The new year has come with plenty of blogger news most of it has been really good but let's get the bad news out of the way first.
Blogger news from Intense Debate for all CommentLuv members
Much to the surprise and shock of many bloggers using the Intense Debate commenting system, their CommentLuv plugin stopped working. According to the announcement on the Intense Debate blog titled CommentLuv Plugin Upgrade here is a little work around to help get you through the crisis:
Update 1-28-11: You can add a URL field for Guest commenters in the comment form by enabling the option in your Comment Settings. Make sure you disable CommentLuv in your Plugins page to ensure that the URL field shows up properly. We will have this updated and back in action soon! We appreciate your patience.
This outage impacts those using WordPress and Blogger and all of the CommentLuv members that leave comments on their blogs. As a CommentLuv Ambassador, it's my job to keep an eye on this issue and let you know when it's resolved. For now, let's move on to some good news.
UPDATE FROM INTENSE DEBATE: Update 1-31-11: Upgrade complete! If you were running CommentLuv on your blog, then the plugin will automatically be reactivated. Thanks for your patience!
Blogger News in guest posting
I am delighted to see Kiesha from WeBlogBetter doing some fantastic guest posts already this year. The first appearance was on Ana Hoffman's blog (you remember Ana from my post Video Blogging Women on the rise). The guest post is titled 7 Tips for Twitting Links that Get Clicked. Kiesha started getting into video blogging herself, and after watching her tutorial on DIY Themes called How To Create Eye-Catching Images with Microsoft PowerPoint I'm sure you'll agree that she is the next video blogging woman on the rise. I can't wait to see more awesome video tutorials and guest posts coming from Kiesha.
Devesh from Technshare and Blokube fame wrote a stellar post that was featured on ProBlogger.net and I love this title: Social Media … or Social Blogmarking I think Devesh has coined a new phrase with the term blogmarking and here's the definition:
Blogmarking is the process of you bookmarking your blog post on a blog bookmarking site. Blogmarking can also be referred to as blog bookmarking.
In the post Devesh (who also runs Wpkube) lays out the pros and cons of using social media like Facebook vs. blogmarking sites like Blokube, Blog Engage, BizSugar and more.
While we're on the subject of blogmarking, Gail Gardner from GrowMap hosted BizSugar's community manager Shawn Hessinger for the post Small Business: 6 Resources on the web for SMBs. Gail is also featured in a post on Adotas called The Google Guillotine. Both articles are of utmost importance for those of you who are blogging for your online business.
My guest post for this month is a entry in the first ever personal finance blogging contest being held on the Credit Cards Canada blog. If you get a chance, stop by my entry and leave a comment or share the link on your favorite social media or blogmarking site 5 Golden Rules of Money Management: A how-to guide for passing the financial torch. You can also check out the list of contest sponsors and prizes.
Blogger news for Blog Engage and BizChickBlogs
I previously shared with you how Brian from Blog Engage introduced the RSS Syndication program. Now, for any blogger that is wondering if this program works, we get proof positive from Dragon Blogger in Earning Money With BlogEngage Syndication, when he shares his Blog Engage Adsense earnings and traffic reports with us. Brian sweetened the deal by including article submission to Blog Serp (sister site to Blog Engage) with the RSS Syndication package and by offering members more earnings by joining the Affiliate Lights program. I love this program and I made my first comission in under 48 hours after joining.
The 2011 bizchickblogs.com will have a new logo (below), new site layout, and a whole new approach….We’re already working with bloggers in food, travel, and technology, and we’re looking for style bloggers and more food, travel, relationships and family, and some social media bloggers who would like to contribute content to the site.
Tia is also syndicating content for certain categories so if you're looking for a great way to get exposure and you think you have what it takes, get in touch with Tia and join BizChickBlogs!
What's your blogger news?
What have you done so far this year that was newsworthy? Share your fantastic blogger news by leaving a comment with the details and I'll be sure to Retweet the good stuff!
Awesome “roundup” (news) Ileane. I mostly read all of the “good” news you provided above and I totally agree that Kiesha is one “video star” to be looking at. I saw her video tutorial on DIY Themes and it was really great, so great I started to do some work myself. Thanks!
DiTesco, I’m really looking forward to seeing a video tutorial from you. You will really boost your blogging to another level with that added to your portfolio. Let me know and I’ll be sure to support your efforts. Thanks DiTesco!
Thanks, DiTesco!
You’re making me blush! 😀 I’ve got another one coming up in another week or so, I’m hoping it goes just as well. I’m glad that post was useful to you. 😀
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Hi Ileane,
Thanks for sharing the round up with us.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
RB
Hi Ryan, thank for the visit. Talk to you soon!
I appreciate the shout out, Ileane! It’s also great to see such high-quality, helpful guest posts out there.
Looks like bloggers “getting around” is the new name of the game. I love it!
Thanks again,
Tia
Hey Tia, you’ve done a fantastic job with moving BizChickBlogs in the path towards a very successful future. I’d love to have you guest post here one day. Is it alright if I send you an invite? Let me know. Thanks!
Fantastic news roundup and I have watched many of my blogging peers listed grow and expand their blogging enterprises over the past year.
Justin, you have always been a leader in the blogosphere and one of the reasons I’m so grateful to Blog Engage is for meeting exceptional bloggers like yourself. Hope I can get in on the next Random Twitter poem, I think I missed it for a couple of weeks. Thanks for the comment Justin!
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Hi Ileane! I just saw the update from the official Intensedebate blog site dated 1-28-2011.
I tried it but it didn’t work at all. It still didn’t show a URL/website field where commenters can leave their links. I guess the problem now lies in their statement here:
“Make sure you disable CommentLuv in your Plugins page to ensure that the URL field shows up properly.”
You see, I can’t even “disable” the commentluv plugin — it had disappeared from the listing, the very minute Intensedebate deactivated the plugin.
I tried to leave a comment on that very blog and article. I thought that it was posted because it said so. So I right-clicked on my comment to get the proper link. But after tweeting about it and tested the link, the comment is gone. Tried to re-compose, then they cut it short. So I just deleted my comment all together. 🙁
I really hope that Intensedebate will be able to solve their commentluv plugin issues soon. I hope too that they give updates from time to time, to show that they value their users. I also heard from other bloggers that they might just “transfer to another service”. It’s so sad! 🙁
Mia, I’m sorry to hear that Intense Debate is causing such headache when you leave a comment on their blog. It not good for business. I hope things are resolved soon so that the comment section on your blog will continue to reward your readers with CommentLuv. Thanks for giving me all of this feedback.
On another note, have you considered joining Tia’s BizChickBlogs network? It would be perfect for you and you can syndicate content there in the relationships and family category as well. One of Tia’s goals is to make sure her contributors are active and responsive to comments – that sounds like you all the way. Let’s chat again soon Mia.
Hi Ileane,
Great package of links, a lot of them are extremely important and interesant. You sure did a great job by bringing together all these useful links for your readers! Thank you very much for sharing this article! Congratulations for your guest posts at creditscanada, you always do a great job!
Best regards,
Maria
Hey Maria, thanks for your kind words. You are starting to become one of my favorite commenters 🙂
Wow, I am very honoured, thank you very much for these extremely kind words!
Ileane: Agree with Maria on this one. I’ve started reading your blog recently and it’s really helped me look at my blog in a different light, in regards to how I manage and market my blog. Thanks!
So that’s why CommentLuv keeps saying “no blog posts to return”, huh? But what’s interesting about that is that it will display a single post title in the CL field if I put in one of my post address urls instead of my blog main page url in the Website field 😕
And I definitely agree with you about Devesh’s guest post on problogger. It was a good pro versus con type of post and plus I found a new tactic to post about, “BLOGMARKING”!
Now I’m off to see what Tia’s got going on..
Will, the CommentLuv problem only applies to any blog using the Intense Debate plugin, but it sounds like you are having a different issue. When you comment a lot there are times you will need to go to the CommmentLuv site and Unban your URL. Take a look at the link I just shared and let me know if I’m the one that’s confused. For example, if you are seeing that message here on this blog – since I don’t use Intense Debate – then you will need to Unban your URL from Comluv.com
Let me know!
Well I tried the unbanning method but my url was never banned so I simply deleted my blog feed url then re added it and everything works again ..
Caleb, there must have been a glitch, so I’m glad it’s smooth sailing now for you on CommentLuv. Thanks for the update.
This year is special because in my country – Vietnam, A lot of bloggers have switched to make english blog and have a plan to make money with them
Hi Pumana, I’m sure it takes a lot of determination to blog in a second language. Keep up the great work. Cheers!
Hey Ileane,
I actually read the guest post that Kiesha did on Ana Hoffman’s blog and I thought it was great. She highlighted some great tips in that post, especially the tip to move the “RT @mention” to the end of the tweet to get more attention to the link and content.
Sadly, I haven’t done anything so far this year that I would consider newsworthy but after reading this post I’m a little more motivated to start making things happen. Thanks a lot for sharing Ileane.
Hi John!
I’m glad you found some useful tips in my guest post – that’s one of my favorite tips you’ve highlight here 😀
No worries, John, the year is still young, you’ve got nothing but more opportunities for greatness ahead of you! 🙂
Ileane, you definitely have the reporter’s style! This round-up is timely, juicy and relevant. Great job!
What do you see happening to Disqus and IntenseDebate down the line? These barriers to commentary certainly don’t need any additional drama. I’m curious, didn’t IntenseDebate have to do something to allow its members to use CommentLuv? Or am I getting that mixed up with the earlier news that Blogger.com users recently gained the capability to use CommentLuv???
I should have blogmarked your post on the subject. LOL
Cheers,
Mitch
Hi Mitch, I found Disqus to be very annoying!! The comment box is so small and it doesn’t play nicely with everyone’s theme. For folks like us that like to leave long comments it can be a real pain in the neck.
Intense Debate has it’s downside too and for anyone using WordPress I say ditch both of them and use the native WordPress commenting system along with these plugins: CommentLuv, Subscribe to Comments, and Twitter Link Comments. Oh and let’s not forget GASP!!
There is one other alternative that I’ve been hearing good things about from Joe Hackman and Danny Brown and that’s LiveFyre. It works with Tumblr and Typepad also.
As far as Intense Debate is concerned I did hear from Andy at CommentLuv and I quote “so many requests were being sent to my server that it crashed! it may come back”…
Ha! You sure don’t bite your tongue. But, I agree. I think folks are missing out. I tried coComment a few years ago and got rid of it quickly.
I’m going to stick with the tried and true.
Thanks for the update!
Cheers,
Mitch
Lot’s of great information in this mashup, Ileane.
This little hiccup from IntenseDebate reminds me how grateful I am that I dropped third party commenting systems last year. I still miss their bells and whistles, but not their hangups.
Kiesha has started 2011 with a bang when it comes to guest posts, hasn’t she? If you’ll allow a shameless plug, Kiesha will be guest posting on my blog tomorrow. Her topic: 4 Ways to Inspire Others with Your Blog.
Thanks for putting together this post. I know how hard it is to make them.
Hey Brad, please some back and post the link to Kiesha guest post when it’s ready. I just checked and I guess I’m too early. Thanks Brad!
It’s up now. You must have just missed it.
The link is on my CommentLuv below.
Great. I’m checking it out now. Also following Big Feet Marketing on Digg now too. Have a great day.
Hi Brad!
Thanks for the shameless plug and for allowing me guest post on your blog. I really appreciate the opportunity! 😀
For those of you who are subscribed to comments on this post – I have good news! Intense Debate has restored CommentLuv. Here’s the official word from them:
Update 1-31-11: Upgrade complete! If you were running CommentLuv on your blog, then the plugin will automatically be reactivated. Thanks for your patience!
Hi Ileane,
That’s a lot of great news. Glad to hear everyone is taking advantage of guest posting. I haven’t done very much of it, but plan to after I release my first service in a couple of months. Which is also my BIG NEWS. 🙂 I just hope the guys to a good job coding it up! Have a great day!
Hey Wes, nice of you to return the visit! I’d love to hear more about your upcoming project. It’s a great idea to outsource that type of coding work if you can afford it. Keep me posted when you launch. Thanks for the comment Wesley.
Awesome Roundup of the Blogosphere, Ms.Ileane. I am glad that ID fixed the commentluv issue (they have been inactive for a long time – I mean we had no updates from the team since August).
Note : I am planning to write another post for your site (I had planned it in December, but due to busy studies and other stuff, I couldn’t really fit this in. I hope I can do it this month.
Note : Is there any good templates out there (I need a WP theme, my current theme has some issues)(Free or premium – under $30 would be great). Thanks !
Jeevan, the theme I’m using is Magazine Premium, however you might want to look into Elegant Themes, and the price is $40 but with so many different themes to choose from it will be well worth it. I’d love to see a second guest post from you, looking forward to it.
Ileane,
You are just flat out awesome! Thanks for the kind mention! I’ve been doing my best to get around and guest post as much as possible. In fact, I mentioned you in another guest post that just got published today on SocialMouths.com. 🙂 I’ve also done some guest posts at problogger and diythemes this year – I’m hitting it as hard as I can this year. So far, it’s paying off.
Thanks again, you’re one of the kindest, sweetest bloggers I know.
Kiesha, it has been a incredible ride hasn’t it? I remember visiting your first blog and seeing you in the comment section of Lisa’s blog. We were like two teenagers passing each other in the hallways back in high school. Now look at us – I mean you! Once Lisa featured WeBlogBetter in a case study on her blog, I knew there was no turning back. And I absolutely love, love, love that you’re doing video blogging now. What’s next for you girl, please give me the scoop!
Now you’ve got me giggling like a teenage girl 😀 In another week or so, I plan on creating another tutorial video for DIYThemes. I’ll keep you posted as soon as I get the juicy publish date details 🙂
Definitely some good news. Things for me to look into and money to be earned, thanks!
The upfront news on my end is the restart of my monthly comment/tweet contests. We’re off to a good start with some real nifty prizes for February, only to get better as the months progress. 🙂
Dennis, I’m glad your comment/tweet contest is underway. I’m looking forward to sponsoring! I’ll be checking in on the blog soon too.
Lookin’ forward to seein’ ya more often! 🙂
Unfortunately I can brag about nothing. I din’t start a new project yet, thought I planned a couple of new projects for this year. Hope they’ll turn out eventually…
So much goes into the blogosphere every month, nice to see a summary of it here. Firstly, i think this is my first visit on your blog, i still remember your old blogger and wordpress blogs that you maintained in the past. Good to see you on a domain.
Just one suggestion, i see that your read-more links on the homepage ends with a #more-3586 link. You can try a better-read-more wordpress plugin to make those links friendly.
I read about the bizchickblogs on evelyn’s blog, good to see the changes. though why syndication of content, why not unique content all the way?
Hey Uttoran Sen – welcome to Basic Blog Tips! Great to see you and thanks for the awesome advice. Do you have a plugin you can suggest? I appreciate the tip.
am using this plugin for my blogs:
http://nslog.com/plugins/betterwpreadmore
regards,
Uttoran Sen,
You are going a great job buddy. Came to know some hots news on blogosphere! 😉
Hello Pradeep, thank you!
nice article Ileane. I totally agree that Kiesha is one “web-video star” to be looking at. the video tutorial on DIY Themes was awesome, thx
Bizchickblogs? Really? If my wife saw that (she is the MD of a company of 60 people) she would put her monitor through the window!
Jason, welcome to Basic Blog Tips (I think….). I’m not at all sure what you mean by this comment, but I’ll approve it based on you coming back to explain in more detail. Why would your wife put her monitor through the window? That’s sounds bizarre.
I really enjoyed reading your blog here. I like the demo on how to use the commentluv plugins properly. I will try this one in any blog that has commentluv running.
Hi Misa, which video for CommentLuv are you referring to. I have so many 🙂
It’s great when you can see all the news you want to see on one place, thanks for bringing all this together it really means a lot. Wonder what happened with the whole commentLuv thing, was it as problem with wordpress or something. Anyway great site and I hope you’ll make a lot more.
I really like the “blogmarking” expression. I’m going to use that one!
Commentluv trained comments that can give importance in the field of blogs. It shows the possible actions of comments in the society. Great things that it exist to avoid inequality and injustice.