Blog Roll Clean-up

CHR

CHR

Design matters
Nov 28, 2002
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Anaheim
www.avantegardens.com
State / Prov
CA
In advance of Jennifer's webinar on Tuesday, I decided to take a few minutes and clean up my blog roll (the section of the blog where we link to other flower/florist bloggers.)

Your blog roll can help readers get a feel for the kind of 'company you keep' and can also help other bloggers be found.

During today's cleanup, I did the following:

1) Deleted links to defunct and/or long ago updated blogs (closed shops, blogs that haven't had new posts for more than 9 months.)

2) Deleted links to some bloggers who I've linked to and/or written about but they post marginal content and have never, ever bothered to reciprocate or comment in any way. SOCIAL media is about conversations, not monologues. As much as I'm a proponent of local florists, we need to share the love to succeed, not just receive it. Plus, please write something other than blah-blah-blah promotional posts with copied pictures.

I'm not saying we have to fawn all over each other, but active conversations - between blogs or via comments - are what make blogs truly successful - with (of course) the inclusion of content beyond just pushing the latest holiday specials.

Is your blog roll ready for some spring cleaning?

Have you run across anyone new and worth adding - because their content is so interesting?
 
Thanks for those tips. I am so new at all things technological that I am feeling a bit intimidated about blogging.
I call it Blogisfear! BTW I absolutely love what you did for the March Madness Design competition. If I figure out how, I will blog about it!
 
I may be one of those links you cleaned out! I have been trying to figure out how to create a permanent list of blog links like you have on your blog Cathy, but have not figured out how to do that. Care to share how it is done? I am working on creating more valuable content for my blog and I understand that it is a give and take with links and such, but with having to learn and keep up to date with all the social networking and such... well lets just say I find blogging to be the more difficult area. My Strider Site is using Movable Type, so if anyone cares to share any knowledge of its use or point me in the right direction, please let me know, maybe I can get reinstated in those blogs that are getting "cleaned up". Thanks, Joan
 
Knife's Wife said:
I may be one of those links you cleaned out!
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Not at all. Didn't realize you had a blog.

To any FC member, please post a note and link here and let us know you're actively blogging.

I have been trying to figure out how to create a permanent list of blog links like you have on your blog Cathy, but have not figured out how to do that. Care to share how it is done?
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Each blogging software platform has a different way of posting lists and I'm not familiar with how it's handled via MovableType. Have you tried searching Google to see if there are any tips?
 
I have blogged on this forum as well as just got my own, but I want to wait until after the webinar because I know I'm not really doing it right. Also, back when I first joined this forum, I filled out the info to be listed on the Real Florists Blog, but I still am not listed. Would you like me to go and apply again?

Thanks Cathy, no rush, you do WAY too much!
Linda
 
Thanks, I may end up doing that. I really like to learn and figure these things out for myself so that I do not bombard Jim with what I call silly stuff that I should know how to do. This one does have me stumped. I will read first and if it is a no go, I will contact Jim.

Joan
 
anytimeflowers said:
make your blog link a "new window, pop-up". That way, when they close your blog page, your site will still be behind it.
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You still need to have links back to your e-commerce site. If a customer finds your blog via a google search first, they should have a way to go to your shopping site.

Here's a link to the Movable Type Documentation:
http://www.movabletype.org/documentation/

Doug
 
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It's not silly stuff, you don't have the capability to get to it, it isn't in the back office because the blog isn't part of florist2.0. I know exactly how you feel, but this isn't one of the bothersome things, it was probably over-looked when you were first set up.

For your own future reference, if you create a link to something within your site, you can type your message or whatever link you want to make. Then, you select the text you want to make into the link by highlighting it, then click the globe with the chain in your tools and that will pop up where you enter the actual URL to the site you want to link with. After you enter that URL, you go to the next tab in that box labeled "target". Choose new window blank or pop up. That will cause people's browsers to open a new window to that link, and still leave yours behind it.

Linda
 
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Linda, I know it is not in the back office of Florist 2.0. It is something to be done with in MT. I agree that the link is important and needs to be done. I guess I take these things as a personal goal to figure out if it is something that I can do.
Creating links within the site is easy I know, it is learning MT that I am working on learning more about. I guess I do not like to be dependent on the big guys in the office. I know to well that businesses that are bombarded with a lot of "things" to do for their customers eventually need to charge more to cover their time for the helpless. (and no I am not implying that you are one of the helpless) but if more people spent more time reading directions .... well you get the point.
 
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I have been very careful about becoming peoples/companies fan and I haven't added other shops to my blog. Convience me that by doing this I'm not sending my customers away to other sites.

I don't blog or post about companies I do business with. I keep it generic so that readers will shop with me. A day doesn't go by that I don't have a customer ask me what company I bought something from, because they want to see it online. See it fooey, they want to see if they can buy it cheaper!

So tell me, am I looking at this all wrong?

I did clean-up our blog and did a new slideshow tonite. Here is our Facebook Page with a new post that will let you link to the blog. Feel free to Fan Us, Check Us Out and Offer Constructive Criticism.
http://www.facebook.com/SecondStreetSeasonals
 
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I blog, and I have a couple of blogrolls. I have one list that is creative types, including, but not limited to, florists. I think it's nice to share some of the places where you have conversations and get inspiration.

My other list is devoted to blogs with local content about my city. I use my blog not only to talk up my flowers and flowers in general, but also to build community - a "Sprout" community which is also a part of the "Worcester" community.

I do, however, need to go back in and update links though. I try to do this a couple times a year, out with the old, in with the new. I actually follow a couple hundred blogs, so my blogroll is highly edited!

PS The link below is my blog. If you decide to add me to your blogroll, I'd appreciate it if you'd just list me as Sprout, not Sprout Designs, Sprouts, Sprout Florist, Sprout Flowers or any of the other permutations...I'm just Sprout. Thanks! :)
 
Seasonals said:
I have been very careful about becoming peoples/companies fan and I haven't added other shops to my blog. Convience me that by doing this I'm not sending my customers away to other sites.
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I imagine Jennifer will discuss this during her webinar... Here's an article from CopyBlogger (very respected site) about Why Linking to Other Blogs is Critial.

Sprout said:
My other list is devoted to blogs with local content about my city. I use my blog not only to talk up my flowers and flowers in general, but also to build community - a "Sprout" community which is also a part of the "Worcester" community.
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Excellent point.

If you decide to add me to your blogroll, I'd appreciate it if you'd just list me as Sprout, not Sprout Designs, Sprouts, Sprout Florist, Sprout Flowers or any of the other permutations...I'm just Sprout. Thanks! :)
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Ooops - fixed. You might want to reconsider that a bit just from making your blog more relevant in search for the two most important keywords (after your name) - florist and flowers. 'Sprout' alone doesn't really convey what you do to people who don't know you. We also have a chain of green grocers here in So Cal called 'Sprout.

JMO
 
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