The issue is that the podcasting space is very cluttered. To rise to the top of Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, and other platforms, you need more than just a catchy title or awesome equipment. You need to put the finishing touches on your podcast so it shines. It’s kind of akin to two chocolate cakes on a buffet. Even if the cakes taste the same, the one with the more impressive presentation is going to get more attention. After all, it’s hitting the “sweet spot” figuratively AND literally.

How can you make your podcast as appealing to listeners’ ears as a Food Network-inspired dessert is to eyes and taste buds? Applying the following tips to your podcasting game can be a great start.

1. Do everything possible to simplify the editing process.

A lot of podcasting episode magic happens in the editing stage. The more effective and efficient your editing, the more flawless your podcast will sound and flow. This makes it essential for you to plug any gaps that could make editing harder than it needs to be. (Future You will be grateful.)

One way to streamline your editing is to focus on how you’re recording each session. As SquadCast’s Zachariah Moreno points out, progressive uploads can be your best friend. A progressive upload records and saves all your audio in small, real-time increments. Since everything is stored and uploaded in the cloud as it happens, it can be retrieved right away. You lose nothing and gain the advantage of having your raw files within a few minutes of signing off.

Once your files are in hand, you can start to edit out unwanted elements. Another good tip is to set up a method to identify moments that you want to remove during editing. For example, some podcasters will play a loud click or whistle when they know they’ve made a mistake. Because the loud noise will show a sudden peak on editing software, it highlights the place to edit. And that means your editing job just moved into the “effortless” column.

2. Stick with a format that works for your podcast.

The most successful podcasts follow a formula — but it’s not the same formula for all. Instead, podcasters pick a format that works for their topic area, audience, and intent. By sticking with the same podcast rhythm for each episode, the overall podcast has more cohesion. Rather than feeling amateurish, it feels professionally arranged.

Even if you listen to a lot of podcasts, you might not know all the formats that are out there. Three of the top ones are solo podcasts, guest-driven podcasts, and co-hosted podcasts. Solo podcasts are very intimate and involve one person talking the whole time. They’re ideal if you’re a thought leader or expert sharing vast insights on a certain subject. Guest-driven podcasts are arranged to allow one or more guests to express their views. Typically, they’re back-and-forth Q&As, although they could be set up as panel discussions or debates.

Co-hosted podcasts allow two podcasters to share the spotlight. It’s a smart move to pick a co-host who isn’t just going to echo your thoughts. Think banter over banality. And select someone you like working with, in case your podcast quickly grows a loyal fan base.

3. Release your episodes on a consistent basis.

Nothing can sour eager listeners more than having to wait too long to hear your next podcast. A big error that many newer podcasters stumble into is not setting up an episode recording and release schedule. Many simply assume that their podcast episodes will just kind of find their way into the webiverse. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. As the saying goes, when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Constructing a realistic schedule doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does require some energy. As suggested by Anchor.fm, start by mapping out a full-fledged podcasting editorial calendar. Pick dates to record your podcasts, edit your podcasts, and release each episode. If you’re just starting out, you may want to hedge your bets and aim for conservative targets. It’s always better to have some wiggle room folded into your calendar. That way, you won’t be scrambling at the last minute to meet deadlines.

A solid tip to ensure that you stay on track is to consider “bundling” your podcast episode recordings. In other words, record several episodes back to back over the course of one day. Don’t strive for too much, but get a lot of audio at once. Having a few episodes ready for edits will give you breathing room and be a nice jumpstart to get rolling. Just be sure to keep the momentum so you keep deploying episodes at regular intervals.

Right now, the podcasting field is wide open and enthusiasts are in discovery mode. To make the most of this opportunity, you don’t have to break the bank. All you need to do is put some ingenuity and “sweat equity” into building a podcast with a polished foundation.

The post Authentic Yet Polished: How to Hit the Podcasting Sweet Spot appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Many professionals in academia are beginning to expand their work to podcasts due to their increased demand from listeners. Many listeners will even use podcasts as continuing education rather than reading certain materials.

Naturally, with more academia appearing on podcast platforms, knowing how to cite it for your own academic work is necessary.

Why it’s Important to Know How to Cite a Podcast

Writing an essay for a college class, conducting research for your current job, or using it as an example during your own blog post are all situations you could find yourself in where a podcast is an answer, therefore, its important to know how to properly cite a podcast and/or it’s individual episodes.

Depending on the guidelines you were given from your particular university or place of work, there are a few different ways to create a citation. So for this post, I will show MLA, APA, and Chicago styles as they are the most popular. Moreover, no matter what format you are using to cite a podcast, there are a few important details you will need to know.

1. Full name of the podcast host or narrator, their username, or possibly the name of the company used to post the podcast
2. Title of podcast
3. Title of episode
4. Podcast platform
5. Date posted
6. URL for podcast

Once you know the basics of the podcast, you will be ready to confidently create a citation for the podcast using any format.

For all of my examples, I will use a podcast from Spotify titled Beck and Call with the episode “Blogging, Babies and Living Your Best Life with Kathleen Barnes”.

Let’s get started with MLA

MLA

The Modern Language Association format is most commonly used to cite resources in literature, humanity, and cultural studies.

Structure:

Last Name, First Name (of whoever posted Or the name of the company Or the Username), Author’s title (if applicable). “Title of the Podcast Episode.” Title of the Podcast, Name of Publisher/platform you listened to it on (only include if different from the author or title), Date it was posted, URL.

Example:

Beck, Merritt, host. “Blogging, Babies and Living Your Best Life with Kathleen Barnes.” Beck and Call, Spotify, 8 Nov. 2022, https://open.spotify.com/show/58gypODekuxuyiSsbojYv0?si=b3a2477ea60146c3

APA

The American Psychological Association format is typically used for work with the social sciences, life sciences, and businesses.

Structure:

Last, F. M. (Contributor title). (Year, Month Date). Podcast episode title [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from URL.

Example:

Beck, M. (Host). (2022, November 08). Blogging, Babies and Living Your Best Life with Kathleen Barnes [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://open.spotify.com/show/58gypODekuxuyiSsbojYv0?si=b3a2477ea60146c3

Chicago

Additionally, Chicago Style was unsurprisingly created in Chicago at the University of Chicago and has a mix of APA and MLA voices supporting mostly history, humanities, social sciences, and life sciences.

Structure: 

Last Name, First Name. “Episode Title”. Podcast Title. Podcast audio, Month Date, Year of publication. URL.

Example:

Beck, Merritt. “Blogging, Babies and Living Your Best Life with Kathleen Barnes ”. Beck and Call. Podcast audio, November 08, 2022. https://open.spotify.com/show/58gypODekuxuyiSsbojYv0?si=b3a2477ea60146c3

Conclusion: 

So after reading this blog you should have a better understanding and possibly a newfound appreciation of how podcasts are becoming more and more popular to the point of creating citations. Now that you know how to properly cite your favorite podcasts, it opens up a whole new world for granting recognition to creators in written copy.

The post How to Cite a Podcast appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Before you jump into recording your first episode, there are a few items to check off your list. 

Step 1: Decide on a Podcast Topic

Be sure to pick something you are passionate about, and will not get tired of talking about in depth each week. You will also need to do continuous research on the topic as a form of continuing education. 

Step 2: Create a Spotify Account and Decide on a Name

Seems simple enough right? For many, this can coincide with a blog if you already have one, but if your podcast is standalone, you can pick a unique title that captures what you are looking to achieve. Be sure to double-check that Spotify does not have other podcasts by that the same name, so that you can more easily be found when searching. 

Step 3: Set up a dedicated recording space

Capturing quality acoustics for your audience can make for a much simpler editing process for you later. Making an effort to take away any excess sound and static will be crucial. It will also keep listeners coming back time and time again because great sound quality makes for an easy and carefree listening experience. 

Sound quality will also depend on the equipment that you use to record. Though it is an option, recording with your phone and a set of headphones will not come out as crisp as if you were to record with more dedicated microphones and computer controls. 

Step 4: Record your first episode

Just like there are a few necessary tasks before recording that you should complete, there are a few after as well. You cannot simply record and hit post in one fell swoop. If only it were that easy! 

This is the time for you to have some fun. The best part about recording a podcast rather than recording something similar, for a radio show or something of that nature, is that you have the power of editing. You can take away or add anything that you would like to make the show exactly the way you want it. You can even completely scrap it and rerecord if you wanted to. 

Step 5: Edit

Everything will not be perfect the first time through, but that is the power of editing. You can easily delete clips you do not need, extra periods of silence, or slip-ups with your words. There are tons of different options for editing software based on budget and what you want to achieve with your sound. The most important part of the editing process is listening back through your podcast. Just like writing, it’s important to proofread, or in this case, proof-listen to check for any missteps and to make sure everything flows properly. 

Step 6: Launch! 

Once you are happy with your podcast, release it to the world on Spotify for your friends and family to hear, and then focus on growing your channel. This is arguably the simplest and most nerve-wracking step of them all. It really only takes a few seconds to publish, but it can be easy to feel anxious when finally posting a final product. There are two very important things to remember when posting. 

1. It gets easier with each episode
2. Be confident in your product

Step 7: Promote, Promote, Promote 

Maybe the hardest part in how to start a podcast on Spotify is promoting. Get your podcast out on all of your social media platforms. Extra points if you create dedicated social media accounts for your podcast. Just like growing your presence on social media, you will have to grow your presence on Spotify so that when people search for you, it is the first podcast and account that pop up. You want to make for not only an easy listening experience but an easy searching experience too. With Spotify, they will easily be able to save your podcast. Then, they can even sign up for notifications whenever a new episode is released. 

Step 8: Repeat

Now that you have an episode under your belt, you are ready to really get going. Create a schedule for posting podcasts on specific days so that your audience will be ready for new episodes. Setting the anticipation for each episode to come out will be a marketing plan all its own. While you will still want to promote on social media, setting the standard for what your podcast will be is crucial to your overall image and ease of access. Audiences like knowing what they are going to get ahead of time. Many podcast junkies even have a weekly schedule for their shows that come out on certain days. It is your job to become a part of that schedule!

Wrap Up

Now that you know how to start a podcast on Spotify, what are you waiting for? Begin growing your brand, releasing episodes, and tuning your editing skills on Spotify for your listeners. 

The post The Easiest Way to Start a Podcast on Spotify appeared first on The Blog Herald.

In this article, we will reveal some of the standard ways to grow in prominence and acquire funding for that totally different podcast. As well as how to get sponsors for podcasts.

YouTube

This is an easy way to leverage a regular platform to essentially “crowdsource” your sponsorships. While it may not break out the big ticket numbers, it can grow in prominence to provide a little funding for you to hold out a little longer for that coveted sponsorship.

Given the nature of the topic of your podcast, you may be able to score specific advertisers and get a higher CPM per video. This is even better for academic or financial podcasts. Technology podcasts also rate very well with YouTube’s advertisers.

Podcast Directory

Podcast directories offer great ways of both getting discovered and connecting with sponsors.

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Google Podcasts
• Samsung Podcasts
• Stitcher
• iHeartRadio
• TuneIn

These all serve as solid directories, and sending your Podcast through a service like Buzzsprout or RSS can help push you to the top of these lists. By connecting through these services you will get pushed through multiple podcast platforms. As a now-retired podcast bro, I can tell you, the people will find you.

Grow Your Following

This is basically the easiest way to get sponsors. There is no shortcut. No secret sauce will help you surmount the 850,000 other podcasts that exist within this space. Be fresh, be inventive. Realize someone has probably done this before. Make it better.

Edison Research claims 70% of consumers are likely to consider a product after hearing its praise from a favored podcast. Sponsors want that to be 70% of 770,000 not 70% of 8. Get your podcast spread and proliferated and the sponsorships will come in time.

Here are some tips to help that become a reality:

• Understand your Genre/Role
• Upload Consistently
• Share on Social Media
• Promote through your Network
• Create High-Quality Content
• Get People Excited

The key fundamentals to this involve utilizing all open channels to make your podcast and brand as omnipresent as possible. Once you break obscurity, having a brand or message that resonates with people in that space will be critical. Ultimately you get sponsors for a podcast, by making your podcast something people want to be a part of. This way, you can guarantee that they will gladly take time from their day and listen. And where the buyers go, the sellers (your sponsors) are truly sure to follow.

The post How to Get Sponsors for a Podcast appeared first on The Blog Herald.

1. Know What You Want to Do

Flesh out the nature of your podcast. These are the simple questions you probably already showed up to the prompt with.

• What am I going to talk about?
• Do I want or have a partner
• What is the group I’m going to try for?
• How do I want to conduct guests and interviews?
• Is this scripted?

After a while, things begin getting down to the nitty-gritty and the questions become more intricate through trial and error. However, knowing what general angle you are taking will be the basis that forms the show.

Importantly Tip 1.5 – Start

An extra podcast tip? Do not spend too much time planning. This is going to be built through action. So action is the state in which you need to be. Make sure you have the plan to carry out the research and necessary acquisitions, but ultimately remember this is to service the action of production, dissemination, and the ultimate selling of the podcast.

2. Have a General Idea of Your Topic

Keep in mind that you are going to need to talk about this, either with another person in a discussion, or by yourself over narrative, story, or points. Regardless you will need to have varying levels of information on your topic. – at least enough to approach it.

While it can be comical to have very passionate individuals argue over a topic of which they know very little, that is not likely going to be the crux of your podcast. Regardless you are going to have to entertain, inform or discuss something. And the level of knowledge on that topic is a metric with which you will have to address and understand to some varying degree.

3. Research Distributing Platforms

This is an actionable podcast tip that is very necessary. ThinkBuzzsprout, RSS, Apple, and so on. These are the distribution organizations that will push your podcast onto platforms like Spotify. Nearly all of them require some form of monthly cost so it is imperative to research them to an extent that you are comfortable choosing the option that agrees most with your intent and pocket.

4. Software, Format, Software

Find your software. Most people think that having a microphone is the most integral part of a podcast. It is not. Having solid mixing software is key. Adobe Audition is an extremely approachable choice for beginners and keeping it within the suite lends itself well to Premiere Pro, should the podcast ever go visual.

Having a mixing software can allow editing and freedom of format that would otherwise be a moment either serendipitous or rare in a LIVE moment, or even more likely hidden amongst hours of content that may lose your audience.

5. Research and Acquire Necessary Equipment

A huge podcast tip? Mics. Mainly mics. Also software. It does not require much to start a podcast. In theory, you can record in a room on a phone and push it out to the internet. Entertaining is entertaining regardless of production quality. However, as you continue to grow you will want to invest in better equipment to best scale your company.

A podcast is an audio-based format, so microphones are a good place to start. Think along the lines of Blue Yeti or HyperX QuadCast. But beyond this capturing audio will be one of the first huge game changers. Combining this with the software will get you nearly to the ceiling of podcast technical potential.

Also, many podcasts gain traction and potentially more importantly monetization on youtube. Reaching the optimum on this will likely require a camera deciding whether your podcast will be stationary or evolve into a mobile “vlog” will differentiate your choices. The EMEET C960 Web Cam is a solid place to start in terms of potential and price output.

6. Build Your Style

As you are prone to eventually nail down technical aspects and understandings, build your style. Have that distinct retention or value proposition that takes what you do to the next level. Why should people come to your particular murder mystery podcast? Why should they laugh with you instead of friends of their own?

Use your compounding experience to build a level of legitimacy around yourself and your mission. Set to establish that differentiation and you will find the value proposition to become ingrained with your own personal branding and the style of which you begin to format and orate your podcast.

7. Network – via People, Platforms, and Algorithms

As you gain comfort, begin taking things to the next level with marketing. Play the algorithm this means touching on topics that are in vogue and having every person willing to push our product pushing your product. Be iconic and entertaining with that value proposition and ride the algorithm. There are several ways to try to cantilever over the grind time that will still ultimately be necessary to grow your following but here are several.

• Use Platforms that Allow for Rapid Dissemination and Growth; Youtube, Tik Tok
• Use Specific Guests to Attract Their Following
• Utilize Unique Takes on Trending Topics to Garner Eyes
• Controversy – but the right kind of controversy

8. Grind

Consistency is key. Regardless of what you are doing. What field you are in. Even with whatever approach you take you must do it, to prove it. Time will allow you to build up many things. Including your experience, eye for good content and pieces, your acumen for finding networking capabilities, and most of all your discography.

By putting in the time, you will build the connections and even go as far as to potentially help others grow in tandem. Ultimately this is the unavoidable work that goes into generating content.

9. Integrate All Aspects into Your Brand

Once you have the experience to put together a good show; the networking strategies to find the right people; the connections to the right people to employ those strategies, and the discography to appear legitimate and have somewhat of a following for your take on the podcast you can begin to integrate your style.

This can be done over time naturally, but it is the ultimate culmination of doing your topic, your way, with your type of people. As things go further down this road of polarization you can find the ads that work best for you, the bits that play best on youtube. And on it goes. This could be called finding your niche. However, I think people try to do this before they understand what they are doing. I prefer to focus on an area and let it build its own take. Over time.

10. Improve the Podcast

Once you have a product that’s existing you can begin to pull it apart and see what it lacks. The main reason this is so far back is that this requires discography. For something to “get old,” it has to be allowed to get old. That means do it. In time your own brand will pull you to the points you should be arguing, the song you should be playing, and the gags you have to be running.

This in turn will let you know what parts are succeeding,  and what the audience wants. Maybe it’s the same format only changing the guest. Maybe it’s the tonality of the story that needs to switch or either be escalated further into. Build your podcast and begin changing it once you have something.

Importantly Tip 10.5 – Do It.

Another podcast tip and it sounds cheesy, but the best point of all is just to start. When you start the problems will present themselves in time. Just take action. If you are taking action the right problems will appear which is an indicator that you are doing something. So have a vision and follow the problems. They’ll get you there.

The post 10 Beginner Podcast Tips to Help You Get Started appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin has written several New York Times bestsellers such as The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, Outer Order, Inner Calm, and The Four Tendencies. Gretchen Rubin has the solution when you are on the hunt for ways to live a happier life. She prides her podcast, Happier, on making life a tiny bit happier with each step you take. Whether those steps are big or small, the key is to work on making your life a tiny bit happier from where you started. She focuses on studying human nature, meaning everyone is different, and understands that what works for her may not work for you. The Happier podcast is about finding what does work for you to make yourself the tiniest bit happier each day. She also has an app to keep you motivated and challenged throughout the day while you are not listening to her podcast.

Where Should We Begin? by Esther Perel

Esther Perel is known for her gripping take on the difference between being alive and not being dead. She embraces life from all aspects and takes a deep dive into religion, sexuality, cultures, emotions, relationships, and more. The layout of the podcast is pretty simple, you listen to other couples who are having a chat with Esther Perel about anything going on in their lives. It could be about infidelity, children, or any number of things that go on in relationships. The real-time vulnerability combined with her comedic timing produces a beautiful transcript for anyone listening who is looking for answers to questions they may not have known they had. You never know what you can learn from others. This is why she has anonymous couples on as guests to show what conversations can do for your own life and the lives of others.

The Good Life Project by Stephanie and Jonathan Fields

The Good Life Project podcast is all about finding out what it means to you to have a good life and putting what you need for you at the forefront of the conversation. Community, media, and education are the three pillars of the podcast. They even have a free quiz that evaluates what you think having a good life means, and what you should focus on based on your thoughts. You fill out questions on a Likert scale. This determines how you as an individual feel about your life given your unique circumstances.

10% Happier with Dan Harris

Dan Harris is the author of the award-winning book 10% Happier and turned it into a podcast by focusing on meditation. He has different guests on the show to discuss different techniques for meditation. They target different focuses such as anxiety or stress. Dan believes that happiness is a skill that you can train, like working out your muscles in the gym. At its core, 10% Happier is a platform that focuses on looking within yourself to find meditation exercises. These exercises can show your best form, therefore unlocking your best and happiest self.

Unlocking Us

Brené Brown studied courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy to create Unlocking Us. She is also the author of six New York Times bestsellers and a guest professor. Brown uses the phrase “embrace the suck”. This focuses on life and puts forth the courage to create empathy for a better life forward. She has guests of all kinds discussing different parts of life. This helps listeners find courage over comfort. It also helps them produce happiness they may not have known existed inside of them.

Conclusion

No matter what you’re looking for in a self-help podcast, there is an answer for you. Just like all of these podcasts preach, there is no right answer, and there is more than one answer. You can use whatever methods and mantras you find to be the most helpful for your unique situation. Now that you have a few of our favorites to start your journey with, you can find what works for you. So go find your new favorite podcast!

The post Best Self-Help Podcasts of 2022 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The problem is, we can’t go “Eat, Pray, Love” style to “find” ourselves this time, being stuck at home and all. We can’t go on that big trip to Bali to join a soul rejuvenating retreat. Can we do self-improvement at home? Of course! A little self-love goes a long way, and maybe listening to even five minutes of a motivational podcast can change our outlook in life.

Here are some of the best self-improvement and motivational podcasts to listen to for 2021:

Success in Career and Business? The Science of Success

If you feel stuck at your job and are planning to try a new business venture or take on a new career path, personal growth is always the first step. The best way to learn about personal growth is to listen to experts and leaders from all over the world. Their insightful advice to the young and young at heart is surely something no one should miss. Maybe we could learn a thing or two about their experiences and apply them to our own capabilities.

How did they turn their ideas into reality? How hard is it to become a CEO of a company? It may not have that many episodes yet, but there is surely so much to learn.

Need that confidence boost? The Confidence Chronicles

This podcast is raw and honest about a lot of things that many people don’t talk about. It is an enlightening and relatable podcast on building confidence. Hosted by a mompreneur, the raw and unpolished nature of the podcast is deeply appreciated by its listeners. Children in the background, talking about everyday things, the struggles of juggling work and motherhood – these are the things that make it truly relatable.

Trying to be more spiritual? The Truth Seekah Podcast

Spirituality and religion, these are topics that not many people want to talk about. However, these are topics that intrigue many. It may be out of curiosity or out of the need to be spiritual, but listening to this podcast may help find your “truth”. It does not focus on just one religion, it discusses almost all of it. It explores oriental spirituality, churches, Egyptian spirituality, and more. It even discusses other less-common beliefs like UFOs, aliens, astrology, and atheism.

Wanting to “find” your soul and purpose? On Purpose with Jay Shetty 

What is our true purpose? Why do we have the lives we have? There are so many unanswered questions and so many answers as well. This podcast by Jay Shetty helps people build better relationships with themselves and others. How do people create positive energy, how could people let go of pain – these are just some of his topics.

Wish to try something new? Marathon Training Academy 

If fitness is your goal for this new year, why not try to challenge yourself by joining a marathon? This particular podcast focuses entirely on running and marathon training but there are still so many lessons to learn about confidence, consistency, and motivation.

Planning to eat healthier? Food Psych 

Yes, there is such a thing as making peace with food. Food Psych is a podcast by a dietitian nutritionist that helps listeners build better relationships with food. This means that we learn how to accept our size, understand good body image, assessing eating disorders, and more. It touches on over-all self-care and how food can be such an integral part of that.

Focusing on your mental health? Mentally Yours 

The best thing everyone learned for 2020 – MENTAL HEALTH IS AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH. We realize this as we got stuck at home. We were left to our devices to entertain ourselves and deal with being by ourselves or with family 24/7. It has brought us closer to what is important to us and the best thing to do for 2021 is to continue this realization.

Coping with grief? Griefcast 

How do we overcome grief? How do we become a person again after losing so much of ourselves from death? Many people may not be comfortable talking about death with another person. Some people are not ready to see a therapist to help them deal with grief. Maybe, this podcast is a first step towards getting over grief.

Is happiness your overall goal? Happier with Gretchen Rubin

From the writer of “The Happiness Project”, this podcast talks about testimonies from people who found happiness in the most ordinary things. If happiness is what you’re after for 2021, this may be one of the good podcasts to listen to.

Also read: Cringe-Worthy Blogging Trends of the Past that WILL NEVER Work Now

The post Tune-in to These Self-Improvement and Motivational Podcasts for the New Year appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Writing about games is a multifaceted subject. Writers may focus strictly on reviews or hot industry topics. Others cover both areas and more, providing editorial pieces, too. Whether you are looking to enhance your game blog or start a new one, there is a lot to learn.

Becoming the Best

These are the top tips for being a top game blogger:

1. Deliver Your Voice

Audiences should visit your blog because it’s your blog. In the gaming world, this equates to having an authentic gamer’s opinion. Are you a console fan, or do you prefer PC? If the former, which manufacturer do you favor? Your background and preferences make up the DNA of your blogging voice. If you don’t already inject your point of view into each post, you should.

Your blog is not a traditional news outlet; it’s a conversational place. Speak to your audience and deliver your voice. Look at the top gaming blogs, according to Ranker. Rock, Paper, Shotgun is #1, and it’s filled with opinions. Each post conveys the writer’s train of thought very clearly. Follow that method, and you’ll be on the way to achieving higher levels of success.

2. Vary the Format

Successful game blogging involves more than just words on a website. The best game blogs are rich with multimedia. When is the last time you played a text-based game? If your answer is something other than “never,” you’re in the minority. Modern games are visual, with photorealistic, 3D graphics or retro, 2D styles. When covering a specific game, you should show readers what you’re mentioning.

Add images of level maps, and insert animated GIFs of character actions directly in between paragraphs. Furthermore, link to gameplay videos on your YouTube or Twitch channel. Your game blog doesn’t have to be fully text-based. There are plenty of popular video game podcasts, too, with growing lists of subscribers. Delve into podcasting, and your game blog could skyrocket.

3. Do the Research

You might not have fond memories of writing research papers in school; maybe that’s why you became a game blogger. Researching games involves playing them. When you write about a specific title or series, you should know the topic thoroughly well. This equates to spending more than just a few minutes watching YouTube videos or playing a demo.

The most captivating blog posts are well-researched and informative. You don’t have to master every combo in a fighting game or discover every secret treasure in a single-player adventure. But, you should know enough about the game’s characters, levels, and storyline to inform your readers. Pick up the controller for a little longer, and take notes while you play. For maximum efficiency, record voice memos on your phone or online.

4. Stay Current

Outdated blogs lack the potential for maximum growth. If you’re a successful blogger, then you already know the value of posting consistently. Nothing in the gaming realm remains for too long. One game might be hot this week, and it’s out of the public eye next week. Top game bloggers keep track of trends and stay up-to-date. Monitoring gaming platforms, such as Poki.com, is essential for longevity.

Keep up with the times, and always be aware of the newest games. By noticing brand-new, trending games on Poki, you can post on your blog before others. When people search for that game, your blog will reap the rewards.

5. Get Involved

Your blog isn’t a one-way street. You might be the only person posting new articles, but readers should be able to reply. A comment section is essential for cultivating conversations. The audience can answer questions that you, or readers, pose. They can post messages to one another and have heated debates. Strong opinions are part of what makes gaming culture so unique. Your gaming blog should welcome the community. If it does so successfully, you will be well on your way to the top.

The post 5 Top Tips on How to Be a Top Game Blogger appeared first on The Blog Herald.

But what is clear is that tools like WordPress Direct are becoming more and more common. Part of the double-edged nature of open source development is that, while most will use the license to extend the product in healthy ways, a few will do so in ways that can be used for unethical purpose. Though this is not an argument against open source, more and more tools like WordPress Direct have sprung up, often charging high monthly fees for “maintenance free” blogging.

But what does WordPress Direct do and is it a spam tool? The answer is complicated and made more so by the fact that the nature of spam and even the definition of spam is a moving target. However, it is clear that WordPress Direct, along with similar products, have a lot of potentially dangerous uses and, if its marketing is any indication, those uses are very much by design.

Multiple Uses, Multiple Faces

First and foremost, WordPress Direct is a WordPress installer, making it easy to set up WordPress installations on either your own server or theirs. There is no need to setup databases, install the core files or even fix permalinks and add a theme. The system does that for you.

However, applications that install WordPress are already extremely common. Though most don’t help optimize the installation, most hosts have some variation of the WordPress “One Click” install, often using Fantastico. Furthermore, such installs are usually more up to date, with WordPress Direct saying that they still use the 2.5.x branch of WordPress.

But what has drawn the most controversy is not the installation, but rather, the tools that come with it. WordPress Direct also installs a series of tools that let you import content directly into your feed, including from Yahoo! Answers, YouTube and even other RSS feeds.

Though the WordPress Direct team is quick to tout that the owner of the created blogs is the editor, the truth is that all of the tools can be set to publish automatically, meaning that content is scraped from various sources and republished without any editing or manipulation. Combined with the easy insertion of Adsense advertisements into the blog itself, it is easy to see how one could create dozens of spam blogs very quickly with this tool.

That, in turn, is what has many bloggers very worried.

WordPressDirect Responds

In a comment to the original Mashable article, Marty Rozmanith, a representative for the company said that:

“Those that do (repost content) realize all content requires proper attribution, and our service facilitates that. It also facilitates reviewing content before posting so that spam videos and such do not end up on your blog.

We do not host the bulk of our user’s blogs – they do. If they get themselves in trouble with spamming their own blog, we frown upon it and it usually results to their detriment anyway.”

He goes on to say that:

“For all the content creators reading this — unless you post your content to a ‘user-generated’ content site like YouTube or an ezine article service, our service will never find it. We do not scrape random sites to find content. We use APIs provided to republish content the way those sites intend us to. We automate the embedding that they provide and that bloggers do manually every day.”

However, during my very brief testing of the software, I noticed that much of this appears to be at least somewhat inaccurate.

First, the test “blog” I created pulled content from Yahoo Answers but there was no indication that the content came from there nor was a link back to the source provided. Furthermore, the original question was posted as the blog entry with the replies posted as comments, furthering the confusion. I could not find a way to turn on attribution. (Note: I have already deleted this blog as I did not wish it to be indexed by the search engines.)

Second, though they claim to only pull content from “user generated” sites, their marketing material provides information about how to pull from RSS feeds and, in my testing, it is very easy to do. Any blog, regardless of how it was licensed, can be reused by these sites should the operator decide to pull from it.

Finally, though it is possible to see how one could use this to automatically locate videos and related articles, there are other services that provide this functionality already. Furthermore, to use this tool for such a legitimate purpose would require a great deal of editing and crafting (EX: Pull quotes from articles, add links, etc.) and the automation would save little time.

All in all, most of those that wanted to use this service for non-spamming aims would likely find other tools better suited to what they want to do.

The Good News

The good news is that this is also likely a very poor spam tool. The highest level of membership, which costs nearly $150 per month, only allows users to create 100 sites. That number is fairly tame in terms of spam blog network size and, by requiring each spam blog return over $1 per month in profit, it is debatable how much revenue could be generated. Other tools allow the creation of many times this number of sites at much lower costs.

All in all, compared to other, better-known tools, I don’t think bloggers have much to fear from this service. In addition to the limited network size, adding RSS feeds is a manual process and is very time consuming compared to the other input methods.

Though WordPress Direct’s best uses are spam-related, it is hardly the hardcore spamming tool that bloggers have been taught to fear.

Conclusions

I always find the marketing of products like WordPress Direct to be very interesting. On its front page, the site promises you that it “scours the internet for topic-specific video, audio and article content and automatically combines it on your site to create a truly unique visitor experience,” and that all you have to do is “Simply click a few buttons and WordPress Direct will update your site as often or as rarely as you’d like.”

Most bloggers would instantly recognize this as too good to be true but it is how many spam blog applications, both admitted and not, advertise their wares.

The question is whether WordPress Direct is a legitimate tool that has significant questionable use or a questionable tool that has some limited legitimate use. Though it is always difficult to tell, the marketing clearly seems to bill it as the latter.

However, in his comment, Rozmanith said that “It’s true the sales material tries to make everything look ‘effortless.’ We should update it – it is not a true reflection apparently.” Perhaps this is an indication that he understands the message his marketing is getting and why others, including myself, feel as they do about the product.

But even without the marketing, the tool itself still has a bevy of questionable uses and controversial decisions. Whether this is by design or a mistake is a question only the creators can answer.

The post WordPressDirect: Blogging Tool or Spam Engine? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

In this exclusive interview with Duncan, we talk about how he landed the gig at TechCrunch, his thoughts on working with Mike and the gang, some observations about the Web 2.0/VC situation in Silicon Valley, and what his future plans are. We’ll also get into the Full Feed v. Partial Feed debate and talk about a few other topics as well.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

Update: Duncan has announced his departure in a final post over at TechCrunch.

Michael Arrington has a post up at TechCrunch about Duncan’s departure now. He also outs Duncan’s new venture at Inquisitr.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

The post Podcast 2008.2: An exclusive interview with Duncan Riley on his exit from TechCrunch appeared first on The Blog Herald.

In this edition, we take a look at the drama between Shel Israel and Loren Feldman.. we’ll also talk about some weekend stories here on The Blog Herald.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Rocketboom Founder posts twitter account for sale on ebay (TechCrunch)
• Duncan Riley – founder of The Blog Herald
• Gridjit (a social portal for twitter)
• How an online forum helped a car dealer recover a stolen car
• Beyond.ca car enthusiast website
• What’s your blog workspace?
• My Problogging Setup
• How a videoblogger from NYC outsmarted a so-called social media expert
• Shel Israel – The Fake One
• A Brief Followup on the Shel Israel v. Loren Feldman Drama
• 3 Brands vs. 1 Puppet, Guess Who Wins @ 3by9
• The Peter Principle & Fast Company @ TymeSaid

The post Podcast 2008.1: Shel Israel v. Loren Feldman appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Matt reflects on September 11th, 2001.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

The post Podcast 2007.4: 9/11 – 6 Years in, a Lifetime to go appeared first on The Blog Herald.

In this edition, we take a look at Blog Comments and how some folks respond to feedback.. we’ll also talk about the iTunes store and who’s not renewing their contract with Apple…

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• NBC leaving iTunes
• The Sci-Fi Channel: Battlestar Galactica
• Apple to sell ringtones through iTunes
• Duncan Riley – founder of The Blog Herald
• Bryghtpath LLC acquires Telegraphik
• Are you becoming a little over sensitive to blog comments?

The post Podcast 2007.3: Blog Comments & who’s abandoning the iTunes store? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

A few weeks later than intended, we’re back with a look at the return of Chartreuse and the whole hubbub around unionizing bloggers.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Chartreuse
• The Strange Saga of Prince Campbell
• Chartreuse2 – a short lived new website
• Bloggers Pushing for a Labor Union

The post Podcast 2007.2: Chartruese returns and why unions for bloggers are a bad idea appeared first on The Blog Herald.

We’re pleased to announce the return of the Blog Herald Podcast with your host Matt Craven, the former editor of The Blog Herald. We talk a bit about what Matt has been up to, the iPhone craze, and about the 56 great risk takers that signed the Declaration of Independence.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Apple’s iPhone
• 56 Great Risk Takers, by Jeff Jacoby

The post Podcast 2007.1: The Return of the Blog Herald Podcast! appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we feature a bit of news, and then an interview with b5media’s Vice President of Development Duncan Riley. We discuss how b5media was founded, how a bunch of folks around the world work together without having ever met, about rival blog networks like 9rules, and something about ‘fuqtwits’…

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Duncan Riley’s Blog
• b5media
• Google buys YouTube
• Google Proposes, Youtube Accepts… Now what?
• YouTube founders post video about acquisition by Google
• Is AdSense dead?
• Text Link Ads
• b5media takes $2m in VC funding
• Valleywag: b5media doesn’t deserve $2 million
• Mike Rundle’s comment on Valleywag
• BusinessLogs: Money buys lots of things, including objective feedback for b5media
• 9rules: 9rules received cookies
• 9rules sex blog spinoff taking applications 20 Feb only
• 9rules WTF 2
• 9rules WTF?
• Advertise on our podcast

The post Podcast 2006.17: Interview with Duncan Riley appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we take a look at the news throughout the blogosphere and world of technology. We also discuss Being Dugg and using Apple’s Soundtrack program.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• CSS Tips & Tricks
• The Digg Post
• Technorati Links to Ben’s Post
• The Digg effect on Alexaholic
• We’re being Dugg, hang in…
• WP-Cache Plugin for WordPress
• TechCrunch: Match.com for Families
• How Odeo and Evan Williams screwed up
• LAPD Blog engages citizens & police leadership
• Audacity
• Apple’s Soundtrack
• The Blog Herald Podcasting Rig
• Advertise on our podcast

The post Podcast 2006.16: News for September 17th, 2006, getting Dugg, new podcast software, and a few other things… appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, some sound clips and thoughts from September 11th, 2001.

Remember.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Matt Craven @ The Blog Herald: 9/11
• The President’s 9/20 Speech to Congress

Mansions of the Lord, by Randall Wallace, performed by the West Point Choir

To fallen soldiers let us sing
where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
to the mansions of the Lord

No more bleeding no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
just divine embrace, eternal light
in the mansions of the Lord

Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard tho the angels sleep
All through the ages safely keep the mansions of the Lord

I have not forgotten.

The post Podcast 2006.15: Remembering September 11th, 2001 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we take a look at the news throughout the blogosphere and world of technology. We also discuss Being Dugg, Mobs & Social Software, and that we’re still looking for 9/11 stories.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Will Social Software Mutate BlogoSphere into Mob Rule
• Digg manipulation
• Facebook debacle
• Snopes: Urban Legends
• We’ve been dugg, hang in…
• CSS Tips & Tricks
• WP-Cache
• 9/11 Stories Wanted
• Microsoft launches Desktop Feed reader (TechCrunch)
• Advertise on our Podcast

The post Podcast 2006.14: News for September 10th, 2006, Being Dugg, Mobs and Social Software, 9/11 Posts Wanted appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we take a look at the news throughout the blogosphere and world of technology. We also announce our two new columnists and bloggers here at The Blog Herald. We’ll also talk briefly about how 9rules went poof today and more about Syntagma Media’s quest to become a web network magazine.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Jessica Doyle joins The Blog Herald as our new columnist
• jessicadoyle.ca
• Tony Hung joins The Blog Herald
• Deep Jive Interests
• The Crocodile Hunter domiantes the blogosphere
• Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, dies at the hand of a Stingray
• Technorati search for ‘Steve Irwin’
• 9rules goes poof
• Syntagma Media – a blog network, err, a web network magazine, err, a blog network, err
• Martin’s column about blog networks and Syntagma Media
• Rocketboom
• Chris Brogan’s Blog
• Financial Aid Podcast
• PodCamp Boston 2006
• PodCamp Blog
• PodCamp Sessions
• Get Well, David!
• Advertise on our Podcast

The post Podcast 2006.13: News for September 9th, 2006, two new columnists, Steve Irwin AKA the Crocodile Hunter, 9rules goes poof, and more Syntagma Media appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we discuss our top earners for August 2006 and PodCamp 2006 with PodCamp co-founder Chris Brogan.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Blog Herald: August 2006 Earners
• Chris Brogan’s Blog
• PodCamp Boston 2006
• Register for PodCamp
• Donate to PodCamp
• PodCamp Blog
• PodCamp Sessions
• Advertise on our Podcast

The post Podcast 2006.12: PodCamp Boston 2006 & Making Money Online appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we examine the question of what is a blog network. We also talk a bit about Syntagma Media and their attempts to calls themselves a web network magazine. We also talk about today’s news in the blogosphere.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• Om Malik: Kiko sells for $258,1000
• Amit Agarwal: Yahoo removes Blog search from Yahoo! News Homepage
• Yahoo Blog Search – Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated
• 5 Signs your Newspaper is Doomed
• Copyblogger: Journalistic Superiority at Work
• Melissa Whitworth’s explanation
• Scobelizer: I hate John Comokaz
• Blog Network Watch
• Blog Network List
• Syntagma Media
• Weblogs, Inc.
• Gawker Media
• b5media
• BlogMedia, Inc.
• 9rules
• Adbrite
• Federated Media
• Syntagma Media: The Reorganization of Syntagma Media
• Syntagma Media: Around the Magazine
• Syntagma Media: Newswire
• Syntagma Media’s Blog Network List entry
• Blog Herald: Syntagma Media goes online mag
• WordPress
• Advertise on our Podcast

The post Podcast 2006.11: What’s a blog network anyways, Syntagma Media, and the News. appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we take our normal look at news throughout the blogosphere and world of technology. We also discuss our studio podcasting setup here in our Minneapolis, Minnesota offices.

You can read more about our setup at our post about our podcasting rig.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

• TechCrunch UK launches – in English
• Blogger turns 7
• Scripting News – Dave Winer’s blog
• NY Times River of News
• Cry me a News River, Dave Winer
• Blog Herald: The Mobile Edition
• Jeremy Wright: My Defintion of Web 2.0
• No Bullshit.. Web 2.0
• The Blog Herald Podcasting Rig
• Podcast Rigs – Forum
• Advertise on our Podcast

The post Podcast 2006.10: News for August 26th, 2006 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we take our normal look at news throughout the blogosphere and world of technology. We also discuss our new mobile podcasting rig that we used for the first time to produce this edition from San Jose, California.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

Show Notes:

• Blog Herald: Now you can be a problogger too!
• Problogger Jobboard
• TechCrunch
• Crunchboard
• BloggerJobs
• There’s a Gonzo in the House – Martin Neumann’s first column at The Blog Herald
• Researchers yearn to use AOL logs
• 60GB Apple iPod
• ZeFrank
• Our mobile podcasting rig – we do use a different microphone than is shown here
• Podcast Rigs – a great resource for podcasting hardware and software
• Audacity

The post Podcast 2006.9: News for August 24th, 2006 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, we take our normal look at news throughout the blogosphere and world of technology. In particular, I discuss Mike Rundle’s recent post about Niche Blogs and the Long Tail of Content over at 9rules (covered at the Blog Herald this weekend). We also talk a bit about some new columnists here at The Blog Herald and a preview of what’s coming on future editions of The Blog Herald podcast.

You can subscribe directly to our podcast feed in order to receive our show each day that it is released. For iTunes users, you can subscribe directly via iTunes.

And now, on with the show. Notes after the jump….

Show Notes:

• Martin Neumann joins The Blog Herald
• Our Blogrolled series
• Blog Network Watch
• Home Office Voice
• ePublishingDaily
• Engadget now Technorati’s Top Blog
• Niche Blogging
• Phark: Mike Rundle’s Blog
• The Long Tail
• 9rules
• The TechCrunch Party
• Laughing Squid Photos
• Scoble’s Party Recap
• Flickr: techcrunch7
• TechMeme discussion about TechCrunch Party
• b5media
• Because logos weren’t enough…
• I am having dreams about The Blog Herald
• Podcast Rigs
• Podcast Rigs Forum
• Our Gate/Compressor that is now helping wipe out the ambient noise in our studio
• PopCrunch – PopCrunch Show
• PodCamp Boston
• Chris Brogan
• Advertise on our Podcast

The post Podcast 2006.8: News for August 21st, 2006 appeared first on The Blog Herald.