Google Blogger's New Features

Google's Blogger is unleashing some new features to make blogs using the platform more social. They will be rolling out these features over the next several weeks.

They want bloggers to be able to view the people that read their blogs, and will provide a gadget allowing users to display those people on the actual blogs. The way they are accomplishing this is through a "Follow this Blog" link that will appear on all Blogger blogs. Who is following whom will then be shown on the Blogger dashboard and in Google Reader, for those who use it.

Marshall Kirkpatrick at Read Write Web chalks up what Blogger is doing as Google's attempt to push RSS into the mainstream:

For all its supposed simplicity, Really Simple Syndication or RSS has continued to confuse and intimidate millions of people online years after its introduction...

"Follow this blog" is a clear call to action and those words will soon grace the header of every blog on Blogger.com around the web. When users click that link they'll be taken to either a tab on their Blogger dashboard, presumably if they have an account and are logged in, or be introduced to Google Reader, the company's RSS reader. It's a simple, brilliant plan and we wonder what took so long.

Kirkpatrick is probably right in that the mainstream public is still confused about RSS. The reason I agree with this is because out of all of the people I know that don't work on the Internet, none of them use it. Many of them do have gmail accounts, however, and could get sucked into the world of RSS without even realizing it with what Google is doing.

"Follow this blog" has a kind of Twitter sound to it, which could appeal to the social mindset. Blogger will also be integrating Google Friend Connect into the mix as to further increase the social aspects of blogs. Movable Type also announced new social features recently.

4 types of links

Links are an important component in an online marketing campaign. Websites usually need a significant number of quality links to perform well in organic search rankings. Once upon a time, high-quality links were plentiful. But with the growth of the web, and an ever-increasing number of competing websites, garnering link love and attention is a time-consuming and tedious process.

There are 4 different types of links that webmasters can work to obtain...

1. One-Way Links

A one-way link is a hyperlink from one website to another. For example, Website A links to Website B.

Undeniably, these are the best kind of links for a website to have, albeit the most difficult type of link to obtain. A website will usually need to contain unique and compelling content in order for another website to link to it without any payment or reciprocal returning link.

2. Reciprocal Links

Reciprocal links are when two websites exchange links. For example, Website A links to Website B; and Website B links to Website A.

The value of reciprocal links is questionable, as you are essentially 'trading' links. Some search engines track the link patterns, and consider reciprocal links as "exchanges". Many webmasters believe that search engines place a lower value on reciprocal links than for one-way links, which is why their value is questionable.

3. Paid Links

Paid links are just that: links that are purchased. For example, Website A gives $ to Website B; then Website B links to Website A.

Compensatory links range from purchased text links to pay-per-click links, where a webmaster pays for clicks that are generated from the link. The upside to paid links is that they are not difficult to obtain if you are willing to pay. You can also control the rate in which the links increase, and how long the paid links last. The downside is that major search engines discourage webmasters from purchasing text links outright (most search engines accept pay-per-click links). In fact, if a search engine suspects that a website is trying to "buy" their way to the top of their organic rankings by manipulating the number of websites linking to a webpage, they may ban the website from the search engine.

4. Network Links (3-Way)

Network links are links that are triangulated. For example, Website A links to Website B; Website B links to Website C; and Website C links to Website A.

Network links are an expansion of link exchanges, and generally make it more difficult for a search engine to discern the link patterns. As a result, search engines may assess the value of network links as one-way links rather than the reciprocal links that they really are. Excessive use of network links can be more easily identified by search engines.

Most webmasters incorporate all the link types into their linking strategy.