Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies

Are you kidding me!?!??? This is one great book. For a never before blogger this book helped me setup, start and gave me strategies to develop my presence and increase my business. I feel like I need to pay Susannah a referral fee - I am a Realtor after all. Fortunately in Iowa a referral fee to a nonlicnesed person is illegal. I have read this and read this, I use it for reference and it is so highlighted that I am now having to use different highlighter colors to try to keep up with the topics. Oh, I just need to buy another one and color code it. If you are even thinking about blogging get this book, block out a weekend, take lots of notes, and have at lease 5 highlighter colors!

My client wanted to have a blog and I needed to learn the basics about blogs in short order. This book is a quick read and I was standing in front of their executive board in 1 week with a customized sample blog in place for their review and questions. I received a signed contract that day. Thank you for this book. On the down side, the specific blog software I used was not included in the book for review. Marketing was an important topic in my meeting and the book provided a nice, simple layout on the differences with other media and provided great ideas. The corporate blogging topic was helpful.

Kudos to Susannah Gardner, the author of this book. She put together a *fabulous*, definitive work on Blog Marketing. I'm very fortunate that I didn't get turned off by the Dummies series as I almost always do (same for Idiots). I read the book from beginning to end, which is rare for me. It's full of great tips, without an ounce of fluff.

***** I have quite a few of the "For Dummies" books, several of which I have not read that I use for reference, and several that I have read to gain a deeper understanding of a subject. This book is one of the latter (so I read it cover to cover), as I am a life coach who knew very little about blogs (just having read some teen Xangas). I had seen a very powerful blog-based web site on the Internet, and knew I wanted one for my coaching practice, but had no idea where to begin or what or where the "blogosphere" was. This book solved my dilemma in a fun, readable, and non-technical way (with many, many references for those who want to go deeper). It is definitely a five-star Dummies book, well worth more than the purchase price. This book helped me to decide what type of blog to develop. I have rudimentary HTML skills, including lite CSS; however, no matter what your skill level (or lack thereof), using the book you can ascertain what type of blog is right for you. It really covers everything you'd want to know about blogs, including those things you'd never know to ask (e.g., RSS feeds!---who knew?). Not just the technical aspects, but blog writing, marketing, etiquette, etc. I agree with a previous reviewer who wrote that the book is also beneficial for those who want simply personal blogs rather than business blogs, although its greatest utility is for people like me who want to use a blog as a basis for or as an adjunct to their business. The book was fascinating. Although I spend a lot of time on the Internet, I was oblivious to blogs, and discovered a whole new and very exciting world here. The book helps you to get fired up and excited about something technical---which for me isn't easy, since I don't normally get emotional over new computer software. I think the reason I'm so motivated is that the book helped me to see that so very, very much that is not technical (building community, reaching people in a personal way, supporting clients, offering services, and much more) can be done with blogs. Best of all is that this book showed me how I can market using blogs and still be myself, something I've been trying to do for years. In fact, the more I am myself on a blog, the better the blog will be---imagine that! A blog is a great tool for self-expression, which can be done concurrently with marketing, I found out, and in an authentic way. The book gives references for further learning, which is mostly informal (an therefore hard to know about without experience, which the author shared to my great benefit). If you are an early adopter, buy the book now---you won't be sorry. In a few years, everyone will blog---now, you can be on the cutting edge...I wish I could give this book 6 stars! *****

Since I've been blogging (http://www.twduff.com) for quite awhile, this is almost like reading a book to see if you're doing anything wrong. Still, Susannah Gardner does a good job with Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies (Wiley). Chapter List: Part 1 - Getting Started with Business Blogs: Checking Out Business Blogs; Discovering the Buzz about Buzz Marketing; Building a Business Blog Part 2 - Setting Up a Business Blog: Picking a Blog Solution; Setting Up a Hosted Blog; Taking Control with Independent Blog Software Part 3 - Minding Blog Etiquette and Culture: Understanding Your Audience; Joining the Blogosphere; Avoiding Business No-Nos Part 4 - Positioning Your Blog: Finding a Voice; Promoting Your Blog; Staying on the Right Side of the Law Part 5 - Making the Most of Your Blog: Adding Value to a Blog; Making Money with a Blog; Going Beyond Blogs Part 6 - The Part of Tens: Ten Dry-Spell-Breaking Ideas; Ten Traits of a Good Blogger; Ten Blogs You Should Know Part 7 - Appendixes: Glossary; Using the Book Blog; Hosted and Independent Blog Solutions; How URLs Work; Case Studies; Index Based on the title of this book, you'd probably assume that this is geared more for the business use of blogs. And in a significant sense, it is. But that's not to say that the serious personal blogger won't learn a number of things here. Gardner does a good job of taking the reader from "what is a blog" through the reasons they can be very important, and finally ends with the things you need to know to keep your blog fresh and inviting. You'd probably figure out many of these rules on your own, but the blogging world can be unforgiving. Make a mistake involving deception, and you may never get your audience back. Have your blog be nothing more than press releases, and no one will show up. She also does a good job of bridging the theory and the practical. In addition to all the knowledge you need to understand blogging, she also takes you through some potential blogging software choices and shows how you'd use them to set up a blog. Granted, it's not a comprehensive instruction manual on how to install and configure any one blogging package, but the reader will get an idea of what it takes. I also mentioned it's a good book for the serious personal blogger. I use my blog to share information with various audiences, but it's also a personal marketing tool. Therefore, many of the same "rules of the road" that she covers apply to me. I'm concerned about finding my voice and style, how to attract readers, and knowing whether or not my audience is getting value from my writings. While I've learned much of what she writes about on my own, I'd have come much further much faster if I had this book a couple years ago. Good stuff, and highly practical. A very good selection to give to your boss if s/he wants to investigate the subject. Just make sure you explain that "For Dummies" isn't personal...