Whether your blog is a space for political discussion or a gathering place for people who raise beta fish, you’ve already realized that the more traffic you can generate, the better! Not only will your blog have an active community, but if you have pay per click advertising on your blog, every visitor is a bit of extra cash in your pocket. There are many ways to generate traffic to your site, and it is just a matter of finding one that suits your site and your personal style.

One innovative way to get the clicks where you want them is take part in a social bookmarking site. If you have not yet heard of the phenomenon, there are sites where you can store your list of bookmarks online. This is convenient for the person who’s always hopping from computer to computer; you’ll always have all the information you need at your very fingertips. Even better, you can make your bookmarks public; you can share things like your favorite news sites, or your top ten favorite webcomics. The big advantage to this sort of service comes when you realize that you are an expert. Make a list of bookmarks that feature other sites that are like yours and make it public.

Social bookmarking sites work because of the selection involved. As more people become wise to the concept of search engine optimization, they are a lot more wary of the first ten hits that come up when they check Google or Yahoo. Social bookmarking works because it has the endorsement of another real person. A real community can spring up around the idea of social bookmarking and it becomes a network of people who are trading information. With the right list of bookmarks made public, it will take a very small amount of time before your blog will be getting more hits than ever before.

To get started with social bookmarking, there are a number of sites that you can go to. http://www.technorati.com/ is one of the first sites to take advantage of this phenomenon and the interface is quite usable. You’ll find more technical bookmarked lists here, which is ideal if you have a blog on computers, televisions, or general gadgetry. At http://www.stumbleupon.com/ you will find a more social atmosphere, and there is more of a focus on entertainment. If you have a blog on the latest celebrity doings or even of your photography, this might be the place for you. Though it might look less polished than the other two, http://del.icio.us/ packs a lot punch with a history that goes back almost five years. Del.icio.us is a wonderful place for almost anything you might want to find and more and more people are using it to find the information they need.

This is also a good way to find out how people are coming to your blog. What searches are they using to get there? Once you can pinpoint that, you can can tailor your blog to meet the demand and receive more traffic as well. Many blogs also offer subscriptions, which will tell readers when you have updated, and in this way, with a list of readers at your disposal, you can play your content to an audience that you know better.

Social bookmarking is a trend that any blogger who wants more traffic to his site should take advantage of and with sites like Technorati, Stumbleupon and Del.icio.us, you have many avenues waiting for your personal touch.



By: Lisa D Martin

About the Author:

Web 2.0, the ability of the user to contribute content and share information with other users, is adding new methods and strategies to effective internet marketing. Effective internet marketing in this environment is dependent upon having the users get excited about your product or content and want to share it with others. The fastest way this is done is something called social bookmarking.

You know how to add a site to your favorites list, right? You see a site that you like or that you plan to return to so you add it to your favorites list. There is one big drawback to this “old” system of listing your favorite sites. Your favorites list is locked onto your computer. There is no easy way to share your favorites list with your friends and associates.

What if, when you found a site you wanted to add to your favorites, instead of adding them to your favorites on your computer, you could add them to a list of your favorites that is on the internet. Then you could find your favorites no matter what computer you were using and you could direct your friends to your favorites list by sharing the web address with them.

This is in essence what social bookmarking is. Social bookmarking is creating a personalized list of your favorites on an internet site built specifically for this purpose. The site is constructed so that everyone who visits can see your favorites list and can visit the sites that you think are important.

Visitors to your social bookmark list not only can visit your favorite sites, they can add the sites that they like to their own social bookmark list. Then others can view their list and so on and so forth. A really interesting site could start to spread virally on these social bookmarking sites. That would be a tremendous benefit to anyone’s web traffic.

Another function of social bookmarking sites is to keep track of how many times a site is listed on someone’s favorites list. This number is used to rank the sites popularity. Of course the highest ranking sites are featured by the social bookmarking sites and of course that brings even more traffic to those sites.

How do you start getting listed on these social bookmarking sites? First you have to be listed at least once, so logically you set up your own list and put your sites on it. Some sites have buttons you can add to your site to allow readers the option of listing it on their social bookmark list. There are plugins for some blogs that can do this. Obviously the better and more useful your content the more likely your site is going to end up on readers lists.

The object is to get your site listed on as many social bookmark sites and lists as you can. A few popular sites are: del.ico-us, backflip, netvouz, Digg and stumbleupon.

Getting involved in social bookmarking is good internet marketing, taking advantage of the interactivity of Web 2.0. Social bookmarking is one more tool to use to boost your sites popularity and increase traffic.



By: Ray Johnson

About the Author:

Social Bookmarking and Power Linking.

Just in case you missed it… the Web has changed.

I think a little history of the Internet is in order to grasp the big picture. I’m not going to give any dates (late eighties and early 90’s)… I’ll just give a quick run down.

I would say nearly fifteen years ago I had a dial up Internet connection that allowed me to log into various College computers, BBS’s (bulletin boards) and Newsgroups.

The Internet was much different than the Web is today. There was no graphics… it was totally text based and everything was dial up. All you could do was basically post to a newsgroup, post messages on some BBS’s and send email. Internet Marketing as we know it today did not exist.

In time though - a few brave souls ventured out of the shadows and began marketing within the newsgroups. This started wars between the “Purists” and new “Marketers” that I still remember to this day.

You see, the Purists considered the Internet to be their own little playground. They viewed anyone selling something as evil. After all… Marketers had the TV, the Radio, Magazines, Newspapers, etc, etc as an avenue in which to sell their crap. “The Internet is ours” was their battle cry.

They viewed the Internet as a way for them to communicate with each other without having to wade through all the BS advertising - and they could control what was being said. When the evil “Marketer” entered the picture, this all changed - and it changed quickly.

Once the evil Marketer had discovered the Internet as a new marketing medium, the “Purity” of the Internet, newsgroups and BBS’s was destroyed forever.

The Internet was now becoming just another medium for Marketers to sell their wares. It was inevitable and only a matter of time before this happened. But the Purists fought it tooth and nail.

The Newsgroups and BBS’s were now inundated and overrun with advertising. There was so much spam that you could hardly follow a thread or make sense of it. The thread may have started out discussing a subject as “Microsoft DOS” as it’s first post… but it was hard to make sense of it as the evil Marketers would post “off topic” spam ads trying to sell their wares throughout the threads.

As we all know things have changed a lot since those “Caveman” days… the evil Marketers persevered and the Purists lost the War (or did they?)

Jump to present day…

The Purists did not really lose - they just lost a battle ten or fifteen years ago, but they have recently won the War and staked their claim on the Internet as belonging to them with Web 2.0.

Just in case you missed this “coup d’ etat” - give some serious thought to the current environment on the Web and Social Networking specifically. The Web no longer belongs to the evil Marketer. It is back in the hands and control of the Purists and they are once again controlling the conversations.

I know… it sounds like a bunch of BS, but for the most part it is true.

The difference is the Purists have discovered a way to once again “control” the conversations they want to have, while at the same time make a profit from these discussions (i.e. social networking communities).

Welcome to Web 2.0 and Social Networking.

I do not consider myself a Internet “Purist”… I’d fall more into the “Evil Marketer” category. This being the case, like you (if you are an Evil Marketer too) I have to adapt and change the way I do things or I will soon fall to the wayside and die a slow death.

Like the saying goes, “When in Rome… do as The Romans Do” was never a truer statement than it is today.

The way you sell things and market has to change - you are now in Rome.

Marketing as we know it today on the Web is dying a slow death - but it is happening fast. Only those who adapt and change will survive.

The Web 2.0 Marketer will survive this “coup d’ etat”.

Interruption Marketing has lost out to Participation Marketing and the Web 2.0 Marketer will prosper with these changes. It is no longer about forcing our messages down the throats of people - they get enough of that with all the other advertising mediums. It is all about authority, conversations and participating within discussions that other people deem important - not what you feel is important.

Seth Godin has been telling us this very same thing for a few years now - but a lot have not listened.

Why is this? Because it takes work and discipline (and change) to make relationships and participate in meaningful conversations. It is easier to do what I would call “method of the day” or “hit and miss” marketing - at least in the short run. But that is all it is… marketing for the short haul with no regard to the direction the Web is moving.

Like Seth Godin, Jack Humphrey has been telling Marketers they need to adapt and change their marketing methods for years now with Social Power Linking. Jack saw this “coup d’ etat” coming before most and began joining in with the “conversations” while most of us were still doing our marketing basically the same way as the “evil Marketers” of past (and current) - cramming and forcing our message down our visitors throats.

I have posted before on Social Bookmarking and Social Networking and the success I have had with these methods. You can view other posts on this blog and see the results I have had by simply joining in and creating “conversations”.

This is not a fad or a “method of the day”… it is here to stay.

With the direction the Web is heading (we are really already there) - Social Bookmarking, Social Networking, Conversation Participation with links from and pointing to those conversations is the key to being successful for the Web 2.0 Marketer.

So don’t rebel against the “coup d’ etat” - come on it, the water is fine.



By: Andrew Daum

About the Author:

Social bookmarking has become a common term within the internet surfers. What exactly means? Why social bookmarking is important for marketers? What’s the benefit of social bookmarking sites? Let’s quickly answer these questions…

What is Social Bookmarking

Definition from Wiki:

On a Social Bookmarking system or network, users store lists of Internet resources that they find useful. These lists can be accessible to the public by users of a specific network or website. Other users with similar interests can view the links by topic, category, tags, or even randomly.

Other than web page bookmarks, services specialized to a specific subject or format - feeds, books, videos, music, shopping items, map locations, wineries,etc. - can be found.

In a social bookmarking system, users store lists of Internet resources that they find useful. These lists are both accessible to the public or a specific network, and other people with similar interests can view the links by category, tags, or even randomly. Some allow for privacy on a per-bookmark basis. They also categorize their resources by the use of informally assigned, user-defined keywords or tags. Most social bookmarking services allow users to search for bookmarks which are associated with given “tags”, and rank the resources by the number of users which have bookmarked them.

Many social bookmarking services also have implemented algorithms to draw inferences from the tag keywords that are assigned to resources by examining the clustering of particular keywords, and the relation of keywords to one another.

Its increasing popularity and competition have extended the services to offer more than just sharing bookmarks, such as rating, commenting, the ability to import and export, add notes, reviews, email links, automatic notification, feed subscription, web annotation, create groups and social networks.

Why Social Bookmarking is important for marketers?

Suppose you just created your Website or Blog. Now What? Your site needs to be spidered and indexed in the search engines. One of the fast ways to accomplish this is via Social Bookmarks. By bookmarking your own sites, your site will be indexed and have an initial backlinks to jump up in the Search Engine Rankings.

Also in order to have a successful and profitable Blog or Website you need traffic. There are many sources of information regarding ways to bring traffic to your site, but Social Bookmarking is one of the easiest ways with multiple benefits.

These methods are perfectly ethical and you shouldn’t have any concerns doing them.

Benefits of Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking can bring immediate traffic to your website, as web 2.0 community websites such as Technorati, Digg, Reddit and Tailrank provide almost immediate information on various topics. These type of Bookmarking sites index and categorize content usually faster than the major search engines. People looking for the latest information on certain topics usually refer to these types of services.

The benefit is two fold. They provide immediate traffic from like-minded targeted viewers but also powerful backlinks to your sites that bring positive SEO and Search Engine results.

In summary, social bookmarking has been created to bring upfront the relevant information created and uploaded to the internet. The beauty of the system is that users are the ones who “vote” for the good content. In this way it’s a sure way to find the best stories and the best content in the front pages of these sites. Therefore, the traffic bookmarking sites generate has exponentially increased during the last years. Savvy marketers are finding its way to get a share of this traffic.



By: Freddy Escobar

About the Author:

The act of social bookmarking is becoming something more than a potential tool for online marketing.

Many entrepreneurs are finding social media sites to place business information in an informal setting.

Once you finish developing your social media site the marketing potential is just beginning. Obviously you hold out hope that visitors will drop by your online presence, but you may want to go fishing for friends.

In some social media environments you are allowed to make a ‘friend’ request while other sites invite you to bookmark sites of interest.

What Does It All Mean?

If you wonder why you should care about making or accepting a friend request or participate in bookmarking let me attempt to explain the process.

When you initiate a friend request to an individual or business you are familiar with it is possible that your social media page will be listed on this secondary site. In essence when someone visits this site they also have a compelling link to your site.

On sites where bookmarking is allowed this feature is often divided a second time. In this kind of site environment visitors can see who you have bookmarked or selected as friends, but they can also see how many others have chosen to bookmark your site.

Some social media sites provide their own inner site rankings based on the popularity of a site. If your site ranks well that also provides the opportunity to have your site publicized even more.

Social bookmarking is the process of establishing a network among peers, friends, family and interested guests.

This is an important component when it comes to the already established benefits of owning a social media site. In this environment you can invite guest comments, you can receive private inner site emails from those who may have questions and you can participate in blogging. In some cases you may even be allowed to post pictures, video or audio to enhance the experience of your site and promote your online business.

Connecting Links

Links can easily be established to your primary site where you can welcome visitors to a more business-oriented experience.

The reason so many online business owners are adopting the use of social networking sites is because they can be obtained at no cost in most cases. Each of these sites can be designed to point back to your primary website. In that way they are extremely useful in the promotion and marketing of your main business site. These ancillary sites also provide a valuable backlink to your online business presence that is useful in improving potential in site rankings. For every backlink to your primary website the greater trust most search engines place in your site.

Putting It All Together

In a practical sense social bookmarking provides a trail back to your social networking site. That process opens the map so the visitor can find their way directly to your business site. The process acts as spokes in a wheel. Social media sites are the spokes that, through backlinks, lead to your hub of business, which is where you want them to end up in the first place.



By: Scott Lindsay

About the Author: