Munir Ahmad Blog

Are you a business owner trying to figure out the whole blogging thing? Have you been wondering if it’s worth your time and effort to create a blog for your own business? By the end of this article, you’ll understand the many benefits and will be better able to decide if blogging is right for you.

Let’s start with a quick definition, just so we are all on the same page. A blog is simply a content-management system that allows you to publish information onto the Internet, quickly and easily. New information is typically added in reverse-chronological format, so that the most recent posts are always up top. The blogging program does most of the technical stuff for you.

10 Reasons to Start Blogging for Your Business

That’s about as far as I’ll go into the technical definition. You’ll learn more about the inner workings if and when you decide to start a blog for your business. This purpose of this article is to give you some good reasons to make that decision. So without further ado…

1. Easy Publishing Tool

Type your post for the day. Add some hyperlinks or images with the click of your mouse. Hit the “publish” button. You’ve just updated your blog with new information, and it’s live on the Internet. Once you install the program, it really is this easy to use.

2. Search Engine Visibility

Starting a blog will not magically propel you to the top of the search engine ranks, as many people seem to believe. But with that being said, a blog has certain benefits that help with search rankings. It’s easy to publish new content for one thing, and this is key to online visibility. Also, blogs are text-rich and cleanly coded right “out of the box,” so the search engines have an easy time crawling through them and finding new information.

3. Expertise / Authority

If you as the business owner can demonstrate your expertise within your industry, people will be more inclined to purchase your products or services. By publishing quality information on a regular basis, you can more easily establish such authority. In other words, you can use blogging to position yourself as a “thought leader” in your industry.

4. Makes Your Website Sticky

Who wants to revisit a website that never updates its content? Not me. This is another area where a business blog can benefit you. If you have a wealth of useful content on your website, and that content gets updated regularly, your visitors will stick around longer. This increases the chance they will contact you, purchase from you, subscribe to your newsletter, etc.

5. Potential for Conversation

Most blogging programs come with a comment feature built in. At the bottom of each post, readers can leave comments in a box provided for that purpose. So instead of the one-way communication of a traditional website (where I talk and you listen), you now have a two-way conversation taking place. You can probably see the business-building potential of this.

6. Potential for Leads

Can you generate leads and inquiries through a blog? Sure you can. We just talked about the two-way conversations that often takes place. When people fill out that comment form, they usually include their email address. There’s a lead source right there. People will also feel like they know you after reading your blog for a while, so they’ll be more inclined to contact you directly.

7. Return Visits

Blogging programs make it easy for people to stay in touch. For example, your visitors / readers can simply subscribe to your blog’s syndication feed to receive future updates automatically. There are also programs available that can convert your posts into an email newsletter format. That way, people can sign up to receive future posts just like signing up for any other e-newsletter. It’s a handy tool that can keep people coming back over and over again.

8. Versatility / Multipurpose

I already mentioned how you can use a certain type of “plugin” to allow readers to subscribe. In reality, there is a mind-boggling array of plugins available that can do all sorts of neat things. How you use your business blog is limited only by your imagination. Use it as a news add-on to your existing website, or use it as a full-featured website with pages in addition to posts.

9. Encourages Trust

Let’s face it. Consumers naturally distrust unfamiliar companies. And who can blame them? People hear the word “corporate” and think of Enron-like characters plotting schemes that screw the little guy while lining their own pockets. It’s a harsh reality, but a reality nonetheless.

How does a blog fit into this? Well, it makes you seem like a person instead of a company, for one thing. It shows you’re not afraid to step into the spotlight and speak with people about your business and your products. This is one of the reasons people like Bill Marriott (of the hotel chain) have started blogs in recent years.

10. Dare I Say Fun?

Do you enjoy sharing information about topics you know well? Do you like to write? Are you interested in web technologies and seeing your words published live on the Internet? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, there’s a good chance you will truly enjoy blogging. Who knows … you may even become addicted.

Source : Bandon Cornett ( http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1376600 )

1.What is it?

Ning is an online service that allows users to create their own so­cial networks and join and participate in other networks. Ning lets creators of networks determine the site’s appearance and func­tionality, as well as whether the site is public or private.

Most net­works include features such as photos or videos, lists of network members and events, groups within the network, and communi­cation tools such as forums or blogs. No technical skill is required to set up a social network, and there are no limits to the number of networks a user can join.

Ning offers no-cost networks, which are supported by advertisements, or users can pay for premium services that eliminate ads and let users choose network URLs that are separate from the Ning domain.

2. Who’s doing it?

Although Ning does not provide usage statistics or numbers of registered users, the company does highlight the number of net­works on its platform.

As of April 2008, Ning reported 220,000 networks, 70 percent of which were active within the past 30 days. Looking at the tag cloud and browsing the available networks, one sees that networks focus on a broad range of topics and are used for activities ranging from news, current events, and profes­sional development to entertainment, dating, and support groups. Some networks are regional or municipal in their focus.

Some organizations use Ning to develop a social network that comple­ments their primary website, and others have turned to Ning as the platform for the organization’s only website.

Some networks focus on particular commercial products, and in some of these cases, product representatives are active members of the network, which becomes a vehicle for “social advertising.”

Another clear trend is that many alumni groups, formal and informal, from high schools as well as colleges and universities, use Ning to develop networks where graduates can reconnect and stay in touch.

3. How does it work?

Registered users can create new social networks in very little time, with no technical skill required. Once a name and a URL are selected, assembling the network is a simple process of working through four screens.

The user indicates whether the network is private (only invited people can view or join) or public; writes a tag-line and description of the network; assigns keywords; chooses from a selection of features (such as photos or videos, a blog, events, groups, or gadgets) and uses drag-and-drop tools to place those features on the page; chooses a visual theme (colors, fonts, sizes) and can customize these choices; and decides what information users will be asked to provide to join the network. If membership is restricted, the creator can invite individuals to join.

The creator of the network has access to other options, such as importing photos from Flickr, adding Ning features to Face­book pages, requesting access to source code to further cus­tomize a network, and including JavaScript that allows external tools to track network usage statistics.

Members of the Ning so­cial networks find functionality similar to that of more well-known stand-alone networks, such as Facebook and MySpace. Various features allow users to read news or learn about related events, join groups, read and comment on blog entries, view photos and videos, and other activities as set up by the network creator. RSS feeds let users subscribe to updates from specific parts of the social network.

4. Why is it significant?

Facebook and MySpace are consistently among the most popular sites on the web, demonstrating the public’s interest in social net­working. Other online tools are also adding social networking fea­tures, allowing users to connect and build community.

Web users are constantly pushing the limits of available tools, looking for novel and interesting ways to use technology to discover connections between people and content and to find new answers to old ques­tions.

With Ning, users have the freedom to channel this creative energy into designing and building a social network that looks and behaves exactly as its creator believes it should.

Moreover, to the extent that network creators have the technical ability to do so, they can create entirely new tools and features to respond to the changing needs and demands of the network members.

5. What are the downsides?

The flipside of the flexibility of social networks is that the norms and expectations for how such tools should work continue to evolve. Putting almost total control into the hands of users en­courages experimentation and innovation, but such a dynamic landscape leaves most social networks in a near-constant state of change, with no clear model of organization and function that will best suit a particular community.

Ning touts the ability for users to join many different social networks, which, despite its obvious benefits, also adds to the growing burden of managing involvement in multiple personal networks and keeping track of perhaps dozens or hundreds of “friends” across networks. The growth of separate online communities has led some to call for an independent database that would allow users to manage their relationships and identities across a wide range of services, and Ning would seem to be a good candidate for such a tool.

Finally, because Ning hosts all of the content for the networks on its platform, some organizations will be reluctant to use the service for important or sensitive material.

6. Where is it going?

The Internet community at large has consistently demonstrated its desire for social and community-based applications. Wheth­er through virtual worlds, rich-media tools, or always-on access through mobile devices, users increasingly turn to digital tools for a sense of connection with other people.

Ning lets users experiment with online behavior and community tools, and through this pro­cess, “best practices” for social networking will emerge and rise to the top, resulting in a stronger sense of what functions technol­ogy can most appropriately serve.

Successive networks build on previous ones, and users will become increasingly sophisticated and discerning in their use of social networks generally and of in­dividual tools in particular.

7. What are the implications for teaching and learning?

For today’s students, who spend countless hours on Facebook and MySpace, faculty participation on those networks is often seen as an intrusion into a private domain.

Ning provides an ave­nue for instructors to take advantage of social networks in a neutral setting, offering functionality and an experience that are familiar and comfortable to students.

By creating social networks around academic topics, or even about specific projects for a course, an instructor can facilitate a strong sense of community among the students, encouraging personal interactions that can lead to the creation of new knowledge and collective intelligence. Simi­larly, discipline-specific social networks connect researchers from around the world working on particular topics of study.

Colleges and universities can also use Ning to create networks that help current or incoming students build connections with the institution. Ning provides an opportunity for students to create their own social networks and learn how to cultivate and sustain a community of users that might resemble professional contacts and relationships.

A social network on Ning is also an easy way for a group of students-from an entering class, for example, or those who participated in a semester-abroad program-to stay connected through the col­lege years and beyond, even as they transfer to other institutions, graduate, or relocate.

If you are interested in setting up your own NING Social Network follow go to www.ning.com

Viral Marketing has been around since 1996, but has been in a constant state of flux since it was first used as a marketing tool. Although many people have heard the term for years, it is very surprising how few people actually know what Viral Marketing is and how it works.

When used correctly, Viral Marketing can make a huge impact almost immediately. On the other hand, incorrect viral marketing can be a major waste of both time and money. How can we ensure that our viral marketing efforts deliver the desired results?

First, let’s make sure we are all on the same page regarding this mysterious advertising technique. What exactly is viral marketing? The definition of viral marketing is … a method of advertising products or services that causes recipients to pass them on to friends, associates and family members. Viral marketing got its odd name because the word spreads like a virus.

When done correctly, one person will give it to a few people who in turn will pass it on to several other people. This is what makes viral marketing so effective. For instance, let’s say you developed a training website and offered the training FREE to 10 people, who in turn forwarded the site to 10 people, who in turn passed it on to 10 people each. This simple viral campaign would put your website in front of 1,000 people almost immediately.

Now here’s where it gets fun … if everyone passes it on to 10 people and this progression continues just three more times, one million people will have access to YOUR website. Continue the progression twice more and 100,000,000 people (100 million people) will have been exposed to YOUR website. And because the Internet is so efficient, it could realistically happen in a matter of days, weeks or months.

In the beginning, email was the only way to effectively start and execute a viral marketing campaign. In the decade since, viral marketing has evolved from a marketing strategy to an art form and there are many ways to accomplish the objective of creating a successful viral marketing campaign. Here a just of few of the ways you can start a successful viral marketing promotion:

Email - This is where it all started. This is still the most widely used viral marketing medium, but government and ISP restrictions have made email marketing more challenging. Before investing in an extensive email marketing campaign, make sure you are working with a proven vendor and technology. When done correctly, this is still the best way to start and stimulate your viral advertising promotion.

Blogging - Providing the tools on your website to enable bloggers to interact with one another is a terrific way to get the message about your product of service out there and being talked about. Bloggers have their ears to the ground for new products and services.

Training Articles – By providing valuable resources to a targeted audience (home business owners, Internet marketers, pet owners, chefs, etc.), you can easily penetrate the market through the ‘back door.’ By offering high quality FREE training to specific niches, you increase your exposure and credibility, all in one fell swoop.

Newsletters - eNewsletter and eZines are a variation of email marketing and can be very effective tools. If you include enough timely and valuable information, a good newsletter can drive up the number of visits to your website.

Refer-A-Friend – If you add this with a statement saying that e-mail addresses supplied will never be shared with third parties, you can increase your potential customer list greatly.

The main thing to remember about effective Viral Marketing is that it all starts with a valuable tool or resource. The most effective viral advertising includes a product or service must provide tangible, measurable benefits at no cost to the recipient.

Once you have a product or service of value to offer, you have to get the ball rolling by ‘seeding’ your viral marketing campaign. Think of it like a snowball rolling down a hill. In the beginning, you have to work hard to push the snowball while it gathers mass and speed. After the snowball reaches ‘critical mass’, it begins to take on a life of its own. Your viral marketing promotion is no different. Get it started, keep working at it, and soon it will begin to promote itself.

Have you ever e-mailed a friend or family member and sent them a link to a website you thought they might find interesting? If so, you have participated in social bookmarking.

What is social bookmarking? It is tagging a website and saving it for later. Instead of saving them to your web browser, you are saving them to the web. And, because your bookmarks are online, you can easily share them with friends.

What Can Social Bookmarking Do For Me? :

Not only can you save your favorite websites and send them to your friends, but you can also look at what other people have found interesting enough to tag. Most social bookmarking sites allow you to browse through the items based on most popular, recently added, or belonging to a certain category like shopping, technology, politics, blogging, news, sports, etc.

You can even search through what people have bookmarked by typing in what you are looking for in the search tool. In fact, social bookmarking sites are being used as intelligent search engines.

Video Explanation

What is Social News? Is Social News the Same as Social Bookmarking?:

Websites like Digg, Reddit and Propeller focus on social bookmarking of news-related items such as politics, sports, technology, etc. These websites will often feature breaking headlines and bloggers discussing the current news items.

Social news sites are different from standard social bookmarking sites by focusing on specific articles and blog posts rather than websites. Because of this, they can be a great source of news, and they also offer the ability to participate in the discussion by leaving comments on popular news items.

How Can I Benefit From Social Bookmarking?:

Social bookmarking and social news allow you to specifically target what you want to see. Instead of going into a search engine, typing something in, and then searching for that needle in a haystack, you can quickly narrow down the items to what you are looking for.

Because many social bookmarking sites display recently added lists and popular links, you can both stay current and see relevant information. For example, let’s say you are interested in learning more about social shopping. You might search for social shopping on one of these sites and come up with two articles: one with a hundred votes and one with two votes.

It’s pretty easy to tell that the article with a hundred votes might be your best choice. And this is a lot easier than putting “social shopping” into a search engine and seeing page after page after page of links that may or may not be useful.

So, what started out as a way to send bookmarks to friends has really grown into social search engines. You no longer need to page through thousands of results to find a needle in a haystack. Now, you can simply go to a social bookmarking site, choose the category or tag that matches your interest, and find the most popular websites.