Your Blogging Expertise is Needed

[Useless]

Howdy

I'm preparing to launch the affiliate blog that was the subject of another thread. (I've got the affiliate id part working perfectly, as well as the RSS feed.) Now, I need the input of experienced bloggers on what seems to work well at getting blog readers to click through to the paysite tour. It looks like most of you give a gallery or two per post and use that as the primary linkage to the tour(s). What's better in your opinion - linking to the gals via thumb or text link?

Outside of galleries within posts and direct links in the sidebar, are there other clever ways to transition readers from the blog to the tour?

I'm seeing a lot of blind linked thumbs on newer blogs. I can't see that as being a great way to move the surfer to the tour. Has this become the rule fo the day for blogs, or are those blind thumbs just poor blogging by newbies and rebels?

Also, do you folks tend to simply link to affiliate blogs or do you also pull the RSS/Atom feed? I assume most feed lovers use RSS 2.0 - are there other types of feeds that are popular? (I've got 2.0, .92 and Atom running.)

Do you have certain quality/content demands of affiliate blogs that I should know before I make an ass of myself and launch something no one wants? This will be a real text blog - not a list of galleries or a page of thumbs accompanied by 10 words. (I promise)

Stupid question: What is the best name for blogs created by sponsors? Hosted Blog...Affiliate Blog...etc?

If this first blog is successful, we intend on launching others - so your input is greatly appreciated.

[walrus]

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

Howdy

I'm preparing to launch the affiliate blog that was the subject of another thread. (I've got the affiliate id part working perfectly, as well as the RSS feed.) Now, I need the input of experienced bloggers on what seems to work well at getting blog readers to click through to the paysite tour. It looks like most of you give a gallery or two per post and use that as the primary linkage to the tour(s). What's better in your opinion - linking to the gals via thumb or text link?

Both, back in the day I actually did picture blogs, I developed a preference for a large thumb with a text link below it.

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

Outside of galleries within posts and direct links in the sidebar, are there other clever ways to transition readers from the blog to the tour?

Creatively done text links within the post. If I were to set a standard for blogging, I probably would require a link to a gallery + a minimum of two text links to the tour. Also, don't make post after post of sales text. Blog about the featured model. I think a more personal approach works better on a blog than sales text.

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

I'm seeing a lot of blind linked thumbs on newer blogs. I can't see that as being a great way to move the surfer to the tour. Has this become the rule fo the day for blogs, or are those blind thumbs just poor blogging by newbies and rebels?

Newbies and lazy bloggers. Unfortunately, since there are no really big traffic pumps for blogs except SE's, there are no real quality standards set for bloggers to abide by.

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

Also, do you folks tend to simply link to affiliate blogs or do you also pull the RSS/Atom feed? I assume most feed lovers use RSS 2.0 - are there other types of feeds that are popular? (I've got 2.0, .92 and Atom running.)

For me, I'll add the link to the blog to my directory, add a link from the sidebar of the Blog Maniac and add the feed to XXX Blog Feeds and any other compolation blogs I develop in the future. Also, with a quality feed that was updated regularly (regularly being the catch here) I'd add a page with shorcut chicklets so that people could subscribe to the hosted feed directly.

I think most people who would use the hosted feed would do so in a compolation type blog.

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

Do you have certain quality/content demands of affiliate blogs that I should know before I make an ass of myself and launch something no one wants? This will be a real text blog - not a list of galleries or a page of thumbs accompanied by 10 words. (I promise)

Like I said above, there are really no quality standards set for blogs. My personal criteria is that it actually have text that is somewhat interesting in nature and that it actually update more than once a week.

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

Stupid question: What is the best name for blogs created by sponsors? Hosted Blog...Affiliate Blog...etc?

I vote Hosted Blog

[Chop Smith]

Originally Posted by walrus

Both, back in the day I actually did picture blogs, I developed a preference for a large thumb with a text link below it.

Creatively done text links within the post. If I were to set a standard for blogging, I probably would require a link to a gallery + a minimum of two text links to the tour. Also, don't make post after post of sales text. Blog about the featured model. I think a more personal approach works better on a blog than sales text.

Forgive me for getting specific. Assuming that ChopOnTheLake was a 'hosted blog' Would this post be close to what you would like http://www.choponthelake.com/ - By Chop Smith on June 4th, 2006?

If I have followed you correctly,
1) instead of having three pictures shown, there would be one
2) instead of linking directly to the tour, the link would be to a gallery having two text links to the tour.

Is there a preference for the preview picture size?

[walrus]

Originally Posted by Chop Smith

If I have followed you correctly,
1) instead of having three pictures shown, there would be one

Correct and that single picture plus some text directly underneath would link to the gallery

Originally Posted by Chop Smith

2) instead of linking directly to the tour, the link would be to a gallery having two text links to the tour.

Is there a preference for the preview picture size?

One text link somewhere in the text above the picture and one in the text below the picture like it is currently. It's my belief that text underneath the picture is often lost so I would definately post the tour link in the top area. Plus, not everyone will use the full feed, it is therefore important, I believe, to have a tour link in the first couple of sentences.

But don't set that in stone....I think the example post would also work well if the picture (with text link to gallery) were put in a div and floated to one side of the text. Although I would still recommend the link to the tour come earlier in the text.

As far as a preview picture size, if done like chop on the lake, I would use 350px wide, if used in a div 200px. But then again, I like large pics.

[Useless]

Thanks for the excellent info, Walrus.

If anyone has any more input on this matter, please tell us soon. Once I launch this thing, I won't be able to do any major changes without screwing up the feeds.

[Useless]

Only one blogger has any input...
Maybe it's not worth the effort.

[Toby]

Intersting topic. I have my blog noob beanie on and I'll be sitting in the corner taking notes. Please carry on...

[Adult Blogger]

Hello there, Blog Masters!

I've been writing blogs for some time now and I was wondering if linking 4 to 5 keywords is OK for a blog entry? I usually make up stories (creating a character that fit each niche) for each blog entry and try to place as many keywords there (with spacing, of course) as possible. Oh, and a client of mine told me to place one or two keywords within the title of a blog entry. Does that really work when it comes to spiders? Thanks.

[walrus]

Originally Posted by Adult Blogger

Hello there, Blog Masters!

I've been writing blogs for some time now and I was wondering if linking 4 to 5 keywords is OK for a blog entry?

These should become tags for technoratie and others. When you say linking are you talking about linking the keywords to other posts with the same keywords? What works best for this is the Ultimate Tag Warrior plug-in which you does both the tagging and the linking all for you. All you've gotta do is ping...oh and tell it what the keywords are.

Originally Posted by Adult Blogger

Oh, and a client of mine told me to place one or two keywords within the title of a blog entry. Does that really work when it comes to spiders? Thanks.

Yes

[Adult Blogger]

Originally Posted by walrus

When you say linking are you talking about linking the keywords to other posts with the same keywords?

Hello, Walrus. Thanks for the reply. Anyway, I link the keywords to the featured gallery/tour. So, there's no problem with numerous linking when it comes to the text in blogs?

[Useless]

Originally Posted by Adult Blogger

Hello, Walrus. Thanks for the reply. Anyway, I link the keywords to the featured gallery/tour. So, there's no problem with numerous linking when it comes to the text in blogs?

Thanks for hijacking my thread instead of creating your own. You're a real help there, swifty.

[walrus]

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

Thanks for hijacking my thread instead of creating your own. You're a real help there, swifty.

Sorry, my fault, I should have ignored it. Im a douche bag!

[Adult Blogger]

Originally Posted by Useless Warrior

Thanks for hijacking my thread instead of creating your own. You're a real help there, swifty.

My apologies, Sir. I never meant to hijack your thread.

[walrus]

Originally Posted by Adult Blogger

Hello, Walrus. Thanks for the reply. Anyway, I link the keywords to the featured gallery/tour. So, there's no problem with numerous linking when it comes to the text in blogs?

not that i know of but it seems redundant and perhaps a little blind