AOL launched a new tech blog on March 20 called Switched. In case you didn’t know, AOL also owns Engadget, the world’s largest tech blog that just so happens to be the world’s “most popular blog” according to Technorati in terms of linkage. Sources close to Smooth Harold report that Switched is even being funded better than Engadget in terms of salaried individuals despite having zero traffic (read: no ad sales). Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Venture with me — if you will — into the mind of one of the slowest internet dinosaurs in existence. “CEO: Okay, Switched spearhead. You think we should start a new tech blog even though we already own the number one tech blog that’s also the most visited weblog in the world? Okay. But won’t that cannibalize our traffic, at least with the non-tech savvy crowd (because you and I both know Engadget will continue to be the best tech blog unless we suffocate it)? And where Switched isn’t cannibalizing our efforts, won’t we just be wasting money rather than reinvesting into Engadget to further secure its dominance? No? Okay, I’m sold. I don’t know why we didn’t think about this before. Matter of fact, didn’t CNN.com just launch a new world news website to compete with itself? No? Well, they should have.”

Way to support your $25 million purchase of Weblogs Inc, AOL. Your CEO should be fired for letting this thing even see the light of day. I’m amazed by the stupidity and behind the scene agendas that are going on here. Peter Rojas and Ryan Block must be reeling from this mediocre move.

When I’m not helping companies flex their web muscle, I enjoy writing. I got my start as a independent blogger here on Smooth Harold. From there I started a few other blogs which later secured professional gigs on larger blogs and traditional websites/magazines. But I’ve been spoiled as a blogger as I’ve never had to deal with editorial overrides until recently. In case you didn’t know, bloggers ARE the editors for virtually every online publication. We decide the headline, angle, tone, image, and word use. It’s rather liberating. :)

I wrote my first “non-blog” article late last year. The editor kept my headline and whatnot, only changing a few words here and there. The changes were very minor and even added some clarity, so I didn’t mind. A few articles later, a different editor at another publication restructured a few sentences of mine after I sent in my final draft. Though I disagreed on a few of his changes, for the most part, I was fine with them. Especially his copy edits to the headline which were better than my original. So it was all good.

Today, however, I sent in an article that was getting published in a few hours. I really liked my tone, word selection, and to an extent, my okay-headline. Shortly after, my editor (read: boss) sent back a radically and controversially angled version. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, and to make matters worse, I disagreed with the new-found premise. His headline was sure to foster more link-bait, but at the expense of what I thought was “a stretch” of a story. I sent back my differing thoughts to which a compromise was made. I then updated my story under his direction adding additional clarification to his edit, and the article went live.

After reading the my piece in published form, I went back and decided that I liked my original piece better with its accompanying angle and tone. In hindsight, I think it would have been better received. The take-away of all this? It’s nice to have your cake and eat it too as an experienced craftsman. Any Smooth Harold readers out there ever experienced the same? I suppose I should have seen this coming, as paying clients always have the last word, despite your creative opinion.

I despise seeing bloggers or sites in-line link using their affiliate codes without disclosure. I don’t mind helping others turn a quick buck on something they really believe in, but recommending without disclosing affiliate participation feels counterfeit. Either physically separate your affiliations from your posts and label them as such, or disclose. The long-term benefits of straightforwardness are far greater and lasting than the the few bucks you may or may not earn from an affiliate link. A quick roll over is all it takes to get busted, so link responsibly. I promise you’ll earn just as much if not more by disclosing your affiliates when linking. Believe it or not.

Here’s an easy, if not cheap, content strategy to drive copious amounts of traffic to your website or blog really fast. No mischievous cats needed.

1. Wait for a hot, buzz-worthy product or service to take over the internets, like a new iPod, Twitter, etc.
2. Post a listicle on 5-10 reasons why the newly released product sucks. Objectivity is optional.
3. Watch the traffic roll in if your Digg copy is well written and/or if you get picked up by niche sites covering the product in question.

Don’t confuse my simpleton post with sarcasm; this is guaranteed to work, I promise. In this case, you’re banking on human nature alone, tabloid-style. It will work every time assuming you’re first to market with a well-written post, however subjective. This applies to any product or service that gains easy notoriety on the web.

Easy. They call your posts, “blogs.” I got an email the other day from a really nice, uninitiated guy that said, “I really like your blogs,” referring to my posts on a single blog. I’ve heard this several times before and can’t think of a time where the person using the inaccurate phrase wasn’t new to blogging. Generally speaking a log, or web log, is a single entity with several entries, though I suppose each entry could technically be called a “log” or “blog.” But for the sake of convention, they’re called blog posts, not “blogs.” Not trying to call out those new to the superior form of information exchange because I think it’s fine, it’s just a funny use case for the word “posts.” (Tries to think of newbie phrases that I use on occasion…)

Smooth Harold is about to break its 600 post in just under two years since its inception. Small fry compared to most. But that’s not the point of this post. My point is that out of that group of 600 articles (some short, some long, some funny, some serious, some just links), could some posts effectively be repurposed and republished to the homepage (in their original form) to the value of current readers without alienating long-time readers? I think so (if and only if the original content is that endearing).

Here’s how it could work. Bloggers would scour their favorite, most commented, most viewed posts from their archives and resyndicate them to their own homepage just like several TV shows resyndicate their content in its original form. I believe TV shows are the only medium that does this, but if in moderation, I think it could work for non-ephemeral blog posts. That may be a bit presumptuous of me to think my content is that prolific, long-lasting, or worthy of republishing, but I think I have a good 10 or 15 pieces lying around that I could repurpose to good reception. What say ye, oh wise readers? Can resyndicated blog content work?

In addition to blogging for myself, on various side projects, and for Weblogs Inc, I’m going to start blogging for Om Malik this week on his GigaOm Network, specifically GigaGamez which covers the business of video games principally stocks, trends, etc. I’m excited to start working alongside Om and his team in San Francisco, and if you haven’t already noticed, I really like blogging. It’s like my second favorite (now perhaps favorite) thing to do online. It also lends itself well to the other various web projects I’m engaged in on a given day as a consultant.

And for any interested, you can check out my latest article at Next-Generation examing user-generated game content. It might be a bit boring for some, but I really feel this is going to be a big, big space. Everyone and their dog is trying to be the next YouTube, no matter where the conversion is taking place.

PC World has compiled a list of whom they believe to be the 50 most important individuals on the internet. The Google boys take the top spot with all that power they yield, Steve Jobs takes the number 2 spot with all that influence he yields (however warranted), and BitTorrent founder Bram Cohen rounds out the top three. A slew of A-list bloggers also made the list. Check it.

Utah Business, which is generally a pretty poopsky magazine with very trite articles, has a nice little read on the key benefits of blogging. They dub keeping tabs on what’s going on in your space by reading blogs as the first benefit of blogs and the marketing power via publishing a blog. Here’s a nice blogging for dummies description from the article: “A corporate blog can enhance a company’s brand, build thought leadership, deepen customer relationships by promoting conversations and put forth a human face to a large organization. A blog also provides fresh web content, which gives you more online visibility, attracts search engines and drives more traffic.”

My only beef; if you decide to publish a company blog, don’t call it a “corporate blog.” Just call it a blog. Personable. Authentic. Sans spin. No direct selling. Blogging: taking the corporate out of companies since 1999. I should trademark that.

Over the last two years, blogging (and social sites in general) have been big sellers for Griffio. The short answer is because they work in boosting exposure, influence, and opportunities. But sadly, the blog drop-out rate is ridiculous. I’ve heard as little as 1% of all newly created blogs continue publishing after only a short while. To counter that futile fate, here are (5) guidelines for building a successful blog should you decide to start one: (more…)