I received a twitter question from @marika2motivate that asked (you can follow me on twitter @BloggerSavvy): "Is wordpress better? and if it is can you explain why? Trying to feel my way around the blogging world!" To answer, I think the best approach is to look at the pros and cons of self hosted (stand alone) versus site hosted (community) blogs. Personally I am biased towards a self hosted Wordpress platform as it allows for greater control and customization. Again, having said this, the real issue is how you are going to drive your content, do you require full control or are you going to hand off your blog's control to a third party? As most blogging platforms offer more or less similar tools; for those interested in the nitty gritty (comparing platforms) WeblogMatrix has a nice tool to help you compare actual platforms. Another nice link that Google returned was "Blog software comparison chart". In my (humble) opinion self hosted blogs are the best (and most professional) way to go. However, without further delay, here's my take on the pros and cons... Self Hosted Blogs The good: Using open source software (such as Wordpress) results in an affordable installation (it's free). There's no payment for the ...

I received a message from Erica DeWolf of eMarketing & New Media this morning and read an interesting post on her blog "Word of Mouth Marketing: Measurable?". The discussion revolves, in part, around the various aspects of viral marketing vs. word of mouth. While there are pros and cons to both methods (and they both have their place and uses), I did not agree completely with the statement from Seth Godin: "...word of mouth is a decaying function..." While I visit Seth Godin's blog regularly (it's a valuable resource!) and value the information and resources (he's been blogging longer than I have), unless I've misunderstood, I just can't agree that word of mouth is decaying, instead I think it's a matter that less people are realizing, or learning how to use it effectively (my opinion of that blog post is that Mr. Godin appears to favour viral marketing over word of mouth; in this case). On the other hand Erica DeWolf's post continues to quote Dave Balter, where he surmises that: “Viral marketing is typically reserved for programs where the advertising is talked about as opposed to the product itself. A good example are viral videos, where the humor trumps the brand, ...

Just over a year ago, I was sent a thought provoking YouTube link "The Machine is Us/ing Us". Not only was it educational in describing how the web is used, how we use it to use us, but also an eye opener in terms of how we need to redefine our thoughts and values. It was one of those moments that made me as a blogger stand back and think "Wow, there are a couple of things I can change". Today I received another link (from the same group), the video is below ("A Vision of Students Today"). The specific topic deals with the characteristics of students today. While this may not be directly related to blogging, some of the comments and suggestions within this video are not only moving but also provocative in that (I think) bloggers, such as myself, need to stand back from time to time and put ourselves in someone else's shoes (such as our readers). Doing so perhaps can empower us to provide content that is more meaningful and useful (among other things). A case in point from the video, "18% of my teachers know my name". About the only intelligent response to the video that immediately ...

One common issue may bloggers (and web site) owners must consider is the design interface of their blog. Your design is the packaging to your product (the content). Much in the same way that companies like Sharp, Nike, Coca Cola, etc., pay attention to professional brand packaging, we need to do the same. Remember, if your packaging (blog design) looks unorganized, ugly, "busy", disorganized, etc. then that's the message your sending to potential users. In other words your design is telling visitors a fair bit about your blog, before they even read the content. If the blog looks terrible or is not functional, you'll probably lose that visitor. A blog with horrible typography (fonts), positioning or navigation is a clear message to readers saying "I don't have attention to detail, I don't care about quality, I am not professional". After all, would you go to a wedding with dirty worn-out jeans and a soccer tee-shirt? Of course not! Having said this, let's pause for a moment and consider that design is not just about the graphics on your blog but more importantly, design is about planning and functionality. And in my opinion, graphics take a back seat to the functionality ...

I've received several requests and questions from readers, friends, etc. that all point to one salient issue. "What can we physically do to improve our blogs?" or "What actual activities should we complete, in order to make our blogs better?". It seems that launching a blog for some new and inexperienced blog owners is a huge exercise (and for some a steeper learning curve than for others). I've often observed clients who have launched their blogs, fail to garner traffic, further excitement and buzz, or for that matter, reach any of their goals and blogging aspirations. After a time they become discouraged as they feel let down by their blog. One of the biggest barriers I've observed (among others) is that often people just don't do anything, mainly because some don't quite know what to do (or how) and others just need more motivation. Some launch their blog and expect the Internet horde to rush over and visit. To be blunt, the days of "Build it and they will come", are long over. A blog is akin to your business tools, if you don't use it, it will become rusty. Defining some of the barriers to improving a blog is well and good, ...