Not another social media channel! That is what I hear whenever I bring up Google +.  Most people ask me, “why do we need another one? Isn’t Facebook and Twitter enough?” (add onto that Pinterest, StumbleUpon, and LinkedIn and you have one full plate!)

Google + is very easy to learn how to use. Once you understand how circles work, you can begin using it with ease. It is really just about sharing information with the exact group of people you want.

Why you need to learn how to use Google +

Because Google rules the stinking world.  Ok, seriously – because Google tied G+ into searches. So now when you promote your stuff on Google + it will come up higher in search results. Plus, Google owns it and they are promoting it fiercely on new Android based phones.  You need to learn Google + because it will grow and learning now puts you ahead of the social media game and even more marketable to brands and companies.

I created a video tutorial that walks you through a bunch of aspects of Google +. For those of you that cannot watch the video, I am typing all the info here too.  But if you have never explored G+ before and are overwhelmed by it, find time to watch my video. It is 8 minutes long and takes you through almost all of the ins and outs of it.

To create a custom URL:
Go to Gplus.To and follow the directions.
Every Google + account has a custom string of 12 numbers. G+ itself does not allow for personalizing the URL, so you have to use a URL shortener like Gplus.to or bit.ly.  This is actually a smart move for Google.  For example, if you create a G+ page for MamaDweeb and someday change the name to DweebBloggers you can easily change the name of that page in Google + and go to Gplus.to to change the URL – all without losing a single follower.

Is there a way to get your posts automatically posted to Google+?

No. This is the biggest downfall of Google +. Everything must happen manually.

I joined and now I keep getting notified of foreign men following me. What do I do?

Don’t freak out, this is a good thing.  Whenever someone adds you to their circles, whatever you post to “the public” goes into every single person’s stream if they put you in a circle.  Bloggers, if you are promoting a blog post or product, then being in more circles is a very good thing.

How can I turn off posts from hyper posters?

Create a circle called, “hyper posters.” Then, on the right hand side, view only all your other circles and exclude the hyper posters. Or, even easier, don’t circle them at all. It is totally ok for you not to circle someone. Just because you are in someone’s circle does not mean you have to put them in yours.

Google Hangouts

These are so much fun! You can video chat with a bunch of your friends at the same time. This is also wonderful for holding virtual meetings if you cannot meet in person.  There are options in the top of the screen – you can mute your mic and/or disable your webcam and use the chat feature only if you need.  This can work as a free online conference call, it can bring families and friends together face-to-face and so much more. Get some friends together and try it out. 

Tip: When you begin the hangout, choose which circle you are allowing to see you hanging out. If you choose “public,” then anyone, anywhere, can see your video.

How do I keep up with people that add me to their circles?

As people add you to their circles, you will receive email notifications. I simply delete them without opening them. Check this out:

In your Google + nav bar, click the red number. Then, click “Added you to their circles.” That is when the screenshot above appears. You can view every single person that added you to their circles, click/view their profiles and hover over their name to add them to your circles. Easy!

Do people actually gain followers and active users via G+, or is it another place that people ignore you?

Every social network has a different audience. I will tackle more of this question in a future post where I compare/contrast the benefits of each social network. Suffice it to say that if your goal is to increase your reach and influence and become more marketable to brands, then learning how to use Google + is a valuable asset. You can most certainly reach an entirely new audience with G+, introduce them to your blog and increase readership. Totally possible. But with every network, it takes time. If you don’t spend time on the site, your return will be lower. And we only have so much time in a day.

How do I engage with others so I promote my posts?

Start to chat about your involvement on G+ with your current Facebook and/or twitter followers. Write a post about it. Spread the word that you are on G+ so people add you to their circles. Then, use it! Go on G+ and peruse your stream. Circle people so your stream is more diverse.

Remember: A branded page cannot circle people unless they circle your brand first. So create a personal G+ account and use that to encourage people to circle your brand’s page.

Then interact. Comment on people’s posts. Post funny photos that people share. Then, begin to promote your posts. Maybe post one of your funniest posts or one that is attracting a lot of discussion in the comments. Talk about that feature in your G+ post.

It is a very fun social network that is going to attract a lot more followers very quickly. While it is not 100% necessary to use it today, eventually, like twitter, it will be a valuable tool used widely around the world.

I am linked up at:

As bloggers, we all want to get paid, and for the amount of buzz we generate about brands and the amount of work it takes to accomplish this, we deserve compensation.

But let me explain two very different forms of media from the point of view of a public relations (PR) rep. First, there is “earned media” then you have “paid media.”  When PR reps only worked with print/television/radio journalists, they had to “earn” coverage for their clients with hard work and relationship building. It is against the law for a journalist to accept any money or gifts from a person on the behalf of a company. This is typically called “pay for play.”

Earned media back before blogs looked like this: Polly the PR rep built a friendship with Rhonda the reporter. She sent her press releases for Olay. When Olay was doing this newsworthy thing, Polly sent the press release and called Rhonda, hoping she’d pick it up. If she did, she scored!

Then you have paid media. Paid media is, well, paid for by the brand. Before blogs, you might see a “back to school fashions” insert inside Seventeen magazine with the tiny words “advertisement” on the top.

Now you have bloggers. Bloggers are super influential and brands are taking notice. The FTC requires bloggers disclose if they receive things from companies, but that is the only rule.

From the point of view of a PR rep, an honest review with only a product as compensation, is still “earned media.” If a blogger receives only the product to review and not cash and product, then this blogger will (most likely) be more inclined to be more honest about it. To all the newer bloggers that get giddy when a “free” package arrives in the mail (I remember the feeling) you will be more valuable to brands if you share the complete honest opinion of the product instead of just glowing reviews all the time.

Nicolena Stephana, rep for Identity PR, said when a blogger receives cash it should be treated like advertising, not an honest review:

I think it gets sketchy when bloggers want money in exchange for writing a post about a company/product/service. That’s where it’s more like advertising. Bloggers are less inclined to write an honest opinion because they are receiving cash. There is more pressure, or more expectation from the company, to receive a glowing post if they are paying money. Then bloggers aren’t being fair to their community. They aren’t writing about something that they believe in or truly love and want to share with their readers. They’re writing about it because they received payment to do so. That’s advertising. If companies are going to advertise, they can do so in the form of a sponsored post or banner advertising. And with the new FTC guidelines, do bloggers really want to disclaim that they received money to write a particular post? Aren’t they worried they will come across as less authentic to their community?

I totally agree with her. Bloggers, we deserve to get paid. But if you are asking for products and cash, treat it like a brand ambassadorship or a creative marketing campaign. Once they paid you, you are now their spokesperson and they have a right to tell you the message they prefer you to spread.

I think bloggers ought to engage in marketing campaigns and blog spokesperson gigs and earn as much money as they can. I also hope you can see why some reps are hesitant to pay you cash. They might be only interested in generating “authentic” buzz about their clients, not paying to get a specific message out there.

I made it!! Out of over 100 video submissions, the SITS (Secret is in the sauce) girls have narrowed it down to 5 finalists for Bloggy Boot Camp Speaker! Now the voting begins!

Out of the 5 videos on this page, the one with the most votes be a speaker at either Denver or Atlanta Bloggy Boot Camp.

What is Bloggy Boot Camp?

This is an intense (and yet super duper fun) full day of blog-building workshops. It stops in cities across the country – Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, and San Diego – just to name a few.  Tickets are affordable and hotel stay is only one night, making it one of the most affordable blog conferences!

What will I talk about if I win?

Here the video I made as my entry to the contest.

Please click here to vote for me! There is an easy poll below my video. Select Annie Mama Dweeb please!! You can vote every day until Wed, August 3rd. I hope I win, I hope I win! Thank you!

BlogHer is in one month and if you follow the #blogher11 hashtag on twitter, you will see a ton of bloggers so excited to go.  You will also read lots of bloggers say “thanks to _____ for the sponsorship!” But I have been reading a lot more of “How do I get a sponsor?” or “what do I say to get one?”

I am here to help you.

How do bloggers get sponsors for BlogHer?

Frequently, a blogger will approach a company she has represented on her blog before for conference sponsorship.  Maybe she did a very successful review and giveaway campaign with them or they email back and forth quite a bit.  Most often, the blogger that has a sponsor has worked with this sponsor in a marketing relationship at least once before.

So if you are looking for sponsorship, who have you worked with before? Email them – especially if their company was a perfect fit for your audience.

What do sponsors get out of sponsoring a blogger to BlogHer?

Usually, the main thing you can promise to do for the company is spread their name around. You can offer to wear their hat/t-shirt and use their twitter handle when you tweet about the conference.  A super wonderful post about what bloggers can offer brands was written on Mom Blog Magazine last February. 

I have to add to that article though – for my BlogHer sponsor, I offered to work with them as a brand ambassador for 6 months after the conference via banner ads, twitter conversations and sponsored posts. Be creative, sell ideas and work with budgets. Sometimes a company cannot afford the full amount – offer marketing services that are valuable to them.

Another idea that was not in that article is offering to gather names of interested bloggers that are influential in the niche related to the brand/company.  Some companies are so small, they cannot afford to hire a PR firm to search out and find influential bloggers to work with. This is a valuable service – offer it, you’ll be among 3,500 of the most influential bloggers in the nation!

How do I write the pitch letter?

Be friendly, be you and be to the point.  Honestly, the biggest turn offs with pitch letters is when they are too long and redundant.  I offer a blog editor service, where for a small fee I will read your pitch letter and perfect it and individualize it for every company you are pitching.   Overall, please make sure it is error free and captures your enthusiasm and is personalized for that company. Do not send form letters.

Here is a general outline for you, for free.

Hi ______,

Explain why you love their brand and why it is a perfect fit for your readers. Remind them of the successful campaign you completed with them. Share your dream for their company and how you can make that happen by representing them on your blog. Then offer to represent them at BlogHer as well.

Say you are flexible with all budget sizes and cannot wait to work with them.

Give your phone number and offer to speak with them to further brainstorm brand ambassadorship opporutnities with your blog.

Signed, you.

~~~

That is it!

Let them ask for your rates, your stats and more info about BlogHer. Don’t give them a huge book detailing it all.

What if I have never worked with a company before?

This is tough. If you don’t already have a relationship with a company, you will basically be cold pitching people that do not know you from Betty Blogger. It can still happen, you just have to have tougher skin and get ready for some rejection emails.

One thing I’d do in this situation is go local. Is there a company near you that is online savvy, engaged in social media marketing and working towards a more national presence? Pitch them.  Tell them you can go to BlogHer and find a group of influential social media moms who are interested in working with them. Offer your services as a social media consult to them and offer to write blog posts for companies, tweet for them and operate their facebook fan page for them. Social Media consulting can earn you enough money to pay for a nice portion of your BlogHer bill.

I hope this post answered some of your questions, but I know it did not answer all of them. Feel free to ask more in the comments below, I will be responding immediately. 

Tweet @ Me too – I’m always on Twitter @MamaDweeb.

Type A Parent Conference 2011 just ended tonight. It was a pumped and loaded fun 3 days!

I want to share briefly what I learned at this conference. And I learned more than simply that I have a cute baby with the fattest cheeks and thighs EVER. (even if that was the most common thing said to me all weekend).

All the bloggers from Kansas!

Rock What Ya Got

You are really good at something – what is it? Everyone has a talent. Are you a technical writer? A creative writer? A photographer? A baker? A humor writer? Hone your skill! Do it with passion and enjoy your blog. Find out what you love to do and then get really good at it. Do you know how to find bargains? Share them with your readers and use affiliate links. For me, I am a writer. I have a love affair with words and telling stories. I am going to refocus my blog on my writing (and my new found love of photography).

Make yourself known

Bloggers, you need to know social media! Educate yourself about how to build a following on facebook, twitter and get connected on LinkedIn. Google is my best friend. I research “top Facebook Fan Page Apps” and “Engaging on twitter” and then I share what I learn on this blogging basics series. Sadly, my Facebook Fan Page is lacking. I am working on that next. Are you feeling overlooked? The secret the “big bloggers” know is how to network. They are friends with other bloggers who get gigs and share with each other. Make friends. Go to conferences. Get involved in online communities. Twitter, facebook and linkedIn are a blogger’s best friends.

Focus, People

You need to focus on your own talents and strengths and don’t compare yourself to others. So what if she got a huge thing to review or got paid to put up a press release and you can do it better? You know your blog rocks and you will get the next one. The best thing you can do for your blog is continue to make it better without putting it up against another blog as a measuring stick.

You also need to focus on your strengths. This is where a strong niche can be so valuable. Yes, you can write about everything under the sun and be a “general life blogger” but if you have a passion then hone in on it and really put yourself into it. Make your blog all about it! Brands will notice. Sometimes, a brand will want to work with a blogger that is influential in a particular niche vs. someone with loads of traffic but no real focus.

There’s no place like home

Make sure your location is easy to find. Brands are starting to see the value in locally influential bloggers. On your twitter profile, put your state. In your meta tags, put your state and/or nearest metro area. Brands google and twitter search for locations they want to market to.

On another note, reach out to local businesses.  Don’t just offer reviews and giveaways either. Offer social media consulting, copy writing, advertising! If you write about your local market often and are involved offline too, the local chamber of commerce will want to work with you to help them get on the “internet map.”

~~~~~~

So now I am all pumped! While I will continue to offer reviews and giveaways, I will make sure to pour more energy into a local Kansas focus and share more stories with you. Storytelling is a part of my heart!

What do you love about blogging? I’d love to hear!

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” It is a term bloggers and business owners use to describe how they try to get their sites as close to the front pages of search engines as possible. For example, when searching for “pretty hospital gown” Annie & Isabel – a company that makes designer hospital gowns – benefits from being one of the first sites google brings up. (FYI, that link was me loving them, not paid or anything)

Bloggers benefit from SEO because we write useful articles and deserve to be clicked when people are searching.  I recently posted some HOP the movie coloring pages that is one of the first five pages google brings up and I received a lot of search engine traffic from it!

Bloggers, how do you get your posts to go higher in search results?

Very good question.

Let’s start at the very beginning with the terminology.

Meta-Tag: A Meta-Tag is the title of your blog and your post title.  It helps search engine crawlers know what your post is about. The meta-tag is found in the html of your blog. WordPress users can use a plugin for meta tags, blogger users must go into the html of their template in insert meta-tags manually. (This goes for meta-descriptions and meta-keywords too)

Meta-Description: A short description of your blog post. Sometimes search engine crawlers use the meta-description as the short blurb under you link when it gives people results. Again, you put the meta-description in your template html for blogger and use a plugin in WordPress.

Meta-Keywords: Keywords people might use and find your post. Example: for this post my meta-keywords might be “beginner SEO” or “how to SEO a blog post” or even “blog SEO.” This also goes in your template html or use the plugin for wordpress. And yes, blogger blogs require you to insert the meta-description and keywords manually.

Blogger users: Here is an example of the html to insert in your template for a post you want to SEO:

<b:if cond=’data:blog.url == &quot;http://www.YOURBLOG.Blogspot.com/PostTitle.html&quot;’>
<meta content=’SEO for Beginners’ name=’description’/>
<meta description=’How to SEO, SEO and blogs, blogging SEO, SEO for dummies’ name=’keywords’/>
</b:if>

Please note: You don’t have to do this for every single blog post. But if you are writing one that you think is super valuable and really great for googlers to find (tutorials and reviews for example) then by all means use the html. And for a really detailed tutorial for adding Meta tags, check out “how to add meta tags for single posts in blogger“)

How descriptive does the description have to be? Most search engines use a maximum of 160 characters in their “blurbs” so keep it short, sweet and to the point! A great way to know what to write in the description is to pay attention to what you read in the “blurbs” under the post titles when you google something.

The best WordPress Plugin for SEO

WordPress users: Download and active the “All in One SEO Pack” plugin. At the bottom of every post you write, you can type in the title, description and keywords for your post! Saves so much time and is so easy. Even better, if you happen to forget to enter the keywords and description at the bottom of your “edit post” screen, it pulls from the post title, category and tags you used. Seriously, this plugin rocks! If you have questions about how to use it, feel free to contact me, I’m willing to help!

Next, use keywords in good places in your post. You can use that plugin or put html in your template, but don’t forget to use those keywords in your post, and put them in naturally too!  My title here is perfect for search engines, it is something people might type directly into google. Use other keywords in the first paragraph and bolded headings in your post too.  The first sentence of this post is a perfect example of good use of keywords early in a post. And my headings in bold are too, so use this post as examples for that.

SEO those images! When people do a Yahoo or Google Image search, they can find your photos and therefore find your blog! This works really great for product review images or tutorials. WordPress users, this is easier for you. When you upload a photo, put a “google worthy” keyword in the “title” field and your post title in the “description” field.

Blogger doesn’t have these fields when you upload a picture so blogger users will have to go the html tab and edit the html of the picture to look like this:

<a href=”http://the_google_URL of the image Blogger gives you here.jpg”><img title=”Keyword” src=”http://the_google_URL of the image Blogger gives you here.jpg” alt=”Blog post or other description here” width=”300″ height=”300″ /></a>

One last tip: Write frequently about a few main topics and categorize and tag them and place that category in your nav bar. I get lots of search hits on cloth diapering so I make sure to post about cloth diaper tips and all my posts are easy to find up on my nav bar. This not only helps with search engine traffic, but helps readers depend on you for content on that topic and eases the maneuverability of your site too.

This is not an exhaustive post by any means! Please ask questions in the comments! I will answer them and write a part two if enough discussion is generated! What are you curious about with SEO? What baffles you? What have you learned recently that works?

Comments. Bloggers love to read them. But did you know that the type of comments you leave can attract people to your blog?

On the flip side, the comments you leave can also have a negative effect and prevent people from visiting your blog.

When I wrote about how blog communities can help grow you blog, I touched on the fact that part of blogging is community  and connecting with others. The easiest way to connect with others is by reading posts and sharing your thoughts in the comments section. If you leave a thoughtful, helpful, encouraging comment, chances are the blogger will read it, smile and click over to view your blog in return.

Blog tip:

If you are not accustomed to returning comment love, it is a valuable way to gain loyal readers and friends. When someone leaves you a comment, take a moment to click over to their blog and leave one as well. Merely replying to the comment via email, while a wonderful gesture, does not mean as much as if you go to their blog and comment.

If you are commenting for the sole purpose of receiving traffic to your blog and your comments show it, chances are you will not get the reciprocity you are seeking. Comments like this one, “Hi! I am your newest follower, follow me back, thanks!” or “Visiting from XYZ! See ya round!” do more to turn off the reader than interest them in your blog.

Blogging is about making connections with other people. You share a heartfelt post and desire to hear what others think, and perhaps get some support or agreement. A thoughtful comment can really peak someone’s attention and build friendships (which can turn into new followers and readers).

Blog Communities are as rich and rewarding as you make them

You can either go into a community with the mindset to grow in numbers – “Follow me, I follow back!” – or you can try and connect with a small group of people. Engage in blogs, find bloggers that engage in return.  Thoughtful, kind, friendly comments also speak volumes for you and your brand. The more personable you are the better people will think of you (and naturally) your blog.

What about those “Get new followers” blog hops?

Oh this is a tough one. I have some good blog friends that run blog hops like this. Essentially, you put your blog on a linky and then comment on like 50 blogs saying you are following them hoping to get those 50 blogs following you back. I don’t want to say those are a bad thing cause they can introduce you to some new bloggers all at once. In fact, I think the idea is a really great one! But if, during this blog hop, someone puts a comment like this, “New follower! Follow you back!” on a post about their struggle to lose weight, I doubt that blogger will follow back. So while these hops can be a good thing, leaving relevant comments on posts during them is a wise idea.

Blog Tip:

Even better than the “get new followers” blog hops are memes. Memes are blog hops where you link up at the host site and follow the blog prompt. With so many memes in blog world, you are sure to find one that matches your interests and introduces you to blogs you have something in common with. I host Wordless Wednesday, and there are food memes, question memes, vlog memes and photography memes, just to name a few! Soon, I’ll post about my favorite memes – if you host one let me know in the comments!

What are your experiences with comments? I’d love to know!

Finding a community is an absolute must for blog growth. If you try to have a successful blog without being involved in a community of some sort you will be working harder that someone else with a strong community behind them.

One thing to keep in mind to get the most out of a community: avoid the drama! No community is perfect since no person is perfect.  Drama comes and drama goes – a positive community experience can be had if you ignore it and latch on to the productive aspects of your community.

What is a blog community?

Well there are a few different ways to have a blog community. Basically, it is a place where bloggers gather to share ideas, encourage each other and support each other in other ways such as following each other’s blogs and/or giving comments. I will list some of my favorite blog communities for you to check out on the next pages!

Before I do, here are three things blog communities can give you if you invest in them:

1. Support

Think of your blog as a house. Your solid content and beautiful photos are the foundation and the posts you construct are the beauty inside. What you need is a solid frame – and a good community is that frame. When you connect and become involved online you will gain followers, comments, and tips and knowledge – all things that build up your blog and support your endeavors.  When you encounter tough times with your blog, you can find words of encouragement and the boost to keep going. You simply have a harder time being successful without such a community.

2. Knowledge and Tools

I learned a lot from googling. But I simply did not learn nearly as much from google as I did from experienced bloggers in my community.  Almost every question you have about blogging can be answered from other bloggers who have been there.  I learned how to optimize my blog for search engines, the benefits of StumbleUpon and photography tips and tricks all from experienced bloggers that became my friends. I have learned that more often than not, blogging is a communal activity. When you help each other out, your blog will experience exponential growth.

3. Friendship and Encouragement

Almost all moms started blogging because they made a friend or two through it.  Blogging brings people together and getting involved in a community helps you find these people easier. In a community you make such good friends – you start to share in joys and frustrations that extend past blogging into personal heart matters.  All of a sudden I don’t feel so alone, like I am the only cloth diapering/babywearing mom around – I have my cloth diapering blog friends I talk to.  Knowing I have this group around me, I can write with more passion too.

Now I am going to share some of the blog communities I know about. If there is one you or someone you know is a part of, please let me know in the comments.  I am just sharing the communities I know about and would love to hear about more that are out there!

And if you are not part of a blog community, I encourage you to find one of these and get plugged in!
(To read the communities I found, click page two below)

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Pin it

Hi!  I’m back with another fun list of words and questions. This is going to be so much fun! I compiled my own words and put a few on here from the advice of a few bloggers. How it works – read the list of words and answer the questions on your own vlog. Then come back here and put your post on my linky so I can come visit and see how you say things different than I do!

And of course put a linky on your blog too, I have a button if you want to grab it

<a href="http://mamadweeb.com/2011/04/how-do-you-say-that-in-kansas-vlog-hop-3/"><img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m108/angel95annie/vloghop.jpg"/>

If you are totally lost and missed the first dialect vlog hop, you can read that post and get caught up.

My Video!

The Questions/Words

Pillow, Exhausted, Governor, Entrepreneurial, Calm, Milwaukee Wisconsin, Bagel, ambulance, aqua, femoral, address, rural, hypocrisy

What do you call a store where you buy alcohol?
What do you call it when you blow on a baby’s tummy and make them laugh?
What do you call batting your eyelashes on someone’s cheek?
What is another way of saying, “to deceive,” or “swindle?”
What is a funny way to say someone is not smart? (one fry short of a happy meal?)
Another name for butt?
What do you call it when you drive through mud. Lots of it, often fast and pray you don’t get stuck?

Link up!

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