Research, Implement - Blogging

What I’m all about …

Hi! I’m Krystal Featherston. I am an Product Support Manager here at Compendium. My goal is to make our clients “blogging experience” as seamless and easy as possible. I work to resolve changes and issues - both internally and externally. I serve as the support and work to ensure Compendium's blogging software is the best.

The purpose of this blog is to help inform readers about blogging techniques and trends, and will provide some best practices for posting a “great blog.”

On a personal note, I’m your average 25 year old trying to find her way in this strangely complex world. I graduated from Illinois State University in 2005, where I was a collegiate diver. Then unsure of where to go or what to do I ventured back to the place I call home – Indiana!

I love the Colts, Cubs,&the Hoosiers! I also love my newest hobby – snowboarding (I must admit I’m not very good – but practices make perfect)!

New Year .... Fresh Start .... Happy 2009!

Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009 by Krystal Featherston

Happy 2009!! Wow it's hard to believe that is actually already 2009 - I can't seem to figure out where 2008 went! Oh well, what can you do. Every year I make a some kind of silly resolution that by the end of January I've usually given up on - well this year is different.I've decided to actually make commitments that I know I can keep - both professionally at Compendium and in my personal life.

At Compendium ...
I've been a complete blogging slacker - writing a blog post has not been a very high priority. Well this year I've I have made it my goal to write at least 2 blog posts per week.

Being a Support Manager here at Compendium - we get a lot of blogging software questions that I could easily write a post on - because chances are more than 1 person has the same question.

Personally
I've have signed myself up for a mini marathon (which if you know me I'm not really a runner), but this is something I've always wanted to do. So I made the commitment to do it.

So what is your "New Year" commitment (not resolution)? Make one that your have to be accountable for ...

Reusing Ideas & Content

Posted Friday, December 12, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Each time I've sat down this week to watch one of my weekly TV shows .... they are all re-runs and that drives me crazy!!! I hate having to wait for the next episode just to see what happens!!

Sorry I just had to rant a little bit ... my Monday's and Thursday's I look forward to just sitting in front of the TV and doing nothings - but this week I had to find more productive things to do ... like blog!

When it comes to business blogging there is no such thing as a re-run!! There are always new ways reuse previous posts, because there are always new ways to write it - and sometimes when you write something different you have the chance to reach a new audience.

So if your ever stuck or have writers blog go back through your posts and take a different angle, a different approach!!

Really all you have to do is write and Compendium's "easy blog software" does all the hard work for you!!

I've become a blogging slacker!!

Posted Friday, December 5, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

OK – So I am officially a slacker and not living up to the recommended 2 posts per week! Like some of you, I got busy and I did not make writing a blog post a priority.

So – how that I’m aware … what am I going to do to fix the situation and make it a weekly priority.

Schedule some time into my calendar. By doing this I will get one of the annoying reminders that pop-up and tell me “Not to forget.”

Blog about what’s happen on a daily basis. Working on the support side we get a lot of questions – and I’m sure lots of clients are wondering the same types of thing. By writing a blog post it can help people out a little quicker.

These are two quick things I’m to going to keep up Compendium’s best practices in blogging. Now it’s up to you to decide what works best for you!

Happy Blogging!!!

Suggestions for online image editors

Posted Saturday, November 15, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

A question that we have been getting a lot here at Compendium revolves around uploading photos in the text editor and clients have been running into some problems.

A blogging best practice is to edit your image outside of the text editor – this is where we run into the next question of suggestions for some online image editors.

I recently ran across this article that provides 20 online image editors that are worth a try….its amazing what you can find for free if you do a little research.

Click here to view the article and to make the choice that works the best for you and your blogging needs!!!

Good luck and we hope this helps resolve the questions around uploading and online image editors.

Can we really change people's attitudes?

Posted Saturday, November 15, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

After reading a blog post written by Guy Kawasaki called "How to Change People's Attitude," really got me thinking ..... we really can change peoples attitudes!!!

The article started out by describing a study that was done in Hawaii about a room service attendant who repeatedly confirmed hotel guest’s dinner order by asking them several times whether they were sure or what they ordered and by the need they were questioning whether or not they really wanted what they has previously ordered. Because the attendant questioned their first choice it made them second guess themselves.

This got me to really think about it … Can we really change someone’s mind? Can we apply this to writing a blog post. I believe we can – when you’re writing your business blog you could repeated ask your readers a question – forcing them to think about that answer – then in turn force them to think about their opinion.

There’s no right or wrong way to write a post so try to change someone’s opinion and see if you agree with this article. There were several other studies talked about in this post, but you’ll have to read it yourself and form your own opinion – or do you agree with ME!!

Challenge: When writing your next corporate blog post see if you can change someone’s attitude!! Can you do it?

Setting-up User Blogs

Posted Friday, November 14, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Some questions that we have been getting a lot of through Compendium's Support line is about setting up user blogs.....

The best part about setting these up is that you only have to set them up 1 time!!!

Compendium Blogging Best Practice: this is a 4-step process, so we recommend you do this in one sitting.

Another important thing to note is that users will be set-up based on individual email addresses. Once a user has been entered into the Compendium platform, user emails with passwords are automatically sent to the email address that was entered in.

User emails are sent from help@compendiumblogware.com to each individual user. These email sometimes go to junk folders, so be sure to always check there before requesting a reset of the user passwords.

Because your Support Manager does not have access to these passwords - so if a client cannot find the email with the password one of two things can happen.

1. If the account is already set-up, your support manager can reset the password - or you can go to the "I forgot my password" on the main login page.

2. If the account is not set-up, the support manager can create a new user account and delete the existing one (since the software automatically generates the password when it is sent out, there is no way of knowing or regenerating the previously sent out password.

If you have specific questions feel free to contact Compendium's Support Team at help@compendiumblogware.com or call (317) 777-6255.

Sticky Posts – User vs. Uber Blogs

Posted Friday, November 14, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

'Lately we've been getting a lot of questions regarding sticky posts...

User Blogs:
Sticky posts only appear at the top of individual user blogs, and typically share information about the author with readers. Sticky posts can be personal information about the author or it can provide readers with the purpose of the company blog (specifics content of a sticky post should be discussed with your administrator).

Uber Blogs:
Sticky posts do not appear at that the top of the Uber Blog or main company blog because this blog is not focused to a specific User. The Uber Blog is the start page for the network. The Uber Blog is content from the entire company. All blog posts, except sticky posts will compend to the Uber Blog.

Remember:

A sticky post is only applicable to the User blog that it is created under
It will remain stuck at the top of that specific user blog
It will not compend to any other blogs
You can view your sticky http://blog.yourcompany.com/blog/blog-title

If you any questions or issue feel free to contact Compendium's new support team email at help@compendiumblogware.com or call (317) 777-6255.

Embedding a Video in You Blog Post

Posted Friday, November 14, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Below is one quick blogging techniques that can really add a little spice to your blog posts! Videos are a creative way to get your message out and grab your readers attention!!

Follow these 6 steps and you'll be on you way to a writing a better business blog!

1. Obtain the embed code from the video hosting group

Step 1 to embedding a video in your blog post

2. Begin to create your post as you normally would. Once your ready to add the video click on “Edit HTML Code”. This button looks like <>.

Step 2 in embedding a video in your blog post

3. HTML formatting will appear in the body of the post.

4. Paste the embed code of the video you choose at the bottom of all of the text listed in the body of the post.

5. Click back off of “Edit HTML Code” and the body of the post in the text editor will look the same as it did before you added the video.

6. The video will not appear in the text editor. You much chose “Preview Post” to see the video.

Step 3 in embedding a video in blog post

If you have any questions send a quick email to help@compendiumblogware.com.

If you forget your password or username .....

Posted Friday, November 14, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Are you a forgetful person? Have you ever forgotten a password? Have you ever forgotten you username?

Well if you anything like me ... I'm answer to all three question is YES - most definitely! For some reason I always find myself forgetting my passwords and login names. I even have a piece of paper with all my login names and my passwords, but I've recently run into one problem...I can't seem to remember where i put that!!

Luckly, Compendium has has a back-up - so I don't really have worrying about not being able to write a blog post. And the best part its really easy - and that makes it even better!

If you forgotten your .....

Password. If this happens all you have to do is log onto http://www.compendiumblog.com and click on the link that says, “I have forgotten my login information.” Fill in both your user name and email address and Compendium will send you a new password to use when logging in.

Username. In this situation, you can consult the initial email that we sent you to inform you that your account was ready for login (it contains your username). Or, if you do not have this email on file, you can send an email to help@compendiumsoftware.com. If your really in a hurry you can also call (317) 777-6255.

How easy is that ... that's ones less thing you have to worry about and you can just focus on writing content and blogging for SEO!

Support is Here!!!

Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Do you have a question and need an answer?

Well your in luck ... Compendium's brand new support team is now up-and-running and we are ready to tackle all of technical and blogging software needs.

There are 3 quick&easy ways to contact your dedicated support team:

Phone: (317) 777-6255
Email: help@compendiumblogware.com
Online: www.compendiumblogware.com/help.html

Be sure to contact your support team the next time you have a question regarding Compendium's blogging platform!!

Why I love Compendium's Keyword Strength Indicator

Posted Friday, November 7, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

I’m not sure if you are as excited about the Compendium keyword strength indicator as I am … I’m definitely one of those people who like high scores. I always have and always will. So I finished editing my sticky post and looked at my score I was super excited!

Then a thought crossed my mind …. “Do our clients know how Compendium's blogging software determines their keyword strength when their writing a post?”

Not really knowing the answer - I thought I would share. The keyword strength indicator takes several factors in to account when getting the score. Your keyword strength score is determined by three factors:

1. Number of keyword phrase matches within your post
2. Number of distinct keywords used within your post
3. Keyword concentration within your post

It is the combination of these factors, not just the single use of a keyword.

A blogging best practice: A score of 50 or higher is recommended.

Don't get me wrong I'm not telling you to stuff you blog post with keywords only write what is relevant and what make since - but now you know how your strength is determined.

Happy blogging!!

Firefox - Why Use It?

Posted Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Mozilla Firefox

Typically I tend to focus my posts on blogging best practices, but lately I’ve been getting questions from clients who are having some issues viewing blogs or some of Compendium’s training videos. The most common problem that I’ve found is not with out software, but that they are using Internet Explorer.

In general most people do not pay attention to what browser they are using until there’s a problem … wouldn’t you agree?

Well my goal with this post is to catch the problem before it starts. Here are 10 reasons why to use Firefox.

1. Tabbed Browsing - Makes surfing the web faster
2. Pop-up Blocking
3. Find Stuff Easier
4. Simplified Privacy / Annoyance Eliminator
5. Better Bookmarks and History
6. Accessible, Intelligent, Responsive
7. Customizable and Extendable
8. Modern Download Manager
9. Built for standards
10. KISS (Keep It Simple and Straight-Forward)

View the complete article here.

Also, Firefox it is the most desired browser for our blogging platform.

Client Highlight - MediaTile

Posted Wednesday, October 22, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

I wanted to take some time to write about one of Sarah’s clients - MediaTile. MediaTile is a great client to blog about because they are doing such a great job following Compendium’s blogging best practices.

What Does MedieTile’s Blog have …

http://www.mediatile.com/

Personality. Not only does MediaTile provide its audience with digital signage information, but Chuck uses his own voice and his own personal experiences when writing his blog posts. Really connecting with his readers!!

Posts. A blogging best practice is two posts, per week, per user … well if you look at MediaTile’s Blog – Chuck has managed to post 14 blogs in the past 30 days. Now that a commitment!

Links. Each and every post has a link included with it. By providing links he is not only improving their search engine rankings and giving his readers resources.

These just highlight a few of the best practices that MediaTile is doing. Be sure to check out their blog for yourself and see why their blog is a success and they are truly taking full advantage of Compendium’s software!!!

Blogging and Your Business

Posted Tuesday, October 14, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Today was a day of learning for me … I attended the Masters of Business Online Conference, walking away with a world of knowledge! Based on conversations and questions being asked the attendee knowledge level was all over, some were experts and others are beginners!

One question that stuck with me was …"Why corporate blogging and where do I begin?” This stuck with me mainly because I know at some point everyone has thought or felt this before. With that in mind here are some key suggestions that were presented today that will help with your blogging success.

Do your homework. Know your audience and who you are trying to target. It’s much easier for you blog for SEO if you have a target audience.

Be transparent. You are trying to build a relationship and engage your audience. You have the opportunity to build awareness and gain that trust on a personal level. Let your audience know your goals and agenda ahead of time.

Be passionate. Give it your all, now that you’ve committed to having a business blog – make sure you have people who are passionate about what they saying writing content. If your bloggers care about what they are saying it will be apparent in their writing.

I learned so much information about online marketing, email marketing, SEO, social media, blogging, and much more - I think I could write for days … but I won’t I'll save it for another day.

So I guess we’ll leave it as …. to be continued!

Thoughts on Marriage & Blogging …

Posted Monday, October 6, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

It’s been a long, but exciting weekend for me. My brother got married yesterday, so I thought I’d write a post to tell everyone about it. The wedding was beautiful and I had to read in front of 300 hundred people – and let me tell you something, that’s a little nerve racking – but I executed it flawlessly (so I was told).

As I was getting ready for work this morning I got a text from my brother and my “new” sister-in-law and it got me to thinking…marriage and blogging have a few things in common.

1. Blogging is a commitment. Just like marriage you have to be committed to the success of your blog, setting aside time regularly to write your blog posts.

A blogging best practice is two blog posts per user, per week.

2. Blogging takes time. Just like marriage, you have to be patience - you have to give your blog some time. But in giving it time, you still have to be committed to posting content regularly.

3. To blog you must have a “thick skin.” In a marriage or in life you’re going to say and hear things that you might not want to hear. The same is true for writing a blog, people are going to comment and give you their opinions – and it may not necessarily be what yours are, but you have to take it as constructive criticism and go with it.

Blogging best practice, if someone posts a comment to your blog, you should respond to that comment by posting a blog.

4. There’s NO turning back. Just like marriage once you make that commitment there’s no turning back – you’re in it for the long haul. The same is true for corporate blogging - once you’ve written and posted your thoughts, feelings, and opinions there’s no turning back – it’s out there and ready for commentary.

Just remember that when you write a blog post that you should reflect your personality – as well as share information – BUT you must be committed, be patient, be tough, and remember there’s not turning back!!

Good luck with your business blog and good luck to my brother and sister-n-law!!!

Better Business Blogging

Posted Monday, September 29, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

As I sit here enjoying this lazy Sunday afternoon watching movie after movie (it’s a bye week for the Colts or I’d be glued to the TV set), browsing the web I couldn’t help but to think about what I’ve learned in just two weeks at Compendium.

In my first week I was learning about Compendium and blogging in general, but now I’m starting to dig deeper into how everything really works – and it’s fascinating! Business blogging was a new concept for me. I understood that blogging in general was about sharing information and getting your message out, but the line between personal and business blogging was a little bury until now.

Our blogging best practices say as a blogger you need to use YOUR voice and YOUR personality when writing your blog post. It’s a way to help readers connect with what you are saying. Think about it… when you can personally connect with someone, letting your audience get to know the “real you,” your building that long term relationship and gaining trust.

And in the end building long term relationships – whether that is with customers, partners, or individuals who share your passion – it’s about keeping people engaged and keeping them coming back for more.

New location + New direction = One crazy, but exciting week in the “blogging world”

Posted Monday, September 22, 2008 by Krystal Featherston

Not only am I new at Compendium, but I’m new to the blogging world! This has a week of firsts for me … I’ve spent the week learning about Compendium and business blogging. In addition to learning about the blogging tends, I’m also trying to navigate myself through downtown Indianapolis.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering what these to have in common, well …..

Blogging. I know and understand what blogging is, but I’ve never actually wrote a blog before. I worked with web sites making revision after revision, and not really seeing an impact and still not being found by search engines, and honestly the thought of business blogging never really crossed my mind.

After my first week at Compendium learning about the process and hearing some great success stories, the software just makes sense. Ultimately, you control the success by the content you’re creating - you are constantly updating, adding new information that is driving search engines to you. This in turn means NEW CLIENTS for you. And the best part about it, you’re not alone – you have a dedicated team that is helping you ensure that success. Now that makes sense.

Downtown Indianapolis. Yes, I’ve lived in Indiana my whole life and in Indianapolis for the past two years – but seriously driving downtown for the first time can be quite intimidating. There are so many one way streets, pedestrians just walking across the street whenever they feel like it , and I can’t forget the parking garages – people just slam on their breaks and back-in to a parking spots. Don’t get me wrong downtown is wonderful, but until you get the hang of it’s a little crazy.

With that said – my first week at a new job and driving downtown has been crazy, but extremely exciting. One thing I’ve taken from this week is that my journey with Compendium has just begun and I look forward to working with all of you … new clients, potential clients, current clients, and co-workers.