Mistakes You do When You Blog

Assuming you want to increase your blog traffic, there are certain mistakes you must avoid to be successful. If you commit these mistakes, your traffic will never gain momentum. Worse, it may begin to decrease.

How do I know? I have made most of the mistakes you can make—numerous times. As a result, I have begun to see certain patterns emerge. These are my top ten traffic-killers.

• Mistake #1: You don’t post enough. Hobby bloggers may go weeks between posts. But frequency is what separates the men from the boys. You cannot build solid traffic without frequent posts. I have seen time and time again (via Google Analytics) that there is a direct correlation between frequency and traffic. The more I post—within reason—the greater my traffic.
• Mistake #2: You post too much. Yes, this is possible, too. I don’t need to hear from anyone more than once a day—unless it is a group blog or a news site. You would do better to focus on writing one really great post a day rather than several mediocre ones. The trick is to find your frequency sweet spot. For me, it is four to five posts a week.
• Mistake #3: Your post is too long. You can get away with this if your posts are “scannable”—that is, you make use of subheads, lists, and other devices that keep people moving through your content. If a post starts getting too long, consider breaking it up into several posts.
• Mistake #4: You don’t invite engagement. When I talk about “engagement,” I am referring to a combination of page views, reader comments, and social media mentions. Postrank.com is a great tool for measuring this kind of engagement. The posts that generate the most engagement for me are those that are controversial, transparent (especially about failure), and open-ended. This is why I try to end every post with a question.
• Mistake #5: You don’t participate in the conversation. When bloggers don’t participate in conversation by commenting on their own posts and responding to their readers, it is like hosting a party at your home, making a brief appearance, and then disappearing. In any other context, this behavior would be perceived as rude or odd. The same is true in blogging. People want to have a conversation—with YOU.
• Mistake #6: You don’t make your content accessible. Since I am in the publishing business, I often get asked if I think people are reading less. The simple answer is “No.” In fact, I think they are reading more than ever. But they are reading differently. Readers have shorter attention spans. They are scanning content, looking for items that interest them. When you use subheads, lists of bullets or numbers, it draws readers in by making your content accessible. Shorter paragraphs also help.
• Mistake #7: You don’t create catchy headlines.  This means your headlines are the most important thing you write. Fortunately for scanning content and deciding whether to read an entire series of posts.
• Mistake #8: Your first paragraph is weak. This is critical. Assuming that you have written a great headline, people will next read your first paragraph. You must use this paragraph to pull them into the rest of your blog post. Start with a story, a promise, or a startling fact. The idea is to grab their attention and hang onto it. Many bloggers spend too much time trying to setup the post or provide context. Just get to the point.
• Mistake #9: Your post is off-brand. I have often been guilty of this one. If you are a hobby blogger, you can get away with the occasional post that strays from your primary message or brand. But if you are trying to build traffic, you need to find an editorial focus and stick to it. A tighter focus leads to higher traffic. This is why I have tried to narrow my own focus to three areas: leadership, social media, and publishing. If I want to write on something else (e.g., fitness), I do so through one of these three lenses.
• Mistake #10: Your post is about YOU. Unless you are a mega-celebrity, readers don’t care about you. Not really. They care about themselves. They want to know what’s in it for THEM. Your personal stories can be a doorway to that, but in the end, the best posts are about your readers’ needs, fears, problems, or concerns. Always ask, “What’s the take-away for my reader?”

There are other mistakes, too; I doubt this list is exhaustive. But I think I have covered the major ones. If you can avoid these, you will be well on your way to increasing your traffic and growing your audience.

Read More

Things to Do While You’re Waiting

If there is one thing people in our generation hate to do, it is to wait. And why should we? We can Google questions rather than wait for an answer. We can order shoes online rather than suffering the long weekend lines at the retail store. We can even book reservations ahead of time rather than waiting for a table at our favorite establishment.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/dra_schwartz

But God doesn’t operate any faster in the twenty-first century than He did in the first. And so while we rush ourselves, we can’t rush God. In fact, much of life is spent waiting.

• Waiting for a response to a book proposal
• Waiting to hear from a potential employer
• Waiting for a medical diagnosis

While our natural inclination is to hate waiting, this period of uncertainty can actually be a time of great personal growth. Here is are three lessons I learned in the “Waiting Room” of life:

1. Recognize that God is in control, even when it seems He has forgotten you. I love the words to the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk:
   

   "Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it”

   Often when it seems nothing is happening is when everything is happening behind the scenes. You just can’t see it.
   For a few years, I felt At times I grew restless and wondered if I had fallen into some kind of Godless abyss. What I didn’t see was the circumstances God had to work out in order to put me where I am today..
   The machinery of God’s sovereignty was at work, unknown to me.
   
2. Renew your faith in God’s quiet and steady providence. A few years ago, To quell my anxiety, I did a study on waiting in the Scriptures. I was amazed to find that every major figure was forced to wait long periods of time before God brought them to a place of success.
   Waiting is not incidental to faith. Waiting is the DNA of faith.
   
3. Redeem your time in the waiting room of life. A few years ago, I was forced to read three-year old magazines with outdated information. I hated that. We often do that in our own waiting periods. So anxious are we for that “next step,” we languish in despair. But, “let patience have her perfect work.”
   
   Times of uncertainty and doubt are useful periods in which we can draw into God, nurture our skills and prepare for the time when that big promotion comes.
   
   • A single man or woman should ready him or herself for marriage while he is single by reading good relationship books.
   • A future employee can get a leg-up on the position he covets by taking a few extra college classes or reading important books on leadership.
   • A writer might continue to hone his craft while he’s waiting the big contract.

View your time in the Waiting Room as a season of growth and development and you’ll find you’ll be that much more ready for your moment on the stage.

A final thought: Waiting for answers can be one of the most grueling seasons of life, but with the proper perspective, you may look back as you’re most formative.

Read More

Update Your Facebook Status with Twitter

Did you know that it is possible to have Twitter automatically update your Facebook page? It’s actually very simple. In fact, I haven’t manually updated my Facebook status in months.

To get this process working, follow these six simple steps. It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes, max. These instructions assume that you already have both a Facebook account and a Twitter account.

1. Make sure you are logged into Facebook. Now go to the Facebook’s Twitter application page. Now click on the Go to Application button. It looks like this:
   
2. The application will now ask you to confirm that Twitter can access your Facebook information. Click on the Allow button.
   
3. Now log into your Twitter account by entering your Twitter username and password. The screen looks similar to this:
   Click on the Login button.
4. You can now actually use Twitter from within Facebook. The screen looks like this:
   Personally, I never use this. I want the reverse of this. I want to update my Facebook status from Twitter. Therefore, click on the Allow Twitter to Update Your Facebook Status button in the upper-right of the screen.
5. You should get a confirmation screen that looks similar to this:
   Now confirm that you are willing to let Twitter update your Facebook status by clicking the Allow Status Updates button.
6. After you click this button, you will go to the Twitter application. Don’t Twitter anything from here. Instead, go to your Facebook Home page, by clicking the Home link on the Facebook menu. Now you can test the connection by going to your favorite Twitter application or the Twitter web page and entering a tweet. Wait a minute or two and go back to your Facebook home page and refreshing it. Your most recent tweet should be displayed as your Facebook status. This is how my status looked:
   

That’s all there is to it. Now every time you Twitter something, your Facebook status will be automatically updated.
Update: If you don’t want to send every one of your tweets to Facebook, then check out Selective Twitter Status. It allows you to designate the tweets you want to appear on Facebook by end a tweet with the #fb “hashtag” in your post. Only those tweets with the hash tag at the end will be posted on Facebook.

Read More

Become Your Spouse’s Best Friend

Your marriage is a living example of what it is like to be in a close relationship with you.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Renphoto

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that is very me-centered. Gail and I often talk to people who are frustrated with their spouses. Most of this stems from the fact that they are not getting what they think they need or what they think they should be getting.
I am not saying that it is wrong to give voice to your needs. I am saying that it is often an ineffective way to get them met, unless you first sow the seeds of giving and servanthood. (This is also good practice for being a leader in any sphere of life.)

If you are, then I would recommend three steps:

1. Make a list of what you would want in a best-friend. If you were going to advertise on List for a best friend, what would the ad look like? Perhaps it might look like this:
   Wanted: Best Friend Prospective candidates will:

   • Make me feel good about being me.
   • Affirm my best qualities (especially when I am feeling insecure)
   • Call out the best in me, and hold me accountable to the best version of myself.
   • Listen without judging or trying to fix me.
   • Give me the benefit of the doubt.
   • Extend grace to me when I am grumpy or having a bad day.
   • Remember my birthday, favorite foods, music, and art.
   • Know my story and love me regardless.
   • Spend time with me, just because they enjoy my company.
   • Speak well of me when I am not present.
   • Serve me with a joyful spirit and without complaining.
   • Speak the truth to me when no one else will.
   • Never shame me, diminish me, or make me feel small.
   • Become excited about what I am excited about.
   • Celebrate my wins!
2. Now become that person for your spouse. That’s right. Turn the table. Make this a list of the kind of friend you will become. I can promise you this: anyone who does half of these kinds of things will have more friends than he or she knows what to do with. But what if you focused this effort on your spouse? Think of the possibilities.
3. Keep sowing the seeds, until the relationship blossoms. How long will it take to create this kind of relationship? It all depends on where you are starting. For some, it might be several months. For others, it might take years. Friendships are like gardens; they must be cultivated. The key is to be consistent and persistent—without expectations.

This is really nothing more than the application of the Golden Rule to marriage: “Do to others what you would want them to do to you”.
If couples would invest in one another like I am suggesting, the divorce rate would plummet. Romance is important. Sex is too. But a solid friendship is the foundation of everything else.

Read More

Astrology v/s Astronomy

Astronomy is based on the laws of physics (and therefore mathematics) and aims at describing what is happening to the universe based on what we observe today. An example of this is weather forcasting:
Forecasting the weather does not come under the heading of astrology or claiming to have knowledge of the unseen, rather it is based on physical evidence and experience, and study of the natural laws established by Allaah. The same applies to knowing the times of solar and lunar eclipses, or when there are likely to be strong winds and rainfall.




Astrology on the other hand claims it can predict what will happen to individuals (or guess what is happening to them), or to mankind, based on such things as solar system configurations and birth dates. Common applications include horoscopes and such. Regardless of whether there is scientific support for astrology, its goal and methods are clearly distinct from those of astronomy.



Astronomy vs Astrology
 
Astronomy is the scientific study of the sun, moon, stars, universe etc while astrology is the study of movements and positions of stars and planets in the belief that they influence human behavior and destiny.

Astrology includes several groups of traditional systems basically classified as Eastern and Western ones that use the position of the planets and stars at the time of an individual’s birth to predict his future, personality, important events of his life etc. Scientists often negate astrology claiming it has no physical basis of proof.

Astrology and Astronomy came to be regarded separately only during the modern times as, in early history of mankind, science had not developed to the point where the quantifiable aspects of astronomy could be reasoned out clearly. The functioning of the stars and planets was a mystery to man till progress was made in scientific fields over the last hundred years. Science has now come to completely denounce astrology as a pseudo science though astrologers continue to swear by it.

Meanwhile, a more technical definition of astronomy states that astrophysics covers the physical properties, behavior and related dynamic processes or phenomena of celestial objects including the earth while astronomy covers objects outside the earth’s atmosphere.
Astronomy is further classified as

• Solar astronomy that covers the most important star in the planetary system ‘“ the sun.
• Planetary science that covers comets, planets, asteroids and other bodies that are orbiting the sun. This includes all extra-solar bodies too.
• Stellar astronomy that covers any planetary nebula and is the basis of the understanding of how the universe functions.
• Galactic & Inter-galactic astronomy that covers Milky Way ‘“ the galaxy our planetary system is in. There is not much known yet about the nearest galaxy to Milky Way ‘“ the Andromeda Galaxy.
• Physical Cosmology which studies the overall structure of the cosmos that comprises several galaxies.

Ironically, astrology and astronomy are two sciences in which amateur practitioners have contributed the most than in any other fields of human endeavor!

Read More

Veg. Chilly Chicken - m loving it :)

Read More

Super Creative Advertisements

Volkswagen Van came up with this brilliant idea to promote its carrying capacity as against many other cars:
 

Ford Mondeo showcases its pickup speed with this stunner of an advertisement. Great execution.

The copy reads 'From 0 to 100 kmph in 8.7 seconds.'

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 One last piece from Volswagen for its Nueva Passat car. Here the emphasis on the luxurious back space available in the car. Again, great art work and execution.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Some more effective anti-smoking advertisements that I came across recently:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

This is for The Economist magazine

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- An ad for Western Union Money Transfer, targeted at the receivers. Interesting play of words.

Ad for Lucozade 'energy drink'. Guess on some days we could do with one of these energy drinks.

Sugar free Lollipop..!!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The headline is a beautiful play of words. Save Trees. Trees save. And the visual impact is quite stunning. He who first said that a picture is worth many words is quite right.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This is a very catchy ad for a karate school. Looks like they have a very practical approach to learning it

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The copy says: 'Harry's bread. Nice and Soft.' Indeed. The cute sleepy girl takes the cake here, er.. I mean, the bread.

This is a print ad taken out by Rodasol insect killer in the Obituary section of a newspaper. Death to the Bugs

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A very interesting print ad by Frizz skin salon. Catchy.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank God the zoom was invented.  

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And here is one of the best anti-smoking ad, released by Cancer Patients Aid Association:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A very simple but hard-hitting advertisement by the Mumbai Traffic Police on the importance of wearing helmet:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Drunk drivers get preference over others in prime parking spots. Surprised? Here's how:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One of the best, by Seagram, that asks drivers to choose carefully between two things:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

An explosion of colours fantastically brought out by the recent print ads for Sony Bravia television:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is a very creative use of bowling alleys to advertise for dental implant insurance. Whoever got this idea and made a sudden leap of imagination was being sooo.. damn creative.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IWC, the famous Swiss watch makers, used these stickers on the holds in airport buses to catch the attention of travelling pilots and other passengers for their new 'Big Pilot's Watch'.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A 'Don't Drink and Drive' campaign by Vasir breweries on their beer bottle caps. Upon opening the bottle, the car printed on the cap appears bent, and on reverse we have the simple slogan. Very simple but effective.

Read More

Chanakya Niti in Corporate World - Arthashastra and Nitishastra

What management teaches us today with jazzy power point presentations in air conditioned rooms, the ancient kings taught their prajas in the darbars. Chanakya and Lord Krishna taught us thousands of years ago in the war field. It’s just that over a period of years the format of presenting this knowledge has changed and got distorted. Most of the books on strategy and self development which are written by the present age scholars and self acclaimed gurus owe their success to all these ancient spiritual philosophers and sacred texts. This knowledge is a timeless wisdom and therefore it has sustained civilizations, ages and times. With the changing face of the society and man’s quest for knowledge the format for presenting these  truth has changed. I think the corporate world today has a lot to learn from these ancient management techniques in the area of administration,  better time management , ethics,  leadership, communication skills, team work  and etiquette. In the Large Scale Interactive Process (LSIP) method of training which was earlier practiced in the ancient gurukul system where students were grouped into smaller study groups encouraging team work, sharing, accepting others opinions and assimilation of knowledge.

We learn about Chanakya and his sutras in history and it compelled me to learn more about his teachings. Once when I read the sutras I was convinced about its application even in the current times. The knowledge is very much alive, it’s just that people have to become more aware, take little time off to read the old scriptures about its purpose and understand the meaning behind those sacred texts. What is called as globalization today, was coined by the ancient sages and rishis as “Vasudeva Kutumbakam” – One World, One Family long ago. It’s just that over the last few years the senior management is realizing the importance of these old shastras in current times, though many are still skeptical. They rely on foreign authors, speakers and management gurus without realizing the fact that this knowledge originated in their own land. All these workshops and seminars are heavily priced at the leadership level. 

Two books are attributed to Chanakya: Arthashastra and Nitishastra which is also known as Chanakya Niti.

The Arthashastra discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare, international relations, and war strategies in detail. Nitishastra is a treatise on the ideal way of life, and shows Chanakya's in depth study of the Indian way of life.

A few of these sutras and their relevance in current times from Chanakya’s desk are as follows :

1) "Learn from the mistakes of others... you can't live long enough to make them all yourselves!! " - Chanakya
One of the most important sutra which is relevant in today’s time after the Satyam episode. All the senior management must have this sutra on their desktops. Business must be conducted in a ethical manner though the motive is profits. Maximization of profit must not be at the cost of cheating people and unethical trade practices.

2)"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are screwed first."- Chanakya
Most of us would have experienced this in relation to our government services. You try to be transparent and open to the government officials  if you have broken the rules, but the policeman favors the person who has violated the traffic rules and  offers him a bribe. In the today`s world, survival is of great importance. Every individual must apply these rules for his livelihood and survival.

3)"Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."-    Chanakya
A wise person will never get angry on himself and others, he will only show anger just like a mother does to her child. Similarly, in business if your competitors are ahead of you and a threat to your market share then ensure that your marketing strategy is competitive enough to get attention of the customer and give the competition a tough fight. 

4)"The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you."- Chanakya
I am sure the patent, trademark theory in business originated from this sutra. That is the reason that many corporates today patent their inventions and protect their trademarks, logos and any developments in research. In business terms any new technological innovation can be monetised and if it has to saved from the competitor then it has to be patented.

5)"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth." - Chanakya
This relationship is so true in today’s context where a media company supports a particular political party. Or a political party is too friendly with a media channel. It’s a relationship of TRPs and reach to a better voter base. The bitter truth is very evident by the media coverage. We are made fools by our very own people and media. Similar example is of freebies that are being offered by the retailers to clear of their inventory. But human beings keep on accumulating loads of stuff which is not necessary for them.

6)" Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."
- Chanakya
Such a beautiful anecdote given by Chanakya on planning before proceeding with any kind of project. Create the objective and scope of the project clearly before proceeding for execution. More often projects are started with huge investments without a clear idea of their feasibility and success rate.

7)"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
- Chanakya
We all have fear in some form or the other. Fear of speaking in public, fear of heights etc. Slowly and steadily we need to work on our way to fearlessness individually and professionally also. Some companies also do not come out in open fearing that they may lose business or their manpower would be poached. However, this fear has to be removed by empowering people within the company and creating a good professional reputation for the business.

8)"The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman."
- Chanakya
In India currently our population is 50 % youth and this is the best time to get the youth to vote and get good leadership in the country. Today’s youth has a global outlook and is willing to take lot of responsibility for the country. Many of them run their own service projects and NGOs dealing with specific social and rural issues. Woman empowerment has also helped women seek better careers and professions which was just a dream in the past. Women are born leaders.

Woman`s beauty can be deceptive so one should not get marry to obnoxious girl instead look for cultured and good values in girl.

9)"Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest." - Chanakya 

They make mistakes those who work and those learn who do mistakes is hence proved by this.

10)"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction." - Chanakya
This sutra is applicable to all the people who devote themselves in the service of  the poor and the needy and empower people in all ways. In our current times Mata Amritanandamayi, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Baba Ramdev , Anna Hazaare, KIran Bedi etc are doing good social service and empowering the globe helping in peace efforts, betterment of health, stress management. 

11)"God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."
- Chanakya
The current scenario in the world of terrorism is created because of the wrong ideologies of God. Chanakya explained this in his sutras in such a simple manner that god is the feelings in the human being. Our spiritual journey towards our Self is of utmost important to understand God. Majority of the wars are manmade in the name of God.

12) "A man is great by deeds, not by birth."
- Chanakya
The other day I had got a forward asking me to remember the last 10 Nobel Prize winners. With great difficulty I could manage 2 names. But when i was asked to name the people who put a smile on my face, who could help me in troubled times, I could easily list 5 names. Every person has immense potential and it just needs to blossom.

13) "Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness."
 - Chanakya
Much before Dale Carnegie wrote How to make friends and influence people? Chanakya has given a one liner on making friends

14) "Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends." - Chanakya 

A very beautiful tip on parenting, Its the way to deal with children in various age groups.

15) "Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person."
- Chanakya
Many of us do not read books which will open our mind and help us in broad thinking. We are too busy with prime time television and soap operas. It is the time to get back to our sacred texts, scriptures, understand the meaning and give the right interpretations to our next generation. They help us in building good human values. Not many parents read stories to their children these days because they are too busy with soap operas or busy with gadgets (mobile phones, laptops) etc.

16) "Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth." -Chanakya

The need of the hour in India is the education of the rural youth, children and women. We will pave our way for success if we empower the rural public. They are more action oriented and need direction. Only Youth can empower youth and You, so let each one of us take responsibilities in whatever way possible. 

Read More