By Sharon Housley

It can be tricky to predict what content will perform well on social bookmarking websites. The interests of our democratic populace are widespread and constantly changing. Webpages, podcasts, and images which are deemed more newsworthy, humorous, or intriguing often steal the spotlight. Knowing how to present content on social bookmarking websites can help internet marketers stand out.

Top 10
Top 10 lists generally perform well on social bookmarking websites. Whether listing movies, books, industry gurus, or tips for protecting your computer, top 10 lists always garner attention.

How To
Detailed how to's and tutorials often gain popularity on the internet; although rehashes of tired content go unnoticed. When writing a how to, pick a niche topic that has not previously been detailed and explain it well.

Offbeat / Unusual
Everyone loves a story about the unusual or unique. Offbeat items attract attention and interest. Keep it real, though.

Controversial
For better or worse, controversy attracts attention. Well-timed controversial subject matter often gains traction on social networks. Taking a stand on controversial subject also generates a lot of comments (although not always positive).

Humor
The video segments on JibJab never fail to cause a stir. In fact, the most popular YouTube video clips are often mundane subjects portrayed in a ridiculous or silly way. That said, they are popular and have a high rating and large number of views.

Outrageous
It is smart to be bold. Outlandish stories that make you shake your head often get high numbers of votes on social websites.

Timely
Items that are timely are critical. Old news is not news, and will quickly be buried in favor items that are current.

Satirical
If you are able to pull off a satire that contains fact and humor, it too could perform well on a social website.

Keep in mind that social websites vary and appeal to different audiences. Study the social website to determine the kinds of stories that attract the most attention and interest. If it were easy to predict what would be successful there would be a whole lot of rich people in the world. Determining what will or will not be successful in business is not an easy task, and the same is true for predicting what will be most effective when it comes to social bookmarking.

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll https://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll https://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

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