Tag Archives: areavoices 101

What’s the best time to post on Facebook, Twitter or my blog?

Posted on by

That might be one of the questions I get asked the most as I speak to people trying to optimize their social media experience. They want to know when they’ll get the most “bang for their buck” with their post. If they’re going to take the time and effort to write on their blog, Facebook or Twitter they want to know when their post will receive the most clicks.

Now bit.ly, the link shortening service, has made it even more clear. They’ve issued a new report that spells how what times of day posts get the most click throughs. And it turns out a college professor of mine way back in the 1980′s was right. More on that in a minute, but first….the results of that study.

Drum roll please….

It turns out according to the bit.ly report, your tweet is most likely to get clicked between the hours of 12:00pm and 2:00pm (Central Time), Monday through Thursday. You should avoid at all costs, Tweeting a link after 8:00pm any night, or after 3:00pm on Fridays. (While Happy Hour doesn’t officially begin until 5:00pm, not surprisingly Joe and Jane Worker are already mentally eating those bar nuts a couple of hours earlier).

The story is similar on Facebook, where the most successful posts hit between 12:00pm and 3pm. So you do have an hour more grace period with Facebook.

Now where does that professor of mine come in?

Let me explain. He used to tell us he would only hold tests between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning. He claimed we college students weren’t out of our drunken stupor from the weekend until Tuesday morning and we were gearing up for the upcoming one by Thursday afternoon. He was a jaded and cynical man. I’m not saying he wasn’t right. But still jaded and cynical.

Okay, so what about Areavoices blogs? Our research backs up what common sense would tell you. Think about how you use the internet. When do you go to news websites? We get our highest traffic on weekdays, right after 8:00am (as people are logging on their computers for the workday), between 11:00am and 1:00pm (logging in and out for their lunch hour) and right before 5:00pm (as you can’t stand to work anymore, you take one more look at the news before the trip home.)

So if you’re concerned about maximum traffic, strive for these times. But if traffic is not an issue, post away day and night to your hearts content. Now I must submit this blog post right now, as it is 2:30pm on Friday afternoon and I’m a half-hour away from those mental beer nuts.

 

 

Soon to come: answering some of your questions

Posted on by

As we get ready to wrap up 2011, my mind is turned to one thing. Okay, maybe two. I keep thinking I should try to make some batches of peanut blossom cookies to win the favor of my in-laws.

But mostly, I’m thinking of one thing: The fantastic year we’ve had on Areavoices!

Over the past year, our number of featured bloggers on Areavoices has grown from about 250 to about 700. That’s also resulted in growth in the number of people reading Areavoices blogs.

In January of 2011, about 207,000 people a month were clicking on Areavoices sites. This past month, approximately 260,000 people a month were reading Areavoices blogs.

That’s a lot of great content out there that you might not have had access to just one year ago. Content about travel, health, money, family, food and more!

If you’d like to start a blog your audience is ready for you. Just send me an email at tracy.briggs@fccinteractive.com and I can help you get started. You can also find all kinds of tutorials on this blog. One that actually takes you through how to set up your blog. It’s fun and easy. Okay, enough of the sales pitch (actually, it’s not really a sales pitch since it’s FREE to set up and run your blog).

The purpose of this blog post is not just to celebrate our growth this year. I wanted to highlight what I’m hearing from our bloggers: specifically the questions I get asked pretty frequently.You’ll find most of my FAQ’s on a separate page of this blog. But in the upcoming days, I’ll highlight some questions in greater detail.

First up: How do you generate more comments on your blog?

 

The Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging

Posted on by

I’m flabbergasted. I am. Does this ever happen to you at work? You swear you wrote that document or turned in that report. But when you go to look for it, it’s not there. That happened to me yesterday when Shelley Nelson, the editor of the Superior Telegram, asked me if we had any kind of a blogger’s guide she could give to bloggers in her neck of the woods. I assured her, that “yes, I’m sure I have something like that.”

Wrong. Well, I do have the blogger’s guide in about 10 different places. I found dos and don’ts, pointers, and guidelines,  in Power Point presentations, blog posts, Word documents and of course, in my brain. But I have never compiled them in one place for your reading pleasure. Until now. So with only a little further adieu here is: The Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging on Areavoices:

  • DO set up an “About” page on your blog. It’s easy to do and is the best way for reader’s to know more about you and what your blog is all about.
  • DO personalize the look of your blog. We have many different themes from which to choose. Pick one that suits you or customize your blog even more by changing the header and background with your own pictures. (Make sure you pick a theme template that allows you to change the header and background. Twenty-Ten is one theme that allows you to do that.)
  • DO set up the discussion section of your blog to have “Moderated Comments.” This allows you to read someone’s comment before it appears on your blog. You can allow unmoderated comments, but you could lose some control over the tone of your blog.
  • DO write as often as you’d like. The best blog posts are ones in which the author wanted to write. Don’t blog one day just for the sake of blogging.
  • DO think about your audience. What do they want to read? Will they find this blog post entertaining, helpful or boring? Would you want to read this post if someone else had written it?
  • DO include pictures and video in your blog post as much as possible.
  • DO write in a casual tone. Formal language doesn’t fly in the blogosphere. Pretend like you’re writing for your friend.
  • DO keep it shorter rather than longer. 500 to 750 word blog posts are best.
  • DO give readers links on where to go for more information.
  • DO know how to use effective tag words in your blog post. After each post, you should go to the box on the side of the dashboard which asks you to include tag words. These are words which describe what you just wrote about. If I write about “Fast dinners on a Budget” I’ll want to tag it “Food,” “Family,” “Money” at the very least. Effective tagging is the most important factor in how you will be displayed on our websites and you’re more likely to be found on Google.
  • DO pay the MOST attention to your headlines and first couple of sentences. That is what the reader will see. They should convince the reader to read more.
  • DO know what makes a good headline: attention-getting, question-asking, or lists (IE: The top ten Paul Newman movies).
  • DO make your post reader friendly. They should be able to skim your content and still get some of your message. Consider using subheadlines, bullet points, pictures, and quotes.
  • DO follow other bloggers. Be part of the blogging community.
  • DO comment on other blog posts even if it’s just a “like your blog” or “I agree.” People like to know that they’re being read.
  • DO read the comments you get on your blog. You don’t always have to approve them. But you should read them.
  • DO use your blog together with Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
  • DON’T plagiarize. If you like a blog post or article written by someone else don’t pass it off as your own. Simply write that you found an article or post you liked and then link to that original article. You can add your own comments to it as well.
  • DON’T get too long-winded. We live in a fast-pasted world. Most people won’t take the time to read a War and Peace length blog post. If you have 10 points to make consider writing 10 shorter blogs in a series rather than one LONG blog post with all 10.  Again, 500 to 750 word posts are optimal.
  • DON’T give away too much on Facebook and Twitter. Use Facebook and Twitter to tease people about your blog post. Throw out a question on Facebook and post the link to your blog post to make them want to get the answer.
  • DON’T be a jerk. You’re a nice person right? So think twice before you leave a nasty comment on someone else’s blog. It’s cool to add to the discussion, to be a voice of thoughtful dissent. But launching verbal stink bombs (IE: You’re an idiot!) is just very schoolyard bully.

And finally DO have fun and DON’T beat yourself up if don’t get all of this right away. It’s a learning process, but it’s worth it!

By the way, I’d love to hear if any of our veteran bloggers can add to this list. What do you think is the most important Do or Don’t? Do you disagree with me on any of these?

More information at your fingertips with areavoices directory

Posted on by

Back in college, my friends Janet and Jill and I competed in a lip sync contest as The Pointer Sisters. Why do I tell you this in my blog post about areavoices? It’s because of the song we sang, “I’m so excited!” That is how I’m feeling today upon the completion of our areavoices directory page. Maybe it’s a stretch to pull out an old song from the 80′s to communicate my feeling over this project or maybe I’m just a little loopy after going through all of the blogs featured on Forum Communications company websites over the past week or two. How many blogs is that, you ask. More than 400!!!!  That is 400 different blogs with information ranging from opera to astronomy, from Minnesota Twins to Wisconsin wildlife, from knitting up north to knoephla in North Dakota. All that, plus news and information from schools, businesses, cities and counties in our region. Check out the areavoices directory either at www.areavoices.com or by clicking on Directory link right under the titles “Featured Staff Blogs” or “Featured Area Voices” on the newspaper home page.

The directory has been out for a couple of weeks now and in that time, I’ve fielded some questions which I’ll address here:

1. Why isn’t my areavoices blog on the list?

Remember this is a featured blog list. That means at least one Forum Communications newspaper or broadcast website has chosen to feature you. In all, there are more than 2,000 areavoices blogs. These are the 400 that have been pulled out to be featured. Of course, all areavoices blogs can still be found at www.areavoices.com.

2. How can I get my blog featured?

Your first step is to make sure we know about it. I’m amazed at the fantastic blogs I’ve just stumbled upon as I look through areavoices postings. It’s my job to recommend you to the newspaper and broadcast editors, publishers and news directors. I can’t make that recommendation unless I know about you. Once I do, I can forward your blog address to the editors. In the end, it’s their decision whether your blog is appropriate for their website.

3. I’m not sure if I’m a featured blogger. How can I find out?

First, look on the directory. If you’re in the directory, you’re featured by at least one property. If you’re not on the list, you can certainly email me and I can doublecheck whether you’re a featured blog or not. tracy.briggs@fccinteractive.com.

4. I know I’m a featured blogger, but I’m still not in the directory. What’s going on?

A couple of possible things. First, I’m human. I might have messed up and for some reason not typed you into the directory. Of course, after I profusely apologize I’ll make things right. The other possible reason is more intentional. To keep our featured blog list as up to date as possible, we take blogs out of the directory if you have not made at least one post in that blog in the last 3 months.   It was our decision to do this to make sure the directory was not bogged down with blogs that are no longer active. I am more than happy to put your blog back in the directory once you start posting in that blog again. Just let me know.

5. How can I get a  next to my blog?

We put the  next to the blog if it has been created in the last 2 weeks or so. If I missed a , please let me know.

So that’s it. And while I said earlier that I was excited by the completion of this project, the fact is it will never be completed. The directory is almost a living, breathing entity. Okay, I’m being a little dramatic. But the fact is, I’ll be monitoring and managing this directory from now on. It will evolve and change. If you have questions, problems or suggestions I’m ready to hear them. I have time now that I’m no longer a Pointer Sister.

The best way to get your blog seen by more people

Posted on by

How’s that for enticing title? Getting your areavoices blog seen by more eyes is really pretty simple. It comes down to one word: TAGS.

The best piece of advice I can give to you about extending the reach of your blog is to effectively use TAG words. Let me illustrate. Let’s say we have a featured blogger who writes about her family’s recent trip to Disney World. Normally, she might use the TAG words “family” or “moms” to describe her blog posts. As you know shortly after she makes her post, that post will appear on the home page of any FCC website in which she is featured. And if she used her regular tag words of “family” and “moms” she’ll also be seen under the tab “Life” and the sub tabs of “family” and “moms.” (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about go to the top of whatever FCC website you’re reading this post from. You’ll see a number of tabs across the page. They represent the inner sections of the newspaper).

Now let’s consider how else she might tag her content to get even more coverage. In addition to “family” and “moms” she might want to use these additional tags:

TRAVEL: she’s sharing her travel news about Disney World

MONEY:  she mentions how she budgeted for the trip

FOOD: maybe she writes about some grand Mickey Mouse ice cream sundae she had at the resort

K12 EDUCATION: maybe she writes about how her son’s school is assigning a writing project for class to make up for lost school time.

That would get her blog posted on 4 additional pages within the website and opens a whole range of possible searches from Google. My point is to think broadly and completely about what you’re writing about. Look at those tabs at the top of this page. Do they fit with what you talked about? Each blog post can have very different tag words.

Now you can go too far. A few months ago, I met with the director of a local theatre. In talking about the broad use of these tags, he jokingly said, “Okay, so if we put on the play “Arsenic and Old Lace” in addition to tagging our post “entertainment” we can tag it “crime?”  Not exactly, but I like the way he thinks.

When it comes to tags, think it through. Assess exactly what you wrote about and apply those tag words. In so doing, there is a good chance you’ll be read by more people.

And speaking of tag words, that will be the subject of our next Tuesday webinar. Every Tuesday at noon, some of us from areavoices gather to answer your questions regarding your areavoices blog or how to start your areavoices blog. All you need to do is call in and register. It’s free and you can stay in your own place to participate. Just shoot me an email if you’d like more information. tracy.briggs@fccinteractive.com.

Areavoices Walkthrough #1 – A Success

Posted on by

Thanks to those of you who took part in our first ever AREAVOICES WALKTHROUGH!

Every Tuesday at noon I’ll be getting together with tech experts Zac Echola and Lindsey Guajardo to talk about areavoices and answer your questions. We had some great participants today, some who have been blogging for years, others who are relatively new to the platform.

If you couldn’t make it today, log in when you can. All you need to know is in my previous blog post.

Hope to hear from you next Tuesday!

Announcing the Areavoices Walkthrough!

Posted on by

Tuesday is an exciting day for areavoices! We’re holding our first-ever “AREAVOICES WALKTHROUGH” webinar.

We’re inviting you to join us via phone to learn more about areavoices blogging. In addition to getting your questions answered you’ll also learn about what other areavoices bloggers are doing and see how they’re making the most of their blog. Joining me will be Zac Echola and Lindsey Guajardo, two employees of Forum Communications Company’s Interactive Division. Lindsey and Zac are the BEST people to talk to regarding technical questions relating to areavoices and your blog. Whether you’re an experienced blogger, just getting started or are still deciding whether to take the plunge this webinar is for you! It’s easy to join the conversation. Just email me at tracy.briggs@fccinteractive.com and I’ll give you the details.

Areavoices Digest #6 -Ghosts, Gumbo, Tawny Kitaen and Dirty Laundry

Posted on by

Quite a list, right?

But they are among some of the topics written about in this weeks’ recommended areavoices blogs. Some of these blogs are brand spankin’ new. Some are established but might deserve a second look.

 
1) I’m going to start with one that I think is kind of fun and very timely for Halloween. It’s called VRS Paranormal – Paranormal Files. http://paranormalfiles.areavoices.com.
 
 VRS Paranormal is a scientific research team in Fargo, North Dakota that explore claims of paranormal activity throughout the states of North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. Using scientific methods, they try to discover possible alternatives or logical explanations to paranormal situations. They also try to help people understand through education how to cope with their paranormal environments. These guys are like our local version of the SyFy channel’s “Ghost Hunters.” Their services are free. They’re pretty new to blogging, but I think they’ve already created a pleasing blog with a lot of infomation regarding “Ghost Hunting.” Their latest post, for example, was “Ghost Pictures – Real or Fake?.” Good fun.  

 
2) When I’ve recommended food blogs in the past, I’ve gotten emails from a couple of you exclaiming, “What about Chef Jeff?” Chef Jeff is a favorite for sure!   http://chefjeff.areavoices.com. Jeff Tiedeman is the food editor of the Grand Forks Herald. He writes a great blog about food. One of his last posts included a recipe for Turkey Gumbo. YUM!

 
3) Here’s another one with it’s roots in Grand Forks. Jukebox Hero. http://jukeboxhero.areavoices.com. Jukebox Hero is music blogger Cassie Walder. She says she writes about the music she loves. “That does not include The Beatles. That does, however, include Wings. Please don’t judge. Just comment and add me to your favorites.” She frequently posts music videos which is a lot of fun. I enjoyed today’s post about Tawny Kitaen and Whitesnake. Wow! That is some serious ’80′s hair! Another fun blog.  If only, she’d blog about The Beatles. Just kidding.

4)Dirty Laundry. http://laundry.areavoices.com  “What do the crime beat and being a mom have in common? Dirty Laundry.” Justine Wettschreck is a crime reporter for the Daily Globe in Worthington, MN. She lives in a tiny southwestern Minnesota town with her husband, dog and whichever of her three children are around at the moment.
5) And this last one I mention more for information and inspiration than anything. Fargo School Talk is the Fargo Public School system’s official blog. http://fargopublicschools.areavoices.com. From what I can tell (PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong) this is our first official K12 blog on areavoices. Again, if another district is doing a blog with us, let me know. I’m trying to recruit as many school bloggers as possible and I’d like to have examples of what other districts are doing.  I’m hoping to sign up many more K12 bloggers. That will continue to be a top priority of mine and I will have more schools (and universities to recommend soon).

Areavoices 101 – More FAQ’s

Posted on by

(This blog post was last revised on May 16, 2011)

Here are answers to some of our most frequently asked questions…

 

 

How do I sign up for a blog?

Easy. Just go to www.areavoices.com and start creating your profile. That profile will enable you to build a social network, leave comments on other’s blogs and create your own blog.

Who can blog? Anybody and everybody.

What if I already have a blog somewhere else? That’s okay. We’re not asking you to take it down. You’re welcome to have blogs outside of your blog at Areavoices. However, it can be time consuming and unnecessarily work intensive to maintain more than one blog. Some bloggers who started off trying to maintain two blogs end up primarily posting just to their Areavoices blog. 

How long does my blog need to be?

It’s totally up to you. You are the author and editor. You can decide to tap out a few quick paragraphs one day then the next day post your version of “War and Peace.” Just remember, people are busy and sometimes you’ll get your message across more effectively if you keep your blog post on the shorter side.

How often do I need to post?

Again, that is up to you. If you just blog for fun, as an outlet for your writing, just post whenever the mood strikes. But if you’re blogging for promotional reasons the more often you blog the more often your message is read. In the blogging world, fresh is everything. Bloggers are constantly updating their posts. To keep in the race, your blog should be updated frequently.

How many people write blogs on areavoices?

The number is constantly changing. But as of the date of this post nearly 3,000 people are writing blogs on Areavoices.

Who owns Areavoices and what relationship does that have with the local newspaper?

Areavoices is owned by Forum Communications Company which also owns 36 newspapers, television and radio stations across North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

How can I get my blog on my local newspaper’s website?

Each newspaper, television and radio station within Forum Communications selects blogs that they would like to feature on their website. They find them by frequently searching for blogs they think their readers would like. If you think your blog would appeal to newspaper readers just let your local paper know that you would like to be a featured blogger. They’ll take it from there.

How can I get my blog to show up on other parts of the newspaper’s website?

 The key is tags. Those are the keywords that help describe the contents of your blog topic. For example if I write a blog about my favorite casseroles, I would make sure I use the tag word “FOOD.” By doing that, not only will my blog appear on the home page, but also on the Life/Food section of the website.

What does it mean to be a featured blogger?

Each newspaper, television and radio station within Forum Communications Company selects blogs from areavoices that they would like to feature on their websites. As of this date about 500 blogs are featured blogs on the newspaper, television and radio websites. As a featured blogger, your blog will be seen on the paper’s home page and within inner sections of the webpage as well, depending upon the topic of your blog post (food, travel, sports, etc.)

How does a blog get chosen to be featured?

In a variety of ways. It’s my job to go into the community and recruit potential bloggers. I’m also constantly perusing our blog roll to see who is blogging and what they’re blogging about. If I see something I like,  I send an email to the FCC properties to recommend them as featured bloggers. Sometimes, the newspapers themselves come across bloggers they like and they choose to feature them. I’m always open to suggestions. If you write a blog or read a blog you think should be featured, just send me an email: tracy.briggs@fccinteractive.com. Remember, some of the most popular web search topics are particularly appealing as featured blogs. They include blogs on the following topics: family, food, health, money and travel. But again, don’t just write a blog on these topics because you think it’s more likely to be featured. Write about what you love. If you love to write about music or cross stitching or clog dancing – do it. Your passion for the topic will shine through and it will be a better blog than if you write a blog about health just because you think that’s what people want to read.

Once my blog is featured where will it be seen?

It depends what FCC properties feature you. But on any given FCC website, your blog post will be seen on the home page soon after you make that post. Five blogs are seen on the home page at any given time. As soon as other featured bloggers make posts it rotates out and your blog will fall off the home page. However, if you put appropriate tags on your blog post, you’ll also be seen on the inner section of the website. For example: If I write a blog about food at 10:34am I’ll see my food blog appear on the home page a few moments later. By the afternoon, my blog will probably have been replaced on the home page by other featured bloggers who posted more recently. However, if I put a tag on post with the word “Food” my blog will still be seen under the Life section, under the Food ab. Blogs will stay in these inner sections far longer than they will on the home page.

How many people will read my blog?

It depends on whether you’re a featured blogger and where your blog is featured. In all, FCC newspaper, television and radio websites reach approximately 1.6 million people a month. You’ll get concentrated readership in the 4-state region (ND, SD, MN and WI) but it can also be read around the world. It is possible for you to track the number of people reading your blog from day to day.

Does Forum Communications Company edit or censor my blog?

No. You are the author and editor. However, we will keep an eye out for inappropriate or obscene material and can choose to remove a blog if it is deemed necessary.

I’m a little worried about inappropriate comments people will make about my blog. How can I manage them?

Easily. As you set up your account, you determine how you will manage your comments. You can choose to allow unmoderated comments, moderated comments, or no comments at all.

Can I add pictures and video to my blog?

Absolutely! We encourage it. To see how, go to http://support.areavoices.com

What if something goes wrong with my blog on the technical side?

We’ll help you. Go to the support blog at http://support.areavoices.com.   Or Email us at support@areavoices.com for questions or call Lindsey Guajardo at 701-451-5642.

What if I don’t get my registration email?

First give it a few moments. If you still don’t get the registration email, check your spam filter. If you still don’t see it, email us at support@areavoices.com, go to our blog at http://support.areavoices.com or call Lindsey at 701-451-5632.

AREAVOICES DIGEST #4 – Oct 6, 2010

Posted on by

AREAVOICES DIGEST #4 – Oct 6, 2010
 

Here’s this week’s look at some areavoices blogs you might have missed. Check ‘em out. They’re good reading!

 
Addie Weaver: from Woodbury to the World   – http://addieweaver.areavoices.com
Addie Weaver is a mental health professional with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. She is embarking on a missionary journey that will take her from her home in Woodbury, MN to 11 countries in 11 months.
 
Reel Quickies – Movies – TV shows – Reviews – Actors – Cinema – http://reelquickie.areavoices.com
Laurel Woiwode is a native of North Dakota, originally from the southwestern part of the state. She’s a graduate of Jamestown College with a double major in English and History. I think her entertainment blog is a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed her “Quote Quiz” category where she asks you where certain movie quotes came from.  She says, ”My love of watching and analyzing films grew from my love of literature and writing. And maybe because I didn’t watch much TV as a child.Some of my favorite movies are: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Love Actually, The Patriot, The Negotiator, and Seabiscuit. My favorite TV shows are NCIS and Lie To Me.”  

Doing it Downtown – One Downtown, One Blog, One Million Possibilities. http://doingitdt.areavoices.com
Deneen Gilmour is the MSUM professor who channels her Writing for the Web students’ work onto this blog, which highlights the downtown Fargo scene. It features music and events. The stories and multimedia here are created by each semester’s online journalism senior seminar class. Gillmour was a daily newspaper journalist for 16 years before getting her Ph.D. and moving into academe.  I believe The Forum is already featuring this blog. It’s also a great example of how schools, both universities and high schools can utilize blogging as part of their curriculum.
 
North Dakota Outdoors and Beyond – the outdoors, hunting, fishing, trapping and more  http://dougleier.areavoices.com
What I think I appreciate most about this blog, written by Doug Leier of ND’s Game and Fish Department, is his daily committment to giving the readers relevant information. His posts are usually pretty brief. But I think it gives readers what they need to know about his topics. Of course, this would appeal most to the ND properties, but his information is also relevant to out of state hunters looking for licenses, etc.
 
Outdoors with Sam Cook- Exploring the North Woods – http://samcook.areavoices.com
Many of you are probably familiar with this outdoors blog written by Sam Cook, a writer with the Duluth News Tribune. He’s been blogging for 3 years now, so he’s had ample opportunity to make it great.   I’m not AT ALL an outdoorsy person, but I really enjoyed his writing. His pictures are beautiful and give you a real sense of being there.  

Happy reading! And for you bloggers out there don’t hesitate to give me a heads up about blogs you like to read. They might appear in my news digest!

AreaVoices 101 – What should I write about?

Posted on by

No one can tell you what to write about. The best blogs are from people who are passionate about their topic. Write what you know. Write what you like. That’s where blogging gets fun! And that’s how you can start to build a solid network of friends and followers on areavoices.

That being said, I can tell you what topics create the most web traffic. According to our reasearch, these five broad subject areas are the most searched on the web. Devlyn Brooks, the digital content operations director here at FCC, compiled these definitions and suggested topic ideas:

HEALTH:
Information that helps readers make informed decisions about the health and well-being of them and those around them. This may include information regarding diet, exercise, visiting a physician, vitamins or alternative health care. It is not limited to just the health news of the day, but also includes information about trends, new discoveries or developments regarding the vast subject of health. The goal is to provide information that helps address readers’ curiosities about their own mental, emotional and physical well-being, and it can be as general as how work stress affects one’s body, or as specific as how to treat a child’s sunburn.
 
MONEY:
Information that helps readers make informed decisions about their personal financial situation. This may include information regarding how to manage a 401(k), using coupons to save money, how to reduce costs around the home or how to teach one’s children about managing money. The goal is to provide information that helps address readers’ become the master of their own financial situation. The information should relate to an individual’s financial decisions, or maybe a family’s, but the purpose is not to focus on which stocks performed well on a given day.
 
TRAVEL:
Information that will give readers insight into travel, whether it’s a day-trip to the regional amusement park or an once-in-a-lifetime African safari. This may include tips on how to pack, how to book cheaper flights or how to pick just the right accommodation, and this could include first-person accounts, or travel writer pieces or photo galleries from those who have traveled abroad. The goal is to provide travel information that allows readers to vicarious escape on that dream getaway, but also offers practical advice as to how to entertain children on a long road trip. Ultimately, the information should speak to individual readers about their travel experiences.
 
FAMILY:
Information that will give readers insight into family life, whether it’s how to pick the best childcare facility or how to care for aging parents. This could include personal blogs, feature stories about unique families or columns from experts, but the information should be practical, relating to the lives of readers or someone they know. The goal is to provide information readers can identify with and use to enrich their own lives and relationships, or answer the perplexing questions they have about their loved ones.
 
FOOD:
Information about the rich topic of food, ranging from recipes and new dishes, to restaurant reviews and how to count calories. The information should speak to the fascination that readers have with food, whether they’re looking to learn how to eat healthier, splurge on something extravagant or where to catch a good burger in their region. The goal is to pique readers’ interests in a vast array of food topics, make them hungry for a decadent cheeseburger or teach them how to develop a meal plan for their family. The information should speak to the individual reader, answering their unique questions about food or giving them insight into how others use, cook and talk about food.

But again, the choice is yours! Don’t write a blog about health just because it’s a hot topic. If you aren’t interested in the topic don’t write about it. You won’t enjoy writing it and your reader probably won’t enjoy reading it. On the flip side, when you love a topic, it’s fun to write and fun to read!

And finally, an important  tip. If you choose to write about any of those broad topic areas, include the terms in your tags (Health, Money, Travel, Family, and Food). Your writing is more likely to be found if you have one of those terms in your tag words!

Areavoices #101 – Why Blog on Areavoices?

Posted on by

You can blog just about anywhere. So why would you choose to set up a blog on areavoices?

Besides the fact that those of us who work here are fabulous people, we can point to concrete reasons why areavoices is a great choice:

1. Great Local and Regional Coverage – Areavoices is a great place to reach people in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. If you want to be read by your friends and neighbors this is the place to be. Some areavoices bloggers are chosen as featured bloggers on Forum Communications Companies 35 newspaper and broadcast websites. That means while your neighbors are reading the top news stories of the day or checking the weather forecast they have easy access to your blog as well. Sometimes, it might be right on the home page of the website. Other times, it could be featured in a special section of the website (life, sports, etc). Even those not featured on the website can be found easily by clicking on the areavoices link. More than 1.3 million people in the four state region go to an FCC-owned property website every month. That’s a lot of people who might see your blog!

2. A Trusted Resource – Forum Communications Company is a trusted, established family owned organization. It started with the founding of a small semi-weekly newspaper back in 1878 and  eventually grew into what is now a mult-media company spanning 4 states. Being associated with Forum Communications and Areavoices lends a stamp of credibility to your blog. You know us. You can trust us. You know where to find us if you have questions or problems with your blog.

3. A Network of Friends -  Areavoices, through it’s WordPress software. enables you to manage and build an audience and help that audience connect with each other! For example, let’s say you write a blog on cooking. Your readers can find other readers interested in cooking. They can share stories and track other similar blogs on topics they might like (cooking, wines, baking, etc). By being connected, they get more information and are able to keep up to date with the latest topics in their areas of interest. You’ll also be able to share private messages with your readers. You can also send messages to multiple readers and come up with a detailed profile of yourself tailored to suit your audience.

That’s the just the beginning! 

Coming soon on Areavoices #101 – I know I want to blog. Now WHAT do I write about?????

AreaVoices 101 – Why Blog?

Posted on by

So you can’t decide whether you should start a blog? What’s it all about? Is it worth my time and effort? Only you can answer that questions. But millions of people around the world call themselve bloggers and the number is growing every year. In fact, I’d love to give you the exact number of people around the world who have blogged at least once. But analysts say that number is virtually impossible to track. People start blogs everyday. Some are very active. Some blog once and then forget about it. If you’re on the fence about blogging,  The Area Voices Community wants to help you out. Here are 5 quick reasons you might want to start a blog.

  1. It Gets Your Voice Heard  – Some people are frustrated with the media. Others simply feel the media doesn’t cover what they care about. Either way, blogging could be the answer. Traditional media (TV, radio, newspaper) are going through some tough times. Thousands of journalists have lost their jobs in recent poor economic times. The news is getting covered, but with fewer reporters, photographers and editors the number of stories may not be where it once was. Enter the community blogger. Bloggers are everyday people who have something to say about a topic. Many are not journalists, but they have information they wish to share. Alongside traditional media they are a powerful ally in information sharing and delivery.
  2. You Get to Share Your Passion – Let’s face it. Some traditional news content is a little dry. It’s the who, what, where, when, why and how. Just the facts ma’am. Bloggers have passion about their topics. Most don’t make a penny from their posts. Their payback is sharing a passion about something they love, whether it’s fishing, cooking or square dancing.  When people write about something they love it’s usually pretty fun reading. Their passion comes through every word on the post.
  3. You Get to Build an Online Community – Take the aforementioned square dancing blog. Pete and Polly have loved square dancing for 30 years. Polly starts a do-see-doe blog. Readers find her. They leave comments. Soon they’re sharing information about square dancing. These are people from Pete and Polly’s own backyard or they might be square dancing enthusiasts from Croatia. How else would Pete and Polly have connected with these people. Do they square dance in Croatia?
  4. Blogs are built for search engines. Millions of people search for millions of things everyday. Search engines LOVE fresh content and your blog might just get top billing. Just make sure you’re putting in the right keywords and tags and people will find your blog. If you write a blog about your travels across Minnesota and you make a post about the North Shore, somebody from across the world searching for a North Shore vacation can access your material. And not only that, but years from now, your memories of your travels to the North Shore will be documented, organized and easy to find.
  5. And finally, as one of my co-workers said, “It’s just fun!”  She is a smart and talented working woman, but she has a passion for knitting. With her knitting blog she’s able to get away from her routine and have a little fun writing about something she loves.

Why not give it a shot?

You can get more information about starting a blog at www.areavoices.com.

Next on AreaVoices 101 – Why blog on AreaVoices?

Coming soon on The Area Voices Community: AreaVoices 101

Posted on by

Thanks to all of you who’ve sent me emails asking more about what it takes to set up a blog. I’ve heard some great ideas from you everything from baking to bird watching.

I’ve also gotten a lot of questions:

What should I blog about?

How long do they need to be?

How frequently should I post?

What’s so cool about blogging is the power is all with you. You get to decide the topic, the length and how frequently you post. And Area Voices and Word Press is making it extra easy to sign on and get started.

Starting tomorrow I’ll be zeroing in on the many questions surrounding blogging. Why should I blog? How do I decide what to blog about? What is the etiquette of blogging. Those topics and more will be addressed in this blog under the category “AreaVoices 101.”

Get ready for class. Tomorrow: Why Blog?