DISQUS

Does this look hard to steer to anyone else? I showed it to a friend because I thought it looked cool and their first thought was . . . "How do you turn?"

Just started using twhirl, and I really like it. Thank you comments for the heads up.

Nic Darling's last blog post..Recovered Post: 20 Blogging Metaphors - Rock Throwing and the Universal Monkey

Coming so close on the heels of my return to writing, I'm concerned, but what the heck.

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I use both though I spend a lot more time on Facebook. LinkedIn seems a bit crowded with hiring and recruiting folks for my uses sometimes. However, I did find LinkedIn's Answers section to be useful on a couple of occasions.

Perhaps we only think they missed the target because we aren't part of the growing "chicks with swords" fetishist demographic. Has anyone checked that keyword phrase for popularity?

Anyway, Andy makes a good point. Maybe they don't want to compete directly. No one wants to challenge Goliath to a wrestling contest. Just pick up a few stones, maintain a safe distance and sling away. Or, better yet, run like hell and find a new place to stake your claim.

That said, I agree. Those ads are creepy.

Blogs should be essentially self-regulating. I could see imposing some restrictions on predatory practices (though even these are likely to get caught and exposed by the blogosphere before any regulatory committee even notices them), but generally readers are able to decide if a blog is providing the information and attitude they want.

The key is consistency of statement and action. We should strive for it as writers and demand it as readers. Blogs that are consistent should succeed, but if they don't . . . well, so it goes. Some mainstream news outlets are notoriously inconsistent and still successful. There is no accounting for taste.

I briefly delved into Twitter and almost immediately left it again. I have been thinking about returning to it in a more serious manner, but I'm not sure how to approach it. What kind of success have people had in using Twitter as a part of their marketing? How does one go about tying Twitter into the blogs and other social media that they are using?

I will probably try it again, but I am not overly optimistic about an ongoing commitment.

This reminds me of the feeling I get when I bring a friend to a great restaurant or art gallery I have discovered. Even though I am not making the food or creating the artwork, I feel I have been a part of the pleasure they provide my friend. When someone refers your product they not only bring you a potential new customer, they also invest themselves further in the brand.

It also seems that taking the time to personally thank your referrers for their role in your business will further solidify that investment and result in even more referrals. Customers are the best salespeople.

Nic - www.marketingneophyte.com

This is a great entry. I have been thinking a lot about key words as our product nears its launch date, and this is a great idea for testing. I actually just posted a blog entry yesterday about the difference between traffic and conversions. I will definitely be sending people to this post as it offers another practical solution to the problem I was discussing. I also really appreciate the comment above mine. Tracking conversions back to their origins is a great idea. Being new at all of this I really appreciate this blog and the intelligent comments of its readers.