What did I do this past Saturday? I attended <a href="http://2013.baltimore.wordcamp.org/" target="_blank">Wordpress Camp Baltimore</a> for the second time.  I think that if you blog regularly and/or help people set up blogs, you should most definitely attend  this volunteer-run event, available worldwide probably at a city near you. It is well worth the low cost of admission. If you want to find one near you, check out the <a href="http://central.wordcamp.org/" target="_blank">Wordpress camp site.</a>

[caption id="attachment_2342" align="aligncenter" width="225"]<a href="http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2342" alt="Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013" src="http://deborahbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/wordpress-lanyard-225x300.jpg" width="225" height="300" /></a> Wordpress Camp Baltimore 2013[/caption]

I attended five sessions out of the total of 15. There were two tracks: one directed to the developers and one to the users.  Obviously, what I learned would be more useful to a user than a developer.
<h4>Social media must be integrated into both your actual blog and your blog's strategy</h4>
<ul>
	<li>Google + indexes faster, so consider setting up your Google + authorship description</li>
	<li>You need both inbound and outbound social media plugins</li>
	<li>Check out the Tweet Old Post plugin to be able to use your older blog posts</li>
	<li>Be careful with sending people to social networks--the last thing you want to do is lead someone away from your site.</li>
</ul>
<h4> SEO keeps changing but there are several things you can do to keep your site visible</h4>
<ul>
	<li>Use the Wordpress SEO by Yoast plugin--highly recommended by tons of people</li>
	<li>Name all your images</li>
	<li>Do not ever write "click here." Write a description.</li>
	<li>Organize your content well--Google likes organized websites--using headings, etc.</li>
	<li>Optimize your site so users like it</li>
	<li>Include rich content--pics, graphs, videos</li>
	<li>Watch your page speed (you may need to cache you website using plugins like WP Super Cache)</li>
	<li>Install and submit a site map using the Google XML Sitemap plugin</li>
</ul>
<h4>Producing your own podcast is not that hard</h4>
<ul>
	<li>What you need to produce a podcast is: a blog, hosting that provides enough bandwidth, artwork/branding materials and a podcast feed. You will also need a microphone and a way to edit your audio.</li>
	<li>Use editors like Audacity.</li>
	<li>Look into podcasting plugins like PodPress and PowerPress</li>
</ul>
<h4>Blogs and Wordpress sites make content marketing easier</h4>
<ul>
	<li>Content marketing's purpose is to drive profitable (however you define it) customer action.</li>
	<li>Content marketing is about providing relevant, valuable (educational) and enjoyable material for your audience/user</li>
	<li>Remember that customers care about themselves not you</li>
	<li>Keyword research is key (you must know what keywords your customers would use to find your service/product)</li>
	<li>When you provide valuable content, the reader/user is bound by the need to reciprocate since humans have  a deep seated need to return favors.</li>
	<li>Remember that information that is exclusive is more persuasive (this is only available for a limited time)</li>
	<li>Humans are more receptive to requests from people who appear to be authorities or experts.</li>
	<li>Read <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</span> by Robert Cialdini</li>
</ul>
Thanks to the following presenters:
<ul>
	<li>AkilahThompkins-Robinson</li>
	<li>Byron Warnken</li>
	<li>Arsham and Josh from Webmechanix</li>
	<li>Douglas Bell</li>
	<li>Shane Powers</li>
</ul>
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