It’s pretty much all about content creation and social media this week. Whether you’re creating content for yourself, or others, (or probably both), i’m sure you’ll find something of personal value in the following posts…

Seven Lessons Learned from Three Years of Content Creation by Pamela Wilson
Are you a plodder? Or would it suit you better to create a backlog of material when inspiration strikes, and send it out at regular intervals later? Pamela shares some great lessons based on her own journey into content creation. I particularly like the idea of batching.

3 Types of Business Research to Develop a Better Content Marketing Plan by Pawelgra Bowski
Creating engaging copy, for a company whose products you’re not really familiar with, is difficult, but not impossible. Pawelgra describes a few interesting methods to help us develop a deeper understanding quickly.

The Perfect Social Media Marketing Suite by Vishal Sankhla
This post delves, a little more deeply than most, into what the rise of social media represents in our society and why, despite the rise of social media, “the science of social engagement, which lies at the heart of this world, still hasn’t been solved.”

The Top 4 Ways to Use Social Media to Earn Links – Whiteboard Friday by Rand Fishkin
In this Whiteboard Friday post, Rand Fishkin shares some of the primary methodologies he’s used to build links for Moz, over the past five years.

and last, but not least…

Transcribe ALL The Things! Benefits, Strategies, and More by Steve Morgan
Another great idea for satisfying the relentless thirst for content – transcribing. Also good for gaining the heart of audiences in parts of the world where internet speeds are still low and watching online video isn’t easy.

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

The topic of link building has been popular in the blogsphere this week, so i’ve included a couple of those, plus two great infographic posts – but have you ever considered what happens to your digital profile after you die? Check out the last post for the answers.

Small Business Link Building in a Post-Panda Post-Penguin World by Dan Vuksanovich
It’s great to see some solid SEO advice for small business owners. Dan is right that smaller businesses have different needs and resources to implement a larger SEO strategy – particularly when it comes to link building. Don’t miss Dan’s handy list of link building suggestions towards the end.

How to Use Content + Social Media for Link Building by Kristi Hines
This is the new link building. Kristi examines ways to build your personal profile, through social media and by engaging with authentic bloggers. The days of anonymous link posting and sharing are over. The rise of social media means the actual people within a business or organisation need to build personal profiles.

The Current State of Smartphones by Adam Morgan
I can’t resist a good infograph. In this post Adam shares his friend Victor’s fascinating infograph about smartphones. Smartphone use has risen exponentially over the past few years and they are totally changing the way we engage with media and each other.

The Definitive Guide to Writing and Promoting a Viral Infographic by Jayson DeMers
This is a great follow on from the post above. If you want to improve your infographics or create one for the first time, you must book mark this post. Jayson takes us through step by step.

And for something quite different…

What Will Happen to Your Photos, Emails and Documents After You Die? By Bernadette Coleman
I know it’s not exactly on topic, but most of us who run a business online have a large personal footprint on the web. If you’re like me you’ve probably never thought about what will happen to it after we die. In this post Bernadette has included instructions to enable certain features of Facebook and Google+ to safeguard the future of our digital profiles.

Happy reading!

*Image courtesy of Threadless

This week’s Fast Five has a couple of infographics, a must-be-at conference list and Facebook’s foray into #hashtags – something for everyone!

5 Useful Google Authorship  Infographics and Cheatsheets by Ann Smarty
If your name is connected with your product then Google Authorship is a tool you should be using. This great infographic explains how it works and how to get the most out of it. Visual learners will especially love it.

14 Essential SEO Conferences and How Attending Each One Helps Your Business by Jayson DeMers
I haven’t seen a post like this one before. Jayson has gone to the trouble of listing his top 14 conferences, including details on the kinds of topics covered, location, venue, date and time! Thanks Jayson.

Facebook Takes Page From Twitter’s Book: Debuts the Hashtag by Jennifer Cowan
I noticed my teenagers were starting to use hashtags in their posts and now I know why! Facebook has embraced Twitter-style hashtags as a simple way for users to gain a broader perspective on what’s happening, or what people are talking about, at any given point in time.

How to Become a Social Media Marketing Specialist by Schools.com
Another great infographic. This one clearly illustrates different ways to become a specialist in one of the fastest growing occupations around. You could even show your boss and demonstrate the need for training.

Four Ways to Use eBooks to Grow Your Business by Collins Paris
If you have an established blog with a solid audience, the next step may be to write an eBook. eBooks add substantial value to your site and if they are well written can quickly establish your level of specialisation.

Happy reading!

Image courtesy of Threadless