TP Javeton WebNet

Category: Specialties

  • The Documentary Quality of Personal Blogging


    Blogs as documentaries

    There are plenty of blogs on the Web dealing with a wide variety of topics and vastly diverse functions; but many blogs primarily catalog of the life experiences of their owners; so from this perspective it can be said that personal blogging, when discussed in terms of genre, probably falls more frequently in the category of documentary than any other genre. And even though there are quite a number of blogs that focus on the collection of poetry and other forms of creative writing, the vast majority of personal blogs are most likely to be categorized as documentaries.

    When you think about it over the span of many years, making a documentary was meant to be an objective act of reporting the sights and sounds that the filmmaker, writer or photographer encountered. However, in contemporary times there was movement towards embracing that degree of subjectivity inherent in the documentary form. This means that modern documentaries often reflected the distinctive voice and sensibility of their creators, making today’s documentaries to revolve around personality, thereby – more often than not – blurring the lines between documentary and memoir.

    Blogs fall somewhere between these two genres, muddying the distinctions even further, an indication that the personal blog, documentary and memoir are now irrevocably intertwined for better or for worse. Although few bloggers think of themselves as making documentaries in any formal sense, every time someone sits down in front of a computer and types up a record of their day, s/he is documenting a personal historical moment. Examples of this kind of blogging are those things we take for granted in our daily lives.

    Fascination-driven

    Things like the way we use specific modes of transportation, or the kinds of products we buy, which may seem quite fascinating to people who live outside our environments, and are therefore fascinated with our lot is at the heart of many documentary projects. When people think about blogging, documentary is not very likely to be the first description they envision, but a few decades down the road it is very likely that todays blogs will be seen primarily as very subjective documentaries of our era. People of tomorrow will almost certainly look to the blogs of today for insight into our historical moment.

    Documentary may not be the aim of most people who spend time posting their thoughts and ideas on the Web; but in some ways, the documentary aspect of blogging is more of a side effect than a primary goal. However, the fact that so many people are interested in publishing these public Web diaries shows that personal blogs are about more than just rumination. The fact that bloggers are so stimulated by, and interested in, sharing their ideas with each other reinforces the idea that personal blogs are – in some ways – documentaries meant for public consumption.

    A perspective-based niche

    An undeniable truism is that documentaries appeal to people who are curious about alternate ways of life, and many people who regularly read personal blogs written by others are looking for this same kind of new perspective. However, this is not to say that vocations such as poetry and other forms of creative writing are deemed less appealing to blogging audiences worldwide; but rather, that each niche commands the attention of a specific section of the marketplace, with documentaries occupying the single largest share.

  • A Few Proven Email Marketing Strategies

    Email marketing: An evolution!

    Over the last decade – and in some cases, dating back even further – email marketing has evolved into a popular method of doing business on the Web, despite the fact that many business owners knew little or nothing (something that is probably still true today) about creating, managing and completing an effective email marketing campaign. On the other hand, there are marketers who are well versed in all aspects of email marketing; those who possess the knowledge, skills and experience in the use of effective strategies that will likely hold a significant advantage over their competitors who lack similar skills.

    This article will provide useful information for business owners who are hoping to improve their sales or website traffic through effective email marketing; and if, for any reason, you do not have a great deal of information about email marketing and do not fully understand the principles involved, one of the best ways of orchestrating a truly effective email marketing campaign is to hire a consulting firm with a proven track record in promoting business through email marketing to assist you in your endeavor.

    Similar to some traditional marketing methods such as radio, television and print media, the strategies governing email marketing are growing in popularity even while they are constantly changing. And as a business owner you probably already have enough on your plate trying to stay up to date on business practices in your own specialty, without having to use time, energy and finances necessary to also stay up to date on the latest changes in email marketing; so it is certainly understandable if your email marketing efforts come up a little short.

    Hiring a consultant

    So if you are that business owner who already have a full slate of responsibilities and obligations just to keep your current business running smoothly, it may be a worthwhile investment to hire an email marketing professional with a good reputation in the industry to manage your email marketing tasks for you. This individual would devote him/herself on a full-time basis to keep up to-date with the most effective email marketing strategies while designing an email marketing campaign for our business. This step alone would go a long way in helping you achieve your business-related goals.

    That having been said, it is important to point out here – something that you should keep in mind – that selecting a consultant from the many available options on the Web can certainly be overwhelming, although this is not a sufficient enough reason to ignore such a crucial part of this powerful income-producing marketing specialty. Generally, you should look for a consultant who has a great deal of experience, a proven track record, listens to your questions carefully, explains concepts simply and makes your project a priority.

    Among the proven email marketing strategies frequently used by business owners who opt to do their own work, is offering an email correspondence course on a subject that closely relates to their website, or the products / services they offer. These correspondence courses usually include a number of short segments, useful information, interesting tidbits and business promotional material. The simplest way to promote your business without having your correspondence course deemed as spam is to use a soft sell approach which subtly urge readers to make a purchase or visit your website for more information.

    DIY email marketing tasks

    Perhaps the least burdensome approach to email marketing for existing business owners is publishing and distributing periodic e-newsletters, a strategy which can be highly effective. An e-newsletter is very similar to a newsletter which is printed and distributed using conventional methods like postal mail delivery. The bulk of an e-newsletter should be quality content in the form of featured articles and short articles containing useful tips and product reviews. The e-newsletter may also contain graphical elements which could simply be graphic designs or graphics served via links.

    In the case of links to serve graphics, they can be formatted to send traffic directly to your website, as well as to other websites. The important thing to remember is, any e-newsletters you send out should contain some type of soft sell approach as enticements for your readers to visit your site. You should not make any blatant sales pitch(es) as this may result in the e-newsletter being looked at as spam. Just make sure to include a call to action urging the readers to either make a purchase or visit your website for more information.

    Test and evaluate!

    Regardless of the method of email marketing you opt to employ, one of the most important strategies is to evaluate the effectiveness of that email marketing strategy on a regular basis. This is critical because elements of your email marketing campaign which are not working should be weeded out. Likewise, elements of your marketing campaign strategy that shows a high degree of success should be utilized more often. A spike in sales or website traffic each time you issue an e-newsletter should be seen a sign to begin issuing e-newsletters more often. This type of evaluation and feedback can turn moderate success into a huge success.

    As a token of our appreciation the free ebook titled, Storytelling Marketing can be yours if you have any interest in the art of storytelling. All you have to do is download it here, enjoy the reading and learn how storytelling can be a powerful ally in any business or marketing pursuit!

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  • Use Video Blogging to Enhance Your Web

    Arrival of the vlog

    Video blogging is the process of posting (publishing to a blogsite) videos to the internet on a regular basis in much the same way that traditional bloggers post written text to their blogs. A video blog, casually referred to as vlog, is comprised of content that would otherwise be written in text, including the promotion of products, services and other ideas the vlogger may want his/her readers to know about.

    Sixteen years ago (January 2, 2000) when “Adam Kontras posted a video alongside a blog entry,” very few of us had heard of a vlog, since most bloggers at that time were engaged in the standard text blogging method. However, a huge swath of the blogging community use videos today, because they have been proven to provide several advantages over text; a better way of expression being only one of those advantages.

    Among some of the other advantages of vlogging, according to Debasis, in his article, What is Video Blogging and it’s Advantages, are:

    • Increased exposure
    • The ease with which videos go viral
    • Interactive and descriptive
    • Great for tutorials
    • Live video blogging
    • Money generating potential

    A videoblog requires a larger disk space on their respective sites, a faster server, and a whole new set of programs to support it; and vlogs can also be fed through RSS, the technology used to syndicate websites to other RSS aggregators. The video form of communication may entail a lot of resources, but it is certainly worth it in the view of those who would say that one picture is worth say a thousand words. There are even those who would say that video blogging far exceeds the picture-word ratio of that adage.

    Vlogging for Dollars

    Video blogging works for most people on the internet because it permits them to express themselves in the most basic form, the spoken word; but when view through the prism of a business opportunity or other such enterprising venture, the potential benefits could be numerous. In fact, video blogging has become one of the most powerful tools businesses use to show prospective customers the benefits of a product line or quality of their services. It’s akin to producing and airing a commercial for free; and if done through RSS, video blogging will be most instrumental in reaching a specific target market.

    Most folks like to see what they are going to buy, and some would even like to see proof and be sure that they are getting their money’s worth before laying out any amount of money on the product. When viewed in the context of a thirty-second commercial, the great exposure and enormous benefit derived from it, the effect of video blogging on a business’ marketing objectives can be very positive. Simply put, you show your product, potential customers watch it, and if they like it, they buy it; and if you present it well enough, they may buy the product even if they don’t need it.

    For many years things were pretty much static on the web, unlike TV, where there is continuous motion. So when a video blogger posts content that is mobile, that post is more likely catch an audience’s attention than not. Add to that medium, a clear, well-wrapped and beautiful looking image of your product parading across a video screen in all it’s glory made possible by video blogging, chances are you’ll get phone call orders in short order.

    Vlogging start-up tools

    If you are just starting a business you can create a video blog right at your own home, because all you need is your web camera, microphone, video software, and lights; and as long as you know how to use your camera you can start creating, and perhaps finish your video blog in less than twenty hours. This all supposes that you’ve invest in a good web camera – a higher resolution unit for better output, for example – which helps to present your goods in an optimum way to get the best video possible.

    You can make a short story or just capture your goods in one take as long as you make sure to get the best profile for each. Be as creative as you want to be, and in as many ways; and keep in mind that lights are important in any video production. Make sure you illuminate the area you are going to use (the production area) entirely, in order to create the best possible video blog. The brighter the area, the crispier the images will be; and you can also use lighting effects for added appeal to the presentation.

    Should you require sounds for your videoblog, you need a microphone; because it is important to record you voice as a voice over for promoting the product and its benefit to consumers. Sound is as important as images on a video blog; so it is advisable to make your sound effects as enticing in quality and tone as you make the lighting effects, in order to produce a great video.

    The flip side of vlogging

    You will also need video editing software, which can be any program, but you need this tool to finalize your work. With it, you can add sounds, delete some bad angles, or insert some still pictures as may be required. Some editing programs are user-friendly and can be used even with little or no knowledge about video editing. In fact, the editing tool need not be too sophisticated, because a simple video editing program should do the trick.

    While it is easy to overlook the background while concentrating on the more technical, style and design side of the production, it is important to carefully select your background, since background light has as much an affect on your presentation as foreground light; so make sure that the background and foreground light compliment each other.

    Video blogging is great for expression and provide all the other benefits listed above; but it also has a downside, in the sense that it could significantly slow down the computer so others may steer clear of it; and download time may also increase, especially if the customer is still using a dial-up connection. But don’t let these disadvantages prevent you from enjoying all the positive features of video blogging, which can certainly be be an alternative for you in any new business you’re contemplating.

    That having been said

    All that having been said, you may not even need any of the tools mentioned above to produce a video, because you can now transform any article into a video with just a few clicks and the right software. So keep text and pictures present in your blog posts, giving yourself the capacity to accommodate all possible visitors to your site.

    These days, the more creative you are in presenting your product to the market, the more you are likely to succeed; and video blogging offers an interactive way to promote and advertise whatever product or service you need to sell. Get your customers involve; because by doing so, you will impress upon them your content, your brand and any product advantages you offer. Sometimes, that’s all you need to make a sale!

  • Software and Hosting for the Topical Blogger


    Blogging: The adaptable medium

    The Internet has certainly made great strides since those heady days of the “dot com boom;” so much so that today anyone who has writing ability, or aspirations of being a writer has probably already written a blog on the Web. This is because there are various types of blog software are simple to learn and easy to use; and this means that both the individual who is technically proficient, as well as the one who is technically challenged, can easily regularly.

    For some individuals, blogs serve as projects about every day living, as they talk about their daily activities and make tributes to friends and family. Furthermore, blogs assume a profound meaning when written to compose and assemble political statements, endorse a product, provide information on research, and even offer tutorials. Chances are that any subject which is of interest to you has already been written about in a blog.

    Modern-day blogs are now being written by musicians, politicians, sports figures, novelists, newscasters and actors, as well as other known figures. However, (fever?) that existed at the onset of this newfound vocation has also raised its share of controversy. The fact that anyone can compose a blog post regarding any subject matter under the sun invites complaints about certain write-ups that are at issue. In many blogs people’s names have been mentioned in not-so-flattering ways, and this is often the source of such consternation and threats of legal action.

    It is therefore important to keep in mind that, although an individual may have the freedom and tools to write anything that interests him/her in a blog, it doesn’t mean that s/he should not be responsible for the manner in which s/he put content in the public domain, especially when that content includes information about others. In other words, bloggers should avoid making statements which can become controversial, unless those statements are fully sourced by other reputable media. So be prepared, and be very careful about the content provided in .

    Why people blog

    Some folks blog for personal reasons which might include their acquaintances and relationships, while others blog as a hobby. An individual can write a blog about his/her daily activities, and about things related to his/her life as a way of telling family and friends certain things that s/he might not have been able to express verbally (in a face-to-face talk). Likewise, an individual may also just so s/he can express certain feelings about self, or about a certain subject matter that is of interest to him/her.

    Other bloggers prefer to be more topical, in the sense that the blogs they maintain are committed to a specific topic, which could be as broad in range as it is different; and might be about computer hardware, religion or politics like magazines, and similar to print media they have a regular and devoted following.

    Then there are those who by using their blogsite as a marketing tool. This category of bloggers might also include corporations, which also into blogging; and when these blogs are well written and implemented, they can be powerful instruments for business communications, thereby creating eagerness and anticipation about the their products and services they offer. The corporate blog have also been used as tool within the company to keep employees well informed about company issues and news.

    The choice of software

    A typical Web designer or software developer might get a chuckle at the notion of utilizing software developed by someone else. This is because most software developers, while knowledgeable in the field of digital technology and computer science, often adhere to the architecture and fundamentals of their own software platforms, especially when software features and platforms that a client may have differ greatly from that of the developer’s. When it comes to a Weblog software, however, there is no reason for concern when using a package that is pre-written, as most packages were developed through years of study; not just shuffled together over a couple of days.

    In addition, one may study a platform’s feature set; but for a developer, it would take a lot of time and effort to write and compose from scratch, every single feature in the of today. For most people, a blog is there for one main reason, and that is to publish or make known his/her literature and content that exist on the Web, which means that the blogger can spend more of his/her time creating and writing content, instead of coding, if s/he has the ability to code.

    Hosted services

    Finding a Web hosting service for a blog is perhaps one of the easiest and most affordable (many are free) of all the tasks a blogger might do when s/he decides to start broadcasting on the Web; so not having web host to provide space for your blog should not be a deterrent to blogging. In fact some of the services that s/he might consider looking into, are Web hosts that include Blogger, TypePad, Live Journal, and WordPress (the hosted version) in their hosting packages.

    These services are operated or handled for an individual, so there is no need for a new blogger to concern him/herself one about ; instead, s/he can concentrate on the blog’s appearance and content. In just minutes, after signing up for a hosting account, the blogger can actually start his/her own blog. Many of those services, such as blogger, are offered free, except TypePad, which charges a minimal amount for monthly service fee.

    Self-hosted services

    When a blogger has Web hosting on hand, or is eager to buy hosting, in which s/he feels that the advantage will prevail over the problems of keeping up his/her own blog connection and installation, then s/he may want to consider a package that is self-hosted. These platforms include Movable Type, Text-pattern and WordPress (“5 minute installation”).

    Other hosting companies did construct processes of making installation easier, by permitting installation with just a click from a control panel that is browser-based. It is important that a blogger checks with the hosting company so that s/he can determine whether or not this function is offered. Similar to hosted services, some self hosted packages are made available either for free or for a small fee which is dependent on the type of , as well as the basis upon which s/he is using it.

  • About Blog Hosts and Blogging Essentials


    The nature of a blog

    Blog, which is an abbreviation for the term, weblog, is a piece of Internet technology which provides individuals with in a number of different forms; including text, video, audio (podcasts) and photos. The activity of blogging has grown tremendously over the past decade to include users (bloggers) from all over the world, many of whom utilize it to publish and update posts, crop up entries of personalized life snippets that are mundane or bizarre in nature. For most bloggers, however, a blog is personal, unedited and authentic in nature; a journal meant to be shared in an online community.

    Blogsites are locations on the Web where bloggers can publish anything; from their thoughts, feelings and photos, to special events, experiences and comments on issues, in addition to many other types of content. A blogsite in its truest form is similar to an online diary to which entries are made in a variety of content types that might encompass videos, links, documents, newsletters and opinions on just about any topic the reader might have interest in.

    Personal blogs are created and intended to welcome the insights, opinions and comments of all comers, and therefore should not be written in a way that could be thought of as intimidating, or in a way that readers might consider as too formal in context; because such a blog can turn off readers and cause them to turn away and never return. The basic blog should be conversational in tone and context, a format which would be more appropriate to reach desired audiences.

    Blog functions and advantages

    Blogging can reasonably be described as being all about individuals reaching out to other individuals, and as such, blogs have their own sets of advantages, some of which might include the following:

    1. Freedom of expression – If you want people to hear you out and give their own opinions, blogging is one of the best ways to create a line of communication;
    2. Networking at its best – Having a blog is a good platform for exchanging genuine ideas from your readers to you as marketer of certain products. Sound opinions and points of view are often better than simply showing the price quote;
    3. Excellent advertising platform – Blogging as a way to advertise products, is a refreshing change from the traditional advertising outlets, and it is cost-effective;
    4. Gauging public opinion on products and services – The key to this particular activity is nice, catchy titles with new ideas presented in your content. This will assure you of quick and repeated responses from your readers. Blogs are excellent locations for the exchange of ideas between sellers and consumers; and they’re good for measuring public opinion regarding products and services, and can even be effective in the political arena;
    5. Useful tool for internal communication – Blogging can help your company build a knowledge-based community of employees, as it is also good for harnessing employee relations and identifying human resource issues in advance;
    6. Other benefits like search engine optimization (SEO) will help your blog to be seen often by as many people as you wish. This is therefore very good exposure for your products and services.

    Choosing a blog host

    Many blog hosting services are available on the Internet, but perhaps the most important question in this regard pertains to choosing from the many Web hosting services to find one that will best suit your purposes when starting your business blog program. Business people are usually clueless to recent technological innovations which could help them maximize their marketing potentials. For blogging beginners, it is best to first study the services offered by blog hosts, because an ineffective business blogging program may damage marketing opportunities instead of enriching them.

    A company might decide to do the following depending on its capacity and needs: 1) Host their own blog service, 2) Pay someone else to host the service, or 3) Setup a “blog aggregator page” and ask the employees to select their blog hosting services individually. There are paid and free services available for individuals. Business blogs are required to have ; if not, this will prevent them from maximizing their marketing, public relations and SEO potential.

    Basic blogging essentials

    COMMENTS. Welcoming comments provides the opportunity for dialogue; and for business blogs this is a good customer feedback mechanism. This helps based on loyalty and trust. So blogging is an innovative way to converse with your customers.

    TRACKBACK. This helps to maximize company and product exposure in the sense that, your consumers can get back to you for more posts and updates without the difficulty of locating you all over again. If your blog is popular in a specific online community, chances are that links going back to your blog site are everywhere online, other blog sites or even websites.

    CATEGORIES AND TAGS. These are helpful, both in classifying blog searches for ease of navigation, as well as on site searches. Categories act as libraries because they classify posts by subject matter which might include business, distance learning, eCommerce, online auctions and much more. Tags, help in classification, especially in the blog search engine Technorati. Possible customers and new clients locate blogs about certain topics of interest by just clicking the tags.

    RSS FEED. Really Simple Syndication is the feed from your blog that is sent out over the internet, and collected through the various newsreaders and aggregators.

    In order for your company to establish a business blogging program, considerable options should be made available by the hosting companies with the most compatible services. Free blog hosting services are popular but they are more appropriate for individual online journals. Paid blog hosting services offer unlimited packages which may be best for your company’s needs. You may want to take a look at some blogs that already use a particular host first, by simply reading and closely examining their layout and design. Another important thing to consider is whether or not the hos provides reliable technical support.

    The blog: A reflection of the blogger

    After choosing the blog host a team should be ready to plan the in which case the team should:

    • create a style that meets the needs of your audience;
    • establish an open, credible tone;
    • schedule weekly updating of blog – ideally, a few times a week;
    • include weblinks of other website and blogs;
    • blog post should be in the “first person;”
    • focus on the business blog objective;and,
    • maintain an honest, engaging conversational quality.

    Remember, the look, style and content found on your blog is always a reflection of you and your company. Apart from the chat rooms, instant messengers and electronic mails created for communication and dialogue beyond the traditional methods of communication, blogs have emerged as the most innovative and convenient methods used by regular folks to build opportunities for interaction. The need for personalized and human elements of building online communities have changed the technological landscape of Internet life.