When I started this book blog almost two years ago, in June 2005, I wrote about topics that writers and authors wrestle with:

• Tips for a first-time book author
• Choosing a book title with a matching URL
• Crafting a sub-title (this was hard and I still don't love the one I ended up with)

Ya gotta learn how to promote your book

But what I didn't do (and what most first-time authors don't do) was give enough thought to how I was going to promote and publicize my book.

It's a process that should start many months before a book's publication date (six to eight months in advance, at least). And there are dozens of…

April 12, 2007 teleconference available as a PDF transcript and MP3 audio recording

When the rubber meets the road, the content of your blog is what will determine its success or failure. By content I mean the topics, the writers, the voice, the links, the Comments from readers. The first teleconference in my series on corporate blogging focused on the knotty problem of how to create a content strategy for a corporate or organizational blog.

General Motors blogs about cars. Dell blogs about computers. Starwood blogs about hotels and travel. What should you write about? How interesting, really, are your widgets? Hint: unless you're a big brand,…

Just noticed this on my Amazon page. It seems very cool. Click here to see how it works.

Well, because it's fun and funny if it works. And because it predisposes the reader to feel positive (even warm and fuzzy) about the blogger. And that's a great way to start the conversation and strengthen the connection with your audience.

MSM (mainstream media) gets how to do this. The Wall Street Journal ran a story yesterday titled:

Experiments Suggest Birds May Be Capable of Planning Ahead
Birds aren't so bird-brained after all... - Wall Street Journal (April 13, 2007, page B1)

In other words, be tongue-in-cheek and say something that runs counter to what people normally think. It's…

Take a look at Kryptonite's newly-launched corporate blog, Unbreakable Bonds. It looks pretty good and it's written by the company's renowned PR chief, Donna Tocci.

Remember way back to 2004 when Kryptonite was the poster child of the blogosphere as the victim of a blogstorm? Everyone said Kryptonite was clueless about the buzz in the blogosphere over its faulty bike locks. Turns out the story was more complicated than that.

Read about what really happened.

Remember this graph?

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