Here are some interesting reads worth sharing, and definitely worth reading on the first day of May (wow, it’s May):

• Yoast presents 40 tips in 40 mins on ways to optimize WordPress
• 15 Steps to small business online marketing success
• Great article about 10 ways to be a great SEO. Did you catch my illustration of the “anatomy of a SEO“
• Speaking of skills that an internet marketer must have, Boston Logic is hiring a second Online Marketer (please send this along to any qualified candidates, or if you are one then please apply).
• Ever wonder how to make your offline presence work for you online? SEOmoz tackles that question.
• Local company Hubspot lays out their tips on redesigning a website. Check out my tips for keeping SEO in mind when doing a redesign.
• And last but not least, great tips on “listening” and it’s important role in social media. Something we can all use a little more practice in, don’t you think?

So you have a WordPress blog and are wondering how you get found? Well one excellent way is to share what you’ve got…spread the word. That is pretty much the gist of social media, allowing you to share your content with an online community.

Here are a two things you must have for your WordPress blog:

1. All in one SEO pack: If you could bottle SEO and offer all that and a bag of chips, well here you go. Ok, so it’s not everything I’d do for SEO, but it’s a great start for excellent on-page SEO. It offers you a custom Title tag, description and keywords (doesn’t hurt to fill add them), as well as the option to customize your post or page URL (tres important).

2. Sociable: This is what I was talking about when I said that you need to share your content. Sociable gives you the option to customize which networks or bookmarking sites you want to display…but why not offer all of the major ones. It seriously takes only a few minutes of your times to share your post each time you post a new one. And bam you’ve just opened the door to a whole new world. Now your content is there where your readers are, and hopefully they will share it, comment on it etc. But remember this, about 1 in 20 posts will go “hot”, meaning that they will be shared by a larger group, spreading your word even further.

WordPress has made it so simple with it’s latest version to install plugins, really there is no excuse. Give these a try if you aren’t using them yet. And if you aren’t using WordPress, check if your blog platform offers similar features, and if not take your information to those social networking sites and share it, share it, share it.

Social Media to some extent is still the new kid on the block. In the truest sense of the word social media is information that is created and shared by network users. Information is created in networks like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, or shared via bookmarking sites like Digg, Reddit or Del.icio.us (of course there are a lot more, but that’s another post). But is that all that social media is to us? Just sharing and creating like some online robots?

Social Media is in fact part of what the techies of today call Web 2.0. Sounds fancy right? It generally just refers to the next generation of internet development and design. Web 2.0 has helped foster the development of a variety of online communities and sharing networks, including blogs and of course our topic du jour – social media.

The networks which we establish, and ultimately in which participate, also foster a community. Perhaps this Web 2.0 business is all that. Of course thinking of “Social Media” as an online community is a bit cliché but that’s just the name of the game. People participate, they share, create, observe, learn, goof off (but not during the 9-5 grind of course), get to know others, find their niche etc. As you become involved in the community, you will also be able to communicate your own visions, thoughts, plans, goals, or whatever you want.

I think one of the goals of anyone’s online communication strategy, whether it be through networks, your blog or your website, should be to build and continue to foster an online community for your users. Use whatever analogy you please, social media is an online community.

It’s fascinating to think of a new age of communicating. Sci-fi movies for years have shown what seemed like the impossible. Ok so we aren’t quite there yet – communicating through thoughts alone – may still be a few years away. I have to admit even I am not telepathic although some people may sometimes think I am (*smile*). But is online communication really all that different from how we otherwise communicate?

Let’s explore…

Offline people generally use one of three ways of evaluating someone or a situation: passive, active or interactive responses. As a passive person you generally observe conversations (you know the ones who call themselves shy). Active interaction involves someone “actively” engaging others in conversation often by asking questions or proposing a thought. While interactive involves direct interaction between two communicators (an exchange of communication).

If you think about it, these communication behaviors are actually absolutely present in online communication as well. An interesting observation is that in mediums such as email and Instant Messenger where visual cues are scarce, textual cues are more frequently used to decode the meaning behind the words. Most develop a great skills whereby they are able to follow those textual cues to reduce uncertainty in some circumstances and overall form impressions about those whose text/content they are reading.

Those mediums, social networking connections, where visual cues are more existent like Facebook or even Twitter at this point, make it easy for someone to be more passive. Why? Because you unobtrusively observe. All you need to do is set up an account and watch the conversations flow.

Though arguably (and this is my opinion) that seems like a waste of time. I believe that social media provides an excellent opportunity for interaction on a more active level. I do admit that I too passively read, follow and learn more about others in those networks. I am curious, what is it that they do? I am fascinated by what makes people tick, how and why they do and say what they do and say. And so I chose to engage and follow up on information that has been presented to me. I am very active in social media networks beyond just Facebook and Twitter, among all of which I actively share, promote and propose ideas and thoughts, as well as  solicit feedback.

Give it a try. I wonder if you find it as fascinating as I do.