5 Ways to improve your blog

Blog, Blog, Blog. It's like getting the theme song from The Bridge on the River Kwai stuck inside your head. A blog can be your best friend, or your worst nightmare. If used in "moderation" a blog can be a benefit to your bottom line, but beware, blog are addictive. It's easy to get caught up in your blog and lose focus on your core business goals, so here are 5 simple ways to make your blogging life easier and more successful.

So put down the proverbial blog crack pipe, and remember the blog is there to serve you, not the other way around!
Blogs (or Web Logs) aren't new, but they have become a fast mover in the world of web design and search engine optimization. A blog is a website first and foremost, with a small twist. It usually has a neat user interface that anyone can publish their latest news, product updates, whimsical thoughts, technical specifications, customer service/FAQ information and more. You can use a blog for just about anything you can think of. The more creative you are the better.

There are plenty of low-cost or free ways to get started
blogging. WordPress, Blogger, Easy2Blog, B2Evolution and more are all free. I'm a WordPress guy myself because I dig plug-ins, but if you don't know anything about programming I would suggest Blogger (Google) or Easy2Blog (easy as the name suggests).

The 5 Ways to Improve Blog Performance are more for those of you who have are using publishing software such as WordPress. So here we go (remember, a blog is a website).

Content

There are plenty of ways to get content for your blog. It's best to keep it relative to your topic. EzineArticles and GoArticles are great places for free, syndicated articles for your blog. Just be cool about it and remember to cut and paste the text or code exactly as it is and give attribution to the writer (the author link).

Simply syndicating everyone else's articles isn't enough, you need to add your own viewpoints. Try and write one a day, even if it's not 500 words or more. Be careful. It's easy to become obsessed with adding content to your blog. Spend more time on adding content on the front end (when you're building the original blog structure) and then simply commit yourself to 10 minutes a day writing at least one post for your blog.
It's easy for a BLOG to become a BLOB that your reader's will soon turn away from.

Categories

Set up and manage several different categories related to your "topic". You can publish the same article into different categories. Example: if your blog is about Search Engine Optimization you may have 5 different categories (plus the main category). Your categories could be - On Page SEO, Off Page SEO, Link Building, Directory Submission, and Site Design. Not every article or post will be relative to each category, but some will overlap. Don't go crazy and put every post in every category every time. You'll lose readers and value.

Blog Search Engine Optimization
There are a series of tools/plug-ins that will help with search engine optimization for your blog. DagonDesign has a great plug-in for WordPress and it's free and easy to install. Having clean URLs for your posts is extremely important. When you post an article about "Choosing Colors for Your Website" you don't want your post URL to be http://www.blahblahblog.com/?=ID1234 . In WordPress, for example, you want to at least choose the built in selection "Date and Name based" (click "Options" then "Permalinks" in the Dashboard view"). If you feel comfortable and are a bit crafty you can create a custom permalink structure.

Submit your Blog to Blog Directories

In addition to the traditional directory submissions you would make with any website. Most of these directories require a link back to their directory. There are two ways to handle these links (1) create a new page called "links" or resources" and post the links there (make sure you use the HTML editor/button on the post page otherwise the link will show up as code and won't count), or (2) put the link on your main page in the sidebar.

Keep in mind that the blog directories are for the most part human edited so it may take some time for them to confirm your link and blog content so be patient. Also, it's a good idea if you're setting up a separate links page to write down the URL of that page, the directories will ask you for the location of the backlink to their directory when you fill out the form.
Most of the general SEO principles for a regular website apply to blogs. Don't forget to put a link to your main website and to your blogs main page in the footer of your blog (and tag it properly for maximum effect).

Blog Design

Almost every blog is designed using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). CSS is a great tool for website design and especially blogging. It allows you to create new pages on the fly without redesigning each page. For WordPress (and Blogger, etc.) there are a ton of pre-designed, free templates, themes, skins, layouts (all the same thing) out there you can download, customize or use "as is". Be a decent blogger and make sure you leave the backlink in the footer for the designer. If you don't know anything about customizing blogs you can follow the link back to the original designer or the person who "ported" it to the blog format, they may be able to help you with customizing the blog for a couple hundred dollars. Matt at http://www.dagondesign.com/ can help you out here.

Calls to Action

Just like your website, your blog should have specific calls to action so that reader's can interact with you. Whether it's a simple "contact us" form mailer or a more elaborate ecommerce function, once you "got 'em" there, they need something to do. Again, Dagon Design has a cool form mailer plug-in that's easy to add to your site. You may have to create a separate HTML page and link to it from your blog (put it in your header so it's on each page) if you want to add a shopping cart.
These are just the first 5, stick around for more, or visit our blog at [http://blog-template-layout.com] and check out what's new.

Remember, your blog is just an extension of you and your business, so give it some personality, define some goals and make some rules for your blog.

Top 10 blog terms explained

Most people don't understand what the term "blog" means, much less any of the many other terms that are used when discussing the subject of blogging. To help clear up any confusion and misunderstanding, the following list of blog terms was compiled.

Blog Term #1: Blog

Most people don't understand what a blog is, which is why it is at the top of the list. The term "blog" is short for web log. Blogs are essentially online journals kept by individuals; though not in the traditional since, where they divulge their innermost thoughts and secrets. Blogs are used as a place for people to discuss their interests and offer advice to others who read them.

Some people have even become skilled enough at blogging to make money doing it for a living.

Blog Term #2: Pinging

Pinging is a useful tool used by bloggers to get their blog noticed. There are hundreds of websites available that provide this service free. What pinging does is it notifies the many popular search engines that there has been an update to your blog. This helps move your blog up the ranks of popularity so that it has a better chance of getting noticed.

Blog Term #3: Linking

Most popular blogs provide links within their content that allow people to be redirected to other websites in order find more information on a topic, or as a means of referencing the topic to make sure that the blog is accurate. All too often many blogs are purposely filled with false information. However, linking helps legitimate bloggers separate themselves from the fakes.

Blog Term #4: Posts

This term refers to the addition of a new entry to your blog. Each time you update your blog, this is called a post.

Blog Term #5: Template

All new blogs are issued with a standard writing template. Don't think that your topics and writing alone will be enough to generate readership. You'll also want to edit your template so that it stands apart from those of everyone else. A blog must be just as aesthetically pleasing as it is informative.

Blog Term #6: Blog host

In order to get a blog you need to sign up with a blog host. Such websites include Blogger dot com, or if you have a My Space account, you may have realized that you have a blog space there. Whatever the case, remember that there are many blog hosts who offer the service free, so don't waste your money with one who requires a fee.

Blog Term #7: Blog directories

These are massive online databases that catalogue the millions of different blogs in cyberspace. When you start your own blog you will also be added.

Blog Term #8: Niche

You've probably heard people mention the need for your blog to have a niche. A niche refers to the purpose of your blog. Does your blog discuss politics, pop culture, or music? Each one of those is a niche.

Blog Term #9: RSS feed

This is a piece of code you can include with your blog which allows people to subscribe to it. This takes the hassle out of your readership having to visit your blog to see if it is updated by automatically informing them every time it is.

Blog Term #10: Trackback links

This is a tool that notifies another bloggers anytime you reference their blog. It also includes a link to your blog from theirs. This is a great way to expand your notoriety, as well as build some connections with other bloggers.

Create a free blog step process on your own FTP into your Web template

What is Blog?

Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. They are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog.

Why Blog?

As its definition it helps to publish news updates, to promote new products & services as well as different opinion from various experts who participates in blogs. Many companies today open a blog section to sell products, for customer care and after sales support. Business blogs are the fast track to increasing a website’s link popularity and Google PageRank.The regularly updated keyword rich content offered by blogs score high rankings in the search engines as a direct result of their link drawing power.

Link exchanges between themes related blogs are frequent and not at all difficult. Note that bloggers mainly exchange links for visitor traffic purposes, and not for search engine optimization. Link exchanges should generally be approached from the shared traffic perspective.

Blogs also provide an exclusive list of high PageRank blog directories. While maintaining their exclusivity in the blog only Internet directories, blogs are welcomed in the mainstream Internet directories. In that sense, blogs receive the best of both worlds.

Website owners, who are serious about improving not only their quantity of incoming links, but their theme relevant quality as well, should seriously consider adding a business blog component to their website.

Blog Setup on blogger.com

Blogs can be created from bloggers’ site as well as from own FTP (websites). People who don’t have any website, they can create a blog directly from the bloggers’ site. But who have own site, they can also create blogs from own FTP with the help of blogger.com.

Blogger.com is the most popular blogger creater in the world of blogs. Although hundreds of site provide free blogs, but blogger.com is most popular due to its features and functions. Create a blog from own FTP using Blogger.com is somewhat technical and for the first time, it takes some time & try and error to upload to blogs from own FTP.

From this article, I would like to define step by step procedures with examples that help you to create blogs in few easy steps at less time.

URL to create free blog on your own FTP: http://www.blogger.com/

Steps to setup blogs on own FTP:

1. Create a new account

2. Choose a template

3. Redesign existing template

4. FTP setup

5. Post message

6. Published blogs

(1) Few steps to create a new blog as followed:
Click on the button "Create a New Blog Now"

Create an account

Give blog title like "PPC Articles"

Give blog address like ppcarticles.blogspot.com (Must be unique)

Choose the template & continue from the bottom click button

Get message "Your blog is created" & Start posting

Get Blogger editor to write the message

Give the title

Write the message

From the bottom click on the “Publish Post” button

(2) Customized Template Design:

After creating a blog as mentioned above steps,

First create own template. To do that, click on the "Dashboard" which will bring to the main page of our account.

Here, you find the "blogname" under "Blogs" category.

Click on any created blog that you want to edit with your own template.

Click on "PPC articles"

Here, you will find four main categories from the top navigation.

They are, Posing, Setting, Template, View Blog

Click on the "Template" which will bring you to the present template code.

Here, you can edit your template as per your site design.

You may create customized template using this html code-editing wizard.

Note: While designing the customized template, it is mandatory to place all "blog tags" in between &
tags.

After, designing a new template click on the "Save Template Changes".

After clicking, you get a message - "Settings Were Saved Successfully"

Below the message "Settings Were Saved Successfully" message, you will find two buttons “Republish” (to publish entire blog) and "Republish Index" (to republish only index page)

Click on the “Republish” button.

After clicking, you will get the "Publishing is in progress".

After few seconds you will get the new message on the same page, "Your blog published successfully".

Note: If you get an error, check the "details" after the message "blog could not published".

(3) FTP Setup

Click on the "Settings" button from the top navigation of a page.

Here, you will find sub navigation under the "Settings" like, Basic, Publishing, Formatting, Comments, Archiving, Site Feed, Email, Members

Click on the "Publishing".

Here, you will find two options like SFTP or blogspot.com

Again click on the SFTP, which will bring you on the page, where you can give your FTP server details.

Fill the complete wizard as mentioned below. This wizard appears on selecting the "SFTP" option.

Setup details to publish the content in a new folder named "blogger" under the root folder on the FTP of the website.

FTP Server: yourdomain.com

Note: Do not include http:// or ftp:// in the server address.

Blog URL: http://www.yourdomain.com/blogger/

Note: The web address where this blog is viewable. This should include http://

FTP Path: blogger/
Note: This path must already exist on your server.

Blog Filename: semarticles.html

Note: If this file already exists on your server in the path entered above, it will be OVERWRITTEN. Be sure to back it up.

FTP Username: abcd

FTP Password: *********

Working URL Like: http://www.yourdomain.com/blogger/ppcarticles.html (From the blogger folder of the FTP server)

Setup details to place the content directly in the root folder & publish it.

FTP Server: yourdomain.com Note: Do not include http:// or ftp:// in the server address.

Blog URL: http://www.yourdomain.com/ogger/ (Remove folder name "blogger" from this URL) Note: The web address where this blog is viewable. This should include http://

FTP Path: blogger/ (Keep this field empty) Note: This path must already exist on your server.

Blog Filename: ppcarticles.html

Note: If this file already exists on your server in the path entered above, it will be OVERWRITTEN. Be sure to back it up.

FTP Username abcd

FTP Password *********

Working URL Like: http://www.yourdomain.com/ppcarticles.html (From the root of the FTP server)

Setup details to place the content in an existing folder & publish it.

FTP Server: yourdomain.com Note: Do not include http:// or ftp:// in the server address.

Blog URL: http://www.yourdomain.com/general/ (Place the name of an existing folder here)

Note: The web address where this blog is viewable. This should include http://.

FTP Path: general/ (Place the name of an existing folder here)

Note: This path must already exist on your server.

Blog Filename: ppcarticles.html Note: If this file already exists on your server in the path entered above, it will be OVERWRITTEN. Be sure to back it up.

FTP Username abcd

FTP Password *********

Working URL Like: http://www.yourdomain.com/general/ppcarticles.html (From any existing folder of the FTP server)

After giving a username and password of the FTP server, click on the "Save Settings" from the bottom of the page.

After clicking, it will give you a message - "Settings Were Saved Successfully".

Below the message "Settings Were Saved Successfully" message, you will find two buttons "Republish" (to publish entire blog) and "Republish Index"(to republish only index page).

Click on the "Republish" button.

After clicking, you will get the "Publishing is in progress".

After few seconds you will get the new message on the same page, "Your blog published successfully".

Note: If you get an error, check the "details" after the message "blog could not published".

(4) Shift Blog from one FTP to another FTP

To shift existing blogs from one FTP to another FTP, one requires changing only the FTP details in the admin panel of "blogger".
For that,

Login into the same blogger’ account from where you have already published the blogs.

Click on the "Settings" button from the top navigation of a page.

Here, you will find sub navigation under the "Settings" like, Basic, Publishing, Formatting, Comments, Archiving, Site Feed, Email, Members

Now click on the "Publishing".

Here, you will find two options like SFTP or blogspot.com

Again click on the SFTP, which will bring you on the page, where you can give your FTP server details.

Follow the steps mentioned in point no. 3 above, for changing the FTP details of the blog.

Replace existing FTP server details with new FTP details. This new FTP server details will create new URL to view the blogs.

For example,
[http://www.yourdomain1.com/blogger/ppcarticles.html] (URL after shifting to a new FTP)

[http://www.yourdomain1.com/ppcarticles.html] (URL after shifting to a new FTP)

Above exampled URLs replace the following URLs

http://www.yourdomain.com/blogger/ppcarticles.html (URL before shifting a new FTP)

http://www.yourdomain.com/ppcarticles.html (URL before shifting a new FTP)

After giving a username and password of the new FTP server, click on the "Save Settings" from the bottom of the page.

After clicking, it will give you a message - "Settings Were Saved Successfully".

Below the message "Settings Were Saved Successfully" message, you will find two buttons "Republish" (to publish entire blog) and "Republish Index" (to republish only index page).

Click on the "Republish" button.

After clicking, you will get the "Publishing is in progress" message.

After few seconds you will get the new message on the same page, "Your blog published successfully".

Any changes or post updates will directly reflect on URLs.

Create a business blog - 10 steps to a better blog

Building a business blog is a great online marketing tool for finding new customers and networking online.

How?

Follow these 10 steps to a better business blog!

Strong Post Titles

Title your posts for grabbing readers attention and help search engines find your blog. Every blog post has a title. Make each title strong, concise with your most important key word first in the title. This title is the heading that others see first through RSS readers so make it a grabbing headline.

Example: Stuffable Teddy Bears with Noah's Ark Workshop or AmeriPlan - Latest Bonus Opportunity.

Strong Post Introduction

Start your actual blog entry with the same key words, phrase as your title. Think of it as reinforcing your theme of your post to your readers but it will also help with search engines and RSS readers that display your blog may include the first few lines of your latest post.

Make your blog informative.

Teach your readers and consumers. Share your knowledge to help them make informed decisions. No Hype - avoid making your blog post an advertisement. Avoid sounding like an advertisement ~ internet surfers are wise to the language of SALES.

Become a resource.

Through consistent effective blogging, you will establish yourself as an expert in your area whether it's about cooking or candles, home decor or direct sales. Present your blog posts in a way that invites discussion with an email address for readers to contact you for more information or answer questions.

Create a Dynamic Blog

Encourage feedback. A blog with comments, feedback, discussions will create more visitors and establish your blog as dynamic and interactive. A static blog that simply has post after post of self discussion is much less effective as a marketing tool so work to make your blog shine.
Within your post invite your readers to click-thru for more information on whatever you are discussing. This will bring visitors to your own website to see product, read more and potentially create sales.

Make your business blog a big part of your marketing

Discipline yourself to blog frequently. Essentially, train yourself in the same manner you use to post your ads through your online groups. Create a new blog entry even 2-3 short paragraphs several times a week. At a minimum, blog weekly. Publishing a new blog entry 3-5 times a week will keep your blog being read, crawled by search engines and creating headlines on the RSS feeds which is what you want.

Think Search Engines when blogging

Work to use a few important key words over and over within each blog entry. Consistent use of the same key words that internet surfers use to search will build up page after page of these search relevant key words in your blog. When you have a blog with 15 posts in your blog with titles and blog entries about soy candles, scents, safety and specials - search engines will read your blog as it would a website.

A blog with several posts (pages) on the same subject with the same key words but unique content will give you search engine traffic that you can learn to funnel to your own website or direct sales company website.

Publish your own articles on your business blog

Post your own articles to your blog, complete with resource box and permission to publish with resource box intact. Your own articles will give you further credibility and build readership. Other than your own website, your business blog is the perfect venue to you to publish your thoughts, ideas, and business plans through articles and business writing.

Use your blogs links section

The links section of your blog give your readers the opportunity to explore your websites, your newsletter, services and products further after they have read your latest post. Make sure your blog links section clearly directs readers to your own website but also to sign up for your newsletter or read other blogs you have online.

Be sure to PING!

Finally, take the time to understand how to ping your blog. Whether you are using a ready made blogging system like Blogger or your own blog set up on your website - every time you publish your blog you have one more step before your work is done! The absolute minimum is to submit your blog each time to Ping-o-matic http://www.pingomatic.com Your latest blog will be sent out to a number of feeds and blog services for online publication.

When you are ready to begin actively promoting your blog, you will move beyond using only Ping-o-matic as your announcement for your business blog.

Remember to keep your business blog ever focused on your readers, your target market. Your blog will be found by both RSS readers AND search engines following these 10 steps to a better blog!

The blog revolution: How blogs to generate profits solid Web, uses

Blogs were originally only meant to be 'Web Logs', or personal journals for members of on-line communities to stay in touch, sort of like 'underground news media'. But, it didn't take long for net-repreneurs (internet entrepreneurs) to catch on to their popularity and to find ways to use them to make money. The human mind is infinitely creative and nothing really stays the same.

This awesome entrepreneurial spirit transmogrified Blogs into what they are today: very powerful marketing weapons that have almost made some other forms of advertising, redundant. It never ceases to surprise me how ingenious people are when it comes to finding new ways to generate cash flow, particularly in web marketing - what a power-house!! It leaves real-world business for dead (in my opinion).

Traditional safelists are becoming somewhat threadbare. Isn't it amazing how quickly business changes on the 'Net, and isn't it weird how safelist people 'spin their wheels' by posting, posting, posting, when most messages go to 'junk' in-boxes to be automatically deleted. You can send out a whole lot of messages with safelists, but only a tiny percentage are likely to be actually read by a real person. Maybe that's why email traffic is threatening to choke the Internet. Because of this, many canny web business people have now shifted to Blogs as their main tool for promotion. Many others, like me - who continue to believe that safelists have a role (when properly used) -have made Blogs a valuable extra facility in their marketing toolboxl.

Blogs have become so popular because they are so very user-friendly for advertising. They are practical, easy to set up and very convenient to use. Keeping content up to date is very easy for webmasters who otherwise would have to spend hours uploading and downloading files. Be warned, however, that setting up a 'Free' Blog, will mean you will have a lot of other people's ads on it (There's no such thing as a 'free lunch'). It's always worth paying because, yes, you get what you pay for.

Anyway, There are probably five key methods (and a whole lot more) you can use to ensure that Blogs pump up your web profits.

1. BLOGS ARE MAGNETS FOR SEARCH ENGINES: Go on, get on to Google and, whatever topic you search, you'll inevitably see that the search engines have thrown up a number of Blogs in the top ten results. This is because Blogs are constantly showing fresh, new and key word friendly content just like your web pages should; that's a Blog's very reason for being. Imagine the value to you of having your own Blog pop in the top end of search results. The ubiquitous search engines clamor to highlight fresh, appropriate content - they love it. Constantly re-newed and freshened Blogs leave stale, ageing (and rarely updated) web sites for dead.

2. BLOGS LOVE TO LINK TO EACH OTHER: Yes, Blogs love to stick together, creating networking 'heaven'. Just one link on your Blog could see visitors drop in from all over the place. Wow - visitors queueing to click your links; how powerful is that for an advertising and traffic generating system. Awesome.

3.YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL APPRECIATE REGULARLY HEARING FROM YOU: You see, Blogs today have this great 'comment' facility which means your people - your customers - can ask you questions and give you valuable feedback almost immediately. This is almost like a 'chat' system, and is quicker than email. Forget about having to manipulate your source codes, Blogs make this unnecessary. Blogs have an amazing comment system that allows your customers to immediately post feedbacks and queries. And that's what service on the net is all about today - quick responses, dependable advice and getting what you want, when you want. Now. And Blogs can do it.

4. PUMP UP YOUR ADSENSE PROFITS: If you're into Pay Per Click marketing, well Blogs are ideal for you. Then can stimulate even more regular traffic than your basic garden variety web site. Google AdSense, god bless 'em, even lets Blog owners show as many as three appropriate ads, and these must relate to your theme and content, on their Blog pages. It's Blogging marvelous!! Here's the key reason why your Blog should have a 'niche', a specific theme, a targeted audience. Take time to give some thought to this when you set up a Blog. What about AdSense? The more visitors - and they're likely only dropping in because of what you specifically offer - who click on your Blog's Adsense ads, the more income you can earn.

5. BLOGS ARE A DREAM FOR AFFILIATE MARKETERS: Like me, I just bet you are enrolled in more affiliate programs than you can count. The problem is how to continue to promote all of them. ANSWER - You can easily use Blog 'reviews'. Simply design each Blog entry around the particular affiliate program you want to focus on that day. Extol the virtues of the program, product, service or what-ever, give good advice about the PROs and the CONs (this objectivity impresses the hell out of potential buyers who are usually pleased with honesty) and include your affiliate link, almost as an after-thought. This is not hard-sell territory. This is the 'soft-sell' Most 21st century people run a mile from 'hard sellers' but they will take time to listen if they believe you are giving good, solid, valuable advice. Providing such good, valuable info encourages your people to come back for more. Hey, you don't even need to create an individual page for every affiliate program because Blogging makes this unnecessary. What a time saver!!

Whew. Blogs do get me a bit excited. And these tips are only the tip of the iceberg. I am sure you can be creative in the marketing use of your Blogs because they have enormous potential. Just check out the exponential growth of Blogs today and you'll see what I mean. If you want fresh Blog ideas, all you have to do is cruise through a few of them. Check out what the pros are doing and, do the same. Remember, imitation is the ultimate form of flattery.

Don't let anyone try to tell you that the bottom is falling out of web marketing. The awesome growth and popularity of Blogs shows that they could not be more wrong.

Happy Blogging!!

Why every artist needs a blog & how to create an artist blog

As an artist, the key to selling more artwork is maximizing its exposure. The internet is an increasingly popular tool for promoting original art, and if done properly, can be quite profitable.

One of the most effective (and free!) online marketing tools for artists is the blog. Artist blogs provide an easy way to display your art, discuss your creative process, post exhibition announcements and more. Best of all, blogs require no working knowledge of HTML and the search engines love their dynamic content.

What is a blog and how will it sell my art?

A "blog" is a web-based diary or journal. The author of a blog, also known as a "Blogger", publishes content on a regular basis about a focused topic. These regular postings typically provide a "community" feel by allowing site visitors to post feedback to your journal entries. This mode of communication can deepen relationships with potential art buyers, leading to increased sales.

Blogs also have the ability to archive all of your previous posts, dynamically creating an individual page for each journal entry. The feature is great for art buyers using search engines to find original art. For example, if you have a blog post describing a painting that you just completed of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset and an art buyer in Florida goes to Google and searches for "painting of Golden Gate Bridge at sunset", there is a very good chance that your blog entry will appear pretty high in the rankings. Cha Ching!!

Many artists have felt the pain of email marketing losing its effect due to spam filters, junk email overloads and virus paranoia. Blogs provide a new way to communicate with clients, fans and industry professionals. This trend can support your email marketing efforts by allowing blog subscription options for site visitors so that they are notified whenever your blog is updated along with providing a permanent place on the web for all of your postings as opposed to newsletter emails that are typically deleted.

How to start a blog

1. Blog Publishing Tools To begin, visit some of these free blogging sites, all offering unique template options that even an artist can appreciate, image uploads and syndication ability.
   
   
   
   • Blogger.com (blogger.com) - Simple to set up and multiple authoring ability
   
   
   • MSN Spaces (spaces.msn.com) - Create your own mini site, with an exceptional blogging feature
   
   
   • Live Journal (livejournal.com) - Requires a bit of 'blogging knowledge' to get it set up
   
   
   • Blog Drive (blogdrive.com)
   If you're interesting in reviewing additional blog features, these sites require a small monthly fee to maintain.
   
   
   
   • Typepad (typepad.com) - starts at $4.95/month
   
   
   • Tripod Blogs (tripod.lycos.com) - starts at $4.95/month
   Note to artists with MySpace accounts: MySpace provides members personal blogs, but it is important to know that MySpace blogs are not currently listed in search engines, which as noted above, is one of the main reasons to get a blog. While MySpace works to remedy this issue, it is recommended that you blog using a tool that is accessible to search engine spiders.


2. Decide on a title for your blog The title of your blog should be brief and to the point. You can get creative with your language in the blog description / tag line. A focused title will help with higher search engine rankings and make it clear to visitors what the blog is about. For example, the title for ThePauper.com blog is "Diary of a Pauper". The blog description is "Rants and raves about the careers and lives of starving artists." The title is concise, stating exactly what it is, while the description is a bit more creative.


3. Blog theme It's important to establish yourself as a professional working artist if you want to use your blog as a vehicle to sell your art. Blog theme involves the layout and color of the page, quality of the artwork images displayed and verbiage used for blog postings. Select your blog template carefully and make a habit to review your blog from the perspective of a potential client. Is the page visually appealing? Do the images of your artwork provide a link to an extra large version to see detail? Does your content have a consistent theme? Here's a good example of a working blog by mix engineer, Ken Lewis: http://protoolsmixing.com/blog.html The content theme is exceptionally consistent, plus the colors and page layout match his website.


4. What to write What's beautiful about blogs is that there are no rules on what to write, but if you want to attract and keep an audience, you might consider some of these suggestions.
   
   
   
   • Keep your posts creative and interesting. Move and inspire your readers by being completely honest about your creative process.
   
   
   • Use keywords in your blog title and post. Using the example mentioned earlier - if your post is about a Golden Gate Bridge painting, be sure to use that exact phrase in the title and body of your blog. Think about what people might type into search engines to find your content and then use those keywords in your blog. This technique will help increase the ranking of your web page on search engines.
   
   
   • Post daily, or at least twice a week. If you publish blog entries frequently, you will see more return visitors, subscriptions to your blog and comments from site visitors.
   
   
   • Proofread and preview your blog entries before posting. Some blog HTML editors have a way of creating weird symbols out of certain characters and a quick spell-check never hurts. (Note: be sure to create your blog entries using Word or some other text editor. Many blogging tools tend to "time out" after a certain amount of time and you could potentially lose hours of work.)


5. Publish your blog Finally! Your blog looks great and has unique content. Now, depending on the blogging tool that you selected, follow the steps to publish it to the World Wide Web. Test the live URL that now houses your blog. If all of your graphics appear correctly and the copy is flawless, then you want to make sure that you promote your blog on your personal website, in your email signature and by word of mouth. Using the tools you already have to spread the word while testing your dedication to frequent posting is the best way to get started. Part 2 of will unveil tons of ways to promote your blog online.

Blogging - everyone else is doing it - so why can't I

The Internet and the software which has been developed to run on it have made it extremely easy for anyone to publish content and have it accessible to millions of people. In effect, consumers have been given a voice to air their views to a massive audience. Something which before the Internet, they could never have done.

In recent years one of the biggest examples of this has been the massive growth of weblogs (blogs), wiki's, podcasts, vlogs and moblogs - together they form what is loosely known as social media; the ability for anyone to publish almost any content without the typical costs and hindrances associated with traditional media.

This new publishing freedom has resulted in an explosion of new content. However the term social media, or citizen journalism as it is sometimes called, may be a misnomer as many companies can do it as well!

What is Blogging?

Blogging is currently the most common form of social media, in fact as of October 2006, about 100 000 new weblogs are being created each day - that's more than the number of books published in the US each year!

The word blog is derived from the term "weblog" which was coined by Jorn Barger in 1997. We started using blog over weblog when Peter Merholz broke the word weblog into the phrase "we blog" in the sidebar of his weblog in 1999.

A blog is essentially a website typically driven by a content management system which features articles (blog posts) and comments on the blog posts. They come in all shapes and forms - from personal diaries shared with friends and family, to arms of political campaigns, media programs and updates on current affairs. They also range in scale from the writings of one blogger, to the collaboration of a large community of writers.

The world of blogs, bloggers and blog posts is commonly known as the blogosphere which has evolved rapidly since its inception. Blogs have given consumers and companies a voice and blogging has opened up a world of information sharing possibilities.

Blogs are not a fad that will lose popularity any time soon - they are here to stay and companies who want to be taken seriously by their consumers need to consider the benefits of starting a corporate blog or at the very least listen to what is being said about them in the blogosphere.

Blogging and RSS

Pioneered by Dave Winer, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) has taken blogging to a whole new level. An RSS feed is an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file automatically generated by a blog or indeed almost any website or Internet service. Users are then able to "syndicate" or subscribe to this feed using a feed reader or aggregator. When a new post is available, the reader fetches its contents and puts the headings and usually some or all of the content of the post into your reader or directly onto another blog. When a blog is updated, its RSS feed is as well so information spreads very quickly and automatically.

In layman's terms, RSS eliminates the need for the user to constantly check a site or blog to see if it has been updated. Their feedreader automatically does this for them and presents fresh information as it becomes available. This means that a user can constantly monitor potentially hundreds or even thousands of blogs and websites without having to spend the time visiting each one to check for fresh content.
Some examples of feed readers include FeedDemon, Newsgator and RSS Bandit.

Understanding the subject of blogging is made far easier when one immerses oneself in it, so set up a feed reader and get to it. You'll soon lose yourself in this fascinating world of content sharing and strong opinions.

Better Blogging

By October 2006, Technorati, a blog tracking engine, registered 57 Million blogs tracked. They also acknowledged a consistent pattern whereby the number of blogs doubles every 236 days. However despite the massive growth of blogs, most do not make it past 3 months. According to Technorati, only 55 percent of bloggers are still posting 3 months after starting the blog with very few in comparison updating their blogs weekly or more.

Whether one is starting a blog for personal or corporate marketing purposes, there is no guarantee that anyone will ever find it. In order to ensure a blog's success it needs to be marketed. Here is a list of suggestions on how to go about doing so:

Search engine optimisation: By ensuring that your blog is search engine friendly, search engines can be a major source of traffic. It is important that your chosen keywords are used in your blog headings, content and meta tags and that the search engines are able to spider all aspects of your blog.

Comments and trackbacks: By treating the blogosphere as a series of ongoing conversations and actively being a part of these conversations through comments and trackbacks, other bloggers will get to know you, link to your blog and a gradual stream of visitors will result.

List your blog in blog directories: Similar to search engines, directories are human edited and managed. Although the traffic volume is not as massive as search engines, many users do visit directories and this could be a great place for them to find out about your blog.

Ping web services with your updated content: Sites like ping-o-matic and FeedShark offer a service whereby they ping multiple web services, blog directories and search engines to let them know that your blog has fresh content.

Content - know your audience: Your blog posts must be interesting and useful to your readers. Develop your unique voice and don't be afraid to post things others will not agree with.

Frequency: The regularity of posts is important, as there is a direct correlation to blog repeat visitors and the number of times it's updated. Post 3-5 times per week at a minimum. Web sites and blogs that are updated often get spidered by Google more frequently.

A Holistic Approach

Blogging works in synergy with other eMarketing services, once again proving that a holistic approach is vital to ensure success on the World Wide Web.

Blogs and SEO

You've heard it a million times... Content is king! Because search engines love fresh, relevant content, blogs are a great way to give them exactly this. Essentially by writing one post a day, a blog allows you to add a fresh page of content to your website each day. The nature of blogs also makes them an excellent source of links to your website. Provided your content is engaging, other bloggers will link to it and search engines view these links as popularity votes thereby assisting in improving your rankings.

It is important however that the blog is set up to be as search engine friendly as possible. Start by ensuring that all blog posts are assigned a unique page which is easily indexable by the search engines. This can be achieved by ensuring that each page has a link to it which the search engines can find and follow. Pages must be tagged with keywords relevant to your SEO strategy. This means putting important keywords in your post headings, page URL and meta tags, particularly the title tag.

Blogs and Viral Marketing

In a similar vein to blogs being used as a natural link attraction tool, they can be extremely useful as a viral component to your online marketing strategy.

With valuable and engaging content, people will begin talking about and linking to your site. The blogosphere is an interconnected environment and as a result items which are interesting or remarkable are talked about and shared amongst bloggers. Over time this interest brings eyeballs to your site and ultimately awareness to your brand.

It's Not Always Happy Day's and Sunshine

Although word of mouth can have a tremendously positive impact on a brand, it can also cause immense damage. One of the best examples of the blogosphere influencing brands negatively is the now infamous "Dell Hell" scenario.

It all started when blogger, Jeff Jarvis had a terrible customer experience with Dell Computers. In true blogger style he documented his experience on his blog and word quickly spread to the point where it was even covered in print by Business Week. However Dell failed to respond to his musings and the bad customer experiences continued as did the negative comments on the blogosphere. Jeff's rantings become known as Dell Hell and a recent scientific study by responsesource.com showed first that Dell has sustained long-term damage to its brand image and secondly that the cheerleaders for the poor reputation of Dell's customer services, are bloggers.

With blogs wielding this level of power, it is critical that brands understand how to manage their reputation online and if necessary take proactive steps to limit the damage which can be caused by negative word of mouth. Online Reputation Management is something all companies need to be considering.

On a final note, a great thing to remember about blogs is that a blog is simply a method of publishing content on the Web. Calling something a blog now is a focus on the technology used on the server, the content management solution. Of course, there's a significant culture that's grown around this particular technology, but that culture is bound to remain a subculture. Not because the number of people who are involved in blogging is going to shrink but rather because the number of people reading content published using Movable Type, Blogger, or any of the other tools is going to grow. Fast.

Business blogging resources for small businesses, which could

Measuring the state of business blogging can be tricky. Statistics are contradictory and change almost by the day because of the exponentially rapid growth of the blog as a medium (not to mention its newness).

A recent Pew Internet research poll the amount of businesses using blogs to be in the neighborhood of 7% (a research poll conducted by American Express last month suggested a similar percentage). Meanwhile, another poll by Guidewire Group suggests 89% of companies are either blogging now or plan to in the near future. Despite these wildly differing figures, the point of agreement is that business blogging is growing. The pace seems to be the heart of the dispute.

There are about 175,000 blogs being created each day (or about two per second), but don't let that figure frighten you: the business share is a drop in the bucket. Experts put the number of active business blogs in the U.S. today at about 5,000, with half of them being less than a year old and only 10% older than three years. Many new business blogs, like all blogs, are abandoned after a few months, and only about 39% of total blogs are in English language (Japanese is top). What all of this says is that blogging is becoming a global norm but is still very much open to newcomers.

Trends vary by company size, with smaller companies tending to make more use of business blogging, while larger companies maintain a healthy share. About 55% of all business blogs are started by companies with fewer than 100 employees while around 15% account for companies with 1,000 or more employees. However, of the largest 500 companies in the United States, 40% utilize blogs in their comprehensive strategy.

Outside the unruly statistics, what is actually successful in the world of business blogging itself is a little clearer. Virtually all research and opinion on the subject points to a handful of critical factors, including:

• A writing style that is able to both connect on a personal level and be entertaining. This includes knowing your customer and establishing a significant relationship in the blog medium.


• The company's willingness to be engaged in an honest marketplace dialogue with its clientele (the source of the infinitely precious credibility of any blog).


• The individual blog writer's time given to the blog itself, for relevant research, thought, responding to posts from readers, and the overall construction of quality work and frequent updates.

Of course, individual companies in their unique industries face their own quirks and demands. For example, depending on the situation or industry, your business may want to focus most carefully on the tone and style of the writer. Companies with reputations they'd like to salve or improve (oil companies, for example) may find particular interest in the transparency aspect of blogging. While in a fast-paced industry (such as technology or media), a company blog might need to weigh its time devoted to updating material for the blog more carefully. Many businesses begin blogging with clear goals in the onset, or even test a blog internally before developing an external blog. Some businesses also run more than one blog. General Motors, for example, runs an entertainment blog (Fastlane) and information blog (FYI) combo that has been very successful.

The General Motors blogs is a great example of successful business blogging in its maturity. Both are easy to navigate and subscribe to, are succinctly written, and utilize costumer-generated material, including photos and video. There are also many links (not only to GM but other auto sites and even other blogs), so the reader gets a real sense genuine dialogue and openness. A look at the high volume of comments and responses in the Fastlane blog shows that successful blogs are both social and relevant.

In the world of blogs, there is still disagreement on who should be writing the business blog. In the case of Fastlane, it's Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. For some companies, however, the pitfalls might outweigh the privileges of having an executive doing the blogging. The voice of the boss does not always come out well in a blog. Also, an executive might be unlikely to continue blogging for long due to a simple lack of time. This is the situation for about half of all blogs that are created: after three months, the entries stop and the blog is essentially dead. For this reason, typically the most successful business blogs are run by the employees rather than the CEOs. Therefore, it might make more sense for your business if the employees conduct blogging because they generally have the energy and detailed insight (and voice) to make a more readable blog because to the peers of the readers, and thus legitimate.

Legitimacy has proven to be of central importance to any success in business or market blogging. A few years back, Dr. Pepper attempted to overstep this in the marketing of their now infamous new product, Raging Cow (a flavored milk drink). The company hired teenagers to try the drink and blog about it after being coached. Dr. Pepper's efforts were received with viciousness and even boycotts for trying to infiltrate the "integrity" of the blogosphere with marketing through coached customers and "hip-ness." The whole thing went sour and Raging Cow went unreleased. Moreover, many of us are looking at the fate of "Pay-Per-Post" and its legitimacy in the near future.

Another drink company, Jones Soda, offers a much different and more successful model of blog legitimacy and customer outreach. A visit to the blog gives more the impression of a teen hangout than a business. The blog, in fact, acts as a hub for numerous customer blogs. There is all of the usual business-related material present: an online store, a product locator, and message boards (with posts reaching into the thousands). But the people at Jones very obviously know their customers well and have developed a highly successful blog counterpart to their business by loosening the reigns and putting the clientle completely in charge. Terrifying as this might be to some executives, it seems to have worked brilliantly for Jones.

In summary, business blogging can be best looked upon in its infancy even though the sheer statistics of blogs appearing everyday appear to be high. Businesses that whish to enter the blogospere should do so cautiously unless they have a strategy that meets several of the requirements above. However when executed carefully, a business blog can be a great source of customer intimacy, relationship building, and an extension of your business's brand.

Blog Entrepreneur: Blogging is the perfect Internet business

If someone were to tell you that you could create a global business, completely for free, with nothing more than the tools you already have, and the investment of your time, you'd question their sanity.

Nevertheless, it's true. If blogging appeals to you, you can create a viable Internet business within a few months: for free.

Blogging is a new development in online businesses. Essentially, it's instant publishing. Because entrepreneurial blogging is so new, you have a great opportunity to build your business before others copy what you're doing, so get started now, and start building your own online empire.

Let's look at five business models for your new Internet blogging business. These five models can be combined if you wish - there are no rules in blogging. You can change the business model of a blog at any time, to a model which generates more income.

Each of these models has the potential to earn you a six-figure income. They are:

o Affiliate blog(s)

o Web publisher blog(s)

o Sales blog(s)

o Service blog(s)

o Blog network(s)

Let's look at these models one by one.

Affiliate blog(s)

Many businesses develop affiliate programs, because they can recruit a sales force of thousands of people, with little expense. The appeal of affiliate programs for affiliate marketers is that you don't need a product or service - you can start selling others' products, on commission.

If you intend creating an affiliate blog, select the products that you'll be selling before you create the blog. This is because you want to be sure that there is a wide range of products that you can promote. There's nothing worse than developing a blog, and finding out that the well is dry: you've picked a niche where products rarely change, and in which the products are so standardized that there's nothing new to write or podcast about.

Web publisher blog(s)

In this model, your blog is the online equivalent of a magazine. Just as a magazine has features and advertising, so does your blog. In this business model, your content is vital, because you're counting on your content to attract advertisers.

If you choose to develop a Web publisher blog, you've got great models - the thousands of magazines which are published each year. Check out a couple of your favorite magazines. Usually a monthly magazine will have a theme for each monthly issue, with two or more stories devoted to this theme. The magazine publishes its editorial calendar a year in advance, so that advertisers can line up their advertising for a specific issue.

Sales blog(s)

In the sales model, you devote a blog to a single product, or range of products. When offline companies start blogs, their blogs are sales blogs - they're using their blogs to sell their products. If you have products that you want to sell, a sales blog is an excellent business model. You could sell a product that you've created - an ebook, a DVD, or art work - or products that you buy from others, and resell.

If you're already running a business, you could start an entrepreneurial blog to act as the marketing arm of the business.

On the other hand, if you don't have a business, look into having products created for you, or buy products which you can resell on your blog. Look in your local Yellow Pages for manufacturing companies: you may be able to find products that you could resell at a profit. Of course, there are many wholesaling companies online, but the benefit of dealing with a local supplier is that you can inspect the products that you're selling, to ensure quality. Your shipping costs will also be low, resulting in more profit for you.

Service blog(s)

While the sales blog sells products, the service blog sells services. If you have a service that you sell, then you could create a blog to generate customers for your services. Or, you could sell the services of other people, via a blog.

If you're selling a service, you know that it's hard to differentiate yourself from the thousands of others who are selling the same service. A blog is a way to do that. If you're a dance coach, for example, you've got plenty to write about. You'll attract lots of new business, and you can bring in additional income when you solicit your equipment suppliers to advertise on your blog.

Blog network(s)

Blog networks are groups of Web publisher blogs formed into a network. There can be half a dozen, or hundreds, depending on the ambitions and interests of the owner of the network. Blog networks usually derive their income from advertising.

If you want to develop a blog network, your aims will be to: develop a mission for the network, as well as a clear idea of where and how you'll add blogs to the network, and where and how the revenue stream will be built.

So, there you have it. Five different business models for your blog-based Internet business. Now all you need to build your new Internet business is enthusiasm, inspiration, and time.

5 Critical characteristics on demand from your blogging software... Is this you?

With so many blogging software options available today, it can be a difficult task to decide which blogging software you should use. Each blogging software solution will have its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, so you should determine your needs first, and then decide which blog software solution will work best for you. Whatever you determine your needs are, your solution should, at least, have the characteristics described below.

1. Your Blogging Software Should Be Easy to Install

There are many blogging software programs available today for many different platforms. Most of them are good and will provide much of the needed functionality a person needs to blog on their website. However, if the blog software isn't easy to install, and if you are not a programmer, you will have some trouble getting your blog started.

Even the easiest of programs to install, will be challenging to someone who is just barely familiar with using a computer, but if the installation is easy enough, you can pay a programmer or even a web designer a small amount of money to install your blog for you.

Blog software is easy to install if you only need to perform the following steps: 1) upload the software to the webserver 2) fill in your specific information, into a form, such as: the URL of the blog, the database information, the username and password to administer the blog, and an email address. 3) click the install button, and your blog gets installed. 4) log into your blog program, and personalize the blog for your own website.

2. It Should Be Easy for You to Change the Look and Feel of Your Blog

Your blog software programmed should be set up so that it is easy to change the look and feel of your blog through a quick menu selection. Most blogging software comes with several pre-defined templates that will allow you to change the look of your blog very quickly and easily.

The blogging software should also be set up so that it is easy to add templates. Usually it is as simple as uploading the new template into the template folder of the blog software - if it is more difficult than that, you should find a different blog program.

3. Your Blogging Software Should Automatically Ping Blog Servers

One of the best features of blogging software, is it's ability to inform other websites that your blog has been updated. This process is called 'pinging'. Pinging is an important feature because it tells the world that you have new content on your blog and they should come and check it out. Pinging is a powerful way of getting exposure and visibility to your blog relatively quickly. Search engines love to find new content so they have services that specifically search the web for new content. When you 'ping' one of these services, you are telling it to check out the new content on your blog.

Some of the better blogging programs available will have an interface that will let you easily choose what pinging services you can ping about the new content on your blog. Most blog programs include some of the more popular services as a standard feature in your blog software. If you want to ping more services, sometimes you will have to go into the program and change the code. A competent programmer should be able to do this for you in a few hours.

4. Your Blog Software Should Have Search-Engine Friendly URL's

Most of the better blogging software programs that are out there today store their entries in a database. This means that many of the pages are dependent upon parameters being passed to them before they can display the pages. For web browsers, the way that parameters are passed are usually indicated by characters such as '?' and '&'. Some blogging software requires that several parameters get passed before a single page, or blog entry, gets loaded.

Search engines usually don't index url's with a lot of parameters passed to them (lots of "&" in the URL), because the search engines can sometimes choke on these types of URLs. The better blogging software programs have an option to automatically 'convert' these URLs to more 'search engine friendly' URLs that don't 'scare' the search engines away. These converted URLs will allow the search engines to index your entire site, and all of your post entries, which makes it easier for visitors to find your blog.

5. It Should Be Easy to Add New Features to Your Blog Software

As you become more comfortable and knowledgeable about blogging, you will eventually find the need to add new features and functions to your blogging software. If your software is designed to be 'plug and play', it should be very easy to add features to your software. All it takes is uploading a new feature 'module' to your 'modules' directory. Some blog scripts require a lot of code changes in order to add new features, and that can be a huge task for someone who isn't a programmer. Sometimes it's a huge task for someone who is a programmer.

If your blog software isn't designed to have easy plug-in add-ons, chances are the software isn't designed for easily adding on new features. If this is the case, you should choose another blogging software program.

If you select a blogging solution that has the included characteristics listed above, you will be well on your way to using a system that will grow with you as your needs grow, and is designed to bring more traffic to your website. The next step is to see what programs are available for you to use as your blogging solution. Some of them are free and some of them cost money.

Make money with your blog

I’ve sure you’ve heard before that it’s a possibility to make money with your blog and you may be wondering how this is possible. And were they really meant for making money or just for journaling your personal thoughts? I’m not sure what they were intended for but they are great ways to make money.

I have a personal blog which is just my own private little place to go online and jot down my thoughts, but I also have my business blogs.

Back In the Beginning

To be honest with you in the beginning of my blogging experience I really wasn't sure what I should do with my blog. I knew I wanted to make money with it, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know what I could do to not only be a value to others so they would come back to my blog, but that I would still enjoy writing it.

So it was really important to me that I find a topic in which I would be excited about, and have enough to offer so that I could blog every week or so. After starting a blog that was meant to just be an add-on to my business at MommysPlace.net and struggling with the direction of that blog, I came across one of Alice Seba’s blogs, which she used to write about her experience through a traffic product.

So every couple of weeks she would update her progress through this course. She would tell us all about her successes with this product and how great it was for her business. And it made me think of how I could do something similar.

Product/Service Focused Blog

And this is when the light bulb moment went off in my head. This is when I realized what I should have been doing all along. I have been a member of an exclusive coaching program for mothers in business.

Since joining this program my business has seen great success. My income has increased more then 10 times what it was before I joined, and my traffic has increased even more then that.

I enjoy and believe in this coaching program and it happens to have an affiliate program. I often got emails from other work at home mothers who wanted to know my thoughts on this program.

Taking a cue from Alice’s blog I decided to start my own such blog. And named it Mom Masterminds Grad and it can be found at [http://www.mmgrad.com]

I use this blog for the purpose of documenting my successes with my business. My projects, new content added to my website, keyword phrases I was ranking for…etc. Basically anything that has to do with my business that was directly or indirectly because of my joining Mom Masterminds, I jot down.

Not only was this the best move I could have made for my promoting this affiliate link it also served as a great way to really see for myself the successes my business was achieving and also to keep me on track.

This is one way you could make money with a blog. There are other ways you could make money with a blog if you don’t want to devote a blog to one service or product you’re promoting.

Side Kick Blog

For instance, my blog at [http://www.telecommutingmoms.com] is a side kick to TelecommutingMoms.com and my forums. This is a blog in which I update my members on additions to the website, newsletter and forums. And also use it as a vehicle for updating members on any important telecommuting news and promoting affiliate programs.

So this blog serves more then one purpose. My main goal with this blog is to get traffic to certain sections of my website. I have a large website and it’s not always easy for people to find my information. This is a great way for me to keep certain new pages or sections of my website in the public eye and get traffic to those pages. It also serves as a way to make money with affiliate programs. And lastly it gives exposure to my forum and my newsletter.

There can be many ways and, many topics in which you can make money and gain exposure to other businesses you may have, or can help in creating you as an expert in a certain field.

Just take the time to really think about what you could be writing about and then how you can make money with that as well. You can take a look at others blogs to get an idea and see what other people are looking for.

Making Money With Your Blog - Resources:

Blogs to Riches- is an e-book that details ways you can make your blog profitable. And the really cool thing with this is if you list the publisher’s link on your blog for 45 days he will give you this e-book for free! If you don't want to wait that long you can also purchase it for a low price. Read more about Blogs to Riches - [http://www.blogstoriches.com]

Increasing Adsense - is an e-book about how to increase your adsense revenue. This e-book isn't specifically geared towards blogs, but the information you will learn you can use with your blogs. (As well as websites and forums...anywhere you have adsense.) http://www.adsense-secrets.com

* Don't know what adsense is? Go to http://www.google.com/adsense to learn more.

Ready To Blog?

Are you ready to take the leap into a blog? If so, it’s really very easy to set up a blog. The one resource I have used for my old blog is blogger.com and what I use for my current blogs is WordPress. Blogger is a great option for the newbie and you can host it with them. WordPress is a bit more complicated and must be hosted on your own domain, but it’s by far my most favorite option for blogs.

Submit Your Blog

After you create your blog you will want to submit it to blog directories to help get your blog out in front of the public. Some of the directories you can try are:

BlogWise - [http://www.blogwise.com]

Blog Search Engine - http://www.blogsearchengine.com

Blog Hub - http://www.bloghub.com

Blog Daisy - [http://www.blogdaisey.com]

Get Blogs - http://www.getblogs.com

Is Blogs - http://www.lsblogs.com

Feeds

Next, you need to add feeds to your blog. For adding a feed you add a little graphic to your blog. It can be a “my yahoo” feed, msn feed, or many other options.

When they click on that they can add your blog to their personal feed page. Then every time you add a new post they are alerted on their yahoo page that you have posted AND it even shows the topic of the post and how long ago it was posted.

This is one of the best resources I’ve found in keeping people coming back to your blog. They can subscribe to it so easily and they will be automatically updated whenever you have posted. It’s pretty easy to add an RSS feed to your blog. The resource I personally use is at http://www.feedburner.com

Watch Out Blogging World - Here I Come!

Now, see how simple this really can be? You can make money with a blog, gain exposure for another business or websites, can build yourself as an expert on a certain topic, can create a blog for free, get it listed for free and start an RSS feed for free! Now get out there and start blogging.

How to be a blogging Idol instead of an idle-blogger

To be successful at Search Engine Optimization, it's important that you continually test out new theories and ideas. Before I use new SEO techniques on a client's website, I always test them on one of my own. In order to better understand the application of SEO to blogs, I decided to implement the following experiment:

I would create a blog for each American Idol contestant. Using a pseudonym, I would blog each candidate until they got booted off the show.

Once the final 12 candidates were decided, I would step up my posting pace. Being that this was an SEO project, I didn't aim to provide any valuable insights into the candidates...I only planned to "blurb" news articles that mentioned each contestant.

The goal at the end of the project (besides gaining useful knowledge) was to have 1-2 "sustainable" blogs in place, while generating massive traffic the week of the final show.

Several weeks into the project, I discovered two things:

The Bo Bice Blog received considerably more traffic and better search engine rankings than the other blogs I had created.
Bo Bice was the first Idol contestant in 4 years that TOTALLY ROCKED. I very much wanted him to win.
So, while keeping my SEO experiment going, I decided to really "blog" about Bo Bice. In doing so, I learned many valuable lessons about creating a successful blog that can generate sustainable traffic, including many repeat visits.

Beginners Lessons:

Have a narrow focus: The quickest way to drive traffic to your blog is through excellent search engine rankings. If you blog about lots of unrelated topics, you won't rank well for any of your key terms. Even if you don't know much about SEO, you can still create a blog that will rank well in the search engines. Pick a narrow topic and keep your posts on topic. Choose a group of keywords relevant to your chosen topic and make sure you feature these terms prominently in your posts.

Build a base of content: Unless you already have a built-in audience, very few people are going to read your early blog posts because they will be extremely hard to find in either the blogosphere or the search engines. So, save your best content for when you've already developed a steady stream of web traffic. Blogging newspaper articles is a good way to build up relevant content quickly. All you need to do is subscribe to Google news alerts to get relevant articles featuring your top keywords. As your receive new articles, create a blog entry for each article, excerpt a relevant snippet (making sure to credit the source), and comment on the piece. This might not be interesting to your readers...but the objective here is to reach a point where you can start creating original, unique content that people will actually read because your blog can be easily found. For the more advanced beginners, adding an RSS feed that is focused on your targeted niche will also be of great value to your blog.

Try to make several posts each week. You'll be amazed how much content you can build up in a short period of time.

Monetize your blog (if appropriate): I placed a combination of contextual and affiliate advertising on my blog. The advertising revenue on my blog was poor given the amount of traffic I generated...however, if you are blogging successfully in areas of business and technology, you could make a good deal of money from such advertising. Google AdSense is a ubiquitous way for bloggers to earn money from blogging. Once you've placed the AdSense javascript snippet in your blog source code, Google's contextual ad technology will automatically choose ads relevant to your blog content and when someone clicks on the ad, you get paid.

Advanced Techniques:

"Blog and Ping": There is a reason why news spreads so rapidly through the blogosphere. When you update your blog, depending on your blog host, a "ping" might be sent to one or more blog search engines that track the blogosphere, showing that you've made a new post to your blog. People who have subscribed to your blog, or people interested in your blogging topic, can be notified about your post and read it / link to it. An active course of "blogging and pinging" will help greatly in building links to your blog and generating more traffic.

Websites and software exist that will allow you to manually send pings to dozens of known blog search engines. Ping-o-matic is a website that allows you to ping 18 different blog search engines on demand. I've been using RSSSubmit from Dummy Software to submit all feeds to over 70 such services at the push of a button.

"Conventional" Link-Building: To maximize your blog search engine rankings, I strongly recommend building links for your blog just as if it were a website. I did not do this for the Bice blog and that oversight (probably) came back to bite me.

Google's "Bourbon" update hit several days before the American Idol final and this blog was the only "Bourbon" casualty in my entire portfolio...vanishing from Google the Saturday before the final. My intuition (plus other anecdotal evidence) tells me that had I built a foundation of links outside the blogosphere prior to Bourbon, the blog would not have been hit...of course, I'll never know. The blog reappeared in Google with its excellent search engine ranking 10 days after the Idol final, depriving me of a tremendous volume of Bo Bice web traffic for the time surrounding the final...Thanks, Google:.)

Linkmarket.net is by far the best link-trading site on the Internet. They now have more than 20,000 sites that are potential link partners. For $24.85 per year, you have unlimited ability to trade links with any site on the network. No matter what your site niche is, you should be able to find hundreds of potential trading partners and generate large numbers of inbound links quickly.

Press Releases: Online press releases are an excellent way to generate notice for your blog. I created a press release announcing the launch of the blog, and once I decided to "actively" blog Bo, I wrote a release each week recapping the show and featuring highlights from the blog. Online press releases can get thousands or even tens of thousands of reads...especially if you are writing on a "hot topic". Many of the press release readers will become blog visitors.

PRWEB and PRLeap are the two most prominent online press release bureaus. Both allow free submission of releases and both allow you to pay for better "placement". Your press releases will also get spidered into the search engines and (sometimes) will end up in Google or Yahoo News as well. I've seen my Bo Bice press releases as high as #3 in Google News for a "Bo Bice" search.

Best Idea Yet

When my blog reached a consistent 500 visitors a day, I decided to actively solicit posts from Bo's fans. Sure, most blogs give readers the ability to post comments...but I thought that if I ran the comments as actual posts, I could create a "buzz" about the blog and generate large numbers of repeat visits. I ended up getting 5-15 e-mails every day from Bo's fans wanting their information to be posted on the blog. So long as the post met my minimum blogging criteria, I ran the submission. Traffic spiked immediately and the quality of the submissions was generally excellent.

My idea worked strategically because the readers unknowingly submitted content that was SEO'ed for the keywords that were the focus of my blog... "Bo Bice". By running reader posts, I generated large amounts of SEO'ed content that helped generate and maintain my top search engine rankings. And, my "Blog and Ping" strategy ensured that each and every new post (several per day) was broadcast all over the Internet.

Top Search Engine Rankings Confer "Authority Status"

For most of the duration of American Idol 4, I ranked #2 -4 in Google, and #6-15 in Yahoo for "Bo Bice" and I learned such rankings conferred an enormous amount of "authority" in my chosen subject. A sampling of my e-mails I received included:

After Bo performed "Vehicle" by "The Ides of March" (the first time), an original member of the band e-mailed a message to Bo's fans through the blog. He even asked me if I knew how to reach Bo...which I didn't.

A CBS Early Show Producer contacted my blog to promote Bo's appearance on the show...asking his fans to show up at their New York studios.

What's more, I received multiple messages from the person running the AOL American Idol fan poll soliciting votes for Bo.

Results:

Currently, my Bo Bice blog is generating sustainable traffic with very little work on my part (barring any unforeseen search engine calamity). As the American Idol Concert tour rolls this summer and as Bo gets to work on his first post-Idol album, I expect the traffic to increase.

One doesn't need to be a SEO ace to be able to create a blog that can generate a large number of visitors. Whether you wish to blog for business lead generation, ad revenue, or personal reasons, if you follow the techniques described above, you can create and sustain a well-trafficked blog by following the techniques listed above.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/109305

Your blog can be your company

One of the great things about blogs is that they are so easy to set up and maintain. The way companies such as Blogger.com have handled it, it's about as easy as typing a letter or any other word processing document.

Another great thing that internet entrepreneurs have discovered is that they are fast and easy to set up, can attract a huge of potential customers, and can make A LOT OF MONEY for the owner of the blog, and we are going to discuss how they do it. In fact, we are going to talk about how almost anyone can set up a blog and be in business on the internet in a matter of hours.

After a start that included soaring, swooping, and gliding in lots of different directions, the internet settled down a bit. Although it is still all things to all people, one of the largest aspects of the internet is its ability to quickly deliver a huge mass of information on almost any subject under the sun.

Most of the millions of people using the internet have one thing in common...they are seeking this information. Whether it is something as significant as alternative energy sources or something as relatively frivolous as the comings and goings of fashion or comic books, there are huge numbers of people searching the internet in hopes of finding this information at any given time. That's where blogs come in.

Many of these people want hard data...facts! Many, however, are content to read, learn, and perhaps interject their own comments on subjects they find interesting. Couple this fact with the simplicity of building a blog, and then add a few income producing links, and you have the basis of a simple internet business.

If you have been unable up to now to believe that you could have a successful internet business, you are now free to change that thought. All it takes is an interest in some subject area; poetry, baseball, cartoons, cars, cooking, stamp collecting, and you too can be an expert with an income producing blog.

WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERT BUT ARE SIMPLY A FAN?

In the world of blogs, this is NOT a problem! The purpose of the blog is to provide information and comment. Nobody said the information or comment had to be YOURS! Of course you will want to participate in your own blog, but there are many web sites on the internet, such as EzineArticles.com which can provide substantive content for your site. Just to use our baseball example, I just did a quick search at EzineArticles.com, and found 175 articles on the subject. By the time you used up all 175, more would have been written, your readers would have provided comments, you would have interjected your own ideas, and other sources of articles and other content on the subject would have come to your attention. Starting with this example, you could run a blog on the subject of baseball for several years with no problem.

HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY WITH A BLOG?

My first recommendation is that you learn more about blogging for internet income than I can offer in this small article. But don't worry, the subject of blogging as a business is simple and after a little training in blogging and internet marketing, you will be an expert on the subject and may even find yourself teaching other what you have learned. Once you have a grasp of the basics and have begun publishing your blog, you can use the following to help you make money with your blog.

JOIN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS: There are an unknown number of affiliate programs on the internet, ClickBank, PayDotCom, and Commission Junction to name a few. You can find affiliate programs relative to the subject of your blog, and, by placing links to these companies you can make income from your blog.

JOIN GOOGLE ADSENSE: Google Adsense allows you to show ads on your blog which may be of interest to your visitors. Staying with the baseball blog, the ads would have things to do with baseball or sports. You would receive a commission whenever a visitor to your blog left by clicking on one of the ads.

SELL YOUR OWN PRODUCTS: If you have a product to sell which is related to the topic of your blog, this would be a great place to promote it! Many people become regular visitors to interesting blogs and feel that they come to know the blogger who runs it. Any internet or network marketer can tell you that people are more likely to buy something from someone they know and trust than from a stranger.

VISIT OTHER BLOGS AND FORUMS: All across the internet are vast numbers of blogs and forums on almost every subject imaginable. Many people wander from blog to blog or forum to forum in search of information on these subjects, and the more blogs and forums where you leave your footprint, the more that may find their way back to your blog.

LINK BACK FROM RELATIVE SITES: Nobody said that every web site linking to your blog has to be somebody else's! It's great when you get someone to mention your blog on their site, but with a little experience and training, you can possibly learn to create web sites, or perhaps other blogs, which also link to your blog, thus raising its popularity with search engines and perhaps leading live visitors to you.

"PING" YOUR BLOG AND SUBMIT TO DIRECTORIES: People go to blog directories to find blogs on the subjects they are interested in. "Pinging" your blog through services such as pingomatic.com will will alert the services when you have updated your blog.

UPDATE YOUR CONTENT REGULARLY: While you don't have to update your blog daily, you should update it regularly. Use information relative to the blog topic. While information is king, making the information palatable will help improve your blog's popularity.

TURN YOUR CONTENT INTO CONTENT: Huh? This is one of the most effective ways to increase the popularity of your blog, but it is also one of the easiest. Once you get a handle on the sorts of things people are interested in, you may find yourself able to write a few comments of your own. In fact, the daily content and comments on your blog can often be turned into interesting articles of 600 to 1200 words. Once you have done this, submit it to an article directory such as EzineArticles.com. Once accepted, not only will it contain a link back to your blog, but, when others use it on their blog or on their website, there will be another link back to your blog.

Blogs are, simply put, one of the easiest way for computer and internet novices to become involved in the growing world of internet business. If it is your hope to someday kiss the old job good and quit the ratrace, blogging for dollars may just be the answer for you.

Such as blogs can make money

So, What is a "Money Making Blog"?

OK, that's when someone stops me and says,"What's a Blog?"

So, Lets start at the beginning!

Blog Basics

A blog is sometimes called web log or weblog. It is a type if online journal or diary, often including personal comments as well as web links and images. Many people keep a blog as a type of personal creative exercise, but you can easily use this popular online type of writing to market your business. Blogs are very popular right now and they can be a great and inexpensive way to contact more customers.

The great thing about blogs is that people read them for fun. Customers may be becoming more jaded about advertising, but they will gladly read a blog that has some interesting things to say. Many top companies are using blogs to deliver a better and more personal message about their companies - and the strategy seems to be working.

Starting a Blog

Starting a blog is as simple as finding a space online to write - and the time to write. To begin a blog, first develop a theme idea or blog idea. You may want to look at other people's blogs to do so. In general, you will want to develop a central theme for your blog in the same way that columnists develop a theme for their articles. This helps ensure that your blog is not too "scattered."

Next, find some place to publish your blog. There are a number of sites - both paying and free - that give bloggers a chance to publish their material. You may also want to simply set up your blog on your web site, especially if you already have an active web site.

Writing Your Blog

Once you have a place to publish your blog, you will have to set aside some time each week to develop new content. When writing your blog:

oWrite simply and clearly. Use small paragraphs and spell check before uploading. Your readers will trust what you have to say if you say it well.

oGo easy on the advertising. The idea of a blog is to give readers something fun and exciting to read and look at. You will have more readers if you comment on the world and are entertaining, rather than just hype your product. Consider writing about your day, the atmosphere your workplace has, and culture, rather than just your company.

oConsider many types of content. Blogs allow you to upload images, create links, and allow users to make comments. Your blog will have many more readers if you make your blog exciting with these pluses.

Promoting Your Blog

Just putting your blog online is not enough. After all, there are many millions of blogs on the web right now, so unless your blog is on a high-traffic site, you may not get readers unless you advertise. You can easily advertise your blog without spending a cent by mentioning your blog in your emails and web pages or newsletters. You can also enter in online competitions - if your blog wins a prize you are more likely to get a constant flow of traffic to your blog. You can also ask ezines and other content providers to review your blog, which will also draw readers.

Blog Marketing Ideas That Sell

Once you develop a blog, you will want to use the best blog marketing strategies you can to sell your company. However, marketing blogs are different from personal blogs and blog marketing or advertising is very different than other forms of marketing.

Make Your Blog a Customer Draw

In order to make your blog a powerful marketing tool, you need to get your customers and clients to see it. That means that you will need to advertise and provide content that gets attention:

oMake your blog visually exciting. Choose an attractive background colour and provide photos or images. Consider sound. Develop your blog as you would a web site, with the same visual appeal. Some bloggers even add video and sound to their blogs. There is no need to spend many hours composing art works, but know that simple text on a white background may simply not draw as many readers as you like.

oMake sure that your customers know that your blog exists. Providing some targeted advertising on the Internet is not hard. Try some link exchange programs with web sites, blogs, and ezines that have similar content to your blog. In many cases, simply providing a link to another web site can convince that web master to provide a link to your blog.

Make Your Blog a Company Pusher - Without Being Pushy

Your blog needs to promote your company. However, if you are too heavy-handed, you will not be terribly exciting and may push customers away. That's why you should aim for only a small amount of content that actively pushes your company. Do suggest newsworthy items that will lure your readers in. For example, writing "today we launched a new division - now expecting mothers can take advantage of our fashions" is much better than sales copy such as "buy our hot new maternity fashions now."

Give Your Readers What They Want

Studies suggest that as many as a quarter of Internet users tune into blogs. That means that if you can give your blog readers what they want, you can be reasonably sure of having a decent audience. Among the content that you may want to include in your blog:

oTips and advice. Many successful marketing blogs are much like successful consumer magazines - readers tune in to read content that is useful. A computer company can offer computer tips and advice, for example, while a writing service blog can include daily ways to boost writing skills.

oInterest. If your personal or business life is fascinating, then great. There are many successful marketing blogs that detail the exciting lives of company presidents who are also hobby racecar drivers or skydivers. This sort of material can ensure a steady audience.

oHumanity. One of the things that blog readers are most interested to see is the face behind the company. Many blog readers like a company run by people who have similar concerns. Building humanity into your blog by detailing your company's efforts to help the community, for example, is a great way to build credibility and customer loyalty.

oStyle. Many readers just love to see a gorgeous, well-written blog. Plenty of marketing blogs simply provide interesting content and nice graphics and do quite well in drawing readers and customers.

Get More Readers for Your Blog, Get More Customers

There are several ways to make your blog one of the "hot" blogs online. Traditionally, those companies that have the largest star-power have had the most popular blogs, since everyone loves to read about celebrity or success. However, a great many smaller companies and individuals are developing large followings on the web. You can, too, with this simple lesson.

Keep it Rich

Keyword-rich, that is. Blogs are a great way to generate keyword-rich content, especially if you update your blogs each day. In fact, for some smaller businesses, blogs make more sense than hard-to-create web pages. Blog software makes creating a blog almost automatic while the spiders on search engines seem to favour high-quality and often updated keyword-rich blogs.

Steps to take:

oKeep keyword content high with plenty of keywords. As you write your blog entries, do try to use not only keywords having to do with your topic, but also synonyms for your keywords. This will help your readers find you more easily on the Internet. For example, if you offer discount fashions, use a variety of keywords, including "discount fashions," "cheap designer wear," "discount clothing" and others.

oProvide quality, often-updated content.

oSpecialize. The best way to make use of the search engine optimisation of blogs is to narrow your focus. Rather than developing a hodgepodge of ideas and themes, write with one theme in mind. It will help ensure that people looking for information on your topic will always find you through a search engine.

Join the Community

Make sure that you promote your blog by joining the blogging community. Creating a larger presence for your blog online will result in more blog readers and possibly, more customers:

oAdd the address for your blog to email signatures and include mention in any ezine or email newsletter you have to let readers know about your blog.

oMention your blog on appropriate forums. For example, if your company offers resume writing services, consider writing about your blog in job-hunt forums.

oAllow for readers' commentary on your blog. Many online blog publishing programs already allow this. If your readers can post their comments and read the comments of other readers, they are more likely to return to your blog regularly, and so keep your company name in mind.

oMake your blog searchable through your interests. Many blog programs allow you to create a user profile, which allows readers to search for you and your blog by interest topic and locations, in many cases. Do not overlook this simple way to draw readers. Simply fill out your profile, taking care to use many "interests" to attract more readers and browsers.