In the coming days, I will be reviewing all of my blog contents to change any references from “webspear” to “nextcovery”.

If your find any broken links please report them to me via user comments.

Things have been very slow at my blog due to the arrival of our baby girl. Slowly but surely I am getting back to my normal routine.

Thank you for your patient.

Regards

Aaron

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In this post I express my own personal views and opinions on what better could have been done to make the Tweetathon more successful. I am writing this post to get all of us thinking about future fund raising projects on the Internet. I am using Suzie’s Tweetathon as a example to illustarate my points. So please don’t get me wrong. I have great respect for Suzie and her friends who came up with this excellent idea.

Do not rush

To reach our goals and objectives we have to move forward in a steady phase. I think whole Tweetathon exercise was rushed too quickly.

Deliver a crisp message

The concept of the Tweetathon and Team World project (a group established by Suzie and her friends to help out the needy) was not delivered clearly. Even Suzie acknowledged this point (check her subsequent post).

Avoid confusion

The team tried to sell two ideas, Suzie’s Vancouver trip and the Team World projects both at the same time, but failed to relate how they fit together.

Quantify the benefits

I think the team could have created a strong argument for helping Suzie by connecting her trip to the Team World projects. For example, “For Every 10 dollars donated to the fund, Suzie will contribute 1$ to the Team World project”. The team did point out that any excess funds will go to the Team world China Library project. But this is not effective because the first donors will feel that their contribution is not going for a needy cause.

Give some background information

The team could have given some background on how Suzie has empowered others in the past. They also could have pointed out what kind of activities will Suzie do to empower others upon completion of the certification program. Not everyone on Twitter knows Suzie, so this is very important. I also believe that the team should have given some background information on what is the Law of Attraction. The Michael Losier video was geared towards convincing people to attend the certification program. Therefore it was not the best video to present the Law of Attraction.

Clarify privacy concerns

I wonder how many potential donors had concern regarding their privacy using the chip-in system. Clarify any possible privacy concerns so that the donors feel at ease when contributing to your fund.

But wait, there is more than a week for Suzie’s deadline. So things can change. Good Luck Suzie.

Follow Suzie on Twitter

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On-page SEO refers to any technique that you perform on your web page (on-page) to make the web page rank well in search engines. In this post I explore the various parts of a web page where you can stick your keyword. Please use your keywords naturally when needed. Do not over use them and do not let the keywords drive your content.

I assume that you have already done some basic keyword research and have already picked the keywords you want to use.

• You can put your keyword in the page title. The page title text will appear on the top of your browser window.
• You can put your keyword in the Meta Description tag of the page.
• You can also make the keyword available in the Meta Keywords tag.
• You can use the keyword in your web page file name and style sheet files (CSS).
• Make sure to use the keyword in your header (h1,h2 etc) tags.
• As you start writing your first paragraph, mention your keyword. Putting the keyword in the top part of the page grabs the attention of the search engines.
• Use the keyword in the middle of the body text. Bold the keyword. Italicize the keyword. Underline the keyword.
• Use the keyword in internal links as anchor text.
• Use keyword in image file names and the ALT text.
• Use the keyword in the last paragraph.

Do not over use the keyword unnecessarily. You are writing for humans and not for search engine robots.

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Do your website users feel belonged?

Note: I use the terms “users”, “readers” and “customers” interchangeably. In this article all of them refer to the same people.

“What a waste of money”. This is what I thought when I found out that all the new business cards that were recently printed at my workplace have to be thrown away because we are changing email addresses and phone numbers. The management knew that the email ids and phone numbers are going to be changed, yet, they went ahead to print the business cards for all employees. These cards had a life span of just 2 months. I do agree that employees who deal with clients on a day-to-day basis should have up-to-date business cards. In my case, I never had a business card during the last 4 years (I am the software developer who is shielded from the clients by an army of project managers and consultants). I would have waited for another 2 months to get my business card once the new email ids and telephone numbers were in place.

But wait there is more to this story. After reflecting upon this, I can see why the management wanted business cards for all employees. We are changing our emails and domain names not because we are re-branding, but we are in the process of a merger. A merger brings a lot of new opportunities but at the same brings fear and uncertainty in each employees mind. I think that the main reason we printed these cards quickly is to make each employee feel belonged to the new merged company. A business card does not bring any monetary benefits, but it is a symbolic item that makes employees feel special, especially when you see your name with the pretty new logo and the really cool job title. A sense of belonging is very important for a company that is in the process of integration and transition. Another company I worked for in the past used to name meeting rooms with employee names. Both examples are simple actions that made the employees feel belonged.

So what does this have to do with the development of your website? Has webspear.com gone off topic?

The success of a company is in the hands of its employees who feel belonged to the company. Similarly the success of a website depends heavily on its users. Users who feel belonged will come back to your website again and again. A loyal user is the greatest asset to your website. They make a good portion of your web traffic, they leave valuable comments on your blog post, they write about your products and services in their websites and blogs. The bottom-line is they do a lot of work for you and may not always get a lot in return.

Do you think that your readers feel belonged? Have you taken any actions that will make your readers feel belonged?

You might answer this question by saying “I am giving my customers a superior product” or “I am giving my readers the best tips on blogging”. That’s good, keep it up. But simply giving a good product or service doesn’t make the users loyal. The moment users find something better they can leave you instantly. In my view in order to make a user feel belonged you have to go beyond just offering a good product or service. You have to find avenues to really connect with your user base.

For example, let’s take two of my favorite blogs, problogger.net and doshdosh.com. At problogger.net Darren gives his readers opportunity to do guest posts as well as he answers reader questions in blog posts. He regularly hosts open topics and allows everyone to have their own voice. At doshdosh.com Maki has excellent habit of replying to user comments. These are just two examples of creating a loyal user base. I am sure that you will have even more ideas and thoughts on how we can create a loyal user base. At webspear.com I have taken my first initiative in making my users feel special. I have added a form that allows my readers to tell me what kind of articles they like to see at webspear.com. I may not be able to write on all topics that my readers suggest. But it’s a start.

So what have you done to make your users feel belonged? Why do you think that users of your website will remain loyal to you? Share your own methods and ideas. I am sure that you can come up with very creative and innovative methods. This post is only half complete, you have to comment to make it complete. Thank you.

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Choosing a color theme for your website or blog can be a challenging task especially when you are not familiar with graphical design concepts. Fortunately there are easy to use tools that can aide you in selecting a set of colors (a theme) for your website.

In this post I am providing links to 4 color tools to create a color theme. All 4 tools are web based and they save you the hassle of installing any software on your PC.

All of the following tools provide similar features. So picking the right tool is a matter of personal choice. My personal choice is Color Blender because I find it easy to use and very intuitive.

1. Color Blender

Color Blender has 3 equalizer style controls for the 3 primary colors (Red, Green & Blue). By dragging these 3 controls to the left or right, you can create set of matching colors (blend) that are automatically generated for you.

Once a blend is generated you can use the direct edit function to fine tune the color. You can also modify your blend using 7 different shades (know as variations).

Once you are satisfied with your theme, you can export the blend to Photoshop or Illustrator color files (palettes).

You also have an option to save the blend or email it to a friend.

If you need more inspiration, please check out Browse Blend section that displays blends created by previous users. Some of the blends created by other users are really cool.

2. Color Jack

The front page of color jack contains a number of themes (possibly created by previous users) and you can quickly view the colors in each theme by hovering your mouse over different themes.

Color jack provides 3 advanced tools to choose a theme. They include the following:

1. Color Galaxy
2. Color Sphere
3. Color Studio

3. Color Scheme Generator 2

Color Scheme Generator 2 provides a number of scheme types and variations to create your theme. It also has the ability to limit colors to web safe colors.

4. Color Wizard

Easy to use flash based color tool. Uses equalizer style controls for color selection. Has a randomize button to choose random colors.

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My website statistics indicates that majority of my readers are from the USA, Canada and Australia. At the same time I get a fair number of comments and feedback from readers all over the world. I can see a lot of diversity in my readers. I feel happy and privileged to know that I am able to share my views and experience with people from all walks of life.

In this post, I examine how we can reach out for a global audience. Building a global readership is a great way to increase the number of visitors to your website. So here are some of my tips. But, before you proceed a word of caution. These tips are there to get you thinking about writing for a global audience. Based on your website topic/niche you have to make a decision on how much you want to cater for an international audience. It is not easy to satisfy all. You have to find the right balance for your website.

Use Simple English

English has become the language of the Internet. It is also the International language that is used in many parts of the world. But English is not the native language for many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. People, who have studied English as a second language, may not have the same level of language proficiency as a native speaker of English. In order to attract these people, you have to write in simple English. To achieve this use short sentences and write in active voice. Also, try to avoid complex words and use simple words. For example, complete instead of comprehensive and understand instead of comprehend to name a few.

Try to Avoid Local and Cultural References

Using local references can alienate a reader who does not understand what you are talking about. For example, consider the sentence “I am writing this blog post from the Windy City”. Not too many people outside of the United States will know that the Windy City is a nick name for Chicago. Similarly cultural references, such references to local TV programs and events can confuse your global audience.

Try to Avoid Country Specific Words / Slang etc

There are words that are used only in a region or country. For example, in Canada there are number of terms that are only used in Canada and not widely used outside. For example, the word Hydro refers to electricity and Knapsack refers to a backpack. Some words have different meanings within different countries. For example in Canada the word Entrée refers to starter meals (i.e. appetizers) while in the US it refers to the main course of a meal.

Be Sensitive to Other Cultures and Respect their Values

Different cultures around the world have different traditions and habits. You have to show respect for their traditions. For example, eating with hands is a common practice in many parts of the world.

Try to Avoid Jokes

Jokes and humor are better understood and appreciated with in a cultural context. What is funny in the west may not be funny in the east (and vice versa). So when you are writing for global audience it’s better to avoid jokes and humor since they do not translate well across cultures. You have to be more careful in what you say. Some jokes could also be considered to be of bad taste within certain cultures. For example, imitating a foreign accent is considered to be funny by many. At the same time a lot people can get offended by someone mocking their accent.

Avoid Stereotyping

All teenagers are not fast drivers and all elderly people are not very slow drivers. Not all Chinese made toys have lead paint on them and the city of Rio is not the only place in the world with street kids. Think twice before you write. You do not want to offend any group unnecessarily.

Speak on Universal Values

No matter what culture or race you belong to, all of us have some core values that are universal. For example, the need to earn money and lead a comfortable life, the need to be healthy and happy are some examples of such values. Consider the following sentence “to be healthy, you have to work at the gym for 30 minutes three times a week”. This statement is more relevant to developed countries and less relevant to developing countries where gym facilities are not readily available. We can rewrite the same statement as “to be healthy do 30 minutes of exercise three times a week”. This statement is now universally applicable. Try to deliver the message with no religious, social and economic strings attached to it.

Clarify Metrics Used

Look at the following sentence: “It’s a very cold day in the Windy City. The temperature is 19 degrees and it feels even colder with the wind chill.” Many of your global readers would be puzzled by this statement. Isn’t 19 degree nice warm weather? They are thinking in Celsius and you have mentioned the temperature in Fahrenheit, the metric used in the US. The same applies to other metrics such as MPG (Miles per Gallon). Kilometers and Liters are more commonly used through out the world. In the above example you can mention that 19 degrees Fahrenheit is minus 7 degrees in Celsius!

The above points are based on my own observations, if you have any more tips please share. I would love to hear from you.

Which part of the world are you from? If you wish, feel free to mention your country’s name in the comment.

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I have been using Twitter for a couple of weeks. Here are some of my thoughts about Twitter. Each thought is written as a Tweet. If you do not know what Twitter is, please checkout the this video that provides a good introduction to Twitter. After viewing the video please come back to read my post. You will understand what I am talking about.

Introduction

• Twitter is awfully simple to use, but “How to use Twitter” is a highly debated topic.
• This suggests there are many ways to use Twitter.
• There is no one best way to use Twitter.
• Some use Twitter to spread their message.
• Some use it to get help.
• Some use it to provide help.
• Some use it for fun.
• Some use it as a communication and collaboration tool.
• Some use it as a fountain of free flowing knowledge, a source of new ideas (my favorite use).

Different Types of Users

• A person with few Following and a large number of Followers is a Leader.
• A person who has roughly the same number of Following and Followers is a Friend.
• A person with few Followers and a very large Following is a Newbie or Learner.
• A person with a large Following and zero Tweets may be a Spammer.
• A person who provides completely irrelevant replies and talks nonsense is a TweetBait er or TweetStalk er, or Spammer.

Following:Followers Ratio (F:F)

• Judging a person purely on the “Following:Followers” ratio (F:F) is not a good idea.
• But many folks only use the F:F ratio as measure to judge a person.
• Instead look at what that person has to offer. Checkout his/her website. You may want to follow that person.
• A person with 9999:0 F:F is getting the same number of Tweets as a person with F:F of 9999:9999.

Mass Following

• Mass following a niche is very different from randomly mass following every one you come across.
• If mass following is spamming, why has not Twitter taken any action?
• Putting a cap on the F:F ratio can stop mass followers. This is not rocket science.
• If a cap is introduced, will it go against the concept upon which Twitter was built?
• Even after Following 1000s of people, Twitter still says “Invite More!”.
• Therefore mass following a niche is not spamming, as Scott Sweeney says it is Promotion.

Ideal Followers

• It’s better to have followers with few Following because you get more attention.
• It’s better to have followers with more Followers, because your message spreads quickly (Re-Tweet).

Some Problems

• Many Tweets disappear unnoticed.
• Twitter.com is very slow at many occasions; Twhirl (Twitter Desktop Client) hangs my PC.

Recommendations

• Twitter emails you when a person joins, but, wouldn’t it be nice to get an email when they leave too?

What does Twitter means?

• “Twitter” refers to the high frequency sounds some birds make.
• Don’t confuse the Twitter with Tweeter. Tweeter refers to a high frequency loud speaker.

Building Your Follower Base

• Darren Rowse suggests building a follower base by adding value to Twitter conversations.
• DoshDosh suggests building a follower base by promoting your Twitter profile.
• Scott Sweeney’s bold approach is to mass following people in your niche with the hope that some will follow you back.

Conclusion

After careful consideration I am inclined more towards the DoshDosh approach.

Are you thinking in Tweets? Please feel to leave a comment as you wish.

I am new to Twitter. My thinking is continuously evolving on this topic. So my views can change as I learn more about this powerful tool for social networking.

Follow me on Twitter!

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Why do people continue to watch a movie at the theater even if they find the movie to be very boring? Why do people still continue to follow a course at the local college, even though it does not meet their expectations?

There are 2 simple reasons:

1. You paid for the movie or the course.
2. You have already invested considerable time and effort, so you do not want your investment to go in vain.

But a web user on the other hand can view and skip dozens of web pages with in few minutes. The user can do this due to two simple reasons:

1. The user did not pay to view the web page. It’s Free!
2. The time that takes to assess the quality of the web page is very minimal (may be few seconds). Therefore no loss of time and effort.

This means writing a web page is much harder than producing a boring movie! Satisfying the needs of a web user is challenging since they have no prior investment of time and effort, therefore they can leave your site anytime with loosing anything.

In this article I am giving away few tips that will allow you to write better content that easily connects with your readers. These tips can reduce the chances of your audience skipping your web pages and going to another site.

1. Write for the readers’ needs, Not what you know

Many people write what they know, not what the reader wants to know. Any article you write should give your readers something to take away. People read your articles because they want to find solutions to problems. After reading the article the readers should be equipped with some knowledge that they can apply for their own benefit.

2. Keep your article short and simple

In this fast paced world people want the easiest, cheapest and fastest solution. People want to buy the fastest food they can get for lunch (McDonalds), the cheapest call they can make (VOIP Phones) and the easiest way to get to the corner store (driving instead of walking). Unfortunately many apply the same principle for learning too. Nowadays many people seek knowledge only if it’s easily and quickly accessible. So by keeping your article short and concise you will attract a large number of readers.

3. Use stories and examples

Stories and examples are powerful tools that can illustrate a point clearly and can be used to develop a compelling argument. This is why politicians and religious preachers use stories extensively in their speeches to present a compelling case for their followers.

4. Be up to the point and be confident

Your article should be up to the point solving specific issues. Just being generic and vague on what you say can easily put off your readers. Be confident in what you say. Readers love writers who deliver good material with confidence.

5. Use good titles

A heading says it’s all. This is why in morning television news there is a segment where they review the headlines of major news papers. Use headings to grab the reader’s attention. Most readers scan through headings and subheadings to determine the relevance of the article to their needs.

6. Be conversational

One way to develop a connection between you and your readers is to write in conversational tone. Your readers should feel that you are a friendly and approachable person.

There you go, 6 simple tips to better connect with your readers.

Please feel free to share any other tips you know!

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A message of hope for those who are late in the game

Many people running a relatively new website or blog are not satisfied because they are not getting the expected outcome from their websites. Many new websites fail because they are trying to mimic the leading websites in their industry. Webmasters of new sites compare their websites with top ranking sites. They try to catch up with these sites in terms of functionality and features. Naturally they feel unhappy about their performance. By constantly comparing their sites to leading websites, these site owners are loosing their focus from real opportunities that are available.

Unique Offering

Many new website owners feel they are too late in the game. They often complain saying something like “I should have created this website 3 years before”. They feel that their website is less popular because they came to the scene in the last minute. Being the first does give a website a competitive advantage but, this advantage does not remain forever. If first is the best, the Sony Walkman would be the most popular personal audio player in the world, Netscape would have the largest browser market share and Yahoo would be the most used search engine in the world. But what is the reality today? Apple’s iPod is dominating the personal media player market, Internet Explorer and Firefox have killed Netscape and Google is every one’s favorite search engine. So what can we learn from these late comers who changed the game. These new comers did not try to copy what the leaders in their field did (with the exception of Internet Explorer:) ). Instead they offered solutions that are fundamentally different and much easier to use. Therefore in order to bring your new website to the top, you have to offer something that is unique and useful. Do not try to blindly follow what other sites do, make your offering unique.

Ability to Leapfrog

If you are late in the game there are reasons for you to be still happy, because you have tremendous ability to leapfrog. You know what works best, because you can learn from the successes and failures of the leaders in your field. You can make better decisions on choosing the right technologies for your website. Because you are the new kid in the block you are adapting the latest and greatest technologies straightaway! The adaptation of mobile phones technologies in developing countries is a good example of leapfrogging.

Ability to Adapt and Serve Better

A newer smaller website, due to its size has a great ability to adapt and change. Mistakes can be easily rectified. As your website grows it becomes harder to manage. Reverting changes and fixing mistakes become very costly. So as a small website owner you have the unique ability to change and adapt easily. Since small websites have fewer users they can provide better personalized services to their customers.

It’s a Matter of Time

Finally remember that most of the leading websites on the Internet did not become popular over night. They became popular over a long period of time. The same applies to your website, do not expect any miracles to happen in the short term.

So be positive and stay focused, make a unique offering to your customers and one day you will hit the high roads!

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Part 3 – Habits 41 to 60

41. Eliminate bottlenecks

If you closely examine your blogging activities you will identify areas that slow down your productivity. For example, your bottleneck might be slower typing speed or lack of technical knowledge. By identifying and eliminating bottlenecks you will become more productive. Learning to touch type quickly and seeking the help of a technical person are ways to eliminate the bottleneck examples mentioned above.

42. Willingness to experiment

There are many websites and blogs (including webspear.com) that teach you how to become a better blogger. Most of the materials in these websites are generic guidelines. They do not always apply to your blog. Effective bloggers are willing to experiment with new ideas and opportunities. Experimentation is the best way to find out what works for you and what does not work well.

43. Never treats the blog as a dumping ground

Your blog is not a dumping ground. Do not put any material in your blog unless you believe what you have written will add value to your readers. If you do not have faith in your own work, how can you expect your readers to appreciate your work?

44. Does not spend too much time on little things

Effective bloggers spend less time on little things and devote more time for things that really matter.

45. Revives posts

The life of a blog post does not end after being published. Good bloggers re-visit previous posts. They write follow up posts referring the original post, fix any errors found in the original post (without altering the core message of the post).

46. Not shy to ask questions

Effective bloggers never feel shy to ask questions. It is impossible for a blogger to know everything. Trying to pretend that you know everything might work in the short term, but in the long run your readers will notice your weakness. Asking questions is a great way to learn.

47. Transparent

Being transparent in what you do allows a blogger build trust with the readers. It is often a good idea to tell your readers about any conflicts of interest. For example, if you are promoting a product in your blog and you are getting a commission from the vendor, for each sale of that product, let your readers know about your relationship with the product vendor.

48. Has a sense of humor

One of the great qualities of an effective blogger is to look at things on a lighter side. Good bloggers do not get too serious or defensive about them all the time. They are open to criticism.

49. Problem Solver

Why do people read your blog? They read because they want to find solutions to issues. Your blog posts should provide solutions to real issues. Not a rehash of what has been said by many others in the past.

50. Articulate

An effective blogger has the ability to explain complex things in simple terms.

51. Tough enough to take the heat

As your blog matures you will face more scrutiny by your audience. You will come across both negative and positive criticism. An effective blogger is tough enough to face negative criticisms. This includes both honest and unfair criticisms.

52. Good note taker

A blogger’s job is not a 9 to 5 job. A blogger gets new ideas throughout the day. An effective blogger quickly writes down these ideas so that they do not slip away. A major complain among new bloggers is that they run out of ideas. By taking notes you can keep your ideas and imaginations intact.

53. Organized

In part 2 of this series we saw that effective bloggers have the ability to multitask. To multitask well one has to be organized.

54. Learns from Web Analytics

Web Analytics software such as Google Analytics show the behavior of your website users. This behavioral information provides valuable insight to your reader base allowing you to cater for their needs better.

55. Goes beyond Google

Good bloggers do not only depend on the internet as the only source of information. They learn by reading books, white papers, attending workshops and seminars, socializing with other bloggers etc.

56. Does not only stick to text

Traditionally blogging has been a writing task. Effective bloggers also use other medium such as video, audio and multimedia to present information.

57. Prevents information overload

Successful bloggers do not overload their readers with more information. Your blog readers are not only reading your blog. They might read a dozen blogs everyday. So if you write too much on a daily basis there is a good possibility that your reader would not have enough time to read your lengthy post. Large posts can drive visitors off your blog. Therefore it is important that you give readers the right amount of information they can digest on a daily basis.

58. Converts reader communications into to posts

Replying to user questions via emails is not an effective way to utilize your time. This is because your time is exclusively spent to help out one person. Why not try to change that question into a generic post. Many readers can now benefit from this post. This technique also avoids multiple users asking the same question again and again.

59. Promotes the blog offline

Effective bloggers not only promote their blog online but also promote it offline. Examples of promoting your blog offline include using business cards, writing a column in the local newspaper, word of mouth, attending blogger conferences etc.

60. Writes article excerpts

Writing article excerpts is a good way to provide a concise description about your post that grabs the reader’s attention in the first place. Excerpts are also useful when submitting your content to social media sites, as many of them require a short description about your content.

Part 4 of this article will be published in a weeks time. If you have any good points to share please comment. I’ll will try include your points in my list as well.

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