I turned on the Weather Channel when some clouds were moving in, and stumbled onto an unusual report. The discussion was about seasonal beers, which they said have recently gained popularity. They were interviewing the owner of a brewery in Georgia, getting details about his seasonal beers and asking about how the early spring had affected production. This report made me think, “Wow, they know how to expand on their niche.” Examine their programming and you’ll find they take some diverse subjects and connect them to the weather in an attempt to get everyone interested. This same concept can apply to your blog, website or business. First, find your niche, then expand on it and finally explore new angles to connect with as many people as possible.
Your niche may be broad or narrow; for example, you may center on crafts, or focus on just scrapbooking. You want to attract a large enough audience and have some room to expand, so it’s important to choose a niche that isn’t super specialized. Obviously, a broader niche has more opportunity for development, but it shouldn't be so broad that the purpose of your website or blog is unclear. Don’t try to encompass so many topics, you don’t give any of them the attention they deserve, so the quality is subpar. No matter what you choose, it should be something you’re passionate and knowledgeable about.
Expanding on your niche topic is what will make your blog interesting and provide plenty of material for the future. Consider how your subject relates to a current news event, the time of year or people’s daily lives. When you think of an idea, write it down so you don’t forget. Just don’t get too carried away and try to link your niche with everything under the sun. A post about something unrelated to your niche, such as writing about high cholesterol in your craft blog, will not win you many fans. The connection between your articles and your niche subject should be very evident.
Often creating variations on your theme will open new markets. Think back to the example of a craft blog; the audience for the blog may be mostly female, but you could get the guys involved by running a series of craft projects for dad’s to do with the kids. The mom’s will still love you, and you could reach a new group of readers. Approaching your subject from a different angle will be appealing to your readers and motivate you to write.
To reiterate, here are what your goals should be:
• Find your niche (Love your niche, and don’t make it too broad or narrow.)
• Expand on it (Relate your niche to life, times and people.)
• Explore new angles (Think outside your niche’s box and make it relate to more people.)
Who knew watching the Weather Channel could teach us something about blogging? Whoever thought of linking beer to the weather had to be a genius.
Thursday
Sunday
Google's New Privacy Policy - Too Important to "Dismiss"
A distinct change to Google’s privacy policy, will affect millions of people, and you’re probably one of them. A vast collection of free services reside under the Google umbrella, including Gmail, Chrome web browser, YouTube, Blogger and more. One goal of the new privacy policy, proposed for March 1, 2012, is to remove the separate policies, and cover all the products with the same agreement. This means Google can take the information gathered from all the products you use, and compile it into one customer profile. They will collect basic contact information, and record other data, such as your search queries, e-mails, location and computer configuration. Concerning the policy update, Google states, “Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.” If you have ever searched for a product, and noticed ads for related products suddenly show up on web sites you browse, you just witnessed an example of how Google uses the information they gather.
In an age of computer hackers and identity theft, it’s understandable that many have feelings of trepidation over this privacy policy. You will not have the option to “opt out” of the new policy, which is another issue that’s been heavily debated. Although Google accounts provide some options for tailoring privacy settings, the casual user may not know how to limit the flow of personal information. Frida Ghitis, author of the CNN opinion piece “Google knows too much about you,” looked for an easy way to prevent Google from saving personal information. However, she stated, “There was no such button.” Deleting information is not a guaranteed solution either, since the data may still be stored on servers for days, or even months after you hit “Delete.”
The broad area covered by the policy raises concerns for many people, including consumer advocate groups and lawmakers. Recently, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed suit against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as an attempt to halt the changes proposed by Google. James Cantor of The New York Times reported that the European Union (E.U.) is investigating the new policy to ensure it does not conflict with data protection laws. The E.U. asked Google to delay implementing the privacy changes until their inquiry is complete. Google executives also met with members of the United States congress on February 2, 2012. This came on the heels of a lengthy letter submitted to the lawmakers on January 30, 2012. Both the letter and the meeting however failed to dispel all the concerns. In an interview with Tech Live, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack commented, “I think Google is trying very hard to calm a nervous public about what they're doing.”
Google asserts their basic privacy principles haven’t changed, and reiterate that they recognize the serious responsibility of protecting the information in their care. On their Public Policy Blog, you will find several posts defending the new policy and attempting to clear up misconceptions. Nevertheless, it’s always prudent to take steps to guard your personal data. First, you should read Google’s new privacy policy in detail. In Google’s favor, they worded the policy very simply, so you won’t be confused by any long legalese. Next, read the answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” about the update, because they focus on specific points of concern. Finally, familiarize yourself with Google’s privacy tools, and follow the instructions to review and edit your privacy settings. It’s easy to become complacent, but your information is out there, and when this privacy policy moves ahead, it could all be in one place.
In an age of computer hackers and identity theft, it’s understandable that many have feelings of trepidation over this privacy policy. You will not have the option to “opt out” of the new policy, which is another issue that’s been heavily debated. Although Google accounts provide some options for tailoring privacy settings, the casual user may not know how to limit the flow of personal information. Frida Ghitis, author of the CNN opinion piece “Google knows too much about you,” looked for an easy way to prevent Google from saving personal information. However, she stated, “There was no such button.” Deleting information is not a guaranteed solution either, since the data may still be stored on servers for days, or even months after you hit “Delete.”
The broad area covered by the policy raises concerns for many people, including consumer advocate groups and lawmakers. Recently, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed suit against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as an attempt to halt the changes proposed by Google. James Cantor of The New York Times reported that the European Union (E.U.) is investigating the new policy to ensure it does not conflict with data protection laws. The E.U. asked Google to delay implementing the privacy changes until their inquiry is complete. Google executives also met with members of the United States congress on February 2, 2012. This came on the heels of a lengthy letter submitted to the lawmakers on January 30, 2012. Both the letter and the meeting however failed to dispel all the concerns. In an interview with Tech Live, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack commented, “I think Google is trying very hard to calm a nervous public about what they're doing.”
Google asserts their basic privacy principles haven’t changed, and reiterate that they recognize the serious responsibility of protecting the information in their care. On their Public Policy Blog, you will find several posts defending the new policy and attempting to clear up misconceptions. Nevertheless, it’s always prudent to take steps to guard your personal data. First, you should read Google’s new privacy policy in detail. In Google’s favor, they worded the policy very simply, so you won’t be confused by any long legalese. Next, read the answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” about the update, because they focus on specific points of concern. Finally, familiarize yourself with Google’s privacy tools, and follow the instructions to review and edit your privacy settings. It’s easy to become complacent, but your information is out there, and when this privacy policy moves ahead, it could all be in one place.
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