Customer Reviews

Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since I've been blogging (http://www.twduff.com) for quite awhile, this is almost like reading a book to see if you're doing anything wrong. Still, Susannah Gardner does a good job with Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies (Wiley).

Chapter List:
Part 1 - Getting Started with Business Blogs: Checking Out Business Blogs; Discovering the Buzz about Buzz Marketing; Building a Business Blog
Part 2 - Setting Up a Business Blog: Picking a Blog Solution; Setting Up a Hosted Blog; Taking Control with Independent Blog Software
Part 3 - Minding Blog Etiquette and Culture: Understanding Your Audience; Joining the Blogosphere; Avoiding Business No-Nos
Part 4 - Positioning Your Blog: Finding a Voice; Promoting Your Blog; Staying on the Right Side of the Law
Part 5 - Making the Most of Your Blog: Adding Value to a Blog; Making Money with a Blog; Going Beyond Blogs
Part 6 - The Part of Tens: Ten Dry-Spell-Breaking Ideas; Ten Traits of a Good Blogger; Ten Blogs You Should Know
Part 7 - Appendixes: Glossary; Using the Book Blog; Hosted and Independent Blog Solutions; How URLs Work; Case Studies; Index

Based on the title of this book, you'd probably assume that this is geared more for the business use of blogs. And in a significant sense, it is. But that's not to say that the serious personal blogger won't learn a number of things here. Gardner does a good job of taking the reader from "what is a blog" through the reasons they can be very important, and finally ends with the things you need to know to keep your blog fresh and inviting. You'd probably figure out many of these rules on your own, but the blogging world can be unforgiving. Make a mistake involving deception, and you may never get your audience back. Have your blog be nothing more than press releases, and no one will show up.

She also does a good job of bridging the theory and the practical. In addition to all the knowledge you need to understand blogging, she also takes you through some potential blogging software choices and shows how you'd use them to set up a blog. Granted, it's not a comprehensive instruction manual on how to install and configure any one blogging package, but the reader will get an idea of what it takes.

I also mentioned it's a good book for the serious personal blogger. I use my blog to share information with various audiences, but it's also a personal marketing tool. Therefore, many of the same "rules of the road" that she covers apply to me. I'm concerned about finding my voice and style, how to attract readers, and knowing whether or not my audience is getting value from my writings. While I've learned much of what she writes about on my own, I'd have come much further much faster if I had this book a couple years ago.

Good stuff, and highly practical. A very good selection to give to your boss if s/he wants to investigate the subject. Just make sure you explain that "For Dummies" isn't personal...

*****
I have quite a few of the "For Dummies" books, several of which I have not read that I use for reference, and several that I have read to gain a deeper understanding of a subject. This book is one of the latter (so I read it cover to cover), as I am a life coach who knew very little about blogs (just having read some teen Xangas). I had seen a very powerful blog-based web site on the Internet, and knew I wanted one for my coaching practice, but had no idea where to begin or what or where the "blogosphere" was. This book solved my dilemma in a fun, readable, and non-technical way (with many, many references for those who want to go deeper). It is definitely a five-star Dummies book, well worth more than the purchase price.

This book helped me to decide what type of blog to develop. I have rudimentary HTML skills, including lite CSS; however, no matter what your skill level (or lack thereof), using the book you can ascertain what type of blog is right for you.

It really covers everything you'd want to know about blogs, including those things you'd never know to ask (e.g., RSS feeds!---who knew?). Not just the technical aspects, but blog writing, marketing, etiquette, etc. I agree with a previous reviewer who wrote that the book is also beneficial for those who want simply personal blogs rather than business blogs, although its greatest utility is for people like me who want to use a blog as a basis for or as an adjunct to their business.

The book was fascinating. Although I spend a lot of time on the Internet, I was oblivious to blogs, and discovered a whole new and very exciting world here. The book helps you to get fired up and excited about something technical---which for me isn't easy, since I don't normally get emotional over new computer software. I think the reason I'm so motivated is that the book helped me to see that so very, very much that is not technical (building community, reaching people in a personal way, supporting clients, offering services, and much more) can be done with blogs.

Best of all is that this book showed me how I can market using blogs and still be myself, something I've been trying to do for years. In fact, the more I am myself on a blog, the better the blog will be---imagine that! A blog is a great tool for self-expression, which can be done concurrently with marketing, I found out, and in an authentic way.

The book gives references for further learning, which is mostly informal (an therefore hard to know about without experience, which the author shared to my great benefit). If you are an early adopter, buy the book now---you won't be sorry. In a few years, everyone will blog---now, you can be on the cutting edge...I wish I could give this book 6 stars!


*****

My client wanted to have a blog and I needed to learn the basics about blogs in short order. This book is a quick read and I was standing in front of their executive board in 1 week with a customized sample blog in place for their review and questions. I received a signed contract that day. Thank you for this book. On the down side, the specific blog software I used was not included in the book for review. Marketing was an important topic in my meeting and the book provided a nice, simple layout on the differences with other media and provided great ideas. The corporate blogging topic was helpful.

Kudos to Susannah Gardner, the author of this book. She put together a *fabulous*, definitive work on Blog Marketing. I'm very fortunate that I didn't get turned off by the Dummies series as I almost always do (same for Idiots). I read the book from beginning to end, which is rare for me. It's full of great tips, without an ounce of fluff.

I got this book thinking that it could help me with my exisiting business. I would say that I'm pretty knowledgable about blogs (which are popular, how to read them, where to find them, how posting often helps increase the hits, etc). This book covered everything I already knew in one place. So if you know what I know and a little more, don't waste your money with this book. If you are completly new to blogging, this is a good foundation.

Are you kidding me!?!??? This is one great book. For a never before blogger this book helped me setup, start and gave me strategies to develop my presence and increase my business. I feel like I need to pay Susannah a referral fee - I am a Realtor after all. Fortunately in Iowa a referral fee to a nonlicnesed person is illegal. I have read this and read this, I use it for reference and it is so highlighted that I am now having to use different highlighter colors to try to keep up with the topics. Oh, I just need to buy another one and color code it. If you are even thinking about blogging get this book, block out a weekend, take lots of notes, and have at lease 5 highlighter colors!

If the word "Blogsphere" is completely foreign to you, you will find this book to be a good introduction into the world of blogging. If you've created your own blogs in the past (using Blogger or some other tools), then you may benefit from something a little more advanced.

Hi there! Interested in blogging but don't know how? Congrats, here is the book that will get you started right away! Been blogging for a while now but want to find out ways to enhance your blog and drive more traffic to it? Awesome, you have found the resource to help you do both! Or just want to know exactly what the heck is a blog or blogging in general? Great, this book is for you too!

Though this is not the end-all, be-all guide to blogging, Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies by Susannah Gardner is a nevertheless a pretty comprehensive book on blogging and buzz marketing with blogs for readers of all levels. It is well researched and provides ample examples to ensure that you understand what you need to know in order to start blogging or to enhance your blogs

Though I give this book five stars, it is not without its flaws. There are sprinkles of typos throughout the text. But it is not egregious enough to throw you off by an means.

If you peruse this book chapter by chapter, it will definitely appear redundant. Yes, Ms. Gardner will sound like a broken record, monotonously repeating herself a bazillion times. This, however, is by design. She explains it in her introduction. But if you're similarly impatient like me, chances are you probably almost always skip over the preface or introduction in order to dive into the crux of the matter.

In her introduction, this is what she says in defense of her "needless repetition":

"Chances are the fact that you bought this book means you have some ideas about starting a blog--and I want to get you started right away! You don't have to memorize this book or even read it in order. Feel free to skip straight to the chapter with the information you need and come back to the beginning later. Each chapter is designed to give you easy answers and guidance, accompanied by step-by-step instructions for specific tasks."

In other words, Ms. Gardner designed this text as a reference, meaning you are not supposed to read it like a novel (although you are certainly free to do so). To take full advantage of this text, she encourages you to jump around the text, looking for what you need and reading it. This is the gist of her introduction. So feel free to skip it. Once you get a copy of this book, go to the table of contents, look for what you need, and get started right away!

If you want to learn more about blogging from a different perspective, check out The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging. I just finished reading the first few chapters. So far so good! It's turning out to be a great complement to this book.

This book is easy to read and understand. It gives a good overview of ways to use your blog in marketing products, but in some areas it was too technical for me to understand (it doesn't take much for it to be too technical) and in other areas it was too obvious. I read it--it didn't take that long, but it's not a book I will use for reference again and again. I could have used less html coding and more URLs to visit.

Well researched, too. Good primer for getting up to speed.