July 27, 2006

Innovative Business Use of RSS as a Technology

Filed under: Blog Basics, RSS, Blog Marketing — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 3:48 pm

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a new way to broadcast corporate news and structured information. RSS offers a quick, easy corporate communication channel. The RSS contents are published as a feed and the feed’s content keep customers, partners and journalists abreast of corporate news and information. The RSS feeds are read using a tool referred to as a news aggregator, or an RSS reader. The aggregator periodically checks to see if the RSS feed has been updated. As the feed is updated, new information will automatically appear in the RSS reader. (more…)

July 26, 2006

What is Podcasting?

Filed under: Blog Basics, Corporate Blogging, Video Blog, Podcasting, Audio Blog — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 8:35 am

What is Pod casting?

Pod cast is like a radio show. Each show consists of a series of individual episodes that you can listen to how you want — on your PC, using your MP3 player, or with just a web browser. If you’ve never listened to pod casts, you’re in for something exciting. Manager’s tools, Sports, comedy, movies, food, politics, music, books, speeches, Cookery classes, tours, whatever — you name the topic and you’ll find pod casts about it. Not only do you have a variety of choice, you can listen whenever and wherever you want. (more…)

Is Your Business Ready for Podcasting?

Filed under: Blog Basics, Blog Marketing, Custom Blog, Podcasting, Audio Blog, Photo Blog — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 8:19 am

Everyone seems to be making and listening to podcasts nowadays. At the beginning, podcasting seemed to be associated with the so called computer geeks. These days however, it is not uncommon to see podcasts from businesses and corporations trying to widen their horizons and get a hold of a larger market. As podcasts inherently surpasses the limits of traditional broadcasting and advertising, they present a feasible alternative to businesses as a means of making their presence felt all over the world. (more…)

Marketing with Blogs - Part 1

Filed under: Blog Basics, Search Engine Optimization, Blog Marketing, Custom Blog — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 7:11 am

Marketers have found that blogs are excellent tools for communicating with their audience. Anyone who has something to sell or an idea to promote can benefit from using blogs.

Corporates like Nike are using blogs to build branding. Microsoft and Sun are using them to communicate with the developer community.

Blogs have a number of advantages that make them excellent tools for communication.

They are cheap to install and require little or no technical expertise. So the entry point for blogging is very low when compared to the expense of hiring a website designer.

While building a website is often out of the reach of most solo entrepreneurs, anyone can start a blog. If you can’t write or hate to write, you can start an audio or video blog. The possibilities are endless.

Blogs also help you create content that search engines love, and encourage linking from a number of other bloggers who write on similar topics. This makes them excellent tools for getting high search engine rankings and boosting your visibility.

They also encourage immediate responses from your readers and customers, so you can get feedback, tweak your campaigns and respond better to the market’s demands. (more…)

Create A Successful Blog - Head In The Direction Of Success From The Start

Filed under: Blog Basics, Blog Marketing, Blog Template, Custom Blog, Corporate Blogging — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 7:05 am
  • The booming world of blogging

You find that you’re coming across more blogs everyday on the internet, and you’ve decided to create your own. You even know precisely what you’ll write about. But wait there! It’s not which platform, hosting service, or color scheme you choose for your blog that determines how successful it will be, even if it is a pretty shade of pink. Your topic of choice is the most important decision of all, and one that will affect every other aspect of your blog; and you had already made your mind up?.. Perhaps you should read on first! (more…)

July 23, 2006

Market Your RSS Feed With Microsoft Windows Live

Filed under: Blog Basics, RSS, Blog Marketing — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 4:30 am

“RSS” stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” And that is exactly what it is… a great way for content publishers (including you) to distribute your content for free.

Over the last year you can not have escaped those RSS buttons all over the Internet, inviting you to sign up for the website owners RSS feed(s)

Apple, Microsoft, CNN, the BBC, even the owner of your local pet shop uses these RSS buttons on their website.

With Internet Explorer 7 now containing a built in “RSS reader” complete with a button that turns orange when it detects an RSS feed on a webpage - RSS is big news for Internet Marketing. (more…)

What Blogging Can Do For Your Business

Filed under: Blog Basics, Blog Marketing, Corporate Blogging — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 4:08 am

There is certainly nothing new about the concept of blogging, and yet many business owners and Internet entrepreneurs don’t seem to grasp the power of this simple strategy. This is evidenced by the fact that many business websites do not include a blog.

If you run a business site, but do not currently have a blog, there is a great chance that you are leaving money on the table. Regardless of what kind of business you are in, a dynamic and interactive web log will improve customer response and add profits to your bottom line. (more…)

July 17, 2006

Photoblogs: the Dark Side of the Blogosphere?

Filed under: Blog Basics, Blog Layout — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 6:47 am

Before typing the rest of this, let me say that I am a photoblogger.

Photoblogs seem to be in a world of their own today, photoblogs are not supported by as many directories, publishing programs, or revenue schemes in the bloggging world compared to written blogs.

The biggest things we have are photoblogs.org, Photo Friday and WeeklyShot, and a few others like VFXY. While Bloggers have BlogBurst, numerous directories, extensive revenue oppurtunities and a larger audience as only a limited number of people take a really active interest in photography, especially the newer version of photography that has been evolved with HDR (high dynamic range photos), confusing abstracts and simple art. (more…)

July 6, 2006

Everything About Video Blogging, or Vblogging

Filed under: Blog Basics, Blog Marketing, Custom Blog, Corporate Blogging, Video Blog — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 12:16 am

It had to happen. First blogging – weblogging – catches on like wildfire, and everyone is posting their thoughts, tirades, or just minutiae online in their own blogs. Then podcasting came around – the equivalent of blogging in audio form. Today, the hottest new thing is video blogging (also called vblogging or vlogging). (more…)

Angry customers use blogs, video to shame firms

Filed under: Blog Basics, Blog Marketing, Corporate Blogging, Video Blog — Dr. John W. Horn PhD @ 12:12 am

(This Washington Post article talks about how the consumer uses blogs to chastise companies with poor products and services.  Why not use your corporate blog to tout your successes?)

Kim Hart
Washington Post
Jul. 5, 2006 11:46 AM
Disgruntled customers used to have little recourse against poor service and broken promises.

But as angry clients increasingly turn to the Internet to settle scores, companies, independent retailers and everyday wrongdoers are learning that consumers can have the last word - and often the last laugh. On the Web, shame and humiliation are sometimes the strongest weapons in fighting scams and unfairness. (more…)