Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it

Subject: My web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: izzy
Date: 06 May 04 - 09:14 AM

Hallo,

Some of you may remember that a few months ago I was grappling with building my own website. It has been successfully constructed and is dedicated to a biannual survey of English culture from a liberal point of view with a large helping of folkie stuff in each issue (the first issue has already been published on the Web.) My problem, however, is getting readers and contributors (it is a not-for-profit enterprise, so I can't afford to pay anyone.) As of now there are two regular writers, and I can't tell how many regular readers. Furthermore, it still has not turned up in the search engines as the sitebuilding programme I'm using (please, no lectures again!) won't allow the use of html tags. Has anyone else ever tried to get a web-based magazine for a rather specialised audience started before, and how does one promote a site like this over the internet without spending out a lot of money?

The website can be accessed HERE , by the way. The articles open in separate windows.

Thanks and forgive me for boring everyone with this again,

Isabel

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 06 May 04 - 01:20 PM

Following the clicky for your web building package, it says you can upload stuff created with other web tools. That means you should be able to take the page their software has produced, and copy the HTML source code to your own computer. Once it is there you can edit it by hand or use a web authoring package. You can add any tags you wish if you think they will be useful. You should then be able to upload the modified files back tou your web space.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: treewind
Date: 06 May 04 - 01:49 PM

Promoting a web site is a problem.
Web sites work well as a source of information for people who already know it's there and come back for new stuff (like a news site or MudCat) or to look things up (like Google or Yahoo), but there really isn't a straightforward way to make people visit it.

You don't want to sent out spam to the world - everybody will hate you.
You could post a note to relevant newsgroups, but again there is a lot of resistance unless it's very obviously interesting.
You've promoted it here - good, but that will bring only a few more readers in. Keep at it, don't expect instant results!

Anahata

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: izzy
Date: 06 May 04 - 02:40 PM

Thanks a lot Geoff and Anahata for the advice and encouragement. I certainly need it at this stage. I was wondering whether other people have ever used discussions on other forums related to what their website is about to promote their website (if the host permits it, of course) and whether it actually works...My site is totally non-commercial so I *might* get a slightly positive response.

Cheers.

Isabel

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: GUEST,jennifer
Date: 06 May 04 - 03:58 PM

I've only done it on forums by moderate lurking until a suitable subject comes up and making a hopefully relevant suggestion.

I have a tracking button so I can see how many people are visiting my site. It's encouraging. This does however leave "cookies" on peoples computers which some people think is socially unacceptable.

Within a couple of weeks of being online my webpages somehow got to be top of the Google rankings. Some people don't think much of Google, but I am not too proud to enjoy the hits. I think it got there because it was part of another site which had managed to get a high ranking. When I went solo the ranking seemed to go with me. Visitor numbers continue to increase three years later. The more links you can get to your site from other sites the better, not just because people will use them but because it increases your rank with the search engines. It snowballs.

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 06 May 04 - 04:40 PM

As one of the people who objects to unneccessary cookies being insinuated onto my computer, I try my best to get rid of ones I don't want. As I use Opera that usually just means selecting eiter "refuse cookie" or "Accept cookie, but throw it away on close of browser", but it is a pain in the rear when I hit one of the sites which try to set over a dozen cookies for each page within the site.
That said, if I visit such a web counter, I will have deleted the previous cookie, so it will presumably register me as a different "new" visitor.
The point being that it will give duff information anyway.
I particularly object to the counters which set "tracking cookies",although Ad-Aware is quite good at removing any of these which slip through on Internet Explorere.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: izzy
Date: 07 May 04 - 08:01 AM

Thanks very much for the tips. I suppose visitors like Geoff explain why an improbable 280 visits have been registered for my home page --I expect some of them are accounted for by the same people returning on numerous occasions.

Cheers,

Isabel

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 May 04 - 12:11 PM

There have been several threads here recently where people have discussed how Google and other search engines decide to report your presence. There are quite a number of "tricks" that people use, some of which seem to work and many that don't.

There are several "trade associations" related to the search "industry." A Google search for "search engines" should get you quite a lot of information. I've found some sites with pretty detailed information, but unfortunately didn't save links. The main thing to look for here is a site that is about search engines.

The same search should also get you a number of actual search engines. There are a number of "niche" engines that search only for specialized kinds of information. The major engines won't link you "at your request," but some of the more specialized ones may put you in their index lists if you simply ask them to - if you have something appropriate to offer.

One of the common things that is done is to "trade links." Many sites will agree to place a link to you if you agree to include a link to them. Many search engines do "count links" to decide whether a page is "listable," so their link to you increases your likelihood of being indexed, and your link to them does the same for their site. You should be careful about looking for sites where your stuff actually relates to their purpose for this (although many sites are not too selective). Look on the sites that interest you, and see if they have a "trade links" button somewhere. (You'll find them obviously displayed most often on smaller business or personal sites.)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: izzy
Date: 07 May 04 - 02:02 PM

Thanks a lot for all that, John, I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

Isabel

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 07 May 04 - 06:24 PM

I notice that your TITLE HTML tag is empty - it helps to have something useful in that - it used to help with some search engines, but they keep changing the rules...

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 May 04 - 06:38 PM

The TITLE tag is one thing that the engines look at to index you, and has been used for some of those bizarre results that people like to play with. (Things like "dumbass" in the title, for a page about your former spouse, or boss, perhaps.) The page title doesn't necessarily "show" on the page, so you can put "topic keys" in that may help the engines to know what you offer.

People have tried "loading" the title with words or phrases that people are "likely to look for," often stuff unrelated to their own content, to try to improve the odds of being "hit;" but Google (especially) does appear to discard title keywords that don't relate to your subject content - sometimes. There's even rumor that they keep a "blacklist" of sites that have tried to fool them, but I'm not convinced it's true. Maybe for people who've tried really hard(?).

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 07 May 04 - 06:38 PM

FT - that was mentioned in the first posting - the sitebuilder package doesn't allow it. Which was why I suggested downloading the file , editing, then re-uploading it.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 07 May 04 - 07:22 PM

Quack!

from reading the code, the package seems to allow the use of some 'approved' meta tags (probably from answers to some questions), so it seems just poor design that it ignores the title one but we don't need to start that .... the first message didn't specify that the title was not allowed.

The page looks good.

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: izzy
Date: 07 May 04 - 10:27 PM

I have actually tried to put the title at the top of the page but there just seems to be no way of doing it with the software. It is very frustrating to keep seeing "put the page title here" --how?? And as for inserting tags in the main body of the page, the html code shows up when one views the finished page. I expect I will have to take another look at the sitebuilder guide and see whether I have been missing something.


Thanks for all the help and encouragement, it's really great.

Cheers,

Isabel

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: Mark Clark
Date: 08 May 04 - 12:54 AM

Isabel, Does your hosting company or ISP provide you any way of moving HTML files down to your PC, editing them directly, and moving them back to your site directory? If it does, you can easily add a title using Microsoft Notepad. I can see (by viewing your source code) that you actually have a title tag pair in your code, it just doesn't have any text in it.

I don't know what sort of a relationship you have with your hosting company but if you could move your site to someplace like ImHosted.com, they will take care of publicizing your site. They will make sure it's included in all the major search engines and will give you advice to help you get noticed. ImHosted.com is only an example, many hosting companies now include that service, even in their cheapest hosting bundles.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 08 May 04 - 06:58 AM

Yes, and taking it further from Mark's comment about the title, there's also an obvious place where you were no doubt meant to put the heading 'Diversions' (I read in detail diversions1.htm being a foodie!) where the blank H2 tags are. There's a whole null table (displays nothing) at the top there.

It can be incredibly frustrating for beginners to struggle with software that seems so simple from the creator's point of view... :-)

Your basic design looks clean and uncluttered. Keep at it. It just gets easier once you have lost your virginity...

And remember the *hacker's chant "when in doubt 'RTFM'"#


*from the days before crackers (those only interested in breaking in) became misnamed as hackers (those only interested in learning every tiny facet).

Robin
ex-(original style)hacker...

# has somethikng to do with reading manuals....

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: izzy
Date: 08 May 04 - 06:14 PM

I have found that it IS possible to add a title using Microsoft Frontpage, but then uploading and subsitituting it for the home page is a bit tricky because the builder tells me the new page has a BAD NAME. But I dare say I shall get it figured out. What I'd like to know is, how are you people reading the html source code?

Oh, computers...

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 May 04 - 06:33 PM

Right-click on a page, select "view source".

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 08 May 04 - 09:57 PM

... or you can File - Save As - (you only need to save it a HTML only) - put it on your system, then use any editor to look through it.

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: Web-based magazine and how to promote it
From: izzy
Date: 09 May 04 - 12:32 PM

Thanks for that.

Isabel