One of the reasons I don’t post here as often as I should is because, being a content contributor rather than an admin, many of the things I would normally use to promote here are off limits to me.

There’s likely a way to edit the sidebar from the default with the widget mobility we have access to, however, I never seem to remember to make time to save the html of what is there now so I don’t lose the functionality that ties me into the rest of the Lockergnome Universe.

This post will serve as a note to self to do that much this week, if nothing else.

If you’re in a similiar situation, where you can’t edit the sidebar or any other design angle of your site, and can’t convince who ever is in charge of marketing or promotion to install plug-ins or widgets that might help with publicity, there’s still hope.

Here are Five Ways to Promote a Blog You’re Contributing to, but Not Admin Of

1- Cross-link.

If you link your blog to your main site and vice versa, you can cycle traffic between the two, at the post or trackback level, if nowhere else.

2- Blog Carnivals and Contests.

Make sure it’s okay with the Blog Master before you do this - some of them might not mind carnivals, as long as they are tatseful, but may have very good reasons for not wanting you to enter contests.

3- Social News Networking

If your writing is frequently in the how-to category, that is one example of content that some social news sites want to read. If you start participating at those sites and list the site you’re promoting in your profile, someone is eventually going to want to return the favor — IF they find great content at your site.

Or you could submit your content to one of those that allow or even encourage self-promotion.

4- Stumble Networking

It’s considered a bit déclassé to constantly be the first to stumble your own posts. Again, you’ll find that through some smart networking, folks will stumble you on their own. Start Stumbling your favorites today. Feel free to add me - we’ll we StumbleBuds!

5- Article Marketing

If it’s okay with the Editor In Chief, you can use either an older blog post or some other fresh material of yours to market your site. The link can take people back to your site.

6- Create. Great. Content

Not good. Not okay. Not great to YOU. Great to them.

I learned this the hard way. My idea of a great article is one with details and instructions, at the end of which I have taken away knowledge or a better understanding of something.

Many of the people I know prefer I work much less hard, and I am happy to oblige. :) Always investigate what is getting eyes, then figure out how you can structure your content better without losing your own soul.

[tags]blog promotion, blog traffic, web, internet, social media, stumbleupon[/tags]