Can I Read You Like a Book?

I should be able to read you like a book.  At least I should be able to read your blog like a book.

There are many similarities between blogs and books. In fact, some say you should write your blog more like a book than a journal (and I agree).

I don't know about you, but when I go book shopping, there are certain things I do to "thin slice" a book before I buy it — and it's similar to how I look at a blog for the first time, before I subscribe to the RSS feed or recommend it to others. 

When I grab a book off the shelf, here's what I do to determine if it's worth my time and money:

1. Cover (Title, image, subtitle)
2. Back Cover (blurbs, about author)
3. Inside back flap (about author)
4. Copyright date (if it's not this year, it better be close)
5. Table of Contents (potentially a view of the book's "Big Idea")
6. Index (if there is one – a good idea of the contents)
7. Flip Thru (if it's all text – I'm gone. Let's face it, this writer wrote this without me in mind)

That's the thin slice of book buying for me.  How about blogs?  I do something similar (and so do my students):

1. Banner (Title, image, tagline)
2. Sidebar above fold (Author's picture, contact info)
3. Sidebar near the fold or scrollbar (RSS feeds, search the site)
4. Categories (Much like a Table of Contents)
5. Timestamps (When was the last post and are the postings consistent?)
6. Comments (is this an engaging blog/community?)
7. Date-based Archives (Tells me how long the blogger has been at it)
8. Twitter/FriendFeed/Other SocNet buttons (Where else does this author engage?)
9. Blogroll (Do we read similar authors?)

A couple more steps, but still – it can be done in a likkety-split-second or two.  If you're new to blogging, this is a great start at finding new blogs to read, link to, and follow.  If you're new to reading books — stop right now and head to your local library.

Follow Mike Sansone on Twitter or Facebook or on Google+

Find Your Social Media ROI

I hear it from a lot of business owners: “Where is the ROI with all this Social Media?“ If this is a question you ask yourself, maybe we should work together a bit more. We can work together solo, or via a professional learning community. Find and increase your ROI. There is a “there” there.