Video killed the text blahs

One cool way to change up a blog is to use embedded video. Text and photos usually get the job done, but sometimes moving images and audio are a perfect complement to your posts. Or they are the posts.

I just added a pair of YouTube embed videos to my dvd blog posts on the death of Ingmar Bergman -- a couple of short-film parodies of his early heavy-duty works. In this case, only the shorts could tell that story. Also on my site is a category called DVD Blog Theater -- an archive of videos I've used in various contexts. Many videos on YouTube include embed coding for viral distribution; some do not at the request of content providers.

I own none of the copyrights on these videos. So why do I feel entitled to display them? My assumption is that the people who host these videos have cleared copyrights. I have not acquired or uploaded these files. If my readers did a search, they could find the files just as easily as I did. These files do not exist on my site, just the window and/or link. The right to link freely has been upheld repeatedly in the courts.

Won you over yet? Didn't think so. ...

If I found out there was any dispute over the materials, the links would come down immediately. To continue would be ethically and legally problematic.

So far in the brave new world of supermarket-style video streaming, the responsibility of preventing copyright violations has informally fallen to the content owner (who must police the copyright) and to the uploader or host of the video (who needs to clear the content and/or remove it when asked). Google/YouTube, as you probably know, are busy producing a copyright filtering system to eliminate material that's been declared off-limits. The courts are waiting.

In the real world, it's often the case that creators of short-form content are delighted to get exposure via, say, YouTube. Often, they submit the content. This includes most TV networks, music labels, and the makers of trailers and short films. None of this applies to pure piracy, of course, as in downloading a feature-length movie off any of the bit torrent sites.

I wouldn't want to take this mangy pack of arguments into court, but that sort of logic is why YouTube is still with us. This uneasy truce with the content providers and courts allows YouTube to continue its video revolution.

URLs get a new look from Google

Traffic thunder-god Google is starting to treat hyphens/dashes and underscores as word separators in URLS. Feel free to do a Pee-wee dance.

OK, this would seem to be a bit technical and slight, but if you create a lot of pages or use TypePad this is really good info.

Until now, the search engine saw hyphens/dashes as a signal different words were being represented. Underscores meant the words ran together. Why? Who knows. One of those rules I could never keep straight, anyway.

This is great news for TypePad users because that blog service defaults to underscores in URLs. In theory, we on TP could see some traffic bumps off this (my blog there is DVD Spin Doctor).

C/net posted coverage of Google Webspam guru Matt Cutts' talk at WordCamp 007, in which he powerpointed this and several other forum-bait issues.

Hint: If you're using WordPress, be sure you're on top of how that blog system creates URLs and what you can do about it. My startup Download Movies 101 uses WordPress -- and I definitely need to practice what I preach here.

I'm on the three major blog platforms now. Will post a compare/contrast before long.

GoDaddy.com Discount Domain Club

A sixpack of writers blogs

Making some progress filling in the sidebars on this (relatively new) blog, seeking good resource links for writers and wannabes. Yep, those new book links are advertorial. I confess.

Anyway, I went looking for blogs similar to this one, dedicated to the craft of writing and figuring out how that unfurls in the 2.0 world. Tips, SEO text techniques, headline help, war stories, that sort of thing. Came back with a sixpack of sites to recommend, but surprisingly it was tough to find more. Most of the "writing blogs" were about marketing. To us. Everyone selling an e-book or subscription something. (If you know of a good web writers blog, please share via the comments.)

Here are my picks, so far. The quest continues:

Angela Booth's Writing Blog. The "veteran writer and author" is heavily into self-promotion but she always seems to mind the content. The blog is a good read if you don't mind the plugs for her various ventures. Knows her stuff. Typical posts: "If you're a writer who doesn't 'get' blogging" and "Writing and commitment." Best for beginners and intermediates.

Copyblogger. Outstanding site dedicated to ad copy and marketing text. "The art and science of compelling copy." Brian Clark is blogger in chief but has help. Typical posts: "Do you make these mistakes when you write?" and the Link Karma series.

Dosh Dosh. All about making money with blogs. Writer Maki transcends his subject, making this a great resource for anyone posting anything online. My first or second read every day. Typical posts: "A comprehensive guide to StumbleUpon" and "How to choose the right blog niche." I've learned tons from this site but haven't made much money. Hmmm.

ProBlogger. I've written about Darren Rowse's fine site several times so this will be short. Another making-money blog. Check out how he deftly mixes links and his own text. Typical post: "Rediscover your blogging groove."

Time to Write. "I'm a writer, teacher, and hypnotherapist," Jurgen Wolff says in his About. He's also a "writing coach." Never heard of that calling but Manhattan probably is crawling with them. Typical posts: "Writing for children" (via graphic novels) and "How to piggyback onto a successful book." Posts are short and clear; we all could learn from that.

Writer's Resource Center. Name a topic, it's probably covered here. Freelancing, poetry, fiction, technical writing, jobs. Lots of how-to lists. Typical post: "15 craft exercises for authors." Go for the info; quality of writing ranges from just OK to pretty good.

I'm inspired by all of these destinations. And my shaky search results for "top writers blogs" tells me to keep plugging away on this one. Maybe Write for Blogs will make your list.

Headlines: Hail to the thief

One way to pick up some reader interest is to "borrow" titles and expressions from popular culture or literature. Pros do it all the time -- just pick up a copy of the New York Times and you'll spot at least a couple. Boomers salivate at the mention of any Beatles song title, for instance. So you get something like: "Say you want a revolution? So does Google." "The publicity machine: twist and shout." Or "Steve Jobs: a day in the life." Most people would dive right into those posts.

It works like this. You're stuck. No headline comes to mind. Or what comes to mind bores even you. Nothing to say, but it's OK. Just start running Beatles songs and albums through your mind (or browser). Something will fit. Never fails.

Authors and the marketing units of their publishers are more than hip to this. For example, I just came across a mystery by Lee Child titled "Bad Luck and Trouble." Original? Yeah, when bluesman Albert King used the phrase in "Born Under a Bad Sign." Come think of it, "Born Under a Bad Sign" would be a great title for a novel ... except there are at least four books already using it. Speaking of Cream (say what?), I'm putting off working on a detective novel called "Strange Brew."

I worked at the trade paper The Hollywood Reporter for many years. Its headlines are packed with rock music references, because it was a rock & roll kind of newsroom. Or used to be.

Of course, no need to stop with pop. Literature is full of great and mighty titles to abscond with. Help yourself. Everybody else has. Think William Faulkner came up with "The Sound and the Fury" on his own?

Thing is, nobody minds. Those readers who make the connection usually appreciate your assumption that they have fine educations. Those who don't get it feel a tingly bit of deja vu -- or at worst think you're a terrific writer.

Used in moderation, this evocative technique can be funny, poetic or quite powerful. Don't consider it plagiarism; it's simply a moveable feast of words.

Pro bloggers get a BizWeek salute

Here's a must read for anyone hoping to see some money out of blogging (or getting weary of trying). BusinessWeek profiles 13 bloggers who've managed to make a decent living -- or better. The story is titled "Bloggers Bring in the Big Bucks," although in most of the cases "big bucks" is definitely relative.

The cast includes Perez Hilton, Michelle Malkin, the ladies of Go Fug Yourself, Jason Kottke and two blog-riches purveyors I read daily: Darren Rowse of ProBlogger and Jeremy Schoemaker of ShoeMoney (pictured).

From the intro:

From cat pictures and celebrity gossip to tech news and politics, the stars of the blogosphere earn plenty of dough, regardless of subject. Some bloggers start their sites intending to make big profits. But most of the bloggers we talked to had more modest expectations, and saw their blogs unexpectedly turn into businesses as traffic picked up and ad dollars rolled in.

The story echoes the advice I see over and over from bloggers who've made it: Don't give up. The most common mistake that bloggers who hope to turn pro make is quitting too soon. Don't we all want to believe that one!

Read the BusinessWeek story on bloggers

Write like you talk and lose your audience

I was just reading a blogging 101 post that repeated the same bad advice beginning writers always get: Write like you talk. Must have seen this a dozen times in the past month.

Only the truly crisp-and-clear speakers should take this seriously. I, um, tend to wander around in speech, you know, and often go on about things that distract from the point, um, whatever that is. My grammar ain't so hot and I sometimes swear when marking time with adjectives.

Develop an inviting personality to use in your writing. It’s an acting gig to some extent since that person is “always on.” Most of us speak in run-on sentences when conveying something of substance. Good writers mix up the lengths of their sentences. It's effective.

The point, I think, is to avoid coming across like The Voice of God. When I taught writing to new journalism students, they rarely started off with any personality. (Well, one guy did but I later found out he cribbed from Steve Martin.) Almost all of them tried to mimic the editorial pages. They came across like someone who knows it all and preaches from the mountain top. You know.

Blogging for money: Fool's gold or gold rush?

Here's a good roundup story out of London about people trying to make a living off blogging. The Times Online piece cites a study that says spending on blog advertising is expected to pass $300 million by 2010. But, it notes, only about 7% of people blog with the intent of making money.

I have always gone with the oft-repeated advice: Write for art, write to communicate, but most of all write for money. Pardon the interruption from the house mercenary. Now back to the Times story:

Henry Copeland, founder of Blogads, which connects bloggers and advertisers, understands the temptation (to seek blogging fortune). “It’s the Horatio Alger story of the 21st century,” he says. ... Successful bloggers must work long hours -- “18 hours a day, truly compulsively”, Copeland says. They also need the guts to commit themselves fully to their projects, even if it means uprooting their lives. Perhaps most importantly, they need to cultivate a voice that will attract readers and keep them coming back. “Voice is a one-in-100,000 kind of thing,” he says.

Of course, one primary source of blogging revenue is helping people who want to make money blogging. The story includes quotes from one of these bloggers, Darren Rouse, whose ProBlogger is one of my everyday reads.

Rowse cautions that it is hard to turn a blog into a thriving business, “but with a long-term vision, sustained hard work, a lot of creativity and some luck it’s possible . . . I mean, I was a guy whose computer expertise extended to knowing how to send e-mail and use a word-processor four to five years ago and now I make a living blogging. If I can do it, I suspect that others can.”

The Speed-link express

Are Social Bookmarking Buttons Useless?
Dosh Dosh unveils results of poll on whether people actually use these bits of graphic clutter when they're attached to a post. Here's the verdict: 64% of voters do not use social bookmarking buttons, with 19% of them not knowing what they are at all.

Why StumbleUpon Sends More Traffic Than Digg
ProBlogger's Darren Rowse posts a case study comparing traffic sent from StumbleUpon and Digg. He finds that the StumbleUpon crowd performs much better in the long-tail arena, although both 2.0 sites deliver plenty of traffic. At least to him!

Of course -- this post doesn’t really illustrate that StumbleUpon is better than Digg or that Digg is better than StumbleUpon. In fact, if anything it shows how they compliment each other quite nicely.

Blogcatalog a Blogger Social Networking Hub
Andy Beard compares and contrasts Blogcatalog, MyBlogLog and Bumpzee. Similar to results from Digg and the like, he finds that Blogcatalog readers don't seem much interested in subscribing or hanging around for more than a few seconds.

I'm giving Blogcatalog a shot; just set up a home there for my blogs. Be sure to check out the fun-house photo. (Who came up with those square pic formats, anyway.)

Verbs: Get an active workout

I worked with a crazy man long ago who counseled me to go through my stories and eliminate all passive constructions. I took the advice and it worked like crazy.

The active voice always bring more punch to your content. Instead of saying, "I was taught to use the active voice by a crazy man" (passive and wordy) go with "A crazy man taught me to use the active voice" (active and crisp).

The passive voice works when you are downplaying the person or thing doing the action: "President Kennedy was assassinated today by a lone gunman" (vital words up front) not "A lone gunman assassinated President Kennedy today."

What else did the crazy man say? Get rid of "is" and "to be" constructions whenever you can. Replace them with stronger, more direct and descriptive verbs. Don't squander these opportunities to engage the reader. Every word counts. Smart crazy man.

Look, Ma, no commas

Want some new energy in your writing? Play a game with yourself.

One way to ensure you remain challenged with familiar subject matter is to add a secret scheme to your article/post. I started doing this a few years back with DVD reviews. It always helped when my attention was going astray. Sounds dumb -- but it can be fun.

Here's the idea: Write your post without commas. Don't write sentences over 5 words long. Don't write sentences under two dozen words long. Write in character. Make every verb related to your topic. Make the first sentence also the last. Imitate an author you admire. Write as if the item were a play.

Sound too tough? Consider the case of one Ernest Vincent Wright. He wrote a book without once using the letter "e." And on the subject of lowercase e's: We all know about E. E. Cummings.

How to be a guilt-free slacker

Blogs need to be fed. Sort of like kids. You may not be feeling it, but that's tough. The content has to go up if you're serious about building an audience and a reputation.

Imagine a daily newspaper not coming out one day because the editorial staffers had the blahs. (Fortunately for readers, no one ever puts this to a vote in newsrooms.)

There are ways to get around grinding out a post as pure duty. One is the perfectly respectable method of pointing to someone else's great post, giving the writer the props and tossing in a few sentences of your perspective. Another is the "speed linking" post -- basically a roundup of the good stuff you've read in the past few days. Some bloggers make this a regular feature. I'm guessing most readers are like me -- they like seeing these once in a while, say weekly. Any more and you're just freeloading.

Look for opportunities to recycle some of your work done for other media. This assumes, of course, that you've done some writing in the past about your blog's subject matter. (You haven't? Hmmm.) I find my DVD reviews quite handy for this, since so many movies go through multiple editions on home video. Today and Friday, I got lucky -- I had decent material on "Masters of Horror" and "Gunsmoke" that plugged right in to the current info. (Be careful about reusing content from your blog, however. Search engines aren't big fans of that technique.)

Then there's the "guest blogger." The big boys and girls like to do this -- offer lesser-known bloggers a chance to get exposure via their higher-profile sites. Win-win. Or you can shop around for a like-minded blogger who's up for a "vacation content share" -- she posts on your blog when you're gone, you do the same. We did this recently on Life and Fitness Coach.