What I have trouble with is the fact that when I sign on to Ping, I can’t find more than twenty people using the site. Those that I did find were all in the music biz. What gives?

When you first log on, Ping has a Facebook appearance but once you start mucking around it’s not very user friendly. For the network to have any meaning, you have to have followers and followees but short of searching the name of everyone I know, there’s no way to find people you want to connect with. I understand that Ping was planning on having a Facebook connect option but Facebook did an about-face before launch.

On a purely visual level, the Ping window doesn’t fit on my screen, even after I resize the sidebar as far as it will go. The far right, which is where the tools are, is cut off unless I scroll over and that’s just not going to happen. I’m not missing anything important, but it’s annoying.

What’s even more annoying is the fact that Ping is part of iTunes, not the web. I don’t open iTunes every day, and I guess, that’s behavior Apple wants to change. Still, there’s no doubt that I would “Ping” more often if I could do it from the web.

The biggest problem is you can’t DO anything other than promote sales. Now, here’s where I tread lightly, because this is a blog for marketers. As I moved around the site, I found that all of the status updates were notations of cds bought or reviews, both of which came with a prominent buy this button next to the CD graphic. Most lines had little or no additional information so it was like looking at someone’s wish list or shopping cart.

I understand that artists can add other updates to their pages, but the average user can’t. Where’s the “social” in this social media site? I assumed I’d be able to leave comments about my favorite artists, click on a song to “like” it, and easily locate other fans of the same song so we can connect. If that functionality is there then it’s well hidden.

And who decided to call it Ping? That’s not a sound I associate with music. Why not Sing or Zing?

I wish I had come in here to say what a great new marketing space Ping is for anyone in the music industry but right now, not so much. Will that change in the near future? I think it will.  Fortune has a great article with their thoughts on how Ping can be saved and it includes links to some of the best rants written so far. If Apple listens to what’s being said and makes some major changes in the next month, then marketers might hear ka-ching instead of feeling the sting when they join up with Ping.

While Darren and his family are on a well-deserved holiday, he has lined up enough pre-written content and guest posts to keep ProBlogger readers supplied with plenty of quality reading in his absence. So it makes sense that, this week, we’ll be focusing on the art of the guest post. The most important thing to remember is that guest posts are a win-win situation for the host blog and guest blogger. Keeping that in mind as you send pitches (or review incoming pitches) will take you far.

Regator has, as always, provided a list of the ten most blogged-about stories of the last seven days, and we’ll use posts about those hot trends to learn about what makes a great guest post:

1. Iraq
Example: A Traveler’s Library’s “Baghdad in War Time”
Lesson: Have a strong understanding of the blog you want to write for. What topics are covered? Who is the audience? What tone is used? Preferably, you’ll pitch your idea to a blog you read regularly, but even if you’re trying to expand your niche by writing for a blog that is new to you, take time to skim posts dating back two to three months to ensure that your ideas are in line with the blogger’s vision. Pitching an idea or post that is not in keeping with the blog you’re targeting shows a lack of respect for the host blogger’s time. In this example, the guest poster has a history of writing about topics from health and science to environmental news, but this post shows a clear understanding of the tone, theme, and audience of the host blog.

2. Emmy Awards
Example: Plus Size Plum’s “Plus Size Beauty Goes to the Emmys”
Lesson: There are several reasons you might solicit guest posts for your blog: They provide fresh voices and content, allow you to take breaks without leaving your readers hanging, and as this post demonstrates, guest posts can be used to provide a unique point of view. This guest poster wrote about the Emmy Awards from the perspective of an attendee whose spouse was nominated for an Emmy—a vantage point that few, including the host blogger, would have been able to provide.

3. Glenn Beck
Example: Religion in American History’s “Beck Plays Prophet”
Lesson: As a general rule, bloggers do not want recycled content. When you pitch a post or idea, it should be something that has not been published on your blog or any other blog. But as this example demonstrates, there are times when a blog sees fit to use a guest post that has already appeared elsewhere. The important thing is to be honest and up front about the post’s history. Unless you explicitly state that a post has run elsewhere, most host bloggers will assume you are delivering original content.

4. Apple TV/iPod Touch/Ping [It was such an Apple-heavy week, that I’m combining the three so that they don’t take over the trends list. Apple fever is an epidemic.]
Example: Silicon Alley Insider’s “Apple Just Killed MySpace Even More Dead”
Lesson: When relevant and appropriate, link to other posts on the host blog. It’s good for their SEO, it shows the blogger that you are keeping up with the blog, and it’s helpful for readers.

5. Hurricane
Example: Sociological Images’ “Racial Violence in the Aftermath of Katrina”
Lesson: Don’t save your best material for your own blog. Put your all into every guest post. After all, the key word is “guest.” When you’re in your own home, it’s fine to put your feet up on the coffee table if you want, but when you’re a guest in someone else’s home, you should be on your best behaviour and respect the rules of their home.

6. Paris Hilton
Example: Clusterstock’s “Senators Are Pushing To Cut Taxes For Paris Hilton”
Lesson: Once your post is published, your work is not finished. You’ve got two more jobs: 1. Assist with promotion. Share the link so the host blogger receives new visitors from your network. Remember the win-win rule. 2. Check back to answer questions and follow up on comments. This example received several negative comments but when the guest poster didn’t return to address them, they got out of hand. It’s the internet, once the negativity starts, it has a bad habit of snowballing. A simple reply can show that you’re engaged and open to discussion.

7. Afghanistan
Example: The Best Defense’s “How to get kicked out of Afghanistan without really trying — too hard”
Lesson: Before pitching a post or idea, ask yourself what you’re offering and how you’re adding to the blog. You should, as always, be solving a problem or providing a solution with your post. This post by a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve offers an insider’s perspective.

8. Ground Zero Mosque
Example: Pagan + Politics’ “Guest Post: Islamophobia”
Lesson: Include a brief bio with your post. If the host blogger wants to write his or her own intro for you, as has been done with this example, he or she will do so, but a brief, well-written bio provided by you may save time on the blogger’s end and will give readers an idea of your expertise and background.

9. Discovery Channel
Example: Watts Up With That?’s “Stop the Hysteria”
Lesson: Stirring controversy in a guest post is risky business, particularly if the host blogger disagrees or the comments get out of hand. As Chris Garrett said in a ProBlogger guest post from 2008: “If you are going to be snarky, damage your own brand.” This example, however, is opinionated but clearly backs up the host blogger’s opinion. You’ll need a pretty good sense of his or her ideologies before you can do that though, so understand where you stand before you take the plunge. As always, be sure to take the blog’s tone into account. Darren has fostered a positive, helpful vibe here on ProBlogger so my posts are still very “me,” but tend to be a bit less snarky and opinionated than posts I might do elsewhere.

10. Oil Spill
Example: Naked Capitalism’s “Guest Post: Scientists Say Dispersants May Delay Recovery of the Gulf By Years … Or Decades”
Lesson: In addition to building your reputation and expanding your audience, getting backlinks is one of the main reasons many choose to guest post. This example shows subtle promotion. Don’t go overboard and make the entire guest post about you and your brand. It’s content, not an ad.

Do you accept guest posts? What advice would you give those who wanted to guest on your blog?

For further reading on ProBlogger, check out:

• “How to Guest Post to Promote Your Blog”
• “How to Maximize the Benefits of Guest Posting”
• “Finding New Readers for Your Blog With Guest Posting”
• “9 Ways to Become and Exceptional Guest Poster”
• “How to Use Guest Blogging to Grow Your Blog Exponentially”
• “How NOT To Get A Guest Post Published On A Blog”

Kimberly Turner is a cofounder of Regator.com and Regator for iPhone as well as an award-winning print journalist. You can find her on Twitter @kimber_regator.

This Post is from: ProBlogger Blog Tips.

Blogosphere Trends + Guest Posting

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While visiting my new niece in the hospital on Wednesday, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing amount of potential that lay before her. She has a whole world of experiences to explore for the first time. Her first song to sing. Her first taste of ice cream. Her first book. Her first blog post and even her first tweet. Because of her inexperience she will approach each one of these activities with an open mind and develop a truly unique perspective as a result. Because of this, she has an inherent advantage that others older than her don’t. She has a Beginner’s Mind.

In Zen Buddhism the beginner’s mind is an attitude of openness and lack of preconceptions. Many Zen masters try to establish a beginner’s mind in everything they do. Approaching a task as “a student” each time guarantees that you learn something new every time.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few. “ Shunryu Suzuki

Last week Digg relaunched their site with a dramatic new interface and system. As a result, many of the long-time users have reacted in anger over the changes. So much so that we have seen site wide support for Digg’s main competitor reddit.

While many reacted with disdain to changes to a network that they are used to, I actually have enjoyed and found value in the new Digg. I like the ability to customize my experience by following others. I like the fact that I can add RSS feeds directly into the system. I think both moves will make it easier for me to engage with the folks I am interested in and them engage with me. I can see where many of the complaints are valid, I just don’t see them affecting me that much.

I think I like the new Digg mostly because by and large I am a Digg newbie! I have had a Digg account for quite some time, but I have never really invested much time into learning how the system works, and how to leverage it as a marketing channel. Because of this I am approaching the new Digg with a beginners mind. I can see the value in the new changes, mostly because I don’t know any better!

About a week after Digg announced its new changes, Sphinn announced some new changes of their own. For those of you that don’t know, Sphinn, was founded as an alternative to Digg for Internet marketers. Just like many of the old time Digg users, I found a lot wrong with the changes at Sphinn. Now that I look back at the situation I can see that my inability to accept the new Sphinn is a direct result of not having a beginner’s mind. Therefore, I am going to try and find value in the new Sphinn by approaching it in a whole new light. I am going to try to have a beginner’s mind.

Having a beginner’s mind is very important when working on the Internet. Everyday, something changes online. Whether it be the way networks connect to users, or the absence of vital data that we rely on, things are always changing. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and continue to evolve with the technology, you must adopt a beginner’s mind!

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eMarketer has a nifty new report called, “Online Holiday Shopping Preview: What Retailers Need to Know,” that can help, but here are a few of the basics. 42.7% of the people surveyed said they would only buy gifts that were on sale and 36% said they’d be doing more comparison shopping before forking over the cash.

In the past, Thanksgiving was the traditional start of the holiday buying season and most retailers kicked it off with a huge Black Friday sale. The upswing in online shopping led to the creation of the Cyber-Monday sale a the start of the week after Thanksgiving, but Fiona Dias of GSI Commerce told eMarketer that most consumers aren’t going to wait that long for a deal.

“For the holiday season, the earliest retailers start to make noise around Halloween. So by the time Black Friday comes around, the most savvy shoppers have already taken advantage of Black Friday–like prices and Cyber Monday–like prices a good month ahead of time.”

Dias also likes Twitter as a means of driving business this season as it allows retailers the opportunity to constantly put their name in front of customers with flash sales, gift ideas and answers to questions. As we’ve seen in the past, a good deal on Twitter can go viral in minutes which leads to another warning by eMarketer’s Jeffrey Grau who wrote the report. Now is the time to test your website checking for the ability to handle large amounts of traffic, looking at SEO strategies and just making sure that your shopping cart works. Even for a great deal, consumers won’t keep trying if a site doesn’t work the first time or two.

Experts are also saying this is the year that mobile shopping really comes into play. Brian Murphy, who handle New York-based mobile advertising sales at Google, told Mobile Commerce Daily that Sears sold two $300,000 tractors through their mobile site last year;

“If somebody’s going to buy a $300,000 tractor from a mobile phone, something unexpected is going to happen. We’re going to read an article from a major bricks-and-mortar retailer about how they sold a line of products through mobile that you never thought anyone would buy through mobile.”

The key says Murphy, is delivering information not advertising. He points to a program by Panasonic that offered a branded guide to buying a flat screen TV. Consumers could download the guide to their phone and use it while they were at the store to compare features.

Panelists at a recent holiday focused, Mobile Marketing Summit agreed that businesses need to step up and embrace mobile sales opportunities. And that these mobile sales effort must end with the ability to actually purchase an item from a phone. They felt that anxiety over the security of mobile payments was overstated and that new technology made mobile payment as secure as payments done over the web.

The message here is that retailers are going to have to be more creative when it comes to wooing customers. The urgency and viral nature of flash sales, the convenience of mobile, making the shopping experience as fun and error-free as possible – these are the keys to seeing green instead of red this holiday season.

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