Very cool of you to put yourself out there for this hit. That takes guts!

You asked about disclosure. It has been the big buzz in the blogosphere for a little while, because of this little section of the new ruling: “bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.”

The whole FTC ruling is here: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

You kind of, sort of, do that in the blurb in your sidebar. Probably enough for the law. When I look at your site, though, I think your not wanting to be “pushy” is preventing clarity for readers.

I’m not sure of the relationship, but if you work for them, or (pardon my ignorant reference) if you’re a rep sort of like Amway or Avon, go ahead and shout about it proudly in posts now and then, and in your About, too. It’s harder to make sales when folks aren’t clear that you’re selling, and it’s also harder for people to become a fan if they’re wondering what’s in it for you.

Maybe there are some reps’ blogs that could guide you in how others walk that specific line, but basically, any of us who use our blogs for business have to sell. Without being pushy. We tell stories/ give advice and tips that just happen to relate to things we’d love to sell you, and we do our best to provide so much value that you’ll want more in the form of paid products and services. And then we say, “so buy my stuff.” If you’re out in the open about it, nobody runs screaming when you mention that you have something to sell.

At least I don’t think anybody runs screaming from my blog…

So check out how other entrepreneurs do it in any field and you’ll probably get tons of ideas. Hope that helps…

Until later,

Kelly
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Inspiration Points: One Easy Way To Find Out What Your Customers Know About Your Sales =-.

My main interest is communicating about healthy living, but yes, I DO have a product to sell that supports that theme….thus the Verve and Vemma ads. Are we all suggesting that I be a little more overt about that connection through more direct mentions in the posts? I just don’t want to be pushy….I hate pushy.

The colors…yeah, I initially chose green because it felt bright, clean, energetic. I sooo want texture but don’t have a clue how to do that, so will have to get together with some of my web friends for help. The tan/brown…yeah, was going for warm. James & Harry’s suggestions on white with black type and a few splashes of color…I can see the freshness in that, but I am aboslutely IN LOVE with color and want that to show. Any ideas?

I don’t want the site to scream femininity but neither do I want a masculine look…thought the use of bright colors might contribute. Maybe this isn’t that important to getting traffic, but only speaks to who I am as a person.

Last, I am a definite beginner! I am extremely appreciative for all the comments and welcome more advice from folks who are not beginninger!

Cheryl
.-= Cheryl´s last blog ..What Is Clean Eating? =-.

About the color psychology of green, I’m experiencing some “cognitive dissonance” here. (Piaget would be proud.)

I remember reading that since green was the color of the trees, grass, and much in nature, it was considered the most relaxing color. It was easiest on the eye and psyche. That was why classrooms were painted green, including changing the previous black blackboards into green blackboards.

Teachers were also encouraged to switch from grading papers in red ink, to making corrections in shades of green and blue.

Don’t know. Like you said, puke is green too. So maybe when the researchers included puke in the sample, people changed their color preferences.

Right now instead of puke, I’d rather think about those pizzas with some green peppers, mushrooms, and oh, oh, must have green onions.

I am not very knowledgable when it comes to html and CSS. I believe I am going to have to hire someone eventually to build me a site of my very own to host my blogs.

Opting new colors to me will be a great idea for me, as it will give the readers of my blog a fair deal of change and also attract new readers, who may be haven’t liked my previous color schemes.

This is a great post and really fun to read. Keep up the good work.

Nice hit! Of course it’s tough to imagine the shade of green that the site was before, But I agree that if there’s a color that’s been overused by every issue, and sticks with none, it’s green.

Blue’s not much more inventive, so maybe I need caffeine right now to be a bit more creative, but the colors in the photo she’s got in the current post strike me as awfully refreshing… they might make a nice color scheme.

The solid blocks of color actually have a lot to do with the vibe I’m getting. Background texture of some sort would do a lot for the site no matter what the palette.

Clarifying what the site’s about is such a common issue, and you’re absolutely right. If she can get that focused it will be a lot easier for folks to become fans of the salad she’s serving.

Regards,

Kelly
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Inspiration Points: One Easy Way To Find Out What Your Customers Know About Your Sales =-.

Not to lot to say, but really, get your own domain. Hosted blogs suck for a number of reasons, and if you’re working to monetise your site then a hosted blog is a death knell.

James didn’t mention it, but there’s a great article on Copyblogger about writing taglines…. http://www.copyblogger.com/create-a-tagline/ The person who wrote the article seems to be an ok writer….
.-= Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder´s last blog ..Systemising Your Emails =-.