August 2010 Guest Recap & Props!

Over the past several months, Matt’s Musings has welcomed a number of contributors who have offered their unique perspectives on a number of subjects including writing, marketing, SEO and business. I like to think that these contributors have added value to my personal blog and am grateful for what I have been able to publish thus far.

Just in case you missed who contributed what during August 2010, I am offering to you the following recap of the month’s guest posts:

Using YouTube Videos To Pick The Right Domain Names — Duncan Heath, in the first of two articles he contributed in August, offers how YouTube can help you find a domain name that will instantly attract visitors. Capitalize on the video phenom to get your new website off to a fantastic start.

Being Creative Under Pressure — Creativity and pressure don’t work so well together, right? Well, pressure is a fact of life and Sonia Mansfield shows us how to keep the creative juices flowing no matter how crazy things can get.

Let Your Negotiating Skills Turn Your Into A Money Maker Outsourcer – Lior Levin explains how letting others handle some of your tasks can be beneficial, even a source of revenue. You can’t and shouldn’t do everything yourself.

Top 7 Timesaving Tips For Entrepreneurs — Entrepreneurs have a lot on their plate which means that making good use of their time is essential to their success. James Adams shares seven tips we can all use to make good use of our time.

Is Blogging Good For The Mind, Body, And Soul? — Lior Levin returns, this time sharing his personal journey into blogging. Read how an introvert loses his solitude to become a blogging extrovert.

3 Things Not To Say To An SEO Client — Duncan Heath returns and gives us sound advice on how to deal with clients for all things SEO. Lose the gobbledygook and speak a language your customers can understand. They’ll be grateful and you’ll come across professional.

How Any Business Can Benefit From SEO — Kara Taylor explains how beneficial SEO is to large and small companies alike. Certainly, small businesses have financial constraints, but they need to optimize their sites in order to be competitive.

If you’re interested in contributing an original article to Matt’s Musings, please click on the contact link to find my email address and send your inquiry my way. Please check the site’s archives [site:matthewkeegan.com] to make sure that you aren’t repeating something published here over the past six months. All contributions are passed through Copyscape before publishing; I reserve the right to edit as needed.

Copyscape Saved My Arse & Other Mysteries

I haven’t plugged too many other websites in a some time, but I figure now is as good a time as any. I’m experiencing a bit of a lull before I start a fresh, new project next week and can’t see myself having much time to add to this blog again until after Labor Day. When opportunity knocks….

Dramatic title notwithstanding, I have to say there are a number of web places I frequent which have helped me out immensely. I believe in giving credit where credit is due so here goes:

Copyscape — So much stuff is ripped off online that keeping track of it all is a must. Because I accept guest posts across several blogs, I need to know that the articles I publish are unique. Copyscape has helped me toss two articles back which means I saved myself from the embarrassment of having to toss them after they were published.

Twitter — Is microblogging crazy, or what? Yes, I spam the heck out of Twitter-what else is it good for?! Seriously, I’ve connected with some new clients including one who used me for one gig and is considering me for a much larger second one. Seriously!

Thesaurus — I rarely open up a dictionary anymore and I can’t recall if I own a thesaurus. There are times I need to reach for a word that offers clarity on something I am trying to convey and this site is a must-have tool for me. Extremely helpful for when I’m working on a magazine article.

YouTube — Who knew that YouTube had such great tunes? No, I’m not talking about the garbled mess a lot of people upload, but dedicated channels with clear, crisp tunes? I’ve been discovering DC Talk and Toby Mac, my youngest son’s favorite artist and I must say his music is inspiring and enjoyable. Love my ear buds….

Google Analytics — Google is ‘da bomb for most things Internet. When it comes to helping me track traffic and where people come in, what they read, where they go and what they do and more, Analytics is an indispensable tool.  I just hate it, however, when I discover I broke the code and data isn’t being recorded.

Curiously absent from my list are most social networking sites. That’s because I have chosen to avoid most of them for a season so that I can do what I do best — writing for my clients and getting paid for my work!