Amber Weinberg the Expert

Are you an expert?

If you said yes this post is for you!  If you said no you are lying!

Everyone is an expert whether or not realize it. Every single person alive brings something unique to the table. You may not think you have an expertise that people are interested in… but you are wrong! If you are an expert it means you have a passion, I promise someone else shares it.

Amber Weinberg is an expert when it comes to website design..

She is passionate, smart, and creative in the way she explains her expertise to readers. I read her blog on a regular basis not because I want to stay abreast of Coding news… (I have vowed to never try that again) but because she has a contagious passion around what she knows.

If you are searching for content to blog about I think you need to look no further than your free time.

How you spend your free time gives great insight into your expertise.

• What shows do you watch on TV?… why? What do you think about it?

• Do you like beer? What is your favorite beer? why?

• Are you a 40 something man with a collection of dolls… on more than one level why?

Blogging is an extension of your story.. of your ideas… of your knowledge. Check out what Amber does because she does what she does well.

Seth Godin and Simplicity

Lately I have been working with brands discussing their web presence. One common problem I have encountered is the concept that sub-par content can be overcome with great design.

What do I  do when these issues come up?

I point to blogs that aren’t flashy but are still great. Seth Godin is the master of simplicity. Seth doesn’t waste effort on graphics and flash instead he offers great pointed content that is free of distraction.

A blog is about telling a story… A real story. Brands naturally want to rely on flashy design because telling stories is so difficult. Brands that can’t tell their story struggle with blogging and social media in general.

So if you are new to blogging ask your self… What is the story I want to tell?

That is your starting point! Your story will guide your success.  Brands/people that attempt to use success to dive their stories are almost never successful!

Social Netiquette

This isn’t a blog review but I think anyone who owns a blog should know there are rules. Check it, out read up, its pretty cool!

Social Netiquette

View more documents from Michelle Lentz.

New blog posts coming this week!!!

I promise… Im going to have at least a months on back order ready to go by friday… Life happened over the holiday break by thursday if you click my photo you’ll find out!

I’m a slacker or something… but I still love this project!

A “Sweet and Saucy” Business Blog

I’m back and I survived finals… and now have major relief.

Today I’m going to review another local blog, but this time there is a twist as it is the first business blog I will cover. My Sweet and Saucy (@mysweetandsaucy on twitter) is a organically grown business making amazing deserts. If you find yourself in the LA area check it out!

When it comes to business blogs normally there is a lot to dislike. Business blogs (even small business ones) often lack personality, creativity, and substance. I could go on and demonstrating weak, unauthentic, uncreative, and out of date blogs. However I strongly believe that there is more good in highlighting a business that is doing it so well.  Sweet and Saucy makes a great case study.

As I land on the home page the very first thing I notice is the consistent feel and general navigational comfort. The blog is the very first page one would land on from the web, so clear navigation is important. The blog also hits the mark on getting photos right at the fold. Its like getting a taste (pun) of what the blog is about.

(Side note) There are several different schools of thought as to how users should arrive at a corporate blog from the web. A whole debate on the subject has often been waged in various marketing circles that I wont dive into. My personal take is that the location of a blog  on a website depends on a bunch of variables.

::sponsors and partners::

Many businesses are very nervous about allowing sponsors to have space on their blog. Contrary to what many may think this fear isn’t irrational! Google ad words is probably not a good solution for a business blog… unless that business wants links to the competition on the website. Selected sponsors may offer awful service  tarnishing their reputations and yours. The benefits can be substantial, new streams of revenue, partnerships, etc. It’s not a no risk, no reward situation.

If you’re running blog and you are considering adding sponsors, I clearly want to state this is not a bad idea! However take a tip from sweet and saucy, clearly label that they are a sponsor. Include a link for advertisers who are interested so they can contact you. Finally never allow a selected sponsor space until you have used their product. In the end its your brand you are protecting.

Last thing I want to highlight… Sweet and Saucy shares baking resources which I think is a great idea. Some may argue that these resources actually cut into revenue because people will bake on their own.. They may have a point but the more likely scenario is people that bake have added a positive brand impression. This group will lean toward sweet and saucy when they don’t want to bake.

Avoidance and fear are not the solution creativity and selectivity are.

Melody the owner won’t even have open @ reply conversations on twitter with non-affiliated partners (ie me)… its classic and wise brand protection. However she always sends DM back acknowledging positive comments!

Check out http://www.mysweetandsaucy.com/ leave a comment below / rate the site.

Again as always if you would like your blog included send an e-mail to : hockeyonabus@gmail.com

or send a @ reply to mhandy1 on twitter.

Where did I go… I think this explains it

After finals I’ll be back with new posts ( thats next week)

Resa Michelle dot com …keep it personal

Today I’m going to highlight a non hockey blog, Resa Michelle dot com.  She is a great source for all things Apple and offers a personal touch with stories and insights. . .

I think personal blogs should be human, one way to do this is to include an image of yourself. It doesn’t need to be fancy  but a photo helps readers remember that the writer of the blog is a person.  Resa did this in her header and as you can see I do this in my side bar.

**Noteworthy: The search the site button in her header is a smart move..helps you; helps readers.

Keeping with the “keep it personal” meme the “about me” section of your blog is an opportunity to highlight your favorite subjects. Some blogs can do this so well that a tag cloud would be redundant, which is the case for Resa. Reading this section I wouldn’t be suprised to see a post about classes, general marketing thoughts, SEO, apple products, fashion, or Salsa. The about me section is on the TOP of her sidebar which is very cool.

Just above “the about” me section she offers very pretty graphic links to her online locations. Your twitter page, youtube channel, facebook account, flickr account etc. are like a list of spots you hang out online. Including them helps fans find you and keep up with what you are doing.

I haven’t talked about Comments much but they are really important! If you are lucky enough to have people so engaged that they are willing to comment (less than 5% of people will) you need to respect that. Comments are like a conversation with your blog. You started the conversation by posting a blog if someone answers back make sure you engage. This doesn’t just apply to private blogs, companies could learn this lesson as well.  Look at what Resa does in the section above… someone comments she comments back, and instantly she has a fan.

As always if you would like your blog featured please send an email to hockeyonabus@gmail.com or send a tweet to @Mhandy1.

Please rate the blog reviewed below and offer your take in the comment section!

Lets Drop With The New Puck Drop

Welcome to the first ever post, of hockey on a bus. I’m very excited and I will make it a personal goal to review at least 2 blogs a week.

Today is Puck Drop Wednesday because today the new Puck Drop site went live. Puck Drop is a very cool blog using a collaboration method to track events and happenings in the NHL. He includes his twitter feed (I think every blogger should) and he has a blog roll small enough that its useful yet large enough that it adds value.

On to the actual review

The simplicity here is important… its a blog about content not flash, but some may feel that its too stripped down. However it is very easy to navigate.

I would like to see the authors a highlighted a little better… they are on the bottom of his sidebar I’d argue he should probably have it at or near the top.

When you select an author you are guided to a page that includes a side bar and their articles. I would probably also add a twitter feed in the side bar for each author as well (which may be in the works)… Featured here is a the feed of allhabs.

 

Please comment/rate the reviewed blog below…  Also let me know of any blogs you would want me to review either by emailing me at hockeyonabus@gmail.com or Twitter me @mhandy1

We are not exclusive to Hockey!