Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Use Blogging to Create Cash

By Janie Jenkins Platinum Quality Author

Want to Use Blogging for Cash, Friends, or Journalling?

Choose...

First choose your purpose for blogging. If you want to use blogging for cash, you will need to define a purpose for your blog. Determine a topic that appeals to you and to others. Then, include helpful information on the topic in your postings and offer a product that might serve people who are looking for your topic.

If you haven't already been blogging for cash (or any other reason), you may not know how to start a blog. Blogging is easy to do. You can get started fast using a free service that will host your blog for you. All you have to do is sign up and get started following the instructions.

Free Blog Hosting

Get started blogging for FREE at Blogger.com or at WordPress.com. Both are easy to use. Just sign up and follow the instructions.

How to Use Blogging for Cash. It’s Easy To Do!

When you get started blogging you can mention specific products or services in your blog postings. If you have a product you like, blogging about the product on your blog can result in people buying the product mentioned.

Just be sure to have an affiliate code through which to link people to the product so you are tracked as the person who sent the customer. The customer pays the same amount as always and the owner of the product gives you a commission from what was earned as a result of your blogging about it. This is an example of affiliate marketing strategy.

Janie Jenkins is the "Easy To Do" instruction expert. Discover how easy it is to do what seemed like your most complicated ambition. Blogging for Cash

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janie_Jenkins

Business Blogging for Beginners



Saturday, February 24, 2007

Blog Marketing Tips - Word Press Versus Blogger

By Simon Akers Platinum Quality Author

Its well known that using a blog can generate free traffic, but how do you choose which type of blog is right for you? There are many factors that you need to be aware of before you decide which service you want to use.

The two most popular types of blog on the internet are Word Press and Blogger but they differ in many ways and have their own advantages and disadvantages which greatly effective how they can be used so read on to find out which one is best suited to you.

Word Press

If you want to put a blog on your own website for free Word Press is definitely the best option for you. All you have to do is download the files from their website and follow the simple instructions to install it into your hosting account.

Its just a case of dragging the necessary files into the folder of your choice where you want the blog to appear and creating a MySQL database in your website control panel. The whole installation process is very easy and can be completed in a matter of minutes.

The main advantage of Word Press is that it provides flexibility and it allows you to be far more creative because its an open source script meaning it can be freely distributed and manipulated by anyone. So if you want the script to do a specific task you can either find an existing plugin or hire a programmer to create one for you.

There are hundreds of free plugins that will help to maximise the amount of traffic your blog generates such as the social bookmarking plugin which will allow you to easily add the entry links for each post to the most popular social bookmarking websites and the subscribe me plugin which will allow visitors to subscribe to your blog via RSS feeds using their favourite blog reader.

As well as the plugins there are literally thousands of free templates to choose from and you can easily find one with colours that match rest of your website. This will enable you to instantly create your own professional looking blog.

Blogger

If you don't have a website or don't know how to install a blog you will have to use Blogger which is a free service provided for anyone who opens an account on their website. The first thing you will need to do is find an available name for your blog which can be difficult as many have already been taken by other users.

Once you have created your account you will need to choose the template you want to use. There is only a limited selection but its best not to use the default template as the majority of other members will be using it so in order to stand out from the crowd you will need to use a less popular one.

Although its quick and easy to set up it doesn't offer enough flexibility and it limits how creative you can be. Its also very slow at loading and is not good at track backs which is important because you need to know who is linking to your articles.

The main disadvantage of Blogger is that you don't have full control of your blog and if they think your content looks like search engine spam they can block and delete it without any warning at all. If you have spent months setting up your blog and writing content the last thing you want is for it to be suddenly deleted.

So if you want to start your own blog and generate free traffic over a long period of time without any problems you should definitely use Word Press on your own website. Its far safer and more reliable than Blogger and will give you the flexibility and creativity you need.

This article was written by Simon Akers who is the editor of the Marketing Oasis newsletter, a free internet marketing ezine packed with tips to help you succeed and increase your profits: http://www.MarketingOasis.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Akers

Generating Blogging Traffic Strategies

By Tzerwah Tay

Part 1: Starting and maintaining a blog

Over the years, there are as significant increase of blogger in the blogosphere. The last counted number June 2006 is around 44.1 millions and it is still increasing!

1. Find your niche and stick to it - blog about things that you are interested in or what are your passion. Are you a

good basketball player? Blog about your skills and how you learn them. how you train yourself. Ultimately, blog is about sharing.

2. Make sure that the niche is something that you like - if you are blogging about things that you are not interested in.Why blog? Life is already so miserable, people is chasing for paycheck everyday. Do something you like in your free time, if not you will quickly become frustrated and abandon your blog.

3. Do not expect to make money blogging - Many people think that blogging will make them millionaires overnight by using those get rich blogging program as promised from the internet. Only a small percentage of blogger are able to do that because they are full time blogger spent long hours in front of the internet to improve themselves.

Once you have decided that to be a blogger. You have to decide what blogging services you want to use. I would recommend that newbie to use blogger to get their feet wet before going more into it. The service is free, but the downside is that you could not have different categories and could not schedule your posts at a later date or time. You can go into the more complex blogging platform when you are ready

1. Wordpress(My Favourite!)

2. Livejournal

3. Typepad

4. Movable Type

Most of the people who uses the above blogging tools will normally registered their own domain name and webhost. So that they can edit and change whatever they want as it is their own blog with their own domain name.

Part 2: Make your blog findable

You have started writing some content on your blog. The next thing is to let others aware of your blog. As most of the blogging service have a feed function. If you do not know what is a feed. check out what is feeds?

Most blogger will also subscribe to feedburner. So make sure you head over there and register an account for yourself.

Next is to let the search engines know your blog existence so that the search engine spiders will start to crawl to your blog.

1. Google

2. Yahoo

3. MSN

4. Technorati

I have paste some links below which can help you to fasten the process of submitting your url to the search engine.

1. Free Web Submission 1

2. Free Web Submission 2

3. Free Web Submission 3

Is it faster then submitting your url manually one by one?

Next is to register for an account with technorati. It is an internet search engine which focus on blogs by keywords or links.The last update on June 2006. It is currently indexing over 45 millions blogs. Once you have registered for an account. You would need to claim your blog.

Enter keywords which best suits about the niche of your blog. You can now start tagging your post. In order to make full use of technorati service. I would recommend that you create a technorati tag by using KeoTag’s Tagger Service

Key in your tags in step 1, Check the box on Technorati.Paste the html to the bottom of your post and you are done! Now all you have to do is to wait and see the magic of technorati.

Part 3: Generate traffic by having conversations!

At the beginning, i have said that blog about things you are interested in and now is to start a conversation with people who shared the same interest or niche with you.

1. Comment on their blog - Leaving a comment on people blog is the most easiest way to start a conversation.You also can go back to technorati and click on the tags that you have created and start a conversation with follow blogger by emailing them about what they think of your posting or articles.

2. Trackbacks - Most blogs allows trackbacks. Another great way to start a conversation between posts. If you are not sure about trackbacks, check out what is trackbacks?

3. Forums - Look for forums which suits your niche and talk to people in the forums. Exchange views or pointers with them. Create a signature at the bottom of your forum posting. If they are interested to know more. They would click your signature and go to your blog.But always remember to check the rules of the forums.Some of them did not allow signature posting.

This is what I feel about blogging. Feel free to comment on this posting.

Tzerwah Tay is a newbie at internet marketing using the blogging platform to leverage online. He believe that using the power of internet blogging tool can help ordinary people to create wealth online. Follow his journey by using blogging to leverage online

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tzerwah_Tay

Blogging to Draw Traffic

By Sean Ray Platinum Quality Author

Ask any high school student you know, and they will tell you that blogging is all the rage on the Internet today. Given this fact, there are many sites that simply provide a forum for people to post their blogs. Blogging can be personal or informative in narrative. Some people use them as an online diary of sorts, while others choose to provide informative comments on interesting things in the world around them. In addition, some will provide links to further important information. Not only are blogs a powerful form of self expression, they can be used as a valuable marketing instrument to increase the traffic to your website.

Have you ever visited a website to gain helpful information, only to be disappointed because you are fed a huge advertising message with no actual content? By creating a blog on your website you are able to feed your reader valuable information in small amounts. A cleverly crafted blog will serve to satisfy their initial hunger but will also leave them craving more. In addition, a great blog will position you in your customer’s mind as an industry expert. You will become the go-to source when they are looking for beneficial input.

Not just for teenagers anymore, a well-written blog will provide the information your customer needs and continue to draw them back to your site for more.

Blogging can also be a nice alternative if you are stuck trying to get online because you are afraid to create a web site because you don’t know how. The blogs are menu driven and easy to set up, even if you don’t know anything online.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Ray

Blogging in 2007

By Sean Ray Platinum Quality Author

Where is Blogging Headed in 2007?

Blogging in 2007 is probably one of the most rapidly changing internet landscapes - blogging is growing at an incredible pace, as beginners realize they really can create a web site without knowledge of html or computer code, and as search engine aficionados realize they can get quickly indexed through some of the blogs.

We’ve only seen the beginning of blogging. More and more companies are using blogging as a personal touch to connect with their customers. One can spend personal time with thousands of customers without physically having to appear in the same room. The response has been overwhelming and has contributed to the success of many companies.

We have only scratched the surface of what blogging can do for businesses and websites alike. I guarantee the results will be mind-boggling. The bottom line: blogging is here to stay in 2007.

Some Dos and Don’ts

- Do experience with different types of blogs. Some have different features that may or may not benefit your website or goals.
- Do trade linkbacks with other blog owners and add your link to blod directories.
- Don’t take blogging for granted. The idea is constantly evolving. Stay on top of it!
- Don’t forget blogging is just one of the many wonderful viral tools and not the sole answer.

If you haven’t tapped into the power of blogging, there is still time! While the idea has been evolving for years, the concept is changing into a powerful viral marketing tool. Hop on the blogger train while you can before the idea becomes an Internet afterthought.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Ray

Business Blogging for Beginners

By Paul McGillivary

The last five years have seen an enormous increase in the popularity of blogging. A blog is simply a web log. Initially, folks were using blogs mainly as online journals. People love blogs because they are simple to set up and simple to use. Search engines love them because they are easily searchable and often updated. But businesses often ignore blogging as an amateur endeavor that isn't fit for a professional business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let's explore a rationale for business blogging and how you can get started.

Blogs put a personal face to your business. You can interact with current and future customers in a transparent way. And a personal connection is paramount in business. Blogs also allow for two way communication through the use of comments. Readers can view the current blog post and comment on it. This sort of connection is highly underrated. If customers trust you, they will be much more apt to do business with you. After all, trust is a cornerstone of the business transaction. In an age of Tycos and Enrons, you need to establish trust with your current and future customers. If you have lost their trust, you have lost everything. Blogs are simply one way to establish this trust.

Blogs lift your web presence. And most small businesses have a horrible web presence. You may be questioning whether you really need to invest in your web presence. Let me share a story. Recently I was speaking with someone in the housing market. He has noticed an interesting trend. He used to be able to throw up a model home and have droves of visits. But lately model home visits have decreased. Since he was curious, he started asking around as to why people weren't visiting model homes as much. The overriding answer was that they could now search for a lot of information online. Now, you may balk that they would never buy a house without going in one. And you're right. But the main point is that they are gathering information before they ever step inside a house. And if a home builder is providing these potential customers answers, and establishing trust with them, they are much more likely to visit their model home. This is the art of preselling. Give customers what they want, establish trust, and you will earn their business.

Blogs deliver traffic. Blogs are fabulous for increasing your search rankings. And, if used in conjunction with an effective web marketing strategy, they are indispensable. If done well, blogs can provide search engines with a continuous stream of new and valuable content. Let's look at why this is important. People usually find things by searching for it. If you are writing content that people are looking for, search engines will marry the two. For example, let's say that your business sells party supplies. Now, you partner with an online marketing firm and find that a lot of people are looking for birthday party games. You could blog around birthday party games. The possibilities are endless here. And then you could link to your store over and over. Give people what they want and they will do business with you.

Blogs come in different packages. Once you start diving into blogging, you will quickly become confused or overwhelmed at the choices. Let's break it down. Blogging software comes in many flavors. This software allows you to create your blog entries and it also allows others to view it. And there are big differences between a hosted blog solution and a non-hosted solution. Let me explain. A hosted solution will offer you a super easy blogging solution. The great downside on that offer is that you will be blogging on their domain. A domain is simply a website address, like partysupplies.com. This is true of starting a Blogger blog (http://www.blogger.com), which is owned by Google. If you start a blog with Blogger, your blog will have the address partysupplies.blogspot.com. I would recommend that if you have a business site that you host the blog on your website address. It will help your search rankings and your traffic. As for blog software packages, I whole heartedly endorse the Wordpress blog platform (http://www.wordpress.org). It is an amazing blog platform. If possible, I would go with a hosting provider that offers an auto install of wordpress. This means that you simply walk through a wizard and it installs it for you. It's the best of all worlds!

If you haven't started a business blog, start one soon. I would recommend that you put your blog on your own domain, like partysupplies.com/wordpress. Again, I would recommend you use Wordpress. And ,if at all possible, use a host that provides an auto install of this great blogging platform.

Paul McGillivary has been a technologist for 15 years. In that time, Paul has experienced thousands of technology problems, challenges, and products. He brings this experience to bear in the articles that he presents.

Paul is also the owner of Loud Sign Internet Services. Loud Sign provides domain name register services for individuals and businesses. If you need a domain for your website, LoudSign can help you cheaply and quickly hone in on a good domain name. LoudSign also provides auto installation of great software packages like Wordpress, Joomla, DotNetNuke, Simple Machine Forums, Xoops, Gallery, and much more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_McGillivary