How to Use Hootsuite to Increase Your Productivity

I am always asked by people how I can be on Facebook and Twitter every waking hour, trawl through my various daily blog RSS feeds and yet still manage to get my work done. I don’t keep it a secret: I use a social management platform to aggregate all my feeds into one easy to manage App that’s available on the web, on my phone and on my tablet. It’s called Hootsuite and it’s been a godsend to keep me updated while not taking up too much of my time.

The Hootsuite dashboard allows you to have up to 5 profiles linked to the App in the free version. If your using anything to manage more than 5 accounts your probably willing to shell out the $9.99 a month for the privilege.

What Social Networks does Hootsuite Support?

The Hootsuite app supports the usual Twitter and Facebook but it’s also works with a bunch of the other big named Social Networks and even a few other platforms too like WordPress and Foursquare. Here’s the full list of profile types it supports right out-of-the-box.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Google+ Pages
• MySpace
• Foursquare
• WordPress
• Mixi

Click to read more ...

How to Direct Traffic to your Blog

This post was originally posted on BlogPressive.com for Impressive Blogging - http://www.blogpressive.com/2010/08/27/how-to-direct-traffic-to-your-blog/

I've always wanted a website that has grew and grew, and I've always wanted to give tips to others withsmaller blogs on how to make a success of traffic building. Since I started blogging in 2008, only 2 years ago, I feel as though I may not have made a huge success on those 'famous' names such as Lisa with 2CreateAWebsite or Rob with RobsWebTips but I feel as though right now, I have made enough traffic come to my site, and it'll keep growing but it's about time I shall share my tips on how to direct traffic and also target traffic to your blog.

Discussion Boards, Forums and Signatures

When I joined Host Gator to host my personal blog, JonnyRowntree.com, I didn't take much notice of how much the company helps out their customers reach maximum potential on the web. Yes, I've been with different hosts such as GoDaddy with the Hosting Connection and Squarespace with the Developer Forums, but there has never been a web host where I have been comfortable making posts with suggestions on how the host should grow, considering they may already be enough static websites and blogs on their servers. I do however communicate with the Hostgator (or sometimes I call them Gator) community and submit ideas about blogging packages and ask for feedback and information to others who use a package that is new to me. Now, discussion boards and forums are key to maximizing traffic to your blog or website. The past couple of the weeks I have been posting on the Hostgator forums, I must have received about 20 to 30 referrals per couple of days and on Wednesday, I made double the amount of traffic when I relaunched my website. Now, not only does posting on discussion boards and forums help you communicate with others who are interested in the same topics your website talks about but they are obversely interested in web hosting and website development, another reason you should find forums useful.

Social Media and Twitter Hashtags

Target traffic using social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Myspace because who doesn't use any of those sites at this moment in time? Make your readers stay connected to your blog using those sites, implement share buttons on your posts to enable sharing to these networks and you're going in for the kill. Now, how about targeting those readers? Well, on Twitter you can use #hashtags, which work with the search function and funnily enough, tweeters watch them for new posts and before you know it, you're targeting them. Of course, its different on Facebook as you can join pages that contain a discussion board and talk about the same topics you talk about on your blog. Overall, social media is sometimes off at targeting traffic in my opinion.

You can find our Twitter #hashtag, which is #BlogPressive.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is great for connecting with new readers on different blog and forwarding them to your blog. Not only are you reading this on BlogPressive, but you may also be reading this on TekSocial (hello!) too! Allowing guest posters on your blog is a great way of directing traffic as now only are you sharing about your latest post but the guest poster is sharing about their latest post, making your traffic go through the roof and you're collecting more followers. For instance, I'm a guest poster on TekSocial and soon TutorialZip so I'll be targeting 3 audiences, my own environment and 2 out in the wild! I also accept guest bloggers on BlogPressive, like Jack Kirk who joined us yesterday for a Hostgator review.

Comment Discussion

How do you target traffic and visitors? Are there any tips you can leave us or others that are really helpful? Leave a comment below.

Blogging is back!

Blogging is back!, of course twitter is still very popular but more and more people have started blogging or starting there own website. Seeing as the price of hosting your own site has come down and there are many free sites that you can start a blog on such as blogger, wordpress etc. I think why blogging has become more and more popular is because people are starting to want to express there own opinion on things, whether it be tech, software, politics or almost anything people want to get there opinion out there. or maybe people just want to inform people or show people there hobbies e.g cooking, tech, reading etc etc.
Its the same as podcasting more and more people are starting there own podcasts again to spread there opinion and inform about anything. Also blogs and podcasts can be done from a bedroom to a full blown studio but its the content that matters.

(i first post this post on my site here www.munchtech.co.uk) 

Yahoo is to close GeoCities

The search engine, Yahoo is to close GeoCities. GeoCities have been around for a while, but now that popular blogging services like Wordpress and Tumblr, along with free site builders such as  and Edicy are now so popular, Yahoo is not accepting any more of their member database to create a website/portfolio on GeoCities.

I think now is the time for social blogging and building online portfolios using other free popular websites

Jonny

My Blog

Opitions for Blogging

Blogging is seen as the most common thing on the internet today. Blogs can range from personal to news, and can range in categories. But, what if you want to start your own blog, and don't know where to begin. Well, as a blogger myself, I have 2 choices for you.

Wordpress is commonly seen on the internet, and it is used mostly for its ease of use, and it's huge range of plugins and themes, which allow you to control and design how your blog performs to your internet audience. Wordpress 2.8 was released last week. See the video below to see if Wordpress would help you start your blog.

Squarespace is another option, and if you are a social blogger with thecreativeone.tv, you are already using it! Squarespace makes it very easy, not only to make blogs, but a full website. The best thing about Squarespace is that you don't even need to know html or css, which many people can be scared of. If you start with Squarespace, thecreativeone.tv can offer you a lifetime discount on your account, after you have finished your 14 day free trial. Watch this promotional video to see if Squarespace better suits you!

Already have a Squarespace account and your 14 day trial is almost up? Just use the promo code 'thecreativeone' at checkout to receive a 10% discount on the life of your account!