Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I agree with Craig. The typical blog format presents content in chronological order. If this site is to be a resource then finding posts/articles relevant to specific subjects is important... and more user friendly.

Typical blog software also provides a way to label posts/articles into categories, with those categories being listed as a menu... as you have on the website.

The trick is to create categories that are more sepcific than general AND not post the same article in multiple categories.

This menu maker plugin (for wordpress) might help. I have not used it.

~Roland

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Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter

Ok, I can agree with that.

Why not post the same article on multiple categories?
I understand that making categories into more specific will help with that but why limit?


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Small Business Lessons - learn from other people`s experience in small business.

Why not post in multiple categories?

Well, think of it this way... you just got a magazine (or book) about subjects in which you are interested. You go to the table of contents (like a website`s menu) and find a chapter or page on "business success", so you go to that page and read.  Next, you go back to the table of contents and find a chapter/page on "day trading"... and you go to that chapter/page and find the exact same content.

~Roland

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Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter

Ok, that`s what I thought could be the only reason but wasn`t sure you meant exactly this. I can see your point.


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Small Business Lessons - learn from other people`s experience in small business.

Also, think about your audience and your intended purpose with the blog. What do you want to accomplish?  Here are a few ways people use blogs:

•  Visibility for your business
•  Getting new customers
•  Providing a resource to a specific target
•  Adding new subscribers to your list
• Providing a place for clients and customers to learn more about you
• Generating lots of traffic to your website from the blog

Etc.  There are so many reasons why people blog.  Start with your goal and then design your blog around the goal.  Continue to communicate a consistent message.  You have a great start with the lessons learned idea. 

Warmly,

Felicia

 

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Felicia J. Slattery, M.A., M.Ad.Ed.
Communication Consultant, Speaker & Coach
Want more business?
Discover how you can Increase Business by Communicating Your Credibility. FREE e-course at: http://www.communicationtransformation.com/creating-credibil ity-ecourse.html

Thanks, Felicia.

My first goal is to build a readership.

Although I do have a couple of online businesses the likely audience of this site won`t be interested in them (one is Mac software I develop), other is a Parapsychology and alternative medicine site.

My other goal is to learn from people`s comments on my lessons and hopefully get other people to contribute.

I think I`m starting an interesting format and I`ve not seen any central place like this for small businesses.

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Small Business Lessons - learn from other people`s experience in small business.

Um...well, there is Startup Nation, after all. :-D

On the indexing, and Roland`s comment about not posting to multiple categories. That`s "paper" thinking. In other words, back when an index was printed, you had to put a word into multiple categories because that was the only way to do it.

Nowadays, in this example of yours, the "Search" button replaces what used to be called "index." The "Browse Categories" would handle the organization. You place an article in the most relevant category, and that`s that. If someone doesn`t agree, then fine, but everyone can still easily find the article via the search feature.

It`s no different than a forum, where you can post a topic to the most relevant master category, but still find the thread simply by searching.

I would say it`s paper and web thinking  

Certainly a search mechanism is good to have and a useful and recommended feature but the idea is how to present a "menu" of posts/articles so that viewers can find what they want.... like a menu (website navigation) on a web page.

You would not suggest a website ONLY have a search feature without a menu?

~Roland

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Web Design | Best Beef Jerky | ecommerce articles | Follow vwebworld on Twitter

Yah, I`m assuming the menu in both TOC form, and Categorical Index form.