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14 Cool Social Media Tools for 2012

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:09:37 +0000

Looking for some creative social media tools to try this year? Check out the list from LogAllot.com that includes 14 cool social media tools to try in 2012.

You may have already heard of some of the tools on the list like AppMakr.com, which enables you to create your own iPhone app, or Curate.us, which allows you to curate content and put it into your own newsletter.

The list also includes some lesser-known tools like Zooshia.com, which you can use to turn your blog's RSS feed (or any RSS feed) into a widget that you can add on your other websites.

You can follow the link above to see the full list. What's your favorite social media tool?

62 Writing Jobs for Bloggers for the Week of 2/12/12

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:34:43 +0000

62 writing jobs for bloggers have been listed in the About.com Blogging forum in the Writing Jobs for Bloggers folder. This week's list includes a job writing for VH1!

Be sure to review the bad habits bloggers should break before you apply for a blogging job!

Twitter Advertising Coming for Small Businesses

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:02:37 +0000

Big news from Twitter today -- self-serve Twitter advertising is coming for small businesses! Beginning in March, small businesses will be able to advertise on Twitter using Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts products without engaging a salesperson's help. Payment will be handled via credit card.

According to the Twitter blog, the company has partnered with American Express to offer the new advertising solutions to small business owners. American Express Cardmembers and merchants in the United States will be invited to try the program first, and American Express is giving away $100 in free advertising to the first 10,000 eligible businesses that sign up.

Today is the first day that registration is open to participate in the initial launch. You can register here.

Twitter expects to roll out small business self-service advertising to a wider audience before the end of 2012.

Clever Ways to Come up with Ideas to Write about on Your Blog

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:11:31 +0000

Have you ever suffered from blogger's block? Blogger's block happens when you need to write new content for your blog, but you can't think of anything to write about. The ideas that pop into your head don't inspire you, and you spend so much time staring at your computer screen that you could have written multiple posts during that time.

Blogger's block is a common, recurring ailment that bloggers at all experience levels can have from time to time. That's when you need help to jump start your creative juices again.

Check out my lists of 20 blog post ideas and 5 blog post idea generators for inspiration so you can beat blogger's block.

How do you cure yourself of blogger's block? Leave a comment and share your tips!

What Is Posterous?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:06:58 +0000

Have you tried Posterous yet? It's a cool tool that makes it incredibly easy to blog via email!

You can follow the link to learn more about Posterous so you can decide if it's right for you. It's free and offers a variety of features in addition to blogging by email.

Posterous iss a great option for casual and hobby bloggers who don't want to use a robust blogging application like WordPress or Blogger.

http://weblogs.about.com/od/choosingabloghost/fr/BloggerReview.htm

Free Valentine's Day Social Media Icons

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:53:34 +0000

Valentine's Day is almost here! If you want to give your blog a bit of Valentine's Day flair without spending a lot of time or money, it's easy with holiday social media icons.

Browse through the gallery of free Valentine's Day social media icons to find Twitter, Facebook, RSS, and more social media icons shaped like hearts and chocolate candies. There are even pink heart social media icons in the gallery!

Pinterest for Bloggers

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:40:44 +0000

Pinterest is all the rage these days! If you haven't heard of Pinterest or used it yet, you can learn all about the new visual social bookmarking tool in my article, "What Is Pinterest?"

In simplest terms, Pinterest is a place where you can create, share, and comment on virtual pinboards. Bloggers can use Pinterest in a variety of ways to directly and indirectly drive awareness of and traffic to their blogs. Follow the link to learn how bloggers can use Pinterest.

Be warned -- Pinterest can be addictive!

49 Writing Jobs for Bloggers for the Week of 1/29/12

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:05:57 +0000

49 writing jobs for bloggers have been listed in the About.com Blogging forum in the Writing Jobs for Bloggers folder. There are writing jobs for fashion bloggers, automotive bloggers, and much more.

Make sure you review the list of blogging secrets from top blogs before you apply for a blogging job to give yourself the best chance for success!

Blogging Secrets from Top Blogs

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:11:46 +0000

There are many secrets that top blogs and bloggers know which give them an edge over bloggers who are just getting started or struggling to grow their traffic. You can follow the link to learn secrets from the top blogs.

I put together this list of secrets top blogs use that you can use, too. These are tricks that top blogs and bloggers have spent years learning. Follow the above link to learn them in just a few minutes.

Top 10 Blogs of 2011

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:18:15 +0000

Time to take a look back at the top blogs of 2011. Instead of simply focusing on traffic, which would create a fairly boring list filled primarily with tech blogs, I put together a list of popular, interesting, useful, and well-designed blogs in ten different categories:

Top Personal Finance Blog
Top Tech Blog
Top Business Blog
Top Entertainment Blog
Top News Blog
Top Food Blog
Top Fashion and Beauty Blog
Top Politics Blog
Top Art Blog
Top Gaming Blog

The list is a bit different than my list of the top 10 blogs of 2010 with some new categories and some changes in other categories. Take a look at the list of the top 10 blogs of 2011 and see if you agree or disagree with the rankings.

Leave a comment and share your thoughts about the top blogs of 2011. Which blogs would you rank as the best of 2011?