Old Dogs, New Blog Tricks… and Patience. (Part 1)

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In my quest to become a blogger-for-hire, I am finding that it actually takes a lot of work. (Gasp.) Yes, really! Now, because I am not a complete idiot and because I have been around the block more than once, I did realize that this would take time and concentrated effort. It’s just that the more I read and learn, well… the more I find I have to read and learn. It’s astonishing to discover the body of knowledge out there, especially when you haven’t been plugged in from the very beginning of it all. (Note that I do have a good excuse for my temporary leave of absence from contemporary society… it involved bringing two humans into the world, feeding them, clothing them, and attempting to imbue in them a sense of responsibility for themselves and the world. Big job. I’ll let you know when I’m done with that.)

Photo courtesy www.edmontonvet.com

At any rate, along the way I have run across some excellent how-to blogging resources. And since blogging is about sharing with and helping others, I thought I’d put them out there for anyone else who, like me, is looking to get started in the blogosphere and might be unsure of where to start. Likewise, if you have any how-to blog tips to pass along, please feel free to let ‘er rip! I’m forever learning, and I’m all ears.

The following people and resources represent a sort of timeline for my journey into blogging, so far. I have only “met” one of them, on Skype, for one hour. (Julie Roads, an amazing copywriter who’s turned into my mentor. More in a later post on Julie!) But the incredible thing is that I feel like I know them through their RSS feeds, newsletters and blog posts. (Lightbulb appears above my head. Bing!) In fact, I’ve learned a lifetime of Good Things from them all:

Zable-Fisher Public Relations. I found Zable-Fisher when I was Googling around one day, looking for free, DIY public relations resources I could use to brush up on my PR skills. (I was starting some pro bono work for a friend’s online jewelry business.) Located in Boca Raton, of all places, ZFPR turns out to be a legitimate, experienced and credentialed PR firm that focuses on small business. Owner Margie Zable Fisher is one heck of a promoter, utilizing all available technology and tactics — blogs, email newsletters, SEO-optimized website, free e-books, DIY PR Kit, you name it. In fact, by signing up to get her email newsletter (which is always chock-full of current PR opportunities and other nuggets), I not only received a free sample press kit — but I also learned of (and signed up for) a teleseminar they hosted, in which an SEO expert taught us how to create a WordPress blog, step-by-step. It was a total investment of around $35, and I can now say it was the very first thing that lit a spark… and soon ignited my newly found professional blogging obsession.

Nate Whitehill.com. Nate was the SEO expert interviewed in the ZFPR teleseminar I just mentioned, and is the owner/founder of Unique Blog Designs, LLC. I had some follow-up questions for him, so I checked out his blog and read a few (really excellent) how-to blog articles as I searched for a way to contact him. I eventually emailed to ask whether a stand-alone WordPress blog or one that’s installed on a website would be better for your SEO… and when he actually replied to me (recommending that the blog be installed onto the website) I felt like I’d just heard from Bono, or Oprah, or Bill Gates (maybe Steve Jobs since I work on a Mac)! I know it’s silly, but it was actually kind of a thrill to realize that even successful bloggers are real people who may even talk back to you when you initiate a conversation. This, I have come to understand, is the true beauty of Web 2.0. True interaction = real relationships, which can equal real opportunities to learn, share, understand… and much, much more. I have since signed up for Nate’s RSS feeds, friended him on Facebook and am following him on Twitter. (More on these Web 2.0 social networking sites & tools in a minute.)

Allison Nazarian.com. I first heard the term “blog ghostwriter” during the Zable-Fisher teleseminar on WordPress blogs, when Margie and Nate mentioned that Allison was a really great one. My ears perked up and I knew, instantly, that this concept would lead me in a new and all-consuming direction. Allison is the founder of Get It In Writing, Inc., and has been filling my inbox with countless tips for pumping up my copywriting for business. She’s awesome!

Next post, I’ll continue my timeline of helpful people, sites and how-to blogging resources. Hope to hear from you soon… —LCS

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Filed under Things I've Learned About Blogging

Tags: blog ghostwriting, blogging, how-to, how-to blog, tips