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Starting a New Blog with my Cousin

On 9/15/2006, my cousin (he's really a 2nd cousin many times removed...I'm not convinced we're actually related ;-) John Ingrisano and I will launch a new blog targeted to the small business owner. He'll provide most of the content and I will provide the technical and marketing expertise.

Ok, ok, starting a blog isn't rocket science but we're aiming to [eventually] derive some sort of profit from this venture, so I plan on doing this right. The two blogs I currently maintain live on the free Blogger.com and LiveJournal.com. I'll be covering the adventure here on Effective Thoughts--providing insight as to what worked and what didn't.

To start off, our first activities are:
  • Choose a name and a theme
  • Find a host
  • Help John learn the ins and outs of blogging
  • Implement the site: look/feel, about/bio, 1st content, announcements, etc.
  • Understand marketing best practices
To this end, here is some research I compiled:

Finding a host
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog_hosting_service
http://www.idealware.org/blogging_software/
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/images/blog_software_comparison.cfm
I'm leaning toward TypePad Plus or Pro. It's not free but reasonably priced, gets rave reviews, and is chuck full of features.

Understanding blog marketing best practices
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20051101/handson-technology-sidebar.html
http://scoble.weblogs.com/2003/02/26.html
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/the_art_of_crea.html
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/04/the_first_100_d.html
Building a Strong Online Community
Ready to Start Blogging?
Pro Blogging Guide
Be a More Productive Blogger
Make Your Blog More Valuable to Readers
Blogging Workflow
Blogging for Beginners Series


Blogs themed similarly to what ours should be:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/
http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/
http://www.tompeters.com/
http://blogs.forbes.com/digitalrules/
http://www.freakonomics.com/blog/
http://www.businesspundit.com/
http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/
http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/
http://www.makingalife.com/
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/

We're off and running!

Comments

Anonymous said…
John The Cousin here. I feel like Alice right after she fell down the rabbit hole. Strange world, this blog universe. Keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.

At age 55, I'm a techno-antique. My VCR (that's right, not DVD) still blinks "12:00 12:00 12:00" all day long. And, yes, I had an eight-track tape player.

So, I guess the venture is a natural. With Jeff's techno know-how and my pro writing experience, this could be the start of something beautiful...or a family schism not seem since Martin Luther called the Pope a [bleeping bleep].

By the way, Jeff, you are my second cousin once or twice removed...I think. JRI
Friday, August 04, 2006 2:14:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Hey Jeff and John:

Glad to be part of your target blogs!

(make sure you add the "s" to "stevepavlina.com as he is a resource your folks won't want to miss!)

I vote for Typepad personally. If Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin, Garr Reynolds, Scott Adams and Kathy Sierra use it, it is good enough for me!

Good luck and HAVE FUN! It is really a great ride.
Friday, August 04, 2006 2:59:00 PM
Jeff Hunsaker said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Friday, August 04, 2006 3:15:00 PM
Jeff Hunsaker said…
Pamela, Thanks for the well-wishes and alerting me on the typo. I absolutely loved "My Declaration of Independence"...someday I hope to follow in the footsteps of you brave entrepreneurs!
Friday, August 04, 2006 3:20:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Pamela, thanks for your feedback. As a self-employed consultant and writer for the last 20 + years, I consider myself blissfully unemployable. I also write a biz column for Corporate Report Wisconsin for SBOs (small business owners).

Any and all help from you is welcome and appreciated as Jeff and I launch this puppy. J
Friday, August 04, 2006 4:42:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Jeff, how exciting to find this blog and to see the quality start you are making! May it do all you intended and I felt honored to have Brain Based Business listed here at such a fine site! All the best!
Saturday, August 05, 2006 8:55:00 PM
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