WordPress is a free publishing platform that makes it possible for you to write and publish material online. People are using WordPress to blog about all sorts of topics – to share their thoughts, express their views and opinions to the world, to perform product reviews, and more.

Once a website has been set up, it is very easy to add content and update the content on your own, almost as easily as writing a document in Microsoft Word.

Cal Evans is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Cal is a PHP programmer, blogger and host of The Sixty Second Tech podcast. Cal is no stranger to WordPress and in this episode he discusses all things WordPress and answers many questions you may have.

Here’s a sampling of topics from the show:

• Plugins — are small pieces of code to incorporate specific functions into your blog. Most plugins are relatively simple and easy to use. Some popular plugins are Akismet (spam blocker), Feedburner (RSS feed), Google Sitemaps (sitemap of blog), WP-DB-Backup (data backup), Simple Tags (tagging) and All In One SEO (search engine optimization). This post is incorporating a plugin by the name of Podpress (enables the audio reel underneath this post).

• Just about any web service — has the ability to interact with WordPress and many plugins are available. Flicker, YouTube, Twitter, Del.icio.us and many other services can be easily incorporated right into your blog.

• WordPress can build a site — not just a blog. WordPress then acts as a content management system (CMS) that lets you easily update your website.

• WordPress MU — is the multi-user platform used to setup and run a network of blogs. Use it if you are setting up a lot of blogs. Multiple domains can be controlled using WordPress MU, however, it may be a bit advanced for beginner bloggers.

• WordPress.com or WordPress.org? — The basic difference is hosting. Using WordPress.com the hosting is automatic and you can get it up and running easily and use plugins, themes, etc. When using WordPress.org, you download the WordPress code base itself and from there you can manipulate it to your liking, however, you will need to find your own hosting arrangements.

One of the things that makes WordPress so popular is the open source element and the community of developers that contribute to WordPress on a regular basis by building plugins. themes, etc. WordPress makes websites that are easy to update and which empower their owners.

WordPress is so versatile, that some small business owners use it to create full-blown websites, publish online magazines, and more. You can learn more about WordPress by clicking the red and yellow player below and listening to Cal’s full interview.

Brought to you by our sponsors:

JumpUp.com and Infusionsoft.com

Listen Now:

 WordPress 101: Using Plugins and Themes [29:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (5) | Permalink

Blogging is a useful way to promote your products, services, and build your brand. People are talking, people are typing and conversation is everywhere. Critical information, reactions, and discussion abound. This leaves you with the daily task of figuring out what’s important and sorting through it all. Staying informed is key — and knowledge is power.

Our featured guest in this episode of Small Business Trends Radio is Marc Meyer, Co-Founder of Activeweave, Inc. Marc explains how companies can tap into the blogosphere to stay informed about their competition, market and audience.

Here is a sampling from the show:

• A blog — builds trust. By offering news and expertise regarding your products, services, and your industry. Your individuality counts and being a “stuffed shirt” doesn’t draw attention. It’s character and flair that are interesting and your personality is a reflection of your brand. Do not fear exposing a bit of your “true self” within your blog and your writings. By revealing your individuality, potential customers will begin to build a rapport and trust. They are more likely to conduct business with you.

• Negative comments — on your blog are an opportunity for you to assist your customers and go the extra mile. If someone has used your product or services and commented regarding dissatisfaction or trouble they may have had, this creates an opportunity for you to contact them directly to assist. Many times, those customers will return to your site and “sing your praises.”

• Many tools — are available to you to monitor the response to your blog, products, and competitors. Google Alerts, Google Reader, and Blogrovr are just some of the tools to help you do this by alerting you to content that is related to your interests. Blogrovr will suggest posts from other blogs without you searching for them. It offers convenience by scouring the web and working behind the scenes for you. Write about, and link to, articles on larger sites related to your niche. Place the Blogrovr button on your site and when customers visit the larger sites, it will direct them to your article.

• Staying informed — is crucial to building a successful business. Taking advantage of the tools and services available to you can alleviate the time and effort involved and streamline the process for you. It’s important that you stay on top of the buzz surrounding your products and services so that you can engage current and potential customers and interact within the community in your industry.

Marc has a lot of insights to share with you along with more information regarding the tools that are available to you. To experience Marc’s insights, and tips, click the player below to listen to the full interview. And stay tuned at the end of the program for Today’s Trend: The Broader World Of Social Networking.

Listen Now:

 When Conversation is Everywhere – A Way to Keep Track [53:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (5) | Permalink

Now that there are over 20,000 podcasts available and growing, with some of the fastest growth in more formal business podcasts by corporations attempting to use the tool to evolve relationships with their markets, we podcast listeners are faced with the dilema of locating and choosing quality podcasts to listen to.

To the rescue comes Podnova, a search engine for podcasts with a twist — they transcribe a podcast and use the resulting text as the basis upon which to search for podcasts. This is different from most podcast directories like iTunes and iPodder which use titles and tag descriptions as the basis for finding a particular podcast. With Podnova you can actually search on elements of the content which can shorten the effort to finding content that will serve your needs.

Check it out and be sure to search on Small Business Trends Radio.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (0) | Permalink

According to the blogging service Technorati there are over 25 million blogs in existence today with thousands being added every day.

If you are a small business wondering if blogs are for you and how would you do one effectively, then this is the program for you.

Blogs are different than any previous marketing communications medium that has existed before. Using an authentic voice, writing in first person and coming out from behind the corporate speak are just some of the differences that blogs can bring to you, your customers and your business.

Learn more about this important topic on this Small Business Trends Radio segment as Anita Campbell and Barbara Payne of ReallyGoodFreelanceWriter.com discuss the current trends in blogging and specifically what is the recipe for blogging sucess for small business.

Go here to listen to this information-packed conversation about blogging with Barbara Payne..

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (0) | Permalink

In this Top 10 List of most practical blogs by Scott Allen of About.com we are pleased to announce that two of the top ten, Jeff Cornwall of The Entrepreneurial Mind, and Anthony Cerminaro of BizzBangBuzz have been guests on SMB Trendwire and our very own Anita Campbell made the list for Small Business Trends.

Congratulations to each of them and maybe one day SMB Trendwire will make the list!

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (0) | Permalink

On December 16th, 2004 - Eric Olsen of Blogcritics will be with us to discuss how he runs an internet publishing business with over 650 700 independent authors.

He will be talking about lessons he has learned and how you can learn from similar challenges. Best of all he will be answering your questions.

Oh, and we’re also going to ask Eric about the “wee little pepper.” You don’t want to miss this story, because it illustrates what it’s like to run a bootstrapped media business in the 21st Century.

Date: December 16, 2004
Time: 4:00 PM, Eastern U.S. time
Duration: 45 minutes

UPDATE: You can listen to the archived Conversation with Eric Olsen for free for a limited time. We’ll have also posted Talking Points we put together after the Conversation.

Go here to access the archived broadcast link.

And don’t forget to visit our sponsor for this show, Elegant Webscapes.

Posted by Anita Campbell | Comments (3) | Permalink