Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Book Authors Learn Internet Marketing

Children's book authors are a fun bunch of writers, and they will make fine bloggers, for sure. Denise and I preached the blog gospel this weekend at the Santa Barbara Mission Retreat Center. There shouldn't be a problem with generating content for these authors.

Their books cover topics of monsters, history, unruly little girls, and Walter Kitty. Conversations were rich in imagination and adventurous. When asked if they every thought about writing adult books, they invariably laughed and said "no way!" I think they are having too much fun with kids lit.

Only one participant had started blogging yet, Greg Pincus, www.gottabook.blogspot.com. He caught the blog bug and ended up with a viral success that caught the attention of SlashDot.com. His story is very inspiring, so Denise and I will host him soon on a special case study interview. Stay tuned.

RSS Feeds: We need your feedback

I just set up a new poll over on Build a Better Blog. We want to know if you prefer getting a full feed or a partial feed when you subscribe to get blog update.  Take the poll and let us know!

Blogging for Your Business: Radio Show Posted

The audio from Episode 3 of Blogging and Beyond is now posted. You can listen online or download the mp3 file.  We're working on getting the show set up as a podcast so you can get automatic downloads to your iPod or mp3 player.  In the meantime, you can listen on our site or download our free desktop player and listen live or at your convenience.

The audio from Episode 3 of Blogging and Beyond is now posted. You can listen online or download the mp3 file.  We're working on getting the show set up as a podcast so you can get automatic downloads to your iPod or mp3 player.  In the meantime, you can listen on our site or download our free desktop player and listen live or at your convenience.

Childrens Books & Blogs at the Old Santa Barbara Mission

Denise and I are featured presenters at a retreat this weekend for the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators.  Which means, we're in Santa Barbara tomorrow for 3 days. And we're staying at the Mission, one of California's historical (1786) Spanish buildings. Sure hope they've updated the heating system. For sure, they don't have Internet connection, so this blog will be on snooze until Monday.

Naturally, we're talking about blogs and how to market your book with a blog.  For the presentation, Denise created a short tour of blogs by childrens book writers.  If you're interested, here's the video.  It's just under 6 minutes.

Blogging Is IT! Boost Yourself Into the Blogosphere

Blogging truly is a way to connect with the world. It opens doors, and sends potential clients to you without spending a lot of marketing money. But if you're going to do a blog for your business, do it right. No free blogging stuff that leaves your blog looking like your next door teenager's personal diary.

As The Blog Squad, Denise and I recommend Typepad, or if you are more of a techie, WordPress. Either way, you have to optimize your blog for business, otherwise you end up working for your blog, instead of the other way around. Your blog should work for your business to attract interested people into your realm.

This Thursday, January 25, at 8 a.m. PT (11 a.m. ET) on our 3rd radio show on VoiceAmerica channel,  Blogging and Beyond, we are talking about the important elements of a good business blog. Here's the info on the radio show. If you  have questions you want answered on the show, submit them on the show blog, www.BloggingandBeyond.com.

The Blog Squad Famous in Ajijic

An American woman stopped me the other day and asked if I wasn't from The Blog Squad. I'm not kidding. Now Denise and I aren't exactly famous, but our picture is on the Internet in many places. Turns out, Elliott Joachim is a fun person, who learned how to blog from our classes and reports. But I wasn't really expecting to get noticed in Ajijic, Mexico...

I was so excited I posted about it over on Build a Better Blog.

Parking Horror Stories: Read the Parkazine Newsletter

I hate cars and I hate traffic. I work from home, and only ever have to drive one mile to the tennis courts and the grocery store. But Erik Feder writes a good ezine about parking your car, mainly in Manhattan where some parking fees rival apartment rentals in other cities.

Erik is The Blog Squad's Ideal Client who is being coached live on the air during our weekly radio show Blogging and Beyond. I subscribed to his weekly Parkazine newsletter to review it.

Here are three things I like about Erik’s e-newsletter, the Parkazine:

Database Marketing System of the Stars: Tom Antion Explains

Episode two of Blogging and Beyond is now posted, if you missed it. We interviewed Internet Marketing expert Tom Antion about database marketing systems.  Be sure to listen; Tom gives a very clear explanation of why a database marketing system is so important to the success of businesses that use the Internet. Find out why all the successful Internet star use Kick Start Cart- or a version of it.

Here's a post from Denise about shopping carts, with a free downloadable PDF on How to Pick a Shopping Cart.

(Update from Mexico: We left the Puerta de Hierro Hospital Wednesday without The Hubby having to have any surgery. This is good news. But the internet connection was down for 12 hours. Hopefully, I can now get back to work.)

Heart in Mexico

One of life's hiccups...I'm taking The Hubby back in to Guadalajara today. His 3-year heart attack anniversary revealed some funny exam results. The good news is that the angiogram procedure he will have today will reveal what's really going on in his arteries. If needed, they will put in more stents and he will get another 10,000 mile warranty.

The cardiologist is excellent, and the hospitals are, well, hospitable. They let the family stay overnight with the patient, so I probably won't be back online for a few days.

Mysterious Mexico Connections

I've been deprived of Internet connectivity for the last 36 hours. And I didn't die, although I felt severe frustration at not being able to stay in touch with clients and our new mentor group.

I'm working from our home in Ajijic, near Guadalajara, in Mexico this week. (That photo is our front door viewed from inside.) And even though we have high speed DSL connected to the house, and a Vonage U.S. phone number, the connection stopped all of a sudden. Nothing we did would help.

I did a bit of work from a cyber cafe yesterday. Then when we came home last night, we saw the three green lights on our router and fell to our knees. We've been saved!!! Finally we are connected again.

There is something strangely upsetting about not being online. I'm seeing a psychiatrist about this. Does anyone else have heart palpitations and severe anxiety when this happens? Or am I the only nut that can't live without being connected...

It's like this deep feeling of losing control over my destiny, like "they" are taking away my ability to work, manage my work flow, and stay in touch with my clients. "They" are the DSL gremlins who want to make my life miserable. I'm sure of it...