Maximize Demosphere XX discussed the concept of Blogging and why it should be of crucial importance to youth sports organizations.

1. Maximize Demosphere XX
Blogging
Presented by Sean Rose
November 17, 2010

2. Before We Start...
Product Needed for Today's Session:
WebWriter®

3. Session Overview
Part 1: What's a Blog?
Part 2: Benefits of Blogging
Part 3: Getting Started Yourself
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The fun continues!
Open chat directly following session.
Slides emailed & video posted online.

4. Part 1: What's a Blog?
"Official" Definition - a blog ("weblog") is ...
... a type of website containing regular entries of commentary,
description of events, or other material (videos/graphics).
Entries are usually displayed in reverse-chronological order.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular
subject; others function as more personal online diaries.
Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments
and potentially even message each other.

5. Part 1: What's a Blog?
Who or What would I blog about?
Director/President-level blog. Organization projects, goals,
future plans.
Coaching blog. Practice plans, ideas, game comments, etc.
Fundraising blog. Current community involvement, initiatives,
and more.
Plenty of others - here's 100 things to blog about!

6. Part 1.5: Blogging Statistics
More people blog than you probably think ...
26.2 million bloggers & 112.7 blog readers
Significant growth forecast in next 4 years

7. Part 2: Benefits of Blogging
Engage Your Customers
Blogs encourage interaction.
Engage in a casual way
Not a one way conversation - solicit feedback
Run polls, introduce ideas, try new things
Example: Southwest Airlines

8. Part 2: Benefits of Blogging
Searchable Answers
A main reason why people use the Internet - searching for
answers
What questions can your blog answer?
Answer more questions ... more people find your blog.

9. Part 2: Benefits of Blogging
Social Media Benefits
Your blog can be the confluence of your social media
presence.
To be relevant in social media, you need content. Blogs are a
great content creation tool.
Make sure your Facebook and Twitter accounts link to your
blog ... and vice versa!

10. Part 2: Benefits of Blogging
Hello World
Blogs are universal.
No login, friendship, or otherwise required to read. This is not
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.
Your audience is . . . unlimited.

11. Part 2: Benefits of Blogging
Trust Builder
Time builds trust.
Being found in multiple spaces builds trust.
When dealing with youth sports, trust is important.

12. Part 2: Benefits of Blogging
Become the Expert
Legitamize your expertise.
Find Similar Thinkers
Find and share opinions with those who share similar interests.
Make a Difference
What are your end goals? Education? Better facilities?
Stay Involved
Stay involved with the field - updating your blog frequently
requires this.

13. Part 3: Getting Started
Now What? Where do I start?
Review of top blogging sites
Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad are most popular.
Possible Integration Points:
Embed on a specific page
Link to it separately.
Setup a sub-domain (i.e. http://blog.yoursite.com)
Use your website graphics on your blog
For WebWriter® customers ...
Our Support Team can assist if needed with embedding your
blog and/or setting up a sub-domain.
Integrating website graphics onto blog requires custom work.

14. Part 3: Getting Started
Sample Integrations
Embed blog on existing site

15. Part 3: Getting Started
Sample Integrations
Using website graphics as blog graphics (custom work required)

16. Part 3: Getting Started
Demosphere Blog
Stay updated on all new features/ideas.

17. Wrap Up
Open chat just moments away!
Questions? Email support@demosphere.com.
Items discussed today will be ...
Emailed to you.
Posted on www.demosphere.com & Facebook

18. Thanks for joining us for
Maximize Demosphere XX
Ideas for our December session? Email
extratime@demosphere.com
Stay tuned to the December edition of ExtraTime...
To unmute yourself, press *6