ProBlogger 31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Forum: Daily Tasks

ProBlogger 31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Forum: Daily Tasks - Recent Posts http://www.problogger.com/31days/ A Community for Talking about Making Blogs Better en Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:32:47 +0000 eileenludwig2 on "Day 28: Write a Review Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=536&page=2#post-9700 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:20:05 +0000 eileenludwig2 9700@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Wrote a review on a trip on a Water Taxi in Fort Lauderdale <a href="http://www.freelancetourist.com/fort-lauderdale-watertaxi-venice-of-america/" rel="nofollow">http://www.freelancetourist.com/fort-lauderdale-watertaxi-venice-of-america/</a> Alison Golden on "Day 6 - Learn from Successful Bloggers" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=10&page=2#post-9699 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:05:03 +0000 Alison Golden 9699@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Have to say, I'm starting to struggle with information overload. I read several of these blogs and the message that gets reinforced over and over is SEO, comments on other blogs and use bookmarks like Digg. SEO and the sites like Digg are a mystery to me and something I seem to have to learn. Some of the tips I have already incorporated and not all are applicable to me as I am not writing a subject based how-to blog but there are many, many I can work on and I also realise that this blogging thing is a lot of work. Alison Golden on "Day 5 - Email a Reader" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=9&page=3#post-9698 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:36:24 +0000 Alison Golden 9698@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ I have been replying to my commenters on my blog from day one since it doubles the comment #'s. It looks so lame to have zero comments. Most of my readers are my Facebook friends but I have been commenting on blogs which are commentluv enabled so that my latest post shows up. I always make it an insightful comment and will choose not to comment if I can't think of anything worthwhile. I have seen traffic from those sites almost immediately. I have found with the smaller blogs that the bloggers will then comment on my blogs in reciprocation. I have not done the email thing. It feels uncomfortable to me. I realize that many people do not see my reply to them as they are not subscribed to the comments but I have to think a little longer about replying via email. It is not so relevant at the mo as my commenters are mostly my friends who know me anyway. Alison Golden on "Day 4 - Analyze a Top Blog in your Niche" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=8&page=3#post-9697 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:24:51 +0000 Alison Golden 9697@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ I analyzed a couple of blogs: ittybiz.com and theblogess.com. The first is a marketing infomation products site for solopreneurs and is based around a blog. The second is a mommy/women blogger with a number of different blogs. The commonality with my blog is the humor and the lifestories.   Things that I noticed: The blogging schedule was pretty erratic but frequent. They were long! The voice was neurotic, funny, highly personal. The topics that generated the most comments were: sad/frustrated posts showing vulnerability including ones about children and animals. Mediums were: Twitter (both were major Twitter users) RSS FB Fanpage Design: Ittybiz is the site that I based my on - clear, uncluttered, few colors; The Blogess is much more cluttered, pink theme. What done well: A human, highly personal voice sharing stories of their families. Ittybiz illustrates marketing principles through the storytelling of her life and family. The Blogess shares funny, quirkly stories showing herself as a vulnerable, flawed human being, people can relate to, find funny and perhaps feel that at least their life isn't *that* crazy. Monetization: Ittybiz has her marketing info products; she also recommends other people's services - life/business coaching, designers  which presumably are affiliates. She doesn't use ads but testimonials. The Blogess doesn't monetize her blog as far as I can tell. She gets paid for other blogs/columns she writes for. What did I learn from this: That I should have more readers! My writing stacks up in quality against these two blogs and so I should focus on developing monetization (via products) and then market the blog heavily. I also learned that great design, professional photos do not a large readership make. The Blogess is an unattractive site with a niche readership but both blogs have developed an intense relationship with their large readership and they are loyal. A good question would be what makes them so loyal - vulnerability, authenticity, a wilingness to say it as it is.   Smart Office Pro on "Day 2 - Write a List Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=6&page=12#post-9696 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:08:47 +0000 Smart Office Pro 9696@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Share a link to your List Post Looking for the meaning of team?  Here are 7 team definitions: <a href="http://smartofficepro.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/the-meaning-of-team/" rel="nofollow">http://smartofficepro.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/the-meaning-of-team/</a> How did you find writing it? I was able to research and write this list post in less time than my other posts usually take.  I chose the easiest topic this time to make it extra fast. What tips would you give to others writing lists? Once I had a few ideas, I researched keywords to find out which topics were getting looked for but not found. How did readers respond to your post? My blog is very new with little traffic.  No response yet to this post. Do you use lists posts on your blog regularly? Will you? I haven't yet, but I will.  I foresee plenty of how to posts with a list of step-by-step instructions.  Or lists of ideas.  I can quickly post a list now and then of info and links collected from the Internet.  In other words, share my research so someone else doesn't have to cull through a search results page. Alison Golden on "Day 3 - Promote a Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=7&page=6#post-9695 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:18:39 +0000 Alison Golden 9695@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ I tweeted my latest post, I tweeted and included the #31DBBB tag, I put it on Facebook, commented on several blogs especiallly ones enabled with ComLuv. I also like the idea of adding a link to a particular post in my email sig and will implement that. I looked at Digg, Delicious etc. but haven't mastered them and not sure they are relevant to my readership. 90% of my readers come from Facebook and are my friends! I want to extend that. Alison Golden on "Day 2 - Write a List Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=6&page=12#post-9694 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:35:13 +0000 Alison Golden 9694@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ <ul> <li>Share a link to your List Post - <a href="http://alisongolden.com/?p=953">10 Things You Don't Know About My Mom But Probably Should By Sebastian, Aged 10½</a>. </li> <li>How did you find writing it? I had started to have an idea for this so the task was fortuitous. I found it easy, fun and a change from my normal essay format.</li> <li>What tips would you give to others writing lists? Er...brainstorm with others ideas for your list and cull from that or use it to spark more ideas.</li> <li>How did readers respond to your post? Too early to tell but the first responses were good.</li> <li>Do you use lists posts on your blog regularly? Will you? I use them occasionally. And I think I will use them more often. I tend to illustrate my topics via storytelling which lists don't lend themselves to but to prevent reader fatigue, I'll plan a list post regularly.</li> </ul> Alison Golden on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9692 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:05:13 +0000 Alison Golden 9692@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ My blog has two purposes which I guess are intertwined. So I have two elevator pitches. I am unable right now to decide which one to go with so I'm sticking with both for now and shall see where the other 30 days lead me. a) Short: I write stories from my life as a form of self expression to round out the public perception of me that is solely focused on being a mother and a wife. I am exploring the art of blogging, writing and internet marketing/social media. a) Long: I write stories from my life to illustrate perspectives, ideas and insights that hopefully enteretian and cause my readers to reflect upon their own lives, becoming more aware of their life process, behaviors and patterns. With that awareness, if they choose to do so, they can put in motion strategies to improve areas of their lives that need improvement. b) Short: Celebrating apparently conventional women who are, in fact, superheroes. b) Long: Ever thought that Wonder Woman was a bit girlie? Ever gone in one side of your minivan dressed conservatively and come out the other with your knickers over your pants? Yes? Then this is the blog for you. Come and join me as I chronicle my life as secret superhero cleverly disguised as a conventional, Target shopping, cat-loving, white minivan driving mom of two. You will learn that you are not alone as you fly the skies fighting chaos and mayhem, putting scary monsters in their place and saving the world as you bring up humanity. You will understand that it is necessary for your mission to go undercover as you infiltrate enemy lines and use tactics more subtle than shock and awe to achieve your goals. You will realize that part of this mission is to achieve all these things without pay or concern for your life or limb and that once the world has been saved, you will anonymously slip back into normal life without thanks or recognition. Such is the Secret Life Of A Warrior Woman. Apparently conventional but, in fact, a superhero. tblackman on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9691 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:30:04 +0000 tblackman 9691@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Sorry about that mess.  Let me try this again.   I'm TBlackman from <a href="http://www.crabsinabarrel.net">http://www.crabsinabarrel.net</a>, and I truly appreciate feeback on my elevator pitch.   Long pitch: We are a source and a resource for thought-provoking social and political commentary on issues affecting the African-american community and beyond.  We will endeavor to try and bring together "people of color" from around the world to work together to empower and be empowered.   Short pitch: Empowering ourselves by Empowering each other!   Thank You!          tblackman on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9690 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:20:19 +0000 tblackman 9690@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ <div class="post"> Hi Everyone, I'm TBlackman from <a href="http://www.crabsinabarrel.net">www.crabsinabarrel.net</a>, and I would truly appreciate feedback on my elevator pitch!  Long Pitch:       We are a source and a resource for thought-provoking social and political commentary on issues affecting the African American community and beyond. We will endeavor to try and bring together “people of color” from around the world to work together to empower and be empowered.  Short Pitch:     Empowering ourselves by empowering each other. Thank you!! </div> tblackman on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9689 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:18:33 +0000 tblackman 9689@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ <div class="post"> Hi Everyone, I'm TBlackman from <a href="http://www.crabsinabarrel.net">www.crabsinabarrel.net</a>, and I would truly appreciate feedback on my elevator pitch!  Long Pitch:      We are a source and a resource for thought-provoking social and political commentary on issues affecting the African American community and beyond. We will endeavor to try and bring together “people of color” from around the world to work together to empower and be empowered.  Short Pitch:    Empowering ourselves by empowering each other. Thank you!! </div> EileenLudwig on "Day 4 - Analyze a Top Blog in your Niche" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=8&page=3#post-9687 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:33:53 +0000 EileenLudwig 9687@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Day 4 on my second blog brought me back in time to when I took a storytelling class. Other than the fact, I didn't jump on this back then, there was a lot to learn when I found the young lady we studied had improved her blog and had a very solid design and direction Find adsense ads and positioning them and trying to find the right combination is difficult while learning the different screens and what is best. Lots to read. Of course wordpress and all the plug ins add to the learning curve. Some things working right and some redirects not working correct yet. Need to stop obsessing on it and do some other workd. Did at least get this one posting done on my second blog  <a href="http://webdesign.eileenteaches.com/blog/analyze-top-blog-your-niche-day4-teens/" rel="nofollow">http://webdesign.eileenteaches.com/blog/analyze-top-blog-your-niche-day4-teens/</a> AndrewCMacDonald on "Day 11 - Come up with 10 Post Ideas for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=218&page=3#post-9686 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:37:52 +0000 AndrewCMacDonald 9686@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ My niche of real estate investing is well covered, and there are many books on the subject. When I am reading these books I frequently get new ideas for topics to discuss on my blog. I can usually think of a good headline right then, so I write it down and continue reading. This method has helped me come up with hundreds of ideas, and when those run out I'll use the idea Darren suggested to find more related topics. Alan G on "Day 2 - Write a List Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=6&page=12#post-9684 Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:10:31 +0000 Alan G 9684@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Day two and we came up with a list post which will be made up of 4 different list posts. Although not aimed at customers they should be good for link bait from other people in the same industry or students getting in it and the organisations mentioned. <a href="http://www.gennadelaney.com/blog/tips-jewellers-part-1/" rel="nofollow">http://www.gennadelaney.com/blog/tips-jewellers-part-1/</a> Alan G on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9683 Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:55:35 +0000 Alan G 9683@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Finally working through with my partner. Short pitch (as is) Contemporary jewellery designed and made by Genna Delaney (long pitch) Are you looking for some new jewellery? I am passionate about making individual, unique and really unusual contemporary jewellery. I mainly use silver with unusual stones and can produce large geometric pieces but can do more commercial ranges too. I can revamp your old pieces into something new and exciting! Wedding and bridal wear is a new range and that includes jewellery for the groom too. You can buy my finished work or I can make something bespoke for you. EileenLudwig on "Day 7 - Write a Link Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=11&page=3#post-9681 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:14:23 +0000 EileenLudwig 9681@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ I post links in all my postings. It is like doing a footnote or bibliography that shows the path I took on my Information highway broken down into a few links Here is my posting <a href="http://socialmedia.eileenteaches.com/blog/write-a-link-post-wordpress-plugins/" rel="nofollow">http://socialmedia.eileenteaches.com/blog/write-a-link-post-wordpress-plugins/</a> AndrewCMacDonald on "Day 10 - Set up Alerts to Monitor Your Blogs Niche" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=167&page=2#post-9680 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:23:44 +0000 AndrewCMacDonald 9680@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Did you already have these types of alerts set up? I used Google Alerts to monitor my own name (which is unfortunately pretty common) so I'd receive new alerts quite often. With such a common name which is also shared with a professional hockey player and well known skateboarder I just glance through these quickly. What services do you use? I use Google Alerts and Tweetdeck. How many alerts have you set up? I have 3 Google Alerts setup to monitor variations of my name, 3 to monitor my site and URLs, and 3 more for key terms related to my niche. I also use Tweetdeck to monitor re-tweets, mentions and a few hash tags related to my niche. A Small Holding on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9679 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:58:29 +0000 A Small Holding 9679@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Hi My tag line is "Smaller than a farm but larger than an allotment" <a href="http://asmallholding.blogspot.com/">A Small Holding</a>     AndrewCMacDonald on "Day 9 - Promote Your Blog by Finding a Forum to Participate In" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=33&page=3#post-9678 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:39:21 +0000 AndrewCMacDonald 9678@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ What forums have you found to participate in? My favourite forum to participate in is <a href="http://www.myreinspace.com">MyREINSpace.com</a> which is a forum hosted by the <a href="http://www.reincanada.com/">Real Estate Investment Network</a> which several members use. For this task I also looked for a couple new forums and found: <ul> <li><a href="http://www.biggerpockets.com">www.biggerpockets.com</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.preigcanada.com">www.preigcanada.com</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.canadareic.com">www.canadareic.com</a></li> </ul> How have you found forums in your niche? I already used the MyREINSpace forum before starting my blog just because I am very interested in the topic and find it to be a helpful local resource. I found the other forums based on my knowledge of local investor groups and the help of Google. What techniques are you using to build your profile in the forums you're visiting? I setup my avatar and signatures on each and used a feedburner graphic to show my most recent blog headlines. Whenever I post I try to answer questions or help other users in some way. I enjoy providing advice to help other people get started investing in real estate or deal with problems I've encountered before so this comes natural to me. walkie74 on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9677 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:02:44 +0000 walkie74 9677@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Tag Line: My blog's about my foodie adventures, some culinary education, and how I deal with it all.   Longer Tag: Ever had one of those nights where you throw together something amazing in the kitchen and can't remember what the heck you did or why it worked? Or had a bad day and discovered a great meal or a nice drink that made you feel better? That's what my blog is about.   To create mine, I literally imagined myself having a casual conversation with someone in an elevator. What would I say to them to keep my pitch from sounding like A Pitch (tm)? How would I pitch my friends? I feel very comfortable using these (which doesn't necessarily mean anything, but yeah).   Oh, and I have a completely different pitch that I use as a .sig: I'm a foodie, you're a foodie, she's a foodie too! Food, Drink, Life: Adventures of a Food Lover Ayah on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9675 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:40:18 +0000 Ayah 9675@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ @ScienceMum - I love it!!  Do you have ideas for a short version, i.e. tag line?  Ayah on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9674 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:03:25 +0000 Ayah 9674@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Hi Everyone, I'm Ayah from <a title="Experience Life Fully " href="http://experiencelifefully.com">Experience Life Fully</a>, and I would truly appreciate feedback on my elevator pitch!  Long Pitch: Experience Life Fully is a community where people from all walks of life can come together to grow individually and gain wisdom through creating and sharing meaningful life experiences. It’s for wisdom seekers who are looking to discover purpose and meaning in their lives, be happier, have more energy, live in the moment, build strong relationships, and fully enjoy all of life’s experiences.  Are you ready to experience life fully? Short Pitch: Experience Life Fully is a guide to growing and gaining wisdom through shared experiences. Be wise. Live life!   Thank you!!  mia on "Day 2 - Write a List Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=6&page=12#post-9673 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:40:55 +0000 mia 9673@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ I loved this challenge as I love lists! Nevertheless, I completely forgot to put one on the blog I used for 31DBBB...   My list is short and sweet <a href="http://ekodigo.blogspot.com/2010/08/3-things-to-do-with-your-blog-today.html">3 Things To Do with Your Blog Today</a>. Happy Reading!     Cormonese on "Day 2 - Write a List Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=6&page=12#post-9672 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:36:11 +0000 Cormonese 9672@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Here's my list post: <a href="http://londononthecheap.net/5-free-things-to-do-in-london-september-2010/">http://londononthecheap.net/5-free-things-to-do-in-london-september-2010/</a> It was fun to write, and the end result is nicely scannable. It's had a good response - it got retweeted.     AndrewCMacDonald on "Day 8 - Interlink Posts" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=32&page=2#post-9671 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:35:59 +0000 AndrewCMacDonald 9671@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ How did you find posts to interlink? I took a look at my sitemap to see which posts were related and then checked to see where I could add some internal links. Do you already do this as part of your blogging? I usually interlink anything that is part of a series, or where an obvious link comes to mind. I haven't really made a concious effort in the past to interlink keywords within posts so I added a few links within posts to other relevant content. My series on <a title="Introduction" href="http://www.andrewcmacdonald.com/blog/2010/01/25/building-your-real-estate-investment-team-part-1-introduction/">Building Your Real Estate Investment Team</a> is the best example I have of interlinked posts on my site since it is a 9 part series and each part links to the other 8 parts. NicolaCairnX on "Day 2 - Write a List Post" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=6&page=12#post-9670 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:22:43 +0000 NicolaCairnX 9670@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Dear All, I've been absolutely astounded at the success of writing a List Post as suggested by 31DTBBB.  You can read the full story of what has happened to my little List Post here at <a href="http://nicolacairncross.com/as-featured-on-stephen-frys-daily-news/" rel="nofollow">http://nicolacairncross.com/as-featured-on-stephen-frys-daily-news/</a> But here are the bare bones as requested! Share a link to your List Post Nicola's "Top 10 "Can't Live Without" Business Success Books" (because they don't teach it in schools) <a href="http://nicolacairncross.com/top-10-business-success-books/" rel="nofollow">http://nicolacairncross.com/top-10-business-success-books/</a> How did you find writing it? Pretty easy actually as I referred back to my ListMania list on wealth creation books and picked out the best business books from there, and updated it with the books I've read since and thought should be included. Generally, I find writing to a stucture much easier and love the idea of rotating different types of posts through the days of the week. What tips would you give to others writing lists? Just do it!  If you struggle in the beginning, make them short lists (is it The Tipping Point or Blink! by Malcolm Gladwell that says the human brain can only handle between 3 and 7 things maximum at any one time?)  So any size list is good, start with 3 things if you struggle, more will inevitably occur! How did readers respond to your post? All my blog posts get Twittered / Facebooked automatically as I've got my blog set up like that.  I've had about 5 tweets and 3 Facebook shares, but as outlined in my other post (see above for link), my "Top 10 Business Success Books" list post was picked up by Stephen Fry's Daily News (go get your own at Paper.li, it's great fun) and was on the front page of that for 24 hours.  Stephen Fry has over 1.6 million followers on Twitter, and every time his Daily News gets updated, his Twitter account tweets it out. So presumably it's a high traffic page and a great way for followers to be exposed to his followers content. I saw a spike of several hundred extra visitors over each of two days, and got another blog posting out of it.  That second post, according to my Google Alerts, is now being picked up by aggregator sites such as TrendsCovered.com with the live links back to my site still intact. I'm absolutely thrilled with my results of working through 31DTBBB so far and intend to keep it up! Thanks Darren! Nicola <a href="http://NicolaCairncross.com" rel="nofollow">http://NicolaCairncross.com</a> madefor3 on "Day 15 - Find a Blogging Buddy" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=320&page=4#post-9668 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:11:36 +0000 madefor3 9668@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Hi, I am looking for a Blog Buddy, Ideally someone who shares my interest in Sewing, however anyone who is crafty or maybe who has turned their hobby into a business, which is something that I would love to do. <a href="http://www.madefor3.wordpress.com">www.madefor3.wordpress.com</a> Claire @ madefor3 x marnieb on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9667 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:46:08 +0000 marnieb 9667@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ Hey everyone, I'm Marnie B and I am one half of a blog called <a href="http://designluv.com">DesignLuv</a>. I thought the challenge might be good to give the blog a good kick up the bum. I've been working on the first day's challenge and would love some feedback! I have come up with two options, both the same with a slightly different ending: #1: “DesignLuv injects a weekly dose of design, development and business advice into creatives who are serious about what they do.” #2: “DesignLuv injects a weekly dose of design, development and business advice into the creative community.” You can reply on my Tumblr too, for those using it. :) <a href="http://marnieb.tumblr.com/post/997429055/day-1-of-31dtbbb">http://marnieb.tumblr.com/post/997429055/day-1-of-31dtbbb</a> TheTrailJogger.com on "Day 5 - Email a Reader" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=9&page=3#post-9666 Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:44:05 +0000 TheTrailJogger.com 9666@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ I actually started doing this task once I received my first comment. I didn't really understand the positive impact at the time. But what I've found is that those who I connect with return to the blog. And some of them add links from their blogs to my blog. Very cool. If the person that leaves the comment doesn't leave an email address I search for their blog, either through the link to their profile, or try to figure out where they came from (twitter/facebook/etc.). Then I go to their blog and leave a comment. It think this is helping to drive return traffic as I've seen some of the same people returning to the blog. Thomas Kennedy | Ultrarunner In Training | <a href="http://www.thetrailjogger.com/">TheTrailJogger.com</a> Read about <a href="http://www.thetrailjogger.com/2010/07/my-three-in-three-challenge.html">my transition</a> from fat to fit as I train for my first ultramarathon! Join TheTrailJogger on <a href="http://twitter.com/TheTrailJogger">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheTrailJogger">Facebook</a>. -- "Listen to everyone, follow no one." -- Dean Karnases</div> <div></div> ScienceMum on "Day 1 - Create an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog" http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=5&page=20#post-9665 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:38:53 +0000 ScienceMum 9665@http://www.problogger.com/31days/ @Mia - honestly the cheat sheet puts me off.  To me it implies not doing something properly but cutting corners and, well, cheating.  You mention reference and hack in your longer version, maybe you could go with something more positive such as system or method rather than cheating. @Lavender Lemons - I love them. @Mama2Multitude, I love it too.  If you aren't happy with the long version, "Relevant information, resources, and support for people reaching out to children in the Child Welfare System" has a couple of tweaks that I feel make it a bit punchier, but that's just my opinion. @Janis you could tighten that tagline up even further: Discoveries to inspire travellers. And I think it sounds wonderful!