Social Media

Free SEO Tools To Monitor Your Website Traffic

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

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First published April 22, 2008

Now that your website is up and running, you will want to monitor traffic to the website. Here are four free tools you can use to analyze your website’s traffic — where it’s coming from, how many people are coming, and what they like about the site. You will want to use a variety of diagnostic tools as analytic algorithms are changing constantly and no one tool is complete and comprehensive.

Alexa Alexa is a web-based tool that allows you to rank your website in comparison to others. For ten years, Alexa used an embedded toolbar on websites to establish their site rankings. This tended to skew their rankings in favor of tech-savvy blogs read by tech-savvy users. Just this month Alexa changed their ranking system to include more sources of website traffic data, making it a well rounded tool for analyzing your traffic and history. With Alexa, the lower your ranking, the better. Check it out at http://www.alexa.com/. Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Marketing, SEO

Posted in Marketing, Social Media | Tagged Marketing, SEO | Leave a comment

Are you an observer or a participant?

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published June 4, 2008

It seems this time of the year finds me frequently boarding planes, and this spring has been no exception. This year, it has been a bit different as I've been both an attendee and a presenter. Both the K-12 publishing industry and the independent publisher industry are experiencing tremendous change. Both industries can look to evolving business models, changing consumer patterns, and the effect of the Internet for much of the cause and solution to their current challenges.

Recently, I attended SOBCon 08 in Chicago which was billed as biz school for bloggers. SOBCon is the moniker for "Successful Outstanding Bloggers Conference" co-founded by Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker. It was a tremendous learning experience with a group of people who had similar personal qualities but worked in a array of industries. The thing we all had in common was that we were bloggers. Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Company Blog, Independent Publisher, K-12 Publishing

Posted in Marketing, Social Media | Tagged Company Blog, Independent Publisher, K-12 Publishing | Leave a comment

Are you plugged in to your customers’ conversations?

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published June 19, 2008

Do you know where your customers and prospects are? Do you know where they congregate to gather and share information? Do you know that they may be talking about you whether you are there or not?

Online communities facilitate conversation between people of like minds. So what is the cyber equivalent of the back fence for educators? Where can K-12 publishers pick up on the current concerns of teachers and administrators? Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Customer Communication, K-12 Publishers

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What are your customers and prospects talking about?

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published June 19, 2008

Okay, now that you know where your customers and prospects are at their various social websites, how do you engage them and what should you say?

First, you need to listen to them for awhile. It's okay to be a "lurker" until you grow more comfortable with blog and social site "netiquette."

Here are some of the things your customers will say: Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Conversation, Customers, Social Media

Posted in K-12 Education, Marketing, Sales, Social Media | Tagged Conversation, Customers, Social Media | Leave a comment

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 1

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published June 23, 2008

What better way to find out what educators are talking about on the web than to talk to one who is using some of the new social media tools. Today I have the privilege of introducing an avid teacher blogger, Scott Walker.

Scott blogs at TeacherTechBlog where he helps other educators better understand how to incorporate technology into their classrooms.

Scott graciously answered a series of questions that allows us a peek into not only the types of technology teachers are incorporating into their classrooms but how social networking facilitates the distribution of that information . This will be a two-part series. Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Classroom 2.0, K-12 Education, Scott Walker, TeacherTechBlog

Posted in K-12 Education, Social Media | Tagged Classroom 2.0, K-12 Education, Scott Walker, TeacherTechBlog | Leave a comment

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 2

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published June 25, 2008

Last week we talked about finding and listening in on conversations that your customers and prospects are having on the web. This week we're hearing from an avid teacher-blogger about his experience in sharing technology tips with his fellow K-12 educators. Here is part 2 of our interview wtih Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog.

6. What is the absolute best part of this [blogging] experience for you? The best part about blogging has to be the networking that comes with it. I have made several incredible friends/colleagues that I never would have. People from complete opposite ends of the earth have given me useful help, ideas, and insights that have not only helped my strategies but have also been an incredible encouragement. Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Classroom 2.0, K-12 Education, Scott Walker, Social Media, TeacherTechBlog

Posted in K-12 Education, Social Media | Tagged Classroom 2.0, K-12 Education, Scott Walker, Social Media, TeacherTechBlog | Leave a comment

The 10 +1 Lessons from the TeacherTech Blog Interview

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published June 30, 2008

Before we leave behind the interview with Scott Walker of TeacherTechBlog, let's review some blog best practices that he shared with us. If you missed our two-part interview with Scott, then take a few minutes and read it at the two inks below. We'll wait.

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 1

How an Educator Uses Social Media to Share Ideas- Part 2

So, what are some of the takeaways for the rest of us to learn from Scott? Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Classroom 2.0, K-12 Education, Scott Walker, Social Media, TeacherTechBlog

Posted in K-12 Education, Social Media | Tagged Classroom 2.0, K-12 Education, Scott Walker, Social Media, TeacherTechBlog | Leave a comment

PBS Leads the Way as PBS Teachers Launches New Social Networking Site for Educators

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published July 2, 2008

We have been talking about building online communities around specific websites where educators can share their teaching experiences and resources. Yesterday, PBS Teachers took this concept to a whole new level when it unveiled a new online community that has the functionality of many of the popular social networking sites.

PBS Teachers Connect describes it this way: “PBS Teachers Connect is an online community of teachers exchanging ideas, resources and instructional strategies on the integration of digital media and technology.”

In many ways it is a blueprint for what K-12 publishers can and should do to build vibrant, purpose-filled online communities. Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Online Community, PBS Teachers, Social Media

Posted in Marketing, Publishing, Social Media | Tagged Online Community, PBS Teachers, Social Media | Leave a comment

Review: Naked Conversations – How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published August 7, 2008

Co-written by technology evangelists Robert Scoble from Microsoft and Shel Israel, a Silicon Valley tech guru, this book is a primer for those interested in understanding how blogs are changing the conversation between producers and consumers.

Fundamentally, blogging interferes with traditional corporate communications in that it is no longer possible for a company to ‘control’ their message. The book shares many examples of how this happens and presents case studies of companies who have handled the change well and those who haven’t. And then there are those who have been standing on the sidelines waiting to see if blogging just goes away. Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Conversation, Customer Communication, Marketing, Word of Mouth

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Review: ProBlogger – Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income

Published November 5, 2011 | By Annie Galvin Teich

First published September 4, 2008

So, why would I recommend a blogging book targeted to those legions of budding entrepreneurs who are convinced they can turn their blog into a money machine to K-12 publishers? Quite simply, because it is one of the best books on blogging by two practitioners who have worked at it longer than almost anyone else. Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett are both rock stars in the online world. They pioneered professional blogging and now make considerable amounts of money from their blogs. However, their primary businesses are client services. Darren hails from Australia and Chris calls the U.K. home, but in the online world, it doesn't matter where they live. They have arguably had as much impact on the business of blogging as any two people in the world.

ProBlogger, the book, is an outgrowth of their writing on their blogs and both are a treasure trove of how-to information for a vast array of blogs. Although their target reader is someone on the same path they've both traveled, there is a tremendous amount of information in this book that applies to any business wanting to create a blog. Continue reading →

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Chris Garrett, Darren Rouse, Problogger