How Social Media Has Affected Blog Growth

By Monica Lee.

Hear from long time blogger Erin Hiemstra how she has seen blogging change with the advances of social media over the last five years.

How Guest Posting Can Grow Your Blog

By guest contributors Brittni Mehlhoff, and Jenny Batt.

Similar to guest posting, being a freelance contributor can help you grow your blog - no matter the size of your current following. The difference between guest posting and being a contributor is frequency. Contributors write posts for sites on a regular basis, while guest posting is usually for a limited time.

As unique as individual blogs are, the types of things to write about when freelancing are vast. You can be a DIY/tutorial or recipes contributor, create roundups or inspiration collages, share your latest tales of adventure, and even contribute video or audio.

If you want to grow your blog’s readership and/or turn blogging into an eventual career path, being a contributor for the right sites can help you do that. More importantly, it can help you grow faster than you would on your own. Here's how:

Click to read more ...

Win a Ticket to Alt!!!

By Victoria Hudgins.

UPDATE: Some people have had trouble adding a comment. So sorry. Please send your link by the end of the day to Victoria@altitudesummit.com.  

Would you like a free ticket to the Altitude Design Summit in January? We would love to give you one!

We've been busy at work building great content on the new Alt blog about business, blogging, photography, and design. We would love for you to help us get the word out. Share about the new Alt blog, and be entered to win a ticket to the conference in Salt Lake City!

Here are the details:

To be entered, share about the Alt blog by writing a post about it on your own site.

• 1) Share your favorite post, and be sure to include these words with a link, "For blogging inspiration and business advice check out the new Alt blog."
• 2) Leave a comment here with the URL of your post

Once you've done that, you can also gain a second entry by tweeting about the new blog:

• Send this tweet out to your followers, "So excited to be reading the new blog from @altsummit http://www.altitudesummit.com/blog/#altsummit"

We will pick a winner next Friday, Sept 21st. Good luck!

#Bingiton to Win

By Melanie Blodgett. Photography by Design and Form.

Some things become habitual over time. Brushing your teeth.  Eating breakfast. Putting on shoes. Searching on Google.

Bing believes there is a better way. They believe searching shouldn’t be a mindless process. It shouldn’t be the same way it was a decade ago. They believe in forward momentum. They believe searching should be about discovery and accomplishment. It should be a process to be savored, and like most things, it is better when you can share it with others.

Bing believes that we can help you make the most out of every moment and turn search into serendipity. Not only are Bing web search results preferred over Google nearly 2 to 1 in blind comparison tests, they also include results from your social networks who know about the local eats, streets and shops that fit your tastes.

Skeptical? Take the Bing It On Challenge at bingiton.com and let us know what you think by tweeting with hashtags #altsummit and #bingiton. We’ll deliver special goodies for select participants…call it our version of social serendipity. And keep in mind, one of the prizes is a ticket to Alt Summit SLC 2013!

PS. Want a bit more? Watch a jazzy video about Bing's new social search feature and see how only Bing brings your social networks into your search experience.

Friday Links from NYC

By Victoria Hudgins.

We've loved jumping around the internet reading all of your wonderful thoughts on the NYC conference. The recaps have made us want to live it all over again!

Here is a compilation of the photos, quotes, and lessons learned at Alt NYC for your weekend reading:

• A report from one of the Alt founders
• Crafting with Martha Stewart
• Nine lessons learned from Alt
• It was the spark I needed
• Visiting at the Martha Stewart offices
• I went to the party
• Million dollar quotes
• The food was great
• Then I networked with so many beautiful and creative people
• My jaw literally dropped
• It was a powerful event
• I left with a stack of business cards and lots of new friends
• It was so cool to get the inside scoop