1. What is it?
Social bookmarking is the practice of saving bookmarks to a public Web site and “tagging” them with keywords. Bookmarking, on the other hand, is the practice of saving the address of a Web site you wish to visit in the future on your computer. To create a collection of social bookmarks, you register with a social bookmarking site, which lets you store bookmarks, add tags of your choice, and select individual bookmarks as public or private. Visitors to social bookmarking sites can search for resources by keyword, person, or popularity and see the public bookmarks, tags, and classification schemes that registered users have created and saved.
2. How it works?
Social bookmarking opens the door to new ways of organizing information and categorizing resources. The creator of a book-mark assigns tags to each resource, resulting in a user-directed,“professional” method of classifying information. Because social bookmarking services indicate who created each bookmark and provided access to that person’s other bookmarked resources, users can easily make social connections with other individuals interested in just about any topic. Users can also see how many
people have used a tag and search for all resources that have been assigned by that tag. In this way, the community of users over a period of time will develop a unique structure of keywords to define resources.
3. Why it is significant?
Social bookmarking gives users the opportunity to express different perspectives on information and resources through informal organizational structures. This process allows like-minded individuals to find one another and create new communities of users that continue to influence the ongoing evolution of common tags for resources. By doing this it lets you take advantage of the insights of other users to find information related to the topic you are researching, even in areas that aren’t obviously connected to the primary topic. If you are looking for information about diamonds, for example, you might find that other users saw a connection between diamonds and jewelry, taking you in new, potentially valuable directions. It’s easy to imagine assigning a value for individual resources, resulting in a ranking system that functions as a common filter.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Forums - How to do it?
Forums are one of the easiest and least expensive ways to employ viral marketing. Its been noticed that many of us dont know how to use forums in an effective manner so that it helps in getting traffic to our site. Its a slow process but can get you good traffic depending on how you do it.
Following are some of the steps which will help you in getting traffic through forums.
Before you jump into a discussion board community and start posting away, do a bit of research to help make your efforts more targeted and effective.
Getting Started
a. Join relevant forums for your targeted audience, your product, and/or business. For example, if your market is health care you can seek out forums for everything from holistic medicine to stay-at-home moms to specific health issue communities. You want your posts to be appropriate for the subject the members discuss. Otherwise your posting will be pointless, ignored, or even worse – removed.
b. Choose the most popular forums. Do a search to find forums available for the topic you seek. There is no point wasting your time and energy posting to forums that have very few members, few discussions, and get very little traffic. Big-Boards is one site that allows you to search for forums based on topic, on number of members and their activity, on post count, on traffic, and on Alexa ranking. Look for good page rank, the amount of active members, and the number of posts. The more active and highly ranked a forum is, the better.
c. Choose forums that allow signature tags. A signature tag can be set up in your forum account profile to display advertising information for your business. Read the forum's rules before joining and pay attention to what is permitted in the signature. Most forums allow you a signature that advertises. Others do for a fee. Some do not at all. Your time is important so be sure to find out if a forum doesn’t allow posts with signatures tags before join and start posting.
d. Keep your signature tag short and update it regularly. Use colors, bolding of font, and a catchy message to attract attention. It is best to keep your tag short and use only one or two links. Most importantly, link to your main website.
e. Avoid spamming people in your posts. Never create posts that are pure advertisement. This a pretty universal rule and if ignored will quickly do more to ruin your reputation than get you any desired traffic. At best spamming in your post will be deleted by the forum moderator. At worst, it could result in getting you banned.
f. Work the room. Be an active member on the forum and be of benefit to those who read your posts. Seek out people who need help or advice and offer it to them. Plan to spend at least an hour each day at a forum and take the time to get to know the members and community. Your first post should be to introduce yourself. Thereafter post intelligent questions, helpful information, or friendly advice, depending upon the forum’s topic.
As you become a more regular member and develop a reputation of being helpful without promoting your product or service in your posts, you will find that you are respected and looked up to as an expert and your signature advertising will bring you traffic for a long time to come. Forum posts remain for years so the time you invest now will continue to serve you in those discussions as they are read again and again by visitors and new members.
Following are some of the steps which will help you in getting traffic through forums.
Before you jump into a discussion board community and start posting away, do a bit of research to help make your efforts more targeted and effective.
Getting Started
a. Join relevant forums for your targeted audience, your product, and/or business. For example, if your market is health care you can seek out forums for everything from holistic medicine to stay-at-home moms to specific health issue communities. You want your posts to be appropriate for the subject the members discuss. Otherwise your posting will be pointless, ignored, or even worse – removed.
b. Choose the most popular forums. Do a search to find forums available for the topic you seek. There is no point wasting your time and energy posting to forums that have very few members, few discussions, and get very little traffic. Big-Boards is one site that allows you to search for forums based on topic, on number of members and their activity, on post count, on traffic, and on Alexa ranking. Look for good page rank, the amount of active members, and the number of posts. The more active and highly ranked a forum is, the better.
c. Choose forums that allow signature tags. A signature tag can be set up in your forum account profile to display advertising information for your business. Read the forum's rules before joining and pay attention to what is permitted in the signature. Most forums allow you a signature that advertises. Others do for a fee. Some do not at all. Your time is important so be sure to find out if a forum doesn’t allow posts with signatures tags before join and start posting.
d. Keep your signature tag short and update it regularly. Use colors, bolding of font, and a catchy message to attract attention. It is best to keep your tag short and use only one or two links. Most importantly, link to your main website.
e. Avoid spamming people in your posts. Never create posts that are pure advertisement. This a pretty universal rule and if ignored will quickly do more to ruin your reputation than get you any desired traffic. At best spamming in your post will be deleted by the forum moderator. At worst, it could result in getting you banned.
f. Work the room. Be an active member on the forum and be of benefit to those who read your posts. Seek out people who need help or advice and offer it to them. Plan to spend at least an hour each day at a forum and take the time to get to know the members and community. Your first post should be to introduce yourself. Thereafter post intelligent questions, helpful information, or friendly advice, depending upon the forum’s topic.
As you become a more regular member and develop a reputation of being helpful without promoting your product or service in your posts, you will find that you are respected and looked up to as an expert and your signature advertising will bring you traffic for a long time to come. Forum posts remain for years so the time you invest now will continue to serve you in those discussions as they are read again and again by visitors and new members.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Copy Writing - How it works in SEO?
Web copywriting, optimized content and keyword usage plus positioning are critical components for high search engine ranking. SEO copywriters deliver Internet-based web page content optimized for every type of website.
Keyword selection is the most important part of any Search Engine Optimization or Search Engine Marketing campaign. Keyword research, selection, placement and stressing the proper words will make the difference between success and failure in any Internet Marketing endeavor. There are different techniques used in each type of writing e.g. Keyword Selection, Web Copywriting, Ad Copywriting, Newsletter Writing.
Prime Visibility will perform Keyword Research and find all keyword combinations that represent the primary purpose and goals of your website. Analyzing keyword phrase popularity to determine which are the top words people use to search for information relevant to your products and/or service offerings is the main thing. These words are entered into numerous software programs that provide the number of times the terms are entered into the most used search engines and directories.
Reviewing your main online competitors is another important thing. Evaluating their meta tags, search engine rankings, primary and secondary keywords, and differences between their website and yours gives you an idea on how to be different.. Have a look at what works on their websites and what doesn’t.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
How to divert traffic to your website through social book marking
Sites like digg.com, stumbleupon.com etc can bring you a LOT of traffic. How about getting 20,000 and more visitors a day when your listing hits the front page?
Getting to the front page of these sites is not as difficult as it seems.
Following are some steps that will help you in getting listed on social book marking sites.
Headlines Should be Catchy
Many great articles go unnoticed on social bookmarking sites because their headline is not catchy enough. Your headline is the first (and very often the only) thing users will see from your article, so if you don't make the effort to provide a catchy headline, your chances of getting to the front page are small.
Here are some examples to start with :-
Original headline : The Two Types of Cognition
Modified Headline : Learn to Understand Your Own Intelligence
Write a meaningful description
The headline is very important to draw attention but if you want to keep that attention, a meaningful description is vital. The description must be slightly provocative because this draws more attention but still, never use lies and false facts to provoke interest. For instance, if your write “This article will reveal to you the 10 sure ways to deal with stress once and forever and live like a king from now on.” visitors will hardly think that your story is true and facts-based.
Content is king
However, the first paragraph is not everything. Going further along the chain of drawing (and retaining) users' attention, we reach the Content is King Level. If your articles are just trash, bookmarking them is useless. You might cheat users once but don't count on repetitive visits. What is more, you can get your site banned from social bookmarking sites, when you persistently post junk.
Make it easy for others to vote / bookmark your site
It is best when other people, not you, bookmark your site. Therefore, you must make your best to make it easier for them to do it. You can put a bookmarking button at the end of the article, so if users like your content, they can easily post it. If you are using a CMS, check if there is an extension that allows to add Digg, Del.icio.us, and other buttons but if you are using static HTML, you can always go to the social bookmarking site and copy the code that will add their button to your pages.
Know when to submit
The time when you submit can be crucial for your attempts to get to the front page. On most social bookmarking sites you have only 24 hours to get to the front page and stay there. So, if you post when most users (and especially your supporters) are still sleeping, you are wasting valuable time. By the time they get up, you might have gone to the tenth page. You'd better try it for yourself and see if it works for you but generally posting earlier than 10 a.m. US Central Time is not good. Many people say that they get more traffic around 3 p.m. US Central Time. Also, workdays are generally better in terms of traffic but the downside is that you have more competitors for the front page than on weekends.
Getting to the front page of these sites is not as difficult as it seems.
Following are some steps that will help you in getting listed on social book marking sites.
Headlines Should be Catchy
Many great articles go unnoticed on social bookmarking sites because their headline is not catchy enough. Your headline is the first (and very often the only) thing users will see from your article, so if you don't make the effort to provide a catchy headline, your chances of getting to the front page are small.
Here are some examples to start with :-
Original headline : The Two Types of Cognition
Modified Headline : Learn to Understand Your Own Intelligence
Write a meaningful description
The headline is very important to draw attention but if you want to keep that attention, a meaningful description is vital. The description must be slightly provocative because this draws more attention but still, never use lies and false facts to provoke interest. For instance, if your write “This article will reveal to you the 10 sure ways to deal with stress once and forever and live like a king from now on.” visitors will hardly think that your story is true and facts-based.
Content is king
However, the first paragraph is not everything. Going further along the chain of drawing (and retaining) users' attention, we reach the Content is King Level. If your articles are just trash, bookmarking them is useless. You might cheat users once but don't count on repetitive visits. What is more, you can get your site banned from social bookmarking sites, when you persistently post junk.
Make it easy for others to vote / bookmark your site
It is best when other people, not you, bookmark your site. Therefore, you must make your best to make it easier for them to do it. You can put a bookmarking button at the end of the article, so if users like your content, they can easily post it. If you are using a CMS, check if there is an extension that allows to add Digg, Del.icio.us, and other buttons but if you are using static HTML, you can always go to the social bookmarking site and copy the code that will add their button to your pages.
Know when to submit
The time when you submit can be crucial for your attempts to get to the front page. On most social bookmarking sites you have only 24 hours to get to the front page and stay there. So, if you post when most users (and especially your supporters) are still sleeping, you are wasting valuable time. By the time they get up, you might have gone to the tenth page. You'd better try it for yourself and see if it works for you but generally posting earlier than 10 a.m. US Central Time is not good. Many people say that they get more traffic around 3 p.m. US Central Time. Also, workdays are generally better in terms of traffic but the downside is that you have more competitors for the front page than on weekends.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Important Steps For Writing Website Content
Website content is one of the most important criteria for visitor satisfaction. Web content includes:
(a)developing text information
(b)designing website navigation
(c)graphics selection and placement
(d)links to additional information in the website and to the Internet
We understand how hard it is to write your own website content. Our website content writers will write the content for marketing your goods and services. The content is developed to:
(a)get the best search engine positioning
(b)create a marketing web page your customers will find informative
We'll talk to you about your website needs and gather any content you may already have like brochures and handouts. You always have final approval on your website content.
How Users Read on the Web?
They don't.
People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences. In research on how people read websites we found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word. (Update: a newer study found that users read email newsletters even more abruptly than they read websites.)
As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable text, using highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others) meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones) bulleted lists one idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph) the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion half the word count (or less) than conventional writing We found that credibility is important for Web users, since it is unclear who is behind information on the Web and whether a page can be trusted. Credibility can be increased by high-quality graphics, good writing, and use of outbound hypertext links. Links to other sites show that the authors have done their homework and are not afraid to let readers visit other sites.
Users detested "marketese"; the promotional writing style with boastful subjective claims ("hottest ever") that currently is prevalent on the Web. Web users are busy: they want to get the straight facts. Also, credibility suffers when users clearly see that the site exaggerates.
(a)developing text information
(b)designing website navigation
(c)graphics selection and placement
(d)links to additional information in the website and to the Internet
We understand how hard it is to write your own website content. Our website content writers will write the content for marketing your goods and services. The content is developed to:
(a)get the best search engine positioning
(b)create a marketing web page your customers will find informative
We'll talk to you about your website needs and gather any content you may already have like brochures and handouts. You always have final approval on your website content.
How Users Read on the Web?
They don't.
People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences. In research on how people read websites we found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word. (Update: a newer study found that users read email newsletters even more abruptly than they read websites.)
As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable text, using highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others) meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones) bulleted lists one idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph) the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion half the word count (or less) than conventional writing We found that credibility is important for Web users, since it is unclear who is behind information on the Web and whether a page can be trusted. Credibility can be increased by high-quality graphics, good writing, and use of outbound hypertext links. Links to other sites show that the authors have done their homework and are not afraid to let readers visit other sites.
Users detested "marketese"; the promotional writing style with boastful subjective claims ("hottest ever") that currently is prevalent on the Web. Web users are busy: they want to get the straight facts. Also, credibility suffers when users clearly see that the site exaggerates.
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