This is taken from our CEO Eric Thiegs' blog. Read and enjoy :)
1 (and 2) Year Anniversaries
We sent out our first "company" press release today to PR Newswire.
This April, it's officially been two years since we quietly launched the beta version of StageofLife.com and a year since the site publicly went live.
While we utilize public relations on a regular basis to generate awareness for StageofLife.com writing contests, information and other content going up on the site, up to this point, we never dedicated an entire press release to just talking about...
Us.
The company.
The concept.
Frankly, we had no idea if this thing would stick. Many people originally told us that we couldn't "build a website about life."
At one point, I almost abandoned the idea.
"Go niche," they said. "Build websites where you can use SEO to drive your traffic. There's no way you'll have an effective SEO strategy when your website deals with...life!"
And guess what...
They're right about the SEO part.
So we decided to do things the hard way...manually. Instead of relying on Google, Yahoo, and Bing to bring us all of our visitors in a niche marketing manner, we "manually"...
- ...contact people to get involved in the project.
- ...invite individual, talented bloggers to write for us and promote their blogs.
- ...build smart partnerships with outside companies, websites, organizations and merchants who have like minded missions to make the world a better place.
- ...grow awareness through viral marketing techniques
All of this manual work takes a lot of time and energy, but you know what, I wouldn't trade it for the world. We create new relationships everyday and that's why it's exciting to come to work.
To our interns (past and present), to our editors (all 24 of them), to our Featured Writers (all 150+ of them), and to our now over 2,000 contributing blogger members - everyone has played a part in growing the Stage of Life project.
Thanks, everyone.
Eric
CEO, StageofLife.com
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Here's the press release in case you want to read it. We're excited about where we've been, but more importantly about where we're going.
YORK, Pa., April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Since its launch last April, over 2,000 bloggers joined and contributed to StageofLife.com – a free, international writing project that takes submitted stories from bloggers and organizes them by stage of life.
Using a multi-generational approach, the site works with both amateur and professional bloggers/writers across the entire age spectrum, from teenagers inhigh school to Baby Boomers in retirement, as it aspires to build the world's largest collection of cross-generational stories.
Bloggers submit essays, bits of wisdom, links to articles, stories from their existing blogs and other insights about their lives which are coded and displayed in one of ten life milestones on StageofLife.com. The core mission of the blogger collaboration is to make the world a better place, one story at a time. Over two dozen editors (personally living in the life stages for which they edit) monitor the incoming essay submissions and lead off each life stage in the site with a From the Editor welcome message.
Homeowner editor Amy Mullis says, "Stage of Life® reminds us that even in our differences, we are all alike. We all have fears and failures, hopes and dreams, goals and accomplishments; and we all want someone to share these things with. We're all one big family–and that gives me an endless stream of cousins who have to laugh at my jokes!"
Two key benefits
The two benefits bloggers enjoy most about StageofLife.com are a) it's free to join as a contributing writer-member, and b) StageofLife.com actively encourages its writer network to include a back link to their blogs from their StageofLife.com posts and profile page.
These promotional elements for key for people as they look for credible channels in which to promote their blogs and gain more traffic. Additionally, Stage of Life® drives thousands of visitors to its site each month through its public relations, marketing and advertising channels, all of which bring traffic to the site and an opportunity for bloggers to court new readers.
Wedding Editor Elle Lamboy says, "I wanted a place to showcase my writing but was new to the whole blogging scene. Stage of Life® offered a friendly playground to not only share my writing but also learn from so many talented writers."
Featured Bloggers
If members want to get more involved, they can apply for Featured Bloggerstatus. Stage of Life's Featured Bloggers' essays receive additional placements on the website in exchange for contributing on a more regular basis and writing across several of the life stages on the site.
On My Own Editor, Laura Parson, was a former Featured Blogger who become an Editor. Parson said of the project, "In the age of social media there are an abundance of ways to connect, but Stage of Life® stands out from the crowd because it brings together individuals in the same stage of their life. (It) gives me the opportunity to seek advice, share my struggles, and celebrate triumphs with people who understand the unique nature of my life. Additionally, it allows me to find news and information relevant to my life and needs and sends me deals that I actually want! It is a safe and positive environment that I can trust to meet my unique stage of life needs!"
Interactive community
StageofLife.com readers can comment on, share and follow their favorite posts and bloggers on the site, as each essay submitted is coded to that blogger's profile page, thus forming a public-facing life journal. This fosters an interactive community between the reading public and the blogging members, placing StageofLife.com as a central hub for people to find wisdom from others for their current life stage or gain insights on the transitions into future ones.
College Editor Michelle Pease says, "I am a firm believer that words can change the world; one person's story may be another person's life saver. It is a wonderful mission, and I fell in love."
Save money
As a final perk, StageofLife.com touts My Life Rewards® – a propriety benefit program designed to give bloggers and readers discounts and coupons to relevant national merchants as part of a secondary mission to provide "Rewards for Life's Journey®."
Over 100 national brands participate directly in the program as Stage of Life® groups discounts, coupons and savings by life stage, just as it does its blogs, thus allowing its users and readers to not only gain wisdom through story sharing but also save money throughout their entire lives.
Get involved
There are three ways to get involved in StageofLife.com:
- If you're interested in sharing a story to impart wisdom from your life for others to benefit, look for the "Share Your Story" buttons throughout the site.
- If you're a blogger looking for ways to get more exposure for your blog, become a StageofLife.com member, add your blog to your public profile page and start sharing essays and stories from your life.
- If you're simply looking for some of the best discounts on cruises, shoes and things you need for your everyday life, check out the My Life Rewards® listing of national merchant offers and start saving today.
Stage of Life® celebrated its one year anniversary this month. Site traffic is trending to eclipse last year's visit count by over 195% and each month new bloggers are getting involved to help build the world's largest pool of cross-generational stories.
About Stage of Life®: StageofLife.com is a free, non-partisan, grassroots online community that hosts blogs, information, and resources for teens, Millennials/Gen Y, Gen X, and Baby Boomer generations. Its specialized content allows users to share and archive their life stories. StageofLife.com includes free lesson plans and writing prompts for Language Arts teachers, monthly writing contests for high school students and college students, blogging resources, a platform that helps people promote their blogs, insights into teen trends, custom news feeds for each stage of life, and My Life Rewards, an area dedicated to providing relevant coupons and discounts exclusively geared towards each stage of life.
If you'd like more information about StageofLife.com or an interview with CEO/Founder Eric Thiegs, please call (717) 244-0006, or use the Contact Us form on the website.
SOURCE StageofLife.com
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