Hey there. So, notice anything different?

After what seems like a long journey (longer for some, eh, Lisa?), I’m really pleased to be able to unveil the new design here at DannyBrown.me. Built from scratch on the core WordPress platform, design has been handled by Lisa Kalandjian of SceneStealer Graphics.

It’s a bit of a change for me, since it’s the first time I’ve used a fully customized design as opposed to building from a premium framework (I’ve used everything from Thesis to Headway to Genesis on here at some stage).

I have to say, I’m absolutely delighted with the makeover – I think Lisa has captured what this blog is all about perfectly, from the professional and business-like layout to the (hopefully) welcoming header and comments section.

The blog has always been about making you feel at home, but knowing that you’ll find business advice as well as personal stories of social media and marketing, and I think Lisa has got that perfectly.

It also means that, due to Lisa’s hard coding, I can delete a ton of plug-ins that will mean a faster load time on the blog. At the minute, it’s not completely optimized, due to some tables being left over from a previous theme and some conflicts within my WordPress database because of that, but my web hosts are on that and should have that resolved soon.

So, what’s some of the new stuff?

Home Page

You’ll see the funky new layout, with the featured post image rotator, as well as the drop shadow effects around the blog, the teaser boxes and the sidebar. You’ll also see a nice little speech bubble indicator for how many comments a post has received, and clicking that will take you straight to the comments.

Single Post

Underneath the single post, there’s now a social box, where you can subscribe to the blog for future updates, as well as share with your friends if you liked the post (Facebook Like and Twitter shares are still handled separately). There are also related posts that you can click through on, and the comments section has had a complete makeover. These replace Livefyre, and go back to vanilla WordPress comments with CommentLuv enabled. If I can get Livefyre coded the same, and it adds CommentLuv or similar, I’ve no doubt I’ll switch it back on.

Archives

Click through to the Archives page and you’ll see a spiffy layout that shows visual representations of recent posts, the most popular ones (by comments) and category and monthly archived posts. Simply choose the one that interests you and away you go!

Sidebar

If you look to the right of the blog, the sidebar has had a makeover too. There are different sidebars for different pages, so Work With Me will look different from single post will look different from Charities, and so on. I felt it made more sense to have complementary sidebars as opposed to a generic one all the way through.

Footer

I’m saying nothing except scroll down to the bottom of the blog and check that funky footer option out!

These are just some of the new features and design changes – there are some more, which I’ll let you find for yourself if you so desire. Suffice to say, I’m really excited about the new look, which Lisa has done a tremendous job on.

So tremendous, in fact, that Lisa is now officially the web design arm of Bonsai Interactive Marketing. We’ll be sharing more information soon, as well as a very special offer to celebrate Lisa becoming part of the Bonsai family (as well as the launch of this design), so stay tuned in the coming days!

Like I say, there are some minor tweaks to carry out, but that’s more from the remnants of previous designs and plug-ins in my WordPress database. That should be resolved in the next few days, and the full makeover will be complete.

In the meantime, what do you think?

And We’re Live With the New Design originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Comments aren’t usually high up on the list of monitoring and watching what’s being said online.

Yet they should be, as a recent post by David Henderson and the subsequent conversation in the comments section show.

I won’t go too much into the actual blog post or the comments, as they’re both recommended reads and will give you a far clearer view of who may be in the right or wrong. What the post does highlight is that a blog comment can go even further than a blog post at painting an individual or company in a less than flattering light.

The gist of the post and resulting conversation is that David Henderson suggests that WordPress is an excellent medium for hosting your own online newsroom. Countering this is Steve Momorella of TEKgroup International, a company that develops and maintains online newsrooms.

What could have been a good discussion about both the validity of having your own online newsroom and how good WordPress is at running such a tool instead develops into a messy claim/counter-claim regarding the post and follow-up comments.

David seems to take umbrage with a comment made by Steve about the usefulness of WordPress and calls it a lack of understanding on Steve’s part. Steve is unhappy about David’s “disrespect” and so points out an error on David’s website.

This then results in other commenters joining in and by the end of everything, there’s a veritable “he said, she said” feel to everything.

While it makes for hugely entertaining reading, it also shows how a simple blog comment can taint someone’s view. I read David Henderson regularly. I respect him immensely and find him to be a great source of information and knowledge (although his constant putting down of PR does jade, after a while).

I didn”t know Steve Momorella prior to his comments on David’s blog post, but I do know of him now. Because of that blog post and its comments, I felt both David and Steve came out a little less positive than they otherwise might have.

While Steve’s comments have merit, they did come across as slightly leaned toward promoting his company which could be classed as comment spam. Whether that was the intent or not is down to Steve’s interpretation.

For David’s side, I felt he was being a little defensive and it maybe encouraged Steve to counter more than he would have.

From an outsider’s point of view, it could be seen as Steve is a promotional spammer and David doesn’t like comments that disagree with him. I know this isn’t the case with David and I’m guessing it’s not the case for Steve.

But see how easy a conversation in blog comments can sway a point of view?

Are you always thinking slightly about what you say and how it’s said when you comment on a blog? Or do you feel that it’s not something to worry about too much and just say what you feel regardless? Can comment conversations get away from you?

The comments are yours (no ironic pun intended).

photo credit: Andi♥

Blog Comments and Reputation Central originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

After having my blog hijacked by the mysterious Jack Tweet, I’ve finally managed to get around his firewall and take back control.

While I give the blog a thorough search for any hidden clownware, I’ll be looking after John’s blog while he’s at the SobCON event over in Chicago. Feel free to drop on by and say hello.

You Can Find Me… originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Death does that to you.

But this death – this death was worse than most. This was the death of a blogger. The whole community felt it. Questions were asked – if it can happen to him then it can happen to me. Suddenly, the one thing that bloggers fear the most just edged a little closer to them.

The sad thing is, the signs were there. But the blogger didn’t do anything to stop the decay and the community never spoke up. Except with their eyes – they spoke up with their eyes, and they stopped looking.

When the looking was gone, the blog decay set in mercilessly.

The authorities tried to help. They offered their services free of charge. BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog tried to get the blogger onboard and share his story with the world, but he thought the world would come to him regardless.

BackType called and let him know that people had things to say and that they could help him in his solitude. But again, the blogger said no – he wanted a closed space where only a private few could be his friends, his confidantes.

His voice was not for others to judge – he would be the judge instead and others would like it. After all, he was the blogger.

He stopped caring about his appearance. He didn’t care if people couldn’t find their way about his blog. It wasn’t his fault they were idiots – he knew where everything was, that should be good enough for anyone else.

He ignored the new boys in town. Sharing his stories with others was for the birds – no wonder they called it tweetering or whatever. Speaking with people and listening to ideas on how to improve his blog? Damn their cheek! What did they know about blogging – they only used 140 characters. Heathens!

So the authorities gave up. You can only help a blogger that wants to be helped. Technorati and Alexa said their goodbyes, and the blogger started to slip further into obscurity.

The decay was quick. People forgot. People moved to pastures new.

In response, the blogger’s health deteriorated. His mind stopped looking at ways to shine. His effect diminished and his stories no longer mattered.

Death was swift. The ripples, however, could be felt for months afterward. Everyone knew it, but wouldn’t say it: “There but for the grace…”

But lessons can always be learned. If you’re willing to listen. If you’re open to those that can – and want to – help you.

You have regular health checks, right?

photo credit: Ozyman

Death of a Blogger originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Image by jcolman via Flickr

They’re a privilege, not a right. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t mean that in an elitist or dictator-type way. After all, comments are the passengers to the bus driver that is the blog author. They’re what makes the trip so enjoyable.

Yet it’s still at the discretion of the bus driver whether it’s a private journey or an open one.

Which is why you’ll see some blogs requiring you to register before commenting; some with no comment options at all; and others that are open-ended and encourage comments wholeheartedly. I’ve always been of the last mindset, as are the majority of bloggers.

Yet this is what also makes them a privilege. When you comment, it’s at the invitation of the blogger. Blogs don’t have to offer comments, although they’re missing out if they don’t (just my opinion). The blogger is essentially inviting the readers into his or her house. You wouldn’t trash a house you’re a guest in, would you?

So why the equivalent in comments?

Here’s an example. On one of Chris Brogan’s recent posts, a comment was left that disagreed with the post in question by a visitor called Agitationist. Fair enough. Yet the person then went on to say, “I hope you’ll take this constructively, but your writing is very sloppy. Ending a sentence with ‘and things like that’ is just lazy.”

We all like (or need) constructive criticism – it’s how we grow and evolve into being better at whatever we do. But calling someone lazy and sloppy isn’t constructive, in my book. If anything, it seems a little vindictive. Jealousy, perhaps? But constructive – no.

Blogs used to have a reputation of being childish – a waste of time for loners in their bedrooms.This view is still entertained in certain circles, but by and large blogs are now more respected than much of mainstream media. Much of this is due to people like Chris Brogan, Rob Scoble, Peter Kim and others.

Blogs are growing up. This is thanks to both the bloggers and the commentators that combine to offer a truly interactive learning space. It’s not too much to ask that we show the host and the home a little respect, is it?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment and subscribe to my RSS feed or via email to ensure you can enjoy the latest post(s).

The Thing About Blog Comments Is… originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Should I have a blog? It’s one of the questions I’m asked most frequently when I sit down with a new client to discuss their online presence.

They’ve seen other blogs – personal and professional – and they’re wondering if they should be part of the party. The answer isn’t always what they expect.

Are you ready to blog?

Okay, so I cheat and ask another question instead of giving them an immediate answer – but sometimes questions are answers.

Blogging is something that you really want to do – it’s not always just about the need. Especially for business blogs. Yes, it’s a great tool for offering a more personal voice to your business. And for building community, it’s priceless.

But only if it’s done with the passion and time it needs.

Look at the most successful capitalist on the planet. Bill Gates has made billions of dollars and built the business he started into one of the leading software companies today. Yet he doesn’t blog, nor does it look like he will anytime soon. (People were asking as far back as 2004 when Gates would start blogging – we’re still waiting).

Of course, you could say that Gates is different from most business owners because of his outreach. And that’s true. Still, if you have the product or service that talks for itself, size is irrelevant – word-of-mouth will spread your message.

So no, you don’t always need a blog. There are many ways to tell the world about you and your product – blogging is just one of them. The biggest mistake to make is to have one because your contemporaries or competitors do.

Getting your message out is key – but how key is it if the words are diluted?

It’s Not All About The Blog originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

I had a conversation on Twitter last night with a good friend, Lizz Harmon, the basis of it being why Lizz didn’t blog.

She’s one of the smartest PR people around and always has some interesting things to say, so I mentioned that it might be a good idea for her to start blogging in 2009. Lizz responded with reasons why she doesn’t blog (for now) although it may be something she’ll address next year.

We ended the conversation with Lizz agreeing to write a guest post here, so I guess I’m the winner all-round!

It got me thinking, though, that there are probably a great many that don’t blog even though they could potentially blow everyone away with what they have to say. There are numerous reasons – fear of opening up, leaving a comfort zone, there are already too many similar bloggers so where would their voice be positioned, etc. All valid, yet all equally reasons to overcome as well.

I often say that some of the best points made on my blog are through the comments – some of the best conversations I’ve had recently have been discussing the various merits (or lack of) in my posts. It often leaves me wanting to hear more on what that person has to say, but then there’s no link to a blog.

This is a shame.

So here’s what I hope for in 2009. For anyone that isn’t blogging but has either thought about it or kept putting it off, make the decision to start one. Don’t worry about being lost in the wilderness – we’re all in the same boat and we’ll help each other through. If you’re worried what topics to write about, go for what inspires passion in you. The best voices come from passionate beliefs – yours can be one of them.

Ask for help as well. If you’re unsure how to set one up, or how to design your look and feel, look at blogs that you read and which ones catch your eye. And contact the blogger in question and ask if they’d mind offering some guidance. The good ones will be only too happy to help – after all, it should be one big happy blogosphere, right?

If you really don’t want to blog, then fair enough – you shouldn’t be forced. But if you can share great views in the comments of other blogs, maybe these great views can be the basis of your own rockstar blog?

I look forward to reading you in 2009.

• Disclaimer – I’m not actually calling anyone squares, the title just seemed to fit.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment and subscribe to my RSS feed or via email to ensure you can enjoy the latest post(s).

Procrastination Is For Squares originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Image by ~C4Chaos via Flickr

I couldn’t help but notice that there’s a little bit of a discussion going on at Twitter at the moment with regards paid blogging.

As with any discussion, there are two sides that are equally as vociferous when it comes to their views on the topic.

The reason a lot of the discussion started was due to leading social media blogger Chris Brogan writing a sponsored post for K-Mart.

The gist of the argument on Twitter is whether Chris has lost any “value” because he wrote a review that was paid for. K-Mart gave Chris a $500 gift voucher and asked him to figure out what was cool to buy with it at their store, and then write about it. Seems straightforward enough, particularly when Chris himself even mentioned on the blog itself that it was a sponsored post, although all the views were his own.

As I said, where it gets interesting on Twitter is that there have been a few people that feel let down by Chris, and have either stopped following him or made their feelings clear that they’re disappointed. So it got me thinking about paid blogging, and if it does actually lose the reviewer any authority or credence because they’re being paid for what they’re writing.

Honestly, I don’t see what the problem is.

I’m a blogger myself, and I write pretty regularly. But I don’t do it for the money (if I did I’d be bankrupt!) – I do it because I enjoy the conversations that can then take place afterward. I love to write and when someone joins in and adds to the conversation via the comments after each post, then that’s one of the most satisfying parts of blogging. After all, I’m just the conduit – many of the comments are even more interesting than the post itself. It’d be nice to get paid, but that’s not why I’m here.

So I can see why paid blogging could be so attractive. After all, you’re still doing the same thing you’re always doing – writing – with the only real difference being that you’re actually receiving some financial outlay for it. And with the economy like it is, isn’t the ability to make some more money for your family – or, in Chris’s case, buy some Christmas gifts – worth it?

As long as the blogger is upfront and transparent about the post being sponsored, then I don’t have an issue with paid blogging. The bloggers I read, I’ve read for a while – you get to know their writing style and I’d soon spot if Chris (or anyone else) was writing BS. And if I thought that was the case, I’d be the first to call him on it.

But the fact that it was called as sponsored and there was no heavy sales pitch in the post itself? If people can make money on their blogs by writing sponsored posts yet still keep it honest, more power to them.

And for anyone that feels let down by sponsored blogging? I liken it to the indie band syndrome – the band’s great while they’re your secret, but the moment success and money becomes involved, you don’t want to know. Which begs the question – were you really a fan in the first place?

Paid Blogging and the Art of Transparency originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

In what’s going to be a first for me, I’m going to be hosting a social media blog carnival here on Tuesday 13th January 2009. The carnival will be in association with my good friend Kilroy_60, who runs an excellent read at Fear and Loathing – The Gonzo Papers.

For anyone who either hasn’t heard of blog carnivals, or taken part in one before, they’re pretty straightforward. The host (me) takes readers on a journey throughout the blogosphere, linking to blogs on a specific topic submitted by the carnival participants (you).

This is where the Social Media Goes Gonzo blog carnival comes in.

Entries are being accepted now. To enter, email me with a Subject Line of Gonzo Carnival Entry.

Entries should include…

• Your name as you want it to appear in the post
• The name of your blog
• The blog URL
• The title of the post
• The post URL

Posts that qualify for entry include…

• Your perspective on or experience with social media including blogging
• Posts that deal with any social media site where you are or have been active
• How you use social media for business or pleasure
• Social media interactions you’ve had; the good, the bad and the ugly are acceptable

That should provide plenty of flexibility to select a post.

The rules for this carnival are…

• Entries accepted from blogs only.
• Only English language posts will be accepted.
• No more than one post per blog.
• No posts with titles that include profanity or pictures of a sexual nature.

We, of course, want the social media carnival to be sociable so we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for you to play along.

To help make the social media blog carnival as big a success as possible, feel free to promote it by mentioning it yourself on your own blog – your participation in it, what it’s about, who can join in, discussing on Twitter, etc. Let me know if you do this by leaving a comment with a link to the post and I’ll make sure it’s highlighted.

If you have any questions about the carnival itself, just ask them in the comments section and I’ll answer them there, so that anyone can see if it answers a question they may have had.

Deadline for entries is 9 January at 11:59 pm. In addition to the social media carnival, the Gonzo Gratitude Carnival and the Gonzo Business Carnival are also on 13 January. Check them out and enter all three!

The Gonzo Blog Carnival Series is sponsored, as always, by For Your Success.

Look forward to seeing you here.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment and subscribe to my RSS feed or via email to ensure you can enjoy the latest post(s).

Social Media Goes Gonzo originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

The Canadian Blog Awards is an annual event on the Canadian Blogosphere in which Canadian Bloggers and Blog Readers vote to decide which blog is the best – either overall or within a category.

To be nominated for two awards is a huge honour, especially with the blog still being relatively new. Looking at the blogs that have been nominated, there are some wonderful reads there which makes it even more humbling to be a part of it.

The categories I’m nominated in are Best Blog for the blog itself, and Best Blog Post Series for my “Discussing Social Media with…” interviews. Round one voting starts today and runs until November 29, with just one vote per category allowed.

If you wish to vote for me in any of the categories, you can do so at the following links (with the title of the nomination in brackets):

• Best Blog (Danny Brown: Social Media PR)
• Best Blog Post Series (Danny Brown: Discussing Social Media with)

Nominated in the Best Canadian Blog Awards originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.