06/10/2012
THE ART OF BLOGGING.
We all love facebooking,and we all like doing it on our PCs or smart phones.Since we are in a dot com err,we should use this opportunity to make our selves some cash via the internet without struggling.The only thing we need is an internet connection and a little know about of website designing and the coding language.
Me am into blogging and am a member of a blogging society called the bloggers international,
Am going to take you through the best blog sites,how to start blogging,how to make money from your blog and also how to know who is reading your blog.
FIRST:HOW TO START BLOGGING.(8 STEPS)
Welcome to the world of blogging! As you may know, the word "blog" is an abbreviated word for what the geeks used to call a "weblog," a web-based journal in which people can publish their thoughts and opinions on the Internet. It started out very small at the end of the 20th century, and has burgeoned to over 172 million bloggers today.
Now you've decided to start your own blog, which is great! Not only is it fun, it's become very easy to do. There are blogging hosts like crazy, templates galore, more ideas than you can shake a graphics stylus at, and best of all, it's pretty much free to get going, and cheap to continue. We'll show you how!
STEP 1
Decide on your topic. There's a lot going on out there in the blogosphere (yes, that's what they call the world of blogging). Before you set up a blog, think about what you want to talk about on a regular basis. A blog without focus is just a fancy diary, and a blog without regular updates is called a "website." Here are some ideas to help you get the creative juices flowing:
Politics. There are certainly enough opinions out there already, but you may have a point of view that needs to be heard.
Food. Who doesn't love good food? Share your recipes, start writing reviews of the local cuisine scene, talk about how the food that you ate in China was nothing like the food they serve in Chinese restaurants in the U.S.
Movies. Reviews of movies, old and new, are always fun for movie buffs! And if you keep it fresh by adding clips and pull from sources that nobody else is using, you could have a hit blog on your hands.
Cars. Who doesn't love cars? And the best thing is, they're everywhere, so photo opportunities abound. Car shows, car lots, car rallies, you name it.
Your favorite thing. Whatever it is, that hobby or pastime, that thing that gets you excited every time you think of it—write about it! You will no doubt attract readers who share your passion or pursuit, and you will learn some new things in the process
STEP 2
Create a name. Think about what your blog's focus is, and then think of some names that will let others find you—or will be memorable enough so that they'll remember it later.
For example, say you are writing about your love of bacon. (Don't laugh—there are people in the world who take their bacon very seriously). You could call it BaconCandy, or PorkBellyNelly, or TurkeyBaconTime, or Baco-Fu for the vegetarian bacon lovers out there.
Be ready to change the name—it's possible that the moniker you picked is so perfect, so elegant, and describes your blog so well that one of those other 172 million bloggers got there first.
STEP 3
Find a blogging provider that appeals to you. A couple of the most popular providers include Blogger and WordPress. These sites are pre-made with a wide variety of templates, and push-button publishing that doesn't require much technical know-how.
STEP 4
Click on the the "New blog" or "Get started" link. These is slightly different wording for each provider, but they all get you to the same place: creating an account and defining your blog's website. We'll use WordPress as an example, though they all offer similar features.
STEP 5
Enter your blog name. In the Blog Address field, enter the name you want to use. We'll try BaconCandy, and see how that works:
The host will do a quick lookup to see if the name appears on their system already. It looks like BaconCandy it taken, so we need to come up with something else.
Note below the sign-in field there are several alternatives.
STEP 6
If at first you don't succeed. If your first choice is not available and you don't like the suggested alternatives, try another name. This time we'll try PorkBellyNelly.
Success! Not only do we get porkbellynelly.wordpress.com, we also find out that porkbellynelly.com is available as well. Think before you purchase this, though: you can register a domain name from a domain name service provider for much less.
FIll out the rest of the sign up form, check the options, and create your blog.
You will be sent a confirmation email that you must click before continuing. Once you've done that, you can sign in with your new account, and design your blog.
STEP 7
Select your theme. You will be presented with a number of theme options. Take some time, look at them, and imagine your blog topic being on those pages. Don't worry about it too much—if you find a better-looking theme later on, it's a simple matter to switch themes at any time.
We'll choose a new theme in black and red for PorkBellyNelly's, because Hitchcock and bacon seem to go together, somehow:
STEP 8
ill in the blanks. With your site name set, and your theme chosen, you're almost ready to go.
Fill in your profile, so people visiting your site can learn about you, drop in any.
Add your name, interests, images, etc.
9
Post something! Now that your blog is set up, write a few posts to test it out, and make any adjustments to the layout or style that you see fit.
At first, it will seem tough to figure out what to write, but once you get into a routine of daily blogging, you will find it addictive.
10
Decide whether you want your blog to be private or public. Do you want any Internet visitor to be able to read your blog, or do you just want your friends and family to be able to read it?
Most blog sites offer the ability to password-protect your published posts so only those who you approve of can view what you've written.
11
Publish and promote your blog. Send the URL to your friends, publish the URL on your website, and add the URL to posts you make on other blogs—anywhere where it would be appropriate. (A memo to your boss about the Q3 SEC investigation is probably not an appropriate place to promote your blog). Also promote it on your page, and use Twitter to tweet about every new post that you make. Before long, they'll be busting down the gates to read your blog!
TOP BLOG SITES;
1 | HuffingtonPost
67 - eBizMBA Rank | 54,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 53 - Compete Rank | 26 - Quantcast Rank | 122 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
2 | TMZ
228 - eBizMBA Rank | 19,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 220 - Compete Rank | 57 - Quantcast Rank | 407 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
3 | BusinessInsider
455 - eBizMBA Rank | 12,100,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 601 - Compete Rank | 217 - Quantcast Rank | 546 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
4 | engadget
479 - eBizMBA Rank | 11,500,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 808 - Compete Rank | *250* - Quantcast Rank | 378 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
5 | PerezHilton
570 - eBizMBA Rank | 10,200,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 882 - Compete Rank | 251 - Quantcast Rank | 577 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
6 | Gizmodo
575 - eBizMBA Rank | 10,100,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 1,103 - Compete Rank | 150 - Quantcast Rank | 472 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
7 | Mashable
579 - eBizMBA Rank | 10,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 803 - Compete Rank | 612 - Quantcast Rank | 323 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
8 | TechCrunch
615 - eBizMBA Rank | 7,500,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 607 - Compete Rank | *860* - Quantcast Rank | 377 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
9 | Gawker
776 - eBizMBA Rank | 6,000,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 1,005 - Compete Rank | 458 - Quantcast Rank | 866 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
10 | lifehacker
860 - eBizMBA Rank | 5,500,000 - Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors | 1,298 - Compete Rank | 463 - Quantcast Rank | 819 - Alexa Rank.
The Most Popular Blogs | Updated 10/5/2012 | eBizMBA
HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR BLOG(5 TIPS)
Many people who write blogs today simply want to share their opinion on something. But then there are the business-minded folks, who have found a way to use blogs, or Web logs, to bring in a little extra cash too.
If you're interested in taking it further — blogging for bucks, if you will — here are five strategies that could turn your blog into a moneymaker.
1. Sell advertising.
This is likely the most common means of leveraging a blog to generate income. If yours happens to become a well-known blog, or one that is well-received in a particular niche, it's always possible to sell ad space on your own. For Bing Blogs and services such as Google's AdSense or BlogAds, bloggers can establish ad programs. AdSense's — which lets you select several ads that are consistent with the content of your blog — pays you based on how many readers click on the ads for further information. Even better, it's free. BlogAds, on the other hand, hooks bloggers up with would-be advertisers and levies a commission in return for any ad placements that result. "The nice thing, too, is that the ads are relatively unobtrusive," says Scott Allen, co-author of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online.
2. Help sell others' products.
Here is another click-through opportunity. Affiliate programs enable your blog to serve as a conduit between readers and online sites offering various goods and services. One popular choice is Amazon.com. If, for instance, you offer book reviews or even just mention a book in passing in your blog, an affiliate program provides a means for your readers to click directly from your blog to Amazon to obtain further information about the book. If they break out the checkbook or charge card, you get paid as well.
3. Solicit contributions.
Not every blog-related income opportunity involves hawking goods or services. As Blanche DuBois said in A Streetcar Named Desire, consider relying on the kindness of strangers. Ask for contributions. If, for instance, your small-business blog supports a cause or issue in some fashion — say you repeatedly mention tax reform, health care or some other topic — you can always ask for reader support. Even if you've attracted a group of regular followers who simply enjoy reading what you have to say, they may be willing to underwrite their loyalty with a little financial help. Programs such as PayPal make it easy to establish a simple on-site contribution collection button. "There are lots of worthy 'cause' blogs that would qualify for donations from grateful members of the blog community," says Las Vegas communications consultant Ned Barnett.
4. Market your services in your blog.
Many people associate blogs exclusively with a cyberspace-based soapbox — a place to shout your opinions and little more than that. Granted, blogs are an ideal venue to share your thoughts with others, but don't overlook their capacity to generate new business as well. When appropriate, work in references to what you do and, in turn, what you may be able to offer any would-be client or customer who may be reading your blog. That can spread your opinion and your business moxie at the same time."Instead of short commentaries that begin a dialogue with readers, as many blogs do, I write the equivalent of journal articles that demonstrate my abilities, strategies and perspectives on specific issues," Barnett says. "When it resonates, it means money. Since starting this approach, I have generated three new paying clients and brought in about $10,000 on revenue — directly attributable to specific blogs."
5. Use a blog to deepen your existing customer relations.
Nor does any marketing material inserted in blog content have to be limited to bringing in completely new business. By using a blog to regularly communicate with existing clients as well as other readers, you can take advantage of the opportunity to fully inform them about everything your business does. That may expand your readers' understanding of the full scope of your products or services."My blog has helped existing clients determine the range of my skills and services," says Ted Demopoulos of Demopoulos Associates, a Durham, N.H. consulting and training concern. "One client who had only used me for training in the past was surprised at my range of expertise and is now using me for a consulting project. Another who only used me on technical projects is now considering me for a more business-oriented project."
GOOD LUCK FELLOW ENTREPRENEURS,GO ON AND START BLOGGING.