Archive for Blogging
On Brains, Marketing, and White Chicken Chili
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In his wonderful book, Brain Rules, John Medina explains how our brains continuously scan the sensory horizon, assessing events for their potential interest or importance. The more important events are then given extra attention.
Our brains also pay more attention to information that’s surprising, unique, or presented in unexpected ways.
Did you see the GoDaddy commercials during the Super Bowl, for instance? The content of their commercials had nothing to do with domain names, but I suspect the sexy women enticed more than a few Super Bowl fans to check out their Web site, just to see what this company is all about (or more likely, in hopes of seeing even more images of scantily clad women).
Knowing this tidbit about how our brains work comes in handy when you’re planning a marketing campaign – or even writing a blog post.
Case in point:
My niece, Kelli Christianson, who graduated from college last spring, writes a personal blog called “Thirsty for Rain.” Kelli is a fun-loving woman with a great sense of humor, as you’ll soon discover. Last week on her blog, Kelli shared a favorite family recipe for White Chicken Chili, which she gave me permission to re-print. Be sure to read the entire recipe, especially the cooking instructions.
This is one recipe you won’t soon forget! As an added bonus, you’ve also got a yummy recipe you can whip up for dinner this week.
Over the weekend, Dave and I made this delicious recipe from my super special mommie’s recipe. There is nothing like sharing a wonderful home-made meal with many people you love. I want to do it again.
Hello, domestic soul whom I have been stifling and avoiding.
Three cans or 45 ounces of great northern beans
2lb of chicken breasts
2 cups of broth
1 TB olive oil
1 cup of chopped artichokes (but I always use more)
4 oz mild diced green chilies
12 oz of Monterey jack cheese
3 cloves garlic
2 med onions chopped
2 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 cayenne pepper
Cook your chicken breasts in 1/2 inch of boiling water. Flip juicy breasts as needed. Slice chicken into soupy-size bites. Use leftover water as chicken broth.
Grab large pot and add cans of beans with their water (do not drain) into the pot on medium heat. Simmer- not boil. Simmer means one bubble every second or two, anything more is boiling. Add freshly chopped artichokes and green chilies when you desire but drain these bad boys- their juices are too potent.
In another saucepan saute(e with accent)- your chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil. You can add a bit of the spices to this mix if it delights you.
Add spices at the end. All good cooks taste their food. Get a long tasty spoon and add more cayenne pepper for more spice. I usually add more cumin because it is my favorite.
Throw everything together while singing with a large glass of wine in hand.
Stir pot with a large wooden spoon while making up witchy chants. This is a very important step and should not be avoided or scoffed at.
Ladle into chubby bowls and top with cheese. The original recipe adds the cheese to the soup but less is more when it comes to diary and meat. Americans consume too much of this- plus it makes me feel bad.
Enjoy with crunchy tortilla chips or the soda bread recipe I will post later this week.
We love to print guest columns. Learn how to submit a guest column here.
Improve Your Blogging… Binge on a Fiction Author
Posted by: | CommentsIn Friday’s guest column, Geoff Hoff points out that using fiction techniques in your business blog posts makes your writing “more viscerally appealing to your reader.”
I couldn’t agree more. I write non-fiction, but I read fiction (55 novels in 2009). As I inhale novels, I mentally dissect each one to learn how the author creates rich characters, intriguing plot lines, and compelling dialogue.
I love to binge on a particular author. I’ll select an author who is new to me (usually someone recommended by another writer) and read every book written by that author, one after another. Author binges acquaint me with an author’s unique style, and as I immerse myself in every novel that author has published, I become familiar with specific techniques the author uses.
Often, I’ll hand-copy or type several paragraphs from an author’s novel. As I copy the author’s words, they come alive for me and I’m able to pick out specific turns-of-phrase that I can incorporate into my own writing.
I binged on several authors during 2009 (you’ll see from my choice of authors that I have an eclectic reading style – I’ll read almost anyone!).
Here are my author binges, in no particular order:
Orson Scott Card – I started with the Alvin Maker series (the covers alone are some of the cheesiest I’ve ever seen!) and worked my way through the Science Fiction classic, Ender’s Game, and most of the other Ender books.
Ted Dekker – I read several of his recent suspense/thrillers (which have pseudo-Christian themes) and worked my way back to his earlier works. Just finished the Martyr’s Song series. I’m mad at Ted; I’ve spent many a sleepless night turning pages to find out what happens next.
Tamera Alexander – Who woulda thunk I’d like historical Christian western romances? Not me! But I do. At least, I like her books; she’s an excellent writer.
Seth Godin – I know; I know… Seth Godin writes non-fiction. But he writes about business blogging and other business-related topics. I like his style. It’s plain. Simple. Readable. Pointed.
Mary DeMuth – Mary and I met several years ago at a writers’ conference and of course, I must read everything my writer friends publish (Hi, Mary!). I recently read the first two books in her Defiance Texas Trilogy. Her books are heart-wrenching because they address difficult topics (such as child abuse), but she’s a brilliant rising star in Christian fiction.
Alexander McCall Smith – I adore The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series, am working my way through The Isabel Dalhousie series, and plan to start The Portuguese Irregular Verbs series and The 44 Scotland Street series sometime during my lifetime. Love his intriguing titles and quirky characters!
Elizabeth George – I’ve been binging on Inspector Lynley and his sidekick, Barbara Havers, for years. Next on my list: Careless in Red.
Classic Binges
I binge on these authors repeatedly – sometimes yearly.
Jane Austen – I never tire of Pride and Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and the others, no matter how many times I read them.
Jan Karon – The Mitford Years is my favorite series, bar none.
Maeve Binchy – One of my absolute favorite authors. I’ve read most of her books, and will probably re-read them all.
John Grisham – Who hasn’t binged on him?
Mary Higgins Clark – Ditto.
Richard Llewellyn – It took me 10 years to collect the entire How Green Was My Valley series, but I own ‘em all. And love ‘em.
Thomas Hardy – Dark, intriguing, tragic love stories. Tess of the D’Urbervilles is one of my all-time favorite novels.
Charlotte Bronte – Ditto. The first time I read Jane Eyre I was a young girl; I knew then that I was going to become a big fan of British literature.
I need some new authors to binge on in 2010. Recommendations, anyone?
Submit a Guest Column to Blogging Bistro
Posted by: | CommentsWould you like to share what you’re learning about blogging, Twitter, or Facebook? Submit a guest column to Blogging Bistro.
We accept guest blog posts on a variety of topics:
- Business blogging
- Social media in general
- Internet marketing
- Web-based writing
- WordPress (such cool plug-ins you’ve discovered)
- Reviews of social media tools and apps
- Tutorials (video tutorials or written tutorials with screenshots)
- Personal stories about what you’re learning in regards to social media
- Tips for social media newbies
- Your post can be an adaptation (not a complete reprint) of an article you’ve posted on your personal blog at least six months ago (we do not accept articles previously published on commercial sites, on other people’s blogs, or in magazines/newspapers).
- Your article should range from 300-500 words (if you go a tad over 500 words, that’s okay).
- Your article must be tightly-focused on a single aspect of social media.
- Your article must include practical action steps readers can begin using immediately.
- Carefully edit your article for correct grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
- Include up to two links in your byline (i.e. a link to your blog and another to your Twitter or Facebook account).
- Include a low-res (72 dpi), good-quality headshot of yourself. We reserve the right not to use your headshot if it does not meet our quality standards.
- If you submit images or screenshots to accompany your guest post, size them appropriately (72 dpi, no larger than 300 px) and send them as JPEG or PNG attachments.
E-mail your post as a Word attachment to Blogging Bistro. In the Subject line, put Guest Post Submission for Blogging Bistro.
We will acknowledge receipt of your post via e-mail, usually within 48 hours, and will let you know whether your post has been accepted for publication.
Blogging Bistro’s Best Social Media Tutorials
Posted by: | CommentsHave you considered showcasing some of your best blog posts from 2009?
“Best of…” posts are always popular with readers, and they also help you get more mileage from your archived articles.
I enjoy creating tutorials for beginning social media users; here are 16 of my most-requested ones:
The Blogging Barista’s Best How To-torials of 2009
1. Make a Name for Yourself on Google
2. Write Twitter Teasers that Lure People to Your Archived Blog Posts (Guest article on TwiTip)
4. Create a Hyperlink Inside a Blog Post
5. Market Yourself With Business Cards
6. Make Google Love Your Twitter Profile
7. Create a Hacker-Resistant Password
8. Create a Custom Subject Line for Feedburner E-Mail Updates
9. Avoid Twitter Phishing Scams
10. Link to Your Facebook Business Page From Your Profile
11. Use Google’s Wonder Wheel to Generate Ideas for Blog Posts
12. Create a Branded Facebook Username
13. Connect Your LinkedIn and Twitter Accounts
14. Submit Your Business Site to Yahoo! Local
15. Submit Your Web Site to Bing and Bing Local
Please share a link to your “Best of 2009″ post. If you haven’t written it yet, get busy!
Web Site Makeover: Freedomtrain Ministries
Posted by: | CommentsMarilyn and Wayne Gray have a passion to see people set free from hurts – addictions, marital strife, and depression resulting from past abuse or neglect.
Although their non-profit ministry, Freedomtrain Ministries, is thriving, they wanted to take it to the next level. Marilyn says:
“We wanted to update our Web site, add more multi-media resources, and present ourselves publicly in a more personal manner.”
When we began working with Marilyn and Wayne, we reviewed their Web site and immediately pinpointed several areas that needed improvement:
- Their copy was impersonal and did not clearly explain the services they provide, the purpose of their ministry, or the reason why they were leading this ministry.
- Their blog was located on a different site and had a completely different design than their Web site.
- The width of their site’s banner (header) was narrower than the other elements on the site, giving the entire site a disjoined feel.
- The white (and yellow, and lilac, and green, and blue!) type on a purple background was jarring to the eyes.
- The myriad of type fonts, sizes, and styles, combined with long blocks of text, made the site uninviting difficult to read.
- The site had not been optimized for different browsers, and the navigation buttons displayed off-kilter on some browsers.
Here’s a BEFORE screenshot of their original Web site:
Marilyn and I collaborated closely on every step of this project. We fine-tuned their ministry’s brand message, re-wrote all the copy on their site, selected a contemporary color scheme, and customized a WordPress theme to create a clean, simple design. I love the way their copy now reflects the deepest parts of who they are. Read Marilyn’s testimony and you’ll see what I mean.
- We axed their former domain name (dot INFO) and replaced it with an easier-to-find dot COM (www.freedomtrainministries.com).
- One of our graphic artists freshened up their logo and designed two banners that fade in and out, creating a flash-style effect. Because Freedomtrain Ministries draws from a wide age-range of clients (early 20s to seniors), our artist faced the challenge of creating something that was cool enough to attract Gen Yers, yet conservative enough to appeal to seniors. Here’s one of the new headers:
- We carefully selected and placed simple, vibrant images that showcase Marilyn and Wayne’s life journey and subtly promote the “freedom train” brand.
- Marilyn and Wayne diligently collected endorsements and testimonials from people who have attended their training and ministry sessions, and we interspersed those throughout the site, sometimes as pull quotes and sometimes as graphic elements.
- We migrated their blog content from their former host into their new WordPress site, and I gave Marilyn some tips about how to format blog posts and how to optimize them for search engines.
- Marilyn and Wayne signed up for an account with an e-newsletter service, and we popped a subscription form into their site’s sidebar. We also added RSS features so people can subscribe to their blog posts via a feed reader or e-mail.
Many small non-profits hesitate to build or revamp their Web site, assuming that such a venture must be extremely expensive. It’s not. FreedomtrainMinistries.com is an example how you can freshen up a site on a limited budget – and breathe new life into your business at the same time.
Stop by their new site for a looksee!
How to Turn One Great Idea into a Dozen Articles
Posted by: | CommentsThis week, I’m making guest appearances on others’ blogs:
- The Everett Herald (the daily newspaper of Everett, Washington):
What makes a good company blog? - Wannabe Published (author Mary DeMuth’s blog for people pursuing publication):
How to spinoff one good idea into a dozen blog posts - Daily Blog Tips Group Writing Project: 90 Reviews of 2009
- Snohomish County Business Journal - Beginning in January 2010, I’ll be contributing a monthly relationship marketing column. The SCBJ is mailed monthly to 15,000 area business owners and managers.
Q & A with Amy Rolph, reporter for The Storefront, The Herald’s Small Business blog
Four handy (and free) online tools to boost your creativity. Great for planning your 2010 editorial calendar.
10 popular marketing phrases of 2009 you must immediately delete from your vocabulary (my contribution)
Make sure you check out Daniel’s links — you’ll find some amazing blog posts!
*For those of you who are scratching your head, wondering how to pronounce Snohomish, it’s snowHOMEish. Snohomish County is the third largest in Washington, with over 696,000 residents. We love Native American names in Washington state.







