I just had someone ask me today about linking an article on their blog that was written by someone else. There’s definitely a protocol for doing this, but it’s absolutely acceptable! In fact, I’m always flattered when I see that someone has linked to one of my articles. Part of having a successful blog is to share information from a variety of sources (I call this, doing your research) to provide different viewpoints on various topics.

I frequently link to other blogs’ articles and authors. These people are great, and I want to share the knowledge with as many other people as I can. So I wanted to first talk about how to appropriately post a blog written by someone else on their blog.

1. Start off with a little personal statement about why this blog is relevant, what you liked about it, or how you may know the author. Maybe why you’re choosing to use this blog, or share this bloggers ideas. Personal statements are a great way to let the reader know that you’re doing the research for them - not just being lazy and reposting something you found.

2. Make sure you ALWAYS credit the original author. You will always want to take the time to link the author’s name to their website or blog main page. Think of it as free advertising for them, and a Thank You for allowing you to share their ideas with your readers.

3. Link to the original article or research. I like to do this at the end. Something like “View the entire article here” (and link the article to the word “here”). If the author has a newsletter, forums, or anything that allows people to communicate with them, you can also post those links. (i.e. “Sign up for the newsletter here”)

4. Use Digg. It’s a great blogging resource tool to read and repost. If you’re not familiar with Digg, go check out their website.

I frequently find blogs to share and repost. So I also wanted to share some of my favorite blogs with you.

Sales Training: Jeff Shore’s Blog
Do It Yourself Marketing: Meredith Oliver’s Internet Hotline
*Consumer Engagement: Content to Commerce
Social Media Marketing: 10e20
Realtor Social Media: Real-Tech Guy
Social Media: Social Media Rockstar

Some Random non-work related funspots:

FailBlog
Awkward Family Photos
[b] Blog (The Becker: Photographer)
Funny Cats

*Content to Commerce is actually my favorite “fun” marketing blog! I would highly recommend you check them out. They’re incredibly knowledgeable about all things fun in social media - like iPhone apps, commercials, viral videos and more!

Enjoy!