techipedia | tamar weinberg

Last year, I ended 2006 with a great (and still pertinent) list of blog posts and articles that I felt were really the best in their class in the area of Internet Marketing. This year, I present you my favorite timeless posts of 2007, complete with descriptions about each blog post (which more than quadrupled the workload for me this time around, especially because I tripled the amount of links, but I had fun!) (Disclaimer: I’m certain that even with this list in excess of 250 links, I forgot a bunch of posts, so if you have any additional recommendations, please feel free to comment and I’ll add them!)

By the way, I still haven’t fully embraced video yet, so this will only include written articles. Maybe next year, folks!

Social Media Sites: General

• The Big Boys of Social Bookmarking: The Top 20 Sites (10e20): Chris Winfield ranks the top 20 social bookmarking sites by their Alexa rankings and gives a short description of what each does — in case you haven’t ventured beyond Digg.
• 24 Do-Follow Social Bookmarking Sites that Actually Work (Caroline Middlebrook): Get some powerful links on some of these lesser-known social sites.
• Social Networking: Ages 20-60 and Up (Muhammad Saleem): Did you know that the older folk also embrace social networking? What are the most popular sites in these age groups?
• Online Networkng and the Professions that Use It (Muhammad Saleem): There are a lot of niche social sites around, but did you know what they are?
• Top 29 Niche Social Media Sites (That Actually Send Traffic): Andy Hagans consistently updates this list with some great resources that aren’t necessarily being tapped into by many folks, but maybe it’s time for things to change.
• 83 Social News Sites - Categorized by Niche (Square Oak): Brendan Picha lists another handful of social media sites in case you’ve lost your taste for the mainstream sites.

Facebook

• The Facebook Marketing Bible: 24 Ways to Market Your Brand, Company, Product, or Service Inside Facebook (Inside Facebook): Justin Smith shows how Facebook includes a variety of channels that spread the word in a very in-depth blog post.
• 9 Reasons You Should be Using and Watching Facebook (Sugarrae): There’s a lot of marketing potential in Facebook, and Rae shows you why.
• 12 Ways to Use Facebook Professionally (Web Worker Daily): Networking on Facebook is precisely what you make of it. If you have the mindset to make Facebook a professional tool, you certainly can turn it into one.
• The Updated Unofficial Smartass Facebook Guide (Sugarrae): People still don’t know how to use Facebook. Rae explains all.
• 10 Ways to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business for Free (After the Launch): How do you promote your business on Facebook? Easy.
• Facebook Ads: Will They Work for You? (SEO Space): Jody Nimetz highlights the pros of opting for Facebook ads.
• Facebook Flyers Pro Taking Off (Optimize and Prophesize): Jonathan Mendez illustrates the ease of targeted Facebook ads.

Digg

• How to Become a Digg Top User Without Doing Anything Shady (10e20): If you still want to hit the Digg’s top users, Chris explains what’s involved in the time investment on Digg.
• It’s the (Other) Algorithm, Stupid: Understanding DiggRank (Search Engine Land): Muhammad Saleem examines what is known about the Digg algorithm and dispels common myths.
• To Shout or Not to Shout: The Digg Dilemma (Brent Csutoras): Brent asked many top Digg users what their thoughts were on using Digg’s new shout feature.

Reddit

• Reddit: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About It (10e20): Guest writer Maki talks about how to submit links to Reddit, to hit the front page, and to become a power user.
• 6 Things that Work Right Now on Reddit (10e20): We saw the introduction to Reddit, but what else can we learn? Well, 13-year-old Reddit genius Adam Fuhrer provides his thoughts. (This kid is awesome.)
• Reddit Tips from the Top Dog on Reddit (Social News Watch): How do you become a top user on Reddit? It’s not much different than other social networks, and a top user will talk you through some lessons he’s learned while he climbed the Reddit ladder.
• Five Ways to Leverage Traffic from Reddit (Single Grain): Sujan Patel explains that you can build you Reddit profile with some simple steps.

StumbleUpon

• How to Become a Top StumbleUpon User (or Why You Shouldn’t Really Bother) (Dosh Dosh): Maki gives a straight honest assessment of the social bookmarking site. It’s not only about the algorithm but on understanding how SU can be used for content discovery and sharing.
• How to Use StumbleUpon for Your Business: The Definitive Guide (10e20): I walked through some of the basics of StumbleUpon, and this guide still definitely points you in the right direction, but don’t be surprised if you see an updated guide posted sometime in the near future!
• Internet Marketer’s Guide to StumbleUpon (ViperChill): A beginner’s guide into using StumbleUpon for your marketing efforts.
• StumbleUpon - A Blogger’s Best Friend (Newest on the Net): A beginner article from Fred Peters about how to use StumbleUpon to gain traffic to your sites.
• For Photographers: How to Optimize StumbleUpon for Photo-Blogging Traffic (Muhammad Saleem): It’s all about the StumbleUpon PhotoBlog it! menu item.
• StumbleUpon Mathematics for Stumblers (The Venture Skills Blog): Tim Nash tries to explain the StumbleUpon algorithm.
• 7 Ways to Use StumbleUpon as a Discovery Tool (Dipping into the Blogpond): One of the most important elements of StumbleUpon discovery is one that nobody talks about (and one I intended to write about awhile ago). Here’s a starter guide on using Stumble discovery to get some great ideas.
• StumbleUpon Networking: How to Easily Share Content and Build Relationships (Dosh Dosh): The concept of sharing on StumbleUpon is obvious and it’s built-in for a reason. However, there’s a lot more to Stumbling when you share. There’s an aspect of relationship-building.
• StumbleUpon Phenomenon: An In-Depth Look at a Social Networking Giant (Search Engine Journal): Sujan Patel writes a short but sweet post (though not as “in-depth” as I expected) on StumbleUpon and some tools you can use to improve the user experience.
• Writing for StumbleUpon: High Impact Content “Above the Scroll” in Four Easy Steps (Copyblogger): Or in our terms, it’s “above the fold.” And that’s really what’s important. Muhammad Saleem explains how titles, visual cues, a strong opening, and substance helps boost your visits through StumbleUpon.
• Run a StumbleUpon Advertising Campaign for Your Blog (Problogger): I’m noticing that a lot more people are running advertising campaigns for their blogs since this article came out. Perhaps Darren’s advice resonated with his readers?
• 65 Must Read StumbleUpon Articles (Newest on the Net): At first, I didn’t intend to link to link posts in my yearly recap, but if you really wanted more information on SU, Fred has accumulated some 65 posts on StumbeUpon and linked it to his blog. I can tell you that finding these articles isn’t easy!

LinkedIn

• Effective Marketing on LinkedIn: Helen talks about how to build your network and make your brand successful on LinkedIn.
• 8 Things You Can Do to Get Work Through LinkedIn (Freelance Switch): Collis Ta’eed talks about how recommendations and networking will get you more clients. (Plug: They also recently came out with an awesome eBook on how to become a rockstar freelancer - aff)

Twitter

• Newbies Guide to Twitter (Chris Brogan): Haven’t used Twitter yet? Maybe you should get started, but if you’re inundated with all the hype about Twitter, sit down, relax, and read this beginner’s guide.
• The Big Juicy Twitter Guide (Caroline Middlebrook): Want more Twitter goodness? Caroline has a 7-part series on how Twitter has worked as a successful networking and productivity tool.

Mixx

• Top 10 Blog Posts about Mixx in 2007 (Bill Hartzer): Bill talks about the best posts that highlight the up-and-coming social news network, Mixx.
• What a Mixx Up: Interview with Mixx Founder Chris McGill (Collective Thoughts): Brian Wallace interviews Chris McGill to learn about the goals of the promising social news network.
• How Mixx Changed My Perception of Social Media (The Trukstop): Greg Davies discusses why Mixx is a better social site than any others he’s used — and he provides compelling reasons to try Mixx.

del.icio.us

• Become a del.icio.us Power User (Web Worker Daily): Not many people talk about using del.icio.us for its social media potential, but it’s a good tool for social bookmarking and should be utilized.

Sphinn

• Top 10 Blog Posts about Sphinn in 2007 (Bill Hartzer): Like with Mixx, Bill takes the best articles about Sphinn and shares them with his readers.
• Sphinn: In Depth Traffic Analysis and Advice (Blogging Fingers): Matt Jones takes a look at Sphinn in its early beta stages and gives a lot of interesting feedback.
• Introducing the Sphinn Effect (Small Busines SEM): Matt is in love with Sphinn, and he explains why.
• Sphinn: The Social News Site Every Search Marketer Should Be Using (SEOmoz): Rand lists 10 compelling reasons to join Sphinn.

Social Media and Social Media Marketing

• Social Media Marketing in a Nutshell (Dosh Dosh): Maki introduces SMM and explains why it’s important.
• The Social Networking Guide for Newbies (Fast Company): Social networking is much like networking in the real world. The difference is that it’s virtual.
• 27 Website Promotion Sources that Have Nothing to do With Google or SEO (eMoms at Home): In other words, Wendy Piersall explains that your online marketing strategy is all about internet marketing and a whole lot of social media.
• How to Influence Powerful Social Media Users for Traffic and Attention (Dosh Dosh): How do you influence the influencers? Mainly, through networking.
• A Visual Tour Through the Basics of Social Media Marketing (SEOmoz): Still not involved much in SMM? Rand Fishkin uses pretty pictures to explain the importance of social media marketing and how you can apply it to get better traffic, more conversions, brand awareness, and more.
• 8 Simple Rules for Social Media Marketing in Business to Business Markets (Stuntdubl): Todd talks about how you can make social media marketing work well in the B2B world, but you can certainly extend his post to just about any sort of SMM.
• 11 Guidelines to Social Media Success (Search Engine Watch): Eric Enge presents his 11 takeaways from SMX Social Media.
• Why Social Media Belongs in Your Internet Marketing Campaign (Bruce Clay): The Lisa goes through three successful examples of good social media applications and illustrates why they grabbed her attention. By the way, if you want your attention to be grabbed every time, make sure you read The Lisa’s Friday Recap posts.
• The Social Media Manual (Search Engine Land): Guest writer Muhammad Saleem teaches his social media know-how and provides lessons from mistakes in the social media world.
• 7 Benefits to Engaging in Social Media Marketing (Search Engine People): Jeff Quipp explains why an SMM strategy is important for any business.
• Are You a Social Media Idiot? (Bruce Clay): Lisa says that it’s all about building brand equity, so participation (and Twitter spam) is key.
• Ignore the Social Media Scoreboard (Instigator Blog): Ben Yoskovitz says that you need to leverage friendships to build brand, reputation, trust, and to discover new opportunities.
• A Comprehensive Guide to Going Viral on Digg (Part 1) and A Comprehensive Guide to Going Viral on Digg (Part 2) (SEOmoz): Daniel Tynski’s guest posts on SEOmoz are must-reads if you’re considering some sort of viral marketing campaign, even if it doesn’t include Digg.
• The Importance of Social Media Marketing: Why You Should Learn and Master It (Dosh Dosh): Maki details why social media marketing is an important strategy and explains how it can be used.
• What Urban Legends Can Teach Us About Social Media Marketing (Dan Zarrella): Dan talks about the application of urban legends and how it is useful to incorporate these thoughts into a social media strategy.
• Marketing is Not Social Media/Social Media is Not Marketing (Chris Brogan): Chris Brogan makes a clear statement when he says that marketing is a discipline and social media are tools.
• Stop Steampunk SEO, Start Being Friendly to Your Peers (Collective Thoughts): The future is here and it’s social, Tad Chef explains.
• The Sexy Girls of Tech and Politics: The Unbeatable Trio (NxE): Find what the community likes and pander to them for the best kind of traffic exposure on social sites.
• What are Social Media Marketing and Social Media Optimization? (ViperChill): Eighteen-year-old Glen Alsopp, who just scored an incredible gig as a director of social media at a firm in South Africa, talks about the rules for on-site and off-site optimization in your social media efforts.
• 7 Ways to Own Social Media Before it Owns You (Collective Thoughts): Brian Wallace offers tips on avoiding social media overload.
• 10 Commandments of Social Media Marketing (Site Visibility): Kelvin Newman makes social media rules relate to olden times — literally. For example, Rule #1 is “Thou Shalt Be Honest.”
• A Beginner’s Guide to Social News Websites (Dosh Dosh): Maki presents an actionable post about how to interact with and choose social news websites.
• The Secret to Social Media Success (Chris Garrett): According to Chris, it’s a popularity contest, so make those friends and network above all else.
• The 10-Minute Daily Guide to Building Your Social Media Profile (Instigator Blog): With so many social networks out there, how do you pay attention to all of them? Ben lays it out in a guide that should only take 10 minutes a day.
• Social Search and Why We Should Care (10e20): I think that Chris Sherman is a genius. In this webcast that I transcribed, Chris talks about the evolution of social search and its challenges.
• Social Media Marketing Tactics (SEOmoz): Jane Copand, the Web 2.0 guru, shows how to leverage Web 2.0 sites to market your brand and control your message.
• Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship (Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication): This is a scholarly article into social networking in case you wanted a firmer grasp about how it’s being studied in the academic sphere.
• How to Encourage Clients to Engage in Social Media (Bruce Clay): The reason why many people aren’t engaged in social media is because they have fears and reservations. Lisa attempts to quell those concerns.
• Viral Marketing is NOT the Same as Word of Mouth (Search Engine Guide): Jennifer Laycock differentiates between WOMM and Viral Marketing.
• Why Networking Socially Beats Social Networking Every Time (Social Media Explorer): Jason Falls explains that it’s not just about social networking; instead, networking with the influencers makes all the difference.
• Social Media: Under the Microscope (SiteLogic): Matt Bailey compares the traffic spikes to conversions.
• The Future of Communications: A Manifesto for Integrating Social Media into Marketing (PR 2.0): Brian Solis makes a pretty compelling argument about how we’re engaged in a dialog and how social media has brought new influencers to town.
• The Value of Social Media Traffic (Frontpage Bids): Once you get that social media traffic, how do you take advantage of it?

General Internet Marketing

• What Internet Marketers Can Learn from a Teenage Boy Asking a Girl to Prom (Shoemoney): Guest blogger Brennan Hayde equates that prom date struggle to your internet marketing strategy.
• 10 Secrets of Successful Online Community (Influential Marketing): Point #2 on Rohit Bharghava’s list is a theme that is pervasive on this blog: “listen to your users.”
• Ten Web Strategy Blog Posts I Wish You’d Read (Web Strategist): Jeremiah Owyang links to his frequently-discussed blog posts on marketing and web strategy, especially as it relates to corporations.
• Internet Marketing Mindmap (SEOBook): Launched in September, this mindmap covers what Aaron calls “Internet Marketing Made Easy.”
• All I Really Need to Know About (Search) Marketing I Learned in Kindergarten (Search Engine Land): We learn about the basics of marketing from an early age, but how exactly are they applied to (search) marketing? Jon Miller tells you.
• 17 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas for Your Website (DailyBits): What’s your marketing strategy? If there are any freebies involved, don’t forget me.
• (Your Stories Never Go Popular Because) Your Personal Marketing Plan Sucks (Wolf Howl): Michael Gray explains the elements that define a personal marketing plan problem and how to resolve them.
• Measuring Search Success 2007 (10e20): Another excellent webcast with Chris Sherman of Third Door Media: it’s all about conversions, baby.
• The Many Forms of Web Marketing for the (2007) Search Strategist (Web Strategist): Jeremiah alludes to many tools and tactics for corporate web strategy.
• 23 Surefire Small-Business Marketing Tips for 2008 (PlanetC1.com): Michael Dorausch talks about internal and external marketing efforts that you should apply next year.
• 10 New Years Resolutions for an Internet Marketer (Search Commander): Scott Hendison is already preparing for 2008 with some resolutions that will hopefully make marketers more productive in the upcoming year.

Viral Strategies

• The Link Baiting Playbook: Hooks Revisited (Stuntdubl): Todd looks at the variety of link baiting hooks (news, controversy, attacks, resources, humor, ego, and incentive) and explains their pros and cons.
• Andy Hagans’ Ultimate Guide to Link Baiting and Social Media Marketing (Tropical SEO): Andy lays it all out here. Make sure your article has the right hook, has a kick-ass headline, is presented properly for a social media crowd, and ensure that you target the right people to give your story a push.
• The Golden Rules of Linkbaiting (Smashing Magazine): The wonderful guys at Smashing Magazine take quotes from a variety of link baiting articles and make a compelling argument as to why link baiting works.
• Under the Microscope: Six Strategies for Building Viral Content (Skelliewag): Skellie talks about what makes viral articles alluring.
• 12 Examples of Viral Content and What We Can Learn from Them (Skelliewag): Skellie goes further to examine some successful linkbait pieces and why they were indeed notewrothy.
• 10 Brilliant Examples of LinkBait (WebGeek): Scott Allen shows how tools are great linkbait.
• Brainstorming Linkbait: A Four-Step Approach (SEOmoz): Want to create a linkbait piece? Scott Willoughby says that you can be successful if you brainstorm every idea. Don’t be afraid to write anything and everything down. Seriously.
• Linkbait Articles (Cornwall SEO): Lyndon takes his favorite linkbait articles and puts them in a single post for our reading pleasure.
• How to Make Viral Linkbaits Work: Four Characteristics for Success (Dosh Dosh): What makes viral linkbait? Maki takes us through four elements and then goes through a case study.
• The 7 Secrets of Viral Content (Daily Blog Tips): So, you have a great viral idea. Now what? Here’s how you should present it.
• Anatomy of a Viral Sensation (Pronet Advertising): This post by David Chen explores how content can be a viral success.
• Calling it Linkbait Doesn’t Make You Less of a Jerk (Bruce Clay): If you’re aiming to profit off of tragedy or unfortunate situations, it’s really bad for your reputation, says my BFF Lisa Barone. Don’t capitalize on someone else’s suffering.
• SES Interviews: Matt Inman on Linkbaiting (Search Marketing Standard): Joe Whyte interviews Matt Inman on his amazing linkbait strategies. Did I ever mention that I heart Matt?

Link Resources

• Ultimate Guide to Building the Perfect Link (Small Business SEM): Matt McGee talks about who you should look for links from and why.
• Perspectives on Buying Links (Stuntdubl): Todd explains that you should justify the purchase of your links from an SEO, engineer, or visitor standpoint.
• Internal Link Architecture Made Easy (SEOBook): Aaron provides tips on how you can optimize your internal link structure.
• How do You Measure a Link? (SEOmoz): Rand talks about the elements that determine a link’s value.
• Link Value Factors (Wiep.net): Wiep Knol asked a bunch of experts in the Internet Marketing sphere what they thought were the most important elements of links. This is one of the best articles of the year.
• Five Link Development Experts: A Group Interview (Sugarrae): Rae interviews Rand Fishkin, Todd Malicoat, Roger Montti, Eric Ward, (and herself), and provides a really cool interview about link development.
• Michael Gray Interview: Advanced Link Strategies (Link Juicy): Michael talks about more advanced link building (and baiting) tactics.
• Hansel and Gretel Link Building (Skelliewag): Skellie applies the old children’s tale to link building. Clever!
• Link Buying Guide: Directories, Ads, and Reviews (Search Engine Journal): Need to buy links? Loren Baker vouches for directories and brokerage services to get the job done.
• Linking Gotchas Even the Pros Make (Andy Beard): Andy debunks a ton of articles and explains his reasoning. Pretty daring and altogether a wonderful read.
• 11 Guidelines for Getting Authoritative Links (Search Engine Watch): Eric Enge explains that it takes time and patience to get what you’re looking for.
• Links Links Links (Top Rank Blog): They aren’t as conventional, but Lee Odden explains that some of the most traditional ways to build links still work.
• How to Achieve Higher Rankings and Stay out of Google Hell via Optimized Internal Linking (Jim Boykin): Jim explains that by optimizing your internal linking strategy, you can avoid the supplemental index.
• Factors of a Quality Web Directory (Shimon Sandler): What makes the right web directory? Check the factors that need to be considered.
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Link Builders (Search Engine Land): If you plan on doing link building yourself, you need to possess these seven traits, says Debra Mastaler
• Interview of Debra Mastaler, the Link Guru (SEOBook): Apparently, Deb is so busy building links that it was nearly impossible for her to answer this interview questionnaire, but she finally pulled through!
• 17 Creative Link Building Ideas (Search Engine Journal): If you felt that you were still running dry with all the posts I’ve linked here, here are 17 more ideas that can get you some more links.
• Link Building as Relationship Building - A Great Example (Search Engine Guide): Jennifer explains that building relationships resonate well when building links and how communication is important.
• Creating Authority and Link Development (Martinibuster): Roger Montti says that differentiating your site is the key to creating authority and building links.
• Online Publicity and Link Building in 2007 (10e20): This is a webcast I transcribed earlier this year that featured esteemed link builder Eric Ward.
• What Exactly Qualifies as a Quality Link? (Jennifer Slegg): Start asking yourself these questions and mark off which ones apply to the links you’re seeking.

Blogging: General

• Blog Setup: 40 Practical Tips (Daily Blog Tips): Starting a blog? This article covers five blogging topics: WordPress setup, design, validation, plugins, and analytics.
• How to Choose the Right Blog Niche: A Simple Three-Step Method (Dosh Dosh): The brilliant Maki helps you get started in blogging if you haven’t started yet. It’s not too late!
• 5 Items Your Blog Sidebar Must Have (Blogging Tips): Chris Garrett explains that you need to add prominent features to your blog’s sidebar to visibility.
• How to Improve Blogs in 4 Easy Steps (Social Media Explorer): Jason Falls talks about how content is king, and taken with other advice on this page, he’s certainly right.
• Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up a First Blog Site (Lonely Marketer): Patrick Schaber provides an informative basic list for beginners who are about to embark on the blogging journey.
• Wait! Write Before You Launch (Blogging Experiment): It’s unwise to launch your blog with only a few posts. Build content first and then start marketing your blog.
• To Niche or Not to Niche: Top Bloggers Tell All (Jonathan Fields): Jonathan asked several bloggers, myself included, if it’s a better idea to focus your blog on one topic area or to be a little more general. What do you think is the answer to this question?
• The Definitive Guide to Blogging - 1st Edition (Sponsored Reviews): Jarrod Hunt lists over 130 resources for building, monetizing, and customizing your blog.
• 101 Tips I Learned from Blogging (Etienne Teo): Blogging is rewarding and a learning experience for all. Etienne shares her 101 lessons with her readers.
• Top 10 Tips for New Bloggers from Original Blogger Jorn Barger (Wired): The guy who coined the term “weblog” dispenses blog advice for newbies in this Wired article.
• Answer My 30 Questions and Then I’ll Take You Seriously (Alister Cameron): Alister Cameron provides questionnaire that lets you audit your blog and see if you’re really in need of consulting services.
• Blog Metrics: Six Recommendations for Measuring Your Success (Occam’s Razor): Web analytics wizard Avinash Kaushik shares ways to see how you’re successful in your blogging efforts. This prompted Joost de Valk to write an awesome Wordpress Blog Metrics plugin.
• 10 Articles All Bloggers Should Read (At Least Once) (Performancing): Just in case the list on this blog doesn’t suffice, here are 10 more blogging articles. You can also subscribe to the hundreds of blogs about blogging too (or you can come back here in 2008).
• Blog for an Audience… Even if You Have None (Blog Herald): One of my favorite bloggers, Jason aka Webomatica, talks about how you should perceive your blog as having a huge audience — even if you don’t — so that every action matters.
• 10 More Blogging Tips from a Novice Blogger (Occam’s Razor): I don’t consider Avinash Kaushik a novice blogger, and you don’t have to follow these rules to a tee, but it is solid advice.
• Your Fellow Blogger is Not a Competitor (Dosh Dosh): You’re not competing against any bloggers. If anything, you can use the information that blogger teaches you and absorb more information to better your skillset. In the end, however, your fellow blogger is a person you can network with.
• Tips for Using Images in Blogs (Blogoscoped): Images are eye candy, but use them well and you will reap the benefits.
• I Live in the Blogosphere (SEO 2.0): Mark Dykeman’s guest post makes a bold statement: “The blogosphere is my communication medium and my blogs are transmitters.”
• Wordpress Desktop Blogging: 5 Tools Reviewed (CenterNetworks): So, after reading all these articles, you’re going to use Wordpress? Good choice. Now check out the options you have for desktop publishing on Wordpress, or do what I do and just stick to the web interface.

Blogging: Inspiration

• 66 Successful Bloggers and What They Can Teach You (TheBizOfKnowledge): Bill Belew links to 66 different blogs and explains that each blogger brings a unique voice to the table.
• Your Secret Blogging Weapon is You (Cornwall SEO): Everyone can start a blog, but which blogs are the more outstanding of the bunch? The ones where your personality shines.
• Discover Hundreds of Post Ideas for Your Blog with Mind Mapping (Problogger): If you’ve stumbled on writer’s block, take out a pen and paper and start mind mapping - that is, get a theme and start building up other related ideas by association.
• The 5 Immutable Laws of Persuasive Blogging (Copyblogger): Brian Clark is my favorite copywriter and proves it by listing 5 laws of persuasive blogging. What elements make blogs successful?
• 4 Reasons to Write on the Weekend and 4 Posts to Do it With (Muhammad Saleem): Don’t call it writer’s block now.
• 101 Great Posting Ideas that Will Make Your Blog Sizzle (I Help You Blog): Philip Liu put a ton of effort into this post and then he disappeared from the blogosphere. I miss you, man!
• 101 Blog Posting Ideas (SEO 2.0): Just in case Philip’s ist wasn’t enough, Tad has another 101 ideas.
• 23 Great Ideas for Blog Posts (Pat B. Doyle): In case the previous 202 ideas weren’t enough, Pat gives you another 23.
• 37 Viral Post Ideas You Can Use Today (Skelliewag): Out of ideas? Here are some viral blog posts to start writing right now.
• 100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write (Chris Brogan): This post should keep you devoid of writer’s block until at least 2009…
• 101 Essential Blogging Skills (Skelliewag): You need not possess all 101, but they certainly help.
• Top 20 Tips for Beginner Bloggers (How to Build a Website): Not everyone follows all these tips, so you can get a lot of inspiration from these.

Blogging: Promotion

• Hare Krishnas Reveal the Secret to Massive Link Love and Mega Sales (Jonathan Fields): Give and you shall receive. Jon makes a brilliant analogy to how when Hare Krishnas give you a flower, they subconsciously are programming your mind to give them a donation. Likewise, in blogging, give something before requesting anything. The more you give, the more rewards you reap.
• How I Increased My Traffic by 11259.7% in 3 Months in 10 Easy Steps (SEO 2.0): You want traffic? You have to work for it. Fortunately, Tad lays out the guidelines that he followed to give his site more visibility, so all you need to do is implement the strategies.
• Do You Have a Blog Commenting Strategy? (Caroline Middlebrook): Commenting on blogs has helped Caroline grab others’ attention.
• The Power of Search: Driving Traffic to Your Blog (Vanessa Fox): Vanessa spoke at BlogHer this past year (I’m so jealous) and applies three concepts (relevance, discoverability, and crawlability, for a total of four posts!) to making blogs more heavily trafficked in the search engines. Maybe next year, I’ll steal her presentation…
• Strike Up a Conversation Today for a Relationship Tomorrow (Blogging Experiment): Ben Cook talks about the steps he’s taken to score some pretty awesome guest blogging stints.
• How to Get Darren Rowse to Read Your Blog (Cornwall SEO): Want to get someone’s attention? Write about them. (Hint: I have an alert for both “techipedia” and for “Tamar Weinberg”. I notice that Robert Scoble adds me to his link blog when I write about him too. Hi Robert!)
• Pattern Your Audience: How Editorial Calendars Increase Your Readership (Dosh Dosh): Make your readers expect to hear from you, so set up an editorial calendar to know when to visit your site next.
• Five Ways to Attract More Comments (Blogging Experiment): Need more comments on your blog? Ben shows five ways to compel more people to participate.
• How to ACTUALLY Get Blog Comments (Snowboardjohn): John talks about advanced concepts that will not just cause people to comment — they will provoke them to comment.
• Create 50000 Links in 11 Weeks (Blogstorm): Patrick Altoft talks about his blog marketing strategy and how it worked for him.
• Blogging is About Writing (Problogger): Guest writer Lorelle VanFossen lists ways to get your blog noticed: writing matters.
• 99 Ways to Promote Your Blog for Free (Vandelay Design): If you think you’ve run out of ideas to promote your blog, you’re probably wrong.
• 19 Strategies to Help Turn New Visitors into Loyal Readers (Skelliewag): How do you maintain a new reader? There are at least 19 ways!
• 20 Essential Blog Directories to Submit Your Blog To (Search Engine Journal): As Loren once said, BLOG = Better Listings on Google. That said, submit your blog to many directories to get maximum visibility.
• 15 Ways to Become an Influential Blogger (NxE): If you are aiming to become a blogging celebrity, take heed to these 15 tips and apply them to your blogging right away.
• 35 Guaranteed Ways to Increase Your RSS Subscribers (Newest on the Net): Newcomer Fred Peters talks about how he increases his RSS subscriber count. Many of these tips should be implemented into any blogging strategy!

Content Generation

• 11 Unique Content Sources in Saturated Markets (SEOBook): What do you do if you’re in a competitive area and want to write something original? Aaron Wall answers the question.
• 10 Helpful Hints for Creating Strong Web Site Content (10e20): Jake over at 10e20 talks about how you can pump out some great articles if you research, hire experts, do competitive research, and focus on alternate languages, among other excellent tips.
• The 4 Essential Elements of an About Me Page (Quick Sprout): Neil explains that it’s important for your about page to have an image, a statement about yourself, an expressed willingness to help others, and contact information.
• How to Use the Simple Power of Contrast to Become More Persuasive (Copyblogger): Using analogies, Brian Clark examines “contrast” and explains how you can change perceptions to get people to proceed with a purchase.
• Using Google to Target Bloggers & the Mainstream Media with Search Queries (SEOBook): Aaron Wall presents some excellent content-generation ideas.
• How to Avoid Fool’s Gold and Create Value-Packed Content (Skelliewag): Brilliant writer Skellie talks about how you can make every piece of content more valuable.
• 25 Headline Formulas that Have Plagued and Blessed Web 2.0 (Skelliewag): Still need a good headline? Here are some creative angles you can take.
• Are You Using the Right Content Development Strategy for Your Website? (Dosh Dosh): How do you intend to deliver high-impact that will build up readership quickly? Read Maki’s guide.

Reputation Management

• Reputation Management Emancipation Proclamation: 10 Ways to “Own” Yourself Online (Stuntdubl): How do you build your personal brand? Todd details 10 great tips, including registering your name on every social network, getting interviews, and speaking at industry events.
• Buzz Monitoring: 26 Free Tools You Must Have (Marketing Pilgrim): Andy Beal talks about the 26 tools that help you monitor your reputation online. He’s also coming out with a book in February entitled Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online which will give away all his trade secrets.
• Reputation Management You May Be Missing (Vanessa Fox): Using an obscure search engine gave Vanessa incentive to write a post about how utilizing any profiles (even less-trafficked ones) can till help manage your reputation online.
• Full Blown Reputation Management Campaign (Shimon Sandler): Need to bury bad press? Shimon outlines what your campaign should offer should you offer reputation management services.
• Five Ways Negative Reviews Help Your Online Reputation (Andy Beal): A positive reputation comes from embracing negative reviews.
• The Definitive Guide to Online Reputation Management (Scoreboard Media): Brian Provost gives strategies for owning the first page of the search results.
• 31 Places to Monitor Your Reputation Online (Search Marketing Gurus): Explore every nook and cranny to get the most out of your reputation management campaign.
• 10 Ways to Fix a Google Reputation Management Nightmare (Marketing Pilgrim): What’s the best content to fill up page 1 of the search results? Ask Andy Beal, or just read this post.
• Beware: Your Digital Footprint is Your Resume (Search Engine People): Jeff Quipp talks about how everything you do can be traced back to you.
• PR Disasters Lurk in Web 2.0 Chicanery (RogerD’s Notebook): If you’re going to go into reputation management, you better understand the Internet. Bad reputation management is noticeable.
• Using Social Media to Help Manage Online Reputation (SearchRank): David Wallace illustrates how reputation management works and explains how engagement in social media can help change perceptions.
• DIY Reputation Management (CNet): Stephan Spencer talks about how to do reputation management right in a short easy-to-read list.
• Reputation Management and Search: Avoiding Chunnel Vision (RB Digital Rodeo): Sure, reputation management is a good step in the right direction, but the reality is that your search engine rankings are usually not where the problem lies.

Video Articles

• How to be a Star in a YouTube World (Wall Street Journal): A news article from the Wall Street Journal about how consistency, finding the right niche, early adoption, networking, and professionalism will make you a popular YouTube star.
• The Secret Strategies Behind Many “Viral” Videos (TechCrunch): This controversial but brilliant article provides many insights into how some marketing firms make their videos really stand out above the rest.
• Definitive List of Video Aggregator Sites (SEO Space): There are a lot of video sites beyond YouTube. Jody Nimetz lists them out for you.
• Ultimate Video Optimization Resources (Web Analytics World): Manoj Jasra provides a list of more articles that will help you in your video optimization efforts.
• Why Online Video is Good for Your Corporate Executives and How to Deploy (Web Strategist): Jeremiah Owyang explains how videos are time efficient, allows executives to talk directly to people, and work well in a corporate strategy. What comes to mind: David Neeleman’s JetBlue apology.

Business

• 5 Ways an SEO a Consultant Can Make More Money (that have nothing to do with Google) (Tropical SEO): I’m starting to see the value of this!
• 8 Simple Steps to Build Traffic for Your Internet Startup (Scoreboard Media): Brian Provost explains how you can create an audience for your product and gain the necessary exposure for fame.
• Breaking Up with Bad Clients: It’s Not You, It’s … Me (Stuntdubl): If your clients aren’t profitable and raise your stress levels, perhaps it’s time to cease the relationship. But how do you do that?
• 16 Tips to Successful Business on the Web (Stuntdubl): Todd Malicoat talks about how he’s successful at his business. Some tips: never be afraid to say no, work with successful people, execute, and overdeliver.
• Your Personal Viral Marketing Plan (Eradicate Perplexity): What are the pros and cons of working for yourself? Scott Orth outlines the positives and negatives of both approaches.
• 20 Work-Life Balance Tips for the Overworked Entrepreneur (Entrepreneur): If you didn’t let Scott Orth’s cons bug you and decided to take the freelancing route, how do you make time for yourself? (Answer: You certainly wouldn’t be writing a blog post about the Internet Marketing Best Posts of 2007 for 10 hours straight on a holiday weekend!)
• Online Marketing 10 Tips (DaveN): Dan Horton shares his thoughts on how to build a firm and reputable marketing strategy.
• How a Small Winery Found Internet Fame (CNN Money): Two words: blogger outreach.
• 9 Random Tips on Becoming a Successful Online Marketer (Shoemoney): Jeremy writes what’s been on his mind.
• What Separates Search Marketing Novices from Experts (SEOmoz): What are the mistakes that differentiates the newbies from experts in the search marketing field?
• 13 Ways to Promote Your Local Business for Free (Wolf-Howl): This doesn’t quite fit under the “Business” category that I was thinking of, but Michael’s post is surely a gem!
• What My Preschooler Can Teach You About Online Success (Social Desire): In a very clever comparison, Shana Albert equates lessons from preschool to business.
• Working on the Periphery: How to Make Any Website You’ll Ever Create a Success (Dosh Dosh): Maki emphasizes the importance of relationships to contribute to the growth of your website or business.
• How to Find the Right Search Marketing Partner (10e20): Chris Sherman speaks at a Search Marketing Now webcast about the factors to consider when choosing a search marketing partner.

Search Engine Optimization

• Why the SEO Folks are Mad at You, Jason (Search Engine Land): Danny defends SEO — again.
• Search Ranking Factors v2 (SEOmoz): Rand Fishkin asked a bunch of experts about what determines search rankings and published the new findings in April.
• The Bloggers Guide to SEO (SEOBook): Aaron and Giovanna have created a great in-depth guide on how bloggers can ensure that their posts are ranked well within the search engine results. Unlike their eBook (aff) which is worth every penny, the guide is free.
• How to SEO Your Site in Less than 60 Minutes (Small Business SEM): Matt McGee acknowledges that you need to take more than 60 minutes to SEO your site effectively, but if you were really in such a time crunch, you might as well use his guide as a starting point.
• Example of SEO Strategy Document (Shimon Sandler): What should you present your clients when you’re offering services in SEO? Shimon literally gave away his trade secret with this one.
• The SEO Playbook (Stuntdubl): Todd calls this “the advanced beginner’s guide” and goes through the techniques that get you top rankings. He also includes a whole lot of additional links for reference which makes this blog post extremely comprehensive.
• Search Engine Optimization Warfare (Stuntdubl): Todd calls this post “the competitive webmaster’s guide to understanding the dynamics of top rankings.” I’ll leave you to read the rest.
• Top SEO Tips (SEO Refugee Forums): GaryTheScubaGuy lists his 12 most important SEO factors.
• What Makes SEO and SEM So Damn Hard (SEOmoz): Marketers face a lot of obstacles in the SEO and SEM sphere and it’s a difficult task. What are the challenges? Rand explains all.
• The Lowdown on Press Release Optimization (Top Rank Blog): Lee Odden knows a lot more about press releases than I do, and he talks about what you can to do optimize those PRs.
• Ultimate Local Search Optimization Resources (Web Analytics World): Manoj Jasra aggregates a bunch of websites and provides resources which should help anyone in the area of local optimization.
• But is it Spam? (SEOBook): Aaron shows through examples that we should come up with the correct search marketing strategy.
• Wordpress SEO Masterclass for Competitive Niches (Andy Beard): Is your blog niche competitive enough that you feel that you can’t rank for these terms? Take apart your Wordpress theme and make it search-friendly. Awesome.
• A Complete Glossary of Essential SEO Jargon (SEOmoz): For newcomers in the SEO sphere, there are a ton of acronyms and terms that you should get acquainted with.
• 21 Essential SEO Tips & Techniques (Search Engine Land): Matt McGee explains that these are the things you should do whether you’re hiring an SEO firm or doing SEO yourself.
• Keyword Inspiration: Aaron Wall Shares His Secrets (WordTracker Blog): Where does Aaron Wall get his ideas for the ideal keywords? Now you know!
• SEO Expert Quiz (SEOmoz): Are you an SEO expert? Launched earlier this year, the SEOmoz quiz will let you know how literate you are in the world of SEO.
• Why the PageRank Toolbar is Killing the SEO Industry (Search Engine Roundtable): Barry Schwartz argues that if PageRank were removed, then the whole landscape of SEO would change.
• 7 Steps to Get Your New Site Indexed in 24 Hours (Solo SEO): From my experience, it was all about WordPress, but Michael Jensen gives more realistic steps in the absence of the blogging platform.
• 55 SEO Interview Questions (All Things SEM): Marios Alexandrou has been interviewing for quite some time. What questions does he ask during the interview process and what should you also ask?

Search Engine Stuff

• Google 2.0: Google Universal Search (Search Engine Land): Danny Sullivan explains the ramifications of the universal search and what it means for you.
• The Illustrated Guide to Duplicate Content on Search Engines (SEOmoz): In this article about duplicate content and many others, you’ll quickly learn that Rand Fishkin is an artist.
• What is Google PageRank? A Guide for Searchers and Webmasters (Search Engine Land): Danny talks about the green bar and explains the various applications for SEOs and searchers. This in-depth article is the best I’ve seen on PageRank.
• How to Handle a Google Penalty (SEOmoz): Rand talks to Matt Cutts about a penalty on a real estate website and then illustrates his findings in a flowchart.
• The Ultimate Guide to Advanced Searching within Google, Yahoo, and MSN (HybridSEM): This is the search operators cheat sheet that you’ve been waiting for.
• Restricting the (Google) Search Space (Blogoscoped): Philipp explains that you can get desired results simply by performing certain queries with specific operators.
• Five Things You Didn’t Know About Google’s Search (Matt Cutts): Matt gives away secrets in this blog post… okay, maybe not, but it’s an interesting read nevertheless.

Web Development

• Efficient Web Design & Development: Hacks to Save Time and Money (SEOBook): Need a new website on the cheap? Aaron walks through the steps you should take, from domain purchase to design to content.
• 50 Common Web Design Mistakes (Design Refugee): Before your site goes live, make sure you check every item off of this checklist and address these concerns.
• Thirty Free Image Resources on the Web (About): Wendy Boswell, searcher extraordinare, shares her top 30 sites for finding free images for your blog and other websites.
• 100 (Legal) Sources for Free Stock Images (Virtual Hosting): In case 30 wasn’t enough, here are others that are driven by the community, allow new users, and are small but still very useful.
• Difference Between a Website and a Blog (Social Desire): What differentiates websites and blogs? Look at Shana’s chart.
• 8 Web Design Tactics to Help You When You’re Stuck (SEOmoz): My favorite West Coast guy is a brilliant designer (I’ll save the gushing for later) but writes an amazing post on how to get out of designer’s block.
• 404 Funnies: Making “Not Found” Work for You (CNet): Stephan Spencer says that creative 404 pages show a sense of humor. For more 404 pages, check out the Smashing Magazine collections.

Search Marketing Tools

• Analytics on the Cheap: Six Free Stats Packages for the Startup or Small Business Owner (10e20): Can’t afford an expensive analytics package? There are plenty that are free, and here are six that I personally reviewed.
• A Beginner’s SEO Toolbox (Small Business SEM): Matt McGee shares his favorite plugins and tools for doing SEO.
• 10 Ways to Become a More Efficient Webmaster (Lee Dodd): Lee Dodd outlines 10 tools and explains how they help at improving your webmastering skills.
• Five Free “Advanced” Web Analytics Examples (Occam’s Razor): Avinash shows how you can get some great statistics about your website by using tools that are totally free.
• Bookmarklets for the Web 2.0 Jedi Master (MicroPersuasion): Steve Rubel knows his bookmarklets.
• 6 Web Tools that You Can’t Live Without (Square Oak): Brendan talks about some lesser known tools that are quite helpful for search research and for getting things done.

Paid Search

• Re-Upping Your Google AdWords Certification (Stuntdubl): Getting certified? Again? Don’t review the entire course guides once more. Just check Todd’s notes.
• 31 Killer Writing AdWords Ads Tips (GoogleLady): The best-written ads can give you higher CTR and thus conversions. What’s stopping you from trying these?
• Using Paid Search? Here’s How to Maximize the Impact of Your Ads (10e20): Chris Sherman speaks about the importance of paid search in yet another webcast that I transcribed.
• Example of a PPC Strategy Document (Shimon Sandler): If you’re offering PPC services to a client, here’s a strategy document template to use.
• PPC Success in Five Steps (ISEdb): It’s all in your keywords, ads, landing pages, organization, and analysis, but there’s more to the article than what I just wrote!
• How to Turn Around an Unprofitable PPC Campaign (SiteProNews): Kalena Jordan highlights mistakes people make in their PPC campaigns and how to remedy them.
• Five Common Paid Search Mistakes that Can Sink Your Campaign (Search Engine Guide): Jennifer Laycock describes the five most common pitfalls and how to solve them.
• Starting From Scratch: A Paid Search Primer (RKG): If it’s your first time in paid search, this is a good guide to get started.
• Optimizing the Mix of Paid and Organic Listings (10e20): Is it good enough to simply be ranked #1 in the organic listings? No, complementing that with paid listings can boost your brand, according to Chris Sherman.
• How to Lower Your AdWords Minimum Bid (eWhisper): Brad Geddes gives you a strategy you’re hopefully taking advantage of if you’re using paid search.
• Website Conversation Rate 101 (Invesp Blog): To increase your conversion rate, you need to invest time and energy. Khalid presents an 8-step tutorial.

Recommended Books

• 5 Books All Search Marketers Should Read (SEOmoz): Except John Battelle’s book, I don’t own the listed books.
• 5 More Books Search Marketers Should Read (SEOmoz): Here are 5 more books to keep your marketing learn on.
• Books that have Changed My Business (Shoemoney): Jeremy is an audiobook type, but now I have to obtain the audiobooks since I have no time to read with all this writing I’m doing. Summary of this section: I need to get reading (or listening) right away!

Affiliate Sites: My disclaimer here is that I’m not at all too familiar with this area, but I think these articles will certainly get me started when I make the time!

• How to Build an Affiliate Site You Can Sell for $1M (Tropical SEO): Andy Hagans talks about how time, effort, and a defensible website can give you a good push.
• How to Survive the Affiliate Revolution (Sugarrae): Rae explains that you need to find the right domains that have the right keywords and that unique content really does sell. Engaging the community and building a well-designed website are also important elements.

Domaining: Another disclaimer - I’m also not really involved in the domainer’s sphere yet, but these are really good reads.

• Master of My Domaining: 10 Things I’ve Learned About Domaining Since I’ve Jumped in the Pool (Scoreboard Media): Once Brian Provost took domaining seriously, he had lessons to share for those of us who haven’t. I’ll keep these in mind.
• Interview of Frank Schilling, the World Famous Domain Investor (SEOBook): Aaron interviews a guy even I’ve heard of.
• Diary of a Domain Virgin (SEMpdx): Todd Mintz talks about how he got started in domaining, but acknowledges that the results may not be visible for quite some time. (Tip: It’s all about patience!)
• The Domaining Revolution (Search Engine Guide): Todd talks about the recent Domain Roundtable conference with a beginner’s post on domaining.
• Why Warren Buffet Recommends You Invest in Domain Names (Tropical SEO): Andy draws very interesting parallels between stock investments and domain investments. The idea is that investing now is valuable in the long run.
• How to Get Started as a Domainer (Aviva Directory): So, have the articles convinced you to jump on the domainer’s bandwagon? Here’s how you can get started.
• Top 4 Lies Domainers Tell Themselves (Tropical SEO): Andy Hagans lies to himself, but at least he admits that he has a problem.

Miscellaneous

• 50 Perfect Gifts for Webophiles, Bloggers, and Internet Marketers: Rand lists some awesome gifts, and now I want them all!

And finally, Techipedia’s Best Posts for 2007 (that aren’t rants)

• Top 6 Idea for Incredible Viral Content
• A Review of Social News Site Mixx
• 11 Tips to Enhance Your Digg User Experience
• How I Network on Friendster, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace
• Reputation Management with Marketing Gone Bad
• 29 Super Awesome Tools Built on the Digg API
• 13 Reasons Why I Am an Obsessive Compulsive Facebook User

Lastly, one real final milestone for me: my first mention in Forbes!

This reading should set you back 12 months… until 2009. But don’t only read these articles, because you’ll still need to catch up on the latest and greatest in Internet Marketing developments over the course of ‘08 — unless you just want to come here next December.