There was a time when a person could promote himself or herself shamelessly on the internet or in person. People responded to pressure sales, and salesmen were not afraid to apply the pressure. These days though, a lot of pitches are being made online. These pitches are seldom hard sell these days though. How is the soft touch working, and why does it work?

People do not like commercial advertisements. The old days of the television where the station programmers hold the audience hostage and irritate them with a few minutes of ads during breaks in the programming are no longer here. For more details to go to www.bloggers-guide-to-profit.com That may still happen, but TeVo and the remote control have defeated that old champion for good. People want their entertainment without being hassled to buy something. Frankly, I do too.

If people watching television is that way, then internet buyers are even more careful. Blatant advertising is slowly being replaced by a more gentle approach. Have you ever heard these words; "Blatant Self Promotion"? The popularization of that term means only one thing. Commercials are becoming more and more frowned upon in the inner circles of the internet culture.

So, if we can't engage in hard sales successfully on the internet, why be there in the first place? The answer is, "so that you can relax". Yes, learning to relax is the current main occupation of internet marketers. Blogging has made that a profession.

You see, people are honestly looking for valuable, meaningful interpersonal interaction. Blogging is what that represents. If someone likes your blog, they will come back to it, recommend it, comment on it, and promote it. Your soft touch can increase the traffic to your online portfolio. How does this translate to sales?

Well, your blog is only one area of your online portfolio. You also have some type of profession where you earn you living. Linking your pseudo personal portfolio to your pseudo professional portfolio is comfortable for your clients. They have learned to value your opinion, to trust you insights, and to like what you do.

The point of being in business now is simple; GENERATE TRAFFIC! This is done by attracting the visitor, and once he's entered the site, to keep him there for a while to make an impression on him. For more details to go to www.feed-reader-links.com As we discussed earlier, advertisements drive traffic away. Giving something away draws people in. Promotions are still the number one way to get people into your store. Have you ever thought of a blog as giving something away? That's exactly what a blog is, and that's why it works.

The newspapers do the same thing. They give away news that they have fought hard to find. Then, advertisers pay to ride along because the newspapers put their messaging into a high traffic stream, and then it becomes a simple numbers game to the advertiser. TV did the same thing, and so does radio. A blog is the same idea. Video blogs are even more thinly disguised. To blog though, you need to attract people. You need to give of yourself and to be comfortable in doing it. Otherwise, no one will come, and no one will stay, and no one will make it to the professional side of your portfolio.

Are you comfortable sharing of yourself? Have you shirked the traits of a hard driving goods pusher? Have you become comfortable and confident enough in what you have to offer the world that you can compete in today's weird world of sales? Then congratulations. Make yourself at home.