Discovery Along the Blogging Path
How precious the facial expressions of a business pro discovering new, like-minded blogs. It's like watching a kid unwrapping a birthday present.
And if folks follow instruction, discovery could happen on almost a daily basis.
After writing a post, I teach bloggers to pick a key phrase or two and go on a "blog hunt," using Google BlogSearch and Blog Posting Mantra #4.
Recently, a business leader wrote a post, and we found a key and recurring phrase. We did a Google Blog Search on that phrase - "being open to the possibilities"...and looked for specific nuggets:
We "discovered" Suzy Strumpke's Core Insight Blog. As it happens, this new blogger is also a coach and resonated with many of Suzy's posts. But here's how we picked this particular result in the search:
- Look for a Real Name: Bylines such as wysidihfao; SmartNSexy or admin give us no clue to whether the blog will be a spamalog or not. We don't have time to dig ("Find a link in 5 minutes and get out), so we first scan for real names.
- Look for Relevance: The summary provided in the search results will clue us in to how relevant the result will be to your blog post. Relevance is key! We don't go on a blog hunt simply to link out, but also to extend the conversation outward. Be a resource for your audience.
- Look for a Blog Site: Depending on the phrase, you may get a newspaper article, job board or other RSS-enabled result. I suggest finding blog sites for a few reasons, mostly because it's a great way to meet -- and introduce your audience to -- new people.
Before we even clicked on any of the results, we had eliminated most of them. It took us all of two whole minutes to find Suzy's post - and it was spot on relevant. Just like any other part of the business blogging process, stay disciplined on time -- and only click on results meeting the three criteria above.
How do you discover relevant blogs and posts?
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