The first advantage of widgets is that they are easy to install and use. You don’t have to be a software designer in order to install a text widget on your site or blog. The second advantage is that most widgets can be customized in size, color and style to fit your blog in an elegant way. In this post I”ll recommend a few content-related widgets, that add relevant content to your readers in addition to your own original content:

Twitter Search Widget – There is no doubt about the impact tweets have on the web. over 50M users tweet daily billions of tweets, why not share the relevant ones for you with your readers? Instead of adding a twitter widget of your own tweets, add the search widget and cutomise it to your blog topic.This example is a search widget on ‘Ipad’

The widget can be adjusted with theme, color, size and number of tweets shown. I would recommend using this widget with a search related to the topic of your blog, or a topic concerning current events related to your blog, and maybe even changing the topic of search on the widget from time to time, giving your readers a glimpse at the most relevant tweets.

TimesWidget – The New-York Times also has a great widget for your blog. NYTimes, the leading print and online newspaper lets you enjoy its RSS feed through a great widget(still beta).

This widget enables you to add the NYTimes feed customized to your topic. Pick the subject relevant(can pick more than one), sports, business, technology or others from the list and add it to your site, letting your readers have online access to fresh and relevant content right out of the NYTimes.

Google AJAX Search API for youtube- Not exactly a widget, but I found this cool API that could be suited for a few blogs. I can’t say every blog should have this, but blogs more on the fun side, or writing about media, can use this youtube API as a widget on their blog.

It can be placed in a horizontal or vertical layouts to suite your site. In this example I placed the AJAX with Monty Python’s Youtube Channel. As mentioned about the twitter search widget, here also recommended to change the channels every now and then.

There are many more widgets, these are just a few examples I found useful, and even eye catchers for readers. Don’t add too much to your site, but try to find a few widgets that could give value to your readers.

The first and not recommended option for Twitter users when promoting content is manually tweeting every time you post a blogpost, video, podcast. This is not recommended, especialy when most bloggers post more than once a week at their blog, FaceBook, LinkedIn,etc. and upload a video to YouTube every now and then. You would usually like to tweet on most of that. Luckly, today you can add your Twitter account to most of the existing platforms.

Some of the more simple examples are:

1.Wordpress Twitter plugin – There are many plugins for WordPress that tweet automatically every post you publish. The one I am using currently is Easy retweet.
2.Linkedin – A short time ago LinkedIn added the option to synchronize your LinkedIn status and tweets(th anks guys!) . This is how it will appear

3. Youtube Channel – You can add your twitter account to your YouTube channel, and post automatic tweets with every new video you upload.

4. Tweetdeck - One of the more popular applications for the web and mobile devices. The latest version supports multiple users on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

However, although I recommend all these tools and methods, it is also recommended to keep a balance with your tweets and status updates on Facebook and Linkedin. Most people want and need the personal touch –  people would like to hear more than just your last published posts. Try to balance your tweets with a few personal thoughts, link to others and combine tweets about your activity. That part of it could be your last post or video. Another option is setting up a different Twitter user for your business – this way you’ll post only business related tweets and links.

After all that said and done, you can also follow this blog on Twitter here, or follow us personally – Yohay or Doron

Adding a fellow blogger to your blog roll is a big step in your relationship with the person. When you add such a link, the link appears in all of your blog’s pages, and every casual user will see it. This is much more significant than linking to the blogger in a post.

It should be reserved to cases when you’ve already done serious networking with your fellow blogger. Some people will analyze your blog and will even think that you are close business partners.

Let him know

So, when you have deeply considered this step, and made the decision to add someone to your blog roll, you might discover that the other side didn’t notice. The reason is purely technical: a pingback isn’t sent. When you link from your post to another post by writing a link post or a by “linking by the way“, a pingback is sent. If your fellow blogger hasn’t blocked pingbacks (or trackbacks), a link back to your post will appear on his post.

When you link from your blog post to the whole blog, your associate might see the reference in his incoming links (although not many people follow this section) and will see some traffic. Incoming traffic will be seen in the other two cases as well.

But when you add him to your blog roll, it might not be seen in the incoming links section. In addition, the new link on the sidebar isn’t always seen by your readers, and won’t ignite instant traffic to your fellow blogger.

So, I would recommend following up the event of adding to the blog roll with a short email. A short email saying that you appreciate your recipient’s blog and added him to the blog roll will do. Adding to the blog roll and and following it up will add value to your relationship, and is an excellent act of networking.

Asking for a link back? This is a sensitive issue. If you feel close enough with your associate, you can ask him for that. If you’re not sure, you can still give it a try. Writing something short like: “I’d be grateful to have my blog on your blog roll as well”, can be a polite way to ask.

This completes our series of post about networking via links in blog. Apart from these four methods, do you know of other ones? We’d be glad to hear.

Linking to the whole blog means linking to the home page. The main drawback of this method is the lack of focus. Your readers aren’t directed to specific content but to a person.

Another issue with such a post is that there’s a chance that your gesture may be received as flattering – a stronger approach than you intended to do.

Writing a post praising the person you wish to connect will probably intimidate him, and will make the a follow up by email quite hard.

Even so, there are a few cases in which such a link will work well:

1. A new blog: If your fellow blogger just started a new blog, you can write a short post about this event, link to him, and wish him good luck. The context of the new blog will make your out-reach more comfortable, and may earn you points with that person.
2. Mentioning a meeting with the blogger: Similar to the case of “linking by the way”, you may mention the person you’ve met at a convention (or elsewhere) and link to his home page. This method also makes the “big” link more smooth.
3. List of bloggers: If your fellow blogs about a specific topic, and you’re writing about it, you can mention his name (with a link) at the bottom of the post, using text such as: “Bloggers who also write about these matters are: …”. Putting his name alone in the list might be a little too strong. Adding another name or two will help.

I’m sure there are other examples in which you can link to the whole blog in a way that will be moderate. The goal is to reach out and network, not intimidate. Networking is never instant.

Further reading: the introductory post about Networking through Blogs – 4 Ways of Linking. One more post to complete the series…

Don’t miss opportunities – When does that big opportunity come? You could never know. In order to avoid missing opportunities, there’s only one thing to do. Take part in activities related to your business and personal life as mentioned here before. Any occasion or person you meet, could easily become a great opportunity  for a big client or  a new contract, or finding the perfect candidate for a job your hiring for.

Then again, some meetings just bring up too many bad memories

Don’t force your  business – Your product is great, I’m sure of that. But try to understand the event you’re participating in. Timing is everything (along with a good product,creative  marketing and some luck…). Sometimes you might just have one opportunity to introduce yourself to someone relevant to you -  don’t blow it. If you speak about your business in the wrong place, you might be considered rude and maybe even boring. From my experience, always introduce yourself first as a person, an individual. Don’t talk about your business straight away. People like to connect with people, not companies. Start by a short introduction about yourself. People will remember you but they will seldom remember a company name. If people will remember you it doesn’t matter which business it is, They would be interested in YOU.

Don’t beat yourself when you’re wrong – We all make mistakes, and we learn from them. You tried to introduce your business to a potential investor and failed. Well, these things happen. When you’re unsuccessful, a few things should be done. First of all, go back and trace your moves. What went wrong? Was it the PowerPoint slides? Were you under-prepared? Understand what can be improved for the next time. Now that you are ready to try again, do it as many times as possible. You failed making connections in a convention? Go to a dozen more. You approached potential costumers and it didn’t work, try doing it better, and this time approach a hundred costumers more.

Never, but NEVER, work ‘on the fly’ – It’s nice being spontaneous when it comes to going out, not for your business. Although networking is not a science as accurate as rocket physics, you can plan your moves wisely. Decided on going to a convention to make new connections?  Wonderful! Is this convention in your field of work? Is there a better one soon? How costly is it? You must ask yourself these questions. Otherwise you will be spending more than you can afford of your time and money.

Don’t underestimate the power of online networking – We wrote here about LinkedIn, blogs and other means of social networking. These tools are already important enough for businesses, and will become even more dominant in our lives. Even if your business is completely offline, you need to start changing it. Be sure your competitors are working on it as we speak. Learn where your line of work is exposed on the web. Learn which blogger writes about your industry. Bloggers write almost about everything, from technology to foreign-exchange , Graffiti and even Hummus. Take a few hours a week and find the places interesting for you on the web and be active there, for reputation, costumers, colleagues and in short Networking.

This type of linking method isn’t that complicated. You write a post that relates in one way or another to what someone else wrote. It’s better to focus on something that you would write about anyway. And while you’re writing your post, you link to your fellow blogger’s post when you relate to the topic he wrote about.

This method is the best way to link, and you can repeat it as many times as you wish. Here are the main advantages:

• Writing such a post is more “natural”: You write a post on something that you have interest in or something that you can contribute through. This makes the post interesting and worthy for your readers. It fits into your regular writing, and doesn’t stand out as a link post. So, these kind of posts can be repeated over and over, contrary to link posts that can be tiring.
• No risk of over-flattering: When the link to your fellow blogger is a natural part of a serious post, he’ll be pleased that you’ve noticed him, but he won’t be intimidated by a post directed only at him.
• Discussion: After seeing the incoming link and some traffic from your post, your blogger might join the discussion on your post. A deeper post triggers deeper interaction. And, what’s networking about, if not social interaction?

This method of linking is the best way for networking. It is an approach in the right dosage – serious enough to be noticed, but not direct to scare off the other side.

The disadvantage of such a post is that it takes more time to write. But if you want to give your readers quality content, you have to put some effort into it, don’t you?

When I talk about a link post, I’m referring to a very short post, which is usually not longer than 100 words. This kind of short post focuses solely on the link. You can look at such a post as a road sign. It briefly tells you where to go.

Advantages of a link post

• It takes no time to write. Apart from being a short post, it’s content is based on the linked post. Adding a small note of your own will enrich the content, but it’s still short.
• A link post drives traffic to your fellow blogger’s site. Since it’s focused on the link, the click through rate will be high. Like the aforementioned road sign, it tells your readers: “Go there!”. Sending traffic is naturally appreciated by your fellow blogger.
• If you’re promoting a cause, a link post is an excellent and quick way to show your show where you stand. It isn’t necessary to elaborate on your exact opinion. You just take sides quickly. Being part of a group is another networking opportunity.

Disadvantages of a link post

• It’s not really original. Linking to specific opinion tells also something about yourself, but in someone else’s words. Try not to write too many link posts. Remember that this post isn’t an isolated approach to someone, but just another part of your blog. In many cases, the blog is your “large business card”. If you have many links that you want to share, Twitter is a better choice for most cases.
• Too direct: Making a link post could be perceived as flattering by your fellow blogger. If it’s the initial connection with him, this way might be too direct.

Conclusion: All in all, a link post is easy to do, drives traffic, and especially useful for joining a group. It shouldn’t be used very frequently, and in most cases it’s better to use it after an initial acquaintance with the blogger that you’re linking to.

Do you have any link post experiences that you wish to share?

Why link?

Linking to a fellow blogger draws his attention in a positive way. In his blog dashboard he sees an incoming link from you, and he also sees incoming traffic. He also may get new readers to his blog, readers that came from your network.

This a gesture of good will that is taken positively. It can lead to having him thank you via your blog, or perhaps by a personal email. So, a link is good way of igniting a connection.

4 Ways to Link

1. Link Post: Your fellow blogger wrote an interesting post, and you wish to share it with your readers. If you have something to add upon it, it’s even better. Writing a short post that is focused on the link is a fast and easy way to link. This is the most efficient method of sending traffic, since it’s all about the link. Read more about networking through link posts.
2. Referring to a post “by the way”: This means writing a serious post, in which you mention the other person’s post. This is the best way to connect, since you don’t only link, but also express yourself. This kind of post takes more time to write and pushes less traffic to your fellow blogger. The advantage is that the discussion can last longer and the connection can become deeper. He can relate not only by thanking you, but also by discussing and perhaps linking back. Read more about referring to a post “by the way”.
3. Linking to the whole blog: You can write a post about the person you wish to connect with, and link to his blog. While this is a big gesture, it isn’t focused, and can hardly trigger a discussion. In such a post, there’s a fine line between a gesture and flattering. Read more about linking to the whole blog.
4. Adding to the blog roll: Adding a blog to the blog roll means a permanent link on all your blog’s pages. This is naturally the biggest gesture, but it’s very problematic for initial networking. First, it may not be noticed if it doesn’t generate traffic. It’s static content. Second, adding a permanent link is accepted only between good blog friends, and isn’t accepted as a first move. You should add a person’s blog to your blog roll only if the both of you are tightly networked.

These are the 4 major ways of linking between blogs. We might enhance on each method later on.

Do you have other methods? Networking and linking experiences you’d like to share? Your comments are most welcome.

Maintaining a blog is an excellent way to present yourself on the web. Contrary to social media sites, a web log enables you to control the design, write how much you want and set the agenda.

Having your own domain name also enhances your presence on the web and makes it easier to find you via search engines.

So my blog helps me present myself, but we’re here to talk about networking, right?

The best way to communicate with a blog is commenting on other blogs. If you wish to communicate and connect to another person who has a blog, head there and comment on one of the latest blog posts.

Commenting Tips

It’s important that the comment won’t be something like “Nice blog, please come and see mine” or “Hi there, please talk to me”. The comments should be related to the content of the post. The community around the blog (or blogger) appreciates serious comments. And so does the person you’re aiming to connect to.

It’s OK to disagree with the content of the post and to offer a different opinion. You shouldn’t try to be provocative to draw attention. This has drawbacks and might be considered as offensive. Explain why you don’t agree in a polite manner.

If you agree with the content, adding another angle is better than just writing something like “Great post!” or “I totally agree!”.

While everyone likes compliments and feels good when other people agree with him, such comments don’t have real added value. When there are many comments to a blog post, these small comments are don’t stand out and don’t draw any attention.

The Next Phase

By commenting on another person’s blog, you draw his attention to see who you are. He might check out your blog and also leave a comment. Initial networking has begun – a small virtual relationship is under way.

After becoming familiar with each other, it’ll be much more appropriate to approach this person via a private channel such as email. You’ll feel more comfortable doing so, and the other person will already know who you are when you approach him.

In future posts, we’ll discuss other aspects of networking through blogs.