50+ Free Directories For Your Blog | The Monday Marketing Tip

a listing of directories for your link-building efforts, with Renzie Baluyut.

Link-building is a handy skill for marketing professionals, online entrepreneurs, small business owners and web administrators- it's great for making your site more search-engine-friendly, it also helps build your credibility and authority, and hopefully, all this improved traffic into your site translates into increased participation, inquiries, leads or even sales.

Link-building is a part of search engine optimization (SEO)- the science and art of getting your blog or website to the top of the search engine results pages (or at least as high as you can), which works on the premise that those listed at the top of search engine results pages (or SERPs) actually get more incoming traffic, and therefore, improved business.

We'll definitely get into the intricacies of link-building strategy in a later post. For now, you have to remember that part of your blog SEO strategy is to get as many incoming links into your blog as you possibly can.

For your convenience, Martin Preece and the good people over at WebSEODesign have compiled a number of free directories for you to visit, so you can register your blog or website. Martin's got some very useful notes about each of these sites, so go right ahead and check those out.

Here we go, 50+ free directories for your link-building efforts:

1. AllTheWebsites Directory | http://allthewebsites.org
2. R-TT Directory | http://directory.r-tt.com
3. Exactseek.com | http://www.exactseek.com
4. Directory World | http://www.directoryworld.net/
5. Wiki Directory of the Web | http://www.wikidweb.com/

6. Jayde B2B Search Engine | http://www.jayde.com/
7. CANLinks | http://www.canlinks.net/
8. All Free Things | http://allfreethings.com/
9. Geeks on Steroids.com | http://www.geeksonsteroids.com/directory/
10. IllumiRate.com | http://www.illumirate.com/

11. InfoListings | http://www.info-listings.com/
12. Iozoo Web Directory | http://www.iozoo.com/
13. Consultant Directory | http://www.consultant-directory.com/
14. Find Hound Directory | http://www.findhound.com/
15. A Free Directory | http://www.a-free-directory.info/

16. SoMuch.com | http://www.somuch.com/
17. Open Directory Project | http://dmoz.org/
18. All Links Directory | http://www.all-linksite.com/
19. LDMStudio.com | http://www.directory.ldmstudio.com/
20. Joe Ant | http://www.joeant.com/

21. Tsection Web Directory | http://www.tsection.com/
22. Directory Link | http://www.directory-link.info/
23. UK Directory - Business Listings | http://www.uk-web-index.co.uk/
24. Weblog Directory | http://www.yourwebloghere.com/
25. Hedir Web Directory | http://www.hedir.com/

26. Megri Web Directory | http://www.megri.com/
27. Feed Pub | http://www.feedpub.com/
28. RSS Mob | http://www.rssmob.com/
29. Fabaroo Directory | http://fabaroo.com/
30. Add URL-Free.com | http://www.addurl-free.com/

31. Quicksilver | http://www.quick-silver.org/
32. Beginner's World | http://www.beginnersworld.com/
33. Software Pointers Directory | http://www.software-pointers.com/
34. Apexoo Directory | http://www.apexoo.com/directory/
35. High Class Blogs | http://www.highclassblogs.com/

36. Webmaster Resources | http://www.webmasterlead.com/
37. Directory Delux | http://www.directorydelux.com/
38. Bulletize | http://www.bulletize.com/
39. RealState 4 Real Estate | http://www.realstate.ws/
40. Add Your Site Free | http://www.addyoursitefreesubmit.com/

41. gDotz | http://www.gdotz.com/
42. SgtSearch.com | http://www.sgtsearch.com/
43. Level10s Internet Sites | http://www.l10s.com/
44. Search Sight | http://searchsight.com/Directory.htm
45. BYS.NET-Internet Directory | http://www.bys.net/

46. DirectoryRecreation.com | http://www.directoryrecreation.com/ --> also gets listed in...
47. ...Shopping5.com | http://www.shopping5.com/
48. ...LookDirectory.com | http://www.lookdirectory.com/
49, ...FunRecreation.com | http://www.funrecreation.com/
50. ...DirectoryB2B.com | http://www.directoryb2b.com/

51. BusinessSeek.biz Business Directory | http://www.businessseek.biz/
52. Directory On | http://www.directoryon.info/
53. Business Web Directory.biz | http://www.businesswebdirectory.biz/
54. Site Pro News Webmaster Resource Sites | http://www.sitepronews.com/wresources.html
55. buzznick Web Directory | http://www.buzznick.com/

56. Global Weblinks Directory | http://www.global-weblinks.com/
57. Gamsis Human Edited Web Directory | http://www.gamsis.com/
58. Add Your URL Directory | http://www.addyoururl.org/
59. Lonely Way Directory | http://directory.lonelyway.com/
60. www.treatment-centers.net | http://www.treatment-centers.net/links/index.html

61. List 'n Click.me | http://www.listnclick.me/
62. NicheLister | http://www.nichelister.com/

Much thanks again to Martin Preece's team over at WebSEODesign.com. In addition to the listing of free directories, they also have lots of great stuff for all things SEO.

Incidentally, there's also this webinar that I'm attending, a certificate course on link-building organized by ProFora Media. Should be fun. You guys might want to check it out as well.

Cheers, everyone!

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Wanna Get Into Internet Marketing? Start a Blog!

yet more reasons to get into blogs and blogging, with Renzie Baluyut.

In a video entitled "Social Media Revolution", which I have shared not too long ago, on a previous blog post, we see that there are over 200 million blogs all over the world right now- and those numbers are growing.

Still a couple more hard-to-ignore facts: 54% of bloggers post content or tweet daily, and 34% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands.

I wonder if marketing professionals realize what kind of word-of-mouth and buzz all this activity potentially generates. Here's another fact: more than 1.8 million pieces of content- web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.- are shared on Facebook every single day.

Wouldn't it be great if people talked about you or your company as well?

Social media has indeed changed the way we saw things as marketing professionals. We have to engage our market in a conversation, learn to listen to them and draw out what we can from their experiences with our respective brands.

If you're new to internet marketing, or just about making that shift from traditional marketing to e-commerce and new media, then you're best off starting your new marketing efforts by creating a blog.

This is what Aaron Wall- leading authority in search engine optimization (SEO), blogger, author and international speaker -recommends. In fact, he had even gone as far as giving us seven reasons why new internet marketers should start a blog now.

1. Blogs are easy to set up and update. There are so many free and easy-to-use services available to anyone on the internet now. Plus you're in control of the content, so you can put in new content anytime you want, as often as you want. Pretty much, you're your own author, editor, publisher and marketer, all in one.

2. Blogs have many feedback mechanisms. You know right away if what you're doing is spot on, or if it needs improvement. Because anyone can comment on any of your posts, or jump in on any ongoing discussion, you have a legitimate means to get feedback from your audience.

Knowing is definitely half the battle. All you have to do now is put all that feedback into good use. Remember, listen first. Then sell.

3. Blogs are easy to track and monitor. Thanks to RSS, you can easily keep tabs of other blogs and bloggers just like yourself. All you have to do is subscribe to other blogs that are relevant to you, and use an aggregator like Google Reader or Pageflakes. Even this blog works as an aggregator for all my favorite internet marketing/productivity-related blogs.

Similarly, it's easy to keep track of the activity on your own blog. There are so many available analytics tools online that can give you an idea of your blog's activity over time, where readers are coming from, and how they find their way to your blog.

4. It's easy to join the conversation on blogs. Because there are so many blogs around the world, and because you can know right away which blogs talk about the same things you talk about, joining in on a conversation online has never been easier.

There's definitely a whole community of bloggers out there, and even smaller niche communities for more specialized topics. There's definitely an appeal to all this- you know you're talking to other human beings- other regular people, not corporations or companies- that share the same interests and passions as your own.

5. There's many different ways for ideas to spread. Blogs are all about shareability and discoverability. If you create compelling enough content- readers will definitely pass your message on.

Remember, as you build your authority through your blogs, you will get more readers who trust you, or who feel like they have a connection with you and what you write about. Blogs make it easy for people who like you to share the stuff you post online.

Because of social sites like Facebook, MySpace and Multiply, microblogging services like Twitter and Plurk, and social bookmarking sites like Digg, Technorati and StumbleUpon, and because everyone spends so much time on all these sites, you can count on them passing on links, videos, blog posts, pics, etc. to all their other friends and associates.

6. Blogs have many signs of social proof and value. According to the good people over at Copyblogger,

From a marketing standpoint, social proof is the basis of both buzz and large sales figures. Without it, there’d be no “grapevine” in the first place. It’s also why testimonials are so essential in direct marketing.

Social proof is ultimately the most powerful force involved in growing a successful business blog that helps you sell products or services. The quality of your content is still the most important element, but other subtle influences may well dictate whether you turn a new visitor into a subscription or bookmark.

7. Reading blogs don't feel like you're reading an ad. Again, we go back to the importance of trust. At a time when the mass media landscape- and even the online environment on the internet- is actually getting more and more commercial, readers are always on the lookout for sources they can trust.

For businesses and organizations, word-of-mouth is a force to be reckoned with more than ever: 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations. And only 14% trust advertisements.

With all this going on, the question for traditional marketers is: why aren't you blogging now?

If you'd really want to get into blogging, and know more about setting up your own blog right away for marketing purposes, you can check out this webinar, an online workshop on blogging set up by ProFora Media right here.

Check out more of Aaron Wall here on his very own channel on YouTube. You'll find lots more stuff on blogging and search engine optimization, as well as links to his blogs and other associated sites.

Cheers everyone!

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Social Media Explosion

some hard facts on social media usage, with Renzie Baluyut.

Do you still think social media is a fad?

They're already calling it a revolution-- the social media revolution. Quite possibly the biggest socio-economic shift since the Industrial Revolution.

I've been a traditional marketer for the better part of my radio career. While I've started blogging and getting into Facebook and Twitter some two-and-a-half years ago, I've only realized the value of social media for small business owners, entrepreneurs and internet professionals several months into immersing myself in the whole media scene.

I hope to post some compelling facts about new media usage in the Philippines in the near future. In the meantime, you may want to watch this video from TeacherTube.com.

This particular video was posted about a month ago (09 Sept 2009).

The video was made to some tuneage from Fatboy Slim. "Right Here, Right Now" was released in 1999, from Fatboy Slim's second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby.

A similar post appears on my other blog, The Life and Times of The Renzie Man | A Blog on an Independent, Proactive and Stress-Free Lifestyle.

Cheers, everyone.

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Celebrating One Internet Day 2009

advocating the internet as a means of empowerment, with Renzie Baluyut.

It's called One Internet Day, a day to celebrate the power of the Internet to bring people together. It's about connectivity, empowerment, and synergy. One Internet Day encourages us to step back a bit to appreciate all the things we can now do online- whether for business, learning, discovering and sharing, or for recreation.

Janette Toral of Digital Filipino first came up with the idea in 2000, reaching out to around 300 people in Manila, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City to celebrate One Internet Day by providing updates on the development of e-commerce in the Philippines.

One Internet Day 2009: Empowering Filipinos Globally with the Internet

Incidentally, Digital Filipino celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and once again, Filipinos are encouraged to continue the legacy of One Internet Day 2009. According to Janette of Digital Filipino:

To celebrate that milestone, I—in partnership with ProFora Media—will conduct a series of free webinars that will cover the state of e-commerce in the Philippines, website best practices, Internet as a research medium for children, software process improvement and making money from blogging, among other topics.

From the ProFora Media website:

The webinars for the day feature an interesting selection of topics: e-commerce, outsourcing, internet marketing, training, even video production, web development and blogging. The series is a must-attend for entrepreneurs, professionals and business-folk, as well as for new media enthusiasts, students, and members of the academe.

If you'd like to show your support for One Internet Day 2009, it would be appreciated if you could help spread the word and encourage folks to check out the webinars lined up for September 17. In fact, with the availability, convenience and cost-effectiveness of webinars, more speakers have been encouraged to share their expertise and connect with an online audience.

Also, it can be expected every year hereon and we will call on more individuals to share their knowledge online during this day.

Here are the webinars lined up for One Internet Day 2009:

• “Introduction to Software Process Improvement” by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino PH-SPIN | 9:00am to 10:00am, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “State of E-Commerce in the Philippines” by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino | 11:00am to 12:00nn, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Website Development Best Practices: A Briefing on the 3rd Digital Filipino Web Awards (2009)” by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino | 2:00pm to 3:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Managing Training Effectively and True ROI” by Karthik Subburaman, Country Manager of The ECC International | 3:00pm to 4:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Internet as a Research Medium For Children in Elementary and High School: A Briefing on the Philippine Schools Cyberfair 2010″ by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino | 4:00pm to 5:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Outsourcing in the Philippines” by Gio Carino of Prodigy AE | 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Video Editing For Profit” by Mary Tolentino of Client First | 6:00pm to 7:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Blogging For Money: How To Make Money Writing Reviews and News Articles” by Janette Toral of Blog4Reviews | 7:00pm to 8:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
  

About The One Internet Day 2009 Webinar Series:

Attending the Digital Filipino One Internet Day webinars are easy and convenient- anyone with a decent PC or laptop can register online, and then plug in from anywhere with a stable internet connection, and join the sessions from the comfort of home, office, or even at a coffee shop or a wi-fi-enabled resort.

You may want to check out the One Internet Day 2009 event page on Facebook right here, so you can reserve your slot for the webinar series on Sept.17.

For details and registration, you might want to check out the official websites of Digital Filipino and ProFora Media.

Cheers, everyone.

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A Message To Those In Traditional Media: Evolve Or Die

lessons in marketing and media, with Renzie Baluyut.

a former colleague of mine in the FM radio industry in Metro Manila shared this video he found on YouTube (thanks Vince!). It's a video by Holland Cooke, and it serves as a wake-up call to anyone who's worked in radio.

I suppose I was fortunate to have left the radio industry early enough to make a transition elsewhere. The Philippine radio industry has been in decline for quite some time now (let's not mince words here), and for many reasons. Sure a few stations are still able to turn out a profit, but the vast majority have been performing poorly for years.

And it just isn't radio. Print media has also been hard hit (do you remember the last time you actually bought a newspaper or magazine?). TV is even more cutthroat than ever. Heck, people hardly even use their TV anymore for the purpose of JUST watching TV (think downloaded content, DVDs, live streaming, DVRs, XBox, etc).

The Situation, For Real.

Times have changed. More than ever, advertising budgets are going towards internet spending. Everyone has the latest in portable music players, or at least wants to get that shiny new iPhone. Social media usage is off-the-charts. The shift has gone from radio-controlled content, to content users decide to put together.

And let's talk about user-generated content more a bit: with so many resources and tools readily available online, anyone with a little imagination and a great desire to share can have a podcast, a blog, or a video channel, and all kinds of people from all over the world can have access to it.

Anyone can be a DJ, announcer or commentator, from anywhere, anytime. Now that's on-demand, user-generated content for you.

The business of traditional media is in the toilet right now. Of course, traditional media companies will streamline, and some will even embrace the whole new media approach, but things will definitely get worse before they get better.

So when Holland Cooke says "Prepare to get fired."? He's actually right.

The Good News Is...

If any user anywhere has the power to get in on blogging, podcasting or viral video production, then that means you, as a media professional, can get into it as well.

In fact, while others are struggling to put out a piece of work online, you already have the skillsets to come up with something so much better. After all, you are a professional.

• Radio folk are not only great at public speaking, they can also write for an audience, and put digital editing skills to use as well. This can easily translate into podcasts, or blogs filled with lots of interesting content.
• Newspaper and magazine folk are even better at coming up with all kinds of stories and articles, and usually have access to information or personalities regular people can't get to. This definitely makes for even better content.
• TV folk look great in front of a camera, or can at least handle a camera so much better than most people. Add to that great storyboarding and editing, and you can easily make top-notch videos than anyone else can.
  

If you want a tip from me, I'd say look for opportunities to synergize and collaborate with others. You're probably kickass all by yourself, but think of how much more ass you'll all be kicking if you work together?

In Closing...

This is a new and exciting time, particularly for us traditional media folk. Holland Cooke has already pointed out how radio people can carve out a niche for themselves in this brave new world of new media and Web 2.0. And this pretty much applies to all our other colleagues in print and TV.

Take time to look for opportunites to learn and collaborate. Holland has even gone so far as to recommend some books to read, even gear you can plug into your PC/laptop to get you started.

All you have to do, really, is take a more active role in your evolution as a media professional.

On a personal note, consider this as an invitation to all of you, my colleagues in radio, print and TV. If for some reason you need my help or advice in anything related to blogging, podcasting, social media or internet marketing, I'll make myself readily available. If I can't help you, at least I'm sure I know people who can.

So are you ready to evolve for your own good?

Cheers, everyone!

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5 Tips on Making an Event for Bloggers

As more and more businesses make use of buzz marketing to promote their products and services and try to get good word-of-mouth, we get to see all kinds of gimmicks and come-ons.

Some fail dismally in this task- as more educated consumers see right through the more obvious efforts to put pearls on swine. Others cross the ethical borderline, striving to gain positive exposure no matter the cost. And then there are some companies you just can't help but support, solely for the reason that their corporate values naturally align with your own.

Having been a media person for 14 years, and now as a denizen of the local blogosphere, I can say that I've seen all kinds of companies employ all kinds of marketing tactics to get a good review or two out there. Some good, some completely forgettable, and some just downright wrong.

Of course, if your company chooses to make use of new media- blogs, podcasts, social networks, viral videos, etc- as a means to promote your latest line of products and services, you want to be remembered the right way.

I was in a bloggers' event last week, and it made me think about writing the post you're now reading. Let me share with you a few insights I had with that experience.

The Kawayan Cove Experience

Just a few days ago, several bloggers (myself included), headed off for Kawayan Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas. Kawayan Cove is a 68-hectare exclusive seaside residential community, located in Nasugbu, Batangas, a town 2 hours south of Metro Manila famous for its white-sand beaches and resorts. Edge Properties invited some bloggers to come check it out, and you can read the details of our visit on this other post of mine on another blog, The Life & Times of The Renzie Man.

Whether I like it or not, the side of me that's all media-and-marketing can't help but pay attention to how promotional activities- like this particular event for bloggers- unfold and run its course. I've managed a number of similar events in the not-too-distant past, so I have a few observations myself.

Here are some things we learned from our Kawayan Cove visit:

1. Set the expectations straight. Naturally, when we were given the invitation to event, I already had some preconceived notions in my head: is it going to be a sales pitch? Those real estate open house events are usually boring! Wait- blogging about real estate IS boring!

But the invitation explained it all: it's a workshop for bloggers into digital photography. Just so happens it's set in Kawayan Cove. Bring your camera- you'll want to take lots of pictures. Bring extra clothes- you might want to hang by the beach.

The organizers did a pretty good job in setting the expectations straight, and sticking to it. It was pretty much everything they said it was going to be, then they surpassed themselves by executing their plans very well.

2. Preparation is key. In any given event, even your best-laid plans can go awry. In this case, who would've known it would be raining half the day? Nevertheless, there was a Plan B in place- the venue for the talk was moved to a more suitable location (from the ampitheater to the pavillion by Bamboo Beach), there were vehicles on hand to shuttle us from place to place, even sandals for those who didn't bring any.

You have to admire the kind of preparation any company makes to ensure the success of any event. It's all about covering all your bases. And allowing yourself to be flexible when the situation calls for it.

3. Play the part of the gracious host. It's all about creating new connections and encouraging long-term relationships. Make your guests comfortable, encourage mingling with other guests, make yourself available for Q&A's.

In the case of Kawayan Cove, the Puyat family were all there to show us around, share stories and tell us what we needed to know about the property. I'm sure they've done this dozens, maybe hundreds of times, yet there they were, taking time to have a chat with each and every one of us.

The staff of Kawayan Cove was on hand to make sure we were well-attended to. From the welcome drinks, to the hearty lunch prepared for the group, even those nice little moist towels we got after the tour.

All that thoughtfulness and hospitality can only create a positive image of you and your company. For me, it shows how genuinely warm and welcoming the Puyat family is, and also how well Edge Properties trained their personnel. That's always a good thing in my book.

4. Provide lots of venues for interactivity. There were specially prepared food and drink arrangements, just for pictorial purposes, with Anton Diaz (of Our Awesome Planet) going around giving tips and pointers to all the bloggers, and the Puyat family sharing anecdotes about Kawayan Cove's history.

There was more than enough time to take pictures, work on a blog, do a podcast, or even shoot a viral video. Also lots of opportunities to walk around with fellow bloggers to compare notes and get to know them some more.

You want the interactivity because you want to give your bloggers a chance to soak up and appreciate the experience- in every way possible. It's good that they have a good experience about your products and services, and even better that you allow them to process all that information, and consider all aspects of whatever it is your promoting.

5. Content is still king. What makes your event so compellingly different from everybody else's? A promotional event like this gives your company an opportunity to create content relevant to your market. It doesn't have to be forced, nor does it have to be overly elaborate. It only has to be relevant and timely.

With all of Anton's experience as a photographer- he only stuck to what we wanted to hear: Travel and Food Photography for Bloggers. In fact, he only had ten or so slides, yet we already learned so much.

More importantly, we had the chance to put all his tips to practice for the rest of the afternoon as we toured the property. Two birds with one stone: not only do we get to appreciate the majesty of the natural beauty of Kawayan Cove, we also had a newfound appreciation for digital photography.

Bottom line: Make your event a memorable experience. For businesses who wish to tap blogs and bloggers as a means to promote their products, events, ideas or services, what they're really trying to accomplish is to get good online buzz- the kind of word-of-mouth that inspires the bloggers to tell their readers about their experiences, and share something unique about the activity.

As a blogger, The Kawayan Cove event was probably one of the best I've ever been to. I've learned a lot from it, made some new connections, and it gave me a fresh perspective on things (particularly on the topic of real estate, for me!).

As a media-and-marketing person, the activity was well-planned and equally well-executed. Businesses who plan on making use of blogs and bloggers would do well to learn from this exercise.

Cheers, everyone.

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Podcasting: Fun with Digital Audio and Video.

Technology today has come to a point that user-generated content is now a very easy and cost-effective effort. Anyone with a PC, an internet connection can have a blog these days. Got a digital camera? Put up a photo-blog! If you have basic audio-video equipment, you can have your own series of viral videos and podcasts, if you feel like it.

As a dude who's been in radio for the past 14 years, it's supposed to be a natural transition of sorts, going from a show on an actual FM radio station to doing something along the lines of New Media- specifically, a podcast.

According to Wikipedia:

A podcast is a collection of digital media files which is distributed over the Internet, often using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term "podcast", like "broadcast", can refer either to the series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The term podcast should not be used to describe individual files. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

These days, anyone can have his own radio show on the internet- you can say whatever you want, put whatever content you like, without the restrictions of having to deal with the management of a radio station. Heck, you don't even have to be connected with a radio station!

Whether you're just a regular dude with a desire to speak out and share your knowledge on particular subject matters, or a small business looking for a great new way to promote yourself, then you might want to consider podcasting- which is what I'm considering now.

I've been looking into having my own series of podcasts- and man, there are just so many things you can talk about! Just in the same way you can put up a blog on just about anything, really. Only that a podcast is media in spoken word format, usually on mp3, while a blog is written for all to read.

Here's what I have so far: my current favorite site is this really useful Podcasting News. I say it's a good place to start, for anyone who wants to at least listen to a few podcasts, just to have an idea. Since last Friday, I've been listening to a number of em- some good, some bad. Look to the sidebar on the left side of the Podcasting News website, and you can find some recommendations.

Also, on top of news in the world of podcasting, they also have features and resources to help you on your way. Definitely a great place to start, if you ask me.

Other great reads on podcasting:

• The Creative Commons' Legal Guide To Podcasting. Might as well make it legitimate, right?
• Podcast.net has a whole LOT of podcasts for you to go through. Pick a subject matter and give it a go! Alternately, you can check out Podcast Alley, or Pageflakes' Mother of all Podcasts.
• Another great site for beginning podcasters here, on K12 Handhelds. Also, check out O'Reilly while you're at it.
• If you have time, you may also want to check out Podcasting Tools for some more detailed info on gear, directories and even trade shows on podcasting.

So there you have it- hope this helps you as much as it does for me. Let me know how that podcasting project of yours comes along. I'll post the links to my own podcasts once I have enough content.

Cheers everyone!

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I Like AddThis.com!

In my quest to find out how they put little "Bookmark This!" buttons at the bottom of every post on your blog, I have managed to stumble upon (no pun intended) a rather useful service on AddThis.com.
As a blogger, you'll want the buttons from AddThis.com because of several reasons, all pretty much pointed out on their homepage.

1. It allows for easy bookmarking.
2. It helps promote your site.
3. It increases your rankings.
4. It reduces overall clutter.
5. It's easy to install.
6. It comes with free statistics.
7. It's very reliable.
8. It's free!

Read the rest of this article in full on my other blog on The Blogging Lifestyle, "Renzie on Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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Diddling with Del.icio.us

I was playing around with my del.icio.us account the whole day today, mainly trying to figure out how to slap a del.icio.us script at the footer of each post, versus just having one at the side of my blog.

Del.icio.us is a free social software web service for sharing web bookmarks. See, there used to be a time when you'd bookmark your favorite websites from whatever PC you'd be using at the moment.

Del.icio.us takes all that bookmarking several steps further because, not only can you store all your personal bookmarks on an easy-to-use, easy-to-access online account, you can also share your bookmarks with other people, as well as check out what other people are bookmarking.

Read the rest of the post on my blog on The Blogging Lifestyle, "Renzie on Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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A Disaster Recovery Program is in Order

Frack it.

I got no one else to blame but myself. As I was toying around with blogger/blogspot templates, I must have inadvertently uploaded another template on my blog- "Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!"

Doing so takes out ALL your installed widgets- pictures, text boxes, html codes, etc. No do-overs on this one- once you've hit 'save template', you just kissed them all goodbye. I thought I may have undone it pressing the 'back' button. And while I may have been able to salvage the old code, the fact that I have to insert bits of code all over again to bring everything you once had back can be quite annoying.

Which is, unfortunately, where I'm at right now.

But, "glass-half-full" kind of guy that I am, I see this as an opportunity to consider a serious disaster recovery program for my blogs.

1. The texts in the text-boxes, fortunately for me, I can get from an old archive I keep in my hard disk- so it's just a simple matter of cutting and pasting it back. Or, I could just say 'screw it' and enter in an entirely new Introductory Message and other shameless self-promoting material.

2. Blogrush. Blogrush is a handy blog syndication service that cross-promotes your blog into other blogs of the same persuasion. It's a good way to check out what other bloggers are up to, and makes for great material and networking as well.

3. Technorati. Gotta load that Technorati button back. This allows your readers to 'bookmark' your blog as a favorite, and share it with other bloggers, which in turn gives you more 'authority points'. This works on the model that a positive reader experience gives you more credibility, and therefore brings in more traffic into your site.

4. Twitter. I think it's a nice touch- giving your blog a little personal flavor, giving your readers an idea of what you're up to.

5. Multiply. Oh, just a badge that links to my Multiply, social networking fiend that I am.

6. RSS Feeds. Damn, I gotta find all the feed URLs and encode them back in. Fortunately for me, I think I've been able to save all those on Google Reader- *checking* - oh, good, there they are :)

7. My various link lists: have to build em up again from scratch- online buds link list, blog-building link list and others.

Well it looks like I still got myself quite an amount of work to do. So I'll check you out in a bit.

Lessons Learned Today.

Pick yourself a template and stick with it :). Back your files up, even on notepad; at least export your blog as an xml every so often.

Cheers everyone!

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The Search for the Next Best Blogspot Template...

Can you believe it? My whole day was pretty much spent on fickle-mindedly going through different Blogger/Blogspot templates for one of my blogs.

I'd have to say my benchmark design would be something like this one, on this blog, "Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!"- a design I'm totally happy with; a template I see myself using for quite a long while.

It would seem that I have a preference for the 3-column variety of templates. I think the issue was more of trying to find the right design that looks nice, but at the same time is also functional enough to accommodate a particular load-out of widgets.

I suppose I'm just at a point where I'm trying out putting in all kinds of widgets only to see if it's something that works for me or something I really need.

End result: I'm still not entirely happy with the design on my other blog, "My Thoughts In Stereo". It's adequate for now, but somehow it doesn't seem to have the same clean design as "Blog. Blogger. Bloggest!"

Well, in a way, that's the beauty of Blogger/Blogspot- it's very easy to just chuck out a design and pick from any of the templates they've supplied, or you can go ahead and search for other free templates online. There really is a wide variety available, and when there are just so many to choose from, it's likely you'll end up trying out all kinds of templates until you finally stick to one.

It's already 7pm, and I have to get moving for a dinner date- so I suppose the quest for the next best template will have to wait 'til tomorrow.

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Twitter, Twitter!

I've just successfully put up Twitter on a few of my blogs.

Twitter is a free micro-blogging service, which enables you to post updates of about 140 characters long- enough for a short sentence, and enough to tell people what you're doing, what you feel or what you're going through with just a few words.

You can go sign up quickly for a Twitter account here on their website. Once there, you'll want to start looking for friends who are also on Twitter. Eventually, you'll be able to 'follow' each other through little updates you leave online.

Read the rest of my article on Twitter here on my blog about The Blogging Lifestyle, "Renzie On Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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Toying with Technorati

Seems like a real fun site. Technorati is an online service that allows you to keep track of other blogs from all over the world.

It works just like a search engine, you can search by topic, tags or keywords, keep track of your favorites, and visit blogs based on your searches, or by other people's recommendations.

Signing up to Technorati involves letting them know which blogs are yours- so you not only create a short profile (so other people can know a little bit about you), but you also create a list of all the blogs you author.

Read the rest of this article on Technorati here, on my other blog, "Renzie On Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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Linking to Technorati

As part of my efforts to promote this blog, and learn about promoting blogs in general, I have started to visit and understand various online networking services.

One such service, is Technorati. I've even gone as far as making my own Technorati Profile and see what it has to offer.

I was reading it up as well here on Wikipedia. More about this later on.

Cheers!

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Blogs, Bloggers and Blogging.

Blogs (short for Web-Logs), are essentially online showcases of a person, usually posted for all the world to see.

Blogging is just like writing something on your journal, except that this journal is now online, and that (depending on how much you want to share) it is available for people to interact with.

When you do maintain a blog, you are in effect, a blogger. And there are thousands of bloggers out there all over the world, blogging on so many different things.

Read the rest of this article on my other blog, "Renzie on Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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Verry Eenteresting...

Holy crap!

I was at the eCommerista Night 2.0 event last night at Mag:net cafe. Though the turnout wasn't as big as the last one, this one was still quite alright. I showed up with one of my business associates, and by the time the night was over, we already have at least three speakers lined up for our next few events, and the promise of future projects and collaborations.

Andrian Lee has always been such a fun speaker. What struck me was a little story he shared: that, recently, Facebook use in the UK has actually exceeded email usage.

Wow, that huge, huh?

And not entirely unbelievable, I suppose. Run a Google search on Facebook usage in the UK, and you can already get a feel of how widespread -as well as controversial- Facebook is.

Apparently, everyone in the UK is doing it- and is extremely hooked on it. Heck, if you have Facebook, you know it's easy to get addicted to it. So much so that companies have banned Facebook outright at the workplace. While BBC has, in a recent newscast, reported that employees should be allowed to use Facebook on breaks, during lunchtime- and the controversy just goes on.

So is it really a surprise that Facebook use can, one day, replace our need for email? We can email family, friends and colleagues on Facebook anyway, right? Lay down some smack on a few vampires, share and tag photos, give virtual drinks, and even flirt online?

Heck, I'm addicted myself. I've even RSS'ed Facebook straight into my Gmail accounts. That way, I don't miss out on the moment someone throws sheep at me. Whatever :)

More interesting facts: the Philippines accounts for one-third of all Friendster activity online, and up to a quarter of all worldwide activity on Multiply.

It's really all you need: Facebook, Multiply, and Friendster. OK, Myspace, if you have toh have a fourth one. Good God. Have we really too much spare time on our hands?

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Quelling the Self-Doubt Inside You.

When you're just starting out your very own blogging career- just like me- you can easily get overwhelmed jumping from one blog/site to another.

As blogs and blogging have steadily gained popularity, you'll find a wide variety of material out there- stuff you'd like to read, stuff you'd like to comment on, stuff you'd like to link to and share to your friends.

Take for example this great read on this year's most successful Pinoy probloggers. It was a brilliant post. The fact that I have actually been able to meet some of these guys was just, for me, awesome.

Then you realize- damn, my blog is nowhere near these other guys' blogs! So you suddenly get hit by a wave of self-doubt and get rattled by the realization of how puny you look next to a whole bunch of other blogs.

At least, that's how I feel.

Read the rest of this article here, on my other blog, "Renzie on Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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Learning to Use RSS

If you're going to be a blogger, RSS is going to be your new BFF.

That's really simple syndication for RSS, and best friend forever- at least until the next great new syndication technology comes along.

In any case, as a new blogger, you're probably checking out websites and other blogs for new content. After all, you do need to draw inspiration from someplace, right? You'd like to see what other people are talking about, have your own perspective on things, and react to what other people have to say.

In the course of your meanderings through the internet, you would most definitely find a couple of sites that you would find more interesting than others- new favorites that you would usually then add up to your bookmarks.

Now it used to be that you would have to visit and re-visit your favorite bookmarked sites to get updates on new stuff they have posted up, right? And a lot of us actually still do that.

But if you have a LOT of favorite sites, and a LOT of stuff you want to keep tabs on, then keeping yourself updated can get a little tedious, done this way.

You might even miss an important update, and it can take you the whole day to check out all those sites- assuming of course, you even have the time to do all that checking!

RSS helps you out with that- and to know more about how RSS can help you build a better blog, or how it can save you lots of time keeping up on all your favorite sites, read about the rest of my post on my other blog, "Renzie on Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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How Much Cash Do Bloggers Make From Blogging?

Remember just a few months ago how we had a couple of workshops on Blogging For Money? The idea really was to show our participants how to make extra cash by putting in a few hours a day churning out a few posts on a blog worthy of attention.

Yes, you can blog for money. Some locals actually have gone completely professional, and have foregone a regular job to do just that: blogging.

The real question is, how? How can you make money from your blog?

The answer to this seemingly very important question can easily elude the amateur blogger. And while most blogs are really a labor of love more than anything else, it doesn't really matter to a lot of people if they make cash or not.

Read the rest of this article here on my other blog, "Renzie on Blogging".

Cheers, everyone!

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Who Are The Bloggers In Your Neighborhood?

After last Friday night's event, I thought it would be a great idea to feature some of the blogs (and possibly, other works online) of the bloggers I have actually met. Expect to see some of the ones I met last Friday featured here in the following days & weeks. Naturally, we'll be hearing and reading more from others as I keep attending these cool blogger mix-ups and other special events.

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