Social News Sites for the Grown and......Serious

The concept behind social news sites such as Digg, Reddit and Newsvine is pretty simple: search and read the latest in news and happenings and share this content with your circle of friends, colleagues and (perhaps) admirers. But as information becomes increasingly customizable, democratized and instantaneous, these general sites may not feed your insatiable grown-up appetite for real news. Here's a list of great niche social news sites that will undoubtedly fill you up:



Great social news site specifically for small-to-medium sized business companies




Social news site for marketers, entrepreneurs and business professionals




#1 Social news site for internet marketers, with a focus on search




Social news site focusing on current health news



A news site that focuses on technology, start-ups, business and entrepreneurship




Financial Social news service





Internet marketing Social news site that focuses on making money




Great Design social news site



Web design news and tips

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Where's The Beef?

So your company has started a blog, but lately, your have found your posts are rather lackluster, and have become discouraged by the lack of traffic to your blog. Don’t fret. Here are some ideas to beef up your blog:

Remember, Content is Still King

It can be very difficult to come up with a new blog post every day that is relevant and engaging. A good way to get around writer’s block and post great content is to consume content! What is everyone talking about right now? Watch the news, read other blogs, check out the most popular stories on social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Newsvine, or Del.ici.ous, listen to the radio and read magazines and newspapers. Compare your findings with Google Trends, which gives you a search “snapshot” of what’s on the public’s mind. Write about these topics, and give it a little perspective on it.

• Keep interesting postings, notes, pictures, punchy copy --whatever strikes your fancy-- in what I call a “Resource File”; which is a folder that you can turn to whenever the creative well runs dry.
• Keep track of your blog posts that were popular. Re-purpose this content and update this topic regularly.
• Use pictures and video whenever possible! Allow for others to share this collateral.
• Encourage a conversation. Remember that your blog should establish you/your company as a valuable resource that offers useful information. Try not to become just another squawk box or advertorial. Ask for feedback or additional insight from your readers.

Promote Your Blog- the Smart Way.

• Link love is the best kind of love for a blog and a surefire way to build traffic. Check out Zemanta, a cool new plug-in that instantly shows other relevant blog posts from around the world and immediately builds tagged links between your posts and others.
• Make sure your RSS are functional and visible.
• Connect your social networks and your blog. This will elevate your profile and alert people about your blog.

Remember, your blog should be an experience for your audience. Always keep them in mind when developing content and the rest shall follow.

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