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 Business Networking in Austin Blog
By: Scott Ingram
Networking Tips Galore! I just finished going back through all of the archives on my blog. Can you believe it's been almost 3 years since I started this blog? I sure can't. It amazes me how much has changed in that time.
The result of this dive through my blog history is a complete index of all of the relevant networking tips I've posted over the years. The list is pretty long and I think I'm getting really darned close to have over 100 of these very focused posts.
The best part about the index is that all of the titles are linked directly to that individual post. No longer do you have to dig through reams of archives and sort through posts about events that may have been current at the time. Now you can just click on and get directly to the meat.
Take your own networking to the next level. Find the most relevant tip for YOU!
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com
| Dead Blog Syndrome I'm excited to be back blogging again. Being a blogger, especially about a specific topic, has a really interesting way of changing your perspective. It makes you much more aware of that topic and how things relate to it. Just in the last week I've made a list of nearly a dozen different things I'd like to write about based on things I saw, conversations I had, or other events I experienced.
However this topic of the dead blog is prettty interesting. I tried to do a little research this mornings and nobody seems to agree, but it is believed that there are over 100 Million Blogs! Unfortunately some huge percentage of those blogs are likely dead. (How Many Blogs Are There? Is Someone Still Counting?). I'll define a dead blog as one that hasn't had a post in over 30 days. Of course many are much worse than that.
In the past when I was blogging much more consistently and also speaking about business blogging I would often warn people that the most important thing to think about if they wanted to start a blog was how committed they were to it. Starting a blog is easy, continuing to blog consistently over time is the hard part. What I didn't know then was: For how long? Life changes, circumstances change, we change. So how do you gracefully stop blogging. (Hint: don't do it the way I did).
Knowing what I know now I think the best way to end a blog, or to take a blog break is to have some type of final post that explains the status of the blog. Without that all of the posts you've worked so hard on can lose a lot of credibility when all of a sudden your blog just ends at some date that was months or even years earlier with no explanation.
To combat this in the future, and just to have it in general, I've decided to create a Best of My Blog post. In this post I'll simply have a list of what I believe are my most relevant posts, their title and a link directly to that post. So far I've been amazed at how much I've written about networking in the last few years. That way if I choose to take a break again in the future I'll be armed with a way to quickly add value and then will only need to write a quick explanation as to why I've chosen to not blog for a period of time or permanently.
Well, enough about all of this blog talk, it's time to get back on topic. Stay tuned for more business networking tips and insights.
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Can Somebody blog about not blogging and still not be a blogger?
I've been having an internal debate for months about whether or not I'm still a blogger since I haven't written a new post in almost 6 months. I thought for a long time that I should at least have the last post be something a little more relevant and on topic than ultrasound pictures of my, at the time, yet to be born daughter.
After all this time I think I've decided that rather than writing a blog post about not blogging that it's time to just start blogging again. I'm not ready to committ to the 2-3 posts a week schedule that I tried to maintain for the first couple of years that I blogged, but there is still a lot of knowledge and experiences to share. I just hope that there's more time to execute.
In the next few weeks I'll work to give you a life update. The most important and significant event has been the birth of my second daughter: Adelaide Jane Ingram. Just like her younger sister she couldn't wait to be here and made her entry into the world over 4 weeks early.
I also want to start doing something I wish other bloggers would do more frequently. That is writing about the books that they read. I read quite a bit and am always curious about what others are reading, and what they think about what they've read. The suggestions of others is my favorite starting point for deciding what I want to read next. I figure I'll lead by example and share my thoughts on some of the things I've been reading recently.
Stay tuned...
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Finally!!! You can comment on my blog! Until now you haven't been able to comment on my blog. Not because I didn't want you to, but because my blog platform didn't have the capability.
When I wrote my last post I noticed there was a new option for me to "allow comments." After a little bit of testing I've determined that it's true! I can't tell you how excited I am about this. In the past people frequently told me they wanted to be able to comment but couldn't. (Keep in mind that was at a time that I was blogging a lot more frequently. I imagine I've lost a few regular readers)
It's now here. Comment away. Just know that your comment won't show up right away. I will need to approve it. This step just allows me to keep out the spam.
Woohoo! (Can you tell I'm excited?)
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | To Blog or not to Blog There has been a lot of news lately here in Austin created by John Mackey the CEO of Whole Foods. It began with open attacks on his blog against the FTC who it appears is trying to block the Whole Foods acquisition of Wild Oats. Things quickly went down hill when it was discovered that Mackey has posted comments anonymous comments about both Whole Foods and Wild Oats on public message boards.
At a time when I'm constantly talking with folks who are thinking about starting their own business or company blogs this can't be encouraging news. However, I think it only serves to reemphasize the points I've made all along about what you should and shouldn't blog about.
I love blogs because they tend to have a much more personal feel to their writing. More personality comes through due to the more informal nature of the medium. But, there's a fine line between being personal and real and making inappropriate comments that are instantly public. These days it's not just blogs. If you're in any type of high level position ANYTHING you put in writing could become public in the future. Too few people think about that reality when they send an everyday e-mail. It's just too easy to forward that e-mail.
Think before you write! Whether it's your own blog, and e-mail or any type of communication it's important to think it through. My general rule is to not write anything I wouldn't want my mother to see. (I found out recently that she actually reads my blog so it's a good thing I've always followed this rule) Also consider the worst case scenario. If I were to write something disparaging about one of my colleagues and they were to read what I wrote what would happen? It's too easy for this to happen, so it's probably best not to write it in the first place.
Blogs, e-mail and online forums are all incredible ways to communicate. We shouldn't stop using them because we're afraid of them. We just need to use some common sense and be respectful (even if we think we're anonymous).
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
| Happy Blog Birthday to Me! 
Somehow it snuck up on me and happened again. Today is 2 years after my first blog post.
I have to admit that this year wasn't nearly as active as my first. There've been a number of other priorities in my life lately. However, the value of the blogging I'm doing and have done in the past continues to pay dividends. Having a regular blog has absolutely been worth the investment of my time.
Another friend of mine, Jason Alba the Founder and CEO of JibberJobber.com, just celebrated his first blog birthday in the last few days. He is doing a really cool series on his blog about the secrets he's learned after blogging every business day for 1 year. It's a great series, and he's only up to Day 2 of the 5 Day series. Jason is another person who came into my life and network because of my blog. I'll tell you more about JibberJobber next week, it's also an excellent resource.
I guess I should go eat some cake?
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
| Austin Business Bloggers Club Continues to Grow The second meeting of the Austin Business Bloggers Club was tonight. The group has more than tripled in size from our first to second meeting.
Check back soon for a list of the bloggers who attended and links to their blogs.
For information about our next meeting on March 5th: Austin Business Bloggers Club
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Austin Business Bloggers Club Meeting For those of you who read about the first meeting of the Austin Business Bloggers Club you now have a chance to join us.
We'll be meeting next Monday, February 5th at Guero's Taco Bar on South Congress at 5:30pm.
I'll be inviting as many local business bloggers as I can find. If you haven't started your own blog and have been thinking about it this is your chance to learn from some other more seasoned vets who've been doing it for years.
For additional details: Austin Business Bloggers Club
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Austin Business Bloggers Thanks to a terrific business blogger who doesn't even live in Austin a new group was formed over dinner at Guerro's last night.
Thanks to the initiative of Jason Alba, founder of JibberJobber.com, 5 of us got together for some great food, networking and of course lively discussion and debate about blogging. Jason was on vacation in Houston, but went out of his way to connect face to face with just a few of the bloggers he's been networking with all over the country (The most important ones, the ones in Austin). This guy has taken blogger networking to a whole new level.
Thanks to Thom Singer who suggest we do this regularly the Austin Business Bloggers Club was born. We're hoping to include a few more local business bloggers at next months dinner. For those of you who fit the profile; consider this an open invitation.
The founders of this new group are pictured above. From left to right:
Jason Alba - JibberJobber Blog
I'll be talking more about JibberJobber.com very soon. For a sneak peak take a look at his website and read his blog. This is especially valuable if you're looking for your next job.
Thom Singer - Some Assembly Required
The 'other' must read networking blog here in Austin. This is my personal favorite blog, and not just because Thom and I are good friends. His posts are quick, concise and always on point.
That Scott Ingram guy.
Liz Handlin - Ultimate Resumes
Meeting Liz was a blast. I've just started reading her blog, and again if you're a job seeker this is an excellent read. She is unbelievably passionate about what she does. She's about a lot more than just a great resume.
Scott Allen - The Virtual Handshake Blog & Linked Intelligence
This was my second chance to get some face time with Scott and it's always a learning experience. Scott is clearly the most prolific writer in the group with multiple blogs and books.
The Austin Business Bloggers Club will meet regularly on the first Monday of each month for dinner at Guerro's starting at 5:30pm. Details will be provided on the calendar of NetworkInAustin.com
Happy Networking (and Blogging)!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Busines Blogging After just over a year of blogging I’m even more convinced that regular blogging can be one of the most powerful marketing and public relations tool for small business. Even big business... Dell just launched their own blog: One2One. The story behind Dell’s blog is really quite interesting. It’s worth spending a few minutes researching. The Statesman talked about it briefly in yesterday’s business section.
People do business with people, and a good blog gives a business personality. It’s an opportunity to make a more personal connection with your customers and prospective customers beyond the standard: About Us, Products/Services (boring!) information you find on most websites.
Have you started blogging yet? I’m even more excited about the prospects of this blog after the first year. It certainly created some amazing opportunities for me in the first year. Don’t forget, if you’re a member of NetworkInAustin.com you can start your own blog within your account. Plus we’ll help you promote your blog so you get even more traffic.
My good friend Jude Samson just started his own small business blog for Levelfield. Check it out: Clarity – Levelfield’s Small Business Blog. He has a great post on there about building a referral program that’s well worth reading.
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
| Happy Birthday Blog! Today is the first anniversary of my first blog post. The Business Networking in Austin Blog was born 1 year ago today!
102 posts and 29,202 words later here we are. I was right about what I said in my first post; it has been “quite an adventure.”
Looking back through my blog over the course of the last year I’m amazed at how much has happened in my life. It was here that I posted our first ultrasound pictures of Colette, and then her birth announcement. I’ve written dozens and dozens of networking tips (who knew I had that much in me?), and there’s plenty about me and the continual growth of NetworkInAustin.com
From my own blogging experience I also believe that a business blog is by far the most effective form of online networking. I’ve played with LinkedIn and a variety of other online networking tools, but nothing competes with my blog. I’ve been contacted and interviewed for multiple articles because the writers found my blog while searching Google. Business book authors have sent me copies of their book to review. Most importantly I’ve been able to develop relationships with other bloggers who have helped promote me, and help me improve my blog.
This is just the start. I think 100 posts a year is a very doable level of blogging (obviously, since I just did it), and the rewards have been well worth the effort.
Thank you all for reading!
Happy networking!
| Have you seen Dillon Wallin? Have you seen Dillon Wallin?
Blogs and networking are powerful things, and I’m going to use mine for an experiment. I’m going to see if I can find my childhood best friend who I haven’t been able to find despite numerous attempts over the last 10-15 years. (Keep in mind I’m cheap and not willing to pay for these attempts).
My hope is that by talking about my long lost friend, Dillon Wallin, here on my blog it’ll show up on a Google search. That way if Dillon ever does an ego search, or if one of his current friends who knows his current whereabouts tries to look him up they’ll know I’m looking for him.
[ego searching = Googling yourself to see what the Internet has to say about you]
Dillon and I go all the way back to preschool in Huntington Beach, California. He lived in the same condo in California the entire time I knew him. He left with his family (Chuck Wallin, Lynn Wallin and Maggie Wallin) to move back to Minnesota when we were in the 7th grade. I’m pretty sure they moved back to St. Paul, Minnesota. We kept in touch for a while after that, but were both pretty inconsistent about calling or writing each other (yes, this was before e-mail even!)
If you know how I might get in touch with Dillon Wallin please e-mail me: scott <at> networkinaustin.com
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
| Tag, I'm "It" I got tagged on Thom Singer's Blog, to respond to the questions below. He had been tagged by Larry Bodine's Professional Marketing Blog.
I have to tell you that I hesitated in blogging about this because of the chain letter style. Although since I've been called out publicly on Thom's blog I suppose I have to respond. I do really like the viral element of this, and since networking is about relationships this will give me a chance to tell you some things about myself I probably wouldn't otherwise think about sharing.
Four Jobs I've had:
1. IT Consultant
2. Marching Band Instructor
3. Customer Service Rep.
4. Paperboy
Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
2. Forest Gump
3. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
4. The Game
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Daily Show
2. Sopranos
3. Dog the Bounty Hunter
4. South Park
Four places I've been on vacation:
1. Vietnam (Honeymoon)
2. Paris (Asked Emily to marry me)
3. Maui
4. 2 National Tours with the Blue Devils (not exactly vacation, but I loved it!)
Four tunes that play through my head:
I'm going to cop out on this answer. Most of the time I listen to KUT.
Otherwise, my brain can be very sticky when it comes to music.
I constantly find songs stuck in my head. Often times I don't know how they go there.
Four favorite dishes:
1. Dessert, preferably chocolate
2. Steak!
3. Sushi
4. Red Wine
Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.NetworkInAustin.com
2. www.LogMeIn.com
3. www.Google.com
4. www.OrigamiBoulder.com (not a daily visit, but one of the funniest sites I've ever visited)
Four books I really love:
1. Raving Fans
2. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
3. The Millionaire Next Door
4. The World According to Garp
Four places I'd rather be:
1. I have to agree with Thom Singer on this one:
"I love Austin, Texas (so I'd rather be where I am)
But if I have to pick three more:"
2. Orange County, California (visiting my family)
3. Syracuse, NY (visiting Emily's family)
4. Anyplace new. I love to travel to new places.
Four bloggers I'm tagging:
In the spirit of networking, and because I believe a blog is the best from of online networking...
I've chosen 4 bloggers that I don't know very well. I've spent time on each of their blogs several times in the past.
This should be a fun way to start a new relationship.
1. Scott Ginsberg - Hello my name is Scott
2. John Moore - Brand Autopsy
3. Scott Allen & David Teten - The Virtual Handshake
4. Jon Lebkowsky - Weblogsky
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Job Networking – Networking Your Way to a New Career One of the things I hope to talk about more this year is job networking. If you’re reading this blog you’ve probably already experienced the power of using your network to find a job, or maybe a better job found you because of your network.
To kick off this new job networking category on my blog I’ve recruited the poster child of career networking to help me. Tom Matula has done the best job of anyone I’ve ever seen work on networking his way to a new job. I’m a little surprised that a very smart company hasn’t snapped Tom up already, but he started from a pretty disadvantaged position. He was brand new to Austin and had to build his network from scratch! That’s no small undertaking, and I applaud Tom for his efforts. He’s done a great job so far.
Tom has written 2 articles about his quest so far:
In addition Tom has started his own blog here on NetworkInAustin.com:
For the most part I’m going to let Tom serve as the career networking education section for me. His insights are going to be far more relevant than mine since they’re real world based. I can really only comment on my observations of others. Of course, you can bet that I’ll occasionally make reference to some of the posts on Tom’s blog.
One more thing. Tom IS looking for a job. Read what he has to say, and if you know of any opportunities that would be a good fit for him, then please pass that information on to Tom. Networking is about helping other people. I hope you’ll help me help Tom. He’s certainly been a great asset for me in the few short months that I’ve known him.
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
| Business Blogging Advantages… Why Should I Blog? Since I’ll be speaking at Freelance Austin this afternoon I’ve decided to post all of my notes on my blog instead of bringing handouts. That way those in attendance can always go back and find what it was I talked about, and those who couldn’t attend can get the general idea of what was said.
Let’s start with the reasons why anyone in business whether they’re a freelance artist or writer or the CEO of a large organization should consider starting a business blog.
Demonstrate your expertise
Showing that you are an expert on a particular topic is far more powerful than simply saying you’re an expert.
Develop content
Your blog will force you to write regularly. This writing easily lends itself to articles, books and marketing collateral.
Make a personal connection
Blogs don’t have to be dry and boring. By injecting your personality you can create personal connections with your readers.
Low to no cost
Blogs are one of the least expensive forms of marketing available today. The primary investment will be of your time.
Networking with other bloggers
As a business blogger you’ll instantly have something in common with other experts with whom you can network.
Search engines love blogs
Reiterate your core keywords and draw new customers to what you’ve written.
Communicate with customers and prospects
Keep your customers up to date on your company and new products. Attract new customers with new information.
Show that you're current
There’s nothing like a blog post dated yesterday to show that you’re still alive and kicking and ready for more business!
Build credibility through consistency
Blogging consistently demonstrates that you are reliable and committed.
I’m sure there are more that I’ve missed. To learn more about business blogging take a look at the “Business Blogging” category on this blog. This will bring up all of the posts that I’ve written about my blogging experience and blogging in general. If you have any questions or comments I’d love to hear from you. E-mail me at: scott |at| NetworkInAustin.com.
Happy blogging!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Making the Commitment to Blogging Blogging is not difficult, but it does take some real commitment to build a successful business blog.
The most important element of a good blog is consistency. If you’re not committed to writing regularly for a long period of time I’d recommend that you not start. You’ll be disappointed in your results and will probably have wasted your effort. It took me about 3 to 4 months before I started getting substantial traction with my blog. This is a long term marketing strategy; don’t expect it to pay off tomorrow.
I personally recommend that you plan on posting at least 1 new post each week. More is always better and the ideal for a busy business professional like you and I is probably 2-3 times per week. Don’t start too fast, concentrate on consistency. If you’re going to post twice a week, start with twice a week. Don’t start out writing 3 posts a day everyday for the first month and burn yourself out.
Your posts don’t have to be long. My average post is probably just 300-400 words. This way the people that are coming to read your blog won’t feel overwhelmed, and will be more likely to read more than one post. You can always take the short blog post you’ve written and turn it into a longer article for your website or for other publications.
What if I’m not a great writer? Don’t worry, just start. By posting to your blog consistently over time you will become a better writer. Focus more on adding value for your readers, make it personal and share your opinions and things about yourself. The occasional typo or grammatical error will be overlooked. You should still use a spell checker just in case.
Get involved in the blogging community. Read other blogs and participate. Build relationships with other bloggers. You’ll find that you love it when people contact you about your blog. When you contact other bloggers because you’ve been reading what they’ve said they’ll feel the same way. This is a great networking opportunity and you’ll often find that these bloggers will talk about you and your blog which can help make more people aware of your blog, and you should do the same for them.
For example. I was just reading my friend Thom Singer’s blog this morning where he coined the term: “Neblogging” to describe exactly this advantage.
If you’re going to start your own business blog make it a long term commitment. Have fun and trust that your investment of time will payoff.
Happy blogging!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Speaking of Blogging If you're available next Wednesday, November 9th between 12:30pm and 1:45pm I hope you'll attend the Freelance Austin meeting to hear me speak.
I'll be talking about how a business blog can bring you more business. You'll also learn about some other benefits of building your own blog. For example, you could use your blog to invite readers of your blog to your next speaking engagement. :)
Following my talk about business blogging I'll lead a brief facilitated networking session. This will give you a chance to meet some local Austin freelancers; writers, photographers, marketing consultants, PR professionals and more.
For complete details about this event: Freelance Austin - Business Blogging
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | RSS Feed Now Available An RSS Feed of this blog is now available:
http://www.NetworkInAustin.com/Scott_Ingram_Blog.xml
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Blogging Benefits and Pitfalls The Austin American Statesman ran an interesting article in today's business section entitled: "Blogs can get you hired or fired."
Blogging is becoming more and more mainstream. This article says that there are 10 million Americans blogging and about 35 million reading those blogs. Those are pretty substantial numbers. I think this shows that blogging is not something that can be ignored, of course if you're reading this than you're not ignoring blogging are you?
One of the most interesting parts of this article is the mention of a blogger named Bray. When he's interviewed for a job they really don't need to ask him very many questions because they've already learned so much about him by reading his blog. They also talk quite a bit about companies that are hiring "googling" potential employees to learn about them and their backgrounds. The results of a Google search are probably going to be a lot more telling than what's in a resume.
Googling is not just something that hiring departments are doing. Your clients, customers and even fellow networkers are Googling you. Blogs are a great way to be in control of what they're reading about you. It's not like they're trying to dig up dirt, for the most part they just want to get to know who you are. They're also a great networking tool.
I recently posted a comment on another blog and their comment back was: "I think I’ve networked with more people in the past 6 mths than I did for the last 2 years - and all because of my blog."
I've only been blogging for a few months and the results have been unbelievable. Sure there are some potential pitfalls. Saying anything negative is going to have consequences (I think my mother had something to say about that: "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"). It's really just common sense. A blog is public, and essentially a permanent record so you need to really think about the consequences of anything you say. That may turn some people off, but I think the benefits far outway the potential pitfalls.
Happy networking (and blogging)!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com
| Networking and Blogging, Blogging and Networking Last week my friend, Thom Singer, asked me to be a guest blogger on his Business Development / Networking Blog.
The guest blogger concept is something Thom is planning on doing every Friday. I think this is an incredible idea. I talk about why in my guest post on Thom's blog: Networking and Blogging, Blogging and Networking
Happy Networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Networking - It's Personal Great networking really isn't about business at all. It's about people. Referrals, word of mouth, and more business are really just side effects. Don't get me wrong they're great side effects, but they come later.
I'm sure you've heard over and over again that people do business with people they know, like and trust. There are a couple of major points here. The first is that people do business with PEOPLE. That's the first distinction. The second is that these people that they do business with are those that we know, like and trust.
If we're wanting people to get to know us, like us and trust us should we really be talking about what we do? NO! The relationship comes first. We need to get to know each other as a person. If you're not been reading my blog for very long go back and read some of my earlier posts about questions. Ask people personal questions, get to know who they really are.
This is also the reason why my blog is so personal. I want people to know what's going on in my life. Read about what's important to me and realize that I'm a real person. Especially for the folks who haven't had a chance to meet me. It's important that they know that I'm not a boring networking tip machine, and that I'm approachable. I want them to feel comfortable walking up to me at a networking function, or just picking up the phone and calling me.
Give this some thought the next time you find yourself at a networking event. Are you only talking about what you do, or are you talking about who you are? Are you only asking about what someone does, or getting to know them and what's important to them?
A little shift in perspective can have a major impact on your results.
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Question: What do YOU want? 
Well, here you are again reading my blog... Why?
This blog really isn't about me. It's about you. I hope you get something out of your visits here, and reading my posts about networking, business and occasionally me. Unfortunately I don't really have any way of know who is reading this. So tell me! As a reader of this blog help me to give you more value.
I'd like some input from you about the "Business Networking in Austin Blog."
- Why do you read it?
- What do you hope to learn?
- What would YOU like to know more about?
Will you do me a personal favor? Please take 3 minutes right now to send me a quick e-mail. Send it to scott *at* networkinaustin.com. It doesn't have to be pretty, just a quick brain dump with your thoughts and what you'd like to read more about.
I appreciate your taking the time to read this blog, and I especially appreciate your input.
With Gratitude,
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Blogging for Business Business blogging is certainly a fairly recent phenomenon. Now that it’s here I think it’s here to stay, at least until it gets replaced by something better. I also think blogging for business presents some pretty unique opportunities.
The biggest opportunity in using a blog for business is using it to position yourself as an expert. The traditional route to demonstrating professional expertise is through writing articles, books and speaking. All of those except for speaking tend to remove the personality of the expert. What I mean by that is if you were to write an article or a book. By the time it’s been edited it’s really just information. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but would anybody know the difference if it was your name as the author of the book or my name? Generally your personality is removed from these vehicles. A blog on the other hand because of its tendency towards stream of consciousness and opinion tends to leave ones personality intact, if not accentuate it. From my perspective that’s a very good thing. We all want to feel a connection to the people we’re doing business with. In most cases we do business with people, not companies. A business blog allows us to demonstrate our expertise while at the same time building rapport and making a personal connection to our reading audience.
Blogging is a great way to develop content for those books and articles. A good blogger will post to their blog at least a couple of times a week. This forces us to write on a regular basis. Do this long enough and you’re going to have a pretty substantial set of content. This can easily be turned into articles or even a book. I’ve only been blogging for about a month and this will be my 17th post. I didn’t even realize how much I’d written until I just went back to count the posts. Imagine how much content you’ll have after several months or years of regular contributions.
Search engines love blogs! I can’t tell you how easy it’s been to promote this blog. Having also worked on positioning NetworkInAustin.com in the search engines I can tell you that promoting my blog was 10 times easier and has been 10 times more effective. There are hundreds of blog directories out there. It’s very easy to get your blog listed under very specific categories that pertain to the topic of your blog. This brings in readers who are actually looking to learn about what you’re talking about. That and because they change frequently and have very good content the search engines can’t get enough of them. There are even free services out there that you can use that will tell 15-20 of the top blog directories that you’ve made a recent post. With the click of a button you can tell all of these websites to come and read your blog and index it on their site. This can get a little technical. Let me just tell you that it works, and you wouldn’t believe how well. Then when you link back to your own website frequently it helps boost the position of your own website. It’s a win/win!
A well written blog can be very viral in nature. I’ve already had blog posts that other bloggers have talked about or commented on in their own blogs. Blog readers will also forward a link to a good blog post to a friend that might be interested in that topic. All of this benefit for something that only takes an hour or two each week.
Members of NetworkInAustin.com have the ability to blog for FREE as part of their enhanced or Lifetime membership. Our members can receive all of the benefits that I talked about above. Plus we’ll not only list your blog in our networking resources section, but we’ll also help you promote your blog and get listed in a lot of those directories. If you’re not a member I hope you’ll join us. If you’re already a member give us a call or shoot as an e-mail so we can help you get started.
Happy networking!
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com
| My blogging experience after 30 days. Now that I've finished my first official month of blogging I thought now would be a good time to talk about my results after the first 30 days.
First, it's been a great conversation piece. I've had conversations with a few people who've told me: "I've been reading your blog." Wow! Talk about instant rapport. I get a chance to ask them what they thought about some of things I've talked about, and they already know a fair amount about me. I've also found myself frequently saying: "I just wrote about that in my blog last week." Then I can talk about what it is I said. Each of those pales in comparison to the connections I've made with the people I've met who are also bloggers. I guess it's the shared experience, but these people seem to become instant friends. Bottom line, it's been a heck of a lot of fun!
The time committment is actually less than I expected. Maybe it's because I only post on average about twice a week. I find myself constantly getting ideas for topics to write about. I have a list of potential posts so long that I wouldn't have to come up with another idea for a couple of months. I'm not a particularly verbose writer, so I find that a typical post only takes me 20-30 minutes. Which means I spend less than an hour each week on my blog.
It's the personal stories that get the most traction. No single post has gotten as much attention as my post about "My poor neglected dog!" Sure this blog is primarily about business and networking, but it's written by me. I actually need to try and incorporate a little bit more Scott. I'll work on that.
Then there's the exposure. This blog is listed on a couple of dozen different blog directories. All of which have generated at least a couple of visitors. The listings also tend to be in very specific categories. So the people that are finding my blog through these directories actually have an interest in what I have to say.
All in all it's been an amazing experience. It's been less work than I expected. Has produced better results, and I enjoy it. You can't beat that.
Stay tuned. In my next post I'll talk about why blogging for business presents some unique opportunities.
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Promoting your blog Getting exposure for your blog on NetworkInAustin.com is actually quite simple. Much like you would want your website to be listed on Yahoo and Google, you want your blog to be listed on the various blog directories and search engines. Fortunately the list is nearly endless, and submitting your blog is quite easy.
Visit any of the sites listed below and look for a "submit your blog" or "add blog" type link to get listed.
Blogwise
Technorati
Blog Search Engine
BlogTree
Blog Universe
Blogarama
The Blog Directory
Wil's Domain
Blogs for Small Business
Bloggerfind
You can find a much larger list of Blog Directories on Yahoo
After each entry to your blog you will also want to use a "ping" service. A ping simply tells the various directories that you've updated your blog and that they should come and read what you've written. The two that I use are:
ping-o-matic
pingpower
I'll discuss promoting your blog more in future articles and posts.
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Business Networking in Austin Blog Topics The real purpose of this blog is education. At least that's what I hope it does. I've already built a fairly substantial list of topics that I hope to cover in the coming weeks. Hopefully you'll find some of it useful.
The reason for this site and this blog is to help you to become a better networker. You'll know you're becoming successful when the referrals start rolling in, and you experience the results of word of mouth marketing. Before any of that happens you'll have to build relationships. That's really the name of the game.
Here is a sample list of the types of things I intend to post:
What networking is... What networking isn't.
Networking doesn't happen in networking meetings
The 90/10 rule of networking
Competition: A mental roadblock
Follow-up or go broke!
Networking as a marketing strategy
Partnering strategically
Would you pay $2400/hr. to advertise to a small room of people?
The right amount of networking
Have a suggestion? A personal success story?
I'd love to hear them.
The best way to reach me is via e-mail: scott NetworkInAustin.com
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com
| Regular Contributions In my own reading and research it seems like the most important element of a successful blog is regular contributions. Ideally this probably means that you post just about everyday. That's probably unrealistic for most of us who are running businesses withour never ending to do lists.
At the very least I think a blog can be relevant with about one post a week. The only problem with occasional posting is that you're probably not likely to attract regular readers. Those who post to their blogs frequently will probably find that people read their blogs more frequently, and are more likely to find something new.
My personal intention is to find a happy medium and to post about 2 or 3 times a week. Since I'm not real concerned with editing myself this should only take about an hour each week. I'm comfortable with that, and hopefully the people reading this (hello? is anyone out there?) will generally find something new when they check back.
Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com | Building a Blog In anticipation of announcing the ability for NetworkInAustin.com members to have their own blogs on this site I thought I should probably start my own.
I'm actually really excited about the possibilities. I think a blog is potentially a very powerful business tool, especially in the context of networking. Let me explain. From what I've seen blogs tend to be a little bit more informal. This one sure will be, so you can ignore all of the typos and my stream of consciousness style of writing that you'll find here. This is probably a good thing. Since networking is really all about building relationships regularly contributing to a blog can only help others learn more about your thoughts and feelings on a variety of subjects that are important to you. What better way to begin building a relationships than by sharing your thoughts and feelings?
I've asked Thom Singer who's been working on his own blog since March to contribute 2 articles to help folks understand: What blogging is and Why you should consider blogging.
Thanks for reading. This should be quite an adventure.
Scott Ingram
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Austin, TX 78701
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