Blog reviews have enormous potential as blog posting ideas. Book reviews are already a popular topic for bloggers. Reading and writing about books and authors is a mainstream, and widely accepted blog posting idea. The same review approach can also be applied to discussing other blogs. It's time to consider writing a blog review.

The entire concept of reviewing and discussing other blogs takes some thought on your part. You should be familiar with the blog, preferably as a regular reader. By knowing the blogger and the regular posting topics, a better impression of the blog writer can be presented. As with any subject, the more you study it, the more familiar you become with the material. In the case of a blog, greater understanding of the blogger, both personally and professionally, helps the blog reviewer write a better discussion of the blog's overall merits.

When selecting a blog for review, choose a blog that you know well. It's also a good idea to write about a blogger who you know and whose work you appreciate. I prefer to write positive reviews about the blogs I read and recommend on a regular basis. There are so many great blogs from which to choose, that writing a good review should be a fairly easy task. Of course, the hard part is settling on just one preferred blog for that first blog report.



After you have made your final selection, read over the blog, including the archived posts. You are now ready to start writing your post. Examine the overall appearance and layout of the blog, searching for those features that appeal most to you. The areas of the blog that made the greatest impact on you, will probably be the most powerful aspects of the blog for other readers as well. Be certain to emphasise those blog strengths in your review, along with the overall emotional impact that the blog created for you.

Be sure to include a photo of the blogger if one is available. The picture of the blogger enhances the overall impression of the blog writer and of the blog itself. Blogs are about building relationships based on friendship and trust. A photograph goes a long way toward establishing that rapport with the readership. Another useful graphic item to include in the blog review is a screenshot of the blog itself, but that is simply an option. It's not a requirement.



Write about the good things the blog says to the reader. Discuss in a positive manner the overall themes of the blog, and how the writer conveys those concepts to the blog visitors. If a topic is of special interest to you, be certain to point it out in the review. Those ideas are very important to many other people as well. It's a great idea to discuss those blog themes, and how well the blogger presents them as posting topics.

As a blog topic, the blog review has many positive benefits. A positive review will be appreciated by the reviewed blogger. The pleasant surprise will probably make their day a more pleasant one. For your readers, you have provided a service by recommending a great new blog to them.

The blog review is a win-win idea for everyone involved.

Review a blog today. It's not only informative; it's fun as well.

Tags: blog reviews, blogging, posting ideas, blog themes.

READ MORE - Blog reviews: Sharing other blogs

The well known and very popular blog conference Blog Business Summit 2006 returns to Seattle, Washington on October 25 - 27. All of the events take place at the luxurious Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle.

As always, the conference features a first class group of speakers and workshop leaders and workshops where current and future business bloggers can learn more about this powerful communications medium.

From the conference page:

Business Blogging gurus like Robert Scoble, Matt Mullenweg, Jason Calacanis, Mary Hodder, Buzz Bruggeman, Maryam Scoble, Janet Johnson, Steve Broback, John Furrier, and DL Byron have already said they’re available to take the podium during this year’s event, and many more experts will be joining us onstage during the three-day confab.

Conference schedule and pricing:

October 25: Full Day Pre-Conference Workshop
Essentials of Business Blogging, Podcasting and Videoblogging
$395.00

New to blogging or the podcasting phenomenon? Need to get up to speed quickly? This full day immersion will give you all the details you need to take full advantage of the conference (or to go back to the office knowing what moves to make in these critical arenas.)

October 26-27: Full Two-Day Conference
$695.00

Over a dozen sessions will cover the latest in:

Corporate Blogging Policy
Blogger Engagement: Getting Past “Pitching”
Blogosphere/Buzz Monitoring
Tools and Trends: What’s Next for Bloggers?
Generating Traffic and Links
Video Blogging
SEO Strategies for Bloggers
Audience Measurement: Quantifying and Qualifying
And more…

All Three Days (October 25-27): Workshop and Conference
$995.00

Don't miss out on Blog Business Summit 2006.

Register today and take advantage of an extra special discount.

As an event sponsor, I am able to offer you a special $100.00 discount.

Simply enter the following code on your registration: WHAS06

You will automatically receive the special discount from your conference registration investment.

Tags: Blog Business Summit 2006, blogging conferences, Seattle, speakers.

READ MORE - Blog Business Summit 2006: Plan to attend

Many people feel that they might be stuck in the same old rut. Changes to their lives are few and far between. Life activities fall into a set pattern; and very often that pattern is non-productive, and is very often self-destructive. Those same people often dream of making changes to their lives. Rather than risk the unknown, however, they continue with the safe but dead end existence, to which they have become accustomed.

Does that opening paragraph sound like you? If so, it's time to make some positive changes in your life. Instead of living a humdrum existence, where dreams turn to dust, embrace the unknown and dare to be different. We all know that attempting new business ventures, testing new ideas, or even removing bad habits in your personal life can be frightening. All too often, the familiar appears safer than taking a leap of faith into the unknown.

Fear of failure, or terror of unknown results, prevents many would be entrepreneurs from starting their own businesses. Stories of previous disasters by others become magnified. A person's own previous less than satisfactory attempts at change act as a roadblock to future action. It's time to break that self defeating cycle.



Think of it this way. If you remain in the same place, and doing the same thing, where will you be in five and ten years. Often the previously unspoken answer is the all too common sense of remaining, at best, in the same old rut. A brick wall would be walked through with less effort. Let's find a way around that wall, and into a better tomorrow.

Examine your personal, family, financial, and business goals. Write them down. It's important to set them out on paper, in stark words on paper. As you write those goals, they become much more real to you. Instead of being impossible to attain, they suddenly enter the realm of the possible. After stating your goals, picture yourself achieving them, and all that goes along with their reality. The next step is to develop a plan for making those ideas happen.



By creating a plan to achieve your goals, the process can be set into motion. Of course, the hardest step is that first one. As soon as that first move is made toward changing your circumstances, the rest of the journey becomes much easier to travel. With an action plan in place, including a timetable for reaching each road marker along the way, the life changing activities follow one after the other.

Don't wait another day. Write down your goals today, and then start to trade that old rut for a brand new, and more satisfying life.

Take the leap of faith, and change your life for the better.

Tags: changing your life, achieving goals, ideas, entrepreneurs.

READ MORE - New challenges: Widening your horizons

The 210^th edition of the longest running internet blog carnival, the well known Carnival of the Vanities appears at Kehaar's Silflay Hraka.

The carnival, and indeed the entire blog carnival idea, was born four years ago at Bigwig's Silflay Hraka blog. It is now back home to Silflay Hraka, as Bigwig's brother Kehaar assumes the reins.

Carnival of the Vanities is the original collection of blog postings, assembling some of the best and wide ranging bloggers on the internet.

This week's Silflay Hraka hosted Carnival of the Vanities entries include politics, literature, science, humour, technology, and business.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Vanities as well.

My post is titled "Group blogs: There is no "I" in team" where I discuss how group blogs are always an intriguing topic. At least they are to me. They should be of interest to you because they are a growing phenomenon in the blogosphere. More and more bloggers are working as teams, sharing the posting load, and creating some very interesting and informative blogs as a result.



A great participation option is to simply e-mail your entry to the new e-mail address:

kehaar at silflay hraka dot com

As I suggest elsewhere, hosting and contributing to the various internet blog carnivals is a great promotional idea for your blog.

When you send an entry to Carnival of the Vanities, or any of the many internet blog Carnivals, don't forget to link to the hosted edition. It's not only common courtesy, but helps to increase visitor traffic for all entrants. It also shows your appreciation of the hard work done by the host in preparing the post. Everyone shares in the benefits of the expanded Carnival readership.

Show the Carnival some linky love.

Next week's edition of Carnival of the Vanities appears once again at Kehaar's Silflay Hraka.

In the meantime, head on over to the Silflay Hraka hosting of Carnival of the Vanities and enjoy the posts on offer.

You will almost certainly be introduced to some great new and interesting blogs.

Tags: Carnival of the Vanities, blogging, carnivals, promotions.

READ MORE - Carnival of the Vanities 210 at Silflay Hraka

Well known marketing and blogging consultant Toby Bloomberg, of the influential Diva Marketing Blog is the first guest on my Blog Business Success radio program. The show airs on Thursday, September 28 at 7:00 pm Central time.

Toby will be discussing business blogs and why every company should consider adding one to its marketing, public relations, and search engine optimization SEO efforts.

You will learn:

* How blogs can enhance your company's marketing efforts

* How blogs develop and nurture relationships with current and future customers

* How blogs can add a new dimension to your public relations program

* How blogs will help your website rise in the search engine rankings

* And much, much more



Toby Bloomberg (pictured left) is the president of Atlanta-based Bloomberg Marketing, a strategic marketing and social media consultancy. Her background includes over 15 years of traditional and new media marketing experience. Her passion is working with organizations to create social media/blog strategies that build “corner grocery store relationships’’ that meet business objectives and marketing goals.

Companies she has served include: 3M, Interface Flooring, Alliance Theatre, GourmetStation, Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, WaterhousePR/Mayfield Dairy, M/A/R/C Research, J.T. Heinz, NAFST Fancy Food Show.

In addition Toby is an adjunct professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.



Toby’s well known Diva Marketing Blog, was required reading as part of undergrad courses at University of Delaware, Atlanta Art Institute, Bentley College and the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Toby is on the board of the AiMA, Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association, and is the SIG leader of the American Marketing Association’s online Internet Marketing community.

Her media credits include articles about marketing and blogs published in Marketing News, Portland Business Journal and Atlanta Business-to-Business. She has been quoted about blogs and social media in various publications including the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek Online, Atlanta Business Chronicle and INC Magazine. Toby is profiled in the best seller book about how blogs are changing business communications, Naked Conversations, in the chapter "Consultants Who Get It."

Toby holds a degree from Emerson College and post-baccalaureate studies in marketing and management at Emory University.

Although she is a Yankee from Boston, Toby now calls Atlanta home with her Westie Terrier Max, who sometimes finds his way into the blogopshere, through Toby's blog - Diva Marketing Blog.

Toby and I will be taking your questions and phone calls as well, so be sure to listen and call into the show.

Let's talk about boosting your business blogging success with Toby Bloomberg on Blog Business Success.

Tags: Blog Business Success, internet radio, Toby Bloomberg, business blogs.

READ MORE - Toby Bloomberg: Blog Business Success Radio's first guest

This week sees a selective approach to the travelling business show, recognized by one and all as Carnival of the Capitalists makes a visit Evelyn Rodriguez's (pictured below left) thoughtful and inspirational business blog known as Crossroads Dispatches.

This week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists highlights some of the best bloggers writing on the internet today.

Blogging topics presented include entrepreneurship, management, market trading, internet commerce, marketing, the national and global economies, and the host's choices.



Evelyn Rodriguez (photo left)

As you would expect from Crossroads Dispatches, there are many discussions of economics, marketing, finance, and business.

It's always great to read and discover the many high quality blogs out there in the blogosphere.

We don't always get to them all, and this edition of Carnival of the Capitalists has introduced many of us to some brand new ones.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Capitalists as well.

My post is titled "Building a creative company: Embrace new ideas" where I discuss how building a creative company is a must in today's highly competitive business environment. To build that innovative business, it takes courage on the part of management. Owners and management must be prepared to accept new ideas from employees to make that jump to another level. Letting go of control of idea generation often takes a giant leap of faith.

If you wish to submit an entry to next week's, or any Carnival of the Capitalists edition, e-mail your entries to the new address:

cotcmail -at- gmail -dot- com

You can always use the handy entry form at Gongol.com where all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Talk about making it easy to be included!



If you are searching for new and exciting ways to expand your blog's readership, you should seriously consider sending an entry to Carnival of the Capitalists.

Merely being included in the company, of the first rate regular Carnival of the Capitalists contributors, will enhance the reputation of your blog.

The extra visitors sent to your blog won't hurt either!

The growth and staying power, of Carnival of the Capitalists, is beginning to catch the attention of people outside the blogging community. Each hosting, brings a fresh assortment of new readers, to the various blogs involved.

The visitors aren't only bloggers anymore.

Readership is expanding to include the mainstream media, various government and private organizations, many businesses, and other interested people from beyond the blogging community.

Many people are introduced to some tremendous blogs that they might otherwise have missed.

Next week's Carnival of the Capitalists will be at John Dmohowski and associates business and consulting blog known as Drakeview.

In the meantime, click your mouse over to the Crossroads Dispatches hosting of Carnival of the Capitalists.

If the great posted entries don't convince you to click, or the possibility of finding some brand new blogs to read doesn't do it, then visit Carnival of the Capitalists and be met at the crossroads. (groan)

Tags: carnivals, capitalism, business, marketing.

READ MORE - Carnival of the Capitalists at Crossroads Dispatches

FusionBranding:

How To Forge Your Brand For The Future

By: Nick Wreden, Brand Futurist

390 pp.

ISBN: 0-9717442-0-3






Branding of products and services in the marketplace of the future requires rethinking how brands are created and marketed writes Nick Wreden (photo below left) in the landmark FusionBranding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future. Instead of simply looking to the marketing department to develop the brand, the book considers a holistic approach engaging the entire organization all the way to the end purchaser.

While other books on brands and branding might cover familiar ground, brand futurist Nick Wreden believes those long established ideas are often just myths. The author begins by exploding those myths and sets out his own ten ideals for building brands and companies for the future. It's no longer enough to offer a product or service and expect its acceptance in the marketplace. The modern customer expects, and even demands, to be part of the planning process. Nick says companies failing to grasp this partnership will fall by the wayside.



Nick Wreden (pictured left)

The book addresses skillfully the dilemma facing modern brand builders. The importance of brands and brand recognition is growing. At the same time, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to establish a brand. Trust must be built in the brand's promise, requiring relationship building at all steps in the process. Everyone in the company, and all who trasnsport, distribute, and sell the product or service is part of that relationship building network. Missteps along the way can destroy the trust that the branding promise will be fulfilled.

While consumer branding is important, the major focus of the book is toward busines to business marketing. Many other books target consumer brands, while Nick Wreden places his emphasis on the very important business market. To achieve branding success in the highly competitive business sales arena, the authur recommends a full scale strategic approach. While many other writers discuss tactics and limited techniques, Nick Wreden offers a full scale plan that encompasses every aspect of the company.



Developing and nurturing trust based relationships forms a major portion of the book's method of achieving branding goals. The modern customer demands it, and the successful business delivers on that trust. Even more importantly, those newly formed relationships are built on the customer's terms. The future thinking company must reccognize that the potential buyers are in charge of the purchasing process. Should customers feel their needs are ignored, and their requirements are not being filled, the brand image suffers and the company fails. After all, the brand failed to deliver on its promise.

As with any good teaching book, the author provides questions at the end of each chapter to ensure that full understanding of the concepts is achieved. Along with the ideas and questions, a strong list of resources, as well as informative graphs and charts provide further information and insights. As a result, the techniques become more accessible and easier to understand and apply to any business.

FusionBranding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future by Nick Wreden is a must have book for any business library. The ideas and recommendations for branding success are too important to not be read, and then read again. Applying the ideas to a business is essential for the success of the forward looking business.

Buy, read, and apply the wisdom FusionBranding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future to your business, and watch your brand grow through relationship marketing and fusion branding.

Tags: Fusion Branding, Nick Wreden, relationship marketing, business books.

READ MORE - Fusion Branding by Nick Wreden - Book review

What Sticks

Why Most Advertising Fails And How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds

By: Rex Briggs & Greg Stuart

Published: Sep 1, 2006
ISBN: 1419584332
Format: Hardcover, 304pp
Publisher: Dearborn Trade Pub



Most advertising and marketing dollars are wasted write Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart (photos below left), authors of the ground breaking book What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails And How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds. The good part is the book offers a guarantee that your advertising and marketing programs can and will become more profitable. To make it happen, the authors provide a plan to multiply any size company's advertising and marketing return on investment.

While most marketing and advertising books offer the writer's opinion, this important work offers real life research. In conjunction with some of the biggest name Fortune 500 companies, the authors tracked and quantified expenditures and revenue every step of the way. Not only was the advice offered by the authors effective, it was even more powerful in reaching and sticking with the target markets than expected. The book provides the successful step by step system that they authors guarantee will work for any size of business.



Rex Briggs, co-author (pictured left)

The book is a challenging read as it demands that the reader unlearn much of what was considered to be standard marketing and advertising practice. As a result, many advertising and marketing professionals will toss the book away, rather than admit their accepted wisdom is failing their companies. Failing to read and apply the techniques provided would be a huge and very costly mistake. Instead of simple theorizing, the authors offer hard data from real life marketing campaigns. The proof is in the actual results.

For me, one of the most powerful attributes of the book is the step by step method of optimizing advertising and marketing inititiatives. As many or as few of the recommendations can be applied to any business marketing and advertising program as desired. Using even a few of the procedures will increase a company's advertising return on investment. Applying the concepts in their entirety will multiply the profitability of the marketing and advertising expenditure many times over. For the novice or experienced marketer, the roadmap is provided for success.



Greg Stuart, co-author (pictured left)

Many marketing executives face powerful roadblocks in corporate boardrooms to beginning an expensive new marketing campaign. The company CEO requires more than a few theories and some wishcasting. Armed with the research and proven techniques offered in this powerful marketing handbook, and even the most skeptical CEO will find the enhanced return on investment. The real world results are obtainable, and they are profitable.

With What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails And How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds, authors Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart have written an essential guide book to advertising and marketing success. Any marketing and advertising professionals who fail to read this landmark work are leaving uncounted dollars on the table for themselves and their business. They can be sure their competitors are reading and applying the profitable concepts presented in the book.

Read What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails And How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds, follow the step by step plan, and watch your advertising and marketing return on investment grow. Authors Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart guarantee your advertising and marketing success.

Tags: What Sticks, Rex Briggs, Greg Stuart, advertising and marketing books.

READ MORE - What Sticks by Rex Briggs & Greg Stuart - Book review

In Women We Trust:
A cultural shift to the softer side of business

By Mary Clare Hunt

Publisher: WME Books

176 pages

ISBN 0-9777297-2-9






Women account for 80% of all consumer purchase decisions, and are much more likely to base their buying choices on recommendations from other women, rather than on traditional marketing and advertising media. According to Mary Clare Hunt (photo below left), author of her new book on the rapidly growing women's market titled In Women We Trust: A cultural shift to the softer side of business, trust and relationship building with current and future customers, are far more important than price or even the product quality itself.

Mary says women's voices matter in the marketplace, both as buyers and sellers of products and services, and the female influence is growing. She says women talk among themselves, forming communities and networks at a faster rate than their male counterparts. These informal groups fuel the power of word of mouth advertising that is important to women. If a woman likes or dislikes a product or service, she will tell her friends about both experiences. To build a strong presence in the women's market requires building her trust and respecting her opinions.

For me, the key to this very important book is the need to build values into the company culture. Customer service and marketing involve everyone in the business, and not just those specific departments. Indeed, compartmentalization is a male trait. Women prefer to remove those barriers and work across those invisible lines; erasing them entirely. Treating employees and customers with respect, and building a long term relationship based on that trust with ongoing consistency, is simply good business. Mary provides the statistics in the book to back up that concept as well.



Mary Clare Hunt (pictured left)

As more and more women gain financial independence, make more individual decisions, and form their own companies, it is essential that female friendly policies become part of the corporate culture. The traditional techniques of production, marketing, distribution, and retail service will send those savvy women to a more trustworthy company. You can bet that she will take her friends, family, and all of the members of her informal communities along with her as well. Women are the driving force of consumer buying decisions, and the most important builders of word of mouth advertising.

Mary Clare Hunt has done her homework well. Her interviews with women business owners and professionals, corporate and small business employees, and consumers are sprinkled throughout the book. Along with each chapter are deeper insights into the increasing empowerment of women in the marketplace. Women talk and other women listen, is one of the major themes of the important and must read In Women We Trust: A cultural shift to the softer side of business.

Relationship building, trust, and respect are the cornerstones of marketing to women. They are the keys to a successful business in the 21st Century. Women's values are simply too important for any company to ignore any longer.

As the title of the book says: In Women We Trust.

Tags: In Women We Trust, Mary Clare Hunt, word of mouth, building trust.

READ MORE - In Women We Trust by Mary Clare Hunt - Book Review

A creative company is a must in today's highly competitive business environment. To build that innovative business, it takes courage on the part of management. Owners and management must be prepared to accept new ideas from employees to make that jump to another level. Letting go of control of idea generation often takes a giant leap of faith.

For many business owners and executives, new ideas are often viewed as being dangerous. Innovation can fail to achieve the goals promised by an enthusiastic employee. Creative ideas often result in real financial losses for the company. On a more personal level, creative thinkers are often viewed as a potential threat to entrenched managers. At the same time, change is not often welcomed by the rank and file workers either. Potential hazards lurk everywhere to ensnare, and often derail the career, of the bearer of new ideas.

Thinking of creativity as a recipe for disaster is only looking at one side of the issue. It's easy to look at what the new product, production or distribution method, or marketing technique can't do. Instead, it's time to turn things around, and examine what the innovative plans can do. By the way, looking at problems from another angle, by reversing them, is itself a well known creative thinking technique.



Failures of new products and methods are inevitable. That is a fact of business life. What is often forgotten in the critique of the new proposal is the possibility that the status quo might result in failure as well. For businesses in financial trouble, gambling all of the company resources on an organizational survival plan might be the only way out of a potential bankruptcy. For most profitable companies, ignoring creative thinkers might miss opportunities to propel the organization to a new level of financial strength.

Along with the loss of opportunity, is the possible brain drain of talent from your business. Unappreciated employees, whose ideas are constantly ignored or worse, will soon move on to other companies. You might wake up to a competitor besting your company with an idea you rejected on a previous occasion.



Seek out ideas from all employees, regardless of level. Creativity isn't an exclusive property of the executive suite, and doesn't require degrees and credentials. Long time workers will provide many great money or time saving suggestions. Along with those cash flow helpers, will appear some very good revenue enhancing ideas as well. Reward the creative thinkers and innovators. A real bonus is a plan developed by those who carry it out will have a much higher rate of success than one imposed from above. The creators have a stake in their plan's success.

Of course, with all plans, there will be failures. To lower the impact of less than expected results, run a pilot project. Try the altered system out as a test case on a limited basis. If the results are positive, expand the scope of the program. If the pilot project yields weak or even disastrous outcomes, then it can be either revamped or scrapped entirely. Test the idea before discard it and good plans won't be wasted.

While there will be many false starts, all it takes are one or two major successes to build your company within your industry.

Don't discourage employee ideas. Be prepared for some failures.

On the other hand, brace yourself for some powerful breakthroughs to even greater profitability.

Become a creative company today.

Tags: new ideas, creative thinking, innovation, embracing change.

READ MORE - Building a creative company: Embrace new ideas

The 209^th edition of the longest running internet blog carnival, the well known Carnival of the Vanities appears Lucy Jones eclectic personal blog known as Lucy's Dilemma.

The carnival, and indeed the entire blog carnival idea, was born four years ago at Bigwig's Silflay Hraka blog. It is now going back home to Silflay Hraka, as Bigwig's brother Kehaar assumes the reins.

At the same time, long time Carnival supporter Laurence Simon of This Blog is Full of Crap is also stepping forward to run an alternative version. Frequent CotV rescuer Laurence wants 100 e-mails in support of his Avignon edition. Previous discussions of the venerable CotV's passing were greatly exaggerated.

Carnival of the Vanities is the original collection of blog postings, assembling some of the best and wide ranging bloggers on the internet.



This week's Lucy's Dilemma hosted Carnival of the Vanities entries include politics, literature, science, humour, technology, business, and a few glimpses in some bloggers' personal lives.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Vanities as well.

My post is titled "Followup posts: Updating the past" where I discuss how followup blog posts are an often overlooked way to develop an idea further, provide more information on an older post, and to develop a posting series. Writing a blog post that continues a previous, but often unfinished idea, provides a number of real and very tangible benefits.




A dreat participation option is to simply e-mail your entry to the new e-mail address:

kehaar at silflay hraka dot com

As I suggest elsewhere, hosting and contributing to the various internet blog carnivals is a great promotional idea for your blog.

When you send an entry to Carnival of the Vanities, or any of the many internet blog Carnivals, don't forget to link to the hosted edition. It's not only common courtesy, but helps to increase visitor traffic for all entrants. It also shows your appreciation of the hard work done by the host in preparing the post. Everyone shares in the benefits of the expanded Carnival readership.

Show the Carnival some linky love.

Next week's edition of Carnival of the Vanities appears at Kehaar's Silflay Hraka.

In the meantime, head on over to the Lucy's Dilemma hosting of Carnival of the Vanities and enjoy the posts on offer.

You will almost certainly be introduced to some great new and interesting blogs.

Tags: Carnival of the Vanities, blogging, carnivals, promotions.

READ MORE - Carnival of the Vanities 209 at Lucy's Dilemma

Blog Business Success is a brand new internet radio show about business. The explosive phenomenon of talk radio has hit the internet, and we bloggers are now a growing part of it too.

The fun part Blog Business Success is that I am the host. My first show airs on Thursday, September 28 at 7:00 pm Central time. It's also the first time I have ever hosted a radio show of any kind, so it will be an on the job learning experience as well.

I'll be talking to some very knowledgeable guest business experts every Thursday evening at 7:00 pm Central time. The show runs for 30 minutes (but is expandable to 60 minutes if the interest is strong). My special guests will be discussing marketing, public relations, search engine optimization SEO, management, independent business, books on business, and entrepreneurship; to name just a few topics. We can always add your ideas for guests and topics as well.

What I hope to do with the radio show is help us all to learn more about starting, building, and operating a successful business. We will cover interesting and informative topics, and provide practical advice that you can use in your own company.



Not only do you get to listen and learn from industry leaders, but you can phone in with your questions for my guests as well. The site provides a special call-in number where you can talk live with the experts. As we all know, some of the best answers result from caller questions.

I'll be posting further information here, and on my host page, regarding my guests. I have some great guests lined up. You won't want to miss them. Along with their appearance on my show, I'll be promoting them on this blog as well.

If you have any guest recommendations, please let me know, as business knowledge should be shared. We can build our business success together and make some new friends at the same time. You can't beat that!

Special thanks to Marketing Diva Toby Bloomberg, who has already mentioned the radio show, on her industry trend setting business blog.



Make a note of the time for Blog Business Success in your area, and add our special guest experts to your Thursday night listening.

If you happen to miss a show, they will be archived for later listening as podcasts, so you can always catch up on the latest in business ideas.

By the way, the name I picked for the internet radio show is a variation on my blog name; but you already figured that one out.

Let's talk about boosting your business success on Blog Business Success!

Tags: Blog Business Success, internet radio, business experts, talk radio.

READ MORE - Blog Business Success: My internet radio show

This week sees a selective approach to the travelling business show, recognized by one and all as Carnival of the Capitalists makes a visit to Noah Kagan’s "tasty thoughts on marketing, technology and random business musings" blog known as Okdork.com.

This week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists highlights some of the best bloggers writing on the internet today.

Blogging topics presented include entrepreneurship, management, market trading, internet commerce, marketing, the national and global economies, and the host's choices.

As you would expect from Carnival of the Capitalists, there are many discussions of economics, marketing, and business.

It's always great to read and discover the many high quality blogs out there in the blogosphere.

We don't always get to them all, and this edition of Carnival of the Capitalists has introduced many of us to some brand new ones.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Capitalists as well.

My post is titled "Leaving a job: Exit interview advice" where I discuss how leaving a job is often a very difficult and traumatic period in a person's life. In fact, many people are simply devestated by the loss of employment, regardless of the reason for the termination. Whether by layoff, business closure, voluntary resignation, or from being fired, the process of leaving a job is never an easy one. Despite the emotions involved, it should be treated as an important step into the future.

If you wish to submit an entry to next week's, or any Carnival of the Capitalists edition, e-mail your entries to the new address:

cotcmail -at- gmail -dot- com

You can always use the handy entry form at Gongol.com where all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Talk about making it easy to be included!

Note as well that Carnival of the Capitalists. has a new URL at http://thecotc.com/. Be sure to update your links and bookmarks.



If you are searching for new and exciting ways to expand your blog's readership, you should seriously consider sending an entry to Carnival of the Capitalists.

Merely being included in the company, of the first rate regular Carnival of the Capitalists contributors, will enhance the reputation of your blog.

The extra visitors sent to your blog won't hurt either!

The growth and staying power, of Carnival of the Capitalists, is beginning to catch the attention of people outside the blogging community. Each hosting, brings a fresh assortment of new readers, to the various blogs involved.

The visitors aren't only bloggers anymore.

Readership is expanding to include the mainstream media, various government and private organizations, many businesses, and other interested people from beyond the blogging community.

Many people are introduced to some tremendous blogs that they might otherwise have missed.

Next week's Carnival of the Capitalists will be at Evelyn Rodriguez's thoughtful and inspirational business blog known as Crossroads Dispatches.

In the meantime, click your mouse over to the Okdork.com hosting of Carnival of the Capitalists.

If the great posted entries don't convince you to click, or the possibility of finding some brand new blogs to read doesn't do it, then visit Carnival of the Capitalists and enjoy the host's selections.

Tags: carnivals, capitalism, business, marketing.

READ MORE - Carnival of the Capitalists at Okdork.com

The well known and popular blog conference Blog Business Summit 2006 returns to Seattle, Washington on October 25 - 27. All of the events take place at the luxurious Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle.

As always, the conference features a first class lineup of speakers and workshops where current and future business bloggers can learn more about this powerful communications medium.

From the conference page:

Business Blogging gurus like Robert Scoble, Matt Mullenweg, Jason Calacanis, Mary Hodder, Buzz Bruggeman, Maryam Scoble, Janet Johnson, Steve Broback, John Furrier, and DL Byron have already said they’re available to take the podium during this year’s event, and many more experts will be joining us onstage during the three-day confab.

Conference schedule and pricing:

October 25: Full Day Pre-Conference Workshop
Essentials of Business Blogging, Podcasting and Videoblogging
$395.00 (pre-launch price: $245.00 until September 22, 2006)
New to blogging or the podcasting phenomenon? Need to get up to speed quickly? This full day immersion will give you all the details you need to take full advantage of the conference (or to go back to the office knowing what moves to make in these critical arenas.)

October 26-27: Full Two-Day Conference
$695.00 (pre-launch price: $345.00 until September 22, 2006)
Over a dozen sessions will cover the latest in:

Corporate Blogging Policy
Blogger Engagement: Getting Past “Pitching”
Blogosphere/Buzz Monitoring
Tools and Trends: What’s Next for Bloggers?
Generating Traffic and Links
Video Blogging
SEO Strategies for Bloggers
Audience Measurement: Quantifying and Qualifying
And more…

All Three Days (October 25-27): Workshop and Conference
$995.00 (pre-launch price: $545.00 until September 22, 2006)

Don't miss out on Blog Business Summit 2006.

Register today and take advantage of the early booking discounts.

As an event sponsor, I am also able to offer you a special $100.00 discount.

Simply enter the following code on your registration: WHAS06

Tags: Blog Business Summit 2006, blogging conferences, Seattle, speakers.

READ MORE - Blog Business Summit 2006: Register now

The longest running internet blog carnival, the well known Carnival of the Vanities is calling it quits.

After 208 editions, spanning four successful years, the venerable CotV will have one final 209 edition at Lucy's Dilemma and then pass into blogosphere history.

As Carnival co-custodian Zeuswood explains:

Carnival of the Vanities is closing for lack of interest.

The four year edition was the final test. If a heavily promoted, major landmark in the life of a historic, hugely influential blogospheric institution can’t get links or traffic - not to malign those who did come through for us, thanks! - and not even from many people with a stake, then there is no hope for it week to week. It’s just another way to get links; ironically, without having to write stuff so good or provocative it would have a better chance of generating links on its own. CotV was supposed to help ensure visibility of your best, since most of us have written great stuff that sunk into the blogosphere without so much as a ripple. And links aren’t even the prestige thing they once were. Heck, it’s the readership that matters more, and CotV doesn’t bring that.

Be sure to support the final edition of the source of all blog carnivals.

Entries can be sent to:

cotvmail -at- gmail -dot- com

Be sure to make it a great post and remember to link to the Carnival host too.

Let's send Carnival of the Vanities off with a bang instead of a whimper.

It's okay to shed a few tears of sadness as well.

Carnival of the Vanities was the first great blog carnival. All other carnivals owe a real debt of gratitude to Carnival of the Vanities. The entire blog carnival idea was born four years ago at Bigwig's Silflay Hraka blog.

Be sure to give thanks to Carnival of the Vanities for sharing four wonderful years of posts and hosts.

You will be missed.

Tags: Carnival of the Vanities, blogging, carnivals, promotions.

READ MORE - Carnival of the Vanities closes its doors

Group blogs are always an intriguing topic. At least they are to me. They should be of interest to you because they are a growing phenomenon in the blogosphere. More and more bloggers are working as teams, sharing the posting load, and creating some very interesting and informative blogs as a result.

You know the blogs I'm talking about. They are the blogs that have several, or even dozens of different writers and contributors. Some of these multi-poster blogs are truly community efforts. The most obvious advantages of group blogs are the sheer numbers of contributors. By having many writers adding posts to the blog, the pressure is somewhat removed from the principle blogger to post.

As many bloggers know all too well, that pressure to post on a regular basis can be immense. No one wants to let their loyal readers down by leaving the blog unposted for any lengthy time period. Often, however, a busy person doesn't have time to post as often as desirable. Business and career often push a one person blog to the back burner.



On the internet in general, and in the blogosphere in particular, two weeks is like an eternity in the three dimensional world. It's at least very close to an eternity anyway in terms of internet time. Blog time is just about the length of time required for a post to scroll off the blog home page. There is little past its prime as a blog post in the blog archives; rarely to be read again. While a few adventurous souls will peruse your blog archives, older posts are mainly accessed via the search engines.

No fresh blog updates means a potential loss of readership and visitor numbers. That's a nightmare faced by many bloggers as well. A loss of readership traffic might not be the most important factor in a blog's demise, but is very often a contributor. The lower vistor total is often discouraging to the writer, occasionally leading to blog abandonnment

The group blog removes that constant pressure to post to a large degree, but replaces it with other problems.

Sometimes the quality of posters is not comparable. Some people are simply better writers, or more are interesting and informative than others. Many bloggers can't be depended upon to contribute their minimal number of posts, or to blog on their assigned days or topics. Holes can develop in the team fabric very quickly as a result. Team members can lose interest in the blog and depart; many times without any advance warning.



The onus is on the team formulating the group blog to select quality bloggers, from the very beginning. Choose quality over quantity every time. A second consideration is to select team members who respect one another, and who can work together for the common good.

In fact, choosing well known quality bloggers and forming a team, can bring an instant ready made readership. Each blogger in the group provides a percentage of their own readers to the new group blog, simply by many of the regulars following their favourite bloggers.

Don't expect a complete transfer of readership, however. Many readers prefer to stick with their regular blogs, and won't visit the new group blog very often. That problem is offset by the other members of the team sending some of their main visitor traffic to the new group blog.

Links to and from the member blogs help develop visitor traffic and higher search engine rankings from the date of the blog's initial launch. Cross linking results in a sharing of readership and visitor traffic to the benefit of all concerned.

A group blog is a great way for a band of like minded bloggers to work together for the benefit of all concerned. The team members may be spread across the globe, but their group blogging efforts are working together as a single unit.

Consider starting a group blog today.

There is no "I" in Team.

Tags: group blogs, team blogging, posting, working together.

READ MORE - Group blogs: There is no "I" in Team

Leaving a job is often a very difficult and traumatic period in a person's life. In fact, many people are simply devestated by the loss of employment, regardless of the reason for the termination. Whether by layoff, business closure, voluntary resignation, or from being fired, the process of leaving a job is never an easy one. Despite the emotions involved, it should be treated as an important step into the future.

An employer will often call former employess in for a formal exit interview. The reasons for the disucussion are many, and the former employee would be wise to not treat the talk lightly. It could be one of the most important interviews of a person's career. A professional discussion of the issues could lead to future re-employment, outsourced sub-contracts, employment counselling, or a very strong personal recommendation for a new position elsewhere. On the other hand, a badly handled exit interview could sabotage your career almost beyond repair.

While exit interviews are often made voluntary, taking the time and effort to appear will count in your favour. If the reason for the termination was a massive layoff, you should know and understand that the job loss was not your fault. Remove those feelings of guilt and remorse from your table as it wasn't your fault. No action of yours would have changed anything. Once those feelings are out of the way, the exit interview can be approached in a professional manner without any pent up aggression or hostility. While it's almost asking the impossible, don't take it personally.



Once in the disucussion room, answer the questions in a positive way. Don't ever bad mouth the company or other employee at any level. As with a hiring interview, criticism of previous employers is a sure way to not get hired, the same dynamic is at work in the exit interview. In this case, however, you are talking directly to that former employer. This advice counts double if you were fired from your job, and any missteps could be very costly to your future. If questions are asked about specific employees, think of something positive to say. Everyone has some good qualities; even if they might be very well hidden.

When asked to return company property, do so immediately, but with one caveat. Have the company sign a list of the returned items as a receipt. Company property is more than just keys these days. It can include company cars, laptop computers, cell phones, pagers, company credit cards, and so on. Their dollar value is large. Treat the transaction as an important one requiring appropriate paper work, and the company will respect your professionalism. In any case, don't try to keep anything that belongs to the company. Return everything in good order. They do know what you have in your possession so this is no time for keepsakes.



If you were fired from your job, control your emotions at all times. Don't get involved in arguments, blame, or displays of anger. Be calm and professional. The person conducting the intervieww may even reconsider their actions and rehire you. If not, make certain that you have a good recommendation in return for your attendance at the interview. Don't sign anything until you have read it. No one will fault your thorough professionalism and businesslike approach. Often, the request will be to forfeit items to which you are entitled by law.

Your exit interview is a chance to show the company that you were a valuable employee who will be missed. Conduct yourself as a professional at all times, and you might find yourself back on the job or given a contract for your new business. Dress for the interview as you would for any other employment discussion. Be courteous and businesslike. Your career might depend upon it.

In other words, don't burn any bridges as you never know when you might want to cross them again.

Tags: exit interviews, employment terminations, firing, layoffs.

READ MORE - Leaving a job: Exit interview advice

The 208^th and special Fourth Anniversary Edition of the longest running internet blog carnival, the well known Carnival of the Vanities appears at Zeuswood and Stingflower's dedicated to all things carnival blog, appropriately titled First Carnival.

Carnival of the Vanities has a new home at Zeuswood and Stingflower's dedicated to all things carnival blog, appropriately titled First Carnival. The carnival, and indeed the entire blog carnival idea, was born four years ago at Bigwig's Silflay Hraka blog.

Carnival of the Vanities participants and hosts should take note that there are new submission guidelines in place for all future Carnivals.

Carnival of the Vanities is the original collection of blog postings, assembling some of the best and wide ranging bloggers on the internet.

This week's First Carnival hosted Carnival of the Vanities entries include politics, literature, science, humour, technology, business, and a special tribute to the nine remaining (there were 15) original CotV 1 blogging entrants.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Vanities as well.

My post is titled "Creativity: Throwing out the box" where I discuss how creativity is like the weather. Everyone talks about thinking outside some proverbial box, but not many people ever do anything about it. Okay, that beats the mythical no one who does anything about the weather. By the way, what's so special about this famous box that it demands no one think inside of it? For that matter, even discussing thinking outside the box could be construed as being trapped within another box.

Carnival of the Vanities needs hosts for upcoming editions. As a blogger, there is no one better qualified to host the Carnival of the Vanities than you!

Here is the e-mail address so you can become a host:

Contact: host [at] firstcarnival [dot] com



To participate in the Carnival of the Vanities or any of the other blog carnivals, one of the easiest techniques is to use the all inclusive carnival entry form at The Conservative Cat.





Another participation option is to simply e-mail your entry to the new e-mail address:

cotvmail -at- gmail -dot- com

As I suggest elsewhere, hosting and contributing to the various internet blog carnivals is a great promotional idea for your blog.

When you send an entry to Carnival of the Vanities, or any of the many internet blog Carnivals, don't forget to link to the hosted edition. It's not only common courtesy, but helps to increase visitor traffic for all entrants. It also shows your appreciation of the hard work done by the host in preparing the post. Everyone shares in the benefits of the expanded Carnival readership.

Show the Carnival some linky love.

Next week's four year anniversary edition of Carnival of the Vanities appears at Lucy Jones eclectic personal blog known as Lucy's Dilemma.

In the meantime, head on over to the First Carnival hosting of Carnival of the Vanities and enjoy the posts on offer.

You will almost certainly be introduced to some great new and interesting blogs.

Tags: Carnival of the Vanities, blogging, carnivals, promotions.

READ MORE - Carnival of the Vanities 208 at First Carnival