Andrew Daum actually gives us two lessons today.
1. How to fix Popularity Contest afer you’ve upgraded to WordPress 2.5 – with a killer video no less.
2. How to create a post that gets trackbacks, all kinds of praise from around the web, and a ton of comments.
Fixing Popularity Contest Fatal Error for WordPress 2.5…Free
Andrew solves the problem with the Popularity Contest plugin in his post WITH video so even a dummy like me can’t fail.
Showing the blogging world an example of a killer post and what’s possible….Priceless!
Solving problems for people who are looking desperately for solutions, as in any case where your blog fries from a bad plugin error, is bound to draw traffic.
People in all kinds of market niches need problems solved. Information on how to fix something, make more on investments, build a deck, scrapbook a birthday present, use an iPhone, subscribe to RSS, take care of your dog, impress your girlfriend…it never ends with people looking for solutions.
And no one is more happy with you when you are the one that clearly, concisely and professionally fix their problem. My “How to do a trackback” and “Embedding YouTube Video in WordPress” posts get embarrassingly praised by people looking to understand those issues.
This post by Andrew will be one of his most popular posts for months to come as people upgrade to WordPress 2.5. And since so many are linking to him, and many more to come, he will be in the top 10 in the engines if he isn’t already.
That one post will put him on the map for a lot of people who weren’t finding his blog the day before. Watch the magic happen before your eyes. Check in for the next week on that post and see how many comments he racks up.
Read it. Learn from it. Apply what he did to your niche for a crucial problem and you too will get trackbacks, praise, comments, rankings and ongoing traffic from your efforts!