Kindle Publishing for Blogs

Amazon has a little heard of feature called Kindle Publishing for Blogs.  You can check out the site here.  When you first click on the site it says that you can only view it using certain internet browsers.  It's a lie.  I have used several "non-supported" browsers to access it and it works perfectly.

Here's how it works in a nutshell:

You upload your blog's RSS feed to Amazon.  People can then subscribe to your blog through Amazon by paying a monthly fee decided by Amazon (usually between $.99-2.99).  The idea is that they could read your blog on their Kindle device rather than on the computer.  You get a percentage of the monthly fee paid.

The reality?  This idea sounds nice on paper.  But why pay money for something you can read for free?  3 of my 5 blogs are "published" on Amazon and I've only ever had one subscriber that lasted for a few months.  With most Kindle devices having internet connections and most blogs offering an email option, there's really no reason to be paying money for a blog subscription.

I keep my three blogs up on Amazon just for the heck of it.  I figure it can't hurt and if nothing else it could maybe redirect a potential new reader to my actual blog site.

What is an RSS Feed?

RSS feed is a term you will come across constantly as a blogger.  It's an extremely important concept to understand if you wish to expand your blog's audience.

RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication.  Don't ask why it's the term used.  What's important is what it's used for.  Basically, your blog generates a feed when you publish your content.  Think of it like a magazine.  One blog post is a single issue of a magazine.

The RSS feed is how people can subscribe to your blog.  By subscribing to your blog's feed, they are telling the blog to send posts ("issues") to them on a regular basis.  The most common methods of receiving a subscription are through email (the blog sends the post as an email) or through an RSS reader (a program that can read RSS feeds).

So why is this useful?

First of all, it's very convenient for readers.  Ideally, you want 100% of your readers to read 100% of your blog posts.  Unless a blog is part of a person's usual internet browsing routine, it's easy to forget to check back on a regular basis.  Having a blog post sent to an email increases the likelihood that it will be read.

The other big reason is that it helps you, the blog author, to expand your audience potential.  Many places such as (but certainly not limited to) Facebook allow you to upload your blog's RSS feed.  This means that people could view your posts on Facebook.  You use the more popular site's broader appeal to help attract attention to your blog.

But before you go upload your blog everywhere do keep something in mind:

If you upload your RSS feed to every site you come across it means that people are reading the post on the third party site and not your blog.  The number of people you actually have visiting your blog greatly affects your SEO.

So to sum up: find the careful balance between attracting new readers but at the same time keeping people on your blog.

Overview of Blogger.com

I made a 15 minute tutorial video on the basics of Blogger:

Blog Widgets

Blog "widgets" are extra features or functions that you can add on to your blog.  Some of them may be created by the blogging platform (such as blogger) but many of them are created by third part providers.  Think of them like cell phone apps.

Usually there is a button in your blog's layout area that says "add widgets."  This button will give you basic suggestions recommended to you by the blogging platform company.  You can also search for widgets online.  The site you find them on will usually have directions on how to install the widget on your blog.  Be warned that not all of these third party widgets will be high quality.  So shop around.

Some examples of things widgets can do:

-Ways for people to follow your blog (follow by email, follow using Google reader, etc.)

-Follow by Twitter button

-"Like" a page on Facebook button

-Display ads

-Display how many views your blog has received

-Blog archive

-Your most popular posts

-Search your blog

There are hundreds if not thousands of widgets.  Those were just a few.  Widgets are usually placed in your blog sidebars but they can also be placed in the blog footer.  Remember, widgets should enhance your blog, not distract from it.  Some widgets are fun but before you install it think about how that widget will help your readers.

Blog Sidebars

The blog sidebars are the columns next to your main text column.  The number of columns that you have is up to you and is only really limited by the blogging platform that you use.  While the information presented in the blog sidebars can change, on the actual blog this information is usually static.  In other words, everything in the sidebars will appear the same even when you add a new post.

In terms of purpose, the sidebars are similar to blog pages in that they should display general information that you would want your reader to access at any time.  The sidebars are also where you place your blog widgets.  I'll get more into blog widgets in a later post.

Due to the fact that blog sidebars are right next to your blog text column, they are more visible than pages.  Here are some basic things that I think are necessary to have in a blog column:

- At least one subscription method for a reader to follow your blog.  Multiple is better.  But if I had to pick just one, I would say having a "follow by email" option is the best.  It's easy, people understand email and people usually read their email.

- Blog archive.  This shows all of your older posts.  It gives readers a place to browse your blog.  More importantly, it shows your readers how active your blog is.  

- Search this blog.  I think it's a useful tool if people want to type in a particular keyword.

- About me (blog author).  This isn't really necessary.  But it's a nice touch.  Makes it seem more personal.

If you are trying to promote something with your blog, the sidebars are a good place to have small announcements or pictures.  But moderation in all things.  I really believe that the actual blog text should be the primary focus.  The more columns you add and the more stuff you add to columns, the more distracting it will be from the actual blog posts.

Blog Text Column

The text column is another basic blogging key term.  It is the main display area that shows all of your most recent posts.  All the other add-ons can be fun but this is area where you are going to generate and keep readers.

Most blog hosts (Blogger, Wordpress, etc...) allow you to adjust the width of your blog text column.  If you want to get really fancy, you can even adjust how many columns you have.  The number of posts displayed in the text column may also be adjusted.  On this blog, I have it so it shows my last 7 most recent posts.

The text column should always be wide enough where it's easy to read without excessive scrolling.  Also be sure to check that the font color you are using does not clash with your background.  Beautiful backgrounds are nice but they should never make the actual text difficult to read.

This is a personal preference, but I like to make sure that the blog text is one of the first things that catches the eye when opened up.  The human eye naturally tracks from left to right, top to bottom (in Western cultures at least).  So the upper left corner of the site is what people will look at first.

In the end, a blog should be about the blog posts; not the number of followers or number of views or advertisements.  A reader should be able to find the main text content of your blog almost as soon as they open  up the page. 

Blog Header

The "blog header" is just a basic part name that you should be familiar with.  This is yet another one of those blog key terms that many people just assume you know the meaning to.  This was not the case for me and I'm sure I'm not the only one.  I actually had to look this up when I first started blogging.

The blog header is the area at the top of your blog that contains your title.  If you want to use this blog as an example, "Non-Techie Blogging" is my header.  Underneath the blog title is my tagline: "Simple tips and tricks for effective blogging.  The tagline is also part of the header.

The header should not be confused with post titles.  Each blog post will have its own title.  The header is going to be a pretty consistent thing.

If you want to get fancy you can make a custom header.  Personally, I prefer having the title of my blog being very clear.  I want it to be one of the first things people notice.  This helps people remember the blog if they want to recommend it.

I would also highly recommend adding a tagline.  Keep the tagline short and precise.  It should give new readers a quick one-sentence summary of what your blog is about.  I've noticed that a lot of bloggers neglect to add a tagline.  Remember: don't make your readers work for information.  Make your blog easy to understand and easy to navigate.