THIS is why I love the internet — and blogging in particular!
Two posts ago I wrote about how I’d just purchased the book Blogging In a Snap by Julie Meloni (gotta plug ya now!) because I wanted to find out how to make my blog a little nicer and find out why Blogger works as it does.
I got some comments from the post and then – boom – the author herself came to my blog and made a comment:
JM said…
Hey, for not being a shill, you shilled pretty well. Thanks! :)Now that I know people actually have it in their hands, I’ll step up my updating of things that changed in the month between finishing the book and the time the chapters were printed. So, please do check back to the book’s blog!
9:18 AM
Boys and girls, this is the NEW MARKETING that either some people get, or they don’t.
Our world has changed. It is changing still, even as we sleep at night. And each one of the Usual Suspects who read my blog is participating in a new force, a new movement, that is taking the place of standard communications, marketing, sales and promotions.
Here is what this author (who is one smart person because, when I “Yahoo’d” her for a photo to place in my post, I found tons of other computer books with multi-syllabic words and acronyms – like PHP – way, WAY above my head!) has done:
- Written a book
- Sold it to a publishing house
- Associated it with a teaching series
And then, more importantly due to the nature of the book, she produced an associated blog (for FREE!) which will provide updates to the book AND, decided (I’m guessing here) that she’d Google or Yahoo certain keywords to find out who had mentioned her book and, somehow, found my miniscule piece of the web.
So she came to my website, posted a comment herself, which impressed me, made me want to make a separate post about this event, and will end up garnering even more “advertising,” for free, about her book.
Yes, whatever “advertising” she gets from this post will be minimal because I’m certainly no force in the blogging world, but I’m only one point in likely a myriad of points she found about persons who mentioned her book. My political philosophy is likely 180-degrees opposite hers but it’s not about philosophy, it’s about making contacts and expanding one’s circle of contacts regarding the book.
And THAT is very SMART marketing on her part!
And THAT is one aspect of why I love this blogging thing!
Blo,
That is awesome!! Great news!! I went over to her blog and viewed it for a short time. I am getting more tempted to buy! That is cool that she came to your site..
I often have dreams of President Bush visiting my site, or Rush, or Ann Coulter. BUT, that won’t happen.. I know, but hey.. i can dream!!
Rebecca: and you just PROVED MY POINT!
YOU went over to her site and made another contact — which is what she wants as a good marketer!
Julie is one smart author! She GETS IT.
Rebecca: also, please go check out my prior post and read my last comment. I hope I didn’t go over the top but I felt it needed the response. Your thoughts?
Rebecca:
BTW, wouldn’t that be SO cool, that Bush or Rush or Ann would drop by to read what you’ve written??
For me, that would be Hugh Hewitt or Charles Krauthammer or Victor Davis Hanson — or ANN COULTER too!
Quit griping, I visit you daily… What more could you possibly want??
LMAO…
Aw hell, good point.
BTW TF, I just re-registered on your site and I’m going to paste your new code at the bottom and cross my fingers. I’m hoping it’ll show up at the bottom of the sidebar on the right instead of at the bottom of all the posts, where no one will see it.
Uh, that was the forum I got a registration for, not the web ring… LMAO…
The WEB RING… That’s the one you need to re-register… But I have you on the forum too now… 🙂
Great points. I love this whole blogging thing and the great potential it brings with it.
12 20 05
Whoa! That is so cool that the author came to visit. COOOOOOOOL marketing tool! Sounds like someone may be getting his own book deal in time:) Congrats! You know earlier this year, I wrote an email to one of my favorite musicians and he actually responded too! It feels really nice when someone (who you respect) takes the time to stop by and communicate. Have a nice day:)
Thanks Mahndisa! Can I ask the name of the musician?
You know, that might make an interesting post in itself:
Who have you met or written to that was “famous” so to speak, what happened, how were you treated, etc?
I bet you’d get some very interesting responses. . .
It is very cool that she found your site and commented!
I’ll let you know when Rush visits mine! 😆 Like that’sever going to happen. I would have to blog something bad about him to get his attention and that’s not going to happen either. I want him on my side!
Just had the back surgery and out of commission. But the best part being loaded up on vicoden and valium flat on your back is I didn’t have to hear about any federal or congressional hearings, about creating a committee, to make Bush explain why he chose, without the authorization from anyone with a “(D)” infront of their name, to use double ply toilet paper instead of the single ply which would save the american people money. And of course he is a racist because he took so long to respond to the accusation.
Further more, when I was able to watch a little TV, I heard the best political quote EVER.
“Just becuase I can’t prove it, doesn’t mean I can’t say it.”
-Steven Colbert from The Colbert Report
By the way B.Z., it was great to see you riding the bike at work. It has paid off, you look great, but more importantly you sound happy!
EB
It shouldn’t suprise you. If you don’t use a stats package you should. If for no other reason, just to get the IPs and related info from all the readers.
When you do this type of post, your page showes up on lexis. She probably found you that way.
I posted on Representative Sam Johnson recently. That day and every day since I have 3 hits from the House and 2 hits from the Senate.
The awesome thing about what you did, is that she commented. That is too cool.
12 20 05
Blo Zep: The name of one of my favorite musicians is Robert Rich and he is an ambiance artist. Anyway, his website is on my sidebar. I love almost everything I have heard him do over a fourteen year period or so! And when you do the famous person post, I will have some interesting stories alright!!! Have a nice day:)
-Mahndisa
Eric: oh man, I’d forgotten about the back surgery!! Crap! Hope it went okay! And, yes, that quote was remarkably ridiculous but, once again, that’s why you cruise the internet. You and I already know how ridiculous people can and DO get. Thanks once again for coming to the site, reading, and leaving comments!
One small aside: I was hoping you’d not mention the 2-ply thing. It clearly shows out-of-control GOP spending. Dammit, Jim!
BWH: I hope you and me and Echotig are cool. I’m still a neophyte — what’s your reference to a “stats package?” What does that entail?
Mahndisa: Robert Rich!! How cool! He’s one of my FAVORITE New Age/Ambient artists! Dang! Matter of fact, his was one of the very FIRST CDs I ever purchased when I began transitioning from vinyl over to those little disks!
Strata and Rainforest are two of my RR faves!
I apologize for not checking your sidebar further but, this is some kinda weird synchronicity because I REALLY like Robert Rich, John Serrie, Kitaro, Tangerine Dream, Passport, Bill Bruford, Jim Bartz, Material, Bill Laswell — heck, the list goes on and on and on!
Hi – I use Technorati to review inbound links to my blogs. If you have a question please feel free to email me. I have a rather scathing anti-contact rant on the official site for my books (www.thickbook.com) because you’d be surprised at the amount of utter crap that’s been directed my way over the last six or so years of writing books _just about computer stuff_, but you seem like a nice fella who wouldn’t start off a mail telling me how much I suck (political differences notwithstanding! 🙂 )
Julie: Wow, thanks for the second visit — and yes, when I get through unpacking, I likely will e-mail you with some questions. I’m thinking there are a lot of things I could likely do to expand my readership — if I only knew a litle about what the heck I was doing.
This is how STUPID I am — I was shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, when my VERY first comment on the birth of my blog was a piece of dirty, rotten SPAM!! DAMMIT!! Which is why I activated the word verification thing. I couldn’t believe that someone, somewhere, actually took the time to somehow find my blog and insert a piece of advertising SPAM into the comment section!
I felt — so — so — USED!
I’ll go visit your site because I kinda like a really over-the-top, well-written rant. I find them kind of — cleansing! Don’t you?
And hey, I’ll never use the S-word for someone I’ll be soliciting for an answer to a question I have — how silly would THAT be — politics notwithstanding! :^)