Robyn-Dale Samuda, Author at The Blog Herald

How Bloggers Can Better Organize Activities & Targets by Using a Dashboard Tool

October 30, 2014 by Robyn-Dale Samuda

A blogger’s ability to visualize targets, plot action plans and execute on tasks that matter most will lay the foundation for success in all ventures. Many are oftentimes distracted by an abundance of tools, tactics and ideas that promise whether it’s high traffic, more signups or better conversions. Beginners especially, fall into the trap of trying everything under the sun that seems to offer some value for blog growth. The reality is, however, that it’s part of the growth process and without experimentation we won’t discover what works and is most suitable for our niche and ventures. Therefore, organization is key and spending time digesting and acting only on the most relevant data while investing time and effort on proven tactics are what will guarantee fruitful success.

With the torrent of data, tools and blog growth formulas out there it’s very easy for the average blogger to get bogged down and experience burnout as plans at the end of the day amount to zero. There needs to be a way to spend more time doing meaningful work and less time trying to figure things out. The starting point for achieving this will be learning how to use the data we acquire about our audience and niches efficiently; organizing and maximizing our days for best results. Dashboard tools are excellent for helping practically any practitioner make sense of their world. Here’s how: [Read more…]

The Best Content Marketing Strategies Bloggers Should Focus on in 2014 & Beyond

October 24, 2014 by Robyn-Dale Samuda

This is a great year for content marketing as more bloggers and brands begin to truly understand its value as well as the quality and creativity required to make it work and engage and entertain audiences. Major brands like Chipotle and Microsoft are raising the bar for what passes as marketing and branded content while bloggers like Pat Flynn and Neil Patel also prove the real meaning of quality content and responsive community management. While “content marketing” may seem to be a new concept to many, it has actually been around for more than a decade. Certainly the most basic form of content marketing began as merely blogging and anyone a decade ago with a consistent flow of content stood a chance of making it big. However, now with the barrier to entry practically eliminated, almost anyone with an internet connection can start pushing content for the world to consume; on the basis of fun or for profit.

With this explosion of volume in content being both produced and promoted, the web has gotten very noisy and average content for the most part is being ignored. Bloggers and other content producers will need to step their game up, recognizing and employing what’s proven to work along with a little tenacity to push the limits and status quo and try something new. [Read more…]

Want an Insanely Successful Blog? Perfect Your Process, Focus Less on the End Goal

October 16, 2014 by Robyn-Dale Samuda

Firstly, I know the headline seems counterproductive but there’s great truth to fact that many of us have been fighting for success with the wrong attitude and game plan. There’s tons of literature online regarding visualizing your objectives and end goals and always keeping a positive attitude about whatever it is we hope to achieve. Negativity destroys dreams and every negative thought we entertain from within ourselves and the people around us, subtracts something from our progress. We’ve got to stay focused and keep the dream in sight, whether it’s acquiring that million dollar mansion, launching the next Facebook or building a high earning and insanely popular blog. While positive thinking and maintaining an optimistic attitude to whatever we’re doing has great merit, there’s a vital set of instructions missing from the practical application of goal setting and achievement.

Though many through being positive and focused have indeed achieved massive goals, there is an even greater number of us who are still struggling and will continue to struggle until we change our game plan. Blogger burnout, depression, hopelessness and frustration can be a thing of the past if we change our attitude towards the small steps we must take on our journey to success. Indeed, the cliche, “it’s not winning that counts, it’s the journey” will have more meaning to you after reading and executing this. [Read more…]

5 Essential Collaboration Tools Bloggers Can Use to Grow Their Community

September 25, 2014 by Robyn-Dale Samuda

Outreach, relationship and community building are vital parts of growing any audience, online or off, for profit or hobby. To evoke any response from visitors to your site or consumers you have to be able to serve, prove trustworthiness and provide value at all stages of a lasting relationship. That is why collaboration is so powerful and social networks, for the most part, have been so successful because their functions rely on what drives human beings to action; building relationships. A majority of the most successful blogs and businesses in the current new media age have one thing in common and that’s a focus on serving their community while embracing and collaborating with peers to increase the value of their content within their niche. An approach focused solely on self gain won’t last for the long run since relationships are not built by taking but giving.

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How to Protect Your Blog From an Advanced DDoS Attack

September 18, 2014 by Robyn-Dale Samuda

Although it’s pretty much unlikely that any high profile hacktivists are going to be targeting your website via a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack anytime soon, that’s not necessarily grounds for sitting back relaxed and complacent without a backup / protection plan. DDoS attacks are becoming more prevalent and much easier to execute thanks improvement in technology, bandwidth and accessibility to tools and information on how to do it. We continue to see big brands like Sony get brought down momentarily by these attacks, and even the CIA’s website suffered this pain in 2012. It’s a serious threat.

For clarification, DDoS attacks happen through an overpowering of numerous computers, usually through the use of bots, that continuously send traffic to an IP address or website. As simple as this might seem, the effects can be brutal to a website. What’s worse is that the typical common security protocols that are set up to defend against hacking and intrusion just don’t work against DDoS attacks and taking matters into your own hands, whether it’s through WordPress security plugins or code tweaks and improvements are not sufficient. [Read more…]