Wordpress 2.5 is Here…
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Major Update
Wordpress 2.5 has just been released for the Wordpress.org blogging platform. And it looks to be a major upgrade to version 2.3.3 with lots of new features. You can read about them here.
If you would like to watch a 4 minute screencast showing you more then here’s the link. I really like the sound of the new uploader and gallery features.
I’m definitely going to be upgrading to it. There’s been over 90 people contributing to this version and they have been working on it for 6 months. So I’m looking forward to using it, it may take a while to get used to though.
Obviously there may be some teething problems, but the last 2 upgrades for 2.3 have been for bugs and they have both come out quickly and seemed to solve any problems.
Here’s the link for the download. Or do what I do and use the Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin.
Mandy
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Site Search Tags:techiebuzz, wordpress development blogHappy 1st Blogging Birthday
It is my first blogging birthday, I have been properly blogging now for a year on this blog in one shape or form. Although it’s not Build a Blog’s birthday because this blog didn’t start until July last year. My first serious blog was on the Blogger platform and was called Create Blogs, I just imported all the posts to this blog when I started it on Wordpress.
I have to say though it seems a lot longer than a year, but I suppose that’s down to the amount of information I have learned about blogging in that space of time.
High points of the year
Moving Create Blogs to Wordpress and turning it into Build a Blog
Starting The Photographer Blog
Becoming a member of the Blog Mastermind Mentoring Program
Will I continue to Blog?
Yes definitely, although it’s a lot of work I really enjoy it, I love to write about subjects I’m interested in and blogging is a fantastic way to do this. It’s very exciting watching a blog grow and develop from nothing into a good information resource and interacting with other like minded people online.
What am I looking forward to?
To trying things I haven’t done before, taking my blogging and online activities to the next step and seeing what happens! It’s just time and plucking up the courage to give it a go that’s stopping me. But if anything realising that I have been blogging for a year has spurred me on, it’s time to give these three techniques a go:
Guest blogging
Writing my first free PDF report
Starting a free weekly newsletter
That’s one of the best things about blogging there is always something new to try out, I’m really looking forward to the next year and giving these a go, I’ll let you know what happens…
Mandy
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Site Search Tags:Blogger, Create Blogs, WordpressPromoting Your Blog with Blog Directories, Should You Do It or Not!
This is the first in a series of follow on articles from this one: How I plan to get traffic to my blog.
Promoting your blog with blog directories is one of those techniques that can cause a bit of controversy, should I do it or not?
It is a tedious job and can take a long, long time to do, and won’t bring a flood of traffic in, but it could bring in a trickle of traffic and put your name out to a wide ranging audience. A lot of people tell you to submit to dmoz, an open directory project (if you do be careful because you only get one chance).
But is it worth it?
The problem is eveyone submits to blog directories so it’s not as effective as it used to be. Plus you may have to provide a linkback to the directory to gain submission, and that can make a blog look messy. And it can be regarded as one of the least useful link building techniques, due to the links being of poor quality. Skellie has an interesting article on link building called Hansel and Gretel link building.
I have found two articles giving a large choice of directories to choose from, an article on Blogging Tips listing 75 websites that you can submit your blog to. And I’ve also found a list of 55 RSS directories on Dotsauce that you can submit your feed to. So the choice is yours!
What am I going to do?
Now I had planned to go for it with blog directories and submit to as many as I could for the case study blog, to help get The Photographer Blog out there. But after reading Skellies article I have started to change my mind. I’m thinking about the time I will spend submitting to them all, verses the quality of links and traffic that I will get for my efforts.
So I am going to do things a little differently with the case study blog and stop my plan of blog directory domination. I am going to submit to just one dmoz and see if I get in, I’ve never submitted any of my other blogs to it, but I would still like to give it a go and see what happens.
I’m going to spend my time using other link building techniques to get better incoming links and traffic to the case study blog. This is quite a departure from the ‘bog standard’ information that you get and what I originally learned about blog directories as a traffic technique. But I want to take onboard what Skellie says and take my traffic techniques for the case study blog to a new level.
Mandy
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Site Search Tags:blogging tips, dot sauce, SkelliewagHow I Plan to get Traffic to my Blog
After writing the 3 month case study review for The Photographer Blog when I said my aim for the blog over the next 3 months was to grow it’s traffic, I thought I would look at how I am going to try and do that. And this really leads on (part 2) from the post I wrote about planning for the case study blog when I was setting it up.
There are loads of traffic generation techniques out there that I could use, but to make any of them effective I need to plan what I am going to use and how I am going to do it. And the quicker I do that the better. Here are some of the traffic techniques I will be looking at over the next couple of weeks:
submitting to Search Engines and Blog Directories
commenting
forums
guest posting
social networking
blog carnivals
I think strategic planning for a blog and looking to the future is very important, I need a goal to work to for the blog otherwise I will just be going around in circles. I am going to be using the techniques that I know and have learned. They are just regular blogging techniques but it will be interesting to see how well they perform in this niche and with this blog.
I said from the start of the case study blog that I was going to share what I was doing to create a blog and build it. And I have lots of information already about the case study blog and setting it up so far in the case study category.
The reason I am doing this is to help others with their blogging but also to help me as well. It will be really helpful to see which technique works best, and learn from what I am doing with the case study blog to improve my blogging for the future. And writing my experiences down helps cement what I am learning more.
I’m enjoying the process of looking closely at what I am doing with the case study blog, and learning along the way. I don’t know how well it will work but whatever happens to the blog it will be fun finding out.
Mandy
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Site Search Tags:the photographer blogWhat Do You Think of Stumbling?
I asked the other day in an article if anyone was using social networking sites. Well I have started to use them, in particular StumbleUpon, and here’s what I think about it:
StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon is a social bookmarking site similar to del.icio.us and lets you stumble your favorite content whether it is blog posts, websites, video’s, photos, people etc… and keep them all in the one place and to share with others. You can even add what you think of the site in a review.
Tool Bar
StumbleUpon also makes life easier by giving you a tool bar that you can download for either Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox browsers. You use the stumble button to ’stumble’ through the sites and then give them a thumbs up if you like the content, write a review (using the speech bubble in the tool bar) or send to a friend etc… You can also refine what you want to see by picking a channel.
If I am reading a blog and like the content I also look out for the share this icon somewhere in the post (I use it at the bottom of my posts). That will give the choice of several social networking sites that you can add the content too, in case you use more than one. Click on my button at the bottom of this post to see the options.
Traffic
Using social networking sites to generate traffic is another benefit and a well known traffic technique. If the StumbleUpon users like your content then you can receive some extra traffic as well as exposure.
I was put off from using social networking because of all the hype around them generating traffic for your blog. That may sound strange but it was the way people were promoting it that turned me off. Things like, ‘Stumble 2 minutes a day and receive huge amounts of traffic‘ I have learned that if it sounds too good to be true then it is!
But I think you can receive traffic from StumbleUpon users if you write good content, become active in stumbling and interact and help other users. In other words be social! Here is a good article from Daily Blog Tips that puts it better: Targeting StumbleUpon Users.
So what do I think?
My first impression is it is easy to use and the tool bar is very handy. And I also want to become a more active member and a regular user. I’m not saying it’s perfect and the one and only site to use, but it is a good starting point for me with social networking, and it’s fun. For me it has a nicer feel than del.icio.us and is probably better for those bloggers starting out.
I like the fact that I can find new blogs in my niche easily that could be potential sites to comment on, offer guest posts to or just learn a lot from. So stumbling could generate a wealth of networking opportunities as well getting to know new people, and that hadn’t occurred to me before.
And basically being able to help people by highlighting there content for others to see, share and benefit from is a great principle, and StumbleUpon lets me do that easily. And mutually beneficial to me if they repay the compliment!
If you would like to connect with me via StumbleUpon click here.
Mandy
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Site Search Tags:Daily Blog Tips, del.icio.us, stumbleupon
