Tag Archives: Web 2.0

Blog Comments For Beginners

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So you’ve created your blog and you’ve written your first posts. All you have to do now is sit back and wait for the readers to come, right? Wrong! Despite having been made famous by the movie “Field of Dreams,” the idea that you can build it and they will come just doesn’t work. This is true about any endeavor, not just blogging. People need to find out about you, and they need to get involved.

Over the next few weeks, we’re shifting focus from creating blog content to engaging readers and growing a following. As we go through this process, you’ll begin to see the unique characteristics of Web 2.0 coming to life. We’ll begin with blog comments.

What Are Blog Comments?

As we pointed out in an earlier post, as technology has changed, so has the way we communicate. I remember my summer camp days way back when. I used to send letters to friends and family to let them know that I was at camp for 3 weeks and I’d ask them to write to me. Admittedly, it was a simple ploy to get some attention as a kid–but it worked. My friends and family always sent me letters in return. Excited, I would respond immediately with a post card of my own. Before I knew it, I had a  dialogue going. Every day at mail call there was either a letter or a package waiting for me. Of course, I would always share the candy, cookies, and other goodies I received, which helped me make instant friends, a side benefit I hadn’t anticipated but that I was grateful for.

My fellow campers wanted to know how I managed to always have so much mail waiting for me. My secret was simple. I wrote as many letters as possible, and I always included a request for a response. In fact, I asked my friends and family to respond with a letter or a postcard RIGHT AWAY, AS SOON AS THEY GOT THIS!!! I can only imagine that my family thought it was adorable and my friends thought it was exciting and fun, so everyone got into it.

If I were a camper today, I’d probably be exchanging emails instead of letters, and text messages instead of postcards. Or maybe I’d keep a blog of my time at camp and I’d be asking for comments in response.

You see, your blog is like the letters I wrote from camp. This is where you share your thoughts, experiences, and insights. And the comments section of the blog is where people have a chance to respond to what you’ve written—and even share a few goodies of their own.

Another way to think of comments is to compare them to letters to an editor at a newspaper. Most comments are conversational reactions, such as “Thanks for the post, great information,” or “That’s what I think too!,” or “I never thought of that, thanks!” or “I agree with most of  what you said, but you forgot to mention xyz.” You can respond to the comments, and before you know it  your blog has gone from a static (Web 1.0) to an interactive (Web 2.0) platform capable of sustaining a conversation and growing a community.

Comments let you know that someone out there is reading your blog and benefitting from it. This is not only great motivation on an emotional level, it also shows that your content is going in the right direction and can help you make editorial decisions.

How Can My Readers Leave Comments?

The mechanics of how to leave a comment will depend on your blogging platform, your template, and your settings. But generally, at the bottom of each post, there is usually an area for comments. On TwoPointUhOh, this area looks like this:

Our template doesn’t automatically display the comments area, but readers can always navigate to it. The options for accessing the comments area are either at the top or bottom of each post. In our case, you can access comments from both the top and bottom of our posts.

The access from the top of the post is via a visual icon of a speech bubble. A number in the speech bubble indicates how many comments have already been left. If the speech bubble is empty, that means no one has commented yet. From within our blog post, click on the bubble to access the comment area for that post.

The access from the bottom of the post is via a link in the footer. In our case, the link asks readers to “leave a reply” if there are no comments yet. Or it says “3 comments,” if people have already left comments. Again, by clicking here, readers will be taken to the comments area. Your blog may work differently, but generally the links to the comments area will be found in the post’s header or footer.

How Do I Handle Negative Comments or Spam?

As soon as you open the door to participation, you take the risk of dealing with negativity or spam. You do have the option of turning off all comments to your blog, but if you do that, you’ll be missing out on the opportunity to enter a conversation with engaged readers.

Uh oh!

Fortunately, there is a solution, comment moderation. With this option, you will be asked to approve a comment before it goes live on your blog. If you choose to moderate comments, be aware that your readers want to see their comments on your blog. Try to approve  them quickly. Also, make sure that you don’t censor comments. It’s one thing to not publish spam or racist, sexist, and vulgar comments; it’s another not to publish and address a legitimate disagreement or criticism. If you accept comments, you’ll also need to learn to allow all opinions to be voiced.

How to Encourage Comments

  • Ask for Comments It worked for me in my letters from camp, and it will work for you. Throw the ball back in your readers’ court by asking: “What do you think?”, “Has this approach work for you?”, “Have you had a real life experience with this topic?”, or “Is there anything I forgot to add?”
  • Respond to Comments Just as you want proof that someone is reading your posts and responding to them, your readers want proof that you’ve seen their comments and appreciate them. Make an effort to respond to every comment in a timely fashion—preferably within hours, but certainly within the same day. This keeps your blog post active and dynamic and builds community. Set up your notifications to receive an email each time someone posts so you can respond quickly.
  • Be Grateful and Gracious In your response, thank the reader and let them know you appreciate their comment. Be sure to address something specific in their comment so they know you’ve actually read it. When people feel valued and heard, they will be more likely to want to keep interacting with you.
  • Handle Negative Comments Like A Pro If someone voices a complaint, don’t take it personally, and in this case, don’t answer right away. Take time to think about your response, and then answer in a positive and professional manner. It’s up to you to set the tone of the conversation. Remember, it’s hard to read all the nuances in written communications, so always assume the best of the person. Treat their comment as a sincere desire to communicate with you and answer respectfully and in a cool-headed manner. Of course, if readers get out of hand and the conversation devolves into a nasty argument, this is unacceptable. This kind of behavior is known as a “flame war,” and it’s your responsibility to resist fanning the flames and find a way to put them out. One option is to publish a comments policy, clearly stating what you will and will not accept on your blog.
  • Comment On Other Blogs If you want comments on your blog, then it’s only fair that you comment on the blogs you read! It will help you understand what readers feel and expect when they comment on your blog, and it’s another way to build community. We’ll talk more about this aspect next week, but for now  just keep in mind that the effects of blog commenting can go further than you imagine.

Now, Practice!

You’ve come to the end of this blog post. Here’s your opportunity to become more familiar with comments! Go ahead, leave us your thoughts. Are you excited by the conversational aspect of blog comments? Or does the whole thing leave you feeling overwhelmed and uneasy? Let us know!

Three Common Website Myths

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If you’ve been following this blog from the beginning, you’ve probably figured out by now that Web 2.0 is all about interaction. But there are so many possible ways to interact, so many places to be present online, that it’s hard to not feel overwhelmed. Where do you start? How do you organize your online presence? With a home base.

In Paris, there is a kilometer marker in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. Considered the center of the city, it is from here that all distances are measured in France.  Your home base is your kilometer zero. All roads will lead from here and back to here.

Your Website Is Your Home Base

©Photo: Serge Melki / Flickr

Your website is your piece of real estate online. This is where you can hang your shingle and let people know who you are and what you do. Your home or welcome page, your service or product page, and the page that tells us about you all serve this task. If you decide to add a blog, you’ll be able to showcase your expertise, take a point of view, and establish a voice—all of which can help you grow a following. If planned well, your blog will become a trusted source of useful information that will entice your target audience to keep coming back. Blogs drive traffic to your website, and they also provide you with content to share on other sites.

My clients often groan when I suggest a website. They’ve either had bad experiences in the past that they don’t want to repeat, or they fear the technology.

Uh oh!

Let me debunk the three most common myths that my clients have:

I can’t afford a website.

© Photo: AMagill / flickr

Most small businesses don’t need fancy or expensive websites. They need a website that is simple and elegant and that works on mobile devices (such as a smartphone or an iPad). There are inexpensive website platforms that allow you to create a basic website without much technical know-how. Most of these platforms have many of the tools you’ll need already built in. This website, for example, uses WordPress and costs us under $20 a year. If you really feel unable to get started on your own, consider hiring a consultant to walk you through the setup. Once you see how it’s done, you’ll be able to take over.

I’m too technologically challenged to run a website.

Between the advance of technology and the boom in website demand, simple, user-friendly options such as WordPress have become the norm for small businesses. You can run a website without any special technical knowledge, and if you have a question, you’ll find answers in your platform’s user support section or in the user forums. An inexpensive way to get over any fear of technology is by hiring a professional to get you started and to train you. That keeps your costs low while empowering you!

© Photo: Search Engine People Blog / flickr

I just want someone else to run my website for me.

Having a great webmaster who knows your business and also knows what they’re doing is a luxury. But if your business requires regular and timely updates, this can get expensive. Your friend who initially set up your website may not be able to drop whatever they’re doing just because you have an urgent request. Don’t be surprised if you have to wait a long time before they are available for you. This means you’ll always have to plan far in advance. If you want your customers to see  your update on the first of March, for example, make sure your webmaster knows about it four weeks before that! Unless you can afford to pay a webmaster, learn how to do it yourself. You will have a lot more flexibility–and fewer headaches!

With these three misconceptions now firmly debunked, you should be ready to roll up your sleeves and start building your website. Next week we’ll be discussing domain names and hosting services. Stay tuned!

Hello, I’m Alexis and I’m a Webaholic

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As we’ve said before, TwoPointUhOh is not about re-creating the tons of social media information already online. We’re about clarifying and simplifying that information for people who are just starting out.

How many of us are building profiles online? That’s how many different ways there are to go about it. The question is, What’s going to work for you? Honestly, that depends on who you are, what you’re trying to accomplish, who you want to reach, the learning curve you’re facing, and how you feel about the process.

In short, there are several variables with many possible combinations and one common denominator: YOU.

We’re here to help you define those variables for yourself and to identify a strategy that feels right and works for your business.

Our Philosophy

We believe context is important, concrete examples are indispensable, and story is the best way to learn. What better place to start than with our own stories?  This week I’ll introduce myself. Next week will be Mary’s turn.

Bear with me as we seemingly take a detour. Sometimes the longer path between two points is more enriching than the shorter one.

From The Personal…

Growing up, my family moved a lot. I lived in New York (twice); Athens, Greece (twice); and the then divided city of Berlin, Germany (also twice). As a college student I moved to Paris (for the first time), and then to New York again, where I stayed for 8 years. Then it was back to Paris (for the second time), and Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany (once each) and finally Paris for the third time. In between there were trips, endless trips (my father was a pilot with Pan Am).

Håkan Dahlström Photography

Four countries. Four languages. Four cultures. Twenty plus moves. Change and starting over is what I was weaned on. The result? A lifetime of not really fitting in anywhere. I struggled to make sense of the world around me, no matter where I was.

I used technology to stay in touch with friends and family all over the world. From the telephone and letters, to the fax machine and email, I was all over it. As Web 2.0 began to emerge, I jumped on board from the start. Soon I found myself enrolling in online classes, joining forums and writing groups, and meeting like-minded people. No longer bound by geography or hampered by language, I could find and converse with my tribe wherever they were.

What liberation!

By the glow of my iMac

For someone like me who’s always been a little bit everywhere but never really anywhere, the Web became a way of connecting far-flung dots. Several years before Facebook or Twitter, I was finding old friends and making new ones.

I was hooked on Web 2.0.

…To The Professional

In 1994, when I was living in Paris for the second time, I started to hear about portable careers—careers that could move with you wherever you went. This spoke to me, and I began seeking out portable work: teaching, translating, writing. Sure, each time I moved I’d have to find a new customer base, but I felt that was possible. Wherever I’d been, I’d always found a sizable Anglophone expat community and the companies and organizations that hired them. This was the early days of Web 2.0, and my mind was still thinking locally.

Between 1996 and 2002, I lived in Germany, where I trained as an Alexander Technique teacher, a mind-body method of centering, connecting, and feeling more whole. (You can see why I needed it, right? If you want to know more, click here.) To support myself, I worked as a translator. The Web allowed me to translate from home, do my research, and deliver my jobs by email. I could support myself using my language skills and I could set my own hours around my training course. Further, by the time I moved back to Paris in 2002, my customers were comfortable with assigning work and accepting delivery over the Internet. As long as I was in the same time zone and could receive a wire transfer, they were happy to keep working with me. My portable life just became smoother.

Professional consistency was now possible—at least theoretically.

Scattered

I still had two problems. One, I didn’t love translating. Two, I couldn’t get myself to do any one thing exclusively, no matter how much I loved it. I still can’t. If I don’t have variety and new challenges, I lose interest very quickly. I used to think this was a byproduct of my upbringing, but now I believe it’s innate. It’s who I am.

Back in Paris, I worked on building a teaching practice while also trying to build my writing career so that I could drop the translating. I networked online, I networked in Paris, and I said yes to just about everything, including unpaid work and community volunteering. I developed a habit of having multiple irons in the fire, several balls in the air, and lots of spinning plates.

Before long, I was stretched too thin. I became scattered and surrounded by broken plates and dropped balls. My online presence reflected that.

Uh Oh.

Some stuff had to give.

Photo by Openroads.com

Anchored

The 2.0 tools I used to create and promote my webseries.

In an effort to take greater control over my projects and my own direction, I decided to produce a web series called My Bitchy Witchy Paris Vacation. I wanted to showcase my work to the entertainment industry in the US—and I succeeded. Much to my surprise, however, creating the web series also had the effect of anchoring me here in Paris. This I had not anticipated.

Through the two-year process of writing and producing Bitchy Witchy, I realized I had become comfortable(ish) navigating France. I also realized that I had been living as if I’d inevitably pick up and move again. For seven years, I had been waiting for the proverbial second shoe to drop.

Was it possible that I was done starting over from nothing? Could I actually stop tearing up roots and focus instead on cultivating the seeds I had planted?

What a freaky little concept.

But it’s grown on me.

Under One Umbrella

Today my professional life is made up of writing, consulting, and translating for the entertainment industry, and teaching (Alexander Technique, screenwriting, storytelling, and building an online presence). In addition, I work on my own creative projects.

It’s still a lot of different things, but they fit together. At the heart of everything I do is story. At the heart of story is infinite variety and challenge.

Photo by ^riza^

Oh yeah. I could stay here a while.

My goal now is to shape an online presence that reflects one business with multiple facets and to create a home base (a company) from which I can venture out (to clients here and abroad). I’ll be sharing my progress on this blog.

Web 2.0 Takeaways

How is this long story useful to you? What does this mean in terms of Web 2.0? I don’t really know, but this is what I got out of it:

  1. Web 2.0 is a communication tool, much like the telephone.
  2. How you use Web 2.0 will change over time. The tools will change and your needs will change.
  3. How you use Web 2.0 depends on who you are. This includes your history, your needs, your level of comfort with technology and social networking, and your personality.
  4. Web 2.0 can help you connect to your tribe wherever they may be.
  5. Web 2.0 can bring you full circle. You might venture out far and wide only to land back home.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a progress and not a station.” With apologies to Mr. Emerson, I would say the same about Web 2.0.

What is Web 2.0?

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What is Web 2.0?

The Uh Oh Factor

What is Web 2.0?

In the early days of the web, building a website was a complicated process that required know-how and large file uploads. Only the tech-savvy had the skills and patience to do fancy things like updating their own websites or participating in forums. The rest of us were limited to visiting static websites where we could read information but not respond. We couldn’t add comments, follow updates, or easily share items we found useful.  That was Web 1.0

Today, all that has changed. The Web has become participatory. With just a few clicks, we can leave comments on a site, share photos and videos, check in with our friends, or launch a site or a blog in minutes. This is Web 2.0. Here, we can read AND write/contribute.

The Characteristics of Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is about greater collaboration between the creators of content—be they individuals or businesses—and the audience for that content. Web 2.0 doesn’t stop at blogs, social networking platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, and video and photo sharing sites. It also includes RSS feeds and email forms so we can follow our favorite content, bookmarks so we can revisit, wikis so we can add our knowledge to the collective database, and mashups so we can curate content to suit our individual needs. With a few clicks, we can all become published bloggers, authors, book and film reviewers, journalists, filmmakers, and musicians. We can search and find information, and we can share our expertise and our opinions with the world.

The Uh Oh Factor

Despite the great tools for growing your businesses and connecting with your audience that Web 2.0 provides, all of this sharing and chatting can also stress us out. Uh oh! How can we embrace the collaborative spirit of Web 2.0 if we’re feeling confused, overwhelmed, paranoid, and unsafe? As we explain on our “About” page, the purpose of this blog is to help you answer that very question. Sign up for updates via the email form in the right-hand column or follow us via our RSS feed. (If you don’t know what RSS is, click here for a basic explanation.) And leave us your comments or questions below. Let us know what stresses you out the most about Web 2.0.

See Web 2.0 in Action

The video below is a visual explanation of Web 2.0 and its possibilities. Created by Dr. Michael Wesch at Kansas State University, the video itself is  a testament to the participatory nature of Web 2.0. Dr. Wesch made the video in his basement and originally shared it with only ten colleagues. It has since been seen by over 1.7 million people and been translated into multiple languages.