Internet Marketing Tips from Denise Wakeman

Ning Social Networks

Anyone using Ning? I've set up a profile and joined one network at the invitation of Kathleen Gage, but frankly, the idea of participating on one more social network overwhelms me.

However, Ning networks are created by YOU around any subject YOU want, so I'm curious to know who is using Ning and what you think.  Is is a marketing tool for you?  Are you getting more traffic and exposure from Ning?  Do tell!

Here's what Kathleen told me when I asked her how she was using Ning:

On Ning, I find it is a great place to "position" my expertise. Basically, I get involved in conversations every so often when there is something I know I can offer insights into.

I also post about free resources that would be of interest to the people in any of the groups I belong to.

Backlink Counting Tool is Cool

Do you know who is linking to you? How many incoming links are there to your blog or website?

Courtesy of Rich Brooks at flyteblog.com, I learned about a cool, free tool for counting your backlinks from We Build Pages.

The interesting thing here is that they also give you the anchor text the site used to link to you. Wikipedia defines anchor text as:

The anchor text or link label is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. Anchor text(text of the anchor) is the text a user clicks when clicking a link on a web page.

For this site, www.biztipsblog.com, there were 902 backlinks. Next you get a report with the anchor text summarized. This shows you the actual words people are hyperlinking to your site. Hopefully, they are words you want to associate with you and your site!

Next there is a report called Ninja Choice Summary. Since there's no explanation of what this means, I can only presume that it's a list of the best anchor text words vs. all the words people have used.

Who knows how accurate it is, but you do get a good picture of how many sites are linking to you and the words their linking with.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

 

Internet Marketing: 2 Classes in December

Here's a heads-up about two classes The Blog Squad is presenting in December so you can get them on your calendar now...you don't want to miss either one.

First, our Blogging and Beyond Mentoring program monthly teleseminar features guest Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero of Red Hot Copy. 

This exclusive teleseminar is only for members of our Blogging and Beyond Mentor program. You can get a trial membership for just $9.95 and see how you like it. Plus you'll get to attend the private teleseminar with Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, considered one of the top Internet marketing copywriters (Lorrie charges top dollar for her expertise so this alone is worth more than your $9.95 investment).

The teleseminar is December 10 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.  All Mentor programs are recorded and transcribed for you to study at your convenience.

Click here to join >>> www.theblogsquad.net/mentor

The second program is a free teleclass on December 17 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time...

Discover the 5 Internet Marketing Traps That Can Derail Your Business

Patsi Flips for New Flip Video Camera

Flip Video Camera Gets Pink Shoes

I don't usually blog about tech tips or tools, but I went gadget crazy on Amazon, buying a Flip video camera with tripod and a Canon PowerShot digital camera.

You see, 2008 is going to be a great year on the Internet, especially for multi-media, and we'll need to create great experiences for readers.

Trust me on this one: even if you already have a camcorder and a still camera, if it's not tiny enough to go in your pocket, you're not going to use it often. I had both these items, but they were big, heavy and difficult to use.

So after seeing Denise use her Flip camera at Blog World Expo, I decided to get the newer version that attaches to a mini tripod. That way, I can film myself at the computer, or Denise and I can film ourselves together.

But little did I realize how cute this gadget would be. The tripod comes with interchangeable colored feet! Of course, I put the bright pink booties on so it would be matching our Blog Squad logo colors... how silly is that? You gotta love it! I'll bet it was a woman who thought up that customization idea, non?

What's your favorite gadget, what's on your Holiday list? Oh, I'll take a short video clip soon...

Related post:
Flip Video is a Hit at BlogWorld Expo