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!

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.

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