Maureen Alley's Blog

A few years ago I started a blog to learn WordPress. I come from the philosophy that if I want to learn something new, I need to use it, play around with it, and then come to the conclusion if it’s appropriate for business and how to use it correctly. This is why I started Twitter, BrazenCareerist, and so on. Basically if there is a new tool out there, I’m going to jump on it and learn how it works. This is the only way you can have an educated judgment on a tool. I’m amazed at how many editors/writers/journalists don’t blog or use Twitter. How can you expect your publication or readers to operate one of these tools if you don’t know how to use it yourself?

Because I’ve used WordPress for years, I know it inside and out. I know about the plugins, templates, community, etc. And also because I’ve used WordPress, I know how to set up analytics and read them. I know how to set up Feedburner and how it’s used. I know how to make my posts viral, and how to track them. This is all because I started a blog.

Now that I’m back at Residential Design & Build, my first objective was to update the blog. It was using the one of the first WordPress versions/templates and looked so outdated. We updated it to look fresh and modern. I added share buttons to make the site viral, and I make sure to tweet out every post. I’ve also asked for analytics on the blog, and I take a close look at that information. I know where my blog readers are coming from, what topics they are reading more than others. All because I operate my own blog.

I think all publishing companies should encourage their writers/editors/journalists to operate a blog. This creates a much more educated group of people using the web tools for publications. If companies expect journalists to move their publications forward, then they need to employ journalists who understand these tools. Old school journalists need to learn them or move aside and let younger journalists take charge.

During my five years in business-to-business trade, I’ve learned a great deal about niche marketing and writing. I’ve also learned a great deal about magazine production. Additionally, I’ve learned I have a huge passion for these. But one thing that surprised me about this industry is the struggle editors and publishers have with social media and new media in general.

I’ve always been excited about new media. Maybe this comes from my age, or maybe from the fact that I’ve been surrounded by computers my whole life (my dad is a computer guy) — but nevertheless, I have always looked at the computer as advantage, not disadvantage. And this is where I drift from the traditional B2B world. My ideas are different, and those who’ve been in B2B for a while don’t tend to agree with me or see what I see.

There’s no arguing that B2B is struggling to find its footing between loss of ads and growing reliance on the Web for users. I don’t think it’s as difficult as some think. The first step is being open-minded and realizing that past models are outdated. We must change the way we operate to succeed. I truly believe B2B has the most advantage of all media to succeed with the different platforms available. However, to do that, things need to change. Below are a few tips for B2B editors to guarantee you’re getting the most out of social media and online.

• Get on LinkedIn and make sure your profile is up-to-date and active. Only have connections on LinkedIn that you can vouch for — quality vs. quantity.

• Start reading RSS feeds. RSS provides a more efficient way of reading more content faster.
• Get on Twitter and use your name as your handle. Too many editors think you need a personal Twitter as well as a separate professional one. This is a huge mistake. Make yourself a brand — and your brand will enhance your magazine’s brand.
• Create your own website or blog. Again, use your name if possible as your domain name for branding purposes. Then use your website or blog to showcase your knowledge making yourself an expert in whatever you’re an expert in.
• Stay up to date on the latest technology and try it out. Most of them are free, so why not? Example: I just signed up for FriendFeed because it was being talked about so much online and I didn’t know what it was. Surprise — I like it better than Twitter!
• Participate in conversations online. Use Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, LinkedIn — and any other social platform to make connections.
• Don’t limit your connections to those in your industry. Read blogs and tweets from technology insiders so you stay up to date on the newest tools.
• Despite my annoyance that Google has such a large market share (73 percent), it offers good tools. Use them!
  • Google Docs allows multiple people to collaborate, edit, share information on spreadsheets and other documents. This is huge for efficiency and communication.
  • Google Groups allows you to collaborate with others in a forum-like fashion.

Create your Google profile to guarantee your owning your brand. Even if you only set it up with the basic information, you still own it.

• Write blog posts on your magazine’s website at least three times a day.
  • Readers like new content. If you’re constantly putting new information up, they will come back.
  • Search engines like new content, so make sure you give it to them.
  • Market these new posts on all your social platforms such as Twitter.
  • Make sure these posts are of the highest quality (relevant information, written professionally, no spelling or grammatical errors).

These are just a handful of ideas that you should be doing at a minimum. Once you get this far, you’ll have your own ideas on how to keep moving forward. It’s just getting to this point that’s been a struggle for so many. Good luck!

To be successful online, branding and self-promotion is a must. But for most editor and writer types, this involves pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. It’s not news that most editors and writers are typically introverted or at least behind-the-scenes kind of people. We are different than our sales counterparts. So how do we balance the uncomfortable feelings of putting ourselves out there and being successful?

I admit, I always second guess what I write when I know the content I’m writing has the possibility of being viewed by anyone who access to the Internet. I stagger over the “publish” button before executing. Here are a few steps to keep in mind when moving around the online landscape.

Step one: Write about topics you know. Being confident in the topic you’re writing about will make you more comfortable knowing other people are reading what you’re writing. And if you write about things that you aren’t confident of, say it. Generally people like when they can relate to other people. We all have insecurities, so owning up to them isn’t a crash course to failure.

Step two: Accept that you won’t please every person who reads your content. Just as when you’re writing an article in a magazine, you will never meet everyone’s expectations. We all see everything through our own prisms and experiences. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean your point of view doesn’t have value.

Step three: What is important to you? Do you want to become a name brand in your industry or stay unknown? If putting yourself out there is too much for you to handle, then staying unknown is your path. There is nothing wrong with this, but accept that you will never be known in your industry.

Step four: You are an expert in something – determine what it is and go for it. It’s easy to think that everyone knows more than we do when we read all the blog posts throughout the Web. The saying we were taught in school, “ask a question because it’s likely someone else has the same question,” applies here. It’s impossible for everyone to know everything. We’re all at different learning stages, so it’s most likely that you’ll help someone else with your advice.

Step five: Rely on each other. Read fellow editors’ and writers’ posts. Reading what they have to say not only makes you more educated and aware, it also shows you that other editors/writers are out there.