Part of our recent assignment was to create a blogroll.  Seemed simple enough – just adding some URLs to the Links section of my blog, right?  Technically, yes.  Practically, no.  

The hard part was defining which sites were worthy of blogroll status.  After all, wouldn’t the world judge me by how useful and insightful my blogroll references were?  Oh, the pressure! 

What I’ve found is that little by little I’m learning what to look for in a site to determine its worth.  It’s not enough for a site to show up at the top of a search list or to be recommended by someone I respect.  It has to be a site whose content and voice I genuinely connect with.  That I enjoy navigating.  And that expands my knowledge by presenting information that makes me think about topics in a new way. 

I’ve added and deleted entries to my blogroll since its inception to include newly discovered sites and to drop those that didn’t turn out to be so great upon further inspection.  I like having a spot to share the gems I’ve found online, and have created separate sections for my fellow class bloggers, my research resources, and just plain ol’ cool links I’ve come across while surfing.  

Having a blogroll is a great incentive for ongoing research and thoughtful analysis of online information.  I can also see how it’s somewhat of a burden for the blogger.  But I imagine that active bloggers would naturally have active blogrolls – surely there’s always something new that’s worth linking to? That’s a question I can’t answer yet since I’m so new to blogging.  Perhaps I’ll revisit this post after I’ve been around for awhile to see if I’ve imagined correctly.

 As for now, I’m off to update my blogroll with my latest and greatest finds!

PS:  thanks to David B. Fankhauser, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Chemistry, University of Cincinnati Clermont College, for the schnecken sweet roll image!

What happened to my Blogrolls? My favorite links were listed here and now they’re gone. I don’t understand.

Ready

Yep, I’m ready………to chase those damn squirrells in the yard!

OK….I know I have to heal first.

But I AM ready!

But while I’m waiting, I’m gonna read the great blogs I just added to my blogroll! Check ‘em out! There’s some very VERY cool dog photographers out there……………everywhere!

Woofin’ at you til next time!

My mom and I were talking about a conversation that I had with another family member recently. “Wow,” she said, “You are pretty blunt these days.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, you two are close, you can be blunt with her.”

Except, I’m kind of blunt with everyone now a days. Usually I word things nicely, but sometimes, things just need to be said. 

Ah, aging. It brings out the best in us.

***Also, my links are still gone and I don’t know why. Do you know where they went and how to get them back? My “links” tab shows that all of my links are visible, but as you can clearly see, they are not.

I’m using the blogathon and the holiday weekend as motivation to do some blog housekeeping – all the better to avoid the real housekeeping I should be doing. I’ve been working on my blogroll, which has been neglected for too long.

The great thing about a blogroll is you can make it anything you want it to be: a resource guide, directory of your favorite websites or blogs, or list of blogs on the same topic as yours. Your blogroll can be tiny or extensive, although these days professional bloggers and blog designers appear to favor short over long. ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse even killed his after getting too many requests to be on it.

An interesting blogroll is an invitation to readers to link to material that’s related to what you do. It can also be an enticement for readers who normally check out your blog on an RSS feed to actually click over and visit the site.

Which is what I hope WordCount subscribers will do today, after they hear I’ve revamped my blogroll. It has a couple new categories, including one for online writers groups – based on guest blog post on The Social Writer I did recently on my favorite online writers’ hangouts – and one for professional writers’ associations. I also split the resources section into resources for writers and resources for my tech and business reporting.

I’d love people to suggest more online writers’ groups, professional organizations and writers’ resources to add to the lists.

I’d also like to hear from writers who blog – how do you prefer being listed in other writers’ blogrolls, by your name or your blog’s name? I prefer being listed by my blog’s name – gotta build the brand – but what about other people?

If you’re new to blogging here’s some basic advice on how to start a blogroll from Blogging Basics 101.

En esta ocacion les traigo 4 buenos blogrolls, de buenos amigos mios, que claro esta, agregare en la lista de enlaces.

Para empezar, Delirios de un Sensei, de quien mas si no de mi buen amigo Inuyasha alias Miguel, o era al revez?, no recuerdo, pero como dice su nombre, mas haya de los delirios futboleros, pueden encontrar alguna que otra nota mas interesante.

Tambien tenemos Haru Ga Kita el blog de Haru con las noticias mas relevantes del mundo anime y del fansub de Anime Nexus.

Ichigo Paradise el blog de mi muy querida amiga Michineko, que desgraciadamente deja los micrófonos por un tiempo, pero que obviamente esperemos vuelva pronto para deleitándonos con ese sexy “miau”.

Y para terminar, les tengo el blog de un compañero en la revista que llevo actualmente, les dejo el enlace de Centro de Noticias Anime de Zeky,que obviamente no pudo ponerle un nombre mas largo a su blog.

Visitenlos, comenten, y continuamos

Sometimes bloggers wonder if anyone is reading. (Probably not in such a new blog!) One can spend hours trying to make the blog more visible (time not spent blogging, I note), listing it in blog directories, chatting on others’ blogs and leaving your url, and generally being “out” in the world tossing your url about.

I listed with 4 or 5 blog directories (there are links to all of them on the About page), and one especially interesting “blogroll,” condron. Lots of blogs, many of them really interesting. And a lively discussion forum with other bloggers who would like readers and feedback.

I want to promote myself, show the world my writing/published books, but where do I start?

1.) Target your audience

2.) Create a buzz

You can ‘conquer all obstacles‘ through networking, but first you need to discover where your viewers are located on the Internet. Unfortunately, when you first begin to promote your author platform, the viewers will seldom come to you. It is your job to go to them, introduce yourself, allow them to taste your writing. Once you have established friendly contact then you have to keep them coming back over and over again. First impressions are important, but doesn’t necessarily mean you have hooked them to purchase your book. A sense of trust must be established. A personal connection.

Where do I find my audience?

Networking Resources

My target audience are writers and authors. You must define yours. For example, if you have a nonfiction about dogs, you’ll want to search for groups of people who discuss dogs. If you’re a fiction writer, you may want to hang out around fiction readers. Narrow it down some more, and become a member in groups discussing your specific genre. Ask yourself: I want to sell book book, so where are my consumers?

Jo-Anne’s Favorite Social Networks (Targeting Writers and Authors):

(Resources or Groups mentioned on the sidebar, as a widget, on the front page blog)

Red Room

Gather.com – Groups – Gather Books Essential/Publishing Outside of Gather

LinkedIn

FaceBook – Groups – The Smoking Poet, Suspense/Thrillers Writers, Writers Helping Writers, Authors Promoting Authors, Facebook’s Poets and Writer’s Registry, Readerjack.com, Writers Resources on ijustfinished.com, GLBT Writers and Readers, Writing Papers Single Spaced Makes My Double Spaced Result Climactic

GoodReads – Groups – Tips on Self Promotion, Sales and Advertising/Published Authors/Book Trailers and Author Websites/

AuthorsDen

Book Marketing Network – Groups – Novel Authors and Publishers, Christian Authors Connection, Author Support, Self-Publishing, Free Book Marketing, Nonfiction Authors and Publishers, Marketing in the United States, Book Publicity.

LibraryThing – Groups – Writer-Reader, Bloggers.

Shelfari – Groups – Authors Promos,

Jo-Anne’s Favorite Blogs or Blogrolls:

(Blogrolls mentioned, on the sidebar, as a widget to the blog)

-The New Author, Copyblogger, Feedblitz, Freelance Folder, Freelance Switch, Daily Blog Tips, Problogger Blog Tips, Nathan Bransford.

Wouldn’t it be easier to have the viewers come to you?

You bet. I wouldn’t totally rely on posting advertisements, but there are viewers out there who search the adds for their interests. Now, it is your job to make sure you’re listed.

Free Classifieds

USFreeAds.com Account Signup Required. You can post up to 10 free ads. Upgrades available, $9.95 per month upgrade for unlimited ads. You can use HTML and pictures with upgrade. Ads post for 40 days with a renewal option. Offers an Affiliate Program

ClassifiedAds.com Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting by country. No HTML or Pictures. Ads post for 30 days with a renewal option.

InetGiant Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. No HTML or Pictures. You can choose ad ons for minimal charges. Also offers Web Blaster and Ad Blaster for an additional charge. Offers an Affiliate Program. Ads post for 30 days with a renewal option.

Sales Spider Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting to a state and city. No HTML, you can upload pictures. You can “feature” your ad for an additional charge. Aslo offers a Business Center, email, forums. Ads post for 30 days with a renewal option.

Free Ad Space Smaller advertising site. Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. Add ons available at a minimal cost. No HTML, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 6 months with a renewal option.

Hoobly Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. No HTML you can upload Pictures. You can choose premium for minimal charges. Ads can post up to 6 months with a renewal option.

Adland Pro Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting up to 255 characters. No HTML or pictures. Different upgrades available. Aslo offers a Business Center, email, forums. Geared towards affiliate marketers with resources and tools available.

US Net Ads No account required. Unlimited free ad posting. . No HTML, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 4 months with a renewal option.

Classifieds For Free Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting up to 100 words. No HTML, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 14 days and are renewable.

Craigs List Account Signup Required. Ads posted to city only. Unlimited free ads. No HTML or pictures. Craigs List will not allow any links or websites posted or any duplicate ads.

*Web Cosmo Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. HTML allowed, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 90 days and are renewable.

Pressmania Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. No HTML, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 90 days and are renewable.

Ad Post Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting up to 200 words. No HTML, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 30 days and are renewable.

Free Classifieds Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. HTML allowed, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 6 months and are renewable.

WebLeg Free Classifieds Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. No HTML, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 60 days and is renewable.

Subblurbs Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. No HTML, you can upload pictures. Ads post for 60 days and is renewable.

Flugpo Account Signup Required. Unlimited free ad posting. No HTML, you can upload pictures.

Readerjack.com

Creating a buzz means mingling with your targeting audience. Reaching out to your viewers is the most effective technique to promote. Posting your work allows your viewers to find you. You must make a presence to ‘conquer all obstacles‘ and promote successfully.

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Wow!! You guys sure didn’t make it easy for me.  I know that no other blog could possibly compare with mine, but I expected at least a smattering of mentions.  There must be some other blogs you read if only to laugh at them and compare them to mine.   With that in mind, I decided to make a real effort to find the other blogs out there that were small and worthy of a greater audience.  Doing so, I ran into a huge problem and that was it is much easier to find big blogs than small blogs.  I don’t think Talking Points Memo really needs more help finding an audience from me.  Anyway, here are 5 blogs that aren’t on my blog roll and deserve to be seen by more people.  I still would appreciate if anybody can mention any small blogs that I should be checking out if only to crush potential competitors in a hostile takeover.

1. Jenny Sais Quois – Subtitled a quarter life in crisis, she’s 27 and this isn’t one of those angst ridden diaries of a 20 something which I have little patience for outside of the movie Lost in Translation.  The blog hasn’t been updated frequently, but I enjoyed a couple of her posts quite a bit.

2. My Empire of Dirt – I first found this blog over Summer when he was blogging about my favorite topic–me.  He has a substantial blog about Canadian and even American politics. It really has grown a lot since I found it over summer.

3. My Apologies – If my blog is consuming most of your reading time, this blog’s entries are short and sweet even if they tend to be liberal and terribly misguided.  It is a great source for pictures of conservatives though.

4. Just an Earthbound Misfit – OK, I think this blog may be bigger than mine.  The author is certainly more prolific, but I enjoyed it quite a bit and wanted to include them because I don’t think they’re mammoth or anything.

5. Zen Yenta 2.0 – This woman has been a presence on the web for awhile now, but she’s back with a new blog.  She was the first person to discover this blog and for that I will always be grateful.  Her support kept me going when I thought I was the only person reading it.  She’s also a witty and articulate blogger and a person of exceptional taste.

Please check out these other blogs.  I will be adding them all to my blog roll sometime this week.   I hope everybody had a wonderful Blogroll Amnesty Day.

Nate

Na, wie geht’s Euch so?

I’m off from my “day” job…having my 2nd cup of smooth “gourmet” coffees…Cheating really, because I’m having breakfast with my dtr shortly and what’s a good ole fashioned breakfast without a steaming cup of java? Anyhow, I digress. I’m not even feeling the snowy midwest weather, it’s all good today. My sister called last nite to read a few pages from a  short story she’s working on, to ask for my advice/input…I ’m happy she’s writing again! good stuff, too.

Just been given an assignment from the publisher of a local newspaper… yay! have made 2 new friends at my authentic woman blog& here at clara54!.  Hello people, welcome…if ya like what you see here, please add us to your blogroll…

Speaking of blogrolls: Thanks to writersontherise andgetpaidtowriteonline for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit and consider adding my blogs to theirs! All & all, today is a good day. Good health, good friends, good feelings…it”s all good:)  What about you guys, how’s your day?