While in Manila last week I had the pleasure of chatting with local subscriber Dominique James about his new blog.

Dominique runs a successful professional photography studio. His photos of models and celebrities are visible on billboards in downtown Manila.

I asked him to tell me what his biggest questions or concerns about blogging are. As if on cue, he unleashed the following string of questions. They're spot on - exactly what anyone launching a business blog should be asking...

What's a blog? Have I totally lost you? Here are some links to articles with good explanations of what a Weblog or blog is: Top 20 definitions of blogging 5 key questions about business blogs RSS vs. email: is email dead? Lots of resource links at the end of this article. 5 tips for a "useful resource" blog

Key blogging questions

- who should blog (the owner of a company or employees as well)?
- what do you blog about?
- what is the cost of continually producing content for your blog?
- what should your blog accomplish?
- how often (when) should you blog?
- how do you get your blog noticed and read if you're not a recognizable brand like Microsoft?
- why do you need a Web site AND a blog (or is a blog a substitute for a site)?
- how do you get traffic to your blog?

I'll be exploring answers to all these questions in upcoming weeks. For today, here's an article by contributing writer (and business blogger) John Jantsch with specific tips on how to get traffic to your blog.

Read the full article on the WHERE of blog traffic...

Take a peek at Dominique James' blog

Effective HTML newsletter design doesn't just put a pretty face on your email. As Roger C. Parker, my guest expert at next week's teleseminar puts it, "If your email messages can't be read because of ineffective design, then they might as well not be sent."

Roger's pet peeve is "no subheads and the text is surrounded by bright, distracting colors."

How does your HTML newsletter measure up? Could you improve it with a few tweaks to your color scheme, layout and presentation of your content?

Join us next Thursday to learn specific design tips you can put to work immediately. We'll critique up to 2 dozen newsletters to uncover HTML newsletter design best practices. You get Roger's mini report, The 6 Essentials of Newsletter Success, as part of your registration fee.

Learn more and register today
www.wordbizstore.com/rogercparker.html

Prefer to register by phone? Call Donna at 919.975.1705 Eastern.

You know that wobbly feeling you have when you're recovering from the flu? I've got it... I feel I owe you an apology. First I disappear for a couple of weeks. Then I return from Burma, Thailand and the Philippines with an addled, flu-ridden brain.

This too shall pass (I hope). In the meantime, a special welcome to the many new subscribers to WordBiz Report. And a warm hello to all you stalwart readers. As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Email me at debbie.weil@gmail.com.

Best regards,