Twitter can be a great source of traffic to your blog and with plugins it has become very easy to integrate the two. Integration makes it easier and saves you time because it automates things leaving you free to do what is most important on your blog – Create Great Content.

Here are 3 plugins that can make your blog more interactive and save you time.

• Tweet My Blog
• Tweet Meme
• Twitterlink Comments

Now lets look at what each does.

Tweet My Blog – This will automatically tweet each time you add a post and allow you to display your latest tweets on your blog. This lets your Twitter followers know about your latest post which can draw extra visitors depending on the size of your Twitter followers. Having your tweets displayed in your side bar helps you to always have fresh content for the spiders if you are active on Twitter.

Tweet Meme – This will add a button to your posts (you can see it above right here on the blog) that allows your readers to retweet your post with a single click if they are signed into Twitter.

When this happens your new post shows up on all of their followers timelines. Now at the time I am writing this I have over 18000 followers so if I click this on your blog it goes out to all of those people.

Now it is very easy for me to click that button if I like your post (back to having great content) but the odds of me telling my followers about it if I need to do it manually are slim and none unless you really wowed me.

Twitterlink Comments – This will allow you to reward your commenters. It adds a box where commenters can add their Twitter id and it will add a link to their Twitter page. This is another way of helping your commenters and as long as they are adding to the conversation. Anything I can do to reward those that take the time to add valuable content to my blog and get them to comment more is a plus.

These 3 plugins will definitely help you integrate Twitter with your blog but it is only valuable if you are adding good content and active on Twitter. Two things you should be doing anyhow.

Your questions and comments are always welcomed.

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

 

 Integrate WordPress and Twitter [2:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Technorati Tags: blogging, twitter, Twitter plugins, wordpress, wordpress plugins

Related posts

• WordPress.com, or self hosted WordPress blog – what should I choose? (9)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)
• WordPress plugins to protect your blog (3)

Normally I discuss how to use your blog effectively along with tips and tricks and usually when a topic takes over the blogosphere it is usually celebrity related or politically related. I stay away from those type topics here but this one is different.

The earthquake in Haiti has taken center stage and it has been interesting to see most blogs whether celebrity gossip based or political based on both the right and left. (The last two rarely are on the same page and usually at each others throat.)

You can donate through a variety of places to help these people and it can be as easy as sending a text message or donating through various web sites.

Here is a post that has a list of places where you can donate if you desire.

Haiti Relief Organizations

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

Technorati Tags: blogging, Haiti, Haiti Relief

Related posts

• WordPress.com, or self hosted WordPress blog – what should I choose? (9)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)
• WordPress Is No Longer Just For Blogging (9)

Yesterday’s post on using articles brought in this question. It seems to be a great topic for conversation so let me know what you think about it by commenting. Brian asked…

Here is a question, What should you do if another blogger attacks your content or a specific Post?

Now there was another comment about the comment so lets address that portion of it first. Joe said..

Brian raises a good point and it has happened on one occasion with me on one of my sites using a republished article from an article directory. I took the article down.

In a case where I got a similar complaint I would do the same thing. Even if I was using it exactly as allowed by the directory and had not violated the usage terms. Why get involved in a spitting match when there is lots of other content available or I would cover the topic in my own words.

Now that may have been what Brian was talking about but and here comes that horrendous word again, I cannot assume that is what he was asking. This is primarily because I ask for questions all the time and his question may or may not have been just about that post.

So doing the bad thing and assuming that is not what Brian was asking here are a few more more things to consider.

1. Your blog post had an error in fact in it. Then you apologize and correct it. Easy answer.

2. The person complaining is totally off the wall and looking to cause trouble. Now it will depend on how they attacked you.

If it was totally unwarranted and it was done through a comment it would never make the blog. I would never approve the comment.

If it was done on their site and I picked up from a trackback or a Google Alert the response gets harder.

I would look and see if this is something that they consistently do to create controversy for the sake of controversy. If that was the case unless it was really libelous I would ignore it. If it was bad enough it becomes time to call your lawyer but understand the costs that will be involved and decide if it is worth it.

3.The person has a different view point and may be misinformed. This is the type of complaint that can actually end up being a win – win for both of you.

If it was done in a comment I would answer it and explain my stance and why I feel like I do. Notice this comment would definitely be approved. Even though I don’t like being told I am wrong there is nothing wrong with a polite healthy debate. It is a good traffic generator as long as it stays polite.

Now if it was done via a post I would either comment back on it or write a response on my blog and trackback to it. Interblog discussions are another way to generate traffic for both sites.

So that is what I would do in a variety of situations now I would love to know what you would do? Let me know in the comments below.

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

 

 What if your content gets attacked [3:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Technorati Tags: artticle problems, blogging, dealing with complaints

Related posts

• WordPress.com, or self hosted WordPress blog – what should I choose? (9)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)
• WordPress Is No Longer Just For Blogging (9)

I am continuing the series of answers to questions that were asked in my pre-Christmas post. You can ask your questions to be added to the series by commenting on this or any other post.

Today’s question:

Hi, I’m new to blogging. I want to set up my own blog through Wordpress. It seems that having them host it (i.e. Wordpress.com) is simpler, with less troubleshooting. However, I also would like to use plugins (i.e. Wordpress.org) but beyond that, I have no technological aspirations as of now. My biggest obstacle is that the tech stuff scares me if I hosted it myself. Any advice? Thanks.

It is easy to set up a blog at WordPress.com as you create an account and pick your theme. There are some downsides to it though.

You do not control the blog as it belongs to WordPress.com and they have some restrictions on using their service for affiliate marketing. You cannot add any plugins only those that they have and finally you don’t own the blog.

If I create a blog on my own domain and build up the traffic I have a saleable asset. Does not happen when someone else owns the domain.

Creating a blog using WordPress has become much easier with the latest versions of WordPress and there are tutorials like my WordPress Made Easy that will walk you through exactly how to do it in a step by step fashion.

There are services like Alex Syseof’s Expert WordPress that allow you to automate the installation and save a lot of time.

Now that being said there are some skills that you should cultivate to install and maintain a WordPress blog on your own domain like FTP but these are skills that you really need to learn and understand as an online marketer whether or not you use them to install a blog or not.

Finally you can always outsource the installation. You can go to any of the outsource sites or use my team to install your blog for you.

With the ease of adding plugins and themes through the dashboard on the latest versions of WordPress the pluses outweigh the minuses for your money making sites to own the domain.

Now that does not mean that you cannot use both to create a network around you money making blog along with other sites like Hub Pages and Squidoo. But that is a post for another time.

As always your questions and comments are appreciated and solicited.

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

Technorati Tags: affiliate marketing, blogging, hub pages, install WordPress, squidoo, wordpress, WordPress.com

Related posts

• Question on using and optimizing Blogger (0)
• Increase your visitors with 5 free services (3)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)

Two days until the big guy stops by bringing presents to all of the good boys and girls. I hope you are ready for it and planning to spend some quality time with your friends and family. I am.

Before I get into total Christmas mode I did want to ask for your questions. I have not had as many questions as usual here and I really enjoy helping people get answers to the things that are stopping them in getting their blog going.

So before you quit for the holidays too, leave your questions in the comments and after I get back into work mode I’ll start adding the answers in here.

Merry Christmas to all and may 2010 be your best year ever.

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

Technorati Tags: blogging, blogging questions, wordpress, wordpress-questions

Related posts

• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)
• Replay of the Qand A Call Available (0)
• Call replay now available (0)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• That time of month again (4)

One of the ways to get more traffic, backlinks and to participate in the blogosphere is to comment on other blogs on your topic.

Taking part in the conversation allows you to get your name and link on another blog. Someone reading the blog there may click and follow through to your blog if your comment is valuable.

Commenting, like all blogging is about offering value to the blog you are commenting on. Agree with me or disagree with me when commenting here that is fine as long as you are polite and make a valid argument to support your position.

If you are making valid points or adding to the conversation you are more likely to get people to follow through to your blog. Make sure you have a gravatar and use it. Most blogs will add you gravatar to your comment and it gives you more credibility. People can actually see you or at least the image you wish to project.

From the tracking I do here comments with a gravatar or much more likely to draw traffic to their blog than people who don’t take the time to get one. It allows people to see your image and if you are active in the niche you will help to brand yourself.

You can find out more here – Gravatar, Branding And You if you are not familiar with how to get a gravatar set up.

Finally, being one of the first to comment on a new post increases the number of people that will have the chance to read your comment. Finding new posts of interest to you will be the topic for the next post in this series.

Yes, as always leave your comments and let me know what you think and how often you comment on other blogs.

Occasionally I actually do what I teach

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

Technorati Tags: blog comment, blogging, comment on blog, gravatar

Related posts

• Gravatar, branding and you (14)
• WordPress.com, or self hosted WordPress blog – what should I choose? (9)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)

This has been a fun week because the topics I have been covering do not have a single perfect answer. You can not answer any of these questions and say this is it…

• How long should your blog post be?
• How long should your blog post title be?
• How often should you post to your blog?

The last question is the one we will address today but like the others there is no perfect right answer for everyone.

A lot of it goes back to your initial keyword research. You should have an idea of how competitive the keyword phrases are that you are trying to rank for. The more competitive usually the more often you should be posting to build your keyword tree and create good site structure.

The big thing with posting is that as a general rule the more often you post the more traffic you generate. A lot of really high traffic blogs post more than once a day some 7 -10 times a day.

Others post just once a week but they do it every week. Consistency helps because people get in the habit of coming back in that time frame.

If you are starting a new blog posting at the minimum every day, preferably a couple of times a day is a good idea to get some traction going. Once you do then posting 3 – 5 times a week would be a good schedule.

You really need to find out what you can comfortably do and quality content is always the key. Posting once a week with a quality post will help you much more than trying to post schlock (technical term ) 5 times a week.

Post consistently at the pace that works for you to generate quality content and don’t worry about how often that is just that you supply quality information.

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

Technorati Tags: blog post, blogging, how often to post, post your blog, wordpress

Related posts

• Best length for a blog post? (2)
• WordPress.com, or self hosted WordPress blog – what should I choose? (9)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)

Just finished checking the support desk for those that were looking to have me visit. I think I did a piss poor job of explaining things to those that are not familiar with what the blog tour is.

The blog tour will have me visiting a blog for a week and adding content as a guest blogger. Unfortunately, this was misunderstood as I got a few invitations for topics I know nothing about.

I would like to take up residence on your blog if you write about marketing, blogging, list building, PLR, Twitter, article marketing, affiliate marketing or similar topics.

If you would like to get the viewpoint of an Old Bald Guy on these or similar topics send in a support ticket and include your blog URL, and a topic you would like me to waffle on (actually I don’t waffle but it sounds interesting ) and I’ll be in touch with you.

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

Technorati Tags: affiliate marketing, Blog Tour, blogging, twitter

Related posts

• WordPress.com, or self hosted WordPress blog – what should I choose? (9)
• Integrating blogging, Twitter and other social media (5)
• 3 Plugins To Integrate WordPress And Twitter Together (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)

There are a couple of questions that consistently come in all of the surveys I do and they are…

• Which plugins to use
• How do I get traffic
• How do I monetize my blog

This month I will be doing a free call on the last item – How do I monetize my blog?

It will build on the previous calls I have done to help you improve the results you get from your blogging efforts.

The call will take place on Wednesday at 7pm but you do need to sign up to get access. Sign up today, mark your calendar and we’ll talk on Wednesday.

Blog Monetization

Hope to see you there.

About the author

Mike Paetzold got started blogging in 2003 and has become an expert on using WordPress. He has become known as The WordPress Guy. After being an under ground niche marketer using his blogs he has surfaced to share some of the ways he uses blogs to enter various niches profitably.

Technorati Tags: blog monetization, blogging, monetize-blog

Related posts

• How soon should you monetize your blog (4)
• WordPress.com, or self hosted WordPress blog – what should I choose? (9)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Replay (1)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)

Today is the last day of August so it is time to schedule the September edition of WordPress Question and Answers on Blog Talk Radio.

It will be Wednesday September 2nd at 7 pm edt.

We will go for an hour again this month and as always I need your questions. Please leave them in the comments below.

Steve and I will be doing a segment on changing your sidebar and talk about a a variety of plugins and other ways to trick out your side bar along with things to avoid.

Leave your questions below, mark your calendar and we’ll talk with you on Wednesday evening.

Mike Paetzold

Technorati Tags: Blog Talk Radio, blogg9ing questions, blogging, sidebar, sidebar widgets, wordpress, wordpress-questions

Related posts

• Replay of Blog Talk Radio Show Available (6)
• WordPress Q and A Replay Now Up (4)
• WordPress Q and A Call – Thursday night (0)
• Thursday – Blog Talk Radio scheduled (0)
• That time of month again (4)