Website Words that Work!

Every blog platform has its blogger fans. I happen to be partial to Wordpress. I like the look. I like the user-friendly dashboard, and I like the fact that so many developers out there are making new Wordpress widgets all the time. I have my favorite bloggers too, and today I want to share my favorite Wordpress guru / blogger. – Lorelle.  

Her site, Lorelle on Wordpress, is a virtual treasure trove on Wordpress how-to’s, fixes, and insights into setting up and using Wordpress. I plug into it whenever I’m not too blog-tired at the end of the day to absorb a bit of new stuff. I always learn something when I go there.

 (Set up a feed; her site’s worth it!) Yours, Judith

Tags: Blogging, How to blog, Wordpress // Add Comment »

If you’ve been yearning to start a blog but just can’t get off the dime, then join me for this workshop.  It is custom-made for you. We’ll be jumping into blogging – much like I did right here just last summer –and we’ll do it hand-in-hand. Together! We’ll have a few laughs along the way, and we’ll all end up blogging.  It’s a 2-night workshop presented through the Washoe County School District Community Education department. We’ll be using computers in a middle school classroom.

Tags: Blogging, How to blog // Add Comment »

I don’t give a fig about yarn, but I sure do like this yarn store blog.

Bloggers Kathy and Steve, owners of WEBS Yarn Store in Massachusetts, blog about their family, the retail yarn biz, and the latest in yarn trends.The blog seems to be written mostly by Kathy, though she gives Steve equal billing. (Just another fine and generous New England lady.)

On the last blog I saw, she and Steve were all atwitter about an upcoming yarn show and the new yarn colors and textures they anticipated seeing there. And especially, they were keen on seeing how the new eco and organic yarns were spinning out. And then, after that, there’s the excitement of this year’s sheep and wool festivals. What, with the “shear” promise of dancing and general hoofing about, I’m starting to get excited about those festivals right along with them!

I love a couple that can get that excited — that passionate! — about yarn. And I love this blog. They also generously link to other knitter-blogger faves. Check it out for a fine example of a retail blog.

yours, Judith

Tags: Business blogs, Retail blogs, Small business blogging // Add Comment »

All right. I admit it. I’ve been getting intimate with Wordpress. But the darn software is so darn cute! I’m infatuated. I’ve been spending the last few weeks holed up with my crush.

And what have we done? Fiddled with some widgets, downloaded some, uploaded a few, found some stimulating new buttons, pushed this, moved that.

Most of this is simple stuff, made easy by the software. The addition of Linked In and Squidoo buttons on the sidebar, for example, was a simple copy-and-paste. (But if you like this stuff, you can spend a LOT of time popping one on, looking, taking it down, popping up another – Come back in a week and they’ll probably be different again.)

Some of the fiddling required a bit of HTML input, like adding the Amazon links for my books on my print portfolio page. (They hide there on the page: you’ll have to roll over to appreciate them.)

The software is  whole lot more fun behind the scenes, in fact, than out in front.

So, if it looks as if I disappeared for awhile, I did. But what a fun time I’ve had!

yours, Judith

Tags: Blogging, Functionality, Wordpress // Add Comment »

You really can make money directly off a blog. Blogs sell hats, handbags, all kinds of products – Shopping blogs.

And who’s to say a blog on shopping can’t be interesting? Well, to be fair, most are not, unless you’re seeking that hat or handbag.

Great Green Goods blog, one that seeks out products from recycled materials — all in the name of living green. This is one that earns the title “interesting” and one I’ll go back to just to see how it’s shaping up.  

Because, you see, it’s more than a shopping blog. It’s a great example of a blog set up to bring in ad revenue with google ads andsponsored links, as well as links to the products they feature. And it has a focus and a mission: eco-friendly products. 

Tags: Blogging, Retail blogs, Small business blogging // Add Comment »

Artists, with all the beauty in the world at their fingertips, ought to be creating wondrous blogs. So, I searched for some. I found this one, Belinda del Pesco. And I liked two things especially:

• She blogs frequently
• She uploads info on how she creates her art

 And she’s in business, so she’s got a quick link to buying her art. All-around good, I think. (Only beef I have with the site is its accompanying website. I suggest you do not click on that link. It’s a porno-built site, circular, so that once on you can never leave. (And how do I know about those? Unfortunate google searches, need I say more.) Yours, Judith  

Tags: Blogging, Business blogs, Retail blogs, Small business blogging // Add Comment »

You can’t just start blogging and expect the world to come to you. So true! And here’s another challenge we all face: what’s truly important on the list of to-dos? Picking and choosing from among Web marketing tools is key.

Nick Stamoulis lists the tools that make it happen, Web especially. It’s a terrific list! And gives you a place to start on your marketing, now that you have a blog. Which tools will you discard because your small business cannot sustain them or because they don’t apply? Which will you keep? (Hint: a few are auto-keeps, such as SEO, can’t do without that one!)
yours, Judith

Tags: Business blogs, Small business blogging // Add Comment »

All bookstores oughta be blogging. That’s what I think. I love books; what writer doesn’t? And I spend waaaayy too much time and money in bookstores. So, when I came across this bookstore blog, I paused. Here’s a bookstore (Powell’s Books in Portland, OR) using a blog to talk about books, to sell books, to keep customers updated on the latest book-signings and in-store promos. It’s got a guest blogger or two. I love it! Now I can spend even MORE time in bookstores!

Makes sense to me that a bookstore, full of people who love reading, books and writing would have a blog. And now, when I pop into other bookstore sites, I wonder, why don’t they have blogs?

They’re missing out on a terrific sales tool. And one that’s virtually free.

So far, no one has been able to answer the question, and I’m searching the far corners of the continent to find good bookstore blogs.

yours, Judith

Tags: Business blogs, Retail blogs, Small business blogging // 2 Comments »

Some of the best blogs — so they say — are online coffee shops. So, leave it to coffee shops to come up with some excellent retail store blogs. Here’s one I came across, from Wisconsin, where I suspect they appreciate a good cup of steamin’ hot coffee when they come in out of the cold to get one.

What I like about the site is its use of blogging to both market its events and to create a cozy, family feeling. Exactly what we seek in our coffee shops. I’d stop in at one of these coffee spots; they sound like they know what they’re talking about, and besides, they’re a cheerful group. I like ‘em. Now, that’s a good blog!

Yours, Judith

Tags: Blogging, How to blog, Small business blogging // Add Comment »

I’m always on the lookout for great business blogs — ones that demonstrate the possibilities of blogging for a business. And I do see tremendous possibilities for small business marketing via blogs. Beyond just getting to know you, and that in itself is a huge blog benefit, customers and clients can begin to count on you for expert information. Or just the inside scoop. So, I trolled the Web a bit, seeking great business blogs.

I’m looking for those written by owners of retail shops, service businesses (plumbers, carpenters), professional firms (attorneys, physicians, consultants), and businesses I have not thought of. Maybe a hair salon, for instance, or an organic farmer. But I’m looking for those written not about the business of blogging but by the businesses themselves. Good ones.

I found this one, Cork Cellars, and it’s a friendly one and I found myself liking the proprietors, though there is a huge gap of non-blogging in there. But if I were near that Cork Cellars wine shop, I’d have a feed on that blog just to know what’s new and available too at my nearby store. Nothing beats a fine “Cab” on a cold winter’s eve. But back to the business at hand: blogging for business.

I’m still trolling, hoping to find terrific examples of small businesses — managers and owners – blogging successfully, preferable somewhat regularly, as well. They’re not as easy to find as I thought they’d be.

yours, Judith

Tags: Small Business, Small business blogging // Add Comment »