How to Promote and Market a Website or Blog

There are more and more of us every day posting content to the Web in one way or another. It may be in the form of a Blog such as this, it may be a personal website, it may be to a commercial website which we administer on behalf of our employer. Whichever the case may be, the fact is that so few of such postings are properly promoted or marketed.

When we post to a Blog or update a website, we tend to think, "Job done," and move on to something else. Nothing could be further from the truth - the job is barely started, never mind finished.

The whole point of putting something online is that we wish others to see it, read it and possibly even buy it. In order for this to happen, we therefore have to maximise the likelihood of appropriate visitors landing upon our page. This is where promotion and marketing comes in to play. Click on the link below for a wealth of great advice on this subject - and watch your traffic soar!

How to Promote a Website

The Old Firm and the SPL

What would happen to Scottish football if the Old Firm were to join the proposed Atlantic League or the English Premiership? Could it survive?

I believe that the SPL would survive the departure of the Old Firm but certainly not in its present state. Quite simply, it is the Old Firm who generate the TV and advertising revenue. There is no getting away from it. With the big two gone, the interest on a wider scale would simply not be present.

What would Happen if the Old Firm let the SPL?

Political Correctness Gone Insane in Scotland

Incredibly, measures are afoot in Scotland to ban the party favourite, The Hokey Cokey, as being religiously bigoted against Roman Cathiolics! Have you ever heard such nonsense? Read the full story by clicking on the link below:

The Great Hokey Cokey Scandal

The Truth About William Wallace

I am sure most people are familiar with the name of William Wallace, in many cases chiefly through the portrayal of him by Mel Gibson in the thoroughly entertaining 1995 movie, "Braveheart." But what are the facts behind the fiction? Do we accept the movie version of the events surrounding William Wallace and his freedom struggle for Scotland as being the precise way in which events occured?

I, for one, do not - however much I enjoyed the movie!

I therefore did some reading, some pretty painstaking at times research, and came up with what I believe to be a fairly accurate interpretation of what William Wallace was trying to achieve and how he went about it. No one can ever claim that he was a saint, as Wallace himself did some pretty terrible things, but I hope that my portrayal of him shows that he did those things for a reason and his ultimate objectives were worth fighting for.

Below is the link to my version of the life and times of William Wallace, Braveheart...

William Wallace, Braveheart

The Best Christmas Tree in the World

While doing some research for an article yesterday I found myself browsing a number of sites looking at the type of Christmas trees available this year and how much they are selling for. I came across one particular tree and couldn't believe how stunning it was. I have since labelled it the best Christmas tree in the world and am including a link below to a site containing lots more information about it. I hope you will have a look and let me know if you agree with me!

The Best Christmas Tree in the World

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by JK Rowling

I have been reading a lot over the course of the past few days about the forthcoming and eagerly anticipated release of The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling on December 4th 2008. I must admit that I knew very little about it so I decided to do a little bit of research and see if I could discover what all the fuss is about.

I discovered that The Tales of Beedle the Bard is (or was!) a mythical collection of five short stories, first referred to in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final novel in the Harry Potter series. The tales are designed for children and tell of different aspects of wizardry, but each one also contains a special message and details of a life lesson to be learned. There were originally seven copies of the book written by hand by JK Rowling and issued in December 2007, six for friends of hers and one to be auctioned for charity. The decision was later taken however to make the book more widely available in conventional published form.

Click on the link below for a more in-depth analysis and preview of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a sure-fire bestseller this Christmas and beyond:

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Online World and Traditional Books

Have you ever wondered how the Internet will affect traditional paper books in the long term and for how much longer we are still likely to be able to buy and read same? I have read a number of articles on this subject, both online and in print, and opinions certainly seem to vary.

My own personal opinion is that traditional books are safe from the encroachment of e-books for the foreseeable future. After all, when did you last curl up in bed or on the settee with a "good computer?" There is something essentially comforting about cuddling up with a good book. It is a form of escapism, of relaxation, that the online or virtual world cannot (yet!) offer us.

This of course does not mean to say that I see no place for e-books. They are of course extremely useful for such as reference purposes and remove the need for us to visit a shop to make a purchase or pay postage costs. They are downloadable straight to our pc at a click or two and in the space of a few minutes.

In summary, I think there is a place for both traditional publishers and electronic publishers to work side by side, meeting the different needs of society and individuals.

The last book I read was, "Jack and Jill," by James Patterson. It is one of the best books I have read in a long while and I literally couldn't put it down! Click here to find out more about the plot and how you can get your hands on a bargain copy!