Introducing the TwitterMoms Blog Network

Today, we're launching a new, free way for our members to drive additional traffic to their blogs. Learn more and get started here:

There are about 330+ members who link their blogs to TwitterMoms using badges or text links. I have featured these blogs on our homepage, mostly to say "thank you" and give something back to the members. We never officially launched this feature, but lots of moms figured out that all it took to get your blog featured on our home page was for your blog to include a link to TwitterMoms.com.

This got me thinking. How could we help all these industrious mom bloggers build up their traffic as TwitterMoms grows? The answer came in the form of a simple "blogroll widget" that anyone can install on their blog. The widget features the latest posts from moms participating in the ad hoc "TwitterMoms Blog Network." Copy, paste, relax. Simple as that!

The widget is easy to install and configure if you've got a blog or web site. Many of you have installed the TwitterMoms.com badge, and you might consider this a replacement for that (or install both) if you'd like to participate in this "traffic ring." If you're reading this post, I certainly hope you will!

Introducing this widget is a first step in one of my 2009 resolutions, which is to help bring economic opportunities to moms who are interested in them. Many of you put your hearts and souls into your blogs, and a traffic ring like this can help you build your audience and discover new bloggers with whom you have a connection.

Here's what it looks like:

TwitterMoms: The Influential Moms Network

You can customize the size of this widget here to fit a sidebar.

NEW! Check out this awesome screencast on how to install the TwitterMoms Blog widget!

How It Works

Using the magic of Google Blog Search, I track the blogs that link to http://www.twittermoms.com and surface them on this site using RSS. I've now created a widget that includes both the RSS feed for this search and a link back to TwitterMoms.com. If you've got a blog and want to get traffic this way, all you need to do is install this widget on your blog! As new postings hit Google's radar, they are automatically included in this network and your headline gets displayed on this site and across any other member sites displaying the widget. Easy, huh? I have "locked down" the widget in case nefarious outsiders try to game the system. From time to time, I may be forced to change the Google Blog Search to be more sophisticated.

The tagline at the bottom of the widget is a text link that helps brand this site (at least in the eyes of Google) as "The Influential Moms Network". Along with this tagline (and some rebranding as we get to it) we'll start rolling out more lucrative opportunities for members of the network. Stay tuned!

Installation Instructions

Hover your mouse over the widget above. Where you see "copy me" simply click, and you will see options for places to publish this widget automatically. Blogger and TypePad are supported from directly within the widget -- everyone else should select the black plus (+) sign and copy the code. You can then paste this into your blog template.

Install, discover new blogs, and watch your traffic grow! More fun stuff to come in 2009. Let me know what you think!

Tags: blogs

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Comment by Stefanie Zucker on August 27, 2009 at 10:54am: Am very proud to say I actually got this to work :)

Comment by Susan Heid on August 24, 2009 at 3:37pm: I am excited to try this!

Comment by Michelle Blair on August 22, 2009 at 1:29am: Is anyone getting this to work on WordPress? I'd really love to include it on my blog www.childrenraisethevillage.com, but with both the blog network widget and the badge, all that shows up is a link to my page on twittermoms.com. . . Any suggestions?

Comment by claudia on August 20, 2009 at 11:29am: my blog doesnt show up but it is on google blo search

Comment by The Natural Horse Vet on August 19, 2009 at 3:23am: Another add... Got to love technology!

Comment by Tammy R. on August 17, 2009 at 11:53am: Any luck getting a version that works on Word Press hosted sites?! I

Comment by Jen on August 15, 2009 at 4:45pm: I just added this widget to the bottom of my blog. You can view it at http://mommysonlinegaragesale.com

Comment by Liza B. Gonzalez on August 5, 2009 at 1:27pm: This is fantastic! Thanks for giving back and recognizing that we DO put our hearts and souls into our blogs. I can't way to put it on.

Comment by Henrietta Newman on August 3, 2009 at 6:56pm: That's great! Makes it so much easier to remember to visit too :)

Comment by JoJo Goldstein on August 3, 2009 at 12:14pm: Some tips if you are using blogger or have a small sidebar:
On the widget page click edit: Click Inline View, this will make the widget scroll through the posts, might be more readable on a small sidebar.
If you add it to blogger from the widget page it put it into a post. To add it to your sidebar do the following: Hit the copy me button and in the widget the choices come up. Click the black plus sign and that will give you the code. Copy the code and you can add a gadget in blogger that is HTML and paste the code. Move it where you want.
Here is how to adjust the dimensions:
Once you have pasted the code onto your webpage, go in to edit your gadget. Look for the following code:
width=200&xwidth=210&height=200&xheight=210
Change the widths and height to what you want, probably 160 or 180, make the xwidth and xheight your new numbers plus 10. Save it. Blogger will tweek it and it might look chopped off. If it does go back to edit it and look for this code:
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="200" src="http://www.yourminis.com/Dir/GetContainer.api?uri=yourminis/twittermoms/mini:tmnetwork" width="210"
Change the height and width what ever they are, to match your xwidth and xheight numbers from the previous step.