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Blogging For a Career – Add Fun and Function to Your Blog with Tag Clouds
The Internet has brought many new terms and practices to the business world. One of these is tag clouds. If you are a frequent Internet surfer, you may have used tag clouds. Tag clouds are trendy navigation tools that make it easy for site visitors to jump to the most popular links on your site. They also add some visual fun to the web page or blog, often appearing as a group of words stacked on top of each other, with some words much larger and bolder. The visual prominence of the words is determined by the popularity of the word.
What is a tag cloud? Basically, tags are related hyperlinks that allow the user to drill down into your site. The more frequently used tags are often represented in larger bolder fonts and stronger colors. Typical tag clouds have between 30 and 150 tags.
Types of tag clouds: There are three primary types of tag cloud applications, characterized by their meaning rather than their appearance. The tags can appear in alphabetical order, in random order, sorted by weight, or in clustered according to the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence or text.
* A tag cloud for each item: With this type, there is a tag cloud for each item. The size represents the number of times that tag has been applied to a single item.
* Global tag clouds: This type, which is more commonly used, involves multiple tag clouds combining the frequencies of all items and users. The size represents the number of items to which a tag has been applied, indicating each tag's popularity.
* In the third type, tags are used to categorize content items. The larger tags represent the quantity of content items in that category.
If you would like to create tag clouds, WordPress has many plug-ins. For a list and description of available plugins, search the WordPress Plugin Directory at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/. Be sure to check out the WP Colorful Tag Cloud plugin. WP Colorful Tag Cloud allows you to display an attractive tag cloud using a variety of customizable colors. (Like the one you see on the right!) Colors depend on tags weights and sizes.
Here's how to install the WP Colorful Tag Cloud plugin.
1. Unzip and upload wp-colorful-tag-cloud directory to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins' menu in WordPress.
3. Customize your settings using the menu item under Settings, Colorful tag Cloud.
4. Remember to save your settings.
Internet Marketing Education – Online Vocational Schools
The Internet Marketing Training Center of Virginia is an Internet marketing school designed to teach you everything you would need to know about selling your products online. Not only can you sell your products and services, you can also get hired by companies looking for the same thing. Check out http://www.imtcva.org for more information.
Internet Marketing Careers – Managing Email
I primarily use this technique when sifting through the volumes of emails I receive. It makes it much easier to find and deal with my most important messages.
I use Microsoft Outlook as my main email program, but the same technique works for many other programs whether they are email programs or not.
The simple technique is to click at the top of the column that you want to sort on.
For instance, if I wanted my newest emails to show up at the top of my email inbox, I would click on the top of the date column. Oops what happened? Well if the emails were already sorted with the newest at the top and the oldest at the bottom, and I clicked the top of the column, then the order would reverse. The oldest email would now be at the top and the newest at the bottom. Click on the top of the column again and you reverse the order again. Now the newest are at the top where they belong and the oldest are at the bottom. I find this the most convenient because I don't have to scroll down to see new emails arrive.
FLAGGED EMAILS: This is the most common way that I use the sort function. I get such a high volume of emails I usually go over them very quickly eliminating the obvious spam. Then I go over the ones that are left and try to notice if any need immediate attention. If they do and it's a quick answer, I go ahead and answer them immediately. If it's going to take a more in depth answer, I right click on the email and click on “flag for follow-up.” The rest of the emails I usually drag individually to respective folders that I have already set up. Anytime I want to address the topic of those emails I can simply go to one of those folders and find emails related to that topic.
Now back to the flagged emails. This is where the sort function comes in. By the time I get through 50 or 100 emails I usually have a bunch of flagged emails separated by miscellaneous stuff that I didn't know what to do with, but wanted to save in case I need to refer to them. I simply click on the sort at the top of the “flag” column. This brings all the flags to the top and I can quickly go through and answer all of them. If I can't get them all done, I can easily find them again the next time I sort on the flagged column.
You can sort on any of the column, but I hardly ever do. Sorting on the “Subject” column sorts the subject line of the email in alphabetical order. I guess that could be useful, but I can't think of how or why. You can sort on the “From” column and again, I virtually never bother. Occasionally I sort on the “Attachment” column if I know I'm looking for an email that has one.
I think you'll find that the method I use above by using flags and sorting will really speed you up when it comes to handling your emails.
Internet Marketing Education – Blogging The Right Way
You already know how popular blogging is and how it can increase your search engine rankings. But a blog used improperly can hurt your chances to impress your readers the way you want to. I see too many blogs where the author is trying to sell products or promote affiliate services. While there is nothing wrong with promoting products, it isn't the number one priority for your blog.
What is the priority? Attracting readers that want to have their say and be a part of the action. Asking questions and encouraging debate will bring readers back again and again. People love to chime in on topics that they are passionate about and will come back to see who has said what. They will respect the opinion of the author and will look towards him or her for products, training and advice.
You have a comments section, so use it. When someone leaves a comment, respond to it (only if it's a legitimate comment and not spam). Ask for people's two-cents-worth on the topics you are passionate about and always acknowledge their passion in return. You will quickly establish yourself as the expert, no matter what the field your in. Selling products is much easier when you have built a loyal fan base that know you. And they also know you care about them as well.
Blogging is a huge part of a business' online marketing strategy. Major companies are searching for people who know how do it right. At IMTC, we have the training that will take you to the top of this industry and more. Get a free career guide to find out more!
Internet Marketing Training – Laid Off From Work – Now What?
This is a tough economy. Many people have been laid off…. but there is an answer. Learn how you can discover the hottest and most in demand jobs available today. At the Internet Marketing Training Center of Virginia, you can get a dedicated certificate in as little as six months and be on your way to a great job. Visit the site to download your free career guide.
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Online Marketing – Why Build a Database?
Creating a database of potential fans is an easy way to have ready made customers for each and every book, CD, teleseminar or live event. Using an opt-in form software such as KickStartCart will give you the ability to collect names and emails in trade for something free from you such as a downloadable excerpt of your book, an MP3 of one of your teleclasses or a special report.
Each name you collect will be stored for marketing to later as the years go on. Sending your list a newsletter keeps your brand fresh in your prospects mind and gives them critical info about your business, qualifications and expertise. As your database grows, you can market all of your future products to the list. Your database is the number one key to sales. These are targeted people who already know you and are familiar with your work. A higher percentage of these people will buy from you than just random visitors to your website. That's why it is so important that when random visitors come to your website, you capture their information with a freebie.
Freebies should be digital products that are easily accessible and free for you to give away. E-books, MP3's and membership site content may have cost you your time when you were creating them, but are just files and electrons now. They have no cost of goods sold and no packing and shipping expenses. A speech from your seminar last year has now been turned into another product as an MP3 recording, ready to pass to the masses of website visitors you now have. As a part of your ever growing database, you have control over how you market and when you market your future products. Your database truly is gold….
Internet Marketing – What Makes IMTC Different?
Colin, an instructor at IMTC talks about the school. The Internet Marketing Training Center of Virginia is an Internet marketing school designed to teach you everything you would need to know about selling your products online. Not only can you sell your products and services, you can also get hired by companies looking for the same thing. Check out http://www.imtcva.org for more information
Internet Marketing Training Center – Blog Linking In Your Posts
When posting to your blog, don't forget to put a clickable link towards the bottom of the post with a call to action. This call to action can be a text link saying for example:
* Change Your Life. Free Info!
* Get Your Free “Killer Website Designs” Ebook!
* Make $5000 Every Time You Speak!
* Learn The 7 Steps To Leadership Success!
* Find Love In 90 days Or Less!
or any call to action that relates to your business. The point is, your blog post is full of great content. Reward your reader with additional content such as a free white paper, report or special training that they will reward you back with by leaving their email or buying a product. You should at least get the visitors email to build your database, so that you can market to them throughout the year.
What happens if there is no call to action link? The reader may read a few of the posts, get reminded of something they read somewhere else and disappear. What about your opt-in box at the top of your blog? As they scroll down to read additional posts, that box disappears from their line of sight, and they may forget all about it. Those opt-in boxes at the top right corner of your blog are notoriously weak for sign ups. A link to a “freebie” or further training embedded in the post, while they are still engaged in the material they are reading, is far more effective.
Don't let the reader get away without giving you their email address. It takes alot of work to get them to your blog in the first place. The blog is not the “end point” of your marketing, your opt-in or sales letter is. The blog creates interest in your business or service, and quality posts can entice the reader to make a further decision or conversion. Not only that, the search engines love “anchor text” or clickable links made of keywords. Don't leave links that just have your URL or “click here.” Use a strong call to action and reward your reader with addtional quality info and they will give you something in return.
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IMTC – Get An Online Degree In Internet Marketing
Find out how getting an online education in Internet Marketing can change your life for the better. Get our free career guide and see what our school is all about. http://www.imtcva.org