blogging

Mar 11 2015

Links, Hucksters, and What’s Next

Ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of marketing, communications, and social media…stuff? Join the club, bub. Here’s some advice.Yesterday, I was minding my business here on the Internet, making things happen, when I received an email that told me I had a new comment on one of my sites. It was interesting in that it was an obvious cut-and-paste job: some of the text was verbatim from other emails I had received for the better part of the past year. And it got me thinking that I should probably write about this subject…so, let’s talk about Links, Hucksters, and What’s Next.

Links

The “Links” I’m talking about are the ones offered by the spammers that try to comment on blogs. If you don’t run a blog, here’s a quick example of how those spam comments usually look:

I ԁdo trust all the concepts you’ve introdսced on your post.
They are really convincіng annd can definitely work.
Νonetheless, the posts are tօo brief fоr novices.
Maay just you please prolong them a bit from neҳt time?
Thank yoս forr the post.

And they’re trying to get me to link to some site and then they’ll get the positive Google mojo that everyone who is in the SEO business says you really need to be successful. (If you use a service such as Akismet, you won’t have to worry about actually seeing 99% of these emails; they’ll go straight into your blog’s spam folder.)

Because of the age of this site – we’ve been at it for awhile and have a page rank of 2/10; nothing to write home about, granted, but better than 0/10, which the vast majority of sites receive – we are popular with the spamsters, who want the “authority” we can give them by sending a link their way. And, because of the hucksters in the SEO Consultant industry, the offshore linkbots like to send these sorts of emails our way. All the time.

Hucksters

Much has been made of hucksters in a variety of online industries: Social Media Gurus who will sell you a bill of goods but never deliver; SEO Consultants who will promise you the moon and a zillion backlinks; and general ne’er-do-wells who claim that their way is the way to riches.

But I can tell you from watching these industries for the last…what…9 years?…that there is a maxim that rings true:

The things that take the most effort have the most payoff.

Any tactic that someone tries to sell you – “Buy backlinks for cheap!” – isn’t bound to payoff and can actually get you penalized by Google. The value is in not just the hustle, but the tactics that take time and are in line with a sound strategy.

What’s Next?

Before we get to the takeaway from this article, a promotional announcement: we at Area 224 have launched three sites that we’re spending a great deal of time on. But we’re not expecting immediate success – and you shouldn’t be expecting immediate success from any of the garbage the hucksters are peddling.

A couple years ago, we created Metasip as a “Yelp for Alcohol.” We’re still working on that site – and let me tell you…it takes time, energy, and some sound thinking. At around the same time 10KaYear was born – and the whole premise of that site is that sound personal finance doesn’t happen overnight.

Our latest development is Metakitchen – an offshoot of Metasip and less of a rating site, more of a hub for food and beverage bloggers. That’s going to take some time and some actual work: we’re not planning on getting thousands of bloggers on the site immediately, and we’re not planning on thousands of food brands wanting access to those bloggers. It’s a slow burn.

This is one reason we have blogged less and less here at HQ, at least on this site – but we’re blogging more and more over at the other sites.

Links, Hucksters, and What’s Next

Now, the takeaway: Links take time. Hucksters are to be avoided. What’s Next?

It’s time for the actual hard work, those things that take effort but will bring us the eventual payoff. We’re not after a get rich quick scheme here: but with a little sound planning and an even sounder strategy, we’re aiming for a pretty good result. And you should consider the same: don’t take shortcuts, don’t assume that the easy way is going to be the right way, and…

Don’t be afraid of a little hard work.

Sep 01 2014

How to Write a “What [EVENT] Can Teach Us About [DISCIPLINE]” Blog Post

In a past life, I was a blogger. I mean, a regular blogger who would write all sorts of posts and hope to get page views and, in turn, sell something. I still do that sort of work, with a bit of a different spin these days, but have decided to let others take the wheel.

Friendly Faceless LinkedIn Logo Guy

Why? Because it’s so easy these days to write a blog post on some current event and turn it into advice. It must work, too – these are the only types of blog posts I seem to see.

Please make it stop.

What the #IceBucketChallenge can teach us about #Marketing.

That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. It’s easy, and FUN! to make your own blog post using something that’s trending and whatever line of work you’re in. You should try it sometime – just add a hashtag and you’re all set.

What the Start of the #CollegeFootball season can teach us about #SocialMedia

In fact, we’ve eliminated the need for any sort of current events calendar, right? Just newsjack your way into whatever story is out there, then Bob’s Your Uncle and the world will beat a path to your blog’s door.

What #LaborDay can teach us about #GivingBirth to #Quadruplets

Also, you now don’t even need to THINK. Crap, anything on the calendar can be turned into something that can teach us about engaging with our target audience on Pinterest.

What my recent #SpeedingTicket can teach us about #Engagement

I didn’t actually get a speeding ticket – but this is the sort of thing I’m seeing throughout the universe. Take a topic, any topic, and apply it to something seemingly unrelated. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING!

Please make it stop. And here’s the takeaway…

At some point, take a break and do some actual original thinking.

There’s always an agenda to these posts – and maybe that’s one reason I stay away from them, and from blogging, and especially from LinkedIn Publisher posts. These are always solutions to problems that you may not currently have. They’re running around your head, trying to insert themselves into some process where they may not belong. It’s lazy thinking and it’s getting old and…

My advice is this.

Pick up a book – not a tactical marketing advice book, but a real book. I don’t care what it is, but make it something that forces you to rethink something, or visit a series of problems in a completely different way. Heck, even a crime novel might get you escaping from these insipid blog posts.

I’m currently reading “Forever Fluent” and I love it and now I HAVE to learn (or relearn) a language. But that may not be your bag – fine. Just make sure you’re not reading, or writing, the same old blog post.

What learning #French can teach us about #Twitter.

Sep 19 2013

Tired of Giving? Give More!

I read a book that changed my outlook on life. And on business.

First Church Tittle Chapel — Photo of First Church, Evanston, IL Tittle Chapel. Feel free to use it; CC License to share freely.

On a recent trip to the Library, I picked up a book that quickly took over my weekend.

First, a little about me, so you can put this all into perspective. I’ve been described as an “interesting” reader. I’m not sure if that’s a compliment, actually…In all seriousness, I move back and forth from topic to topic, and I have been known to devour magazines. (Time Magazine arrives weekly, but it doesn’t speak to me like the Economist or New Yorker used to when I was in my 20s, or like Bloomberg Businessweek did in my “late 30s,” which have seemed to continue for a few years.)

I rarely read fiction. Rarely. So if you’ve sent me your fiction download, apologies for not getting to it yet.

My book reading habits are much different – I try to be a polymath, so who knows what I’ll find interesting at the library.

[NOTE: I am on still on a break from traditional marketing and social media books.]

What’s funny is that I had only casually heard of the book that changed my outlook: “The Go-Giver.” No one had personally recommended it to me, and I had yet to actually meet someone who said “this book will change your life.” But it will…if you let it.

Mumbo Jumbo. The Secret. Yada Yada.

Don’t worry, I’m not here to sell you something. I’m not here to tell you about the trick to making a fortune, and I’m not here to ask you to listen to a webinar so I can get you to buy a $97 program that will help you maximize your social media marketing.

In fact, I haven’t read “The Secret” and I don’t plan on reading “The Secret” and I don’t buy in to that self-help mumbo jumbo.

I run a business. I can’t waste time chasing my tail, and I don’t “get it” when someone says there’s a system, a key to success, a magic formula. Because there isn’t, and the work is hard, and just around the corner is the discovery that could change your fortune, your path, your journey…

Wait…What the heck am I talking about?

Tired of Giving? Give More!

I used to keep score. And that’s probably the biggest takeaway from this book – “Go-Givers Don’t Keep Score.”

I was downright mad at the karma bank. It seemed like I was sharing my knowledge over way too many meetings, pitching my business to way too many companies that couldn’t afford to work with me, putting out blog posts almost religiously over a two-year period…only to find my business bank account sorely lacking in funds.

“The Karma Bank Owes Me!”

I used to say that all the time. But I don’t say it anymore. Because it doesn’t.

Please Read the Book!

Part of the joy in the book is that it’s told as a fable. But it’s a relatable one – you can actually feel what “Joe” is going through, you can sense his desperation at the beginning, and feel his grasp of the concepts at the end.

No spoilers here – you have to read this to fully grasp it, but the general concept I’m focusing on is the art of giving.

It doesn’t mean that rolling down your window and handing a five to the homeless guy will automagically give you a bag of money. It doesn’t mean that you should then go buy a lottery ticket because your luck will turn around eventually.

But my takeaway was this: I have not given enough.

Time. Talents. Energy. Knowledge. Skills. Creativity. I’ve got these things…YOU HAVE THESE THINGS.

Share them with the world.

Tired of Giving? Give More!

Feb 08 2013

A Quick Hello From 10KaYear

The busier we get, the less we blog. Unless we are launching a blog. Then, the less we blog…here.

Announcing a new site: 10KaYear.com!

So Dave from Area 224 has been on a variety of breaks lately. Either it’s contract work, or other work, or launching yet another project.

And that was part of the inspiration for the new site – what if some of the things I’ve learned over the past (oh my goodness…) 7 years can be distilled into something you can put to good use?

Okay, that wasn’t all of the inspiration…

In the beginning of 2012, we partnered with a couple friends on the launch of NewFrugality.com – and that continues to go pretty well, thanks. But the tone over there is quite a bit different from what we’re envisioning for 10KaYear. For instance:

Find an Extra $10,000?

That might push the envelope just a little bit – or not far enough. At Area 224, we have focused on working with businesses that are a little bigger than just a mom and pop. And it’s a B2B-focused business we have – strategic communications advisors to emerging brands was our tagline before, and that’s pretty much true today. So if you’re the Area 224 client, $10,000 probably doesn’t seem like a lot of money.

But what if you’re everyone else?

Solopreneurs – the people who work by themselves, maybe occasionally tapping a colleague on the shoulders?
Small businesses that are doing six-figures but may never find themselves doing seven-figures?
And – this is probably the biggest group that will benefit from 10KaYear – the family, the single Mom or Dad, the retirees, the unemployed, the underemployed.

This is the money-saving and business advice site for everyone else.

Just a few days in, we think what we’ve talked about already is a good preview of what we’ll talk about in the days to come:

The Publishing Business Model – heck, everybody says they want to write a book, but does it really make sense? AND, the social media gurus who appear to always be launching their own book – can you replicate their “success?”

Finding Money in the Couch Cushions – we don’t really think that you can find $10,000 in your couch. But…well, we think we’ve got some cool tips in that post.

“Congratulations, Your Loan Has Been Extinguished” – it happens to some homeowners and it could happen to you. Really.

So there you have it…

Now you know a little about the absence from regular blogging here, and the tone and tenor of the 10KaYear.com site.

We’d love to have you “pay” us a visit. (Get it? It’s about money? I used the word “pay!”)

See you there.

May 24 2012

Dear Steve*

Something’s bothering me, Steve.

Blog Well Written For You — Close enough. Right?

It’s about your article.

Remember the article that you submitted? You sent it to me. Then, after you didn’t hear back for a couple days, you sent me another note, marked “IMPORTANT.”

Steve, I know there comes a time in every writer’s life when they ask themselves, “am I good enough?” In fact, you might be asking yourself that very question right about now.

But, before I play the heavy and let you know what has been on my mind for the past 13 minutes since you sent that note marked “IMPORTANT,” I’d really like to talk about a few of the reasons why I don’t think your article is going to work for our site.

Maybe this will resonate with you, Steve; or, maybe you and your bloggy friends will continue to reach out to similar sites and hope upon hope that you’ll get the coveted “Article in Exchange for Link” that everyone wants.

Anyway, Steve, here’s why I’m saying no:

1. You Sent Me An Article With No Prior Relationship

This is probably the biggest mistake you made: you told me how great my site was (that’s a given; not that my site is great, but that you’d tell me that it’s great). Then you attached the article and that was that. I can use it if I want, or not.

But I don’t know you.

I’m not going to steal your article, Steve – but I could. And there’s nothing in it for you. And you have devalued your own content by sending it to me and just asking me to use it for nothing.

Build rapport, please. Then ask me if I’d like an article.

2. You Haven’t Sent Me Any Information About You

Steve, Steve, Steve.

If you’ve learned anything it’s that people can find out information about other people online. They use something called “Google.” And, if you don’t give them something to look at when you send them the first ever email…well, then they’ll either find out whatever they can about you using this Google site, or they’ll give up.

Table Stakes, Steve. Give me a link to published work that you’ve already done elsewhere. Or show me your LinkedIn profile. OR…

3. You Didn’t Create An Awesome First Impression

Even an okay first impression would have done okay here.

But the article you sent me had a title that didn’t make any sense at all.

It’s all in the setup – I’d love to have you guest blog on one of my sites, Steve, but now you had me wondering whether you’ve got the chops…and I was wondering this after the very first sentence you wrote.

4. And, About The Article Itself…

Steve, this is where I need to let you know something that maybe you haven’t heard before.

There’s a certain style for web writing: different from writing for a book, different from magazine journalism or for writing for a technical journal.

I, for one, prefer to read things that aren’t written with a heavy focus on words that will get the writing noticed by search engines. Sure, you have to put in some keywords – something you did – but I want to read “engaging copy.” Not copy where every other word looks like something someone would type into the Google search bar.

So, Steve, I’ve Got to Say No.

The door isn’t closed entirely. Maybe if you work on a couple of these things we can talk about your stuff getting on the site.

Maybe.

Regards,

Dave

P.S. This sort of thing DID happen. Just a bit ago. There was an article submitted for the New Frugality site. A site which you should totally check out.

*Steve is not his real name.