The A-to-Z of online copywriting
Online copywriting can make all the difference between a website that engages and converts, and one that stagnates.
Words communicate to your visitors and influence actions (both positively and negatively). Furthermore, good copy is, as far as the search engines are concerned, the food of the Gods. Words are to Google what oxygen is to you and me.
So I thought I’d try to nail an A-to-Z of online copywriting. As ever, these recommendations are guidelines, rather than firm rules. They're broadly applicable to web copywriters and bloggers, as well as journalists who have their work published online. I hope it makes for a handy bookmark-friendly checklist...
Social media: myth versus reality
The nature of the internet economy has given myth new importance in the digital age. One need only look at the field of SEO to see just how prominent (and destructive) myth can be.
Social media has a lot in common with SEO and one area where that's especially true is in the number of social media myths that have become entrenched. From the belief that social media ROI can't be measured to the idea that your business can thrive if you get to the right influencers, social media myths run rampant today.
Q&A: JD Lasica, Founder of Socialmedia.biz
JD Lasica is the founder of Socialmedia.biz, a social marketing consultancy, and Socialbrite.org, a learning hub for nonprofits. JD was an editor at a California newspaper before he became involved with digital media in the late 90s. He now speaks regularly about social media and user-generated media.
JD recently participated in the Traveling Geeks roundtables hosted by Econsultancy and I spoke with him about social media, the impact it's having and the fate of mainstream media.
How fast is the blogosphere?
How fast are bloggers? According to researchers at Cornell University, it typically took bloggers two and a half hours during the 2008 US presidential campaign to pick up on stories that were broken by the mainstream media.
That conclusion was reached by using computers to analyze 1.6m websites between August and October 2008. All told, these websites published around 90m blog posts and articles.
When disclosure isn't enough
Disclosure is a touchy subject when it comes to blogging and digital journalism. Most of the time, the debate is centered on when disclosure is necessary. But what happens when disclosure isn't enough?
As I was going through my feed reader yesterday, I came across a post on Silicon Alley Insider (SAI) that serves as the perfect example of why a debate about journalistic ethics and standards online can't be limited to the topic of disclosure.
300+ helpful tips on using social media
We have more than 600 articles on social media on the blog from the last few years, providing advice on brands using social media, mistakes to avoid, and best practices to follow.
I've gathered together some of the best articles to provide you with ideas and information to inform your use of social media...
Q&A: Pete Cashmore of Mashable on social media and blogging
Pete Cashmore is CEO and founder of Mashable.com, which has firmly established itself as one of the world's biggest tech blogs.
We caught up with Pete to find out more about the progress of his publishing and events business, as well as his thoughts on social media in general.
Wordpress 2.8 released with 180 improvements
The Wordpress platform has matured into a remarkably powerful content management platform, and a free one at that. And it just got better.
Matt Mullenweg today announced the release of the latest version of Wordpress, version 2.8.
Marketing: when the government gets it oh-so wrong
Last week I explored the ways in which the government succeeds at its online marketing, but even then I had to admit that these bursts of brilliance are few and far between.
Unfortunately, sometimes our leaders and public servants just get the whole thing so very wrong. Here are a few of their worst offences but please feel free to add your own. It is like bad call centre experiences, everyone has a story!
Publish your blog on Amazon Kindle in 10 easy steps
Amazon has launched a very simple self-publishing tool for the world’s blogger community, to expand the amount of blogs available on Kindle.
Kindle Publishing for Blogs allows bloggers to sign up and submit their feed/s. Amazon will turn your blog feed into a Kindle-ready format. Why wouldn't you?
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
