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Insider Blog & RSS Marketing Blog
October 27, 2005
Can I make money from my blog?
New to blog? This article should help you get started. It's loaded with some valuable tips and information I've accumulated in over 9 years of working online. Read it and profit!
Of course!
How?
Well, for starters you can read my article about Profit Blogging at http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com/ezine-articles/
In it I've listed three simple ways to make your blog turn profitable.
And if this article whets your apetite for more, you could buy my bestselling blogBook
It's a short, concise, no-fluff compilation of powerful ideas to make money from your blog.
Just one of those ideas helped me raise over $9,000 in less than a week to sponsor my "Heart Kids Blogathon" - see my website for details on how you too can help save a child's life and make a difference...
http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com/blogathon/sponsorty.htm
You'll surely appreciate the value of the powerful information you'll find in here - and we hope you'll come back to visit us often. If you know someone else who might find this site useful, please tell them about us.
Posted by blog-marketing at 05:38 PM
October 26, 2005
What will my blog cost me (in time, money, effort)?
You've probably been asking yourself this very question when you came across this site - "What will my blog cost me?" Well, I hope this short article will answer your question.
Few minutes a day might be enough.
Or 26 hours in a day may not be quite enough.
It depends upon how much you want to do, and how fast you want it done.
If all you wish to do is post a few messages every day on your blog, it won't take long at all. Just a few seconds to log on, write your message into an online form, and click a button to publish it to your blog!
You could even host it remotely on a free service - all it'll cost is the time you take to log in and post.
To be a true member of the blogosphere, though, you have to work a bit harder. You'll need to spend time looking for, and visiting other blogs. You'll have to link to them - and get linked back in return.
You'll have to host your blog on its own domain, on your server. If your blog is commercial in purpose, you'll need to purchase commercial licenses from the software developer. Then you'll have to install it - or get it done.
It'll cost a bit, though not too much.
Look at it this way. You could either publish in a flash for free and hope for luck to guide you to glory. Or you could do it step by step, investing in your blog, knowing you'll reap rich rewards in the future.
Did you find this article helpful? If you did - and know of someone else who might want to read it - please take a moment out of your busy schedule to let them know about this site. And please come back soon - there's a lot more stuff on blogs we'll be adding to the site over time.
Posted by blog-marketing at 05:30 PM
October 25, 2005
What should I not do with my blog?
The tip today, even though simple, will save you lots of trouble if follow after it.
Don't post false information!
In the blogosphere, word spreads fast.
Amazingly, blindingly fast - sometimes.
You could be very popular - or very red faced - with equal ease.
It all depends on what you post on your blog!
Remember, your blog is a very powerful medium today. It could make you or break you just as easily.
Posted by blog-marketing at 06:17 PM
October 24, 2005
How can I get readers to come back often to my blog?
This article covers the essentials in getting readers to come back often for your blog! Read it, understand it and implement these steps to attract readers to come back to your blog.
Fresh content.
Keep it updated with new messages. By their very nature, blogs are constantly evolving. By making your blog a frequently updated resource for breaking news or information on your topic, you'll make it a 'must-see' destination and attract targeted readers who'll keep coming back for more.
Bulletins.
Invite your blog readers to sign up for reminders whenever you update it. Many blogging software programs have a feature that allows editors to send bulletins via email to members who have chosen to receive them. Third-party programs also plug into blogs and offer this service. Bloglet - at http://www.bloglet.com - offers a similar feature where you host a sign up form on your blog. Bloglet sends subscribers an email every time you add a post to your blog.
Syndication.
An RSS feed is available for weblogs. People who use news aggregators can subscribe to the weblog. In a convergence of push and pull technologies, services like Klip offer a way to 'subscribe' to regularly updated data feeds from a blog.
So now that you have learned the essentials in getting readers to come back often to your blog, take action on what you have learned NOW.
Posted by blog-marketing at 03:53 AM
October 21, 2005
How can I get people to find my blog and visit it?
This is one fabulous tip that will make you rich. Read it, and put it to work, and see.
In essence, this is very similar to promoting a new website.
And the answer is very simple -
Note, I said 'simple', not 'easy' :)
Here are some quick ways to get started:
1. List it on Search Engines, especially Google which will soon boast a new tab specifically for blogs on its search interface. Blog content is usually SE friendly, so you can rank high for specific terms by sticking to a theme as you blog.
2. You visit other blogs and comment on their articles. Leave links back to your blog. Even write about them on *your* blog. Then tell them about what you've written. They'll respond. This way, readers of both blogs can find them. It is a mutually productive form of link exchanging.
Blogs have a feature called Trackback. When your post links to a post on another weblog that supports Trackback, it can ping (send an electronic message) to the other weblog notifying it that it has been referred to. In this way each blog post will serve as a collection point for content on a given topic.
3. Blogrolls - Weblogs often have a blogroll, linking to sites that the author thinks are interesting, informative, or useful. Keep your own blogroll growing. Try and get your blog listed on as many blogrolls as possible.
So now that you have read this fabulous tip that will make you rich, make a little note to yourself now to take action on what you have learned. ACTION speaks louder than words. Just do it.
Posted by blog-marketing at 09:40 PM
October 20, 2005
Can I get others to write for my blog?
My subscribers keep asking me to write about my most effective strategies in maintaining a blog. This article is one of the collection I wrote specifically in response to their request.
Yes, there are several ways you can have content added to your blog - by others.
If you have a team of content providers, you can create several user accounts using your blogging software. Each member of your team then logs in and writes for your blog, adding their content. You can even assign different levels of permissions for each user in some types of blog software.
Another way to get contributed content is to invite your blog readers to enter comments and feedback. Clicking on a link at the end of a post will bring up a popup window in which a reader can add comments. And the author can respond.
A third way to include content on your blog is by publishing syndicated content from others on your blog using some XML programming.
What you just read is a condensed, distilled, refined version of what took me years and years of hard work, learning and experimentation to understand. Just because it is available on this site for free, don't assume it has no value. Put any one of the ideas to work today - and you'll be amazed at the result.
Posted by blog-marketing at 04:49 PM
October 19, 2005
How often should I write or update my blog?
There's a ton of stuff out there about blogs. But how much of it can you understand, apply easily in your own business and implement at low cost? Here is one idea that you can.
A good blog is updated often, with pointers to interesting events, pages, stories and happenings elsewhere on the Web. New stuff piles on top of the page; older stuff sinks to the bottom.
Suit Yourself
A calendar can be intimidating. Is there any point to a blog - a website - that is only updated once a week?
Once a month? Once a year?
That depends on many factors that go to the heart of why you wish to create a blog in the first place. The good news is that no one's going to punish you if you post material infrequently!
Did you find this article helpful? If you did - and know of someone else who might want to read it - please take a moment out of your busy schedule to let them know about this site. And please come back soon - there's a lot more stuff on blogs we'll be adding to the site over time.
Posted by blog-marketing at 12:37 PM
October 18, 2005
What should I write about on my blog?
One reader described this as a 'fabulous tip that will make me a fortune'. Will it make YOU one too? Read it, put it to work, and see!
There are many kinds of content you can put on your blog.
Stories.
You could use descriptions of things you've done, thought threads, streams of consciousness, idea feeds. Longer articles or short snippets. If you're using a long story, you could display a short summary on the homepage and link to the full post in an archive.
Pictures.
One of them is worth a thousand words. Good blog software lets you store and display pictures and also combines them into sequences for display to readers in attractively packaged format.
Presentations.
You could have any type of data including media objects like Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, Macromedia or Apple movies, PDFs, Audio feeds, downloadable applications - whatever.
Congratulations! You are now well and truly on the way to becoming a blog expert. Please come back often to read more articles on this site - and tell a few friends too.
Posted by blog-marketing at 04:36 PM
October 17, 2005
Is it better to have blog software run on your own server?
This article is a continuation of the previous article on blog software. To run it on your own server or not? Read it and profit!
Benefits: More security. You don't have to give out your FTP details or password. Your blog's accessibility is dependent only on your server, not the remote hosting service's.
Disadvantages: You need to have some basic knowledge about installing blogging software and scripts on your own server and troubleshooting problems. It requires some knowledge of changing directory access permissions, and other basic script installation techniques. Most of the blog software creators run helpful online forums and discussion groups to help out with problems.
So now that you've read about this new idea to build your blog and make it more profitable, please stop for a minute and make a little note to yourself to take action on what you learned. Something. Anything. Just do it.
Posted by blog-marketing at 04:23 AM
October 15, 2005
What are the Pros/Cons of remote hosted blog software?
If you want to become an expert at blogs, you need to keep learning. Updating your knowledge. Refreshing your information. Staying on the cutting edge. This short article will help you stay ahead of the curve.
Benefits: No problems or hassles related to installing blog software or scripts on your server and troubleshooting problems. You don't even need to have your own domain name or web hosting service if you plan to host the blog on the remote service itself.
Disadvantages: The remote hosting service might get taken down for maintenance or other issues at an inconvenient time. Or if traffic is very heavy on the service, you may face delays or periods of inaccessibility to your blog for updating it. This is more likely if you host it on a free service.
If you're hosting your blog on your own domain, you have to disclose administrative details about your website (like your FTP account username and password) in order that your blog posts can be uploaded to your server.
You'll surely appreciate the value of the powerful information you'll find in here - and we hope you'll come back to visit us often. If you know someone else who might find this site useful, please tell them about us.
Posted by blog-marketing at 06:26 PM
October 12, 2005
What are the blogs programs available today?
If you want to become an expert at blogs, you need to keep learning. Updating your knowledge. Refreshing your information. Staying on the cutting edge. This short article will help you stay ahead of the curve.
There are many commercial and free software (free not only as in free beer, but also as in freedom - you can change the source code if you want - Open Source).
They'll get you started blogging - fast and easy. Popular among them.
a. Blogger (commercial) - from Pyra labs (recently bought out by Google, they're getting the excitement about blogging up to fever-pitch)
http://www.blogger.com/
b. Radio Userland (commercial) from Userland software (Dave Winer's creation. Dave's one of the earliest bloggers and his Scripting News is the longest running blog on the Internet - launched 1996)
http://www.userland.com/
c. Movable Type (free & commercial) from SixApart. This feature-rich program is the one I use on my own blog, remarkably purple spots..."
http://www.movabletype.org/
d. Grey Matter (free + opensource)
http://www.noahgrey.com/greysoft/
e. Open Journal (free)
http://www.grohol.com/downloads/oj/
f. pMachine (commercial) I'm hearing many good things about this one.
http://www.pmachine.com
Where the software runs and how you update your webblog :
Blogger - Blogger runs on a remote server. You log in to that server, then make your new entries and publish it to your server with the click of a button. There's also a free hosting option on their servers at blogspot.com
Radio Userland - Radio software runs on your desktop. You do the editing on your own system and Radio publishes it to your site.
Movable type - Set of perl/CGI scripts that you can install into your webserver's CGI-bin directory. The editing and publishing all takes place on your webserver. You access the clean and simple user interface through a regular internet browser like MS Internet Explorer or Netscape.
Grey matter and Open Journal are both like movable type.
That's it for this article. To learn more about blogs , please browse the rest of this site and read the other articles on the topic.
Posted by blog-marketing at 01:08 PM
October 11, 2005
What programming and technical skills do I need to blog?
There's a ton of stuff out there about blogs. But how much of it can you understand, apply easily in your own business and implement at low cost? Too many 'killer' ideas require a heavy investment in time and money to get you going. Not this one!
Most weblog tools provide an easy-to-use publishing interface. Indeed, blogging software was designed to allow non-techies to publish professional quality weblogs.
With most blog software available today, all the author has to do is create content. The mental barrier to webpage design that holds many back from building websites is almost completely destroyed when it comes to blogging.
It's "fall-off-a-log" easy!
Installing blog software on your server requires some basic knowledge about scripts and CGI. But if you hate doing this stuff, there are several services that offer 'ready-to-go' blogs.
Just register - and start blogging!
You'll surely appreciate the value of the powerful information you'll find in here - and we hope you'll come back to visit us often. If you know someone else who might find this site useful, please tell them about us.
Posted by blog-marketing at 03:35 PM
October 06, 2005
Why should I blog?
Want to become a blog expert?Remember this - you'll need to keep accumulating experience and information. Rely only on information that comes from people who walk the talk. These folks are the experts who share valuable nuggets of information that can boost your business incredibly. Here's an article about blog that fits the bill.
Because EVERYONE is!
Well, ok, if that isn't good enough for you, here's one more reason. Or two.
Blogs let you REACH and RELATE.
Reach...
Who?
Your audience. Customers, subscribers, prospects, readers. Anyone whom you could earlier reach by email.
Have you looked at your email delivery stats lately? Notice how fewer messages are getting through to your list.
Blame it on the deluge of spam email. Or the use of increasingly aggressive filters, by ISPs and end users.
Fact is, email is getting less effective as a communication tool simply because it often fails to reach the intended recepient.
Enter the blog - where a message is on the Web for anyone to see.
There's still the issue of getting the word out when you update the blog - but I'll come to that later.
The next good reason... Relate.
How?
By revealing your true personality, by letting your individuality shine through. It's easier to establish rapport with audiences through a blog post that's an unpolished form of your thought processes - than through a corporate bulletin or edited newsletter.
Reach and Relate - through your Blog.
Congratulations! You are now well and truly on the way to becoming a blog expert. Please come back often to read more articles on this site - and tell a few friends too.
Posted by blog-marketing at 06:35 PM
October 05, 2005
Why are blogs HOT?
New to blogs? This article should help you get started. It's loaded with valuable tips and information I've accumulated in over 9 years of working online. Read it and profit!
Weblogs do not represent something brand new in human communication. Diaries closely resemble weblogs and be traced back as far as ancient Greece. Blogs can be succintly described in 4 words...
Personal Web Publishing Communities
It's Personal -- it's done by a person, not an organization. The individual's personality shines through the blog posts. Not a sanitized, corporatized, acceptable form of collective thinking and feeling -- but the unique, rough edged, even sometimes bizarre individualism of the blog owner.
It's on the Web -- So it can be updated frequently, is not expensive to maintain, and can be accessed through a web browser by anyone you choose to permit. It's Published -- There are outlines or templates into which each post is 'streamed' by an automated process. The result is an electronic publication. One that can be distributed to many others, even syndicated, through technology called RSS feeds.
It's part of a vast online Community. Each blog links to several others, connecting people together through common interests. And as any eMarketer knows, building interactive online communities around an area of interest is the Holy Grail of online success.
THAT'S why they're hot!
That's it for this article. To learn more about blogs, please browse the rest of this site and read the other articles on the topic.
Posted by blog-marketing at 03:55 PM
October 04, 2005
WHAT CAN I PUT ON MY BLOG
If you want to become an expert at blogging, you need to keep learning. Updating your knowledge. Refreshing your information. Staying on the cutting edge. This short article will help you stay ahead of the curve.
You can put anything.
Many beginning bloggers are intimidated by 2 questions:
"Do I really have anything to say?"
and
"Why should anyone want to read what I write?"
Define your own objectives.
Most weblog tools provide a ready-to-hand design framework. All the author has
to do is add 'water' - their content. This ease-of-entry ensures that just about
anyone can put their drivel on the Internet without a second thought.
On the other hand, weblogs are not just a vehicle for navel-gazing by their
authors. Even that is permitted - just generally ignored by readers!
So now that you've read about this new idea to build your blog and make it more profitable, please stop for a minute and make a little note to yourself to take action on what you learned. Something. Anything. Just do it.
(c) 1996-2003 by Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian.
Posted by blog-marketing at 03:57 AM
October 02, 2005
What is a blog?
In this article, you will learn one of the most carefully hidden secrets about what good can a blog bring. It's something many of the top experts know - and every beginner would love to know. And it has the power to skyrocket your online success - guaranteed. Read it very carefully.
"Will you sponsor my blog by giving me money for the Heart Kids Blogathon?"
A friend was surprised at my question.
"What's a Blog?" he asked.
Imagine contacting all of your friends, urging them to pledge support for your favorite charity - and telling them you're "blogging" for it.
Would they understand what you were talking about?
Probably not. You might need to educate them about the revolutionary concept in online communication and personal publishing that's taking the Web by storm - 'Blogging'.
So, what is a Blog?
Blog is a shorthand term for "weblogs". Blogging is simply the act of keeping a regularly updated Internet journal. Some webloggers (bloggers, for short) post a diarylike record of their lives, while others write lengthy essays, make political commentary, or even post digital pictures that document their daily travels.
In the past year, web logs have changed from being an underground trend to becoming the hottest mainstream Internet phenomenon -- not only are they virtually omnipresent on personal home pages, they are even maintained by rock stars, major authors, and former television stars - even heart surgeons!
Blogs are passionate hobbies. But with few exceptions, they've not generated income or profits for their owners. Even business blogs are primarily used for internal communication and collaboration within organizations rather than as business building and growth tools.
Until recently.
Things are changing rapidly in the blogosphere. Several profit models exist to convert the 'purely hobbyist' medium into a revenue spinning powerhouse. My recent book, "Blog Profit Ideas Exposed" lists no less than 33 different ways to profit from blogging.
One that works well is the "Donation Model".
Ask for money from visitors to your blog - and give them a good reason to donate. Explain your need. Focus on a cause. Showcase an issue. Then ask for contributions.
Individual blog owners have come up with innovative ways to implement this idea. And some earn a good income this way. In 2001, Andrew Sullivan made $21,000 just in donations - and in December 2002, a further $79,020. Amazing, isn't it?
Or you may pool resources and work together with many others. A very interesting collaborative venture is the annual event called "Blogathon 2003".
For the third annual Blogathon, web users from around the world will engage in a 24-hour marathon of blogging, each to raise money and awareness for his or her own good cause. In the words of founder Cat Connor, "I've always felt the best thing about the web was its ability to affect the real world. The web can be a major force for good."
Blogathon is an attempt to harness that force, uniting hundreds of bloggers together to raise money for dozens of different charities. Pledges are gathered from friends, family, fellow webloggers, and occasionally total strangers, all of whom sponsor a blogger just as they might sponsor someone in a walk-a-thon.
Some bloggers use the Blogathon as a chance to publicize lesser-known charities. Blogathon is a celebration of the capabilities of the World Wide Web; for a single day it unites a decentralized mass of participants, sponsors, viewers, and charities to work towards a common goal of affecting change in the world.
And it's a fantastic model. I signed up to raise funds for our Childrens' Heart Foundation that sponsors heart treatment for kids from poor families. And in just a week, we've received pledges and donations for over $675 - with more certain to come in the days ahead. You can help too!
We're delighted to bring you the most up-to-date breaking news and cutting edge information from around the Web about rss and blogging.
In addition to a large, constantly growing collection of informative articles, we'll also bring you aggregated news and posts from the latest blogs about blog software.
(c) 1996-2003 by Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian.
Posted by blog-marketing at 06:52 PM