Dec 2008
04
Mistakes That Bloggers Make
Categories: Blogging
Bloggers make mistakes all the time. But most of them are easy to avoid, and even easier not to create in the first place.
Mistake one – not sticking to the topic of your blog.
Blogs are designed around a theme – and the more focused the theme, the more likely you’ll attract interested traffic. Most new bloggers however either ‘cast around’ for a theme, hoping to hit on something that works, or are just scattered in general.
Solution – keep your posts as focused as possible on the overall topic that you set out for your blog.
Mistake two – Not driving traffic to their sites.
Blogging isn’t just about posting content. Unfortunately, most people think that ‘if they build it, they will come’ and thats simply not true. not updating often enough – most bloggers start out really well – they write lots of posts and then, it tapers off. They become discouraged, or worse, they think they aren’t doing ‘it right’. Blogging needs just as much attention as any other site, sometimes more so – and like most sites, unless you hit on something really big, you’ll find that you don’t make much of an impact at first.
Driving traffic to your site CAN be fairly simple though – you can do it by taking part in other sites, and using your url in your sigline, you can comment on other blogs, or bookmark your site – with wide exposure you’ll gain far more traffic than simply relying on SEO.
Mistake three – not connecting with others in your niche
Solution - its important to contact others in your niche, because it gives you a chance to participate in link exchanges. One of the best ways to do this is ‘mutually’ recommend one another’s sites – you can do this, quite simply, by asking the site owner to review your site, and you can do the same. That way, you’ll build a more valuable ‘link base’ for the person you’re reviewing, and though they are creating a two way link exchange with you, the review style link exchange is always more valuable.
No matter what mistakes bloggers make, there’s always a way to fix them – by working on the solution, you’ll find that implementing the solutions will help immensely.
Dec 2008
02
About 2 weeks ago, I decided to try and create my own theme. So I did a rough sketch on a piece of paper highlighting some of the elements I’ve wanted such as a feature box, ads, some nice header, and whole lot more.
I didn’t have any experience in designing a whole website in Photoshop. I didn’t even know how to slice things up so I have to learn as I go along.
Once I had the photoshop design done, I had to convert it to a wordpress template. The problem is, I didn’t know how to code a wordpress template, so I had to learn it and do some trial and errors.
What I did was install a local copy of wordpress using WAMP and then started assembling the wordpress theme. One of the problems encountered is the differences in Firefox and IE. As of now, it looks ok from firefox and IE7. I don’t know if the template would break on IE6.
So anyway, here’s the new theme installed. Hope you like it.
Nov 2008
12
This is one of the questions every newbie to adsense always ask. And the answer is simply “it depends on you”. Let me elaborate.
The income from adsense is a function of traffic which is the number of human visitors to your website. The more traffic, the more income.
Example.
Assumptions: $0.10 per click.
Click Through Rate: 5%
To get the number of clicks to earn $100, divide $100 by the cost per click assumption.
$100/$0.10 = 1000 clicks
With a 5% click through rate, you need to have 20,000 visitors.
You can make 1 website with 20,000 visitors or
You can make 2 websites with 10,000 visitors each or
You can make 10 websites with 2,000 visitors each.
So the question is, how fast can you develop websites, and how fast can you promote each of them to get the numbers you want? At end of the day, it is basically a numbers game.
Oct 2008
31
15 Important Guidelines to Blogging
Categories: Blogging
Some basic guidelines on blogging, if you use a service blogger.com or wordpress.com they have their own terms and conditions for posting content. You can’t just post anything, so always read the t&c’s. If you don’t follow their rules, your blog will probably get deleted.
If you host a blog on your own hosting account, using software like WordPress. You have full control over the content you post, so your blog won’t get deleted.
What are the DOs and DON’Ts of blogging?
First the DOs:
- Do put pictures and multimedia sources to enhance the content. Could either be a vlog, photoblog, etc.
- Do base your posts with a good category structure to make it easy to find content for a particular topic.
- Do put paragraphs and sub-ideas. It’s not entertaining to read one block of manuscript. Digest it into pieces.
- Do create mutual communication between you and your readers. Answer queries without leaving your readers hanging for an answer.
- Do make your article as simple and as understandable as possible. Avoid beating around the bush. Not unless you wanted to captivate your readers with your literary prowess. Write like your talking to a friend.
- Do respect your reader’s opinions. That’s the essence of being a blogger. Accept truths. Do away with the insults.
- Do update. If you make blogging a part of your life, post as often as possible with fresh content.
Second the DON’Ts:
- Don’t go against your host’s legal boundaries. Respect their terms and conditions.
- Don’t ignore the quality of your content. Be specific with posting information.
- Don’t provoke fights. Sometimes comments can be a pain. And sometimes, none of it is true. Let it go and don’t waste your energy.
- Don’t waste a post with inappropriate details that would just confuse your audience.
- Don’t copy the works of others. They might sue you for plagiarism for this. Produce something original. Imitations trigger criticisms.
- Don’t be afraid to advertise. It’s one way to make your blog famous among the masses. Go to other sites and leave your blog address. It’s a matter of give and take.
- Don’t attack individuals, companies or fellow bloggers. Show respect. If you disagree with an opinion, tell it with caution.
- Don’t disregard your responsibilities. Journalism still has its price. Being able to write in a liberated way doesn’t erase you of your obligations.
Most internet sites like Yahoo! and IBM publish their guidelines on blogging. It is intended to be read, understood, and accepted by the blogger. Obey certain rules and policies. It won’t do you wrong. Libelous materials could cause you problems, so better follow the rules.
Oct 2008
29
What Is Video Blogging?
Categories: Blogging
Much as it’s appealing effect to the people who sees it and who sympathizes with its content, video blogs are treated as a phenomena. Mainstream entertainment is wired with video blogging. You are the director of your own video. Popularly known as vlogs (short term for video blog), usually it contains scenes of everyday life.
Not just an outlet for media response, vlogs can also be profitable. According to some experts, by creating a video advertising sensible products and linking it up with various web directories, fast income is a possibility.
Youtube can be a very typical example of a resource for the numerous vlogs being done today. A lot of people posts their videos either sensible or of no sense at all. You could learn from it or you could trash it. It’s a media-friendly digital file anyone could author and direct anytime, anywhere, anyhow.
What should be the content of my vlog?
Basically, everything you can think of. A mixture of humor, downfalls, heartaches, struggles, and life’s simple pleasures. You could feature anything -your favorite food, an MTV you proudly taped, vices, poor sleeping habits, health problems-ANYTHING. This issue is inevitable.
Majority of the experimental vlogs signifies a liberated take of documented short videos of gatherings or events like birthdays, graduations, weddings, etc. It doesn’t have to be a crowd-pleaser; it just has to be real.
How can I start my own video blog?
Gather up a camcorder or a mobile phone. Put the lens in front of something that you think would be interesting and would catch your viewer’s attention like your face or your neighbor’s bathing habits. Then start recording. The time will depend on how you would visualize your vlog’s appeal and resolution to the masses. Be in control.
When is the right time to start?
After you’ve assembled the right equipments, make a go for it. Take it as you wish. Record it as you please. Anytime is the best time. Just make sure viewers end up understanding what you’ve wired.
Below are 3 easy steps for beginners and first timers on how to put up a vlog.
1. Visualize – of how your vlog would look like. Think of the means. Think of the filling. Think on how it would start and how it would end. If you have no idea on how a vlog really looks like, browse your way through the internet RIGHT NOW!
2. Design – after streaming the content of your videotape into the computer, its best that you find a suitable and familiar blog site.
3. Upload – post your vlog on your favorite website. And voila! You’re very own video blog. At last, a tiny space amongst millions! Easy isn’t it?
An amateur vlog is always welcome, no one will sue you for showing your butt-crack. But don’t just go with the basics. Make your vlog more appealing by advertising creative words people would search for.
Oct 2008
27
A lot of businesses are now conducted online. With an internet business, your service or products can reach different parts of the world especially if your website can attract much traffic. In order to establish one of the best online businesses, the usage of blogging for business is of utmost importance.
You can make use of blogs in order to promote your business today and in the years to come. This is not an easy task and so you will need all the help and some tips to keep you on the right track.
Here are some useful tips that you can incorporate in your internet business:
1)• Back links are valuable – to promote your business through the use of blogs, you have to give importance to back links. The blog post contents should be able to incorporate appropriate back links. By doing so, you can attract much traffic to your website in a more effective manner.
2)• You must learn to use the right keywords – all the contents of your blogs should have the right or appropriate keywords. Effective blogging can also place your internet business among the top searches in the results of search engines.
3)• If you plan to use blogs for your internet business, you must be able to make posts regularly. If you forget to make posts, your blogs will not be very effective for your internet business. Sporadic bloggers have no place on the net and so if you want your efforts to be rewarded, make sure that you post blogs frequently.
4)• Your blogging efforts will be rewarded if you post frequently and if the contents are interesting. Through effective blogging, you can establish the reputation of your online business and not only that, you can shout to the world your business expertise. If you want to gain a positive reputation, make sure that you post interesting blogs that are related to your business.
Those are some simple tips that you can use for blogging. Indeed, blogging can be very useful for online business but only if you can post effective blogs.
At present, many owners of online businesses are now making use of blogs to promote their products and services. If you want to become a blogger and at the same time a successful owner of a business, try to learn how to make effective blogs.
Some say that blogs are not that hard to compose. To some individuals, it may be their way to share their personal experiences and everyday life. But according to some expert bloggers, you also need to consider the interests of the readers and online researchers. Remember that once you start posting blogs in your business’ website, you have to post frequently (at least once or twice a week) so that your customers and readers will not forget you or your business.
So what are you waiting for? Learn to make blogs now and become an effective blogger. Your business will surely benefit from the blogs that you post. If you want to learn more about effective blogging for business, you can easily conduct researches online because you can find a wealth of information there.
Blogging for business is one of the most effective means of making your business a success. Start making blogs now and you can earn more profits in the future.
