Sunday, September 30, 2007
Purpose
My project blog will be a blog for the Noble County, Indiana chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The purpose of this blog will be three fold. First, the blog will be a place where local volunteers can find information about local projects that are happening, or are in the works. They will be able to see work schedules, and share information with each other about when groups need to meet and if any information needs to be changed about a project. The second purpose will be to inform the community and perspective volunteers what the Noble County Habitat for Humanity is doing in the area. It will have photos of completed homes and projects in the works. The blog will offer links to the official Habitat site, a link where one can apply to volunteer, and blogs from both people who have volunteered in the past and families who have benefited from the program. The third purpose will be to inform prospective homeowners about how they can become a part of the Habitat process. Again, there will be a link for applying to the program, the link to the official site so they can see how Habitat works, and of course the blogs from other homeowners so that prospective participants can see the advantages and the possible disadvantages of becoming active in the program.
Marketing
I had no idea that marketing ones blog was such an intricate proposition. I knew that getting a link on another site was important, but I had no idea that there was a company you could pay to help you facilitate a connection with like minded sites or blogs. I also was unaware of the system of ranking and how that could affect your site, so I found this information particularly interesting. As a lot of things on the Internet are, the “traffic generators” described by Gary Simpson sounds like a case of too good to be true. Anytime someone tells you they can do something for free, you are usually getting what you paid for. In this case, the generator sounds like one of Dante’s circles of Hell. You have to click on the same banners day after day to build points that are meanwhile being eaten away by the same people clicking on your banner to build their points, etc, etc., etc. This sounds like a lesson in futility.
Ken Mowery had very simple, but very good advice about search engines. You have a lot of options when it comes to naming your blog or website, but if you use a title that is closely related to the actual content, and not something cutesy, than you are going to be more visible in a search engine. Mowery also suggests a banner rotation program that will have banners relevant to your site. For example; I am doing a blog about Habitat for Humanity, so perhaps Lowe’s or Home Depot would be a relevant banner.
TC Thorn also offers advice about how to increase your sites PageRank. I am a computer neophyte, but Thorn made his 3 steps seem easy enough for even me to accomplish. I didn’t know about backlinks, but I will be more aware of this now, and these steps do seem like it would cut down on the time it would take to find links that relate to your site, and would be willing to exchange links.
The most important information about increasing traffic to your blog, at least in my opinion, came from the article by Duncan Riley. Submitting your blog to all of the search engines and posting regularly and often were the bits of advice that I hadn’t seen before, but made the most sense. Even though submitting to all the engines maybe time consuming, you should probably see results, especially if you are posting often. These seem like steps anyone can take, and they are so ridiculously easy I’m not sure why I even needed them pointed out to me.
I would never have thought to edit my posts into articles, as Priya Shah suggests, but this is a great idea, especially for the blog I have in mind. I can easily see how posts about Habitat for Humanity could be made into articles and then submitted to article directories. I also liked Priya’s suggestion to create buzz around your blog. While it may be more of a financial undertaking than some are willing to make, I like the idea of bumper stickers. You can almost imagine a sort of cult following for your blog, but this might work better for something less serious than Habitat for Humanity. However, especially during an election year, I could imagine making noteworthy connections between the working poor and the election.
As for my own blog and marketing, I can see using a couple of these ideas. I would like a link exchange with other Habitat for Humanity sites or blog, especially the local chapters. I could also envision links with the local paper (The Kendallville New Sun) and perhaps a press release to them. Because it is a small community, the paper is always looking for human interest stories to run, and if they do an article about one of the families building a Habitat home, which they often do, then perhaps they could include a link to the blog so that interested readers could find out more. I would also make sure to name the blog something like “Habitat for Humanity Noble County” that way if someone was utilizing a search engine, there are several keywords that may come up and would be relevant.
Ken Mowery had very simple, but very good advice about search engines. You have a lot of options when it comes to naming your blog or website, but if you use a title that is closely related to the actual content, and not something cutesy, than you are going to be more visible in a search engine. Mowery also suggests a banner rotation program that will have banners relevant to your site. For example; I am doing a blog about Habitat for Humanity, so perhaps Lowe’s or Home Depot would be a relevant banner.
TC Thorn also offers advice about how to increase your sites PageRank. I am a computer neophyte, but Thorn made his 3 steps seem easy enough for even me to accomplish. I didn’t know about backlinks, but I will be more aware of this now, and these steps do seem like it would cut down on the time it would take to find links that relate to your site, and would be willing to exchange links.
The most important information about increasing traffic to your blog, at least in my opinion, came from the article by Duncan Riley. Submitting your blog to all of the search engines and posting regularly and often were the bits of advice that I hadn’t seen before, but made the most sense. Even though submitting to all the engines maybe time consuming, you should probably see results, especially if you are posting often. These seem like steps anyone can take, and they are so ridiculously easy I’m not sure why I even needed them pointed out to me.
I would never have thought to edit my posts into articles, as Priya Shah suggests, but this is a great idea, especially for the blog I have in mind. I can easily see how posts about Habitat for Humanity could be made into articles and then submitted to article directories. I also liked Priya’s suggestion to create buzz around your blog. While it may be more of a financial undertaking than some are willing to make, I like the idea of bumper stickers. You can almost imagine a sort of cult following for your blog, but this might work better for something less serious than Habitat for Humanity. However, especially during an election year, I could imagine making noteworthy connections between the working poor and the election.
As for my own blog and marketing, I can see using a couple of these ideas. I would like a link exchange with other Habitat for Humanity sites or blog, especially the local chapters. I could also envision links with the local paper (The Kendallville New Sun) and perhaps a press release to them. Because it is a small community, the paper is always looking for human interest stories to run, and if they do an article about one of the families building a Habitat home, which they often do, then perhaps they could include a link to the blog so that interested readers could find out more. I would also make sure to name the blog something like “Habitat for Humanity Noble County” that way if someone was utilizing a search engine, there are several keywords that may come up and would be relevant.
Church Blog
In the Searching For Paradise blog, there are more images than I have seen in other blogs. In the side bar, Caleb uses images for his links, instead of simply listing the URL, as many others do. By showing the logo of the link, it creates more interest for the viewer, and I think it just makes the blog look more “alive”. I also like the Caleb uses so many images in his posts. On most blogs that I have seen, the posts consist mostly of blocks of text. It is sometimes quite difficult to sustain interest in a post when there is nothing to visually break up the words. Because we have gotten so use to the visual aspect of the Internet, I think people (at least I know that I personally) will simply give up on a post if it seems to “wordy”. Caleb has noted this and used images to visual break up the post, and create interest in his posts. I also liked that he ads so many links in his posts, in order to clarify a point, or to provide the reader with more information.
I hadn’t thought of adding logos in my sidebar, or if I had it seemed like it would get cluttered up. But I see from this blog how well it can be done, so I would like to add this element to my project blog. I also like the addition of images in the posts. I know that my posts tend to get long winded, so adding images would visually break that up. Not only would this be great for my project blog, but I think I might try to do this in my personal blog as well. Not only would it add polish to the project blog, but I think it would add some personality to my personal blog.
I hadn’t thought of adding logos in my sidebar, or if I had it seemed like it would get cluttered up. But I see from this blog how well it can be done, so I would like to add this element to my project blog. I also like the addition of images in the posts. I know that my posts tend to get long winded, so adding images would visually break that up. Not only would this be great for my project blog, but I think I might try to do this in my personal blog as well. Not only would it add polish to the project blog, but I think it would add some personality to my personal blog.
Audience
I have decided on doing my project blog for the Noble County Indiana branch of Habitat for Humanity. For this blog, I envision the audience being those people who are already involved with Habitat as volunteers, those who would like to become involved as volunteers, and to a lesser extent those people who may be interested in purchasing a Habitat home.
Obviously, those people who are already involved with Habitat would want to read the blog to stay informed of any upcoming events, fund raising opportunities, and to see the building schedule from homes that are in progress. I would also imagine that this would be an excellent way for the volunteers to stay in contact with each other as a whole; posting comments and questions to posts so that everyone in the group can see the answer. I find that often, when people volunteer, they are eager to share their experience, and this blog would allow them to share their thoughts with their immediate community (Noble County) and possibly a wider audience as well.
Prospective volunteers could go to the blog to find out what opportunities are available to them as far as Habitat for Humanity has to offer. They could see pictures and comments from their neighbors and friends of how their experiences were. I believe that people might be more inclined to volunteer for the program if they saw people they knew from their community volunteering and having a good time doing it. People who are interested in buying a Habitat home may also be interested to a lesser extent in the blog. They could see what other homes have looked like, the process of getting a home, and an idea of the time table.
Obviously, those people who are already involved with Habitat would want to read the blog to stay informed of any upcoming events, fund raising opportunities, and to see the building schedule from homes that are in progress. I would also imagine that this would be an excellent way for the volunteers to stay in contact with each other as a whole; posting comments and questions to posts so that everyone in the group can see the answer. I find that often, when people volunteer, they are eager to share their experience, and this blog would allow them to share their thoughts with their immediate community (Noble County) and possibly a wider audience as well.
Prospective volunteers could go to the blog to find out what opportunities are available to them as far as Habitat for Humanity has to offer. They could see pictures and comments from their neighbors and friends of how their experiences were. I believe that people might be more inclined to volunteer for the program if they saw people they knew from their community volunteering and having a good time doing it. People who are interested in buying a Habitat home may also be interested to a lesser extent in the blog. They could see what other homes have looked like, the process of getting a home, and an idea of the time table.
Three Similar Blogs
http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/habitat/
This is the blog for the Monroe County Habitat for Humanity and is pretty much exactly what I had in mind for the Noble County Habitat blog. This blog allows those involved in the Habitat in Monroe County (the Bloomington, IN area) a place to talk about their experiences with the program. Most of the post on the site involve the Women Build aspect of the Habitat program and one house in particular, but obviously this format could be expanded. Each blog entry covers some part of the building process, allowing viewers to see what Habitat does for the community, and what it means to the people who take part.
The blog for Habitat for Humanity Monroe County has a list of links that are related to the blog, or to Habitat. There is a link for pictures that have been taken at different build sites, as well as links to the official Habitat for Humanity Monroe County website and the national Habitat site as well. There is also a calendar that highlights which dates posts were made and allows the user the ability to click on a date and go to that specific post. I could see this calendar format being used to show upcoming events, or to highlight where a project should be on any given date. For example, on November 11th, a house should have the drywall going up, so the calendar would reflect that.
In all, the Monroe County Habitat for humanity blog is efficient and does almost exactly what I had in mind for a similar endeavor for the Noble County Habitat for Humanity. I would want to offer links to other sites, pictures of projects, and blog posts from those involved in the building. I would, however, like to add posts from the prospective homeowners if possible, and make the Noble County blog more visually appealing. The Monroe County site does what it should, but it is pretty bland looking.
http://habitatwomensbuild.blogspot.com/
This is the blog for the Grant County (WI) Women’s Build. This is an aspect of the Habitat experience in which a crew of women, with the supervision of professionals both male and female, build a Habitat home. This particular group was looking for a way to communicate with each other in a more complete and comprehensive way than email would allow, so they started a blog.
The blog posts mostly contain information about upcoming events that those women who are taking part in the Women’s Build project would need to know about. There are links where people can sign up for crews, or simply apply to be volunteers. This is an aspect that I had not considered, but would be an excellent addition to my blog. The side bar includes a schedule of which groups will be at the site on any given work day, another excellent idea. There is a link to the official Grant County Habitat site, as well as links to the profiles of those people who appear to be in charge in some way. This would allow those women interested in becoming a volunteer the opportunity to get to know a little about some of the other women already active with the program.
http://newlifenw.blogspot.com/
While this website does not deal directly with Habitat for Humanity, it does have many of the same aspects that I would like to include in my blog project. The blog is for the New Life Church in West Linn, Oregon. This blog has post that are informative, letting the parishioners know about upcoming events, cancellations, and what other congregants are doing. There are lot of pictures, which breaks up the choppiness of just text. While some of the posts are informational, some are simply motivational or inspirational. The best aspect of this blog is the extensive list of links to other blogs and websites. I feel like this offers the viewer a more complete experience, and is an aspect that I would like to add to my own project.
This is the blog for the Monroe County Habitat for Humanity and is pretty much exactly what I had in mind for the Noble County Habitat blog. This blog allows those involved in the Habitat in Monroe County (the Bloomington, IN area) a place to talk about their experiences with the program. Most of the post on the site involve the Women Build aspect of the Habitat program and one house in particular, but obviously this format could be expanded. Each blog entry covers some part of the building process, allowing viewers to see what Habitat does for the community, and what it means to the people who take part.
The blog for Habitat for Humanity Monroe County has a list of links that are related to the blog, or to Habitat. There is a link for pictures that have been taken at different build sites, as well as links to the official Habitat for Humanity Monroe County website and the national Habitat site as well. There is also a calendar that highlights which dates posts were made and allows the user the ability to click on a date and go to that specific post. I could see this calendar format being used to show upcoming events, or to highlight where a project should be on any given date. For example, on November 11th, a house should have the drywall going up, so the calendar would reflect that.
In all, the Monroe County Habitat for humanity blog is efficient and does almost exactly what I had in mind for a similar endeavor for the Noble County Habitat for Humanity. I would want to offer links to other sites, pictures of projects, and blog posts from those involved in the building. I would, however, like to add posts from the prospective homeowners if possible, and make the Noble County blog more visually appealing. The Monroe County site does what it should, but it is pretty bland looking.
http://habitatwomensbuild.blogspot.com/
This is the blog for the Grant County (WI) Women’s Build. This is an aspect of the Habitat experience in which a crew of women, with the supervision of professionals both male and female, build a Habitat home. This particular group was looking for a way to communicate with each other in a more complete and comprehensive way than email would allow, so they started a blog.
The blog posts mostly contain information about upcoming events that those women who are taking part in the Women’s Build project would need to know about. There are links where people can sign up for crews, or simply apply to be volunteers. This is an aspect that I had not considered, but would be an excellent addition to my blog. The side bar includes a schedule of which groups will be at the site on any given work day, another excellent idea. There is a link to the official Grant County Habitat site, as well as links to the profiles of those people who appear to be in charge in some way. This would allow those women interested in becoming a volunteer the opportunity to get to know a little about some of the other women already active with the program.
http://newlifenw.blogspot.com/
While this website does not deal directly with Habitat for Humanity, it does have many of the same aspects that I would like to include in my blog project. The blog is for the New Life Church in West Linn, Oregon. This blog has post that are informative, letting the parishioners know about upcoming events, cancellations, and what other congregants are doing. There are lot of pictures, which breaks up the choppiness of just text. While some of the posts are informational, some are simply motivational or inspirational. The best aspect of this blog is the extensive list of links to other blogs and websites. I feel like this offers the viewer a more complete experience, and is an aspect that I would like to add to my own project.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
My Three Ideas
I have a variety of interests, and I support many organizations either financially (when I can) or just by telling people about them. So, narrowing it down to 3 ideas for my ultimate project blog was difficult. But, I think that I have come up with three; 2 organizations and 1 actor, that I feel that I could represent the best.
1) The Human Rights Campaign- I feel very strongly about the fight for equal rights for the LBGT community, and the HRC is the organization that has taken the lead in the fight. With an important presidential election coming up next year, it is even more important that the HRC's message is easily available to the public. Not only would a user friendly blog be great for people who already support the cause, it would also be an excellent resource for those who are curious as to how they can get involved, and even those who are unsure if they support the goals of the HRC. The blog would contain links to other organizations that support the goals of the HRC, information on how to get involved in your own community, interviews with presidential candidates with information on their stances on gay rights, profiles of what other people are doing to advance the cause, etc.
2) Habitat for Humanity, Noble County- As a child, my family lived in many sub-standard living conditions, and we were even homeless for a short time, so I absolutely support Habitat for Humanity. This organization make home ownership a reality for families that would never have the opportunity through traditional means. A blog for Habitat would allow those who are interested in the program, either because they would like to be considered for a new home or they would like to volunteer their time, one central location to find information. A blog specifically for the Noble County branch of Habitat could be more personal, allowing for information on your neighbors who are benefiting from, or working with the program. A blog could involve pictures of the latest houses going up, a place for people to volunteer on specific houses, and perhaps personal blogs of families who are building a home or people who are volunteering. This would put a more personal face on the Habitat for Humanity organization.
3) Gale Harold- Outside of a small, but very vocal group of loyal fans, the actor Gale Harold is not widely known. However, his fans are rabid, and he tends to be reticent to over much information about himself. Unlike many actors, both established and up and coming, Gale does not have a myspace page or a personally endorsed website. So, much of the information about him that is available online is unreliable or incomplete. A blog with his personal endorsement and cooperation would offer his fans a place to find accurate and current information about his upcoming projects, a space to discuss his past projects, and a repository for the many pictures that fans now have to search all over the Internet for. An endorsed blog would also offer a place for non fans to see what all the fuss is about.
1) The Human Rights Campaign- I feel very strongly about the fight for equal rights for the LBGT community, and the HRC is the organization that has taken the lead in the fight. With an important presidential election coming up next year, it is even more important that the HRC's message is easily available to the public. Not only would a user friendly blog be great for people who already support the cause, it would also be an excellent resource for those who are curious as to how they can get involved, and even those who are unsure if they support the goals of the HRC. The blog would contain links to other organizations that support the goals of the HRC, information on how to get involved in your own community, interviews with presidential candidates with information on their stances on gay rights, profiles of what other people are doing to advance the cause, etc.
2) Habitat for Humanity, Noble County- As a child, my family lived in many sub-standard living conditions, and we were even homeless for a short time, so I absolutely support Habitat for Humanity. This organization make home ownership a reality for families that would never have the opportunity through traditional means. A blog for Habitat would allow those who are interested in the program, either because they would like to be considered for a new home or they would like to volunteer their time, one central location to find information. A blog specifically for the Noble County branch of Habitat could be more personal, allowing for information on your neighbors who are benefiting from, or working with the program. A blog could involve pictures of the latest houses going up, a place for people to volunteer on specific houses, and perhaps personal blogs of families who are building a home or people who are volunteering. This would put a more personal face on the Habitat for Humanity organization.
3) Gale Harold- Outside of a small, but very vocal group of loyal fans, the actor Gale Harold is not widely known. However, his fans are rabid, and he tends to be reticent to over much information about himself. Unlike many actors, both established and up and coming, Gale does not have a myspace page or a personally endorsed website. So, much of the information about him that is available online is unreliable or incomplete. A blog with his personal endorsement and cooperation would offer his fans a place to find accurate and current information about his upcoming projects, a space to discuss his past projects, and a repository for the many pictures that fans now have to search all over the Internet for. An endorsed blog would also offer a place for non fans to see what all the fuss is about.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Overall Reaction
While blogs seem like a great way to disseminate information, as with any online source there are some potential pitfalls and risks. As with many on line sources of communication and information, the validity of what is posted can be questionable. Even without corroboration, a blogger can feel free to post anything they want, and a reader may not be savvy enough to understand that the information is not entirely accurate. Even if the information in a blog is completely true, the blogger can spin the story anyway they choose; omitting information, quoting out of context, or using misleading wording to tell the story as they see it. Of course, this sort of spin happens in "legitimate" news, so as with any source the reader should know about a blogger and their political leanings. This leads to another pitfall, that of the relative anonymity of bloggers on the Internet. Because there is no face to face interaction between the blogger and the audience, and there is no accountability to an editor or editorial board, a blogger can represent themselves to be anything they desire. Another problem with blogs has more to do with the blogger themselves as opposed to their blogs. Because blogs allow for a free exchange of opinions, vise a vie the comment feature, a blogger opens themselves up to flaming, hostility, and out and out harassment. One young woman who blogs about technology found herself the target of rather aggressive commentaries, and even expressed a fear for her personal safety.
Even with all of these pitfalls, for both the reader and the blogger, I think that the advantages outweigh the risks. Blogs have opened up a whole new forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions between people all over the globe. Blogs can offer us the opportunity to interact with people whom we would never have the chance to meet otherwise. Blogs allow writers the chance to be read by a wide audience; a chance they never would have gotten previously without a publisher. We can keep track of far flung relatives and friends, and make new ones at the same time. In essence, blogs have made the world a little smaller, and in these uncertain times when so many people can seem like the enemy, we can all use the feeling of family that the blogosphere offers.
Even with all of these pitfalls, for both the reader and the blogger, I think that the advantages outweigh the risks. Blogs have opened up a whole new forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions between people all over the globe. Blogs can offer us the opportunity to interact with people whom we would never have the chance to meet otherwise. Blogs allow writers the chance to be read by a wide audience; a chance they never would have gotten previously without a publisher. We can keep track of far flung relatives and friends, and make new ones at the same time. In essence, blogs have made the world a little smaller, and in these uncertain times when so many people can seem like the enemy, we can all use the feeling of family that the blogosphere offers.
Following a Political Blog
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-Chief of the anonymous Huffington Post,an online news and blog site and she also posts daily blogs of her own at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/. The purpose of Ms. Huffington’s blog seems to be to share her views on politics and current events stories with her readers. While she does occasionally take on the Democrats, it would seem that most of her vitriol is aimed squarely at the Bush administration.
Ms. Huffington’s blog pages have a lot more going on than simply her daily posts. The site offers links to other blogs on The Huffington Post as well as posts of other bloggers that relate to the topic at hand. There are also links to related news stories, and blogs that maybe related to other items mentioned in the blog. Because of the size and popularity of Ms. Huffington’s blog, her blog also has advertisements. Ms. Huffington’s blogs are also categorized by topics and there is an easy to use navigation bar. Because of all of the added features, the blocky-ness that can sometimes be common place in blogs is not present. But, even with the added features, the blog is visually appealing and does not seem overcrowded. As for the posts themselves, Ms. Huffington writes in a familiar tone, and even though some of her topics may only appeal to those who follow politics, her writing would not turn off the lay person.
Ms. Huffington’s posts seem very popular with readers of The Huffington Post, and she receives many comments. The format remains largely the same from day to day, which undoubtedly encourages repeat users to come back. While Ms. Huffington does not seem to reply often to her comments, the readers respond to each other, making the blog a de facto cyber-town hall meeting. Ms. Huffington seems well regarded in some circles, and her sources are valid, so the information she shares is reliable, however it does skew politically toward the left, so perhaps she spends most of her time preaching to the choir, as it were.
Blogs are the 21st Century version of the soapbox, and Ms. Huffington is using her’s very well. While many people just blog as a stream of conscious, almost diary like endeavor, Ms. Huffington is more focused. She uses her left leaning political views as a spring board to share her opinions about current events in politics and pop culture. And her readers are taking the opportunity to also be heard in the form of their comments. And this seems to be what the "blogosphere" does best; allow the free exchange of ideas between like minded (and sometimes not so like minded) people
Ms. Huffington’s blog pages have a lot more going on than simply her daily posts. The site offers links to other blogs on The Huffington Post as well as posts of other bloggers that relate to the topic at hand. There are also links to related news stories, and blogs that maybe related to other items mentioned in the blog. Because of the size and popularity of Ms. Huffington’s blog, her blog also has advertisements. Ms. Huffington’s blogs are also categorized by topics and there is an easy to use navigation bar. Because of all of the added features, the blocky-ness that can sometimes be common place in blogs is not present. But, even with the added features, the blog is visually appealing and does not seem overcrowded. As for the posts themselves, Ms. Huffington writes in a familiar tone, and even though some of her topics may only appeal to those who follow politics, her writing would not turn off the lay person.
Ms. Huffington’s posts seem very popular with readers of The Huffington Post, and she receives many comments. The format remains largely the same from day to day, which undoubtedly encourages repeat users to come back. While Ms. Huffington does not seem to reply often to her comments, the readers respond to each other, making the blog a de facto cyber-town hall meeting. Ms. Huffington seems well regarded in some circles, and her sources are valid, so the information she shares is reliable, however it does skew politically toward the left, so perhaps she spends most of her time preaching to the choir, as it were.
Blogs are the 21st Century version of the soapbox, and Ms. Huffington is using her’s very well. While many people just blog as a stream of conscious, almost diary like endeavor, Ms. Huffington is more focused. She uses her left leaning political views as a spring board to share her opinions about current events in politics and pop culture. And her readers are taking the opportunity to also be heard in the form of their comments. And this seems to be what the "blogosphere" does best; allow the free exchange of ideas between like minded (and sometimes not so like minded) people
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