Image via CrunchBase
A little-known blogger content curation and link-love plug in has taken me by storm, and since sharing is what I do, I want to let you in on the Zemanta secret.
Sign up is free for bloggers who use a variety of platforms to write. When you add your post to the WordPress dashboard, Zemanta populates suggested other posts from bloggers world-wide with content similar to yours.
In addition, you can use its image curation tool, too, although I’m less enthused about the quality/breadth of images that are free and without copyright issues.
Also part of the Zemanta suite are in-blog links and tags. I turned off the in-blog links — Zemanta was providing live links for words like Apple and Wikipedia and other general word choices and this didn’t appeal.
The tags, though, are usually spot on, and I welcome help on how to tag a blog post as I generally don’t put enough of them with the story.
Once you join the Zemanta network and add your blog(s) to your profile, then your own blog content will populate across the ‘sphere and other bloggers can include your posts in their work, too.
The very first day I used this service, I had no idea what to expect. I found someone’s bicycle-sharing post in NYC and included it; lo, the gentleman came over and actually stayed to comment awhile! That was very cool.
You’ll see how Zemanta populates your blog with relevant stories YOU CHOOSE at the bottom of the story. It’s like adding another resource section to your writings and expanding peoples’ reading pleasure beyond your own material.
Customization
Last night, I added about 15 bloggers I don’t like to miss to my Zemanta network. When this network writes on the topic I’m writing about, Zemanta will pull from these archives and curate content into “My Sources” in my dashboard.
I also looped my Instagram and Flickr accounts here, so my images are populating in the dashboard, too! Talk about efficient…love that, as I spend more time hunting for a decent image and get awfully lazy about it, too.
The good thing about Zemanta (beyond what I’ve already said) is that it’s all about choice; you can select what, when, if you’d like to use anyone else’s stuff. The best thing for me, is that it takes time away from finding links beyond the blogs I already hit to add link love. So, I’m jazzed right there about new sources populating right in my dashboard.
So, give it a whirl…What can go wrong?
Related articles
I have been using Zemanta for about three years now. Love them.
@Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes Have you noticed an expanded network of bloggers who use your material?
@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing Not really, but I find there are still ample resources that come with it.
Very cool, Jayme! I’m glad, too, that Zemanta doesn’t preclude your continuing to use LinkWithin (is that the plugin you’re using?) to keep your readers on YOUR site and recommend other posts you’ve written yourself. Best of both worlds!
@New England Multimedia I think the Sociable plug in does that? All of a sudden my old posts began to show up under that share bar. I see others using LinkWithin, but I’ve not loaded that. So, I have no clue! How’s that for an informed blogger?
@New England Multimedia You can use Zemanta to recommend posts that you have written as well, all you have to do is add your blog to “My Sources” in the same way that Soulati added her favorite blogs 🙂
Used this plugin for other blogs; not sure I want it on mine. Yes I want easy access to images, links but I also don’t want to fall into the trap of sticking to the same old usual suspects blah blah. Sometimes when I’m writing and searching for a relevant post, I discover new/different voices or fresh graphics – takes longer (hence my slower schedule) but it’s a win. But it is a smart tool and good timesaver, once you set up the controls you want. Tempting as are so many tools out there, alas.. if only they could do the work for me. 🙂 FWIW.
@3HatsComm Wouldn’t that be the bomb for a few weeks? I so admire that you take holiday on a regular basis…do you work while you’re gone, too? I think, like anything, having the option to share something is what makes this tool perfect. It’s an option I wouldn’t get to consider had I never deployed it.
Zemanta is a very important tool for me. Because tech changes so rapidly, Zemanta has kept me up to date with some important tech developments that have occurred just as I was about to publish my articles.
I use Zemanta as a Chrome extension instead of as a WordPress plugin and it works well that way too.
@wonderoftech I’d like to get in your head one day; you know so much about tech and I love that about you! Using as a Chrome extension — actually, it’s up there on my Chrome bar, too. Just don’t know what to do with those add ons! They sit there adding up! LOL
At least I’m not nearly as bad as the woman yesterday who had no clue which browser she uses!
@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing Hey, I’m here to help. You can delete the plugin from your WordPress dashboard and let the Chrome extension do the work. I don’t have the Zemanta plugin, just the Chrome extension, and it works just like the plugin.
The only downside is if I’m working on a different computer, but that doesn’t happen often.
@wonderoftech Yes, you are one of the most amazingly wonderful of resources, Lady! I appreciate you and your expertise! Thanks for this tip.
Hey Soulati!
First of all, thanks for the blogpost about our service and we certainly hope that it’ll fulfill your expectations.
Bear in mind that you’re always more than welcome to ask us anything about how it works or if something goes wrong (hopefully, nothing will). We’re always ready to help you out!
Here’s our email address (support[at]zemanta[dot]com) or you can follow us on Twitter (@ZemantaSupport). Our Support Center is also always updating with new info, so you’re welcome to take a look: https://support.zemanta.com/
Once again, thanks for your feedback and have a nice day!
Best,
Silvo
Looks very cool. Thanks for the heads up.
I wonder – is there a way to include some of your own related content in the “related posts” selections?
It would be cool to have, for instance, 3 outbound links and then one internal one.
Glad to know about this tool! 🙂
@suddenlyjamie There is! All you have to do is add your own RSS feed to your sources.
There is! All you have to do is add your blog’s RSS feed to your sources.
If you want any help with this, feel free to contact support or check out our FAQs here: https://support.zemanta.com/
@zemanta AWESOME! Thanks! 🙂
@suddenlyjamie Jamie, are you in Triberr? I never see your stuff there, and that’s why I don’t get to visit much by you. We need to fix that, ASAP…
@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing I am, sweetie. I’m not in it as consistently as I ought to be, but I am there. 🙂
i just started using the Zemanta network a few weeks ago. I have been rather impressed with the amount of sources it comes up with for the information you are writing about. I LOVE the feature of adding your own sources. I have been working on adding people I follow or people I try to visit regularly. I love the link back feature for it and the ability to have many other sources “find” your material. I found it humorous but it actually pulled up a guest post I did on another site as something relevant to a piece i wrote a few weeks ago (of course i linked back to it)
Aaron
@dadblunders Great comment, Aaron! Thanks for sharing your side of things. I don’t like the images curation much, but I can live with that…it’s the sharing of content right at fingertips I love the most so far. Thanks for coming over today!
Sold. After reading these comments. I simply need to sit my butt down and load it up. Time, time, time. Sheesh. Thanks all for the tips and it’s nice to see the @zemanta folks pop by to offer some insights. @Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing this is such a great blogging resource lady. Thanks again.
@rdopping @zemanta you just sang me a love song Ralph! That is music to my ears! Installation really takes 15 minutes tops. If you need help we are here !