Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Readers Online Finish Content More Than Print Readers

People actually do read content online, and new research is busting an old myth. This study is found on Editor and Publisher.com, by way of Bryan Eisenberg of Grokdotcom.com.

In a surprise finding, online readers finish news stories more often than those who read in print, according to the Poynter Institute’s Eyetrack study released Wednesday at the American Society of Newspaper Editors conference.

When readers chose to read an online story, they usually read an average of 77% of the story, compared to 62% in broadsheets and 57% in tabloids.

The study also revealed that only half of online readers scan, the others are methodical in their reading.

Podcasting for Business

Blogging and Beyond: Episode 11
"How to Use Podcasts and Webinars to Grow Your Business"
with guest expert Debra Simpson, Magic in Words

Debra had some great ideas for using audio and podcasting in your business.  With 65 million mp3 players out there, I'd say there's a definitely a market for your expertise!  I posted about the interview and one of Debra's tips.

Blogging and Beyond: Episode 11
"How to Use Podcasts and Webinars to Grow Your Business"
with guest expert Debra Simpson, Magic in Words

Debra had some great ideas for using audio and podcasting in your business.  With 65 million mp3 players out there, I'd say there's a definitely a market for your expertise!  I posted about the interview and one of Debra's tips.

Blog Squad on Leading Experts TV

Last December The Blog Squad was invited to be on the Leading Experts talk show.  We headed to Palm Springs to the CBS studios where host Dr. Jeff Hockings shoots the 28 minute show.

It's taken awhile, but we finally have the video online for the world to see.  Check us out on Leading Experts TV!

Last December The Blog Squad was invited to be on the Leading Experts talk show.  We headed to Palm Springs to the CBS studios where host Dr. Jeff Hockings shoots the 28 minute show.

It's taken awhile, but we finally have the video online for the world to see.  Check us out on Leading Experts TV!

Audio Articles: Great Idea for Greater Online Reach

Today Denise and I interviewed Debra Simpson, MagicInWords.com about podcasts and other media to reach and pull visitors to your online business. (I'll post notes about our Blogging and Beyond radio show on podcasting and multi-media marketing over on our Build a Better Blog site.)

One idea I hadn't heard of before is to post audio articles and audio tips on your website and blog. Take an article you've written for your ezine or for article directory syndication, and revise it for recording purposes. A 500-700 word article should translate to a 3-5 minute mp3 file.

Why would you want to do this? Because there are 63 million owners of mp3 players in the world, who want to download files and listen to them in the car and in the gym.

Now, I'm not a big fan of listening to podcasts on the treadmill - I need a little rock n roll to motivate my feet! My favorite is Jock Jams - those tunes really get me going!

I am, however, a big fan of getting the maximum juice out of everything I write. And just because I love to write and read my information, doesn't mean I shouldn't give other options to readers. Some people just prefer to listen to information. Give visitors to your site a choice.

Audio files can be serialized, so that visitors come back to your site for tip #2, etc. A special report or article can be recorded and given away as a bonus for signing up for your ezine.

It is becoming clear that even writers must be prepared for the new interactive Web, what the geeks call Web 2.0, and be able to record information in audio and video files when possible. It that too much to ask of us writers? I think not. After all, 10 years ago, hardly anyone was using email, and we all learned how to do that, didn't we?

For more tips on audio and creating informational products, visit Debra's site, www.MagicinWords.com. 

"Press Release Must Die" Panel at BlogHer Wants New Parameters for Social Media Formatting

Press releases are getting major overhauls these days, turning the traditional PR format into more user-friendly versions that facilitate journalists' jobs of finding information faster.

Julie Crabill from SHIFT Communications participated on a panel at BlogHer called "The Press Release Must Die,"  along with Bambi Francisco of MarketWatch, moderated by Erin Kotecki Vest of the Huffington Post.

The whole idea is to create press releases that are more useful and convenient for journalists, giving them deeper information and better information through links to blogs, audio and video files, as well as RSS feeds and tags.

I posted about this new social media press release previously and make this new template available to you here through SHIFT Communications:

Download NewPRsmprtemplate.pdf

Beyond Writing: Use Your Voice with Podcasts

Sometimes writing isn't enough. As a writer, you probably like to read information. But here's a clue: not everyone's a reader. There is a huge audience of people out there who like listening to podcasts.

In fact, there's 65 million owners of mp3 players world wide, all looking for stuff to download and listen to. And much of what people like to listen to in the car and on the treadmill are informational podcasts.

Join The Blog Squad this Thursday at 11 a.m. ET for the Blogging and Beyond radio show about podcasting:

 

Teleseminars with Ellen Britt: Audio File Posted

If you missed the Blogging and Beyond show last Thursday, Denise has just posted it on the site.  We interviewed Ellen Britt of Marketing Qi about her tremendous success with teleseminars and how you can use this low cost tool to grow your business.  Despite some technical challenges, it was a good show.

In the second half of the show we brainstormed with Ideal Client Erik Feder about he could use teleseminars to expand his WheretoFindParking.com business.  You might get some good ideas too!

If you missed the Blogging and Beyond show last Thursday, Denise has just posted it on the site.  We interviewed Ellen Britt of Marketing Qi about her tremendous success with teleseminars and how you can use this low cost tool to grow your business.  Despite some technical challenges, it was a good show.

In the second half of the show we brainstormed with Ideal Client Erik Feder about he could use teleseminars to expand his WheretoFindParking.com business.  You might get some good ideas too!

Things To Do In NYC After a Conference

There is a bronze mural on the side wall of the fire station at Ground Zero dedicated to the fallen heroes and those left standing. I couldn't help but shed a few tears; it's an eery feeling to remember the devastation and horror of 9/11.

Denise and I spent the day as tourists in Manhattan, and after a few solemn moments of reflection, returned to contributing to the economy at the Century 21 discount store - "NY's best kept secret." Denise wore a step counter, and 8,000 steps later we returned to our trendy hotel.

The BlogHer Business conference was a big success, and I'll share a few nuggets with you over on our Build a Better Blog. We had a blogger get together at the Champagne Flute, an old speakeasy, thanks to CK, of Marketing Prof's book club last night. It's so much fun to meet face-to-face with other fun bloggers.

I have many fond memories of NYC... when I was a fashion model and part of the party set! Now I'm just lucky to get back to the hotel without blisters. We're having sunny days, but cold. There was even some snow piled on the ground down at the Seaport Exhibition Center, where we saw the Bodies exhibit.

Now that's something to see... every imaginable part of the body dissected and dyed for easy viewing. What an education. The most beautiful parts were those of the blood vessel system, dye red, of course, and looking very much like sea anemone.

The most surprising was the brain and brain parts. As an avid student of the brain, I found it to be smaller than I expected. It's quite small.

We're skipping the theatre - too many loud musicals, not my cup of tea. Perhaps a quiet evening catching up with email and blogging instead. Hope you're having a great weekend, be well.

Wharton Economic Summit Promises Business Discussions on '07 Challenges

For all you executive coaches and consultants, here's a conference which sounds interesting for top quality business information:

The Wharton Economic Summit in Philadelphia April 12 & 13 will feature 70 Speakers to discuss Economic Challenges in ‘07. If you're interested, pre-registration is open until April 8th online at http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/alumni/wharton125/events/finale/phila-registration.cfm

Blogging Matters: A Whack Up the Side of the Head

Newsletter Nuggets – March 22, 2007
…tips and tricks for writing great ezines and blogs from Patsi Krakoff, Psy.D.

Table of Contents

1. A Note from Patsi – A Whack Up the Side of the Head- What Blogging Has Done  
2. April 07 Featured Article: Good Boss, Bad Boss: 20 Habits Leaders Should Stop Doing Now

A note from Patsi – This week Denise and I are in New York for BlogHer Business conference and as I prepared notes for our presentation, I couldn’t help but reflect on where blogging has taken our business in the 2 ½ years since we started writing on blogs.

It’s been phenomenal. I knew I wanted to have a platform to write and communicate to potential clients. In fact, coming from an academic background that includes psychology and journalism, that was my main interest in blogging: to write about the topics I loved.

I wasn’t prepared for what happened: huge increases in traffic, people finding and hiring us, being invited to give teleseminars and conferences, publishing chapters in 3 books, and earning five times more money than before blogging.

I share this with you not to brag or to beat you over the head with our blogging evangelism stick. You may not want to start blogging (and the only reason I can think of is that you don’t have ½ hour a day to write on it or read other blogs in your field). But if you want to get more clients, more speaking gigs, more book contracts, more traffic, more money… then you just might want to try blogging.

I’m a slow learner sometimes. So now I’m doing what I love AND earning good money doing it. Can’t beat that. Sometimes you need a whack up the side of the head before you “get it.” Consider yourself whacked.

To read more about business blogs, visit our blog here.

Top 10 Reasons to Do an Ezine and a Blog, read this. 

Are you ready for a blog? 20 question assessment, go here to take this test.
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Featured Article for April 07:

No More Jerks at Work:
Preventing Desk Rage

It’s a sign of the times when a well-known Stanford professor and best-selling author publishes a book titled The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t (Warner Business Books, 2007). Robert I. Sutton argues that variations of terms like creep, jerk and bully don’t carry the same authenticity or emotional appeal.