Todays Women in Business

8 random things about me

Today Anna, my co-host in the Podcast Sisters tagged me to write about 8 random things about myself so here goes. I've decided to write 8 things to do with my name as I get asked lots of questions about it (sorry Anna it's not as random as you might have liked), and having a name that is considered to be "different" has shaped who I am and my personal brand:

1. my given name "Krishna" was gifted to me in memory of both of my paternal grandparents - no I did not make it up or assumed the name in later life!
2. I used to get into trouble from my geography teacher as he did not understand why "Krishna" was not my first christian name - he was very odd and very old
3. my first christian name begins with "L" in memory of my maternal grandfather - you'll have to guess what it is
4. my last name is so short I usually get letters addressed to Mr D.E. Krishna not Ms Krishna De
5. when I got married all of 17 years ago, my husband suggested we put both our surnames together - so now our family name is De-Alker (but I am known as De in business)
6. the orignal spelling of my full name added up to 13 letters, so my mother decided to add another letter onto my first name to make it even - and she wasn't even superstitious
7. when it came to naming our three daughters, we deliberately picked names with different first initials - that way there is no chance we will pick up their post by mistake or visa versa in years to come
8. when I set up my own business, I quickly realised that the Hindu deity "Krishna" was online long before me - that is one of the reasons I started my primary business blog, created a portal website and why I love the service Ziggs which will guarantee you are found in the search engines when people look for you by your name (even if you don't have a website).

So now it's my turn to tag eight people so I'll now ask some of my great "virtual friends" I've connected to through business blogging to share 8 random things about themselves. so it's over to Roger Anderson, Chris Barrow, Michael Port, David Maister, Mitch Meyerson, Des Walsh, Maryam Webster, Andy Wibbels.

Blog comments and why we should encourage them

I am often asked by people looking at setting up the business blogs what I recommend in terms of blog comments and whether they should be left open or not.

The power of Web 2.0 is the building and nurturing of relationships and creating communities.

Leaving your blog comments open is one way that you are encouraging dialogue and feedback on your posts and articles that you write.

If you are the author of the business blog you still can manage the comments when leaving the comments open - most blogging platforms allow you to review posts and approve them before they are live on your business blog.

You can also put in place a policy about blog comments on your site.

I have found that my thinking and perspective on the subjects I write about in my articles has been enriched through the conversation and perspectives shared by people taking the time to comment on my blog posts.

Through commenting on a post we are engaging in the conversation, especially if we share our thoughts and resources we recommend.

You can be sure that this will attract the business bloggers attention and they will most likely take a look at the website or blog of the person making the comment.

I've actually found people have sought me out and started to read my business blog and subscribed to my news letter as a result of the comments I have made on someone elses blog.

If you have questions about business blogging to build buzz about your brand or perhaps you wondering how to get moving with your business blog, you can join me and my fellow "Podcast Sisters" for our Summer Teleseminar Series.

We will be holding 3 teleseminars delivered at no cost to you other than the cost of a call.

Where are the calls taking place: You can join us from ANYWHERE in the world if you have access to a telephone

When: 4:00pm Dublin/London (11am ET)for 60 minutes on the 18th June, 25th June and 2nd July

What will we be covering:

• 18th June: Session 1 – Creating your blogging strategy and how to measure success
• 25th June: Session 2 - How to use blogging as an employer branding tool
• 2nd July: Session 3 – How blogging can build your personal brand and expand your professional and personal success

You can find out all the details of how to join us here.

We look forward to connecting with you, live and uncut and guiding you into the world of building your brand through your business blog.