From the monthly archives:

January 2008

io9.com created 700 posts before launch….

by Kathy on January 2, 2008

Just an FYI for my blogging clients… Wired News has a story on a new blog that launched today…. Io9.com

Annalee Newitz is quoted as saying:

“For blogland, it was a long process; we (first) started talking (about the idea) in March, and got serious a few months later. We’ve been full-board blogging for three months, which is why there are more than 700 posts on the site already.”

I’ve had more than a few clients flip out when I tell them that in my experience, it takes over 100 posts for your blog to “find” it’s voice… and that you can’t expect your blog to do well BEFORE you’ve found your voice.

So often, new blog site owners want the instant “rush” of success.  But it takes time.  Gawker Media (who launched io9.com)  knows that you don’t send invitations out to see a blog with few if any posts.    Annalee admits in the Wired article:

“At first, I was like, “We should go live right now,” and now I’m actually glad that we waited and honed the posts. “

As you blog along keeping in mind the magic 100 number, keep in mind that io9.com had posted 700 posts before they launched.   Now, I’m going to have to keep track of my blog posting numbers and see if there’s even more magic down the road!

{ 1 comment }

If I knew then what I know now….

by Kathy on January 1, 2008

The first day of the year is a great time to reflect upon the past and plan for the future.

Cory on the “Internet Wonders” blog writes…

If we had only known that niche marketing would become so infectiously popular, then we would have concentrated on this approach rather than waste time with MLM.  If only we had known that Google was going to shift algorithms and AdWords would establish new rules, we could have…

Cory’s right to admonish the reader (as well as himself) to stop right there.

It’s hard to predict what the , though many try to do just that.  Usually, good predictions are remembered while the bad just seem to fade away!

Ten years ago, things were quite different on the web than they are today.  Web sites were almost universally coded in HTML.  Connections were slow…. interactivity was minimal… and if you wanted to watch a video, you’d click on a link to download it to your PC and then go to bed.  If you were lucky, when you woke up 8 hours later, the download MIGHT be finished.

Today, the internet is filled with web sites trying to find favor with the Google gods.  For those who weren’t on the web a decade ago, the masses used to dance, sing and sway trying to find favor with deities of the day named Yahoo, Alta Vista and Lycos.

From Hyperpeople: Mob Rules: Chaos

“The world has changed.  The world is changing.  The world will change a whole lot more.”

One thing of which I’m certain is that ten years from now, things will be a lot different than they are now.    We’ll look back at 2007 and say, “Who knew?”  Will it be some current upstart dethroning Google?  Will it be the implosion of “social networking”?

I can’t predict the future and I won’t even try.  All I can do is share what has worked in the past for me and my clients is to create web sites (whether they be blogs or static sites) is to create a web presence with the VISITOR in mind.  No matter who sits atop the search engine throne, the one thing all search engines have in common is seeking out the BEST content for their visitor.

As my 2008 gift, I share with you a philosophy which has served me very well over the past decade:

  1. Create your web presence with the search engines in mind.
  2. Make it easy for the search engines to include your site in their index.
  3. Create compelling content with your VISITOR (not the search engines) in mind.
  4. Promote your web presence like the search engines do NOT exist.

Here’s wishing you a year that is prosperous and full of health!

{ 0 comments }

Newer Entries →