The term syndication has a variety of meanings depending on who you ask. For example, Newstex provides licensed blog syndication as part of its package of Authoritative Content offerings to professionals and influencers.

But what does licensed blog syndication mean, and how can it help bloggers? What makes it different from other kinds of syndication?

A new FREE ebook from Newstex, The Truth about Blog Syndication, makes sense of all the myths, confusion, and hearsay about blog syndication.

For example, did you know that there are three primary syndication models and they all affect bloggers differently? The truth of the matter is simple — blog syndication offers a variety of benefits to bloggers, but first you need to understand what those syndication models are and weed through the rumors to get to what’s real.

You can download The Truth about Blog Syndication here. Feel free to share it, tweet it, link to it, blog about it, and talk about it.

The only way that people will really understand the truth about blog syndication is by learning the facts first.

If you have any questions about blog syndication or licensing your blog content for syndication through Newstex, contact Newstex today.

Click to View Free eBook – The Truth about Blog Syndication

The June 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Jeremy Goldkorn of Danwei.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Jeremy Goldkorn who is the founder, editor-in-chief and publisher of Danwei, a blog about media, advertising and urban life in China, where he has lived since 1995.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Jeremy Goldkorn: Danwei is about Chinese media and Internet — industries that I have been working in for more than a decade.

I caught the blogging bug during the SARS panic in China of 2003 when I  noticed that a few blogs were more comprehensive sources of information than the WHO, the Chinese government and media reports about the disease. Soon after the end of the SARS panic, I had figured out how to set up a blog and launched Danwei, initially as a one man show.

Danwei has always been primarily about observing changes in the Chinese media and Internet, and translating noteworthy articles and blog posts by Chinese writers. There are now four of use who work on the site.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Jeremey Goldkorn: We have a mixture of content ranging from daily summaries of important stories in Chinese newspapers to tracking Internet censorship and following the changes in China’s media in terms of business, government regulation and content, political and cultural. We do a lot of translation from Chinese media and Internet writings and use Chinese language and Mainland sources very heavily in our research.

Although we do comment on certain issues, Danwei has never been an opinion blog: the emphasis is always on high quality information. We also produce our own video shows which attract a different group of people from our articles and blog posts.

Essentially, if you follow Danwei, you will stay on top of developments in the Chinese media and Internet, and that is what draws most of our readers.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

Jeremy Goldkorn: Persistance, good writing, and focusing on specialized content area that big media companies are not well positioned to produce.

Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs?

Jeremy Goldkorn:

1. Choose a subject area where you have real expertise, or enough passion to educate yourself into an expert.
2. Do original writing and research, not just commentary on what other bloggers or the media publish.
3. Your personal life is not interesting.  (more…)

In a new study conducted by iVillage, BlogHer, and Compass Partners, eMarketer reports that  53% of U.S. women age 18-77 who use the Internet participated in some form of online social media in March 2009.  Of those women who use social media, 3 out of 4 (75%) use social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.  More than 1 in two (55%) use blogs.   Check out the stats below:

12 million U.S. women (29% of the women who actively used blogs in March 2009) posted to blogs, and 8 million (8%) actually published blogs, while the remaining 22.7 million (54%) read blogs.  Those are some big numbers, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.  In fact, blog usage is taking more and more traffic away from traditional media everyday.  Check out the stats below to see the 1-year change in media usage habits:

So what do all these numbers tell us?  Social media has reshaped the way people share and receive information.  There’s no going back now.  It’s an exciting time to be a member of the blogosphere and online community!

Images: eMarketer

A new video from the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) teaches the basics of copyright in just 7 minutes.  You can watch the video for free and without any kind of registration here. 

The video is very informative and clearly describes useful topics that every blogger and content producer should be aware of such as:

• Permission
• Fair use
• Attribution
• Public domain

However, it does leave out one aspect of copyright law that is important to bloggers and content producers – Creative Commons, which plays such a critical role in the social aspect of the web and the viral component of popular content. 

You can learn about Creative Commons and how it applies to sharing content here or by watching the video below.  Like the copyright video by the CCC, this video is under 7 minutes, but unlike the CCC video, this video has a Creative Commons license attached to it, so I can republish it and share it on the Newstex blog.

Many bloggers publish sponsored reviews on their blogs where they review products for payment or simply in return for being allowed to test drive a product or service.  For years, the practice of writing sponsored reviews has been the subject of debate across the blogosphere.  Sure, it’s nice to get free products and it’s even nicer to get paid to write a review, but doing so can bring negative backlash, most commonly in the form of decreased Google search rankings if bloggers don’t disclose that they’re writing reviews in return for free products or payment (and if they don’t use the “NoFollow” HTML tag in links).

More recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken notice, and according to a post on TechCrunch, the era of publishing sponsored reviews without full disclosure appears to be at its end.  The FTC isn’t trying to put an end to sponsored reviews entirely.  They just want full disclosure, so consumers can make purchasing decisions with all the facts in hand. 

It’s also important to understand that, according to Business Week, the new guidelines that the FTC is creating for release sometime later this year are not laws.  They’re “more guidelines really” – kind of like “the code” in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.  However, they can be used to sue someone in an attempt to enforce the FTC guidelines.  The FTC also points out that advertisers should have some responsiblity for controlling the bloggers that publish sponsored reviews for them to ensure the guidelines are followed.

There are many kinds of sponsored reviews, from the sponsored review sites that don’t always require disclosure such as PayPerPost.com and ReviewMe.com to the slightly more transparent SocialSpark.com or the direct-to-blogger sponsored review where a company contacts a blogger directly with an offer.  Regardless of which method a blogger participates in, the FTC guidelines will still apply.  Bloggers beware.

Image: Flickr

The April 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Mark Evans of Mark Evans Tech.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Mark Evans who is an entrepreneur and social media expert.  Mark currently writes blog content for Mark Evans Tech, Twitterati, and All About Nortel.  You can read more about Mark’s background and experience at the end of this post.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Mark Evans: I started Mark Evans Tech in 2004 while I was a reporter at the National Post newspaper. I had written a column suggesting that blogs were nothing more than online diaries for heart-sick teenagers. Blogware approached me with an offer to see what a blog had to offer. After a short time, I was hooked.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Mark Evans: I try to provide insight and perspective as opposed to piling on to news events. As well, there aren’t a huge number of technology bloggers in Canada.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

Mark Evans: I think my blog has done well for several reasons. One is that I produce a lot of content. I also try to offer insight and comment rather than reporting the news, and I’m pretty good at linking to other blogs and commenting on blogs.

Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs?

Mark Evans: My three tips would be:

1. Be focused on a particular sector or interest.
2. Produce content on a regular (daily) basis.
3. Using a variety of tools (StumbleUpon, Reddit, del.icio.us, Feedburner, etc.) to promote and distribute your content. (more…)

When General Mills came to the realization that bloggers are powerful, they decided to make that influence and reach work for them.  The company started MyBlogSpark and recruited over 900 bloggers (80% of them mothers – a coveted marketing demographic with strong buying power) to become members. 

The concept of MyBlogSpark is simple — bloggers sign up for free membership, and in return, they receive free products, coupons, samples, and so on from General Mills.  They are asked to write about the items they receive on their blogs.  Participants are not compensated in any other way, and while General Mills claims they want to be transparent (according to an article from AdWeek), bloggers are not required to mention that the items they review were provided to them courtesy of General Mills.  Bloggers are also not required to write positive reviews, although they are asked to contact the company if there is an item that they feel they can’t write a positive review about (supposedly so the issue or concern can be rectified).  So far, just about all the reviews written have been positive.

MyBlogSpark is just another example of large corporations finally realizing how powerful bloggers’ voices are.  The combined audience of the 900+ blogs included in the MyBlogSpark community is over 8 million.  It’s not surprising that companies are leveraging that power. 

It’s also another example of how licensed blog syndication through a company like Newstex can help bloggers get in front of corporate influencers who just might call on them to participate in an interesting or unique initiative such as MyBlogSpark.  Since many corporate professionals can access content via Blogs On Demand through their corporate libraries or researchers alongside content from well-known and highly respected media organizations, they’re realizing more and more that the shift from traditional media to user-generated content continues to grow in influence and reach.

The April 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Patrick Duffy of The Housing Chronicles Blog.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Patrick Duffy who is Principal of MetroIntelligence Real Estate Advisors, a division of Beacon Economics, author of The Housing Chronicles Blog, contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s Developments Blog, and contributing editor of Builder & Developer magazine.  You can read more about Patrick’s background and experience at the end of this post.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Patrick Duffy: I started my blog in November of 2007 after noticing that almost all of the housing blogs online were focused only on the housing bubble as well as to promote my company, MetroIntelligence Real Estate Advisors.  Many didn’t even pretend to be objective, only focusing on the bad news that would help the authors substantiate their theory that the housing market was certainly doomed.  Since I wanted to create a blog for the long term, I specifically avoided any reference to a housing ‘bubble’ or ‘crisis,’ and instead chose the very generic term ‘Housing Chronicles.’  Over time, I’ve expanded it to include coverage not just on housing, but also on commercial development.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

I write my blog from the perspective of a consultant to the building industry for over 20 years who has already been through one of these boom-and-bust cycles.  My regular reading list is pretty comprehensive, including most major newspapers and a variety of magazine titles related to current events, politics, general business as well as real estate development.

Since time is in such short supply these days, I like to share stories with my readers that I find interesting and that could impact the business of real estate.  Consequently, you’ll find citations from published articles ranging from the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times to The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Builder magazine.  In addition, I also reprint original articles that I write for industry-related magazines such as Builder & Developer or Hardware Retailing and link to other articles and book reviews I’ve had published for Inman News or the Los Angeles Times.
 
Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

I think any successful blog requires regular updates in order to keep readers coming back, but that’s not necessarily easy to do when other deadlines are constantly looming, so being committed is key.  I’ve also benefitted from reciprocal links to other housing blogs which already had fairly large built-in audiences, as well as from those which continue to grow in popularity.  There’s a definite sense of community among most bloggers, and the best of them will help each other out with advice, citations and appropriate links.  Finally, I know I benefit from syndication deals with companies such as Newstex, which place my blog posts on places such as Lexis Nexis and the Amazon Kindle, which would otherwise be unavailable to me. (more…)

Micrblogging with Twitter is not just a fad – it’s a global phenomenon.  A study by Forrester released in March reports that between February 2008 and February 2009, Twitter grew by 1,382%  That’s the biggest jump of all member community destinations.  In second place is Zimbio with 240% growth, followed by Facebook with 228% growth. 

To make the story of Twitter’s growth in 2008 even more interesting, consider this — the 1,382% growth rate doesn’t even include the people who visit Twitter through their mobile phones, which is thought to be far in excess of 2 million per month.  That’s a lot of people.

Not convinced yet that Twitter is hot?  Here’s another piece of information from the Forrester report — the average visitor to Twitter visits 14 times per month and spends at least seven minutes on the site reading and tweeting.

What’s next for Twitter?  No one really knows, but one thing is for sure, Twitter is the place to be. 

Did you know you can add your Twitter feed to Newstex NewsTwits and make money from them?  Contact Newstex for details.

Follow Newstex on Twitter.

Time for a new edition of the monthly series called Blogger in the Spotlight where Newtex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview provides a glimpse into the world of political blogging. Newstex spoke with the founder and sole author of Above Average Jane, a blog dedicated to the progressive politics in Pennsylvania, particularly in the greater Philadelphia region. The author is a mother of two who writes anonymously under the pen-name Jane. She has been blogging since November of 2004.

In the days before the Pennsylvania primary in 2008, Above Average Jane featured an in-depth interview with a staffer in the political campaign of Barack Obama. During this interview, Newstex asked Jane about how she landed this interview, what first got her blogging, where blogging is headed and much more.

Newstex: I’m curious how you came up with the title for your blog, Above Average Jane, what inspired that?

Jane: A friend of mine suggested that I might pick up blogging, and I decided to do that, and I decided rather quickly – you know, I was trying to think of a title…and I had an opportunity to meet President Bush a few years ago, before I started blogging, and the reason that I was picked for that is because I was average. I was a just a person off the street basically, and – but if you do things because you’re average, then at some point, you lose you’re average, then at some point you lose your average-ness, if that makes any sense.

Newstex: Kind of like the magic of being unoriginal? Like that?

Jane: Yeah. [she laughs] Something like that…implying that I had no particular credentials, but the fact that I was doing this and there were very few women bloggers at the time.

Newstex: So, you said you got picked for that event because you were an average person. Did you end up meeting with Bush?

Jane: I did meet with him. I actually had a picture taken with him. I did not know if I could bring a camera to this event, so I brought a disposable, and one of the people I ran into was actually someone of some note, and he hadn’t brought a camera, so he asked the President for a picture, and since I had the camera, I got to be in the picture too.

Newstex: So, you started your blog in 2004, and did your blog turn out the way you intended it to, or did it sort of take on a life of its own?

Jane: Well, when I first started out I didn’t necessarily know a lot about local politics. I was interested, but I didn’t really know a lot, and as I went on, I started going out to political events and I started doing email interviews with candidates, and, you know I found some niches that I hadn’t really known were out there. There weren’t that many people writing on state-level politics – state house races, state senate races; unless it was a hotly contested race, it doesn’t really get a lot of press, so that’s an area I could focus on. (more…)