Affiliates: SATURDAY 080712

July 12, 2008

SATURDAY 080712

People in New York City race for their computers because they heard that CrossFit NYC just posted their latest blog entry! (Or, it's just the members of CFNYC out for a sprint in the City That Never Sleeps. Still, the point is that good blog entries can drive people to your site repeatedly, like they do at CFNYC.)

Say you have something really great and you think everybody should see it/read it/view it/love it, then what to do? Send it to CrossFit! Photos and articles can be sent to us, video can be submitted using the guidelines listed in the FAQ, and you can learn about submissions for the CF Journal here.

If none of those outlets seem appropriate, however, there is another way to get your message out. Again Faster owner Jon Gilson also helps to manage the Affiliate Content Network (ACN), a means by which affiliates can share their web-based content with each other, whether it be original articles, videos, etc. ACN membership is free and you can contact Jon for more information.

And, now that you're thinking "Hmmm, how can I make my own blog better?", we have just the thing for you! Here are 5 More Tips for Building a Better CrossFit Blog:

Post to your blog daily, or at least every other day. The Internet is like a dog. Sure, you can feed it every 4 or 5 days but it's not going to like you very much. Feed it daily or it will bite you. Or, worse, it will just wander off and find someone it likes better. Feed the dog.
When it's feasible, use "We" not "I" when writing a blog post; even if it is just you. Make it sound like you're part of something bigger. You are.
Set the proper tone for your blog. If you only want to attract firebreathers, then, by all means, keep posting photos of ripped calluses on your blog. But, if you'd like to also serve some soccer moms, or kids, or Joe the Accountant, then you might want to stop showing bloody hands. (You're scaring them.)
Color can be your friend. But just because everybody else is doing it doesn't mean you have to. If a black website is not who you are, then don't do it.
Quality matters. Don't throw crap out there, not in writing or photos. Quite simply, typos mek you looke dumbbb. Proofread. Use spell-check. Reread your own blog posts. Make sure all the links work: dead links only annoy your readers. You don't have to write a lot; just make sure that what you have looks good.

Posted by Lisbeth at July 12, 2008 12:05 AM

Comments

Great article Lisbeth. We have really been getting a lot out of the Affiliate Blog.

Thanks

Comment #1 - Posted by: Mike - CrossFit PEI at July 12, 2008 2:09 AM

Awesome post, Lisbeth. Keep it up!

Comment #2 - Posted by: Keith W. at July 12, 2008 4:42 AM

Wow, after a year just now found the Affiliate Blog.

This is AWESOME, plan to check it daily along with the WOD. Great tips, hope to open, or partner, a gym someday. Thanks, keep it coming!

Comment #3 - Posted by: Cory at July 12, 2008 11:14 AM

Great tips, Lisbeth!

A tip I would add is this one: read the CF blogs you admire the most on a daily basis for inspiration.

Comment #4 - Posted by: Allison Bojarski, CFNYC at July 12, 2008 12:07 PM

Hmmm, I'll have to think about that one, Allison!

Thanks to Mike and Keith -- and, remember, if you read something good on a CF blog and you think others might enjoy it, please e-mail the link to me so I can check it out and maybe post it here.

And, Cory -- welcome! I'm glad you found us. We've got a lot more good things in the works, so stay tuned. We're here to help. (But, not in that scary way that people sometimes say before they break your plumbing or mess up your engine.)

Comment #5 - Posted by: Lisbeth at July 12, 2008 1:01 PM

Great tips! I love my site, and truly enjoy all of the time I spend on it.

Comment #6 - Posted by: Jason Ackerman - Albany CrossFit at July 12, 2008 4:58 PM

Once again, awesome. I definitely like the "we" versus "I". Since "we" don't officially start until Tuesday, "we" has just been my two kids and myself. Hopefully that will change this week, the teenage daughter is a little tired of having to do moves again so I can make sure I get a good picture to put up on the site. The five yo could care less, he'll pose for anything.
The thing with "I" is that you can sound either full of yourself, or like no one wants to be "we" with you.
I would also avoid a lot of quotation marks in my post, haha!

Comment #7 - Posted by: momo at July 12, 2008 8:12 PM

Great blog tips!
I've had EVERYONE Who is not a CrossFitter, but is in web based marketing / business say that a black website puts people off. Now I know that black is 'in' for CrossFit websites... however, there are some really good reasons why black is not good: if people want to print up anything you've posted (and since your posts are going to be so valuable, they WILL want to print them), it will use up all their ink to do it when you've got a black website. Additionally, black is scary for lots of people -- it puts people off unless they're of a certain genre / culture. Like you said, Lis, if you want a group of firebreathers only - great, they likely will like the black. But is scares a lot of other potential customers away.

Comment #8 - Posted by: Susan at July 13, 2008 2:25 PM