Tag Your Posts

Technorati uses tags to classify blog posts. You can see all posts related to 'attention' at technorati.com/tags/attention. Technorati uses a special syntax for tagging posts. For WordPress there are several plug-ins that create the tags for you. I recommend that you do not display the tags on your web site since that gives your reader several opportunities to wander away from your site. Since Technorati gets its content from your RSS feed that's where the tags need to be. A good WordPress plug-in for this is: AutoMeta

Tags like 'attention age' mean that you don't have to write all the variations of the tag. This is because technorati have already considered this and will list all the various permutation of the tag such as 'attentionage', 'attention' and age'.

The categories that you post along with the tags you use expressively are used by Technorati as related to those tags.

Ping Technorati

After you write a blog post you need to tell Technorati about it. This is done by pinging Technorati. If you're using a service like Ping-o-matic, that's already done for you. Otherwise you need to add rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping to the list of services your blog software pings. In WordPress you enter this information in Options > Writing > Update Services.

Subscribe to Tag and Search Feeds

We've already established that commenting on other blogs is a great way to get attention. But how do you know when there is an appropriate blog post to comment on? Find a tag or do a search on a topic you have expertise in. Above all the search results there is a small RSS icon that allows you to subscribe to the search results. Add the URL to your favorite RSS reader and anytime a new blog post is written about your topic you will be notified. You can then quickly jump to that blog and write a comment.

Technorati WTF

If you feel out of the loop, consider using a specific feature available on sites such as "Technorati." This feature allows direct contact with internet users that are advocates of specific topics and technology. They can then proselytize, and you will discover the reasons why things are currently popular. This can be accomplished by creating a comment on a topic without explanation, then point it to your web log.

Enhance Your Status

Technorati uses a system that ranks your online blog by the number of other blogs that point to your site. If you want to improve your rating, you need to understand how the system works.

1. Multiple links from the same blog to yours only count as one incoming link. You need to be active on many different blogs with comments, guest posts and links within regular posts.

2. Links that are made within the last 180 days are valid. One must not rest on laurels or the ranking that you have earned will start to go down.

Be sure to check out AttentionRich.com or the first section of this story to read the last five Technorati guidelines.

Nick Dalton teaches you more about marketing in the attention age on his blog at http://www.AttentionRich.com