Blogging with Moxie

Do you see how pink this book is? What could this possibly mean?

Why, yes – it’s a book written by ladies for other ladies.

This is what the authors say about themselves in the introduction:
The Moxie Girls, Joelle Reeder and Katherine Scoleri, are like vodka and olives - tasty on their own, but even better together.

This book can be very helpful for beginner bloggers. They call it geeky basics for beginners. In my opinion, the book is full of technically significant details, which might even be of interest to slightly more experienced bloggers.

It was very thoughtful of the authors – who, no doubt, want to lighten up the overwhelming life of a blogger – to put up some cocktail recipes at the end of each chapter. Since cocktails are part of my summer diet, I’m enjoying trying the recipes.

Another thing I liked is the authors’ approach in regards to the audience – no pressure whatsoever. Everything is presented easily, lightly, and with a sense of humour. You can take it in while lying next to the pool, or in a hammock. I read it one day while relaxing in a camping chair in High Park.

Here are some excerpts from the book.

A blog about your business can run drier than last night's martini. Not many people, except your mother, perhaps, want to hear you go on and on about what's new at your store or business. Sure, it's okay to mingle those of entries into the content, but the key is to keep it interesting. Variety is the spice of life and all that jazz.

Copyrights and the Internet have a long and troublesome relationship. Unfortunately, it isn't unheard of for someone to copy your content and paste and publish it somewhere else. There isn't much to stop people from doing it, even though it's illegal to do so.

In sense, you're protected by intellectual property copyright laws. But unless someone's stolen copy from your blog and used it to make a profit, there isn't a whole lot you van do. The good news is that your blog is copyrighted, by default, the minute you post it. It's okay to post on your site somewhere - usually in the footer - a copyright notice stating that you reserve all your rights to the work you publish. You can copyright your words, but you can't copyright ideas.

Comments: Give a Little, Get a Little

Let's say you start up a blog and click Publish on your very first post. Look at that! You put something out on the Internet! It's compelling and witty. People will laugh hysterically! You sit and wait for people to swarm and tell you haw hilarious the story you just wrote is. Only there's one problem: No one knows your blog exists.

Comments, first and foremost, are the best place to start getting the word out about you and your blog.Surely, you've read someone else's blog. ( We know, we know. Don't call you Shirley.) Maybe you've read a hundred blogs. That's great, but no one knows you read them unless you post a comment. Reading and not commenting is often referred to as lurking.

And here are some pink photos to continue with the pink theme.