Finally The Condensed Version That Makes Sense...

You have to read this series running on Slate. It is called 'Blogging The Bible' and it is one of the best written blogs I have read in a long time. Now, that could be because it is authored by the self proclaimed genius author David Plotz, but let's not get hung up on details.

So this many part series is an amazing journey into rediscovering the bible and reading the passages that you never would have known existed. David, with his amazing ability to tell a tail with true wit and wisdom, gets into the stories about death and pillage. He reads about the despair, and he even relates some of Moses' people to the Mob. It is amazing writing and a great read when you want to step away from technology and/or political blogs.

Here is an excerpt from his initial blog…

For all you people like me, that have always been intrigued by what drives religion and want to better understand the history, David has given us the Woody Allen Cliff Notes version of the oldest and most popular book of all times.

I decided I would, for the first time as an adult, read the Bible. And I would blog about it as I went along. For the millions of Jews and Christians who know the Bible intimately, this may seem obscene:

Why should an ignoramus write about the stories and lessons that you know by heart and understand well? I don't intend any kind of insult. My goal is not to find contradictions, mock impossible events, or scoff at hypocrisy. Nor am I quite stupid enough to pretend that Judaism (or Christianity) is just the Bible.

So, what can I possibly do? My goal is pretty simple. I want to find out what happens when an ignorant person actually reads the book on which his religion is based.

Read the first story, "From Creation to the Flood." You will be hooked.

What every blog needs to be great...

Below is an interesting poll trying to measure what makes a blogger successful.   The breakdown is interesting: 

Which of these qualities is most important to a blog’s success?

The responses to this poll make a lot of sense from both a bloggers and readers perspective.   When looking at the blogs that have become the most successful (at least within their categories) they have build a unique personality and are relevant and interesting.   What drives people to come visit the blog?  Something that is unique, new, interesting, fresh...   What has them come back to the blog?  They find the information to speak to them and connect with them.   What encourages readers to engage on the site or share the content on the site?  The blogger encourages the visitors to share and develops a 'virtual relationship' with their visitors.   All of these attributes are building blocks to what I believe you could call a 'Distinctive or Fresh Voice' in the category.

If you were to untangle the definition of a distinctive voice you would probably find it is actually a composite value of the niche or area of focus and the ability to have unique and not regurgitated content.    I really believe that a distinctive voice is a composite value metric that includes many of the other measures  for success for bloggers.   These metrics include focus or relevancy (unique niche), compelling/interesting (compelling exclusive content), active voice (multiple channels such as social media, search, etc...), and of course the byproduct of this is the ability for the blogger to build their own brand via personalities or larger brands/marketers.

The only driver to success that I think is missing is past success (could be also known as luck, tenure, or personal brand).  I know this is self-fulfilling, but blogs that have built an audience and following in their categories are much more likely to grow and continue their success than a site that has not had success in the past and is trying to drive past the threshold to reach a continued success mark.  I know this is a convoluted concept, but due to the social nature of blogs it is clear that the blogs that have a following (the A-blogs) are in a much better spot for future success no matter what other components are at play. 

I think the poll is really interesting and telling.   I am glad you do these polls and hope you continue to ask these questions of bloggers and marketers.   Love your site.  You have all of the pieces needed to be successful.  

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What every blog needs to be great

SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social-media practices and issues.


Last week’s poll question: Which of these qualities is most important to a blog’s success?

• A distinctive voice –  43.41%
• Compelling exclusive content — 35.66%
• A unique niche – 11.63%
• Strong promotion via social-media channels — 5.04%
• Excellent SEO — 2.71%
• Connections to famous brands, personalities — 1.55%

The results of this week’s poll took me a little bit by surprise. Given that this question was answered by 295 SmartBrief on Social Media readers, I would have guessed that most people would have favored the niche answer. After all, social media is about building community, and communities thrive in niche environments. Think about your favorite blogs for a second. I’m wiling to bet most of them cater to a pretty specific audience. Niche blogs are lean, focused and easy to pitch to their intended audiences.


But then again, the question was, “Which of these qualities is most important to a blog’s success?” And a solid 43% of you say it all about the voice. I can see why so many people feel it’s so important for a blog’s success. It creates a cohesive feel and a sense that you really know this person. It makes that online connection feel that much more real.


But voice is a tricky thing for a writer. It can be a calling card or a fatal flaw that one refuses to correct in the name of style. For some very distinctive writers, the same characteristics that attract some readers may repel others. It takes time and a lot of practice to develop a voice that really clicks. The good news is, if you’re a regular blogger, you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to practice. If you’re diligent and thoughtful about your writing, developing a voice is something anyone can pull off.


In fact, all of the most popular options are things I feel comfortable saying most people could achieve, given a little inspiration and a healthy work ethic. The most specialized attributes — self-promotion, SEO and access to big names — garnered less than 10% of the vote. SmartBrief on Social Media readers clearly feel that blog success is all about the content, and I have to agree. If you can take care of your voice, your niche and your content, the rest should be easy.


What defines a great blogging voice? Who are some bloggers whose voice you admire?

New Study - The State of the Blogosphere

Another interesting report out from eMarketer this week for your pile of things to read this weekend. I do think the increased number of reports that we are seeing that are relevant to our business model does speak to the fact that we are in the right space.

This is an updated study that looks at the size of blogs, trends in personal publishing and how it fits into social networking.

I found a few interesting points that really hit home:

• 112MM users read blogs in the US today (about 50% of the total audience)
• Estimates increase blog readership to 60% by 2014
• 26MM people blog (have an active blog) - note we believe there are over 100MM blogs online today, though most are inactive or have no traffic
• Blogging is up overall, though younger segments are less likely to blog now there are social networking platform
• The shift in younger audience is not really a loss of blogging, it is more technology coming in to solve a problem that was being temporarily solved via a blogging platform
• In 2009, of the 'US Social Media Users', over 85% used Facebook, 46% used MySpace (down about 35% versus 2009), and 15% blogged
• Rates of blog reading will rise through 2014. The increases will be driven by a confluence between blogs and traditional media and by growing use of corporate blogs.
• Social media will steer traffic to blog sites. However, this will be a double-edged sword, as social venues also inhibit blogging by providing users with powerful platforms of self-expression.
• Blogging platform Typepad estimated that including a Facebook “like” widget to a blog sidebar resulted in a 50% increase in traffic from Facebook to that blog.
• Adding the Facebook widget to blog post footers resulted in a 200% traffic increase.

Understanding the Blogosphere

Now or Never

Okay, I have not been around for awhile, I have been pretty busy. That being said, I need to get back to my life and focus on being involved in more than just online advertising and marketing. Though I enjoy it, I am going to also focus on other areas of the internet, since I think I am starting to sleep, dream and eat online ads.

That being said, I have a family, I still have interest in local politics, movies, photography, football, food, traveling, etc... So I am going to try and incorporate into ColdKiwi blog the stories and experience I have in the next phase of my life, which I will start as of NOW.

As always, I hope this is a place where Dryver & Stryde, and their children and grandchildren can go and read about what I was doing all those days I was on the road or at work late nights.

I am sure this blog will be pretty mundane at times, though I will try and make it as interesting as possible, but you can't blame me if it is boring, that's life.

A Blog To Read...

You gotta check out this new blog that is being authored by a friend of ours that lives in Chicago. His name is Phil Handler and is a really great guy. I used to love going out and getting some drinks with him as he is the type of guy that is always happy and in a great mood.

The guy has a charmed life; he worked for the Chicago Bears for many years, practiced law with a degree from UofI, and has been having a great time being ‘Phil’. The downside is he was born with Type One Diabetes and has been struggling with this disease for his whole life. All the shots and drugs and special diets, all have become a part of Phil’s lifestyle.

There is one really scary part of being afflicted with Type One; it all has to do with the fact that you have to actively manage your blood sugars. It isn’t as simple as just testing every 12 hours and drinking some juice. People afflicted with Diabetes Type One are in a constant state of management and as they get older, are walking on a ledge.

Phil tells an amazing story about how one day his blood sugars got so low that he blacked out and ended up on a corner in San Francisco, without any remembrance of the past 45 minutes or so.
To combat the sudden and unexpected onset of an attack, there are some great organizations out there that will provide you with a dog. The dog is specially trained to identify the early onset of an attack. The dog can smell/sense when the blood sugars are getting to a point of risk and when action needs to be taken.

Phil has qualified to purchase one of these dogs. He is in the camp now and will leave with a new best friend, which will not only be a great pet, but a lifesaver one day.

Phil is writing about his experience on his newly established blog, known as ‘The Handler.’ It is a great read and a great tale of this journey he is undertaking. I strongly recommend the blog if you want to keep track of an interesting story in someone’s life.

Last Night Was Fun!

Last night we all attended the TC Williams Scholarship Gala. It is a great night that happens every spring in Alexandria where all the who’s who in the town come out to celebrate a great cause.

The mission of The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, through its relationships within the community, is to encourage and assist the students of the Alexandria City Public Schools by providing them with the necessary resources to pursue a college or post- secondary education.

The fund was set up years ago to ensure that TC Willams grads had access to funds for college and universities. There are many programs that are provided to these aspiring public school students. All Scholarship Fund of Alexandria awards are based on student merit - academic, attendance, community service, leadership, special talent or skills, participation in school and community activities and work experience.

We had a great time and saw a lot of people from the community we knew, and or were interested in meeting.

This evening reminded me of a few things and made me think. First of all, it reminded me how important the school system and the schools are to the community. You could see this in the many TC Williams Grads that were active members of the community.

The second, and less important, was more than a few people asked me why I had stopped updating my blog. They all claimed that they really enjoyed reading it and were disappointed that I had stopped.

So I have decided to dedicate some money to the Scholarship, as it is a really good cause. And then I have decided to start updating my blog again. I love to keep it updated for many reasons I have noted in the past, but the feedback I received last night was such that it did make me realize there is more to it than just me keeping my mind busy.

I look forward to posting my experiences over the past few months. I have had some interesting changes and/or experiences and I plan on sharing a few of them, even if they aren’t as exciting as the Scholarship Gala was.