Blogging in the Community

Welcome to the IBM TechXchange Blogging Program!

The IBM TechXchange Community offers its bloggers the opportunity to share their latest and greatest, how-tos, best practices, and use cases to our hundreds of thousands of members. With over 80 topic communities, you're sure to find a place for yourself. Remember, this site is a public domain-do not post any NDA or confidential information. 



Community Blogging Guidelines

The IBM TechXchange Community is a place for collaboration and story telling, a place where you are encouraged to share your insight and knowledge, interact with product developers and users, get your questions answered, and find other folks who share your interests

The community blogging feature provides you a great way to share your knowledge. Whether you want to tell an IBM story, publish a troubleshooting tutorial, or present any other content fit for a blog post. We are always looking for posts that will benefit fellow community members, and we'd love to hear from you!

When writing blog posts for publication on the Community site, please follow these guidelines:

  • We are looking for content that pioneers discussions on hot topics, shares best practices and tips, or tells your stories and case studies relating to IBM  products.
  • The use of English writing and grammar is required, as it is the universal language for this Community. If English is a secondary language, don’t worry! Please just try the best you can to express your ideas and your fellow Community members will no doubt appreciate your insights.
  • All content must be original.
  • We recommend a count of at least 350 words per article.

The Community is for knowledge sharing, not advertising.

*NEW*NEW*NEW*

Repurposing Content: We welcome contributors and understand you are sharing to multiple sites. We prefer your content be posted to the IBM Community first to support driving traffic and engagement but if that is not the case, here are our recommendations. 

1. Customize content for each platform: While the core content of your blog post may remain the same, consider tailoring to match the tone of the IBM Community. i.e. update the intro paragraph, call out technical expertise.

2. Schedule posts strategically: Plan your publishing schedule carefully to avoid posting duplicate content simultaneously. If possible, space out the publication dates on each platform to ensure maximum exposure without overwhelming your audience with repetitive content.

3. Share teaser content: When publishing on one platform, create teaser content for the other platform to generate interest and drive traffic. This could involve sharing a summary or an enticing excerpt, along with a link directing readers to the full blog post on the other platform. A discussion post is a great way to share content on multiple sites or on the community. 


Be sure to adhere to the above criteria when creating a blog post, and you'll be pleased by the results!

How-To's

Create your profile

Please take a moment to create or update your profile, this should take less than 5 minutes. Your profile will allow readers to learn more about you and your expertise.

o   Log into the IBM TechXchange Community.

o   Click on the blue square profile icon in the top right corner of the site and select ‘IBM TechXchange Community Profile’

o   Update the Bio, Relationship, and other areas by selecting the pencil icon for each section.

o   Please be sure to include a profile image by clicking on the “Actions” drop down to update the image.

 Pro Tip: Add a fun fact to your Bio


Post your Blog

o   Log into the Community and navigate to your group. Only members of the Community can blog.

o   If you are not already a member of the group where you'd like to publish a blog, click the blue “Join” button

o   Click on the blogs tab in the selected group. On the right side of the page, select the grey "Create a New Blog Post” button.

o   Give your blog a title and the permalink will auto generate from the title. You can edit the permalink to include your keywords.

o   When deciding on a title for your blog, think about the question a user would type into Google to find your content. If you use those same words in your title, it can help your blog's performance in organic search.

o   Type or paste your content into the text box

o   ADD AN IMAGE TO YOUR BLOG. Please access Folder: Community Blog Tiles (Access image for IBM TechXchange Blog)

o   "Associate this post with a group" is automatically populated to your specific Community.

o   Unless you want your content to only be visible to other Community members, choose "Public" in the "Who can read your blog entry?" drop-down menu. Google and other search engines will only find and index your blog if you've selected "Public."

o   "Who can make comments on this?" is automatically populated to Community members. We recommend leaving this setting as is.

o   Select "Publish." First time bloggers: Your post will go into moderation and will be approved by your Community Manager. 

Pro Tip: Once published, select the “share” link found at the top left of your post to share your blog on LinkedIn. You must include an image to render on social media!

 

****IBM TechXchange 2024 Las Vegas Event: Speaker Resources****
1. TechXchange 2024 Speaker Blog Image: Access image for TechXchange Speaker Blog
2. Speaker Blog Template: here 
3. Blog Example: TechXchange Conference 2023 - Integrating ElasticSearch SIEM with IBM Cloud Platform Data for enhanced detection
4. LinkedIn Blog Post Example: here

 

FAQs

Is there a content review process?

The community does not provide a review process. We strongly recommend that you have at least one colleague review your blog for accuracy, clarity, and relevancy before you enter it into the Community platform. Even the very best writers can benefit from peer review!

How do I  share my blog on social media!

Sharing your blog with your social networks, especially LinkedIn, increases traffic to your blog and can also help to bolster your reputation as a subject matter expert.

 Once published, select the “share” link found at the top left of your post to share your blog on LinkedIn. You must include an image to render on social media!

How can I promote my blog post on the home page of my community?

Create a discussion post pointing to your blog link. This will be shared with all members that opt-in to receive alerts from the IBM Community. Here are the steps:

        Create a Discussion Thread About Your Blog:                     

o   From the Topic Group homepage, select the ‘Discussions’ tab.

o   Click the black ‘Post New Message’ button.

o   Enter the Discussion Subject.

o   Enter you content.

o   Select ‘Post’.

Can I copy a Microsoft Word file directly into the blog interface?

You can paste content from a Microsoft Word file into the blog platform, or type your content into the platform directly. If you're pasting from Microsoft Word, you may experience problems with images or videos, in which case you should follow the instructions below. You may also need to modify some of the formatting after incorporating it into the blogging window.

How do I upload images and video files?

The blogging interface has buttons to allow you to either upload or point to image or video files. Just click the button and enter the appropriate information in the pop-up window. We've created a video showing you some tips and tricks:


Does the community track metrics on how often a blog post is read?

Yes! Blog posts track page views, comments, and number of recommendations on the blog post itself.

blogging-metrics.png

 

How else can I help ensure my blog gets as many views as possible?

Sharing your blog on social media is crucial, but you can also follow several blog-writing best practices that help. Identify a keyword or key phrase and then use it in your blog title, blog URL, and at least two times in the body of the text. To decide on the right keyword, think about the core topic of your blog and follow these helpful tips:

• Think backwards: If you were a member of your target audience turning to the internet for more information on your topic, what phrase would you type into the search bar to find it?

• Keep it natural: You want your keyword to flow naturally in your title and content body, so avoid keywords that are a string of nouns.

• Use a "long-tail" keyword: Keywords with three or more words are perform better in organic searches. For instance, your blog performs better in searches if you optimize your text for the term “how to use QRadar user behavior analytics,” rather than just “QRadar” or even “user behavior analytics.”

Types of Blogs

In order to make your blogging experience easier, here are some examples of different types of blogs to help you get started.

 

A Day in the Life of a [insert product name] User: How a traditional user would navigate a product in their role day to day

Thoughts and Insights blog: Share your experience insights on a topic that's relevant to the given Community.

Champions Blog: IBM Champions sharing their subject matter expertise. 

Technical blog: Share your technical knowledge on a relevant topic.

Interview style blog: Interview a colleague or fellow Community member, or contact a Community Manager if you're interested in being profiled.

Video blog: There's more to blogging than the written word! If you prefer, record a video of yourself discussing a relevant subject. Please do be sure to include at least a short summary (1-2 sentences) of the content so users know what to expect.

We anticipate samples will be added over time. And if you have suggestions of your own, be sure to contact us and we'll be happy to include them!






Let’s get Started!


Are you a partner, client or general member? Please Submit your Application. 
 Upon approval of your application, please return to this site to start your blog posting process. 

Are you an IBMer? Click on the instructions & FAQ tab.  DO NOT SUBMIT an APPLICATION.

Are you an IBM Champion? Please check with Libby Ingrassia (lingras@us.ibm.com) to ensure you are part of the IBM Champions Blogging Group. Champions are automatically approved to blog, DO NOT SUBMIT an APPLICATION.



Need help, reach out to your Community Manager: 

Aine Lenihan - Cloud & Sustainability: aine.ogorman@ibm.com
Luis Dorantes- Data: Luis.Dorantes@ibm.com
Nick Plowden - AI & Data: nickolus.plowden@ca.ibm.com
Austin Rexroat - AI: stephen.rexroat@ibm.com
Shari Chiara - Z: sharichiara@us.ibm.com
Wendy Batten - Automation: wjbatten@us.ibm.com
Linda Alkire - Power: lhalkire@us.ibm.com
Cameron Clarke - Security: cclarke@us.ibm.com
Christopher Vollmar - Storage: cvollmar@ca.ibm.com

We would love for you to blog with us! Poke around and take advantage of all our resources, feel free to suggest more, and if you have any questions, be sure to contact us!

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