world-class example]: Gatorade milked this
one fully with the "Be Like Mike" campaign featuring Michael
Jordan in the early 1990s. Example: Blog Like an A-Lister
Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of: Appeal to
vanity, dissatisfaction, or shame. Enough said. Example: Build a
Blog Network You Can Be Proud Of
What Everybody Ought to Know about [blank]: Big curiosity draw
with this type of headline, and it acts almost as a challenge to
readers to go ahead and see whether they're missing something.
Example: What Everybody Ought to Know about Writing Great
Headlines
13.
Keep your paragraphs short and leave space
between them. Make sure you leave space —
whitespace — around your images.
Use numbered and ordered lists often. Such lists
stand out and are simple to digest.
Keep your posts pithy. Try to keep to the point.
Talk about a single point in each post and keep
your explanations brief and concise. Your posts
should be enough to explain your point but never
longer. If you have multiple points, use multiple
posts.
Emphasize important elements of the post. Use
bold, italic, and highlights. Bolded text stands
out for search engines as well
14.
Use photos, images, diagrams, and other visuals that represent your
message well. Even when we read, our minds are a complex system that
remembers images, not words. By supplying an image, you're making it
easier for your content to be consumed and understood, thus
encouraging the visitor to remain.
Use videos. If pictures are worth a thousand words, videos are worth
millions. Take advantage of inexpensive video equipment and video
hosting services to produce videos as periodic blog posts.
Use effective whitespace. Claude Debussy commented on music and the
"space between the notes." Just as important as the words on your blog
are the spaces between them. Ensure that the font you use is easily
readable, spacing is used, bulleted and numbered lists are used often,
keywords are bolded, and your posts are enhanced with images and
video to help to improve cognition. Short, punchy paragraphs, subtitles,
indenting, bold, and italic all help break up the monotony of the
document and make it easier to scan. The upcoming section,
"Considering the importance of whitespace," discusses using whitespace
effectively.
15.
Moderate user-generated content such as comments. If the comment will damage your
company or brand, don't allow it to go public; contact the person who reported the issue
immediately. Do everything possible to resolve the issue offline and explain the repercussions
to your company if the issue is made public.
Respond immediately and respectfully. Always take the lead in being an advocate who cares
about your customers. Even a response that you're investigating the issue provides evidence
that your company cares and reacts. Resolving the problem publicly may draw a lot of attention
to your company, your product, or your service. Everyone wants to work with companies who
care, respond, and respect one another.
Think outside the box when you respond. Don't respond politically or by showing animosity to
the person. Take the high road and you'll ultimately be recognized for it.
If the criticism is factually accurate and not an opinion, admit it immediately and respond with
an offering that can help resolve the issue. For example, if it's a complaint about a bug in your
software, resolve the issue by responding that the problem has been identified, when it will be
resolved, and how you'll communicate that to the customer.
You may even wish to invite them to call or e-mail you about the specifics. Once resolved, you
may want to send them a gift or a hand-written thank-you note for helping you identify and
correct problems within your company.
If the criticism is inaccurate or an opinion, acknowledge the person's frustration and request
additional information. Take conversations like this off-line. Keep any arguments or debates
absolutely factual. If you've been misrepresented in any way, be sure to inform your audience.
Many times, your customers are simply frustrated and seeking attention. If you provide them
positive attention, not only will they stop flaming you online, they may actually promote you.
16.
Include only the title rather than the title and
description. When you include the title and description, the
tweet will take the full 140 characters. You want to leave
some room if someone wishes to retweet your post and
add comments or a name.
Use bit.ly: Use bit.ly as your shortener so that you can see
how often the links have been clicked.
Add a post prefix: If you want to distinguish these
automated tweets, you can add a post prefix, such as New
blog post.
Use hashtags: Many people search Twitter for news on
specific key-words. If you have specific keywords that
you're targeting with your corporate blog (and you
should!), add a couple using hashtags. For
example, #blogging #seo.
17.
Social Bookmarking
◦ Be sure to measure which paths are providing the
most traffic and conversions to your blog.
◦ You want to provide a balance of sharing other sites
and promoting your own, too. Always promoting
your site decreases your authority, following, and
impact. Be sure to promote others within your
industry before promoting yourself.
Syndicating with email listservs
18. “A primary focus in a truly social platform is the
opportunity to build personal relationships.
Facebook began as a social networking site, but
has evolved into what it calls a social utility. As
a social utility, Facebook offers functionality in
all zones of the social media mix: networking,
group discussion (similar to forums), social
publishing and media sharing, social
commerce, and social entertainment.” (p. 108)
19.
“Your profile is the foundation of your
participation in social communities. It’s basically
your digital self—the way you “type yourself into
being.” The profile includes an image or avatar; a
username (i.e., a handle); and descriptors such as
age, location, interests, favorite books and
movies, and family relationships.
“Not only do we want our profiles to reflect our
social selves, we might also want to protect our
privacy and promote somewhat different
personas to different reference groups.” (pp.
103-104)
20. Social networking sites vary in terms of three
important dimensions:
◦ Audience and degree of specialization
◦ The social objects that mediate the relationships
among members
◦ Degree of decentralization or openness” (p. 108)
21.
“Friends can interact with the brands; share information,
photos, and videos; and participate in two-way
communication…”
The brand will develop a profile to represent its persona
and then should interact in keeping with that profile—like
a good actor, it should “stay in character.” Building brand
personas strengthen brand personality, differentiate
brands from competitors, and set the stage for a perceived
relationship.
Assuming the brand’s persona is likeable and credible, it
can facilitate message internalization (the process by
which a consumer adopts a brand belief as his or her own).
It is a natural expansion of the trend for brands to create
personalities for themselves, both through the use of
creative language—including style, imagery, tone, and
creative appeals—and music.” (p. 115)
22.
“Influence posts occur when an opinion leader publishes brandrelevant content such as a blog post in social media. For
example, when Girls With Guts
(http://girlswithguts.blogspot.com/) blog about a recent
restaurant opening, the earned media is known as an influence
post. …
Influence impressions don’t always spread virally, but when they
do, the impact is substantial. These impressions occur in
conversations held in social communities; in comments to blog
posts and shared media; in “likes,” “followers,” and shares among
friends; during conversations surrounding online shopping and
group deals; and as people gift virtual branded goods to fellow
game players. Anyone active in social media can create an
influence impression, but influence is particularly powerful when
that person is also well connected—what we’ve called an
influencer. The size of a person’s network enhances the ability
for the message to spread.” (pp. 112-113)
23.
What value and impact does the corporate blog have on
organizational social capital and knowledge sharing?
A departmental blog can help improve knowledge-sharing
activities that promote increased shared knowledge among
the team, a sense of group belonging and cohesiveness,
and the creation of informal and formal ties among team
members.
The blog evolved into a valued and trusted forum for
disseminating and receiving knowledge, both tacit and
explicit, by employees and managers alike.
Some respondents mentioned that they felt a sense of duty
to contribute to the blog, while others felt a more
voluntary need to share knowledge
24.
Over time, active leadership participation has
emerged as a norm rather than an exception
and, as a result, sharing knowledge on the
blog has become part of a valued set of
communication activities for engineers and
technologists in the organization.
As the perceived value of the blog as a
knowledge-sharing and communication tool
increased among the group, the motivation
for participating became more voluntary and
less of an obligation.