Question 1

What is a podcast?

Accepted Answer

A podcast is an audio or video file distributed over the Internet and usually offered in episodes or a series. The term podcast is a combination of the words iPod (Apple's portable media player) and broadcast. The idea behind podcasts is to provide listeners and viewers with information and entertainment in the form of digital media, which they can access anytime and anywhere.

Podcast formats

Podcasts come in many different formats and genres, including interviews, roundtable discussions, news, education, entertainment, and storytelling. In virtually every field of interest, you can find a diverse range of podcasts. Companies also use podcasts as a marketing tool to inform their target audience about their products or services and build trust.

Podcast platforms and apps

To listen to or watch podcasts, you need a corresponding podcast app or platform. Most of these apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Castro, are available for both iOS and Android devices and offer extensive directories of podcasts. Many of these platforms allow users to filter podcasts by genre, popularity, or release date, as well as subscribe to playlists, episodes, or entire podcasts so they automatically receive the latest episodes as they are released.

Create and host podcasts

To create a podcast yourself, simple audio or video recording and editing tools are required. Typically, the recorded podcast episodes are then uploaded to a podcast hosting platform such as Podbean, Simplecast, or Anchor, which are known for their ease of use and rich features. These platforms allow the episodes to be published, categorized, and integrated into RSS feeds (XML files) used by podcast directories, apps, and platforms to manage and subscribe to podcasts.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Podcasts

SEO optimization for podcasts refers to the application of SEO techniques to increase the visibility and ranking of a podcast on the various platforms and search engines. This includes, among other things, the use of keywords in the episode titles and descriptions, as well as the creation of so-called show notes, which contain a text-based summary of the episodes. Furthermore, giving listeners the opportunity to rate or comment on the podcast plays an important role in increasing engagement and recommendations.

Question 2

What is a Gravatar?

Accepted Answer

A Gravatar is a Globally Recognized Avatar. It is an online image linked to a person's email address and used as a profile picture on various websites and platforms. Gravatars are mainly used in blog comments, forums, and social media platforms.

How Gravatars works

Gravatars works by associating an email address with an avatar that can be recognized and displayed globally by the Gravatar system. To create a Gravatar, one first needs a user account at Gravatar.com, which belongs to Automattic Inc - the company that also operates WordPress.com. After registering with Gravatar.com, users can link one or more avatars to different email addresses. Then the Gravatar will be displayed on all websites and platforms that support Gravatar, as long as the user uses the respective linked email address.

Gravatars advantages

Recognition value: Using Gravatars makes it easier for users to be recognized on different websites, as the same profile picture is used.
Consistency: Gravatars help maintain a consistent online presence across multiple interaction areas such as comments, forums, and social media platforms.
Easy management: Since a Gravatar is linked to an email address, the profile picture does not need to be updated on each individual portal. Changes to the Gravatar are made centrally, so they are automatically updated on all connected websites.
Time saving: With Gravatars, users no longer have to go through the hassle of uploading and regularly updating a profile picture on every website.

Gravatars and WordPress

In WordPress, Gravatars are enabled by default for comments. WordPress accesses the Gravatar account of the commenter and displays the associated profile picture next to the user's name. This simplifies identification and interaction between users. However, if the commenter does not have a Gravatar, WordPress usually displays a default image or placeholder instead of a profile image.

Question 3

What is a pingback?

Accepted Answer

A pingback, in the world of blogs and content management systems like WordPress, is a method of notifying and linking two websites that refer to each other. Pingbacks allow blog or website owners to automatically receive a notification when another website links to one of their posts. This notification is then usually displayed as a comment under the post in question, with a preview of the linking website and its URL attached.

How do pingbacks work?

Pingbacks are based on the XML-RPC interface and use the HTTP web protocol for communication. When a link is added to a website A from a website B, website B sends an XML-RPC request to website A to inform it about the link. Website A then checks the link linking back and decides whether or not to create a pingback comment.

Advantages of pingbacks

Automatic linking: Pingbacks allow blog owners to be notified automatically about new links to their content without having to manually search for links.
Network setup: By allowing pingbacks to respond to other sites that refer to one's own post, cross-blog communication can be encouraged and a network can be built.
Increase visibility: Pingbacks can help increase a website's visibility by exposing both inbound and outbound links. However, they are not directly relevant for search engine optimization (SEO), as most content management systems mark pingbacks as nofollow links.

Disadvantages and misuse of pingbacks

Unfortunately, pingbacks are also often abused to spread unwanted comments and spam. Cybercriminals can use automated scripts to send a large number of pingback requests to promote spam or phishing websites. For this reason, many blog owners have now disabled pingbacks or rely on alternative methods of link notification, for example using Google Alerts or dedicated SEO tools.

Question 4

What is a comment thread?

Accepted Answer

A comment thread refers to the hierarchical structure of online comments or discussions that take place on social networks, blogs, forums, and other platforms that encourage interaction between Internet users. A thread consists of a main message or comment and all subsequent replies, which may be ordered chronologically or by other criteria. The main message starts the discussion or comment thread, and the responding comments are considered conversation threads, which can often spawn other relevant topics or conversation threads.

The structure of a comment thread

A comment thread is organized in such a way that the main message comes first and then the replies directly related to it follow. Depending on how the comments are organized or whether the system used follows a tree structure, replies to replies may in turn form subsequent levels. In such cases, we also speak of nested discussions or tree structures, where the order of comments is more clearly indicated than in a chronological linear structure.

Relevance of comment threads in online marketing

For online marketing agencies like Bajorat Media, comment threads are an important aspect as they enable user engagement, customer feedback and user content generation. They provide valuable insights into the opinions and needs of the target audience, which can be taken into account when creating and optimizing content and marketing campaigns. SEO can also benefit, as these interactions can generate user-centric keywords and search phrases that improve content and usability.

The role of comment threads in web design and development

Integrating comment threads into a website is an important task for web designers and developers. Implementing this functionality requires integrating commenting systems based on content management systems like WordPress, or third-party solutions like Disqus. The design and usability of comment threads are critical to fostering purposeful discussion and positive community interaction. It is important to provide an easily accessible and user-friendly commenting feature so that visitors to a website can easily participate in the exchange of thoughts and opinions.

Question 5

What is a Sticky Post?

Accepted Answer

A sticky post (also called pinning or fixing a post) is a post that appears at the top of the list of posts on a blog or news website, regardless of the date it was published. This is a useful feature for highlighting important content or announcements so that they can be easily found by visitors to the website.

Using Sticky Posts in WordPress

WordPress, a widely used content management system (CMS), offers an easy way to create sticky posts. In the post editing page, it is possible to select the "Pin post" option to display the post at the top of the web page. Once the post is marked as sticky, it will be labeled with a special tag that gives it priority and allows it to stay at the top of the post list. A sticky post is usually visually distinguished from the rest of the posts, for example by a different background color or an eye-catching frame.

When should a Sticky Post be used?

Important announcements: If the website contains important information or announcements that visitors should see, pinning a post is a great way to ensure that this information is discoverable.
Current events or promotions: For limited-time events or discount promotions, pinning a post can be helpful to highlight them for the duration of the event or promotion.
Popular or helpful content: If the website has content that is particularly popular with visitors or provides useful information, pinning this post can help new visitors easily discover this content.

Sticky Posts Disadvantages

Although Sticky Posts can be useful for highlighting important information, it is important to use them wisely. Some disadvantages of sticky posts are:

Outdated information: There is a risk of a sticky post becoming outdated or irrelevant. It is therefore important to regularly check whether the pinned post is still relevant and the information is up-to-date.
Overuse: If too many posts are marked as Sticky Posts, this feature loses its purpose and may even cause visitors to lose track or become less motivated to discover more content on the website.

Online Marketing & Web Design | FAQ / Lexicon

Learn more about online marketing & web design with our lexicon of terms and FAQ. Answers to your questions from our experts.

What is a sticky header?

What is a hover effect?

What is a pop-up?

What is a permalink?

What is a favicon?

What is a subdomain?

What is an SSL certificate?

What is a theme in WordPress?

What is the difference between Post and Page in WordPress?

What is a widget?

What is a footer?

What is a header tag?

What is a breadcrumb?

What is web hosting?

What is a domain?

What is a 404 error?

What is SSL encryption?

What is link building?

What are alt tags and why are they important?

What is off-page SEO?

What is on-page SEO?

What is Mobile SEO?

What is Local SEO?

What is a Robots.txt file?