Tag Archives: blogging 101

Tag:You’re it!

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Here’s a little Areavoices 101 on getting your blog seen.

Tag: you’re it.

Tag words are those keywords that you put at the end of your blog post which summarize what your blog post was about. And to gain greater exposure for your blog, you need to use them effectively and appropriately.

Appropriate tagging  does a couple of very important things:

1) If you’re a featured blogger, it helps get more coverage for your blog on our newspaper webpages. For example, if you write a food blog you’ll want to use the tag word “Food” to make sure that your post is seen on the homepage as well as in the food section of the life page.

2) Tag words also ensure your blog can be found by search engines. In other words, you’ll be more likely to pop up prominently on Google.

For example, say one a blogger writes about her family’s recent trip to Disney World. She might tag that post “family” and “travel.” If she writes about great food she ate in The Magic Kingdom or how she did Disney on a dime, she might consider “Money.” Think broadly!

The best piece of advice I have about tag words is to always look through the bar at the top of the newspaper website you’re most interested in being seen in. You’ll see the sections of that paper broken down in sections and subsections. Many of those sections list the areavoices blogs. Those sections tend to hold onto their blog posts longer than the homepage.  

It’s one more way to get your blog post the exposure you want.

Areavoices Digest #12 – Dec 8, 2010 – Great Blogs for the Holidays!

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Maybe I’m  all about the Christmas spirit today or maybe I just can’t get last night’s Glee Christmas special out of my mind. Whatever the case, this week’s recommended blogs have that holiday feel.

First a couple of fantastic food blogs:

 
GOT SOUP? http://gotsoup.areavoices.com. Sara Watson and her husband Eric are the chefs and owners of Mosaic Foods Catering www.mosaicfoods.net and also co-owners of Maxwells Restaurant in West Fargo www.maxwellsnd.com.  Sara will be the primary writer. She is bubbly and fun and full of personality. Their food is amazing! They used to be guests on my radio show and I think I learned something new everytime they came on. Sara says, “ I feel like I dedicate much of my life to food; whether it be cooking, creating recipes, talking about of food, reading about food, teaching our children how to cook and eat healthy etc…. I’m looking foward to sharing knowledge I come across and hope others who are as passionate about food as I am will also share their knowledge with me.”  
 
ARLENE COCO’S PRAIRIE KITCHEN – http://arlenecocoprairiekitchen.areavoices.com  Arlene Coco runs a food segment on WDIO-TV in Duluth. She hunts for local culinary stars and treasures. She says her writings follow the seasons so look for recipes and information about local food events, chefs and all things food related in the north land. She says, “ I will also share my culinary travels with you as I am a frequent visitor to Australia and recently to Southeast Asia.” I really liked the look of Arlene’s blog and I think it relates to all of us.
 
But Christmas isn’t just about the great food, it’s about shopping and our next blog will help you keep your budget in check.
 
REAL MONEY – http://realmoney.areavoices.com – Financial counselors from The Village Family Service Center offer tips on how to save money, how to get out of debt and set up budgets. Their last post was about the 5 things you should know before heading to the mall for Christmas shopping. It’s a practical money blog where people can get valuable information.
 
GOOD PEOPLE GOOD BUSINESS – http://goodpeoplegoodbusiness.areavoices.com   Darrin D. Tonsfeldt is the director of in-office and organizational service at The Village Family Service Center. He is the lead blogger for Good People Good Business. Darrin will write about human resources including how to have a healthier work environment for your employees.
 
HEALTHY TIDBITS – http://peggysue.areavoices.com Peggy Anderson is a breast cancer survivor and retired Duluth school teacher who talks about community events and other health-related issues. I think it’s worth a look if you’re a Minnesota property.
 

AREAVOICES DIGEST #8 – NOV 10, 2010

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it’s been an exciting week here on areavoices. Not only did we host our first ever “areavoices walkthrough” yesterday, but we’re welcoming some new individuals and organizations to the platform. Check them out:
 
MS SIMPLICITY – http://mssimplicty.areavoices.com – Melissa Schmalenberger is a lawyer by trade, but a few years ago she startled dabbling in home organizing and soon found it taking off. Melissa has her own website and has been very active blogging on it. She’s also very active on Facebook and has built a national following. I’m really excited to get her own board. She frequently writes about easy meals to make for busy families, or things such as how to handle all of those papers your kids bring home from school. Great practical advice. She told me this morning, she’s hoping to run a list of Christmas organizing tips in the coming weeks. 

 
EAST METRO WATER – TIPS AND TALES FOR KEEPING WATER CLEAN – http://eastmetrowater.areavoices.com. This blog is written by The East Metro Water Resource Education Program. It’s a partnership formed to improve local surface and groundwater resources through education and outreach about non-point source water pollution. While it’s most relevant to communities such as Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Lake Elmo, Forest Lake, Stillwater, etc from what I’ve read there is environmental information that would appeal to anyone interested in environmental issues.
 
FILL THE DOME 2010 -  http://fillthedome.areavoices.com – For the past few years,  K-12 students in Fargo-Moorhead and some outlying communities hold a massive food drive to fill the Fargodome with food. It’s been a huge success and they’re doing it again on Nov 22-23rd. They were blogging on their website, but we got them to start on areavoices to get more exposure for this wonderful project. 

Speaking of schools….two more schools are on board with us:
 
JAMESTOWN COLLEGE NEWS – http://jamestowncollegenews.areavoices.com  – Jamestown College has now started its official school blog to share the latest news from campus. 

 
DAKOTA WESLEYAN NEWS – http://dakotawesleyan.areavoices.com – Dakota Wesleyan out of Mitchell, SD has also started an official school blog to share the latest news from its campus. This blog is really well done. It’s has a nice look to it. Great photos and good information. It’s a nice example of how a college can utilize a blog to share its message.

Areavoices Walkthrough #1 – A Success

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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!

A reminder about tomorrow…

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I wanted to remind areavoices bloggers about our webinar tomorrow afternoon between noon and 1pm. It’s the first AREAVOICES WALKTHROUGH. We’re hoping to bring new (and maybe a few more experienced) bloggers together to talk about their blogs and ask questions about how to improve their blog posts.

I’ll be there answering questions and so will tech experts Zac Echola and Lindsey Guajardo. If you’d like to register for the webinar just shoot me an email and I’ll give you details.

Announcing the Areavoices Walkthrough!

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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 #7 – Nov 3, 2010

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Here is my weekly look at what’s news on areavoices. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. Word is definitely spreading about areavoices as a great place to share information. Check out some of our new bloggers!
 
TRAVELING TOD – http://travelingtod.areavoices.com  I’m really excited about this one. Tod Ganje is a travel agent for Travel Leaders in Moorhead. He had a weekly radio segment for 2 years on WDAY-AM. His blog will now replace that segment. Tod is a great resource for everything travel.  His blogs will include: advice on off beat or popular destinations or great deals on airfare, etc. He’s also open to answering questions. 

 
TO BE WELL – http://tobewell.areavoices.com  -
Connie Morrison is a general surgeon at Avera Worthington Specialty Clinic in Worthington.
I really like Connie’s blog about health issues. She writes about everything from walking away the common cold to telling us more about a Lance Armstrong live strong banquet. She also addresses timely topics such as the recent rash of concussions in the NFL.

UND NEWS – http://undnews.areavoices.com – This is a big one. UND has now joined NDSU and MSUM in starting an official university blog. I’ve already heard from UND alumni who are happyt to have this blog going so they can keep up with their alma mater. 

 
NDSU EXTENSION  – http://ndsuextension.areavoices.com  – This is a fairly new blog written by contributors accustomed to sharing valuable, useful information. The most recent post features a discussion on whether beef source and age verification is worth the effort. Scroll down and you’ll see a brussel sprout recipe. This is going to be a nice resource for information and gardening, cooking, food, health and so much more. 

 
NDSU FINE ARTS  – http://ndsufinearts.areavoices.com – The blogger describes his blog this way: “This is a space where you can learn about our events, departments, faculty, students, guests artists and so much more.  We hope you’ll enjoy this blog, a space in which you may love what you see or question what people call “art.”  Because if art doesn’t make you occasionally question reality and broaden your mind, what is the point?”
 
And finally, Moorhead Public Schools have started an official school blog. Fargo started a few weeks ago.  West Fargo Schools should be up and running soon as well. If you are a teacher or school adminstrator and want to learn more about school blogging, just leave a comment on this blog or email me at tracy.briggs@fccinteractive.areavoices.com.

Areavoices 101 – More FAQ’s

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(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 101 – What should I write about?

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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?

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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?

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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

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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?