Directory Assistance - How Can I Help Your Blog?

[Enzo F. Cesario]

A Free-Reprint Article Written by: Enzo F. Cesario

Article Title:
Directory Assistance - How Can I Help Your Blog?

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Article Description:
Blogging can be a deeply satisfying, intensely personal
experience. Generally simple to use, blogs allow the
household mom, the serial author, the political activist and
the high school poet to publish and archive their best
efforts and satisfy the creative muse in all of them.
Whereas, in the past, publishing was a privilege for the
elite few, it is now open to anyone with the time and the
means to access a computer.


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803 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Distribution Date and Time: 2009-12-15 15:15:00

Written By: Enzo F. Cesario
Copyright: 2009
Contact Email: mailto:ennzo.f...@thephantomwriters.com



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Directory Assistance - How Can I Help Your Blog?
Copyright (c) 2009 Enzo F. Cesario
BrandSplat
http://www.Brandsplat.com/



Blogging can be a deeply satisfying, intensely personal
experience. Generally simple to use, blogs allow the household
mom, the serial author, the political activist and the high
school poet to publish and archive their best efforts and satisfy
the creative muse in all of them. Whereas, in the past,
publishing was a privilege for the elite few, it is now open to
anyone with the time and the means to access a computer.

But if no one is reading the blogs, they can become a
disheartening and frustrating experience. A lack of audience can
even cost a blogger money - there are numerous blogs on the web
that are intended to be significant sources of personal income,
between advertising programs and personal product sales. A key
step in getting a blog read, therefore, is the use of a
specialized web directory known as the blog directory.

What is a Blog Directory?

A blog directory is not a search engine - it is an indexed list
of blog links, broken up into categories and keywords for ease of
reference. Blogs are submitted or invited for review; the
directory looks over the material, and then determines if it
meets the criteria for inclusion. Listing in a blog directory
increases the chance that a blog will come up in search engine
and keyword requests, meaning more users will ultimately be
directed to read the blog.

There are as many different types of directories as there are
categories of blog. There are directories for video blogs,
personal blogs, business-only blogs, and hobby blogs. Some
directories cater to the politically minded web journalist;
others only admit a self-defined best-of-the-best by personal
invitation, according to their own eclectic or exclusive
criteria. Even more specific are directories seeking a narrow
culture subset. The Ultimate Directory of British Blogs seeks out
what they call British blogs, defined as much by culture and
common language as by arbitrary terms of location.

In addition, directories are broadly divided between human-edited
and automated submission directories. Human-edited directories
maintain a staff of reviewers who examine each submission before
listing or rejecting it. Automated systems look for keywords or
organizational patterns in submitted blogs, and make
determinations based on pre-set, machine-learned criteria.

How Do They Work?

Directories present a number of options or models for how they
list blogs; equally as diverse as the way they categorize their
indices. The basic model is the free listing - bloggers are not
charged for the review and listing of their blog in the
directory. Paid submissions require a fee - either one time or
ongoing - for the review and listing of their blog on the site.
Some directories require a bidding process for listing blogs, and
some blogs have a 'featured' listing that gives a particular
blog top billing over their other listings, for various reasons.
Just to make things more interesting, any of these listing
options can also include a link-back clause, namely that the user
must display (in a matter that satisfies the directory) a link to
the directory where their blog has been listed.

In theory, blog directories are simple to use; a blogger finds a
directory they think is relevant, and submits their blog for
listing. In practice, there are steps to make the process more
profitable and effective than blind, mass submission. The first
step is research; bloggers should visit forums related to their
field of interest, and ask which directories have good results,
or which are best suited to their category of writing. When
submitting, bloggers should look into the directory's submission
procedures and follow them exactly. The savvy blogger is never
afraid to ask for advice, whether from the forum or a
directory's contacts page. Sometimes a thoughtfully worded
question will accomplish much more than a careless series of
submissions.

A Few Free Ones

A handful of free directories bloggers may be interested in
include bloglines.com, answers.com, blogfinds.com, technorati.com
and boingboing.net

Each of these is a good choice for a blogger to consider
registering and submitting to while looking to save money. None
charge fees, and each one offers additional services beyond the
blogging directory itself. Because of this, they are more likely
to draw additional users interested in more than the directory,
who then can follow up by perusing the listings for more
information. At most, they require registration and a link-back,
which are comparatively small demands. Some directories charge a
minimum of five dollars for a review and listing, and others
charge as much as 150 dollars for a front-page spot.

Bloggers should take the time to do their research, visit the
forums of their preferred blogging communities and hobbies, and
find out which directories best suit them. With a little effort
and energy, a good blog can find a great directory, and reach the
audience it deserves.






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Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat.
Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art
internet distribution and optimization to build links and
drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to
http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at:
http://www.brandsplatblog.com/


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