It’s amazing to me how some people are so careful about getting their “stuff” out there. Sometimes they’ll make it hard to find (a link that’s buried on a web site), or they will require that users have a password to access their site. Yes, I know, membership sites *do* work, but honestly, unless the content is “I must have this now or my world will come to an end” I don’t know if any of us have time to noodle with yet another password, do we? Restricting access to your material or making it hard to find on your site can be deadly in a Web 2.0 world. Readers, consumers, buyers want fast and easy access to content and guess what? If they can’t get it from you they’ll get it somewhere else. Share what you have and make it easy to find, you’ll be glad you did.
Tip: Not sure if your content is easy to access on your web site? The next time you’re doing an event or book signing (you can even blurb this in your newsletter if you have one), offer to give your visitors a “freebie” if they are willing to go home and evaluate your site. Have them click all the links and even create a short questionnaire that they can fill out and return to you. Once they do they’ll get a free download, free ebook, whatever. Sometimes the best way to get feedback is directly from the user.
Some people also object to others copying their blogs. Hello, it’s a blog, something you allegedly want others to read. As long as you’re getting the credit, what’s the problem? Once it’s online it’s out there, forever. You can add, delete, or change parts of it but you’ll never know exactly how many people saw it or passed it on. Isn’t that the point?
great stuff…I have been thinking about that…I agree, don’t lock up your stuff!
Thanks for this great tip about having a blog or site evaluated by users. What better way to get feedback!
I’ve often heard that about creating “members only” sections, but in my mind, I want my content to be read by as many people as I can. If it’s locked up or behind secret doors, many first time visitors are not going to want to go through the headache of opening that door to find out more about me. The only thing that I ask people to sign up for is my monthly contest/newsletter.
Thanks for the great tip!
Thanks Caridad! Yeah, it’s never a good idea to make people hunt or log in for full access to a site. It’s discouraging and we see more people leave a site rather than participate in it!