Nigel McFarlane

Getting Over Blogger’s Block

Written by admin on July 11, 2009

Every blogger has had those days when words are especially hard to come by, and all the sentences you type out sound wrong.  Or what about those times when you feel like you’re out of fresh ideas and you feel like you have nothing new to say about your niche?  Blogger’s block is a common but frustrating obstacle for a lot of bloggers, especially because it’s a waste of time and the daily opportunity to make money blogging.  

Don’t fret, though.  Blogger’s Block, while inevitable, is not that hard to combat.  Here’s what you can do when you’ve hit the dreaded wall, and what it takes to climb over it:

1.  Get a change of scenery
It can get pretty boring working in just one place all day.  Why not pick a different spot to work in to literally get a different view on things?  The change in scenery can spur you towards new ideas that can kick your blogging into action.  Choose a spot that you don’t usually work in, such as the terrace or the dining table.  You don’t even have to stay in your house!  Head out to a coffee shop you like, plug in your laptop, and type away while enjoying a cup of good coffee.

If you don’t have a laptop, however, don’t despair.  You need not be chained to your PC all day.  Just get up, take a break, and move away from your computer for a while.  A 15- or 20-minute break and a breath of fresh air can do wonders and help you get a shot of new ideas and perspectives.

2.  Move away from distractions
Don’t set yourself up for a bout of blogger’s block by positioning yourself in a place that’s chock-full of potential distractions.  Turn off the TV and the radio, or anything else that might keep you from thinking clearly.  If people are making a lot of noise, politely ask them to tone it down a bit.

Potential sources of distraction can also come right from your PC: games on your hard drive and certain websites can suck you in for a long time if you don’t exercise caution and restraint.  Do your best to focus on your work, and set aside a time for leisurely browsing.

3.  There’s no need to be perfect
Sometimes, bloggers get stuck because they’re working under the impression that they need to make amazing blog entries each time.  While it’s good to be so meticulous, there’s actually no need to make every post a flawless one.  Instead, aim to deliver content that’s satisfying, interesting, and informative, even if it’s just minimally so.

4.  Pre-empt the block
The best way to fight blogger’s block is by preventing it from happening in the first place.  Draw up an entry planner or calendar that you can fill up at the beginning of the month with ideas for potential articles.  This way, you always have a blueprint for your blog posts, and you won’t have to worry about what you’ll blog about the next day.  You can even use the hours you save on extra time to make money blogging.

Although blogger’s block can be really annoying, it’s not all that hard to get over it.  All you need to do is keep these techniques in mind, and you won’t hit a lot of snags as you go on blogging.  Just remember to take it easy on yourself, and the words should flow out in no time.

How to Create a Media Kit for Your Blog

Written by admin on July 10, 2009

By this time, you must have heard about media advertising kits and what they can do to help you make money blogging.  But what exactly is a media kit?  Basically, it’s a page that’s crammed with information that should draw in advertisers and make them interested in putting up an ad on your blog.  It’s what you should put up if you’re at a point where direct advertising is your next step, and your eager to step up your efforts at monetizing your site.

If you want to start making your own media kit, there are certain guidelines you should follow.  Although media kits can come in various forms, the most effective ones all have a few crucial elements in place.  Here are a few guidelines that you can refer to when you want to start making your own media kit:

1.  Keep it simple
The last thing you want to do is sound like an academic snob on your media kit.  When you start writing for it, string your ideas together using succinct sentences and simple phrasing and wording.  Trust us: advertisers don’t want to decode your media kit, so make everything as short, simple, and straightforward as possible.

2.  Include your blog’s profile and stats:

State clearly what your blog is about and what subject matter it deals with.  What exactly is your niche, and which part of your niche is your blog most focused on?  Another indispensable element in a media kit is information on your blog’s statistics.  These figures show advertisers how well your blog is doing, and indicates how much exposure their ads will get just by sitting on your site.  Show the average number of visitors you get each month, the number of backlinks you have, and other such relevant data that advertisers will be interested in.  You can even include a screenshot of your Google Analytics page just to drive home the point.

3.  Give clear information on your ad packages:
Your ad packages are the heart of the matter here, so do your best to make all the information about them as clear as possible.  If an advertiser is impressed by the exposure that you can provide for their ads, they’ll definitely want a spot in your blog.  Show on your media kit how much your packages are, what the button and banner sizes are, and where they will be positioned in your blog.

4.  Create a page exclusively for it:
Put up a tab or a link on your site with an “Advertise” or “Advertise Here” label to direct potential advertisers to your media kit.  After all, what use is one if they can’t find it?  Position the tab or link in a prominent place, where interested parties can see it right away.

Nothing can be more rewarding than when you finally make money blogging, and creating a media kit is just one of the many ways through which you can kick the process into high gear.  Now that you know what the ground rules for making a kit are, it’s time for you to put up one and begin monetizing your blog more seriously.

Tools You Need to Have for Blogging

Written by admin on July 9, 2009

Within the internet community, blogging so far has been staple. From personal use, it has evolved to become an essential tool in delivering up-to-date news and building communications in a business. Newbie marketing and professionals alike use blogging as a tool to become better in their craft or as a money making business endeavour. That is why choosing the right blogging tools is essential in making one’s life as a blogger easier.

What are blogging tools? Blogging tools are software that allows its user to create and publish blogs. Different blogging tools have different features. From adding photos, video, and sound to changing and personalizing the look of one’s blog, these features allow one to customize their blogs to fit its content or the blogger’s personality and preferences. Choosing the right tool that fills the needs of the users is the key to becoming a successful online publisher.

Remember that different blogging tools use different features. The kinds of features they have depend on what kind of users will most likely use them. There are some software that only includes some basic features and are designed for beginners who don’t have much knowledge about building sites and blogging. Other blogging software caters to more experienced bloggers. SEO services say that they have advanced features that are a little more complicated to understand and use.

Now, there are two different types of blogging software and these are the hosted blog software and independent blog software. Hosted blog software are software where all the data and features are accessible online. Independent blog software can be downloaded and installed in a web server of the user’s choosing. Independent blogs can be done even if the user is not online. It can be configured to the blogger’s specifications. Posts can be published on the time indicated by the user.

Here are some features blogging tools may have:

· Creating and publishing posts – The most essential feature a blogging software can have. Since the main purpose of blogging is the posting of written content, being able to write fast and accurately is what every blogger needs.

· Uploading photo’s, video, and sound – Some more advanced blogging software allows its users to add photo’s or video or even sound to their post. This makes it easier for the readers. There are those who don’t want to download files in order to view or hear something that the blogger wants to share.

· Displaying of content and user interface – To make a blog readable, users must be able to navigate around the site easily and read blog entries with ease.

· Customizing layout and design of the blog – A blogs design and appearance must reflect its content and its maker. Blogs need to allow users to personalize the appearance and overall theme for the blog..

· Blog statistics – To keep track of the blogs performance, the blogger must be able to see how much web traffic it generates. With this information one can make adjustments on how to improve traffic and sustain the interest of its visitors.

There are many more features that a blogging tool can posess. From the most basic to the most advanced, it is up to the user which features he or she will need in his or her blog

Secrets To Getting Unique Content For Your Blog

Written by admin on July 8, 2009

Blogs and websites that have rich content are always going to do better than those that don’t. I am sure you wondered where these blogs get their ideas, views and opinions. It is easy to write about something you are passionate about- but to do that most days of the week is extremely hard, since you would probably run out of things to talk about or you simply don’t have the time. So how do they do it? Where do they get their ideas? Do they get help from tools and other sources available on the Internet?

The best way to ensure that your site offers regularly updated, unique content which will interest your readers is to write all of it yourself. Especially if your site is promoting your affiliate marketing business, this is important since you need to establish yourself as an expert in your field and pre-sell your audience on the affiliate product or service.

You can write reviews including personal anecdotes about the product or service. These are a good way to personalize your content and make your audience more likely to trust your recommendations about products.

Using private label articles is a viable alternative. PL articles abound in the Internet and you can always buy some that are connected to your central topic and then place them in your blog. One way of maximizing a purchased PLA is to cut it down into several pieces, thereby maximizing its content.

Utilizing RSS feeds to post on blogs is becoming very popular, although not everyone is familiar or willing to learn about RSS feeds. The advantage to an RSS feed is that your blog is automatically updated with fresh news and content. The disadvantage is that it is not unique content and that anybody interested in the feed will likely click out on a story that appeals to them.

Writing your own content is unquestionably the best thing to do. You can get ideas for posts or articles from news sources – when you find an interesting story, you can write a piece summarizing the article. It takes some practice to produce compelling content from these outside sources, but with time you’ll be able to position yourself as a valuable news source to your readers. If you just don’t have the time or think your writing skills are not up to the task, then you can hire a writer or a writing service to handle producing your content for you. There are even blog services out there which specialize in writing new, unique content and posting it on your blog daily. You can specify the topics you want covered. Having professionally written, high quality content can bring you an increase in traffic (and if you’re an affiliate marketer, commissions) which will more than make up for the cost of the service.

These are the best ways to generate content for your blog. It is advisable not to be going with the automated path. If you do decide to do that, you will probably have plenty of content- but the substance of the text is unlikely to increase traffic for you. Putting in some good, old-fashioned content work will yield better results for you. As the expression goes- “you get out what you put in….”!!

Increase Conversion Rates in your Home Based Business Franchise

Written by admin on July 7, 2009

Almost every home in America is now connected to the Internet.How do new home based business franchise owners sift through all the information to be learned from social media networks.  On the other hand, the internet can be a great resource that cannot be overlooked for any business, online or offline. 

In the last couple of years, the Internet has seen a new trend develop which was rapidly adopted by internet marketers and savvy (although mostly corporate) marketers.  If you had to start with nothing (No list, web space, etc), you only had your PC and an internet connection, what would you do from scratch to start building your new empire?  We have been self teaching myself Internet Marketing for well over 2 years now.

Being able to capitalize on Social Networking on the Internet will put your home based business franchise ahead of the competition.  Since most people have not looked into marketing on the Internet – part of my business is teaching my customers that getting a website up and running is only the start of marketing on the Internet.  This is how your business will profit from Internet Marketing. 

An information website, by itself, is no longer effective “in the eyes” of a web savvy buyer.  By far, the most effective way of doing this, is giving your visitors content rich information they can use, in a format they are comfortable using, and provide “verifiable proof of treatment expertise” with actual r photo results and testimonials from satisfied customers.

People want to be doing business with home based business franchises who care enough to give them good quality information and so selling by itself is longer good enough for the web savvy buyer.  What will set you apart from your competitors though is the ability to build trust with your prospects and by far the most effective way of doing this, is by giving your visitors information they can use.  People are choosing companies who care enough not only to give them good quality treatment but information and services that make their online experience easier.   

Times have changed, and the way people get information has changed, too.  Are you building on their interest to lead them to new information?  It used to be that prospective buyers relied on sellers for product or service information, now they are turning to the internet to find their answers.

Create your own Home Based Business Franchise, we can show you how.  A Home Based Business Franchise can bring the financial freedom you desire.

How to Boost Traffic to Your Blog

Written by admin on July 6, 2009

At one point in your life as a blogger, you’ll realize that your site could do with a little more traffic than it usually gets.  After all, getting a lot of traffic is important if you want to make money blogging.  The good news here is that you don’t need to be familiar with complex, highly technical SEO methods just to improve your site’s stats.  Instead, all you need is to make a few tweaks to your blogging strategy to achieve some very noticeable results.  Here’s a list of the best methods that will help you give your site’s traffic an extra push:

1.  Get out there and socialize!

One good way to increase traffic to your blog is by going to other blogs and leaving a footprint wherever you go.  The principle behind this is that people will frequently check out where their blog visitors are coming from, and your blog will be no exception.  Leave relevant, intelligent comments on another blogger’s post, making sure that you attach your name and a link back to your blog at the end of your comment.

You can also link to other sites as a means of getting more traffic.  More often than not, these blogs will link back to you (unless they’re the larger, more successful blogs), therefore opening up your site to their own visitors and network.

You can also pay a visit to forum boards that talk about the very same topic that your blog deals with.  Be an active member, post helpful information, and most importantly, leave a link to your blog that other forum members can click through if they want to get more of your unique advice.

2.  Fan out your work to article directories:

Article directories are a great way to spread your work, cement your credibility through your articles, and get backlinks from other sites.  Places like eZine Articles and Buzzle are a great place to send your articles to, since they have a lot of users and your articles – which should come with a link to your blog — are sure to find an audience there.  Take note, however, that these services exact some very strict rules: there’s always a minimum word count for submissions, and some topics are just taboo.

3.   Write better posts
The most effective way to draw traffic into your blog is by providing great content that gets your readers’ attention and distinguishes you from other competing blogs.  Make each blog entry worth your visitors’ while, and they’re bound to return to your site.

While there’s no real formula on how to attract more traffic and make money blogging, what you can do to give your blog an advantage is to fill it with quality posts that will demonstrate your expertise in your chosen niche.  As long as you make each visit worth their time, they’re going to come back and spread the word about your blog, bringing you the traffic your site deserves.

Webpage Site Seals security Really work!

Written by admin on July 5, 2009

Carrying a website seal on your Business is an outstanding way of exhibiting to your clients the safety you commit to them. This certifies your concern to administer a nice service that remembers the importance of a shopper’s safety and security, and at the same time increasing yourprofit!

In spite of your best retailing attempts, you will unavoidably lose a lot of shopper every single day as a result of one concern: Trust. Intelligent clients are now more aware as a result of the growing number of cyber culprits. These good buyers have become more cautious when it comes to transacting online in order to avoid swindlers and lose precious money. They only pick a few webpages, websites they know they can trust enough to transact with them. Webpages like Amazon and eBay are already established famous names and are apparent to enjoy a lot of clients without any worries.

But what about beginning enterrpises that are still starting out in their corresponding markets? Chances are small that when browsers arrive on your webpage, they will at once purchase from you. You are a beginner in the marketplace and it takes some getting used to in order to get into the hearts of online clients. The worrisome nature is you need faster allotments and simply is not possible wait until you are nearly depleted before business starts getting some life! You must prove yourself by being approved through a neutral authority; supporting trust and confidence with buyers.

And in order to bring about trust and confidence with your buyers, you not only have to make them scan your webpage intelligence – you also have to bring reason to them that striking a deal with you is safe, simple and trustworthy. If they find a seal clear in every page, a certificate conferred by another reliable enterprise specializing in such an employment, they are convinced of safety and you are sure of minimizing customer loss.

Imagine how logical this thing works: Every one of us is against to part with earnings that was acquired through heroic ways. It’s apparent that buyers will need to have a good exchange in every purchase they go through. And as a result of recent hardships, clients are all the more wary of the troubles of online transactions – brought about by scammers and hackers becoming more common each day.Clients will choose those purchases that are sure.

Chancy deals are definitely out of the question, and you would want to stay in the competitive arena for as long as possible if you are interested in earnings. If you want a blooming online enterprise, trust is the most critical determinant to draw all these gold customers into your territory. Trust is the most critical cause in persuading them to remain long enough to make a transaction. And trust, clearly, is what will aid you procure patrons.

There is none that achieves more trust than a website seal. Make it definite you register one for your online company now.

Monetize Your Blog the Right Way

Written by admin on July 4, 2009

When most people think of what it means to make money blogging, two words seem to come up almost automatically: “instant cash”. And yet blogging for money isn’t your ticket to quick wealth as it’s often made out to be. Many of today’s highest-earning bloggers worked at their blogs for years, eschewing SEO shortcuts and gimmickry in favor of long-term solutions that would help establish their sites within the blogosphere.

One of the first things that you have to do as a professional blogger is to get ready for all the work that lies ahead of you. Keep in mind that your blog won’t be the only one of its kind that’s already up and running, which means that competition for reader’s attention is much stiffer now. Like every other business enterprise, blogging won’t give you a lot of revenue at the start! In the beginning, you’ll have to devote a lot of time managing your blog. This can prove to be challenging if you’re already holding a full-time job that takes up at least 8 hours of each working day.

Despite these challenges, professional blogging can prove to be very fulfilling once your site has gained a foothold in its own niche and readership base. It’s like getting your cake and eating it, too: getting paid for writing about the things you love the most! Before you proceed, however, take note of these basic – but golden – rules for blogging professionally. Follow these principles, and you’ll find that blogging for money can be as enjoyable as it is profitable:

1.  Decide on a niche to specialize in, and plan out your blog accordingly:

Will you be writing about sports? Or will you be running a steady stream of political commentary on your site? Are you considering putting up restaurant reviews?  Whatever your chosen niche is, make sure that the rest of your blog fits well with it. Choose a blog template, for example, that matches your overall theme, and keep your blog posts within the bounds of your chosen niche.

You can afford to create an off-topic blog post every so often, but if you want to gain your readers’ trust and establish yourself as an expert, it’s better to be consistent with your blog entries. Let’s say that your blog specializes in making food reviews. If this were the case, you should try sticking to food-related topics and steer clear of those that are drastically out-of-place, such as caring for tarantulas or how to choose a new cell phone.

What’s more important, however, is for you to pick a subject that you’re passionate about. Think of a niche that’s interesting enough for you to write about. It’s hard to fake enthusiasm for a topic that you don’t actually care much about, and it’s a tactic that usually backfires. You shouldn’t put up a blog about Hollywood and showbiz gossip only for the sake of getting a lot of traffic.

Instead, choose a niche that you feel strongly about, whether it’s food, politics, religion, photography, or even something as esoteric as zoology.

Remember, a good blog is one that’s written with obvious zeal and passion, and dealing with a topic you love ensures that you won’t get sick of writing about it year after year.

2.  Update frequently:

Updating your blog regularly can make a big difference in the volume of traffic that your blog receives. You have to give your readers a good reason to visit your blog frequently, and one of the best ways to entice them into your site is by offering new content as often as possible. People don’t want to return to a blog only to find a post that they’d already read before! Make your readers’ visits worth their time by providing them with new content as often as possible.

Frequent updating also ensures that Google and other search engines index your site frequently, making your blog more visible and accessible to others. If you don’t want your blog to fall into obscurity, you have to work at giving your readers a lot of fresh entries.

3.  Take advantage of ad networks and affiliate programs:

Once you’ve got your blog up and running, you can look into more direct ways of earning money from your site. A good way to jumpstart this is by signing up for Google Adsense, which rewards you for each click that an advertising link receives from your site.

You can also sign up for an affiliate program such as Amazon.com Associates, Clickbank, or Azoogle. An affiliate program will reward you for every purchase or sign-up that a visitor of your blog makes, as long as he/she clicked through to the product offer from your blog.

At one point or another, you will have to use some form of advertising on your site if you’re set on blogging for money. In the end, however, the traffic your blog generates will make a big difference in the success of your affiliate program. A blog with a lot of readers will also have a bigger chance of those links being clicked on.

4.  Write quality posts:

No matter how frequently you update your site, and no matter how many ad networks you’re part of, you can’t earn any long-term revenue unless you offer your readers a lot of quality, credible content. Nobody wants to read something that’s poorly or shabbily written, so do your best to write as well and as accurately as you can.

When your readers realize that they can rely on you to give them solid advice and credible information regarding your niche, they’re bound to return to your blog, as well as create backlinks to your site that will boost your search engine ranking. Once you earn a reputation as an expert with credible opinions and insight about your niche, your readers will come back to your site again and again, generating traffic that spells into profit for you and your blog.

Although there are different ways through which people make money blogging, the best tactic is still to provide quality content to your readers. In the end, your visitors aren’t going to your site just to admire your blog template or the nifty widgets you’re using! Nonetheless, it’s also important to come up with a blog theme that works well with the niche you’re dealing with, as well as to use advertising networks and affiliate programs wisely. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you’re sure to be blogging your way towards a real and sustainable profit!

Two Way Communication with Your Readers

Written by admin on July 3, 2009

Calling all writers and freelance journalists, publishers and editors. It’s time to breathe more life into your copy. Turn your articles into living pieces that spark measurable debate, get closer to your readers and engage their mind and soul – we’re talking revolution.

As it was in the beginning

Publishers have for many years relied on letters to get feedback from their readers and although email has opened up this method of communication it is still time consuming and difficult to process with only a fraction of the received correspondence ever being used.

As well as being an overhead for the publisher, to most people it is an unrewarding medium in terms of the amount of effort required and response received, just consider the number of letters that go unpublished and unread.

As it is now

The Internet has brought new channels of communication and created opportunities that allow us to challenge traditional methods. The Internet is now a mature technology, no longer the preserve of the new fad brigade but a technology that has been embraced by a global population, young and old alike and it allows us now to re-evaluate the way things are done. Newspapers, trade journals, magazines and ezines now have the opportunity to change the mental process.

When people read an article that provokes thought they now expect the opportunity to comment either by writing a comment, sending an email or writing a letter. Emails make communication easier but it still takes time to compose an email and time for the majority, is what they haven’t got.

Although interesting a letters page or a list of comments are at best a snapshot of views or an endless unmanaged list of comments; a well crafted and well written letter on any given subject may hold the view of the minority, or the majority but due to the free text form it is difficult, or near impossible, to measure.

As it should be

Now consider the advantages of linking articles to online surveys where as a publisher you will have the ability to obtain valuable feedback from your readers and in a form that can be easily measured. Communicating with your readers is important but equally so is allowing your readers to communicate with you; and in a way that they know it will count.

Do you want to deliver a snapshot of opinion? Did they like the article? Did the readership agree with what was said or do they have a different view?

Now it’s easy

Historically surveys would have taken considerable effort to design and publish and altogether was a process too long winded and often reserved only for the niche and bigger topics.

However, using a hosted survey site surveys and questionnaires can be created and published via the Internet by anyone who has a pulse. Professional looking questionnaires and surveys created in minutes make the perfect complement to articles that prompt opinion and debate.

The advantages over letters, e-mails and comments are that with online surveys all the feedback gathered is properly managed and easily measured with sites like Survey Galaxy providing you with real time polls and charts that you can either keep to yourself or share with your readers.

It can even be complementary to sending an email

Link each article to an online survey and not only extend the life of the article as people have a channel to express their views, but involve your readers in the discussion where they now know their opinion will be counted.

You think people will still want to send an email? – no problem – include the facility within the survey and get the best of both worlds.

It’s fast, low cost, and easy to do; it will engage and empower the reader, provide excellent feedback and having established a dialogue you then have the opportunity to link to other related articles.

Try it for yourself and record your view of this article here:- Readership Feedback Survey

Christian Home Based Business and Web 2.0

Written by admin on July 2, 2009

There has been much talk recently, both in the IT world and in the media at large, about the new Web-based social collaboration tools collectively labeled ‘Web 2.0.  While several savvy companies have picked up on the usefulness of Web 2.0 to expand their Christian Home Based Businesses, there are many that fail to see the opportunity presented to them.   These new online services, where people and communities collaborate and share information, are known as Web 2.0.

I think the title is a bit overblown but there is some good stuff here relating to information literacy.  I think that Wikipedia is a wonderful example of human beings working collaboratively to gather and organize information on almost any topic you can think of.  The Internet has made information so readily available to share and consume, that with a little reading, almost anyone can become an expert on any topic. 

I’m going to guess that,  “Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts” will be “Hot Topics” as well as a few other new tools.  My great concern, and I blogged about this just now, is that things fall apart for grassroots organizations when they want to go viral yet aren’t well organized (I struggle with that word now) and don’t have clearly defined goals.  A lot has changed in the past decade and I expect that in the next five years the technology will be transparent and we will be energized by the collaboration that will continue to take place via blogs, podcasts, and wikis to expand many Christian Home Based Businesses.

This is an exciting opportunity for users to help one another while benefiting from the latest in dynamic Web technology.  The ability to reduce the need to click is a quantum leap forward on web sites that helps your site stay packed full of the information you want to share, without your site visitor having to scroll for eternity or click through hundreds of times to get what they want.  A normal website functions by delivering pages of information, with links that allow a user to move from page to page. 
 
Like individuals, businesses will have to give up some of their obsession with confidentiality and privacy in order to make use of these tools.  I agree that many Christian Home Based Businesses still need to see the tools and the basic ways of using them, no doubt.  Our explanations of the effectiveness of new tools needs to be detailed, persuasive, and comparative. 

From that point forward, they could turn back to the search engine at different times to assist them in the purchase.  The problem with search right now is knowing which of those multiple touch points the consumer is at.  And finally, we could start to pull away from the pure direct response tactics that restrict the effectiveness of search. 

Are you using social media to expand your Christian Home Based Business? Your Christian Home Based Business needs to be branded if you want to increase traffic.