26 Ways To Create Blog Content That Will Draw Readers

Social Media Examiner has given an amazing list of the many ways you can generate information in a way that will BAIT and HOOK your readers.

Each of the following 26 items are explained in greater detail in this article, encouraging you to explore and test these tools, so that you draw people in to your corner of the social media world and actually get people to respond to you and the content you have delivered to them.

1. Authors Matter: Why Your Posts Need Careful Planning
2. Blog as a Spoke in the Wheel: Practical Tips For Becoming A Leader of Thought and Content
3. Curate Selected Content: What It Means For Providing Relevant Information
4. Data Provides Direction: How Social Data Provides Beneficial Business Insights
5. Email and Social Media Work Hand in Hand: Helpful Tips For Integrating the Two
6. Facebook Pages Don't Guarantee Engagement but are Good Candidates for the Job: How To Implement Engagement Strategies
7. Google+ Provides a Unique Blend of Features and Benefits: How To Engage Readers with the Number 2 Social Network in the World
8. HootSuite Offers Ability to Listen and Engage: 2 Steps to Find Relevant Content Before Google Can
9. Instant Feedback Helps: Ways To Utilize Feedback Effectively in Your Business
10. Journalist's Digital Media Pyramid Encourages Engagement: Learn How To Grow Your Opportunity to Engage with Others
11. Keywords Help Find the Needle in a Haystack: Where to Place Them
12. LinkedIn's Role: Tools Given To Help You Engage With More People
13. Mobile Content Meets People Where They're At - In the Moment: How to Make Your Business Information Mobile Friendly
14. Nurture Leads Through Social Media Comment Replies: Should You Reply To Comments?
15. Objectives Are Key: Does Your Company Have Objectives?
16. Podcasting Offers a Powerful Tool: Why It Is Growing in Popularity
17. Quora's Questions and Answers: Helpful or Not So Helpful Resource?
18. Return on Investment (ROI) is One Part of the Equation: Are Your Expectations Realistic?
19. Storytelling is About Connection: It's Role In Effectively Engaging Reading Audiences
20. Twitter and CEOs: Why Their Tweets Matter
21. Unique Content is Crafted: How You Should Approach Your Audience
22. Videos Are Often a Top Choice: Why People Prefer Them
23. Webinars Provide an Opportunity for Real-Time Engagement: What Your Focus Should Be
24. E(x)perience of Users: Analyzing Your Visitors' Activity
25. YouTube Videos Work With All Budgets: What You Should Be Recording and Publishing
26. Zones and Social Media Posting: How To Plan For Which Time Zone To Post For

Was This List Helpful To You? Let Us Know What You Liked!

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To Sell Is Human: Business Book Review

Don't Be Stubborn When It Comes To Embracing Change

Book Review: To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink

According to the author, we are all trying to sell something all the time: whether convincing our kids to accomplish their tasks, or persuading a friend to accompany us on an adventure, or even presenting all the beneficial reasons our neighbor should help invest in a joint wall.  

Daniel Pink explains that whether your job is in full-time sales or not, we are all in the business of selling.  He knows that this idea is not widely accepted; in fact, he believes that most people would balk at the idea that their lives frequently revolve around selling in one way or another.

Sales?  Blecch.  To the smart set, sales is an endeavor that requires little intellectual throw weight - a task for slick glad-handers who skate through life on a shoeshine and a smile.  To others it's the province of dodgy characters doing slippery things--a realm where trickery and deceit get the speaking parts  while honesty and fairness watch mutely from the rafters.  Still others view it as the white-collar equivalent of cleaning toilets--necessary perhaps, but unpleasant and even a bit unclean.  

I'm convinced we've gotten it wrong.

This is a book about sales.  But it is unlike any book about sales you have read (or ignored) before.  That's because selling in all its dimensions--whether pushing Buicks on a car lot or pitching ideas in a meeting--has changed more in the last ten years than it did over the previous hundred.  Most of what we think we understand about selling is constructed atop a foundation of assumptions that has crumbled.

Pink begins the book by explaining how the art and ideas behind "sales" (as it has always been known) have changed, even providing recent statistics showing that 40% of our time is used in trying to convince others to move in a certain direction, whether in our professional or personal life.

He continues by diving into key elements of workplace transformation:  Entrepreneurship (how intended barriers to sales jobs have actually turned into more opportunities), Elasticity (how we have found that our job skills must be flexible in moving across boundaries), and Ed-Med (a term coined by the author to describe the fastest growing industries around the world, combining educational services and health care and it's relevance).

Pink then goes even further to define the new ABCs of the sales trade, in order to better deal with situations that make us want to run and hide:

1. Attunement - Bringing yourself into harmony with other people, groups, and contexts.
2. Buoyancy - The necessary mindset to stay afloat even in the face of constant rejection.
3. Clarity - The ability to make sense of problematic and muddled situations.

The last section of the book is about What To Do, in terms of how this book is practical for you, divided into three chapters entitled:

1. Pitch - Learning ways to approach people in an age of limited attention spans
2. Improvise - Learn improvisation rules to enhance your ability to persuade others
3. Serve - Serving personally and with purpose, and why it matters

There is much more depth to this book than what could be barely touched on in a review.  Pink also gives a wonderful illustration on the art of storytelling and the impact it has on our ability to sell others our ideas.  He also draws from research to disprove a widely accepted assumption about extraverts being the best salespeople, which is something that most people believe makes a salesperson successful.

What changes have you had to embrace in the last year, in order to keep up with the pace of change in the business world?

Your comments on this subject are greatly appreciated!

You might have missed:  The Yin and Yang of Business: Is Education All You Really Need to Succeed?

40 Marketing Fundamentals That Will Make You Successful in 2013

Don't You Want to do MORE Than Just SURVIVE in Your Business?

Without a doubt, most people today are doing everything they possibly can to keep up with the ever changing pace of business marketing.  But here's a chance to get some tips - not only for survival, but for success and growth in your business, through the use of marketing tools that are indispensable.

How do I know this to be true?

Randy Kirk, author, business owner and creator of several marketing blogs, including Google Places Help and Content Marketing for Google, has written several business books over the years, specifically for those in the small business arena, including Running A 21st-Century Small Business, which has many positive reviews here.  

After owning his own businesses for the last 40+ years, you will find his marketing tips invaluable.  

Starting Your Own Business? He's been there.

Need to Know What to Expect? He can tell you.

Feeling Like Your Business Needs a Change?  Trust his advice.

He is currently working on a new book on business marketing, which includes 40 chapters (or issues), divided up into sections, which are relevant to the issues we face on a daily basis, in terms of exceeding survival and moving forward to success.

He welcomes all feedback, comments, questions and challenges.  

Enjoy this rare opportunity!

The Top 10 Marketing Fundamentals According to the Serial Entrepreneur and Biz Book Author Randy Kirk

1.  Setting Goals Is The Number 1 Marketing Fundamental by a Landslide  

2.  Strategies Are What Make Goals Come Alive

3.  Tactics Are the Third Leg in an effective Business Plan  

4.  What is Profit - How Do I Make More of That?

5.  Cost of Goods and Overhead Can Make or Break You  

6.  Nothing Happens Until Something Is Sold 

7.  Customer Service and the Ultimate Question  

8.  Business Reputation Online and Off  

9.  Hire, Train, and Motivate the Best People 

10.  The Quality Decision   

10 Marketing Secrets: How Do You Establish An Image For Your Small Business? 

11.   The Niche Your Company Occupies


12.   The Branding of Your Company


13.   The Territory Your Company Seeks to Sell Into


14.   The Demographic of Your Client Base


15.   The Expression of Your Personality as Projected onto Your Company


16.   Your Logo, Colors, and Slogan and the Impression They Make


17.   The Street View of Your Business


18.   The Brands you Carry Effect Your Company Brand 


19.   Online Personality Commonly Doesn't Reflect Your Business


20.   The Way You Answer the Phone Is Part of Marketing

Marketing Secrets Tutorials - Logistics Review - Key Stuff You Need to Properly Market Your Company in 2012.

  

21.  Having enough money matters!  A lot.

22.  Suppliers are more important than customers

23.  Lost our lease is more common that you think.  Facilities

24.  Employees are a necessary evil OR your key to long term success

25.  Time is relentless, unyielding, precious. Count it

26.  You and your employees have limited time and energy.  Plan accordingly

27.  Your family is a logistical consideration.  Unhappy families kill businesses

28.  If You Ain't Got No Axe, You Cain't Cut No Wood

29.  Empty Wagon or Museum? - Inventory Control

30.  Small Business Visibility Has a Cost and a Benefit That Can be Measured

REFERRALS BEAT EVERY OTHER METHOD AS A SOURCE FOR NEW CLIENTS, AND EXCELLENT QUALITY CLIENTS AT THAT. 

With #31 in the series we now move to building on that foundation with specific approaches to delivering phone calls, foot traffic, and online activity.  The goal will be to go from the most effective for the most businesses to the least effective.  Effectiveness would be defined as those things which provide the highest return on investment of time, energy, and cold, hard cash.  

    32.    Creating Effective Word of Mouth (WOM) About Your Customer Service Edge

    33.    Experiential Marketing

    34.    Amazing Products and Services?  Grade Yours!     

    35.    Amazing Follow Up.  Are Your Customers Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

    36.    Stay in Touch to Create Maximum Word of Mouth

    37.    Equipping Your Clients to Recommend You Can Increase Word of Mouth

    38.    Find the Influencers in Your Community to Spread Word of Mouth

    39.    7 Ways to Thank Those Who Send You Business to Build WOM 

    40.    Do you Cultivate Customers, Clients, or Fans?

What new insights and tools did you take away from this amazing business marketing list?  Any ideas you'd like to share are greatly welcomed.

In case you missed it, check out 

Google Finally Rewards Quality Content Marketing - Writers Everywhere Must Celebrate!

Bicycle Tire Tool! When Does A Promotional Product Make the Giver a Hero?

BikeNSafetyPromos Presents:

Tire Levers - The Absolute Best Tool for Your 

Tire Changing Needs

NEVER USE A SCREW DRIVER TO REMOVE A TIRE!

Our Custom Imprinted Tire Levers are perfect for easy removal and replacement of bicycle tires.  The scoop on these Custom Imprinted Tire Levers gets easily between the tire bead and the rim for safe and quick repair.

Click HERE for a YouTube demonstration about just how easy these tire levers are to use...it's easier than you think!

Our Bicycle Tire Lever Custom Imprinted!

These Bicycle Tire Levers make a great economical giveaway for police and fire departments, state and local safety programs, as well as for any company or organization wanting to promote safety, health, environmental protection, and fun!

What are some other events you could use this promotional item for as a great giveaway?

You may have missed our HUGE list for Promotional Safety Light uses - created by Distributors themselves!

Looking Out For #1: What It Could Mean For Your Life

Are You Doing What You Love the Most?

Looking out for Number One is the conscious, rational effort to spend as much time as possible doing those things which bring you the greatest amount of pleasure and less time on those which cause pain.  Everyone automatically makes the effort to be happy, so the key word is "rational."  

To act rationally, and thus experience pleasure and avoid pain on a consistent basis, you have to be aware of what you're doing and why you're doing it.  If you are not aware, you're not living life; you're merely passing through.                                       

-Robert J. Ringer

                             
In his book Looking Out For #1, Robert J. Ringer is not merely suggesting that people should be more egocentric in order to live more fulfilled lives.   With the rising and setting of the sun each day, we are given a new opportunity, but it comes with a choice of attitude and commitment:  

1. To get dragged and pulled through the day
2. To purposefully move through the day with intention

Ringer is presenting the philosophy that if you must choose the life you most want to live, and that if you are not making conscious choices to do what you want, then your life is out of control; he further explains that this kind of life approach requires an elevated awareness of your true desires.

While the high point on the Awareness Meter is taking action based only on your own rational choices, the absolute pits is taking action based on what others choose for you.  If you've been in the habit of doing the latter, the good news is that you only have one way to go from here:  up.

While it makes no sense to make decisions based on what others believe is best for us and our business, we often fall into the trap of allowing the ideas of others control and dictate the path we take in life.  But the question is, how did we get to this point?  How did we end up allowing someone else's dream take first place in our lives?  We have given up our own dream, and ultimately control over our own destiny, one decision at a time.

Ringer continues by posing the question:  What's the payoff for you?

Looking out for Number One is important because it leads to a simple, uncomplicated life in which you spend more time doing those things which give you the greatest amount of pleasure.  It's the discovery of where it's all at -- the realization that life is worth living and that it can and should be a joy rather than a dread.  The natural offspring of this realization are feelings of self-control and self-esteem, which in turn perpetuate still more joy in your life.

With this foundational perspective leading you through the book, each chapter describes the various hurdles every person faces in pursuing the dreams of life.  

Which hurdle most stops you from pursuing the life you always wanted, both in business and in personal affairs? 

1. The Perspective Hurdle
2. The Reality Hurdle
3. The People Hurdle
4. The Crusade Hurdle
5. The Financial Hurdle
6. The Friendship Hurdle
7. The Love Hurdle
8. The Starting Line

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

T. E. Lawrence 

What Choice Do You Need To Stop Making For Others and Start Making For Yourself Today?

  

We'd Love To Hear The Hurdles You've Jumped To Get Where You Are Today!

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9 Ways To Get 100+ Views on Your Blog Posts...NOW!

Feeling Discouraged About Your Lack of Blog Hits?

Unless you are really serious or really lucky about your blogging or video efforts, your posts and videos normally get about 5 - 25 views in the first weeks, and then maybe 125 over time.  You might have a hit now and again, but that is the norm...How can you change the equation, and start getting 100 hits in the short term and thousands over time?  You need to tease your effort on social media.                         -Content Marketing for Google-

Content Marketing for Google  correctly addresses the question all bloggers ask themselves:  

Is Anyone Actually Reading My Posts? 

The article goes on to explain how often times, we spend hours crafting a relevant article that we know is helpful to the audience we have in mind; we take the time to find a catchy picture to go with it, hoping it has provided just the right finishing touch.  Then we push the "publish" button, and cross our fingers - hoping that this will finally be the post to grab people!  

We wake up the next morning with great anticipation that someone (anyone!) has discovered how brilliantly we covered the topic that they needed that day.  We click on the "stats" button to see how many actually flocked to our site, and realize that the 4 visitors reported are actually our own pageviews from the day before.  

Is Blogging Really Worth It?

The simple answer is YES.  It is absolutely worth it.  This article explains that the problem is not with the blog post in and of itself, but how you are getting the word out to draw people in! Content Marketing for Google  lists 9 Social Media Methods to increase your blog page views:

1. Post your new content to Google+ even if you have nobody in your circles.
2. Post your new content to Twitter even if you have nobody following you (same principle).
3. Build up at least 100 connections on LinkedIn.  This is super simple to do, and you should do it anyway. (Article lists how to add 100 relevant connections.)
4. Post your Title and URL, plus a relevant picture to LinkedIn.  Like Google+ and Twitter, this might be as simple as posting your URL and the rest happens automatically.  LinkedIn allows for an automatic post to Twitter at the same time.  Use it.  Total time so far - 3 minutes.
5. Post to your company Facebook Page.  You may want to take an extra 2 minutes to give a little longer intro here; a bit more of a tease.  Or not.
6. You may have other social media efforts that you can take the same headlines and/or pictures and promote the blog on these as well.
7. Don't go down any rabbit trails unless that is what your employer wants you to do, or that is what you want to use your time for, BUT do spend an extra couple of minutes on your news streams and be a little social here and there.  +1's and likes and such are good for your reputation.  Even add a comment when you have something good to say.
8. Don't hesitate to repeat the promotion of your older posts.  You can tweet the same headline 10 times a day and no one will notice.  You can do LinkedIn twice a day.  Google+ 3 or 4 times a day.
9. If you find this is working for you, automate the entire process using HootSuite or a similar product.  With these automated systems you can cut the 20 minutes above to 5 minutes and accomplish way more.

What is working for you?

Please share what social media efforts and venues are enhancing your online exposure! Social media marketing can only be enhanced by learning from each other, what is actually working and what should be avoided at all costs.

In Case You Missed It:  Best Business Books: How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success.

Bicycle Headlights Shine as Promo Product

Don't Get Bogged Down With Another Failed Do-It-Yourself Solution!

Introducing

The Multi-Function BEEMER Headlight

(meant for handlebars, not "real" heads, of course)

Many "bicycle" headlights are actually flashlights that have been fitted with a mounting bracket.

Not. This. One.

Our Super Bright BEEMER is a bicycle headlight first, with 5 High Power LEDs arranged to give a bright beam with just the right amount of dispertion for a cyclist riding on a dark street.

The quick-release integrated mounting mechanism was created with ease and precision in mind. This allows for quick and easy installation, as well as quick removal for hand use when needed.

BikeNSafetyPromos has designed this product not only to give marketing distributors an amazingly cost-effective promotional item for their clients, but this BEEMER headlight has been made because SAFETY is everyone's number one priority.

How can we partner with you today for your client's upcoming special event? Let's spread their name all over town, while promoting an awesome safety accessory that everyone can use!

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The Yin and Yang of Business: Is Education All You Really Need To Succeed?

Are You Experiencing a Balanced Business Approach?  

Written by Mark H. McCormack, What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School, is an excellent reminder that spending thousands of dollars on a formal education is not necessarily a guarantee that a person is fully prepared to be at the top of their business game.    

He writes, "What this book is really about is "street smarts":  the ability to make active positive use of your instincts, insights, and perceptions.  To use them to get where you want to go, preferably by the shortest route, even if this means jumping some fences or going through a few back alleys."

While McCormack is definitely not criticizing those who have put forth the time, energy, and money to become educated, he is mainly addressing the issue of needing "street smarts" in terms of one's ability to read people on a deeper level in order to enhance and provide more opportunities for positive business experiences.

Whether it is a matter of closing a deal or asking for a raise, of motivating a sales force of 5,000 or negotiating one to one, business situations almost always come down to people situations.  And it is those executives with a finely tuned people sense, and an awareness of how to apply it, who invariably take the edge.

 So what is the point of this book?  McCormack says that while there's nothing wrong with Harvard's business school or the approach it takes, it simply cannot teach you how to read people and develop this skill in a way that will maximize your business transactions and experiences.

That is exactly what this book can teach you:  how to read people, how to influence their reading of you, and how to apply or customize both to any likely business situation.  

You are likely telling yourself one of these things:

1. This is baloney.  I have been doing business for years and there is nothing more for me to gain from another business book.  It's the economy that's to blame for my slump.  OR
2. I know I should evaluate where I could use improvement, but I'm just overwhelmed - I don't have time to make any changes right now.  OR
3. I know that I have either educated myself or have had a formal education, and while my experiences have always helped me to become wiser in my business, this may be the one area that's holding me back from improving my game.  It's worth at least checking into.

None of these responses is either wrong or right - only you can decipher where you are needing improvement in your business, whether it's a professional or personal development issue, and what it's worth to you to stop and evaluate at this point.  

What keeps YOU from choosing an area to improve in and focus on bettering your business?  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

You Might Have Missed "10 Useless Facts For Your Enjoyment!"

New Bike Item!! 180 Degree LED Safety Light with Huge Billboard

BikeNSafetyPromos has just announced our new Multi-Function Toadie Headlight, designed for serious cyclists.  This amazing headlight is SUPER BRIGHT and equipped with it's side facing yellow LEDs provides over 180 DEGREES OF VISIBILITY!  

These laterally facing yellow lights use 3 AAA batteries (which are included) for up to 100 hours of run time.  

5 High Power front LEDs arranged to give a bright beam with just the right amount of dispertion for a cyclist riding on a dark street.  It is factory rated to emit approximately 40 lumens.  There are three different light functions for you to choose from:

• Steady
• Blinking
• Chase

The silicone body and mounting strap provides instant mounting and removal with very little effort.  The tail wraps around the handlebar and then tucks under the chin for fast mounting and NO TOOLS NEEDED!

Not only is this safety item an invaluable tool for cyclists, whether riding at night or in heavy fog conditions, but it is an imprinted item -  which means that your clients can give this item away at various promotional events with their names printed on it!  

Safety is the #1 issue in bike riding - what better way to ensure your safety than to have this 180-degree light strapped to your bike?

You might have missed: 10 Useless Facts - For Your Enjoyment.

Which Has The Better Business Position - You or Your Competition?

Positioning has changed the way the advertising game is being played today.  “We’re the third largest-selling coffee in America,” say the Sanka radio commercials.  The third largest?  Whatever happened to those good old advertising words like “first” and “best” and “finest”?  Well, the good old advertising days are gone forever and so are the words.  Today you find comparatives, not superlatives.   

“Avis is only No. 2 in rent-a-cars, so why go with us?  We try harder.” 

“Seven-Up:  the uncola.”

Along Madison Avenue, these are called positioning slogans.  And the advertising people who write them spend their time and research money looking for positions, or holes, in the marketplace.  But positioning has stirred up interest well beyond Madison Avenue.  With good reason.  Anyone can use positioning strategy to get ahead in the game of life.  And look at it this way:  If you don’t understand and use the principles, your competitors undoubtedly will.

Positioning is a marketing strategy book, written by well-respected authors Al Ries and Jack Trout.  The point of the book is to demonstrate that since our society is so inundated with hundreds of thousands of products on a daily basis, the point is not merely to make changes to our product so that it will beat the competition’s product.  The best strategy is to “position” your particular product so that it effectively remains in the mind of your prospective client/customer.  

There may be 10 other companies on your block that are offering the same product or service as you are, so what is your unique niche that will cause consumers to stop and choose YOU above the rest?  

The chapters deal with the specifics of Positioning, with the authors having done over 1,000 talks on the subject to more than 21 countries to those involved in marketing groups, including:

1. What Positioning Is All About
2. The Assault on the Mind
3. Getting Into the Mind
4. Those Little Ladders in Your Head
5. You Can’t Get There from Here
6. Positioning of a Leader
7. Positioning of a Follower
8. Repositioning the Competition
9. The Power of the Name
10. The No-Name Trap
11. The Free-Ride Trap
12. The Line-Extension Trap
13. When Line Extension Can Work
14. Positioning a Company: Xerox
15. Positioning a Country: Belgium
16. Positioning an Island: Jamaica
17. Positioning a Product: Milk Duds
18. Positioning a Service: Mailgram
19. Positioning a Long Island Bank
20. Positioning a New Jersey Bank
21. Positioning a ski resort: Stowe
22. Positioning the Catholic Church
23. Positioning Yourself and Your Career
24. Positioning Your Business
25. Playing the Positioning Game

The business of marketing has changed in many ways over the years; especially in light of the technology we see today that wasn’t even in existence 10 years ago.  Whether you've been in the business for years or you are a beginner in the world of marketing, it is well worth your time to pick up this invaluable read.

Your position in your industry matters - what advice can you share about your own strategies of standing out among the competition that has brought significant results?

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5 Ways to Promote Your Blog Through Attention Grabbing Images

We all see dozens of images every single day on the internet, on magazine stands, even just simple billboard advertisements while driving down the street.  Which ones have grabbed your attention?  There is one right now that keeps grabbing my attention as I drive along the freeway, and I can’t figure out why it appeals to me.  It’s a picture of a bride and groom on their wedding day, wearing the traditional outfits, but you can’t see their faces - only their necks down where your attention is immediately drawn to her yellow converse shoes and his green converse shoes.  It says something to the effect of going natural - being yourself - and I think it is an advertisement for a particular soft drink.

But it is the image that stands out.

We know this to be true in marketing.  There must be a dynamic image or series of images to accompany our great products.  The same is true for the blogging world.  It isn’t always the creative title of the blog post that pulls you in to click on the link and read the article; often, it is the image that first commands your attention, and then you look to see what information it is pointing to.

Content Marketing for Google is a great resource for bloggers like you and me to find valuable information on how to improve our status on Google.  They have compiled a helpful list of 5 ways to get visitors to come back to your blog posts through the using creative blog images.

1. Pinterest
2. Flickr
3. Linkwithin
4. Most Recent Posts
5. Most Popular Posts

You won’t want to miss this article - especially if you’re looking to bring more traffic to your blog!  In addition, you might also want to check out this additional blog post on why amazing pictures are the key to blog and website traffic.

Where do you find your most captivating images to put on your blog and/or website?