How Often Should I Blog?
In my search for new and useful marketing / business podcasts, I came across “Podcast answer man” by Cliff J. Ravenscraft. I found the post “285 – What Was I Thinking? How Essential Is It To Publish Every Week?”
The first 20 minutes was a bit of a rant, then he gets into the question: should someone do a podcast (or blog) every week? How often should one blog or produce podcasts?
Cliff’s advice was this: it’s okay to take a break when you need to, like when you are off on holidays, travelling etc. This does depend on what your “business/interest” is though. As Cliff said, he educates on podcasting, so it might be a bit odd for him to podcast sporadically, he is trying to set an example of the ideal podcaster. His users expect him to podcast once a week, and come to expect that, and search for his podcasts on his broadcast day. He suggested doing two podcasts at once, in advance of times he knows he will not be able to post something. Doing a few podcasts or blog posts at one time can actually save a bit of time.
I think of how I consume information. I do check a few blogs/audio feeds frequently – knowing that they publish every week. I do also consume information from others that may not publish every week (I use Google Reader for online reading of blogs, Google Reader > Listen Subscriptions for podcasts on my Android and iTunes on my iPad also for podcasts).
I consume good, entertaining, quality information. Ideally this information is published consistently (because if it is really inconsistent people may unsubscribe or forget about you/it). If all you can do is publish good, quality content infrequently – keep it going. If you can do this consistently – even better!
Blog on, and podcast on!
Read MoreGet ‘The Fifth Estate’ Marketing Book Free via 15 Minute Podcasts
This morning I was listening to my favorite Marketing Podcast, Six Pixels of Separation with Mitch Joel and had my interest peaked by Geoff Livingston, and his new (released in May 2011) book “The Fifth Estate – How to Create and Sustain a Winning Social Media Strategy”.
What I am particularly interested in is Geoff’s knowledge and passion for cause marketing. He focuses on cause marketing and was speaking about online fundraising and other nonprofit and social enterprise related topics.
Geoff is doing something that I am totally going to take advantage of, he is offering his new book, for free, via 15 minute podcasts on his Tumblr blog. He has already posted 14 podcasts.
Hope you enjoy!
Read More
Mitch Joel and the Media Hacks Must-Listen-To-Podcast
My favourite content that Mitch produces is a podcast called Media Hacks (free to download from iTunes or listen to from his site http://www.twistimage.com/podcast/ – make sure you look for the Media Hacks casts…).
He now has three different podcasts, but Media Hacks is my must-listen-to-cast.
Media Hacks has five core individuals (Mitch Joel, Chris Brogan, C.C. Chapman, Hugh McGuire and Julien Smith) that join a conference call, and they essentially have a “fire-side” chat about what is happening in marketing and tech. Watch out though, this is not necessarily a cast rated for the whole family, depending on who’s on the call there can be a stream of (often hilarious rants by @julien) curse words.
Mitch will be in Calgary on June 14, 2010 at the Art Of Marketing “Innovation and Marketing Conference” at the Epcor Center. http://bit.ly/aRsmCX
Hope you enjoy it all,
Shannon Bowen-Kelsick (sbk)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@sbkelsick.com
Blogging Perfects Your Craft
This week as I listened to a Media Hacks Podcast by Mitch Joel of Twist Image (www.TwistImage.com), I realized that writing a blog is a task that hones your skills, knowledge and mind.
When chatting with a friend today (can I say “chatting with a friend” even though we were emailing each other?) I told her that blogging was like therapy. Although my blog is not really a personal journal of my life like some great blogs are, the writing of my articles makes me stop, be silent (it’s the one time I turn my ipod off) and I get grounded to what is going on around me. I stop reading tweets, emails, answering the phone and I close IM.
The silence then turns into sounds of the keys on the keyboard (lots of sounds as I hit the backspace button more than anything) as I write my next blog post. Blog posts looks easy (I bet some are) – just like chocolate chip cookies look easy to make, but there is thought and effort that goes into each post or batch of cookies. Writing and blogging perfects your craft – whatever your craft or passion is, be it cooking, politics or ant farms. It’s like we have mini essays that are due everyday – we think… do some research… draft…. redraft then POST!
The learning that each blogger gets from the writing experience is why bloggers blog – well maybe not for everyone, but I am sure that bloggers that blog for fame or other reasons have also learnt a lot from the hours they spent writing.
So continue to blog, followers or no followers, and if you are not blogging but you are thinking about it – just jump right in and figure it out as you go. The learning awaits you!
For great info on Blogging check out: Liz Stauss http://www.successful-blog.com/
Shannon Bowen-Kelsick (sbk)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@sbkelsick.com