Most Popular Tech Blogs from WebmasterJournal.com

October 30, 2008

Blogging, a word created from the contraction of Web and log has been the most popular item to come out of the Internet. People all over the world are creating blogs to discuss all kind of subjects from cooking to politics.  Not all blogs are well organized or updated.  Here are the most popular tech blogs that will have you returning for more and more.

Are you a gadget fan?  Want to get the latest and greatest tech gizmo? Even if you can’t afford to buy, you can keep up to date on the best tech toys and tools at Gizmodo.  Part of the Gawker Media family, Gizmodo is updated multiple times a day and is very entertaining.  Oddly, Gizmodo has more editors listed, on it’s front page, than reporters.  This seems to work well for the site.  It has tons of content.  Well laid out, easily surfable, Gizmodo is sure to keep you well informed on as they say, “anything you can push a button on.”   http://gizmodo.com/
 
Get inspired and learn new techniques of graphic and web design from the guys at SmashingMagazine. Vitaly Friedman (Web Developer’s Handbook, Praxisbuch Web 2.0) and Sven Lennartz (owner of the german Dr. Web Magazine) have created a great blog that will make your blog….great.  Visit this site and learn how easy it is to turn your blog or website into a functioning piece of art.  http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
 
Whether you are a small business owner or in the corporate world, you will want to keep up to date about government policy, technology and legal issues on Techdirt.  Concentrating on issues regarding companies ability to innovate and grow, Techdirt has been around since 1997 and seems to always have posts regarding business tech issues that you just won’t see anywhere else.  http://www.techdirt.com/
 

Anything tech.  That is what you will find on Slashdot.  Tech savvy readers submit posts for anything from science to politics, as long as it is tech related.  Touted “News for Nerds”, Slashdot is not only a great place to keep informed of the tech world, it is also a great way to meet new tech savvy friends.  http://slashdot.org/
 

David Weinberger, Fellow at Harvard Law’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, has created a great blog about everything that is Internet related a Joho(http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/).  An unapologetic liberal, Weinberger always has great insight on issues regarding an open and accessible Internet.  He also has amassed an impressive blogroll that will keep you entertained and informed. 

Reporting on everything related to technology and culture, Kuro5hin (pronounced Corrosion) is a collaborative blog where readers vote on the content.  Kuro5hin is a blog that has successfully gotten rid of garbage posts. Users have created an environment for people who think.  When you need some intelligent tech conversation, take a visit to Kuro5hin.   http://www.kuro5hin.org/
 

Engadget is the blog to stay informed on anything regarding consumer electronics.  It has only been around since 2004 but Engadget is the site to keep up to date on all of the news, issues and reviews of electronic products in all price levels and categories. 
http://www.engadget.com/
 
These are the most popular blogs to keep you informed in the tech world.

Copywriting Secrets: Three Tips for Writing Effective Sales

October 27, 2008

Do you feel that your sales pages aren’t bring the kind of sales that you were hoping for? You are getting a lot of visitors to your site, but the sales just aren’t rolling in? More traffic doesn’t necessarily bring more sales. Many people spend a great deal of time building a website that is visually very appealing. They will spend a lot of money on a website designer who creates a nice looking site but very little time or money is spent on creating good sales copy.

A great amount of time should be spent on what your website or ad’s messages, than on any other part of your marketing campaign. Well written, effective sales copy should be able to grab readers even when there are no fancy pictures or fonts which is used in so much of the contemporary and ineffective marketing today. Write and rewrite your sales message. Re-edit and then walk away from the copy for awhile. Let your brain rest and then revisit the sales copy. You may discover a way that you would like to reform the message. The goal is to create a message that turns quality visitors into quality customers.

Here are some guidelines to creating a sales message that will turn your readers into customers. Whenever you write sales copy you should keep these techniques in mind.

1. Make sure your sales message is clear and visible. Don’t make the mistake of hiding your sales message. Some people believe that people will be put off by an upfront, clear and visible sales message. People won’t be offended if you are honest that you are selling an item. Just inform them of it’s benefits and describe how they can purchase the item. Beginning copywriters frequently make the mistake of creating a lot of filler to hide the sales message.

2. Use an eye catching headline. The headline is the most important part of your ad. It cannot be stressed enough that a well written and eye catching headline can increase your sales dramatically. A well written headline should be structured to attract your customer, to draw them in. Make sure the headline is clear. This usually is achieved by adding more text to the headline. You want to explain your product as much as possible in the headline. Don’t get too wordy, but most beginners at copywriting will not add enough of a description in the headline. Make sure your headline is easy to understand. Don’t try to be clever by using one word or otherwise extremely small headlines. These work when used in massive, highly financed marketing campaigns. Your headline should give the reader as much information as you can put into it, while still being well-formed.

3. Give the reader a reason to keep reading your copy. The easiest way to keep a reader interested is to talk about the things that they desire. This shows the importance of knowing your prospective customers. A proper sales message should show an understanding of the customer as well as an easy way to solve their problem. Try to move away from thinking that you are selling a product or service and start to think in the terms of selling solutions to problems. People want to be understood and they want their problems solved. Your sales message should give your customers confidence in the product or service. It should portray the message of solving their problem and making their life easier or enhanced.

Effective sales copy grabs the reader’s attention, keeps the reader’s interest and gives a clear, problem solving message. Writing effective sales copy is not a difficult task, and when you keep these rules in mind you will start to see your sales increase.

Close
E-mail It
Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape