Everything "Blog." Gadgets, Widgets, Interactive Gizmos, Spaced-Out Graphics, Special Effects, SEO Tools, PR Rank Boosters, Traffic And Backlink Builders, RSS Feed Blenders, Social Media Management, Viral Promotion Programs, Apps, Plug-Ins, Affiliate Programs, and Monetizing Methods...even some FREE STUFF! [Everybody likes free stuff. Don't deny it.]

Friday, January 20, 2012

Grow Your Twitter Following Exponentially - With The Best Followers, Too!

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If you want to attract readers, members, purchasers or simply visitors to you blog or cluster of blogs, Twitter is an outlet which you cannot afford to neglect. Just as every blog attracts a certain audience which relates to its subject matter and its writer’s style, a single twitter account is actually a topically-based news and commentary feed. 

And it draws a crowd, in much the same manner as a blog does, but often more easily (people have less patience, and they are not quite as particular about becoming Twitter followers as they are about becoming blog email or RSS Feed subscribers). 

There is also a great synergy -- you can attract visitors to your blogs by using your blog address in your Twitter Profile, and you can attract followers to your Twitter account by  simply posting a Twitter Follow Button at the bottom of your blog.


You can choose from an assortment of Twitter buttons here:
https://twitter.com/about/resources.



This same site also generates widgets, logos and other magnetic adornments for the footer section of your blog posts and RSS Feed posts. If you want to customize the look of your site and get especially fancy, you can conduct a Google Search on such word strings as “twitter+icons,” “twitter+buttons,” “twitter+graphics” and the like. Search both the web and images (on the upper left-hand selection toolbar of the Google page). Many of these are quite nice, and they are free as well.



Here are some sites for you to explore -- they are either free or very inexpensive sources for building a following for each of your themed (keyword- or topic-based) Twitter accounts. Visit each, then hit the “BACK” button in your browser, and look at the next. These services do not require that you purchase lists of “guaranteed followers.” 

The only other essential tools you should have in order to centrally manage all of your blogs and twitter accounts are TWITTERFEED (free, and available at http://twitterfeed.com), and TWEETADDER, which requires a one-time expenditure but which is the best tool of its kind for managing multiple Twitter accounts (up to thousands of separate accounts, if you’d like) and Twitter followers (up to millions of followers -- you may wish to start a cult....just kidding). 

You can purchase your own TWEETADDER by simply clicking on the visual ad toward the end of this post. If you do purchase it here, you will absolutely receive a bonus.


Here are the sites to review:


http://www.twellow.com/


http://www.free-followers.com/login.php


http://twiends.com/followers


http://twitclub.com/


https://twitter.com/about/resources



With the exception of the last link (discussed earlier), which is a wonderful site filled with twitter buttons, gadgets, logos, widgets and other highly-functional decorations to get your blogger audience to join your Twitter accounts as well, the the other ones are free, friendly, natural ways to rapidly build a strong following. I am not a big fan of paying for quantities of guaranteed followers -- the companies that provide these generally produce some twits with whom you would best not be associated, and they also tend to be somewhat unreliable.


While TWEETADDER, below, will help you automatically oncrease the number of followers for each of your Twitter accounts, its principal purpose is as a means of managing (automating) many time-consuming Twitter functions. It also allows you to send wonderful personalized thank-you letters and even some tasteful marketing information to each new follower -- and it gives you a choice of responses for each case -- heck, it’ll even randomize the responses if you’d like to be totally hands-off.


Just click on the display ad below, and build thee a Twitter Empire!

Note: Automate and Dominate the TwitterSphere!

The BEST investment in your social media campaign that you can make.








Regardless of the more liberal (and expensive) “get followers quick” approaches, a combination of the ones suggested above, along with TWITTERFEED and TWEETADDER, will build you solid, cohesive groups of follows who are the, members, subscribers or customers most likely to be converted to clients. Quantity is wonderful -- but quality is every single bit as important.


Douglas E. Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com], 

for
BLOGGING TIPS, TRICKS AND TOOLS and FREE SEO TOOLS FOR BLOGGERS.








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Monday, December 19, 2011

Increased Download Speed: Supersized Rankings!

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There are a number of reasons to be very interested in accelerating your blog or website's load speed. Faster Download Time has become increasingly important in a multi-tasking, overworked and increasingly impatient world.

Firstly, you should constantly have user (i.e., prospective site visitor) experience in mind when optimizing your website. A fast, full-screen download, especially for the home page of your site, is crucial to capture and keep a prospective visitor's attention.

If your site is very slow to appear (leaving the prospective visitor to look at a blank screen and to wonder whether his or her browser or internet connection is working properly), or is slow to fully download (it comes down in disjointed pieces, with entire graphics, or other dazzling effects to fill in boxes which remain blank or empty for quite some time), it is likely that your prospect will go back to the search engine results (or to wherever he or she received your url from) and look at the next site following or before yours on the list. In either way, you will have reduced your SEO prominence and lost a possible friend, member, follower, or customer.

Secondly, search engine rating algorithms give some credence, i.e., credibility ranking as well as prominence in positioning, to how fast your page loads. Faster is considered to be better.
With this Website Speed Test provided by JAYDE B2B and Directory Listing Services (http://www.jayde.com/) a superb site search engine listing service and resource provider for SEO tools, tips and strategies, you can discover the speed of your site:

http://www.submitplus.com/freetools/tools/website-speed-test/

Some quick tips to expedite your page load speed and give your prospective viewers a better, more captivating experience. Some of these tips may involve some informational or design sacrifices, but the end result will more than justify the modifications. This list is being furnished by Douglas E. Castle for Blogging Tips, Tricks And Tools. It is not intended to be complete, nor is it warranted or otherwise guaranteed to produce favorable results for any individuals blog or website. I will say, that some of these have certainly been helpful for me.

1. Minimize the number and placement of high-resolution graphics Use clickable thumbnails instead, if possible) on your home page. Limited the number of any embedded videos to as few as possible, and position the video between the header and the "fold" at the bottom of your page.

2. Use the smallest number of lines of java script or HTML code, and use a code shrinking program if you can to compress these even further.

3. Avoid the use of pop-ups, pop-overs, modals, and especially long iframe forms in the body of your content.

4. Minimize your use of flash effects or remotely hosted buttons or text effects.

5. If you have graphs, charts, PowerPoint displays, slideshows, galleries and the like, just show the first frame, and give the viewer the option as to whether or not to see the presentation.

6. Avoid ambient music playing in the background. In my opinion, you should especially avoid the theme from "Hawaii Five-O" (even though I really like this one myself), heavy metal music in general, and the repetitive theme song from David Bowie's "Under Pressure." They slow download time, can be highly distracting, and can occasionally be offensive enough to the fatigued ears of the viewer that he or she feels that your sight is going to be a pure advertorial nightmare.

7. Break large paragraphs of copy into numbered or bulletized lists -- if further explanations are required, either put them into mouseover balloons, or into mouseover tooltips. Keep them brief, and never, ever, set them up so that the viewer has to click on an "x" or "Close" cue to to make a balloon or tooltip disappear. Everyone HATES this.

8. If a portion of your site will take a longer time to load, or will require some element of scrolling, make a note of it, and apologize in advance to your reader.

9. Avoid excessively large or florid fonts or designs. Elaborate wallpapers and borders are a waste and a distraction. They also can slow your downloading time significantly.

10. Keep your opening or home page as lean and mean as possible -- you can then direct your viewer (once you've captured his or her attention) to see the site in its entirety by using a clear, simple navigation bar under your header. Once you've caught his or her interest, then it's merely a matter of leading him or her around your site to see what you have to offer.

Douglas E. Castle

p.s. The little "click on me" birdie which follows actually slowed the downloading speed of this article (as it appears on the blog) by 6.67%! You might click on it anyway, just to learn from my negative example...

animated twitter button



Related (And Occasionally Dated) Articles For Your Further Reference:



Do everything possible to make your home page or first page download as rapidly as possible in order to increase site rankings, SEO prominence and to offer the overworked viewer the quickest aspect to your most important message. This is one of those exceptional cases in marketing where substance actually means more than form.

In dealing with viewers, both human and algorithmic/robotic, it is crucial to first capture their attention before you can deliver your words of wisdom. As my great grandfather once said (this is purely anecdotal, and likely a lie, but is a "politically expedient lie" because it cannot be verified one way or another), "If the letter don't arrive, they ain't gonna read it." - DC







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Monday, October 3, 2011

Content + Style = Increase Your Audience

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Bloggers want to increase their audiences. Whether it is for disseminating an important idea or philosophy; building a reputation as an expert; monetizing through e-commerce, affiliate marketing or paid ads; or simply for the purpose of sharing information and opening dialogue with others of like mind, blogging provides the broadcast and interactive communications tool of choice. And if you'd like your visitors to keep returning and for new prospective followers to give your site a whirl, you had better provide them with interesting content expressed in a unique personal style.

Your content and style are the only true differentiators which cannot be stolen from you. They are your signature and your online identity to those who care, or who might be drawn, to read what you write. These are the Human elements of the readers' experience that will ultimately get your blog quoted, re-published, and highly-valued.

None of the SEO, SEM or SOB (are you paying attention?) tricks can actually get you on top and keep you there. After the search engines, backlink-building services and ranking organizations have finished their initial boost, it is up to you (a person with something important to say and a distinctive way of saying it) to keep building your audience. That process cannot be automated. You are a performer. Do you need some examples? [of course you do - that was a perfunctory, rhetorical question, and you know that I'm going to give them to you anyway]. How about these:

Penn and Teller - illusionists.

Anderson Cooper - an intense and sincere (i.e., Human) newscaster.

Mad Jim Cramer - a hyperactive, frenetic, maniacal stock market pundit.

Bobby Flay - a competitive, plainspoken "Chef Of The People."

Michael Kors - a clothing designer, and a witty, sarcastic fashion/design show judge with a funny but razor-sharp tongue. He actually sits on a panel led by Heidi Klum, who tends to be just north of tactless when she doesn't quite like one of the contestants' designs, or when she gets to summarily dismiss someone from the competition.

Bill O'Reilly - an extremely opinionated (and closed-minded) political hack and 'no-spin' [ahem] commentator who has a knack for accentuating the negative about whomever he doesn't agree with, and for simply dodging (or avoiding any mention about) the most glaring negatives about those whose political beliefs are aligned with his.

Each of the above individuals has content (perhaps even a hidden agenda or a touch of 'probably killed small animals when he/she was younger' sadism), and a uniquely defined personality or persona. And each is indisputably an entertainer.

As a writer you have to entertain, inform and continuously engage to keep the crowds coming back. SEO algorithms are getting increasingly intelligent and the rules for search engine prominence are always changing; but no matter what, the process involves your ability to communicate something interesting to another person...and that premise will not likely be changing for a long time.

If you bore people, they'll eventually avoid you. And if you have nothing new to say, or no new way in which to say it, shut down your blog and do something else with your time.

There now. I've said it. I feel better. How about you?

Ranting has always accomplished more than chanting.

Douglas E Castle






Monday, July 18, 2011

Be A Blogging Superstar - The Three-Minute Secret!

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It is stunningly easy to be a superstar blogger, according to Steve Tobak, who writes The Corner Office blog for http://www.bnet.com/, in a recent article titled "Want To Be A Superstar Blogger? - 5 Easy Steps."

The article is written in a satirical tone, but it is actually filled with wisdom. A friend once said to me, "Douglas, no one ever lost money on selling the intelligence of the American Public short." He was damn right. While this saddens me, it is not a terminal dumbing down. In terms of formatting, it simply means re-titling more simplistically and provocatively...and then leading into the article you intended to write.

Although it still hurts me a bit to say it (especially since it didn't say it first), if you follow the guidelines set forth (sarcastically) by Tobak, you will build up a fast following, and a mountain of daily page views. I promise. The article follows:

"Tell me you wouldn’t click on a headline that read, The 15 Minute Work Week. Come on, sure you would. How about these:
  • Why Working is Bad For Your Career
  • Is Sarah Palin the Antichrist?
  • Is Facebook the New Matrix?
  • How Religion is Destroying Corporate America
These are the kind of outlandish headlines we’ve come to expect from a blogosphere that thrives on outrageous hype and contrarian sound-bites. You know who’s to blame, don’t you? You are. That’s right. Admit it. You know you crave this stuff. Everyone does.

Sure, I’m part of the problem too, but it’s not my fault. I used to have a real job but, one night, I fell asleep next to an alien pod and woke up this way. Not buying that? Okay, what really happened is, years ago, then CNET editor-at-large Michael Kanellos asked if I wanted to do a blog.

“What’s a blog?” I said.

Four years later; here we are. And you know what? It was easy. Best of all, anyone can become a famous blogger with gazillions of readers by following these 5 easy steps.

So, in honor of the guy who somehow got me to give up a fortune in consulting fees to blog for peanuts, here’s my take on one of the funniest posts I’ve ever read (here’s the original, but frankly, I think my adaptation is a big improvement):

How to Be a Superstar Blogger

1. Be insane or obvious, but not both.

“There are two basic reactions you’re shooting for. You either want to: one, stun someone into a temporary catatonic state with enigmatic predictions, or two, confirm their prejudices and personal beliefs.” In other words, it’s either Charlie Sheen Should Be CEO of Time Warner or Outrageous CEO Pay Still on the Rise.

“Being outlandish and predictable at the same time, though, is tough–unless you graduate to compound sentences.” Then you can say, How an MBA Will Destroy Your Career While Improving Your Self Esteem. On second thought, better stick to one or the other. The audience prefers its lunatics to have a consistent methodology.

2. Watch what’s trending on Google and Twitter.

Forget esoteric stuff like helping people boost their careers, land jobs, or run their businesses more effectively. Instead, focus on what’s hot and trendy: social media, personal branding, Generation Y, Apple, Facebook, and don’t forget Charlie Sheen.

Practice coming up with headlines like, Gen Y Personal Branding Gurus are Uberfull of Ubercrap. And yes, I really did write that one.

Kanellos - now editor-in-chief of the popular Greentech Media site - says the more esoteric and unlikely the concept, the more popular it is. Everyone’s bored to tears with global warming, climate change, or whatever those wacko environmentalists call it these days, but if you really want to get everyone’s attention, try, New Google Car Runs on Brainwaves: The Smarter You Are, the Faster it Goes.

3. Find a good enemy.

One name: Sarah Palin. Everyone loves to hate her. If that doesn’t work for you, I’ve got a whole laundry list of villains for you to go after: Big Pharma, Big Oil, CEOs, Corporate America, wealthy people (but only the business ones: entertainers, musicians, and athletes are all okay), George W. Bush, and if you live in San Francisco, of course, McDonald’s Happy Meals.

4. Never be afraid to one-up someone.

If another blogger writes, 10 Simple Tips to Make You Rich and Famous, you can easily top that with, The Secret to Becoming a Billionaire in the Next 45 Minutes. Try it; it works.

5. Be vague.

‘Winning’ With Social Media. Is Anthony Weiner a Hot Dog? How to Be Like Steve Jobs. Most Hated CEOs. Apple’s Next iThing. Top 10 Job Interview Tips. The vaguer you are while still hitting a hot, trending keyword or key phrase, the more clicks you’ll get. Guaranteed.

Finally, Kanellos’s coupe de grace: “As an added bonus, you might someday be right.” When that golden moment happens, be sure to put out a press release."

####

Yes, friends. The majority of people enjoy very light, quick-fix, pop-culture reading. Especially if the headline is catchy and sounds like a miracle cure. Instant gratification is the magic elixir for masterful bloggery (or "blogistry," if you're truly a master)

In these times of sensorial overload and societal ADHD, it is easier than ever to be a Superstar Blogger. Mind you, you'll probably never be known for the originality or quality of your content, but if you write one of these babies each week, advertisers will be lining up and puckering up.

As another friend (apparently I have another) once said to me, "Always pitch hard and low."

Lastly, as a third friend from the perfume industry (Who are these people? Can I really have THREE friends?) once said [with a French accent]: "Why go for class, when you can have mass?" Amen, Mon Ami.

On a serious note, adding a healthy dose of humor and a bit of your own personality to your writing will help you win some loyalty after the cheap "bait and switch" tactic of your post title has worn off and resentment sets in amongst those few exceptional people who were actually looking for substance, wisdom or serious advice. Make them

Faithfully,

Douglas E Castle
http://bloggingtipstricksandtools.blogspot.com/
http://braintenance.blogspot.com/



Monday, July 4, 2011

SEO Trends, Stickiness and Increasing Followers With Your Blog.

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The search engine optimized, sticky, content-rich, focused blog gathers the most followers. Here are the rules for building your "best-reach, longest potency" articles. Your visitors (both recurring and unique) and traffic will increase dramatically and rapidly if you simply don't tamper with the following proven formula.

Frequency:

You should write an entry at least once weekly.

Length:

The ideal length is generally between 3 to a maximum of 11 paragraphs; each of which should be short and punchy. Wherever possible, create simple lists, either bulletized or numbered. People love lists, rankings, trends, statistics and factoids.

Subject:

Be consistent in terms of the area or field you write about or focus upon. Build your reputation this way. Become known as a thought-leader or expert. Write with some passion, or don't write at all.

Title:

The title must be keyword stuffed within its first 120 characters.

First Paragraph:

The first paragraph should also be keyword-stuffed, but with a synopsis of why the article is important (its possible benefits) to the reader.

Closing:

Always use your full name or pseudonym {with a hyperlink to a site which contains your curriculum vitae or biography) and cite the name of your blog (hyperlinked to your blogsite address). If you write a smaller-fonted "p.s." section immediately beneath your signature closing, it will always be read. If you write your p.s. in a different font and/or color, you increase the likelihood of getting it great attention.

Your article is a sandwich -- from top to bottom it is:
  • Keyword-stuffed title;
  • Keyword-stuffed first paragraph with a synopsis of why the article id important;
  • Your content (which should be laced with in-text hyperlinked references);
  • Your closing;
  • Your p.s. message.
If you choose to add pictures, that's always acceptable, but they should not be overly large, and you should not have more than one image for every 3 to 5 paragraphs at maximum. Images should be centered, or set off to the left side of your posting field. Use unique and exciting images, wherever possible.

Do not use flashing images in your article -- they distract and disturb readers, and they also tend to draw the focus away from your content. Be certain that the important elements of your article (down to and including your closing) do not require scrolling on the part of your reader -- keep your best substance "above the fold" to the greatest extent possible. If your writing a long post, warn your readers (apologetically) about their having to scroll further.

As for additional tips, try these:

1) Put together your own list (in small font) of "Labels, Tags, Keywords, Categories and Search Terms" after your p.s., and hyperlink those all to your blog's url, or any other url which you wish to build in terms of traffic.

2) After your list of "Labels, Tags, Keywords...etc." list hyperlinked titles to several "related articles" by authors other than yourself if the reader chooses to go further with his or her investigation or study of your topic.

3) Be certain that your blog sends out an RSS feed (I use Feedburner), and that every new article is "pinged" to all of the relevant search engines. For this, I recommend that you Pinglerize -- that is, subscrible to the Pingler service immediately...go to (click on):
http://freetoolsforwebmastersandbloggers.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/ping-to-increase-your-seo-and-blog-traffic/.

Their service is unbelieveably cheap and the best in the marketplace - they have a package where they will automatically ping up to 50 blogs (yours!) as frequently as every three days to well in excess of 100 excellent search engines.

Faithfully,

Douglas E. Castle, from Blogging Tips, Tricks and Tools.

p.s You should visit our TNNWC website at http://www.TNNWC.com.  It's the 3.0 version and our programming staff and experts are delighted with the way it looks and its ease of navigation. I'm proud, myself.

Tags, Labels, Keywords, Categories and Search Terms For This Article: blogging tips, feedburner, pinglerize, Douglas E. Castle, TNNWC, blogging, pinging, RSS feeds, article structure, content, stickiness, blogging do's and don't's, Blogger, WordPress, Your Blog is a Sandwich, increasing traffic, increasing visits, increasing blog followers, content hyperlinking, communications, publicity, branding, Images By Douglas E Castle, The National Networker (TNNWC) Weekly Newsletter, efficient writing, clearer messaging, making your blog user-friendly.

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NOTICE: This article is Copyright © 2011 by author Douglas E Castle with all rights reserved. It may be republished without permission provided that it is published in full, with all hyperlinks and exhibits left intact, and with full attribution given the author. This article does not contain or constitute medical, health, psychological, legal, regulatory, investment, securities, financial, tax, or any other form of professional advice -- the reader acknowledges and accepts this disclaimer. Further, the reader indemnifies and holds harmless both the author and all publications in which this article appears of any damages, claims, loss, responsibility or liability emerging from the reader’s utilization of any information contained herein.


About This Author: Further information regarding this author’s professional experience, expertise and service offerings can be found at ABOUT DOUGLAS E CASTLE

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The author highly recommends that each of his respected readers becomes Pinglerized (a Lingovation™) in order to maximize SEO, search engine ranking, and to exponentially increase both unique visitors and recurring traffic to your website or blog. Leverage this wonderful technology.



The author wishes to thank the following resource providers:

Feedburner, CoolText Graphics, JavaScript Free Code, Zemanta, Google, WordPress, Widgetbox, and Wikipedia
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