What is a Blog vs. What is a Flog

What is a flog? What defines a blog?

A blog is a weblog, an updatable website, where you post articles called blog posts. Your posts might contain pictures, videos besides text, but the most important thing is that blog posts are supposed to have useful content, information and resources about specific topics. Blog posts allow comments, that can be moderate or not by the blog owner. Another important and interesting characteristic is that in a blog you can easily tag the content of your posts by using keywords. That is how your post can be more findable by search engines like Google and Yahoo when people search using the same words you used to tag your content.

The bottom line is that every blog is a website, but not every website is a blog. Nowadays, a lot of people are using their blogs as a website installing plug ins like the WordPress. By doing that, besides a page for your blog, you can create multiple and different pages, like a website, where you can keep static information, like About Us, Prices, Location etc. Comparing to real life, your website is your brochure, and your blog is your news channel.

A flog is a fake blog used by people who don’t really care about quality content or sharing valuable info that may help others. Mostly used by New Age Affiliate Marketers who see this as a way to monetize only to hit a wall sooner than they think. The reason they burn out is that the info is the most important think people are searching for.

Bloggers School moderated a discussion about Flogs and Affiliate Marketing at eComXpo, on July 8th 2009. You can register even though the show is over, it is also free and the content is available for three months, if you want to play back the “Dirty Little Secret Panel”.

John Ciampa moderates eComXpo panel “Dirty Little Secrets: Taking The Lid Off Affiliate Marketing And Assessing What Creates Value”

The power of blogs ranking better than regular sites in search engine results made a bunch of fake blogs come out as pages called Flogs, a 3 million dollars a month industry that’s creating a stir through fake blogs.

The content publish on a lot of those site is copyrighted content from other websites with a ads and links to merchants products and services to generate money. What they are trying to do is push themselves up in the search engine on other people’s content and keywords.

Social Media is all about transparency, credibility and originality. Using fake content or fake bloggers to talk about you product and services might work out really well at first for traffic proposes. but at the end of the day the risk of being reported and having your site banned from search engine will probably wont be worth it. Besides that, the damage you can generate for your brand reputation is probably irreversible.

Another problem caused by people just copying and pasting others people content is generating duplicate content, what can make your blog or site to be penalized by Google. Read the Official Google Webmaster Central Blog to understand more about how to deal with duplicate content or how to report Google about people using your content.

To learn more about how far black hat affiliate marketers go to push the envelope on a Google controlled system you must register to the next eComXpo and join the panel “Dirty Little Secrets: Taking The Lid Off Affiliate Marketing And Assessing What Creates Value”.

Check out a few topic that are going to be discussed on July 8th, at 4:20pm, which will be moderated by John A Ciampa, from Bloggers School:

• How can the affiliate industry help search engines to get flogs knocked down and prevent content duplication?
• Will actions of the FTC deter black hatters from engaging in unethical practices?
• Assess the impact of black hat practices on affiliate marketing in a time when affiliate marketing is the most cost effective and efficient marketing channel companies can use
• Devise a breakthrough marketing program by taking the creativity of black hat and applying it to marketing and creating value

Are part of the discussion panel:

• Jay Weintraub, CEO, LeadsCon
• John Reel, Internet Entrepreneur & Developer, www.GoTryThis.com
• Steven Richter, President, Media Breakaway
• Todd Malicoat, SEO & Social Media Expert, Stuntdubl.com

Visit Bloggers School virtual booth at the next eComXpo, July 8th-9th

This is the event that kicked it all off for Bloggers School. It was like a blessing to find info in this format for free. We are talking powerful information here, so on time with the changes in the e-commerce world. The info came from heaven above at a time when money was tight for me. Going to the free eComXpo gave me the knowledge I needed to start my own business.

I have been word of mouthing them ever since. Bloggers School Radio even had a chance to interview Caleb Chase, the spokesperson for eComXpo.

They contacted us based on our past promotions for them and offered us a booth at their next virtual event on July 8th-9th 2009.

What to expect when you attend the eComXpo? Keynote and classes on all of today’s online relevant topics like blogging and new media. You will also stumble upon top online companies, they avatars and booths on the eComXpo exhibit floor.

And don’t forget! By visiting our booth you may win a full pass for the third edition of the BlogWorld & New Media Expo, next October 15th-17th, in Las Vegas! That is another show that you should definitely check out!

The picture above is the eComXpo virtual floor.

EcomXpo is back: Learn eCommerce and Affiliate Marketing for free joining virtually the exhibition

I get so excited every time the eComXpo comes to town.  Well maybe not exactly to town. The eComXpo is a virtual online exhibition that is taking place this year on January 28th and 29th 2009 .

You can register for eComXpo for free and keep yourself so far ahead of the loop. Probably being this far ahead makes others don’t understand what you are talking about. It will catch up. When I had started Blogging no one understood the concept. have I seen a report on CNN Money and then I jumped in starting a few blogs. Shortly after that I learned about the eComXpo so I registered for a free 3 Day keynote and Expo hall where the latest companies were to network.

OK, here is the thing: eComXpo is not a place to bring  your body, but more like a place to let your Avatar run loose. Everyone there is an Avatar.

The eComXpo virtual campus view, where your Avatar can learn and network on the Expo

Exhibition Hall - Visit and interact with exhibitors on the show floor
Presentation Pavilion - View webcasts and presentations
Resource Center – View your digital library to browse content from exhibitors
Lounge - Network with your peers via interactive group chat

During the event companies use video presentations with other way cool stuff, like prizes giveaways. This event will teach you where the market is heading before it full goes there, and this is powerful information. After the full 3 days all the presentations and discussions will remain available in archive format through April 29th 8PM EDT.

I know one thing: after this show you will be hunting down the playback info. But don’t worry, a lot of info is around and you will be fed during event.