If you’re not familiar with Twitter, watch this explanatory video, and then learn how it applies to your blog in two great posts called “9 Benefits of Twitter for Bloggers” and “A Quick Introduction to Twitter for Bloggers“.

photo credit: 顔なし

Since my last post about how I add followers on Twitter, I’ve received some questions about the metrics I use to choose who to follow back (or not). Then I posted a tweet that generated a much bigger response than I expected:

Can’t believe how many “Internet Marketing experts” follow me who obviously have no concept of Twitter etiquette. Not so impressive.

Many of the designers I work with are bloggers themselves, but some are not, so this is intended to be an introduction to what goes into a blog design.

When I refer to blog design on this page, I’m specifically talking about the part of the process that happens in a graphics program like Photoshop or Fireworks. The part that happens after that (where I take the design file and turn it into a working design) is what I refer to as coding—and a lot of designers aren’t interested in that at all (which is fine by me!).
Elements of a blog design
I’m going to start by defining some terms that I use when talking about blog elements.

In my last post I explained the value of blog comment marketing. This one will give you details on how to find appropriate posts to comment on.

First, the dead-obvious suggestion: start with the blogs you’re already reading. Hopefully you’ve selected some high quality blogs that are written for people who are a lot like your ideal reader.

As you’re reading through posts, stay alert for points that catch your attention, give you an idea, remind you of something else, or even irritate you a little. Those things are excellent comment-fodder and, if you can communicate a response with clarity and intelligence, you’ll probably get the attention of the blogger and the readers.

Once you’ve visited all your “usual suspects,” though, where should you turn next?

If you want to get more interested visitors to your blog, blog comment marketing is something you should invest a little time in doing.

What is blog comment marketing? It’s just a fancy way of saying “leave comments on other people’s blogs”—taking something you’re probably doing already, and just making it …

If you’re convinced that you need to create an ideal reader, you’ll be eager to dig into the details. Get a notebook and pen, or use your computer and open up a text editor. Let’s go!

Start with generalities:

Who is your target audience …