{"id":1146,"date":"2010-07-24T12:02:59","date_gmt":"2010-07-24T17:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/?p=1146"},"modified":"2010-07-24T12:02:59","modified_gmt":"2010-07-24T17:02:59","slug":"professional-blogging-for-dummies-more-books-for-your-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/2010\/07\/24\/professional-blogging-for-dummies-more-books-for-your-reading-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Professional Blogging For Dummies: More books for your reading list"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/\/i0.wp.com\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/ProfessionalBloggingFD_Cover25percent1.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1094\" style=\"margin: 4px;\" title=\"ProfessionalBloggingFD_Cover25percent\" src=\"https:\/\/\/\/i0.wp.com\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/ProfessionalBloggingFD_Cover25percent1.jpg?resize=180%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"225\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>As I was writing <em>Professional Blogging For Dummies<\/em>, it was clear that nearly every chapter in the book could be a book in itself. In fact, there are books that delve into many of\u00a0 the topics in great depth. After you&#8217;ve read my book, if you decide you\u2019d like to dig deeper, I highly recommend you invest in a few.<\/p>\n<p>The <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dummies.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">For Dummies<\/a><\/em> series has titles that cover just about everything, including Google AdSense for Dummies, Search Engine Optimization for Dummies, Web Marketing for Dummies, Public Relations for Dummies\u00a0 and Social Media for Dummies.<\/p>\n<p>A book about your chosen blogging platform can also be a handy reference. <em>For Dummies<\/em> can help you here as well, but I\u2019d suggest you also look at more advanced guides, particularly if you want to get into deeper customization of your blog.<\/p>\n<p>Darren Rowse\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.problogger.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">ProBlogger website<\/a> (problogger.net), one of the 10 sites you can learn from simply by reading featured in the book, is an excellent resource for keeping up-to-date on the latest developments in professional blogging. You might also want to invest in Rowse\u2019s book, co-authored with Chris Garrett, <em><a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income\" rel=\"amazon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ProBlogger-Secrets-Blogging-Six-Figure-Income\/dp\/0470246677%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dsnapshotchroni-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0470246677\">ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income<\/a><\/em> (2010, 2d edition,Wiley)<\/p>\n<h2><strong>About Audio and Video<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you decide to add a video or a podcast to your blog, you should definitely get some help, whether a book or professional consultant, to get you going.<\/p>\n<p>When I started doing a podcast for a client a few years ago I turned to two books:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Podcasting: The Do-It-Yourself Guide<\/em> by Todd Cochrane (Wiley, 2005)<\/li>\n<li><em><a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"How to Do Everything with Podcasting\" rel=\"amazon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-Everything-Podcasting-Shel-Holtz\/dp\/0072263946%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dsnapshotchroni-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0072263946\">How to Do Everything with Podcasting<\/a><\/em> by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson (McGraw Hill, 2007)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I also bought a\u00a0 book to help me use my sound editing software more effectively. I only use about 4-5 pages of it on a regular basis, but I use those pages EVERY TIME I edit a sound file for the Internet, making it worth every penny I spent. I use <em>Sound Forge 8 Power!<\/em> (Sony, 2005), which of course is only good if you are using Sound Forge 8. I\u2019m certain there\u2019s a book for your software, whatever you are using.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t do much personally with video on my sites. I\u2019m still working on my photo skills. That\u2019s enough of a challenge for now, so when I use video for a client, I leave it to the pros. However, the equipment and software available to amateurs has gotten so good, there\u2019s no reason to not experiment if you have the interest in learning the skill.\u00a0 I crowdsourced a book recommendation for you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0470525460?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=snapshchroni-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0470525460\"><em>Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business<\/em> <\/a><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=snapshchroni-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0470525460\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/>by Steve Garfield (Wiley, 2010)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I haven\u2019t read it yet (although I plan to), but Garfield has an excellent reputation. You can check out his website at\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/stevegarfield.com\/Site\/Welcome.html\" target=\"_blank\">stevegarfield.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>TIP:<\/strong> Don\u2019t buy too many platform or software specific books. Features are constantly changing, and if the book is too tied to a particular version, it may not be as useful when the next version of software is released. Buy books that offer advice on strategy or technique, like <em>Professional Blogging For Dummies<\/em> and the ones referenced above. They have a longer shelf life because they help you understand the underlying principles.\u00a0 If you do feel you need version-specific help, stick to one or two titles at most, and use online resources like support forums and wikis to fill in what the books don\u2019t offer.<\/p>\n<h2>Other Books You Might Enjoy<\/h2>\n<p>If you get hooked on social media, here are my top three reads for you. I consider them business classics.<\/p>\n<p>First, if\u00a0 you haven\u2019t already, read <em><a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual\" rel=\"amazon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Cluetrain-Manifesto-End-Business-Usual\/dp\/0738204315%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dsnapshotchroni-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0738204315\">The Cluetrain Manifesto<\/a><\/em> by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger (10th anniversary edition, 2009, Basic Books). It\u2019s the book often credited with starting the social media revolution, and it\u2019s a good read to boot.<\/p>\n<p>Next, pick up <em><a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers\" rel=\"amazon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Naked-Conversations-Changing-Businesses-Customers\/dp\/047174719X%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dsnapshotchroni-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D047174719X\">Naked Conversations<\/a><\/em> by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel (2006, Wiley). Social media has changed quite a bit since this book was published. Facebook didn\u2019t open up to the general public until September 2006 and Twitter wouldn\u2019t burst onto the scene until the South by Southwest conference in March 2007. But, the book is very well written, and the underlying principles about engaging with customers and building trust haven\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, if you really want to dig into to the topic of integrating social media with a business strategy, you can\u2019t go wrong with <em><a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies\" rel=\"amazon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Groundswell-Winning-Transformed-Social-Technologies\/dp\/1422125009%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dsnapshotchroni-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1422125009\">Groundswell<\/a><\/em> by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (2008, Harvard Business Press).<\/p>\n<h2>Reference Books that should be on your Bookshelf<\/h2>\n<p>Blogging is about writing, and every writer should have the following on her desk:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A dictionary, and if you haven\u2019t replaced yours in more than five\u00a0 years, get a new one. Language changes all the time, no more so than in the last few years.<\/li>\n<li>A thesaurus<\/li>\n<li>A book of quotations. I have two, Bartlett\u2019s Familiar Quotations and The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations.<\/li>\n<li>The AP Style Guide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All are available online as well as in print versions. I prefer using the real books, although I do look up quotations online if the reference I need is very recent.\u00a0 Somehow, the act of physically looking something up inspires me. You may find it easier to use electronic tools. It doesn\u2019t matter. What\u2019s important is using them to give your writing some variety.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Disclosure:<\/strong> Links in this post to books on Amazon.com include my Amazon affiliate link. If you buy a book after following an affiliate link, I&#8217;ll earn a few cents. If you&#8217;d like to buy <strong>my book<\/strong>, there are links to it on Amazon, Borders and Barnes&amp;Noble in my sidebar. <\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http:\/\/www.zemanta.com\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: none; float: right;\" src=\"https:\/\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.zemanta.com\/zemified_e.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><span class=\"zem-script more-related pretty-attribution\"><script src=\"https:\/\/static.zemanta.com\/readside\/loader.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I was writing Professional Blogging For Dummies, it was clear that nearly every chapter in the book could be a book in itself. In fact, there are books that delve into many of\u00a0 the topics in great depth. After you&#8217;ve read my book, if you decide you\u2019d like to dig deeper, I highly recommend [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[5,31,72],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1146"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1210,"href":"https:\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146\/revisions\/1210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/\/getgood.com\/roadmaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}