I’m back from my Christmas break and looking forward to getting back into work and blogging.

Thanks to all of you who’ve been reading my blog - I’m planning to blog more regularly in 2008 so I hope you’ll stick around!

My Business magazine just published my third article: The Essential Guide to Business Blogging. Again it’s in PDF format but I thought I’d post it anyway. We’re currently re-designing this site (yes I know it’s taking a while) and I plan to include an article section but for now I figure PDF is better than nothing. Hope you enjoy it.
My next article is due soon and I’d love some topic suggestions. Anyone?

As some of you know I was a little reluctant, initially, to enter the blogosphere. As it goes I’ve come to really enjoy blogging and have been surprised and touched by all the readers who take the time to make comments on my posts. In fact I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, it means a lot.

Things are a bit hectic right now and I will most likely not be blogging for the next week or two. I will be back so I’d love it if you’d stick around.

Peter Da Vanzo from v7N has also tagged me so here’s 5 more reasons I blog:

1. It helps me clearly articulate my thoughts.
2. It helps me learn and educate myself.
3. It’s a good outlet to express myself and my views.
4. It helps others.
5. Everyone else is.

I can’t think of another 5 people so I’ll stick with my first 5.

The lovely Bill Slawski from SEO By the Sea has tagged me in a new blog meme: Five Reasons Why I Blog. Thanks Bill.

Ok, so why do I blog?

1. I was Pushed Into It
   Ok maybe that is a bit harsh but I was encouraged to blog - it was tied into a blog design project ThinkProspect was doing for a client. Admittedly I had heard of all the benefits of blogging but just hadn’t found the time to start my own. I’m now very grateful for the push.
2. I Love Blogging
   Since that early push I’ve discovered I really, really love blogging. It took a while to get the hang of it all but now I love it. It’s a great creative outlet and usually gives me a nice push on those mornings I’m finding it hard to get going.
3. To Improve My Writing Skills
   This has almost been a side benefit but I’ve found blogging has really helped my writing and finding my own voice. Something I felt I had struggled with previously.
4. To Communicate with Clients and Prospects
   Blogging has been a nice way to communicate with clients and prospective clients. In particular prospective clients can get a feel for me and ThinkProspect before they even pick up the phone. I’m amazed at how many people have come to us after reading and liking the blog.
5. To Educate and Inform
   I’ve had so many wonderful people help and support me over the years it’s great to give back to others. I’m also so appreciative for all the comments I get for the blog. It means a lot to me to know people are enjoying it and talking about it.

Here are the 5 people I’d love to hear from:

1. Miriam Ellis-Loraditch from SEO Igloo Blog
2. Li Evans from Search Marketing Gurus
3. Darren Moloney from On SEO Pond
4. Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Roundtable
5. Pierre Far from eKstreme.com

Many of my clients are starting to pay attention to blogs and wondering if perhaps they should be blogging themselves. My answer is always a resounding yes!

Running a business blog has many benefits. Here are just a few:

• Blogging is a great way to communicate with clients, customers and prospects. Whether it be talking about new products or services, company news or resolving an issue, you can communicate on a level not seen before.
• A blog give you a voice which in turn gives readers an idea of who you and your business are. Your goal is to then engage them enough to want to do business with you.
• Blogging can help position you as an expert in your industry.
• Blogs attracts links and can help you in your search engine rankings.

There you have it, just a few reasons why a blog can benefit your business. I’m sure there are many more so feel free to post yours in the comments.

So I log into Google Reader this afternoon and I have no subscriptions. Not a one! And I have no idea what happened. Not happy Google Reader!

So please help me out. Most of the regular readers here are were in my reader so please add a link to your blog in the comments as well as any other blogs you highly recommend.

Thanks.

Pardon the Star Trek saying.

About two weeks ago I decided to try Google Reader after a blog post from my friend Peter. The results are in - I love it! It’s much easier to manage and organise and I love the trends. It has a few things I don’t like but nothing so dramatic that I’d go back to Bloglines.

Funnily enough since then my husband has finally decided to get with the program and subscribe to some blogs. I’d always recommended Bloglines and that’s what he went with. I showed him Google Reader but I suspect it was a little too much. Bloglines is a great way to start with RSS and feeds etc. I’d say something like Google Reader is more for advanced users. Although I don’t think I’ll tell him that.

I’ve always wanted to write - but never felt I was any good. Yesterday, after penning two blog posts I had a moment when I realised hey maybe my writing’s ok these days. I’m finally able to put across what I want to say using my own “voice”. Well I hope I do anyway.

I got thinking about how I came to that point and what tips I could give to others wanting to write better but aren’t sure how to go about it. If you’re working online being able to write well in your own voice is vital. You’ll spend countless hours emailing anyone from clients and prospective clients to suppliers and contractors. You’ll also need to look at writing your marketing materials such as websites, blogs, newsletters etc. In many instances your main form of communication will be the written word - so make sure you get it right!

So here’s my suggestions for becoming a better writer:

• Join a forum (related to your industry) and actively participate. You’ll learn how to write clearly and articulately. I’ve been a part of Cre8asite for years and having to put explanations, examples and the like into words has been a great way to develop my writing skills.
• Strike up email “conversations” with colleagues and friends. Focus on making sure your personality comes through - who wants to talk with a robot?
• Blog - there’s not better way to refine your style.
• Learn to speak in a human voice.
• Practice, practice, practice.

It may take some time but my experience has taught me not only does it become easier it becomes fun. And what’s life without a bit of fun.

If I’m honest I wouldn’t even be blogging if it wasn’t for my good friend Peter taking the time to explain over the phone how to set-up RSS feeds in a Feed Reader - Bloglines. I’ve used Bloglines ever since and have been ever grateful to him as it changed the way I worked and viewed the web.

Some years on Peter started a thread: Moving From Bloglines To Google Reader and I decided this time I’d get with the program and give something else a go. Enter Google Reader and I’m actually impressed. It took a while to get used to and I was tempted to go back to Bloglines but now I’m thinking I may stick with it for a while.

What I like:

• I could easily import my feeds from Bloglines meaning I didn’t have to start again.
• The folder system is easier to use than Bloglines so I feel better able to manage all my subscriptions.
• I like the Ajax interface better than the old antiquated frames of Bloglines.

What I’d like to see:

• A better way to mark posts read. You can mark a whole feed read but you have to remember to do this. Maybe as I get used to Google Reader this will come more naturally.
• New posts opening in the same window as the previous post - although I may just not have found this yet.

What I do find interesting is Google Reader makes it much easier for the reader to read in the reader and not visit your blog/website. With Bloglines I always displayed just the summary and clicked onto the site if a post interested me. This has changed the way I think about my own blog and how it is viewed.

Since then the lovely Peter has written an update: List of Popular Feed Readers *sigh*. I really don’t have time to try them all so will rely on feedback and maybe just test a few.

So what Feed Reader are you using? Why?