Archive for the 'General' Category

Leaderboard Update

Published by Daysha on July 19, 2008 in General. 5 Comments

Dear BlogBurst blogger,

We wanted to update you on upcoming changes we are making to the BlogBurst Leaderboard compensation model. Based on your feedback, we will be changing the measurement used for placement on the Leaderboard headline impressions only, effective July 19, 2008 .

When we originally rolled out the Leaderboard in 2006, it was based solely on headline impressions. In 2007 we experimented with a Leaderboard algorithm that used both headline impressions and click-through rates. Based on the questions we received, many of you found this calculation confusing and preferred the previous method of measurement. So, we’re changing it back to better reflect what our members have told us is the preferable system.

We hope you’ll find monitoring your progress both on the Leaderboard and your reports easier to understand as a result of this change. Your performance from July 1 until July 19, 2008 will be measured using the old system and will be blended into your overall results for Q3 so that you don’t lose out on any placements during that time period.

Thanks for helping us make BlogBurst the best it can be for Publishers, Bloggers, and Internet users. As always, we’d appreciate any additional feedback or suggestions you might have to make BlogBurst a more fulfilling and valuable service.

For more detailed information on the Q3 Leaderboard formula change, please visit our FAQ at blogburst.com.

If I’m In the Hospital With Salmonella Poisoning, Can I Use the 3G iPhone to Watch the Playoffs?

Published by Daysha on June 12, 2008 in General. 1 Comment

The blogosphere is buzzing with the recent highlights of the NBA playoffs between the Celtics and Lakers (as well as some referee scandals), the upcoming 3G iPhone, and Salmonella-tainted tomatoes.

While busy reading through the influx of great posts on these topics, I nearly forgot that I ate food containing tomatoes nearly every day last week. Will I be the next victim in the attack of the killer tomato? Thanks to information from these BlogBurst bloggers, it looks like I may be in the clear.

Tomato Recall Affecting Millions: What You Need To Know - Natural Cures, Herbs, and Treatments
Tomatoe Recall Who’s Not Affected - Natural Cures, Herbs, and Treatments
Tainted tomatoes point to Mexico; FDA remains quiet - Grumpy Editor
This summer, I will buy tomatoes - The Inadvertent Gardener
Tomatoes Removed From Restaurants, Salmonella Fears - Hutch Report

That’s right, folks. I will live to get in line for the next generation Apple iPhone. With the release of the 3G on the way, the iPhone is the hot topic among technology and gadget bloggers. What’s the big deal? Get the scoop from your fellow BlogBurst network members:

And, The Really Big Thing About The New iPhone is… - Mashable!
What’s Different About iPhone 3G? - eWeek Apple Watch
Even more iPhone applications surface - iPhone Buzz
The Devil is in the iPhone 3G Details - TechnologyExpert
Grab yourself an Apple iPhone 3g sooner rather than later… - Phones Review

With the NBA playoffs wrapping up nearly a month before the 3G iPhone hits the store shelves, you can still use your old faithful to check in on the coverage from these BlogBurst network members. You can also visit NBA.com’s playoff section to see these BlogBurst bloggers in play.

Kobe Bryant carries the day, Lakers take game 3 - NBA Obsessed
Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic Lift Lakers over Celtics - Big Lakers Fan
Bryant’s Big Performance Saves Lakers in Game Three - 20 Second Timeout

Got Game?

Published by Tina on May 8, 2008 in General. 0 Comments

Follow the action of the playoffs with BlogBurst’s newest publishing partner, NBA.com.

Nba.com screen shot

BlogBurst bloggers contribute to the coverage:

BlogBurst on NBA

20 Second Timeout

Hoops Addict

Reds Army

The Piston Post

Pounding the Rock

Third Quarter Collapse

NBA bloggers - bring it (to BlogBurst)

Published by Dock on April 9, 2008 in General. 6 Comments

I know that you’re out there. You have every cable channel dedicated to sports. You follow every nuance of the players on and off the court. The sound of a ball popping through a net is deeply satisfying. And you probably wear retro jerseys to better restaurants. Best of all - you write about it constantly.

You’re an NBA blogger, aren’t you?

Now is the prime time for NBA bloggers to show us their stuff. Believe me when I say that we have some seriously interesting publishing partners who genuinely want basketball content - now is your chance! If you have an NBA blog, or know someone who does, please consider submitting it to Blogburst. I assure you, we’ll work to get you the widest exposure possible!

Killed By … Blogging?

Published by Tim on April 8, 2008 in General. 2 Comments

An article in the Sunday New York Times is getting a lot of play in bloggyland this week – In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop. The gist is that a few prominent bloggers recently suffered heart attacks, and the culprit could be the never-ending stress cycle created by blogging, which just might kill you.

My first reaction was: come on, New York Times, is there really a story here?

Any job that requires you to sit in front of the computer for long hours obsessively watching any kind of information leads to high stress and little physical movement. Is blogging different from day trading, online gambling, or even traditional journalism? I bet stress has taken its toll in those professions too. Or is it just that blogging is a hot topic, so you combine blogging with regular work stress, hit “enter” and you’ve got a story with legs? (Not to mention that some blogs aren’t exactly on the stress program, like the once-a-week-if-that-often Becker-Posner Blog, one of my faves.)

Yet the more I mull it over, the more I think the Times is onto something: the blogosphere does seem to pull successful bloggers toward obsessiveness and high-stress behavior.

In our network (and in the blogosphere in general), the most successful blogs are ones that post frequently and also cover the new developments in their fields. And if you want to keep up with the latest developments, you’re signing up for a never-ending barrage of information — Google Alerts, RSS blog updates, instant messages, emails, comments on your posts. And you might as well get a BlackBerry or an iPhone to ensure you can never escape. As your traffic grows so do the inputs, and the information vortex builds upon itself. The more your attention is dominated by the screen, the more you are apt to sit in one place, maybe eat some potato chips (I think I’m going to go get some right now).

I’m certainly not in a position to give health advice, but what the heck — it’s spring, take a minute to get up and walk around. Go outside and smell the air.

Try to maximize your efficiency. Some bloggers collaborate with others to cut down the work, others make sure to include good search engine optimization as a way of getting more for less.

You’ll also find lots of good tips for work-life balance out there on the Web, and the “getting things done” mavens are full of tips for making your workday (and night) more efficient (like checking your email once an hour instead of every 10 seconds).

Of course, you also can just live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful blog.

Madness Is Good for BlogBurst Bloggers

Published by Daysha on March 21, 2008 in BlogBurst Success Stories and General. 5 Comments

We are just approaching the second round of March Madness and publishers have created a big dance of their own with posts from the BlogBurst network. Both IBS and Cox Ohio have picked up posts for placement in the sports sections of multiple television websites.

I’m Writing Sports’ post, “Bracketology 101: Back to the Basics,” has been featured in the March Mania sections of television sites such as Whio.tv, Kansas City TV 5, The Pittsburgh Channel, Click on Detroit, and NBC 5 Chicago, as well as on Cox Ohio’s Dayton Daily News. Other blogs posting on the hoopla include Hoopraker, Conquest Chronicles, Bruins Nation, A Sea of Blue, and The Big Dance Blog.

Have you got some spring love from publishers that are placing your March Madness posts? Let us know in the comment section below.

Aside from March Madness posts, other bloggers are experience some Spring love from publisher placement opportunities.From Newslite.tv:

My blog has been on BlogBurst for just over one week now and in the past seven days I have had over 73,000 headline impressions and my posts have been used on Reuters, USAToday.com and Chicago Sun Times - wow…

I only have good things to say about BlogBurst and the visibility it have a given my blog. In terms of headline impressions, post placement and click through rate it has exceeded all of my expectations.

 

Blogging and the Box Office

Published by Tina on March 13, 2008 in General. 3 Comments

Nielsen is introducing  some new reports aimed at online community interaction.  Nielsen PreView will incorporate the company’s many research divisions and tie the data to the entrainment  industry.

The initial report  analyzed the box office performance of 400 recent films, finding that titles grossing at least $100 million in sales are likely to have received elevated levels of attention on blogs.  More details, here.

Some of my favorite film bloggers are:

/Film - Blogging the Reel World

The IFC Blog

Film School Rejects

All the news that’s fit to post, NOT print

Published by Tina on March 11, 2008 in BlogBurst Success Stories and General. 2 Comments

Reuters-BlogBurst/SpitzerOne of our newest blogs, Blogflict, has an interesting angle on “Eliot Mess,” praising the New York Times online.

It was major news across all mediums, with BlogBurst publishing partners USA Today and Reuters both incorporating bloggers’ perspectives into the story.

Here’s but a few of the BlogBurst bloggers who weighed-in:

Hypocrisy- They name is Spitzer (jobsanger)

Political Perceptions: The Spitzer Effect (WSJ.com: Washington Wire)

Eliot’s Mess: Spitzer scandal details emerge (The Carpetbagger Report)

Wall Street Journal Taps BlogBurst to Fuel the Retirement Debate

Published by Daysha on March 3, 2008 in BlogBurst Success Stories and General. 6 Comments

WSJ Retirement Debate Screenshot

The BlogBurst editorial team is excited to announce that BlogBurst blogs have been selected by The Wall Street Journal to fuel a new site featuring content surrounding the retirement debate.

Retirementdebate.com, which launched on Monday, March 3rd, features news, business, finance, and political posts with a narrowed focus on retirement, social security, Medicare, baby boomer, and senior living issues.

Here are just a few examples of posts by BlogBurst network members that were placed on new WSJ Retirement Debate site:

Still Clickin: You Bet Your Life…Insurance

The New Business World: Declining Dollar, Pension Funds and Downward Business

Senior Housing Daily: Housing Market Decline Affecting Senior Housing?

Net News Publisher: Social Security Union Endorses Obama

 

 

Fascinated with Finance - for good reason

Published by Dock on February 27, 2008 in General. 3 Comments

Finance blogging is not boring.

You might not be interested in the economy, but I can assure you that the economy is interested in you. Finance and economy-relatied topics are, often as not, the story behind the story. Interested in Apple and all of its products? I can assure you that you’ll find something interesting about their story in the broader markets. Love your Google searches and applications? How about the high-quality food at Whole Foods? The blood-red excitement of Ducati motorcycles? These are all very interesting market stories, and the stories of the stocks behind these names (AAPL, GOOG, WFMI, DMH respectively) are equally interesting - in some cases more so. Do a quick news search for any of these names and you’ll see what I mean.

However, there is a much more pertinent reason to start to get your head around the markets. It involves your retirement - or your potential lack thereof. General sentiment among political figures (across both sides of the aisle) suggests that Social Security will likely not be around for the internet generation - at least as we know it. We will instead, in all likelihood, have to provide for our own retirement (or at the very least, supplement it ourselves) as best we can. As a general rule, even if your idea of investing is a generous donation to the Bank of Sealy or the Bank of Serta once in a while, you still have the corrosive efffect of inflation to deal with. That stash of cash will decrease in purchasing power over time - often in a much more serious way than you can conceive of. It wouldn’t hurt to put your money to work for you in some kind of market vehicle that you understand, if only to be able to fight the effects of inflation.

To do that, however, it behooves you to understand what you’re doing and there is no shortage of internet sites and blogs that can help you do just that.

Shifting gears here for a moment - let’s say you’re a finance blogger. I know that the above notes are not news to you, and that you might find them to be so basic as to be almost irrelevant. You’d rather talk about Forex trades or Iron Condors or cup-and-handles. However, I want you to think for just a bit about how you can serve a broader audience - the millions of people who genuinely need your guidance in figuring out market basics. If you could, spend some time talking about the basics of such topics as inflation. Talk about how money origination is really debt origination. Talk about the corrosive effects of inflation on purchasing power. Talk about the different types of price indexes (producer, consumer) and what’s included - and what’s not. Talk about the things that you think every person should know about the markets that surround and affect them.

I think your audiences will grow for it, and I know they’ll benefit from it.