Cory Doctorow, co-author of the popular blog Boing Boing, talks to InformationWeek about what it takes to get posted on a blog.  One of the best ways to gain publicity and generate buzz is to tell these bloggers what you are doing.   

Doctorow discusses the dos and don'ts of the blogosphere.  And since Boing Boing is "pretty darn popular" (one of the five most popular blogs according to Technorati), you might want to pay attention:

• Link, don't stink: If you want bloggers to write about you, it must be on the Web. Cory mentions that this could be a soccer tournament, a protest march or your upcoming TV show. (You will find my co-worker's Blog in my Favorites list, check it out, great way to catch up on American Idol if you've missed a performance) Avoid flash, PDF files and streams, they just annoy the bloggers.
• Graphically Speaking: It's a good idea to offer high-resolution graphics and images on your website, that way the blogger can play art director and crop images as desired. Including your URL on the bottom of these images also makes it easy for bloggers to reference back to the website.
• Privacy, Please: Don't upset the bloggers...there is no legal right to control who gets to link to your website. "The lawyer who advised you to put up a "linking policy" describing the "terms and conditions" under which the world is allowed to link to your site is an idiot who owes you your money back. Standing on your lawn, shaking your fist at the airplane flying overhead and shouting "Get out of my sky" makes you look like a dork -- so does threatening text about linking to you."
• Live By the Rules: When submitting a suggestion to a blogger, pay attention to how they would like to receive information. Some sites have email addresses while others have submission forms. Remember, bloggers live and breathe the internet, avoid misfired suggestions.
• "Fair Use" Realm: Almost all information on blogs (90%) is potentially illegal under copyright law. Creative Commons is a nonprofit effort to create a series of standard, universal copyright licenses. "If you want people to talk about your stuff online (and online "talking about stuff" is basically the same thing as "copying stuff") a Creative Commons license is de rigeur."

 

Just some words of wisdom from Cory Doctorow on how to increase your website's visibility in the blogosphere and cracking the balance between control and publicity...there must be a reason why Boing Boing is ranked as one of the top five blogs.