Blogging Like Your Life Depends On It

Many bloggers are seeking to profit from their time and work, and even hope to see full-time income potential in doing what they love to do: write. But one of the things that so easily slips past the hopeful blogger is that blogging, like any other job, requires a steady amount of work and input. More than that, it requires the same amount of time, and often more, as a regular paying job. This may sound like discouragement to those of you who may seek instant gratification from your writing, but it is - my friends, the truth. 


When working a traditional job, the formula is standard and basic: Your time doing their work in exchange for prearranged regular pay. A person generally depends on that formula to live. They are working because their lives depend on that "time + work = money" formula. The employers are typically not paying people to watch television, hang out in the kitchen in their pajamas, chat with friends on Facebook, or plant trees in FarmVille. This is pretty much true of blogging, too. You should be, as you would in any traditional "time + work = money" job, using the majority of the work day doing research, writing, promoting, analyzing, or otherwise building your audience and your blog. 


If you are doing any of this in only small amounts, or part of the time, you can probably expect that your blogging income will be slight, as well. Unless you've really latched onto a brilliant and nearly untouched niche  subject that people have been dying for information about, you're blog will probably not flourish on its own. You will need to work on it continuously... More specifically, you should be blogging as if your life depends on it. Your blog, like anything else in life, will yield the rewards of the efforts you put forth. Your time plus your hard work will produce an income. How much you earn will be a direct result of how hard (or even how long) you work. 


Stick to the formula, whether you seek traditional employment or work on your own. 
Time + Work = Money

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Welcome to the Comfort ZoneThe comfort zone can be a nice, cozy place to hang out for a while. It's safe, familiar, and doesn't require you to do anything that might make you feel too - well... uncomfortable. The freelance writing business, for some, is the entrance to the comfort zone; it's full of the possibility for writers to accept less that what they are worth, simply because we've become comfortable. We too easily settle into that comfortably routine groove. It's as if - now that you have work, you are less apt to going after something bigger and better. You're making money. 


Why fix it if it ain't broke?

Underachievement can be deadly to the freelance writing career.  Complacency will cause you to miss out on opportunities with the potential to bring in business that will facilitate your overall success.Once you've made the leap into writing part-time or full-time, you may think all of the hard work is over. Think again. It's just the start of a growing process than can be painful, frustrating, exciting and exhilarating as you grow improving your knowledge, skills and the way you operate your business. Here are some common comfort zones we freelancers can so easily settle into:

Stuck writing for low pay content sites

When you're first starting out and you land a couple of paying gigs writing for content sites, you feel ecstatic. Imagine: someone's going to PAY you to write! So say you're being paid $5 or $10 per 500 word article. You may spend end up spending several hours seven days a week writing enough articles to pay the bills each week. Ideally, you'll take this experience and quickly move on to higher paying clients, but many writers continue the cycle of searching out more of these low paying content sites instead, never really meeting their income goals.

Some writers get very comfortable with having someone bring the work to them rather than going out and finding it. If you're okay with the hours you work and the money you bring in then it's all good; but even if you are okay with it, what happens if the content site folds? It happens all the time, and the danger is even more prevalent in this struggling economy.

Fear of Marketing

This is really an extension of the previously mentioned comfort zone. I was once on a writer's forum brainstorming with others about how to get better rates. Most of us were echoing the same idea: market, market, market to more private clients. Again, you have a better chance of setting fair rates for your writing services this way. One writer honestly stated that she hated marketing, even though she was among the loudest complainers asking for someone to point her to the higher paying opportunities.For some it's really a fear of rejection. No one likes to hear "no." I think if you make peace with the fact that you will get a few "no's" or no responses, it won't seem so devastating when it happens. Stick with it and you will turn up some interested candidates.

Not Keeping Current with Industry Trends and Technology Changes

Big mistake. Now I'm not usually one to worry so much about competing against other writers for gigs; but if you're not educating yourself about trends and changes in the industry, you're doing your business and your clients a huge disservice because you can't give them what they need. Meeting your client's need is pretty much the basis of any service based business. When you get a new client and you can effectively explain how search engine ranking is achieved, sales conversion techniques or how they can benefit from  social networking sites to connect with their customers, you are further establishing yourself as an expert in their eyes. 


As far as technology is concerned, you ever come across something that's too technical for you to handle (web/blog set up and design, etc) hire someone to teach you or outsource it to someone who knows what they're doing.
Staying in the comfort zone is easy, but taking some calculated risks will net you far more rewards.

Boost Your Blogging By Borrowing Six Inspiring Ideas

Explore the Underside
If what you think you know about a subject is ALL you know about it, think again. What if you took the position of "devil's advocate", or asked a question that you think you know the answer to, but take up the opposing point of view?

Learn from the BEST
Hunter S. Thompson used an old typewriter to type out some of the literary classics... He reportedly used a typewriter to copy the books The Great Gatsby, (F. Scott Fitzgerald), and A Farewell to Arms, (Ernest Hemingway), so that he could learn how to write as great writer's did, having the experience of using the writing style, the use of language, and, of course, the feeling of using of an old typewriter to compose a great work. Although he was frequently fired from many of his early jobs as a journalist, he went on to create quite a name for himself as a freelance writer, a non-conforming journalist, and one of the more controversial authors of our time.

Listen, and Eavesdrop
Popular culture is not just about what you hear on the radio, watch on TV, or see in the movies... Pop-culture is also the made clear by listening to the conversations you find yourself privy to. You can learn a lot about what's happening in your local and national culture by listening to the everyday conversations that take place in the real-world social scene. Not everyone who's hip is linked in on Facebook or Twitter, although it may seem that's the mainstream, many more of the socially publicized biggies are not found on the net. So head out to your local coffee shop, bar, or social hot-spot, and listen in. Listen, eavesdrop, and let it permeate your mind... Soak up the conversation around you, and you'd be surprised what you'll find yourself writing about next.

Raise the Bar...
Darren Rowse (of ProBlogger), set out to become a successful blogger. He mentioned on his blog that his wife gave a time-frame in which he was to generate an adequate income, or get a part time job. According to his story, the agreement was that if he didn't succeed, he would go back to working a traditional job. His determination left him with one goal: To blog like his life depended on it. For him, it did.

Switch Your Writing Platform
This may sound silly in theory, but in reality, inspiration can often be sparked by using a different writing platform. For example, if you typically write using your blogging software, try Notepad, MS Word, or even grab a note book. Yes, even something as simple as a blank piece of paper can provide an alternative perspective, and even send a jolt of inspiration coursing through your veins... Just start writing, you can transfer it once you're finished with your work, but by simply choosing a different "canvas" on which to create your work of art, you may suddenly find yourself inspired.

Switch Your Daily Media
If you start off each day listening to the local talk radio station, or reading internet news such as MSN or AOL, switch it up... Instead, read a newspaper, watch the morning BBC news broadcast, or find another venue that is new to your life. You may find it inspiring, frustrating, benign, mundane, or you may experience a whole new set of emotions. The point is to jar something new inside your mind... something you may have forgotten, or perhaps never even thought about.

Blogging Quick Tip: Keep Your Blog Audience Interested

What do you see for your blog? Sometimes we get so caught up in searching for the next best marketing tool, and forget all about the tried and true. Sure there are brand new marketing techniques that boost traffic and put your name out there, but it's ultimately up to you to create a buzz and generate hype. Traffic spikes may not do you any good unless you've got a great blog going, or are giving out some awesome information. But some blogs need some old school help, and using some of techniques of old really come in handy. You are your ultimate buziness card, and your blog is your product.

Let's take a moment to examine a common blogging blogging mistake:

Attempting to use mystery and enticement to draw in your visitors, and never revealing your true secrets will keep visitors coming, and keep them interested, as long as you give them enough to keep them hooked.

This might work if you're Yaro Starak, but not if you're just starting out. It sounds good in theory, and if you are a very established, highly respected blogger it just might keep people coming in, but even Yaro gives out plenty of brilliant marketing techniques, blogging tips, traffic building methods, and ideas that can help any blogger rise above ground level. Even if you have already exposed some of your best information, you can still use that as your selling point for your blog, highlighting your best work by frequently referring and linking to it from other posts or pages, including from your sidebar links.

11 Rules for Avoiding Distractions

Avoiding distractions is just one of the many challenges that you will face as you move forward into the position of a full-time blogging writer. Whether you choose to work out of your home, rent an office, or even blog at your local internet cafe, you're likely to face a multitude of distractions throughout the day. These distractions, and how well you avoid them, will determine your success as a full-time blogging writer. Your time should be viewed the same as if you were working in a paid position. If you're serious about using writing or blogging as your sole source of income, you should be equally serious about avoiding time-killing distractions throughout the day.

1. Set specific work hours during which you will tackle your daily writing. Regardless of what time of day you choose to set as your work hours, treat your day as if you were working for someone other than yourself. 
2. Treat your blog writing as if your life depends on it. If you are making the transition from working in a traditional setting to full-time blogging, your livelihood probably does depend on your ability to set regular hours and stick to them. 
3. Set up a comfortable work space. Be sure that your writing environment is not only comfortable, but free of incoming distractions.
4. Avoid surfing the web. Be aware of the difference between research and internet distractions. It is all too easy to see an interesting link while you are researching, but avoid the temptation to click on it. 
5. Schedule specific break and meal times, allowing yourself plenty of time to get some serious work done. Once you have set up your daily schedule, stick to it! If you find yourself confused about the reasons for adhering to a set schedule, refer back to rule number 2. 
6. Periodically walk around and clear your mind. Using your breaks to surf the web, watch television, or eat a light snack can help refresh your mind, but then get back to work!
7. Turn off online notifications and social networking tools. Having instant notifications interrupt your thoughts can leave you feeling blank moments later. While sometimes being socially connected can be helpful – most of the time it will be the source of constant distraction.
8. If at all possible, turn off your cell phone, or even your land-line. Unless you are expecting an important call, avoid talking on the phone during work hours.
9. Insist that others respect your work hours. If you share a home or office space with others, let them know that you will be "unavailable" during specific hours or times of the day.
10. Value your available work time during the day. You can place a monetary value on it, or just view each moment of the day as “opportunity for advancement” in your newly developing blogging career.
11. Remember that you are your own boss - which means you are responsible for managing your time. Much in the same way a “9 to 5” boss would be paying for your time and work, think of your own time as a “valuable opportunity” to make money.

Could These 8 Things Be Holding You Back?

Could these 8 things be holding back your online earnings? You may not realize it, but there are plenty of things bloggers do that actually prevent them blog from making any money. Even if your goals are simple, and you just want to earn enough to make a decent living, you may be stopping your blog from making money - before you ever got started.

1. Traffic - Yep, it's true. If you lack decent traffic flow - you just won't earn. Period.

2. It's All Fluff - Even a boring blog with very little substance is capable of generating pocket change every few months - but only because disinterested readers will click on just about anything just to get away from your blog. If you're not creating interesting content, you probably won't develop a steady readership needed - or draw in the traffic to create a decent income.

3. Lacking a Basic Business Plan - If you don't know what you're selling, chances are - your readers don't either. It's not enough to just patch a blog together, throw on some fluffy articles, and slap on a few advertisements. You have to know which direction you are going with your blog, create a plan, set goals, and work towards them.

4. Undefined Goals - If you don't know where you want to go - you probably won't end up there.

5. Daily Distractions - Spending too much time on any one activity can leave you empty at the end of the day. This is why even a basic business plan can help you remember what your ultimate goals should be, and the daily activities that will help you move closer to your goals.

6. Regurgitated Information - While it's perfectly acceptable and even encouraged to be inspired by other bloggers, be careful not to repeat everything they are saying. Original content will have a better chance at raking higher in search engines, and lets your readers get a fresh perspective on the topic. 

7. Your Layout - A confusing layout can cause a visitor to immediately click away from your site. There are just some sites that boggle our eyes, and registers as "irritating" in our minds. The natural response is to leave the site - regardless of what the site is about - no matter what the content consists of - it's just too annoying to stay.

8. Lack of Trust - If your readers don't get the impression that you know your stuff - they just won't trust you. Period.

Blog Tip: The Flavor Comes Out When You Stir Up the Pot

Don't Be a Blogging 'Yes Man'

Being polite and agreeable has its place, but it's not in the blogging world. While there are a plethora of eager-to-please bloggers out there circulating their sheeple shit, very few bloggers are willing to share their true opinions. Too many bloggers forget that not only do we have a voice, but with the right words - we have the ability to communicate with millions. The ability to seek truth and relay facts on an international level within minutes from the homes of billions around the world is fantastic - and yet it a completely accessible communication medium to anyone with a voice and a computer with internet.

Media bloggers pumping regurgitated news blurbs on all the major networks fail to present the burning questions of our time, let alone finding answers. The internet has turned many people into truth seekers and instant researchers, obtaining answers in just a few clicks. Some argue that bloggers are the journalists of our future; others believe that bloggers are nothing more than idiots with web access and a meaningless opinion.

The fact of the matter is, bloggers have become part of a pivotal point in our social society, as well as a major contributor to the continued success of many online businesses. Bloggers are being noticed as having the ability to create hype and fame, as well as destroy lives and spread rumors that reach millions in the blink of an eye.

So what really makes bloggers and journalists different? While many journalists pride themselves on their education and their degree, believing that their credentials cause ears to listen - their degree and reputation cause them to repress many of the truths that they once sought to expose. Bloggers, on the other hand, display a fearlessness unlike that of traditional journalists. They often have no reputation to destroy, but are often discovered based on their controversial views - and the courage to share them openly.

Don't be afraid to stir up the pot; throw in a little controversy to mix it up a little. Have the courage to share the facts you find with others. Be confident enough in your research to contradicts the mainstream media coverage of a story, or the details of hidden facts kept from breaking stories on the news. Go ahead, YOU break the story!

Blogging Labeled as Dangerous, But is it Really True?

Within the past few years, bloggers have proven that it is entirely possible to make a decent living through blogging. Many people make a good income doing it, and for a select group of blogging elites, the has even brought them fame and fortune. But for at least a few bloggers, their intense drive to be the first to blog about breaking industry news may have led to their deaths.

While the simplicity of blogging for financial gain has drawn an incredible number of aspiring bloggers to dump the contents of their minds into the blogosphere at an alarming rate, it has also created the myth that anyone can be a successful blogger. But with any amount of experience as a serious blogger, one quickly realizes that spitting out regurgitated news just simply isn't good enough. Hence, the bad wrap - that blogging is dangerous to your health.

The notion that blogging could be deadly certainly is plausible in extreme cases, as many of the most successful bloggers rarely sleep, drink meals in the form of protein-caffeine cocktails, and spend nearly every waking hour in a highly competitive news breaking frenzy with global competitors. But the suggestion that blogging could bring about the levels of stress that are experienced by commercial airline pilots, or that the amount of danger that a blogger faces on the job is comparable to that of a coal miner is a giant leap over the edge of truth.

The reality of it is, blogging is what you make of it. It probably isn't fair to say that blogging in general is very competitive, because the truth of it is, a huge population of bloggers write because they enjoy it. It is considered by many to be an emotional outlet of sorts; a place of self-satisfaction, a release of words begging to come out and speak to someone . . . anyone . . . or even no one at all.

The dangers of blogging in general aren't necessarily higher than those of other computer based desk jobs. Sometimes, in order to be successful at something, you've got to put your all into your goal. To be honest, the success that some bloggers have achieved - generally comes with a high level of stress.

But don't let yourself be fooled into thinking that you would be a great blogger because you love the computer and hate getting out of bed in the morning, it takes time and a lot of hard work to build a thriving blog and an established readership. And as with anything else you may do for a living, you've gotta love it. In fact, just loving blogging isn't always enough. Darren Rowse of ProBlogger once said that he had to blog as if his life depended on it - because it did. He has since become known as a pioneer in the blogging industry, and has achieved a great level of success and respect in the blogging industry.

Dispelling Myths about Blog Post Frequency

Sorting through all the "post frequency" garbage on the web can be a little confusing, and sometimes discouraging. But knowing how often to post on your blog could give you an edge over your competition, even if you are posting less frequently than they are. While frequent posts and mass content may have helped boost traffic and search engine visibility in the early days of blogging, web-clutter is piling up fast, and making it more difficult to find valuable sources of information on the net.

MYTH: Frequent posting will increase blog traffic and RSS subscriptions.

TRUTH: Regularly appearing posts can make it easier for readers to know how often to check your blog for new content. It also allows search engines to determine how often to crawl your site. But with an increasingly high number of readers turning to RSS feeds, too many posts bombard your subscribers, causing even loyal readers to unsubscribe!

MYTH: Daily posts are what readers want.

TRUTH: Readers want to spend their time reading quality content, juicy tid-bits, useful information, or something that specifically sparks their interest. Most successful bloggers agree that the usefulness or value of the post is much more important than the frequency. Too many new bloggers quit after just a few months, or sooner. All of these brief little posts are accumulating in the blogosphere - creating a veritable blogging landfill within the search engines. Cut down on the clutter that is clogging up the lines of communication. I'm not implying that we lobby for a virtual-green blogging ecosystem - just suggesting we all use a bit of common sense.

MYTH: Short frequent posts are better than long articles posted less frequently.

TRUTH: Unless you can string together a handful of words to brilliantly convey your point, providing your audience with something of value in just a few sentences, you may do well to avoid short frequent posting. Remember what grandma used to say - if you don't have anything nice to say . . ? Well let's put a web 2.0 spin on that old saying:

"If you don't have anything useful or valuable to post - don't post anything at all."

Restrain Yourself!

Frequent posting is (in part) what fuels low-quality posts. As a blogger, you could very well downgrade the quality of your entire blog if you allow the pressure of frequent posting get to you. It is best to take a fair amount of time researching your information and providing useful and valuable information to your readers.

How often you post is of less importance than the quality of your posts. If you have something valuable and useful to say - post it, regardless of how often you post. Articles and posts that are timeless (meaning they will still be valuable next week - or next year) will continue to draw attention long after they have been posted. Posting too frequently could bury some of your more useful posts in your archives, and new visitors may never take the time to find the value in your blog. But when each and every post adds more value to your blog, it invites multiple page views, repeat visits, and loyal readers who eagerly await your next post.

The Untold Story of How the Three Little Pigs Built Their Blogs

Learn From the Mistakes of Others

Well, as we all know - learning from your mistakes saves you the time and hardship of making them again. But two of the three little pigs didn't seem to learn much from their ordeal with the big bad wolf. I don't know if you ever knew the names of the three pigs, but the one who built his house out of straw - that was Gary. Larry was the one who built his house out of twigs, and George, well - he built his home out of bricks.

Keeping Up with the Jones's

All three pigs moved from wolf's territory just after he huffed, and puffed, and blew two of their houses down. They moved out near the old information highway, which is far away from the big bad wolf. The three little pigs moved into a new neighborhood called the Web, which is now almost entirely dominated and powered by Ooogle. But the pigs weren't intimidated by Ooogle's laws of the land, and each had a plan to become part of the blogging community.

Their new neighbors, the Jones family, said that almost everyone in the community has recently redesigned using the Web 2.0 model - and the pigs just had to keep up with the Jones's.
Each of them quickly began to build their blogs, each with different types of blogging platforms, different types of writing styles, and offered very different information on their blogs.

Gary's Blog Was Build from Straw

Gary actually built a pretty nice blog. The design was clean and simple, he had decent content, but his approach to getting more traffic was a little weak. Basically he just submitted to a few blog directories, trying to avoid dealing with Ooogle and the laws of the land. He sat, and he sat, waiting for visitors - but they didn't come. His traffic was close to zero, and Ooogle completely ignored his blog. He thought he could be doing more, but he didn't really know what to do. Gary would have to learn a little more about building traffic and becoming a part of the community before his blog would have the strength to stand up to Ooogle. Gary's blog fizzled.

Larry Built His Blog from Twigs

Larry wanted to build his blog quickly, so he used articles that he had posted on an old website he had. Well, one of Ooogle's laws of the land is that you never post duplicate information, so Larry's used articles quickly got Ooogle's attention. Ooogle banned him from the query results page, saying he posted duplicated information. Larry's blog fizzled.

George Gained Success through His Blog Built of Bricks

George bought his own domain right away, that way people would take him more seriously as a member of the community. He started out with great content to begin with, and often participated in discussions in forums and joining conversations by leaving insightful comments and sharing useful information on relevant blogs. He even gave away some great information for free. George's blog sizzled! Within just a few weeks, he had his first few visitors, and some even left comments! He commented back, and he visited the sites of those who left comments - leaving a comment for them as well. He was invited to guest blog on a popular blog, and a few of his posts were pretty hot on Digg! He was well on his way to becoming a valuable member of the community, offering useful information to his readers.

The Traffic Formula

Traffic, just like any other measure of success, is the fruition of the hard work and dedication you have put into your blog. If you don’t already have a steady flow of traffic, whether it’s five visitors a day or five-thousand, then you probably aren’t taking the proper combination of steps (or enough of the proper steps) to help people find your blog and take interest in what you have to say.

Quality Content

Basically, the successful traffic equation is simple:

Quality Content + Community Participation = Traffic

This is probably the most important factor when considering your traffic flow. As far as new visitors are concerned, if you don’t offer valuable information within the first 30-seconds of their visit – you’ve lost them. Furthermore, if your layout is confusing, or if your information is outdated, they might leave without reading the great information you offer. The combination of quality content and a good site layout is the proper foundation for a successful blog, and a growing readership.
As debates between the journalism community and the blogging community heat up, there is a more intense expectation of bloggers to produce quality content. Even if you are blogging about Aunt Martha’s favorite recipes, your information could either be jam-packed with useful information – or you could rattle on for paragraphs about nothing but her cat. But if readers are expecting to get a few great recipes from that aunt they never had and are instead pummeled with countless anecdotes about Fluffy – they’ll leave. They probably won’t even stick around long enough to find those delicious recipes – and certainly won’t be book-marking your blog!

Community Participation

Once you have a decent amount of information put together in an organized fashion, you’re ready to get out and socialize! That’s right – in order to build blog traffic in the quickly-evolving web 2.0 world of today, you’ve got to get out and join the blog party. This means joining social networks, forums, community memberships, and commenting within your niche. Find others that have blogs in complimentary subjects, and leave comments that offer value to the conversation. You’ll find that leaving useful and informative comments on highly-visible blogs can turn out to be a wonderful source of traffic.

On that same note, if you participate in community forums, you will find that by sharing valuable information within that community can help seat you in a position of “authority” within your particular niche. Basically, it’s a game of social survival – just like high-school, but in this game the goal is not only to become popular, but to become viewed as an authority in your niche. You want to get people talking about you, and what you have to say. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people open their posts with, “I was just reading an article by Darren on ProBlogger”. I’m starting to wonder if the guy could just write 10 words about chocolate – and people would actually believe that there was a blogging lesson in those 10 words that they learned by visiting ProBlogger that day.
That’s the power of becoming an authority within your niche.

Three Things You Can Do to Improve Your Blog

Improve the Look and Feel of Your Layout

• Organize and De-Clutter - Get rid of widgets and buttons that do not offer anything to your reader, or to you. Eliminate anything that causes a "cluttered" look, or is distracting. smooth out the appearance, align the sidebars and contents in a way that creates a "clean" look and fresh feel.
• Create Usability - place common objects in a place that is to be expected. people will look for certain things to be in a certain area, and readers will appreciate being able to find these things easily. Thanks for the tips, Skellie!
• Add - Elements, colors and pictures - in a non-distracting way, of course. Think of it as a sort of eye-candy, or entertainment for the eyes that keeps your reader interested. Plain text can appear boring and blah when you have been on a site for a while. If you want your readers to continue reading and viewing your content, you'll need a little flair and style!

Increase Traffic

• Build Links - Using link building techniques such as comments, blog submissions, community forums and deep linking will help to build your blog traffic, increase traffic through search engines, and help build credibility for you as a blogger.
• Social Networking - Social networks and social media are extremely useful if your content is able to generate a buzz.

Improve Your Content

• What You Offer - Consider the usefulness of the information you offer
• Provide Resources - In doing so, you earn the opportunity to become recognized as a resource, and you yourself may ending up an expert in your niche.
• Avoid - Stay away from writing styles that could confuse or distract the reader. If you have bad writing habits that prevent readers from understanding your point, you'll quickly lose any potential readers.
• Create Usability - User-friendly, easy to read information. Create content that is laid out in a way that is easy to understand, and readers know you have a point. Their time is valuable, and your content should convey to the reader that there is something of value that you have to offer. If your posts are long and indirect - readers are more likely to get bored and move on.
• Study - Go back and look over past posts. Re-read some of the older ones that you once considered great posts. Compare your writing style and ability to convey your message with now - and see how you've grown or changed as a writer.
• Read - Make sure that you are regularly reading other blogs, whether for inspiration, ideas, commenting opportunities, or simply to learn more about your own niche. Don't get yourself stranded on a blogging island.

Stolen Content May Help You Advertise Your Blog through Deep Linking

It’s never comforting to realize that someone has stolen your hard work by ripping off your latest article. But there are some steps you can take to ensure that your blog will receive some healthy advertising through the whole ordeal. Fighting against the article skimmers could be long and fruitless, and could leave you more frustrated than the day you discovered your copy on someone else’s page. But with a little extra effort, those content thieves could be sending you some extra traffic!

The first thing you need to understand is how your article is likely to be used. In most cases, content thieves are skimming articles in order to quickly put together a blog with a seemingly long history. It’s a common scam that sploggers use to fill up their blog archives with well written articles in order to give them what appears to be longevity and “credibility” in their chosen niche. They will typically post your article along with the articles of others onto a blog with no contact information, but usually with all of the original links attached. In fact, you may even discover that by clicking the title link, you are taken to your own blog or site. While it is definitely a bad thing that your name is not included in the byline of your article, you may find a small amount of comfort knowing that the article links to your website.

But you can do even more to promote your site through potentially stolen content – other than just complain. Since it’s become common practice among bloggers to link a related article within a post, you can take comfort knowing that this will help your link building process. But how does this help you? You already know that you can make each and every post on your blog direct readers to other pages on your site, but what you may not realize is that these are deep links. (Deep links are any links that provide a direct route to specific information, without having to navigate through a site from their Home page.) These can be used to your benefit when designing your website, as they will likely appear on the thief’s blog as well. These deep links within your posts will help redirect readers towards your blog, no matter where they find your article.

Is Your Writing Style Distracting Your Readers

Because so many bloggers have begun to worry about how much money their time is worth, they often forget to have fun, and enjoy what they do. After all, a good blogger has to appreciate the written language, and enjoy writing. This can be especially true for corporate bloggers. But more recently, bloggers are beginning to let go of the formal writing style, and starting to use a more fluent, speaking-style writing. Just like you would say it if the person you were talking to were stading in front of you. If you have something of value that you are offering on your site, too much fluff around your point will make it mute.

When you loosen up the writing style a little bit, you become more free in what you want to say - and how you say it. But this doesn't mean that you'd want to use cRaZy TyPiNg styles either, that makes it just as difficult to read as a ransom note. The point is, to make it easy for the reader to understand what you are saying - or if in fact you have anything valuable to say at all. These things are important to readers, and can make the difference between someone coming back to read more - or avoiding links that point to your site!

Dress for Success - The Blogger Project

Your blog speaks to the reader before he or she even begins to read the words you have written. The feeling your readers get when your blog page first loads is what matters the very most. In fact, many people will leave your site in a big hurry if they don't like the way your site "feels". Their first impression of anything you have to say as a blogger is in your site layout. Some bloggers feel that their words speak louder than their blog's appearance - but this is simply NOT true if the reader doesn't feel like sticking around long enough to read anything you wrote.

Take those few extra steps towards building a better layout, and watch you'll get to watch your readership grow - along with your earnings, if that is a goal for you. Depending on how a visitor found your site, there is an immediate chance for that person to say, "Oh, this wasn't what I thought it was going to be." That's it - they're gone . . . just like that. Your job is to sell your site from the first glance. That's where your project comes in. (Don't worry, you can stay in your pajamas for now - this blog project is about dressing your blog for success!)

The Project

Take a look at your blog. Not just a quick glance, but a good long look. Think about what your blog is saying, and what level of professionalism you will need to attract the readers in your niche. Also take a look at your sidebars and header, are there things that you've been unsatisfied with, but just haven't taken the time to fix it? Well, wake up, because it's time to get your blog into tip-top shape now. The blogosphere is becoming more and more competitive, and there are an incredible amount of blogs being created each day. Unless you've got a really tight niche locked up, you'll probably need to have good looks, too!

Now, take a look at at least 10 other blogs, including 5 professional blogs and 5 not-so-professional looking blogs. For example, take a look at the two blogs below, both of which have great information, advice, useful links and tips for their niche, but one is much more professional looking than the other.

• Professional looking blog: ProBlogger
• Not-so-professional looking: Dummies Guide to Google Blogger Beta

The Next Step

Once you have learned what level of professionalism you want to display to your readers, spend some time thinking about what type of people your blog will appeal to. Consider your readers, and realize that you are a marketer, not just a blogger. Your readers are your consumers, and you want your blog to appeal to them, don't you? If your readers are most likely drawn towards MSN or AOL news sites, you are definitely going to need your blog to reflect a highly professional appearance. However, if you have a blog in which you post your mom's forwarded email jokes - you may not need to worry about how professional your blog looks. Remember, dress like already have the job of your dreams!

Lastly, leave a comment with a link to your new layout once you've perfected your look!

What it Takes to Earn Money Blogging and Be a Successful Blogger

No matter how you look at it, how much you analyze it, making money through your blog boils down to just one thing - traffic. Most people blog because they enjoy it. But because it is time consuming, it is only natural to want to get paid for your time. But because there is no guarantee that you will earn anything through your blogging, you're going to have to work fairly hard to achieve your goals. This means that even if you are a brilliant writer, and no matter how much time you spend on your blog each day - if no one is visitng your blog, you probably won't make any money. Sure, you may still enjoy your blogging, but even that will be less of a turn-on if no one is reading what you write.

With that established, you're either blogging for enjoyment, money, or both. The problem for many enthusiastic new bloggers with dollar signs in their eyes - is that they don't really enjoy writing. For some reason or other, they misinterpret the reasons that others began blogging in the first place. Some have even convinced themselves that because people like Darren Rowse are able to make a healthy living blogging - that they too can easily bring in a nice chunk of pocket change by setting up a blog and slapping a few Google ads on it. But, my blogging friends, this is just not so.

When you started blogging, what was your motivation? Do you have something of value or interest to share with others? Did you start blogging because you heard you could make money by sitting in front of the computer? Perhaps you have a love of written language, and the power of words. The hard part for most new bloggers to swallow is that you've really got to develop a following, or at least a consistant and steady flow of traffic to your site. Starting a blog is only the first step, then comes the real work - getting people to actually read what you've written. It can be even more of a challenge to get people to know you exist - let alone read what you write about.

Facing these challenges is what makes a blogger dedicated. Conquering these challenges is what makes a blogger stand out. But mastering the solutions to these challenges is what makes a blogger successful. Which brings m e to a quote that I believe ALL bloggers should take as encouragement, I just wish I knew who said it! Remember it, say it, dream it in your sleep - but most of all, live it.

"Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people are unwilling to do."

Increase Traffic Through Link Building

Okay, for all of you who are looking for insta-traffic, you're likely to be disappointed with this advice. We all want instant results, but the reality of the situation is that we - as bloggers, must work for this. True, there are a few exceptions to the rule, but most bloggers are starting from scratch, and building traffic will not be an instantaneous, single-action button click. If it were that easy, the blogosphere would be weighed down with splogs (or spam-blogs) that offer no value to the reader.

Comment Traffic

Now, keep those A-listers in mind; they should be part of your plan to build traffic. If you are already reading an A-list blog, either for inspiration, learning, or just for entertainment, your first step should be to start participating in the conversations. Posting a comment on an A-list blog is a spectacular way to get noticed, especially if you write an insightful and edifying comment. A well placed link in a comment, or even a comment well placed (such as in the first five comments) will create visibility, and quite possibly become a permanent source of traffic.

Forum Traffic

Forums are a good place to become part of a community of bloggers. While many people believe that you can just sign up for membership in a few free forums and place their links, then disappear - this strategy will often fail. To develop any sort of real traffic from forums or message boards, you must first earn the respect of your fellow community members. Many bloggers don't want (or feel that they don't need) the support of fellow bloggers, but this line of thinking will often put you on a blogging island.

• Fact: Bloggers often link to other blogs they read, especially when they find a blog particularly useful or valuable.

Not all Links are Created Equal

The basic rule of thumb when it comes to placing links is simple: Links placed in high-traffic areas will have more visibility = more traffic for you. For example: if you place a link on a rarely read blog, your link will be rarely seen. When you place a link on a site where it will quickly disappear will cause your traffic flow from that link to also disappear. This means that if you are placing your links on a site like Craigslist, your links will have a maximum 7-day shelf-life. Much of your time spent placing links such as this will be lost, and so will your traffic.

By becoming part of the community, (i.e. getting involved in the conversations, regular participation, helpful advice to fellow bloggers, etc.) you have the opportunity to develop relationships with other bloggers. This can turn into a valuable source of traffic, especially if you regularly contribute valuable information. Bloggers will link to your blog or certain posts that they feel are useful to their readers.

As a forum member, you also have the opportunity to place links to your blog in your signature. This is especially useful for the active forum participant, especially if you post useful information. By doing so, you will earn respect, and your blog and posts in the forum will be perceived as valuable. For example: if you post tips or information that other bloggers charge money for, people will automatically click the link to your blog to see what else they can learn from you. All too many new bloggers feel that the good stuff should be kept secret, and instead their blogs end up full of fluff. Keeping some of your best secrets to yourself is normal - but to keep it all to yourself could downgrade the usefulness of your blog, and it could easily be disregarded as useless babble. Some of the most famous and successful bloggers share some really great information and that is often what sets them apart from the rest.

Setting Your 2008 Blogging Goals

By now, you should already have a pretty good idea of which direction you want to go for the year 2008. If not, you've got a whole year to figure out which way you've gone. By this I mean that there are plenty of bloggers out there that spent the better portion of last month wondering why they didn't do things differently for the year of 2007, but realized they had strayed far from their original goals. For some, it may have been a successful year - but for others who find themselves pondering the waste of an entire year, all hope is not lost.

Take a moment to go over your 2007 blogging goals if you had them documented. Re-evaluate how you set your goals, and how realistic they were. If you set blogging goals for 2007, asking yourself a few simple questions may help you realize where you stand, and which direction you hope to go. If you didn't have any goals last year, or are just starting out this year, it still may be a good idea to go over the questions before you set your 2008 goals, and may help you set realistic goals that you have the ABILITY to accomplish.

• What have you accomplished that you had hoped you would?
• What did you miss out on? How many short term, attainable goals did you set for yourself, and did you complete them?
• What were your long term goals, and are you on track to complete them within the timeframe you originally set?
• How many of the goals you set seem unrealistic now that you look back at the year?
• What would you do differently this year?

Looking back at the past (as cliche as it sounds) - can prevent you from making the same mistakes. It also helps you to realize what you could have done better, how well you planned your year, and how well you stick to your goals. If you had trouble staying on track, you may do well to have monthly goals, and set a prediction of where you hope that accomplishing those goals will take you.

Try to avoid the traditional 5-year plan type of goal setting. The internet is volitle, and you may find your goals obsolete in a matter of a few months. 5-year plans work well for overall business goals, marriage, family planning - but not so much for blogging. Remember that in order to succeed in any online business, including blogging, you've got to be willing to stay current, keep up with the changes in the online world, and change with the times.

Breaking News Can Bring Your Blog to the Top 10 in Google

It's not always easy to make it onto the first page of a Google search, but there are a few things that can help boost you up to the top. One of the best examples I can share with you comes from one of my other blogs, Blogging Mt Hood. Most people in the U.S. are familiar with the story that brought my blog to the top - unintentionally.

Since I live in the Mt Hood area of Oregon, I decided it would be fun to blog about the local events, people, places to go, and local news from the locals' point of view. Well, nearly one year ago, three hikers went missing on Mt Hood. When I decided to write about what happened in our local area, the tragic events that took place on the mountain became the very thing that brought my blog to the front page of Google. Because two of those hikers were never found, people continue to search for answers from across the country, and visit my blog to read about it.

While I would certainly hope that there is a more positive news story you are able to follow - I encourage bloggers to include current events in their blog posts. I would even suggest finding out what some of the top search terms are for the day - and if any apply to your niche, then be sure to include it.

Now don't get me wrong, including names like Paris, Lindsay or Britney in your blog may not be the best way to bring visitors to your blog - even if they are in the news a lot. People continue to visit Blogging Mt Hood because the story is relevent to the blog, and they return to read many other blog posts, not just the tragedies. In fact - if you were to use a famous name to bring people to your techie blog - you'll quickly learn that even when people do land on your site due to specific keywords, if they aren't relevent to your blog topic - the visitors will quickly leave.

Analysis of a Blog Reader

Your blog readers will be a mix of people, but it is important to keep in mind that they are real people. Who are they, and how did they find your blog? What did they come here to find, and will they find the answers to their questions? The answers to these questions will help you to build traffic, develop a blog that attracts return visitors and loyal readers, and learn how to attract and keep the readers attention.

1. People who stumble across your blog quite by accident, but the words on the screen are so enticing, they are compelled to keep reading.
   - Are you consistently producing that quality of content?
   - Is your subject matter random, or do you have more content on the same or a similar subject?
2. People who stumble across your blog quite by accident, but either click their "Back" button or click a link to leave your site.
   - What made them leave so quickly? (Some people will leave anyway, it may purely be accidental that they are on your site.) But could your site have poor design, or could the colors be driving people away?
   - Is your site easy to read? Are you using a clear font and is the color clearly visible against the background? (I frequently leave blogs because they use light font colors on a white or light background. There could be great information on the blog, but if I can't see the words, what's the point in sticking around?)
   - Are providing entertainment and/or great information? Visitors commonly leave a blog or website because they are "not getting anything" from it.
3. People who are in search of something specific, and some of the words on your blog matched their search criteria.
   - Again, is your subject matter consistent, or do you have random topics that do not relate to each other throughout your blog?
   - If your subject matter is random, are you entertaining enough to keep readers interested?
4. Loyal readers who continue to read your blog:
   - Because they relate to the subject you are writing about.
   - Because they are learning something they have an interest in.
   - Because they enjoy your writing style, you entertain them.
   - Because they see you as competition, and are studying your methods.

Don't forget, some of the visitors in your traffic stats are also pings and crawlers, especially if you are submitting to or are already listed in search engines, and if you are using pinging services. While it is a good thing to write with search engines in mind, people and your readers should be your main focus. Using a popular name like Paris, Lohan, or Bush might get you in the high ranks of the search engines, but the traffic and the people you draw in might be let down when they find out your blog is about your quest as Mario to beat the dragon in world 8-4 on the old Nintendo 64 as you battle the pain of carpel tunnel and struggle with the medical bills. That's all I'm sayin'.