BLOG READING 101 LOOK, LURK, LEAP!
By Ariel Hyatt
How songwriters, performers and artists can tap into the powerful benefits of understanding, utilizing and participating in blogs
In working on the second edition of my book, Music Success in Nine Weeks, I recently revisited the section about blogs. I believe that getting reviewed on blogs is critical for every musician because it helps create a bigger footprint for you online, builds awareness and allows for a two-way conversation around your music. Here is a section from the book.
STEP 1:
Movie Time!
To understand blogs I highly suggest you watch these two wonderful videos from the amazing Commoncraft website that explain all you need to know to get started.
RSS in Plain English
www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
Blogs in Plain English
Now that you have an understanding it's time to get prepared to manage your blog reading
STEP 2:
Create Your Google RSS Reader
Now you know exactly what this is fromwatching RSS in Plain English. Setting up your RSS Reader is the perfect way to get the information you want (not only from blogs but from also from other sites you frequent) to come to you, instead of having to check constantly to see what blog has beenmost recently updated.
STEP 3:
Create Your Blog Reader Profiles
Blog Reader Profiles are wonderful because they will show the blogger and the reader community that you have visited a blog even if you do not choose to comment each and every time. This leaves a trail of breadcrumbs leading back to you, which shows others what you are interested in.
So, if you visit a blog that has either My Blog Log or Google Friend Connect installed, a photo of you / your band logo will show up on the blog you visited. This is a great way of becoming extra-memorable to bloggers. Each of these takes just a few minutes to set up:
My Blog Log
www.mybloglog.com
Look for the green tab at the top of the page that says "join/sign in" and fill out your profile.
Google Friend Connect
www.google.com/friendconnect
When you get to this site, press the blue "get started" button and set up your profile. Add your photo, short bio and links to your website, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
STEP 4:
Choose A Few Blogs To Get Started – Look, Lurk, Leap!
Before you dive in and just start commenting on blogs I suggest you spend some time reading blogs and understanding the culture of each one you like and the authors who create them. After a few posts you will begin to get a good idea of wheter or not this will be a blog you will return to over and over – add it to your RSS reader so you don't miss new posts and voilia!
According to some statistics there are currently over 80 million active bloggers today. Blogs, as you know, can be about any topic. A few dozen people read some blogs, while some are read by millions. The vast majority of all bloggers create blogs for no financial gain whatsoever; in fact it usually costs music bloggers money to host their files and maintain their blogs. A blog is usually a private endeavor. Most bloggers create their blogs as personal outlets where they can talk about their lives, their opinions, and the things that they like and dislike – it's basically an online diary.
To find blogs that are right for you won't take long – just dive in and start reading them. The ones that resonate will jump out at you.
HERE IS A GREAT PLACE TO START FINDING MUSIC BLOGS:
The Hype Machine
hypem.com
What is it? To put it simply, the Hype Machine (as it describes itself) keeps track of what music bloggers write about. We handpick a set of kicka** music blogs and then present what they discuss for easy analysis, consumption and discovery. This way, your odds of stumbling into awesome music or awesome blogs are high. This site also tracks the most blogged about artists and songs on their network.
HERE ARE SOME FAVORITE MUSIC THOUGHT, INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY BLOGS:
Music Think Tank
www.musicthinktank.com - A group blog bringing together key thinkers in the realmof online music business. Disclaimer: I write for this blog.
Derek Sivers
www.sivers.org/blog - Daily thoughts for entrepreneurs and musicians.
Hypebot
www.hypebot.com - A journal of music, technology and the new music business.
Ariel Hyatt is the founder of Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR, a New York-based digital firm that connects artists, authors and filmmakers to blogs, podcasts, Internet radio stations and social media sites. Over the past 13 years her firm has represented over 1,400 musicians of all genres. She is the author of Music Success in Nine Weeks and her marketing tips e-zine and YouTube series, "Sound Advice," are free to sign up for at www.ArielPublicity.com