There have been many changes that have taken place with search engines; how websites/blogs are viewed and ranked. There were a lot people panicked over the Panda update that hit article directory sites hard. While guest blogging is nothing new, it was around the time of the Panda updates that guest blogging really started to take off.

Guest blogging is popular and continues to grow even more so because everyone wins!

• The Guest Blogger wins by gaining exposure to a new audience and with SEO benefits generated by an anchor link placed in the author bio or byline area.
• The Host Blogger wins by receiving high quality, fresh, unique content they didn’t have to write or purchase.

Legitimate guest posts, developed for the true concept of “guest blogging” are not promotional; they aren’t written to feature a business, product, or service. The best guest posts contain unique, quality information that fit within the writers industry – they are not (should not be) advertisements!

In accordance with the ‘true concept’ of guest blogging, information about the authors "business" is reserved for the author bio or byline. The advantageous part of guest blogging, for the author, is the author bio where self-promotion is expected and permitted. Authors usually include a link to their website, blog, products, book, etc. If an author is active in social networking, they may include links to their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

If a person or business solicits a blogger and submits a post that’s a flagrant advertisement for their products or services, they should pay advertising fees, and bloggers should not hesitate to negotiate a fee or simply reject the post.

The average rate for promotional blog posts on modest sized blogs is equal to your PageRank multiplied by $5 or $10. Of course there are those A-list and B-list bloggers who command higher fees, and rightfully so – they’ve invested the time, money and energy into establishing their status.

There are many dedicated, hard-working writers that offer quality, unique, well-written content, asking only for a single link in their bio/byline. Sure, you will see those who are trying to manipulate search algorithms by submitting or generating low quality, regurgitated, spun articles they probably purchased from low-paid writers with poor English and grammar skills. Those are easy to spot, even for the rookie blogger – poor quality posts should be rejected without guilt.

Although, I have occasionally asked the writer if I may heavily edit the post to make it presentable – If I see an honest effort, I try not to punish the author, instead I edit the post highlighting the changes and send it back for their review (and for them to learn). I only edit posts when I have time, and try to refrain from making it a habit. Once is a gift, more becomes an unwelcomed chore.

I am an advocate/supporter of guest blogging – syndication and even creating PLR packs. I know, from experience, the real money does not come by simply popping up a blog and just writing.

Would you like to be notified of guest blog opportunities?

I am an OCD, ADHD, multi-tasking freak that doesn’t believe in wasting any amount of time. I am a natural connector and I’d like to help fellow guest blogging friends out.

As I make my rounds through the guest blogging arenas, it takes very little extra effort to pass on opportunities to others. If I’m able to utilize 1/3 of what I read/discover and pass another 1/3 to people I know – I don’t feel as though I’ve wasted 2/3 of my time. I consider it good karma!

If you’d like to be added to my “Alert List” leave a comment and I’ll get in touch.

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(image via Rapportive)

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had issues with my primary email account. I’d suspected my emails were landing in spam folders and going unread. Once confirmed, I decided to make the move to another, more reputable email host/server. Something to keep in mind if you’re considering using an email address through your hosted domain.

Last week I made that move – Gmail it is!

Now I could kick myself for not making the move sooner. The ultra organized side of my personality has enjoyed creating filters and files, making an organized day much easier.

Then I was introduced to Rapportive.

Rapportive is a very cool tool that replaces the ads in your Gmail sidebar with rich contact detail. What that means is when you open an email, Rapportive shows you everything about your contacts right inside your inbox. You have the ability to get to know your contacts better – grow your network and obviously, establish rapport.

You’ll be able to establish a greater rapport by including shared interests or recent tweets of your contact – follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or many other networking sites. You’ll also have the ability to jot quick notes on their profile for your own use at a later time.

If that isn’t enough to impress you, Rapportive gives you the option to use some of your favorite apps including MailChimp, Bantam Life, BookingBug, Brightpearl, CrunchBase and BatchBook

Your Gmail credentials are entirely safe! Rapportive acts as an add-on and is free for Firefox, Safari, Mailplane, and Chrome.

With more women seeking ways to supplement their incomes as well as create their own business opportunities, Divacafe is moving aggressively to become a dominant player in the online sphere of Ladies Networking. At the time of this post, DivaCafe has 8,123 members – that’s phenomenal!

I had the pleasure of engaging in a brief interview with Dede Watson of DivaCafe… Here’s what she had to say:

Q: I’ve observed DivaCafe from a distance for several months now. Obviously something has sparked in you to unleash an amazing power to harness all that is social media. What inspired such force?

A: First, thanks for your very kind observation. I have a lot of passion for what I do. That is the key to really becoming successful with Social Media and I love being a part of it.

Q: Like everyone, I’ve experienced the single-sided aspect of social media. We often hear how important it is to comment, like and tweet to develop relationships, but when little reciprocation is made, it’s difficult to keep momentum. Any advice?

A: The reason that there is little reciprocation is simply a matter of how one communicates. If you are not engaging your audience in a way that evokes a response, you will most likely not  receive much  activity or follows. It is really very simple. I do Social Media Coaching and people see a huge difference in their followings and ability to reach out after one session. Social Media should not be a mystery and should be FUN! If you are not having fun with it, then it is not worth your time. People can see if you are enthusiastic and will respond accordingly.

Momentum is sustainable if you love what you do. I work about 80 plus hours per week so I have to really enjoy it or I would have burned out years ago!

Q: How and why did you get into social media to this degree?

A: To be honest, I never intended to be so involved. I created a dating site and that is a long story !! After someone destroyed it, I had to regroup and decided to create Divacafe.. I didn’t really think that it would go this far. We still have a long way to go, but I think we are getting to a place that I really like. I found that I had the ability to reach out to others and create conversation. I had a very good mentor.

Q: What is the vision you have for DivaCafe?

A: We are attempting to create a Viral Buzz. My goal is for all women to know about Divacafe. We want to be known as the best place for women to network and make friends.  We now have a Mom’s Community, Divacafemoms.com. We are working first on content and quality and the viral aspect will hopefully follow.

Q: What are your favorite social media hangouts? (Please provide links to your accounts)

A: Twitter and Facebook in that order. Other than that, I am mostly on our two sites. I try to tell all my social media clients and site members that spreading yourself too thin will be counter productive.

Additional articles about DivaCafe.com and Dede Watson:

Blogging Like a Diva: Interview with Dede Watson

25 Engaging Women Celebrities of Social Media