You need a blog. Duh. If you’re a company and if hanging it off of your company website makes sense for the link traffic – go for it. If you’re head of marketing at a company and keeping a more generalized blog (in addition to your company blog) so that you can influence brands & agencies – it can be separate.
你需要網誌，如果你是一間公司又猶豫原公司網址流量，還是開個網誌吧(按:此處不太確定)，假使你是行銷的頭頭，那除了公司官方網誌外，還是多開個網誌，這樣也是能增加品牌影響力，這是不衝突的。
I chose for my blog to be independent of my firm, GRP Partners. The reason is that I wanted to be free to say what I was thinking independently of my partners. My views don’t always represent theirs and vice-versa even though we’re pretty like-minded (we’ve worked together for 10+ years). I chose a title that represented a brand that I wanted to emphasize – Both Sides of the Table. I chose it because I thought it would represent who I am – mostly an entrepreneur but somebody with investment chops. I wanted to differentiate.
我選擇讓我的網誌獨立於我的公司 GRP之外，原因在於我想自在地書寫，不受我合夥人影響。我的觀點並不代表他們的想法，反之亦然，即便咱們已心靈相通(誰叫我們共事十年以上)，我選好公司名Both Sides of the Table來彰顯我們的品牌，會用此名是因這能代表我本人-一個創業家但擁有些投資本領，我想要與眾不同。
So. People keep asking me, “why would you write on TechCrunch?” I guess I would have thought it was obvious. Apparently not. People say, “aren’t you driving traffic away from your own blog?”
所以當人們問我:"為何要在TechCrunch上書寫? 難道不會減少你網誌的流量嗎?" 我想顯而易見的，不會!
Facts:
*I don’t really care about total page views or uniques other than as a measure of whether I’m improving. I don’t sell ads.
我不在乎網頁瀏覽數或獨創性來證明我在進步，我才不賣廣告。
*I DO care about “share of mind,” which means that I want fish in the pond where the people whom I want to speak with hang out. I know a certain number hit my blog. But I’m not so arrogant (or successful) as to think they come all the time. So I take my show on the road. If I can write about a topic for which I’m passionate about and double or triple the number of people who read it – that’s gold dust. That’s why I never stopped anybody from taking my feed and republishing.
但我在乎"分享"，我想對我的目標讀者群交流，我知道某些人會來點我的網誌，但我並不自傲或自認成功以為人們都天天來看，因此我只是持續演出，如果我能對我熱愛主題一路書寫下去並召來兩倍至三倍的讀者-那就是有價之金，這也是為何我從不阻擾別人挪用或重製我的文章。
As it happens, since I began writing at TechCrunch my viewership has continued to go up, not down. I always publish on my own blog the day after it runs on TC. I want the historical post there. A large number of readers on my site get it from Feedburner or newsletter feed.
自我開始在TechChrunch寫作，瀏覽量就開始攀升，然後我一定在TC見文後隔天在PO在自己的網誌上，當作留做紀念。也有很多讀者是從Feedburner或newsletter過來的。
I also get a lot of inbound links from writing here. I try to make any inbound links to my blog authentic to the story. But each story has driven 1,000′s of views.
我曾獲許多外部網站連結流量，我嘗試要把外部到網誌連結原汁原味傳到各文章，但各文大概已有1000次閱讀數 (按:此處不確定)
The majority of my traffic still comes from Twitter. TC posts = more Twitter followers = more conversion when I do write on my own blog = more Feedburner / newsletter subs = more traffic. It’s an ecosystem. Simple.
最大流量來源還是來自推特，TechCrunch文章數 = 更多推特追隨者 = 在寫文章時有更多轉換 = 更多 Feedburner或newsletter = 更多流量，就像一個簡單的生態系。
And to prove the point I have the analytics from this post. It ran today (Sunday, a slow day for tech blogs) on TechCrunch. My logs as of 10.30pm show that nearly 5,000 of the 21,000 visits to my blog today came from TechCrunch. Tomorrow another 2,500 or more will come. I’ll bet that 20% of these at least had never heard of my blog. If only 20% of those come back again that’s an additional 300 relevant readers / month I wouldn’t have had.
為了證明這點我對本文作了些分析，今天上線(周日，科技網誌的淡季)，下午10:30顯示21000位訪客中有5000位來自TechCrunch，隔天則約2500位，我敢打賭約兩成人是第一次知道我的網誌，如有兩成再度來訪那就是300位新增的讀者了。
So once you have a blog, a voice and a small following – don’t be shy about writing some guest posts for target blogs. Remember – for you that’s likely not TC – it’s the place your community hangs out.
當你擁有網誌，一些聲浪跟一小撮人就會跟隨你，別羞於為大的社群寫點東西，對你而言可能不是TC，而可能是你最常逗留的地方。
4. How
Be authentic. Don’t try to sound too smart or too funny. Just be yourself. People will see who you are in your words. If you try to make everything too perfect you’ll never hit publish. If you try to sound too intelligent you’ll likely be boring as shit. Most blogs are. I hate reading blow hards who try to sound like they’re smarter than the rest of us. Be open and transparent. Get inside your reader’s minds. Try to think about what they would want to know from you. In fact, ask them!
要真誠，別自作精明或過於滑稽，忠於自己就好了。人們會從字裡行間認識你，太追求完美反而推廣不了，如果故作聰穎反會枯燥無味。但多數網誌都是這樣，我厭惡那些自詡高人一等的寫手。要公開透明，挖掘讀者內心深處，嘗試去想他們想從你這邊了解什麼，實際上的方法就是問他們!!
Don’t be offensive – it’s never worth it to offend great masses of people. But that doesn’t mean sitting on the fence. I have a point of view and I’m sure sometimes it rankles. But I try to be respectful about it. Sitting on the fence on all issues is also pretty boring. And don’t blog drunk. Or at least don’t hit publish ;-) Mostly, have fun. If you can’t do that you won’t last very long.
別具攻擊性，得罪大眾是最不值得的事情，但也不是要你當個騎牆派，有時我抱持某觀點令我招致批評，但我想我試著去接受它，畢竟所有議題都當騎牆派也很無趣，但別 blog Drunk(按:可能指出洋相)，至少別讓其公開化;-) 多數時間去享受它，但如果你做不來的話你的網誌應該也活不長久。
How do I get started? First, you’ll need a platform. I use WordPress. Some people swear by SquareSpace. There are the new tools like Tumblr and Posterous. I’ve played with both and they’re pretty cool. They’re more light weight and easier to use. Importantly, they’re more social. It’s much easier to build an audience in social blogging platforms the way you do in Twitter or Facebook.
要如何開始呢? 第一步，先找一個平台，我使用WordPress。有些人則用SquareSpace、Tumblr、Posterous(按:好像已經掛了)，我用過都蠻不錯的，但還有更多不錯的平台待你發掘，那更要緊的是，這些平台比FB跟推特更易建立社群讀者。
Then you need to decide whether to use the “hosted” version or the “installed” version. At least that’s true in WordPress. The advantage of the hosted version is that it’s easier to get started. The disadvantage is that you can’t install a lot of additional tools that use Javascript. I started with the hosted version and then migrated to an installed version so I could use Google Analytics and some other products.
然後你要決定要用“hosted”還是“installed”版本，至少在WordPress是如此。“hosted”版本最容易上手，但缺點是有很多附加工具無法使用，例如Javascript，所以我從“hosted”轉為“installed”版本以便用Google Analytics跟其他的工具。
You then need a URL. It’s true you can be something like msuster.typepad.com but that’s kind of lame so I wouldn’t recommend it. Just get a real URL. I think it’s important to think about what image you want to portray when you pick your URL name. It doesn’t need to be short. You’re not trying to build a consumer website. My website is a pretty long URL but people manage to find it. Much of my traffic is through referring websites and/or social media. Some search. What are YOU trying to convey? What will be your unique positioning? Don’t just write a carbon copy of what somebody else is doing. That’s boring.
然後你需要一個網址，當然你可以取名msuster.typepad.com，但那聽起來很蠢所以我不會去點他。你只是需要一個網址，想像一下你想傳遞出怎樣的訊息，網址不一定要很短，因為你不是主攻消費的網站，像我的網址就偏長但人們還是找得到，多數的流量來源還是歸因於網址跟社群網站，然後一些搜尋來源。你想要表達什麼? 怎樣才能創造出獨一無二的個人特色，別只是抄送或是仿效其他人，那太無趣了。
So I wrote a post, now what? Don’t blow your load on your first post. Slice it up enough to do many posts. I think most blogs are between 600-1000 words / post. Once you’re written a few posts don’t try to make the flood gates open at once. Slowly build your audience. Make it organic. If you write good content and consistently you’ll build an audience over time.
寫好一篇網誌，然後呢? 別才寫一篇就無以為繼，去分寫成多篇文章吧。我想一篇文章大約600-1000字左右，可當你寫好一些文章後別急於廣發出去，慢慢奠基你的讀者群，讓他生生不息，如果你的內容夠好假以時日就一定有讀者群的。
The number one thing that kills 95% of blogs is that they do 5 or 6 posts in rapid succession and then peter out. It’s lame to go to a blog where this happens. And then 8 months later they do the obligatory post saying, “OK, I’m going to be more committed to blogging now!” and then another 4 months go by. If you’re really not going to write that often at least don’t put dates on your posts.
But if you write good stuff, but in an effort and keep going – it’s a marathon – you will see results over time.
95%的網誌都有始無終，一開始寫個5-6篇後來就全沒了，如果這樣那就太遜了。然後八個月後又信誓旦旦:"好! 我要努力向上" 結果又是四個月過去，我誠摯建議如果你不常寫就不要把寫作日期放在網誌上。
但你若真的寫出好東西，持續下去，這是一場馬拉松，你會看到成果的。
How do I build an audience? If you build it, will they come? No. A blog post is just like a product. First it needs to be good. And then you need to market it. It doesn’t just happen. You should be subtle about how you market it, but market it nonetheless. If you’re too squeamish to ask for help in promoting it or to do so yourself then you’ll never build an audience (you’ll also likely not make it as an entrepreneur. Sorry. But that’s true.)
要怎麼養出忠實讀者呢? 特意去養，人們就會被吸來嗎?其實網誌就像一個產品，你一定要品質優良，然後再去行銷他，這不會默默發生的。你要隱隱約約、不著痕跡的廣播出去，太過審慎你就無法成功(總之做這個也要有點創業家精神)
The obvious starting point is to email a few friends and let them know you have a new blog. Don’t be overbearing – just an email saying, “wanted to let you know about my new blog.” I also recommend you put a link to it under your email signature (in a color other than black). You also should have it be what your Twitter bio links to.
剛開始可以mail給幾個朋友說你開始寫網誌了，別裝作不可一世，就mail"讓你知道我網誌開張囉"即可，然後在e-mail簽名檔下方也可以放連結(用黑色以外的顏色標明)，然後推特檔案也放一下。
Every time I write a post I send it out on Twitter. I try to send out the Twitter link when more people are online. Over time I’ve found out that I get better clicks at 8.30-9.30am Mon-Fri so that’s when I Tweet a lot of my stuff. I’ll frequently send two Tweets – East Coast & West Coast. If you want to know why I’ve outlined it here. Not everybody sees the first one. Social media is ephemeral.
每當我寫完一篇網誌我就會上推特宣傳一下，而且是挑比較多人在線的時間，據我觀察周一到周五晚上8:30-9:30是最佳時段，到那時我就會狂推我的東西，然後依照東西岸的時間播送。我為何要在此簡單扼要的提一下，是因為我知道讀者無法第一時間看到文章，社群網路生命都是極其短暫的。
Because I’ve built my Twitter following slowly but steadily and authentically over time I get very high click-through rates (and thus a high Klout score – currently 74). I get about 4% CTR (click-through rate) on every Tweet in the AM) and it’s actually higher because if I assume only 33% of my followers on online the CTR is closer to 12%. Interestingly if I had sent one Tweet at 5.30am (to get East Coast time) and another at 8.30am I get 4% CTR both times. So it’s hard to argue you shouldn’t Tweet twice if you have a geographically distributed following.
我推特粉絲成長雖慢但很穩定，且隨時間增長我的點擊率(click through rate)也變高(因此我有很高的Klout score(分析社群影響力指標) 目前是74%，我每篇上午的推特有4%點擊率(click through rate)，那這事實上更高因我假設只有33%線上粉絲的話，點擊率只有12%(按:此處不甚明瞭作者邏輯) 有趣的是如果我東岸時間早上五點三十推特，八點半我再發一篇，這兩個時間我都各得4%點擊率，所以如有幅員分布廣大的讀者，很難說你該不該對同樣內容推特兩次。
How do I know my stats? I use awe.sm (disclosure, I’m an investor) which is the best tool I know of for tracking: each individual share behavior (it creates unique URLs for each Tweet) plus it also separates out Tweets from Facebook shares, from “Retweets” that come from somebody clicking on my blog, etc. It also tracks who Tweeted the link so you will know who your most influential social followers are.
要看紀錄的話，我會用awe.sm(老實說，我是投資人)，他是個很棒的追蹤工具:每個人的分享習慣(每推特一次就造出個網址)，然後能分辨推特跟FB的分享，有多少網誌的回推等等。它也記錄誰是你的忠實推特粉絲。
Make sure your blog has Tweetmeme or similar to make it easier for readers to Retweet. Also, make sure to sign up with Feedburner. That way people who want to get your blog by RSS and/or email can do so. Make sure your blog also has a Follow Me on Twitter button so people who find you can easily follow you.
讓你的網誌易於回推，使用feedburner登入，讓讀者能用RSS或email追蹤你，然後再放個推特Follow Me按鈕讓人持續關注你。
5. When
People often ask how I blog so much and don’t think they can do it themselves. If you write about something for which you’re both knowledgeable and passionate I’ll bet you can pump out more than you think.
人們也常問我怎麼寫這麼多網誌，也不相信他們能辦到。但如果你對某件事很熱愛又富有知識，那我保證你肯定想大量傳播你的理念。
I usually blog at 10pm or on airplane flights. I never blog at work. Like you, I don’t have the time. I have board meetings, company pitches, internal partner meetings, etc. Hell, I often can’t even get to email during the day. So it comes out of TV time, which means I’m not missing anything. Occasionally if I really want to blog and I have a date or too much work I just set my alarm for 5.30am. Yup. It’s not that hard if you make a commitment to it.
我通常在晚上十點或飛機上寫作，並從不在工作時寫網誌，我跟常人一樣，要開董事會會、參與公司提案、內部夥伴會議等等，老天! 我甚至很難回覆E-mail，所以我就沒時間看電視了，但這樣也沒啥損失。有的時候我正有靈感但有約會或工作卡住，我就把鬧鐘設成早上五點半，如果你有熱忱這其實不會太難。
What would it mean to you and your business if you could: increase your inbound traffic, enhance your company & personal brand, meet new influential people who suddenly know who you are. If you want these things they are available to you for the cost of some time & effort.
如果你能辦到這能幫你跟你的公司:增加入埠流量，提高公司跟個人品牌價值，遇見剛知道你又有影響力的人，而如果你需要這些那當然得付出些時間跟努力。
If you plan out what you want to write about in advance (create topics then to headings to structure your article. You’ll notice on this one I started with mine … Why, What, Where, How and then I later added When & What Next) then it’s really about writing. Structure helps enormously. If you need some help with the creative process read this.
如你想寫得更好(除了主題外還要好好地組織結構，你可留意我剛剛所寫的Why, What, Where, How, When & What Next) 好的結構影響甚大，如果你需要協助注意下列文字。
I write for about 45 minutes to an hour in the first pass. I usually then re-read, edit, spell check and add links. This usually takes another 20-30 minutes. I then always add an image. I think this is a nice touch. Just staring at text is a bit boring and I find that the image can add humor and/or drive people in.
我第一遍先寫個45分鐘到1小時，然後我重讀、編輯、檢查拼音與增加連結，這大概花我20-30分鐘，然後我一定會加圖片，這會讓人更有感覺，只看文字很容易無聊，我發現圖片可帶來些幽默感並吸引人點進。
6. What Next?
Then there’s comments. You HAVE TO respond to comments. Do yourself a favor and install Disqus. It makes a huge difference in driving a comment community. If you want the details on why I covered it here.
有些人會留下評論，你"必須"回應他們。幫自己一個忙安裝Disqus，他能在回覆上幫你大忙。
First, it’s the most fun part of blogging. It’s addicting like Twitter. It’s where you exchange ideas with other people. It’s where your community gets to know you. It’s where you build loyalty and relationships. I have met many people in person who were first commenters on my blog. I find it frustrating if I leave comments on somebody’s blog and they never respond. If somebody found your blog and took the time to comment then they’re like a customer who should be cherished. Responses to them are like customer retention. It’s also where you’ll learn. People will tell you when you’re full of shit.
回覆是寫網誌最有趣的事情，就像對推特上癮，讓你能跟其他人交換意見、讀者更加認識你、建立忠誠度與關係。我曾跟第一個留言者私下碰面，我也發現如果我在其他人網誌留言但沒被回應是很沮喪的事。若有人花時間留言你得把它當成客戶好好珍惜，就像在做顧客關係維護，這也是個學習機會，它們會告訴你你何時像陀大便。
Appendix: Traffic Hacks: 附錄
Commenting on other blogs – you need to comment on other people’s blogs. First, it is a place where your comment will often link back to your blog where it can drive traffic. Occasionally, and not overtly, and only if relevant you can provide a comment with a link back to an article in your blog. Don’t do this often, don’t be blatant and make sure it’s relevant.
在其他人的網誌留言:首先，你去留言的話也可將流量導回你的網誌，有時候，某些跟你有關的事你也能提供你的網誌連結。不過別常常這麼做，別太明目張膽，也要先確認兩者是有關的。
Linking to other blogs – For example, many people know that I love VentureHacks because it’s a great resource for entrepreneurs and I think that Babak Nivi is a star. Notice I’ve linked to his website. If he tracks his blog (which I’m sure he does) he’ll see this link. If he has a Google Alert on his name (everyone does) then he’ll also get that. Don’t be over the top gushing and creepy. Be subtle. Don’t overtly tell everyone you link to, “I linked to you, check out my article!” Assume that over time if you write compelling content they’ll eventually check you out.
連到其他人的網誌:舉例而言，很多人知道我喜歡 VentureHacks，因其是創業家可用的資源，Babak Nivi我相信也是個Star，那我也附一條連結連過去，如果他有追蹤(我想他一定有)他就會看到這連結，如果他在Google Alert有留名他也能知道。但不要弄得一副裝腔作勢與令人毛骨悚然，隱約一點，別全盤托出連結去向 "連向你囉，也過來看看吧!" 只要你內容夠格總有一天他們會過來的。
Covering relevant people in your blog in an authentic way – If your blog covers topics in your industry it’s likely that you’ll be able to write about some people and companies that you want to be aware of your blog. Don’t Tweet @ them telling them you covered them. Don’t email them saying you covered them. Just talk about their company. If you write good articles over time and do this often enough people will notice.
在網誌中提及相關人物: 如果你的網誌有談及你的產業，你大概會寫到該產業的人與公司，但別推特、email給他們說你有聊他們，請專注這間公司上就可以了，常常這麼做跟寫好文章人們就會注意你囉。
Tweet support - What I did in the early days was to enlist Tweet support. I would occasionally ask people that I was close with to retweet my posts. I tried to mix it up in order to not ask the same people often. I would send out emails with the Tweet text already written so that they just had to cut-and-paste. As my blog started getting authentic traffic I stopped asking for this help very often.
推特支援: 早期我有列出推特支援，我還會請親近的朋友回推，並避免重複請同一個人回推，那我會寫好內容email過去，讓他們剪下貼上即可，但當網誌流量穩定後我就比較少要他們這麼做囉。
Guest authoring – Once you have a bit of credibility as a writer a great strategy to drive traffic is to write guest posts for relevant bloggers in your sphere of influence. If you run BakeSpace and blog about food why not contact some of the local food blogs and see whether you could submit guest articles. Most people are delighted to have the free content. In return all you ask for are links back to your blog and to your Twitter account. Slowly and surely these will add users, of which some will come back on a regular basis.
客座作者: 當你有點知名度後有個策略是位相關網誌當客座作者。如果你開BakeSpace就跟幾個美食網誌聯繫看能否寫些文章給他，大多數人是很樂意有免費的好文章來增光的，且你要的回饋也不多，只是上連結回你的網誌跟推特，慢慢地就能增加讀者，養出收視群。
