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Bloggers Boot Camp, 2nd Edition

Bloggers Boot Camp, 2nd Edition

by John Biggs, Charlie White
Publisher: Focal Press
Release Date: April 2014
ISBN: 9780415737142
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Book Description

Anyone can build a blog. It’s quite easy. The difficult part is keeping it relevant, technically sound, and popular. Bloggers Boot Camp shows you how to blog for success. It teaches you how to find a niche, find your unique voice, and how to hold a conversation with an audience. It provides information on all the right tools for the blog, and it offers best ways to promote your blog and content for maximum success and a profitable life.

 Though rules in creating compelling content haven’t really changed, ways in which the world blogs has since the last edition. The authors have learned a lot about social media since writing the previous edition’s manuscript. They understand and know how social media can make or break a blog. Microblogging is a new trend brought on by the wide utilization of social media. To that same end, networking with other bloggers and content creators on the web is another form of building one’s blog and one’s reputation as a writer.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. 1 The Niche
    1. What’s Your Name, Private?
    2. What the Heck Is Blogging?
    3. What Is a Blogger?
    4. The Four Questions
    5. The Two Rules
  9. 2 Getting Started
    1. Basic HTML for Bloggers
    2. CSS and the Single Blogger
    3. Pick a Domain
    4. Ready-Made Platforms
    5. How Do I Pick a Platform?
    6. Should You Hire a Web Designer?
    7. Running Your Own Server
    8. Tools of the Trade
  10. 3 Target Practice
    1. Enhance Your Writing by Reading
    2. Writing
    3. The 1,000 Words Rule
    4. The Bloggers Survival Kit: Essential Skills for Getting through the Day
    5. Blog Photography Tips
    6. Videography
  11. 4 Hello, World
    1. Introducing Yourself
    2. Producing Intro Posts
    3. Writing Your Contact Page
    4. Building a Social Media Presence
  12. 5 What to Write About
    1. Old and New
    2. Need to Know
    3. How to Decide What Matters to Your Readers
    4. Finding News
    5. RSS
    6. How to Select Sites for RSS
    7. Building Your RSS Feed
    8. Twitter
    9. LinkedIn
    10. Aggregators Such as Google News
    11. Google Trends
    12. More Sources: Press Releases from PR People
    13. Conferences/Trade Shows
    14. Dinners and Events
    15. Tipsters
    16. Dealing with PR People
    17. Review Units
    18. Is It Worth It to Review?
    19. How to Snag Review Units
    20. Review It or Not—Pan It or Skip It?
    21. Should I Return Review Units?
    22. Further News Gathering
    23. Ten Questions to Ask before Posting
  13. 6 How to Write a Blog Post
    1. When Should You Post?
    2. Deadly Headline Kills 200,000 Innocent Readers
    3. To Capitalize or Not to Capitalize
    4. Use Perfect Grammar or Your Credibility Is Shot
    5. Top Fifty Grammar, Usage, and Style Goofs
    6. Blogging Traps
    7. Types of Posts
    8. Battles
    9. Graphics and How to Use Them
    10. Snark and the Single Blogger
    11. Post Length
    12. Being a Better Blogger
  14. 7 Mob Rule, Inciting a Riot, and Freedom of Speech
    1. Gizmodo’s Commenting Evolution: A Case Study
    2. You’re in Control
    3. Dealing with the Angry Mob
    4. Understanding Spam
    5. Rewarding Loyal Fans
  15. 8 Building Traffic, Making Money, and Measuring Success
    1. SEO for Bloggers
    2. Off-Page
    3. The SEO Bottom Line
    4. Social Media
    5. Social Media Tips
    6. Contests
    7. Promote!
    8. Measuring Success
    9. How to Make Money
  16. 9 Ethics Problems and How to Solve Them
    1. Libel and Slander
    2. Shield Law
    3. Mr(s). Cellophane
    4. Junket Junkies
    5. Free Stuff
    6. Caught in a Trap
    7. Leaks and Trust
    8. Stand Up Straight, Private
  17. 10 Expanding Your Blogging Horizons
    1. The Job Hunt
    2. Follow Your Own Dreams
    3. Get Rich Quick?
  18. 11 Building an Empire
    1. Knowing When to Call in Reserves
    2. How to Be a Blogger Boss
    3. How to Find Bloggers
    4. Keeping Connected
    5. Firing
    6. Paying Bloggers
    7. Group Blogging Workflow
    8. Story Tips via Email
    9. Communicate!
    10. Joining a Blogging Team
    11. Be Careful What You Wish For
  19. Appendix: Tips and Tricks of the Trade
  20. Index