
They will write blogs, not term papers
The words “term paper” strike fear into the hearts of students, followed closely by “essay.” I remember those dark days of burning the candle to finish a term paper in college. It usually wasn’t fun if you had been assigned a specific topic.
I was lucky that my English professor, Dr. Edward Chalfant, didn’t require term papers, but simply asked us to write what we felt about an American novel or a Shakespearean play.
He was ahead of his time and foretold the coming of the blog, an informal style of writing that can enable a more personal connection between students and professors and between companies and customers in the business world.
Blogging for Grades
The New York Times weighed in on this topic recently, quoting educators who advocate trashing the old-fashioned term paper and those who still preach that students need the discipline of the format: make a point, defend it, repeat it. Read More→

I was in a new business meeting the other day and suggested that starting a company blog had the potential to increase visitors to the company’s website. We all know (don’t we?) that Google rewards dynamic content so posting regularly will eventually boost your rankings.
Why Blogs are Abandoned
The designer I was with said “Oh, no” that won’t work. I couldn’t blame him. He had designed websites and blogs for a number of clients and within a short time the blogs had been abandoned.
It’s a commitment to write a weekly or twice-weekly blog. Who will write the blog – someone inside the company or will we outsource it? What will we write about? Where will our ideas come from?
These are legitimate questions, but I believe it is a lack of will and commitment from top management that is behind the failures.There isn’t a plan in place to keep the blog going and building momentum.
Tips for Bloggers
So, if you, or your company, have abandoned your blog here are some steps to take: Read More→
I don’t ordinarily hype affiliate products here but I do think if you’re a blogger you will like the CommentLuv WordPress plugin. Today is the last day to benefit from the launch price of $67 for this plugin.
The newest version of the CommentLuv plugin for self-hosted WordPress blogs displays the title and a link to the last blog post of anyone who leaves a comment on your blog as well as their Twitter handle. This shows appreciation for someone who takes the time to join the conversation. Nice touch for thanking people who comment on your blog by directing other visitors to their last post. There are many other bells and whistles like advanced backlink features and spam protection. Check out the video that describes all the features by clicking on the image below where you can also buy the plugin. Enjoy!

Image via CrunchBase
My blog is automatically distributed to my subscribers when I hit the “publish” button. It usually works very smoothly. But lately, the gremlins have been at work. So if you are a subscriber, I apologize that twice last week you received an email with my latest blog post and the links to 9 previous posts. I had nothing to do with it!
No Customer Support
Feedburner, owned by Google, is a service that 99% of bloggers use to distribute their posts. But there is no way to get in touch with the company when you have a problem. You are directed to Feedburner Help Groups whose members are simply other Feedburner users who may be able to help you with your problem if you can’t find an answer in Feedburner’s Q&A section. Fine and dandy, but I saw my question posted earlier by other users. The response? Nada.
How are ordinary folks, like me, supposed to work out these technical problems? As I’ve often said, technology is great when it works. It’s not working, Feedburner!!
If you are a fellow blogger and know what is causing the problem, please leave me a comment.
Thank you!
Are You Using CommentLuv for Bloggers? Last Day for Reduced Price
Posted by: Jeannette Paladino | Comments (0)I don’t ordinarily hype affiliate products here but I do think if you’re a blogger you will like the CommentLuv WordPress plugin. Today is the last day to benefit from the launch price of $67 for this plugin.
The newest version of the CommentLuv plugin for self-hosted WordPress blogs displays the title and a link to the last blog post of anyone who leaves a comment on your blog as well as their Twitter handle. This shows appreciation for someone who takes the time to join the conversation. Nice touch for thanking people who comment on your blog by directing other visitors to their last post. There are many other bells and whistles like advanced backlink features and spam protection. Check out the video that describes all the features by clicking on the image below where you can also buy the plugin. Enjoy!