Posts Tagged ‘blogging’

5 steps for guest bloggers

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

Every now and then, someone notices how passionate you are about your topic, and asks you to submit a guest post to their blog.

You graciously accept.  After all, there’s nothing you love better than sharing your passion with others.  But what is the best way to structure a blog post?

1. Start with the Problem: For example, in this post, the problem is that it’s hard to write a guest post.

2. Dwell on the Consequence: If you don’t, you won’t be able to share what you are passionate about as clearly.

3. Find the Turning Point: What does it take to turn the problem around?  You know what to do.  You’ve lived it.

4. Share the Vision: Here you create the possibilities you have been imagining, so that others can see what you see.

5. Reap the Reward: Wrap your post with something that gives readers a reason to dream.

Be a proper guest.  Apply the 5-point structure to your topic, and you will make an imprint on the world.

That’s all we ask.

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Posted in Business, Writing | 5 Comments »

Robroy’s writing roost

Friday, November 19th, 2010

All my life, from the top bunk to the treetops to the roof of my 4-story college dorm, I’ve always tried to get as far off the ground as possible.  Not sure why.  Reaching new heights has been even more important to me as a writer.  So, when it became time for Robroy to find new headquarters, I started thinking big.

Several business friends offered to share their offices with me, but I wanted a place that was distinctly my own.  A place from which I could write my powerful, positive stories about living and working in Baltimore.  A symbolic place.  A magical place.  And most of all, a tall place.

On a whim, I decided to apply to the Bromo Seltzer Tower.

“I thought they only accepted artists,” you say.  That’s what I thought too.  And like you, I wasn’t convinced I qualified.  Sure, Robroy’s business stories borrow a few literary elements.  They have plot, character, scene and story structure.  They sell.  But are they art?

I knew of another guy in town with my problem, a visual artist, Robert McClintock.  His commercial success threatened his status as an artist.  I was on my way to interview him for the Baltimore Business Journal (here’s the column), when I received an email on my Blackberry from the manager of the Bromo Seltzer Tower.

“Congratulations!” he wrote.  “You’re exactly what we’re looking for.”

I chose a studio on an upper floor.  It’s only 330 feet high.

But it sure feels good.

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Posted in Love and Business, Writing | 5 Comments »

Robroy for president

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Since I started blogging, I’ve come to think about our country differently.

The politicians like to segregate us into red states and blue states; red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats. But I’ve got a different view.  Thanks to Google Analytics, I see green states and yellow states.

For example, here’s a report from a blog entry I recently posted, showing where all that week’s traffic to my site came from:

Yellow means nobody in that state visited Robroy’s blog.  Green means they did.  Darker green means more visitors came from that state.  It makes sense that Robroy had the most hits in Maryland, my home base.  But I can’t understand why they don’t like me in Texas, where I always kiss the babies.  If this were an election year, I’d be nervous.

My fellow Americans, keep reading Robroy.  Because if you do, I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from California to Maine, the people will rise up and reclaim the promise of our destiny, and out of the polluted haze of partisan confusion, a greener day will come.

Thank you.  And for those who sneezed, God bless you.

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Posted in Marketing | 6 Comments »

5 quick lunch tips for starting a blog

Friday, March 5th, 2010

One of the nicest unintended consequences of writing a blog is you get so many invites to lunch.  People are hungry to know how they can start their own blog.  So, yes, let’s sit down.  Tell me what you’re passionate about.  I’ll listen.  And here’s what I may recommend:

  1. Soup – To get started in blogging, you need Web stuff.  You won’t believe how easy it is with WordPress.com.  For 1:1 time with a Webber, Robroy trusts Dustin Pfeifer Creative.
  2. Salad – The healthy course is to have a social media strategy.  Some of the freshest ideas are coming from Right Source Marketing.  For example (I love this): http://bit.ly/br6kYJ.
  3. Entree – The meat and potatoes, the true richness of your blog is the size of your readership.  To be successful, “be famous,” to quote my friend, Marci DeVries.  Check out her Web energy company, MDV Interactive.
  4. Coffee – Care enough to serve the very best content.  Good strong stories can be addictive and keep your audience coming back.  Write them yourself, or hire a professional copywriter.
  5. Dessert – Indulge.  Respond to all comments on your blog with feeling.  Return the favor by commenting on their blogs.  And always, as they say at Etsy, “Be sweet.  Retweet.”

That’s it.  It’s really that simple.  Follow these 5 tips and you may never pick up the check again.

Unless of course you’re out with Robroy.

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Posted in Love and Business, Marketing | No Comments »