WordPress.com Launches Food Blog Aggregator

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Leveraging the continuing popularity of food blogging and its own vast content collection, WordPress.com has just launched FoodPress, the service’s first swipe at niche content aggregation.

FoodPress is a hand-curated collection of food-related posts from across the WordPress.com network. Using the tagline, “serving up the hottest dishes on WordPress.com,” FoodPress will be updated each weekday to offer excerpts and links to the latest food-related posts, photos and recipes on WordPress.com.

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has partnered with Federated Media to handle the publishing, and, we assume, advertising opportunities for FoodPress.

While additions to the FoodPress blog are hand-picked, most content is aggregated and discovered by going through food-related tags across WordPress.com. There is a post on the FoodPress site that details how to get featured on FoodPress, but there is no way to submit a site or post for inclusion directly.

FoodPress’s blog also says that it has plans to find and incorporate WordPress.org blogs into the mix in the future, but for now the target is just WordPress.com.

As a potential vertical and monetization strategy, FoodPress is pretty interesting. WordPress.com is able to leverage content in its networks, sell ads on that content (well, ads on those excerpts) and drive more pageviews to WordPress.com as a whole.

The big question will be how the community embraces the idea. The platitudes about “helping drive visitors to your content” is nice and all, but this is still a business.

Assuming FoodPress is a success and an overall traffic driver, we expect that other niche content aggregators or “presses” will be launched, too.

As it stands, it’s a nice way to find lots of food-related content and an example of how Automattic can leverage the content it hosts.

What do you think of FoodPress?

Source: http://mashable.com/

This is an amazing story – and great video:

http://ping.fm/tnoMs

Social Media Revalution

Beginning Twitter – What Do I Tweet About?

At first, you feel a little weird tweeting.  You think everyone is going to read it… until you realize no one is going to read it because you don’t have any followers yet.  The biggest question you have, and rightly so is, what do I tweet about?

Rest assured everyone feels that way when they start out on Twitter.  In fact, without looking at the number of updates a person has, you can usually if someone is new to Twitter.  Their tweets sound tentative and directed at no one in particular.

Instead, form a bold plan and hop right on the Twitter train.  Here are some beginner examples to get you started:

Tweet #1:

“Yes, I’m new to Twitter.  Get over it… I have. 🙂 “

(Option B is to not mention being new at all – start with #2)

#2:

(Tell what you’re doing) “Right now I’m setting up another WP blog about ________.”

#3:

(Again tell what you’re doing) “I just finished writing the outline & intro to my newest ebook. I can’t wait to get it out there; I think it will answer a lot of questions.” (No links in post)

#4:

(Ask a question) “I’m not liking my WP theme. Anyone care to share links to their favorite free WP themes?”

#5:

Retweet someone else’s tweet, being sure to put the @ in front of their name.  “RT @TerryBrother Quote Tip: Want your #quote to be easily RT’d? Make it ~120 characters leaving room 4 others 2 add RT & your @name”

#6:

@Reply to a tweet.

If you can give help to someone, all the better.  The sooner you start showing your expertise in your niche, the better.

Now start following people you respect in your niche(s).

#7:

@Reply to another tweet.

This is a good time to respond to tweets by the big names in your field.  You are not only establishing a relationship with these people, it looks good to have their @name in your Twitter stream.

#8:

Tweet a favorite quote. “You succeed only if you aren’t afraid to fail.”~Anonymous Be sure to then thank @whoever’s name when they RT your quote.

#9:

Throw in a random tweet.  “Good grief, I just realized I’ve been wearing my shirt inside out all day. (This kind of tweet gets people talking to you as they have similar stories.)

#10

Offer up a freebie tweet “Do you want to write an ebook? Here are the 10 steps [put link to article here].

Now you can start following lots of people and most of them will follow you back.  You’ve established yourself as a real person who takes action, needs occasional help, likes to help others, likes good quotes, can laugh at himself, and is interested in building relationships with people. It’s all there for them to see in your timeline.

Notice you don’t jump right in promoting a product and try to follow 2000 people? That’s because you’re a human, not a bot or a spammer.

Tip – You can retweet (RT) someone’s tweet or reply to a person’s tweet even if they don’t yet follow you.  You do have to be following them or you won’t see their tweet in the first place, unless you are directly on their Twitter page viewing what they’ve posted.

When people decide whether to follow you, they will jump onto your Twitter page and see what you’re about.  If they see you exchanging tweets with people they are following, they feel good about following you too. You have some friends in common.

Hopefully this will help you get past your initial fears regarding Twitter and not knowing what to tweet about.  Once you get rolling, your problem will more likely be, how can I stop tweeting and get some work done?

Tips To Success

Tips on what to do if you have an information product

When you are promoting an information product, what you want to do is have your customers name throughout the sales letter this makes it more personal. This will give you more conversions. It might seem obvious, but a lot of people aren’t doing this.

Your sales letter will become more powerful if you tell a story

Search on google for US Government, there is articles royalty free, that’s right frreeee! Give them full credit if you use their articles.

Why do people put four P.s’s at the bottom of a sales letter? The reason for this is because sometimes people skip the sales letter and go straight to the bottom. What you want to do is write all your benefits and bonuses at the bottom.

Google answers is a perfect place for short content!

Tips on Elance

If you aren’t getting any bids on Elance, don’t give up. What i would suggest is to keep relisting your ad. If no one bids you can find people with really good ratings. look out for how much the writer has earned, does she/he have positive feedback? etc. Invite them to your bid this will higher your chances to get a much better writer.

The more specific you are with them the better quality your content will be.

Important – When you have your bids split test the top two writers by writing a short article for say $30 and the one that writes the best go with them. This will save a lot of time money and hassle.

Sales Letter

Make whatever you are selling irresistible, that way anyone viewing your site will feel foolish not to buy your product.

Your headline must be a big promise! For example: “These promises to be the most incredible course of 2009”.

How many bullet points should you put on a sales letter? If it sells for $30 put 30 bullet points if you are charging $80 have 80 bullet points. This is a good way to look at it.

Important – Don’t invent yourself emulate success.

Mind Set

When working with individuals you have to get in the mind set of what’s in it for them?

In order to do a lot of successful deals with people all you have to do is get one right, then you can leverage that deal to get other people to do deals with you.

Once you have done your successful deal you can say “I did a deal with xxxxx and made $1500, would you consider working with me?” and keep repeating.

The best way to show what’s in for them is to prove to them what you have made previously with your other clients.

Social Proof – Ask for testimonial of what it was like to send your ebook to your list.

Here are some points on what i have found useful on competition

• Use your affiliate marketing, once you have enough people promoting your product you won’t need to pay for google adwords 🙂

• This is very powerful so take note: create a product that compliments your competitors product so that you can become partners rather than competitors.

• If you are thinking about doing a JV (joint venture) with your competition I would advise you to purchase there product and test before you do so, this will save you a lot of money in the long run.

• Unfortunately people will by other people’s stuff you might as well get paid for it when they do! If there is a niche you can’t break why not promote them?

• Recommendation: a book called “think and grow rich” by Napoleon Hill