Here are the top ten social media and blogging posts this week…

How To Be a Pinterest Superstar

I wanted to share with you a few ideas for growing your web traffic using Pinterest and how to help your own site or blog grow. Anyone can be a Pinterest superstar, but you may need to make small changes in the way you blog to truly gain the traffic you desire.

SEO Vs Engagement

The purpose of your business blog is not to sell something or promote yourself. Although it may do those things. The real purpose of your blog ought to be to deepen customer relationships and increase referrals. A search engine cannot do that for you. It can only connect a request with a need. Once the connection has been made with the site visitor, the game fundamentally changes.

Pinterest: Everything You Need To Know Is In This Massive Post

You need to get passed the idea the site is only a collection of wedding gowns images to get creative on how to promote your business, website or blog. Chances are you can already find brands and competitors using the network, find them to see some examples and get inspired.

How to Create and Host a Blog Carnival

Host a blog carnival: a roundup of timely posts from other bloggers, concentrating on a particular area of interest. Your colleagues write the posts, then you assemble, fold, collate, and link to them for presentation to your regular audience.

Blogging Productivity Tip: Find Images in Bulk

If you’re like me and don’t take a lot of photos of your own to include in your posts, don’t waste time by finding images for each individual post you write. Instead, find images in bulk.

Top Blogging Blunders To Be Avoided

As a writer, everyone knows what to write, but rarely a few of them are aware of what not to write in their blogs. If you know what not to write, you should be able to attract a reader better. Here, you will read a few of the tips and ideas on what you should avoid while writing on your blogs. Have a look at these tips in shape of Blogging Blunders given below and embellish your way of writing to turn yourself into a successful blogger.

Tax Tips For Bloggers

Every week I get a few emails from bloggers or online professionals asking me questions about taxes. Most of them are the same questions again and again. Because I can’t answer fact-specific questions individually without potentially creating an attorney/client relationship, I tend to give the same general answers.

A Year Of Better Blogging

Blogging has changed. I don’t know when you started, but when I started blogging I started because I thought it was a neat way to share pictures and stories… This year I challenge you to join me in a year of better blogging and incorporate some of the basics BACK into what it is we do everyday.

Will Only Those Who Shout the Loudest Be Heard?

…since we’re all clamoring to be heard, to draw attention to our books, to get noticed, are those who shout the loudest going to have the most success garnering attention?

Vlogging Tips

After being asked by a number of blogging friends to share my “vlogging prowess” with them, I thought I would offer up a Top 10 Vlogging Tips post for my Top 10 Tuesday post this week.

—

The weekly round-up posts are brought to you by Ashley Pichea.

—

Most of you hadn’t even heard of the NAMS conference until Andrea and I (Crystal) went this past August. We loved it so much, that we’re going again and this time the entire Savvy Blogging team is going. And so far, there’s about 50 of you savvy bloggers out there going with us. We’re so excited that so many of you are going with us, and want to help you make the most of this event.

Lately a lot of questions have been raised about NAMS. The NAMS schedule is up and is jam packed with some fabulous sessions! This post will provide a few tips to help you get ready for NAMS and know what to expect this February 10-12, 2012.

The Packing

Dress is pretty casual, so wear what you are comfortable in. You’ll see some people dressed professionally, while others in jeans and tees.

You won’t need to leave extra room for swag, unless you plan on doing some shopping in Atlanta.

The Location

The conference this year is being held at the Marriott Century Center, in Atlanta, Georgia. The room rate is $99 a night. When you reserve your room, just mention that you are coming for the NAMS conference. This hotel is known for its great employees and customer service. I was extremely impressed with how nice and helpful everyone at this hotel was.

You can also request a rollaway bed for your room. This is a rare treat and comes in handy for bloggers rooming together!

The Food

There is a restaurant in the hotel called the Stackstone Grill and a Starbucks. Vouchers for the Stackstone Grill can be purchased on Restaurant.com. There is nothing else really within walking distance of the hotel. You will need a car or taxi to go somewhere else for food.  A Kroger grocery store is within ten minutes driving distance.

Refrigerators are available in some rooms, so make sure you request a room with a refrigerator if you plan to bring along some snacks.

The Sessions

The sessions are grouped into four categories: 100, 200, 300, 400.  100 is set up for beginners. So if you are completely new to making money online, then this is the group of sessions that you will want to attend.

400 is for the people that really know what they are doing. They say that you should attend the 400 level if you are making a full-time income online. Levels 200 and 300 are progressively in between levels 100 and 400.

When I first went, I decided to try the 300 level and see how I faired. After a couple of classes I decided I would do better going to the 400 classes. But the key is to find what works for you so that you get the most out of this event. Don’t try to go to a harder class than you can manage.

You can also mix it up and attend other classes. There are several classes that I will be attending that aren’t within the 400 level. I want to learn from the teachers presenting and the topics are what I need. So, attend the class you want to learn from and you will get more out of it then sticking to a level.

The  days are jam-packed with sessions. So if you’re thinking you can leave early on the  last day and not miss anything, think again. If you really want to get the most out of this event, plan to stay for the entire weekend.

The Fun

There is a pool area with a fire pit, and also a bar within the Stackstone Grill. Most people hang out around the fire pit in the evening. Atlanta is home to a lot of cool places to go hangout, so take some friends and enjoy a night on the town to wind down after a day of intense learning.

The People

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill bloggers conference. This is a conference for affiliate marketers – people who make money online in multiple different ways. Since there are so many types of people at this event, be prepared to learn a lot of things you never knew about, or may not necessarily agree with. Keep an open mind and you will learn a lot of really awesome things during the NAMS conference.

Looking forward to seeing you there! Join the entire Savvy Blogging team as well as almost 50 savvy bloggers at NAMS this year. Get your ticket to NAMS for $147 with coupon code LASTCHANCE7.

*Affiliate links have been used in this post. Photos courtesy of rogercarr on Flickr.

If you work online in the blogging realm or through social media, you have an image that you portray to everyone that sees you or follows you. Recently I heard a great speaker (Steve Chandler) talk about social media and how you are seen by people online.

“You are what you talk about,” said Chandler.

This is something I’ve been contemplating a lot, lately. I can scroll through my Facebook and Twitter feeds, and see some great things, but I also see many alarming ones.

I see people that work online for brands and companies, or bloggers that are trying to build a good reputation do some seriously damaging things for their online image.

I see a person that works for a wholesome brand post a photo of an alcoholic drink nearly every single day.  I’ve even seen a brand cuss out and complain about a customer publicly on its Facebook Wall (yeah, let that one sink in for a second).

How do you want people to know you? Do you want to be known as the person that constantly uses foul language, or the person that probably isn’t but makes him or herself look like an alcoholic?

If you are working to make money online or brand yourself, then your answer to these questions should be a resounding “no.”

Take this opportunity to look over your last month of status updates to your different social channels. Notice if you are seeing a common theme. Is this theme really how you want to be seen online? If the answer is no, then it is time to rethink how you handle social media and make some changes.

Do you feel that you have been portraying yourself correctly on social channels? What kind of changes could you/will you make?

Here are the top ten social media and blogging posts this week…

Do You Need to Declare Blog Bankruptcy?

Maybe you’re like a lot of bloggers who started a blog as a newbie, on a whim, but didn’t get into a good rhythm until many months in. Sometimes it takes a while to really get a good “feel” for our niche and settle on the right topic. And then it’s hard to know what to do with the blog that seems to be scattered all over the place. Maybe you want nothing more than to start with a clean slate.

Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Insights

Facebook’s new Insights have many people scratching their heads, trying to understand how these social media metrics can help their marketing and branding efforts, how best to use the information available and exact what it all means.

Social Media is About Building Relationships

All of those conversations might seem like a waste of time to some people, but they are leading to real business for me, and I bet they have for many of you as well.  And no, it doesn’t always happen overnight, and it often doesn’t happen when you try to ‘force’ it.

The Solopreneur is Dead.

From one recovering solopreneur to another let me tell you frankly that the solopreneur within me has finally capitulated to the fact that it’s not nearly as an attractive model as it once was. In fact, I’m now somewhat repulsed by the idea. Not only that, I’ve actually been more successful now that I’ve put the solopreneur act on hold. This idea of doing things “on my own” within my own little vacuum and coming up with ingenuity and ground-breaking innovation is a farce, a lie. The point that I’m making is this: It’s far more healthy, far more satisfying, and the potential for success is far higher when you partner with others.

9 Ways to Dramatically Reduce Email Unsubscribe Rates

Unsubscribes are, in very technical terms, a huge bummer. Sure, a certain amount of self-scrubbing is good for every email list, but you can’t help but wonder if there’s something you could have done differently to save some of those subscribers.

How to Set Up Blog Comments as Goals in Google Analytics Using WordPress Hacks

One of the best ways to get actionable data out of your Google Analytics is to set up goals. Setting up a goal in Google Analytics tells it that someone has completed something important on your website, such as buying product, signing up to your email list, or similar.

26 Tips for Writing Great Blog Posts

Do you blog? Feel like you’re trying to reinvent the wheel time and again? Looking for some ideas to simplify your content creation process? What follows are 26 tips, from A-Z, to help you create optimal blog posts every time you sit down to write.

Feeling Lost? Let a Blogging Roadmap Lead You to Success

We’ve all been there, right? That first idea pops into your head, and then another, and then, oh my, you’re already thinking of redesigning the layout of our blog, but you also have that ebook you want to start, and you’re supposed to have a newsletter out at the end of the month! Your to-do list keeps growing and growing and there’s no end in sight.

Copyright Fair Use and How it Works for Online Images

The goal here is to better understand how to use images others create in a way that is both respectful of the author’s ownership rights and allows others to use it.

97 Ideas for Building a Valuable Platform

2012 is the year where social media oversaturation hits hard. We will scale back on our participation in social networks, and we will most certainly scale back who we choose to follow as sources. This won’t be because someone is bad or good. It will be based on whether the connection with that person adds value to the stream of information we’re cultivating or not.

—

The weekly round-up posts are brought to you by Ashley Pichea.

—

Social Media is relatively new, and is constantly changing. It’s easy to feel spread too thin, if you’re trying to be on all social media channels.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Stumbleupon
• LinkedIn
• Reddit
• Digg
• Flickr
• YouTube

These are just a few of the hot social media sites you could be engaging on. I’m currently at the Social Media In Action (SMAC) conference in Nashville, listening to some great speakers: Steve Chandler, John Morgan, Jason Elkins, and Dan R Morris to name a few.

One of the key points that they talked about was an answer to that plaguing question: Do I really need to be on Pinterest? Do I really need to be on Google+? Will it help my business to be on LinkedIn?

The answer isn’t a clear cut one: Go to where your audience is. If your audience is on Google +, then go there. If your audience is on Pinterest, then definitely start pinning and engaging with people there. Google + is huge, but I’ve noticed that it’s mainly social media people that hang out there. So if you work in social media, or want to, you should definitely be on Google+.

And the key to making this work is to continuously watch the trends. Facebook could end tomorrow, so are you prepared for that? If you really want to be savvy with your social media, watch the trends and go to where your audience is.

One speaker mentioned to just focus on three social media channels. Dan countered with, “Be on all of them, but utilize your three main ones.” This is a smart strategy for any savvy blogger.

What social media channels do you focus on and why?

The Buffer app is handy little tool that helps you post to your social media channels. For $10 a month you can add up to five different social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter), and you can also add another person to use the app. This makes it ideal for working with assistants that you do not feel comfortable making admins on your Facebook and Twitter pages.

Here’s a short screencast on how to use Buffer for managing your social media.

Step One: Sign-up with buffer here.

Step Two: Add your social media channels that you wish to use.

Step Three: Under settings, set up your times that you wish to use for scheduling content.

Step Four: Install the buffer ad-on for your browser.

Step Five: Start posting to Twitter and Facebook using your Buffer button.

What do you think of Buffer for managing your social media?

* A referral link has been used in this post. It gives both you and us extra space in our Buffer accounts. No money is made off of this link.

Here are the top ten social media and blogging posts this week…

What’s the Secret to Monetizing Social Media?

Have you been able to make money from social media? Has your effort and time on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and your own blog paid off?

Can Social Media Actually Make You Money?

If you’ve ever asked the question, “Can I make money with social media?“, you might have heard a variety of answers such as, “No!”, “Maybe” or “It depends.” Rarely (if at all) have you heard the confident and unwavering response, “Yes, you can!”

When Is The Best Time Of The Day To Blog?

Great content gets shared. Right? But does the time and day that you publish that great content affect how much it gets shared or how many times it gets viewed?

How to Start Reviewing Products

One of the many ways to monetize your blog is by reviewing products from companies (that you receive for free).

10 Ways to Boost Your Facebook Traffic

These fast and simple steps apply Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to your website, to get huge traffic.

Productivity Tip: How to Organize Your Blogging Time

As I see it, when it comes to blogging there are 4 main things to be done (like Roles)…

10 Ways to Generate More Blog Traffic

Based on my experience, I believe you can dramatically increase your blog traffic by following these ten suggestions.

Twitter Name Change Checklist

Doing a Twitter name change sounds simple enough but once you start realizing how many places your Twitter handle is actually listed, a bit of panic sets in! That’s why I create a Twitter Name Change Checklist to help you out shall you ever decide to do the same.

Why You Shouldn’t Drive Traffic

Instead of driving a mass-audience to my blog, I should have been attracting the RIGHT people and showing them something compelling.

Social Media & Blogging Listmania with Curated Resources & Lists

Great lists get socially shared, linked, and emailed, giving those included quite a bit of valuable exposure. By association, the list publisher also gains value in terms of exposure, links, and a connection with list participants.

—

The weekly round-up posts are brought to you by Ashley Pichea.

—

WordPress is a very complex blogging platform, and there are certain files that you should not touch by yourself. Sometimes, altering these files can cause your entire site to go down.

The file you shouldn’t touch is the wp-config.php file. This holds all of the information necessary to connect to your database, where all your posts are held. This is essential to WordPress, so please don’t modify it!

Another somewhat dangerous file is the .htaccess file. This contains the rules so your permalinks work. Other plugins, such as caching plugins, can place rules here too. It’s a very powerful file, and editing it could lead to server errors – 500 internal server errors, to be exact.

Last but not least is the beloved functions.php or custom_functions.php file. This one contains theme customizations, and one simple missing letter or symbol can cause your entire site to crash. You might not even be able to get into your dashboard!

If you absolutely have to edit your functions file, don’t edit through the WordPress dashboard! Ask a designer or technical support person to do it for you, or use FTP to edit the file. Make sure you download a backup of the file to your computer before editing as well. That way, you can simply restore the file if there is a coding error.

Are there any other files that you have had issues with? Please share in the comments!

Mitchell Wischmann is a Savvy Blogging contributing writer and author of My Frugal Tech and Frugal Finders.

This week Savvy Blogging will be joining the Blackout on Wednesday, in protest of the SOPA and PIPA bills scheduled to be voted on January 24, 2012.

What are SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act)?

They are new Bills set to be voted on in the House and Senate.

Watch this video to understand what the SOPA and PIPA are:

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

What is the SOPA Strike?

The SOPA Strike is the day the web goes on strike, January 18, 2012, in protest of the SOPA and PIPA bills.

How Could SOPA and PIPA Affect My Blog?

The most obvious and scary part about these bills, is that they will allow the government to censor and shut down any website/blog it sees fit. If your blog/website is a significant source of revenue, this could have dire consequences.

How Can I Join the Sopa Strike?

Join the Blackout Petition here.

If you are on a WordPress blog, you can install the Down Against Sopa Plugin, and it will black out your site on January 18 and 23, 2012.

Otherwise if you wish to support this Blackout on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, you will need to find another way to shut down your website.

Change your profile photo to support the protest.

Further Reading:

TechCrunch: SOPA Supporters on the Run

SOPA Postponed, but nothing said about Protect IP.

Photo courtesy of TechCrunch.

Here are the top ten social media and blogging posts this week…

10 Ways To Get More Email Subscribers For Your Blog

If you aren’t building an email list from your blog yet, start today. If you are already building an email list, then try adopting some of these ten strategies to increase the number of people opting into your newsletter, and see your traffic and your profits soar.

Why Don’t Bloggers Make that Much Money?

Bloggers would make a lot more money if they were half as good at business as they are at writing. Many of them are great writers but simply don’t know how to use their personal brand to market themselves to employers and clients.

6 Steps to Getting Started With Google+

Anything worth learning takes time. And Google+ is definitely worth learning. So give yourself some time. Using these 6 steps will definitely shorten your learning curve!

Slay Your Dragons Before Breakfast

If I don’t slay this dragon before breakfast, he usually gets the best of me. After breakfast—when the day’s activities are crowding into my life—my chances of doing battle and winning drop dramatically. Sometimes I can emerge victorious. But rarely. My chances are better if I get in my basic disciplines before I get assaulted with the demands of the workday.

How to Revitalize Evergreen Content for a Lead Gen Boost

Evergreen content refers to the content you’ve produced that stands the test of time… It’s something people will always need to know, and because of its continued relevance, it often amasses quite a readership and can even land you in the top of search engines for your own place on Google history. If you’ve created this type of timeless content, there are things you can do to make it work harder for you.

Getting Started With An Editorial Calendar

In this article I will explain how to actually develop this calendar, provide examples of what you could add to it and offer a special bonus – your very own print-and-keep sample editorial calendar.

Blogging With Kids: 9 Tips and Tricks to Keep You Sane

If you’re like me, you might find it really difficult to manage your time—and your life—to get some writing done. You are talented, you are persistent. If only you could be really productive, so you can get some work done. And you can be! All it takes is smart use of your time.

Blogger’s Guide to Google Webmaster Tools

I’m embarking on a new blog series here that will help all sorts of bloggers engage with the ever-popular Google Webmaster Tools, a powerful and absolutely critical web service that you need for your blogging efforts. From managing your blog to understanding search data to even telling Google how to “see” your blog – we’ll walk through it all.

5 Benefits Of An Editorial Calendar

By using a publishing calendar you can minimise [sic] a lot of the stress of figuring out what you should do next. An editorial calendar also helps you stay focused on your mid to long term goals, and provide your membership with regular initiatives.

15 Copywriting and Content Marketing Blogs that Will Make You More Money

There are hundreds of terrific social media and business blogs, and they’re wonderful resources, but we wanted to focus on sites that would make you a better writer.

—

The weekly round-up posts are brought to you by Ashley Pichea.

—