Blogs and Social Networks  

The Lone Blog Showing The Blog Nut Toolbar

Have you ever really considered just how big the Internet is? Or the number of people currently connected or joining every day? It staggers the mind, doesn't it? With the playground of events, music choices, video on demand, photos and graphics, interests, personalities, news, business tips, information, and excitement out there the lone blog is like an inner tube on the ocean.

Getting a visual effect of where you float, should set this reality in perspective for you. So how does the lone blog become an island at sea? Or eventually a continent? Starting at the size of an inner tube, this goal might seem a daunting task. One step at a time and one link back at a time will create the island that you are building for the site.

Begin this blogging journey by constructing three on three separate networks. Make them each different, but have yourself in there as well so each blog is just an extension of parts of who you are and what you are all about. Work on them a little at time or get it done in a few days, it is entirely up to how much time you have and how quickly you can learn each site.

On most sites there is a "widget" or area to list links or something called a "blog roll" or "log". Here you will want to start your list with your own blogs from the other sites and any friends sites that you know about. You have just blew your inner tube up to a small fishing boat. If you have an organization, group, team, or club that you are a member of ask them if they have a site and add them to your list of sites. In turn, ask them to add you to their favorites list.

Be sure to go and comment on your friends blogs every week or every other week, leaving your name and web address as a signature. Every time they visit their own site and see your comment, they will remember to go say hello back to you increasing your visitors and ranking in the system.

What is your favorite of your three blogs about? There is always a favorite after you put the time and effort into creating it and each one comes into its own personality. Get a domain name, be creative in the choosing, pick a name that fits what your blog is all about, and redirect it to your site. As these sites are so generously made available by brilliant sites such as Google, Vox, Wordpress, Yahoo360, and countless others, they are also subject to terms of these companies. Be sure to read through the rules and what is and is not allowed on these sites. Even when you do follow the rules there is always the chance that your site will be taken down. With a redirected personal URL, you can then put up another blog and redirect your URL to a new one. Better still, you can purchase your own blog site just like any domain name but if you need to keep all this as inexpensive as possible stay with the free sites.

Always be on the lookout for new sites in your network that you can add as a favorite or to your list, if your site offers a group area, join a few groups that you are interested in. Add your sites to a host of submission sites available to the Internet world. MyBlogLog, Technorati, Digg, Article99 these are but a few of the sites that offer a submission area. Use the link to your site everywhere as your signature file. Everyone who comments, be sure to comment back with a back link to your site.

The lone blog, an inner tube on the ocean has now stepped up to a tug boat. To bring it one step further, maybe to a great sailing ship, you will need to make a few comments on some heavy hitter pages. Find some outstanding sites that interest you and make a few comments to the author. These are not going to be regular pages generally, they are going to be sites owned and authored by big web site owners and gurus of the industry you are involved with or are curious about. These are pages of organizations and clubs with many members commenting on the pages. High traffic sites are a way to not only get your name out there, but they also benefit the site owner of the high traffic site. This is why they will readily post your positive comment on their site.

A sailing ship on the waves of the Internet sounds like a safer deal altogether than an inner tube floating haplessly and crashing among the bigger, more threatening vessels doesn't it? No longer alone, your visitors will enjoy your fresh, newly posted content every week and enjoy themselves.

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Stephanie Haile Google Me :) aka Wavecritter