Make Blogging A Bit More Unconventional:-

Let's face it: as consumers, we're not that good at judging the volume of a product (eg, how much liquid is actually in that bottle or glass of juice). Moreover, we use (sometimes erroneous) mental shortcuts to make inferences about how much a given product contains.

For example, a well-documented finding has shown that products packaged in long, tall containers are judged to contain more volume than those with equivalent amounts of product packaged in shorter containers. And now, there's new research that shows yet another factor affecting consumer perceptions of volume: how attention-getting the package is.

It seems that unusual or unexpected packages command attention—and lead consumers to estimate that the product has more volume than a similar amount of product packaged in a less attention-getting, more run-of-the-mill package.

Interestingly, this effect was observed even when the plainer package was actually longer than the fancy one. People still felt the fancy package held more.

The message for marketers? If you're thinking about downsizing a product's contents, make sure you fancy-up that packaging!

The Po!nt: Time to play dress-up! If you want consumers to think your package contains a larger volume of product, try creating a bold, unusual design for it.

In a post at Copyblogger, Sonia Simone offers some unconventional blogging advice, her nine "little known" rules for a successful blog. It's an interesting read, with plenty of key takeaways like these:

Don't over-explain. You might know everything about a subject, but that doesn't mean you have to write it all down in a single post. Save the comprehensive dissertation for a few pillar articles. "But in your day-to-day content," she recommends, "leave room for other answers and other points of view in your community comments."

It's okay to get mad. The occasional rant can actually lend your blog a measure of credibility. "[Y]ou'll show your humanity and your backbone," she says. Be careful, though, not to overindulge in grumpy diatribes—if you make them a regular feature, they'll start to lose their effectiveness.

Say it again. And, even, again. "New readers have no idea what you wrote last year, or even last month," says Simone. And don't worry about boring longtime readers—they will also benefit if you provide a fresh angle on a topic you've already covered.

Tell a stupid joke. Introducing a bit of levity keeps your blog from becoming a dry and academic. "[D]on't be an idiot," she advises, "But don't take yourself so damned seriously, either."

The Po!nt: "The most 'perfect' blog in the world would be deathly dull," says Simone. "Great blogs are quirky, weird, and hard to predict—just like interesting people are."