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In So You Want To Start Blogging I show how reading and commenting on other blogs can help bloggers develop content for a new blog post. If you’ve decided to start your blog on a free blog site you are most likely using Blogger or WordPress.com.  Both of these free blog sites have advantages and disadvantages which I discuss in detail over at Ms. Ileane’s Blog. But wait, there’s a better solution.

Plugin and sign up for a free blog at the Blogging Wire!

Here’s why: with a Blogging Wire blog you can access some of the best WordPress plugins without the cost or the hassle that comes with self-hosting. You will find many plugins that make social networking on Twitter and FaceBook a breeze, and help you keep your readers fully engaged. Podcasters will find the Viper Video Quicktag plugin very handy for customizing and resizing video without the need to embed. Take a look at this partial list of plugins available for your Blogging Wire:

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• Advertising Manager
• Akismet
• All in One SEO Pack
• CommentLuv
• DoFollow
• External Links
• FaceBook Share
• Follow My Links
• Google Analyticator
• Lightbox Gallery
• Other Posts From Cat
• Subscribe to Comments
• Top Commentators Widget
• TweetMeme Retweet Button
• TwitterTools
• Viper Video Quicktags
• WP- Blogengage
• WP Greet Box
• WP Supercache

Blogging Wire will get you started with learning to use plugins and discovering which ones are right for you. Currently, over 50 bloggers have become Blogging Wire Members and I recommend it to new bloggers or any blogger that wants to fire up a new blog. I have two blogs here, the other one is called Engaging With Ms. Ileane Speaks where you can find articles on Twitter and blogging. Brian (the owner of Blog Engage blog forum and Blogging Wire) keeps you up to date with new plugins that are added at his Blogging Wire Blog.

Image credit Flickr

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Branding!

In the business world one of the keys to success lies in the power of brand recognition and brand awareness. Over the years, many successful and Fortune 500 companies have cultivated their brands through the use of traditional advertising media likeman commercials, newspaper ads and online promotional campaigns. Now that social media outlets including blogs, Facebook and Twitter have become more mainstream they are also being infiltrated by many popular brands.

As a podcaster you should also include social media, in particular blogging, as part of a successful business strategy. If you’re just getting started with your blog, take a look at my post So You Want To Start Blogging for some pointers.

By the same token, if you are a blogger looking for ways to increase traffic to your blog learn how to Promote Your Blog With a Podcast.

Brand building can’t happen overnight, but it has to start somewhere. In 5 Ways to Build Your Brand Effectively from MyBlog2day,  the author Lee Ka Hoong lists these essential tools to help your brand stand out from the crowd.

1. Logo
2. Theme
3. Comment
4. Avatar
5. Content

With that being said, I’m sure you’ve already noticed the shiny new logo that Erica Mueller from Erica Says created for The Podcast Blog found at the top of this post. I won a contest she posted on her blog earlier this month for this fantastic logo design which she provided in 3 sizes. Erica also introduced new branding for her site just recently and talks about it in Proud to Announce The New Erica Says. Thanks again Erica!

For more on the topic of brand building, Gordon Cindric examines the difference between personal branding and company branding online in his post Branding Websites and Blogs. These same concepts can be applied to branding your podcast.

How about you? Can you think of some additional benefits or ways to brand your podcast or your blog? Please leave a comment and share your expertise.

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