SOAP eWritings Please!

Posted by Mihaela Lica as Public Relations

Yvonne at Grow Your Writing Business needs some SOAPing, and so does eWritings! I gave Yvonne a few tips and I am sure she’d be glad to hear from you too. The SOAP program, which translates Scratch One Another Program has been initiated by Easton Ellsworth at Business Blogwire. The purposes of the program are listed by Easton as follows:

To connect with and learn from other business bloggers.

To get free blogging help fast.

To help other pro bloggers.

To make you feel clean inside and out.

I don’t really get the meaning of the last point, but heck… we need a catch every now and then, don’t you think? To participate in this program and get your SOAP request on Easton’s blog, you need to follow the instructions you’ll find here and then fill out the SOAP request form. I have no idea whether Easton will accept eWritings or not, but no matter what he is going to decide, one thing is sure: I need some SOAPing too! So I beg of you: help me out.

Here is what I need: I’d like to give eWritings a branded image. For this purpose I will need a new logo and a new theme. This standard Wordpress theme by Michael Heilemann is great, but it doesn’t really serve my purpose. My official business website has a quite successful design, but the problem is that my clients don’t get that Pamil Visions feel here. Since eWritings is more of a business blog than a personal blog, I’d like to align it somehow to the Pamil Visions style, while keeping its own identity. In short: eWritings is a Pamil Visions brand.

What do I need from you? Some suggestions. What do you like about eWritings? What don’t you like? What should I keep? Are there things that lower your reading experience or things that distract you from the message? Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you very much.

9 Responses

Maria & Stefano

May 4th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
1

I think you’re great the way you are…you might wanna try to change the template maybe…but all your posts are so helpful and fun…you’re the best!!!

M.
Maria & Stefano

May 4th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
2

By the way stop by at my place…we got news…

Baaahhh!!!

M.
Mihaela Lica

May 4th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
3

Thank you, Maria! It’s nice to “hear” that from you. I will change the template, but I really don’t know what to choose. I’m going to look at some customizable wordpress themes tonight as I cannot afford the luxury of a new theme now (I have a few time-consuming projects and I have the feeling that next month I’ll give you some other news too!)
Yvonne Russell

May 5th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
4

Hi Mig

Thanks so much for giving me so many great SOAPy tips at my blog. I will take time to study your site, and see if I can come up with any suggestions. Give me a few days.

I appreciate all your support and great ideas.

Yvonne
Yvonne Russell

May 6th, 2007 at 4:46 am
5

Hi Mig

As others are more qualified at this than I am, here is a link from Daily Blog Tips with 43 tips for Web Design http://www.dailyblogtips.com/43-web-design-mistakes-you-should-avoid/, which may be of interest.

This is a minor thing but when readers comment at this blog, they can no longer see the sidebar. A design which allows a reader to still be able to refer to the sidebar while they comment would be good. Why? For a new visitor it could be something as simple as double checking the spelling of your name. It also reinforces the “whole” brand and what you have to offer even as you comment.

As this blog is “linked” to your business blog Pamil Visions, I would consider having a similar look for both. Char at Essential Keystrokes http://www.essentialkeystrokes.com uses this as a more informal business site which drives traffic to her http://www.keystrokes.net/. You can see they have a similar but not identical look which reinforces the general feel of the brand.

If you don’t want to go down this path, just something that ties the 2 blogs together a bit more. I agree (as you suggested to me) that a logo is good.
I like your tagline but wonder if something more descriptive of your “mission” here and what this blog is about would be good, as in your “About” section you say this is a business blog. If this blog is more about personal aspects but still tied to business, you could go along the lines of “Personal thoughts about ewritings, public relations and life”. I’m sure you can think of something more creative.

These are just random thoughts & ramblings I offer here, so please feel free to ignore any or all of them. Your posts are always insightful and interesting, and your personality and sincerity shines through. I’m sure with your skills you will come up with a great solution. I look forward to seeing it.

All the best

Yvonne
Maria & Stefano

May 6th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
6

You can find a bunch of free templates on the net for your blog…

I’m sure no matter what it will look fab;)
Mihaela Lica

May 6th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
7

Wow, Yvonne, thanks for the link and for the SOAPing. I was thinking about the sidebar issue before, but I didn’t know what to do. I was new at wordpress when I started this blog, so I chose the simplest theme I found. Char used to have a different look for her blog before too. And I love what she’s done with the new one. I also like her website: it’s simple and very easy to navigate. Mine has a lot of content which brings me important targeted traffic. The ROI is pretty good too, so I am going to keep the site as it is for now.

But I do want to bring eWritings closer to Pamil Visions, although I don’t want it “too close.” I like the tag line you suggest. I used to have something like that before “It’s a matter of personal opinion… opened to the public.” I kind of like my tag line now, but I will carefully consider your idea and if I am going to change it, you’ll be the first to find out.
Mihaela Lica

May 6th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
8

Thank you, Maria. To be honest I’ve been browsing a bit these days and found a few themes I really like. Now I am going to check them out to see if they have all the features I need.
Yvonne Russell

May 7th, 2007 at 9:28 am
9

Wow! Love the new theme. - a good choice.