I’m going to try an experiment here. Short-Blogging. Not quite microblogging, just short. There are too many topics I want to cover every single day, and it would be impossible to do a 500 word coverage for all of them. First though, I will analyze the current design of my site.

My frontpage consist of 11 post summaries with a thumbnail each. On the top right, I removed the ads and placed a box with Popular posts, Recent Comments and Tags. Popular posts allowed some of my old yet popular posts to remain actively read, instead of disappearing into the web abyss. Recent comments are for those social butterflies, wanting to see what other people are thinking. And of course there’s Tags. Out of all the blogs I’ve designed, I’ve never placed much of an enphasis on the tag cloud. But I believe that we will see it more and more, especially with the rise of microblogging.

While the current site design has a navigation that will work for a small to mid range of topics, it is not easy to navigate if I was to post on a broad range of them. As I create these posts, I will probably integrate a more advanced tag plugin, even if it has to be custom coded.

Microblogging in Twitter is pretty fun and extremely informational too. But unless I use social media full-time in my occupation, it is currently more than difficult to fit it into my schedule. Which is also one of the primary reasons I’ve been building TwiSpot.com, so that even someone like me can take advantage of all it has to offer, without spending a ridiculous amount of time to process all the information.

Speaking of custom coding, version 2 of TwiSpot.com is in the works, with a crazy amount of new features. Actually the changes are so drastic that it’s like a completely new site. I can’t say too much about it yet, but it will be fun and easy to use. That’s basically what I try and base most of my designs and projects on. If I don’t love using or seeing it, then it’s not worth building. Can’t wait to show you!

Most of the blogging guides you read will tell you to find a niche that you love, a topic that you can be passionate about. You can obviously just blog about how awesome your typing skill is or what you ate for dinner, but traffic would be terrible. Statistics suggest there are certain topics rich in traffic and potential customers who will click your ads. That’s where the Reblogger shines.

The Reblogger wastes no time with low traffic topics, but goes straight to whatever is hot. Google Keyword Suggestions will tell you what people are searching for, and Microsoft Search Funnels will tell you about the keyword patterns. Actually knowing about the topic is not an issue, because writing for the general public means not having to write in too much detail anyways. You do not have to be an expert on the subject to blog about it, you just have to reword it well.

There are many sub-types of Rebloggers. If you’re a Quick Search Reblogger, your day will consist of finding out what people in your niche are searching for. You will then come up with a pre-filtered list of results that you create for your readers. If you are adept at finding those hard to reach sources of information, then you may find this style suitable for you. Alternate sources of information may come from Newsgroups, low profile professional sites, or even the 138th page of Google search results. Even opening up a real book will reveal “new” information that has a relatively low regurgitated level. Take all that info, repackage it into a list. Done.

Then there are the News Rebloggers. People read news, and a lot of it. So why not just rip a large quote off your favorite news site, add a dash of your own comment, then post it up? Preferably completely out of context of course, to generate better comment numbers.

Even better are the Gossip Rebloggers. The sleazier you can write, the more people will come back. What is more interesting than someone else’s love life after all? You may not buy one of those sleazy tabloids from the supermarket check out, but reading it on the internet is a completely different thing. After all, if CNN headlines Britney Spears before a war, there must be a good and legitimate reason for it. Conscience saved.

I understand that information has to be expressed in different ways, so that it can be absorbed better by the various personalities. Different people will learn best in different ways. Some people need a list, some a dissected explanation and some will need a fantastic promise.

If we are not counting all the variations and spinoffs on the original ideas, do we even have 1% of people attempting to generate new ideas then?

Nowhere else can you get thousands of responses instantly. Polls on websites were a step in the right direction, but even then the participation level was low and slow. When you first join Twitter, don’t expect everyone to answer your questions right away. Your question should be phrased to provoke conversation or re-tweeting(forwarded on). A question asked by an influential person on Twitter however, will be much more likely to get a response. Companies such as Gregg Fraley’s setup creates an easy entrance into the world of Twitter research without having to do it yourself.

If you want to experiment yourself, it is very easy to add or remove a person in Twitter, users will follow others with like-minded conversations.

Starter Twitter Tips:

A good idea to name your account based on the topic you will focus on. Just like a website, the name of it will be the first impression that people receive.

Write your Twitter profile according to what you want to do with the account. Your first few words are the most important because it will determine whether they continue reading or not.

Another way for the right people to follow you on Twitter is creating a descriptive background. Design an appropriately attractive background with information such as your Logo, URL and critical keywords. Based on web eye-movement tests, the upper left side of the screen is what people look at first, so design the background with all the information on the left. A good example of using the background for informational purposes would be my Twitter page. Clarity and simplicity is important here so the message you are trying to convey isn’t distracted by complicated textures or graphics.

You can also leverage existing questions and answers through Twitter search engines. There’s the default one from Twitter, and also multiple live searches such as Monitter. You can get insightful information from the search results, or even take it further by directly contacting the people who wrote the original messages. And once you are connected to the right person, people of similar interest will gravitate to your tweets and follow you as well.

Twitter is an extremely timely and broad-reaching research tool. The interactions and the insights are invaluable to any industry. And with the right strategies, you will always be a step ahead of the competition. What do You use Twitter for?

1. Keep it really, really Simple.

Find your business message, and distill the idea into a symbol over and over till there’s nothing left but the single message. Try to stick with one central meaning. You have 2 seconds of someone’s attention. By the end of that 2 seconds, they either understood the meaning of your logo, or they got confused and shut you out forever.

2. Use symbols, Not Pictures.

Firstly, a symbol is easy to identify at different sizes, from giant billboard signs to tiny business cards. Secondly, symbols are more universally understood, especially if you managed to distill the brand idea into a proper symbol.

3. Make your symbol look Rock Solid.

Use font and symbols that look strong. Even feminine logos can have gracefully strong lines. But if it looks too fragile or undecided, your logo will get lost in the sea of crappy logos.

4. Use Less Colors.

Colors are part of your brand image, associate your brand with a color that will appeal to your target market. And the less colors you use, the less it cost for printing. Designing first in black and white will help with this.

5. Test it Hardcore.

Move the symbol around to different sides of your business name. Place it over textured graphics, place it over different colors. Zoom way out. Zoom in big. Rotate it. Put it in the middle of other logos. Is your logo still looking awesome? Great. If not, work on it some more.

There you have it, the quick and dirty on determining if a logo is good or bad. Got any other essential tips for good logo design?

First…

First, go to Google Insight, and select the Geographical location you want to target. This depends if your target are general internet users, or specific users that will buy your product locally.

Why does the Date Range matter?

You have the option of selecting date options such as last 7 days or last 12 months. For our purpose however, 12 months is too wide a range for internet trends. The hotness of the topic might have faded long ago. 7 days is timely, but it might give you results that won’t last beyond a week. No staying power. If you’re targeting short-term hot trends, I would suggest going to the Current Google Hot Trends here. You can see all the topics that people are massively searching for right now, and if there’s a topic that you are familiar with, write about it.

For the hot daily topics, even though your post hasn’t  been around a while to get linked to, it works because of the Google Freshness Factor. Google rewards you for being a fresh post on the topic, so that their search results can stay relevant and up-to-date. For our testing purposes right now, select “Last 30 days”, and Category “Entertainment”.

Here you can see the search term “twilight” and “twilight movie” having a search spike in the last 30 days. And if you click on “twilight” or enter it in the search terms above, you’ll see more details on the term.

Hey look, there’s a +2400% spike for the search term “twilight reviews movie”. The 2nd placed search term spike “movie reviews” is probably too generic to do you any good. Generic terms like that probably has way too many existing pages staking it out already, and you don’t want to start off with an uphill battle.

Got a topic, Got a search term, Now what?

Now that you found a topic that you are interested in writing about, it’s time to find relevant keywords. The way it used to work is, if you spammed your keyword over and over on a page, you’ll automatically get a high ranking. That just had to change, otherwise too many articles on the internet would have repetitive words. It worked to trick the search engine, but it was extremely boring to everyone else.

Here’s how you’re supposed to do it today. Go to Google Adwords Keyword Suggestion here. Type in the search term “twilight reviews movie”.

Scroll down to where it says “Additional keywords to consider”. It is sorted by relevance, so the first few keywords, you should sprinkle into your post. That lets Google know that you are really talking about “twilights reviews movie” and not someone who is just using keyword tools to gain Insane Traffic. Right? Google uses a ton of secret algorithms for determining how relevant your post is, and they change it regularly. Here’s a post I wrote on some more of those secrets, straight from Google’s mouth.

So there you have it, the secret to getting Insane Traffic with Google Insight. It’s also great when you have no idea what to write about, you can just ride the latest trends and be the life of the blogosphere party. Got another trick for getting more hits with your post? Please share it here.

1. Don’t add fluff words.

People hate advertising. I work in advertising and even I hate viewing it. So don’t make your writing sound like an Ad please, even if it actually is. Here’s an article with funny examples:

Executed from a formula adequate to meet the perspiration breakdown byproduct odor offensiveness detection threshold reduction requirements associated with masculine subbrachial cutaneous excretions, marketed to a target audience of the opposite gender.

Simplified Version: Strong enough for a man but made for a woman.

It may be funny but it’s surprising how many people still use too many words to say something that was originally simple. If you want to learn more about simplifying your writing, Angela at Girl Meets Business wrote an excellent article about writing concisely and sparingly.

2. Write less.

Don’t write an essay. Nobody has the time to read lengthy copy about what you’re selling. You’re not going to have their attention long enough to stuff all 10 concepts down their throat. The point is to communicate just 1, maybe 2 points to them strongly. If you try and get too many points across in a message, by the time they get to point #3, they’ll start to forget point #1 already. You’re in a hurry to make money, and they’re waiting for you to get to your point.

3. Show Pretty Pictures

Now that you’ve cut down significantly on your writing length, add something even simpler. Visuals. In combination with simple and direct words, visuals can complete the imagery in their minds without taking more than a few seconds. Even if you’re not at the point of sale, the simple combination will keep your product fresh in their mind for longer. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. (Especially if they are properly ALT tagged)

4. Talk to them as a friend.

That’s right, time to get off your high horse. It’s all about being real and community sharing lately. If you can talk to them as a human being, instead of acting like you know what’s best for them, they’ll actually like you and buy your junk. Also use words that are conversational and try not to sound like an ad. After you write, read it back to yourself and see if it sounds like a greasy car salesman. If so, start over.

5. Sell to the right people.

Figure out which market segment would actually like to use your products, so when you speak to them, you would genuinely have their best interest in mind. You wouldn’t sell something useless to a real friend would you?

This may sound logical, but most companies still try to sell to the wrong people. Now that you know how to write sincerely and picked your target group, think about how your product will actually help them. Genuinely try to improve people’s lives with your product, and they will give you their loyal support. Imagine that, loyal customers in this day and age.

6. Create a two way dialogue.

Write and persuade your audience to give you feedback. With the internet, this is easy. You no longer have to include prepaid-postage envelopes to gather feedback, all you need is a widget or two on your site. (You can practice this by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post) The internet changes quickly, with the assistance of regular feedback from your customers though, you will be able to stay on top of trends. This doesn’t have to be a multi-million dollar marketing effort. A well-placed button on a website is all that it takes.

7. Online: Use high traffic keywords

Here’s an extremely effective SEO trick for Internet writing. Go to Google’s keyword suggestion tool here. Enter in a few keywords related to what you are writing. Find relevant words that have high search engine traffic. You don’t need to spam the keywords, just sprinkle the words here and there. It’s not cheating, it’s just making it easier for your potential customers to find you.

By following these writing tips, you’ll be able to create a good relationship with your customers, be a responsible citizen, and then increase your business revenue. Using any of these tricks already? Know any other good writing tips?

That’s where I come in. Over a series of posts, I will be discussing how to improve your brand image through intelligent marketing and design. In a way that anyone can easily understand of course. So please check back often and you can also subscribe to my RSS feed here.

What Makes a Bad Logo?

There are many ways to make your logo irritating, unmemorable or downright wrong. I’ll save the details for another time, but here’s everything summed up into one piece of advice. Don’t over-complicate things. That’s right, it’s that simple. Many people tend to add a billion little meanings into their logo or company name. Or they think they are smart by basing their company name on an inside joke that should be kept at the dinner table. And I’m using logo and company name interchangeably because they are similar enough in their function.

Many people don’t realize that there are other companies out there trying to dig into the same piece of pie. When your company logo or company name is on a big list of choices,  you want something simple and direct. Because people do not have time to research every single one of the options available, so any logos that give a vague sense of purpose will be skipped entirely.

Does your Logo tell the story within 0.5 Seconds?

Pretend you are a stranger to the market and to your business. If you, as a stranger, were to see your logo and business name, would you instantly know what the business is about? The consumer’s mind can be sorted into several piles. The “Seems Interesting and Relevant” pile, the “Completely not relevant to me” pile, and the “It is too vague and I’m getting confused” pile. The first 2 piles are straightforward, but if you end up in the Confused pile, it will automatically be sorted into the “Not relevant” pile as well. Simplify, communicate your business function, and do it within 0.5 seconds.

Sounds like I’m screwed, what can I do?

Don’t worry, rebranding can be done to fix it, and it starts with the logo. If you’re stuck with a vague business name, then you will have to fully utilize the power of the logo. Make the logo stand out. Simplify it. Simplifying it some more. Use a symbolic representation that can strongly communicate your business function. And it better be good because it will have to cover for the weakness of the business name. You might want to consider hiring a identity designer at this point, preferably one with typography and branding skills as well.

I will get into far more detailed solutions later on, so please check back often for those. How do you feel about your current business name and logo? Do you feel that there can be room for improvement?

1. New Built-in Automatic Wordpress Upgrade.

It’s about time. There are various automatic methods for upgrading your Wordpress installation, but they weren’t perfect. Once you have installed Wordpress 2.7, you can upgrade to future versions with a single click. It’s officially supported, so no need to worry about it breaking on you halfway through. No more headaches or wasted time doing it manually.

2. Completely Re-Designed Admin Interface

With all the awesome Wordpress themes that’s been designed, the admin interface was sorely lacking. Instead of clicking through 2-3 menus to get where you’re going, everything can be accessed easily now. User-friendly Icon Menubar on the left, large stretchable typing area in the middle, and publish/ tags/categories boxes on the right.

The Dashboard was also redesigned to show your post/comments stats at a glance. You can even blog a post directly from the Dashboard through the QuickPress function. Once you try it, you won’t want to go back.

3. New Comment System

The coding for the comment system was completely redone. Without having to use plugins or custom php code, an updated theme will have Alternating colored comments, Author styling, Threaded comments that allow you to reply, AJAX editing, and multiple paged comments.

With all the new features in 2.7, I was able to remove 3-5 plugins and reduce a ton of custom coding. You can see many of the new Wordpress 2.7 implementations on Creativeherb.com as well. What are you waiting for? Get 2.7 Beta 3 here, or future latest releases here.

1. What is your Identity?

You must first ask yourself, what does your audience see your blog as currently, and in the future, what do you want them to see it as. That’s Branding. This is one of the most important aspect of planning any blog or business because the perceived value is often the deciding factor. For example, Coca Cola may taste similar to other pop sodas, but their cool brand image makes it taste extra good.

Your identity must not be vague. If I were to ask you, what is your blog about, you should be able to tell me in a few short words. While covering every single topic, and targeting the entire planet is a nice wish, it is not feasible for the most part. Even with mega corporations like Google, they have many sub-brands to keep the purpose of each unit distinct and clear in people’s minds.

So ask yourself, which chunk of the market you want to capture. Then present yourself in a way that creates a clear visual image of your purpose, in the minds of your audience.

2. Set new Post Categories

With your target set, it is time to set your posting categories. I found it extremely useful to preset your posting categories because it helps you to stay within your preset topic boundaries. They are by no means set in stone, but it can guide you when you are stuck for an idea as well. Nothing kills creativity like having unrestricted choices.

If you are going to create more than 6 categories, and if your blog design allows it, group them up with subcategories. This makes it easier for readers to find the information that they are looking for, rather than go down a list of 10+ categories where the topic categories jump wildly from one subject to the next. For example, I’ve placed Branding, SEO and Social Media under the Marketing category, because I don’t want to mix them up with my Design topics.

With a focused set of posting categories, both you and your audience will now have a clear idea of what the blog is all about. Any vagueness or confusion will be automatically be dumped into the ignore pile.

3. Picking your Blog Theme Template

Content is important, but even before reading your blog, they will see the design first. A good theme design is one that is easy to read, comfortable colors, and convenient links to other parts of your site.

There are many great free wordpress themes out there, but choosing the right theme isn’t easy. When I choose a theme, I consider many factors such as structure, convenience and customizability. That is where a good premium theme is probably a better choice. While I know enough about themes to build one from scratch or customize a free one, premium themes start off with a very clean code base and optimized user experience. Fixing up a free wordpress theme properly can be weeks worth of work, so why not start off with a more solid foundation?

I researched various premium theme template companies but found major flaws in one area or another. I needed a theme that already has most of the essentials and will allow me to customize easily. Make sure that you’re not adding in so many features that it causes clutter though. I found Woothemes to have the most consistently good themes. Both their free and premium themes are very solidly designed. Good user experience, clean interface and relevant placement of site links. They also have themes for different purposes including Personal Blog, Image Gallery, News Blog, Portfolio Blog etc. Definitely a good place to start your theme search.

4. Maintain the New Posting Schedule

Now that you’ve settled on your posting categories and optimized your theme, it is time to set your posting schedule. It should be on a regular interval so that your readers will know when to come back, whether it is once a day or once a week. If your content is good, people will want to come back regularly to read what you have to say, and then eventually start to comment on your blog.

If you have trouble choosing what to blog about every day, one suggestion is to have themed days, kind of like Meatloaf Mondays or Chicken Thursdays. You can choose a topic with an unlimited amount of content, such as Graphics Icons or Tips on Cooking.

5. Advertising your New Blog

Once you have some decent content published on your blog, it is time to let everyone know about the new Rebranded you! You can post on forums and invite people to comment on your new branding. Or you can write a blog post about your rebranding, then comment on blogs with the CommentLuv plugin installed. When you comment on a blog with CommentLuv installed, it will display the name of the last post you made on your own blog. You can also post on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace etc about your Rebranded blog and create an exciting relaunch.

Following these 5 steps will help you towards a new and exciting blogging experience. Just remember to always ask yourself, if I was a visitor, what would I like or dislike about the site? Got any more good ideas on rebranding a blog?

I did freelance web design and flash banners before, but now I’ve gone beyond that with a deeper and more cohesive understanding of user interface design, social media strategy, SEO, trending etc. Like many people, I fell into the trap of over expanding my range of discussion topics, some of it inadvertently, some as a testing platform for bigger projects.

The range of topics here will be refocused to pull more from my experiences, on subjects such as marketing, branding, design, SEO, user interface etc. The unique selling point will be an experience that will be presented in an integrated approach based around the designable aspects. Leveraging my broad range of experience across different sectors.

Design is a broad word, but also can be taken as a problem that can be solved through a creative and intelligent plan of action. That will be the new premise of the Creativeherb.com. You will see changes over the next few weeks as I phase in new categories, completely new theme, new post topics.

Behind the scenes, SEO will have more of a design focus based on the categories mentioned. I will keep everyone updated and post about my methods as well. I’m very excited about the upcoming changes, and I think it will definitely be getting more interesting for everyone too.

EDIT: In case you were wondering, yes I will still keep a sub-section for misc. helpful tools/tips like the Melamine Food List or the Canadian Google Flu Trends I’ve been keeping updated.