Hands down-100%-there is no other option in my opinion….
Self-Hosted Installation of WordPress
Why?
First of all when you take on the responsibility of blogging (note I did say responsibility) you now become a publisher and you want to own the content that you produce. You give up a number of rights to your content when you use a blogging service (see post about blogging service vs. blogging software if you need clarification as to what the two are)
Second, wordpress is used by the majority of professional bloggers yet it is easy enough to use for a beginner.
Third, there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of custom/commercial themes you can use to instantly change the look of your blog. When you use a self-hosted installation of WordPress you have access to Full Theme Support. This means that you can modify, customize or do anything you like with your site. That opens up a world of possibilities.
Fourth, all plugins are allowed. Do you want to add a podcasting feature to your blog? Control the amount of spam comments? Add a calendar of events? Integrate YouTube? All of these features are just a click away when using a self-hosted installation of WordPress.
Last, there is an entire community of more than a billion users of wordpress that will provide whatever level of support you need for your site. Often for free. Sometimes it just takes a bit of ‘googling your problem.’ 
As an additional bonus, most hosting companies like GoDaddy or Hostmonster have 1-click installation of WordPress so you can literally have your new blog up and running in less than 5 minutes. We like speedy implementation around here… don’t we?
I’m sure you’re heard…you gotta have a blog?
But what is a blog?
Technically…’From “Web log.” A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.”‘ Source
Not so technically …it’s a type of website in which content is arranged in chronological order, usually with the most recent content at the top or on the front page and older content towards the bottom. They are usually written by one person but can also be a collaboration of posts by a group of bloggers. They are centered around a topic of interest so that like-minded people can gather together and share ideas, make friends and even do business with other people.
I’ll share more in future posts about why blogs are so popular and why its important you seriously consider committing to blogging if you are looking to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
For those that are visual learners I’ll leave you with a fun video that explores what a blog is.
First there was music.
Then there were music videos.
THEN there was VH1′s popup music videos. Remember that?
All throughout the music video you learned cool facts about how the video was made or what the musicians were thinking or doing. It provided another layer of involvement and engagement with the user.
Facebook has integrated that concept to its News Feeds this week.
Have you noticed yet?
When you scroll your mouse over a name or a website, additional information pops up in a little window with more information.
If you hover over a person you’ll see a larger profile picture, the number of mutual friends you have along with a six random thumbnails of friends you have in common. You’ll also get the ability to ‘Send a Message’ to that person.
If you hover over a person whom you are not already friends with you’ll get the option to add them with a click.
Cool huh? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this new feature.
As you might have noticed, FreeSocialMediaHelp.com recently got a new logo and a website redesign! As I was loading up the new files I got to thinking…what a long way this blog has come in eighteen months!
At first I was blogging to Penelope and a couple loyal friends.
And now FreeSocialMediaHelp.com is…
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Listed on Alltop
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Syndicated through Networked Blogs via Facebook
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Distributed to 2,500 people subscribe via email
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Shared with over 6,500 via Twitter
- 392,429 Alexa Traffic Rank (under 1 million next goal is to get this under 100,000)
At the beginning, it was such trouble to think of things to write about, to get motivated by my loyal audience of Penelope and friends. So, I found myself letting a day, or two, or three go by without making another update because after all Penelope wasn’t going to say anything to me.But I found that when I committed to publishing blogs two times per week and promised myself that I would sit down one Sunday afternoon a month and force myself to write the 8-10 blogs it would take to cover myself for the month that something shifted.
It was subtle at first and now I can see everyday its fruits. The process has become less strange, weird and uncomfortable and is now just a routine part of marketing my business now.
With each new follower, subscriber and blog commenter- I see something beginning to take shape that is much larger than myself. That is pretty awesome! It took a lot of trust at the beginning.
So to all of you out there who are stuck in that weird space of blogging being uncomfortable or foreign, I encourage you that if I can do it…so can you! If you need a little help figuring what to blog about-feel free to reach out.
To Your Social Media Success (and that means regular blogging),
Mande White
P.S. The point here is to get started. Its the discipline that creates the evolution into something that’s powerful. With each passing day there is more clarity in what I’m saying to who and why. I promise that it will happen for you too.
The last I reported stats on Facebook was when Facebook hit 200 million users. Facebook has doubled in size in less than 12 months. WOW!
Other jaw dropping facts:
- 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
- average user has 130 friends
- 500 billion minutes per month are spent on Facebook
- average user connects with 60 pages, groups and events
- average user creates 70 pieces of content each month
- more than 25 million pieces of content are shared each month
- 70% of Facebook users are out of the U.S.
- more than 100 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile devices
I hope that by now all of my readers are actively updating their Facebook Profiles and Fan Pages with interesting and useful content. Now it’s time to take things up a notch with a simple strategy I haven’t seen a lot of people using.
By including @ before the name of a Fan Page or a person on Facebook in your status update you can hyperlink directly to that Fan Page or personal profile. This makes it much easier for those who see the status update to connect with the refrenced entity.
For example:
If you like this tip. Please share it with others by RT on Twitter or commenting on Fan Page.
When I’m out speaking or networking I always ask the question “What is Social Media Marketing?” I’m always amazed at the answers I get but it usually centers around 3 areas.
- Social Media Marketing is about Networking. The interaction of people who share similar interests. This is what you do on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter.
- Social Media Marketing is about Sharing. The content (video, pictures, podcasts, blogs, etc) that you find interesting. This is what you do on Digg, Mixx, Del.icio.us and StumbleUpon.
- Social Media Marketing is about Publishing. The distribution of content (video, pictures, podcasts, blogs, etc) This is what you do on Wikipedia, Forums, YouTube and Blogs.
Being able to leverage these 3 types is where the power lies. Does your social media marketing strategy include tactics and techniques for leveraging each of these 3 areas?
Have you heard of ‘Google Places’ or ‘Google Local Business Center?’ Any business whether local or online can add their business listing to Google Places for FREE. What does this mean? That when someone searches for your product or service in Google you can customize the information that is given from Google about your business.
You can enhance your listing by adding up to 10 photos, 5 videos, coupons and even real-time updates like weekly specials. There is even a reporting feature that will let you see where customers come from and what they are searching for to find you.
To start creating your free listing, go to Google Places and sign in with your Google account. If you don’t already have a Google account, click Sign up now to create a new Google account. You can also use an AdWords login and password, if you have one.
Have you been spending hours on Facebook and Twitter and ready to throw your hands up because you feel that it’s completely worthless?
The number one mistake I see over and over again is when clients send out link after link asking people to subscribe to their newsletter or ezine and then come to me saying social media doesn’t work.
The problem here is not social media. The problem is no one wants to sign up for another stupid newsletter. You’re not helping them solve their problems. In fact,
by asking them to subscribe to your newsletter or ezine you are just adding another problem to their already information over-loaded life.
So what’s the solution?
Providing quick and easy solutions to your target audiences problems and requesting a name and email address in exchange for receiving that information. THEN as a bonus you can add them to your newsletter or ezine.
In this case the fact that you’ve solved a problem for them makes them 10 times more likely to actually read your newsletter in the future because they already view you as an expert or a solution provider.
Are you using a boring picture for your Facebook profile picture or Fan Page image?
If so you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to create a profile/fan page that maximizes this valuable visible real estate.
This image is 200 pixels wide but 480 pixels in height.
Did you know that Facebook will display a photo that is up to 600 pixels in height?
Are you maximizing all of that space? Maybe its time to spend just a little time thinking about your profile picture or fan page image.
Be sure to leave me a comment with a link to your new Facebook Profile Pic.
