tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26378020242054838122024-03-13T04:21:30.799-07:00Blogging tidbitsDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-45549054946509928862010-08-15T10:03:00.000-07:002010-08-15T10:03:00.440-07:00Index your blogsTags are keywords that you use in your blog post. If you have a blog about dogs and you just write a post about dog food, your possible tags would be, say: dog, dogs, dog food, natural dog food, dog food recipe, and any other keywords that you used in your post.<br />
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What is a tag?<br />
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Tags are keywords that you use in your blog post. If you have a blog about dogs and you just write a post about dog food, your possible tags would be, say: dog, dogs, dog food, natural dog food, dog food recipe, and any other keywords that you used in your post.<br />
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How to use tags<br />
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Tags using your blog URLs:<br />
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<*a href="http://www.yourblog.com/[tagname]" rel="tag">[keyword]<*/a><br />
(remove asterisks in actual code)<br />
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Examples:<br />
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<*a href=http://www.yourdogblog.com/dog+food rel=”tag”>dog food<*/a><br />
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If you are using Wordpress blogs you can set tags using Wordpress search function:<br />
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<*a href=http://www.yourdogblog.com/blog/search/dog+food rel=”tag”>dog food<*/a><br />
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Using Technorati Tags:<br />
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<*a href=http://www.technorati.com/tag/dog+food rel=”tag”>dog food<*/a><br />
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Ping Technorati and IceRocket using following URLs to your ping list:<br />
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rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping<br />
rpc.icerocket.com:10080/<br />
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You can also ping Technorati and IceRocket manually by going to<br />
www.technorati.com/ping/ and www.icerocket.com/c?p=ping <br />
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You can use www.pingooat.com to ping more than 60 ping services in the same time.<br />
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Technorati and IceRocket will index your blog posts according to tags that you used.<br />
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Some of Technorati tags pages are highly ranked in search engines. Search engines bots spider daily these pages and when it finds your tags it will index your blog posts too.<br />
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It is recommended to use this method for each post that you write. By adding tags to your post you can drive more targeted traffic to your blog.<br />
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By using this method you can index your blogs in 24-48 hours depending on the popularity of the tags you used.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-92089004737521157612010-08-10T20:46:00.000-07:002010-08-10T20:46:00.457-07:005 ways to increase trafficTitle: <br />
5 ways to increase traffic to your blog<br />
Article Body:<br />
Blogs are a very popular ways of promoting your product or service. They are easy to install, easy to administer and easy to update. And search engines love them too. But what is a blog without traffic? Exactly. Here are five quick ways to boost traffic to your blog and start seeing those big sales.<br />
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1.Build a list of blog services to ping<br />
There are a lot of blog services you can ping. This means that you notify this service, that you've updated your blog. These services then list your new posts and you get the traffic from them. I've made a list of 50+ blog services you can ping on my site. These list are also available if you search google or any other search engine for it. That should be enough to give an initial boost to your traffic.<br />
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2.Add buttons to popular news readers<br />
What does this mean? Well there are sites like yahoo or google or bloglines etc, which have a members area where you can select sites with RSS feeds to fetch the latest updates from different blogs. That way you can have the latest updates from let's say 50 blogs listed on one page. I have a list of these popular pages on my website plus the buttons which link to them. Users can then easily add my blog to their news reader members area.<br />
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3.Update your content regulary<br />
Search engines and blog services love regular updates. It's very likely that you will get targeted traffic from search engines if you post regulary. That means you should make a new post to your blog at least once per day. But be careful. Too many updates per day can harm your search engines position and hits. What's too many? 10 or more.<br />
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4.Post in forums<br />
Post in forums, but don't spam them. Post something fresh and interesting and put a link to your blog in your signature. Don't just post in any forum. For example if you're selling cds, post in forums that are about music and cds. Don't post in car forums if you're selling furniture. By posting in forums you will get one-way links which are good for search engine position in search engines like google or msn or yahoo.<br />
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5.Submit to blog search engines<br />
There are masses of search engines available, that list only blogs. Just google for „blog search engines“ and you should find at least 20 of them. These blog search engines will help you with targeted traffic. Be sure to write a good title and a good description to your blog, so that people will easily find it and click on your link.<br />
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Follow these 5 steps and you will start seeing lots of traffic to your blog. And the so long awaited sales will start coming in. And don't forget to update your blog with fresh unused content that you write yourself.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-52397129455512460032010-08-09T22:08:00.000-07:002010-08-09T22:08:00.601-07:00My blog is boring - HELP!So you have this really great idea to start a blog on a particular niche. And perhaps, maybe you even want to make some revenue off of AdSense, Clicksor, or other contextual advertising. Super. You’ve wrote your heart out and posted some blog content. Great! No problems there. But what do you do to keep the content fresh and insightful? Are you feeling that the content you offer on your blog just "lacks"? Is your blog boring? Maybe you can’t even pinpoint what exactly is "lacking", but you just feel it. Possibly, you just do not have the time to put forth to writing 1000 word articles every couple days. If this is you, it is time you look into using other people’s articles!<br />
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"WHAT?" you say. No, I am not suggesting you steal or copy others articles. However, I am suggesting that you utilize websites that offer free web content on your particular niche. There are many free web content sites or ‘article directories’ that offer free articles for you to use on your blog or website. You are able to use these articles totally free without a problem. The only thing you are required is to give credit to the author who wrote the article. Fair enough?<br />
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Now you ask, "Why would I want to use someone else’s articles? How <i>lame</i> is that?!" It’s actually not lame at all. Think about it. There are thousands of other people offering new, unique insight on exactly what you are writing about. You will find that people offer a different point of view or perspective on the particular subject. A different perspective or a new idea can be very refreshing for your blog. To even go further, find those articles that offer new thoughts and respond to the author’s thoughts.<br />
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Consider the benefits of using free content articles for your blog or website:<br />
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<ul><li>When you use other quality articles, you are offering your visitor with useful content, and in effect, your visitor comes back for more.</li> <li>Using free web content will allow you to keep your blog <i>fresh </i> and updated on a daily basis with valuable information.</li> <li>Other people's articles can inspire new thoughts and ideas for your blog.</li> </ul>How do you find quality free web content for your blog? When you find an article that you would like to put on your website, make sure you are permitted to actually use it. You can usually find that information right on the article page or the website’s terms of service. When you are positive that you can use the article, read it over to make sure it is even applicable to your website. Do run it through a spell check to make sure that level of quality is portrayed in the article. If there are a bunch of errors, do not change the errors because that would violate the terms for the article. Instead, move on to finding another article. So do some searching and reading. Find that interesting web content and post that interesting web content for your readers! Delight your readers with something interesting and exciting!Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-22359801056838899832010-08-07T09:20:00.000-07:002010-08-07T09:20:00.779-07:00Search Engine OptimizationE-commerce is a cut throat business. You have to arm yourself with the proper know-how and the tools to make your site a cut above the rest. Each day, more and more sites are clambering to optimize their rankings in websites and if you lose your guard, you may just get trampled on and be left in the abyss filled with so many failed e-commerce sites.<br /><br />Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a term widely used today by many e-commerce sites. For the past few years and the next ten years or so, search engines would be the most widely used internet tool to find the sites that they need to go to or the product or information they need. <br /><br />Most people that use search engines use only the ten top search results in the first page. Making it to the first page, more so to the top three is a barometer of a sites success in search engine optimization. You will get a higher ratio of probability in being clicked on when you rank high. The more traffic for your site, the more business you rake in.<br /><br />But, it is essential to grab a hold of that spot or make your ranking even better. As I aforementioned, each day is a new day for all e-commerce sites to make them selves rank higher using search engine optimization. It is imperative to make your site better and better everyday. <br /><br />So just what is search engine optimization and do you have to use it? The answer to why you have to use it is an easy one. You need search engine optimization to be number one, or maybe at least make your site income generating. <br /><br />With search engine optimization you can get the benefit of generating a high traffic volume. Let’s just say you get only a turn out of successful sales with 10 to 20 percent of your traffic. If you get a hundred hits or more a day, you get a good turn out of sales already. If you get only twenty to ten hits a day, you only get one or two if not any at all. <br /><br />So once again, what is search engine optimization? Search engine optimization is utilizing tools and methods in making your site top ranking in the results of search engines. Getting yourself in the first page and better yet in the top half of the page will ensure that your site will generate public awareness of your site’s existence and subsequently generate more traffic, traffic that could lead to potential income and business.<br /><br />Search engine optimization requires a lot of work to be fully realized. There are many aspects you have to change in your site or add as well to get search engine optimization. These will include getting lots of information about the keyword phrases that are popular in regards to your sites niche or theme. <br /><br />You may also need to rewrite your sites contents so that you could get the right keyword phrases in your site without making it too commercial but light and informative. There are certain rules and guidelines to be followed with making your site’s content applicable and conducive to search engine optimization.<br /><br />You will also need to collaborate with many other sites so that you could get link exchanges and page transfers. The more inbound and outbound traffics generated by sites among others are one of the components search engines uses to rank sites.<br /><br />Try to search the internet for many useful help. Tips, guidelines and methods for search engine optimization are plenty to be found. Read many articles that can help you optimize your site in search engine results. The more knowledge and information you gather the better. This will all help you in getting those high rankings. This may require a little time and effort in your part but the benefits will be astounding. <br /><br />If you can part with some money, there are many sites in the internet that can help you in search engine optimization. There are many sites that help in tracking keyword phrases that can help your site. There are also some content writers that have lots of experience in making good keyword laden content for your sites that have good quality.<br /><br />Act now and see the benefits garner with search engine optimization. All of these will result to better traffic and more business for your site and company.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-45616716274822731122010-08-05T06:12:00.000-07:002010-08-05T06:12:00.210-07:00Video blogging: Pros and consVideo blogging has a lot of advantages over text-based<br />blogging, and it is little wonder that this new<br />technology is catching on all over the globe. Video<br />blogs very effectively grab the attention of web surfers,<br />and people are much more likely to become excited<br />about the dynamic content of a video blog than they are<br />likely to find a written posting very thrilling. The more<br />enthusiastic viewers are about a site, the quicker the<br />word of mouth spreads, and the more traffic the site will<br />get. <br /><br />Of course, there are plenty of disadvantages to video<br />blogging as well. Hosting a v-blog requires quite a bit<br />of server space, which can make it difficult to get<br />started. It takes more time to process and upload a video<br />file than it does to dash off a quick bit of text, which<br />means that running and updating a video blog can be<br />quite a bit of work. In addition, web surfers sometimes<br />grow frustrated with the slow loading times of the files<br />on many video blogs. Whether you opt for a video blog<br />or not depends on what kind of subject matter you want<br />to cover, and how much time you can devote to video<br />blogging. Before you decide to pursue a video blog,<br />consider if there is an easier way for you to get your<br />message across. <br /><br />(Word count 233)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-38361105687414676582010-08-03T09:59:00.000-07:002010-08-03T09:59:00.779-07:00Video BloggingVideoblogging is the next generation of posting ideas and products over the internet. Everybody knows about textblogging. Now they use videos for a better way of expression. This form of communication may entail a lot of resources, but it is all worth it. If pictures say a thousand words, videoblogging exceeds that by far. <br /><br />A videoblog requires larger disk spaces on websites, a faster server, and a whole new set of programs to support it. Videoblogs can be fed through RSS. This is technology of syndicating your website to other RSS aggregators. <br /><br />Videoblogging works with people on the internet expressing their selves. Now if you put this on a business prospective, you are up to a lot of benefits. Think of it as a powerful tool in making showing your prospective customers your line of products or your services. It’s just like showing a commercial all for free. And if you videoblog through RSS, then most probably you are getting your target market. <br /><br />People like to see what they are going to buy. Some would like to see proof and be sure that they are getting their money’s worth before shelving their dimes on it. All of us know the influence of a thirty second commercial. The effect of videoblogging is similar to that. You show your product, people watch it. If they like it, they buy it. If you present it good enough, they’ll buy the product even if they don’t need it. <br /><br />Now on the web, things are pretty much static, unlike in television in which all are moving. If you post something that is mobile, it would most likely catch attention. Now imaging your product parading in all it’s royalty through videoblog. You’ll get phone call orders in no time.<br /><br />If your business is just starting up, you can create a videoblog right at your own home. All you need is your web camera, microphone, video software, and lights. For as long as you know how to use your camera, then you can create a videoblog.<br /><br />Invest in a good web camera. The higher its resolution is the better the output. And you like to present your goods in the optimum way so get the best one possible. Make a short story, or just capture your goods in one go. Just make sure you are getting the best profile for each. Get those creativity juices flowing.<br /><br />Lights are important in a production. Make sure you illuminate entirely the area you are going to use to create videoblog. The brighter the area, the crispier the images will be. You can also use lighting effects for added appeal to the presentation.<br /><br />Should you require sounds for your videoblog, you need a microphone. Record you voice as a voice over for promoting the product and its benefit to consumers. Sounds are as important as videos on a videoblog. It is advisable to make your sound effects as enticing as the video.<br /><br />Your video editing software can be any program. You need this to finalize your work. You can add sounds, delete some bad angles, or insert some still pictures in there too. Some programs are user-friendly and can be used even with zero knowledge on video editing. Even simple video editing programs should do the trick. Select your background carefully too. The light affects the presentation so make sure that the background and the light complements each other.<br /><br />Videoblogging is a great tool but it also has it downside. It may slow down the computer so other may steer clear of it. Download time may also be time consuming especially if customer is still on a dial- up connection. <br /><br />But don’t let those stop you. Let videoblogging be an alternative for you, though it is best to still keep the text and pictures present in your presentation to accommodate all possible viewers of your site. <br /><br />Nowadays, the more creative you are in presenting your product to the market, they more you are likely to succeed. Videoblogging offers an interactive way of selling. You involve the customers. You instill in them the advantage of your goods. And at times, those are enough to make a sale.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-45021475140251591722010-08-01T14:06:00.000-07:002010-08-01T14:06:00.244-07:00Photo bloggingMany people feel that photo blogging is the most<br />exciting kind of blogging that exists. Building and<br />maintaining a photo blog is no more difficult than<br />creating and updating a text-based blog, and many<br />people feel that the internet's high speed, full-color<br />technology reaches the pinnacle of its appeal with the<br />transmission of images. Posting photographs in a blog<br />format on a daily, weekly, or occasional basis is a great<br />way to express yourself while reaching viewers in an<br />emotionally charged and aesthetically engaging way,<br />and surfing photo blogs can help you to get a whole<br />new perspective on the world in which we live. <br /><br />Many people who run image blogs are photographers by<br />trade, but photo blogging is also very popular among<br />hobbyists and amateur shutterbugs. To be certain, a lot<br />of the most popular photo blogs have gained attention<br />because the pictures on them are of the highest artistic<br />caliber, and a lot of the people who run these striking<br />blogs are graduates of prestigious art schools and have<br />impressive professional portfolios. However, some of<br />the most well known and most often visited photo blogs<br />are as notable for their concepts as for the pictures<br />themselves. Certain photo blogs, like the popular "Cute<br />Overload" which features picture after picture of<br />adorable animals, are more about the thematic content<br />of the pictures than they are about the style in which the<br />snapshots are taken. <br /><br />The fact that photo blogs range from forums to display<br />the work of highly skilled artisans to playful collections<br />of curiosities shows that photo blogging is a truly<br />diverse form. The fact that photo blogs are so easy to<br />build and to update makes this kind of visual<br />communication very democratic, and enables people at<br />all skill levels to become a part of the global<br />conversation about the nature and value of photography<br />today. <br /><br />Whether you are an artist or hobbyist who wants to<br />create a photo blog, or whether you are just somebody<br />who enjoys learning about new places and things,<br />spending some time looking at the most popular<br />photography blogs on the internet can be a very<br />rewarding endeavor. You can travel to another place or<br />another time by seeing pictures of faraway locations and<br />long-gone eras. You can see your own neighborhood<br />with fresh eyes by discover how local artists have<br />photographed the town or city in which you live. Photo<br />blogging allows people to communicate all of these<br />things and more, which makes it a very exciting part of<br />the modern blogosphere. If the best thing about web<br />technology is that it allows people to reach each other in<br />a very personal way from across great distances, then in<br />many ways photo blogs are the most successful kind of<br />web sites. <br /><br />(Word count 469)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-17167601502219036432010-07-30T14:02:00.000-07:002010-07-30T14:02:00.290-07:00Learn to make money bloggingThere are two major types of business models that<br />entrepreneurs use to make money blogging. The first<br />and most common way to turn a blog into a profit<br />making machine is to sell advertising to different<br />companies and brands who want to reach that blog's<br />readers. The second kind of money making blog is one<br />that helps a single brand improve its image by creating<br />positive associations between the blog and the product<br />in the mind of consumers. Both kinds of blogs can<br />make a lot of money, especially if the creator has a keen<br />mind for marketing. <br /><br />If you are blogging with the goal of selling advertising,<br />there are two basic ways that you can go about<br />recruiting sponsors who want to put ads on your site;<br />you can let someone else do all of the legwork, or you<br />can do the work yourself and keep all of the revenue.<br />Within the first group, many people make money<br />blogging by selling space through Google's AdSense<br />program. The advantages of this program are numerous,<br />as it requires very little effort on the part of the blogger<br />or webmaster to begin raking in profits. However, most<br />people discover that they make less money through this<br />method than they had hoped that their blog would earn. <br /><br />Selling advertising directly to companies who want to<br />put banner ads or sponsored links on your blog can take<br />quite a bit of time, but it is often fairly lucrative. If you<br />have a lot of contacts in industries that are related to the<br />topic of your blog, you may want to try to go this route.<br />People who have a strong background in sales and are<br />experienced at pitching proposals can make quite a bit<br />of money by renting blog space to interested companies.<br />The most serious problem with this model is that you<br />often have to build quite a sizable readership before you<br />can attract advertisers, which can mean that you have to<br />do several months of work before you start to make<br />money blogging. <br /><br />As blogging becomes a more and more lucrative<br />business, a lot of established companies are considering<br />how they can get into the action. One way that<br />companies are capitalizing on the blog movement is by<br />having blogs that provide a kind of friendly face for<br />their corporation. Often, a company will employ an<br />established blogger to create a weblog designed<br />specifically to appeal to that company's customers and<br />to create positive associations with the brand in<br />consumers' minds. More than one writer who never<br />even dreamed that he or she could make money<br />blogging has been approached by a company and<br />offered quite a pretty penny for this kind of gig. <br /> <br /><br />(Word count 458)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-6441525832104359672010-07-28T03:04:00.000-07:002010-07-28T03:04:00.205-07:00Mobile bloggingMobile blogging is an exciting phenomenon that is<br />sweeping the blogosphere. One of the reasons why a lot<br />of bloggers are attracted to the medium of blogging in<br />the first place is that they enjoy being able to make<br />frequent updates and posts that keep all of their visitors<br />up to speed with current situations. Mobile blogs, or<br />"moblogs," take this to the extreme by allowing users to<br />post things literally as they happen. This new wave of<br />moblogs and mobloggers keep web surfers up to date<br />with good and bad events of importance as they occur<br />all over the world, helping to make international<br />communication faster and more accurate. <br /><br />Many people feel that the limitations of blogging have a<br />lot to do with geography. After all, there is only so<br />current that a blog can be when you need to run home<br />and boot up in order to update it. However, mobile<br />blogging marks the beginning of an thrilling new era<br />when web-based communication can happen<br />spontaneously from any location. Moblogging devices<br />mean that there is almost nowhere on the planet that<br />remains off-limits for bloggers. <br /><br />Mobile blogging is still in its infancy because the<br />technology that makes it possible has only recently hit<br />the global market. The first moblog technology became<br />available over a decade ago, but it is only the past two<br />or three years that mobile web devices have become<br />user-friendly enough to appeal to most consumers. As<br />camera phones and other mobile technology become<br />more popular, more and more bloggers are getting away<br />from their desks and are hitting the streets. Moblogging<br />is becoming much more widespread that it was even a<br />few months ago, and mobloggers are quickly attracting<br />a lot of attention with the blogging community. It is not<br />yet clear whether moblogs will become the dominant<br />kinds of blogs in the years to come, but the current<br />trend seems to imply that moblogs are here to stay. <br /><br />Mobile devices make it possible to blog from the sites<br />where current events are unfolding, which is one of the<br />reasons why mobile blogging has so much thrilling<br />potential to revolutionize the blogosphere. A moblogger<br />with a camera phone can post blog entries from, say, the<br />foot of the podium at a presidential speech, or from the<br />stands during the final moments of the world series.<br />This enables bloggers to experience the same real time<br />thrills that live television coverage provides, but in a<br />more democratic medium. The combination of mobility<br />and individual control that moblogging provides<br />certainly places mobloggers on the cutting edge of<br />today's communications technology, and it is hard to<br />imagine that the number and prestige of moblogs will<br />not continue to grow in the coming years. <br /> <br />(Word count 462)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-84842072051908735132010-07-27T05:19:00.000-07:002010-07-27T05:19:00.167-07:00Professional bloggingProfessional blogging is a very new idea with a lot of<br />potential for entrepreneurs who have insight, drive, and<br />a basic understanding of today's innovative web<br />technology. The ranks of so-called pro bloggers are still<br />quite small, and there are very few people who make<br />their living entirely off of their blogs. However, every<br />day there are more and more people who have managed<br />to turn their weblogs into cash cows that supplement<br />their income. The number of pro bloggers is growing by<br />leaps and bounds, but it is difficult to say whether this<br />trend will continue. <br /><br />Many bloggers dream of entering the sphere of<br />professional blogging. There are very few people who<br />happily devote an hour or more each day to their blog<br />without at least occasionally wishing that they could<br />earn some kind of financial reward for all of their work.<br />Several models exist for making money with a blog, the<br />most popular being to sell advertising space through<br />Google's AdSense program or directly to a company<br />that wishes to reach the demographic that your blog<br />appeals to. However, there are very few people indeed<br />who can make a comfortable living just by selling space<br />on their blog sidebars. <br /><br />A lot of the people who read weblogs are bloggers<br />themselves, in part because of the fact that the people<br />who use blogging technology on a daily basis are most<br />likely to be interested in what other writers are doing<br />with the medium. This fact begins to explain why the<br />people who succeed in the world of professional<br />blogging are mostly people who have devoted<br />themselves almost entirely to learning about, talking<br />about, and writing about blogging. More than any other<br />topic, pro bloggers turn their attention to the<br />phenomenon of blogging itself. A lot of pro bloggers<br />make the topic of blogging the stunningly self-reflexive<br />ongoing focus of their blogs. <br /><br />Of course, professional blogging is destined to become<br />much more complicated in the future than it is today. In<br />the current moment, pro bloggers who attract the largest<br />audiences and make the most money are mostly<br />concerned with investigating the blogging movement<br />and with offering advice to amateur bloggers. However,<br />as the kinds of people who regularly read blogs<br />changes, and the demographics of bloggers expand and<br />diversify as blogging software becomes more user<br />friendly, it is very likely indeed that the world of pro<br />blogging will begin to reflect these changes. Indeed, it<br />is very difficult to predict exactly what kinds of blogs<br />will be reaping the greatest financial rewards five or ten<br />years down the road. The world of pro blogging is one<br />of constant change and flux, which is part of what<br />makes it so exciting. <br /><br />(Word count 458)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-30932470974856909922010-07-26T21:50:00.000-07:002010-07-26T21:50:00.596-07:00Blog DesignBlogs have increased popularity over this past months. Many people have started to create their personal blogs to express their thoughts and feelings. Internet companies have also started their blogs to inform consumers on the latest product news and reviews.<br /><br />Because of this, blogs are also being used as internet marketing media. Before, internet marketing is done by placing banners and links on popular websites, such as news and information sites. Links were also included on newsletters and marketing letters sent to the members of their mailing lists.<br /><br />Many people spend time reading blogs. People read their friend's blogs, their favorite author's blogs, blogs on topics that they are interested in, and blogs on product reviews. With the increasing popularity of blogging, it is even feared that people rely on blogs to get the latest news.<br /><br />While getting news reports from blogs isn't reliable, some people look for product reviews through blogs. In some cases, this is more dependable. While it is true that some media persons are being paid to write good reviews about a certain product, blog writers write about their actual experiences on products and services from a company.<br /><br />Since there are many people who read and start their own blogs, blogs are a good medium to market a product. With the increasing blog traffic means increase in product sales.<br /><br />Blog traffic can be increased by joining affiliate programs and sites, which will list your blog under a certain search category or name. You can also have your blog advertised in popular websites. This, however, will cost some money and is not advisable if you have just started blogging.<br /><br />A writer who has just launched his/her blog will want as much traffic as possible to increase advertisements on the site. Also, some advertisers pay every time their link is clicked or the page that has their link is viewed.<br /><br />When you have increased traffic on your blog, you should try to keep you visitors coming back and recommending your blog to friends and colleagues.<br /><br />This can be done by having informative or amusing content and good blog layout and design. You may develop your blog's content or you can also acquire the services of a web content writer to provide you with the blog articles.<br /><br />The blog's layout and design also plays a big role. While most of the companies offering free blog hosting offer pre-selected templates, there are also some that allows customization that if you utilize this feature correctly can increase your blog's traffic.<br /><br />Here are a few tips to make your blog stand out from the millions of blogs out there that have standard designs.<br /><br />* Customize the banner<br /><br />The banner usually has the most generic designs that are common to the blogs from a blogging company or service.<br /><br />You can personalize this banner by having a graphic with the dimensions of the banner. You can also edit the graphic so that it will also include the title of your blog.<br /><br />In this case, you can create your own graphic or you can purchase professional looking graphics online for less than $10.<br /><br />* Personalizing photos<br /><br />Of course, most of the photos that you will be posting will be your own. However, if you don't customize the photos before posting them, you may miss maximizing the enhancing benefits graphics can add to the page. Adding photo borders can help the photo stand out from the page. <br /><br />It can also add to the design of your blog. You can choose a standard border or you can also create your own border which can be associated with your blog's templates.<br /><br />* Add a favicon<br /><br />Don't you think sites with icons on the address bar before the website's URL are cool? Many people do. These favicons add a professional look to the URL. These easy to do using photo or graphic editing softwares.<br /><br />* Check out blog templates, layouts, backgrounds, textures and skins from sites<br /><br />There are sites that offer free blog templates, layouts, backgrounds, textures and skins. You can make use of these so your blog will not look generic like most of the blogs hosted by the service provider.<br /><br />* Include RSS feeds<br /><br />This is a cool way to inform people with newsreaders about your blog headlines. Tutorials on RSS feeds are available on the internet.<br /><br />* Audio makes your blog more personal<br /><br />Not only does audio personalizes the blog; it can also keep your visitors coming back. You can try having streaming radio stations, mp3 file or playlists loading with your blog.<br /><br />* Advertisements<br /><br />If you have signed-up with Google Ad-Sense, which I am sure you would like to do, make sure that the ads are conveniently placed that these will not hinder your readers' ease in accessing the information on your blog.<br /><br />Try using these tips and you can definitely increase and retain traffic on your blog.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-48280769975650379502010-07-23T23:57:00.000-07:002010-07-23T23:57:00.751-07:00ProbloggingA weblog (or simply blog) is a website that 'publishes' or features articles (which are called 'blog posts', 'posts', or 'entries'), written by an individual or a group that make use of any or a combination of the following:<br /><br />· Straight texts<br />· Photographs or images (photoblog)<br />· Video (videoblog)<br />· Audio files (audioblog)<br />· Hyperlinks<br /><br />Usually presented and arranged in reverse chronological order, blogs are essentially used for the following purposes:<br /><br />· Online journal or a web diary<br />· Content managament system<br />· Online publishing platform<br /><br />A typical blog has the following components:<br /><br />· Post date -the date and time of the blog entry<br /><br />· Category - the category that the blog belongs to<br /><br />· Title - the title of the blog<br /><br />· Main body - the main content of the blog<br /><br />· RSS and trackback - links the blog back from other sites<br /><br />· Comments - commentaries that are added by readers<br /><br />· Permalinks - the URL of the full article<br /><br />· Other optional items - calendar, archives, blogrolls, and add-ons or plug-ins<br /><br />A blog can also have a footer, usually found at the bottom of the blog, that shows the post date, the author, the category, and the 'stats' (the nubmer of comments or trackbacks).<br /><br />There are numerous types of blogs. Some of them are the following:<br /><br />1. Political blog - on news, politics, activism, and other issue based blogs (such as campaigning).<br /><br />2. Personal blog - also known as online diary that may include an individual's day-to-day experience, complaints, poems, and illicit thoughts, and communications between friends.<br /><br />3. Topical blog - with focus either on a particular niche (function or position) that is usually technical in nature or a local information.<br /><br />4. Health blog - on specific health issues. Medical blog is a major category of health blog that features medical news from health care professionals and/or actual patient cases.<br /><br />5. Literary blog - also known as litblog.<br /><br />6. Travel blog - with focus on a traveler's stories on a particular journey.<br /><br />7. Research blog - on academic issues such as research notes.<br /><br />8. Legal blog - on law (technical areas) and legal affairs; also known as 'blawgs'.<br /><br />9. Media blog - focus on falsehoods or inconsistencies in mass media; usually exclusive for a newspaper or a television network.<br /><br />10. Religious blog - on religious topics<br /><br />11. Educational blog - on educational applications, usually written by students and teachers.<br /><br />12. Collaborative or collective blog - a specific topic written by a group of people.<br /><br />13. Directory blog - contains a collection of numerous web sites.<br /><br />14. Business blog - used by entrepreneurs and corporate employees to promote their businesses or talk about their work.<br /><br />15. Personification blog - focus on non-human being or objects (such as dogs).<br /><br />16. Spam blogs - used for promoting affiliated websites; also known as 'splogs'.<br /><br />Blogging is typically done on a regular (almost daily) basis. The term "blogging" refers to the act of authoring, maintaining, or adding an article to an existing blog, while the term "blogger" refers to a person or a group who keeps a blog. <br /><br />Today, more than 3 million blogs can be found in the Internet. This figure is continuously growing, as the availability of various blog software, tools, and other applications make it easier for just about anyone to update or maintain the blog (even those with little or no technical background). Because of this trend, bloggers can now be categorized into 4 main types:<br /><br />· Personal bloggers - people who focus on a diary or on any topic that an individual feels strongly about.<br /><br />· Business bloggers - people who focus on promoting products and services.<br /><br />· Organizational bloggers - people who focus on internal or external communication in an organization or a community.<br /><br />· Professional bloggers - people who are hired or paid to do blogging.<br /><br />Problogging (professional blogging) refers to blogging for a profit. Probloggers (professional bloggers) are people who make money from blogging (as an individual blog publisher or a hired blogger).<br /><br />Below are just some of the many money-making opportunities for probloggers:<br /><br />· Advertising programs<br />· RSS advertising<br />· Sponsorship<br />· Affiliate Programs<br />· Digital assets<br />· Blog network writing gigs<br />· Business blog writing gigs<br />· Non blogging writing gigs<br />· Donations<br />· Flipping blogs<br />· Merchandising<br />· Consulting and speaking<br /><br />The following are a few things that you need to consider if you want to be successful in problogging:<br /><br />1. Be patient. Problogging requires a lot of time and effort, not to mention a long-term vision.<br /><br />2. Know your audience. Targeting a specific audience or group is a key to building a readership.<br /><br />3. Be an 'expert'. Focus on a specific niche topic and strive to be the "go-to" blogger on that topic.<br /><br />4. Diversify. Experiment with various add and affiliate programs that enable you to make money online (aside from blogging).<br /><br />5. Do not bore your readers. Focus on the layout. White spaces, line spacings, and bigger fonts make a blog welcoming to read.<br /><br />Certainly, it is possible to earn money from blogs. One just needs to take risks, the passion, and the right attitude in order to be a successful problogger.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-31195148661356792992010-07-22T13:21:00.000-07:002010-07-22T13:21:00.175-07:00Corporate Blogging TipsBlogs are massive resources of information from both<br />inside and outside companies. Businessmen survive the<br />world of blogging because they know how and where to<br />dig information while protecting their own secrets.<br />Although blogging can be risky world for businesses,<br />there are several helpful tips that can help bring<br />success to corporate blogging.<br /><br />The Important of Training<br /><br />It is important to make sure the members of the<br />communications team. In the past, this team was<br />composed of a small group. However, with the advent of<br />blogging, everyone who blogs at the company is<br />spreading a specific message about the company. People<br />who handle the blogging for the company must be<br />trained to avoid any spill of unnecessary information.<br /><br />If by accident, important information regarding the<br />company has been disclosed, this can put the company<br />under the watchful eyes of the regulators. More so,<br />inappropriate leaks can provide competitors with<br />leverage and may lead to embarrassing revelations<br />about the inner workings of the company and its staff.<br /><br />Although the usual action to be taken is to restrict<br />employees from blogging, this can be a shortsighted<br />decision. Bloggers from within the company can easily<br />relate and make contact with potential clients and<br />even enhance the brand of the company.<br /><br />The Fake Blogs<br /><br />Several, if not all, companies are eager to establish<br />one-on-one links with their consumers, though they are<br />often hesitant to venture in the world of blogging. As<br />a result, they set up fake blogs. Fake blogs are those<br />that are created by marketing departments of the<br />company in order to promote a product, brand or<br />service using a fake name or character.<br /><br />These kinds of blogs are risky since several bloggers<br />who are passionate about what they do view them as an<br />insult to the blogging community and no one can deny<br />the fact that these blogs are very visible to the<br />public.<br /><br />Although there are no rules prohibiting a company from<br />making pseudo-blogs, the subject of creating one is<br />always welcome. Always keep in mind that you can<br />choose to create fake blogs but remember all the risks<br />involved.<br /><br />Blog Tracking<br /><br />Tracking blogs is one of the easiest and most<br />important tips to remember. Firstly, the company can<br />look around online and search for the most influential<br />blogger who writes about their products or services.<br />Remember to read the blogger’s updates everyday and<br />perform an automated tracking of discussions.<br /><br />Tracking blogs is important because even those<br />postings from small-time bloggers can be selected by<br />search engines, strengthened by a well-known blogger<br />and ultimately hit the mainstream.<br /><br />The Public Relations<br /><br />Blogs have the ability to break down barriers between<br />the company and its customers. It is important for<br />businesses to take that into consideration and adjust.<br />There are several companies that start blog in order<br />to attain customer loyalty and address the customers’<br />concerns and comments. Relating to the customers is a<br />vital factor in the survival of a business. Knowing<br />what the customers think about the products or<br />services can help enhance the company’s services.<br /><br />The Company’s Secrets<br /><br />Take into consideration one secret or secrets that you<br />have kept at your company. Be it a list of projects<br />for the following year or information about scandalous<br />activities, there are several things that you must<br />learn no to leak to your competitors.<br /><br />In blogging, there is a certainty that you must<br />rethink about something that you are trying to avoid,<br />for that fact that other companies are increasingly<br />sharing information to win new partners and generate<br />new ideas. Although this does not mean that they are<br />not keeping any secrets from you or that you must not<br />keep any from them, it is important to reevaluate<br />whether you can gain more out of sharing details than<br />keep them to yourself.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-3140173382034105342010-07-20T16:43:00.000-07:002010-07-20T16:43:00.120-07:00Blogging about the newsBlogging news stories as they unfold is one of the most<br />exciting and controversial applications of technology<br />that bloggers have discovered. One thing that makes the<br />blogosphere so active is the fact that it is possible to<br />update a blog instantaneously, so the news on blogs<br />tends to be more current than the news in the paper, or<br />on television. Unlike news delivered by these other<br />media, news that appears on blogs does not have to<br />travel through a series of editors and administrators<br />before it reaches the public eye. This has some<br />advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.<br /><br />One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog<br />before appearing in other media took place in July 2005<br />when terrorism struck London. As passengers were<br />evacuated from a subway car near an explosion, one<br />man took several photographs of the scene with his<br />cellular phone, and within an hour these images were<br />posted online. First-person accounts of the catastrophe<br />began appearing on blogs soon after these photos<br />appeared, and people all over the world learned about<br />the events in London by reading the words and seeing<br />the photos posted by bloggers. <br /><br />The fact that these stories and images were being spread<br />directly by individuals operating without the added<br />filter of a reporter helped to make the crisis feel very<br />immediate to people across the globe. When it comes to<br />blogging, news often appears in a very personal context.<br />This has the potential to be the beginning of an exciting<br />new era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism"<br />to it's logical next step by putting the power to shape<br />how the news is written and read directly into the hands<br />of the public. <br /><br />Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are<br />champions of the weblog movement feel that this<br />growing trend of individuals who getting their news<br />from blogs is a good thing, because it makes the flow of<br />information more democratic. By decentralizing the<br />control of news, blogs allow more voices to enter the<br />field of debate about important current events.<br />However, many people are adamantly opposed to the<br />use of blogs as news outlets, and there are plenty of<br />good arguments on this side of the debate. Unlike<br />newspapers or television stations, few blogs have fact-<br />checkers, and there is little attention paid to journalistic<br />accountability on many blogs. This can lead to the rapid<br />spread of misinformation, and more than one falsehood<br />has taken the blogosphere by storm. The questions<br />about whether blogging news as it happens is ethical or<br />not are very complicated, but no matter where you stand<br />on the topic of current events blogs you are almost sure<br />to agree that this movement has the potential to<br />revolutionize how modern people get their news. <br /><br />(Word count 465)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-49219454998040472812010-07-17T08:47:00.000-07:002010-07-17T08:47:00.675-07:00Money is just a click awayIf you already spend a fair amount of time blogging,<br />money may come to you literally as soon as you ask for<br />it. Once you have an established blog with a regular<br />readership, it is easy to turn a profit through advertising.<br />By hosting sponsored links or banners, you can see<br />income from your hobby almost overnight. Even if you<br />did not start your blog intending to turn a profit, making<br />supplementary income from your blog may be easier<br />than you think. <br /><br />Of course, even for people who have spent months or<br />years blogging, money from advertising revenue may<br />not add up to a large sum. The amount of money that<br />you can make as a blogger depends on a lot of different<br />factors, but perhaps the most important element of the<br />equation is the topic of your blog. If your blog is on a<br />subject that appeals to a demographic that advertisers<br />have a strong desire to reach, you will be more likely to<br />be able to turn a large profit on your blog than if your<br />blog is on a fairly obscure subject that does not draw<br />the kind of audience that advertisers need to appeal to.<br />Of course, the only way to find out where you fall on<br />this spectrum is to try hosting some ads. If you are<br />already blogging, you have nothing to lose. <br /><br />(Word count 241)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-50998745648908049382010-07-15T21:13:00.000-07:002010-07-15T21:13:00.283-07:005 reasons to blogBlogging is a concept that started in late 90s. It used to be a way to comment an existing webpage, an opportunity for visitors and readers to react or voice out one’s opinion on the said page. What started as a single-sentence commentary has evolved into pages of personal take on just about anything and everything under the sun. As it continues to move forward, online advertising has tapped into the blog’s potential. Here are 5 reasons why you should use blogging as an Internet marketing tool. <br /><br />1.Blogging is simple. The simplest way to get your piece on the net is through blogging. No skills are necessary… an average adult can read and type, or at least click a mouse. It’s like having a virtual piece of paper and you just write your ideas, experiences, new products, and hope that the truth behind your articles comes out and entice your reader to also try your product. If you have a PC and an Internet connection (who doesn’t?) then you can blog and advertise.<br /><br />2. Blogging is authentic. In this day and age where advertising saturate our lives, we question the credibility of promoters’ claims. However, in blogs, real people share their real-life experiences, unscathed by paid advertising. Reading blogs about first-hand product use is like talking to people about their first-hand experience. You definitely want to buy a tried and tested product.<br /><br />3. Blogging is free. Because blogging is yet to be proven as a mainstream online advertising media, most sites see it as something to augment current marketing tools and thus offer it for free. Any opportunity for free webtime is definitely a bonus especially to businesses that are starting up. Needless to say, paid blog pages can generate more income for your seriously growing business. <br /><br />4. Blogging builds credibility. As you get more and more into writing your experiences on a particular product or industry, your readers come to realize that they can depend on your posts for their own information needs. As such, you become an expert on it; as a consequence, more readers visit your site and more bloggers link to your blogs. As companies and professional organizations notice the growth of your readership base, they may soon get in touch with you for advertising on your blog page, or make you an affiliate, which pays for every referral generated from your blog site.<br /><br />5. Blogging builds your market. Unless you are a Hollywood star, chances are, only your Mom reads your posts. Mom has a lot of friends, so she lets her friends know how interesting your blog site is. But you need not depend on Mom to increase your readership base. Look into the following ways to build your market through blogging:<br /><br />-By using your e-mail. Today, blogging is overcoming the e-mail’s popularity in quickly and effectively reaching and expanding a market. In this age of speed and quick access, logging in and downloading e-mail is simply taking longer than clicking into a blog site. Let them explore your site by using a short e-mail message as teaser to your blog site. If your e-mail is on an entirely different subject, use your e-mail signature to give a link to the site.<br /><br />-By using subscription. An easy way to get your readers e-mail is to give them an opportunity to subscribe to your blogsite. Keep some exclusive information for your subscribers to entice readers to subscribe and give their e-mail address. Just be responsible in using their e-mail address, as the last thing you want is a comment on your blog that you are a spammer.<br /><br />-By understanding your readers. Conduct a simple survey for your readers to understand their profile and advertising preferences. Ask consumers to give you feedback on a post, an ad link, or a trial that you shared. In this way, it is like interviewing your readers without the commitment and intrusion of a face-to-face interview.<br /><br />-By joining a blog network –A network of blogs maybe a collection of blog sites that share the same industry, interest, readership base, payment mode, etc. Consumers find credibility and convenience in clicking one link to several real bloggers about a single subject. Clearly, more bloggers are better than one.<br /><br />-By using RSS. RSS is the fastest growing technology on the Internet today. As such, having RSS feeds to your blog is definitely another means of generating awareness for your readership base. Having a variety of feeds can add interest to your blog site. <br /><br />Give your business a boost by effectively using blogging as an Internet marketing tool.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-45691297495306382522010-07-13T12:42:00.000-07:002010-07-13T12:42:01.183-07:00Teens bloggingEvery day, blogs are created by people of all ages and<br />from all walks of life, but when it comes to blogging,<br />teen writers are truly on the cutting edge of the<br />movement. Because today's teenagers are the first<br />generation of people to have grown up using the<br />internet at every stage of their development, many<br />adolescents have a seemingly innate sense of how to use<br />web technology to express their innermost thoughts and<br />ideas. Older writers often experience a kind of learning<br />curve when they begin to blog, but many young people<br />find that using a word processor and blogging software<br />feels more natural and direct a mode of communication<br />than writing in a diary ever could. <br /><br />One of the reasons why blogs have undergone a kind of<br />explosion in the teen community and are growing by<br />leaps and bounds is the fact that they provide a unique<br />mixture of visibility and anonymity. A teenager can<br />invite friends and peers to read his or her blog with a<br />simple email, thereby winning attention or possibly<br />even praise. Of course, with visibility usually comes the<br />possibility of embarrassment, but the fact that it is<br />possible to blog anonymously with an invented handle<br />or nickname negates a lot of the potential for<br />humiliation. Many a blogging teen lives in fear that a<br />parent or guardian will discover his or her blog, but by<br />publishing under an alias a teenager can spill his or her<br />secrets without fear of being traced. <br /><br />Outside the world of blogging, teen writers often have<br />very limited opportunities to be published. Magazines<br />and journals are often reticent to publish young writers<br />who may not have as much credibility as older writers<br />with a lot of experience and extensive credits to their<br />names. This can discourage adolescents from writing or<br />from seeking chances to publish their work. By<br />blogging, young people can begin to gain a following of<br />readers without first having to win the attention and<br />support of an editor or publisher who may not be very<br />interested in teenaged authors. <br /><br />Between the fact that blogs provide young people with a<br />chance to exercise their impressive technical aptitude,<br />to gain visibility without compromising privacy, and to<br />build a readership for their writing without having to<br />jump through the traditional hoops of the publishing<br />industry, it is little wonder that are so many teenagers<br />with blogs. For some teenagers, blogging is even a very<br />social endeavor that allows them to meet people with<br />similar interests from all over the world. Many a<br />blogging teen has discovered that having a weblog on<br />the internet is a great way to explore self-expression<br />and, often, to win positive feedback from new friends. <br /><br />(Word count 453)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-62293072488904131652010-07-12T13:40:00.000-07:002010-07-12T13:40:00.403-07:00Business owners blogsIf you run a small company, you may find that the world<br />of blogging for business owners is a world that you<br />want to be a part of. Blogging is a great way to get the<br />word out to consumers about your product or service,<br />and it can even be useful for inspiring employee loyalty<br />and helping you keep your workers at peak morale. If<br />you are looking for a way to take your business to the<br />next level, consider what starting a blog might be able<br />to do for you. <br /><br />Blogging for business owners has a lot in common with<br />all other types of blogging, but it has its own unique<br />pitfalls and strengths. The key to having a successful<br />blog as a business owner is keeping your goals clear<br />and concrete at every step of your blogging adventure. It<br />can be all to easy to get sidetracked, especially if you<br />are just learning about the exciting possibilities of<br />blogging technology, but if you want your blog to<br />succeed you need to stay focused. Write up a plan for<br />how often you will update, how you will promote your<br />blog and retain readers, whether you will feature<br />photographs or video, and other aspects of your blog,<br />and then stick to it with the same kind of determination<br />that you used when you built your company. <br /><br />(Word count 230)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-5379677712694431482010-07-09T08:22:00.000-07:002010-07-09T08:22:00.281-07:00Blogging for profitMany people dream of blogging for profit, and this goal<br />is not far beyond the reach of someone with average<br />intelligence, a willingness to work hard, and a basic<br />grasp of blogging technology. However, very few<br />people manage to reap the profits they want from their<br />blog. Most people who attempt to make money with<br />their blogs do not succeed for two reasons. Often,<br />bloggers have unrealistic expectations of how fast their<br />readership will grow and how much money they will<br />make, and when these expectations are not met the<br />disappointment can crush the desire to continue<br />blogging. The other trap that many bloggers fall into<br />has to do with lack of planning. If you want to turn a<br />profit as a blogger, the key to success is to make a<br />realistic plan and stick with it. <br /><br />To succeed at blogging for profit, the main thing that<br />you will need is a large readership. The higher your<br />traffic, the more advertisers will agree to pay you.<br />However, cultivating the regular visitors that you will<br />need in order to make a profit isnt easy. As more and<br />more blogs appear each day, having a great idea or a<br />wonderful writing style is no longer enough to get<br />attention. You need to be able to market your blog<br />effectively. <br /><br />Too many bloggers spend all of their time writing posts<br />and almost no time marketing their project. To be<br />certain, updating as often as you can is a great way to<br />keep your blog high on blogrolls and high in blog<br />search engines like technorati, and once your readers<br />know that you update frequently they will return to your<br />site on a regular basis. However, it does not matter how<br />often you update if nobody is reading your page, so dont<br />skimp on the time that you spend drawing visitors to<br />your site. To make your dreams of blogging for profit a<br />reality, try decreasing your number of posts and using<br />some of that time to draw new visitors by setting up<br />link exchanges with other bloggers, making contacts in<br />the blog community, and following other established<br />modes of winning traffic.<br /><br />Of course, even if you are a marketing genius or have a<br />really great idea for a blog, success is not going to<br />happen overnight. Building the kind of readership that<br />blogging for profit requires takes time, and in all<br />likelihood it will be at least several months before you<br />are able to turn much of a profit. Try to stay committed<br />to your blogging project during this initial rough period.<br />To stay motivated, set goals for how often you will<br />update and how many readers you want to attract, and<br />then reward yourself for sticking with your plan. <br /><br />(Word count 466)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-88360830259868829062010-07-06T10:42:00.000-07:002010-07-06T10:42:00.410-07:00Free blogging web sitesFor first time bloggers, a free blogging web site is a<br />great way to get started in the blogosphere. Popular<br />blogging web sites like blogger and eponym allow users<br />to set up and host a blog without paying any fees at all.<br />This encourages people to start blogging, because the<br />fact that one of these sites can provide you with all of<br />the tools that you need to get your blog up and running<br />without spending any money means that you have<br />nothing to lose by starting a blog. The fact that it is so<br />easy to find a way to blog for free is one of the reasons<br />why so many people who have never had any other kind<br />of web presence before find themselves drawn to<br />blogging. <br /><br />By signing up with a free blogging web site, you may<br />find it easier to get listed in search engines that you<br />would if you were starting your own blog from scratch.<br />For example, google runs the free blog hosting site<br />blogspot and crawls its pages very often looking for<br />updates, so if you have your site hosted by blogspot you<br />are almost guaranteed to be listed on google's blog<br />search engine. This easy access to search engines can<br />take some of the work out of promoting your blog, and<br />can help you gain a following with a minimum of<br />marketing effort. <br /><br />If your blog attracts a large readership, you may want to<br />consider moving your site. Many people feel that being<br />hosted by a free blogging web site gives a blog a kind of<br />amateur flavor that is fine for a new member of the<br />blogosphere, but is not appropriate for a high-profile<br />blog. Having your own domain can help you make your<br />blog feel professional, and finding a company that will<br />host your domain is not difficult or expensive. Once<br />your blog takes off, you will probably be able to sell<br />enough advertising space to be able to afford to buy a<br />domain and pay for a hosting package, and still have<br />money left over. However, it does not make sense in<br />most cases to invest in these glossy luxuries before you<br />have a sizable readership. <br /><br />Starting your blog on a free blogging web site is a great<br />way to build a following before you spend any money<br />on your blog. If and when your blog becomes popular<br />and you are ready to take the next step and purchase<br />your own domain, your readers will follow you to your<br />new home. The fact that it is possible to use a free blog<br />host like blogspost, blogger, or eponym as a kind of<br />incubator for your blog is great news for bloggers<br />everywhere.<br /><br />(Word count 459)<br /><br />PPPPPDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-51057413815675413442010-07-02T01:20:00.000-07:002010-07-02T01:20:00.728-07:00Reasons to BlogMany people are getting into blogging for several<br />reasons. You might have heard it somewhere recently<br />but it actually started more than a decade ago from<br />its mother, the online diary. Back then, these kinds<br />of diaries are used by people to record and share<br />accounts of their personal lives. Although blogging<br />still uses that same concept, it has now evolved into<br />several categories and usage.<br /><br />Nowadays, blogging is synonymous to online marketing.<br />Bloggers not only publish contents reflecting their<br />moods for the day or sharing what they have done for<br />the past few weeks but also advertise and create a<br />sturdy communication with their audience. More so,<br />through the use of blogging, people are now able to<br />find an alternative in making money. Blogging is an<br />excellent opportunity for generating income.<br /><br />The Blog<br /><br />Before you even start to create you own blog. It is<br />necessary to know what blog really is. The term blog<br />is actually derived from the word Weblog or Web log.<br />Back in the days, around the late 1990’s, these Web<br />logs are utilized by users to track updates and<br />references to other resources online. They served as<br />journals, which made them useful as a publishing tool<br />for the user’s stream of consciousness. Of course, the<br />readers can still comment and share their thoughts on<br />just abut anything under the sun.<br /><br />Technically, blogs are also known as CMS or Content<br />Management Systems. Being a CMS, blogs allow the<br />writers to easily publish to a specific Web site and<br />manage the content without the need of having to deal<br />with the program code. Publishing software also<br />provides users with a GUI or Graphical User Interface<br />for easy pointing and clicking of their articles.<br />Through the use of easy-to-do procedures, you can<br />perform configuration and set up, which can ease your<br />job as a blogger since the tool can automatically<br />organize your published articles the next time you<br />publish.<br /><br />The Advantage of Blogging<br /><br />The main question is; why should you start blogging?<br />The first thing you need to know is that blogging can<br />enhance and support your online communications.<br />However, you must first understand the outcome of your<br />blog that you desire in order to attain success. The<br />main reason why you should start blogging, is that it<br />can be both an excellent outlet for your frustrations<br />or excitement and profitable at the same time.<br /><br />It does not mean that if you are not into blogging,<br />you should not blog. Being in a business, especially<br />those with dealings on the Internet, requires you to<br />establish a clientele that are actually interested<br />with your services. Blogs can do this easily due to<br />its accessibility and being an excellent medium for<br />marketing that it is, blogs are essential for<br />businesses.<br /><br />More so, if you are handling a business, there is good<br />chance that your competition is blogging about their<br />products and services. This is an easy method for you<br />to examine the competition and what their clients’<br />preferences are. Additionally, blogs can create strong<br />customer relationships since your target market can<br />easily and directly communicate with the authority<br />within your business.<br /><br />This kind of opportunity is hard to resist since a<br />strong customer relationship can eventually lead to<br />lasting trust to your product and services; hence,<br />eventual increase in your revenue.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-62988160095740369392010-06-30T15:39:00.000-07:002010-06-30T15:39:00.486-07:00Types of blogsIn blogging, you are not limited into one type of<br />blogging type. In fact, there are several types of<br />blogs. No matter what type bloggers use, they publish<br />content around topics and issues that they feel<br />passionate about. For instance, several bloggers write<br />about politics, others for pet care and some for<br />personal computers. However, blogs that are business<br />oriented are often focused into a single topic for the<br />fact that they need to emphasize their services or<br />products.<br /><br />Blogs can cover a wide range of topics. Because of<br />this versatility, several people are starting to blog.<br />Not only can they express what they feel or advertise<br />their products or services, they can also earn cash.<br />Blogs are new methods of earning income at the comfort<br />of your own home. However, that is just the icing on<br />the cake since blogging can bring lots of joy to<br />several bloggers for that fact that they can share<br />their opinions and thoughts to others and receive<br />advise from them or vice versa.<br /><br />Blogging for Business<br /><br />Several businesses are exploring the world of<br />blogging. This is an excellent opportunity for them<br />since blogging is a great medium of communication.<br />Additionally, business oriented blogs can benefit from<br />the search engine optimization advantage, which is the<br />biggest leverage of blogging.<br /><br />If the business has a Web site that promotes a product<br />or service, any type of content that the business use<br />as the vehicle to drive the business or commerce to<br />another level require a blog. Blogs are very useful<br />because they are text-based and light weight, with<br />regards to the code used, compared to traditional Web<br />site content. This only means that blogs minimize the<br />crawl time of search engine spiders and allow them to<br />retrieve more information about the page to the search<br />directories a lot faster.<br /><br />More so, blogs are dynamic because they can be updated<br />frequently. By frequently publishing contents for the<br />blog, the search engine spiders visit more often. The<br />result is that the blog can have more pages being sent<br />over the search engines compared to the business’s<br />opponents. This is very good indeed if the competitor<br />is the one who has a static Web site. This also<br />provides the blogging business an opportunity to reach<br />out to more potential customers, thus possibly<br />increasing their revenue.<br /><br />Blogging for Personal Use<br /><br />Normally, personal blogs have the characteristics of<br />being exciting, interesting and enjoyable. Bloggers<br />blogging for personal reasons have the purpose of<br />keeping their friends and family updated about their<br />lives and activities. Many bloggers find comfort in<br />blogging personal contents. Additionally, if you<br />create a personal blog, you are open to the idea of<br />sharing your interest with other people who might<br />visit your blog.<br /><br />Like any other blogs, personal blogs can be<br />incorporated with photos, videos and other multimedia<br />elements. You can create a personal blog about<br />anything that you feel passionate about. There are<br />even personal blogs with contents regarding products<br />that the blogger is really interested in. This<br />provides the businesses ideas about the preferences of<br />their customers. This only proves that blogs also work<br />in synergy.<br /><br />Blogs are very easy to use content management systems,<br />which allow you to publish articles right away and in<br />real-time. These platforms for communication unravel<br />new opportunities to connect with others both in a<br />personal or professional manner.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-13907363979718552462010-06-29T16:15:00.000-07:002010-06-29T16:15:00.621-07:00Blogging BasicsWith the advent of internet marketing, Web publishing<br />is continually gaining ground and popularity.<br />Nowadays, technologically savvy corporate businessmen,<br />or even business employees, use blogs to build and<br />manage relationships with their consumers. They share<br />their company’s expertise, culture and other<br />information, which can help develop the customer’s<br />interest in their products and services.<br /><br />On the other hand, not only do businessmen venture in<br />the world of blogging but regular computer users too.<br />Not only can they voice out their opinions and<br />thoughts to others but also earn money in more ways<br />than one; from selling ad space to offering expert<br />services, which in turn builds their reputation as a<br />professional.<br /><br />If you are thinking of entering the blogsphere, you<br />must be ready of the problems you might encounter in<br />several areas of blogging, such as: choosing,<br />installing and configuring your blog software tools.<br />Although the collection and assortment of<br />configurations vary widely, a neophyte blogger can<br />still get confused. The tools are not the only<br />obstacles you must overcome but also the terminologies<br />used for blogging.<br /><br />Tools for Blogging<br /><br />Basically, the software tools for your blog greatly<br />depend on your provider. For instance, the RSS<br />functionality can be absent from one provider but<br />present in another. Additionally, some blog software<br />tool providers can cost as low as $4 each month<br />depending on the extent of service you choose, while<br />others can be used for free but with limited services.<br /><br />Choosing the right software tool depends on you. If<br />you have enough cash to spare for a blog or if you<br />want to really get serious with a blog and hope to<br />earn cash in the future, which is always a<br />possibility, you have the option of choosing priced<br />blog software tools. However, if you are a newbie<br />blogger, it might be advisable to start with free blog<br />software tool providers.<br /><br />Fortunately, some providers that charge for their<br />services also offer free trial periods, which range<br />from 10 to 30 days. This is an excellent opportunity<br />to try and test out the services they offer without<br />paying any fee. Luckily, if you find a provider that<br />you are comfortable with and offer the services you<br />need, you can always use their free trial periods to<br />the full extent before subscribing.<br /><br />Blogging Terminologies<br /><br />Blogging is like a secret society and like most secret<br />societies; it has its own language that you must<br />learn. Although, technologically savvy individuals an<br />easily familiarize themselves with these terms, it<br />might be hard for those who have limited or no<br />background with Web publishing whatsoever.<br /><br />Firstly, the most important term in blogging is Post.<br />A post happens every time you place or publish an<br />update to your blog; you also create a post this way.<br />Secondly, since blogs are a means of communication,<br />comments are also possible. If your audience leaves a<br />message regarding your published content, this message<br />is referred to as a comment. Normally, the comments<br />are labeled and time-stamped to allow you and other<br />readers to see who posted the comment and when it was<br />posted.<br /><br />Comment spams, is also a term that happen when a<br />single reader continuously repeats the same comment<br />over and over again. This can be a headache for the<br />blogger as the blog can be used by the reader to<br />promote other blogs or Web site.<br /><br />These are just some of the few terms that you can<br />encounter in blogging. Only exploration and experience<br />can help you understand the other terminologies<br />involved in blogging.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-26206301692623413872010-06-27T09:46:00.000-07:002010-06-27T09:46:00.212-07:00Profitting from your blogBlogs can be for profit or non-profit but most<br />bloggers blog for the purpose of making money. There<br />may be some contents published to simply provide an<br />outlet for voicing out the bloggers’ opinions and<br />share their thoughts. However, the general population<br />of bloggers has the intention of profiting<br />financially. Fortunately, there are several methods of<br />profiting from a blog and applying these methods can<br />help you gain money.<br /><br />The Advertisements<br /><br />Selling space for advertisers is one of the most<br />common ways to profit from a blog. Since blogs that<br />have a considerable amount of traffic can make income<br />with ad sales, make sure that you have a target<br />audience. The reason why bloggers choose to sell<br />advertising is that it is a passive form of income<br />once the traffic has progressed. Although it takes<br />work to look for advertisers and maintain the ads on<br />the blog, those who can achieve it can gain reasonable<br />amount of money with the ads.<br /><br />Compared to other forms of profiting from a blog,<br />selling advertisement space can be one of the most<br />consistent revenue streams. If you are able to<br />maintain your ad slots filled, you should have a very<br />good idea of just how much you can make every month.<br /><br />On the negative side, selling ads requires you to have<br />some kind of established traffic. Traffic is important<br />because it draws interest from potential advertisers.<br />You might find it hard to sell an ad space without<br />traffic and it will most likely not produce much<br />revenue. Additionally, the blog must have a target<br />audience in order to achieve the maximum amount of<br />cash for advertisement space. Remember that<br />advertisers are more likely to pay if your target<br />audience is a match to theirs.<br /><br />Affiliate programs are also a major resource of<br />profits for several bloggers. Affiliate programs are<br />excellent in a sense that they enable you to have the<br />opportunity to make money even if your blog has a<br />small audience. However, one bad side to affiliate<br />programs is that there can be instances where you<br />cannot make any money at all.<br /><br />Newly created blogs feature affiliate ads most of the<br />time compared to selling space directly to<br />advertisers. Since selling ads is hard to do without<br />much traffic, affiliate programs are perfect for new<br />blogs. More so, they can be easily maintained and only<br />take very little time.<br /><br />Promoting and Premium Content<br /><br />Bloggers who are service providers at the same time<br />have an excellent opportunity to look for clients and<br />increase their rates. Maintaining a blog that focuses<br />on your area of expertise can help you easily become a<br />recognized authority in your field. Additionally, it<br />can aid potential clients to find you. You can also<br />benefit from the increase in demand of your services<br />and improved reputation that you build, which enable<br />you to charge more for your services.<br /><br />Aside from promoting your services, selling premium<br />contents are also excellent ways to profit from a<br />blog. Blogs are a massive source of information and<br />remember that not everything has to be free. There are<br />bloggers and business that attained success by selling<br />some of their work. There are blogs that sell<br />memberships on their Web sites. Although selling<br />premium content is possible in any field, you must<br />have the capability to give something to the reader<br />that is worth paying for.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2637802024205483812.post-51618741143114690172010-06-25T06:02:00.000-07:002010-06-25T06:02:00.453-07:00Writing your first blogThe content of your blog is an important factor in<br />gaining traffic and acquiring a target audience.<br />Publishing your first article or item is a great<br />milestone in your blogging career. Fortunately, there<br />are several basic guidelines, which can make your<br />content more effective to your audience, adored by the<br />search engines and respected by the world of blogging.<br /><br />Publishing an Effective Content<br /><br />Before you begin to write anything on your blog, you<br />should know who your target audience is and what they<br />want. If you see these factors as irrelevant for your<br />blog because your blog is not business oriented in any<br />way, you must remember that if you want readers then<br />these factors are really relevant.<br /><br />Always remember that where there are readers there is<br />something interesting to read. The only reason why<br />people read is because they want something. If you<br />really want to achieve some kind of massive<br />readership, you must strive to make your content<br />interesting and actually what readers want.<br /><br />First of all, keep in mind that communication is the<br />key. More so, your communication must be authentic.<br />The time when you publish your content is also the<br />time when you let your true self surface. Blogs are<br />personal in nature and communication is the key to<br />being personal. The fact that each blog is unique<br />because each writer is unique is enough for you to not<br />to worry about future similarities with other blog<br />entries. Keep in mind that whatever topic you are<br />blogging about you must incorporate your personality<br />with your writing.<br /><br />In order to create a loyal target audience, it is<br />important for the visitors to trust you and relate to<br />you. It does not necessarily entail that they know<br />about your personal details but you must connect with<br />your audience in an authentic manner.<br /><br />After establishing your communication with your<br />audience, the content must also be credible. The blog<br />must have authenticity even though credibility takes a<br />lot of time to build.<br /><br />The moment you begin publishing your content, which is<br />of high value and useful to the readers, you also<br />start establishing your authority. There will come a<br />time when your readers ask you for advice or seek for<br />your opinion; this is the time when you have achieved<br />some kind of credibility and you must use this to<br />build your reputation as a blogger.<br /><br />The Blogger’s Block<br /><br />Blogging is writing but uses a different medium. There<br />are several methods to fight blogger’s block. Always<br />remember that your blog software exists to serve you<br />and not to frighten you. You do not have to try<br />blogging carrying the idea that you have prolific<br />writing skills, or a journalism degree. The fact is<br />that you have something to say and you want others to<br />hear it. However, if you are feeling stuck on an idea,<br />there are several suggestions that you can apply when<br />creating the content for your blog.<br /><br />Firstly, you can try visiting other blogs. Visit those<br />blogs that interest you and pick ideas and topics from<br />those blogs that might be worth blogging about but<br />keep in mind the relevance of the topic and your<br />readership. You can also syndicate your news updates.<br />You can do this by subscribing to news services online<br />because they allow you to save time on searching using<br />keywords. This is most useful for bloggers.Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11989532106685682820noreply@blogger.com0