Copyblogger Weekly Wrap: Week of May 16, 2011

I don’t mean to complain because I’m happy to have this gig, but honestly it’s kind of a rip-off that I do all this work on this wrapup and then realize that it’s going to run on the same day as the apocalypse. Although I have to admit that I’ve been suspecting as much ever since I learned about the often-unmentioned Fifth Horseman, “Satire with Limited Appeal.”

There’s really no way to win here. If I’m left behind, all of the evil is probably going to mess up my Wi-Fi signal… but if I get to ascend, chances are I’ll never get the comment notifications.

So, I won’t be offended if you just go about your Armageddon business without reading or replying to this, but it’s still a bummer.

Here’s what happened in the last week of Earth on Copyblogger:

Monday:

How the Buddha Solved His Marketing Problem

This post about Buddhism, meditating under trees, not touching money, and marketing your way to Nirvana (which, contrary to popular belief, is not in Seattle) is one that will really make you think. How do you spread ideas? How do you package and position your teachings? And for once and for all, how is Seth Godin related to Buddha? Because I think he literally might be. I mean, just look at the resemblance.

Read the full post here.

Tuesday:

5 Ways to Write High-Quality Content – Fast

The idea of writing 60 blog posts in a month — as Carol Tice mentions in this post that she used to do — makes me all edgy and nervous. But it also makes me think she might know a thing or two about how to generate a bunch of ideas and turn them into written works fast. So if you’re interested in writing good stuff rapidly and reliably, you should read this post. If, however, you’re interested in languishing and wasting time but experiencing some nice nostalgia, you should go play Oregon Trail.

Read the full post here.

Tuesday part 2:

Make Money with the Premise Affiliate Program

Probably not really necessary to spell this one out, right? Make money. With the Premise Affiliate Program. Cue Freebird.

Read the full post here.

Wednesday:

How Your Worst Enemy Can Become the Key to Your Blogging Authority

This post is all about finding your internal enemy and using that enemy’s power as a driver — using it to move yourself forward and establish your own authority. And I must say, I like this battle motif, where you seek out those who oppose you in your blogging efforts and fight them to the death with a sword. I hear it works best when you steal the enemy’s power, like in Highlander. And come to think of it, Hugh McLeod probably does this all the time, seeing as he’s of the MacLeod clan and that “there can be only one.”

Read the full post here.

Thursday:

How to Captivate New Readers in 5 Seconds or Less

You heard it here first: You can judge a book by its cover. Or at least, most people do exactly that, and they’re doing it while looking at you and your website and your social media profiles whether you’re cool with it or not. This post contains the skinny on how to look good on a first glance. However, there’s one tip this post is missing, and it’s “Wear hot pants.” Because nothing makes you stand out and look good more than hot pants or Daisy Dukes ultra-short cutoff jeans. Most of the professional bloggers I know wear them.

Read the full post here.

Friday:

Marketing the Old Fashioned Way: Earning It

This episode of the IMfSP podcast is all about earning your place in the market through sensible, value-driven strategies instead of flim-flam and arbitrage. Additionally, I may not be the only person who caught the Smith Barney reference in the title of the podcast, but I may be the only one who giggled like a schoolgirl remembering John Houseman’s stoic delivery in those old TV commercials: “We eeeeehhn it.” (Next week’s episode: “Where’s the beef in internet marketing?”)

Read the full post here.

This week’s cool links:

• Avoiding the 5 Pitfalls of Free Content: So, there are some problems with creating and giving away free content… and here’s how you can avoid them.
• Fear, the Maze, and Freedom: If you think you’re trapped, you’re not. There’s always a way out of any situation (in business or life) if you’re willing to be unafraid and think outside the box.
• Four Facets of Strategic Storytelling: I like this idea of “strategic storytelling.” Here’s a post on how to do it right.
• The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King: I was just talking about this idea with the post’s author. Who wants to read the dry, droll facts about your career if they want to know “who you are?” Tell your story.

About the Author: Johnny B. Truant, who actually does know a thing or two about business, recently debuted his Bullet Sessions coaching — so bring out your questions (and also your dead).