Make Use of Online Directories!

Just like any business entity- your continued success depends on your ability to get more people to know about you and your products, services, activities and ideas. It’s no different for your online assets- a steady stream of new traffic can only be good for you.

This is where internet marketing comes in- there are a lot of things you can do to drive traffic into your sites. You can do advertising- which makes for good results, but can be rather cost-prohibitive (whether you go print, radio or online), particularly if you’re still starting up, or if your promotional budget isn’t enough to support it at the moment.

Still, there are more cost-effective ways to get clients to find you and your website. Personally, I’m trying to find all these online directories to list my blogs in- and one site that looks promising is the Asian Business Directory. There are a whole lot of categories- covering pretty much a wide spectrum of possible businesses, and probably a lot more later on as more people sign up for its service.

Nevertheless, it makes good sense to sign up as early as now- get first-mover advantage, and all that. Take a look, for example, under ‘Blogging’- there are only a few entries under that category- about 15 blogs- when there are thousands of bloggers in the Philippines alone that could make use of a little more online publicity.

Remember that directory listings greatly help not only in generating traffic for your website (or blog), but it also helps boost your Google PageRank and your discoverability. And that can only be a good thing- particularly if you’re more into optimizing your site and monetizing it.

Cheers, everyone!

Preparation + Opportunity = Success

The following post originally came out in one of my other blogs, “Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!”. Check out the rest of that blog for more insights on the world of blogs and blogging. Particularly useful for you who are just starting to blog, and those wanting to build better blogs. Enjoy!

I remembered it hit me in the face when I saw it on an E! True Hollywood Story or something. It was a story about Keenen Ivory Wayans. You may know him as a successful and talented actor, comedian, director and producer- but for me, I will forever associate him with one of my most favorite sketch comedy shows of all time, “In Living Color”.

Shout-out to my sister for getting me Season 1 on DVD, by the way. Great stuff.

Now from what I remember (I could be wrong, so bear with me), Keenen had always wanted to be a cast-member of Saturday Night Live- which has always been the benchmark for TV sketch comedy, even to this day. For some reason, he never made it into the show- but it didn’t keep him from honing his craft, working on writing and directing and producing.

It wasn’t long until he got noticed- this time, a TV network (FOX) presented him with the opportunity to have his own sketch comedy show- which we now know as “In Living Color”, and which I think at the time was positioned against Saturday Night Live.

The show was groundbreaking. We know it now as the show that helped jumpstart the careers of Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey (back then credited as James Carrey), David Alan Grier, Jennifer Lopez (she was a Fly Girl!), and Jamie Fox. “In Living Color” went on for five seasons, until 1994- which was still a very respectable run for any TV series.

Brothers Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans all had fairly impressive movie careers already going on at the time the E! True Hollywood Story was done. I remember them crediting big brother Keenen for drilling into their heads this simple, but very important equation:

Preparation + Opportunity = Success.

And it has been a source of inspiration for me ever since. The story was something I’ve shared with people I’ve worked with- not just at the radio stations or the contact centers I’ve seen action in, but also with clients and friends.

It teaches us that success depends on two things: One- the amount of effort you put in to honing your craft, making yourself more marketable, essentially building yourself up. And Two- getting yourself into a position that opens doors for you, and grabbing the chance to showcase your skills when the opportunity presents itself. You need both to achieve success.

And yes, I believe in that.

It’s no different for blogging. Building up your blog is the ‘Preparation’ part of the the equation. It gives you a chance to develop your writing skills, to get into the habit of churning out good content, and get completely immersed in the blogging lifestyle.

The ‘Opportunity’ part comes in when you start marketing your blog. You allow more people to check out your work, and you also put yourself in situations where you can get noticed by the people you want. You’ll never know what you can find out there: making new online friends, getting offered to write for a blog network, getting invited to blogger events, being asked to talk about your blogging experiences at a workshop- the possibilities are endless.

In fact, blogging presents a lot of opportunities for anyone who’s serious enough with it. Check out this posting for jobs for bloggers just for this month. And the way things are going, there’s a rising demand for good, quality content- a need that can be filled if writing is your game.

So do you think you’re ready? If so, then good for you- get yourself out in the spotlight and show us what you got. If not, well then keep building yourself up- and hope that, next time the opportunity presents itself- you’ll be ready this time.

Building Your Online Authority Through Your Blogs.

The following post originally came out in one of my other blogs, “Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!”. Check out the rest of that blog for more insights on the world of blogs and blogging. Particularly useful for you who are just starting to blog, and those wanting to build better blogs. Enjoy!

Even as I write this blog on blogging, I know I’m hardly an authority on the topic, knowing that there are so many others who have come before me- bloggers, and various other blogs about building a better blog.

The beauty of blogging, however, is that everything you write about is all about you and your experiences. Who knows? Maybe in a few years, I might actually just turn out to be a blogging guru of sorts. Or some authority figure in some other way.

In fact, when blogging, you should never be afraid of what people think, or if what you write about is right or wrong. Of course we all try to get our facts straight as much as possible, but beyond that, it’s the whole “human” side of blogging that makes it so appealing. It doesn’t get any more personal than that.

Authority is something given to you by your readers. I’ve known some not-so-heavy hitters literally become online superstars, and conversely, some real-life bigshots who are virtually unknown by the denizens of the blogosphere. You can be a complete unknown in a certain field- but as long as you’re honest about what you post, and write from your experiences and opinions, and get people to read about you- it’s really all you need.

For example- I’m not exactly a food critic by profession- I don’t have a magazine column or a lifestyle section with my name on it on a newspaper. But I do have a genuine love for food (hence the girth), an appreciation for quaint, cozy hangouts, and I’m sure there are people out there who either would:

• a) like to read about food and quaint, cozy hangouts or
• b) like to share their thoughts about their own experiences on food and quaint, cozy hangouts.

In any case, it’s a very viable target market. I don’t have to be an authority figure just yet, but eventually, as I fill up my blog with more reviews on food, and stories of other cozy places, and links to other good reads, then perhaps more people will come read what I have going on, and keep coming back for more.

When that time comes, when people actually keep coming back to your blog to read about what you think about things, and when they bother to leave a comment, or interact with you in some way, then in a way, they have given their vote to you. They have given you some authority by simply patronizing your site.

So what’s the plan? If I want to be recognized as a food critic, or at least one who recommends good food and quaint, cozy spots- then I’d better get down to writing about things along those lines.

Which is exactly what I’m doing now, as I’m taking bites out of this huge meatball sandwich I’m enjoying right now at this lovely little Italian deli/pizzeria called Fratelli’s. My review of the place actually comes up in a separate blog entry elsewhere.

Keep blogging now, and authority comes later from your readers and regulars. Regardless of your stature in the real world, your online authority depends on the amount of work you put into your blog.

Personally, I’d tell you to build up both. Both online and offline authority. It’s a great exercise in building and marketing the brand that is you.

Trinoma, Yehey.com and The Hundred Hungry Bloggers.

The following post originally came out in one of my other blogs, “Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!”. Check out the rest of that blog for more insights on the world of blogs and blogging. Particularly useful for you who are just starting to blog, and those wanting to build better blogs. Enjoy!

Renzie’s Note: The TriNoma Bloggers’ Food Tour finally pushed through on 09 January 2008. One-hundred fifty bloggers were invited- and with an invitation to eat the best TriNoma has to offer + win some prizes- how could you say ‘no’ to that, huh?

Read up on my blow-by-blow coverage starting here. You can also check out Food Tour pics here on my Multiply, and read another of my write-ups here.

Cheers!
——————————-

The Trinoma Food Tour kicks off in a couple of days, and already the local blogosphere is abuzz with promises of real-life networking coupled with feats of rampant and wanton gluttony.

OK, so maybe I’m exaggerating.

But Yehey.com did make the announcement last week, and one hundred brave bloggers answered the call- already licking their chops, readying their gear and doing some preliminary networking with the others.

The destination: TriNoma- that swank new mall at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue. To be completely honest, I’ve never been there myself, and I suppose this Food Tour would be the perfect opportunity for me to check it out.

Are You On The List?

The Food Tour happens on Thursday, 13 December, at 2-ish in the afternoon. As you would probably expect, the invitations were snapped up like hotcakes, as bloggers were required to register beforehand with Yehey.com.

Special thanks to Ms. Noemi for giving me an early heads-up- I think I was the 45th person to have made it on the list. If for some reason you’ve submitted your details to Yehey, but haven’t been contacted yet, it’s probably worth your while to check if you’re on it. Have a quick look the list The Hundred Hungry Bloggers here, or maybe you can give Yehey! a quick call, just to make sure.

I’ve actually been in touch with a few who have submitted their details but haven’t received their confirmation emails yet. But that was a few days ago, and I’m sure Yehey has been able to straighten things out by now.

What’s The Plan, Stan?

Quite an ambitious feat, I would imagine, for Yehey to keep the bloggers organized for the duration of the event. Check out Trinoma’s participating restos here.

All bloggers have to register when they get to TriNoma on Thursday. They will then be grouped into five “expedition parties”; each group (of 20 bloggers) being marshalled by a Yehey! rep, and then led to one of five food areas to check out.

Each group has 30 minutes to sample as much as they can from the food merchants in the designated area before moving on to the next area. Eventually, all groups will have tried out all the food ‘zones’, and be totally stuffed out of their mind.

Dude, that’s two-and-a-half hours worth of eating. You move to a merchant, eat some, then move to another, and eat again, and keep on doing that for 150 minutes.

The event will be capped off by cocktails, a raffle, and swag bags for everyone.

Things To Do at the TriNoma Food Tour.

Just a little heads up for all those attending- more than being just a massive food treat from the good guys of TriNoma and Yehey, the Food Tour is a great time to do some real-life networking, not just with fellow bloggers, but also with potential clients from the food merchants.

Take lots of pictures, and take down a lot of notes, maybe even blogging on the fly. There’s sure to be whole bunch of things to write about.

If you feel like doing a little homework, get to know some of your fellow bloggers beforehand- especially you share common interests with. Trade contact details, swap stories, and exchange those very valuable links to each others’ sites!

That being said, I will see all you other ninety-nine chicks and dudes at the Food Tour. Let’s eat, drink, be merry and blog all about it!

Cheers!

Tips For Bloggers.

The following post originally came out in one of my other blogs,