B³H³ Blog Network

Blogging guru Darren Rowse (Problogger) has posted ten tips for getting RSS readers to visit your blog:

Actively encourage comments
Show reader comment numbers
Use polls
Interlink posts
Related posts
“Best of” posts
Use video
RSS and bookmarking
Design changes
Excerpt feeds

These are some excellent tips for encouraging RSS readers to visit your blog (and see/click on your ads).  However, Darren urges some caution:

As I’ve [...]

What’s one of the easiest ways to make sure that you are talking about the topics that your readers want to read about?  Invite questions from your readers and answer them! 
This is a simple tip but it’s under-used on the Internet nowadays, which is a real shame because it’s very effective for a number of reasons:

You’re [...]

Good news!  The AdSense team have clarified the removal of the competitive ad policy in the terms and conditions - now AdSense ads can now be run on the same page as other contextual ad programs!  This from JenSense:

I spoke with Brian Axe, senior product manager on the Google AdSense Team on the issue. “As [...]

WordPress 2.1 Release Candidate 1 is now available for download.
WordPress 2.1 has a load of new features:

Much more efficient database code, faster than previous versions
Autosave
Tabbed editor
Lossless XML import and export for moving between WordPress blogs
WYSIWYG spellchecker
Search engine blocker for private blogs
You can set any “page” to be the front page of your site, and put [...]

Ten days since the 2.0.6 update and 10 days before 2.1 is released, the guys behind WordPress have decided to release a stop-gap security update.  Seems sensible to install this if you ask me.
Six files are changed:

wp-admin/inline-uploading.php
wp-admin/post.php
wp-includes/classes.php
wp-includes/functions.php
wp-settings.php
wp-includes/version.php

This means that if you don’t want to upgrade the whole install, you can just upload these files [...]

It seems that there’s a problem with WordPress 2.0.6 and FeedBurner.  You’ll notice this problem in FeedBurner’s FeedMedic screen which will give you an error such as:

Your server disconnected us before sending the full source feed content. If your blogging platform is TextPattern, this is a known bug, and a fix can be found here: [...]

In case you hadn’t noticed … CHRISTMAS IS COMING!
Hopefully you’re already seeing an increase in AdSense revenue driven by people who are looking for gifts and who generally feel in the mood to spend money (being in the mood to spend money puts them in the mood to click on relevant ads). 
You can make [...]

Philipp Lenssen puts this SEO urban legend to rest.

I had a lil’ bet going with Googler Matt Cutts. The premise? I figured that once you installed the Google Toolbar, every URL you’d visit would slowly be added to the Google web search index… even otherwise unlinked URLs, as long as they’re public (and not excluded via [...]

Problogger Darren Rowse (a guy that I admire greatly for his experience, wisdom and level-headedness) lists his 10 favorite blogging books.

The Story Factor
Ogilvy on Advertising
Advertising Secrets of the Written Word
The E-Myth Revisited
Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands
Unleashing the Idea Virus
Tipping Point
Join Me
Don’t Make Me Think
1000 Most Important Words

These are all good books - and Darren is [...]

Here’s a popular question from bloggers both old and new:

How long should a typical post be?

I think that what bloggers who ask this question would really like is a firm number - for example, “the best length for a blog post is 336 words.”  Unfortunately, there isn’t a firm number that I can give you.  [...]