Blog of the Week: The Democratic Party Blog

The DNC is approaching fast and you can keep up with all the latest news and events at The Democratic Party Blog.

Learn to think like a blogger

ProBlogger has an interesting piece about overcoming obstacles to blogging. Read the entire article here.

10 Reasons Your Small Business Should Have a Blog

Adam Singer is Director of Digital Strategy for Pierson Grant Public Relations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On his personal blog The Future Buzz, he writes about ten very good reasons why every small business should have a blog. Read the article here .

Blog of the Week: DenverInfill

The DenverInfill Blog keeps up with all of the news, ideas, and commentary about Downtown Denver and its urban infill developments. Infill is the use of land within a built-up area for further construction, especially as part of a community redevelopment or growth management program or as part of smart growth.

Blogging Your Business

Did you know that there are 200,000 new blogs created in the USA every day?

Blog of the Week: Flickr Blog

The companion blog to Flickr, almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world, Flickr Blog features some of the gorgeous photography the site is known for as well as news and information.

World's oldest blogger dies

From Yahoo! News:

An Australian woman described as the world's oldest Internet blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about singing "a happy song" in her nursing home. Read the rest here.

You can read her blog at All About Olive.

Why you should advertise on blogs

From Dev Mechanic:




"Why would you consider advertising on blogs? Well, blog advertising is currently one of the hottest marketing techniques available.

Advertising through blogs is much cheaper than the traditional advertising media, mainly because it is still in its infancy. Blog advertising is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the web. It's easy, convenient, cheap, and you do not require a website or any expertise in site building, and the list goes on."

Read the rest of the article here.

Blog of the Week: MileHighGayGuy

It’s official – MileHighGayGuy is the hottest blog in town. In the past few months, Drew Wilson, Denver’s MileHighGayGuy, has appeared on “Studio 12” with Tamara Banks, on radio station KGNU – with a weekly segment in the works – and in the metro area’s largest biweekly newspaper.

In addition, he was the first official blogger for Denver PrideFest, one of the top ten Pride celebrations in the country, and has been named the Denver Gay Examiner for billionaire Philip Anschutz’s new online media venture, Examiner.com.

Now, for the first time, you can advertise on MileHighGayGuy.com, Denver’s premier gay-interest blog. Be one of the first to take advantage of this hot new way to reach Colorado’s gay community, the seventh largest in the nation.

Since blogs are updated daily, instead of weekly or monthly like standard print media, readers visit every day to check out the new content – and they will see your ad, with a direct link to your Web site, every single time.

So hook up with MileHighGayGuy and be a part of the hottest gay blog in Denver. Call or email DrewDenver@aol.com to discuss rates or set up an appointment.

More unconventional marketing tips

So what is a business blogger wanting to ’sell’ to do?

Here's what ProBlogger.com has to say about that:
"If I were a business blogger (and I guess I am in a way - but that’s another discussion) I would spend more time actively engaging with and enhancing the lives of my readers (and potential readers) than selling to them."

Makes a lot of sense to me! Read more of this forward-thinking sales strategy here.

Blog of the Week: Denver PrideFest Blog

Well, now that PrideFest 2008 has come and gone, the official PrideFest Blog has been put to bed. But it's still a great resource for PrideFest photos from years gone by and person-on-the-street news and views, as well as some interviews with local movers and shakers. And maybe we'll be back next year with the official PrideFest Blog for 2009!

Advertising on Blogs: Pros and Cons

Oprah's Blog

Even Oprah's blogging! Here's her most recent:
"Week Four: Sunday
Day 21…yes, I want some wine. Bordeaux 82. Just one glass at sunset, almost broke down and had a glass. I didn't, mostly because of my commitment to fellow VCTers. Tomorrow, Scarlet…tomorrow is another day. That's my mantra for now."

Read the rest here.

Entrepreneur.com's Summer Assignment

Looks like I've got my homework cut out for me this summer!

From Entrepreneur.com's blog: "Summer is quickly approaching, but for entrepreneurs, that doesn't necessarily mean vacation is on the horizon. If you're trading in margaritas and summer novels for coffee and file folders, add SCORE's "Summer Finance Fix-up" to your to-do-list."

Read the rest here.

How to market in a poor economy (the answer is: BLOGS)

From Hubspot.com:

"I talk to several marketing executives per week and my favorite question to ask them is about how they are building sustainable lead generation machinery for their businesses to grow. In response, I typically receive a similar set of responses: trade shows, seminar series, telemarketing, email blasts to purchased lists, "pr" (press releases), and maybe some advertising. I call these techniques "outbound marketing." There are two things these outbound marketing programs have in common. First, they all cost of a lot of money. Second, they are all becoming less and less effective over time as people like you get better at better at blocking out these traditional forms of interruption and you turn to search engines, bloggers, and peers on social media sites to more effectively learn and shop."

Read the rest of the article here .

Blog of the Week: Mile High Buzz

In honor of me really needing a good cup of coffee this morning, this week's Blog of the Week is none other than Mile High Buzz, Denver's coffee blog.

I repeat: Your business needs a blog!

The Blog Squad explains, once again, why your business needs a blog!

Liveblogging Steve Jobs at WWDC 2008

I just live blogged an event for the first time yesterday on MileHighGayGuy (KGNU had a panel of local experts talking about Denver's GLBT past, present and future). I'm looking forward to doing it more often as live blogging seems to be an exciting and immediate way to spread information as it happens. I don't think I did too badly for a first effort but this right here is how it's really supposed to be done:

Live blog: Steve Jobs at WWDC 2008

BlogPro's Banners for PrideFest

Just picked up the official BlogPro banners that will be hanging at PrideFest and they look amazing! I think they'll prove to be a great marketing tool, and, on a personal note, there's something really really cool about seeing your company logo and motto on an eight-foot-long banner. Very larger-than-life!

Blogging's good for your health

"Blogging can help you feel less isolated, more connected to a community and more satisfied with your friendships, both online and face-to-face, new research has found ..." according to Claudine Ryan for Discovery News. Read the rest here.

Blog of the Week: Denver Gay Examiner

BlogPro's Drew Wilson is now the Denver Gay Examiner for Examiner.com.

Examiner.com is one of the fastest growing websites for local news and information. Serving 57 local markets, Examiner.com connects consumers with a premium blend of news and information from the best local sources.

As the Denver Gay Examiner, Wilson offers news, entertainment, and many other features specifically for Denver’s gay community. Read the latest news and information for Denver’s gay community at www.examiner.com/x-391-Denver-Gay-Examiner.

In addition to his role as the Denver Gay Examiner, Wilson blogs as MileHighGayGuy at www.milehighgayguy.blogspot.com. He is also the official blogger for Denver PrideFest 2008, one of the top ten Pride celebrations in the country. That blog can be seen at www.denverpridefest2008.blogspot.com.

Business blog writing can be frustrating for professionals

One more reason to have BlogPro write your blog!

Blog of the Week: Etalkinghead's Political Blog Directory

Check out Etalkinghead's Political Blog Directory, with more political blog links than you can shake a stick at. Not that you'd want to shake a stick at a political blog.

Listed on the blog are the following:
Conservative (148 listings)
Right-leaning and conservative blogs.

Group Blog (24 listings)
Blogs with more than one author and one opinion.

Humor (23 listings)
Funny ha-ha.

Independent (59 listings)
Blogs independent of ideology.

Liberal (152 listings)
Left-leaning and liberal blogs.

Libertarian (48 listings)
Blogs with a libertarian bent.

Moderate (31 listings)
Middle-of-the-road blogs.

News Only (12 listings)
Cousins of the Drudge Report.

Religious (16 listings)
Blogs dominated by the discussion of religion and its political implications.


The Political Blog Directory has a total of 513 listings.

Examiner.com recruits local bloggers

From The Denver Business Journal:

William Randolph Hearst was a new-media pioneer before there was such a thing.

The inspiration for "Citizen Kane," Hearst began as owner of the San Francisco Examiner newspaper in 1887, the start of a nationwide empire that grew to more than two dozen dailies.

But Hearst soon branched out into what were then considered nontraditional media: magazines at first, and then radio, movie newsreels and, eventually, television.

If Hearst -- who died in 1951 -- were alive today, it would be easy to imagine him at the helm of an unconventional media venture that takes its name from his first newspaper.

After low-profile beginnings, Examiner.com -- a Denver-based national news-and-information website -- was relaunched April 14. The redesigned site now offers localized content from bloggers -- known as "examiners" -- chosen for their knowledge of various topics of interest.

Read the rest here .

Good business blogs need voice, focus and frequency

"The best business blogs have a voice, a focus on a topic and are frequently updated, said Jamie Hammond, editor in chief of AOL Money & Finance."

If your blog is lacking these three things, you'll never be able to attract the millions of online blog-reading readers and customers you want and need. Worse, a poorly written, unfocused, rarely updated blog can give those readers and potential customers the wrong impression about who you are and what you do. But maintaining a blog takes energy, time and talent. That's why I started BlogPro and why I think it's such a valuable service to the business community. Business owners have enough responsibilities to deal with on a day-to-day basis and it can be difficult to add more to your plate, even for something as important as a blog. When you get set up with a BlogPro blog, you know your blog is in the best hands possible. Written, researched, edited and maintained by professional writers and editors with years of media experience, BlogPro lets you focus on what you do best, running your business, while we do what we do best, blog.





Read the rest of the article here .

Blog of the Week: Ray Hill Studios

The Ray Hill Studios blog is an online portfolio for Denver, Colorado based furniture maker and carpenter, Ray Hill. He is inspired by the works of Eames and Herman Miller but ultimately, his vision and designs are uniquely his own.

PrideFest issue of Out Front Colorado (including the Official PrideFest Pullout Guide) is on stands now!

Be sure to pick up the latest issue of Out Front Colorado. The first of two official PrideFest issues for this year, the May 38 edition of OFC features articles on the new Sex in the City movie, Trans 101, an interview with Aubrey Sarvis, El Futuro Community Center, Naughty Pierre, fabulous Las Vegas, and all of the rest of the regular OFC features and columns you've come to know and love over the years.

Yours truly has a piece on Bisexual Pride in the paper proper and one on Blogging for Pride in the PrideFest pullout. Read them after the jump.

Social Media for Business (that includes blogs!)

In times of economic downturn, it's more important than ever for businesses to explore alternative modes of advertising and brand-building. Like blogs.

Study: U.S. Blog Advertising To Hit $746M By 2012

From ProBlogger: Advertisers seem to be embracing the niche-ready blogosphere with $746 million expected to be spent in 2012 on getting messages in front of Internet users. Unlike social networks, such as MySpace and Facebook, which present a hard-to-define audience, blogs seem ready-made for online advertisers. “Like podcasts, blogs tend to appeal to specific audiences. Accordingly, much of the demographic targeting that marketers work so hard to achieve in the mainstream media is already done for them,” writes eMarketer. The... [Read the full story]

BlogPro Blog Denver PrideFest 2008 marks 100th post

Yesterday the Denver PrideFest Blog marked the occasion of its 100th post. Since its inception on March 28 of this year, Denver PrideFest Blog has provided daily news, entertainment, interviews, rare photos and videos by, for, and about one of the country's top ten biggest and best GLBT events.

BlogPro is proud to be the official blogger for Denver PrideFest 2008 and on a personal note, I've had a wonderful time working on it. It's great to be able to be a part of an event that is so important to Colorado's GLBT community. Anyway, we've still got a month to go before Denver PrideFest is upon us and I've got some really cool things planned for the blog so be sure to check it out.

Number 1 on Google! Business Week Takes a New Look at Blogs

Three years ago, Business Week published a story about blogs.

"...you cannot afford to close your eyes to them [blogs], because they're simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they're going to shake up just about every business - including yours...Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They're a prerequisite.

-- Business Week Magazine, May 2, 2005

According to Business Week that cover story, Blogs Will Change Your Business, archived on the Web, received hundreds of thousands of page views and still comes up #1 on Google search results for "blogs business."

Now they've updated and revisited the blogging issue and you can read the rest of the story by Denise Wakeman for allbusiness.com here.

Business Blog Writing with The Blog Squad

Business Blog Consulting

Business Blog Consulting is a site devoted to demonstrating how effective weblogs can be for communicating with customers and marketing to new customer prospects. You will find here lots of examples of business and corporate blogs, as well as resources to help you learn more about the topic.

Blog survey: Why do people read blogs?

In a nutshell, people read blogs because they want better, faster information that they can't get anywhere else.

Should I wait this blogging fad out?

John Bell says, 'no way':

"I guest-lectured at a colleague's graduate class at Johns Hopkins where I also teach a class. One of her students - a young man in his twenties studying to enter marketing and/or communications - asked seriously, "Can I just wait out the whole blog-thing, wait till it fades away or do I have to pay attention to what's happening?"

Didn't expect that question from him, a digital native. But I do hear it a lot from business "gray-hairs" - the digital immigrants. The short answer is that blogging will not fade away like a fad. I certainly believe there will be a "leveling off" of the explosive growth we have seen. But too many people have found a voice and a reward for publishing their POV to expect that to recede It is part of a movement that will continue to grow and change affecting how we market from this moment forward. ... "

Read the rest at the Digital Influence Mapping Project

Blog of the Week: WeatherBug

WeatherBug, the leading provider of weather information services, manages and operates a proprietary network of 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking Stations and more than 1,000 cameras that are strategically placed at schools, public safety facilities and television stations throughout the U.S. These professional grade weather stations generate live neighborhood level reports every second (unlike other weather providers; their data is up to an hour or more old). Check out more information at their blog, www.blog.weatherbug.com.

Market your business online

Brazil: A chat about blogs and journalism

From Global Voices:

"Mario Amaya [pt] talks about how the mainstream media has adapted itself to the Internet, transition from paper to digital, advantages of blogging, and the Brazilian blogosphere in preparation for his piece for Palavra na Tela 2008 (Word on the Screen) [pt], a special chat about Blogs and Journalism hosted by the Digestivo Cultural site."

Read the rest here.

Blog Quotes

"The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom." - Jon Stewart

Blogs and the GLBT community

From Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs:

" ... Regarding web logs or blog use, the survey found about one in four GLB individuals (24%) report visiting personal blogs, which are websites that serve as an individual’s personal online journal, compared to 12 percent of heterosexuals. In fact, over one in three GLB adults (36%) visit their favorite blogs everyday, while only 19 percent of heterosexuals say they visit their favorite blogs daily. GLB respondents also reported having a more positive reaction towards advertising found on blogs, by two to one when compared to heterosexuals (22% vs. 9%). ..."


Read the rest of the article here.

Blog of the Week: The Hype Machine

The Hype Machine blog follows music blog discussions. Every day, thousands of people around the world write about music they love — and it all ends up on The Hype Machine.







Offering up a number of ways to explore the music that flows through the site including; Front Page: What's going on right now in the blogosphere; Radio + Chat: A mix of popular & newly posted music & a place to talk about it; Popular: The most popular artists, searches and blogs on the internet right now; and Hype Spy: Snoop on what other people are listening to on the site, The Hype Machine is here to make music discovery fun and get artists paid.

An interview with a 14-year-old professional blogger

Forbes' best small business blogs

"It stands to reason that budding businesspeople would be attracted to Weblogs, those do-it-yourself publishing sites that embody the very spirit of entrepreneurism. What do blogs add to the small-business dialogue that a whole host of magazines, cable channels and Web sites don't? In addition to transmitting news, industry gossip and occasional rants, the best small business blogs offer interactivity, allowing readers to chime into the dialogue with their own bright ideas. ..."

Read the rest here .

Quote of the Day: Sergey Brin

"Google actually relies on our users to help with our marketing. We have a very high percentage of our users who often tell others about our search engine." - Sergey Brin

*blogspot is owned by Google

Sarah Boxer, author of Ultimate Blogs

"... Today there are, by one count, more than 100 million blogs in the world, with about 15 million of them active. (In Japan neglected or abandoned blogs are called ishikoro, pebbles.) There are political blogs, confessional blogs, gossip blogs, sex blogs, mommy blogs, science blogs, soldier blogs, gadget blogs, fiction blogs, video blogs, photo blogs, and cartoon blogs, to name a few. Some people blog alone and some in groups. Every self-respecting newspaper and magazine has some reporters and critics blogging, including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker. ..."

Read the rest here.

Blog of the Week: Monster

"The world of work can be sometimes terrific and sometimes terrible, sometimes crystal clear and sometimes completely confounding, sometimes rewarding and sometimes repugnant (are you sensing a penchant for alliteration?). Searching for your next job and/or career just magnifies all these paradoxes.

As members of the team that creates Monster Career Advice, we spend a lot of time thinking and writing about careers and the pursuit of them. The Monster Blog gives us a chance to write about an array of issues in a free-form style. Sometimes we'll talk about the day's big news stories and sometimes we'll muse about workplace microwave etiquette -- just depends on the day."

Find out more at Monster Blog.

What should your business blog do for you?

It's RSS Awareness Day

Bloggers and people in the Internet industry are aware of RSS but its reach seems to halt there. To inform more people about the benefits of RSS the RSS Awareness Day campaign was launched by Daily Blog Tips. You can find the RSS Awareness Day website at www.rssday.org . The website has a page with buttons and banners for bloggers who want to spread the word about the RSS holiday. This page also contains information that shows how few Internet users know about RSS.

Blog Quotes

"I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user." - Bill Gates

New York Times: blog trolling 101

From Mathew Ingram:
'I’m sure someone at the New York Times has to be feeling pretty smug right now — after all, look at all the attention the paper’s story on bloggers is getting from the blogosphere. Obviously, the Times has learned the first rule of getting attention from blogs: talk about blogs. The Times also seems to have learned the second lesson, which is related to blog “trolling,” namely: associate blogs or blogging with some kind of apocalyptic or otherwise incendiary statement, viz. “Blogging kills.”'

Read the rest HERE.