Wow. First of all kudos to Social Actions for doing the initial “Change the Web challenge” and then for Zemanata to  “pay it forward.” I have blogged about how great Zemanata is once before, but this truly sets them apart…Ok so let me get you up to speed as to what this whole challenge, “Blogging for a cause” is all about.

The kind people at Zemanata have stepped forward with the following challenge to each and everyone of us:

We Need You to Blog About Your Favorite Causes.

As a blogger, your voice can change the world. Innovative social media tools, such as blogging give you the means to promote any number of worthwhile charitable causes. It’s a big challenge, but one we know our community of blogging friends is up for: making the world a better place.

Zemanta has been working with Social Actions, an initiative that aggregates civic causes from more than 50 databases, to create a tool that recommends charitable causes to bloggers while they write. In recognition of Zemanta’s effort, we were awarded 2nd prize at the Change The Web Challenge.

What Zemanta is doing now is that they are taking that $3000 (and any matches they get) and donating that money to an organizations that gets the most blog press/coverage. (You know the basic concept of paying it forward I assume).

My response: “I accept your generous proposal, Zemanta!” Of course I am jumping at the opportunity to share my favorite organizations with you…

So I start with an amazing organization out in Arizona. I became familiar with their mission and work first hand during my work at ROI Solutions. The organization I’d like to brag about is the Center for Biological Diversity. Boy, based on the last 8 presidential years we should all be advocating for more biological diversity (*IMO*). The Center for Biological Diversity, or CBD as they are called, has been on the forefront of saving endangered species for years. Please consider this: most of those species are dying because of global climate changes, new housing or corporate developments, and simples things like off road driving; circumstances for which we are all responsible.

Some of their more familiar recent campaigns include Saving the Polar Bears, Cleaning up the Bush Legacy, and the Call of the Wild (you may recall those popular animal ring tones from a few years ago, that was them)…but beyond the general popularity of their campaigns, their campaigns are extremely well run and organized and managed by even more efficient people. Their staff are among the most dedicated and enthusiastic animal nerds that I have ever met, and that is so cool.

Cool as they may be, we have to remember that we are all responsible, and we should all pitch in to ensure the continued prosperity of as many living creatures, however big or small, on Earth as we can. So wether this inspires you to join CBD, to make a one time donation, or maybe to share this story with a friend, I am honored to have shared their work with you. I do hope that you do one of afore mentioned, and even better, take the time to write about this or your favorite organization.

This blog post is part of Zemanta’s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Big win for a tiny endangered species (CBD success story – one of many) (sciam.com)
• Blogging For A Cause (zemanta.com)
• Zemanta now suggests ways to change the world (zemanta.com)

Are you wondering if what you write is in some way a total turn off to people? You are not alone, many of us do… Wondering whether what we write or do has any effect at all?

Well, here are some tips on what to do and what not to do.

Blogging best practices:

• Keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm your readers with an anthology. Short and sweet will do.
• Communicate regularly, weekly at least.
• Communicate through various mediums. It’s good for people to see you on other trusted sites.
• Thank people!
• Do something without expecting anything in return.
• Link to other sites.
• Solicit feedback.
• Offer information that your readers want to hear. Something that benefits them.
• Leave comments on other blogs without mentioning your business. This is a great piece of advice from pro-blogger Chris Brogan, who says

If your post is about a specific industry or relates to other great blogs, find a recent blog post that has related information. (Now, this is different than what you MIGHT normally do, so pay attention). In the URL part of the sign-up form, put the link to your post, not your blog in general. In the comment body, don’t talk about your amazing post. Just offer genuine commentary on the post you read, and share your thoughts and ideas. Repeat: don’t mention the post. (If your comment is great and worthy, people will click through and check it out.)

Nine Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts, Aug 2008

Here are some thing you may not want to do, as they indeed may turn off some readers. You should try to keep the following in mind.

What not to do:

• Don’t talk only about yourself or your products.
• Don’t write about the same thing over and over without changing the theme or message. People will get bored, and/or think you are a spammer and tune you out.
• On that note, don’t spam.
• Don’t bash other people or companies. It’s not nice. Remember, if you don’t have anything nice to say then you might as well not say anything at all.
• Don’t use bad humor and don’t be “un-PC” in bad taste.
• Don’t mislead your readers.

While it’s still fun and ok to show a personality, everyone does appreciate a welcoming and professional atmosphere. The more you follow these tips, the more people will come to trust and respect what you have to say. Trust is a huge factor in whether or not people will follow you. Just like any basic relationship, you don’t start out being trusted, you have to earn that trust. Assume that people know nothing about you. Establish yourself as an authority on a subject, without bashing your readers over the head with it.

Hope this helps. If there is anything that I forgot to mention or you think is an absolute must, then please do let me know.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Tired of Talking to Yourself? Go Visit Other Blogs, Leave Quality Comments and Links (growmap.com)
• My Policy on User Comments (docshazam.com)
• The Subtle Art of Linkbaiting (chrisbrogan.com)
• 9 great blogs I enjoy reading & find inspirational . . . (digital-constructions.com)
• Blogging about Blogging: Round Up of Posts (buildabetterblog.com)